Chapter Eight: Xiao Fu

  Wang Zhu Bao furrowed his brow and said: "The escorting of grain taxes is a matter that this humble official will arrange for the deployment of government troops under your command, sir."

  Lu Qi shook his head and said, "General Wang, have you ever seen the vanguard of the imperial army in battle?"

  Wang Zhu Bo was taken aback and shook his head: "This official has never seen a border war officer."

  Lu Qi and Sheng said: "General Wang, if the troops who have been through battles are fighting against the defending army of Shitou County, 200 border soldiers can defeat the 500 defenders of Shitou County. If you temporarily assign me some garrison troops, I estimate that few will listen to my orders, and once they encounter the enemy, they will scatter and flee in disarray. If I become a lone soldier, what grain taxes can I protect?"

  Wang Zhu furrowed his brow and said: "Sir, isn't that an exaggeration? The government troops have all received regular military training, who would dare to flee in the face of battle?"

  Lu Qi coldly said, "Unfortunately, this is the truth. No matter how strict the military rules are, they can't be blamed for being unable to deal with local bandits. The Stone Village County's government troops are just a force that can only suppress the locals, and when they encounter fierce bandits, their first priority is to protect themselves and retreat in fear."

  Wang Zhu furrowed his brow and pondered for over a dozen seconds, then said in a harmonious tone: "This matter is of great importance, let me discuss it with other officials before reporting back to Lord Lu."

  Lu Qi smiled calmly and changed the subject, asking: "Sir Wang, isn't County Magistrate Shi in?"

  King Zhutou smiled faintly and said: "County Magistrate Sun is here, but he's not feeling well. The affairs of Shitou County have always been handled by Vice Magistrate."

  Lu Qiying understood, the magistrate of Shizai County must have been framed and deprived of power. It is estimated that Zhao Xiancheng relied on his powerful backer, and the magistrate did not dare to provoke him, so he had to hide in seclusion.

  He smiled and bowed: "Thank you for your reminder, King. I'm leaving." Wang Zhuobo politely sent Lu Qi out of the county government office.

  After leaving the county government, Lu Qi's heart had an additional desire. He proposed to personally train 100 soldiers and actually wanted to try out his military strategy, to see if he had the qualifications of a general. What he gained from discussing military tactics on paper was far from the experience of actual combat.

  Along the street, he found a wealthy money house, exchanged two thousand taels of silver with half gold, and carried a large package of silver to the East City District. The East City District is the richest in Shijie County, and many wealthy families live in the East City District.

  The Xiao Mansion is located in the southeastern part of the Eastern City District, covering one-ninth of the district's area, with a scale that is quite grand. Lu Qi found the main gate of the Xiao Mansion, seeing that the gate tower was tall and majestic, with two giant stone lions standing on either side of the steps, and two robust and spirited guards standing at the entrance, dressed in bright and clean uniforms.

  Lu Qi glanced at the gate of the mansion, puffed out his chest and walked past it with a broad stride, his left hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

  "Is this General coming to pay a visit to the Xiao estate?" A servant hastily came forward and asked with a bow, seeing Lu Qi walking up the steps with an air of majesty.

  Lu Qi stopped at the top of the stairs and said in a loud voice, "I'm not here to visit, I'm here to redeem my relatives. Two of my relatives have been sold into slavery in Xiao Fu's household."

  The house servant was taken aback, originally thinking that Lu Qi's imposing manner meant he was a big shot with connections. Unexpectedly, it turned out he had come to redeem slaves. Although this was the case, the house servant, intimidated by Lu Qi's air of authority, did not dare to be slow and said in a harmonious tone: "So Master is here to redeem slaves, please go right and find Manager Yan at the side door to inquire."

  Lu Qi knew that the main gate of the wealthy family's house was only for the master and guests to enter and exit, so he thanked him and turned around to go down the steps to the right. He walked along the high wall of the mansion for nearly 500 meters before seeing a side door. The scale of the Xiaofu's side door was half that of the main gate, with two housekeepers standing guard, strictly checking the servants who came and went.

  Lu Qi greeted and explained the purpose of his visit. The quality of the Xiaofu household staff was not bad, so they asked Lu Qi to wait for a moment before entering to ask the steward for instructions. A moment later, the doorman invited a middle-aged fat servant who was dressed in a grand manner.

  "This is the steward, Lu Qi bowed slightly and said: 'I am Lu Qi, returning home from the army to visit my family, I learned that my relatives were sold as slaves to the Xiao Mansion, I came to redeem them, please assist me, Steward Yan.'"

  Yan Zongguan, a high-ranking housekeeper, was one of the two deputy managers of Xiao Fu. His usual status was more impressive than that of the county magistrate. When he saw Lu Qi wearing military attire with an air of killing and fighting, he didn't dare to put on airs in front of him.

  The visitor politely asked: "Is Master coming to redeem a slave? I wonder what is the name of the slave to be redeemed?"

  Lu Qi and Sheng said: "Lu Xiaoyan and Cheng Yiyi."

  The manager of the brothel was taken aback and said with a surprised expression: "Master is here to redeem Little Xuan."

  Lu Qi nodded and said: "Yes, Xiaoyan is my sister."

  Yan Zongguan shook his head and said: "Young Master, Xiaoyan is the personal maid of Fourth Miss, it's beyond my authority. Please wait for a moment, I'll go and report to Fourth Miss to make a decision."

  Lu Qi was taken aback and hastily bowed, saying: "Thank you, General Manager." The general manager responded with a polite phrase and turned to leave.

  Lu Qi turned to the family servant beside him and said, "Brother, I've come to redeem a slave. Why can't Manager Yan make decisions as the person in charge?"

  That Ding looked at Lu Qi deeply and said in a gentle voice: "All the servants serving the master in the Xiao Mansion are high-ranking house slaves. The steward can only be in charge of the lower-ranking house slaves, and Xiaoyan is the senior maid of the fourth miss, who is very favored by the fourth miss. Whenever Steward Yan sees Xiaoyan, he has to smile and face her, so if Master wants to redeem Xiaoyan, he must get the consent of the fourth miss."

  Lu Qi furrowed his brow and asked, "Excuse me, big brother, what's Miss Xiao Si's temperament like?"

  "That family's fourth young lady has certainly improved her temper."

  Lu Qi thought for a moment, reached into his pocket and took out a string of cash to hand over to the house servant, smiling as he said: "Thanks, this little bit of money is for you two to have some drinks."

  Jia Ding's eyes darted back and forth, his hand swiftly extended to snatch the copper coins and tuck them into his sleeve. He politely said, "Thank you, sir, for your generosity."

  Lu Qi smiled and said: "Brother, do you think I can redeem my sister?"

  Jia Ding hesitated for a moment, and then said in a harmonious tone: "General, I think you won't be able to redeem Xiaoyan, nor is there any need to do so. Xiaoyan is the senior maid of the fourth young lady, and she's considered a favored person in the Xiao estate. Perhaps General doesn't know, but my family's fourth young lady is engaged to the fifth son of the current Minister of War, who is also the son-in-law of one of the five great families of Tang country, the Rong family. Xiaoyan was personally chosen by the fourth young lady as her maid to accompany her when she marries into the Rong family, which will be a very honorable and happy life."

  Lu Qi listened and felt a sense of disgust, saying: "Being a maid is still more honorable and happy."

  Jia Ding immediately said seriously: "Young Master, your words are too superficial. Not every house slave is lowly and humble. Xiaoyan is the senior maid of the fourth young lady, her status is even more noble than the young ladies of ordinary families. In the future, when she follows the fourth young lady to the Rong family as a dowry servant, she will be able to represent the fourth young lady's words, and belongs to the slave of a superior family."

  Lu Qi said with a sneer: "Is that so? Hearing you say this, being a household slave is happier than being a free person."

  "General, don't look down on a humble servant like me. I'll say something that may not be pleasant to hear: you are also a high-ranking household slave. Your superior is the master of this estate, and the soldiers under your command are also household slaves, just lower in rank. In this world, it's not the household slaves who are most debased, but rather those ordinary civilians who have to pay taxes, do hard labor, and worry about food and clothing every day, while being bullied by various levels of household slaves at any moment. I hope you understand what I mean, General: it's better to be a slave in a wealthy household than a free commoner. For Xiaoyan to be favored by the fourth miss is a great fortune that's like ascending to heaven."

  Lu Qi's heart was shaken by the gatekeeper's words, which were like a wake-up call, directly exposing the true face of social survival. The gatekeeper was right, Lu Qi himself was no more than a house slave, obeying orders from his superiors in the army and having no freedom in reality. What was the difference between him and the gatekeeper? The most humble ones were not the house slaves, but the free common people at the bottom of society. But did these common people really have freedom?

  "Master, I think you're quite young and probably don't know many of the rules in official circles. Let me add a few words, Master, if you want to rise quickly in the future, Miss Xiaoyan's high branch is something you must grasp firmly, or it will be a pity if you can't hold on." The house servant advised again.

  "What did you mean by that?" Lu Qi asked in a deep voice, no longer underestimating the gatekeeper.

  "General, as the saying goes, it's easy to be an official when you have someone on the inside. You are a general, and Fourth Miss's father is the Minister of War. If Fourth Miss has the heart to promote General, General will definitely get a real military position." The house servant echoed in agreement.

  Lu Qi listened and said coldly: "A man's true nature is to achieve success and become an official, relying on improper means for promotion is shameful."

  "General, what you're saying is nonsense. In the officialdom, there are two rules: first, look at the relationship; second, look at the ability. I have many brave warriors who can conquer and fight well, but how many of them can really rise to office because of their bravery? There are almost no high-ranking officials with real military achievements in the imperial court. Now, officialdom only looks at relationships and interests. Even if you, General, have unbeatable abilities, if the court doesn't want to promote you, then you can only humbly hold a minor position. The court's affairs have always been like this: if they say you're a talented general, then you are; if they say you're mediocre, then you are. If you, General, cannot adapt to the officialdom and be flexible, then you can only forever be a high-ranking servant in the military camp."