Chapter 54: Selecting Maidservants

"Please take a look, my lord. This gentle maid comes from a small island nation of Wa across the vast ocean. Her skin is fair with a rosy blush, her hair thick and dark, her eyes filled with a melancholy charm, and her temperament tender and delicate... At a glance, she is an obedient beauty who matches our Great Qian aesthetic. She is perfectly suited to serve as a personal maid for my lord. The price is only thirty strings of copper coins."

The Sogdian merchant, Li Yan, tugged on a rope, leading forward a black-haired young woman dressed in silk, and introduced her with a smile to Ouyang Rong, Madam Zhen, and the others.

Madam Zhen smiled and turned, glancing at Ouyang Rong to gauge his opinion. However, the latter's attention seemed somewhat peculiar, prompting him to ask:

"Is Shopkeeper Li also a man of Great Qian?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yan looked momentarily anxious and quickly replied:

"Although I am a merchant from the Western Regions, I am also a subject of Great Qian. My mother was a daughter of Qian, and my father registered as a naturalized citizen in Guangzhou during the joint reign of the Two Saints. My family are thorough and upright commoners of the Great Zhou, not the kind of wandering foreigners who still yearn for their former lands."

Ouyang Rong smiled and said, "I see. I meant no offense. No wonder Shopkeeper Li speaks the elegant standard tongue even better than I do."

Li Yan offered a proud smile and asked again, "How does my lord find this young maid? Everything that enters our Brocade Roar Trading Company consists of pure and healthy foreign maidens."

Ouyang Rong glanced at the Japanese slave, who bore a striking resemblance to a certain online instructor he once knew.

Except that right now, her makeup was painted deathly pale, and her eyebrow shape was terribly bizarre... Perhaps people back in her hometown considered that attractive, but he simply could not appreciate the customs of such a petty state.

Ouyang Rong shook his head.

"Very well. Bring out the next one."

Li Yan turned and gave the order. The Kunlun slave nodded, headed to the back of the house, and soon brought forward a tall young woman of a completely different style.

"Please take a look, my lord. This maid is a Western Region beauty. Her skin is exceptionally fair, with golden hair and blue eyes, striking and tall. Her gaze is alluring, her personality enthusiastic and vibrant, and she excels in both singing and dancing... This is a hot commodity right now, and cultivating one is no easy task. Not only can she serve as a personal maid, but she can also perform as a singing and dancing girl. The price is only fifty strings of copper coins."

Madam Zhen glanced at the Western girl’s high-bridged nose and deep-set eyes, frowning slightly. *Her figure and talents are fine, but why does she look like a ghost?* What if she frightened her dear Tanlang in the middle of the night?

Li Yan coughed and said:

"It is true that she does not quite conform to the aesthetic of our ancestors, but she is indeed very popular in the taverns of Chang'an and Luoyang. There are quite a few men in the Great Zhou who enjoy this exotic style.

"My lady, look. Although this golden hair lacks the nobility and elegance of dark hair, doesn't gold look so festive and auspicious? As for the exotic charm, in our celestial empire, this is what we call embracing all rivers and showing inclusive tolerance."

Thinking that her dear Tanlang might harbor some peculiar tastes, Madam Zhen swallowed her words and remained silent, leaving the choice entirely to him.

Facing the seductive winks of the Western beauty, our protagonist maintained a normal expression and shook his head.

The Sogdian merchant noticed that Ouyang Rong shook his head without even sparing her a few glances. *So picky?* A slight frown crossed his mind, but his face remained smiling as he called out:

"Never mind. Next, bring her up."

At that moment, a minor steward walked in from outside, poking his head in to look around. His expression suggested he had matters to report, but upon seeing Shopkeeper Li entertaining distinguished guests in the main hall, he tactfully stopped outside and waited.

Li Yan glanced sideways at the junior steward outside and chose not to deal with the matter immediately.

Soon, the third and fourth maids were brought forward one after another:

There were plump and bewitching Persian beauties, docile Silla maids brought from the Eastern barbarians, and destitute noble female slaves whose families were ruined during the fall of Goguryeo.

Especially the last one: she had read poetry and books, learned female needlework, and could not only serve as a close confidant maid but also be entrusted with heavy responsibilities to help manage a household. The more Madam Zhen looked at her, the more pleasing to the eye she became. This was a major bonus point; the only flaw was that she was a bit too smart—well, sixty strings of copper coins, expensive as it might be...

Waiting to the side, the half-clever maid twisted her fingers together, her small face deeply tense. She had not expected that coming out for a stroll today would also mean losing her job.

The lady in the patterned skirt could not help but cast a stealthy look at her nephew, but Ouyang Rong turned a blind eye. He was simply... shaking his head, shaking his head, and shaking his head again.

Moreover, he shook his head the very instant Li Yan finished his introduction, doing so decisively without even sparing a second glance.

This left the Sogdian merchant doubting his own life. Their Brocade Roar Trading Company operated on a high-end, international route—were these maids really that terrible? The distinguished guests they had entertained previously, even the wealthy patrons of pleasure quarters, all wore colorful expressions when subjected to the visual bombardment of these exotic beauties.

Yet today’s young master did not even blink, looking entirely unsurprised by the maids produced by their Brocade Roar Trading Company, his expression completely calm.

*Wait, could he be here to pick a fight, or... is his standard simply too high?*

Li Yan gritted his teeth inwardly. It seemed he had to turn up the intensity; he could not tarnish the reputation of the Brocade Roar Trading Company.

Just as the Sogdian merchant was about to turn and give further instructions, the junior steward who had been waiting outside for a long time could no longer hold back. He stepped inside on tiptoes, apologized with a polite smile to the distinguished guests, and whispered to Li Yan:

"Shopkeeper, the cargo boats are waiting at Penglang Ferry. Should we load the cargo onto the ships now?"

Li Yan said with dissatisfaction, "Can't you see there are people in the shop? Distinguished guests come first. Those are money-losing goods, what's the rush? Move them later, don't get in the way of the distinguished guests choosing their maids."

"Yes, yes, yes." The junior steward bowed with an apologetic expression.

Li Yan turned back and offered an apology. Ouyang Rong and Madam Zhen shook their heads, paying it no mind.

The former continued to instruct the Kunlun slave behind him: "Next... go bring out the Bodhisattva Barbarian."

Hearing this, Ouyang Rong felt curious. Madam Zhen turned and explained that, under the leadership of the Wei Dynasty empress, Buddhist trends were gradually becoming popular in Great Zhou, and people had begun referring to beautiful women as female bodhisattvas. A "Bodhisattva Barbarian," naturally, referred to a beautiful barbarian woman.

Finally, when this maid named "Bodhisattva Barbarian" was led onto the stage, Ouyang Rong raised an eyebrow and couldn't help staring a little longer.

Mostly because someone as widely read in "cinematic arts" as him had genuinely never seen this particular type of exotic woman.

In the main hall, the Bodhisattva Barbarian maid wore a towering bun adorned with a golden crown, draped in pearl strings and pendants... That is to say, her hair was piled into a tall bun, and sparkling, exquisite gemstones covered her entire body. At first glance, it was truly breathtaking. For a moment, Ouyang Rong could not tell which ethnic minority she belonged to.

Observing Ouyang Rong's expression, Li Yan breathed a slight sigh of relief. *Hmph, young man, you thought you couldn't be shaken? I should have known you liked expensive ones from the start—everyone goes home happy.*

With a faint smile, he said, "Please take a look, my lord. This maid from the Naman Kingdom is the grand finale of our shop. The Naman Kingdom is a strange place, and Bodhisattva Barbarians are usually only given as tribute to the imperial family and high officials in Chang'an and Luoyang. However, our trading company went through great lengths to acquire a few..."

Ouyang Rong shook his head directly.

Just as Li Yan was about to wax eloquent, he choked instantly and could not help asking, "The young master doesn't even like this? Then what kind do you like?"

Ouyang Rong looked somewhat embarrassed and said sincerely, "At a glance, it's very expensive. Let's forget about these." The attire of this Bodhisattva Barbarian practically screamed "pay-to-win microtransaction skin."

Madam Zhen patted his hand and frowned, "If Tanlang likes it, price is not an issue."

Ouyang Rong stubbornly shook his head.

Li Yan failed to process this for a moment. After thinking it over, he said, "This Bodhisattva Barbarian costs one hundred strings... one hundred thousand cash is indeed a bit expensive, but she is definitely worth every coin. How about this..."

He sighed, feigning a hesitant tone: "I'll discount her by ten strings, how about ninety strings of copper coins?"

The Sogdian merchant waited expectantly for this handsome young lord to haggle further, after which he would pretend to reluctantly agree with a pang of heartache just to make a friend.

Unfortunately, he did not know that what our protagonist lacked was not ninety strings of copper coins, nor was he looking for friends.

Ouyang Rong said with a sincere expression, "Actually, I don't even have ten strings. My official salary cannot afford her. At most, one string—no, even one string is a bit too pricey. One must live within one's means when buying things... Does your shop have any maids worth a few hundred cash? I have no other conditions, as long as they exist, I'll go pick one. By the way, can I buy on credit? The sixty cash I had on me was just spent on rice." He even remembered to point to the sack of rice carried by Liu Ashan.

Listening to this, Li Yan saw stars before his eyes and almost passed away on the spot.

The junior steward beside him quickly propped up the shopkeeper and anxiously pinched his philtrum.

Madam Zhen was stunned. "What kind of joking words is Tanlang uttering? Today's expenses will be covered by your aunt. One hundred strings—your aunt can still scrape it together if she tightens her belt!"

Ouyang Rong said earnestly, "I promised Aunt to come select a maid, but I never said I would spend Aunt's money, nor did I say I would buy anything expensive. Isn't it fine to just pick one that catches my eye?"

Madam Zhen said angrily, "Aunt's money is your money, isn't this whole household yours! Why are you still standing on ceremony with Aunt?"

"Very well, then advance me a few hundred cash for now. I'll go pick one that catches my eye." Ouyang Rong's tone brook no argument. Once his face hardened, he possessed the undeniable aura of a head of the household.

"..." Madam Zhen.
The half-clever maid, who had nearly lost her job, felt a flicker of joy.

Ouyang Rong nodded: "Shopkeeper Li, does your shop have any cheap maids? If not, we shall take our business elsewhere."

Li Yan took a deep breath before finally recovering his composure. Pushing aside the junior steward, he stared in sheer disbelief at the young master before him, who was dressed like an elegant and refined gentleman. To think he had encountered a miserly skinflint, wasting so much breath for nothing!

The junior steward nearby couldn't help chiming in, "Shopkeeper, isn't there a batch of money-losing freeloaders in the back courtyard who eat rice without doing work? They can't be sold, and with rice prices so high lately, feeding them is a huge waste of grain. Why don't you let the young master go pick one at random? It might even save us some shipping costs."

Li Yan was completely speechless, too lazy to even talk. He weakly pointed toward the direction of the back courtyard and waved his hand, signaling him to go look himself.

Ouyang Rong smiled, unbothered, and led Liu Ashan, who was carrying the sack of rice, toward the back courtyard.

What the junior martial sister said that day made a certain amount of sense, but upon further reflection, those expensive, high-quality maids did not need him to save them. Being so costly, the probability of them being bought by a wealthy family and living a decent life was much higher. On the contrary, cheap slaves were the ones who suffered the most miserably.

In the end, this Brocade Roar Trading Company decided not to completely disregard all decency, and still sent the junior steward to at least put on a show. The junior steward led Ouyang Rong to the back courtyard and said politely:

"Young master, the slave girls in the back courtyard are all leftovers picked over by wave after wave of customers and haven't been sold for a long time. The shopkeeper thinks even the shipping cost to haul them away is too expensive. Feel free to pick whoever you like; the most expensive one won't exceed two hundred cash. When the time comes, I'll put in a good word and give you a discounted price."

"Two hundred cash? That's wonderful, we can make friends over this." Ouyang Rong nodded gently, walking into the back courtyard with his hands clasped behind his back. The back courtyard was open-air, filthy, and filled with iron cages, completely lacking the glitz and glamour of the front hall.

However, the moment he stepped into the back courtyard, before he had even made a full circuit, his eyes were pricked by a dazzlingly fair shadow in the corner. His expression froze, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him from a lack of recent sleep. But after repeated scrutiny and confirmation, he revealed an expression even more dumbfounded than the one he wore upon seeing the Bodhisattva Barbarian.

Pointing at a filthy little cage, Ouyang Rong asked in all seriousness:

"She... costs less than two hundred cash?"