Someone Came to Snatch Food from the Tiger's Jaws

Wu Zong returned to his seat and said, "So you have to get an imperial decree from the Emperor. This isn't something we requested from the bottom up; it's something the Emperor ordered my junior sister to do from the top down. If you can do that, I'll promise you right now on behalf of my junior sister that we'll only charge each person 1,500 taels of silver as tuition. As for how much the people below pay you, we don't care; we'll just collect the money per person."

He gestured with his chin towards Zhang Changshen: "Isn't that fair? My junior sister has suffered a great injustice, sir. You should remember her kindness."

Zhang Changshen was overjoyed. "No problem. I'll go ask the Emperor for the decree right away."

He stood up. "In return for a favor, I can't let Miss Zhao suffer too much. Our Court of Judicial Review doesn't take advantage of those below. We can send more people from below, stipulating that each prefectural government send three people, each state government send two people, and each county government send one person to learn painting. They can come in batches by province. This way, more people will come to learn, Miss Zhao will benefit more, and it won't be easy for people to gossip. What do you think?"

"Thank you for thinking of my junior sister, sir." Wu Zong bowed deeply.

Both were overjoyed.

Seeing that Zhang Changshen was about to leave, Wu Zong hurriedly added, "I wonder if Wei Qiu has any farmland, shops, or houses Yousheng? If you could sell one to my junior sister, I think she would be even more dedicated to the affairs of our Court of Judicial Review. We could also save on the cost of one less person."

Worried that Zhang Changshen might overthink things, he quickly added, "It's just the market price. My junior sister will pay whatever price she gets from selling it to someone else. There's no need for the Court of Judicial Review to give her special treatment."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Changshen sighed deeply, "As you know, although I'm keeping these assets to sell and seek some benefit for everyone, it's still very difficult. After all, everyone wants good things, and there are some people you can't afford to offend. Wei Qiu has two estates in Beining, three houses in the capital, five shops, and several shops and estates in other counties. As soon as he was arrested, someone contacted me."

Wu Zong nodded.

He was aware of Zhang Changshen's difficulties.

"Minister Wen was the aggrieved party. That day, after we came out of the main hall, your eldest brother told me that he would give Wei Qiu's shops and a farm in Beining to him. I agreed on the spot."

Wu Zong: "..."

Unexpectedly, it was the senior brother who betrayed the junior sister.

But you can't blame the eldest brother. Back then, Master hadn't even acknowledged the junior sister yet.

Moreover, it was precisely because of the power struggle between Liu Chengde and Wei Qiu for the position of Ministry of Personnel that Minister Wen's grandson was tragically murdered; Liu Chengde was also eventually transferred to an outside post. With several parties fighting like snipe and clam, Minister Wen suffered, while the eldest brother benefited. Now, by asking for a favor and letting Minister Wen buy two shops and a farm, the eldest brother can be considered to have made up for Minister Wen's losses.

After all, the biggest victim was Minister Wen.

"Then there's still one farm left," Wu Zong said.

Wu Zong didn't want the house.

The large mansion where Wei Qiu lived was also purchased through various means after he became the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices; no one knows what methods he used. The same goes for his other residences. These are all residences in good locations.

The capital city was full of noble and aristocratic families who had long ago secured all the prime locations for their residences. Officials from other places or from humble backgrounds, even if they reached the third or fourth rank and had money, might not be able to buy a house near or even inside the inner city.

Those kinds of houses are extremely rare and highly sought after. Living in one was a symbol of status and wealth.

Zhao Ruxi just a young girl. Her family already owns a house, so there's no need for her to try and seize such a house, lest she incur jealousy and cause trouble for the Earl of Suiping's Residence.

A farm is different from a house. Although farms in Beining County are hard to come by, they are not necessities. If you have money, you can just buy one in a more distant place. The income is the same, the only downside is that it's a little inconvenient to take care of it. So it's not such an important thing, and even if Zhao Ruxi bought one, it wouldn't be easy for her to offend anyone.

"The estate is still in my possession. Although a few people have spoken to me on my behalf, given your master's and your own influence, and considering Miss Zhao's great help to the Court of Judicial Review, I'll sell the estate to her."

Wu Zong nodded in satisfaction. "Thank you very much, Lord Zhang."

Zhang Changshen hesitated for a moment. "Is it really impossible for Miss Zhao to come to our Court of Judicial Review? She took the imperial examinations to become an official, right? If that's the case, why go to such lengths? Even if she's intelligent, it will take many years to even pass the provincial examinations, let alone become a Jinshi (进士). There's no need to waste her time and energy on that. It would be better for her to come to our Court of Judicial Review. She doesn't have any official rank, and although I can't give her a high-ranking position, she's capable, and with the two of us protecting her, no one will dare to bully her."

Wu Zong worked under Zhang Changshen, so he naturally knew why Zhang wanted his junior sister to come to the Court of Judicial Review.

The cases handled by the Court of Judicial Review sometimes involve noblewomen of official rank. These women are merely witnesses, not criminal suspects, so they cannot be arrested and interrogated. Instead, the Dali Temple must visit them in person to inquire about their cases.

Although the people of the Great Jin Dynasty were known for their open-mindedness, there was still a distinction between men and women. Some people were reluctant to pay attention to male officials when they came to their homes, let alone ask them private questions.

His junior sister, though young, was mature in her dealings with people, thoughtful in her thinking, logical in her approach to problems, and also possessed excellent painting skills. Furthermore, with her master protecting her and being a young lady from the Earl of Suiping's Residence, her status was not low, and the noble ladies dared not humiliate her at will. There was no one more suitable than her to assist in the investigation.

"Well... you heard it yourself, my junior sister doesn't seem interested in this," Wu Zong said vaguely. "Let me ask her again. If she's unwilling, I can't force her."

Zhang Changshen nodded, and was about to ask Wu Zong to take Zhao Ruxi to complete the transfer procedures when his subordinate reported, "Sir, the second young Marquis of Pingnan's Residence requests an audience."

"The second young master of the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence?" Zhang Changshen frowned. "What's he doing here?"

They said they wanted to buy the estate owned by Wei Qiu.

Zhang Changshen and Wu Zong exchanged a glance.

Wu Zong said warily, "Sir, let's make this clear first. You promised my junior sister just now."

Zhang Changshen sighed, "Of course I agreed. But if this so-called Second Young Master tries to use the special status of the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence to pressure me, I can't refuse. You should know my predicament."

Wu Zong fell silent.

The Marquis of Pingnan was a newly risen nobleman with outstanding military achievements. In addition to gold, silver and jewels, the emperor also bestowed upon him land.

However, the fields near the capital had been occupied by nobles and officials of all ranks in the capital, so the fields granted to the Marquis of Pingnan were all close to the border he was stationed on. The area was very large, several thousand hectares, but the land was not only barren, but also destroyed when there was war, as tenant farmers would flee.

The emperor's intention was this: if you want your fields to yield a harvest, you must guard the border well and keep the enemy out of the country.

In recent years, the Marquis of Pingnan has not coveted the fields near the capital, so it's unclear why he's suddenly getting involved this time.

If his son uses the merits of Marquis of Pingnan to pressure Zhang Changshen, Zhang Changshen will find it difficult to refuse.