The turtle's skull. Qin Junyao nodded, understanding. It was indeed the first time she knew someone used such a thing for decoration.
Grandma Qin stood up and stretched her waist. "A turtle's head is used to ward off evil. Does a ruthless person also need to ward off evil? Yao Yao, what kind of wicked deeds do you think he has committed?"
"Let's go. Your second uncle is back. We'll go inside."
After finishing his conversation with Sui Ren about grain prices, Qin's father found one of the Hou family children to inform the village. Those who wanted to sell grain were to go to the large poplar tree in the village.
Sui family's caravan arrived at the large poplar tree first. Sui Ren, accompanied by Qin's father, Qin Lin, and Deng Zui, toured Yangshu Village.
Unclaimed empty lots in the village belonged to all the villagers. The money obtained from selling these empty lots could be used for road repairs, digging wells, or it could be distributed among the households.
As the village head, Qin's father would not openly refuse money that came his way. If the purpose of the Sui family's caravan was concealed, Qin's father might not allow them to buy land, but the villagers would not agree.
Whether the purchase was real or fake was known only to Sui Ren. He looked in the direction of Qin family's wheat fields.
When he passed by the wheat fields on his way here, Sui Ren did not roll down the car window to look. There was a beautiful woman he had recently acquired inside, so naturally, he wanted to enjoy her company.
Lush, sturdy wheat seedlings and potato sprouts two inches high grew neatly on the Gobi Desert.
A large expanse of green farmland looked somewhat out of place in Yangshu Village, which was predominantly yellow.
How peculiar! How marvelous!
Sui Ren wanted to go into the fields to have a look, but Deng Zui blocked his view and led him toward the village.
Even though Deng Zui knew that the general would rely on the Sui family for food in the future, he disliked Sui Ren from the moment he first saw him.
The villagers of Yangshu Village had earned a lot of copper coins this year from Qin, Zhao, and several other families. Not many wanted to sell grain, so Sui Ren's dozen or so flatbed carts were only half-filled.
Qin Junyao thought Sui Ren would not return after this visit, but a few days later, she received a calling card.
"Sui Ren? Which branch of the Sui family?" Ling Manshuang asked Qin Junyao, putting down the pipa she was playing.
"The fifth branch. Sister Manshuang, are there different branches of the Sui family?" Qin Junyao stood up and invited Ling Manshuang to talk outside.
There were still the girls brought by Hua Niang here, so it was inconvenient to talk.
The two walked out of the room, accompanied by the sound of music.
"The Sui family has seven direct branches. Starting from the eldest branch downwards, their grain stores, wealth, and responsible territories gradually decrease. Places like the imperial city are managed by the eldest branch of the Sui family. Half of Jiangnan also belongs to the eldest branch, while the other half is managed by the second and third branches."
"The fifth, sixth, and seventh branches, ranked at the bottom, resort to insidious means to obtain more."
Ling Manshuang patted Qin Junyao's shoulder. "You should ignore this calling card."
Qin Junyao opened the calling card in her hand and showed it to Ling Manshuang. "Sister Manshuang, it reminds me that Zhao Liangcai's soldiers will depend on them for sustenance in the future. I have no choice but to meet him."
Ling Manshuang took the calling card and examined it closely. She then threw it to the ground. "How audacious! A merchant dares to threaten the family of a military general?"
"Zhuhua, take this dirty thing and tell the person who delivered it that their master has one hour to come over, or I will tear down all their shops in the northwest."
Qin Junyao looked at Ling Manshuang with admiration, her eyes shining. "So cool."
"What is that look in your eyes? Order the soldiers left by General Zhao for you to be summoned. You, go and play a few more tunes for me."
Sui Ren arrived quickly. He wanted to know which county princess was so idle as to come to this desolate place.
Because Ling Manshuang did not want her identity to be widely known, Qin Junyao arranged for Deng Zui to have soldiers guard the path from the main entrance to the main hall.
The main purpose was to prevent the construction workers and household servants from intruding.
In the main hall, Ling Manshuang sat in the seat of honor, with Qin Junyao seated below her. Zhuhua and Zhuye stood on either side.
The four women inside the room formed a stark contrast to the dozens of soldiers outside.
When Liu Yu led Sui Ren to the main hall, the first person he saw was Ling Manshuang, seated in the center.
He showed no outward reaction, but inwardly he scorned her. So, she was the first county princess in Qing Kingdom to be divorced.
However, the emperor was gone, and this county princess was merely a nominal title.
"Greetings, Princess Baozhu."
Sui Ren stood and gave Ling Manshuang a perfunctory bow, then looked up and directly at her.
Ling Manshuang let out a scoff. Zhuye quickly moved behind Sui Ren and kicked him in the back of his knees, forcing him to kneel on the ground.
Sui Ren tried to get up but was pinned by Zhuye, who stepped on his Achilles tendon.
"What is the meaning of this, Princess Baozhu?"
"Meaning? Since you call me Princess, you should know the rules. Does kneeling trouble you?"
Ling Manshuang tidied her sleeves, not even glancing at Sui Ren kneeling below.
"Do you think this county princess is just a title?"
"Hmph, do you not know that I have the Ling family and the Ma family behind me?"
"Ah, and your Sui family still owes Mr. Bai a favor, don't they?"
Ling Manshuang looked up sharply at Sui Ren. "Do you know that Mr. Bai is my close friend and a disciple of Madam Zhao?"
When Ling Manshuang mentioned the Ling and Ma families, Sui Ren was somewhat dismissive. How could a divorced woman be valued by her family?
However, upon hearing about Mr. Bai, Sui Ren visibly panicked. His eyes widened, revealing his pupils, causing Qin Junyao to see four whites.
Qin Junyao's expression remained calm, showing no sign of her inner shock.
She was inwardly exclaiming, "Mr. Bai, could it be Bai Qing? Wasn't Bai Qing just a musician?"
Were musicians held in lower esteem than merchants? Why would the Sui family, the foremost grain merchants in Qing Kingdom, be afraid of him?
"This humble one had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai. I beg the Princess to forgive my rashness."
Sui Ren was a man who could bend and stretch. Ling Manshuang had no reason to lie to him.
He knew from Qian Duo that Qin Junyao did indeed have dealings with a man in white.
"It's good that you know. Sit down."
Ling Manshuang gave Zhuye a look to release her foot and help Sui Ren sit up properly.
"Speak. What was your reason for threatening Madam Zhao?"
Sui Ren stood up again as soon as he sat down. "This humble one was not threatening, merely afraid that Madam Zhao might not see me, and my words were a bit too harsh. I heard from the villagers that the grains on the Gobi Desert were all cultivated by Madam Zhao's efforts."
"The Princess also knows that our Sui family is a grain merchant. Naturally, we are curious about how such good grain can be grown on the Gobi."
Ling Manshuang glanced at Qin Junyao and then asked Sui Ren, "You mean, you are only here to inquire about farming methods?"
"Yes, yes."
Of course not.
Sui Ren had already inquired in secret. The grains cultivated on the reclaimed Gobi land had the same seed and cultivation methods as those from other places.
This was the strange part. Land with no fertilizer or water, after being reclaimed, could yield as much as inferior fields in the first year, and surpass medium-grade fields in the second year.
If he could obtain the true secret method, he could utilize the vast barren lands of the northwest, and his fifth branch would soon surpass the eldest.
Who would have thought that a farmer's daughter would be Mr. Bai's teacher.
Sui Ren insisted that he was merely eager to learn and had used inappropriate wording, revealing none of his true intentions.
Ling Manshuang also asked about the issue of supplying grain to the army. Sui Ren replied that the grain he collected would be handed over to Luo Wang's men, who would then distribute it to the military camps.
Having obtained the information she wanted, Ling Manshuang warned Sui Ren again before letting him leave.