Chapter 90: Winning Over

  After dark, Bi Lian returned to the wing room where Zhao Xun lived in the inner courtyard.

  Zhao Xuan had just washed her hair and was sitting by the window practicing calligraphy with her long hair down, when she saw her return. She looked a bit surprised: "Didn't I give you a day off? You can stay home for lunch tomorrow and come back afterwards, it's not too late."

  Bi Lian said somewhat unhappily, "Don't mention it, miss. My dad said that my elder brother has no place to live, and since I have my own room in the inner courtyard, our house is just a storage for a few boxes of things. Let's let my brother stay there first, and after we arrange a place for him, then return the house to me, and I'll be driven back."

  It sounds reasonable, but Bi Lian couldn't be happy about it. That was her room, different from the rooms in the inner courtyard, because it was her own home, so she could put things that she didn't want others to know about there without worrying. Who doesn't have a little secret as a young girl? For example, watching older sisters apply makeup and feeling envious, but following a master who doesn't like makeup and is still young, thinking about dressing up every day but not having the chance, secretly using her own monthly allowance to buy one or two boxes of fragrant powder or hairpins and hiding them away, waiting until she's free at home to quietly admire herself in front of the mirror, purely for her own pleasure. Even if someone came into the room, it would only be her mother, and her mother was an understanding person who wouldn't say anything, and she wasn't afraid of leaking secrets. Unlike the inner courtyard here, because her master Zhao Xiu lived with Old Lady Zhang, the strict housekeeper kept a close eye on the maids' belongings, and if Bi Lian was found to be hiding such things, although she wouldn't be punished, she would definitely be scolded and ridiculed by others.

  Although my brother is a close relative, we have been separated for five years. No matter how deep the feelings are, they are limited. Let him sleep in his own room, cover himself with his own quilt... This feeling makes me feel very uncomfortable no matter what I think. Unfortunately, Bi Lian couldn't persuade her father, and her mother didn't come out to eat, seemingly still angry at her brother, so she couldn't help but speak up for her, and she could only endure it. As a result, the holiday hadn't even passed halfway, and after just finishing dinner, without even having time to talk to her mother or tidy up the room... She was driven back by her father.

  Zhao Xun looked at Bi Lian's expression and asked her, "Why was your older brother brought back, and why was he punished? Did you hear him say anything?"

  Bilian's expression was somewhat uncomfortable: "Big brother didn't say, but little brother said that big brother was because he stole things from the master's house, and that's why he's in trouble. I really don't know how many years he's been in Beijing. How could his eyelids be so shallow? If it weren't for trusting him, Old Lady wouldn't have asked him to take care of the house, and every year's wages, subsidies, and New Year's gifts were all top-notch. Such a big mansion was under his management, where did he lack that little bit of silver? Now that the job is lost and the reputation is ruined, even the whole family has no face...". She bit her lip, also feeling some anger in her heart. Hopefully, the maids in the inner courtyard wouldn't gossip about this matter. Otherwise, when chatting, they would say that her brother was a thief, what face would she have left?

  Zhao Xun raised an eyebrow, it seems that the Lu family didn't tell their youngest son and daughter about the biggest mistake Lu Dazhou made. Why is that? Is it because only Lu Dazhou wants to get rid of his official slave identity, maybe Lu Changxiu has this idea too, but his youngest son and daughter haven't been affected yet?

  Zhaoxuan thought this was a good opportunity. Although Bilian had many shortcomings, after being with her for so many years, she had already developed feelings for her. If she were to suddenly send her away, it would still be somewhat hard to bear. However, if someone is unreliable, no matter how hard it is to bear, one can only give up on them. Taking advantage of the fact that there was still hope for redemption now, she wanted to try and pull Bilian over to her side.

  Then Zhao Xun ordered Bi Lian: "Go outside and take a look, if there are still people, drive them away. I have something to say to you."

  Bi Lian felt stifled in her heart, but still did as she was told. When she returned to Zhao Xun's side, Zhao Xun had already finished writing a whole article, put down the pen and paper, turned around and solemnly spoke to him about Lu Da Shou's confession.

  Bi Lian was shocked and pale: "What?!... This......" She couldn't speak anymore, having served in the small second house for so long, how could she not know that her brother's mistake this time was huge? Her legs went soft, and she knelt down on the ground, crying: "Miss, I don't know why big brother would do such a thing... My parents, my younger brother, and I are absolutely loyal to Old Madam, Young Master, and Miss. We never thought of betraying our masters! I've only heard Father say that if we could avoid being official slaves, it would be better, but we were just thinking about it..."

  Zhao Xuan bent down and pulled her up: "Stop crying. If I don't believe you, I can just drive you out. What's the point of keeping you by my side?"

  Bilian thought for a moment and felt slightly relieved, but still couldn't stop crying: "How could big brother be so muddle-headed?!"

  Zhao Xun said, "As a slave, not willing to resign oneself to one's fate and wanting to become a good citizen again, this kind of thinking cannot be said to be wrong. Honestly speaking, your whole family has always been very loyal before this incident happened. If there was a way for you to get rid of the official slave status, I believe Grandmother would have let you go long ago. It's just because the law doesn't allow it that she kept you here, and at least in our household, your days can still be relatively better."

  Bi Lian nodded continuously: "Isn't that right? Although I envy my sisters who married out and became the mistress of their own households, living a good life, I'm also clear in my heart that I don't have that kind of luck. Now serving as a maid for the young lady, although it's a lowly position, in terms of food, clothing, and daily necessities, which aspect is inferior to those young ladies from ordinary families outside? The young lady treats me well, and also lets me read books, learn etiquette, and study accounting. Growing up like this, except for that year when I traveled south from the capital, when have I ever suffered hardship? The slaves in other households don't live as comfortably as we do. Mother often teaches us to cherish our blessings, I absolutely won't be foolish, doing something that would anger the master and harm myself."

  Zhao Xun was very satisfied. As long as Bi Lian had this awareness, she wasn't afraid that she would be influenced by her father and brother to do something disloyal. Lu Xiaoman on Gege's side should also be trustworthy; otherwise, Gege would have driven her out as soon as he got home, and there was no lack of such a little servant by his side. With the two younger ones from the Lu family, plus Lu Ma, all standing on Xiao Er Fang's side, even if Xiao Chang Fang had won over a Lu Da Shou, what could be done? As for Lu Changxiu, she still needed to be observed.

  After some thought, Zhao Xun said to Bi Lian: "Don't worry, although he is your brother, he has never returned to the old house. The people here don't know his temperament, but they are clear that your parents and siblings are all good people. As long as you don't make trouble or do anything wrong, no matter how your older brother behaves, it won't affect you."

  Bilian's expression was firm as she nodded: "I will never join him in his foolishness, if he does something like this again, I... I won't acknowledge him as my brother!"

  Zhao Xuan smiled and decided to give her a little sweetness: "Bilian, do you know? Your father also mentioned that he couldn't forget for a while that his ancestors were officials. Your older brother was born with delusions because he heard him say it too much. He hoped that Xiaochangfang could help, but it's actually quite foolish. If Xiaochangfang had a way to make them leave their humble status and become prominent, wouldn't my grandmother have done so already? Xiaochangfang is at most just a sixth-rank military officer now, while my grandmother was still the wife of a duke. What they can do, we can't? It's clear that they're just fooling you guys."

  Bilian listened and felt resentful towards Xiaochangfang: "My brother was delusional, that's why he made a mistake, originally he didn't have the intention to harm his master. But they intentionally harmed people, and fearing responsibility, they deliberately deceived others into sacrificing themselves for them. Heaven has eyes, it would be fitting if a thunderbolt struck them!"

  Zhao Xuan smiled and continued, "Although Xiaochang House is deceiving you, it doesn't mean that your family won't have a chance to escape. It's just that maybe not everyone can."

  Bilian was taken aback, then overjoyed: "Miss, you're not teasing me, are you?"

  "What am I coaxing you for? If I don't coax you, you're still my servant girl; if I do coax you, aren't you still my servant girl?"

  Bi Lian smiled and approached, saying: "Good girl, I was wrong. Calm down and tell me." In recent years, several older maids in the Zhang household had been married off to farmers or small merchants, with generous dowries provided by the Zhangs. These maids lived happily ever after, often returning to visit and share stories of their lives as mistresses of their own households, leaving the younger maids in awe. However, Bi Lian knew her own circumstances as a government slave made such a life impossible for her. She would be content with finding a suitable husband among the Zhao household's servants. The girl's words about having hope to leave her position had gotten her overly excited.

  "Let me tell you, our imperial court's laws don't usually allow official slaves to be removed from the register. It's because of your family's history, which you're also aware of. Our great ancestor, the Taizu Emperor, detested people like that when he was alive. He said it was because your ancestors did something wrong, so their descendants would suffer the consequences."

  This Bi Lian knew, and had been told by Zhao Xun when he spoke of the history of this dynasty.

  "But Taizu Emperor didn't cut off the official slaves' way out either." Zhao Xun continued, "He said that ancestors are ancestors, descendants are descendants. If the ancestors did wrong and became official slaves, but their descendants have a patriotic heart and work for the people, they can't be buried. Therefore, if they can make contributions to the country and the people, they can remove their slave status and become good citizens. Those with great merit will also receive additional rewards. Your grandfather was made a founding marquis back then and received ten houses of official slaves as a reward. Your family is one house, where did the other houses go? Do you know?"

  Bilian had vaguely heard someone mention: "The eldest aunt's dowry was taken away by one of the concubines, and the rest should still be in the Hou Mansion. That year when the Hou Mansion was not confiscated, they were also retrieved."

  Zhao Xun shook his head: "Only the fifth house was taken back, and there were three houses that had long since been removed from the register. The males in their household followed their grandfather to the border to fight, and several died, but they all made military achievements, so not only did they all become good citizens, but two of them even became military officers, it's just that their ranks weren't high."

  Bilian was extremely surprised: "I've never heard Father and Mother mention this before, is it true?!"

  Zhao Xuan nodded: "Of course it's true, my grandmother also mentioned to me that when my grandfather went on an expedition, he asked your grandfather and father if they wanted to follow him to fight in the war, but they refused, fearing death on the battlefield, thinking that serving in the study was better for them, so they missed the opportunity."

  Bilian's emotions were complex, her father and ancestors were all bookworms, not daring to go to the battlefield was also possible, no wonder they were like that. She looked at Zhao Xuan again: "Miss mentioned them, is it saying that our family can also try going to the border? But my dad and brothers don't know martial arts?"

  Zhao Xuan smiled: "I didn't mean that, I just wanted to tell you that there is still a legitimate way to opt out of the household registration. In our family alone, there have been successful examples. And at Eldest Aunt's place, there is actually another precedent that was half-successful."

  "Come on, girl, speak up!" Bi Lian urged her.

  "The daughter of the official slave who accompanied my aunt as a dowry, had a daughter who later married into the Xu family as an administrator and gave birth to a son and a daughter. I heard that the administrator was seriously injured while saving his master, so the Xu family rewarded him with kindness and released his children. The son became an accountant in a large shop, and the daughter also married into a wealthy family. Zhao Xiu smiled slightly, "My aunt is a kind person who keeps her promises, she agreed to let them go when they get old, so that they can reunite with their children. So, although the official slave's daughter is still serving in the Xu family, when she gets old, she will become a commoner, isn't this already half successful?"

  Bi Lian's eyes lit up: "Miss means..."

  "My point is... " Zhao Xuan lowered her voice, "Although it's not a good thing to marry a slave, for example, your sister-in-law had to sell herself into our household as a slave before she could marry your older brother. You can't directly marry an ordinary civilian from outside. But if you marry a male servant who is not an official slave, there won't be any problem. A wife follows her husband, after marriage, you will no longer be an official slave but an ordinary servant woman. As long as your husband is freed and becomes a commoner, you naturally become one too. Although it's taking advantage of a legal loophole, it doesn't break the law. The master has already agreed, who would still find fault with you? The only drawback is that this method can only be used on you..."

  Bilian's excited expression on her face suddenly froze, and she stared blankly for a moment before her expression turned gloomy: "If only I can live a good life, but Father, Mother, and Brother are still here, what's the point?"

  Zhaoxiu smiled and felt a lot more at ease: "They won't suffer here either, what's there for you to worry about? It's just like your sisters who married into wealthy families and became the mistresses of their households, but their parents are still working as servants in our household. Since you want to leave, I can help you, it's up to you."

  Bilian thought for a moment, feeling that this also made sense, and then smiled again at Zhao Xuan: "Miss, you're right. Let me go back and discuss it with my family first, okay?"

  "Suit yourself, anyway you're still not at the age of getting married, no rush."

  Bilian let out a breath, and her cheeks flushed with redness. Zhao Xun's words opened up a new window for her, and she suddenly realized that the law did not allow official slaves to change their status, but there were many loopholes to exploit. A girl marrying an ordinary slave and then being redeemed by her husband was one method, but it didn't mean that men had no way out either. Her brain wasn't clever enough to think of a solution, so she might as well go back and discuss it with her parents. It would be impossible for the whole family to change their status at once, but if they did it one by one, perhaps there was a way.

  She looked at Zhao Xuan with a grateful gaze: "Miss, thank you for worrying about me, I...I really don't know how to repay you..."

  "What are you repaying? Are the feelings we've had for so many years false? As long as you remember our family's kindness, do a good job, and live a good life after you leave, don't be like your older brother, entangled with our family's enemies. That's enough. I'm not asking for your repayment."

  Bilian lowered her head in shame, but suddenly remembered something: "Miss, my big brother... I don't know where he got it from, but he brought back a small package and hid it in the beam of my room. It was very suspicious." She took out a small paper package from her sleeve pocket: "This is it. I was afraid that my big brother would find out, so I poured some of it into another package. I wanted to show it to Mother, but before I could see her, Father sent me back. Miss, take a look and see if you can recognize what this thing is?"