Chapter 74: Chapter 74

Yet when night fell and she returned to her room, no longer under the beguiling influence of her grandson's face, Madam Jiang couldn't help but voice her concerns again, reminded of the cold shoulders she'd received in the capital years ago.

"Husband, the capital is full of high-ranking officials and nobles. If our family goes there..."

Wouldn't they just be inviting scorn?

How humiliating that would be!

At least here in the county town, their family stood at the pinnacle of respectability. Even the magistrate's wife would show them courtesy on ordinary occasions!

Though she couldn't bear to part with her precious grandson, the thought of leaving this place filled Madam Jiang with unease.

"What do you know! Our eldest son and daughter-in-law only have this one child. If we don't go, filial duty would prevent our son from leaving either. A few days apart is manageable, but prolonged separation would naturally weaken even the closest parent-child bond."

"Don't forget - our eldest will need Ah Jing to support him in his old age!"

Of course, what mattered more wasn't whether their son went, but that their daughter-in-law must go!

Only with their exceptionally clever daughter-in-law keeping watch could he rest easy.

Naturally, this reasoning was beyond his wife's comprehension, so Master Lin didn't bother explaining.

His wife would understand soon enough - the first reason alone would suffice.

Sure enough, mentioning their son silenced Madam Jiang immediately. Xiuyuan had come from her own womb after ten months of pregnancy - how could she not cherish him?

Still, she couldn't help muttering:

"Ah! If only our eldest daughter-in-law had borne another child! Then Ah Jing would have a companion."

An only child was always so lonely.

"And if that child could also become a Tanhua like our Ah Jing, that would be even better."

The old woman was truly dreaming big.

Master Lin couldn't help twitching his lips at his wife's fantasies.

"Enough already! Having Ah Jing is already like our ancestors' graves emitting blue smoke - what more could you ask for?"

As if becoming a Tanhua scholar, especially a seventeen-year-old one, was so easily achieved!

Moreover, pregnancy and childbirth were genuine life-and-death trials for women. Given their daughter-in-law's constitution, if anything went wrong, they'd lose both the new and the existing.

To Master Lin, a bird in hand was worth two in the bush.

Rather than entertain futile hopes for a grandson of unknown potential and risk their daughter-in-law's health, it was better to focus on nurturing Ah Jing - their proven talent.

While their grandson's abilities were indeed exceptional, the world was vast and geniuses numerous. In his years of travel, he'd encountered no shortage of clever youths.

Someone like Ah Jing wasn't actually that rare.

Though someone as brilliant as their daughter-in-law - now that was truly uncommon.

In truth, at least half of their grandson's current achievements could be credited to his mother's teaching over the years.

To Master Lin, the combination of their grandson's innate talent and his mother's guidance was the safest bet.

It simply wasn't worth risking for the sake of a hypothetical grandson.

Besides, was he lacking in grandsons?

Hadn't his second and third sons produced plenty? Each more blockheaded than the last - neither in looks nor brains could they compare to even a fraction of Ah Jing's qualities. He couldn't even be bothered to look at them when they visited.

Thinking of the sight he'd seen earlier - his precious grandson in dark blue official robes with jade pendants, looking more refined and elegant than ever - Master Lin closed his eyes with a contented smile.

Now this was a grandson worth having!

Perhaps dreaming something pleasant, even in sleep the old man wore a smile.

That same night, An Ning and her husband were also chatting in bed.

Lying beside her ever-calm husband who'd just casually mentioned plans to transfer all their businesses, An Ning found herself genuinely curious. Propping herself on his shoulder, her beautiful eyes twinkled with amusement as she gazed at him:

"After all you've built, husband, can you really bear to let it go?"

Unlike his struggles with scholarly pursuits, her husband had genuine talent for commerce. Having grown up immersed in business, his social acumen had at least doubled the Lin family's assets in the decade since he took over.

Most importantly, An Ning could see he truly enjoyed it - even harbored ambitions in this field.

Yet now he was ready to walk away so easily!

"What's the big deal?"

Adjusting his shoulder to better accommodate her, Lin Xiuyuan remained his usual composed self. Only when met with his wife's smiling gaze did a hint of amusement surface:

"Ah Jing is now a Hanlin scholar - the most prestigious pure scholar position. Having a merchant father already holds our son back. If I continue conducting business openly, wouldn't that further embarrass him?"

Worse, it might even hinder his career.

Precisely because he was a merchant, Lin Xiuyuan understood better than most the contempt scholars held for business families.

Not that he was making a bad deal - while handing operations to his half-brothers and clansmen, it wasn't without compensation. At most, it was a sale.

In fact, they would merely manage things - the actual deeds and ownership remained firmly in his hands.

These managers would still need to send the majority of profits back to the main family.

With this arrangement plus their accumulated wealth, even in the capital they could maintain their lifestyle and his wife's little hobbies.

As for whether his brothers might cheat him - Xiuyuan had no such concerns.

Years in business hadn't been for nothing. In official-merchant relations, officials always came first. Unless his brothers were fools, they wouldn't risk losing their capital connections by cheating.

In fact, to curry favor, they'd likely send more than required - just as they'd annually sent large sums to their cousin-official before.

While this move seemed sudden, Xiuyuan had actually considered every angle since Ah Jing left for the capital exams - even since he topped the provincial exams.

Especially knowing his wife and son's expensive little hobbies, careful planning was essential.

Despite these preparations, it still took over half a month before the family finished packing, bid farewell to relatives, and boarded the boat to the capital.

With help from their capital cousin, they'd already purchased a modest two-courtyard home. While not large in the expensive capital, it comfortably accommodated their family of five.

Mindful of his wife's (and mother's) tastes, the courtyard was elegantly arranged with gardenia trees.

As the former residence of a retired Hanlin scholar, their official-class neighbors proved pleasant company.

Only one issue remained:

Looking at the still-empty seat at the table, An Ning couldn't help feeling exasperated.

She'd thought the Hanlin Academy would be less demanding, but Ah Jing had been swamped since starting.

Old Master Lin, however, was delighted:

"This shows His Majesty values our Ah Jing! What do they call it - an imperial confidant! Others can only dream of such favor!"

To him, frequent imperial summons signaled great favor and importance.

"Only Ah Jing's exceptional talent could catch the Emperor's eye!"

But wasn't it because of his looks?

Only after witnessing her son's frequent summons did An Ning realize why he hadn't won the top scholar title.

Simply put - this world belonged to beauty lovers.

The current Emperor especially. Apart from the top scholar's genuine merit, what likely made the throne abandon the grand triple-first honor was probably the top three candidates' ordinary looks - unworthy of the Tanhua title in imperial eyes.

Though she'd never met him, snippets from her son's accounts allowed An Ning to deduce the Emperor's character.

Now she felt grateful the Emperor was barely thirty, with no marriageable princesses.

Given Ah Jing's frequent summons, she'd feared an imperial match might be forced upon them.

Being a royal son-in-law sounded glorious, but only those in the position knew its constraints.

Alas, An Ning's relief proved short-lived. One day, a group of yellow-robed eunuchs knocked on their door, led by one holding an unmistakably bright imperial edict.

She suddenly had a very bad feeling about this.