Chapter 4 — An Luong Doesn't Choose a Female

The elder sister's hand froze in mid-air. I walked in front of the manager.

“The relief food of the religious people is based on what cards are given by the Lieu clan?”

“The salary book in the village has always been managed by the clan.”

He patted the chest behind him.

“If you have a male guarantor, you can avoid paying too much and paying on your behalf.”

“What about people whose men died in the water?”

“That is the number of miserable people.”

I kicked over the wooden card chest. Several hundred cards rolled around in mud. The manager was so angry that he jumped up.

"You dare to break Lieu's rules!"

“From now on, the salaries of religious leaders are distributed per capita.”

“Men, women, the elderly, children, all count as one mouth to feed.”

"May Tam Nuong lead someone to register, and Ton Ba weighs the salary. Anyone who dares to stop them should write down their names and hand them over to the Lam Chau government."

The other manager rushed forward and grabbed the token. Chuc Tam Nuong used her oar to block him, pushing him down into the mud.

“Stand firmly.”

"Our lady has a bad temper. Just now you just kicked the chest, but you still moved your hand, it's hard to say where the next kick will go."

Laughter rang out in the crowd. The women who had not dared to move forward slowly surrounded the food tent. Some people were holding children, some were supporting the elderly, and there were two girls about ten years old, all soaking wet. The elder sister looked at the increasingly long line of people and lowered her voice to remind.

"Sister, the refugees' mood is not stable. You suddenly change the rules, what if someone causes trouble?"

“That's why you have to register and weigh enough.”

“But the clan elders are more familiar with the villagers.”

“What they are familiar with is which house has a man.”

I gave the first bowl of porridge to the feverish child.

“Ethics save people, not genealogy.”

Bach ma ma stood outside the tent, still holding the package of moldy Western braised rice in her hand. At this point, she lowered her pen and wrote a line in the notebook. The elder sister saw it. She immediately rolled up her sleeves and walked among the women.

“I help everyone scoop porridge.”

She has a beautiful appearance and a gentle voice. Every time a bowl of porridge is given, someone bows their head in thanks. At dusk, the large ships the Tiet family had found finally arrived. As soon as the remaining five hundred sacks of food went ashore, the elder sister immediately ordered someone to raise the white flag again. Bach ma ma just glanced at it.

“The salaries of the two ladies have all been delivered.”

The elder sister put down the porridge ladle, a look of relief on her face.

“So the general seal…”

“The Queen Mother has her own decision.”

Bach ma ma closed the book.

“The old man only wrote down things he saw with his own eyes.”

The elder sister looked at the notebook in her hand and couldn't laugh for the first time.

6

After returning to the capital, the Queen Mother did not send any news for two days. The Qin family was busy holding a party again. The Tiet family spread the news that the Ministry of Rites was inquiring about the rituals and court clothes that needed to be prepared when anointing an unmarried woman as a district lord. After hearing this, my father opened the door that night. The second uncle used his cane and personally welcomed the eldest sister to sit in the main seat.

“The Queen Mother ordered Thanh Nguyet to give her salary, as expected, not just because of the general seal.”

“The Qin family has been an official for several generations, and finally there will be a district lord!”

The three judges laughed until they couldn't close their mouths.

"I told you, you have seen Thanh Nguyet's temperament with your own eyes, so how can you just let him be a shopkeeper full of money?"

“Minh Chau also seems to have some effect. If it weren't for him running back and forth around next door, how can Thanh Nguyet cleanly deliver the food to the destination?"

There was a loud burst of laughter at the party. Just like rowing a boat in the middle of the water, testing food in front of the warehouse, which is something we should do to polish the elder sister's reputation. Her mother adjusted the moonlight white dress she had just made for her.

"Later, if someone comes to the palace, don't rush to say thank you."

“First of all, we must ask clearly whether the title will be enjoyed for life, whether it will have land and benefits or not. Your father said that if the royal family truly values you, it cannot be ambiguous."

The elder lowered his eyes.

“I saved the people not because of a title.”

"It's just that if the princess feels that her status as a princess is more convenient for opening a female school, I can't just refuse."

The second uncle applauded.

“This is the eldest daughter of the Tan family! Going back and forth is not for yourself!”

I sat at the end of the table, bowed my head and picked up fish bones. Dao Chi stood behind, holding back laughter until his shoulders shook. She followed me on a trip to Lam Chau, and when she returned, she couldn't hear the words "clean and noble". Hearing that makes me want to laugh. Father suddenly threw a notebook in front of me.

"Lam Chau fortune books, copy one copy."

“The assistant boat's wages are recorded at the market price, not doubled. I'll pay for the remaining money myself."

“Why?”

“The money I gave you is relief food. If the boat rental price is high on the book, wouldn't it make people think that the Tan family borrowed from natural disasters to bribe people's hearts?"

“The silver that the Queen Mother allowed me to use is also the money the boat owners earned through the rain.”

“I don't fix it.”

My father's face darkened.

“The total seal will very soon belong to you. Whatever is written in the book of good faith, it is not your turn to decide.”

He waved towards the door. Two ladies walked in and stood on both sides behind me.

“Take the second lady to the foreign hospital records room.”

“When I finish writing, I will be able to meet you.”

The elder sister gently advised.

“Father, don't force me.”

“That girl has always valued money, but suddenly forced to change the account, it was inevitable that she felt uncomfortable.”

I put down my chopsticks.

“Using other people's wages to buy reputation for yourself, sister is really very comfortable.”

Her face turned white. The mother stood up.

"On your big day, do you have to make fun of your sister?"

“Who is happy today?”

"The royal decree hasn't come yet, how does mother know it's a sister?"

The laughter filling the hall suddenly stopped. The second uncle coughed heavily.

“The person the Queen Mother wants to ordain is the eldest daughter of the Qin family, not the wild girl who has been messing around with the ship's assistant at the dock for ten years like you.”

“If you know what to do, hand over the Lam Chau orders and books to Thanh Nguyet.”

“Wait until it is ordained, perhaps you will remember the love of a sister and choose a good marriage for you.”

The token on my side expired three days ago. What they want is not a piece of copper. They wanted me to personally admit that everything in Lam Chau was done on behalf of the elder sister. Seeing that I was not moving, my father signaled the two ladies to come forward. At this moment, mid-air comments appeared again. 【Don't go to the book room! The news of the district lord released by the Tiet family is fake!】 【They wanted to take advantage of the time Tan Minh Chau was pushed away, so that Tan Thanh Nguyet combined the two fortune books into one, and then recorded all the merits under his name!】 【People of the Queen Mother has reached the beginning of the alley. If Tan Minh Chau is not present, the Tan family will use a fake, edited book to receive orders!】 My heart is cold. I immediately sat back down. The two ladies raised their hands to pull. Maid Dao Chi carried the silver pot containing fish soup and placed it on the table. The soup fills half the bowl.

“Who dares to touch my lady, if my hand slips, don't expect to wear clean clothes tonight.”

The third judge shouted, hugging her new dress tightly. The two women's hands also stopped. Father was so angry that his lips trembled.

"Treason! Even a maid dares to act arrogantly in public!"

“She just wanted to protect her master.”

I learned the elder sister's voice and slowly wiped my hands.

“Father has always respected love and loyalty, so he probably wouldn't blame her.”

Outside the door, three gongs suddenly rang out. The royal staff in the palace stopped in front of the Tan family gate. The anger on the mother's face immediately turned into joy. She pushed the chair out.

“Quickly, help the eldest lady come forward to receive instructions!”

The elder sister did not immediately stand up. She glanced at me, her eyes falling on Lam Chau's books.

"Sister, don't be angry in front of the royal palace."

"You hand over the book to me. I will tell the lady that you also contribute."

"How much to contribute, is it up to you to decide?"

"We are sisters, why bother comparing these things?"

"You don't care, why are you so quick to take my notebook?"

The gentle look on her face finally could no longer be maintained.

"Tan Minh Chau, do you really think that if you give a few ships of food, the Queen Mother will ignore me and choose you?"

Outside the door, the gong sounded again. The second uncle continuously urged.

"Thanh Nguyet, don't get involved with him, don't miss the good time!"

Everyone gathered around the elder sister and went to the lobby. She took the lead, the moonlight white hem of her dress swept across the doorstep without a speck of dust. Tiet Van Son was waiting in the lobby. Next to him was a brocade box containing a jade hat. Seeing the elder sister come out, he smiled and bowed.

“Congratulations, my lord.”

The elder sister said "don't dare", but naturally knelt in the first position. Father and mother knelt on both sides. The elders crowded the yard, all faces were cheerful. I held two fortune books and knelt at the end. The white mother in charge of Tuyen only saw me and first nodded slightly. Tiet Van Son's smile faded. Bach ma ma did not take out the golden book to ordain the district lord. She ordered someone to carry it into an ebony box. The lid of the box opened, the Cuu Chau seal lay still on the red silk layer. The elder sister suddenly raised her head. Bach ma ma opened the Queen Mother's will.

“The Queen Mother has an order: Tan Minh Chau, the concubine, will take over the general seal of the Nine Provinces.”