Chapter 1520: 1520 Coming Home
Time flies, and Ming Teng returned to the capital with his Fourth Uncle. Seeing the city gates, Ming Teng moved his still injured arm slightly and muttered, “Finally home.”
Chang Zhi looked a bit haggard from the journey, but he was relieved Ming Teng was fine. “Come on, let’s go home.”
The horse-drawn carriage stopped at the mansion’s gates. Chang Zhi spotted his Second Brother and called out, “Second Brother.”
Chang Yi smiled and said, “Where’s Ming Teng? Hurry and get down here.”
Ming Teng followed his Fourth Uncle down from the carriage and shyly called out, “Second Uncle.”
Chang Yi caught sight of Ming Teng’s injured arm. His smile disappeared, and with a hint of irritation on his face he chided, “This is what happens when you’re not careful. Wait until your grandfather comes back—see how he’ll deal with you.”
Ming Teng shrank his head down and mumbled, “I was wrong.”
Chang Yi huffed and turned to ask his younger brother, “Did everything go smoothly along the way?”
Chang Zhi was also annoyed with Ming Teng and didn’t speak up for him. Walking with his Second Brother, he replied, “It was mostly smooth, though I heard quite a bit about conflicts on the grasslands. Rongchuan’s governance there isn’t easy.”
“What kinds of conflicts?”
Chang Zhi shared his observations and rumors, while Ming Teng chimed in with additional details as appropriate.
Chang Yi’s expression grew serious. “Is it really that dangerous?”
Ming Teng, feeling the weight of it all, confessed, “The hatred runs too deep. In some households, every male under the age of ten has died.”
Chang Yi scoffed, “It’s a matter of victors and vanquished. If you ask me, Rongchuan is far too lenient.”
Ming Teng touched his nose, thinking to himself that his Second Uncle, having seen bloodshed firsthand, was indeed ruthless. To defend Rongchuan, he added, “Uncle hasn’t been on the battlefield before.”
Chang Yi sighed, “Ah, he still lacks experience.”
Chang Zhi remained silent. In the family, no one had seen more than Second Brother. Don’t be fooled by his seemingly simple and cheerful demeanor—when he was angry, his piercing gaze was not something a regular person could withstand.
During their conversation, they arrived at the main courtyard. Ming Teng didn’t wait for his uncles and quickly ran inside. “Grandmother, your grandson is back!”
Zhulan had already heard voices outside and, seeing her grandson, threw the fruit in her hand at him. “You rascal! Do you have any idea how worried the family was when we heard about your accident?”
Ming Teng caught the fruit with his uninjured hand and, feeling guilty, didn’t dare meet his grandmother’s gaze. He immediately knelt down. “Grandson shouldn’t have been so careless. I know my mistake now.”
Zhulan looked at his injured arm and her heart ached. “How did your arm get injured? Is it serious?”
“It’s fine, almost healed. I didn’t want Fourth Uncle to mention it. The Imperial Physician said injuries like this just need time—about a hundred days—to recover with proper rest.”
Seeing that her grandson hadn’t lost weight and still appeared full of energy, Zhulan felt her worries ease. “You should be glad your parents aren’t home right now.”
Otherwise, Lady Li would’ve taken a stick to her son already.
Ming Teng felt a wave of relief too. If his parents were home, they would certainly take turns scolding him. His gaze shifted to Lau Jia, who was quietly wiping away tears, and his heart ached for her.
Zhulan caught sight of this and waved her hand. “You young couple, go talk amongst yourselves. I’ll ask your Fourth Uncle the questions I have.”
Ming Teng hesitated, “Grandmother, let me stay with you a little while.”
Zhulan’s face turned cold. “I get angry just looking at you.”
Ming Teng had no choice but to obediently stand, pulling his wife along as they left. Zhulan added, “Go visit your great-grandfather in a while.”
Once they were sure Ming Teng was fine, they informed his uncle. But they underestimated the resilience of someone who had survived being the sole survivor of an exterminated clan. The uncle had long known about Ming Teng’s incident but pretended not to, so as not to worry them. Zhulan greatly admired his mental strength.
After Ming Teng left, Zhulan asked, “Are the grasslands in bad shape?”
Chang Zhi recounted his observations. “When I was leaving, Rongchuan had already resorted to some bloody methods. Things will likely go more smoothly in the future.”
Zhulan sighed. Integration isn’t an easy task. “They’ll still need reeducation.”
For now, though, the focus will have to be on suppression and subjugation. Only later can reeducation begin gradually.
Ming Teng held his wife’s hand tightly. Lau Jia, feeling shy, tried to pull away, but Ming Teng only gripped her hand tighter. “These past few days must have been so hard on you.”
Lau Jia’s voice carried a hint of sobbing. “Do you know how worried I’ve been?”
At the time, she was utterly distraught.
Ming Teng stopped walking. “I know. I’m sorry.”
Lau Jia paused, surprised, and then smiled. “I forgive you. But from now on, you have to take good care of yourself.”
Later, as he reflected on it more, Ming Teng grew increasingly frightened. He worried his grandparents wouldn’t be able to bear the news and feared that Lau Jia might spiral into despair. Thankfully, everything turned out fine. “I will.”
At the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Shuren listened as Jinyan reported on the situation with the medicine workshop. “Keep an eye on it.”
“Yes, sir.”
Zhou Shuren wasn’t motivated by revenge but felt obliged to support Liufeng, his granddaughter’s husband. He couldn’t let the Qie family control the medicine workshop. Liufeng was managing medicinal crops in his county well; the young man was resourceful and a good official committed to serving the people.
Qiu Yan entered the room. “Sir, please take a look at the accounts.”
Zhou Shuren didn’t feel like checking them. “What’s there to look at? The treasury has hardly any silver left. The contingency funds can’t be touched either. It’s such a headache.”
Qiu Yan placed the ledger on the table. “Several people have reached out to me, all asking for silver allocations.”
Zhou Shuren responded, “You know the state of the treasury. Even the Ministry of Works had its funds cut. We truly have no silver to spare.”
Initially, selling fishing boats could have brought in silver, but due to food shortages, they traded fishing boats for food directly. The southern region’s dam construction and various endeavors all required funding. Many road projects were frozen as every bit of silver was diverted for critical needs.
Qiu Yan shared the frustration. “Alas, it’s been years since I’ve had to fret over silver.”
Zhou Shuren chuckled wryly. “Isn’t it because I’ve always been good at saving it?”
But last year’s war and the relief payments emptied the coffers. Floods in several large provinces—regions known for grain production—further drained resources. It had been a nightmare.
Qiu Yan smiled. “That’s why I’ve always admired you, sir. Without you, things would be even tougher.”
Zhou Shuren picked up the ledger and began flipping through it. “Once the medicine workshop is set up, we’ll have silver coming in.”
“From taxes?”
Zhou Shuren rolled his eyes. “How much can new taxes generate initially? The workshop needs several stable suppliers for its medicinal ingredients. We’ll set up a competitive bidding process—whoever offers the most silver will secure the contract.”
Qiu Yan lowered his voice. “Sir, you sound very clear on the details. Don’t tell me this was your idea.”
Zhou Shuren didn’t bother hiding it. “Yes.”
Qiu Yan cupped his hands respectfully. “I am impressed, sir.”
Zhou Shuren put down the ledger. “Alright, head back to your work. We’ll talk again once the silver is secured.”
“Yes, sir.”
In Zhou Family Village, Jiang Miu chatted with her older brother, asking, “Big Brother, our uncle is preparing to return to the capital. Are you and Sister-in-law going back with him?”
Jiang Zhu shook his head. “No, I’ll wait until you’ve delivered your baby, then mother and I will head back to the capital.”
Jiang Miu patted her growing belly. There were still months before the baby was due, so she felt happy her brother would stay. “Have the uncles stopped bothering you?”
Jiang Zhu replied, “Yes. I made it clear that if they come pestering again, I won’t teach the younger cousins anymore—so they’ve settled down.”
If not for his desire to groom the younger cousins into capable individuals who wouldn’t continually rely on their family, he wouldn’t have bothered.
Jiang Miu asked, “Did you attend the county magistrate’s invitation?”
Jiang Zhu answered, “I’ve only gone a few times out of the many invitations. The rest I’ve declined, citing my studies.”
“The county magistrate certainly has ulterior motives.”
“Yes.”
In the capital, Zhulan received a letter from her youngest son and was ecstatic. “The boy will arrive tomorrow.”
Zhao, knowing how much her mother-in-law missed her youngest brother-in-law, felt happy for her. “It’s been over a year. I wonder how much Younger Brother has changed.”
Zhulan put the letter away. “He mentioned he’s grown quite a bit taller.”
She then turned to Qing Xue with a reminder. “Prepare plenty of dishes that Chang Xhong enjoys tomorrow. He mentioned in the letter that he’s missed the food at home—it seems the dishes at the Wu residence don’t suit his taste.”
Qing Xue took her leave to make arrangements. The household had been practicing frugality recently, and there wasn’t much meat in stock. She would need to catch some goats, chickens, and ducks from the estate.