Chapter 75: A Hefty Gift as a Token of Gratitude

“Xiang’er, Xiang’er, why are you still here!”

Chunming came running over and cried out when he saw Xiang’er happily tidying up her little sachets.

“What’s wrong?”

“Don’t you know? Your relatives have come looking for you! They say your uncle has been searching for you for four or five years and has only just learned where you are. He wants to redeem you and take you home!”

At this, Xiang’er panicked and stood up. “I’m not going back!”

She had almost no memory of her family. When she was just five or six, she’d been sold to the Ye household, bought by Ye Si to “attend” to Ye Chang, though her indenture had been taken to Bianzhou. The only person she truly felt close to was Ye Chang. Even now, she remembered how, as a child, she was barely able to care for herself, let alone serve someone else, and Ye Chang had treated her like a younger sister, depending on each other for company.

Over the past half year, Ye Chang had been even kinder to her, hardly asking her to do any chores. Sometimes Xiang’er felt that even the daughters of the richest families in the village might not enjoy such a good life. Serving Ye Chang was something she did willingly; she wouldn’t be happy if anyone else took her place.

And now, suddenly, some relative had come to take her away!

The thought made her heart flutter with anxiety. To her, Ye Chang was family; everyone else were strangers.

“I still need to tell Eldest Brother. You go back to the village first,” Chunming said quickly, then hurried off toward the valley.

Xiang’er had no intention of returning to the village. She stood there in a panic for a while, then made up her mind: she would hide! She just needed to avoid this one day—those people were outsiders, surely they wouldn’t stay in Wu Zepei forever. Once they left, things would be fine. No matter what, she would never leave Eldest Brother’s side!

With this plan in mind, the young girl hid herself away. Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the Ye family’s guest hall was growing increasingly awkward.

“Why is she taking so long?” Madam Lu said with a smile. “That little girl is always so clever—maybe she’s just so happy today that she’s become silly.”

Ye Si forced a smile as well. “Master Zheng, please be patient.”

“No need to worry. I’ve waited four or five years; what’s a little while longer?” The speaker was dressed in fine silks, his features delicate, bearing a clear resemblance to Xiang’er. Though his words were reassuring, anxiety was written all over his face. He sighed. “It’s misfortune at home that caused all this delay—only now am I able to come. Otherwise, things wouldn’t have gotten to this point. My sister was always pampered at home. How could her daughter serve others?”

“Rest assured, Master Zheng, over the years I’ve treated Xiang’er as my own and never made her do any hard labor,” Ye Si replied, smiling. “You’ll see when you ask her yourself. The only trouble is, Xiang’er may not want to leave us, and you don’t have the original contract, which could complicate matters.”

Master Zheng’s eyes flashed with anger. “My sister’s only flesh and blood, now reduced to serving as a maid—do you expect me to leave her here? Our Zheng family of Yingyang is not a house for servants!”

With that, Master Zheng rose abruptly, brimming with indignation as if about to leave. Ye Si hurriedly stood up—this was not a man he could afford to offend!

He had already asked around: this Master Zheng was from the Zheng family of Yingyang, one of the great clans of Shandong, with countless officials in their lineage. Years ago, due to certain misfortunes, their family had fallen on hard times, which was why he couldn’t help his sister’s family when disaster struck. Now, however, their fortunes had revived, and he had finally come to “rescue” his sister’s orphan.

Ye Si believed most of his story, though he had some doubts. Whatever the truth, Master Zheng’s bearing and manner were unmistakably aristocratic—polite on the surface, but imperious at heart.

So Ye Si bowed and apologized hastily. “Please forgive me, Master Zheng. If you had the original proof, I would have no objections, but now—”

“Master, Eldest Brother is here!” At that moment, Lu Quan announced from the doorway.

“Let him in,” Ye Si said, interrupted but not annoyed. With Ye Chang here, perhaps Xiang’er had come as well. Seeing her might help to mollify Master Zheng.

Ye Chang entered. To be honest, he resented having to bow, but that was the way of the times—one couldn’t just greet someone with a simple “Sir.” He paid his respects, then bowed to Madam Lu.

This was one reason Ye Chang was so eager to sever ties with Ye Si. Having a father above him, and that father bringing home a new young wife, made everything more complicated. For example, he had nearly succeeded in establishing a printing workshop, but when Ye Si and Madam Lu returned, they dismissed all the craftsmen, causing delays.

After his return, he had quietly called the craftsmen back, this time under the guise of the papermaking shop. Fortunately, the clay type was still available, so the delay was only a few days, and success was within reach.

“Where’s Xiang’er? Why didn’t she come with you?” Ye Si asked.

“Chunming said she came ahead… What, she’s not here?” Ye Chang was surprised. “What’s going on?”

Master Zheng immediately burst out in anger. “How dare you! Are you hiding my niece from me?”

Ye Si’s head throbbed. He had called Ye Chang here to display some “family affection”—surely Ye Chang couldn’t bear to part with Xiang’er. If he helped keep her, even if only temporarily, Ye Chang would at least feel he was on his side.

But Master Zheng’s outburst made him fearful. The man hadn’t come alone; he was accompanied by more than twenty attendants and servants. Even his steward’s retinue was grander than Ye Si’s. Provoking him would bring nothing but trouble.

“Please, Master Zheng, calm yourself. Xiang’er must have been so excited that she forgot to come. Chunming, stop dawdling and go find her! If she’s missing so much as a hair, I’ll have your hide!”

Chunming, looking aggrieved, ran off again. Ye Chang’s face darkened as he turned to the still-fuming Master Zheng. “And who are you to shout and bellow in my home?”

“I am of the Zheng family of Yingyang. Xiang’er is my niece. Today I offer ten times her price to redeem her and bring her home.” Master Zheng’s very mention of the Zheng clan, his manner, and his promise of tenfold compensation all radiated arrogance.

Ye Chang sneered. “The Zheng family of Yingyang… You abandoned Xiang’er before, and now you want her back?”

“There were misfortunes at home then, so I was powerless. Now I make amends—better late than never.” Master Zheng looked Ye Chang up and down. “I hear you’ve cared for my poor niece these years. I am grateful and will repay you in the future.”

Ye Chang’s expression remained grim. Ye Si sighed and took his arm. “Eldest, Master Zheng only wants what’s best for Xiang’er. Here, she’s just a maid, but in the Zheng family, she’ll be a young lady—no one would dare look down on her. I know you and Xiang’er are like siblings, but for her future, she should go back…”

Ye Chang hesitated for a long while, then sighed. “I’ll go find Xiang’er.”

With Ye Chang convinced, Ye Si was relieved. After Ye Chang left, he chatted idly with Master Zheng, but the latter was impatient and soon urged, “You still have her indenture, don’t you? Why not hand it over now? Here are ten gold ingots and ten silver ones, more than ten times her original price—my compensation to you. How about it?”

He signaled, and a servant presented an ornate box. When they opened it, the gold and silver inside shone brightly—ten gold ingots, ten silver. Ye Si and Madam Lu exchanged glances, barely able to suppress their delight; the gold and silver alone were worth over three hundred strings of cash, far exceeding Xiang’er’s price.

Even a strong male servant would go for only twenty or thirty strings!

Having done business in Bianzhou, they knew they were getting a windfall. Ye Si was about to decline out of politeness, but Madam Lu couldn’t resist and took the box inside. Master Zheng didn’t stop her; his air was still haughty, as if to say, “If you dare keep the money without honoring our agreement, your family will be ruined.”

A moment later, Madam Lu returned with only a slip of paper, which she handed to Ye Si, who in turn gave it to Master Zheng.

Master Zheng was delighted to have the indenture. But when Ye Chang still didn’t return, he stood up. “I have urgent business today and can’t wait any longer. Since I have the indenture, let Xiang’er stay here for a few days. I’ll return for her soon.”

He had seemed eager to take Xiang’er away, but now claimed to have urgent business. Ye Si and Madam Lu found this suspicious, but the twenty gold and silver ingots were real enough. Ye Si even signaled to Madam Lu, who nodded to show she’d verified they were genuine. There was nothing more to say; they could only watch as Master Zheng and his men departed.

“Something’s off,” Madam Lu frowned. “He was so aggressive before, but after getting the indenture, why leave so quietly? What do you think is going on?”

“Whatever the reason, the ingots are real.” Ye Si was uneasy too, but reassured himself, “We’ve given him the indenture; we’ll treat Xiang’er as our own young lady for now. If, through her, we can connect with the powerful of the Zheng clan, our business in Bianzhou will thrive again.”

“Truly worthy of the Zheng family—such generosity, not a single copper coin, only gold and silver. Look at the quality! Even in Bianzhou it’s rare, clearly imperial reward…”

They waited half a day, but Ye Chang didn’t return. Their conversation turned back to Master Zheng, but suddenly they heard a commotion outside. A group of stern-faced officials barged in, accompanied by the clan chief, Ye Dan, whose expression was strange.

“What… what’s going on?” Ye Si hurried out, only to see Lu Quan already bound and tied.

“Cousin Si, what have you done?” Ye Dan, now the village head, coughed awkwardly, looking troubled. “Why has someone accused you of… extortion?”

“Extortion? What are you talking about?” Ye Si was flustered.

“Today, when collecting taxes in the countryside, we encountered this case.” The officials parted, and a clerk stepped forth. Ye Dan bowed to him. “Clerk Zhong!”

This was none other than Zhong Wei, an acquaintance of Ye Chang. Zhong Wei glared at Ye Si. “You’ve committed an offense. Come with me to the county offices.”

“What? What have I done?”

“Don’t play dumb. Someone’s accused you of abducting a person and extorting gold and silver!”

“Where is the accuser? I am innocent!” Ye Si’s heart sank as he cried out.

“I am the accuser!” From behind the officials stepped none other than Master Zheng.

“You… it’s you?” Ye Si had suspected as much, but when confronted with the truth, he still couldn’t believe it. He thought they had spoken congenially—why would Master Zheng turn on him and file a charge?

“You took my gold and silver but did not deliver the person. Luckily, I met Clerk Zhong on my way from the village. If not, I’d have suffered a great loss at your hands!”

“But I gave you Xiang’er’s indenture!”

“Yes, you gave me her indenture. And the others?”

“What others?”

“The other servants in your household!” Master Zheng looked furious. “I only wanted Xiang’er, but you insisted you had many servants to dismiss. I paid you, but now you try to renege, handing over only one indenture. And even for that, the person is nowhere to be found!”

“That’s nonsense!”

Ye Si felt completely wronged. Where had all this come from?

“Still trying to deny it? Do you think you can cheat me because I’m not local? I am of the Zheng family of Yingyang—our clan has supplied countless officials. With a single letter, I could have you before the magistrate!”

Though Zhong Wei disliked Master Zheng’s arrogance, he knew it was no idle boast. The Zhengs of Yingyang were one of the great families of the Tang, having produced numerous chancellors, generals, and officials. If he wanted to bring down the Ye family, it would be easy.

“It’s not true, Clerk, it’s not true!” Madam Lu, used to dealing with the public in Zhengzhou, did not shrink away but shouted, “He gave us the money to thank us for caring for his niece!”

“And where is the gift?” Zhong Wei asked.

Madam Lu glanced nervously at Ye Si, who nodded grimly. She went inside and returned after a moment, holding two gold ingots. “Here is the gift.”

“What?” Master Zheng exclaimed. “There were ten gold ingots and ten silver—why are there only two?”

“Search!” At this, Zhong Wei, already bribed by Master Zheng, immediately gave the order in a loud voice.