Chapter 33 Prefectural School
Granny Qi suddenly realized that this was what Steward Zhao was worried about: Madam Mao's son and daughter-in-law.
If Liu wants to rent out the shop, then Mao's mother's son, Mao Neng, and his family will have nowhere to go, so of course they can only go to the farm in the suburbs of Beijing to farm.
The manager of the manor on the outskirts of Beijing was Granny Qi's son.
Even among servants, there are different ranks. A steward who manages shops on the main street of the capital would consider himself a rank higher than a steward who manages farms. The former can hire maids to serve him, while the latter is inseparable from the crops and soil.
Therefore, if Mao Neng's family were really arranged by Liu to go to the estate, he would probably be very dissatisfied, and might even go against Qi Mama's son. Although it might not go so far as to make a scene in front of the master, there would certainly be no shortage of verbal sparring behind the scenes.
No wonder the shrewd Steward Zhao didn't bring up the matter. If he had spoken up and pushed for it, what if both stewards had pointed the finger at him? Wouldn't he have been unjustly killed?
Therefore, he chose to protect himself and did not offer any suggestions unless his master brought it up.
But when the host asked him questions, he had no reservations and spoke freely.
Granny Qi glanced at him with a complicated expression, instantly understanding the situation her son might be facing, but there was nothing she could do.
As the matriarch of the household, Madam Liu wouldn't consider the petty schemes of her servants. She would definitely adopt whichever suggestion would maximize her benefits.
She made a decision instantly: "Then the shop will not be opened. Steward Zhao, write a letter to the capital and ask Mao to rent out the shop as soon as possible. Rent it for three years if you want, but the rent should be paid every six months. After signing the contract, you should give me the rent for the second half of this year first. If the shop is gone, his family can go with Qi Hui to help manage the estate."
Steward Zhao accepted the order, bowed, and withdrew.
Mrs. Liu breathed a sigh of relief. Renting out the shop would bring in another two hundred taels of silver, which, combined with the money in her account, would bring her to nearly seven hundred taels. This would finally solve her immediate financial crisis for the year.
Another half month passed, and news finally came from the capital: the shop had been rented out to a silk shop for 35 taels of silver per month. The tenant had rented it for five years, paying half a year's rent and three months' deposit, totaling 315 taels.
When Liu received the silver note, she beamed with joy: "I forgot to include the three-month deposit in the calculation. Now I have an extra hundred taels of silver to spend."
Granny Qi breathed a sigh of relief. She thought it would take another month or two to rent the shop, but she didn't expect that someone would come to rent it as soon as it was put up for rent. It was clear that the location of the shop was really good. It was just that there was no one in the family who was good at managing the business, which was a waste of such a good shop.
Along with the silver notes came letters from Granny Qi and Granny Mao, written by their respective sons to greet their mother.
Now that the shop has been rented out, Mao Neng's family has been settled in the manor, but Qi Hui has always been in charge of the manor, and it is unknown whether the two of them can get along well.
Granny Qi was also a little anxious about what her son had said in his letter, so she took a break, went back to her room, opened the letter, and read it quickly.
Sure enough, Qi Hui wrote in his letter that Mao Neng's family had settled in the estate, but less than three days after arriving, he began to interfere in the affairs of the estate, claiming that his wife had asked him to manage the estate together and demanding that Qi Hui give him half of the power.
But the estate wasn't big, only a hundred acres in total. Apart from the ten acres he kept for himself, the rest were all rented out. He only had to be busy when collecting rent each year. The rest of the time, Qi Hui had to take his wife and children to tend to the ten acres he kept, just like an ordinary farming family. Mao Neng said he would give him some power to manage, but there was only so much to do, how much power could he possibly have?
Qi Hui was doing a good job as the steward of the estate. He didn't mind the hard work of farming and growing fruit. He felt that the estate was not far from the capital and it was convenient to buy things. His family lived a very free and comfortable life on the estate. Every month, they also received a monthly allowance from their master. Who would have thought that Mao Neng's arrival would break this peace? Unfortunately, his wife didn't make things clear. She only said that he would manage things together. So he had to write to ask clearly which aspects of things his wife wanted to entrust to Mao Neng. He hoped that Granny Qi could help him find out so that he could draw a clear line between himself and Mao Neng.
Granny Qi was also in a dilemma. Two tigers cannot share one mountain. When Mao Neng was assigned to manage the shop, he was very arrogant and always thought he was more capable than Qi Hui. Now that the shop is gone, he still has his airs and immediately tries to take away the power from Qi Hui. If Qi Hui gives in, he will probably become even more arrogant.
Granny Qi took out Mao Neng's letter. She was very curious to know what Mao Neng had to say about this matter. In the inner courtyard, she was more useful than Mama Mao, and the Madam relied on her more. But in the outer courtyard, Mao Neng was more useful than Qi Hui. She just didn't know how Mama Mao would view this matter.
As long as she reaches an agreement with Madam Mao, and then goes to discuss it with Madam, Madam will certainly not refuse for such a small matter.
She went straight to the kitchen.
Mama Mao was teaching Li Xiaoxiao how to make pumpkin pancakes, but while Li Xiaoxiao was good at other things, she couldn't do delicate things without making a sound, no matter how she was taught. Mama Mao was so angry that she was about to give her a severe beating.
Granny Qi laughed and said, "Oh, how lively! Are you teaching Xiaoxiao how to make pancakes?"
Mao's mother was so angry that she cursed, "I've never seen such a stupid person! I've already helped you tidy up the edges, but it's still leaking everywhere. If I were your mother-in-law, I would be furious in the kitchen."
Li Xiaoxiao retorted, "How can you call this stupid? It just means I'm not suited for this kind of thing. I've already said I'm not going to learn anymore, but you still keep making me do it myself..."
Mao's mother was exasperated: "Many people have wanted to become my apprentices and have me teach them how to cook, but I haven't agreed to any of them. I've put so much effort into teaching you, and you don't even appreciate it?"
Li laughed and said, "I'd rather fetch two more vats of water than do this!"
Mao's mother rolled her eyes: "If you don't learn how to cook, what will you do when you get married? Who will cook for you?"
Li smiled and said, "That's easy, I'll just find a husband who can cook."
Madam Mao was speechless, choked by her words. After a long while, she said angrily, "Granny Qi, what are you saying? How many men in this world would go into the kitchen?"
Granny Qi advised, "Alright, alright, Xiaoxiao, if you can't do it, then don't. Liuzhi still has half of the courtyard to sweep. Why don't you go and help her?"
Li Xiaoxiao immediately put down the flour and ran away in a flash.
Madam Mao was furious: "Granny Qi, I finally managed to get her to come and make pumpkin pancakes with me, why did you send her away?"
Granny Qi took a letter out of her bosom: "Look what this is?"
Unlike Granny Qi, Mama Mao couldn't read, but since Granny Qi had specially delivered the letter to her, she knew it was from her son, Mao Neng. Her eyes lit up: "It's a letter from my son?"
Granny Qi nodded: "Would you like me to read it aloud for you?"
Madam Mao nodded repeatedly. In the inner courtyard, besides Madam, only Granny Qi was literate. In the past, when the maids in the mansion needed to write letters or reply, they almost always asked Granny Qi for help.
Mao Neng first inquired about his mother's health for a few moments before getting straight to the point. He mentioned that he had gone to the farm, and his wife's intention was for him to manage the farm with Qi Hui. However, Qi Hui clung tightly to power and refused to relinquish it, even assigning his family to weed and fertilize the land, completely disregarding him and his wife's words. He wrote to ask his mother to inquire with his wife and ask for a definite answer, as he hadn't farmed for over a decade and was finding it difficult to adapt to being a farmer...
The smile on Mao's mother's face disappeared, and she sighed: "Qi Hui wrote to you too, right? What did he say?"
Granny Qi didn't hold back and read Qi Hui's letter aloud to Mother Mao.
Madam Mao frowned deeply: "It seems that there isn't much work to do in a small village, so there's no need for two managers... Granny Qi, let Madam decide this matter. If the Mao family can't help in the village, it would be better to have them come to the county government to work for the master. I think the helpers we hire here are not as good as the old folks in the capital. For example, that coachman Yu Dayong is not very well-behaved. When Mao Neng comes, let him drive the coach for the county magistrate and fire Yu Dayong."
If it were a farm of more than 500 acres, Madam Mao would definitely try to fight for management rights for her son. But it's only 100 acres, so there's really no need to offend Granny Qi. Besides, it's good for Mao's family to come over. She's getting older, so why wouldn't she want her family to be reunited?
Madam Mao's move pleased Granny Qi, and the two of them went together to report to Madam Liu. Madam Liu then discussed it with Lord Meng. She thought it was a done deal that Mao Neng would come, but unexpectedly Lord Meng refused: "I have other uses for Mao Neng. Let Qi Hui manage the affairs of the estate. Mao Neng still needs to stay in the capital to help inquire about information."
Since this concerned the master's important matter, Madam Liu hurriedly asked, "What happened?"
Magistrate Meng smiled slightly: "This matter concerns Qi'er's imperial examination, so it's no small matter."
Since it concerned her only son, Madam Liu couldn't help but take it seriously: "What does this have to do with Qi'er?"
Magistrate Meng said, “Qi’er came to Biyang County with us. Although it’s quieter there, he’s far removed from politics and doesn’t keep up with many things. This is very detrimental to his studies and exams. We need someone to find out and compile information and send it to Biyang County. I also maintain contact with some of my fellow students, and I need someone to maintain those relationships. Mao is literate and has been a shop manager. He’s quite clever and is perfect for this kind of job.”
Since it concerned her son's future, Liu would of course not stop him: "I will write a letter to Mao Neng and tell him to stay in the capital and find out about these things."
Magistrate Meng sighed: "Qi'er mentioned to me again today that he wanted to enroll in the prefectural school in Lin'an, but because the academic atmosphere in Biyang County is too backward, he feels that he has not made any progress in more than half a year, so I refused him."
Liu had long been dissatisfied with this matter: "The entire county school only has one old scholar who is nearly sixty years old, and he passed the exam more than thirty years ago. His knowledge is no longer suitable for teaching chess..."
At this point, she realized what was going on: "Master, could it be that you are afraid that Prefect Song will make things difficult for Qi'er, which is why you have been hesitant to agree to let Qi'er enter the prefectural school?"
Meng Guanqi was the only son of Magistrate Meng. He passed the imperial examination at a young age and became a scholar. How could Magistrate Meng not worry about him with all his heart?
Regarding the resettlement of displaced people, Prefect Song, fearing that he would be implicated, submitted a memorial impeaching him before he could. However, after reading his defense, the Emperor sided with him. Although he did not reprimand Prefect Song, a secret letter from Lord Min revealed that the officials in the court had reservations about Prefect Song's character.
He had seriously offended Prefect Song in the imperial court.
He had already seen through this man's character. His son was so young and only had the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations). How could he possibly withstand the deliberate harassment from Prefect Song? On the contrary, the entire prefecture was led by Prefect Song. If he wanted to deal with Meng Guanqi, he only needed to lift a finger, and Meng Guanqi would be in deep trouble.
Therefore, it was absolutely impossible for Magistrate Meng to send Meng Guanqi into the tiger's den.
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