Chapter 109

However, when Jiang Xiurun returned to the crown prince’s residence, she was not in the same good mood as when she had left.

The heavy official crown had been pressing on her neck, and after Qian’er removed it for her, she quickly had Jiang Xiurun lie face down on the couch.

She massaged her neck for a while, then applied a heated bag of coarse salt soaked in mugwort oil to her back to soothe her.

When Feng Liwu entered, he waved Qian’er away.

Jiang Xiurun, half-asleep from the warmth of the salt bag, lazily said, “Qian’er, bring me some tea.”

Feng Liwu paused for a moment, suddenly recalling how she had once deceived the shadow woman and acted arrogantly.

Silently, he picked up a cup and brought it to her lips.

Jiang Xiurun, with her eyes closed, tilted her head and took a few sips before burying her face back into the soft cushion, muttering, “I thought the crown prince was being so kind, giving me an official position out of the blue. Turns out it’s a cesspool. Now that winter’s here and the end of the year is approaching, how is a cash-strapped ministry supposed to make it through?”

Unaware that Feng Liwu was now behind her, she thought it was still Qian’er and spoke without restraint, venting her frustrations from the day.

“I thought taking up this position would allow me to build up some savings. Qian’er, if you don’t want to become a general and just want to marry peacefully, I, as your master, could give you a grand dowry. But after today, it seems like not only will I not be able to skim any profits, but I’ll be lucky if I don’t end up losing money. What do you think…”

Jiang Xiurun was about to continue when she turned her head and saw Feng Liwu standing there, his face as dark as water, staring at her.

There’s nothing more humiliating than being caught red-handed while trying to embezzle.

Jiang Xiurun didn’t know how long Feng Liwu had been standing behind her, but he had likely heard the most damning part.

For a moment, she was stunned.

The salt bag slipped from her back, and she scrambled to kneel on the couch, stammering and unable to speak.

Feng Liwu, for his part, couldn’t decide whether to be angry or amused.

He raised an eyebrow and said, “So, where do you think the fat is, enough to provide your maid with a grand dowry?”

Jiang Xiurun quickly knelt on the couch and said, “I was just joking with Qian’er. Ever since I was caught embezzling funds for the prince’s banquet, I’ve always remembered Your Highness’s teachings. How could I dare to act selfishly and forget my duties?”

Then, she flatteringly wrapped her arms around his waist and said, “Your Highness, you came in so quietly, your lightness skill is truly impressive. When you have time, you must teach me a few moves.”

Feng Liwu, however, didn’t let her change the subject.

He drawled, “So, are you going to stay in the Ministry of Agriculture or not?”

To be honest, Jiang Xiurun had initially wanted to back out, but now, caught in this awkward situation, if she said she wanted to quit, it would look like she was only in it for the money.

So, with tears in her eyes and a forced smile, she said, “When I saw the official robes this morning, I was overjoyed. Your Highness, daring to defy convention and let me gain experience, I will naturally do my best to handle my duties well.”

Perhaps her pitiful expression, trying to smile through her grievances, was too amusing.

Feng Liwu’s stern face gradually softened, and he smiled, pinching her cheek.

“Since that’s the case, do your job well. When the time comes, not just a grand dowry, but even a hundred-mile-long dowry will be prepared for your maid.”

Jiang Xiurun knew Feng Liwu wasn’t one to joke.

If he said it, he meant it.

Thus, the dry and unappetizing Ministry of Agriculture suddenly seemed to glisten with a layer of oil, no longer so dull.

However, even the most skilled housewife can’t cook without rice.

The Ministry of Agriculture was so poor it jingled.

How to get the pot boiling was something Jiang Xiurun needed to consult Feng Liwu about.

But Feng Liwu said lightly, “Since you’re the chief minister, these matters are naturally your responsibility. Do as you see fit, but remember one thing: no embezzlement or bending the law, or you’ll give others a handle against you.”

Jiang Xiurun’s face fell slightly—it seemed the powerful cat wasn’t so easy to borrow.

Feng Liwu was clearly not going to handle the Ministry of Agriculture’s affairs for her.

He was leaving her to flounder on her own.

But when it came to making money, Jiang Xiurun considered herself a natural.

That night, she tossed and turned, pondering for half the night before finally figuring out a plan.

Since Meng Xian from the Ministry of Waterworks was a greedy hoarder who never let go of what he swallowed, she would have to find another way.

The next day, Jiang Xiurun’s first act as chief minister was to order her officials to copy and post notices in all the surrounding towns and villages: the Ministry of Agriculture would henceforth impose a mulberry and silkworm tax.

This tax had a peculiar justification.

The chief minister had found in an ancient book that the word for “mulberry” sounded like “mourning” in Chinese, which had significant implications in feng shui. This was why ordinary farmers had the saying, “Don’t plant mulberries in front of your house or willows behind it”—to avoid the bad luck of “mourning” at your doorstep.

But now, with Liang buying up silk in large quantities, many villages had suddenly planted a lot of mulberry trees.

Too much “mourning” would harm the nation’s fortune.

To balance the five elements and counteract the “mourning” brought by too many mulberry trees, the new chief minister of the Ministry of Agriculture had decided to impose a mulberry and silkworm tax.

The tax revenue would be used to repair local earth god temples, balancing the “mourning” and ensuring Great Qi’s prosperity.

While Jiang Xiurun, holding a copy of the Book of Changes, spoke with great conviction, her subordinates were utterly confused.

(T/N: The I Ching or Yijing, usually translated Book of Changes or Classic of Changes, is an ancient Chinese divination text that is among the oldest of the Chinese classics. The I Ching was originally a divination manual in the Western Zhou period)

One bold official cautiously reminded her, “Chief Minister Jiang, your knowledge is indeed vast, as expected of a top scholar from Luo’an Academy. But… recently, with the canal construction, the people’s taxes and labor duties have increased significantly. The price of mulberry and silk has finally risen a bit, giving the common folk a new way to earn money. But now, with this new tax, I fear public resentment will rise, and the censors will impeach our ministry…”

Jiang Xiurun listened, nodding her head, and agreed that this was a valid point.

Meng Xian, the corrupt official from the Ministry of Waterworks, was a glutton who only took and never gave.

She couldn’t follow his example; she had to give something back.

So, she added a clause: for every acre of newly cultivated paddy field, one-tenth of the mulberry and silkworm tax would be waived, with the final settlement based on the increased grain yield at the end of the year.

Seeing that Chief Minister Jiang was determined, the officials below didn’t dare to say more.

However, imposing a tax, even under the name of the Ministry of Agriculture, required approval from the Ministry of Revenue.

If the crown prince, who oversaw the Ministry of Revenue, didn’t agree, this official document would be nothing more than a piece of worthless silk.

But this seemingly absurd feng shui tax passed through the Ministry of Revenue without any trouble.

Then, it was made into notices and posted on city gates and in villages.

For a time, the idea that too many mulberry trees would affect feng shui became a joke in Luo’an.

The nobles in the court were all somewhat amused.

They thought this aide from the crown prince’s residence was nothing special.

Who had ever heard of a tax based on feng shui?

At a banquet in Feng Wu’s residence, a group of officials close to Emperor Duanqing laughed until they were doubled over.

Meng Xian said, “When people are driven to poverty, they really can come up with all sorts of unscrupulous schemes. I heard this Jiang Herun is a top disciple of Master Mufeng from Luo’an Academy. How could he act so absurdly? Isn’t he afraid of being ridiculed?”

Someone nearby added, “Master Mufeng values his reputation. With a disciple like this, he’ll be scorned by the people. I think it’s only a matter of time before Jiang is expelled from the academy.”

After all, there was precedent for expelling students.

In a previous dynasty, there was a scholar who, though talented, showed no compassion for the common people and was notorious for his corruption.

Eventually, his teacher posted a notice at the city gate, declaring that he no longer had any teacher-student relationship with the man.

From then on, the scholar’s rise or fall had nothing to do with his teacher.

Now, Jiang Herun was acting so absurdly, believing in superstitions.

This was completely at odds with Master Mu Feng’s philosophy of “respecting spirits but keeping them at a distance.”

Moreover, his actions were clearly a pretext to extort money from the people.

Sooner or later, this would tarnish the teacher’s reputation.

Given Master Mufeng’s character, how could he tolerate such a rebellious disciple?

Expulsion from the school was inevitable.

But Master Mufeng was no ordinary man.

The humiliation of being expelled would surely make the new chief minister of the Ministry of Agriculture too ashamed to show his face in public.

Feng Wu listened with a smile, but for some reason, he felt a pang of loss.

Although he hated this woman with a passion, hearing others mock her so openly made him uncomfortable, which surprised even himself.

He had thought that his elder brother had let her out to serve as an official because he valued her intelligence.

But now it seemed that, after all, she was just a woman—clever but lacking in experience.

In her desperation for money, she had resorted to superstitions, showing her shortsightedness and making herself a laughingstock.

It was a pity that his elder brother had allowed her to make such a fool of herself.

Was this love? No, it was clearly the folly of a man blinded by beauty, failing to restrain her actions!

In the future, that woman would surely suffer…

As Feng Wu thought this, he felt a sense of injustice.

If she were his concubine, he would never have let her embarrass herself like this.

One day, she would realize she had loved the wrong man.

With this thought, the second prince felt more at ease.

He said to Meng Xian, “Don’t you have a member of the Meng family studying at Master Mufeng’s academy? When you have time, you should inform the master about Chief Minister Jiang’s ‘achievements’ and bring the people’s voices to the academy. We can’t let the master remain ignorant, buried in his books.”

Meng Xian understood that the second prince wanted to teach Jiang Herun a lesson, so he smiled and accepted the task.

As the music and dancing began, mingling with the laughter of the nobles, half of it drifted into the river breeze, half into the clouds…

Though she was ridiculed, Jiang Xiurun remained unfazed.

While the common folk grumbled about the mulberry and silkworm tax, the prices offered by Liang’s merchants were high enough that even after the tax, those who raised silkworms still made a profit.

Moreover, with the tax reduction for reclaiming wasteland, no one would be forced to sell their children to pay the tax.

And thanks to this tax, the Ministry of Agriculture saw gold flowing into its coffers.

Although the tax was ostensibly for repairing earth god temples, how much could a clay shrine cost?

Most of the money was saved.

Jiang Xiurun felt that with some financial maneuvering, they could finally make progress on building the irrigation channels.

But a little over a month later,

Master Mufeng, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, suddenly sent an invitation, asking her to visit.

Jiang Xiurun didn’t dare to be careless.

She prepared gifts that would please her teacher and, not daring to wear her official robes, dressed in the simple scholar’s attire she had worn in the past to meet her teacher.

However, when she arrived at her teacher’s residence, Master Mufeng didn’t allow her to enter his study.

Instead, he had her stand in the courtyard and loudly declared, “Please remain in the courtyard. The stench of money on you is too strong, and I fear it will pollute my study.”

Jiang Xiurun’s heart sank.

She cautiously asked, “Teacher, why do you say this?”

The old man inside the room said, “I am but a common old man, unworthy of being called the teacher of Chief Minister Jiang. Today, I invited you here to personally inform you: henceforth, when you walk in the court or among the people, do not mention my name!”