However.
The sound of a woman crying could be heard intermittently from the crowd:
"Injustice! Your Honor, I've been wronged!"
The officer shouted angrily, "Your husband and son have become bandits and offended some big shots. It's too late to cry foul now!"
The old woman protested while crying:
“My son is well-known in the village for his virtue and kindness. Everyone praises him for his chivalry and righteousness. How can you say he’s a bandit just because you say so?!”
"You're just taking advantage of us women who have no one to help us, coming here to humiliate us!" the young pregnant woman cried, feeling wronged.
Su Wanwan and He Ying sat in the carriage, constantly hearing the noise outside.
Finally, the officials forced the old woman and her pregnant daughter-in-law to pay two hundred taels of silver, or they would be beaten with a hundred sticks of water and fire.
The old woman and her pregnant daughter-in-law embraced each other in despair and wept bitterly, kowtowing and begging the officials to let them go.
"Even if we sold our entire family, we still couldn't raise that amount!"
Su Wanwan frowned and told Heying to secretly slip two hundred taels of silver to the old woman.
One of the women was elderly and the other pregnant; a hundred blows with water and fire sticks would have left them half-dead, if not dead.
The old woman was completely stunned when she saw the silver notes that had suddenly appeared in her hand.
The coachman whispered a few words in her ear.
The old woman wiped the tears and dust from her face and glanced at the carriage in disbelief.
Which benefactor is so generous as to help them out of their predicament without even showing their face?
Perhaps they are friends my son has made outside, and it's inconvenient for them to show up?
The old woman didn't recognize the coachman, so she pulled the pregnant woman over, turned around, and kowtowed three times heavily towards the carriage.
He then held the two hundred-tael silver notes he had just received high above his head.
The angry official took the silver note, checked the amount and its authenticity, glanced at the carriage a few times, and was about to step forward.
One could see that the guards around the carriage all walked lightly, their temples bulging.
The officer's eyes flickered; he knew the people in the carriage were not to be trifled with, so he led his men away on their own.
The coachman continued driving.
The old woman originally wanted to step forward to express her gratitude.
Seeing how hurriedly they were traveling, he could only watch helplessly as the carriage drove away, sighing:
"What a kind person! Why not leave your name?"
That night, Su Wanwan's carriage drove into an inconspicuous farmhouse.
The owner of the estate was an elderly woman with gray hair, Madam Yuan, the madam of the Pingjiang Earl's Mansion.
When Yuan saw Su Wanwan, she was completely stunned.
After a long while, he knelt down and performed a grand salute.
Su Wanwan smiled faintly: "Greetings, Madam. How have you been?"
Madam Yuan looked excited and flattered:
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am well. I was unaware that Your Majesty would come to my humble abode and was unable to greet you properly. Please forgive me."
Su Wanwan understood Yuan's excitement.
“I have seen the greetings from the Dowager Madam every month, but I have not seen her. So I thought I would like to visit her.”
The fact that Yuan presented a memorial to pay his respects every month shows that he had the intention of currying favor with Yuan.
That's why she came in person.
Madam Yuan's eyes reddened: "Your Majesty's kindness and compassion are deeply appreciated. I am willing to give my life to repay Your Majesty's kindness."
That's exactly what Su Wanwan wanted to hear.
Over the past decade or so, the Pingjiang Marquis's Mansion has twice chosen the wrong side in power struggles, losing its chance to participate.
Empress Su Wanwan's personal visit was certainly not just for a simple visit.
Rather, they were testing whether the Pingjiang Earl's Mansion could be won over.
Su Wanwan took the teacup handed to her by Madam Yuan and took a small sip.
"This is truly excellent tea."
Madam Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and she replied, "Your Majesty has discerning eyes; no one in this remote countryside could recognize such fine tea."
Su Wanwan remained calm: "If the tea is truly good, it will naturally not be overlooked."
"But you can't judge whether something is good or bad just by talking about it. You have to brew it, smell the aroma, observe the color, taste the soup, and examine the leaves to determine whether it's good or bad."
"Only when you know whether it's good or bad can you confidently serve it to your guests."
Upon hearing this double entendre, Yuan was immediately enlightened and reaffirmed his loyalty.
“Your Majesty is right. The Chen family is like this fine tea that has been buried in the countryside. We are willing to offer our humble efforts to Your Majesty.”
Su Wanwan nodded secretly; it was so easy to talk to smart people.
"The position of Grand Canal Transport Commander is currently vacant. If Madam has any good candidates, please speak with me about it so that I may broaden my horizons."
Yuan was so shocked that her heart skipped a beat.
Good heavens!
The Empress can participate in the appointment of local officials?!
What a boastful tone!
She initially found it unbelievable.
On second thought, it seemed perfectly reasonable.
With such a large piece of meat hanging in front of them, how could the Pingjiang Marquis's Mansion not do its utmost to win it?
Yuan's husband, Chen Rui, the former Earl of Pingjiang, was a capable official who served as the Commander-in-Chief of Guangdong and Guangxi, the Commander-in-Chief of the Beijing Garrison, and also oversaw the construction of the Grand Canal.
He was highly regarded by the late emperor and was once extremely popular.
However.
During the power struggle between the late emperor and the Zhou family, Chen Rui chose the wrong side, always standing on the side of the late emperor.
Three years after the fire at Qingning Palace, Chen Rui was finally purged.
He was stripped of his salary and forced to live a life of leisure because he had failed to achieve his goal of leading the troops from the capital to defend against the Tatars in Datong.
The official who impeached Chen Rui was a protégé of the Su family.
Later, Chen Rui died of illness, and his son Chen Qiong inherited the title and was once again highly regarded by the late emperor.
At that time, Empress Zhou was seriously ill, and the late emperor took over the military power of the Beijing Garrison, even sending Chen Qiong to lead troops to protect the safety of the palace.
Unexpectedly, the late emperor only lasted a year before dying of illness.
After Lu Xingjian ascended the throne, the Pingjiang Earl's Mansion was once again marginalized.
Mrs. Yuan said with tears of gratitude:
"Your Majesty is too kind to this old woman. My son, Chen Qiong, is currently unemployed. If he could serve Your Majesty with the utmost care, it would be an honor for the Chen family."
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