Regarding seeking shelter and mercy from her maternal uncle's family, Ming Baoqing knew she would have to do it sooner or later. Her pride and arrogance were merely an act.
Originally, she had planned to wait until the situation calmed down further. But after sleeping on the mat grass for one night, she woke up in the morning with her bones creaking all over, so sore that she had to sit stiff-backed for a long time to ease the discomfort. When she got up, she saw a pot of thin, grayish-green vegetable porridge, which was even more unappetizing than the slop the Marquis's Mansion disposed of daily.
Lan Panxiao held the ladle and bowl for distributing the porridge, watching everyone's disdainful expressions, and said, "At this time, every household is short on food. Not just us—even the neighbors are eating wild vegetable porridge. Only the able-bodied laborers get a slightly thicker portion. This bit of coarse rice is…"
"Did Mother use copper coins as soon as we arrived?" Ming Baoqing interrupted Lan Panxiao.
Lan Panxiao was taken aback, lowering her head as she replied, "Only five copper coins, for half a peck of rice."
"Never mind," Ming Baoqing said. "Was the rice seller an ordinary farming family?"
"Yes," Lan Panxiao quickly nodded. "That household only had an old man, who said he and his young grandson depended on each other and made a living by farming. At most, they would go into the city to sell vegetables."
"That's good then, Mother. I'm not blaming you. I'm just afraid that if someone with ill intentions sees it, they might say we brought wealth out of the mansion, which could stir up trouble again."
Seeing Ming Baoqing soften her tone, Lan Panxiao nodded and said, "At this time, the vegetables in the fields aren't fully grown yet. That family kindly shared half of the wild vegetables they gathered with us. There's also half a jar of salt in the kitchen. Even a skilled cook can't make a meal without rice, and this is all I can do."
"I understand. Thank you for your efforts, Mother." Sensing a hint of frustration in her tone, Ming Baoqing poured out sixteen copper coins and a roll of extremely fine gold thread from her sleeve, saying, "I'll leave these for you to use."
Aunt Zhu was using a ladle to scoop the thicker portion from the bottom of the pot. Hearing this, her movements paused slightly, but she quietly served herself and Ming Baoshan a full bowl first, then pretended to take a small bowl for Ming Baojin.
Lan Panxiao hesitated for a moment before spreading her palm to accept it.
Gold and silver were mostly reserved for the national treasury, while commoners typically used copper coins or cloth for daily transactions.
Since the imperial decree had personally demoted the women of the Ming family to commoners and forbade them from taking any property with them, even if they managed to hide gold or silver, using it would be too conspicuous and might lead to accusations.
Apart from this roll of gold thread sewn into the hem of her clothes, Ming Baoqing had also hidden a very thin silver strip inside her wooden hairpin.
The silver strip was actually a tassel she had removed from a hairpin, and it fit perfectly inside the hollow wooden hairpin. Even when Yan Guan later pulled it out to inspect it, he didn't notice anything amiss.
Lan Panxiao untied the pouch from her waist and spread everything inside onto the low table, saying, "Apart from the copper coins spent on buying rice, I still have six coins and two gold beans here. All of this is thanks to Fourth Mistress's beautiful hair; otherwise, we wouldn't even have this much."
Lan Panxiao gently touched Ming Baojin's jet-black hair, which was simply tied with a cloth strip, frowned, scooped a little of the thin soup from the bowl in front of her into her own bowl, and added more rice grains to Ming Baojin's portion, saying, "Eat."
When they left the mansion, they had been searched multiple times, especially during the inspection by the matrons from the Ministry of Justice who specialized in searching female prisoners. Their undergarments and shoe soles were torn apart, and their tongues and back teeth were pried open for inspection.
It was only because Ming Baoqing still had some connections through her maternal grandfather's family that she was merely searched and had her hair taken down.
Then there was Ming Baojin, naive and innocent, who, when thrown onto the couch, got up on her own and obediently removed her clothes for the matrons to see. Only then did the matrons go easy on her, overlooking the few coins Lan Panxiao had hidden in her hair.
Thinking of this, Ming Baoqing felt another wave of frustration welling up in her chest. She said, "Gold and silver are useless for now. Using them would only invite trouble. Mother, please keep them safe for the time being."
"However, the gold thread might still have some luck at cloth shops or tailor stores. Yuan Niang, you really thought this through," Lan Panxiao said, looking at the small pile of money on the table that they had gone through so much hardship to bring out. Her heart finally settled a little.
After speaking, she turned her gaze to Aunt Zhu.
Aunt Zhu kept her head down, eating as if the porridge in her bowl were the most exquisite delicacy, not looking up for even a moment.
Lan Panxiao had endured a bumpy journey, risen early, and been busy all morning. When buying rice, she had to hide and conceal, and dealing with wave after wave of curious neighbors had drained her energy. At this point, she couldn’t be bothered to argue with Aunt Zhu. Instead, Ming Baoqing shot her a glance and said, "Aunt Zhu has always been resourceful. What? Didn’t manage to hide even a single coin?"
Ming Baoshan felt guilty and couldn’t help but glance at Aunt Zhu, only to have her foot stepped on under the table. She dared not speak, her face flushing red.
"We two are lowly commoners with cheap bones. Why would those matrons show us any mercy? They practically scraped a layer off our faces—how could we possibly hide any money?"
Aunt Zhu finished her bowl of porridge and was about to go for more, but seeing everyone staring at her, she reluctantly withdrew her hand.
"Call yourself lowly if you want, but don’t drag Er Niang (Ming Baoshan) into it," Ming Baoqing said coldly. "She bears the Ming surname."
Aunt Zhu shifted her buttocks, legs crossed, thinking to herself, So proud of that name, but what good is the Ming surname now?
Ming Baoqing frowned and looked over, only to see Ming Baoshan forcing a smile as she reached out and placed two copper coins on the small pile of money.
Aunt Zhu shot her a glare but, still hoping to rely on Ming Baoqing’s maternal family’s influence for a better life, put on a troubled expression and said, "That’s all I have. The matrons’ hands were like iron pincers—there was really no way to hide anything."
Except for the small handful of gold beads and silver beans she had swallowed.
Ming Baoying’s face flushed red. She had been busy taking care of the deranged Aunt Lin and hadn’t managed to hide a single copper coin.
Ming Baoqing understood Ming Baoying’s difficulties and didn’t press her. She just looked at the small pile of money on the table and then at all these people. Without even calculating, she knew it wouldn’t last more than a few days.
Ming Baoqing’s gaze swept over everyone. Only Ming Baojin still wore a red-stringed protective charm, which had been squeezed several times by the matrons and Buliang Ren to confirm it contained nothing but a talisman paper.
The others all wore wooden hairpins, tied cloth strips as hair ribbons, their wrists bare, their necks empty. The clothes covering their bodies were nothing more than old servant garments.
These old clothes were actually clean, and the fabric was far better than what ordinary commoners wore. Ming Baoqing herself couldn’t shake the discomfort, feeling ill at ease all over, but for now, she had no way to bring up wanting to bathe.
"The Tianxiang Manor on the west side of Qinghuai Township is my maternal family’s estate. I was thinking of going there to test the waters."
Hearing this, even Lan Panxiao perked up, let alone Aunt Zhu.
"Yes, yes! You are our living Bodhisattva. Please go and beg Master Cen for help. You are a celestial being descended to earth—how could you endure such suffering?!" Aunt Zhu exclaimed repeatedly.
"Is it far?" Lan Panxiao asked, looking at Ming Baoqing with concern.
She was too beautiful, her stunning looks impossible to conceal even with simple hairpins and plain clothing.
More elegant than Ming Baoshan's delicate charm, more captivating than Ming Baoying's serene composure, and more mature than Ming Baojin's youthful innocence.
Ming Baoqing also looked at this young stepmother and said, "It's not too far. I'll go early and return early."
The small courtyard they temporarily resided in was within the boundaries of Wannian County, so public security was relatively good—far better than the wild outskirts elsewhere.
But Lan Panxiao was still somewhat worried. Aunt Zhu quickly said, "I'll accompany the young mistress there."
Aunt Zhu then glanced at Ming Baojin and, noticing the bruise on her temple from an accidental injury during the recent chaos, added, "Fourth Mistress should go too."
Ming Baoqing sensed her intention to use Ming Baojin to garner more sympathy and said, "In that case, why not have Aunt Zhu go first to deliver a message to my uncle at the estate? That would be better than us making the trip only to meet a few servants."
Aunt Zhu, with her long-term vision, decided to endure this errand in exchange for future benefits.
Watching her retreating figure, Ming Baoqing seemed to glimpse a sliver of hope.
But soon, Ming Baoqing withdrew her gaze and instead looked through the open window of the kitchen stove from the main hall.
Compared to the nearby uncultivated fields, the distant fields appeared richer and darker in color. An old ox slowly plodded across the land, dragging an iron plow behind it, turning the soil loose and soft. Back and forth, the spring weeds were uprooted, transformed into nourishment for the crops.
"One nine, two nine, don't venture out; three nine, four nine, walk on ice; five nine, six nine, admire willows by the river; seven nine, rivers thaw, eight nine, wild geese return," Ming Baojin suddenly recited the nursery rhyme she had learned when she first initiated learning, clapping her hands and laughing. "Nine nine plus one nine, plowing oxen roam everywhere."
The days of waiting felt like being fried in oil, but Ming Baojin didn't mind. Her range of play soon extended from the courtyard beyond the stone wall, where she crouched in the weeds catching newly hatched green grasshoppers as tiny as sesame seeds.
The long blades of grass hung like inverted curtains, and the vines winding around the fence wall remained withered and shriveled, showing no signs of revival.
A mule cart appeared in Ming Baojin's line of sight, bathed in the fading glow of the sunset. She stood up and stared as the cart drew closer.
A dignified woman stepped down from the mule cart, covering her face with a handkerchief as if shielding herself from the sun.
Ming Baojin turned and ran back into the courtyard.
Both Ming Baoqing and Lan Panxiao recognized the visitor—she was Qu Mama, a trusted confidante of their aunt, Wang Shi, specially sent to fetch Ming Baoqing for a meeting at Tianxiang Estate.
"At this hour?" Lan Panxiao asked.
"Yes, the young lady will be sent back tomorrow morning," Qu Mama replied.
Lan Panxiao glanced at the setting sun but dared not show any dissatisfaction.
The old favor the Cen Residence held in the new emperor's heart had been exhausted by Madam Zhuo. It was only natural for them to act cautiously now.
"Then will you accompany Elder Sister?" Lan Panxiao gently placed her hand on Ming Baojin, who looked toward Ming Baoqing.
But at that moment, Ming Baoqing seemed lost in thought.
Her gaze was distant, her sparse, long eyelashes like a faint mist, yet they did not obscure her clear view of Qu Mama's slightly curled lips.
"Little Sister, let's go." Coming back to herself, Ming Baoqing gave an almost imperceptible wave of her arm. Ming Baojin reached out to take her hand and thought, Elder Sister's hand is so cold.
Qu Mama lifted her eyelids and said, "The young mistress has grown thinner. Our lady will surely feel heartache when she sees you."
"You've gone to great trouble, Aunt." Ming Baoqing said softly.
Tianxiang Manor wasn't too far away, taking about half an hour to reach.
The tenant farmers' cottages surrounded the manor and its fields, with candlelight faintly glowing through the windows. All that light combined still couldn't match the brightness of the pair of lanterns hanging before Tianxiang Manor.
Even among manors, Tianxiang Manor lived up to its name far more.
They passed through two gates before reaching the inner courtyard, following the dim, hazy lantern light along the corridor into the house.
Wang Shi was leaning against an armrest, seemingly not in the best spirits, lightly tapping her forehead with her fingertips.
Ming Baoqing had thought she might see Mama Qiu from her grandmother Madam Zhuo's side today, but all the maids attending in the room were Wang Shi's own people.
'Now the Cen Residence is no longer my maternal grandparents' home, but my uncle's.' This thought emerged clearly in Ming Baoqing's mind.
And it was an uncle from a collateral branch at that.
Although Ming Baoqing's maternal grandfather had been the previous generation's family head, having no legitimate sons and only mediocre illegitimate sons, the position of family head for this generation had been passed to Cen Shitang from a collateral branch.
Though the Cen family wasn't as deeply rooted as the major aristocratic families like Li, Cui, Lu, and Wang, they had served as officials for two generations, accumulating some connections and goodwill.
Even if Ming Baoqing entered servitude, once the turmoil subsided, it wouldn't be impossible to rescue her later.
Cen Shitang had originally planned to seek a way out for his niece after everything settled down.
But Madam Zhuo felt her time was short—if she died, nothing could be done—and couldn't bear to hear Cen Shitang repeatedly saying "wait."
For a girl from a respectable family to enter servitude, even if rescued later, would leave a stain like mud on water, difficult to wash clean.
So Madam Zhuo, disregarding all dissuasion, dragged her ailing body into the palace to plead for mercy.
To Ming Baoqing, this was naturally deep maternal love, but for the entire Cen family, it wasn't a good thing.
Although Wang Shi now appeared relatively calm, Ming Baoqing knew clearly in her heart that she had little room for maneuver in front of her.