Chapter 156 A Feast for the Wealthy, Relatives' Visit (...)

The difficulties faced by Zhangzhou Prefecture stemmed from natural disasters and deficiencies in grain and medicinal herb reserves.

Zhang Ting had considered what would happen if the imperial court's disaster relief grain was delayed, so he discussed it with his teacher Zhang Shu and set his sights on the extremely wealthy Jeju Prefecture.

Well, that's not quite right. Jeju Prefecture is vast and rich in resources, with abundant grain production. The wealthy merchants and gentry are incredibly rich, but they lack reputation. The two women, master and apprentice, are quite understanding and are creating an opportunity for these incredibly wealthy merchants and gentry to become famous throughout the world!

In any case, the food and medicine were successfully obtained—or rather, the disaster relief supplies generously sponsored by wealthy businessmen arrived.

Truckloads of grain and medicine were transported into the granaries and medicine warehouses, forming a long, winding line that stretched as far as the eye could see.

The people, whose hardships had finally come to an end, erupted in cheers once again, even happier than when slaughtering pigs for the Lunar New Year.

Ning Xin peeked out from behind the door, then called the butler over and asked, "Hey! Come here, come here."

The butler hurried forward, bowing and scraping, "Master, please give your orders."

Ning Xin was extremely puzzled. "Where did all this grain come from? How did Zhang Ting suddenly get his hands on it?" She had counted carefully. So many cartloads of grain—not to mention her own family, even all the wealthy families in the entire Zhangzhou Prefecture combined couldn't gather half of this amount!

The steward had just returned from outside and, upon hearing this, replied, "I heard that the grain was donated entirely by a wealthy and powerful family in Jeju Prefecture."

Ning Xin stood up abruptly, her expression changing drastically. "This corrupt official is so greedy! He made the Jizhou Prefecture 'send' so much money directly!" After saying this, she subconsciously checked her surroundings and only felt relieved when she saw that there were no outsiders around.

She patted her chest and sighed: It seems that even corrupt officials have some conscience towards their own people, as they gave them IOUs.

Thinking this way, Ning Xin felt a strange sense of honor and joy.

On the other side, Zhang Ting watched as the last cart of grain was delivered into the granary, ensuring that not a single grain was left behind. Only then did he invite the wealthy merchants who had generously donated the grain to his residence for a chat.

"Distinguished merchants and fellow villagers, on behalf of all the people of Zhangzhou Prefecture, I would like to express my gratitude in advance. A banquet has been prepared in my residence, and I sincerely invite you to enjoy the delicious food. Please follow me."

The wealthy merchants readily agreed, saying, "Thank you for leading the way, sir."

They went to the back and whispered among themselves, "Wasn't the prefect of Zhangzhou supposed to be a kind-hearted, plump middle-aged woman? Who is she?"

"Could it be Magistrate Zheng? No, Magistrate Zheng isn't young. She looks to be only in her early twenties."

"Zhangzhou Prefecture is so insincere! We traveled all the way from Jizhou Prefecture, braving mudslides, torrential rain, and bandits along the way, to bring so much rice and grain safely, and all they send to receive us is this unknown young man!"

"It seems we can't completely trust what Zhang Dajia says. Alas, we've really stumbled this time."

Pu Qiu stayed at the back of the crowd, staring intently at the blue figure at the front. The person looked very familiar.

The person she was blocking at the back nudged her arm. "Master Pu, what are you standing there for? Aren't you going in?"

Pu Qiu seemed to wake from a dream, stepped back and said, "Oh, I'll come in now, please go first."

The clerk led everyone to their seats. Some wealthy merchants, still unwilling to give up, secretly slipped the clerk silver ingots, inquiring whether the official they had just met was a relative of the prefect.

Even if they are relatives, it would still show Prefect He's sincerity, and only then could their purpose for this trip be achieved.

Unfortunately, the clerk flatly denied it, "Of course not, how could Lord Zhang be a relative of the prefect!"

The wealthy merchants sitting nearby were filled with regret. They had given away grain for nothing and come all for nothing. They sighed deeply. Then they heard the clerk proudly say, "Lord Zhang is the chief disaster relief officer of Zhangzhou Prefecture. He is the savior of every Zhangzhou resident!"

ah?

This reversal was truly unexpected. The Disaster Management Office? That title sounds impressive.

Someone asked anxiously, "Where are Prefect He and Assistant Prefect Zheng? Why haven't they come?"

The minor official tried his best to suppress his disdain, but his face still betrayed his disgust, and even his tone was sarcastic, "The two ladies are seriously ill and cannot shoulder great responsibilities." Don't think she couldn't see that these two cowards were just pretending to be sick and hiding because they were afraid of taking responsibility!

"Now all the government affairs of Zhangzhou Prefecture are under the jurisdiction of Lord Zhang." At this point, the clerk wished those two spineless wimps would stay sick forever, so they could continue working under Lord Zhang indefinitely!

So, the person in charge of Zhangzhou Prefecture is here to pick them up? That certainly shows great sincerity.

Many wealthy businessmen nodded in approval, guessing that the purpose of this trip was probably secured.

Pu Qiu, who was sitting next to her, suddenly asked, "The General you mentioned, is his name Zhang Ting?"

Upon hearing his master addressed by his first name by a mere merchant, the minor official was furious. "You are extremely rude! Your master is noble and wise, how dare you address him by his first name?"

Pu Qiu opened her mouth slightly, about to argue, when the merchant accompanying her apologized on her behalf, "Young Master Pu is young and ignorant and was rude to Lord Zhang. I apologize on her behalf. But we came from Zhangzhou Prefecture with more than 300,000 shi of grain, which is enough to show our sincerity. Please don't take offense, young master."

The minor official pursed his lips upon hearing this, but considering the large amount of grain, he didn't argue with them and left with a flick of his sleeve.

"Hey, look at her! How dare she be so arrogant, such a lowly clerk!"

The merchant who had just apologized was somewhat displeased and retorted, "Where would they send a clerk to guide us?" In this dynasty, among scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, merchants were the lowest class, and scholars were the highest. For the government to lower itself to send a clerk to do such a lowly job as a guide was already a sign of great importance placed on them.

The man was somewhat annoyed by the reprimand, but he kept his head down and remained silent.

There was no other reason than that the person who trained her was Luo Qiming, the president of the Jeju Prefecture Merchant Guild, and all the shops, big and small, in Jeju Prefecture had to obey her orders.

Luo Qiming turned to Pu Qiu and asked gently, "Xiao Qiu, from what you said just now, it seems like you know Lord Zhang?" If they had a familiar intermediary to introduce them, their trip would be much more efficient.

"We met twice..." He recounted to the guild leader how he met Zhang Ting.

Pu Qiu used to study at the Imperial Academy, but she got into a dispute with Xu Xiang's niece at a gathering. It was Zhang Ting who spoke up for her and saved her from a disaster. After that, she returned to her hometown to prepare for the imperial examination. She sent a letter to the other party's residence but found that the house was empty and she never contacted them again.

Later, she failed the imperial examination with a very poor ranking. She finally realized that she didn't have much talent for studying, so she accepted her family's support and started working in the grain business.

Finally, upon hearing that Zhang Ting had achieved the highest honors in the imperial examinations, surpassing all others throughout history, she never contacted him again, even though she could easily find out his address. The gap between them was like an insurmountable chasm; how could they possibly interact as equals?

After hearing her story, Luo Qiming exclaimed, "It seems that Lord Zhang is not only a genius with extraordinary talent, but also a person of extremely noble character. We are sure to achieve our goal successfully on this trip!"

Pu Qiu agreed.

Luo Qiming, with a smile, saw an opportunity to make a move on her. "Xiao Qiu, since you have a past relationship with Lord Zhang and hold a prestigious position, why don't you speak to Lord Zhang on our behalf?"

The former scholar, whose family background and academic achievements were far inferior to his own, had now become someone he could only look up to and could not reach. How could Pu Qiu possibly lower himself to go to him?

But experience counts. Luo Qiming not only begged her himself, but also rallied other merchants to persuade her. Pu Qiu had received many favors from them, so she had no choice but to compromise.

"I'll give it a try..." she said, forcing herself to speak.

Shortly after Zhang Ting finished handling her official business, she arrived and took her seat.

Urged on by the crowd, Pu Qiu walked toward her, his face somewhat stiff.

Standing before Zhang Ting, he forced a smile. "Lord Zhang, do you still remember me? You helped me out of a predicament in the capital four years ago." But in his heart, he thought: She has long since achieved fame and success. Why would she remember such an insignificant person as himself?

Zhang Ting raised her eyebrows and carefully examined her. Suddenly realizing who it was, she stood up and warmly shook the other person's hand. "So it's you! I was wondering why someone looked so familiar back at the granary. Turns out it's an old friend!" Actually, she had no recollection of who this person was, but the fact that the family had so much grain meant that this must be a friend she had never met!

Pu Qiu was pleasantly surprised to hear this, and his smile was genuine. "When I left Kyoto and returned to Jizhou Prefecture, I sent a letter to your residence, but unfortunately you were not there at the time, and we lost contact. I regret it now."

Zhang Ting understood immediately; this person genuinely knew her, but she genuinely couldn't remember her either. However, that didn't matter; it didn't affect their deep sisterly bond.

She smiled and pulled the person to sit down, saying that she also regretted losing contact back then, and asked how she had been all these years. In the end, she subtly extracted information about the person.

This person is called Pu Qiu. I met Qiu Yuan at a gathering she organized. I helped her get out of Xu Zhengrong's troubles. It seems that there was such a thing.

Zhang Ting naturally had to make good use of the relationships she had built up in the past and get closer to people. If the court proved useless, she could still plunder... cough cough, ask her kind friends to send grain over for free.

Under Zhang Ting's deliberate guidance, the other party seemed to believe that she was her half-sister, and returned to the merchants in Jeju Prefecture with a happy face, unable to suppress the smile in her eyes.

As soon as Pu Qiu returned, she was surrounded by people asking her what had happened.

"Lord Zhang is a man of great virtue and righteousness. He praised our merchants in Jeju Prefecture for their patriotism, kindness, compassion, and pity for the poor and disaster victims. He specially invited a local talented woman to compose poems and paint for us, so that our reputation for benevolence can be spread far and wide!"

These words of praise made the merchants present blush. Didn't they know what they were doing to become famous? Wasn't it to spread their reputation so they could make more money later? And to call them kind, benevolent, and compassionate to the common people? This official thought too highly of them.

However, the ending was good. They heard that Zhang Ting had hired a skilled painter, and although they hadn't seen him in person, they assumed that given her noble character, she wouldn't deceive them. Each of them sat at the banquet, their backs straight as pine trees, dignified and elegant, as poised as could be. They were terrified that any indecent actions might be captured in a painting and spread throughout the world with their fame—wouldn't that make them a laughingstock?

Having just returned from flood relief efforts, Zhang Ting hadn't slept for several days and just wanted to end the banquet quickly and go back to rest. She smiled, raised her glass to everyone, said a few sincere words, and then left, citing busy schedules.

Exhausted, she rubbed her forehead, feeling dizzy, and went to find a bed. She needed to sleep well so she could paint.

However, she wasn't lying. A master of calligraphy and painting was her teacher. Although she only learned the techniques for two or three days, she could still paint, right? After all, she was a top scholar in the imperial examinations, a woman of talent, wasn't she?

Having said that, Zhangzhou Prefecture had a little more breathing room. They heard that Imperial Envoy Han Bingyue's carriage had arrived in Yingzhou Prefecture. They needed to figure out how to trick her into handing over the grain—or rather, how to apply for its transfer.

Once the imperial court's disaster relief supplies arrive, the economy of Zhangzhou Prefecture should be able to recover.

...

Fengxian County was not affected by the disaster. The people were initially hiding at home in fear, but seeing that the rainstorm did not cause deep water on the roads or destroy their houses, they resumed their work.

All of this is thanks to Grandma County!

I heard that she has been stationed in the prefectural city and has saved many more people. Every Fengxian resident is looking forward to her safe return. The tangerines are ripe, and they are just waiting for her to return so they can be delivered to her.

But the one who missed Zhang Ting the most was Zong Suyi. He often stood by the window, gazing in the direction of the prefectural city, sometimes for half a day at a time. With his wife away, he couldn't eat or sleep well, and he lost a lot of weight. Sometimes, when he looked at his emaciated self in the mirror, he felt scared.

A series of light, disordered footsteps broke his reverie.

The man trembled as he said, "Young master, the county magistrate, Madam Xu, requests an audience." Ever since his master left home on official business, the young master has become increasingly ruthless in dealing with his servants; the first few gossipy ones have all been thrown out and sold.

Zong Suyi frowned in displeasure. He was busy thinking about his wife, and who was this inconsiderate person who came to disturb him?

He said coldly, "Tell him I'm busy."

The servant was so frightened that he fell to his knees. "Young Master Xu said he brought your relative with him..."

Adult? There is only one person in the family who can be called 'adult'.

A sweet smile involuntarily spread across Zong Suyi's pale and thin face. "Then let's meet."

As he walked slowly halfway, he suddenly remembered that when his wife was young, her family property was taken away in Luchuan County, and no one helped her. In the end, she had no choice but to leave for a distant place alone. His face immediately darkened.

If they were truly relatives, what kind of relatives would they be? When in trouble, they would discard you like trash; when successful, they would come knocking for your help.

A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips, his eyes sharp as a knife.

The servant beside him trembled uncontrollably. When would the master return? This young master is too terrifying.

Upon arriving at the main hall, Zong Suyi had changed his demeanor. His movements were dignified and noble, befitting a high-ranking official, as he slowly took his seat. He had lost a considerable amount of weight in recent days, his face pale and frail. Although pregnant, he still appeared slender and delicate, more like a pitiful, sickly beauty.

Madam Xu scoffed inwardly, utterly disgusted by him. At first, she thought he was some noble young master from a prominent family, but it turned out he was just a lowly servant. Before the county magistrate's official husband had even entered the household, he had already seduced her and had even gotten her pregnant with the eldest daughter or son of a concubine.

But he greeted me with a smile, "You look even thinner today, have you seen a doctor?"

"It's just that the baby is fussy, he'll be fine after he's born." Zong Suyi said, stroking her belly. This little darling is not well-behaved at all, and he bullies the weak and fears the strong. He only knows how to bully the weak after his wife leaves.

Mr. Xu wore a forced smile, acting as if he had no children of his own, even though he had a daughter.

"I came to see you today because I met some people on the road who claimed to be relatives of the county magistrate, so I thought I'd bring them over for you to meet."

Those people were sitting in the chairs opposite, but Zong Suyi never glanced at them once, as if they were something dirty.

Hearing Xu's words, he lazily turned his head. These people were dressed in tattered clothes, covered in dust, and their hair was so greasy and matted that it was hard to tell how long it had been since they had washed it. Although he remained expressionless, he couldn't help but hug his stomach and shrink back.

With the introduction of County Magistrate Zhengjun, the group of people who were originally uneasy felt a little more at ease.

They touched their clothes and stood up. One of them stepped forward and said in a loud voice, "I am Zhang Ting's cousin. According to seniority, you should call me aunt."

The people behind her shouted in unison, "Brother-in-law!"

Zong Suyi didn't respond, impatiently turning his head to the side. The servant behind him immediately understood and stepped forward to reprimand him: "How dare you! How dare you address the county magistrate by his given name!"

The woman at the head of the group was startled by the rebuke and lost her previous arrogance, saying timidly, "We really are relatives of Lord Zhang... oh no, County Magistrate."

The servant scoffed, "Why doesn't he take a piss and look at himself in the mirror? A beggar dares to claim to be a relative of the county magistrate?!"

The people behind the woman in the lead were clearly angry. Zong Suyi stepped in to smooth things over, glancing at the servant with a disdainful look. "Your language is vulgar and you are disrespectful to your guests. What is your punishment?"

The servant said tremblingly, "I am clumsy with words, please forgive me, sir."

Zong Suyi waved his hand lightly, pretending to be serious, and said, "I'll let you off this time, but if there's a next time, see how I deal with you." He smiled gently at the group and said, "The servants in the manor are poorly disciplined and have been rude."

After this series of actions, everyone lost their initial arrogance and said awkwardly, "It's nothing, it's nothing..."

The leader said, "Brother-in-law, hurry up and bring us some food! Oh, we're starving!"

Zong Suyi ignored her wailing and asked, "Which branch of the wife's family are you all related to? I have been married to my wife for many years, and I only know that her parents died early and she has been living alone for many years. I have never seen any relatives visit her during festivals."

Upon hearing this, the others realized he was not easily fooled and replied in a voice barely audible.

Zong Suyi understood and said "Oh~", then asked, "Back then, Luchuan County suffered a disaster. You all look much older than the mistress of the house. Where was that?"

Upon hearing this, the women blushed with shame. They knew that Zhang Ting's family fortune had been embezzled, but they had fled long ago...

Although they were poor, they still had some sense of shame, and the longer they stayed here, the more uncomfortable they felt.

One of them pushed out the last person, a handsome but thin young man. Although he was dressed in tattered clothes, they were washed very clean. He was staring at Zong Suyi with a pair of innocent and timid big eyes.

“We don’t need your concern, but this is the cousin of the magistrate’s father, Zhang. It’s not good for him to follow us. Let him stay in the mansion and do some servant’s work to make do with his food!”

Zong Suyi's eyelashes drooped, leaving a dark shadow. His fists clenched in his sleeves, making a cracking sound, and his smile vanished completely.

What is the purpose of leaving a man of marriageable age in a woman's house? Is it to let her sleep with him?

“It is probably not good for the reputation of the young master Yunying to stay overnight in the mansion before marriage. I’m afraid no woman will dare to marry him in the future.”

The woman in the lead was about to blurt out, "Let Zhang Ting take it," but she stopped abruptly when she met the icy coldness in Zong Suyi's eyes. She swallowed hard and took a step back.

Damn it, what kind of man did Zhang Ting marry?!

During the struggle, the boy seemed to finally lose his temper, and cried as he ran out, saying, "Fine! I'm not staying at my cousin's house anymore!"

Seeing this, the others quickly chased after him, calling out, "Cousin, don't run! Slow down!"

"Cousin, wait for me."

Zong Suyi remained calm and indifferent, not even lifting his eyelids.

He suddenly turned his head and instructed his servant to chase after the group and give them five taels of silver. The sun was blazing, and his wife was kind and benevolent; this was a way to appease the feelings of their ancestors and relatives.

Suddenly, Madam Xu spoke up: "Only five taels? Isn't that too little?" Her tone carried a hint of schadenfreude.

Zong Suyi pursed her lips and glanced at her. "They're just relatives beyond the fifth degree of kinship. Five taels of silver is more than enough. Anyone would say I've been incredibly generous. Even when the county magistrate has poor relatives who come to beg for money, I haven't seen you give them three taels of silver."

Madam Xu sensed the contempt in his words and was annoyed, but fearing that he would flatter the county magistrate and affect his wife's career, she suppressed her anger and forced a smile, saying, "You're right."

Zong Suyi couldn't see through his intentions? She immediately snorted coldly, relying on the fact that Madam Xu wouldn't dare to break ties with her, "I heard your maid is about to give birth? Congratulations, I hope it's a daughter, so that Lord Gu's family can prosper."

Madam Xu hated the fact that her concubine was favored and pregnant. She was seething with anger, but she had to show the magnanimity of the principal wife. Her smile was stiff. "Thank you for your blessing. I am also hoping that this baby will be a daughter."

Zong Suyi placed his hand on his stomach, thinking to himself: My wife has said she loves it whether it's a boy or a girl, she'd be overjoyed even if it's a monkey. I don't need to pretend like you.

Madam Xu was furious, and unable to vent her anger, she took her leave shortly afterward.

Zong Suyi rolled her eyes, stood up while clutching her stomach, and thought she shouldn't have bothered with this petty and wicked husband today.

"You're wasting my time."

He slowly went back to the house, found a spot with excellent feng shui, and continued to be the "waiting-for-his-wife stone."

The academy has now been completed, and its construction is magnificent. It has been divided into four levels, A, B, C, and D, based on the specific conditions of Fengxian. It is currently enrolling students, and to encourage students, tuition fees are waived for the first year...

Zong Suyi wanted to say that he had done a great job fulfilling the tasks assigned to him by his wife, and that he had managed the household perfectly. When would Zhang Ting be able to come back and inspect the situation? He and the children missed her so much…

Suddenly, "Gurgle—"

The sound was so unpleasant that his brow twitched, and he subconsciously glanced around. Luckily, no one was there.

She breathed a sigh of relief and said, feigning nonchalance, "The little one gets hungry so quickly."

The baby inside seemed to know it had been blamed and gave its belly a gentle kick.

Zong Suyi touched it, then turned and walked towards the dining room.

He frowned in distress and pouted, complaining, "My little one will be born in a little over two months. I wonder what name your mother will give you? She's written so many letters back and forth, but hasn't mentioned it once."

"That's really bad," he muttered.

Suddenly, he covered his face in horror as a question occurred to him: "Your mother won't even be able to come back after you were born, will she?!"