Magistrate Yu wiped his moist eyes, thinking to himself how heartbroken General Jiang would be if he were still alive and could see the young lady like this:
“Good, good! This humble official’s health is still strong! I could work for another ten years without any problem. It’s just that Wangfei has suffered greatly along the journey.”
“Please rest assured, now that you’ve come to Chengshui, no one will be able to bully you.”
“I know Uncle Yu is good to me. That’s exactly why I’ve come to seek refuge with you!”
Jiang Wanwen spoke very politely. After all, according to her memories, this Magistrate Yu had followed her original father onto the battlefield and was extremely loyal to General Jiang.
This was the escape route General Jiang had arranged for his daughter before his death. Jiang Wanwen felt it should be reliable.
Moreover, Jiang Wanwen had always admired such people, so upon their first meeting, she positioned herself as a junior.
Magistrate Yu dared not accept such address. The fact that the young lady could call him Uncle Yu would make him happy for a long time. When he eventually passed on, those old fellows would probably envy him!
Magistrate Yu quickly declined, “Wangfei flatters this humble official too much.”
Jiang Wanwen held her nephew Jiang Ping’an’s hand as she walked toward the house, beckoning Magistrate Yu to join them. “Uncle Yu, let’s go inside to talk.”
Magistrate Yu smiled and followed behind Jiang Wanwen and the others.
After everyone was seated, Jiang Wanwen pulled Jiang Ping’an to her side and introduced him to Magistrate Yu: “Uncle Yu hasn’t met him before, right? This is my elder brother’s only child, named Jiang Ping’an.”
After the introduction, Jiang Wanwen told Jiang Ping’an to greet him, “Ping’an, quickly call him Grandpa Yu.”
Jiang Ping’an immediately smiled and greeted, “Jiang Ping’an pays his respects to Grandpa Yu!”
Magistrate Yu stood up excitedly, his gaze at Jiang Ping’an even more emotional than when he had looked at Jiang Wanwen earlier. “This is too much honor, far too much honor.”
Magistrate Yu knelt solemnly before Jiang Ping’an and performed a formal bow. “This humble servant Yu Shanyong pays respects to the Little Master.”
Startled, Jiang Ping’an jumped to the side. Though only five years old, he knew he was a commoner and shouldn’t receive an official’s bow.
Before Jiang Wanwen could stop him, Magistrate Yu had already completed the formal bow.
Jiang Wanwen signaled Jiang Ping’an to quickly help him up and said helplessly, “Uncle Yu, there’s no need for this. My father is no longer here, and all that remains of the former General’s residence is this five-year-old child, Jiang Ping’an.”
“Wangfei, please don’t say that. As long as someone from the General’s residence remains, the General’s residence will always exist.”
After replying to Jiang Wanwen, Magistrate Yu untied the jade pendant from his waist and pressed it into Jiang Ping’an’s hand, his voice softening:
“This isn’t worth much. The Little Master can play with it. In the future, whenever the Little Master needs anything, please don’t stand on ceremony with this humble servant. I will find whatever you need.”
Jiang Ping’an handed the jade pendant back to Magistrate Yu, declining with the seriousness of a little adult: “This is too valuable, I cannot accept it. I have my own!”
Magistrate Yu immediately stepped back. “What you have is yours. Since you called this humble servant Grandpa Yu, I must give you a meeting gift.”
Jiang Ping’an could only turn to his aunt for help. Seeing her nod, he solemnly accepted it and bowed to Magistrate Yu as a junior would. “Thank you, Grandpa Yu.”
Magistrate Yu sidestepped to avoid the bow. He couldn’t accept the Little Master’s formal courtesy.
Magistrate Yu hadn’t anticipated the Little Master’s arrival, so he hadn’t brought the item entrusted to him by the general. Upon seeing the Little Master, he mentally noted to bring it on his next visit.
This was something the general had emphasized when entrusting it to him: whenever the Little Master accompanied the young lady to Chengshui, regardless of age, the item was to be handed over.
Afterward, Jiang Wanwen introduced the people around her to Magistrate Yu. They exchanged a few more casual words before the magistrate tactfully took his leave with his attendants.
Once Magistrate Yu departed, Jiang Wanwen showed no immediate interest in touring the estate. Instead, she had the estate staff escort Fu Xuanming and the others to their quarters to rest.
Attended by Ruhua and Ruyue, Jiang Wanwen freshened up thoroughly before retiring. For over three months, she hadn’t slept soundly, and this time she slumbered straight through until the following afternoon, missing the lunch hour entirely.
The estate’s kitchen, however, had kept the fires burning, awaiting her awakening. After a warm meal eaten alone, Jiang Wanwen felt as if she had been revived.
Following the late lunch, she requested a tour of the estate, curious about what was cultivated on her fertile land. Expecting to spend the afternoon exploring, she was met with desolation the moment she stepped beyond the courtyard—barren fields overrun with half-meter-high weeds.
Ma Liu hurriedly explained, “Your Majesty, when the general purchased this fertile land, he provided no tenant farmers nor granted this humble servant authority to manage it freely. My duty was merely to guard it. My wife and I only dared cultivate a small patch near the servants’ quarters for some vegetables.”
Ma Liu and his wife were honest, dutiful people. Two months prior, when Emperor Fu Xuanrui sent word to assign people to farm the land, they staunchly refused, insisting it was the Empress Dowager’s private property and not to be touched.
Though unexpected, Jiang Wanwen found the untouched land preferable—it meant she could decide what to plant without interference. Yet she self-mockingly corrected Ma Liu, “Address me as ‘Master.’ Haven’t you heard the rumors? Their Empress Dowager perished in Shengyang.”
Jiang Wanwen could speak of this herself, but Ma Liu dared not respond. He merely acquiesced respectfully, adjusting his address to “Master.”
Jiang Wanwen mused that she would need to purchase laborers—these fields must be cultivated. Just as the thought crossed her mind, her adopted son Zhong Yuancheng arrived.
“Cheng’er, you’ve come at the perfect time. How many of our people have families? Can they come? Would those over two hundred individuals be willing to farm?”
Jiang Wanwen considered that if their families were willing to farm, the men could assist with fieldwork while also safeguarding the estate.
Zhong Yuancheng was intrigued by his adoptive mother’s proposal but needed clarity: “There are 156 households with families and 100 unmarried individuals. But how would the farming be organized?”
Surveying the terrain—a basin nestled between mountains on two sides, water on one, and a plain leading out on the other—Jiang Wanwen noted her ten thousand mu of land lay centrally, surrounded by additional plots. She contemplated purchasing all the adjacent land as well.
Jiang Wanwen asked Ma Liu, “Headman Ma, who owns the land next to ours? Is it for sale?”
Ma Liu actually knew the answer, as he had inquired about it over the years. “Reporting to the master, the land belongs to some farmers from beyond the mountains. They are willing to sell, but their asking price is quite high. Currently, fertile land in Chengshui costs three taels of silver per mu. Their fields aren’t considered fertile—they’re only of medium quality—yet they’re demanding five taels per mu. It’s nothing short of a lion’s asking price.”