The next day was the anniversary of Lu Wancheng’s death. After seeing Gu Fuzhou off to court, Lin Qingyu took Huantong and Hualu back to the marquess of Nan’an’s estate.
A short time ago, Lady Pan had given birth to a healthy baby boy. The marquess of Nan’an’s home no longer looked dead and gray; instead, it was alive and thriving. The marquess himself looked healthy and happy as well, and things had started to go more smoothly for him in court. Not only had he been reinstated as minister of revenue, but the emperor also intended to bestow important responsibilities upon him.
The marquess of Nan’an had gone to court by the time Lin Qingyu arrived, so it was Lady Pan who welcomed him.
“I was wondering just yesterday whether you would come, Physician Lin.” Now that she’d given birth, Lady Pan looked quite healthy, if a bit plumper. Although she remained a concubine by title, the estate’s servants already viewed her as the marquess’s main wife.
After learning of Lady Pan’s pregnancy, the marquess had seemingly concluded that he was still young and taken a few more concubines. Those concubines hadn’t yet borne any children, however, so they were afraid to act out. For her part, Lady Pan wasn’t interested in fighting for attention. She lived a fine life managing the household while caring for her son.
“Of course I’d come, if only for the young marquess,” Lin Qingyu replied. “Is the young marquess’s younger brother well?”
Lady Pan smiled gently. “The young master is plump and healthy. He’s even bigger than most infants his age. At the end of last month, he turned one month old. I wanted to send an invitation to the general’s estate, but the marquess said…”
She trailed off, her smile slowly disappearing.
“No need to explain. I understand.” Lin Qingyu glanced at Hualu, who took out an embroidered box.
“Young Master ordered this longevity lock charm20 made for Young Master Lu,” Hualu said. “He hopes that Young Master Lu will grow up peacefully.”
Lady Pan hastily stood up with the help of a maid. “I thank you, Physician Lin, on behalf of my son.”
They chatted until the time for the ritual arrived.
In the Lu family’s ancestral hall, servants placed cooked foods in front of Lu Wancheng’s spirit tablet, hoping that he could eat some new dishes in the afterlife. Then they brought over a fire pan, and Lin Qingyu put paper money into the flames, extending his regards to the dead. Lady Pan had also asked a monk from Changsheng Temple to come recite Buddhist scriptures to help Lu Wancheng’s soul reincarnate sooner.
After everything ended, it was almost time to eat. Lady Pan wasn’t sure whether to ask Lin Qingyu to stay; the marquess should be coming back soon, and he definitely didn’t want to see his ex-daughter-in-law again.
Lady Pan continued to hesitate, and Lin Qingyu didn’t leave on his own. Soon, the steward came and announced that the marquess of Nan’an had returned. Lady Pan looked helplessly at Lin Qingyu. “Physician Lin…”
Lin Qingyu only smiled slightly. “It so happens that I haven’t greeted the marquess in a long time.”
Seeing Lin Qingyu in his home only exacerbated the marquess of Nan’an’s sorrow at his eldest son’s passing. Even though Lin Qingyu was the wife of Great Yu’s finest general, the marquess couldn’t pretend to be happy to see him.
“What is the general’s wife doing in my home?”
“He’s here to pay his respects to Eldest Young Master. He means well.” Lady Pan tried to placate the marquess.
He let out a cold snort. “When Lady Lin left this household, we said that our connection was severed and we would go our separate ways. The Lu family has never included a male wife, and the general’s wife has no right to visit our home. Aren’t you afraid of humiliating the general?” he demanded of Lin Qingyu.
“The general is benevolent and magnanimous. The country and its people fill his heart, so he’d never care about something so minor. The marquess needn’t worry about him,” Lin Qingyu replied coolly.
The marquess of Nan’an choked in anger. “Must you forcibly latch onto the Lu family?!”
“It’s not me who wishes to latch onto the Lu family. It’s the Lu family that needs me to settle some things,” Lin Qingyu replied. “Lady Pan, if there’s nothing else you need to do, why not go check on the young master?”
Lady Pan recognized that Lin Qingyu wanted to speak to the marquess in private, so she moved to leave with the servants. When the marquess saw this, his tone cooled even toward his own concubine. “Are you doing whatever he asks? Don’t forget who you belong to!”
Lady Pan was shocked. “Marquess…”
Lin Qingyu had no patience for the Lu family’s conflicts. “If the marquess wants all these people to witness this, then it’s not my fault.”
“What do you mean?!”
“Hualu,” Lin Qingyu called. “Please bring Steward Zhang here.”
When Lin Qingyu departed from the marquess of Nan’an’s estate, he’d left Zhang Shiquan here to manage the accounts. Zhang Shiquan had known that Lin Qingyu would come today, and he’d prepared the necessary items in advance, waiting outside for this very moment.
Holding a thick stack of account books, Zhang Shiquan greeted everyone. “Hello, Lady Lin. Marquess, Lady Pan.”
“What is he here for?” the marquess of Nan’an boomed.
Lin Qingyu raised his eyes, and Zhang Shiquan handed the marquess the account books. The marquess picked up the volume on top and started reading it doubtfully. After a few pages, his expression grew more and more grave. “Th-this is…”
“From your reaction,” Lin Qingyu said casually, “it seems you didn’t know about this, Marquess.”
His face pale, the marquess of Nan’an hastily dismissed everyone from the room except himself, Lin Qingyu, and Zhang Shiquan.
“What exactly is this?” he demanded. “Where did these huge profits come from, and why are they part of the estate’s accounts?!”
Zhang Shiquan looked to Lin Qingyu for approval. After Lin Qingyu’s nod, Zhang Shiquan said, “What do you mean, Marquess? All this money was earned by your second wife Lady Liang through painstaking effort. Of course the estate’s account books would note it.”
Although the marquess of Nan’an rarely asked about domestic matters, he knew which businesses his estate ran. Such huge profits could never have come from their restaurants or other properties. A word appeared in his mind, shocking him so badly he nearly collapsed.
“You must already have guessed, Marquess,” said Zhang Shiquan. “Only private salt businesses run such large profit margins. And according to the law of Great Yu, earning more than a specific amount off a private salt business means certain death. As minister of revenue, you would know that, wouldn’t you?”
Of course the marquess knew. Not long ago, he had personally processed the case of a local official running a private salt business. The official’s relatives had all been involved in the enterprise, and due to the sheer scale of their profits, the entire extended family had been executed. According to the records in Zhang Shiquan’s account books, Lady Liang’s family had committed an even more severe crime.
The marquess of Nan’an couldn’t believe that Lady Liang was making such trouble, even after she’d gone crazy. He wanted to kill her right at that moment.
“That bitch!” he yelled. He turned to glare at Lin Qingyu, his eyes bulging in rage. “When did you find out? Why have you only told me now?!”
“Well, you said it yourself, Marquess—my connection with this household was severed, and we went our separate ways. Even if you make the emperor angry and fall from grace overnight, I’ll continue to be the general’s wife. And who knows? His Majesty might appreciate that I exposed you and reinstate my official status. Don’t you think so?”
The word “expose” sent chills down the marquess’s spine. “You…”
“Ah—what a pity,” Lin Qingyu continued. “The young master just turned one month old. If this matter comes to light, I don’t know whether he could live to see his hundredth day.”
“You rotten cow!” the marquess screamed, abandoning composure. “You’re threatening me with my innocent child!”
The marquess of Nan’an had lost both his sons before having a third one, and he saw this child as more important than his own life. He would have died to protect the infant.
“Threatening you?” Lin Qingyu smiled almost pityingly. “You’re mistaken, Marquess. I’m only kindly bringing your attention to this issue.”
“Your wife’s family caused all this, Marquess,” Zhang Shiquan said. “The young marquess didn’t wish this issue to be brought up, so the general’s wife hid all this from you so that you could return to court and regain the emperor’s approval. If I were you, I wouldn’t be able to thank the general’s wife fast enough—much less accuse him of trying to harm you.”
The marquess of Nan’an hadn’t been an official for so long without learning the tricks of the trade. He knew that Lin Qingyu had only brought this up now after hiding it for ages because he needed something from him. The marquess hated being indebted to others, but for the honor of the Lu family, and for his newborn son, he couldn’t do anything but bow his head. “What do you need from me?”
Lin Qingyu smiled in satisfaction. “Don’t worry, Marquess. I won’t ask you to do anything immoral or treasonous. I only want you to deliver a memorial to the emperor requesting that His Majesty bestow a princedom upon the fourth prince.”
The marquess of Nan’an froze. “The fourth prince?”
“Yes.”
Xiao Jie wasn’t only ignored by the emperor; he had so little presence that even the court officials forgot that the fourth prince existed. If Lin Qingyu hadn’t mentioned it just now, the marquess of Nan’an wouldn’t even have remembered that the fourth prince hadn’t received a princedom yet.
“The task’s that simple?” the marquess of Nan’an asked suspiciously.
“The task’s that simple…for now.”
At the moment, the marquess of Nan’an couldn’t decide whether to agree. It was true that the fourth prince had reached the age at which he should move out of the palace to start his own family. It would be entirely reasonable to bestow a princedom upon him, but doing so might bother the crown prince.
“Why can’t Great General Gu write this memorial himself?”
Lin Qingyu scoffed. “Has the marquess been scared stupid?”
“How dare you insult me?!” the marquess hissed, enraged.
“The emperor and crown prince already suspect the general. I don’t want to involve him,” Lin Qingyu said coolly. “Understand?”
Even if he didn’t want to, the marquess of Nan’an could say only, “I…understand.”