Rain fell during the night and continued into the early morning. The trees in the courtyard looked even greener from the downpour, with fallen branches and withered leaves scattered across the ground. Songzhi stepped on the dry twigs, the hem of her blue skirt darkened by rainwater. A maid saw her, curtsied, and opened the curtain to the study, inviting her in.
Yining felt a cool, damp breeze and looked outside, realizing the rain hadn’t stopped. Songzhi bowed to her and said, “Miss, the steward is here to inquire. He says the Duke usually collects rent from the farms at this time, but this year’s harvest is late. He’s asking if it could be delayed…”
Wei Laotaiye, who had fought alongside the late emperor, had lived a glorious life and amassed considerable wealth. By Wei Ling’s generation, the family fortune had only grown more substantial.
Previously, when Wei Ling managed everything, Yining only glimpsed a fraction of their assets. Now that she was in charge, she realized how truly formidable it was. Over the years, they had accumulated over 3,000 mu of farmland, spread across the outskirts of the capital, Baoding, Baodi, and Tongzhou. Their properties, land deeds, gold items, and antiques were countless – perhaps even Wei Ling himself had lost track of the exact amount. No wonder he was so generous; he was truly wealthy. Yining now understood the vast difference between official families and noble houses, though Wei Ling was exceptional even among them, with few other aristocratic families possessing such assets.
Managing such vast holdings was no simple task. She now realized why Wei Ling had been reluctant to truly hand over control to her before, fearing she couldn’t handle it.
Yining had barely slept the night before, with faint dark circles under her eyes. She put down her pen, took a hot towel from a maid to wipe her hands, and asked, “Is the steward waiting now?”
“He’s waiting for you in the main hall.”
A maid held an umbrella as they escorted Yining to the main hall. The light rain drizzled, leaving the bluestone path slick. Steward Li was drinking tea in the main hall while waiting. He wore a floral-patterned silk robe, with a plump, fair face. He had the account books ready. After bowing to Yining, he handed her the ledger, saying, “Please take a look. These are the rents from Baoding for the past few years. The Duke has always been kind to the tenants, only collecting 30% of the rent, while other estates take 40% or even 50%… The weather has been poor this year. I think we should raise the rent, or we might not match last year’s income.”
The Wei family owned over 1,000 mu of fertile farmland in Baoding, which provided substantial revenue.
Yining closed the account book. With the old madam ill, most matters were now sent to her. The honest ones caused no trouble, but some cunning individuals tried to deceive her, thinking she was too young to understand. Yining promptly said, “The weather has been poor this year, so everyone’s harvest will be affected. Renting farmland already comes with a cost. If we raise the rent now, we might face widespread resentment.”
Wei Ling had previously kept rents low to build goodwill. Moreover, with his recent troubles, how could they add fuel to the fire for the Wei family now?
Steward Li chuckled, “You’re mistaken! Those tenants are all quite shrewd. Other families charge 40% or 50%, so what could they say? If you don’t raise the rent this year, our income will decrease. You don’t understand these matters, my lady. Leave it to me, and there won’t be any mistakes. Otherwise, the Duke might blame you for not handling things properly when he returns…”
“I disagree with raising the rent,” Yining shook her head, closing the account book and handing it back to him. “If you have nothing else to say, you may go.”
Steward Li was momentarily stunned. He had assumed the young lady wouldn’t understand and would let him make the decisions. He persisted, “If the Duke returns and finds fault…”
“If Father finds fault, he’ll blame me, not you,” Yining interrupted. This Steward Li had served the Wei family since the old master’s time and now felt bold enough to argue with his masters, relying on his position in the household. She smiled and said, “Steward Li, does my word still carry weight? You’re in charge of managing our farmlands, and everyone is watching you.”
Hearing this, Steward Li quickly bowed and smiled, “Of course your word carries weight, my lady. I’ll go and give the orders!” The young miss’s words carried a veiled threat. Managing the farms was a lucrative position that didn’t require taking orders from the masters directly, with many benefits. Everyone competed for such a role.
As the maid escorted Steward Li out, Yining had just taken a sip of tea when someone came to report that young master Ting had returned from the garrison and was taken to see Old Madam Wei first.
When Yining arrived at Old Madam Wei’s quarters, she saw the old lady holding young Ting. She stroked her grandson’s hair silently, thinking about how he might be the only Wei bloodline left, which saddened her. Ting was still somewhat bewildered, too young to fully understand what losing his father meant.
Seeing Yining enter, Ting ran into her arms, calling her “Sister.”
Song Mama came in to announce that the Wei family’s sister-in-law, Madam Xu, had arrived.
Wei Laotaiye had only one son, Wei Ling, but he had a younger brother who had a son named Wei Ying. Wei Ying now served as a Commandant of the Guards, a third-rank military official. This Madam Xu was Wei Ying’s wife. Yining had seen Madam Xu twice before: once when entering the family genealogy and again during last year’s New Year celebrations. Since the families had separated, they didn’t interact much. She must have hurried over after hearing about Wei Ling’s situation.
Moments later, maids escorted a woman into the room. She wore an elegant okra-colored damask jacket with simple, refined accessories. To show respect, she only wore a jade hairpin in her hair. Behind her followed two others: a boy a head taller than her, wearing a blue robe, about fifteen or sixteen years old, and a girl around eleven or twelve, wearing a lotus-root-colored jacket with intertwining branch patterns. Both children bowed to the old madam.
A maid brought a round stool and placed it beside Old Madam Wei’s bed, but Madam Xu didn’t sit. Instead, she took the old madam’s hand and said, “When we heard about the Duke’s situation, the second master immediately told me to come. I’ve brought Yi’er and Jia’er to pay their respects… Old Madam, please don’t let this affect your health. The household still needs you to hold things together. Young Ting is still so little… Oh, how could such a thing happen!”
Among the two children, the boy was named Wei Yi, handsome and tall. The girl, Wei Jia, was Madam Xu’s legitimate daughter.
Old Madam Wei looked better than yesterday. She smiled bitterly and said, “Our family faces this calamity, yet you still remember us… Yining, come and greet your aunt.” Yining walked over and curtsied. Madam Xu glanced at Yining, recognizing her as the child the Duke had brought back. She nodded to her politely but without much warmth.
Standing behind Madam Xu, Wei Jia looked at Yining curiously, her eyes clear and bright. Wei Yi glanced at her once, then turned to look at the tall ginkgo tree outside the window, hands behind his back. This was Yining’s first time meeting both of them. Seeing Wei Jia give her a small smile, Yining found her friend and returned the smile.
Wei Jia’s eyes lit up, seeming to want to say something.
Noticing a bruise on Ting’s hand peeking out from his sleeve, Yining said, “Grandmother, you can talk with Aunt. I’ll take Ting to change his clothes.”
Ting had just returned from a tiring journey, and it was indeed time for him to freshen up. Old Madam Wei nodded, allowing her to take Ting away.
Yining led Ting out, asking him about his time at the garrison.
Ting told her that the instructors made him hold a horse stance for half an hour every day, leaving his whole body sore. They also taught him to ride, and when he fell off the horse, crying in pain, no one comforted him. He had to dust himself off and get back up on his own. He ate coarse steamed buns with the men at the garrison, forcing himself to eat at first. Once when he felt unwell and couldn’t eat, an instructor bought him steamed chicken wrapped in lotus leaves from outside.
When it came to Wei Ling’s situation, Ting paused and said, “After the guard came with the news… the instructor cried and told me to return quickly.”
Yining knew Ting’s instructor, who had been through life and death with Wei Ling. These men shared deep bonds.
Ting continued, “Every time I returned before, Father would come to greet me. I’d ask him to carry me, and he’d let me sit on his shoulders and walk around.” He tugged at Yining’s hand, feeling anxious. “Sister… will I never see Father again?”
“That’s not true,” Yining stroked his head. “He’ll come back… He hasn’t seen our Ting grow up and get married yet. When he returns, Ting can show him what he’s learned.”
“Then I’ll practice riding hard,” Ting said, blinking. “So Father can see when he comes back.”
Hearing this, Yining couldn’t help but choke up. She took a deep breath and asked Mama Tong to take Ting for a bath.
Just as she entered her room to find some bruise ointment for Ting, Pearl hurried in, “Miss, Deputy Commander Guo from the Imperial Guard has arrived!”
Yining handed the ointment to Songzhi, instructing her to apply it to Ting’s bruises. She frowned. This Deputy Commander Guo had always been on good terms with Wei Ling. She had only met him once when Wei Ling introduced her, exchanging a few words. Why would he come at this time? As a woman, it wasn’t appropriate for her to meet with men outside the family, but there was no one else in the household who could receive guests now.
Since he had come at this hour, it must be urgent.
She brought maids and servants to the front hall, where she saw Deputy Commander Guo in his military uniform waiting. His expression was grim. Upon seeing Yining, he immediately approached. After a moment’s hesitation, he clasped his hands in greeting and said, “Young Miss Wei, I had no choice but to come in person due to the urgency. Would it be possible for me to see the Old Madam?”
Old Madam Wei could barely stand now, and Yining didn’t dare let her hear any bad news.
She invited Deputy Commander Guo to sit down: “Grandmother is unwell. It’s fine, you can tell me.”
Deputy Commander Guo thought a young girl wouldn’t understand much, but given the critical situation, he had no choice. He collected himself and said, “I went to the palace today to hear His Majesty’s instructions on military affairs. Unexpectedly, I encountered the Zhongqin Marquis… I waited outside the hall for a while and overheard the Marquis submitting a memorial against the Duke. He’s taking advantage of the situation, blaming all the failures in Xuanfu on the Duke. He even accused him of previously defying imperial orders, suggesting he had long intended to abandon his post as Commander-in-Chief of Xuanfu. His Majesty became even angrier upon hearing this, smashing his teacup and exclaiming, ‘His intentions are treasonous!'”
“When I heard His Majesty’s outburst, I dared not listen further and left immediately,” Deputy Commander Guo continued. “This time, it seems His Majesty is truly enraged. We have no way to intervene. I can only come to see if the Old Madam has any means to save the Duke this time. Otherwise, even if he returns alive, he may face execution! At the very least, he might be stripped of his title and reduced to commoner status!”
Yining was stunned by his words, feeling as if an invisible hand was squeezing her heart, causing it to palpitate with waves of tremors.
Yesterday, Cheng Lang had expressed concern that the Emperor might use this opportunity to move against Wei Ling, as a tall tree attracts the wind. But she had thought that with urgent military matters at hand, the Emperor wouldn’t rashly act against the Wei family. Who would have thought the Zhongqin Marquis would submit a memorial against Wei Ling… And Wei Ling’s enmity with the Zhongqin Marquis was because of her! Back then, Wei Ling had threatened the Marquis not to spread rumors about her and Shen Yu, nearly crippling his son. Now that Wei Ling seemed to be out of the picture, of course, the Marquis would seize this chance for revenge!
The Emperor had already intended to punish Wei Ling, and with this added fuel to the fire, how could he not strip the Wei family of their ducal title?
“We of lower rank have little influence over His Majesty’s decisions,” Deputy Commander Guo said, feeling somewhat sorry for the young girl having to bear such news. He continued gravely, “The truth is… we all know the Duke likely won’t return. No one dares to say it outright… How can you manage such a large household as the Wei family? Perhaps it’s better to call the Old Madam out. Together, we might come up with a plan. Your father has built many connections over the years; those who can help will surely do so.”
Yining slumped in the chair. She could manage the household affairs of the Wei family and take care of young Ting. But she had no way to intervene in court matters… And what could Old Madam Wei do? An old lady from the inner quarters, even with her first-rank title, going to see the Empress now to plead for help – would the Empress even receive her? With the Wei family on the brink of collapse, who would lend a hand at this time? These people might want to help the Duke out of past friendships, but what ideas could they possibly come up with?
She closed her eyes briefly, then stood up and asked, “Does Deputy Commander Guo have any suggestions?”
Deputy Commander Guo hesitated, “Perhaps we could submit a memorial pleading for your father, citing his past merits…”
“What if His Majesty throws it aside without reading?” Yining asked. “What if he accuses you of delaying military affairs and punishes you for it?” Imperial authority was not to be trifled with; they couldn’t act rashly. The military officials had no real solutions and were grasping at straws in their desperation. This was not a reliable course of action.
Hearing her speak so logically, Deputy Commander Guo finally felt he could have a proper conversation with her. They all knew the situation, but what could be done at this critical moment? He sighed heavily, “But now… there’s no one stepping forward to speak for your father! Commander Lu is in discussions with the Ministry of War, refusing to see anyone who seeks an audience. We think he’s trying to stay out of it. But we can’t just watch your father, after a lifetime of military service, end up stripped of his title when he’s in trouble.”
Yining clenched her fists for a moment, then respectfully bowed deeply to Deputy Commander Guo, saying, “Thank you for bringing this news, Deputy Commander. My father’s fate is uncertain, but I will remember your willingness to help him.”
Deputy Commander Guo hurriedly asked her to rise, “This… I don’t know how much help I can be. You needn’t be so formal. The debt I owe the Duke for saving my life is far greater than this!”
“I have an idea I’d like to try,” Yining said, keeping her head lowered. “I would be grateful if Deputy Commander Guo could keep me informed of any news from the palace.”
Yining had someone escort Deputy Commander Guo out, then went to see Old Madam Wei.
Madam Xu had finally managed to improve Old Madam Wei’s mood somewhat. It was rare to see her relaxed, asking Wei Yi with a kind expression what books he had been reading lately. Seeing Yining enter, she took her hand and said, “You’re here. Jia’er wanted to play with you and couldn’t find you in your courtyard.” After looking at her for a moment, she asked, “You look pale. Have you not been resting well?”
Yi Ning shook her head. She saw Wei Jia holding Lady Xu’s hand, looking timidly but curiously at her. Turning back, Yi Ning asked, “What were you and Aunt discussing to make you so happy?”
“Your aunt offered to stay here and help take care of me,” Old Lady Wei said. “Jia-jie will stay too, though your cousin Wei Yi is going to the Central City Military Command for a new position.” The Central City Military Command was only a couple of streets away from Yujing Alley.
“Grandmother, I need to go out for a bit,” Yi Ning suddenly said. “I need to check on the shop and will take Aunt Gu, the manager, with me. Don’t worry.”
Old Lady Wei hesitated and asked, “Should I have Nurse Song accompany you?”
Yi Ning shook her head, declining the offer. Just then, Pearl announced that the carriage was ready. After bidding farewell, Yi Ning stepped out, and Pearl draped a cloak over her shoulders. Yi Ning climbed into the carriage, followed by a team of guards trained by Wei Ling. She lifted the curtain and softly instructed, “To the Ningyuan Marquis’ residence.”
She hadn’t set foot in the Ningyuan Marquis’ residence for years. But now, aside from Lu Jiaxue, who else could help the Duke of Yingguo’s household?
Cheng Lang, being an official in the Ministry of Personnel, did not influence military affairs. Asking Luo Shenyuan would be difficult since he had just established himself in the court and couldn’t afford to get involved. She could only turn to Lu Jiaxue for help.
The carriage creaked along the now-vacant streets. The afternoon sun had receded, casting a dull light over the puddles on the street. Yi Ning heard the sounds of children playing, adults scolding them, and an apprentice reciting prescriptions in a pharmacy. The smell of cooking fires reached her as families began preparing dinner.
Leaning against the carriage wall, Yi Ning remembered the times she had sought Lu Jiaxue’s help before. She recalled sitting on the heated bed by the window, working on her needlework, while he always bothered her. “Don’t you have this at home?” he would tease, or he’d come close, smiling, “Talk to me, and I’ll buy you ten times better things.”
On the brink of frustration, she would say, “Stop bothering me, or I won’t finish this, and I’ll have to work late into the night!” It was a birthday gift for the Marchioness, a headband set with jade.
He would frown and say, “Others give so many gifts. She might just throw yours in the storeroom and forget about it.” Then, with a serious tone, he’d add, “But I’m paying attention to you now. Why don’t you try to please me?”
In the end, she begged him to leave her alone, telling him he could go horse riding, hunting, or gambling, anything to let her have some peace. He would then smile, wrap himself in his robe, and sit beside her reading.
Now she was going to ask him for help, looking at his cold face, having to address him as General Lu. She might even have to kneel, unsure if he would agree.
Would she have to kneel before the person she remembered so well?