SFL Chapter 9

The news of the female lead’s imminent arrival did not disrupt Mu Yunfeng’s peaceful life. He continued to perform his duties diligently at the Ministry of Revenue.

Compared to his previous responsibilities of surveying land and fields, managing the treasury this time undoubtedly touched on the real power of the ministry.

On his first day managing the treasury, Mu Yunfeng received personal guidance from the Minister of Revenue.

The military needed an increase in military expenses due to excessive wear and tear of weapons, and they applied for funding from the Ministry of Revenue – it was denied.

Government officials proposed extravagant construction projects that lacked practicality, requiring financial approval from the Ministry of Revenue – it was denied.

Financial aid was needed across the country for disaster relief efforts. Although not entirely impossible to obtain, extracting these funds from the Ministry of Revenue’s coffers was no easy task.

“My Lord, the Ministry of Revenue is responsible for the Empire’s treasury, and there are countless people coming here every day asking for funds. If we don’t tighten our purse strings, the treasury, no matter how much money it has, will be depleted in no time. I hope My Lord keeps this in mind,” the Minister advised Mu Yunfeng.

To outsiders who were unaware, managing the treasury might seem like a cushy job, but for those who know, it was a difficult task.

With so much money at their disposal, many people found various ways to withdraw funds from the treasury, and refusing their requests often resulted in making enemies.

So, Mu Yunfeng’s task was not as easy as it seemed.

The Minister’s responsibility, apart from responding to major disasters, was to manage tax revenue. The treasury was divided into three main categories: taxes from the common people, taxes from merchants, and government taxes.

Taxes from the common people included but were not limited to grain taxes from farming, cloth taxes from textile production, and oil taxes from oil extraction.

While the quantity of this type of taxation was not vast, the large population ensured that it equaled the other two categories.

Merchant taxes were levied on businesses, with the biggest contributor being salt taxes.

Salt taxes were the flagship of merchant taxes.

Government taxes consisted of industries officially run by the state, such as road taxes from tolls and government-run post stations. The annual tax revenue from these industries was also substantial.

However, the treasury’s current reserves under Mu Yunfeng’s control were not abundant.

Because the sources of tax revenue were fixed, while the demands for money were varied.

Even with the Ministry of Revenue’s strict financial management, the officials preferred not to spend the money easily. They were more comfortable leaving it untouched, rather than taking any risks. Thus, Mu Yunfeng could only make gradual changes within the existing framework.

As Mu Yunfeng was busy with treasury matters, time passed quickly, and the Su family’s delegation arrived in the capital.

Several luxurious and well-appointed carriages made their way into the city. The head of the Su family, along with a group of people, settled into the Su family’s residence in the capital.

While they were getting settled, they sent a letter to inform Su Qianluo of their arrival.

Su Qianluo had a strong aversion to their arrival, even though they were family. Upon receiving a letter personally handwritten by her maternal grandmother, she curled her lips into a cold smile and said, “Go and inquire about everything related to the Su family and Su Qianhuan.”

She didn’t believe that her maternal grandmother was unaware of how embarrassing Su Qianhuan’s arrival would be for her as the Third Princess. Or even if she knew, she still chose to do it this way.

After all, Su Qianhuan was her maternal grandmother’s own daughter, and she was just the legitimate daughter from the second wife. A niece from another branch couldn’t possibly be more important.

She didn’t care about the real purpose of Su’s family coming to the capital; as long as Su Qianhuan didn’t provoke her, she wouldn’t spare her.

Compared to Su Qianluo’s complex thoughts, Su Qianhuan was much simpler.

The pampered legitimate daughter of the Su family had a temperament that anyone could see through at a glance. Although her recent journey had caused some changes in her, she was still straightforward.

At this moment, in the garden of the Su family’s residence, Su Qianhuan pursed her lips tightly, showing that she wasn’t in a particularly good mood. In fact, ever since she set out for the capital, Su Qianhuan hadn’t been very happy.

Seeing her like this, the maternal grandmother of the Su family frowned slightly and sighed, “Why do you have to do this? Back then, if you had married the Third Prince, we wouldn’t have to find a husband for you again.”

Su Qianhuan clenched her teeth and replied, “Mother, I don’t want to marry into the royal family. I don’t want a husband with a distinguished title. I just want to marry someone who loves me.”

“Stop saying such things in the future. Do you know that because of what you did, we have offended the royal family? The royal family hasn’t openly punished us, but they won’t tolerate our repeated refusals. My child, you should put away your lofty ideals and learn to live a practical life.”

“In this world, there’s no such thing as ‘a lifetime with one person.’ Those are lies written by scholars specifically to deceive girls like you in the boudoir. It can’t possibly be true.”

“After we finish packing, you will come with me to visit your cousin at the Third Prince’s Mansion. Apologize to her and acknowledge your mistakes. If it weren’t for your sudden appearance back then, how could you possibly have ended up inferior to your cousin? You should understand that her background is far superior to yours.” Su Qianhuan’s mother, her maternal grandmother, spoke somewhat resentful.

Hearing her mother’s words, Su Qianhuan felt an indescribable bitterness in her heart. She knew that Su Qianluo had married into the royal family on her behalf back then, and she should have felt guilty towards her cousin. However, her status as the Third Princess made it difficult for her to truly bless the ‘real’ Third Princess.

Just as her mother had said, in the future, unless something unexpected happened, she would have to look up to her cousin, who had always been following behind her. This made her feel very uncomfortable.

However, when she thought about the fact that her cousin, Su Qianluo, would have to manage the affairs of the mansion, take care of her husband’s concubines, and demonstrate her virtue and magnanimity, Su Qianhuan didn’t envy her anymore.

She didn’t want to live such a life, a life where everything was within reach.

That’s how it was. She owed Su Qianluo for marrying on her behalf, but in return, Su Qianluo had married into a position that she could never have had. Now, neither of them owed anything to each other.

When the Su family came to visit the Third Prince’s Mansion, Mu Yunfeng happened to be at home. Out of courtesy, Mu Yunfeng greeted them.

“I greet the Third Prince,” said the maternal grandmother of the Su family as she bowed.

Behind her stood several young girls, including Su Qianhuan, who was slightly older than Su Qianluo. The rest were still quite young.

“I greet the Third Prince,” Su Qianhuan also greeted, her eyes lowered. She only saw a figure in dark clothing, and she heard a deep voice. “You may all rise.”

Since the Su family had arrived, they would naturally be received by Su Qianluo, and Mu Yunfeng had no intention of staying for long.

After noticing Mu Yunfeng’s departure, Su Qianhuan raised her head slightly. Her age made her identity immediately clear to anyone who looked at her. Had the Third Prince already learned about her identity? Would he be angry about her runaway marriage?

Thinking that the person she had just paid her respects to was her husband, Su Qianhuan felt a hint of sorrow in her heart.

“Huan’er, Huan’er,” Su Qianhuan’s maternal grandmother called with a smile. While her smile remained unchanged on her face, her voice grew heavier with each word.

Su Qianhuan snapped back to reality and saw Su Qianluo staring at her with uncertain eyes. Su Qianhuan quickly smiled and said, “Forgive me for my absent-mindedness, Your Highness. I was lost in thought.”

After speaking, Su Qianhuan lowered her head again. She still felt uncomfortable using a respectful tone with her cousin Su Qianluo. Their statuses had changed, and she had to adapt to this new way of addressing her.

“Your Highness, please don’t take offense. You know that your cousin has always been a bit slow since she was a child,” Su Qianhuan’s maternal grandmother added, trying to make amends for her daughter’s behavior.

This remark made Su Qianluo snort coldly in her heart. She had already learned that Su Qianhuan was the same naive cousin she used to be. Her heart had just calmed down a bit regarding Su Qianhuan earlier, but seeing her lost in thought after Mu Yunfeng left made her feel annoyed again. However, she didn’t intend to investigate further. After all, it wasn’t Mu Yunfeng who was watching Su Qianhuan blankly.

“We have to trouble the Third Princess on recommending a good family for marriage to the cousins.” Su Qianhuan’s maternal grandmother said.

Su Qianluo’s brow furrowed slightly, and she said, “Aunt, to be honest, I don’t have many connections that I can introduce to you for these marriages. I might not be of much help in this matter.”

Although the Su family had its own social network, matchmaking was still a complicated matter that required careful consideration. They also needed the Third Princess to introduce suitable candidates. Su Qianluo honestly admitted her limitations.

“The Third Princess is too modest,” the maternal grandmother of the Su family smiled, thinking that Su Qianluo might still be upset about her being married off in the past. She believed that while it might have been wrong for the main branch of the Su family to have her replace Su Qianluo, Su Qianluo had benefited from it. It would be excessive to bring up this matter now.

“Aunt, I’m telling the truth. You can learn about this from the elderly relatives who are familiar with these matters. It’s not something I can openly discuss,” Su Qianluo said with a cold tone. She was neither able to help nor inclined to, as even if she could, she had to be careful. No one knew what fate had in store for these sisters in the future, whether they would marry into families that had grudges with the Third Prince’s Mansion and turn against her.

“I was too hasty,” the maternal grandmother of the Su family said with a smile. However, her heart sank slightly. Since she had already arrived in the capital, there was no need for Su Qianluo to repeat her words. But she couldn’t fathom why Su Qianluo, who had been the Third Prince’s Consort for a while, hadn’t made any connections. There seemed to be a problem.

With these thoughts in mind, the maternal grandmother of the Su family became restless. After not too long, she took her daughters and bid farewell.

Su Qianluo knew that after they left this time, they wouldn’t be visiting again for quite some time.

The reputation of the Third Prince’s Mansion in the capital was not good. Even the Third Princess herself didn’t receive much attention at social events. To avoid the same treatment as her cousin, Su Qianluo’s family naturally had to distance themselves from her.

As expected, Su Qianluo’s family never visited again, leaving her in peace.

On the Su family’s side, after learning about the reputation of the Third Prince in the capital, the maternal grandmother of the Su family held Su Qianhuan’s hand and sighed in relief, “It’s a good thing you didn’t marry into the Third Prince’s Mansion. You wouldn’t be able to endure such cold treatment.”

“But isn’t the Third Prince doing good deeds? Why do the people in the capital dislike him?” Su Qianhuan couldn’t help but ask.

She had read many stories in books where heroic and righteous figures were highly praised. The Third Prince’s actions were even more impressive than those in the books. But why was he so disliked by the people?

The maternal grandmother of the Su family replied with a cold voice, “It was the Third Prince who violated taboos first.”

“In the capital, the relationships between families are intricate and complex. Who can guarantee that their own family will always produce good offspring? The Third Prince acts ruthlessly, and it’s no wonder that even your cousin is finding it hard to gain favor among the noble ladies.”

“In the future, when attending social events, you are not allowed to get close to your cousin. Huan’er, our family has already allowed you to be willful once, and we didn’t punish you when you returned. But your father, I, and the entire Su family do not want you to be willful again. Do you understand?” Su Qianhuan was, after all, the child of the maternal grandmother of the Su family. With just one look at her daughter’s expression, she knew that she felt guilty. However, guilt aside, at this time, the Su family needed to distance themselves from the Third Prince’s Mansion.

Su Qianhuan opened her mouth and said, “Daughter understands…”