Chapter 11: Shedding the Status of Slavery (Please add to favorites and follow for updates)

Two years passed.

When he first left the Huang family, the words of his cousin, Huang Yuanshan, still echoed in Wei Tu’s mind from time to time.

The taste of being looked down upon was not pleasant.

However, he was now at a critical juncture in his life, a matter of life and death.

Wei Tu would certainly not let a mere dispute of pride prevent him from mentioning the only background he could rely on.

"Wei Hong..." Li Tong-shi savored the name, lost in thought.

Although Wei Hong was a concubine of the Huang family, because she had borne a son, her status in the Huang household was not low; she was different from an ordinary concubine.

She was well aware of this.

Even if her status was not enough to influence the internal affairs of the Li residence, it would still be unwise to hold onto Wei Tu’s contract and make an enemy of her...

The Huang family was powerful and wealthy in Qingshan County, with lands stretching for miles; they were far beyond what the Li family could compare to.

Of course.

The Li family had not reached the point of fearing them.

"If Wei Tu were truly as close to his second aunt, Wei Hong, as he claims, he wouldn't have ended up as a servant in my Li family..." Li Tong-shi thought to herself.

But she quickly pushed this thought to the back of her mind.

Wei Hong would look down upon an ordinary male relative from her maiden family and would not offer him help.

However, a male relative from her maiden family who had the potential to achieve fame in the military examinations was a completely different matter.

As the mistress married into the Li family, Li Tong-shi understood the mindset of concubines in wealthy households like Wei Hong’s.

Only with the support of one's maiden family could one have confidence, a reliance, and avoid being looked down upon by the husband's family.

After a short while.

When Li Tong-shi gently placed the teacup in her hand onto the side table, everyone in the hall knew that she had made up her mind.

"Your contract... I cannot decide on my own; I must discuss it with the Master."

Li Tong-shi glanced at Wei Tu and continued, "The Master has always been open-minded. Since your heart is set on the military examinations, the Li family should not stand in the way of your future."

She had already inwardly agreed to let Wei Tu redeem himself, but since it involved personnel within the residence, it would be inappropriate to bypass the Master, Li Yaozu, to make the decision.

"Caixia, go and invite the Master over." Li Tong-shi looked at Caixia, who was standing to her right, and ordered.

"Yes, Mistress."

Caixia acknowledged the order and walked out of the living room.

A short while later.

The Master, Li Yaozu, hurried from the living quarters to the living room. He sat on another chair beside Li Tong-shi. After sitting upright, he smoothed out the hem of his robe before looking squarely at Wei Tu, who was standing before him.

"Redeem yourself?" Li Yaozu frowned. "Have you brought enough silver?"

His tone was not as gentle or sentimental as Li Tong-shi’s; the moment he spoke, he demanded the full redemption fee.

However.

This demeanor.

Was exactly how everyone in the Li residence knew the Master, Li Yaozu, to be.

"My family assets are meager. I beg the Master and Mistress to show mercy and reduce the amount accordingly." Wei Tu recited the speech he had prepared.

Ten taels of silver was an estimate he had made based on market prices; it was not the true cost of the redemption fee.

The price set by the Li residence could be higher than ten taels, or it could be lower.

Of course, the price had to be within a reasonable range, otherwise, it would be difficult to convince others.

If the price were unreasonable, Wei Tu could go to the yamen to sue the Li family, but... the yamen had always been a place where "if you have reason but no money, do not enter."

"Master." Just as Li Yaozu was about to speak, Li Tong-shi stood up and gave him a look, signaling for him to follow her to the inner hall to discuss the matter.

Time passed slowly...

From the moment Wei Tu entered the inner residence until now, it was already past noon.

Finally.

At one o'clock in the afternoon.

Li Yaozu and Li Tong-shi emerged from the inner hall one after another and took their respective seats.

"Business is business. Since you wish to leave the Li family and redeem your contract, the redemption fee is unavoidable..."

"All these years, you have eaten and lived in the Li family, and the Li family has taught you horse-tending skills and paid you wages..."

"These are all expenses."

Li Tong-shi took out the account book and calculated.

Hearing this, Wei Tu did not argue.

If he had proposed redeeming his contract a few years earlier, the Li family would never have cultivated him so carefully or helped him marry a wife.

"After calculation, it comes to about eleven taels and five mace."

"Wei-ge'er, can you accept this redemption fee?"

Li Tong-shi asked.

"I beg the Mistress to show mercy and reduce it somewhat. In the future, Wei Tu will surely repay this kindness."

After hearing the amount of the redemption fee, Wei Tu was shocked. The Li family’s accounting was much higher than his own.

The extra one tael and five mace was not a small sum; it could buy another servant during a famine year.

He suppressed his dissatisfaction, bowed deeply, and lowered his voice.

Seeing Wei Tu bow, a hint of satisfaction appeared in Li Yaozu’s eyes.

He said, "Wei-ge'er grew up in the Li family. While we speak of business, we must also consider our ties. The price of this redemption fee can be lower. How about eight taels and eight mace?"

"Consider it a good omen!"

"Thank you, Master."

Wei Tu expressed his gratitude.

After thanking him, he took out the silver he had saved over the years, counted it, and handed it to Chunlan, who was standing to the side.

"Mistress, it is eight taels and eight mace."

Chunlan placed the broken silver on the lacquer tray and whispered into Li Tong-shi’s ear.

"It seems you came prepared. Here is your contract and the letter of proof."

"The Master already wrote it while we were in the inner hall just now."

Li Tong-shi smiled and took an unsealed envelope from her sleeve, placing it on the tea table.

In her words, she also explained why she and Master Li Yaozu had spent so long in the inner hall.

—It was because writing the letter to certify Wei Tu’s redemption had caused the delay.

"Wei Tu thanks the Master and Mistress."

Wei Tu bowed again to express his thanks.

However, after he finished thanking them, he took a deep breath, straightened his back, and looked Li Yaozu and Li Tong-shi in the eye.

At this moment.

He was no longer a servant of the Li family.

Next, as long as he removed his slave status at the yamen, he would be a proper commoner of the Zheng Kingdom, not a private slave raised by a wealthy family.

Seeing this, Li Yaozu and Li Tong-shi felt inexplicably uncomfortable and frowned slightly.

Both of them felt that Wei Tu should have maintained the proper respect at least until he walked out of the Li residence, so as not to waste the "favor" they had just bestowed upon him.

"Wei-ge'er, go to the outer residence to pack your luggage. You may go."

Although Li Yaozu was angry inside, his face remained full of smiles, and he did not lose his composure.

Although he had not tested Wei Tu’s martial arts or strength like Xinghua had, he understood that a servant who dared to remove his slave status did not do so merely because he was unwilling to be ordinary.

What Wei Tu said was likely eighty percent true.

Even if he did not pass the military examinations this term, it was best not to offend a martial artist if one could avoid it.

Over the years, it was not as if Qingshan County hadn't seen wealthy landlords slaughtered by swordsmen.

Hearing this, Wei Tu nodded, took the contract and the letter from Chunlan, and turned to leave the inner residence.

After Wei Tu left, the Li family’s inner residence returned to its usual calm.

"Why hasn't today's lunch been served yet?"

"It's already past noon."

Li Tong-shi put away the account book and, seeing the dining table empty, couldn't help but frown in dissatisfaction.

She sighed inwardly, wondering if the servants and maids in the house were becoming increasingly presumptuous because of her lenient management.

"Xinghua went out to buy groceries this morning and hasn't returned yet," a maid said in a low voice.

"What? Xinghua hasn't returned yet?" Master Li Yaozu, who had just walked to the dining table, heard this and his expression turned cold instantly. But in a flash, he seemed to think of something, and a chill ran down his spine.