On the way back to the capital, Hua Zhi was thinking about the marriages of several senior maids. In such an environment, she could not say that she treated them as sisters, but in her heart, the feelings between them who had been loyally with her for many years and had experienced countless ups and downs together were even deeper than those between sisters who were only bound by blood. Now that she was happy, she could not forget them.
With her current status, no one would dare to bully them if she married them off to be housewives, but she knew they would not agree, just as she knew they would put the indentures back into the box.
It’s good this way. I can see whether it’s good or bad right under my nose, so I feel more at ease.
Before she could choose a person, Chen Qing, who was the first to learn the news from his master, came to ask for a meeting.
Chen Qing was originally within Hua Zhi's consideration, but the person he proposed to marry surprised her, "Fu Dong?"
"Yes." Chen Qing gritted his teeth and said shamelessly: "I am attracted to Miss Fudong, please approve, Princess."
"I don't question your judgment. I know my maids best. Other girls may not be as good as them. But I still want to ask you something." Hua Zhi frowned slightly. "Although she looks outstanding, she is timid and dare not look directly at people. You don't like her because of her appearance. Then why do you like her? It can't be that she is a good cook."
"In the beginning, it was true." Chen Qing smiled. "I have been following the master for many years and have eaten countless delicacies from land and sea. Those who specialize in this field all have a few specialties. But I don't know why, but I feel that no one's cooking is as delicious as Miss Fudong's. The dishes she cooks are different from others. I can't really say what the difference is. Later, I unconsciously paid more attention to her. You may not have noticed that among the maids around you, she has changed the least. In times of crisis, she stood by you and took the lead to take responsibility. But after the Hua family was stable, she retreated. To be disrespectful, the way she stayed in the kitchen was the same as you were in the library. I have seen her in the kitchen. She was like a fish in water, far from being timid and shy when she was outside. It was probably from that time that I began to like her. I have seen too many people who are greedy, and Fudong, who is simple and easy to understand, makes me like her even more."
People's hearts are biased. Hua Zhi usually treats people equally and is indeed partial to Fu Dong. She thinks the most about her marriage. She is always afraid that the timid girl will be bullied after getting married. Just as Chen Qing said, the other three, except Nian Qiu, have become tougher now, but Fu Dong has not changed at all. She is still the girl whose eyes light up when she enters the kitchen. If not necessary, she can stay there all day without going out.
But Chen Qing is worthy of Fu Dong
Hua Zhi did not agree on the spot. After sending him away, she asked the man who was watching from the sidelines, "Did you know this a long time ago?"
"I can tell a little bit." Gu Yanxi sat down beside her, held her hand and massaged her skillfully, "Fudong should know about it too."
"Do you mean that the two of them are interested in each other?" Hua Zhi was quite surprised. She didn't realize that Fu Dong had someone else in his heart.
"Before, Chen Qing could get food from Fu Dong, but he never got it again. I guess Fu Dong saw through it and stopped giving it to him."
"..." So it's possible to think this way. Hua Zhi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Why was Fudong always associated with food
"Chen Qing has been with me for many years, and I know him well. Fudong will not suffer if she is betrothed to him." Gu Yanxi lowered her eyebrows and spoke softly, looking somewhat obedient. "He and I have a different relationship. I have never treated him badly. He should have a lot of wealth after years of accumulation. Since you are so worried about Fudong, wouldn't it be a great thing for him to live under our noses in the future?"
Hua Zhi tilted her head to look at her man, and couldn't help but reach out and touch his face, "Where are the other three?"
Gu Yanxi rubbed her palm like an obedient cat, "Now that Daqing is no longer in crisis, I can't keep all the people I have. When the time is right, I will give them freedom. They have made great contributions over the years, and I will not treat them unfairly. They can do business on their own or manage our affairs. After all, they will no longer be servants. How about choosing from them?"
"Okay." Hua Zhi responded very readily, "I was planning to pick them from the mansion. After all, they are my own people and I can trust them more. If they are bullied, it will be easy for me to deal with them."
Gu Yanxi laughed, this guy is really protective of his shortcomings...
Things became easier with a direction. After careful consideration along the way, the candidates were basically decided upon by the time they returned to the capital. When it was time for the movement, Hua Zhi called a few maids over. They all knew what it was about and were all very excited.
"Master and servant for many years, we have shared prosperity and hardships together. In my heart, you are no different from my family except that your surname is not Hua. Now that you are finally safe, I will take the initiative to find a good partner for you."
Looking at the maids, Hua Zhi said gently, "After I spread the news, many people came to me. I picked the ones I thought were suitable. If you don't like them, you can tell me and I will find them for you."
Several people looked at each other, and Yingchun spoke for the sisters, "The maids will listen to the young lady's arrangements."
Because she knew they would listen to her, Hua Zhi was even more concerned. "Yingchun, you have a calm temperament and are capable of managing a household, but your shortcoming is that you are too calm and seem to be too balanced. I have chosen Qu Qi, who is under the prince's command, for you. He is a man of few words and has a patient temperament. He is a man who can live a stable life."
Yingchun had met Qu Qi before and had no objection to this candidate. She knelt down and kowtowed in response.
"Bao Xia, you are cheerful and lively, and your original irritability has been smoothed away in the past few years. Among the people who want to marry me, I am most optimistic about Yu Tao. You two have had contact before, so I think you don't dislike him."
Baoxia blushed, thinking of the blushing face and heartbeat when Yu Tao led her off the boat in Xiangyang. Of course, she didn't dislike this man, and she even missed him a little. Whenever she saw him occasionally in the past two years, she couldn't help but take a second look.
"Nianqiu, you are very careful and sensitive to numbers. If you were a man, I would definitely recommend you to the Ministry of Revenue so that your talent would not be wasted. Unfortunately, you are a woman, and I think you are not willing to walk that thorny road."
"Yes, I just want to be your key."
Hua Zhi smiled, "The person I picked for you is Chen Liang. I hope you can join forces and take charge of my warehouse."
Nian Qiu blushed and nodded.
"Fudong."
The timid maid looked up, looking a little flustered. She wanted to ask the young lady if she could not get married, but in the end she just bit her lip and waited for the young lady to make the decision for her.
"The man I have chosen for you is Chen Qing."
Fu Dong was stunned, no one knew that Chen Qing... was the only one who could enter her safe range.
"Chen Qing was the first person to ask for marriage. I agreed because of what he said." Hua Zhi turned the beads on her wrist. "He said he liked the way you were happy in the kitchen. In other words, he liked the most authentic you. You don't need to change to please him. Just stay the way you are now. So don't be afraid. As long as you want, your life will not be much different from now."
Fu Dong kowtowed to the young lady silently.
It's done. Hua Zhi breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at the last person and said, "Liu Xiang, although you haven't followed me as long as the others, I can see your loyalty and I remember your love for me. Zuo Fei sincerely asked to marry you, and I agreed."
Liu Xiang's eyes turned red and she knelt down and kowtowed.
Signaling the maid to bring a stove over, Hua Zhi opened the box and took out a stack of yellowed papers. "This is the indentures between you and the five of them. From now on, you are free, and your descendants will no longer be slaves."
Watching the small flames rise and ignite the paper, they were all a little dazed. Would they no longer have to call themselves slaves? In the future, as long as their children were motivated, they could become officials in the court. They would no longer be slaves. However, their confidence would not come from young ladies, but from another man...
Thinking of this, they felt uneasy again. No one could make them feel more at ease than the young lady.
"Miss, are we...going to leave you?"
"The palace is huge, I'm afraid it won't be able to accommodate you."
That meant they could continue to live in the palace in the future. They immediately felt relieved. The shyness of getting married belatedly surfaced in their minds. They looked at each other, feeling embarrassed but secretly happy at the same time.
After discussion, the five of them chose to get married on the same day. Hua Zhi prepared five sets of generous dowries and married them off in a grand ceremony. Before she and her husband could express their discomfort, the five of them all came back to her with their hair tied up in buns. They were still in familiar positions, doing familiar things, and everything looked the same as it had been for many years.
PS: I was on a business trip for a while.