"..."
Jia Zheng sat in his armchair with his eyes closed, lost in thought. For a while, he seemed to be trying to calm the churning qi and blood in his stomach. Only after a long time did he open his eyes. The anger in them slowly gave way to deep weariness and disappointment. After a while, he waved weakly at Jia Lian.
"Forget it! Forget it!"
"Let's not talk about that good-for-nothing wretch. Just bringing him up gets my blood boiling!"
He tried to turn his attention away from the trouble in the back courtyard. Picking up the cup of spiritual tea, which had gone somewhat cold, he took a small sip.
But in his foul mood, the tea tasted like nothing. He stopped drinking and simply held the cup, feeling its faint warmth as he tried to calm himself completely.
"..."
After gesturing for Jia Lian to take a seat below him, he raised his eyes. His expression had regained its composure as he looked at Jia Lian.
He opened his mouth, intending to discuss the matter in the back courtyard, but abruptly changed course and asked in a serious tone:
"Lian'er, how have things outside the residence been going lately?"
"Have they been proceeding smoothly?"
"If I remember correctly, it's time for the fief in Fusang Province to pay its spiritual-stone tribute for this year, isn't it?"
"Has it been collected?"
Jia Zheng oversaw external affairs, mainly those related to the officialdom. He did not pay much attention to the residence's various businesses or the income from its fiefs, but he did ask about them from time to time.
The fief belonging to Rongguo Mansion in Fusang Province, which he had just asked about, was not especially large. It had been bestowed upon the Jia family's ancestors