"This servant knows no acquaintances outside the mansion, and having accidently smashed Miss's Jade Cup the other day, I thought to make amends by finding some materials to repair it,"
Chu Zheng didn't hide a thing, and recounted the matter as it was.
He had anticipated this situation when asking Xiao Cai for the fragments of the Jade Cup, so he wasn't very nervous.
Song Lingxue's eyebrows twitched slightly, "Where is the Jade Cup now?"
Chu Zheng took a cloth bag from within his clothes and presented it with both hands.
The once-translucent Jade Cup had been restored to its original state, with the cracks covered by gold threads. From the outside, there were no longer any imperfections visible, and it even seemed more exquisite than before by threefold.
However, the cracks inside were still faintly visible, resembling ice fractures; at best, it could only serve as a display piece and was no longer suitable for holding wine or water.
For ordinary repair methods, achieving this result was already quite difficult, and Chu Zheng was very satisfied with his work.
He had only finished repairing the Jade Cup last night, which provided him with thirty points of experience.
Over the past few days, he had also begun to uncover some information about the panel.
Not all repair work yielded experience points, as he discovered when he intentionally smashed a porcelain bowl and then mended it, which elicited no response from the panel.
Similarly, repairing the broken tables and chairs in the Filth Room did not grant him any experience points either.
Regarding the acquisition of experience points, the panel seemed to have its own set of judgment criteria.
Flipping the Jade Cup between her slender fingers, after a moment, Song Lingxue caressed the gold threads on the wall of the cup and said softly, "Where did these gold threads come from?"
Though these gold threads weren't a large amount, it wasn't something a servant could casually procure.
"They were bought with the Moon Silver I had saved over time," replied Chu Zheng.
As a household servant, his former self received a Monthly Silver, which wasn't much, but over the years, it amounted to a considerable sum. He had intended to save it to buy his freedom, never imagining that it would end up being spent on repairing this Jade Cup.
To gather the gold threads needed for the repair, Chu Zheng had to spend most of his savings.
Song Lingxue pocketed the Jade Cup and asked casually, "When did you learn this craft?"
Looking up, Chu Zheng stole a glance at the cuff of her sleeve and felt a twinge of pain in his heart, "From books."
If not for this uproar, he had been thinking of waiting a while longer, until no one remembered, and then trading the Jade Cup for something else.
"It seems you've been diligent in your studies," she said with a hint of praise, then Song Lingxue brought the conversation back to the pressing matter at hand, "Where did those Immortal Sect scriptures come from?"
This was the crux of the matter.
"Miss Xie gave me the scriptures the night before she left the family," Chu Zheng answered truthfully.
Strictly speaking, few of the contents of those scriptures held any substantial importance, so there was nothing much to hide.
Song Lingxue's brow furrowed slightly as she questioned, "Miss Xie came to see you before she left home?" Song Yun, standing by her side, suddenly straightened up, eyes wide with disbelief.
Was someone with just a pretty face really so remarkable?
It was one thing for the Eldest Miss since she had less contact with men on a daily basis, so a fleeting fancy was understandable.
But who was the Second Miss? Born with an Immortal Bone, she was akin to a celestial being, mingling within the Immortal Sect among Superior Immortals. She had seen every shade of beauty, so how could she take special notice of Chu Zheng?
Song Yun took two steps back, as if a great weight pressed upon her chest, her expression grave.
"What did Miss Xie say to you? Why would she leave these things for you?" Song Lingxue asked, eager to know more details.
"Miss Xie didn't say much, merely inquired about my wishes and, remembering my years of service, wished to fulfill one of them for me," replied Chu Zheng meticulously, then added, "I knew I was of limited talent and couldn't achieve greatness, so I asked for a few miscellaneous books to alleviate my boredom."
"You're only choosing these few books?"
Song Lingxue's expression showed a hint of surprise as she could not help but say, "Why don't you take the opportunity to ask for a sum of silver to redeem yourself, or perhaps Spirit Pills to prolong life?"
Going out to be an idle rich man, buying land and taking a wife, would be better in any case than serving as a slave in the mansion.
"I have been an orphan since childhood; it was the Song Family that gave me a way to live. Once out of the mansion, I wouldn't know what to do."
Chu Zheng bowed his head with a light sigh, then looked up at Song Lingxue:
"It was only after being enlightened by the second young miss that I realized the Jade Cup was an item of the Immortal Clan. I was guilty beyond redemption for breaking it by accident. Miss is kind to spare my life; I should be grateful and do my best to repay her in the future."
In Chu Zheng's view, his former self had been somewhat ungrateful.
A man should be able to bend and stretch. How much is face worth? Playing the sympathy card, in any era, is effective, especially against a girl not yet twenty years old.
At the side, Song Yun regained his composure and looked at the sincere-faced Chu Zheng, a sense of alarm flashing violently in his mind.
Something's wrong...
This is not the Chu Zheng he knew.
Within that familiar face, he vaguely discerned a hint of slyness.
This is bad...
Song Yun quickly turned his head to look at Song Lingxue, and as expected, although her expression did not change, her gaze had softened somewhat.
For a moment, Song Yun broke out in a cold sweat. The old Chu Zheng had been a stubborn one, never having made him feel this threatened before.
Whenever Miss bestowed favors in the past, Song Yun was always anxious, fearing that one day Chu Zheng might suddenly see the light.
Now, the thing he feared most had happened. Chu Zheng had probably really come to his senses and was about to accept the olive branch Miss had thrown out.
This fasting had really taught him a lesson.
"Enough, since things have been made clear, there is no need for you to stay here."
Song Lingxue waved her hand: "Since these books were a gift from Ling Qing, you may keep them."
"Miss sees clearly."
Chu Zheng breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave, only to be stopped by Song Lingxue calling out to him:
"The gold thread for repairing the Jade Cup, just go to the account room to fill in the form, and withdraw funds from the Mansion's Treasury. Claim an extra twenty taels of silver, I'll approve it, consider it a reward."
Song Lingxue's eyes narrowed slightly as she spoke indifferently, "I've already punished you for breaking the Jade Cup. I won't hold a grudge. Having repaired the Jade Cup counts as your merit."
"It was my duty; I dare not claim credit."
Chu Zheng bowed: "Thank you for the reward, Miss Xie."
Seeing that he did not refuse the reward silver, Song Lingxue couldn't help but smile slightly at the corners of her mouth, finding Chu Zheng a little more pleasing to the eye. She spoke again:
"Your craftsmanship is too good to be wasted. You don't have to stay in the Filth Room anymore. Go to the Mansion's Treasury; they happen to need someone to repair some ancient artifacts. Your Monthly Silver will be doubled."
"Thank you, Miss Xie!"
Chu Zheng's eyes lit up. He had been concerned that the Filth Room was somewhat useless and was wondering how to arrange his future. Now a pillow had come while he was dozing off.
The job at the Mansion's Treasury was vastly different from the Filth Room. Anyone assigned there was sure to be a core member of the mansion, most trusted.
The majority of the Song Family's treasures were all stored within. It was full of unknowns and far more alluring than the completely transparent Filth Room.
"Miss, this is still just his side of the story..."
Song Yun took a deep breath. Before he could finish his sentence, Song Lingxue interrupted him with a shake of her head:
"The city is full of people, and Chu Zheng's whereabouts can easily be checked. Go verify it and report back to me once it's clear."