Despite giving birth to a daughter, Qi Niqun still expended all her mental and physical efforts on her first born child.
Now that Tertiary Consort Li"s daughter, Yan"er, was a little over a year old, she was learning how to speak. Qi Niqun moved her to the two-house suite used by Qi Yunruo in the past, with two proper older female servants added to the staff. Her own child, Chu"er, lived in a chamber to the side of her own. The newborn had two designated nursemaids, surnamed w.a.n.g and Song. Both were people Qi Niqun trusted.
As Chu"er grew older, more and more people would be required to attend to her. And Qi Niqun was unwilling to use people from outside the household. Instead, she opted for the children born of the estate"s maidservant and page pairs, those who were three to four years old. And she chose the four most clever and pleasing to the eye for her own, for the older female servants to train.
That said, Qi Niqun did not, for the sake of taking care of her daughter, neglect Yan"er. In fact, she added more people to attend to Jing"er and Yan"er as well. Afterward, it struck her that there existed a shortage of servants in the household. In the six years Li Chen had had his own estate, other than the servants who had followed him from the imperial palace, there were people that the Ministry of Ceremonies had sent and people that Su Ge had purchased from the outside. The servants were separated into three groups, and the members of these groups were divided by status. The first group held actual ranks and were the smallest in number. The second group took up the majority. The third group was designated for hard labor. It consisted of low-ranking servant girls, such as Xiao Shan and Xiao Jiu, who had been appointed to Qi Yunruo in the beginning.
After Qi Niqun brought up this issue to Li Chen, the latter smiled. "The princess consort needs not worry about this. Just have Su Ge take care of it."
His words caused her slight confusion. She knew not why Li Chen had put his hand into this matter. However, neither could she ask him for an explanation. A smile blooming on her lips, Qi Niqun said, "With Eunuch Su Ge around, this concubine will feel at ease."
A few days later, as Qi Yunruo practiced calligraphy in his residence, a knock sounded at the door to his main chamber. He lifted his head. Caught sight of Eunuch Fengyuan.
"Follow me, Little Qi."
Qi Yunruo set the brush down, eyes flashing with curiosity. "What is it?"
In a mysterious manner, Fengyuan said, "I"m taking you out to play."
Qi Yunruo sat there, shocked. By the time he snapped out of it, Fengyuan had already turned to Lulan. "Help your master into inconspicuous clothes and make sure he has some pocket money."
Fengyuan was a person belonging to Ink Lotus Courtyard. As such, Lulan did not feel concerned. Yet, as she led Qi Yunruo away to change clothes, Liusu asked, "Why did Eunuch Fengyuan look for our young master?"
Fengyuan sat down, taking a sip of tea. "Anyway, it"s not something that will harm him."
Shortly after, Qi Yunruo returned fully dressed in robes a shade of sapphire. One look, and it was apparent they weren"t new. Fengyuan nodded. "Not bad. Now come with me."
Following Fengyuan outside, Qi Yunruo asked, "Where are we going?"
Fengyuan pulled out a form signed by Su Ge at the stables and took out five horse-drawn carriages. He shared one with Qi Yunruo, leaving the estate through the side doors. The five carriages were driven by guards dressed in the manner of servants. As they rode, Fengyuan pointed to each of the drivers. "These are the guards from His Highness" residence. The one closest to us is surnamed Liu. The one second closest to us is surnamed Fang…"
Once they had entered the main road, Qi Yunruo lifted the window flap to peer outside. And he found the sight interesting to say so the least.
"The other day, I heard His Highness mention to Eunuch Su Ge that he was afraid you would be bored at home. And that he wanted to find something interesting for you to do," said Fengyuan. "Today I happened to have an errand to run outside and then thought about you. What"s more interesting than going outside?"
Realization struck Qi Yunruo, on his face a peculiar expression. Fengyuan smiled. "Too bad I don"t have much money. You"ll have to use your own silver to buy what catches your eye."
Qi Yunruo nodded. He didn"t know the destination Fengyuan was set on, but the carriage traveled for a long period. His eyes started to grow heavy. Tired. He did not know how long they had been riding when Fengyuan finally said, "We"re here."
Qi Yunruo jolted awake. Outside the carriage, cacophony abounded. Were they at a market? Once he hopped off the horse-drawn carriage, his heart thrashed against his chest. He looked all around before shifting his gaze back to Fengyuan.
There was a peculiar look on Fengyuan"s face. "We"re not here to sell you, so why do you look like that?"
Fengyuan was dressed like a steward of a wealthy household. He walked through crowds of people. Every time he pa.s.sed by a human broker, they would try to pull him over with pleasant-sounding words, dragging the people for sale close to let him see. Qi Yunruo followed him, his head lowered. What lay on his mind was anyone"s guess.
A while later he caught up with Fengyuan. Brows drawn together, he asked, "Could it be that we"re here to purchase some servants?"
"That"s correct."
Yet there was something that Qi Yunruo could not wrap his mind around. "Why did we sneak out?" He kept his voice low. "If the prince estate wanted people, wouldn"t it take just a word for there to be crowds of people at the door, trying to show off their product?"
Fengyuan sighed. "There"s a reason for this."
Qi Yunruo reluctantly trailed him. As he did, he felt as if there were people eyeing him, their stares chock full of ill intentions. Meanwhile, Fengyuan watched as the human brokers brought over young girls and boys, his posture relaxed and full of confidence. He scrutinized their bodies, hair, appearance, and teeth, making sure not to miss anything.
Just a glance, and the human broker understood that this person knew what he was doing. He respectfully said, "Boss, your honored self can choose as much as your honored self wants. In this human market, everyone knows me, Huang Daqian. The people of my stock are all children from families struggling to eat in the rural areas. All from clean families."
Fengyuan only grunted in acknowledgement. These children were in fact of better quality than the ones prior. He didn"t want to buy adults, only children who were over ten years old. After a bit of training, they could start with miscellaneous ch.o.r.es. Those who were skilled would be transferred to attending to the masters.
"Boss, come look at my beautiful girl."
"Boss, come look at these young men. They are strong and robust and only eat half a person"s worth of food…"
In the human market spread a stench, a sour stench. And sobs. Qi Yunruo scanned the area. And he felt a feeling described in Buddhist scriptures known as "h.e.l.l on Earth." Fengyuan turned around to look at him. With a glance, he knew what was on Qi Yunruo"s mind. On his face slid a smile. "What we are doing is acc.u.mulating good fortune. Don"t you know that once they enter our estate, it will be a great blessing for them?"
Not a word escaped Qi Yunruo"s lips.
All of a sudden, he felt someone tugging at his sleeve. He whipped his gaze to catch who it was: an unfamiliar man.
Laughing, the man said, "How much for this lad?"
Qi Yunruo stood there in a daze. Over to the side, Huang Daqian froze, eyes widened. "Oh my, Mr. Han… This person is not part of my stock…"
"Release your filthy hand," snapped Fengyuan.
But said Mr. Han was not one bit afraid. In his eyes, the person before him was cowering, nothing like a master of a large family. What"s more, the meritorious and n.o.ble households usually sent human brokers they were familiar with to purchase the new servants for them. The people who would come to the human market weren"t from families of officials. He laughed. "Don"t be afraid, lad. Tell me, are you selling—AH!"
Guard Liu had gripped the man"s wrist. Although he did not seem to be applying much force, the other person squealed like a pig sent to slaughter. Qi Yunruo took this opportunity to jerk back his sleeve. Nausea wracked his body as Fengyuan coldly said, "Break his hand and throw him out."
At this moment, crowds of people formed nearby. Huang Daqian blurted, "Boss, such a thing cannot be done. That Mr. Han is the nephew of this human market"s manager."
Frowning, Fengyuan turned to Guard Liu. "Ah, forget it. Go talk some sense into him." Just breaking his arm would be enough. That manager… He clicked his tongue.
Don"t support theft; read this at Chrysanthemum Garden.
Guard Li nodded and obeyed. Following that, Fengyuan turned to Qi Yunruo and sighed. "Young Master, your honored self should just wait in the carriage. I don"t dare to have you stay out here anymore."
When the surrounding people saw that Fengyuan didn"t even put the manager of the human market in his eyes, each formed their own thoughts. While Fengyuan continued to examine people for sale, Qi Yunruo followed Guard Fang back to the carriage.
He furrowed his brows as he lowered his head. He waited until the the most chaotic and busy time in the human market before he looked up again. The moment he turned his body, shock struck him.
"…Young Master Qi?"
Qi Yunruo remained looking in that direction, unable to register Guard Fang"s words. In the next moment, he threw off the people next to him and entered into a dash. Guard Fang followed suit with a frown. Once Qi Yunruo stopped in his tracks, he saw that within a shed selling people stood an old woman, the hardships of life apparent on her face. A young married woman stood close to her. Her face also full of suffering.
As soon as the old woman caught sight of Qi Yunruo, she turned away.
On the other hand, once the young married woman saw Qi Yunruo, her stare latched onto him, as if she had seen something that granted her hope.
"The other day, I heard that the son of an older female servant in Count Ziyang"s estate had committed a crime." Qi Yunruo"s voice proved bitter. "So it was your son."
The young married woman slowly lowered her head. Then she jolted. "Third Young Master! You are Third Young Master…" After her mother-in-law had sent her a look, her voice grew soft.
Originally, the human broker in charge of them was busy talking to some other people at the side. Hearing some chatter their direction, he turned to look at Qi Yunruo with some interest. And he approached him in no time. "These two are servants that had committed a crime and were kicked out of a large and well-known family. They are very rule-abiding and follow protocol. Their slave contracts are all here and the price is not high. Just the two of them will be 1 kg of silver."
"Third Young Master should not feel sorry for us," said Granny Kong, finally breaking her silence. "I did not teach my son well, and as such, brought down the reputation of my previous master"s household. So this was warranted."
"Mother-in-law!" The young married woman hurried to get between the two of them.
The human broker saw that they were acquainted and knew that this transaction would be successful. "I see that young master is a decent person," he said. "900g of silver for the both of them should not be considered expensive."
With that, Qi Yunruo retrieved his money pouch and handed it to the human broker. The moment the human broker had it in his hands, however, he paused with a frown. Qi Yunruo glanced at Guard Fang.
After Fengyuan had finished purchasing new servants, he returned to the carriage. Yet Qi Yunruo was nowhere in sight. A while later, Fengyuan saw him bringing along a pair of women, one old and one young. Arching a brow, he asked, "What"s going on?"
Not a word escaped Qi Yunruo"s lips. Guard Fang similarly did not answer.
Fengyuan could tell that the old lady came from a large and renowned household. The young married woman also appeared to be one who abided by protocol. Fengyuan walked over to Qi Yunruo and kept his voice low. "Don"t tell me they"re from Count Ziyang"s estate."
But Qi Yunruo only stared at him, a pleading look in his eyes.
Fengyuan pulled him aside. "Now that you"ve purchased them, what positions are you going to place them in? The prince estate will definitely not accept them. All older female servants must be put through registration. Once they"re asked where they used to work, what part of their pasts would not be exposed? You bought servants who had been kicked from Count Ziyang"s estate for committing crimes. It"s not a good thing."
Qi Yunruo kept silent.
"My original plan today was to take you out to relieve your boredom. But instead, it only made you feel uncomfortable and you even suffered a scare. How about this? I know a steward eunuch in the forecourt. I"ll arrange to have these people placed there for now, but you"ll have to explain it with His Highness first. Alright?"
"Thank you, Eunuch Fengyuan."
Fengyuan waved his hand without a word.
Before long, Fengyuan rented another carriage and wrote a note with instructions to bring Granny Kong and her daughter-in-law to the forecourt. He would bring the young boys and girls that he had purchased to the estate later.
After Granny Kong entered the carriage, she said, "Young Master, allow me to say something else."
Qi Yunruo approached the carriage, still standing outside. Granny Kong wore a neutral expression. "That you have saved me this time, I am truly grateful. I know that in the past, I did not treat you well… Last year, I was aware that Master and the mistress had sent you to Prince Chun"s estate. Back then, I did not have the chance to see your appearance. Today, I see that you have pa.s.sed your days well."
"No matter what, the days must go on."
Granny Kong sighed deeply. "That"s also correct. I will take my leave now. From now on, may Third Young Master have a good life. You must take care of yourself."
Qi Yunruo sent her off. Then he climbed onto Fengyuan"s carriage. In total, Fengyuan had purchased sixteen people. They were occupying the carriages at the back. Once they had reached the estate, Fengyuan had the older female servants scrub them clean. Afterward, they gave the new arrivals the second-hand clothes of the household servants" children. Following that, Fengyuan sent some older female stewards to train them.
Qi Yunruo had returned to the estate caught in his thoughts. He soaked in the bath for a long while. Recalled Fengyuan"s words. After he dressed, he made for Ink Lotus Courtyard to explain his purchase to Li Chen.
Yet after Fengyuan had given his report to Li Chen, Qi Yunruo was at a loss for words. Li Chen asked, "Is this the older female servant that had attended to you for many years?"
He nodded.
"Did she take care of you well?"
He hesitated and then shook his head.
Li Chen smiled. Gestured for Qi Yunruo to sit. "Why are you doing this? Why do you remember the people who did not treat you well?"
"Granny Kong fulfilled her duty. When she was attending to me, she never skimped on my things. She taught me protocol. She was a good servant."
Li Chen did not express an opinion on what the other had just said. He stared at Qi Yunruo and thought to himself that for so many years, no one had treated him well. So if someone did not treat him poorly, he would remember them in his heart.
Fengyuan did not dare to lie to Li Chen. If he did not tell him what had occurred at the human market, when His Highness found out himself, Fengyuan would not be able to keep his life. In fact, with Young Master Qi here, His Highness would not punish him too harshly. After a moment of consideration, Fengyuan dropped to his knees. "This slave does not dare hide this. Today, when this slave brought Young Master Little Qi outside, Young Master Little Qi suffered a scare. A scoundrelly hooligan with a surname of Han and a blood relation with the manager of the human market acted disrespectfully toward Young Master Little Qi. This slave—"
"How was he disrespectful!?"
Fengyuan lowered his head. Li Chen"s expression sank before he had even finished speaking. He dared not say another word.
Because of the matters with Granny Kong, Qi Yunruo had forgotten about this long ago. He rushed to say, "Nothing really happened. Fengyuan already had that person seized. He should have been beaten up…Ah?" Now that he had thought about it, he wasn"t actually sure what happened to that man. However, he understood that when Fengyuan had told the guard to "talk some sense into him," it definitely wasn"t something good.
Fengyuan gulped. Everything that had happened was brought out to light.
Meanwhile, Qi Yunruo felt that the temperature in the room had tanked. He did not utter a word. In the end, Li Chen said, "Get out and have someone give you twenty strikes of the rod."
He subconsciously wanted to speak out against the punishment, but after seeing Li Chen"s gaze, Qi Yunruo kept his mouth shut. Noticing Fengyuan let out a sigh of relief solidified his decision.
Qi Yunruo then turned his gaze to his own hands, his heart feeling more and more complicated. For he knew the meaning behind Li Chen"s fury. To him, Qi Yunruo was just another possession. A precious piece of china. Something other people should not touch.
Li Chen reached out. Stroked his face. "Are you unhappy?"
"I…" Qi Yunruo studied Li Chen. Saw that his stare was gravity incarnate. Qi Yunruo shook his head. "I"m not."
To which Li Chen lightly grunted in acknowledgement.
In that moment, Qi Yunruo felt as if he were sitting on a seat full of needles. As he thought to himself whether he should get up and leave, Li Chen"s next words to Su Ge froze his world.
"Tonight, I will keep Little Qi here."
Hey guys! Thanks for giving this novel a try, both the readers who followed me here from my blog and the new readers who found this through CG. Welcome to the family !
Ahh my heart. “Qi Yunruo then turned his gaze to his own hands, his heart feeling more and more complicated. For he knew the meaning behind Li Chen"s fury. To him, Qi Yunruo was just another possession.” Little Qi, why are you thinking such depressing things ;_;
I was so rooting for the guard to break that hooligan"s hand. Poor Fengyuan though… And we all know what “I will keep Little Qi here” means
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