She felt completely disgusted at the sight of her second and third aunt’s faces! This was all because Qin Yining had the Institute of Luminous Grace and she didn’t! Her maternal grandmother had never liked her, but as much as the old woman disliked her, she’d spent fourteen years in that family! Was it all washed away so easily with one visit from Qin Yining?
Qin Huining silently ground her teeth. She would’ve long since erupted in maddened shrieks if it wasn’t for her shred of remaining reason. But she knew full well that her good days depended solely on these people. She couldn’t let their impression of her decline, or life would really take a turn for the worse.
“Old Dowager.” Qin-mama lifted the door curtains with a smile. “The senior elder master has returned.”
At those words, Qin Huaiyuan walked in. He lifted his gray, fur collared cape off his shoulders, handing it to Qin-mama, and walked forward to bow. “Mother.”
“You’re back! Come sit.” The old dowager smiled.
Qin Huaiyuan elegantly swooped down on a thickly padded round seat while née Sun, second madame and third madame shifted to the side. A smile lifted the corners of his mouth as he felt the happy atmosphere inside, “What good thing’s happened that I seem to be unaware of? Tell me, mother.”
“It’s granddaughter Yi,” the old dowager responded in good spirits. “Her maternal grandmother gifted her the Institute of Luminous Grace during her visit to the Duke of Ding Manor today. We were just talking about that.”
Qin Huaiyuan started, his mind fitting the pieces together in the span of a breath. He couldn’t help but sigh lightly as he glanced at Qin Yining. As a father, he was no exception to taking joy in the fact that his child resembled him. It was just a pity that after all these years and trying all sorts of methods, he’d still been unable to have his wife give birth to a son. A daughter was well, whatever. What use was it if she resembled him? She was only good for marriage. Qin Huaiyuan felt even more pained when he looked at Qin Yining’s fragile, gentle, and pretty self. Why wasn’t she a son?! But he couldn’t bring himself to say that.
She was just a girl, so what possible damage could she do in the Tang matter? She’s probably just going to sit back and rake in the profits from the Institute. The Tang issue had already dragged in the Prince of Ning and the Clearists. Only the steward would be in for it if all went south. The Institute had just changed hands anyway, so it was quite natural that there would be a change in senior management as well.
But even Qin Huaiyuan’s mind flew through all of that, he didn’t let a flicker inflect his words, “The in-laws have put a great deal of thought in this gift. I will have to visit and thank them one day.”
Née Sun felt quite touched by those words and graced Qin Huaiyuan with a tender look. Meanwhile, when the old dowager saw that Qin Yining and Qin Huining were still wearing their public outfits, she had the two of them go back and rest. There was no need to visit her again until tomorrow.
The three made their curtsies, with Qin Huining forcing a bright farewell to née Sun before returning to her quarters.
On the other hand, Qin Yining accompanied née Sun’s sedan back to Garden of Tranquility, along with Ruilan, Jin-mama, and Caiju. She only returned to Snowpear Courtyard after tendering a farewell curtsey to née Sun. The news that Qin Yining was now the owner of the Institute had spread on wings. All of the servants they ran into on their way back came up to greet Qin Yining and offer their congratulations.
Ruilan was holding the lantern by Qin Yining’s side and thinking carefully about the events that had taken place since her mistress had returned. Five days ago, the old dowager and her birth mother had refused to accept her. Qin Huining had bullied her, and she’d even had to tread carefully around the servants for her daily necessities. But now?!
The old dowager didn’t hate her, the senior madame even seemed to like her a little bit, and it went without saying how much her maternal grandparents and family liked her. Her mistress no longer needed to worry about getting through a day at a time and had thoroughly cowed not only the servants, but even Qin Huining herself after a show of force. Ruilan had also clearly heard the lecture that her mistress had delivered in the carriage. The most important thing was that all the girls in the manor had to subside on two taels of silver a month as their stipend, but her mistress now had a mountain of gold at her disposal!
Ruilan felt her blood boil with excitement as she started to count her mistress’ achievements, further strengthening her resolve to follow Qin Yining. She’d been a frog at the bottom of a well before, the limits of her worldview stretching only to Garden of Tranquility and thinking the senior elder master was the best future. Although who knew what the miss’ future held, it would definitely be a lot better than with the senior madame!
Qin Yining naturally didn’t know what Ruilan was thinking about, just that everyone was suddenly more polite to her and Ruilan more attentive. For some reason, the humor of the situation struck her. Stepping on others when they’re down and fawning over rising stars, is this simply human nature?
When they turned into the alleyway leading to their door, they saw a figure craning its neck outside the entrance of Snowpear Courtyard, clearly looking for them. The silhouette hurried up to the duo when it glimpsed them, resolving itself as Qiulu when she drew near.
“Miss.” Qiulu purposefully kept her voice low and spoke with a touch of nervousness. “A Steward Zhong just came by with two large camphor wood trunks. He says he’s come to personally deliver the books from the Institute of Luminous Grace. But after coming, he’s refused tea and won’t leave. He’s actually on his knees in the courtyard and refuses to leave!”
Qin Yining blinked with great surprise, and asked worriedly, “How long has he been here? How many know he’s here? Does anyone else know he’s kneeling in the courtyard?”
“He came in through the back door in the rear corner, so not many know he’s here. They only saw him come with some trunks, so they just think he was here to deliver something and didn’t pay attention as to when he left. As for kneeling…” Qiulu thought about it. “He’s been here for at least two hours. I was afraid that it wouldn’t be a good thing to spread and barred the doors to Snowpear Courtyard after discussing it with Zhu-mama and Zhan–mama. No one has been allowed to leave, and Zhu-mama and I went ourselves to deliver back the meal boxes today.
Qin Yining heaved a sigh of relief and nodded. “You did well.” She’d known before that Qiulu was a thorough, if quiet person. But she hadn’t expected her to be so dependable, even in a minor emergency like this. If this kept up, it looked like Qiulu could become a trusted confidante in the future.
The three made their way into Snowpear Courtyard to see a man kneeling at the end of the pebble path in the yard. Since it was almost winter solstice and dusk, gusts of frosty wind were already making the lanterns sway and flicker. Yellowed and withered bamboo leaves carpeted the ground, making the kneeling profile of the man seem even more bleak.
Qiulu saw her mistress halt without a word and looked questioningly at her. Qin Yining thought for a moment and spoke. “This must be Steward Zhong with the accounts? Please, let’s speak inside.”
She didn’t spare the steward another glance as she headed directly into the receiving room. Qiulu and Ruilan quickly asked the steward to rise. “Steward, our miss has returned. Please rise. You’ll make things difficult for her if you stay here like this.”
Perhaps it was because he’d heard them, or perhaps he’d simply seen the light. Whatever it was, Steward Zhong blindly scrambled to his feet, almost toppling over as his legs complained about how long he’d been kneeling. He took a moment to steady himself, and limped into the main house. Upon entering, he immediately sank to his knees again. He didn’t dare meet Qin Yining’s eyes and spoke with his head down. “Greetings to the new owner. This humble one is Zhong Yucheng, here to pay his respects.”
* * *
Chapter 33: A Hot Mountain Yam
Chapter 33: A Hot Mountain Yam [1]
Qin Yining sat at the head seat, flanked by Ruilan and Qiulu. She was silent and didn’t immediately respond. She took the time to carefully observe the steward instead. Zhong Yucheng was nearing sixty years old and was of average height. He was a bit flabby and had on a long shirt of a vivid blue satin that was embroidered with patterns of good fortune. A dark brown cape graced his shoulders, a warm, fur hat on his head. There was a ruby embedded in the middle of the hat, about the size of a fingernail. He was someone who presented an extremely well put together sight judging from looks alone.
However, he currently had a desolate expression on his face and anxiety was written in all of his wrinkles. His neatly cropped, white beard trembled and shook. When he bowed to Qin Yining, he bowed quite low. It seemed that he would crumple under a single blow.
Qin Yining was thinking furiously. A shopkeeper like the one in front of her was many times more impressive than any she’d met when she traded herbs. It’d always been her bowing and scraping before others. She was at a momentary loss of what to do now that one was on his knees in front of her. And yet, she was the new owner of the Institute of Luminous Grace. Although she could depend on her steward for running operations, she had to be the one to make strategic decisions. Whether or not her staff followed her orders would all depend on today. When her thoughts traveled here, Qin Yining stiffened her spine even further and gathered more of an imposing air. Silence was always the most meaningful response.
When the steward saw that the new owner was able to maintain her composure despite being a young girl, his mind drifted to the shockingly able Duchess of Ding. He fixed an even more solemn attitude in his mind and lowered his head further.
Ruilan and Qiulu couldn’t help but start to admire their mistress at the sight of this. The other girls didn’t have this kind of bearing at all. The silence stretched on for five minutes before finally being broken by Qin Yining. She spoke very slowly because she needed to think about her words, but incidentally this made her tone seem very measured and deliberate. “Does Steward Zhong have something to report in making this trip today? Please rise to respond. Ruilan, bring a seat. Qiulu, offer good tea.”
The maids hastened to carry out their instructions. Steward Zhong rose and backed up a few steps, perching on the edge of the stool that Ruilan brought over and accepting from Qiulu the white porcelain teacup decorated with a motif of red plum blossoms. He placed it on the tea table next to him.
Qin Yining played with the teacup lid in her hand. “There are no outsiders here. Steward Zhong can speak frankly. But next time, you can just come and deliver your message. Don’t kneel for long periods of time like today. What if you harmed yourself in this weather? Business operations still need you in the future.”
The steward was quick on the uptake and immediately identified the undertones behind these words. Qin Yining was faulting him for almost negatively affecting her reputation. He hastily got up to bow and spoke at the ground, “Owner speaks truly. I was too brash this time and won’t do so again in the future. It’s just that today’s matter was urgent, which is why I came here like this.”
He swiftly snuck a glance at Qin Yining as he spoke, taking in the sight of a young girl sitting primly, wearing a crimson cloak. Her features were hard to make out in the lantern light, just that a pair of long, slender brows imparted a striking effect to the girl. Her eyes had a bright light in them, making her seem like an unfathomable character. The steward’s heart shook at this and he quickly added, “Owner, something’s happened at the Institute. This humble one is unable to handle it, and so has come for guidance.”
Qin Yining’s heart skipped a beat. Although she had an inkling of suspicion earlier that things wouldn’t be as simple as just sitting back and reaping the profits, it still prompted a brief moment of panic when trouble came calling. However, she maintained her calm composure and lifted her chin, indicating for the steward to continue.
“We hired a girl from the Royal Academy a few days ago. She’s fourteen, pretty, and delicate like a flower. But who knew that Prince of Ning would carry her off the first day she worked in the tavern?! The Institute has guards and martial arts masters, but I didn’t dare offend Prince of Ning. The girl’s spent three days in the Prince of Ning Manor by now, and I also can’t explain to the Royal Academy how I lost a girl, which is why I’ve come here.”
It was dead silent, so quiet that a pin drop could be heard. Ruilan and Qiulu were sweating profusely off to the side. Every Great Yan citizen knew who Prince of Ning was! Prince of Ning, named Weichi Jinming, was a fan of martial might and a skilled hand at leading men into battle. He was the emperor’s younger brother from the same mother and recipient of great royal favor. The emperor didn’t have many sons and had once even adopted the prince’s heir as an imperial son, but had returned the prince’s heir after an imperial concubine gave birth to a son. Prince of Ning had uncommon status indeed…
But as great as his qualities were, he was also a tyrannical, lecherous sort. He would carry off whichever girl caught his eye, even if they were someone else’s wife or concubine. How would a little girl like Qin Yining handle something like this?
Just as Ruilan and Qiulu were indignant and worried for their mistress, they heard a crisp peal of laughter. Qin Yining laughed sardonically, “Steward Zhong is certainly an interesting person! It’s the first time I’ve seen someone ask for help like this. Please be on your way if you don’t intend on speaking the truth.” She lifted her teacup in an unmistakable gesture as she spoke.
An indication to see the guest out? Both maids were taken aback. Ruilan was the first to react and moved to ask the steward to leave.
Steward Zhong was utterly flabbergasted, staring at the girl with incredulity. Qin Yining remained as she was, displaying perfect composure and a gentle smile. It seemed that no wind or rain would shake her frame. He immediately changed his dismissive mentality and didn’t dare underestimate her anymore. He dropped to his knees with a thunk. “Owner, don’t be mad!”
“Since Steward Zhong has come asking for help, don’t try to pull the wool over my eyes,” Qin Yining responded. “You hire from the Royal Academy normally, so I’m sure you have a way to handle it when you can’t return their people. It must be different this time since you’re unable to handle things. You best tell the truth. I may yet have a solution after listening to you.”
Steward Zhong remained on the ground and kowtowed. “You perceive the slightest detail in everything. The girl that the prince has taken is surnamed Tang, given name Meng. She’s the only child of the former administrative assistant of the Imperial Academy of Medicine, Master Tang. [2] Master Tang’s entire family was executed for his attempt to poison the empress. The Tang women refused to be humiliated and all committed suicide. Miss Tang escaped this all because she entered a nunnery half a year ago. She was captured and sent to the Royal Academy after this happened, and then we hired her.”
Qin Yining had a clear picture of what was going on without the steward going into further detail. Living amongst the general populace, she’d heard more rumors than even the nobles in the capital.
The emperor was decrepit and incompetent. He was also at the end of his days, but solely favored a twenty or so year old empress, née Cao. Née Cao was born of an illustrious family as her father was then Grand Preceptor of the Heir Cao. Now Grand Preceptor Cao, his power in court was domineering as his daughter was the empress and his student the crown prince. The way he did things became even more arrogant as a result. Empress née Cao was said to possess a face that could launch a thousand ships and was so tantalizing and alluring that she had the emperor in the palm of her hand. Not only was she the sole recipient of his favor, she often interfered in matters of court as well. She was very similar to Daji, Baosi, and Feiyan—all famous imperial concubines in history who’d contributed to the downfall of their dynasty. This was why the people didn’t call née Cao the empress, but rather the trampress.
They all said that the emperor was so muddleheaded because of née Cao’s influence.
Qin Yining had also heard of what’d happened with the Tangs on her way back to the capital. One of the imperial physicians was friendly with the Clearists and hoped to clear the riffraff by the emperor’s side, eliminate the trampress and return a noble emperor to Great Yan. He’d made use of his profession to poison the trampress, but who would’ve thought that she would be unexpectedly tough? She’d only been half poisoned, but the physician and his entire family lost their lives.
She now understood Miss Tang’s origins after listening to the steward. She’d been puzzled by the steward’s extreme haste and humble declaration of service today, but all was clear now. Tang Meng’s father was the hero who’d poisoned the trampress, and Tang Meng was the sole surviving child of their hero. The Institute hadn’t protected her properly since taking her and allowed that lecherous villain Prince of Ning to carry her off, and for three days at that!
Everyone could guess what had happened over these three days, and those old Clearist antiques must’ve given the steward no end of grief. These officials couldn’t do anything to Grand Preceptor Cao or the prince, but they could easily make life difficult for a mere steward.
Steward Zhong also had family. If he didn’t handle things well, his family would likely lose all of their standing in the capital, and maybe even their lives as well! No wonder the steward was so anxious.
Qin Yining frowned. “I understand what you speak of. You may leave now.”
She didn’t indicate anything! The steward grew even more frantic. “Owner, please give this humble one a way out. My family and I will be filled with everlasting gratitude and loyal to you for the rest of our lives!”
“Steward Zhong.” Qin Yining’s tone was cool. “What do you think I can do?”
These words were a ladle of cold water down his head. Right, the previous owner had been the great scholar Sun Yu, and even he hadn’t wanted to handle this hot mountain yam. The new owner was just a girl who hadn’t yet come of age. What could she do? He was barking up every tree possible in his panic! Steward Zhong trailed his head down with utter dejection. He could see what the future looked like already. Perhaps his family would all be hanged in a few days.
Return of the Swallow c1-644 Page 24