Chapter 160 Everything Happens to My Advantage
Xiao Pingfeng glanced at Lin Shiyuan and said, "Even if Steward Lin becomes an official, will we still be friends? If anything happens, can you help us?"
He had some ideas earlier, but only asked about them now.
He asked the question tactfully.
To put it more bluntly, will Lin Shiyuan become their protector in the future?
Although he was a commander, a minor official was still an official.
There's a saying that "petty officials are hard to deal with." Although the metaphor isn't quite accurate, petty officials often loiter around the shops, ostensibly to conduct spot checks and maintain order, but anyone with eyes can see that what they want is "tribute money."
Xiao Pingfeng often bribed Manager Liu.
Fortunately, the shop owner was Yao Qingling, who was backed by the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion. He had some connections with the powerful and wealthy, and Yao Qingling had a great reputation, so they didn't dare to ask for too much.
As for those shops controlled by imperial relatives or powerful families, the minor officials dared not disturb them.
Other small shops without connections didn't fare so well; some shops gave away more money as gifts than they earned.
Many small shops are barely making ends meet.
Xiao Pingfeng thought at the time that when they were bandits, they robbed people in one go, giving them a quick death; but those petty officials were like slowly cutting flesh with a knife, no different from those bandits.
But since Lin Shiyuan became the commander, he had connections in the government. With him in charge of the lower-level officials, would they stop coming to the shop to ask for bribes?
Lin Shiyuan glanced at Yao Qingling and slowly shook his head.
Xiao Pingfeng immediately became anxious: "Not friends? You still want to cause trouble for us?"
Lin Shiyuan said, “Your past has been wiped clean with your name changes. As long as you don’t commit any more crimes and no one sells you out, we are just officials and commoners. I will pretend I know nothing about your past.”
Xiao Pingfeng: "Then—"
He had more to say, but Yao Qingling took a deep breath, interrupted his questioning, and said, "The shop should continue to pay the 'tribute money' to the clerks as usual."
She knew that Xiao Pingfeng was trying to build a relationship with her in order to get some benefits.
The money demanded as tribute was also their hard-earned money; for every tael of silver they gave away, they received one less tael.
Yao Qingling said this because she and Lin Shiyuan had other, more important exchanges. She was willing to give away this small amount of money.
The treasury of the Li Kingdom was nearly empty. Soldiers were being paid less than their dues while fighting on the front lines, and supplies were frequently scarce. Yet Lin Shiyuan was able to win battles year after year, not because his men were fearless or protected by divine light.
Instead, he allowed his soldiers to retain the enemy supplies they plundered after each battle and distribute them among themselves.
Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, and Yao Qingling understands this.
Now that Lin Shiyuan has become a commander, he has no battles to fight and no other income to win over his subordinates.
As far as Qingling knew, those minor officials didn't earn much money each month, and it was often deducted from their pay by their superiors, so they resorted to extorting money from below.
If Lin Shiyuan only seeks to be a fair and honest official, it will be detrimental to Qingling and affect their long-term plans.
Therefore, Qingling is willing to give up some of her benefits in order to help Lin Shiyuan reach a higher position.
Xiao Pingfeng hadn't developed such a long-term vision, and when he heard that Yao Qingling wanted to give him money, he couldn't help but get angry.
"What! You can't even protect us like this?" Xiao Pingfeng said to Lin Shiyuan, "I've always respected you, Lin Shiyuan, but you're nothing special!"
Lin Shiyuan's face was grim.
Qing Ling took a deep breath and reprimanded, "Xiao Pingfeng, you must not make things difficult for Commander Lin. We have already received the Commander's promise to forgive past transgressions, and that is the greatest benefit!"
Xiao Pingfeng gritted his teeth and swallowed his anger.
Qingling looked at Lin Shiyuan: "From now on, I will call you Commander Lin."
She stretched her arm out towards the door: "Commander Lin, please go first."
Lin Shiyuan glanced at her, paused for a moment, then bowed respectfully before leaving.
Xiao Pingfeng couldn't help but say, "Miss Qingling, why... if you asked, he would definitely agree!"
After spending so much time together, shouldn't we at least have a sense of loyalty, even if there's no romantic feeling?
Yao Qingling gave him a deep look and said seriously, "Xiao Pingfeng, things won't be so peaceful in the shop from now on."
Qingling didn't mention that the government was planning to increase random checks on household registrations. Yang Kuan hasn't spoken yet, and she doesn't know how much of their secret has been leaked.
Someone has already set their sights on them, and with Lin Shiyuan suddenly being overthrown, anything could happen.
But Yao Qingling didn't want to tell anyone else at this time, lest it cause panic.
If they were to learn of the government's actions after the emergence of a traitor like Yang Kuan, it would throw them into disarray.
She could only do her best to maintain the balance and stability of the large ship.
Xiao Pingfeng's expression turned serious. Although he didn't say it outright, he sensed that a storm was brewing.
Qingling looked at him and said, "Xiao Pingfeng, Lin Shiyuan is gone, and I'm missing a key general. Can I trust you?"
Xiao Pingfeng paused, smoothed the wrinkles in his clothes, and knelt on one knee: "I am where I am today because of the opportunity given to me by Miss Qingling. No matter what happens in the future, I swear to follow you to the death!"
Yao Qingling nodded and helped him up: "From now on, you will be the general manager of Hui Bafang. Consult with Manager Liu on matters. Also, select a few reliable people."
"Yes, I understand." Xiao Pingfeng nodded solemnly.
After everyone left, Yao Qingling sat down to process her emotions.
Lou Yue was still somewhat uneasy: "Miss, I'm afraid you won't be able to hide your pregnancy any longer."
Qingling nodded: "I never intended to hide it any longer."
Actually, her pregnancy belly should have been quite obvious after five months, but she gained a lot of weight later on, and many people thought that she was in a bad mood after the divorce and was overeating.
It's lucky they managed to keep it a secret until now.
With this buffer period, her plans were almost complete; Lin Shiyuan's departure was the only unexpected event.
But now she tries to think positively about everything.
The Tao Te Ching says, "Everything that happens is for my benefit."
With her baby due in a month or two, she planned to reveal the secret herself.
To avoid those people overreacting and causing her trouble when the child is born.
She suddenly felt a sense of anticipation for the reactions of the people in the Marquis's mansion.
...
The Marquis's Residence.
Yao Qingqi's marriage was supposed to be settled in the second half of this year, but now it's already September and the Princess of Jinyang's mansion hasn't made a move.
Ma was somewhat uneasy, fearing that the Princess of Jinyang would break off the engagement.
Even if the engagement isn't called off, it won't be good for Yao Qingqi.
Madam Ma was determined to marry her daughter to a high-ranking family. After much deliberation and effort, she finally caught the eye of Princess Jinyang and the marriage was arranged.
Yao Qingqi is already eighteen years old. If she breaks off the engagement, how will she find a husband in the future?
Forget about marrying into a better family; with the reputation of breaking off an engagement, she can't even find a decent family to marry into.
"It's all Yao Qingling's fault. If she were still in the Duke's mansion, even if Princess Jinyang didn't give face to our Marquis's mansion, she would at least give face to the Grand Princess."
Ma has always held a grudge against Yao Qingling for their divorce.
Yao Qingqi is also getting anxious about her marriage.
Everyone knows she is the daughter-in-law of the princess's family; she cannot be laughed at by others!
But Yao Qingqi hated not only Yao Qingling, but also Ma Peizhen.
"If she hadn't encouraged me to take those young ladies to the shop, I wouldn't have lost face with Yao Qingling. Now all the noble ladies are laughing at me. A daughter of a noble family, yet I can't even touch my own things. What kind of daughter am I?"
Yao Qingqi cursed both Yao Qingling and Ma Peizhen.
No matter how much Madam Ma liked this niece, Yao Qingqi was her own daughter, and she harbored some resentment towards Ma Peizhen.
Ma Peizhen suppressed her grievances and said, "Aunt, I heard that the property of Princess Jinyang in Hengzhou was looted by bandits and suffered heavy losses. The princess must be temporarily not mentioning the marriage because of this."
Hengzhou is the hometown of the Prince Consort, and it is rich in industry.
Yongning Temple was looted by bandits, and the bandits have not been brought to justice to this day. Banditry is becoming increasingly rampant throughout the country.
Hengzhou was not a strategically important area near the capital, so the bandits acted with impunity, targeting wealthy households.
Ma Peizhen added, "If my aunt were to mention to the princess that Sister Qingqi's dowry is generous, the princess might think that the marriage between the two families is a good thing to bring good luck."
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