Chapter 599 - 303: Bait_1
After hearing Old Man Qian’s words, Qian Manjiang quickly said, "Fine, fine, once Shan Wa, De Wa, and the other descendants of the Qian family have passed their examinations and earned their titles, we will certainly help them find even better positions."
Old Man Qian waved his hand, "Manjiang, my grandson, though I am old, my head is not muddled yet. You, you’re more cunning than your father. Trying to fool me? How many years will it take for Shan Wa and De Wa to pass their examinations and earn their titles? By then, the grass will be growing over my grave. I’m only concerned with the here and now, give me a straight answer, are you going to give Manchuan and the others a hand or not?" He then kept on about the time when Qian Manjiang joined the army, how they provided their retirement silver for him, and that Pan Yue was acquired with the money pooled together by the main and fourth branches, and Qian Xiang, or else how could the third branch become Imperial relatives. Even if the Wu family provided the silver, it didn’t end up in their hands, so it was as if they hadn’t helped at all.
These words irritated Qian Manjiang, who spoke with a stern face, "We have always remembered what the other branches did for us, and how well they live now, becoming masters and landlords, buying servants, all with the help of my father and Yixiu. Uncle can’t just remember what others have done and forget the contributions of our third branch. You should think carefully, who has the Qian family relied on to get this far?"
Old Woman Qian hurriedly said, "We have always remembered your good deeds, third son. Your grandfather is getting confused in his old age, only remembering to say unpleasant things."
Qian Manjiang further explained that their current situation in the Capital City was also precarious, with no way to take care of more people. It wasn’t a wise move for those branches to come to the Capital City now; doing business there was tough, and their lives would not be as good as in Ji’an. It would be better to wait until his own household was stable before helping them establish themselves in the Capital City.
But Old Man Qian and Old Woman Qian couldn’t understand; they always thought that if the hardest to secure positions as Officials of Capital City had been achieved by them, how could they not help the others with their businesses.
Qian Manjiang then explained that what he had arranged for Wu Qingshu was a position, not an official title. Gaining an official title was beyond their capability at that time. Moreover, once Wu Qingshu became an official, he would not need the help of the Qian family, and perhaps could even become a support for the Qian family in the future. Helping those in business was different; what would they do if the business failed? How would so many people make a living? If times became hard, it could lead to trouble, and if careless talk reached the Imperial Censor, what would happen? If the Emperor heard of it, being dismissed from office would be the least of his worries.
Upon hearing the possibility of being dismissed from office, the old couple became afraid and fell silent.