Wei Tu stopped at the door.
He drew back his right foot, which had been hanging in the air beyond the threshold, turned around, and looked at the maid kneeling in the hall.
It was already evening. An oil lamp stood on a half-table by the south wall, beside Li Yaozu and his wife—the light passed through their robes and hairpins, casting enormous shadows that stretched from before the table all the way to the threshold outside, covering the weeping maid kneeling on the floor.
After stopping, Wei Tu stepped on the shadows cast across the floor tiles and moved back into the sitting room. He stood beside the maid without saying a word.
Having lived at the Li Residence for years, Wei Tu was familiar with all its maids and servants. Even without seeing their faces, he could generally tell who they were from their figures alone.
If this maid had merely been an ordinary acquaintance, he would have immediately turned around and left over such commonplace matters in wealthy households.
He did not yet have the strength to challenge the worldly order.
But Cai Xia's words...
No matter what, he could not take that step, choose to ignore her, and leave the sitting room of the Li Residence.
Though Cai Xia's kindness was not enough to make him kick up a great storm with the Li Family, it was more than enough for him to stand behind her.
Back then.
Had Cai Xia not warned him, prompting him to redeem his own indenture contract in advance and avoid Li Yaozu's "attack,"
he would likely have become a bandit in the hills by now, a blade-wielding outlaw hiding in the mountains and forests.
Perhaps even—
his head would already have fallen, and he would have died miserably beneath the blades and spears of government troops.
"Why did he come back?"
Inside the sitting room of the Li Residence, when Li Yaozu and his wife saw Wei Tu stop beside Cai Xia, their hearts immediately tangled into knots. They did not know how to continue handling this "small matter."
Though a master humiliating a maid was expressly forbidden under Zheng State law, the punishment for violating it was no more than a fine. Thus, in Li Yaozu and his wife's eyes, such laws were nothing but a sheet of blank paper.
Ordinarily.
After something like this happened, Madam Li, as the mistress of the household, would scold Li Xingye a few times, punish him by making him reflect behind closed doors, then compensate Cai Xia with some money. The matter would pass just like that.
If they were willing, they could even have Li Xingye take Cai Xia into his room in secret.
But now, the trouble was—Wei Tu had stood behind Cai Xia. Though he had not spoken, his attitude was already clear.
Wei Tu's own strength, along with Martial Graduate Dan and the Huang Family of the county seat behind him, forced Li Yaozu and his wife to carefully consider how to give both Wei Tu and Cai Xia a satisfactory answer.
"Cai Xia, what has happened has happened. No matter how harshly I, the First Mistress... reprimand Xingye, it cannot undo what has been done..."
"Make your request. The First Mistress will consider it as appropriate and grant it."
After a moment, Madam Li finally spoke in the quiet yet noisy sitting room.
"Other than Xingye's position as principal wife, I will consider anything else."
She added another sentence.
Cai Xia was Li Yaozu's bedchamber maid. Though Li Yaozu had never touched Cai Xia under Madam Li's watch, she still bore that title. For Li Xingye to take Cai Xia as a concubine would violate propriety and be extremely inappropriate.
Her words about Cai Xia not setting her sights on the position of principal wife were, in truth, a reminder not to think of becoming Li Xingye's concubine and making things difficult for her.
"Cai Xia..."
Cai Xia's sobbing stopped. She pressed her lips tightly together, uttered those two words, then fell silent once more.
"Mother, she's only a maid. Father does not use her, and I have not yet taken a wife. Taking her into my room would be no big deal." Li Xingye rubbed his sleepy eyes and interjected.
Hearing this.
Cai Xia seemed to reach a decision. She raised her head and first looked at Wei Tu, then turned her gaze toward Madam Li. "This servant begs the First Mistress for mercy. Grant this servant her freedom and give her gold to return home."
"Is that all?" After hearing Cai Xia's request, Madam Li could scarcely believe it, and astonishment appeared on her face.
Without Wei Tu standing behind her, Cai Xia's request would have been outrageously excessive. Madam Li would never have agreed to it.
For a master to favor a maid was a blessing bestowed upon the maid, after all. Everything a maid possessed belonged to her master.
But things were different now. Madam Li had already prepared herself for Cai Xia to extort a sum from her.
Parting with a little money to keep family shame from spreading beyond the walls was what she, as the mistress of the household, ought to do.
Once family shame spread outside, not only would the Li Family's local reputation suffer, it would also delay Li Xingye's path through the Imperial Examinations.
"This servant hopes the First Mistress will grant her request."
Cai Xia kowtowed twice.
"Since your heart is set on this, I shall grant you this request." Madam Li breathed a sigh of relief and said.
Before long.
Madam Li brought out a lacquered wooden tray from the inner hall. Upon it lay two silver ingots and an unsealed envelope.
"These two ingots are each a full five taels, ten taels of silver in total. Keep them safe."
"Inside the envelope are your indenture contract, as well as the letter of manumission written for you by the master..."
Madam Li spoke each word clearly.
"Thank you, First Mistress."
Cai Xia continued kowtowing, gratitude written across her face.
Seeing this, Wei Tu had no reason to remain. He silently sighed and prepared to leave.
Everyone had their own choices.
In his view, Cai Xia's choice was not a bad one. She had asked for her indenture contract and ten taels of silver, rather than remaining at the Li Residence.
With freedom and money, once she returned home, so long as Cai Xia's parents were not scoundrels and rogues, she could have a good ending for the rest of her life...
However—
Just when everyone thought the dust had settled, Cai Xia suddenly rose to her feet.
She got up, swiftly took the two silver ingots Madam Li had placed on the lacquered wooden tray, and said, "First Mistress, Sister Xinghua and I have always been close. Sister Xinghua has helped me greatly in this residence. I wish to use these ten taels of silver to redeem Sister Xinghua's freedom. Would the First Mistress permit it?"
As soon as her words fell.
Everyone in the sitting room turned to look at Wei Tu, who stood beside Cai Xia.
Xinghua was Wei Tu's wife.
Whether Cai Xia redeemed Xinghua's indenture contract or the Li Residence released Xinghua's indenture contract, neither matter could possibly bypass Wei Tu before them...
Upon hearing this, Li Yaozu and his wife looked toward Wei Tu, wanting to see his reaction.
They knew well that given Wei Tu's current status and position, if he wished to borrow money to redeem Xinghua's indenture contract, he could have done so half a year ago.
The reason he had not done so was not because he had forgotten his wife who had shared hardship with him, but because borrowing money to redeem his wife would leave him owing far too great a favor.
At this moment, Cai Xia's wish to use money to redeem Xinghua's indenture contract from the Li Residence was undoubtedly a kindness bestowed upon Wei Tu.
However.
To Li Yaozu and his wife's disappointment, Wei Tu seemed to tacitly approve of this matter. After Cai Xia spoke, he remained silent.
"To redeem an indenture contract, the person herself must agree..." Li Yaozu chose his words, thinking of how to refuse.
—He still wanted to use Xinghua to keep Wei Tu in his grasp. If Cai Xia redeemed Xinghua, then all that favor would fall upon Cai Xia.
"A woman follows her husband after marriage."
"On Xinghua's behalf, Wei agrees."
At that moment, Wei Tu spoke.
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