Chapter 105: Barbie Doll

From today onward, you are all slaves of the Zeng family. Although you retain the status of slaves, each laborer will receive a monthly wage. The elderly can help guard the Zeng estate and keep it clean, while the children can tend cattle and cut grass. If you lack any particular skill, do not worry—there are many workshops in the Zeng household. As long as you obey and work diligently, no one will beat or scold you without reason. However, let me be clear: anyone harboring resentment or ill intentions will be beaten to death with a cudgel!

A harsh punishment followed by a sweetened promise—Zeng Qian was not naive enough to think slaves would willingly work; shirking labor and sabotaging tools were common slave tactics, as obvious as could be.

The four slave families were perceptive; coming from respectable households themselves, they quickly responded in unison, “Thank you, Young Master Zeng!”

With Hao Ren mediating, the local market official swiftly prepared the slave trade contracts. After verifying all details, all three parties signed and sealed the contracts, including the slaves themselves, who had to acknowledge their status as slaves.

Originally asking for three hundred strings of cash for the four families, after paying ten strings to the market official, the price dropped immediately to two hundred and fifty strings.

Two hundred fifty... a figure that tormented Zeng Qian deeply!

Having concluded the purchase, Zeng Qian was about to leave but was firmly pulled into another room by Hao Ren. “Young Master, since you’re here, why rush off? Take a look at the new Silla maids and Hu concubines I’ve picked out. If you’re not satisfied, you can still leave.”

Unexpectedly, Hao Ren showed a knack for brothel management. Zeng Qian, unwilling to embarrass him in front of others, half-reluctantly followed into the other chamber.

The slave market resembled a livestock pen in every way. Despite buying many slaves, whenever Zeng Qian saw the slaves standing there, waiting to be chosen, he couldn’t help but recall the courtesans of later eras—dressed flamboyantly, vibrant and lively—whereas the female slaves stood with vacant, lifeless expressions. One was active, the other passive; there was no real appeal.

“Are you satisfied, Young Master?” Hao Ren asked.

Zeng Qian cast a few glances and had already lost interest in these female slaves. They were soulless shells, far less engaging than even the courtesans of later times, who at least flirted and teased, proactively enticing clients. These slaves stood like statues, cold and inert.

He considered himself a man of taste and was not yet at the point of needing inflatable dolls.

“These Silla maids are top quality; if you hadn’t stayed, they would have been snapped up long ago!”

“...Not satisfied? These black pearls are rare elsewhere; at night, when the lights dim, you see teeth but not faces. If my wife at home didn’t forbid bringing them inside, I would’ve liked to try the flavor of these black pearls!”

“The Hu concubines are skilled in singing and dancing, their soft melodies and spinning dances from Kucha are truly enchanting...”

Hao Ren grew more animated as he spoke, as if he himself were buying the slaves, rattling off praises like a seasoned connoisseur.

The Silla maids were petite and delicate, nothing like the contemporary Korean pop stars of later centuries. Before being sold, they underwent rigorous training; their personalities were gentle and timid, impeccable in service, and quite charming even in private chambers.

As for the black pearls, many black beauties appear in modern films and TV shows, but those are vastly different from the genuine black pearls of the Tang Dynasty. The latter were truly dark-skinned, so much so that assassins could blend into the night without additional stealth attire. Their bodies were strong, suitable as docile agricultural laborers, but certainly not for the bedroom.

Regarding the Hu concubines, modern portrayals often show them as blonde, blue-eyed bombshells; in reality, those who came to Tang China had one goal: profit. Most originated from Central Asia, with a few rare ones from far-off Europe. Their temperaments were wild and frivolous, possibly carrying unknown diseases, which made Zeng Qian uneasy.

However...

As Zeng Qian’s gaze swept over the female slaves, it involuntarily lingered on one Hu concubine. She was unique—blonde, blue-eyed, with an unusually fair complexion unlike the typically rough-skinned Hu women. Her gaze flickered unpredictably, and there was an unmistakable air about her, devoid of frivolity. Without his past dealings with foreign clients, she might have gone unnoticed.

“What’s her name?” Zeng Qian’s eyes met hers, and for a fleeting moment, an absurd thought crossed his mind: Barbie doll...

The market official roughly pulled her out from among the slaves. “Her name is Lucia. She was brought from Central Asia to Tang in the tenth year of the Tianbao era. She’s said to be a war captive from the Abbasid Caliphate, intercepted by the Sogdians. She’s proud and undisciplined. Young Master, if you fancy her, the price is twenty strings!”

Zeng Qian looked at this Lucia and entertained a wildly ridiculous thought: what if he dressed her in the outfits of a modern Barbie doll? What kind of charm would that be?

Lucia lifted her proud, stubborn head and met Zeng Qian’s gaze directly, showing none of the fear common among other female slaves. She bore herself like a princess from a European court of later centuries.

Could this be his imagination?

“That’s the one. I’ll buy her!”

Hao Ren blinked in confusion. Lucia’s appearance was not striking by their standards: blonde hair, blue eyes, slender waist, bony arms, and a puzzled expression that clashed with Tang aesthetics. Was Zeng Qian losing his mind?

“Young Master, these Silla maids are truly excellent, far better at serving than the two little maids at your house. Want to try something different?”

“No need. This one is just fine.”

Tang aesthetics favored plumpness, a concept utterly alien to Zeng Qian, making acceptance difficult.

Upon realizing she had been purchased, Lucia muttered a few words in an incomprehensible Hu language.

Returning from the slave market, Hao Ren did not leave immediately but followed behind Zeng Qian. “Young Master, I heard you presented the prefect with a glass mirror yesterday. Is that true?”

Zeng Qian nodded and waited for more.

“I heard that glass mirror is worth ten thousand strings. We would never have had a chance to see it. The prefect wrote a memorial overnight to present this auspicious gift, and it was quickly sent to the capital along with the mirror. Young Master, since you are the one who offered this omen, you must look out for your brother here in the future!”

Zeng Qian smiled. It was hard to say for certain—a mere broken mirror. If it could earn him a noble title, he would be content. Nothing else was expected.

A woman’s heart is as deep as the sea, and the emperor’s mind even more unfathomable. After presenting the mirror, Zeng Qian felt some regret for his recklessness. If Emperor Xuanzong suddenly decided to investigate its origin, how would he answer? Claiming he made the mirror himself would surely lead to castration and confinement in the imperial workshop, sentenced to a lifetime of crafting mirrors for the emperor. The mere thought of becoming a eunuch made him hesitate.

…Some casual discussion follows…

Earlier, we discussed the weight of ancient copper coins. Clearly, traveling with many coins was impractical. Interested readers might consult “A Guide to Time Travel in the Tang Dynasty” and “A Guide to Settling in the Tang Dynasty,” both of which detail the customs and daily life of the era and serve as excellent historical references.

Regarding ancient mining and smelting technology, China was a country scarce in gold and silver, with low copper production. Economic development even led to the use of iron coins, which were so heavy that ancient laborers invented paper money known as “jiaozi.” The Ming Dynasty’s Da Ming Baochao was a later example of ancient paper currency but ultimately a failure—reasons for which will be discussed later.

To briefly cover Tang currency: it mainly consisted of copper coins and silk cloth. Gold and silver were prohibited from circulation—an admittedly puzzling fact. However, in foreign trade, gold and silver were the primary currencies, especially in dealings between Western merchants and the Central Plains. Trade with northern nomadic tribes was largely barter-based, often bypassing metal currency altogether. This was due to the limited economic activity on the steppes, where only large-scale trade triggered the use of metal money. Over centuries, the increasing frequency of commercial transactions led to the birth of modern paper money—a historical inevitability.

The extensive use of gold and silver currency began in the mid to late Ming Dynasty, when foreign trade flourished and vast silver and gold mines were discovered in overseas colonies. Over a third of the world's silver flowed into the Ming and Qing dynasties, establishing a commodity circulation and monetary system centered on silver transactions.

Silk cloth, as currency, was unwieldy due to its size, weight, indivisibility, and difficulty in transport and storage, and thus was unpopular from the start. Its role as currency gradually declined. Ancient laborers were ingenious and soon invented financial instruments like “flying money” and money chests. Thus, when going out to entertain courtesans, one no longer needed to haul carts of coins and silk cloth; a single light “flying money” note sufficed to settle debts.