Lu Dashun’s expression instantly changed from respectful expectation to shock, never imagining that Qin Yining would suddenly turn the topic to him.

“Princess Consort, how did I…” His unspoken question was swallowed back when he met Qin Yining’s all-knowing gaze.

The scene fell into deathly silence.

None present were fools—even if they hadn’t understood what happened at the time, sitting down now to think carefully, they all comprehended.

Manager Zhong kept his head lowered without speaking, his dark crown facing Qin Yining, desperately trying to conceal his thoughts.

Qin Yining looked at this young man who hadn’t yet reached twenty and sighed helplessly.

It seemed a person’s nature would indeed change with their environment.

When she first met Lu Dashun, he still had a timid, hesitant appearance. One could tell at a glance that he’d been hastily found by Manager Xia to fill a position. Even wearing a brand-new set of fine fabric, he was so nervous he didn’t know where to put his hands and feet.

But in just a few days, he had already learned to scheme, learned to come here and create trouble between Manager Zhong and Manager Xia. She had long been dissatisfied with Manager Xia, but Manager Zhong was utterly loyal to her—someone she had always trusted greatly. This showed Lu Dashun’s ambitions were considerable.

Qin Yining couldn’t help feeling somewhat emotional. Truly, wherever there were people, there were conflicts.

Back when she had few people around her, even the little maids knew to compete with each other. Now with more personnel, as long as their relationships involved interests—who would suppress whom, who could gain face—things became increasingly difficult to discern.

Seeing Qin Yining remain silent, Lu Dashun was already panicking. He said anxiously, “Princess Consort, please calm your anger. This humble person isn’t dissatisfied with you, nor am I trying to harbor ulterior motives. It’s truly because Manager Xia was promoted by Manager Zhong, and Manager Zhong is your trusted confidant. If this humble person spoke rashly, I feared I couldn’t gain your trust. ‘What the ear hears is false, what the eye sees is true.’ Since this humble person has had the fortune to become your subordinate, I naturally didn’t want you kept in the dark. I hope the Princess Consort will see clearly!”

Qin Yining smiled.

Actually, half of what Lu Dashun said came from his heart. He truly was forced to use this underhanded method because Manager Zhong was too close to Qin Yining, and Manager Xia had been promoted entirely by Manager Zhong.

But Qin Yining also understood there were selfish components mixed in. However, everyone had selfish motives—she wouldn’t expose this.

“No need to be nervous. I understand your thoughts. You probably don’t know us well enough yet, which is why you acted thus. In the future, just speak directly. You’re an honest person—as long as you work diligently, you’ll naturally receive important positions.” Qin Yining smiled sincerely.

Hearing this, Lu Dashun immediately bowed excitedly, “Thank you, Princess Consort! Thank you, Princess Consort!”

“Get up, no need for such grand ceremonies.” Qin Yining smiled as she looked toward Manager Zhong, raising her eyebrows mischievously and jesting, “Manager Zhong won’t retaliate against him, will he?”

With these words, Lu Dashun’s heart pounded violently. The Princess Consort’s words seemed to be asking Manager Zhong, but actually were also enlightening him—they all understood his little schemes, just weren’t exposing them!

Lu Dashun had originally thought himself quite clever and formidable, destined to rise rapidly with unlimited potential. But now it seemed he had been too arrogant and had instead become a laughingstock.

This time Lu Dashun lowered his head with genuine respect, repeatedly saying, “I wouldn’t dare.”

Manager Zhong understood in his heart that while Qin Yining seemed to be asking him on the surface, she was actually backing him up. This made him feel increasingly guilty and anxious.

“Princess Consort, it’s my incompetence and poor judgment that caused such errors. I truly don’t deserve your forgiveness. I already know my guilt deeply. Third Manager Lu merely spoke honestly before you without any wrongdoing. Even if Third Manager Lu truly had some fault, it would be for the Princess Consort to punish—how would this old fool dare privately retaliate.”

Qin Yining waved her hand with a smile, “Everyone sit down and talk. We’re all on the same side, working toward the same goal.”

Manager Zhong bowed and took his seat.

Lu Dashun’s heart was shocked once again.

Manager Zhong’s words just now were also telling him that even if Manager Zhong truly did something wrong, there was the Princess Consort to handle punishment. As a fellow manager, he had no qualifications or standing to make moves privately.

Sweat appeared on Lu Dashun’s forehead. It seemed he had been too proud and conceited, actually forgetting his proper place and that those before him were all formidable figures. He had become overconfident and nearly brought disaster upon himself.

Qin Yining instructed the maids to refill tea and bring refreshments, then chatted casually with the two men for a while, showing not the slightest sign of being angered by Manager Xia.

This obvious contrast made Manager Xia appear even more arrogant while making Qin Yining seem increasingly profound and inscrutable.

“Next, there are two matters I need to trouble you both with.”

“Please give your orders, Princess Consort.”

Both men responded and stood up, cupping their hands in salute.

Qin Yining said, “The old capital has been unstable these years. First famine, then war, and after the earthquake, people’s lives became even more difficult. Though my estates house many refugees, it’s ultimately a drop in the bucket—I can’t save everyone. However, for things I can do my best with, I’m still unwilling to give up. So I plan to waive one year’s rent for all tenant farmers under my jurisdiction. Manager Zhong, I’ll trouble you to handle this matter, with Third Manager Lu assisting.”

Manager Zhong immediately nodded in understanding.

But Third Manager Lu was somewhat shocked.

Others might not know, but having followed Manager Xia recently, he had thoroughly investigated exactly how much property Qin Yining possessed. Though those properties weren’t written in her name, the grain produced from those lands—if there was a good harvest—would be enough in rent to feed an entire army. To waive all this rent would be an enormous sum!

“Princess Consort, you…”

Qin Yining waved her hand with a smile, “Wealth is but worldly possessions. Moreover, I was once the saint who protected national fortune according to Tianji Zi’s divination and performed the Heaven-Questioning ritual. Now waiving some rent is merely my duty.”

With this explanation, Lu Dashun remembered that although he wasn’t in the old capital then, he had heard about the grandeur of the saint’s Heaven-Questioning ritual. Had the Great Yan Dynasty not fallen, Master Xuan Su’s name might have become as renowned in the Great Yan Dynasty as Tianji Zi’s.

Lu Dashun nodded repeatedly.

But Manager Zhong understood that Qin Yining’s intentions weren’t simply charitable.

Back then she had taken in many refugees, spending her own silver to buy land from many commoners who wanted to flee, giving them money to escape. Unexpectedly, good people receive good rewards—when Pang Xiao’s troops entered the old capital, they didn’t massacre the city or trample the fields. The soldiers were well-behaved, and when those fleeing commoners returned, they had nowhere to go and no way to make a living.

Qin Yining had taken in all such commoners. Most people in her estates were these commoners.

Initially they were very grateful for the “great landowner’s” kindness, though many didn’t know the estate’s true owner was Qin Yining. Doing more now would only remind those once-benefited refugees of past favors, ensuring they wouldn’t cause trouble when Manager Xia acted badly.

Manager Zhong had followed Qin Yining for a long time—his guess wasn’t wrong.

Qin Yining was still confident in her popularity. Even setting aside past sheltering, when the earthquake struck and she came to provide disaster relief, the people of the old capital and Yang County should remember her and Pang Xiao’s kindness. They simply hadn’t deliberately publicized this, so many outsiders and later arrivals didn’t know.

She believed that with careful promotion, she could naturally build good relationships among the people. With popular support, other matters would become much easier.

While Qin Yining planned regarding Manager Xia at home, chaos was brewing in Pang Xiao’s Pingnan Army camp.

The “bandit suppression” continued daily. Pang Xiao had taken turns leading out many brothers, but uniquely left behind those he’d initially put on his “blacklist.” This already made these men very discontented. Later, the so-called “bandits” no longer dared travel the roads—whether they took official highways or small paths, whether they flew the Sitong Company banner with managers as cover or disguised themselves as merchants from other companies, every shipment leaving the city was robbed without exception.

Moreover, their bandit suppression followed a policy of entry only—no exit allowed. This caused all of Sitong Company’s external trade to be interrupted.

Sitong Company’s people were frantic. Those in the military camp who still hadn’t received any pay were equally frustrated. If no one was getting paid, that would be one thing, but watching other brothers in the same camp receive wages daily while they got nothing—what kind of feeling was that?

Everything proceeded methodically according to Pang Xiao’s plan.

On this day, those who had initially caused trouble—clearly over a thousand men who had obviously been secretly bribed—finally gathered in the training ground.

“The Prince is unjust!”

“Why does the Prince only take them and not us!”

“And won’t share the spoils with us!”

…

These men were even angrier than during their first uprising. When personal interests were involved, no one was willing to yield.

Pang Xiao wore black practice clothes, his hair neatly bound high in a topknot. He stood with hands clasped behind his back on the training ground, expressionlessly watching the loudly arguing crowd before him. Though he had long understood human nature thoroughly, seeing these soldiers fight harder for their own interests than they did facing enemies in battle still left him somewhat stifled. Moreover, they weren’t loyally devoted—they had long been secretly bought off, remaining in the Pingnan Army camp to monitor his situation constantly and plot mischief.

After a bout of clamoring, the crowd gradually became more excessive due to Pang Xiao’s silence.

When the noise reached an unbearable level, Pang Xiao finally said in a low voice, “Everyone be quiet.”

Huzi, who had been restraining himself behind Pang Xiao for a long time, immediately stepped forward and roared, “Quiet! All listen to the Prince’s orders!”

Those men who had followed Pang Xiao on multiple bandit suppression missions and were completely convinced by him shouted in unison, “Listen to the Marshal’s orders! Listen to the Marshal’s orders!”

The clamoring and cursing of over a thousand men couldn’t overcome the unified shouts of another thousand. In terms of momentum they were already weaker by ten percent, and they all closed their mouths.