Chun Tao quickly added: “Nanny doesn’t know—our eldest miss can now hold a horse stance for a full hour. Because she practices calligraphy with iron sandbags tied to her arms, she’s developed strength in her hands, too. Previously, this servant worried just like a nanny, but seeing that Miss’s health is getting better and better, even Physician Hong says Miss has better color than she did last winter, so Chun Tao started listening to our Miss on these matters.”
Only then did Nanny Tong nod, still constantly rubbing Bai Qingyan’s hands to warm them up.
On the way back, Nanny Tong’s mouth didn’t rest, also mentioning how those two illegitimate masters from the Shouyang ancestral home who had come for the funeral had just gone to bid farewell to Dong Shi.
Bai Qingyan wasn’t surprised that people from the Shouyang ancestral home were taking their leave. Today’s grand momentum of forcing the emperor to kill Prince Xin at Wude Gate—they too feared that if the current emperor became angry, disaster might befall them as well.
“As it turns out, these two illegitimate masters hadn’t even left yet when the legitimate eldest son of the old clan leader from Shouyang ancestral home arrived. Upon entering, this master told the heir’s wife that before the Duke set out on campaign, Shouyang ancestral home had sent people to the Duke’s mansion to discuss with the Duke… plans to purchase clan property after the New Year, as well as rebuilding the ancestral hall, graves, school, and hiring great scholars to teach.”
Bai Qingyan was quite surprised. Although grandfather had always responded to every request from Shouyang ancestral home, why hadn’t grandfather mentioned even a word about this matter before he left?
Seeing that Bai Qingyan seemed to have doubts, Nanny Tong continued: “This master said that originally this matter had been agreed upon to be handled together when the Duke’s mansion returned to Shouyang to deliver New Year gifts, but now that the Duke’s mansion has suddenly met with great disaster, the old clan leader’s meaning is… the clan also dares not trouble the Duke’s mansion, so he had this master bring the account books to the heir’s wife. All told, it amounts to four hundred fifty thousand taels of silver! Whether in banknotes or actual silver, it must be prepared completely before they depart tomorrow. He specifically said this was the old clan leader’s intention.”
Nanny Tong deliberately emphasized the word “must,” wanting Bai Qingyan to know that these people from Shouyang ancestral home were bullying the Duke’s mansion for having no men and were opening their mouths like lions.
Chun Tao’s eyes widened: “Are they robbing silver or demanding silver?! The Bai family has encountered such great trouble now, they sent two illegitimate masters for the funeral, and they want to leave before the funeral is even finished! Now a legitimate branch master has come, and he’s here to demand silver!”
Chun Tao, usually good-tempered, was also extremely angry.
Bai Qingyan lowered her gaze, thinking carefully.
The people from Shouyang ancestral home dared to be so righteous not only because they were bullying the Duke’s mansion for having no men, but more because the grandfather had been too polite and accommodating to them, spoiling them into bad habits.
There’s a common saying: “A bushel of rice buys gratitude, a peck of rice breeds resentment.” She had warned grandfather and father about this long ago.
Perhaps men’s thinking always differed from women’s thoughts…
Grandfather said that in this world, only blood relations couldn’t be measured with money, moreover the Bai family ancestral hall in Shouyang relied on clan members’ care, and the current clan leader was also grandfather’s uncle within five degrees of mourning.
Father said that what military families like the Duke’s mansion lacked least were worldly possessions. If worldly possessions could buy clan members’ peaceful days and the Bai clan’s prosperity and development, why not?
Grandfather and father were indeed kind-hearted, but those so-called clan members from Shouyang ancestral home had long lost any grateful hearts, viewing the Duke’s mansion only as their money pouch, taking whatever they wanted.
In this world, many gentlemen knew gratitude like Qin Shangzhi, but there were also many ungrateful wolves like the Bai family clan members.
Bai Qingyan’s steps paused as she asked: “What did mother say?”
“We don’t know yet. Right now, the eldest son of the Shouyang clan leader and those two illegitimate masters are with the heir’s wife, giving her detailed accounts and calculations, complaining about how these silver amounts are barely enough…” Nanny Tong said.
She stood in the corridor, lowered her gaze in thought, then looked up: “Let’s go see…”
·
When Bai Qingyan reached the main hall’s corridor, seeing a young maid about to bow, she signaled the maid not to make a sound and stood under the corridor, gazing at the lanterns swaying in the wind under the opposite eaves while quietly listening to the activity inside the hall.
Dong Shi casually closed the account book, tossed it aside, and said with a cold laugh: “Whether it’s repairing the ancestral hall, graves, or school—all are fine. Normally, each family contributing effort would be appropriate! But the Duke and heir didn’t mention this matter before leaving. Cousin enters the Duke’s mansion gates, doesn’t first offer incense or pay respects, but immediately talks to me about silver! After finally offering incense, he tells me that four hundred fifty thousand taels of silver must be prepared by tomorrow. Four hundred fifty thousand taels is no small sum—does he think the Duke’s mansion operates a bank?”
All these years, father-in-law and husband had indulged the Shouyang clan, instead spoiling them into not knowing their place. Not only did they demand whatever they wanted from the Duke’s mansion, but they acted so entitled, truly thinking the Duke’s mansion owed them something!
That legitimate branch master from Shouyang, the eldest son of the old clan leader Bai Qiyun, was stung and his face turned ugly. Gritting his teeth, he said: “I came under orders from the old clan leader. Sister-in-law… what do you mean by making all these excuses, saying the Duke didn’t mention this? Are you saying the clan members are lying and swindling your Duke’s mansion?”
Seeing the eldest legitimate brother being so aggressive, the older illegitimate master wiped his sweat and quickly stepped in to mediate: “Sister-in-law, don’t blame him. Cousin is also here under orders and too anxious. Look… because of the urgent warfare in Nan Jiang, the price of Kunshan jade has doubled, but we can’t cut corners on the place for installing memorial tablets; otherwise, how can our ancestors rest in peace? Sister-in-law, isn’t this reasonable? Just before coming to see my sister-in-law, my cousin told me that before he came, the old clan leader specifically instructed that, given the Duke’s mansion’s current situation, we certainly can’t let the Duke’s mansion pay everything. The Duke’s mansion only needs to pay the major portion, and we clan members will gather the rest ourselves.”
“Now that the Duke and heir have successively passed away, if you, as the Duke’s mansion’s main wife, can’t make decisions, then I’ll take the account book to see Grand Princess!” Bai Qiyun flicked his sleeve.
“Excellent!” Dong Shi smiled and pressed her lips with her handkerchief, picking up her teacup. “Then, cousin, please go ahead! Help yourself…”
Seeing Dong Shi’s posture of serving tea to dismiss guests, Bai Qiyun felt blocked in his chest. Without Dong Shi sending someone to guide him, how could he enter the inner courtyard?!
Dong Shi’s heart was as clear as a mirror. She knew that after the Bai family’s great mourning ended, they would still have to return to Shouyang to preserve these orphans and widows. But precisely because of this, Dong Shi couldn’t let them trample on her today; otherwise, when they returned to Shouyang later… wouldn’t they be even more unrestrained in oppressing them, these orphaned children and widowed mothers?
If she yielded and accommodated today, the Bai clan members would not only not be grateful, but would become even more demanding. They had been too good to them before, to the point that any slight displeasure would earn their resentment—wasn’t this current situation a living example?
Before coming, Bai Qiyun’s father, who was also the clan leader, had told Bai Qiyun that now that all the men of the Duke’s mansion had died in battle in Nan Jiang, the Bai family only had women left, and who knew whether the child in Fifth Madam’s belly was male or female. The Duke’s mansion couldn’t be without men to support the family name, otherwise, there would be no one to inherit the title. He had Bai Qishan discuss with Grand Princess and main wife Dong Shi about adopting Bai Qiyun’s legitimate second grandson into the Duke’s mansion.