Chapter 514 - 341: The Teacher Dies Before Achieving Success
The next day, nearing noon, a decree from the Emperor arrived, appointing Xiao Song as County Marquis of Xiangwu, Third Rank, with a fief of one thousand households. Ran Yan was appointed as Lady of Liang, Third Rank.
The title "Lady of Liang", being scholarly and capable, likely implied a connection to the descendants of the Liang state.
Not all ladies with titles had titles of substantial meaning, similar to Lady Daning whose title was due to meritorious deeds at the founding of the state, hence she had a fief, and it had no relation to her husband. Therefore, her imperial decree was prefixed with the name of the fief, making it a rather special case. However, most ladies like Ran Yan received their rank because of their husbands, without financial security, and their prefixes were all meaningful words.
Once the decree was announced, it immediately became the hot topic among neighbors, and more than the neighborhood discussions, the court was very calm. Even when colleagues met Xiao Song, they merely gestured a salute and offered congratulations. This situation arose firstly because the Great Lady had just passed away, and Xiao Song was still in the mourning period, making it inappropriate for others to visit and congratulate; secondly, because everyone in the court understood that being granted a title without reason usually meant shouldering a burden heavier than the title itself, and most would rather earn their titles through deeds than accept such baseless tasks.
Thus, Xiao Song’s residence remained quite undisturbed.
Ran Yan forced herself to calm down and used the time to work with Liu Qingsong to prepare many medications.
Liu Qingsong, already a student of traditional Chinese medicine, was somewhat stronger than Ran Yan in the art of Chinese medicine and preparing herbal prescriptions. The two spent a day in the pharmacy concocting various types of sedatives, illusion drugs, and poisons, and distributed them to the guards in the household that day to fully prepare for the search at the Princess’ Courtyard the next evening.
The morning of the third day, Xiao Song used his period of mourning to relocate with Ran Yan to an estate in the eastern suburbs. It wasn’t until after the thirty-six-day mourning period that he officially returned to the government office to resume his duties.
These two days were a real test of will for Ran Yan. She had spent all of yesterday focused on preparing medicines, which already made the days seem endlessly long. Staying idle in the estate today made her feel like she was sitting on pins and needles, further compounded by the scorching summer heat, her chafed thighs healing, itchy and painful, causing her much irritation and distress.