Yuan Huiniang, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but ask, "Your Han family has no grudge against the Shen family, so why would Miss Shen want to harm Young Master Han?"
Madam Han hesitated for a moment and then replied in a low voice, "My old man asked around and found out that Miss Shen the Third had somehow found out that my Yu'er and your eldest daughter had been on a date."
At first, they tried to win over my Yu'er, but when they saw that Yu'er wasn't interested, they...
Mrs. Han's voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, as if she dared not open her mouth.
Yuan Huiniang seemed surprised by this detail, and then said, "But theft isn't a serious crime. Even if the government wants to detain someone, they won't be imprisoned for long. Why is the Shen family going to all this trouble?"
Madam Han sobbed, "Although it's not a big deal, Yu'er is going to take the imperial examination to become a scholar this year."
How can he study while he's locked up in jail? And if he misses this year, he'll have to wait another three years.
Furthermore, if Yu'er has a criminal record, how can he ever serve as an official again? How could the imperial court possibly appoint a thief to an official position? His future would be completely ruined.
Yan Qingqing's face grew darker as she listened. So, it turned out that this Miss Shen was after their family? The troubles that befell the Han family were caused by them. No wonder Madam Han had come to her for help.
However, Yan Qingqing would not believe Madam Han's one-sided story.
The feud between their family and the Chen and Shen families is easy to find out with a little inquiry, so it cannot be ruled out that Madam Han is using Han Yu's guilt to save her.
Regardless, people develop feelings for each other after meeting, and Yan Qingqing had a pretty good impression of Han Yu.
Thinking of this, Yan Qingqing said, "Madam Han, I already know about this matter. Young Master Han is a good boy. Regardless of whether this is because of my Xinniang, I will do my best to help."
However, Madam Han also knew that the officials in the prefectural city were a complex and complicated group. Although I was a Mingzhao Shuo Ren appointed by the Emperor, I ultimately had no real power.
If we are ultimately unable to rescue Young Master Han, please forgive us, Madam Han.
Upon hearing this, Madam Han quickly wiped away her tears and replied, "Don't worry, Your Excellency Mingzhao, I will not blame you whether this matter succeeds or not."
Our Han family will forever remember your great kindness.
Seeing that Yan Qingqing had agreed, Madam Han got up to take her leave.
After Madam Han left, Yuan Huiniang asked again, "Mother, the Han family has no relation to us, so why did you help them?"
Even if Han Xiucai and the eldest sister have met, we have never publicly acknowledged it. Apart from the matchmaker and the third aunt, no one else knows about it. How could Miss Shen, who is far away in the prefectural city, know about it?
Could it be that Madam Han is using us?
Yan Qingqing glanced at Yuan Huiniang and praised, "It seems that our Huiniang is becoming more and more comprehensive in her thinking."
The possibility you mentioned cannot be ruled out.
Upon hearing Yan Qingqing's words, Yuan Huiniang quickly pressed on, "If that's the case, why did you agree to Madam Han's request?"
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "This is just one possibility."
What if this scholar Han really was implicated because of our family, just as Madam Han said?
Yuan Huiniang hesitated after hearing this. If that were the case, they would be in the wrong if they stood by and watched someone die.
Seeing this, Yan Qingqing chuckled and continued, "Actually, it's not entirely because of that reason."
My main reason is that I have high hopes for Han Xiucai.
I had inquired about him beforehand, and although Han Xiucai was a bit arrogant, his character and knowledge were impeccable.
He will be taking the exam this year, and if he passes and becomes a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination), his status will rise accordingly.
Our family's foundation is too shallow, and Silang is too young, so we need to cultivate our own power.
Han Xiucai has practically delivered himself to our doorstep. If we can rescue him, that would be best; even if we can't, we haven't suffered any loss.
Yuan Huiniang suddenly realized that her mother-in-law had considered things so far ahead; it seemed that she had been thinking too simply.
Since Yan Qingqing had promised Madam Han, she really took it to heart.
The next day, she had Ah Da hitch a ride to the county government office. Yan Qingqing had thought about it carefully last night, and the simplest way to resolve the matter was to have Magistrate Ling intervene.
He was the magistrate of Chengyang County, and it was only right that he, as the county magistrate, intervene when students in his jurisdiction suffered injustices.
Magistrate Ling has just received an imperial decree requiring the planting of cotton, since cotton was discovered in Chengyang County. Therefore, Chengyang County has been designated as a pilot area, and every household is required to plant cotton.
Of course, other places also promoted it, but the requirements were not as strict as in Chengyang County.
When the time comes, the imperial court will buy it back at a high price, which can also offset taxes.
Getting ordinary people to grow cotton is easy, but where are they going to get the seeds? I bet only Yan Qingqing's family has some; other families probably don't have any at all.
Even Yan Qingqing's family wouldn't have much, and it's uncertain whether they'd have enough for their own family.
Magistrate Ling was immediately at a loss, feeling that he had just made trouble for himself. Yan Qingqing had gotten all the benefits, and he had not only worked for nothing, but he might also be reprimanded by the emperor for his poor performance.
Just as Magistrate Ling was troubled, Steward Ling hurriedly came in and said that Yan Qingqing had arrived.
He was already fuming and had nowhere to vent his anger, so he replied irritably, "What is she doing here? Can't she see I'm busy?"
Seeing that Magistrate Ling's tone was somewhat unpleasant, Steward Ling tentatively asked, "Does Your Excellency wish to see him or not? Or should I tell Master Ming Zhaoshuo that Your Excellency is not at the yamen?"
Magistrate Ling was even more displeased upon hearing this and said, "When did I say I wouldn't see her? She is a third-rank imperial consort bestowed by the Emperor. How dare I, a mere seventh-rank official, refuse to see her?"
"Hurry up and invite Master Ming Zhaoshuo in!"
Seeing his insincere expression, Butler Ling secretly pursed her lips.
When Yan Qingqing entered, she sensed that Magistrate Ling was in a bad mood, so she tentatively asked, "But I came at the wrong time. If it's inconvenient for Magistrate Ling, I can come another day."
No way, Yan Qingqing came here specifically to see him, so he wasn't going to let her leave so easily.
Besides, Yan Qingqing is incredibly cunning, and since this whole thing started because of her, she has to take full responsibility.
The magistrate felt more confident after thinking about it, so he told Yan Qingqing about the emperor's decree to promote cotton planting.
Finally, he added, "This whole thing started because of you, and you're also a beneficiary. So, what do you think we should do to resolve this?"
Yan Qingqing: ……
She had a feeling that she had fallen into a wolf's den before she had even escaped a tiger's den.
However, since this matter was ordered by the imperial court, Yan Qingqing had no choice but to give Magistrate Ling some advice.
However, even a skilled cook can't cook without rice, so now it was just a desperate measure. Magistrate Ling quickly wrote a notice, stating the emperor's requirements.
They also reminded the people that they could go to the mountains to look for white berries, as these plants are very resilient and there should be many wild ones in the mountains.
This season should be the time for seedlings to sprout, and they can transplant them directly once they find suitable ones.
Fortunately, although the emperor said that every household must plant it, he did not specify the quantity, probably because the emperor knew that seeds were hard to find.
However, with more people planting it, the total amount collected will be quite substantial.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com