"300 gold coins, that's the maximum I can afford. Hudson, you should know that this is not a small amount, it's almost half a year's income for our estate."

The Baroness tried to negotiate, but Hudson just smiled and remained silent, not participating in the bargaining. If it were the original owner, he might have been fooled. Half a year's income for the estate sounded frightening, but the actual profit was greatly inflated. If they really had only that much income, the Baron's household would have to eat grass and swallow their pride.

Nowadays, there were very few free citizens, and most of the subjects were serfs attached to the nobles. With over ten thousand people in the barony, even if Hudson only had a middle school level of math, he knew that their income wasn't just what was reported. Under-reporting income was a hidden rule among the nobles. Although the King only collected merchant taxes, the Church demanded a tithe!

As a devout believer, one naturally could not resist the Church's tithe. Therefore, finding ways to suppress their income became the best choice. With an average annual income of less than one silver coin per person in the barony, it was difficult to even feed themselves, let alone pay the tithe on time. The Koslow family was clearly the most devout believers of the Lord of Dawn.

"300 gold coins, plus a good warhorse and a set of armor. Hudson, you've become a knight and need your own knight's equipment."

The Baroness promised again.

Upon hearing this answer, Hudson rolled his eyes directly. This was clearly treating him like a child. While it was true that becoming a knight required equipment, he believed that his father would have prepared it for him. As a traditional nobleman, Baron Redman placed great importance on face and would never allow himself to be ridiculed in this regard.

Although he had many sons and an empty wallet, wasn't Leslie already useless? Not only did it save him money, but it also gave him a few years of buffer time. He should be able to recover. It was only the Baroness who couldn't see the situation clearly and was still trying her best for Leslie. In fact, he had been given up on since the incident occurred.

The family's resources didn't need to be considered. Even if Baron Redman was desperate to continue investing, the other members of the Koslow family would not agree.

"400 gold coins! Hudson, this is all the money I can use. If I offer any more, your father will find out," the Baroness said helplessly.

"Madam, let's offset the remaining one hundred gold coins with goods! Magic cores and crystals are all acceptable. You won't default on payment for such a small amount, I assume," Hudson said generously.

The disdainful look on Hudson's face reignited the Baroness's suppressed anger. Before she could explode, Hudson interjected, "Madam, please go get the money and ask the Baron to come here. I'll go check on poor Leslie. He's been hanging there for almost three days with injuries. Who knows what could happen if we leave him there any longer?"

With that, Hudson turned and left, giving the Baroness no chance to speak, as if he had complete control over the situation.

Stomping her foot in frustration, the Baroness finally calmed down. She may not have been politically savvy enough to secure a noble marriage, but she was certainly skilled in household scheming. No matter the reason for the conflict, if anything went wrong, she would be the one to suffer. After all, it was her own son who had deceived her.

If the outside world were to mistake her for the one who instructed the swapping of the Life Essence, she would be in deep trouble. Divorce was hard to come by in Aslant, but becoming a widower was very easy. Unlike in a noble marriage, a Baroness with an inadequate family background was not durable against upheaval.

...

Hudson took a leisurely stroll through the ancient castle while the gold coins were collected, then slowly made his way to the pillar where Leslie was tied up.

The word "hanging" was an exaggeration. Although the baron had given the order, the guards in charge of executing it were not brainless. After all, Leslie was still the son of the Baron. If something went wrong, they would be the ones to suffer.

Thus, the original "hanging on the pillar" became "sitting next to the pillar" with a maid helping to drive away mosquitoes and a plate of fruit nearby. If it weren't for the rope that bound Leslie to the pillar and his unkempt appearance, it would have been difficult to believe he was being punished.

Seeing Hudson approach, the two guards suddenly felt embarrassed. They had taken care of one young master, only to offend another. It was clearly not a wise choice. Hudson was not a pushover, with two older brothers above him and the support of the Lord of the house.

The young masters of the Baron's household were divided into two camps, which was not a secret. One camp held the inheritance rights, while the other had the backing of the mistress of the house. If it weren't for the Baron's iron grip on power, the household would have long since split into two factions.

'What a joke, no one is a fool here. Now we have to consider the mistress's expression, but in the future, we have to follow the other side, which one should we choose?'

"Young Master Hudson, you're here!"

Nodding, Hudson didn't have any ill intentions towards the guards. In this world of strict hierarchy, the survival of small fry was already difficult, and it was understandable to seek support wherever one could find it.

"What's going on? Leslie, my poor brother, how did you end up tied up like this? What are you all standing around for? Quickly untie him! My poor..."

If an uninformed person saw this scene, they would think that the two brothers had a deep brotherly bond. In reality, the two similarly-aged individuals had been at odds with each other since childhood.

"Enough, Hudson. I don't need your fake sympathy here. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been punished by Father!
Now, get out of here! I don't want to see you!" Leslie nearly shouted.

Seeing this scene, Hudson was not angry, but instead showed even more affection.

"Poor Leslie, you're even a bit confused now and don't recognize your dearest brother. Ah, forget it. Let's release him first, I'll bear the responsibility for Father's side. After all, as an elder brother, I can't stand to see my younger brother suffer..."

A touching scene that made the guards' eyes blank, and they forgot what they were supposed to do for a moment.

Before they could react, Hudson had already drawn his knight sword and cut the rope, proving his seriousness with his actions.

Just at this moment, a dignified middle-aged man walked over, it was none other than Baron Redman. Apparently, the scene just now had all fallen into his eyes.

With a fierce glare at the two guards, he kicked Leslie, who was sitting by the pillar, and said without hesitation, "Hudson stay, the others take this beast away."

Seeing that no one responded, the Baroness, who followed closely behind, hurriedly added, "What are you all waiting for? Take Young Master Leslie away for treatment!"

Even if she tried to conceal it well, Hudson could feel the Baroness's heartache. The Baron's kick just now was not light, and it sent the person flying three or four meters away. Were it not for Leslie's good foundation and cultivation, he would have been seriously injured if not killed.

It was clear that Baron Redman was truly disappointed. Making mistakes was not too bad, but what was terrible was making mistakes and not realizing it. In the nobles' world, stupidity was the greatest sin.

As the others left, Baron Redman looked at Hudson and said with a hint of satisfaction, "You're making progress very quickly, but unfortunately, your performance just now was too much."