Judging from this, Qin Huaiyuan understood with a chuckle that his daughter mustâve seen Lian Shengjie back in the army camp. âHe didnât ask for anything ridiculous this time. But since the emperor is surrendering, his position is naturally lower than Great Zhouâs. Thereâs nothing we can do apart from listen to all of their demands.â
âBut with fatherâs wisdom, you wonât let the emperor come off too worse for the wear.â Qin Yining smiled.
âThatâs right.â An answering smile blossomed on Qin Huaiyuanâs lips. âI heard your analysis just now. Perhaps I really will have more opportunities to showcase my talents with our trip to Great Zhou.â
âWith fatherâs talents and sharp wits, none of that will be hard.â
âYou have quite some confidence in me.â
âNaturally,â Qin Yining pronounced firmly. âFather will accomplish tremendous feats in Great Zhou.â
Over the next two days, many of the aristocratic houses in the city busied themselves with intense preparations for the upcoming journey.
For the Qins, it was naturally the second and third elder master leading Qin Yu and Qin Han in taking care of things. Meanwhile, Qin Yining went to see Steward Zhang in private.
ââŠdonât worry, miss. Iâve handled most of the things that youâve set out for me. I took careful stock of the land that we secretly bought. When added to the fertile fields and paddy fields that we have in the city and the outskirts, we own more than sixty percent of the nearby farmland. Add to that the paddy fields and terrace fields we have elsewhere â that makes you the greatest landowner in Great Yan.â
Qin Yining nodded. âNone of them are under my name, correct?â
âDonât worry, the people I used were all trustworthy. None of it will be traced back to you.â
âThatâs good. Before we leave, letâs assign the refugees in Ning Park to the various farms we own. Now that the war is over, this is all part of Great Zhou territory. Theyâll be able to rebuild their homes one day if they earn their own living.â
âUnderstood,â Steward Zhong agreed with great admiration. âThey owe you their lives, and now youâre giving them jobs to relieve the stress of an unknown future. Theyâll feel only more gratitude to you.â
Qin Yining shook her head with a smile. âI didnât do all this for people to be grateful to me. Thatâs just an added bonus. As for you, have you really decided to go to Great Zhou?â
âNaturally. Great Yan has fallen, and the Institute of Luminous Charm is now history. We donât need to hire convicts for labor in the future, and theyâll probably all be pardoned soon. Our taverns and inns are just ordinary businesses in the future. I feel that when it comes to commerce, greater opportunities naturally lie within more prosperous cities.â
The fourth miss couldnât help chucking when she saw the stewardâs dashing energy. âTo be honest, I feel more at ease with you along as well. You donât need to rush to set off with me. Thereâs going to be several batches of people moving to Great Zhouâs capital. Why donât you stay and make the arrangements at your leisure? Itâs not too late to the capital only when everything is taken care of. Iâll be on firm footing in the capital then as well. Weâll be able to pick up right where we left off.