Chapter 56: Keqing, Do Not Fear (Part I)

The next day, the ninth day of the third lunar month.

Jiang Nian had always treasured every single moment of time, and today was no exception.

From morning until dusk, aside from spending an hour in the afternoon practicing martial arts, along with trivial matters such as dining, Jiang Nian spent all his time studying in the study, making preparations for the imperial examinations.

At dusk, after finishing his evening meal, Jiang Nian retreated back into the study. Accompanied by the curling wisps of steam from a cup of fragrant tea, his brow was calm, his fingertips lightly touching the pages of a book, lost in thought.

Dong Feng, the gatekeeper boy, hurried over and reported respectfully, "First Young Master, Commander Ma of the Left Patrol Battalion is here."

Fearing that Jiang Nian might not recall who he was, Dong Feng deliberately added, "It is that Master Ma who led the imperial soldiers here the day before yesterday."

Jiang Nian’s eyebrows twitched slightly as he asked, "Did he come alone?"

Dong Feng replied, "Commander Ma brought four personal guards with him. However, he stated that he came specifically to pay a visit to the First Young Master, and he is being quite courteous."

Hearing this, Jiang Nian understood the situation in his heart. The day before yesterday, Ma Peicheng had surrounded the residence with an aggressive and menacing posture; coming today under the guise of a social call meant he likely no longer harbored ill intentions.

Jiang Nian stood up and went out to welcome Ma Peicheng in person.

When he reached the front gate, he saw Ma Peicheng standing below the steps with a respectful expression. Ma Peicheng cupped his hands in greeting first, saying, "First Young Master Jiang."

Jiang Nian smiled faintly, cupped his hands in return, and said, "Commander Ma, your presence brings great splendor to my humble dwelling. Please, come inside."

With that, he turned sideways to make way.

He instructed the boy Dong Feng to invite Ma Peicheng's four personal guards into the gatehouse and serve them tea. As for Ma Peicheng himself, Jiang Nian led him through the inner courtyard into the main reception hall to take a seat, and ordered the coarse-service maid Qi'er to serve tea to Ma Peicheng.

After the two of them exchanged a few polite pleasantries, the atmosphere grew harmonious.

Suddenly, Ma Peicheng drew two bank notes from his lapel and said, "The matter of the day before yesterday was truly an offense. I was merely acting on orders; I hope First Young Master Jiang will forgive me. Here are two hundred taels of silver as a token of apology, and I hope you will not disdain it. My family wealth is modest, otherwise I would surely offer more to show my sincerity."

Wang Ziteng had received punishment and been demoted to the rank of regional commander, whereas Ma Peicheng, who had been ordered to lead troops to arrest people at the Jiang residence, had not suffered any disciplinary action at all. Earlier that day, Prince Zhongyi had sent his trusted bodyguard Bao Yan to find Ma Peicheng and secretly inform him that Prince Zhongyi, considering him a follower under his patronage, decided to protect him and commanded him to take good care of Jiang Nian from then on.

Having witnessed with his own eyes the deep favor Jiang Nian enjoyed from Prince Zhongyi the day before yesterday, and having now received Prince Zhongyi's secret order today, how could Ma Peicheng dare to be negligent? Therefore, he had brought two hundred taels of silver to visit Jiang Nian, both to offer an apology and to forge a connection with him, believing that befriending this young master would be advantageous to him.

Jiang Nian glanced briefly at the bank notes and said indifferently, "Commander Ma is too polite. Since the matter of the day before yesterday has already passed, there is no need to bring it up again. I am already honored by your personal visit to my humble home today. I cannot accept these two hundred taels of silver."

With that, he reached out, picked up the two bank notes, and handed them back to Ma Peicheng.

Ma Peicheng refused to take the bank notes back, saying, "I will not conceal the truth from you; today the Thirteenth Prince sent someone with a secret order commanding me to take good care of you. Since the Thirteenth Prince holds you in such high regard, how could I dare to slack off? If you do not accept this apologetic gift of two hundred taels, my heart will not be at ease."

Jiang Nian pondered slightly, drew two one-hundred-tael bank notes from his own person, placed them together with Ma Peicheng's two hundred taels, and said, "If you put it that way, not only can I not accept Commander Ma's two hundred taels, but on the contrary, I should offer you two hundred taels instead, as I shall have to trouble you in the future."

He pushed the four hundred taels of bank notes into Ma Peicheng's hands.

Ma Peicheng hurriedly declined, "How could this be proper?"

Jiang Nian smiled faintly, his tone resolute: "If you do not accept this silver, I will be too ashamed to ask favors of you in the future. Once you accept it, we shall become even closer. If I may be so bold, from now on I shall call you Commander Ma, and you shall call me Young Master Nian. How does that sound?"

Seeing that Jiang Nian’s words were earnest and his attitude decisive, Ma Peicheng finally accepted the bank notes. In his heart, he sighed inwardly: *He truly deserves to be a young master deeply favored by the Thirteenth Prince. Judging by his speech and deportment, how does he look anything like a young man of only fifteen?*

Ma Peicheng said, "If Young Master Nian has any tasks for me in the future, as long as I am able to help, I will not refuse."

Jiang Nian smiled and nodded.

Inside the reception hall, the atmosphere grew increasingly warm and amiable.

At this moment, the boy Dong Feng hurried in to report, "First Young Master, Steward Peng from the neighboring Qin family says he has an urgent matter and requests an audience."

Ma Peicheng said, "Since Young Master Nian is occupied, I shall take my leave. I should not linger and cause a disturbance."

However, Jiang Nian raised a hand to signal him to stay, saying, "Commander Ma, please wait a moment longer. I still have something to discuss with you."

Ma Peicheng nodded in assent.

Jiang Nian surmised in his heart that Peng Zhizhong's sudden request for an audience, coupled with the claim of an urgent matter, most likely meant something had happened to Qin Keqing. If that were indeed the case, perhaps he could make use of Ma Peicheng's influence to assist.

He stood up, walked out of the reception hall, and went as far as the embroidered gate of the inner courtyard. Seeing that Peng Zhizhong's expression was anxious, Jiang Nian asked, "What has happened?"

Peng Zhizhong said hastily, "First Young Master Jiang, the distant relatives of our master are currently making a disturbance at my young mistress's place, attempting to... attempting to seize the family property of our master."

Jiang Nian frowned, speaking in a deep voice, "Tell me the details."

Peng Zhizhong hurriedly related the whole story from beginning to end.

Hearing this, Jiang Nian already had a plan in mind. He turned back into the reception hall, explained the situation to Ma Peicheng, and said, "I must trouble Commander Ma to assist me in this matter."

Ma Peicheng thought to himself: *How coincidental. I had just told this young master that if he had any tasks in the future, I would not refuse if I could help. In the blink of an eye, an assignment has arrived.*

...

Qin Ye had no direct, immediate lineage of his own, possessing only a few distant relatives.

Over the past two days, these distant relatives had arrived at the Qin household one after another.

The sound of mourning heard by Aunt Xue and Xue Baochai yesterday had indeed been the fake wailing of these distant relatives.

Upon learning that Qin Keqing had obtained three thousand taels of silver in compensation, these distant relatives grew green-eyed and hot with greed. They successively approached Qin Keqing to borrow money, opening their mouths with exorbitant demands—some wanted to borrow two hundred taels, some three hundred taels, and a few even wanted five hundred taels...

Qin Keqing was by no means foolish. She knew very well that these distant relatives merely wanted to defraud her of her wealth, and furthermore, these people shared a distant blood relation with Qin Ye and had rarely interacted with them in ordinary times.

No matter how smoothly these distant relatives spoke or how harshly they threatened, Qin Keqing refused to lend them a single coin.

Therefore, these distant relatives gathered together to plot and devised a scheme.

Qin Zhong was Qin Ye's legitimate son; he was still young, weak, and cowardly, yet he possessed a strong vanity and held no sense of awe toward Qin Keqing, his elder sister who had been adopted from the Orphanage.

Consequently, they instigated Qin Zhong, claiming that the Qin family's property rightfully belonged to him alone, and egged him on to wrest back the assets currently managed by Qin Keqing—especially the three thousand taels of compensation silver. The condition was that once successful, Qin Zhong must lend silver to them.

Seduced by their instigation, Qin Zhong actually nodded in agreement.

Although these distant relatives were greedy, they also harbored a certain fear of He Yun, the fifth-rank Imperial Guard.

This evening, taking advantage of He Yun's absence, they led Qin Zhong and barged into the west courtyard where Qin Keqing resided, coercing her to hand over the family property to Qin Zhong.

Steward Peng Zhizhong, seeing this mob of distant relatives dragging Qin Zhong into a chaotic uproar inside Qin Keqing's quarters with harsh and biting words, while Qin Keqing wept bitterly and Qin Ye's funeral arrangements were thrown into utter disarray, recalled Jiang Nian's instructions from the previous day and hurried to report the matter to him.

Jiang Nian was about to make his move...