Chapter 267: Losing the Noble Lady and Wasting the Grain Stipend

Marriage alliance?

What marriage alliance?

Du Shanü was utterly confused——

How did we suddenly bring up marriage alliances again?

The term "marriage alliance" is easy enough to grasp, but who's marrying whom?

It can't possibly be her, right?

She still has a bun in the oven!

Afang is so trendy, she even knows about buy-one-get-one-free?

Could it be that Afang, seeing how proper the rites are, actually has a weird fetish for splitting couples and watching them wear green hats……

Chen Weifang, seeing his lord's strange expression, knew there must be a misunderstanding; he gritted his teeth and grabbed Du Shanü's ear:

"My lord, where are your thoughts wandering to?"

"I may be bad or vicious, but I'm not a beast—how could I possibly send my own lord away?"

The great undertaking is not yet complete.

Who has ever seen a subject send his lord away?

And who would the conquered empire belong to?

Is that even reasonable!

Du Shanü, having her ear seized, cried out for help:

"Afang—Afang—don't be angry—I know I was wrong—o(╥﹏╥)o"

"Wait, something's off! I haven't even said anything yet?!"

Damn it!

She clearly kept her mouth shut and hadn't said a thing!

How come Afang is pulling her ear again!

She constantly cries "My lord!" yet Afang doesn't even go out with a lantern to look—whose lord gets constantly grabbed by subordinates and nagged at the ear?

Chen Weifang, too, was irritated by anger, but upon hearing this he finally agreed to loosen his grip:

"That furtive glance... was just short of speaking out!"

Afang was ultimately soft-hearted, unwilling to really strike her lord in punishment.

Seeing Du Shanü regain her ear, she let out a big sigh of relief and immediately resumed her playful smile:

"Nonsense, who would dare to speculate about our Afang... cough cough."

"Never mind that—Afang, what exactly is going on with this marriage alliance?"

She had just said everything was lacking, and Afang immediately said a marriage alliance could solve it—clearly she had planned this beforehand……

But the details still need to be heard from Afang.

Chen Weifang withdrew his vexed gaze, turned back to his desk, sat down, and put brush to ink:

"My lord, do you still recall Chunrijian's paternal clan, the Spring Day Clan of Qiong Prefecture?"

Du Shanü certainly remembered; hearing this, she nodded involuntarily, though with a small complaint:

"...... I remember, was it him who mentioned the marriage alliance to you?"

"He's been sincere toward you, never sending me any letters."

Chen Weifang had already put brush to paper; hearing this, a vein bulged on his forehead and his fingertips twitched again:

"What do you mean 'he's sincere toward me'? He's here to serve as an official, so naturally he's my equal, and Chinu's equal too!"

"When he writes to us, it's just colleague correspondence; if he writes to you, that's an 'official report' or 'petition'—surely it must concern major affairs!"

Chunrijian had pledged allegiance midway, naturally worried about falling out of favor and taboo, so he often consulted colleagues for opinions when matters arose.

Otherwise, if he brought every little matter to the lord's face, what would the lord need him for?

How did we end up bringing up Chunrijian's 'sincerity' again?

No idea.

Chen Weifang really seemed out of ideas.

His whole demeanor exuded a gloom not much different from Chinu's former self.

Du Shanü instinctively leaned back in her chair, not daring to look too much at her Afang:

"Cough cough cough—oh dear, I was just speaking off the cuff——

"What did Ajian's letter say? Who is he supposed to marry?"

It certainly can't be……

Or is it our Afang again?

Of course, as for that remark, Du Shanü would never dare say it aloud, for fear of her ear's safety.

But Chen Weifang, upon a glance, knew exactly what scheme his lord was hatching; hearing this, another vein popped on his forehead, and he snapped:

"Not him, but a young lady from his own clan."

That young lady belongs to the main line of the clan; her father is a Senior Fourth‑Rank Transport Vice Commissioner of the Imperial Court, the second‑in‑charge of finances for Qiong Prefecture, overseeing revenue, audits, and local official evaluations.

Some people, hearing of imperial riches from storybooks, dismiss a Senior Fourth‑Rank official as trivial.

Yet such a status, aside from requiring deference to the imperial princesses, commandery princesses, and daughters of dukes beneath the capital, places her among the top echelon of official daughters locally—wherever she goes she is respected, a true aristocratic lady of the bureaucracy.

Moreover, the Transport Vice Commissioner is a lucrative post, destined to make its holder as coveted as a tasty treat everyone craves.

If a marriage alliance could be formed……

Whether lacking grain and funds, or salt and iron, or even selling off the tinware from Dun Cheng to open sales channels for Qiong Prefecture, the other side and her natal clan would be utterly effective.

This is something Chunrijian could absolutely not accomplish.

After all, although Chunri Jian now is said to be an official in Cang Cheng, his parents in the Zhoufu of Qiongzhou are still merchants.

Although they have money, they nevertheless have little status.

If one day they were caught in a mistake, no matter how wealthy the family, they would be nothing more than a purse for others to rummage through at will.

Just fish and meat on the chopping block, to be slaughtered at anyone's will.

Chen Weifang laid out the pros and cons one by one, and only then said:

"The young lady Chunri Jian mentioned to me is none other than the sister of the culprit who earlier caused him to fall from his horse and lose his official rank."

"After I caught the one who harmed Chunri Jian out of the examination hall that year, he lost all face, and even his father became a laughingstock in the clan; over these years, their branch's prestige has indeed greatly declined."

"Previously, the Wise Lord gave Chunri Jian an office; after obtaining the post, he hurried back to Qiongzhou to report the good news, which must have been spread abroad. The Chun clan, I don't know what they said behind closed doors, but the last time Chunri Jian's father wrote to Yongzhou, he vaguely mentioned the master's willingness to marry off a daughter......"

"That Vice Transport Commissioner is willing to give his daughter in marriage and provide money, on the condition that Yongzhou also give his good-for-nothing son an official post, and it must be a higher rank than Chunri Jian's."

The misty cave opens, and the truth is clear.

Du Shanü momentarily didn't know whether to pity the noble lady who was casually used as a makeweight in the power transaction, or to despise that father and son who, for no apparent reason, again wanted to overwhelm Chunri Jian.

After thinking left and right, Du Shanü fell silent for a moment, and when she finally spoke, she only said:

"Ah Jian, are you even willing to tell me about this?"

If one followed ordinary human thinking, knowing that someone would come to compete with oneself, one would most likely suppress the matter and keep it tightly sealed.

But Chunri Jian is different: not only did he lay the matter out in the open, he even explained it to Afang in such detail......

Could it be that he truly isn't afraid that Du Shanü might be swayed, give his enemy a higher official post, and thus overwhelm him again?

Chen Weifang set down his brush, gave a slight nod, and said:

"Actually, when all is said and done, it's still that Chunri Jian has confidence."

"Chunri Jian comes from a merchant background, has talent and ambition; if employed, he would have to rely solely on the Wise Lord and would not have to worry about being restrained by his own clan behind him."

"As for the other 'Chun,' it can immediately solve the present hunger and thirst; as long as one nods in agreement, a large sum of money and grain can be obtained at once, as for the future...... hard to say."

It is right that Chunri Jian did not make the decision on his own.

If he were to suppress this matter, who knows whether, should the Wise Lord happen to learn of it someday, he would not resent and blame him?

Therefore, it is better to lay out the pros and cons openly and let the Wise Lord decide for himself.

Chen Weifang let out a soft sigh:

"Although Chunri Jian appears mild-tempered, his nature is actually firm and stern; if the Wise Lord truly chose his enemy, Chunri Jian would likely resign and leave."

Du Shanü already knew this, so she wasn't very surprised; she only grew more puzzled about one point:

"Did Afang also bring up the marriage alliance?"

You know, she has always valued the abilities of her subordinates more.

"Money and grain are good, but to gain a little of them by planting a time bomb and losing a talented person—she could never do such a thing, no matter what."

"Since that is the case, why did Afang mention it?"

Du Shanü remained baffled; who would have thought Chen Weifang would curl a smile of indeterminate meaning and say softly:

"Since I can say these things to the Wise Lord, it naturally isn't a genuine marriage alliance......"

"Given that Chunri Jian already has a feud with his own clan, he would surely be glad to see them 【losing the lady and losing money and grain】."