Throughout the dynasties, there had always been a few laws that never changed across generations. Even if the Emperor wanted to punish someone, wanted to grind their bones to ash, he still had to find a proper, high-sounding reason, lay out the person’s crimes in full, before he dared to dig up a grave and whip a corpse.

Chang Lianfang had heard of such things in history books, heard of strange tales, but someone asking others to dig up their own family’s grave — that he had truly never heard of in his life.

Seeing him hesitate, Qiqian’er comforted him: “Really, it’s fine, go ahead and dig. This is my family’s grave.”

The young general Chang Lianfang, hearing this, became somewhat exasperated: “Even if it’s your own family’s grave, sister-in-law! We still can’t be the ones digging it! If you want it dug, dig it yourself!!”

Qiqian’er was stunned by his pushback, but looking around and seeing people on every side, she understood.

Ah! She’d really let that business with the mess addle her brain — even someone with a clear head wouldn’t come dig up their own grave with them watching!

No matter whose grave it was, a grave was a grave and could not simply be dug up. Even a county magistrate wanting to play the righteous official, wanting to right some wrong for someone, still had to pick an auspicious day, invite a geomancer to set up a ritual and offer sacrifices to Heaven before he dared exhume a coffin for inspection.

Looking again at the collapsing expression on Chang Lianfang’s pale young face, Qiqian’er waved her hand and laughed ingratiatingly: “Don’t worry, uncle, don’t worry. Truly, this is my family’s burial ground, it’s just that what’s buried in these few new grave mounds — it truly isn’t a person!”

Not a person?

Chang Lianfang’s color finally returned to his face, though he still looked at Qiqian’er in confusion and asked: “Not a person?”

Qiqian’er nodded: “Really not! This is where my family’s Master Huo… ah, he was the estate steward here, Steward Huo of Huo Family Estate. He and someone in the family hid some private valuables underground here. That kind of person is very clever — he buried things and disguised them as graves specifically to fool gentlemen like you. Do you think people like that are actually good people?”

“Your family? Master Huo?”

“Oh, uncle, don’t misunderstand, I wasn’t born a servant. To be honest with you, that Master Huo is my birth father. He fell into bad fortune… well, before the city fell, he was dragged into trouble by relatives of his family and lured into the city. It happened to coincide with the punishment of Qingfeng City by Heaven, so he was confusedly beheaded, and his head is still hanging on the city wall right now!”

Poor Chang Lianfang felt his very soul drift away from the blow.

Qiqian’er kept rambling on to herself: “Don’t think he was some remnant rebel. Master Huo, well — actually he was nothing at all, just a foolish estate steward! To be honest with you, uncle, though he used to be the steward managing the imperial estate’s laboring convicts and serious criminals, that surely can’t count as being a remnant rebel, can it?”

Chang Lianfang nodded involuntarily; he had fought against plenty of former dynasty officers alongside himself. When His Majesty encountered those willing to surrender, didn’t he bring them back and treasure them, coax them with kind words and good food and drink? If people like that counted as remnant rebels, then the new emperor’s realm would be impossible to govern — how many former officials would need to be employed, let alone a mere estate steward.

But what confused Chang Lianfang was that the young sister-in-law said her birth father’s head was hanging on the city gate, yet her face seemed to show some joy.

He asked in confusion: “Sister-in-law, aren’t you in mourning right now?”

Qiqian’er nodded: “What mourning period? Before the mourning period I also had a mother’s murder to avenge, you tell me — which one should I follow? You don’t need to dig too deep into this, digging too deep makes my head throb… Master Huo wasn’t even dead seven days before I was already, let’s just say, in mourning attire leaving to marry — by the rites, I already counted as belonging to the Huo family. Besides, it was my birth mother who made the decision — Madam traded me for ten strings of cash and fifty catties of grain, and that’s how I got a marriage contract with your elder brother.”

So that’s how it was.

But this still didn’t add up — you’ve only explained how you ended up at the Chen family, but you haven’t explained why the things underground belong to you.

Moreover, if they dug wrong and word got out, it wouldn’t matter to him personally, but his father and elder brothers above would hate him to death — this was exactly the crucial time, and he couldn’t afford even the tiniest slip now.

After thinking it over carefully, Chang Lianfang cautiously inquired: “But sister-in-law, what if your legitimate elder brother comes back tomorrow?”

Look at this person’s annoying, sticky manner — today was just his unlucky day, running into someone like this! Bah! And a man at that!

Qiqian’er’s eyes rolled: “Uncle doesn’t know — my family’s Master Huo took all the food provisions, robbed Madam of her valuables, and fled into Qingfeng City. My legitimate mother’s side, fearing they’d be implicated, took the whole family back to their old hometown.

My old hometown is over three thousand li from here. Without food to sustain them, they couldn’t possibly make it back!

Luckily, they happened to encounter A’Nai. The old madam is the most compassionate person — she has a kind heart and stepped forward to help them out. That’s how the match between me and your elder brother came to be. Madam was so moved by the old madam that before leaving, she insisted on telling me about this — she said the things underground should all become my dowry, first to give me some backing, and second as thanks to the old madam for saving dozens of lives in my Huo family…”

Who are you fooling? Dozens of lives saved? Your Madam thanking the old madam? Given how stingy A’Nai is, she’s “the most compassionate”?

Chang Lianfang blinked, pondered for a good while, and suddenly found himself amused. He looked at this young sister-in-law with a face that was almost laughing and said: “So that’s how it was!”

Qiqian’er spoke with full conviction: “Yes, that’s exactly how it was! Right! That’s just how it was, what else could it be, don’t you think, uncle?!” She glanced around and lowered her voice: “Uncle doesn’t know — just days after I was born, my mother was sold off. My mother, unwilling, threw herself into the river. At three I was already tending the cocoon-steaming trays for Master Huo’s household; at four I was already carrying firewood taller than myself to watch over the silk-reeling pots. Now Master Huo is dead, and Madam has traded me away for grain. If I don’t dig up something, I’ll carry a knot of resentment in my chest for the rest of my life that could choke me to death — do you believe that? Do you understand?”

Understand, he understood — none of it mattered to him, as long as what was underground was things and not corpses, Chang Lianfang could talk his way through anything with anyone.

But what if it was bones?

So he lowered his voice too and spoke honestly: “Sister-in-law, since it’s not a person, but things — this first grave mound, we can’t dig it… you’ll have to dig it yourself!”

Qiqian’er put on a wronged expression: “Uncle, can’t you be a little more lenient?”

Chang Lianfang laughed and shook his head: “I can’t! It doesn’t matter for me personally, but these brothers who came with me today haven’t received their official titles yet. I have a place to eat when I go home, but they have families to feed when they go back. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Qiqian’er glanced at him, then suddenly laughed softly, and gritted her teeth: “Understood, understood! So I dig it myself, is that it? Uncle, with this timid little heart of yours, you take one step out and peek back three times! With this kind of hesitance, you’ll be eating leftovers even at the front lines! Hah! I see it now — at most in this lifetime you’ll amount to a Senior General, and here I thought you might earn a Marquis of Champions…”

Having said this, Qiqian’er spat twice into her own palms, then found a hard wooden branch nearby, went up and snapped it off with one kick!

Chang Lianfang’s eyebrow twitched, deeply sympathizing with his foolish elder brother — that was a branch as thick as a large bowl’s mouth, made of hard wood.

Watching this young woman easily bend and snap it left and right, fashioning a pointed stick, not caring about cleanliness or dirt, she knelt on the ground and began digging away, getting covered in dust from head to toe.

She busied herself happily there, not noticing that Chang Lianfang’s expression had already gone blank.

Nothing else — it was just that his father had said these very words. But wasn’t his father the person in this world who understood him best? This… this girl, she… she was no ordinary person. What she said just now, it was all his father’s words!

Well, an ordinary young lady certainly couldn’t do something like digging up her own family’s grave either.

While Chang Lianfang repeatedly turned this over in his mind, guessing back and forth, Qiqian’er, having barely dug a few strokes, looked up in delighted surprise and said: “Found it!”

Chang Lianfang jumped, walked over and asked: “So fast? You found it? Found what?”

Qiqian’er lay down, brushing aside the loose soil with her sleeve, pointing at something inside: “What else could it be, it’s definitely not a person! This is the red-sandalwood corner cabinet Madam kept in the main bedroom. I’ve looked at this pattern of the Star of Fortune carving for ten-some years — look, isn’t this the Old Longevity God… I’m not lying to you!”

Chang Lianfang heard this and started to walk over, but pulled his foot back after one step out. He said sideways to his subordinates watching the excitement: “Everyone go check whether it’s furniture. If it turns out to be a coffin, have it reburied exactly as it was!”

Once he said this, Qiqian’er’s mouth twisted sideways listening.

Those men, receiving the order, went over together to check. After one look, they raised their heads laughing and said: “General, it’s just furniture. The young sister-in-law was right.”

Only then did Chang Lianfang’s raised heart slowly settle. He let out a long breath and waved helplessly at his subordinates: “Go on, go on! Ugh…”

Bad luck indeed, running into something like this. The group swarmed forward together, some using wooden shovels, some using crescent-blade spades, and before long a red-sandalwood corner cabinet decorated with the Star of Fortune was easily revealed.

Chang Lianfang, hands clasped behind his back, walked slowly to Qiqian’er’s side, not looking at her, keeping a distance, eyes fixed ahead: “Your family sure has an interesting way of doing things — burying things by digging a shallow pit and just casually covering it with dirt?”

Qiqian’er didn’t look at him either, mocking with a laugh: “What’s there to say — these three mounds in front were clearly done by my legitimate elder brothers, when have they ever done work like this! Those people, hah, they’re scholars! Just managing to bury it at all was already impressive. Hey, hey, hey — tell them to be careful! This cabinet has gold-painted decoration, don’t chip my gold powder! Hey! Hey hey! Slow down… this should be a matching pair — there should be a matching pair of three-drawer tables underneath too, also gold-painted, don’t chip them for me… and there should be a pair of cat-proof cabinets too, um, and a kang cabinet as well… hey you, tsk! Where are you poking that beggar’s shovel of yours?”

Chang Lianfang listened until his mouth twitched continuously, and just as he was getting fed up, a large red-sandalwood cabinet was dug out by the men.

The refugees watching from afar all stood up in a rush.

“General! This cabinet is so heavy, several of us can’t lift it!”

A soldier called out from over there, and Chang Lianfang walked over and looked down.

The soldier muttered to him: “General, there’s something inside, and it’s quite heavy.”

So they all looked toward Qiqian’er together — it was her family’s property, if she said not to open the cabinet, they’d be in trouble; who told them they’d agreed to this in the first place?

The soldier muttered quietly to Chang Lianfang: “This isn’t buried gold, is it?”

Qiqian’er floated over from the side, and upon hearing this, laughed: “Gold? Dream on! Go ahead and open it, I think I know what it is — something from the Huo family’s eight generations of ancestors — it’s… some salt bags.”

Salt?!

The hands digging all stopped, and everyone turned to look at Qiqian’er together.

Gold might not be much use going off to war, but salt was the thing they were most short of right now. Whoever went to the battlefield didn’t want to waste effort — use one bit less strength and it could cost your life.

Salt in the military camp these days was better than a top warhorse — that scarce a commodity.

Chang Lianfang, who had been holding himself composed the whole time, lost his composure at this. He strode over quickly, reached out and threw open the cabinet, looking inside.

Well, well! Inside were not just one or two paper-wrapped packages sealed in oil paper.

He reached in and tore one open, and yellowish-white salt grains were revealed inside. He pinched a bit and put it on his tongue, and immediately his heart assessed this as the finest well salt.

Though sea salt had always tasted better than well salt, where could you find sea salt these days? And who could have this much salt?

Looking at the neatly wrapped paper packages inside the cabinet, each package weighed roughly five catties, and this one cabinet alone held at least seven or eight hundred catties.

Chang Lianfang stood up and turned to look back at Qiqian’er. At this moment, his mouth couldn’t help but turn sweet — he knew he was about to be indebted to this young sister-in-law. With this much salt, not to mention himself, even his father couldn’t swallow it all!

His voice went soft as he called to Qiqian’er: “Sister-in-law…”

Qiqian’er waved her hand expressionlessly: “I know what you’re going to ask. Yes! My family’s Master Huo was the estate steward, but not all stewards are the same. This estate had laborers who were actually former serious criminals — they were sent here never meant to leave alive, all because of this well salt.” Saying this, she pointed toward the mountains not far off: “That Baiquan Mountain has ninety-nine springs of sweet water, but somehow, one particular spot brings up bitter brine instead… the Huo family has guarded this salt well for generations.”

Chang Lianfang’s lips twitched upon hearing this, his shoulders trembling slightly.

Qiqian’er in her heart wasn’t exactly pleased — she just silently cursed Madam Wang, and resented herself for not having enough foresight, not enough cultivation.

She said: “I never imagined Madam would hide this. She’s always been someone with the boldness to dare anything. I also know what you want to ask — just let them dig for now, once things are gathered together I’ll discuss it with you in detail.”

With that, Qiqian’er stood off to the side and stopped talking.

She thought to herself, Madam Wang had such nerve. The salt that came down from the mountain had always been accounted for precisely, never staying overnight before being carted away. Who could have known Madam had hidden away this much? How had she managed it, hiding it from Master Huo all this time?

This was salt, after all… she’d thought Madam had hidden the fine fabrics from the weaving workshop instead.

Chang Lianfang looked around, pulled someone aside, and jerked his chin. That person nodded, mounted a horse, turned it around, and rode off toward Qingfeng City.

Qiqian’er pretended not to notice.

Before long, a good number of officers and soldiers came rushing over, driving away all the remaining refugees in the distance.

This time the men who arrived came well-equipped with tools, and regardless of whose ancestral graves these were, this group of nearly a hundred began digging vigorously around the circle of new grave mounds.

Off to the side, some ten-odd rolled-up mats were piled and guarded… Two hours later, Qiqian’er and Chang Lianfang each sat on a kang cabinet, beginning to worry together.

In front of them, seventeen or eighteen cabinets of various materials had been placed, and inside every single one were five-catty salt packages — by rough estimate, there was close to ten thousand catties of well salt here.

This was what Madam had buried later — in only two days’ time, what kind of effort had that mother and her two sons put into it? They must have used every last ounce of strength.

Aside from what Madam had buried, Master Huo’s things were, in a way, understandable — he’d hidden things for his descendants’ revival, which wasn’t too unforgivable. A steward was a steward — he’d buried large quantities of iron plowshares, iron hoes, iron rakes… plus sickles, kitchen knives, firewood choppers, seven or eight carrying-poles’ worth of hay-cutting blades. Besides these iron tools, Master Huo had also buried more than twenty large iron pots for boiling brine, plus various sizes of everyday cooking pots and spatulas from the estate… in short, everything he’d buried was iron material.

Chang Lianfang sighed deeply and said slowly: “Little sister-in-law, your family really is something!”

He gave a thumbs up.

Qiqian’er nodded helplessly: “Isn’t that the truth. My Madam went and accumulated ten thousand catties of salt, my Master Huo hid away several thousand catties of iron goods… heh, truly a new dynasty, a new atmosphere…”

As she spoke, she suddenly laughed: “Well, that’s right, isn’t it — today being an auspicious day, bringing you here, uncle, that was exactly the intent. Actually… I wanted to ask you to serve as a middleman. All of this — I’ll offer it up!”

Chang Lianfang’s eyes lit up, and he immediately gave another thumbs up. With this kind of resolve to let go of things, this young sister-in-law’s spirit surpassed even that of most men.

He said politely: “Ah, but I can’t take sister-in-law’s things for nothing…”

Before he could finish, Qiqian’er cut in: “I know you care about your elder brother! Well, however foolish your brother may be, he’s still risking his neck serving our lord Emperor. We’re family, aren’t we?”

Chang Lianfang’s breath caught in his throat, then he heard Qiqian’er continue: “Come to my place tomorrow, uncle, and I’ll draw you the location of the salt well. Don’t worry, besides you, I won’t acknowledge anyone else knowing about this! Tomorrow, however you manage to explain this on your end is up to you — I’ll simply act as if I know nothing about it.”

Chang Lianfang, hearing this, stood up and bowed steadily: “My apologies to sister-in-law — in the end, I lack the ability… I can’t even protect these things for you.”

Qiqian’er sat upright and accepted the bow with a light laugh: “I know! Actually this is a good thing. Tonight when uncle goes home, discuss it with your esteemed father. Your father has broad experience, he’ll surely handle things more steadily than you.”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking — sister-in-law will get to meet my father shortly…”

Qiqian’er, hearing this, covered her mouth and laughed, cutting him off: “What are you saying — my husband isn’t even home! What kind of person is your esteemed father, and what kind of person am I! I wouldn’t dare meet your father — I’m just going back to the estate to haul away some old odds and ends from before. I didn’t see anything else, and tomorrow when I go out, I won’t acknowledge any of this either!”

That would be best.

Chang Lianfang exhaled slowly: “Does sister-in-law have any requests? Please speak freely!”

Qiqian’er, without any reservation: “I do!”

“Please tell me, sister-in-law. Whatever I’m able to do, I’ll do with everything I have.”

“I trust you, uncle. What kind of person are you? You’re the famous city-breaking general — this little matter is nothing to you.” Qiqian’er glanced around, then stepped closer and lowered her voice: “I know uncle must feel bad in his heart, but you know, our small household has a hard life too, don’t we?”

Good, there was a request — Chang Lianfang felt thoroughly relieved. He said: “Rest easy, sister-in-law. On my father’s side, and my elder brother’s side too… in the end, several thousand taels of silver, I can surely manage…”

Before he finished speaking, Qiqian’er interrupted: “That much silver, I wouldn’t dare take!”

Chang Lianfang, confused: “Then… what does sister-in-law want?”

What did she want? Qiqian’er looked up at the clouds and thought for a long while before saying: “Loose silver, about two hundred taels would do. As for the salt, at least leave me a hundred catties. I need two full sets of cooking equipment for the courtyard kitchen, and you’ll need to prepare me a full set of choppers and kitchen knives too, plus one large brine-boiling pot. These pieces of furniture are naturally mine as well… um, the old madam doesn’t want to leave now either — tomorrow, if Qingfeng City gets rebuilt, if there are any spacious storefronts with rear courtyards facing the street, if uncle cares about the old madam, find a few for her… three to five sets would do…”

Chang Lianfang listened blankly, saying nothing for a good while. Seeing this, Qiqian’er grew a bit anxious and raised her voice: “Hey, uncle, what are you thinking? This is a quantity of nearly ten thousand catties of salt! Even though officially top-grade salt used to sell for fifty-five copper coins, but who’s ever actually bought it at the official price? Later when chaos broke out, go ask around — a catty of top-grade salt easily sold for several hundred coins. Now go into the city and try to find top-grade salt at even one tael of silver per catty!

Never mind the salt — take my family’s iron goods, in the old days that was also twenty-five coins a catty, but this material was only traded officially, and even with money you couldn’t buy it! Go ask which iron mine would give you that much face, extend your family credit for several thousand catties of iron material, or whether the Weapons Bureau your family manages has several thousand catties set aside for you. These two things — you soldiers marching and fighting need to exert effort, and you need good weapons in hand. And these days, everyone needs military merit. I’m handing you a path to advancement, and asking for a few storefronts in return is cheap for you…”

This mouth of Qiqian’er’s, ah — it talked Chang Lianfang into a cold sweat all over his head. At first it was embarrassing, and by the end it was frightening — he too felt this woman was terrifying, her mouth full of his own father’s words.

Unable to bear it any longer, he quickly raised both hands in surrender to explain: “That’s not what I meant, sister-in-law misunderstands me. I was just now thinking in my heart, at the very least I should arrange several hundred mu of good farmland for sister-in-law…”

This was again bluntly cut off — Qiqian’er waved her hand: “I just want storefronts, not farmland.”

Chang Lianfang was puzzled — during this time they’d all been calculating who could ultimately get how much of a fief, how much prime farmland, to make the fighting worthwhile. Why didn’t this young sister-in-law want any?

“Why?”

Qiqian’er rolled her eyes and pointed at herself: “Uncle really thinks too highly of me.”

“I truly wouldn’t dare underestimate sister-in-law.”

“Well, thank you very much. Give me several hundred mu of good farmland? At home it’s just me and the old madam — great, wonderful, that would really burn incense of thanks! I don’t understand much else, but when it comes to estate matters, you really don’t know as much as I do.

You mean well throwing several hundred mu at us, but there’s not a single man in the household — who’s going to uphold the family for us, who’s going to go check the fields every few days? Who’s going to make sure the tenant farmers are working diligently for us? In a good year that’s fine, but if disaster strikes, what can just me and your A’Nai do? What method could we possibly come up with to stabilize the estate?”

Chang Lianfang blinked and laughed: “Isn’t sister-in-law supposedly capable of anything?”

Qiqian’er raised an eyebrow: “That’s right, I am capable! And precisely because I’m capable, I don’t want your several hundred mu of fragrant land! I just want a few good storefronts — from now on, no matter what disaster comes, I can still live in luxury with the old madam in the back courtyard, eating and drinking well, unable to even use up several dozen strings of cash a month. That would satisfy me. Think about it — you’re not losing out!”