As war captives, Ling Yi and his brothers had no choice. Even if they returned to their holand, they would be executed since their King wouldn’t trust them anymore. They would be branded as traitors.
But staying in the Great Yan Kingdom, they would have to spend the rest of their lives as slaves. Even if they married and had descendants, all their children would be born as slaves.
Not to ntion their low status, as war captives, no good woman, even slaves, would want to marry them. If they could start a new life, they would give everything for that chance.
Ling Yi knelt down, followed by his brothers. This ti, they kowtowed three tis with loud thuds but said nothing.
Yao Zhi understood their feelings. She waved her hand and said, "Get up."
When everyone had stood up, she continued, "I need to make a fail-proof plan first. For now, all of you will stay here and recuperate. Today, besides telling you about my identity, I ca to take Xi Si with ."
Hearing this, Xi Yi was taken aback and asked, "Master, has my daughter done sothing wrong?"
Yao Zhi shook her head and replied, "I’m very busy, and I need soone to take care of Xi Qi. Since I live with my husband and Shi’er, it’s inconvenient to bring Xi Er or Xi San."
Xi Yi heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this and nodded. Xi Si was overjoyed and held her mother’s hand.
eting her daughter’s firm gaze, Xi Yi could only hold back her reluctance and smile. It was good for the siblings to be together. This way, she didn’t have to worry so much about her son.
Now that the eting was over, Yao Zhi said, "Xi Yi and Xi Si, both of you stay. The rest of you can leave."
"Yes, Master."
When only the three of them remained, Yao Zhi said, "Sit down."
Xi Yi and Xi Si hesitated for a mont before taking their seats.
As slaves, they were not allowed to sit at the sa level as their Master. Even with permission, they couldn’t sit at ease. Both of them sat at the edge of the chair with their backs ramrod straight.
Seeing this, Yao Zhi lanted in her heart about the cruel slave system in this world. But this was the norm, and she alone couldn’t change anything. All she could do was treat her slaves as humans and never cross the bottom line.
After a mont of silence, she finally said, "Xi Yi, what I’m about to say might shock you, but you need to know that it’s the truth."
Xi Yi squeezed the hem of her sleeves when she heard this. She licked her dry lips and said, "Master, I understand."
Yao Zhi observed her expression for a mont before dropping the bomb. "Both Xi Wu and Xi Liu are not the daughters of your late husband. They were born from your husband’s concubine and one of the guards."
As soon as she said this, Xi Si’s eyes widened in shock, while Xi Yi turned pale. She stared at her as if she had seen a ghost. After a long silence, she finally asked, "M-Master, how do you know?"
Raising her eyebrows, Yao Zhi asked, "You already know about their background?"
Xi Yi nodded and replied, "My husband also knew about this matter. That guard was my husband’s man, and he was responsible for uncovering the spy’s plan."
"He gets close to the concubine to get information about people behind her. My husband promised he would take care of his children."
"What about the concubine?"
"She was taken away by a eunuch from the palace on the day the Marquisate was raided. I don’t know whether she is alive or dead. But from what I saw, she didn’t seem to care about her daughters at all."
Yao Zhi nodded and said, "Xi Wu and Xi Liu are innocent, but I don’t plan to keep them. With that kind of mother, growing up under her influence, they must have learned so tricks and inherited her bad personality."
The mont she heard this, Xi Yi understood her Master’s intention. Her husband had indeed made a promise, but now she couldn’t even protect her own children, let alone others.
After weighing the pros and cons, she said, "Master, I will follow your decision."
Hearing this, Yao Zhi nodded and reassured her, "You don’t have to worry about them. I will arrange for them to work for a good family. As for their future, it will depend on their own choices."
Xi Yi stood up, curtsied, and said, "Thank you, Master."
Yao Zhi waved her hand and continued, "As for Xi Er and Xi San, I won’t send them away, but they will work in the outer circle from now on. When the workshops are built in the future, I will send them there."
Both Xi Yi and Xi Si knew this was the most their Master could do.
By right, since they refused to take the pill, they should have been sent away like Xi Wu and Xi Liu. Their Master allowed them to stay out of consideration for Marquis Yongning and Xi Yi’s feelings.
Reaching this conclusion, they curtsied and said, "Thank you for sparing them, Master."
Yao Zhi nodded and put on the silicone mask. When she was done, she stood up and said, "It’s getting late. You should pack up. I will wait in the backyard."
"Yes, Master."
After returning to their room, Xi Yi quickly helped her daughter pack her things and said, "Xi Wu, Xi Liu, both of you should pack up too."
Seeing that Xi Si was also leaving, the girls didn’t suspect anything and were even sowhat delighted. They quickly packed their clothes and whispered among themselves.
Xi Er and Xi San were worried and asked, "Sister-in-law, why are you packing Ah Jie’s belongings? Are you going anywhere?"
Xi Yi glanced at them and said, "Xi Er, from now on, you should forget the past. We are slaves now, and our duty is to serve our Master well. My daughter’s na is Xi Si. There is no more Ah Jie."
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