170 – Settle Down

Lei Tie ordered Uncle Fu to give a reward to the messengers and asked him to send people out.

Chen Fu retreated outside the door and waited for orders.

As a modern transmigrator, Qin Mian was very interested in the “historical” commodities such as imperial edicts and imperial mandate document. Seeing that there were no outsiders in the room, he opened the imperial mandate document and found that the words “Lei-Qin Shi”¹ and “First Rank Mandated Lady” were written in neat traditional Chinese characters along with the date of the year and a bright red seal at the very bottom.

He looked again at the Mandated Lady’s clothes neatly stacked in the wooden tray. On the topmost was the crown. To be exact, it was a headband made of bluish-green jade inlaid with gold and adorned with a blue gem in the middle. Owing to the design being simple, elegant, and stylish, it wouldn’t make people feel tacky. He shook open the Mandated Lady’s clothes and felt relieved that Emperor Xiaohui was not bad; at least the Emperor didn’t give him a woman’s dress on purpose. The indigo-almost-black brocade long robe was tailored with first-grade cloud-brocade. Its wrought surface was suffused with radiance. The front chest was embroidered with an ethereal cloud pattern and flying phoenix pattern. The corners of the robe were crisscrossed with gold thread, showing a sense of solemnity and seriousness. There was also a matching wide belt.

The comparison between Qin Mian’s ordinary clothes and this Mandated Lady’s clothes was akin to the difference between casual wear and a Western-style suit.

Even Lei Tie couldn’t help but praise, “Not bad. Wife, have a try?”

Qin Mian glanced sideways at him and directly put on the Mandated Lady’s clothes. In the past, he used to dress mostly based on the principle of comfort, giving himself the perception that was more like a soft and moist jade. Now, he was more like a gem that was brilliantly dazzling, honorable, and elegant.

Lei Tie only found that there was a light in front of his eyes². His gaze burned hot. He walked two steps closer and tied the belt for Qin Mian.

When Qin Mian was encircled by Lei Tie’s arms, his cheek was pressed by two warm lips and munched for a few breaths before they retreated. Qin Mian raised his eyes and his gaze intertwined with Lei Tie. For quite a long time, they didn’t shift away.

Lei Tie freed Qin Mian’s long hair, then pulled it up again, and bound it up with the new headband.

Qin Mian softly coughed, breaking the ambiguous atmosphere, “How do I look?”

“Very good-looking,” said Lei Tie in earnest.

Qin Mian rubbed his cheek, turned his back to Lei Tie, and quickly took off the clothes. It was because he had a hunch that if he didn’t take it off quickly, Lei Tie would take it off for him and take off more than that.

Lei Tie looked at Qin Mian’s back regretfully and said to himself that he was not in a hurry. The fire in his body gradually cooled down.

Qin Mian returned to him and sat down, “A-Tie, let’s talk about the big issue. Look at the elaborate and fine workmanship of this headband and set of clothes. It should take at least five to six days from designing until they take form. From this, we can see that this set of clothes was made in advance. But why didn’t His Majesty issue the third edict when he issued the first and second edicts, instead of waiting until now? It made me feel like he made up his mind after he had seen me.”

At this mention, he squinted at Lei Tie and said in a sour tone, “Why should he? It’s like if I didn’t pass his test there, I wasn’t worthy to be with—”

Lei Tie abruptly kissed Qin Mian’s lips, blocking up his last word. He sucked hard and then let go, gazing deeply into Qin Mian’s eyes, “Worthy or not, I have the final say.”

“Toward you, is he… Hm?” Qin Mian narrowed his eyes as he interrogated.

Lei Tie pulled a wry face, “Don’t talk nonsense.”

Qin Mian couldn’t help laughing and stretched out his hand to rub the corner of Lei Tie’s rigid mouth. To be able to make Lei Tie show a wry face gave him a sense of achievement.

Lei Tie patted him on the shoulder to express that he was serious.

“Wife, the reason His Majesty suddenly started using me again is unknown. But for now, the title of First Rank Mandated Lady is good for you. The State of Great Xia is rigidly stratified. Most people dare not offend you for having titled the First Rank Mandated Lady.”

“Understood,” said Qin Mian. It was uncomfortable for a man to be officially named “Lady” by the Emperor, but he didn’t mind. Ever since the beginning of cultivating Trueness, he had gradually become a little detached of worldly affairs. He had been indifferent to many things in the secular world, and ordinary matters absolutely couldn’t stir his heart. As long as Lei Tie, Yuanyuan, and Manman were by his side, he was invincible.

He asked in a low voice, “Could it be that the frontier is going to war? Otherwise, His Majesty wouldn’t suddenly reinstate a general who had resigned for many years.”

“I also have this suspicion. I’ll find out when I have a chance.” Lei Tie comforted, “Leave this matter to me; you don’t have to worry about it.”

Qin Mian nodded. He barely had a usable connection in the Capital. Even if he wanted to worry, he had nowhere to start with. It was better to work separately with Lei Tie.

Lei Tie went to arrange for Lei-Qin Le and the nine armed-servants. Lei-Qin Le had a sharp tongue and was experienced in handling affairs. Later, he would be Qin Mian’s attendant. Lei-Qin Zhong and Lei-Qin Hui, one was steady and the other was smart; they would be Lei Tie’s attendants. The other seven armed-servants would still be armed-servants.

Qin Mian called Uncle Fu in. He learned that all the servants in the State Defender Duke Establishment, besides those sent by the Commandery Prince Mu, were sent by the influential officials who wanted to be on friendly terms with Lei Tie. They even sent the title deeds.

Qin Mian took care of the matter himself and gave Chen Fu 5 taels of silver as a reward and 200 Wen to each of the people sent by the Commandery Prince Mu to help, and asked Uncle Fu to send them away. Then he asked Lei-Qin Le to call a servant and sell all the remaining servants because no one could tell if anyone else had been planted as a spy. For those influential officials who sent the servants, he sent a thank-you letter and a return gift.

Henceforth, Uncle Fu was the steward of the State Defender Duke Establishment, Aunt Fu was in charge of the kitchen, and Lei-Qin Le’s wife was in charge of needlework. The establishment still needed manpower. Qin Mian decided to invite a broker over to buy people after he completed the plan.

On that day, Uncle Fu and Aunt Fu led all the servants to place every baggage in its proper place. Qin Mian cooked for a family of four, while Aunt Fu and Lei-Qin Le’s wife cooked for others. After having dinner, everyone had an early rest. The first day passed as such.

The next day, Qin Mian ordered Lei-Qin Shun to ask Lei Xiangzhi which school and academy were the best in the Capital. He also asked Lei-Qin Le to call in a broker to fill up the manpower in his house, such as gatekeepers, kitchen maids, and manservants who would be responsible for driving, sprinkling water and sweeping the floor, taking care of the horses, and other handiwork. Among them, the six people hired in the kitchen and the sewing room were all women. Two of them were married women and the other four were young girls between the age of 14 and 18. All of them were ordinary in appearance and honest-looking. In other words, there were only eight women in the entire State Defender Duke Establishment.

Qin Mian wrote down the rules of the State Defender Duke Establishment for the steward to read to everyone and asked them to memorize the rules.

Besides that, Qin Mian planned to provide two study-attendants for each of the two children. If there was no unforeseen event, the four study-attendants would grow up together with Yuanyuan and Manman. Therefore, Qin Mian spent a lot of time on the selection of candidates. He visited several big brokerages in person and finally selected four boys aged between 8 and 10.

He asked Yuanyuan and Manman to name the four study-attendants. Yuanyuan’s study-attendants were called Paibing and Buzhen³, which made Qin Mian palm his forehead in speechlessness. Manman’s study-attendants’ names were not normal; they were called Feiyue and Liuxing⁴. Adults couldn’t understand the children’s thinking, but Qin Mian respected the two little boys’ ideas and settled down their names.

Lei Tie put a ban on each of the four study-attendants’ sea of knowledge. Once they revealed any secrets about Yuanyuan and Manman, the ban would be triggered. In the eyes of outsiders, they would appear to be in a coma for no reason and could no longer regain consciousness.

Yuanyuan and Manman now lived in the main courtyard of the backyard with Qin Mian and Lei Tie. They each lived in a wing room, while their study-attendants lived in the side room of the wing room. The task of the four study-attendants was not only to study with Yuanyuan and Manman but also to get up early every day and practice with Yuanyuan and Manman. They didn’t need to protect Yuanyuan and Manman, but they at least needed to be stronger, so that they wouldn’t be tired even if they were just doing errands.

The second day passed by in a bustle.

In the early morning of the third day, after breakfast, Qin Mian and Lei Tie tidied up Yuanyuan and Manman. The family of four went to visit Cao Zhongshan, the Dean of Dongyang Academy. The four study-attendants also had to enter a school, so they went together.

The most famous academies in the Capital were Xilin Academy and Dongyang Academy. Xilin Academy was famous for its strict teaching in which many gifted scholars came forth – the current Prime Minister Wen and four ministers out of the six ministries were all from Xilin Academy. Dongyang Academy was not bad either. Its academic atmosphere was relatively relaxed. Every “first” day [of the month] was a holiday and the last three days of every two months were long holidays. Qin Mian and Lei Tie’s main purpose in sending Yuanyuan and Manman to study was to enable them to learn knowledge, rather than to make them be the Number One Scholar or high-rank officials. Therefore, they preferred Dongyang Academy. The most important thing was that Dongyang Academy was not far from Chong’en Street. It was about a moment by carriage, very convenient for Yuanyuan and Manman to go to and from school.

The carriage stopped at the entrance of Cao Zhongshan’s house. Yuanyuan and Manman jumped out of the carriage by themselves. The two little boys seemed to be in the first rebellious period of their lives. They felt that they had grown up and were no longer willing to let their fathers hold their hands or pick them up and down.

Naturally, Qin Mian let them have their ways and walked leisurely behind them; Lei Tie carried the gift himself.

The four study-attendants followed Yuanyuan and Manman.

A manservant ushered them in.

Cao Zhongshan was a gray-haired old man in his early fifties. He had a serious face. After Qin Mian’s group greeted him appropriately for the first meeting, he stared at Yuanyuan and Manman without expression.

Yuanyuan and Manman were not afraid of him. They sat upright and looked back with their eyes blinking.

As long as the two children weren’t impolite, Qin Mian and Lei Tie usually didn’t interfere. They raised their teacups and drank the tea.

There was a moment of silence in the hall.

After a good while, Cao Zhongshan laughed like an old child. He patted them on the shoulders and asked them some questions, such as how many of the Four Books and the Five Classics⁵ they had read, whether they could read, and so on.

Yuanyuan and Manman had clear enunciation, not in the least timid.

Cao Zhongshan constantly nodded and finally told Qin Mian and Lei Tie that he would put the two children into Class 1 of Beginner Level Class. Meanwhile, the four study-attendants with no educational foundation would be in Class 3. They would begin to attend school the next day.

Qin Mian took the gift from Lei Tie after paying one year’s fee. “Many thanks, Dean Cao. This is a little of our—”

Cao Zhongshan frowned, held his beard, and said coldly, “Didn’t State Defender Duke and Lady inquire before coming here? This old fellow doesn’t accept gifts.”

Not taking it to mind, Qin Mian smiled, “Dean Cao, don’t worry. These are not valuable things. They are our homegrown fruits and our homemade snacks as well as two jars of fermented tofu.”

At a young age, Yuanyuan already had the demeanor of the eldest son and elder brother. He cupped his fist and said, “Why don’t Grandpa Dean accept them? This student and Didi also helped to make the snacks.”

Manman repeatedly nodded, “They taste sweet and salty. Grandpa Dean should like them.”

“Oh?” Only then Cao Zhongshan’s face softened. He said with a smile, “Fine, then I’ll take them.”

When they came out of Cao Zhongshan’s house and got on the carriage, Qin Mian picked up the water cup on the table and put it down again. After a while, he picked it up again, looking a little anxious. When they were in Green Mountain Village, their children also went to school, but the village was their sphere of influence, everything was under their control, so there was no need to worry about it at all. However, the Capital was different. He was uneasy at the thought that the two children were not around him and Lei Tie for so long every day. He was not only worried about this aspect but also worried about……

“Hand it over to me.” Lei Tie fully understood his concerns and held his hand tightly.

“Old Dad, what’s the matter with Dad?” asked Manman with concern.

Lei Tie replied in a steady voice, “Your Dad is worried about you.”

“Worried about what?” Yuanyuan didn’t understand, “Dad, don’t worry. Didi and I are just going to school like before.”

Lei Tie motioned Qin Mian not to open his mouth and looked at his two sons. “Qin Ruiqi and Lei Ruilin. You know, you are the only children who have two fathers in the entire Dongyang Academy and even the entire Capital. In the eyes of others, this is not normal. Maybe other students will make fun of you for this. Will you be scared?”

Author’s Note (probably): In ancient times, a moment/quarter was about 15 minutes.

Footnotes