Published: March 12, 2025
CHAPTER 179: Reward
At the city gate connecting the Inner Fortress and the Outer Fortress, stood two slaves, a man and a woman. The man looked to be around twenty-three or twenty-four years old, while the woman appeared to be younger than twenty. Both had ordinary appearances, with nothing particularly special about them.
As soon as the two saw Zhao Hai and the others coming out, they quickly knelt down and greeted him, saying, “Young master, peace be upon you.”
Zhao Hai nodded and waved his hand, saying, “Get up and talk.”
After expressing their thanks, the two stood up but still remained slightly bent over, looking very nervous.
Though these slaves knew Zhao Hai to be very kind, their long-standing indoctrination as slaves made them too afraid to act disrespectfully in front of him. Being able to stand while responding to Zhao Hai was already quite good. If they were newly bought slaves, they would never dare to stand in his presence.
Seeing their demeanor, Zhao Hai did not hold back and simply asked, “Are you two planning to get married?”
Their bodies bent even lower, and the male slave trembled as he replied, “Yes, young master, we both wish to marry. We seek your blessing.”
Zhao Hai nodded and asked, “What are your names?”
The male slave promptly answered, “In response to the young master, my name is Qi, and she is Xi.”
Zhao Hai nodded in acknowledgment, looking at the two of them. “Good, very good. It’s excellent that you took the initiative to propose marriage to me. Today, I shall grant your wish. Grandpa Galen, prepare some things. We’ll hold a proper ceremony for the two of them today.”
Grandpa Galen also smiled in agreement, and Grandma Merlin added, “This is a joyous occasion, young master. I’ll prepare everything so that those slaves can have a good rest today.”
However, the two slaves knelt down again, and the male slave spoke in a panicked tone, “Young master, we cannot accept such a favor. Our lives are humble, and being granted marriage by you is already a tremendous blessing. How could we ever impose on you to arrange it for us?”
Zhao Hai laughed, saying, “It’s alright. You two are the first couple among the slaves Grandpa Galen bought this time. We can take this opportunity to have a good celebration, and it’s not all for you.”
Only then did they stand up.
By this time, Galen and the others had already started making arrangements, leaving only Meg to stay by Zhao Hai's side.
Currently, Zhao Hai did not lack for anything. His monthly income made it easy to provide for the over a hundred people in his care.
Zhao Hai didn’t lend a hand but led Meg back to the castle’s living room to sit down. He had already given the necessary items to Galen, and now he just needed to watch them prepare.
Once they were seated in the living room, Meg prepared a pot of Kaya and placed it on the table. Zhao Hai smiled at Meg and said, “Sit down; we can discuss Qi and Xi’s wedding.”
Meg complied and sat down, looking at Zhao Hai. “What made you decide to hold a big event for them, young master? Is it to show the other slaves?”
Zhao Hai nodded and sighed, saying, “Now that our budah family has so few people, these slaves will certainly need to expand in the future. They are already marked with the budah family’s brand and cannot be erased. Our conditions are much better than before. For them to take the initiative to propose marriage is good for us as well. Other slaves may gradually start to do the same. This also counts as a way to increase our population. Moreover, as I improve the land over time, I can’t cultivate uniformly as I do now. I plan to divide some of this land among the slaves. We’ll only collect a small amount of rent, and this will motivate them to farm better.”
Meg was taken aback and looked at Zhao Hai. “Are you saying that today, Qi and Xi will regain their civilian status and be rewarded with a piece of land to rent?”
On the continent, only civilians typically rented land, so when Zhao Hai mentioned giving land to the slaves and only collecting rent, Meg understood his intention.