Jin Kuan was also greatly admiring, "With Princess Chen in Dong Chu, it truly is a blessing for the nation and the people!"
Yuwen Yanhe deeply shared the sentiment.
Although those veterans and families of martyrs did not receive the expected pensions, they were very satisfied with obtaining inexhaustible assets like mountains and lands, with their children able to attend school for free and only having to pay half the cost for medical treatment and medications (excluding common minor illnesses and requiring a certificate from a doctor at Huimin Hospital).
After the mountains and lands were planned, Long Xuanmo arranged for professionals to guide them.
Yang Mengchen also sent letters to Yang Chengrong and Yang Chengbin, as well as to the Stewards of the various Royal Charities, first asking Yang Chengrong to dispatch personnel from Yangliu village to assist and second asking Yang Chengbin and the Stewards to deal with the education of orphans and various skills training issues, providing them with a detailed operational manual.
A few days later, Yang Mengchen handed Long Xuanmo a proposal, before the Emperor ordered the confiscation of the properties of the few guilty families, she had Long Xuanmo persuade the Emperor to preserve some of the families’ properties and account books.
This proposal meticulously organized those properties, detailing what the properties were used for, their approximate annual yields, as well as the specific procedures for acquiring these properties and the rights recognized by the Imperial Court; Yang Mengchen suggested that the Emperor auction off these properties publicly.
In the past, the properties of convicted individuals were all taken advantage of by certain nobles and officials with connections, and the Imperial Court didn’t gain a penny’s benefit. If they followed Yang Mengchen’s method, the Imperial Court would acquire a large amount of silver.
The Emperor was uncertain, but he both admired the novelty and uniqueness of the proposal and firmly believed that his daughter-in-law Jiujiu was a lucky star, and immediately decreed that Long Xuanmo take full charge of this matter.
Long Xuanmo showed great determination, and immediately had the Ministry of Revenue post an announcement, clearly stating the preparation to publicly auction those properties.
In both ancient and modern times, those with money always think of acquiring properties, and so those who saw the announcement all made inquiries.
The staff at the Ministry of Revenue gave everyone who came to inquire a booklet with detailed explanations, and also included, as a bonus, shopkeepers and clerks to manage the businesses—one’s use of which would depend on the wishes of the person who won the auction. This auction would only recognize money, not people; the highest bidder would win.
Of course, there was one condition: every attendee had to pay an entrance fee of fifty taels of silver.
On the day of registration, the turn-out was extremely enthusiastic, mostly comprising businessmen.
Yang Chenghong also came to participate, not for himself or the Yang family, but intending to gift it to his sister.
Yang Mengchen, considering the auction would yield substantial profits, decided to select a location to establish an auction house, to run the auction business in the future. The auction house was established in the name of Chen Prince Mansion without joining shares with any family. The silver earned would be partly used as staff wages to sustain the operation of the auction house, with the majority given to the Emperor.
The assets of the few convicted families were quite substantial; once all were auctioned off, the total was almost more than one million taels of silver. After deducting necessary expenses, the rest was contributed to the Royal Treasury.
The Emperor was overjoyed, praising Jiujiu, the daughter-in-law, as a true lucky star and sending rewards to Chen Prince Mansion like flowing water.
Far away in Qinghe Prefecture, Prince Duan, having learned that several officials who depended on him were convicted and exiled and that Long Xuanmo’s people took over the position of Minister of War, was so angry that he smashed everything in his house, nursing deep hatred for Long Xuanmo and Yang Mengchen.
Prince Jing and Long Yisi were also simmering with anger and resentment, yet they were helpless to do anything.
At this moment, Lin Zheqi was on his way to Nanxiang County Town, sitting inside a carriage feeling a vague irritability, with no mind to pay attention to the events occurring in the Capital.
A few days ago, Zhang Run uncovered a shocking piece of news: his mother, Madam Tian, had a cousin from childhood, who had constructed a cenotaph for her in her hometown, Guangling.
Sister Lin was a servant born into the Tian family and grew up attending to Madam Tian. Outwardly a servant, she was as close as sisters with her mistress. After receiving the news, Zhang Run sent people to Guangling while casually ’chatting’ with Sister Lin to learn a great deal about Madam Tian’s past.
According to Sister Lin, Madam Tian had a good relationship with her cousin before being sent to serve as a concubine to Zhang Run’s father. The cousin had even followed her to Peng City, and rented a house nearby just to watch over her.
Before long, Madam Tian released Sister Lin from her slave status and let her marry and leave. By the time Sister Lin returned as a widow with no children, Madam Tian had already passed away. Zhang Run’s father immediately had Sister Lin take him away from Peng City, and over the years, he had no time to attend to the cousin’s whereabouts. freeweɓnovel~cѳm
Unexpectedly, the people sent to Guangling indeed found that cousin, who by then had taken a wife and had children.
And that cousin visited a cenotaph on the hillside every day, on which was inscribed the epitaph ’Tomb of Lirong.’
Sister Lin had mentioned that ’Lirong’ was Madam Tian’s maiden name; however, the date inscribed on the tombstone was nearly a year before Zhang Run’s birth.
If indeed Madam Tian is buried in that grave, then he is not the child of Madam Tian and his father. Who, then, is he?
He was thinking of finding an excuse to go to Guangling when conveniently, the Ministry of Justice had a case requiring evidence from Nanxiang County Town, which is right next to Guangling.
Normally such a task would not fall to the vice minister of the Ministry of Justice, but Zhang Run applied for it on the grounds of gaining experience. The Minister of Justice valued him highly and naturally agreed, so he had a legitimate reason to leave the Capital, without even raising Butler Lin’s suspicions.
With eyes slightly closed, to the rolling sound of carriage wheels, Lin Zheqi’s mood gradually stabilized. He had a feeling that he would soon uncover the truth of his lineage.
In fact, he had a vague guess... if it were true, then many things would make sense. But if that were the case, the man he had missed and respected for over two decades had been ruthlessly cruel!
With the death of the princess of the Grand Prince who refused to remarry, Lin Zheqi suddenly felt as though his heart was being torn apart when he recalled the rumor that on the annual days of ritual for his deceased wife and son, the Grand Prince would fast for a day and sit in front of their spirit tablets to ’chat’ with them.
He both hoped his guess was correct and feared that it was not, because he had always seen the Grand Prince as an enemy and had attempted to assassinate him multiple times to clear obstacles for his father’s cause.
"Young Master, shall we stop for a brief rest?" Le Shui’s inquiring voice came from outside the carriage.
Lin Zheqi replied indifferently, "No need. Tell everyone to hurry. We can rest well at the station ahead before nightfall."
The sooner they reached Nanxiang County Town and finished their duties, the sooner he would have time for personal matters and could investigate the news from Madam Tian’s cousin.
Le Shui went to convey the orders. The guards arranged by Zhang Run and the Ministry of Justice’s entourage had no objections; after all, it’s more comfortable to stay at a station.
Inside the Chen Prince Mansion.
Yang Mengchen was writing a plan when Hai Tang came in and said, "Princess, the Empress Dowager has just issued a decree assigning Su Xiran, the legitimate daughter of the Marquis Yingchuan, to Prince Jing as his Official Wife. The wedding is set for December 20th. Mu Xinya, the illegitimate daughter of the Junior Minister of the Glorious Monastery, and Lin Yuzhu, the illegitimate daughter of an officer at the Ministry of Rites, will both be concubines, with their weddings scheduled for the 28th of the next January."
Why would the Royal Grandmother suddenly arrange a marriage for Prince Jing? And with an Official Wife and two Concubines? Yang Mengchen lifted her head to look at Sister Jin.
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