Chapter 8: Living for Dignity

The faint fragrance of tea filled the entire room.

Xiao Rui took a sip of tea, the aroma lingering in his mouth. He thanked his third brother, who had shown him kindness, for the reminder: “Third Brother, don’t worry. I’m young and know nothing. Though I may seem foolish, I understand Fourth Brother’s intentions. Father and my brothers are so clever; they know I was forced into it.”

“You, who knows if you really don’t understand or just pretend not to,” Xiao Ze chuckled and scolded. “Come to me if you need money. We are brothers, after all.”

Oh, that was great. Xiao Rui liked such a brother—someone he could rely on.

So, Xiao Rui stretched out his hand and said, “Thank you, Third Brother.”

Xiao Ze was taken aback, then took out several silver banknotes from his pocket. Before he could count them, Xiao Rui snatched them away.

“Only five hundred taels? Third Brother, are you brushing me off?” Xiao Rui said angrily.

Xiao Ze sighed helplessly. “Who carries a lot of money when going out? Besides, five hundred taels is enough for you to splurge for a few days. Don’t you stay in your mansion all day?”

“I need to save up for a bride price, grow taller, buy delicious food, and send some money to my grandfather’s family…” Xiao Rui counted on his fingers.

Xiao Ze quickly waved his hand, admitting defeat. “Alright, alright. Should you come back to my mansion to get more?”

“No need, no need. That would be too embarrassing,” Xiao Rui said with a smile.

Xiao Ze nodded, thinking that was more like it.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Rui took out ink and a brush, pushed them toward Xiao Ze, and said, “Just write me an IOU. I’ll send someone to collect it later. No need for me to go personally.”

Xiao Ze’s lips twitched. He really wanted to slap himself for acting like a big shot.

As for the IOU… he ended up writing it, leaving the amount blank for Xiao Rui to fill in later.

“If you fill in a million taels, go ask the Ministry of Revenue for it from the national treasury. I don’t have that much,” Xiao Ze said with a hint of resentment.

Xiao Rui took the IOU and blew on the ink to dry it.

Whether this third brother was sincere or not, the care he showed warmed Xiao Rui’s heart.

“Thank you, Third Brother,” Xiao Rui said with an even sweeter smile.

Were you dazzled? I used Great Xia brand homemade toothpaste!

“Hurry back and review your studies. I’m annoyed just looking at you,” Xiao Ze began to shoo him away.

Xiao Rui did not disturb his good mood any longer and left the Tingyin Pavilion with the IOU in his pocket.

By then, dusk was approaching.

“Your Highness, shall we return?” Gao Quan asked.

Xiao Rui’s attention was caught by a fluttering flag not far away, with a large character “Slave” written on it.

“Your Highness, that is the largest Slave Market in the Capital City,” Gao Quan explained. “It has family members of criminals whose household registrations were revoked, prisoners captured from the borders, and so on.”

Xiao Rui nodded and felt a sudden impulse to walk inside.

The Slave Market was enormous. Slaves of all ages and genders squatted on both sides of the road, their necks chained with iron collars like merchandise, their eyes vacant.

The ones attracting the most attention were young boys and girls. Though dressed in rags and shivering in the early spring chill, their faces were clean. It seemed the slave traders knew to clean their faces for customers to choose.

Gao Quan was unfazed; it was a common sight. Not only did the Great Xia Kingdom have slave markets, but the Great Qi and Great Yan Kingdoms also had them. As long as the procedures were followed, it was a legitimate business.

But for Xiao Rui, his heart felt heavy.

He was not a saint who could save them, only an ordinary person filled with pity.

“Your Highness, how about buying a few maids to take back?” Gao Quan asked.

Xiao Rui was staying at Prince Duan’s Mansion. Apart from Gao Quan, who was his trusted aide, all the other servants and maids were sent by Xiao Feng.

“You decide,” Xiao Rui waved his hand. “I’ll stroll around and then wait for you in the carriage.”

“Yes!” Gao Quan immediately went to make his selections.

After wandering for a while, Xiao Rui prepared to leave.

Unexpectedly, a large man squatting nearby suddenly stood up and shouted, “Young master, buy me!”

Xiao Rui was startled and turned to look. The man was over two meters tall, with a burly build. Though his clothes were tattered, his face was dark, and he had a full beard, his eyes were exceptionally sharp.

“Squat down!” the slave trader roared angrily, stepping forward and striking him with a whip.

Crack, crack…

After a few lashes, his already ragged clothes were torn to shreds. The places hit by the whip were streaked with blood. Anyone else would have been torn open.

“Hold it!”

Xiao Rui stopped the slave trader and said, “Don’t hit him anymore.”

The slave trader saw that Xiao Rui wore simple hemp clothes but carried an air of nobility, so he did not underestimate him. Smiling, he said, “Sorry to startle you, sir.”

Xiao Rui looked at the slave and noticed he was staring intently at him. Curious, he asked, “You want me to buy you?”

“Yes!” the slave nodded. He spoke with a northern accent.

“Why?” Xiao Rui asked curiously.

“I can protect you, and you can give me dignity,” the slave said solemnly.

Xiao Rui met his gaze. After a moment, he turned to the slave trader and asked, “How much for him?”

The slave trader smiled. “Not expensive, not expensive. Five hundred taels. This big dark fellow is highly skilled in martial arts. When we caught him, over a dozen people only managed to get close because he was injured. But there’s something you should know: this big dark fellow has been sold three times, and each time he was returned for harming his master. If you really want to buy him, be careful.”

Xiao Rui nodded, then took out silver banknotes from his pocket and handed them to the trader.

The trader produced a transfer document for Xiao Rui and unlocked the shackles on the man’s feet and hands.

The transfer document listed the man’s original hometown, name, age, and other details, along with legal proof of the sale.

The man rubbed his wrists and cupped his hands toward Xiao Rui. “Thank you, young master, for saving me.”

Xiao Rui found him interesting and asked, “How did you know I would save you? And what makes you think I can give you dignity?”

The man replied, “You have an extraordinary air about you. Anyone can tell you’re no ordinary person. Five hundred taels isn’t a huge sum for you. As you looked around, your eyes showed pity. That is compassion. I have value, and I believe I can earn the dignity of being a person!”

The dignity of being a person!

These words struck a chord in Xiao Rui.

He reached out and handed the transfer document to the large man without even glancing at its contents.

The man was startled and looked at Xiao Rui in surprise.

“You’re free,” Xiao Rui said with a smile.

“Young master, why?” the man asked curiously, not reaching for the document.

Xiao Rui stuffed the document into the man’s tattered clothes and patted his chest. “A slave who lives for dignity—I respect you. Farewell!”

With that, Xiao Rui turned and walked away.

The man did not follow. He pulled out the transfer document from his clothes and stared at Xiao Rui’s retreating figure for a long time.

Xiao Rui returned to the carriage to rest.

Not long after, Gao Quan returned.

He had bought five girls around twelve or thirteen years old and sent them to the Chunfeng Pavilion, which specialized in training maids. They would be taught etiquette and rules intensively for a month and then delivered to Prince Duan’s Mansion.

By then, the sun was setting in the west.

Xiao Rui rested his head on his arm, thinking about how to muddle through the test the next day when the uninvited notification sound suddenly rang in his mind.

“Ding dong…”

“New Mission: Excellently complete Emperor Xia’s test. Advent Points +15. This mission is mandatory. Failure will deduct 50 Advent Points!”

Damn it!

Xiao Rui sat up abruptly and cursed loudly.