Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2818 Master Qingsong 36.0
"The late Empress's brother." Jin Miaomiao knew nothing about this. She looked at Shen Haolin, Shen Cha, and then at Song Yaojia, and asked, "Wasn't he a good person? If he wasn't, how did he become the Crown Princess and then the Empress? If I remember correctly, the most important part of the selection process for the Crown Princess was the investigation of her family. If her family's character was unqualified and didn't meet the Ministry of Rites' requirements, she probably wouldn't be suitable. Could it be..."

“Miaomiao, you need to understand that people aren’t static; they’re constantly changing.” Shen Cha sighed softly. “Although it’s said that you can tell a person’s future from their age at three and their character at seven, it’s not very accurate. Many people change because of their different environments. Before the late Empress entered the palace, her family were indeed honest and upright business people, kind, honest, and fair to everyone. But…” She spread her hands towards Jin Miaomiao, smiled helplessly, and said, “But all of that changed drastically after the late Empress married into the palace and was made the Crown Princess.”

"What changes could possibly happen?" Jin Miaomiao asked, puzzled. "According to the laws of our dynasty, families of the Crown Princess and Empress are neither granted titles nor allowed to hold official positions. Apart from estates, land, gold, and silver bestowed by the royal family, they receive no other preferential treatment. Not only do they receive no preferential treatment, but their families are also barred from taking the imperial examinations for three generations, starting from the Empress's generation." She spread her hands. "In short, the Empress's family doesn't enjoy any of the treatment they want, right? They're not much better off than ordinary people. What could possibly happen to them?"

“It’s obvious you don’t understand this kind of situation. On the surface, they have no real power, but in secret they enjoy the treatment of legitimate imperial relatives.” Shen Cha sighed. “Take the late Empress’s family for example. Ever since Lady Ding was made the Crown Princess, this small timber merchant family has undergone tremendous changes. Their timber business wasn’t particularly good, but it wasn’t bad either; it was above average. It was enough to support a family of about ten people living comfortably.”

"Wait!" Jin Miaomiao interrupted Shen Cha, asking with a puzzled look, "Didn't you say they were a family of four? No concubines or other children? Where did this family of ten come from?"

“There are more than ten people. If we’re being serious, there are probably twenty or so. After all, besides the four masters, there are also stewards, guards, servants, and maids, making up about ten or so people.” Shen Cha chuckled. “However, the servants and maids who do things like washing clothes, mending, or rough work don’t live at home, so the total number of people is only about ten.”

"I see!" Jin Miaomiao nodded. "That makes perfect sense. And then what? The late Empress became the Crown Princess, so they stopped doing business?"

"Indeed, they've stopped doing business. In recent years, Huzhou Prefecture hasn't produced anyone more important than the Prefect. Although there are a few aristocratic families, there's never been anyone of the Crown Princess's status. So, when the news spread, everyone was shocked, and at the same time, they were especially celebrating that Huzhou Prefecture had produced such a prominent figure. As a result, people came in droves to pay their respects to the Emperor's father-in-law and brother-in-law. For a month and a half, long queues formed outside the Ding family's gate, a constant flow of carriages and horses. These people all carried very valuable gifts, not large, but very precious. According to the later results of the confiscation of their property, many of them were deeds to houses, land, and fields."

“But, Your Highness!” Jin Miaomiao was very puzzled. “They have no real power, not even a nominal title.”

“But they could meet the late Empress directly. Compared to others, real power and empty titles were not as important as that.” Song Yaojia smiled. “In those people’s minds, as long as they praised and flattered the Empress’s family, they could get a response and protect themselves whenever they had a need. Facts have proved that they were absolutely right.”

“I don’t think the late Empress’s parents would do that, but her brother…” Jin Miaomiao frowned slightly, “It’s hard to say.”

"You're wrong. The one who was truly defeated was her mother." "Huh?" Jin Miaomiao was stunned, hardly believing her ears. "How could that be? Why?"

"Why not?" Shen Cha sneered. "Before the late Empress became the Crown Princess, their family was practically unknown in Huzhou Prefecture. Apart from their neighbors and business partners, no one knew them. The late Empress's brother was four years older than her and of marriageable age. Madam Ding was never satisfied with the matchmaker's choice and wanted someone better, but their family's circumstances were what they were, and they didn't seem to have the qualifications to find someone better. But after the late Empress married into the Eastern Palace, the situation changed completely. Not only did the wealthy merchants of Huzhou Prefecture frequently visit, expressing their desire for a marriage alliance, but even some officials and prominent families in Huzhou Prefecture expressed their interest. This immediately solved Madam Ding's biggest headache."

"So, which family did Madam Ding ultimately choose?"

“The Gong family has a century-old tradition.” Shen Cha sighed. “The Gong family is not a traditional scholarly family. Like the Yun family, they started out with metaphysics. However,” she paused and sneered, “if the Yun family can be considered a righteous family, then the Gong family is a heretical and crooked one.”

"Huh?" Jin Miaomiao frowned slightly. "Their house isn't clean?"

“They’ve cleaned up the facade, but their true nature isn’t so clean.” Song Yaojia raised an eyebrow. “The Gong family made their fortune by tomb raiding. For them, that kind of swindling and cheating is a piece of cake.”

"Madam Ding actually chose such a family. Didn't she do any investigation beforehand? Isn't she afraid that choosing a bad in-law family will bring utter disaster to the late Empress?"

“We investigated, but how could we possibly know how they started out?” Song Yaojia sighed. “Besides, the Gong family is a prominent local clan with a good reputation in Huzhou Prefecture and a wide network of connections. Most importantly, they have basically stopped doing these kinds of business for the past four generations. So, nobody knows what they used to do.”

"No one has done it in the last four generations?" Jin Miaomiao gently shook her head. "On the surface, no one is doing it, but in reality, they are still doing it, right?"

“Of course!” Song Yaojia looked at Jin Miaomiao and laughed. “They’re definitely not going to do anything as unethical as digging up graves anymore, but they still swindle and cheat people under the guise of feng shui and geomancy. However, it’s not really swindling or cheating. They do have some skills, but not many. If you’re lucky, they can fool you, but if you’re unlucky…” He spread his hands, “they’ll let you off the hook if you’re willing to accept your bad luck. But if you want to go against them, they’ll take action.”