From a slave to the Great Qian Martial Saint

Slaves were not allowed to hold official positions.

In other words, officials should not be slaves!

As one of the privileges of the seventh-rank military officers, the title of Wuwei was merely a nominal one without any real power. However, it was still a seventh-rank official conferred by the imperial court, equivalent to the magistrate of a county in the same region.

Therefore, once promoted to the seventh rank of martial artist and appointed as a military officer, if one is a slave, one will be automatically removed from the slave status!

"Congratulations, Manager Chen."

In a side hall, Zhou Bingzhi sat there, smiling as he congratulated Chen Shi.

After the order was placed, Gu Tingliang and the others left directly, while Chen Shi followed Zhou Bingzhi to this place.

A servant came in and handed a wooden box to Zhou Bingzhi.

After opening it, Zhou Bingzhi took out a contract, which was Chen Shi's indenture.

Zhou Bingzhi picked it up and showed it to Chen Shi. After confirming that it was correct, he tore it into pieces.

"I will personally handle the cancellation with the government, so Manager Chen need not worry about it."

"Thank you for your trouble, Steward Zhou."

Chen Shi bowed again to express his gratitude, his face filled with barely suppressed excitement.

In addition to the contract kept by the master, there is also a record of the sale of a person into slavery by the government.

This is why, even if some people steal their own indenture, it's useless, as this thing can be replaced by the government.

Once the indenture is torn up and the contract is cancelled at the government office, there are no further problems.

In other words, Chen Shi can truly regain his freedom!

Although I already knew all this, I still couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

"Then let's continue our discussion."

Zhou Bingzhi's smile faded, and his face turned serious.

"You are no longer a servant of the Marquis of Jing'an's household. You have two choices. One is to leave the household and have nothing to do with each other from now on. The other is to sign a new contract with the household and continue to serve there."

"I choose to renew the contract and continue serving in your household!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Shi made his decision directly.

He already knew about these two options beforehand, and had already considered them.

The so-called "renewal of contract" means signing another contract, but it is not a sale of servitude, but a normal employment relationship.

Although he was still doing the same job, seemingly no different from before, he was no longer a master and servant. To put it bluntly, the Marquis's mansion could no longer arbitrarily decide Chen Shi's life, death, honor, or disgrace, and he could leave at any time.

As a seventh-rank military officer, he was already an "official," so at this time he was referred to as a "household retainer."

Ordinary households are not qualified to keep retainers, nor can they afford to. However, the Gu family, as a noble family, is naturally not among them.

In fact, Chen Shi hesitated for a long time before making this choice.

It's good to have a powerful backer. If you stay in the Jing'an Marquis's mansion as a steward, your status, position, and power will be far beyond what ordinary people can compare to.

After all, when he was just an ordinary servant, Zhao Qiancheng, a fourth-rank prefect, treated him with great courtesy.

By leveraging the power of the Marquis of Jing'an's mansion, Chen Shi also gained many tangible benefits.

For example, the kickbacks from the monthly purchase of medicinal herbs, and the profit share from the Flying Eagle Gang.

If he leaves the Jing'an Marquis's residence, all of this will vanish into nothingness.

However, this also hides many risks.

During his year or so in the Marquis's mansion, Chen Shi rose rapidly through the ranks, but he also made many enemies.

Not counting the deceased Lu'er, Jia Shun, and A Qing, the current Gu Chenglie and Gu Chengze, both legitimate sons of the Marquis's mansion, are powerful figures whom he finds difficult to challenge.

It can be said that Chen Shi has walked on thin ice to get to where he is today.

If one leaves the Jing'an Marquis's mansion directly and hides far away, although the wealth and glory will be gone, at least one can live a peaceful life.

But after much deliberation, Chen Shi chose the second option.

It wasn't that he coveted the power of the Marquis's mansion, but rather that there were things here that he couldn't bear to part with.

"Hehe, okay."

Zhou Bingzhi smiled and nodded.

As the steward, Chen Shi was different from ordinary servants and clerks, and replacing him was very troublesome, which was something he hated most.

Most importantly, Chen Shi is Xiao Fengxiao's confidant. If he is released, how could Xiao Fengxiao be willing to accept it? When Xiao Fengxiao comes to demand him back, Zhou Bingzhi will also be in a big predicament.

Furthermore, I've heard that the Master has recently assigned Chen Shi a very important task, and he can't be allowed to leave before it's finished.

Fortunately, Chen Shi, like most people, chose to stay.

Then things became much simpler. The new contract had already been prepared in triplicate, and it was stamped with the Gu family seal. All Chen Shi needed to do was sign and affix his seal.

"Let's take a look first."

Zhou Bingzhi said something, picked it up, and handed it to Chen Shi.

Chen Shi took it with both hands and read it carefully.

Although there were many clauses, they were all reasonable and the responsibilities and obligations of both parties were clearly and meticulously outlined. It makes sense; how could a noble household like the Marquis's possibly tamper with such matters? It would only make them a laughingstock.

In short, it was just an ordinary employment document, but as a member of the Marquis's household, the treatment and benefits were much better.

For example, the monthly allowance is directly increased to ten taels!

It should be noted that even a first-class servant only received one tael of silver per month.

That makes sense, though. Servants' lives and property depend on their families. Their monthly allowance is just pocket money for their masters' favors, and it can't compare to that of their servants.

After confirming that everything was correct, Chen Shi signed and affixed his fingerprint directly.

Keep this for yourself.

Three copies were made: one for Chen Shi, one for the Marquis's residence, and one for the government for record-keeping.

Each of the three documents was stamped with the official seal of the Marquis's residence, allowing them to be matched and preventing anyone from switching or replacing them.

Everything was done according to regulations; it seemed simple, but in reality, it was meticulous.

"Someone come here."

With everything in order, Zhou Bingzhi gave a soft shout.

Immediately afterwards, two maids came in, carrying a brand new blue robe!

"Please ask Steward Chen to change his clothes."

As they approached, the two maids whispered something to each other.

Chen Shi took a deep breath, raised his head slightly, and stretched out his arms.

With the help of the maid, she took off her original short clothes and put on this blue robe.

The servants wore short tunics, while the retainers wore long robes.

This is not just a robe, but a symbol of status!

From then on, Chen Shi walked through the Marquis's mansion in a long robe, and everyone knew that he was not a servant!

"Spirit."

Upon seeing Chen Shi in his long robe, Zhou Bingzhi couldn't help but offer a word of praise.

Chen Shi was not only handsome, but also had broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Even in servant's clothes, he was quite outstanding. Now, dressed in a long robe, he looked even more dignified and spirited.

"Thank you for your guidance, Manager Zhou."

Chen Shi bowed again to express his gratitude, still with a respectful expression.

Although both wore long robes, Zhou Bingzhi, as the steward, wore a white robe, indicating that his status was higher than Zhou Bingzhi's.

"Um."

Zhou Bingzhi nodded, his face showing approval once again.

He didn't become arrogant just because he put on a long robe, which shows he has a good character.

"By the way, you can take a few days off next, meet up with friends, or go home to visit your family."

Zhou Bingzhi continued, smiling again.

"You are now a seventh-rank military officer, and the official congratulatory message should be delivered to your home soon."

"Thank you, Steward Zhou. I'll take my leave now."

Chen Shi thanked him again, saying the matter was settled, and then took his leave.

Stepping out of the side hall, Chen Shi looked at the blue robe he was wearing and a smile appeared on his lips. He couldn't help but stride forward with his head held high.

From this day forward, he was no longer a servant and could finally walk with his head held high.

When they reached a secluded spot, Chen Shi took out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. Upon opening it, he saw only a line of delicate handwriting on it.

I only wish your heart were like mine.

A flicker of excitement flashed in Chen Shi's eyes; it turned out that Gu Hanying had not changed her mind.