Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Tenant Farmers Princess Rongjia had just finished her sigh of lament when Madame Jiang arrived. Madame Jiang's eyes were red. Princess Rongjia asked several times before she finally spoke in a low voice, "I truly didn't say anything about her, yet she made me kneel in the ancestral hall. If word of this gets out, how can I hold my head up? Besides, she's not the one managing the household—Old Madame is still here. How can it be her place to punish me?" Seeing that Princess Rongjia remained silent, Madame Jiang twisted her handkerchief tightly and lowered her eyes to wipe away tears. "Speaking of which, you, Princess, are my true elder sister-in-law. What is she but a nobody, am I right?" These words struck a chord with Princess Rongjia, and she was willing to offer Madame Jiang a way out. "If Sister Cui wants to punish you, I dare not interfere, or she'll misunderstand me again. You can go to the ancestral hall and say you're praying for Ling'er's sake. After a while, I'll send a maid to call you away, and that will be the end of it. As for Old Madame—you've already been punished, and it was I who called you away. With my face in the matter, no one can find fault." Ling'er was a concubine-born daughter of the second branch. Madame Jiang greatly disliked Ling'er, and in the past, people in the household had already whispered that she mistreated the concubine-born daughters. Going to pray today would help salvage some of her image. Madame Jiang's face immediately brightened with joy. "You're truly kind-hearted, sister-in-law Princess. I'll remember this favor, and from now on, I'll follow your lead." While Madame Jiang headed to the ancestral hall, Qingxue quickly returned after delivering the message. Princess Rongjia refused to reduce the tenant rent, and the tenant farmers were full of complaints. Someone mentioned that it was because the marquis's household had a new manager that the rent wasn't reduced this year. The tenant farmers elected one of their own to go to the marquis's residence specifically to seek an audience with Cui Lingrong. Upon learning that a tenant farmer wished to see her, Cui Lingrong went to the front hall. In previous years, before spring planting, Cui Lingrong would bring people to the estates to distribute bonus silver to the tenant farmers, which was why she recognized Li Fugui when he arrived. "Please, Great Madam, help us." Li Fugui immediately knelt down, his voice choked with tears. "There's been little rain this year, and our harvest is only half of what it was in past years. Yet the marquis's household still demands the full tenant rent. We truly cannot pay it. If we pay the full rent, our family's food supply won't last until next spring." The Great Madam was a good person—whenever the harvest was poor, she would proactively reduce or waive the tenant rent. In all these years, none of the tenant households had been forced to sell their children. As for the new steward, Li Fugui and the others harbored deep resentment. If they had to pay the full rent, many families would truly have to sell their children. Cui Lingrong asked, "Is the situation really that severe this year?" "Great Madam can send someone to investigate. Because of the water shortage, the rice ears aren't full enough, and the grains are few. Every household's granary is the same. It's not just our estate that has a poor harvest—many families nearby are in the same situation." Li Fugui kowtowed again, until his forehead was swollen. "You are the Great Madam. We all respect and trust you. Please, give us a way to survive." Cui Lingrong's face showed difficulty. Nanny Qiu sighed and said, "If the Great Madam were in charge, she certainly wouldn't be hounding you for the rent. Whether the harvest is good or bad depends entirely on the weather, and we can understand your hardships. But the Great Madam is in a difficult position too. The Marquis and Old Madame won't let the Great Madam manage the household. Right now, Princess Rongjia has the final say in the marquis's residence. You'll have to go to her." "We sent word a couple of days ago, but the Princess refused to see us." Li Fugui knew very well that it wasn't that she was busy—she simply looked down on tenant farmers like them and couldn't be bothered. There were few people in the world with a heart as kind as the Great Madam's. "This..." Nanny Qiu looked at her mistress. She knew the tenant farmers were having a hard time, but if her mistress rashly intervened, she feared it would give Princess Rongjia ammunition against her. Cui Lingrong knew Li Fugui wasn't lying, but whether she went to the Marquis or to Old Madame, the matter would be brushed aside lightly. Because the Princess was managing the household, however it was handled had to be decided by the Princess. The Marquis and Old Madame wouldn't let the Princess lose face. She thought for a moment. "This matter—begging me won't actually help." Li Fugui froze in despair. If even the Great Madam couldn't help, then they truly had no way out. "But I can give you an idea." Cui Lingrong said, "You said the harvests at nearby estates are all poor. So you can ask around and see how other masters are handling it. If there are kind-hearted masters who reduce the rent, then you can find a few child brokers and make a show of wanting to sell your sons and daughters. The bigger the commotion, the better. Our Old Madame cares most about her reputation. I can't control the Princess, but Old Madame can." If other households were reducing rent while only the Song family was forcing tenant farmers to sell their children, word would spread, and it wouldn't sound good no matter how you looked at it. Cui Lingrong had been in the marquis's residence for many years. She understood Old Madame and Song Shulan far better than Princess Rongjia did. Li Fugui's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly kowtowed in thanks. "Thank you, Great Madam, for your guidance. I am endlessly grateful for your great kindness. We will surely pray for your blessings!" "No need for that." Cui Lingrong sighed, saying she too had her difficulties. "Don't tell anyone about the idea I gave you. You've seen that I don't manage affairs now—to see me, you had to have several people relay the message. Go back and say I was powerless to help. This idea is something you thought of yourself." "But if others speak ill of you, wouldn't that mean you suffer injustice?" Li Fugui was genuinely grateful to the Great Madam and hoped she would have a good reputation. "It's fine. Time will tell. Just say I can barely protect myself—those who understand will understand. As for those who don't and want to curse me, I don't care about their opinions either. Hurry back now, leave the city before dark, or the road won't be safe." Cui Lingrong had someone prepare a sack of grain and two bolts of coarse cloth for Li Fugui. Li Fugui assured her, "You're a truly good person. I'll keep my mouth shut—I absolutely won't cause you any trouble." It was only after arriving at the Marquis's residence that he learned the Commandery Princess was an Equal Wife. In the village, Li Fugui had never heard of such a thing as an Equal Wife. They couldn't pry into the inner workings of their masters' household, but the moment the Marquis married the Commandery Princess, he put her in charge of the household—clearly showing how difficult the First Madam's position was. Li Fugui couldn't help sighing inwardly. Why did good people never get rewarded? He still preferred the First Madam to run the household. This new Commandery Princess, at first glance, didn't understand human affairs and certainly wouldn't show consideration for common folk like them. Li Fugui carried the grain and left. At the gate, a mama called out to him and pressed two pieces of broken silver into his hand. "Mama, what's this for?" "The Commandery Princess knows you all have it hard, but she's exhausting herself managing the Marquis's household—she didn't refuse to see you on purpose. Take this silver, brother, and buy some food for your family. Tell the tenant farmers that if they get through this year, things will only get better." Wang Shanxi's Wife had mostly recovered and had just returned to duty that day. When she heard Li Fugui had come, she hurried over to act on her mistress's behalf. Li Fugui looked at the silver in his hand and thought that if the Commandery Princess truly had a good heart, she wouldn't be forcing them to pay tenant rent right away. "So you're the Commandery Princess's people—no wonder you're so kind, mama. Please, take me to see the Commandery Princess. This year's harvest really is poor, and all the nearby farms are the same. If the Commandery Princess would show mercy, we'd all be endlessly grateful." Wang Shanxi's Wife thought to herself, what use would the Commandery Princess, someone so noble, have for the gratitude of these lowly people? But on the surface, she still smiled warmly. "Ah, I'm truly sorry, but the Commandery Princess really has no time. She has to oversee everything in the household, up and down—she's spinning like a top." She paused, then stepped closer. "Though the First Madam at Qiushuang Zhai does have free time. I wonder what she said to you?" Li Fugui understood now—the Commandery Princess showed no mercy at all. Remembering the First Madam's words, he said with displeasure, "Hmph, what could she say? The same things you just said, mama. I thought the First Madam would be as kind as before, but it's our misfortune. We'll just have to go back and figure out how to scrape together the grain." Watching Li Fugui's retreating figure, Wang Shanxi's Wife breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that one at Qiushuang Zhai hadn't meddled in other people's business. She returned to Wutong Yuan to report to her mistress. "Li Fugui was very angry. That one at Qiushuang Zhai was sensible enough—knowing you manage the household, she didn't interfere." "Cui Lingrong won't get involved. Don't be fooled by her gentle, agreeable manner—she's actually quite calculating. She knows coming to me is useless, Old Madame has been finding fault with her lately, and the Marquis's heart isn't with her either. She won't go looking for trouble." Princess Rongjia sipped her tea leisurely. "This year's pre-rain Longjing is truly excellent. Tell the steward to buy more." A single catty of top-grade pre-rain Longjing cost dozens of taels of silver, but Princess Rongjia was accustomed to this kind of life. Even when she economized, it meant making others live frugally—never at the expense of her own quality of life.