Chapter 54: The Patriarch Calls to Account

A few days later, Jiang Yi, the eldest cousin whom Lin Wanqing had been eagerly anticipating, finally arrived.

"Your humble servant, Jiang Yi, pays his respects to the General's Lady."

Jiang Yi was exceptionally tall and had a very upright and proper appearance. Having endured many hardships during the years of his exile in Lingnan, his skin was somewhat darkened, making him look a bit older than his actual age.

The moment he saw Lin Wanqing, he bowed deeply to her. Flustered, Lin Wanqing hurried forward to help him up. "Eldest cousin, why are you treating me with such excessive formality? You are trying to shorten my lifespan."

In her past life, she and Jiang Yi had been very close, acting not only as cousins but also as the most trusted business partners.

Yet in this present lifetime, this was only the second time Jiang Yi had ever laid eyes on her.

The first time they met, she had still been an infant in swaddling clothes.

Consequently, Jiang Yi felt completely unfamiliar with this cousin of his.

As she helped him up, a trace of nervous apprehension remained in his demeanor.

Lin Wanqing felt a quiet surge of helplessness. Having been reborn, even relationships had to be cultivated all over again.

Still, there was no other way.

To avoid startling Jiang Yi, Lin Wanqing had no choice but to adopt a more distant and polite tone. "Cousin, please do not stand on such ceremony. The two of us are close blood relatives, and I hold no official noble title yet; there is no need for you to bow to me."

Jiang Yi offered a somewhat constrained smile. "Etiquette must not be discarded."

When he had been exiled to Lingnan, he was still very young, only ten-some years of age. Having suffered through endless hardships over the past dozen years, he had learned to act with extreme caution. Before figuring out Lin Wanqing's true temperament, he did not dare to be too casual. Even though his father had briefed him on this cousin's situation prior to his departure, he decided it was safer to remain overly courteous.

After all, excessive politeness never offended anyone.

Knowing his cautious nature, Lin Wanqing did not press the matter further. Instead, she said, "My uncle should have explained everything to you. I am in urgent need of trusted personnel, which is why I asked cousin to come and help me manage the household affairs."

Jiang Yi nodded. "Father has told me everything. I am ready to assume my duties at any time."

Lin Wanqing smiled at him. "There is no need to rush quite so much. By the way, when are my uncle and aunt expected to arrive?"

Jiang Yi replied, "They should be here in about half a month. Relocating an entire household is a rather complicated endeavor."

Xiangyang City was by no means close to Yuzhou City, and even by hurrying along, Jiang Yi had spent seven or eight days just making the journey here. Moving an entire family would naturally take at least twice as long.

Lin Wanqing said, "I will send some people to meet them along the way so they have assistance on the road."

Concerned for his family's safe journey as well, Jiang Yi expressed his gratitude. "Thank you so much, Lady."

Lin Wanqing smiled. "They are my family; caring for them is only my duty. Cousin does not need to thank me."

Sensing the genuine warmth in her words, Jiang Yi felt a gentle stirring in his chest.

"Cousin must be exhausted from the journey. I will have someone show you to your quarters to rest first, and tonight I shall host a welcoming banquet for you."

Raising no objections, Jiang Yi withdrew in the company of a maidservant.

Upon reaching the chamber prepared for him by Lin Wanqing, Jiang Yi looked at the provisions thoughtfully arranged inside, and a wave of warmth washed over him.

On the table rested several dishes of food. While not extravagantly luxurious, every single one of them happened to be his personal favorite.

A pageboy standing nearby added, "Knowing that you suffer from an old injury in your legs, my lady specially prepared medicinal plasters for you. After you finish bathing later, this servant will apply them for you."

Jiang Yi picked up one of the plasters and examined it; the medicinal fragrance was rich and potent.

With a knowing look, the pageboy said, "These were custom-blended by the finest physician in Yuzhou City at my lady's special request."

Jiang Yi remained silent, but his eyes were filled with deep emotion.

His family had suffered a catastrophic upheaval when he was a child, resulting in their exile to Lingnan. Along the journey, they had endured endless suffering and torment, not to mention the grinding hardships of the years spent in Lingnan. Consequently, he was profoundly guarded against strangers. Even when he knew someone meant no harm, maintaining a defensive posture had become second nature to him.

There was no helping it; anyone who had been through experiences like his could not easily place their trust in others.

Yet this cousin of his made it difficult for him to maintain his usual guard.

He constantly had the lingering sensation that this cousin understood him in a very special way.

And yet, strictly speaking, this was only their actual first meeting. The time when he was a baby could hardly count, as she had been nothing more than a nursing infant then.

If she hadn't quietly inquired and cared enough to look into his past, how could she possibly know so many minute details about him?

Someone capable of showing such deep concern for a penniless relative—no matter how flawed she might be, how bad could she truly be? And what possible value could he possess that would warrant such elaborate scheming from this cousin?

With this realization, a sense of embarrassment crept over Jiang Yi.

From the very beginning, his cousin had demonstrated deep concern for his family and had even invited him to serve as the household steward. If she did not place absolute trust in them, she would never have gone to such lengths. Yet he had continued to guard himself against her—it was truly unbefitting.

Thus, when the welcoming banquet was held that evening, Jiang Yi's demeanor was noticeably less reserved.

Lin Wanqing did not treat him as an outsider either, using the occasion of the banquet to formally assign the estate's administrative duties to Jiang Yi.

Jiang Yi possessed formidable competence. Over the years in Lingnan, he had acquired a wealth of practical skills, lacking only the opportunity to put them into practice.

That was precisely why Lin Wanqing wanted him to serve as the steward of the General's Estate for a period, allowing him to get his bearings and familiarize himself thoroughly with the situation in Yuzhou City.

Accordingly, the very next day, Jiang Yi officially assumed his post.

Lin Wanqing gathered all the servants of the household together and announced publicly, "This is Jiang Yi, my cousin whom I have specially invited to assist me in managing the General's Estate as our new steward. From today onward, all matters within the household must be reported to him first."

With that, Lin Wanqing handed the steward's seal of authority directly to Jiang Yi.

Being a man of resolute action, Jiang Yi grasped the state of affairs within the household in less than two days and immediately set about organizing and rectifying the estate.

Trusting completely in his capabilities, Lin Wanqing left everything entirely in his hands without interfering, while she turned her own attention to the matter of finding a suitable academy for Lu Qinian.

Lu Qinian had no enthusiasm whatsoever for schooling. Thrilled by these few days of freedom from classes, he happily dragged his little wooden sword to the martial arts courtyard day in and day out, practicing with exuberant shouts.

Despite inquiring for several days, Lin Wanqing had yet to locate a satisfactory academy.

Yuzhou City was only so large, with merely a handful of reputable academies—and Lu Qinian happened to be on the blacklist of every single one of them.

Seeing Lu Qinian idling away his days at home, Lu Huixin grew frantic with anxiety. She firmly believed that Lin Wanqing was deliberately trying to sabotage Lu Qinian's future and turn him into an uneducated good-for-nothing.

Yet the entire General's Estate was currently under Lin Wanqing's ironclad control; their grandmother was absent, and her paternal aunt was entirely unreliable. The realization filled her with a desperate panic.

After turning the matter over in her mind, she decided to seek help from the elders of the collateral branches of the Lu family!

The Lu clan was a prominent and expansive family, with the General's Estate serving as the primary direct lineage and the most distinguished branch. However, the position of clan patriarch was actually held by a member of a collateral branch.

Logically speaking, the role of patriarch ought to be assumed by the head of the direct lineage. But because the Lu family consisted of military generals who spent year after year campaigning on distant frontiers, they barely had time to manage their own immediate household affairs, let alone tend to the broader matters of the clan.

Consequently, the duty of patriarch was entrusted to someone capable and possessing sufficient leisure time.

The current patriarch was a paternal uncle from a collateral branch, ranking second among his peers.

In his younger years, this uncle had passed the imperial examinations to become a juren and had even spent time dabbling in official circles, but he was eventually dismissed from office and sent home due to his excessively upright and unyielding personality in offending his superiors. Upon returning home, he willingly shouldndered the heavy burden of leading the clan. Possessing a fair measure of ability, he had managed the clan's affairs with admirable clarity over his several years in office, winning the deep trust of his kinsmen.

Upon receiving Lu Huixin's plea for help, the clan patriarch could no longer sit idly by. Immediately gathering a group of followers, he rushed directly to the General's Estate to demand accountability.