Identity brought Liang Jingchen not only constraints but also countless conveniences.
For instance, he could possess wealth he had never dared to imagine before.
There were also the troops his father taught him to command, as well as several shops that originally belonged to his mother as dowry.
With his identity and abilities, he seemed to lack nothing, yet that period was the most difficult to endure.
He had lost the most important person in his life.
The depression and unfulfilled longing in his heart caused him to cry out.
He could speak.
The first person he wanted to share this good news with was Su Xiaoqi, not his so-called family members in the Prince Duan's manor.
The Prince Duan's manor was vast, and perhaps no one there, apart from his father, was truly sincere towards him.
"Achen, this manor is very good. I'll keep it," Su Xiaoqi said with a smile.
"Achen..." Shen Yun looked at Liang Jingchen with displeasure.
He realized that while he was unaware, this man had gone to see his wife and even made her change how she addressed him.
He was immediately filled with a sense of panic, as if his cherished treasure were being coveted.
He said, partly as a reminder and partly out of jealousy, "My lady, Young Master Liang is, after all, a young master from Prince Duan's manor. It might be inappropriate to call him by his given name so casually..."
Before he could finish, Liang Jingchen cut him off, "Names are meant to be called. As for status, it's nothing."
He said this lightly, and in fact, he had never paid much attention to such matters, having grown up among common folk.
"Propriety must not be abandoned," Shen Yun responded calmly.
"Propriety is merely for outsiders to see. Xiaoqi and I are closer than kin," the now-articulate Liang Jingchen was not lacking in eloquence.
Shen Yun did not yield, "Young Master Liang, speak with caution. Those who understand reason will see you as someone who respects scholars and is not arrogant.
However, if those who lack etiquette hear this, who knows what they might think, and it might not be good for Xiaoqi's reputation."
"Oh, then is Scholar Shen one who understands reason or one who doesn't?" Liang Jingchen raised an eyebrow and directly pressed him.
Su Xiaoqi, upon hearing that they had started their conversation politely and respectfully, wondered why it was now taking a turn.
There was a strong smell of gunpowder in the air.
Sensing that something was amiss, Su Xiaoqi's first thought was to smooth things over.
However, she was caught between them, their verbal sparring leaving her unable to interject a single word.
She watched them with helplessness, finally choosing to give up, abandoning them both, and began to stroll around the courtyard herself.
After touring the courtyard, she explored the manor's grounds behind it.
To avoid situations like those in Dongzhuang and Furongzhuang, she specifically asked to be shown the rooms where the manor serfs lived.
Fortunately, it wasn't as unbearable as the previous manors.
Indeed, the capital was the capital.
Su Xiaoqi nodded with satisfaction. Her arrival immediately drew the attention of the manor serfs.
Especially upon seeing that Granny Ping, the stewardess from the front manor, was leading the way, everyone looked at Su Xiaoqi with curiosity.
Surrounded by their gazes, she felt no fear; she was accustomed to such scenes.
It was just that everyone looked at her with natural curiosity.
They simply took her for the young master of the current household.
They never imagined that she was the legitimate mistress, the one with the ultimate say.
"Alright, it's good they live well. Let's go see the fields."
This manor was sold for thirty thousand taels.
Besides having hot springs, it was also because the manor was accompanied by a large expanse of fields, as much as one qing. There was also a small hill.
One could say it was expensive, but it was quite a bargain.
At this time, the fields had already been plowed and the soil turned.
Seeing this, Su Xiaoqi felt that the manor steward had arranged things quite well.
She hadn't intended to take charge so quickly.
But thinking that since she was here, she might as well manage it.
This way, if she didn't have time to come later, the farming season wouldn't be missed.
Su Xiaoqi beckoned Granny Ping, who was leading the way, and whispered a few words into her ear. Granny Ping immediately nodded and casually called over a young boy to find his father.
"Is his father the manor steward?" Su Xiaoqi asked.
Granny Ping nodded, "His father is Tie Zuoping. He has been here since the manor was first built, serving as a slave for generations. The previous master promoted him, making him the manor steward."
Granny Ping was quite eloquent and extremely discerning.
For every question Su Xiaoqi asked, she would answer three.
Soon, the young boy returned with Tie Zuoping.
He was a tall, strong man, powerful and burly, a typical northern man with dark skin.
He looked less like a manor steward and more like a hired muscle.
Seeing him like this, Su Xiaoqi felt a little uneasy. Could he arrange the spring planting properly?
After he paid his respects, she decided to test him, discussing some aspects of crop cultivation with him.
"I see the fields and land are all turned. What are you planning to plant this year?" Su Xiaoqi asked, as if casually.
Facing the young master before him, Tie Zuoping felt a sense of disdain.
He thought to himself, she's just a sheltered woman from the inner chambers, what would she understand of these matters?
"What? Have you not decided what to plant yet, or... if you haven't, perhaps you could try planting potatoes, corn, and cotton.
Oh, and also the white fungus I brought from Bashu, also known as Wuding Zhi. And I see there are several large ponds at the foot of the slope ahead, why not plant lotus roots?
In summer, you can admire the lotus flowers and eat lotus seeds, and in autumn, you can harvest lotus roots to make lotus powder." Su Xiaoqi casually arranged the livelihood of the entire manor.
Upon hearing this, Tie Zuoping looked at Su Xiaoqi with utter astonishment.
These things, which even he found somewhat unfamiliar, were spoken by this young master, who looked no more than ten years old, with a refined and elegant face.
Had she truly worked in the fields and farmed before?
"The manor usually plants wheat and rice. We have never planted the things the mistress mentioned," Tie Zuoping said truthfully.
"Since I've mentioned them, I will naturally provide you with seeds. Not only must you plant what I say, but you must also follow the instructions in the booklet I'll give you."
Su Xiaoqi did not waste further words with him and directly stated her requirements.
Tie Zuoping was even more bewildered, but when he accepted the "Agricultural Records" handed to him by Su Xiaoqi, he turned a page out of curiosity. Just as he was about to refuse on the grounds of illiteracy,
the vivid and lifelike illustrations drew him to carefully turn another page.
The more he read, the more amazed and delighted he became.
This was absolutely a good thing.
"This, who compiled this?" Tie Zuoping asked with pleasant surprise.
After asking, he realized he had overstepped, but the words were already out, and there was no reason to swallow them back. He quietly awaited the answer.
Although he didn't look like someone who tended to crops,
he was actually the type of person who knew how to farm.
Otherwise, with such a large manor, and even over ten serf families, why was he the one appointed as the steward?
He naturally had his own destiny.
"My husband and I compiled it."
This was the truth, and Su Xiaoqi admitted it without any pressure, graciously acknowledging it and telling him to examine it carefully.
If he had any questions, he should ask her.
Tie Zuoping, who couldn't read a single character, was now holding a book and reading it with insatiable hunger, wishing he could finish it in one go.
"Don't rush to finish it. Read the parts about potatoes and corn first. Tomorrow, I'll have someone deliver the seeds, and then you can do as the book says."
After speaking, Su Xiaoqi reminded him that not only he but also the other serfs responsible for farming needed to understand the contents of the book.
"No problem, no problem," Tie Zuoping said excitedly. He was now completely convinced of Su Xiaoqi's abilities.
Talented people never lack followers wherever they go.