CHAPTER 557: CHAPTER 14: THE SWAN AND THE TOAD

With the information from the Eagle Department, the tax affairs of Fengdan County have temporarily concluded, and Ji Yun, who was causing trouble, has fallen silent, seemingly having learned his lesson and will quiet down for a while.

The day after returning to the Duke Mansion, Yue Jinghua summoned the old housekeeper, Hong Shan, to inquire about the current situation of the Duke Mansion.

Although it was only one night since handling the business, Hong Shan had already discovered that whether it was Lady Lie Rou or his own daughter Hongling, they now regard Yue Jinghua’s words as imperial decrees.

While the Young Duke was away, the affairs of the mansion naturally fell into the hands of the young lady.

When Yue Jinghua reviewed the debts of the Duke Mansion, she found, just as Hongling had previously mentioned, that the Duke Mansion was once wealthy enough to rival a nation. However, about six years ago, a large sum of money was given to the Imperial Military Department as military stipends, and about four years ago, after Lord and General Long Ao toasted and revelled, they gambled with a group of noble ministers from the Empire, squandering a fortune and leading the Duke Mansion to bankruptcy.

"So, the largest creditor of the Duke Mansion now is the National Guardian General Residence, followed by the major noble families within Imperial City?" Looking at the empty Duke Mansion, with only houses and walls remaining, Yue Jinghua knew that when the Duke Mansion went bankrupt, those so-called noble families of Imperial City must have sent people to plunder the entire mansion.

"Actually, the Duke Mansion still owns some property. This old servant still has control over a couple of shops, but those shops are in a special situation and cannot be leased out. This is why the Duke Mansion’s situation never improved. Apart from the National Guardian General Residence, who hasn’t caused trouble due to our marital ties, other families’ housekeepers and servants would create disturbances at the Duke Mansion towards the end of each year. Thanks to the elder young master’s commendable effort, being selected into the Dragon Rider Reserve Camp, we had a peaceful year last," said Hong Shan sentimentally.

"Marital ties?" Yue Jinghua was curious.

"Huahua, you forgot. In the early years, your elder brother was engaged to Miss Long Rui, the eldest granddaughter of the National Guardian General," Lie Rou gently reminded, explaining to Hong Shan that Yue Jinghua had forgotten some things after being startled at Hundred Beast Mountain.

Hong Shan knew that the young lady and Lady had also had a rough time these past years away from home, and looked at the bewildered Yue Jinghua with compassion. He thought for a moment, "Lady, actually I shouldn’t speak of this. But the elder young master is already nineteen years old, and it’s time he settled down. But his marriage with Miss Long Rui has been delayed repeatedly. If it is postponed further, it would be bad for both families."

At this point, Lie Rou also sighed deeply.

Among several children, Lie Rou felt the most indebted to Yue Minzhi.

Yue Minzhi lived carefree when he was young, being a young lord of high status and prominence at the time.

A sudden family crisis overnight forced him to mature instantly, bearing the responsibility of the entire family.

A few years earlier, when Lie Rou was in Shang Kingdom, she had no say in her eldest son’s marriage matters. But now that she has returned to the Imperial City, and Yue Minzhi had turned nineteen, many of his peers from noble families in the Imperial City were already married and even had multiple spouses, while only Yue Minzhi remained alone.

This, as his mother, deeply pained her heart.

But the matter of Yue Minzhi’s marriage indeed posed a great difficulty.

Had the Duke Mansion not fallen, a match with the National Guardian General’s eldest granddaughter would have been deemed appropriate by all, envied by everyone.

But now that the Duke Mansion has declined, if they propose marriage, they might be ridiculed for overreaching. Yet if they do not propose, with Yue Minzhi already betrothed, it would not be appropriate to seek marriage with another family.

"Since it’s a difficult situation either way, why not contact the National Guardian General Residence early and clarify things? If they are willing to marry, we are ready to wed. If they are unwilling, we can simply annul the agreement. Why drag it out and complicate matters, creating a dilemma for both sides?" Yue Jinghua thought that matters of men and women should ideally be based on mutual consent.

If the National Guardian General Residence looks down on us, it’s better to annul the agreement sooner. Even if the Duke Mansion has declined, finding an educated and sensible woman in the Imperial City isn’t too difficult. Why should I make my brother suffer?

"Miss, you are not in the Imperial City, so you are unaware of the reasons behind it. The National Guardian General Residence has long wanted to call off this marriage, but Miss Long Rui insists on not annulling the agreement. She is greatly favored by the old General Long Ao from the National Guardian General Residence, and that’s why they haven’t proposed an annulment," Hong Shan sighed secretly. The young lord of her family is very handsome, and now that he has been selected for the Dragon Rider Reserve Camp, it’s logical that Miss Long Rui has taken a liking to him.

"What does big brother think?" Yue Jinghua was curious about Long Rui’s attitude.

She had already met Long Jiuzun and had a mediocre impression of the Long Family people. Long Rui was one of the "officials’ children" in the Imperial City, and her character was unknown, but if her brother liked her, Yue Jinghua was not against Long Rui. After all, she trusted her brother’s judgment a lot.

"The young master hasn’t mentioned it, but Miss Long Rui joined the Dragon Rider Reserve Camp for him," Hong Shan felt both pride and emotion.

"That girl, Miss Long Rui, is a sincere person," Lie Rou had a good relationship with Long Rui’s mother and had watched Long Rui grow up. She knew that although the girl was a bit spoiled, she was genuinely devoted to Minzhi.

The training at the Dragon Rider Reserve Camp is incredibly grueling, yet a delicate miss from a respectable family like Long Rui voluntarily went there. It shows she is also a person of strong character.

"What a pity, the Dragon Rider Reserve Camp conducts closed training. Otherwise, I would have liked to see for myself what kind of person Long Rui is, and whether she would be suitable to be my sister-in-law," Yue Jinghua said playfully.

Who knew, just as Lie Rou was about to say something more about marriage, considering Yue Jinghua had already turned seventeen since she came of age...

Fearing nothing in the world except for her beautiful mother’s nagging.

Before Lie Rou could finish, Yue Jinghua jumped up as if her backside was on fire, called Shalman, and ran out: "Mother, I’m going to the city first. I have been back in the Imperial City for so long and I haven’t gone to see Yun Luo yet."

Seeing her daughter disappear in a flash, Lie Rou was both shaking her head and scolding with a laugh, her eyes full of boundless doting.

On the side, Hong Shan, seeing this, also smiled like a blooming chrysanthemum.

"Lady, in my opinion, the miss has changed the most over these years. Coming back this time, she seems like a completely different person. The young lord will definitely be very happy," Hong Shan had watched the children of the Yue Family grow up, and seeing Yue Jinghua’s transformation now, he felt very relieved.

"Hong Shan, has there been any news about Yue Nian?" Lie Rou hesitated for a moment but still asked anxiously.

"Lady," Hong Shan was surprised, it had been a long time since he heard the Lady mention the Duke. The Lady had been silent and avoiding the topic of the Duke’s disappearance, "There has been no news at all, I have also asked around, but nothing."

"Let it be, don’t search anymore," Lie Rou seemed to have anticipated this answer, yet her eyes no longer contained the sadness of the old days. Over the years, not only her children had changed, maybe unbeknownst to her, her own heart had also changed.