Qin Yining nodded slightly, deep in thought. She was actually feeling a bit guilty from profiting off of a national disaster. It felt like she’d taken advantage of the commoners.
The steward could guess at her thoughts when he noted her expression. He sighed. “Miss, you’re too kindhearted. With how things were back then, everyone was starving and our country and homes would be lost any day. You bought their land so that they would have some silver to flee with, no?”
“That may be the case, but I still feel like I’ve unfairly taken advantage of them.”
“Not at all. You didn’t force them to sell their homes or land. They voluntarily sold it cheaply because they wanted to make a quick exit. If you hadn’t bought their land, they might not have gotten a single silver for it. They would’ve just left their homes behind and ran.
“And when Great Zhou took over things, unclaimed property would be confiscated by the new government anyways. Even if the people returned home then, they wouldn’t have any farms of their own to work on. With us being the landowners, at least we can hire them and give them a job.”
Qin Yining blinked, forced to admit that the steward was right.
“Those who haven’t starved to death have mostly returned to the old Yan capital by now. They have no homes, land, or jobs. I employed many of them to work on our farms—that’s also giving them a future.”
Qin Yining sighed and then smiled with an open mind. “What’s done is done, there’s no point in thinking about it now. Let’s take only seventy percent of this year’s produce. Leave thirty percent to them so that everyone can rest and recover.”
Steward Zhong was highly taken aback. “Miss, thirty percent for each household is a large sum in total!”
“I know.” The Qin fourth miss was back to sighing. “But there’s always money to be made. As much as I can earn, it’s all just a number in the end, isn’t it? Leaving thirty percent for each household won’t affect my foundations at all, but it will relieve so many burdens for all of them. We were all once fellow Great Yan citizens. Let me do what I can for them.”
The steward stared at Qin Yining for a long while before responding. “The miss is highly moral and righteous. This old man is overcome with admiration.” He rose to bow to his employer.
“Oh not at all. No matter what I do, I still rely on you to carry it out.” Qin Yining rose to return the gesture. “I actually do have a use for silver in the Great Zhou capital.”
“Please speak of it, miss.” Steward Zhong adjusted his collar sternly and sat down ramrod straight.
The girl smiled. “I’m sure you’ve heard of what happened on our way here. The old dowager of my family and others lost all of the silver they brought with them. Though my third uncle is a businessman, his businesses are far away and they don’t seem to turn a large profit.
“Therefore, I’d like to secretly purchase a residence. I’d like for the deed to be held by someone unrelated to me for now, and have it turned over to my father when he returns. The family will have a place to live then. The prince has actually already filtered several locations for me, but so much has happened in recent days that I haven’t had time to go look at them.”
“Don’t worry, miss. I’ll take care of this for you.” Her trusted employee was silent for a moment. “The rumors outside say that you… and the prince…”
“Don’t worry, we’re still the same as before. We have to bow to the circumstances in some things, but you can trust him.”
The confirmation set the older man’s heart at ease. He heaved a long sigh of relief. “That’s good, that’s very good!”
He’d witnessed with his own eyes how the two lovebirds had slowly ended up together. The couple cared for each other so deeply and was quite a good match! It would be such a shame if certain factors of reality forced them apart.
The two talked for a while longer before a married servant came to convey that food was ready.
Qin Yining took her meal with the Zhongs, Lu Dehan, and Liu Jiu’er. The group chatted idly for a while after. Before she returned to the inns, the Qin fourth miss also imparted that the steward could seek out Xie Yue or Xu Weizhi at Pang Manor to send word to the prince.
The steward made his way to Pang Manor the next day.
Pang Xiao introduced Steward Zhong to his two right-hand men, saying, “This is Zhong Yucheng, darling Yi’s trusted man.”
Xie Yue and Xu Weizhi bowed courteously to the steward, their attitudes circumspect and cautious.
The steward had learned from Qin Yining that these two were the prince’s most trusted strategists. From their attitudes towards him, he could tell that his employer commanded high regard from the two.
He politely returned their gestures.
Over the next few days, Steward Zhong and Xie Yue went out to tour the manors. Out of the three possibilities, he chose one that was two houses deep on the eastern side of town. Upon purchase, he made the deed out in Lu Dehan’s name.
As for Qin Yining, she used the excuse of buying silk thread to take a look for herself one day. The location being optimal, it only needed minor renovations before the family could move in. She had craftsman focus on the inside for now. The outside could be taken care of in the next year.
As time passed, there was still no word of Qin Huaiyuan, née Sun, or Cao Yuqing.
The Qin fourth miss grew steadily more worried. Who knew if her father’s kidnappers would do something to them after she botched the imperial selection?
The five convoys of surrendered Yan officials had all made it to the capital by now. The welcoming inns and residences around them were crammed full of former Yan subjects and their families—uncomfortably so.
However, Li Qitian only told the Ministry of Personnel and Rites to treat the newcomers well. Those who wanted to purchase their own manors could do so. If they didn’t want to and didn’t mind the guest inns, they were welcome to stay put. Of course, those with the silver to do so were also free to seek accommodation elsewhere.
With the surge in population, taverns and restaurants saw a corresponding boom in business.
But, the emperor refrained from bestowing titles and positions. Everyone was just twiddling their thumbs, waiting.
When it was new year’s eve, blisters formed on the corners of Qin Yining’s lips because she was so worried about her father. Her mouth full of cold sores, it hurt to take even a sip of water.
Pang Xiao made use of midnight to jump through the window and visit his beloved. He found her propping her chin up next to the embroidered lamp, the hard-fought, slight roundedness to her cheeks completely gone.
“What happened to you?” he asked with heartache. “Have you not eaten these days?”
Qin Yining jumped from the sudden voice and glared at him before blowing out the lamp. This way, his silhouette wouldn’t be highlighted on the window.
“I haven’t been able to eat,” she whispered back. “I’m so worried about my parents. I had a nightmare last night that the kidnappers killed them. It startled me awake and I haven’t been able to sleep since.”
Pang Xiao sighed. “Don’t worry, father-in-law is surely alright. My guess is that he’s actually not in the hands of kidnappers. He hasn’t returned yet for his own reasons.”
Chapter 344: Official Mother
“His own reasons?” Qin Yining looked askance at Pang Xiao and shook her head. “I don’t understand. If everything’s perfectly fine, why wouldn’t father come back? Does he not want to bother with the mess in the capital?”
She shook her head to reject her own conjecture as soon as she’d voiced it. “No, father has a great sense of responsibility. He would never do something so irresponsible like leaving his family behind and making a run for it himself.”
Pang Xiao had grown used to seeing her calm, steady, and with plenty of wit to go around. She could navigate her way out of any situation with cool aplomb. She was so smart sometimes that he felt there was no point in him being present.
>
It was a fresh sight, seeing her so lost and directionless. The sight of her frowning ferociously and muttering to herself was rather adorable. He reached out to bring her close. “You’re making things too complicated, it’s actually very simple. It’s only because you’ve just arrived at the capital and are unfamiliar with Great Zhou. You’ll understand everything once I explain them to you.”
He picked up Qin Yining’s tea cup to take a sip from it.
She didn’t mind how heavy his arm was on his shoulder and even less that he’d drank her tea. She looked at him with sparkling eyes of expectation.
Her limpid eyes sent a frisson of desire through him. Swallowing hard with difficulty, he almost couldn’t contain the urge to kiss her.
The girl pushed him when he remained quiet for a long time. “Well? Tell mw.”
The prince burst out laughing and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Alright alright, I’ll tell you. It’s simple, really. We have capital evaluations in the capital. I think father-in-law is waiting for that.”
“What do you mean by capital evaluations?”
“The emperor made adjustments to the old Northern Ji policies and created a sweeping, periodic competency assessment on all duty officials. Anyone below second rank and outside of the Grand Secretariat needs to be tested every three years.”
Qin Yining nodded slowly as she mused over his words. “Can you tell me precisely how these capital evaluations are conducted?”
“They’re divided into two stages, the first in which the officials being tested must submit a self-report that’s strictly unbiased about their accomplishments, insufficiencies, mistakes, oversights, and others over the past three years. There can be no falsehood or omissions. When all of the reports have been handed in, the Bureau of Appointments will conduct a uniform, grand review. This report will be an important piece of support during the evaluation.”
“So this means that the capital evaluations will be happening this year?”
Pang Xiao smiled. “If we’re going to be strict about it, it’s the next year. The yamen are on vacation because of the new year, so nothing will start until the festivities are done.”
Qin Yining thought deeply for a moment, her brow slowly smoothing out as she exhaled easily. “So this means that my father should be returning after the new year, when the first stage is complete and all the self-reports are in.”
“Smart.” Pang Xiao scratched her nose.
Qin Huaiyuan was the leader of the surrendered Great Yan officials. Add to that his blood feud with Pang Xiao, that meant he would be certainly made heavy use of after returning to the capital.
The Great Yan officials would be an infusion of new blood in the Great Zhou court. If he came back earlier, the emperor would be forced to start doling out positions and rewards for the sake of imperial reputation.
But the number of positions at court was static. If no good option freed up, the ones awarded to Great Yan officials would be mostly for show.
As long as Qin Huaiyuan didn’t return, Li Qitian wouldn’t be able to assign titles.
Therefore, he was staying away precisely because he was waiting for the capital evaluations to begin. When the first stage was over and a large number of officials detailed their mistakes and how they’d overlooked things in their tenure, positions that Li Qitian wanted to award to Great Yan officials would free up.
Qin Yining was certain that Li Qitian would make heavy use of the surrendered officials precisely because of the structure at court. The former Northern Ji officials occupied most of the civil subject positions, and though Li Qitian’s diehard loyalists held military power, they weren’t able to fight against the horde of civil officials.
The former Great Yan officials lacked a foundation. They could only rely on Li Qitian and their only future was to be loyal to the emperor.
Surely Li Qitian wanted to give them higher positions as well. Qin Huaiyuan’s absence gave him the excuse to not award anything yet and wait for better positions to free up.
“Honestly…” Qin Yining shook her head ruefully. “And I worried for so long over nothing. Why didn’t you tell me when the capital evaluations were to begin?”
“I completely forgot to.” Pang Xiao smiled. “Can you rest easy now?”
Qin Yining nodded. “I was getting suspicious after not hearing anything for so long. Even if something really had happened, it’s not like my father to not send any word home. It looks like he knew I’ll learn about the capital evaluations and will be able to analyze when he’ll return.”
“That’s right, which is why I say having a smart daughter is also father-in-law’s fortune.”
Qin Yining blushed from the indirect compliment. “Did you eat honey today? Your words are so sweet?”
“When is my mouth not sweet? How about you have a taste for yourself?” A face loomed in front of her.
Qin Yining pushed him away bashfully. “You need to be serious now! Stop being silly.”
Pang Xiao chuckled softly and raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, I’ll stop teasing you. We’ll have to spend our days quietly for a while. His Majesty probably wants to put on a show of undying brotherhood over the new year’s, and he’s gone to great effort to find my official mother. I won’t have that much time to come see you then.”
Qin Yining started and sat upright. “What official mother?”
The look in Pang Xiao’s eyes was slightly cold and mockery filled his tone. “What official mother? My late father’s wife, of course. My mom was just a maid and accidentally received the lord’s favor. Madame Pang drove my mom away and even sent killers after her. Thank goodness my mom was smart and evaded them.
“Madame Pang should’ve died with the rest back in the day, but the emperor’s somehow found her. Now that the Pangs are no more, the emperor says that finding my official mother means there’s still a bit of hope for the Pangs. Seniors and juniors are complete, and he wants me to treat her with great filial piety.”
“So you’re going to welcome her back into the manor? What of the old madame?”
“If I really welcomed her back, my mom will naturally still only be a maid. She wasn’t even a concubine, back in the day.” A jeering lilt curved Pang Xiao’s lips.
Qin Yining shook her head. “This is inappropriate. The grand-lord, grand-madame, and old madame can’t be bullied. Who knows if your official mother is the real deal? Why not ground her for now and make a careful investigation? It’s not good to directly go against His Majesty’s wishes, but you can do whatever you want with her when she’s in your hands.”
Pang Xiao looked at her with a smile. “I’d thought you would advise me that there’s a natural order between official-born and concubine-born. You’re an official daughter, after all. I’m not even concubine-born, at most a bastard. If General Pang hadn’t died, none of this honor and fortune would’ve fallen into my lap.”
Chapter 345: New Year’s Eve
Qin Yining knew of how much grief and distress lay beneath his surface prestige. Heartsick, she took his hand when she heard the self-deprecation.
“Heroes have never been questioned about their origins. You risked your life for your current prosperity. You traded for it with the scars on your body and battle achievements. You have no need to huddle in the shelter of the Pangs. You’re first generation nobility who built your enterprise with your own blood, sweat, and tears! I know that if General Pang knew of your existence, he’d be proud of you.”
Her voice was gentle, but her tone was the most resolute it’d ever been. It warmed the depths of Pang Xiao’s heart. He was only human at the end of the day; there were times when he too was fragile and uncertain of himself. Touched by the understanding, Pang Xiao was spurred to bare his soul to his girl.
“Even though that’s the case, I’m still a bastard at the end of the day… when my official mother enters the household, the inner residence is sure to be thrown into a mess. I’m also worried that my grandparents and mom
won’t be able to handle her.”
“So what if the official Pang madame’s suddenly appeared? She was the lady of General Pang’s house, but you are the Faithful Prince of the First Rank. The general’s household no longer exists, and the prince’s is in its prime. It’s up to you how you want to treat her. It’s alright, we can manage the worry of her bullying Old Madame. Just stick her in a house in the complex and make sure all of her necessities are seen to. Will the emperor force you to respect her as the head of the household?”
“I bet you that’s exactly what he wants.” Pang Xiao smiled ruefully. “The general’s house didn’t know of my existence and I wasn’t recorded in the family records. He wouldn’t have had Sir Zheng come find me if it wasn’t to raise the Pang flag. My mom had already made up her mind to never tell me about my identity, so that I would live a happy and carefree life.”
Anger boiled in Qin Yining when she heard this. “Is this emperor a man or not?! Why has he stuck his hands in the inner residence not just once or twice, but again and again?”
Setting aside the ten beauties in Pang Xiao’s inner residence, how much fuel to the flames had Li Qitian added in that farce with the Princess of Anyang?
Not to mention, the prince’s family was invited into the palace whenever he set off on a campaign. Of course the official reason was a display of friendliness and to show filial piety toward a brother’s elders, but in reality, it was to hold Pang Xiao’s family hostage.
If the emperor had been able to execute schemes in the open and in the shadows, then the Qin fourth miss might’ve respected Li Qitian.
As it were, she found it difficult to scrape together any goodwill toward the emperor.
“None of that matters. We just need to stay alert and deal with things as they come. As for who disappointed who and who suffered more, all that belongs to the previous generation. General Pang is no longer of this world and it’s pointless to quibble over any of that. The most important thing is to lead a good life in the future.”
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