Chapter 14
Qi Chuyao sat at the lower seat, kicking her feet about listlessly.
The little satisfaction she had felt earlier had long since dissipated, replaced by a simmering irritation.
Children of high-ranking officials in the Great Qian Dynasty had many avenues into government service even if they failed the imperial examinations. The daughter of a second-rank Minister of War could easily obtain a place at the Imperial Academy, and with a bit of luck, could aim even higher.
She had long wanted to follow her mother into official service—even if it was not a post in the Capital, she would have accepted being sent out as a county magistrate first.
Once far from home with the emperor distant, her mother's reach would not extend to her. She would be like a fish returned to the vast sea, a bird loosed into the open sky.
What a pity—all of it was fantasy.
Qi's Mother did not agree to her obtaining an official post.
She insisted on following the path of the old-guard martial artists, demanding that Qi Chuyao first become a Ranked Expert, at minimum a 4th Rank Expert, then enter the Capital Garrison to be tempered through experience—the same road Qin Junyue had walked.
But Qin Junyue was extraordinarily gifted, having achieved Ranked Expert status early on, and her cultivation had since risen to even greater heights.
And herself? Nowhere in sight—she had yet to even touch the threshold of becoming a Ranked Expert.
Even Song Ning's older sister had already become a Ranked Expert and departed to gain experience at the frontier.
The more Qi Chuyao thought about it, the more vexed she felt.
"She becomes an official?" Qi's Mother lifted the teacup from the table, sipped it slowly, not even raising her eyelids—only casting a sideways glance at her daughter, as though looking at a child who did not know better.
"Once she becomes an official, will she still have the energy to hone her body and achieve a Ranked Expert breakthrough?" Qi's Mother set the teacup down; the lid landed on the table with a dull thud. "No. Not until your cultivation reaches Ranked Expert status—not a day before will I let you become an official."
Qi Chuyao's eyes dimmed.
She gave a light snort, twisted her lips, kicked her feet aimlessly, and turned her head to one side, refusing to look at her mother or Song Ning any longer.
Song Ning smiled faintly.
"Please don't say that, Mother-in-law." His voice was gentle as he persuaded, "Even without achieving Ranked Expert status, one can certainly still become an official."
"A general need not necessarily be a lone heroic fighter—I see that General Li of the Northeast's martial skills are not particularly high, either."
He paused, then continued: "Qi Chuyao is soon to be married. Most people her age have already entered government service. How would it do to keep her at home? It would be good for her to secure a post and accumulate experience."
"Please grant your permission, Mother-in-law."
His face turned slightly toward Qi's Mother's direction; those white eyes seemed to radiate sincerity.
In this regard, Qi's Mother was admittedly somewhat biased. Being a 2nd Rank Expert herself, she placed great weight on martial skill.
In this world, martial ability was undeniably important—especially in the turbulent era that very likely lay ahead.
But it was only one aspect of things. Song Ning felt that a general required courage, yet need not necessarily be charging at the front lines at every turn.
Besides, with her peers all having entered officialdom, the disparity weighed far too heavily on Qi Chuyao's heart.
Qi's Mother fell silent for a moment.
She looked at Song Ning, a few complex emotions flickering in her gaze.
"Since you put it that way…" She let out a breath, her tone softening. "Tomorrow I'll look into what suitable posts are available for her—but only after the wedding."
She suddenly turned her head and shot Qi Chuyao a sharp glare.
"If you dare to run amok or treat Song Ning poorly, just see how I deal with you!"
That look sent a jolt through Qi Chuyao's heart, which had just begun to feel a flicker of delight.
Surely not?
Mother, he said a couple of words and you simply listened?
Qi Chuyao stared wide-eyed, watching this scene in disbelief.
She now had genuine reason to suspect that Song Ning had slipped something into her mother's drink.
Otherwise, how had it come to this?
Could it be that this blind husband of mine truly possesses some kind of bewitching ability?
She studied Song Ning once more.
He sat upright, clad in white, composed and unhurried, a faint smile at the corners of his mouth.
Those eyes…
Qi Chuyao stared at his eyes for a long while.
White irises, unfocused, gazing blankly ahead.
Qin Junyue sat quietly to one side, her gaze resting on Song Ning.
Her eyes carried an admiration she could not conceal; the corners of her mouth curved upward slightly, as though she were looking upon something truly wonderful.
Then something even more unbelievable unfolded before Qi Chuyao.
Without sparing another glance at her own daughter, Qi's Mother drew out several documents from a thick stack of papers beside her and slowly opened them.
"Song Ning, listen to this." Her voice dropped lower. "These are urgent reports on the Bingzhou famine and a mutiny among the frontier troops."
Song Ning listened for a while; his expression shifted ever so slightly.
"Mother-in-law," he spoke, his tone considerably more grave than before, "this must be handled with great caution. Great caution—this is no ordinary famine or mutiny."
His brow furrowed slightly:
"The unrest in Bingzhou—the more it is suppressed, the larger it will grow. It must be handled with great caution."
That place had produced the Roaming King before. He could not help but treat it gravely. Even if it was only a temporary suppression, it was better than doing nothing—sparing himself the burden of fighting on 2 fronts in the future.
Qi's Mother smiled.
"Then what do you think should be done?"
Song Ning considered, then his words came out faster:
"Issue an urgent decree from the Ministry of War at once, strictly ordering the Three-Border Governor-General of Bingzhou and the Inspector-Governor of Yansui: execute only the ringleaders; do not pardon those who were coerced; but do not permit a wholesale massacre of the assembled unruly populace."
"Submit an urgent memorial on frontier troop rations, requesting an imperial decree to first draw 50,000 taels of silver from the Imperial Pasturage Office's Reserve Treasury and disburse them to the Shaanxi frontier troops to cover their owed pay."
He added: "The silver in the Imperial Pasturage Office falls directly under the Ministry of War—it is dedicated military supply funds and need not pass through the Ministry of Revenue."
"You only need to petition for it. Even if Wei Yang is unwilling to release it, he would not dare violate ancestral regulations and withhold military supply funds. Secure the money first, then proceed from there."
Qi Chuyao blinked.
She slowly turned her head to look at her good friend Qin Junyue.
Her eyes were filled with shock:
Did you see that? What he just said?
Qin Junyue caught her gaze and smiled awkwardly, looking a little embarrassed.
Of course she had seen it—she had not only seen it, she had known all along.
For selfish reasons, she had never told Qi Chuyao any of this. She wanted to keep it all to herself.
In her heart she harbored a different, shadowy corner—she did not want this fiancée of Song Ning's to know too much.
She had harbored hope, that someday…
In the very beginning, Qin Junyue had even secretly hoped that he would break off the engagement.
If that had happened, she could have stepped in and taken everything for herself.
What a pity—those small calculations of hers had been shattered today.
Qi's Mother nodded and drew out another memorial.
"This is a petition to establish a Temple of Living Virtue and write off military expenses—listen to this."
Song Ning listened for a moment and waved his hand.
"No good. This sum of money must not pass through your hands. Should the Princess of Trust move to settle accounts in the future, there would be no way for you to escape—you would be entirely at the Emperor's mercy."
"But refusing outright won't do either. We cannot afford to openly antagonize them right now. Delay without resolving it—push it back on procedural grounds."
In his heart he cursed silently:
‘Petitioning to build a Temple of Living Virtue out of the Ministry of War's accounts—is it not just to pocket salaries for ghost soldiers? These eunuch party members really have a knack for lining their pockets.’
"Frontier troops owed their pay in massive arrears, frontier fortifications fallen into disrepair after years of neglect, and now a petition to build a Temple of Living Virtue."
"Return the memorial unopened to the Ji-Liao Governor-General's office and demand they furnish 3 things: first, a detailed itemized list of the temple's specific construction materials and labor costs; second, a current inventory of military pay outstanding at the Ji garrison; third, an on-site inspection verification by the Inspecting Censor of Zhili."
He thought it over, confirmed there were no problems, and added:
"Having the Inspecting Censor go and verify in person—that condition alone can stall her for several months."
"By then, the political landscape will likely be turned completely upside down."
"In any case, these are extraordinary times. Under no circumstances can there be any nominal association with the Eunuch Party."
He recalled in his past life that after the Chongzhen Emperor ascended the throne, it had not merely been Wei Zhongxian who was purged—the cleansing had continued with the remnants of the Eunuch Party, sweeping out an entire cohort of officials.
And it had been a reckless purge at that—everyone looked like a Eunuch Party remnant.
If the future Princess of Trust also turned out to be a willful, suspicious emperor, who could say what use he might make of that memorial?
"Very well—I'll follow your lead on all of it." Qi's Mother picked up her brush and jotted down a few notes, then drew out more documents.
Song Ning answered each one in turn, deliberating alongside her.
Words like frontier, famine, military pay, Eunuch Party—they fell like heavy stones, one by one, striking the ground with dull thuds.
Qi Chuyao sat to one side, silent.
She watched the side of Song Ning's face, watched that mouth open and close to produce words she could not quite follow yet somehow felt were utterly remarkable.
She suddenly felt as though she had never truly known this person.
It was only when everything concluded that Qi's Mother put away the memorials. She smiled and patted Song Ning on the shoulder, personally supporting him as he rose to his feet.
"You've truly worked hard today, Song Ning."
****
The door opened.
Light poured in, scattering the dimness within the room.
Song Ning stepped out under Qi's Mother's support, with Qi Chuyao and Qin Junyue following behind.
Sunlight fell upon him, making that white robe glow faintly.
Song Youyi and Xia Ling and the others had been waiting outside.
The moment they saw the door open, they stepped forward to welcome him.
The room brightened in an instant.
Sunlight streamed through the open door, dissolving all trace of the scattered memorials and the grave atmosphere that had filled it moments before.
As though those matters of court had never existed at all.
Qi's Mother turned to Song Youyi with a smile.
"I picked the wedding date long ago." She spoke, her voice bright and spirited. "No time to waste—in 2 days, let Qi Chuyao and Song Ning be married."
She was now desperate to welcome Song Ning into the household.
Song Youyi was taken aback.
"2 days?" The smile on her face stiffened slightly. "This soon?"
"And after that, would my brother be moving to the Qi Family Residence? Is that not…"
No. That wouldn't do.
She still hadn't won over Xia Ling. She still hadn't… reached him.
If he moved away, what was she to do?
Once away from the Song Family Estate, how could she manage her brother's affairs?
What about the meals he ate, the Inner Garments he wore, the clothes to be changed and washed—and and…
Song Youyi found her breathing growing heavy; she could not help but cough a few times, shaking her head ceaselessly.
No—she could not allow her brother to move away so easily.
Qi's Mother chuckled, entirely untroubled:
"On that matter, let me discuss it with your mother."
"Our 2 families live close by anyway—it makes no difference where they stay."
"Even if those 2 want to live somewhere new, that would be fine too."
She was not short on funds—at worst, she would simply have Song Ning and Qi Chuyao live in a new place together.
Song Youyi forced out a laugh, her face bearing that customary expression of delicate frailty.
She raised a hand to wipe her face, her voice soft and gentle:
"My brother is after all not without physical inconveniences. It would be more convenient at the Song Family Estate—it would be best for him to stay at the Song Family Estate for now."