When Yang Haiyan heard Tao Shan’s question, she thought he was quite perceptive, but she didn’t answer directly. “No matter what the reason is, would you be willing to wait three years?”

Tao Shan was twenty-two this year and wanted to get married sooner.

However, after following Qin Fang for two years, he had gained some experience, and having traveled to the capital multiple times, his horizons had broadened.

He replied, “I’m willing to wait.”

He regarded these three years as a period for mutual understanding.

When it came to marrying a virtuous wife, he believed that during this time, they would be able to discover what kind of person each other really was, which he thought was quite good. “May I ask who the person is?”

Yang Haiyan smiled, “I won’t disclose the girl’s name for now. I’ll ask her what she thinks, and if she has a good impression, I’ll introduce you. However, I can tell her your name. Would that be okay? If not, I won’t mention it.”

Tao Shan said, “I don’t mind; you can tell her. In our hometown, it’s common to mention names when getting to know someone.”

Yang Haiyan replied, “That works. I have nothing else to do for now. I’ll let you know once I have news.”

Through this brief conversation, she could tell that Tao Shan was a person with his own opinions and strong will, perhaps to the point where even his parents couldn’t sway his thoughts.

In fact, she liked men who had their own opinions, as long as they weren’t overly patriarchal.

Tao Shan stood up and looked at Qin Fang. “Does the general have any other matters?”

Qin Fang waved his hand, “You can go and rest.”

“Understood.”

After Tao Shan left the inner courtyard, he didn’t rest immediately.

Instead, he took out the monthly stipend he had saved up and distributed two hundred wen to each of the guards who had accompanied him to the capital.

Two hundred wen was their monthly allowance.

If he hadn’t received the emperor’s reward this time, he wouldn’t have given anything, but since the emperor had rewarded him, it was only natural for the other guards to share in the honor.

After giving out the money, he still had eight taels left.

Tao Shan hid the eight taels and thought about Yang Haiyan’s words; he felt that his savings for marrying a wife had become even more substantial.

After all, during these two years with Qin Fang, he had saved up five taels, having sent five hundred wen to his parents each year, with the rest being saved.

He intended to support his parents, but he also wanted to save for his future family.

Looking at the suddenly increased amount of silver, Tao Shan felt quite satisfied.

He went to take a cold shower and then fell asleep, too tired even to eat.

In the inner courtyard, Yang Haiyan and Qin Fang had also finished bathing.

Yang Haiyan lay on the bed, reading the secret letter from the emperor to Qin Fang, while Qin Fang fanned himself beside her.

In Qin Fang’s mind, nothing mattered more than his wife, and now that she was pregnant, that importance only increased.

After reading the letter, Yang Haiyan was somewhat surprised. “The emperor gave you one hundred thousand taels of silver to raise horses?”

Qin Fang replied, “Yes, it’s a deposit note for one hundred thousand taels, but I need to go to the bank to withdraw the money. However, there isn’t such a bank in Yunxiang County, so I have to go to Hedoong City. The emperor probably learned that I was raising horses from my teacher since my teacher’s letter arrived in the capital. I assume he has also submitted a memorial to the emperor.”

Yang Haiyan said, “The emperor is quite generous, giving you one hundred thousand taels to raise horses.”

Qin Fang replied, “…I don’t have silver. If he didn’t give it to me, how could I raise them? Plus, one hundred thousand taels may seem like a lot, but expenses for acquiring a horse farm, hiring personnel, and the biggest cost—feeding the horses—are substantial…”

He suddenly stopped midway through his sentence and added after a moment of contemplation, “If we build a horse farm here, we will need to buy land, right? That will require even more silver. I need to discuss this with the emperor. If we can cultivate the land ourselves, that would save a significant amount of money.”

Saying this, Qin Fang stood up. “I’ll write a letter right away.”

Yang Haiyan replied, “Don’t rush; if you write it now, Tao Shan won’t be able to deliver it tomorrow. He needs to rest for a few days, right?”

Qin Fang said, “He won’t be delivering it.”

Yang Haiyan raised her eyebrows in confusion.

After considering it, Qin Fang added, “I’ll deliver the letter myself.”

Yang Haiyan was stunned. “You want to deliver the letter yourself? What does that mean?”

Qin Fang pouted and said, “I haven’t seen the emperor yet.”

“Pfft…” Yang Haiyan couldn’t help but laugh.

So that was it; she was jealous that Tao Shan had met the Emperor, so she wanted to deliver the message herself.

Seeing her laugh, Qin Fang put on a straight face: “You’re not allowed to laugh; if you keep laughing, I won’t fan you anymore.”

Yang Haiyan wasn’t afraid of him: “If it gets hot, I won’t care about your daughter.”

Qin Fang replied, “She won’t be too hot; if she is, I wouldn’t want her to be.”

This man, even his sweet words come so easily now.

Yang Haiyan smiled at him, thinking, what to do?

His words were quite pleasant to hear.

Qin Fang also looked at her, sitting down again: “Besides the horse ranch matter, there’s also the issue of fruits and vegetables. Didn’t the Emperor ask us to send the seeds for vegetables and fruits to the capital? He wants to plant them in the royal farm. But with Niu Da’s inexperience regarding seeds, he hasn’t fully figured it out yet and needs some time. Do you think the Emperor might want to send Niu Da to the capital?”

Yang Haiyan said, “I wouldn’t know.”

Qin Fang said, “That’s why I still need to make a trip to the capital to discuss this with the Emperor… I’ll also buy some good things for you in the capital.”

Yang Haiyan raised an eyebrow.

Qin Fang realized he had misspoken; after all, she grew up in the capital and in the home of the Yang Grand Tutor.

What good things could she not have seen before?

“As long as it’s something you buy, I’ll like it, no matter what it is.” Yang Haiyan said before his smile faded.

Hearing this, Qin Fang’s eyes lit up, and his smile returned: “Then what do you want? Write it down, and I’ll buy everything for you in the capital. You must have many things you want, right? You can write down everything you used to use in the capital. I couldn’t provide good things for you before, but now that we have money, you can have whatever you want.”

The five thousand taels earned from eliminating bandits, plus the rewards given by the Emperor for later achievements, meant that although Qin Fang’s position hadn’t risen, he hadn’t received a small amount of silver from the Emperor.

In Qin Fang’s view, silver was more tangible than a position.

Yang Haiyan laughed and scolded him: “Silly, when I was in the capital, although I could eat good food, I used servant’s items. That was the rule; I didn’t have things as good as what I have now. Now that I’m the wife of General Qin, I naturally use items of the officials’ wives, which are certainly better than servant’s items. So, I lack nothing. If you really want to go, I just want you to come back in one piece.”

Qin Fang was moved to hear this.

He thought if he went to the capital, he should buy her a few things used by officials’ wives.

The next day.

The matter regarding the horse ranch was not so simple.

First, if Qin Fang wanted to requisition land in Yunxiang County, he had to discuss it with County Magistrate Yang.

The land there could be requisitioned. Meanwhile, he also needed to ask the horse ranch administrator whether the land was suitable for building a horse ranch.

He had to clarify all the plans before going to see the Emperor.

In this planning, there were some things that couldn’t be explained clearly in a letter or edict; he needed to personally report to the Emperor.

Qin Fang went to find County Magistrate Yang.

Yang Haiyan wasn’t idle either; she asked Uncle Hong to send a message to Third Uncle Qin, asking him to come over in the afternoon to discuss matters regarding Qiuyah.

Upon hearing this, Third Uncle Qin understood.

In the afternoon, Third Uncle Qin arrived.

Because Third Uncle Qin was a man, Yang Haiyan met him in the Liuxin Courtyard, where Grandpa Qin, Grandma Qin, and others were present to avoid any misunderstandings.

Third Uncle Qin had come after lunch; he had helped Third Aunt Qin during lunch; otherwise, he could have come in the morning.

After arriving, he greeted Grandpa Qin and Grandma Qin before eagerly asking Yang Haiyan, “A Fang’s wife, what do you want to discuss about the third girl?”

Grandma Qin said, “Look at you, so anxious. First, have a cup of mung bean soup to cool down.”

Third Uncle Qin showed a touched smile: “Thank you, Mother.” In front of his mother, he would always be a child who never grew up.

Yang Haiyan smiled and said, “Uncle San, don’t rush; let me explain slowly.”

Third Uncle Qin replied, “Alright, I’m listening. Please go ahead.”

Yang Haiyan explained Tao Shan’s situation: “The young man is a close attendant by the General’s side, going in and out with him. His character is stable, and he’s quite clever.

The age difference with Qiuyah is a bit large; he is twenty-two this year. Regarding the matter of marrying into the family, I’ve asked him, and he disagrees with it.

However, he agrees that the first child can take the girl’s surname, regardless of whether it’s a boy or a girl.”

Upon hearing that he was someone who accompanied Qin Fang, Third Uncle Qin thought of Tao Shan.

He had met Tao Shan and knew that Tao Shan was the only unmarried attendant by Qin Fang’s side.

However, hearing Tao Shan’s age, he was somewhat stunned: “The young man is already twenty-two?”

He didn’t look it.

Yang Haiyan replied, “He has served his full five years of military service, so twenty-two isn’t strange. He’s the same age as the General. That’s his situation. I also mentioned to Tao Shan that the girl needs to wait three years before marrying. He said if he likes the girl, he’s willing to wait. However, I didn’t tell him the girl is Qiuyah for her reputation.”

Grandma Qin said, “You’ve thought this through. In this way, even if it doesn’t work out, Qiuyah and Tao Shan won’t feel awkward when they meet.”

Yang Haiyan agreed: “Exactly.”

Third Uncle Qin thought for a moment: “A Fang’s wife, can you give me a few days to think about it?”

This concerns his daughter’s future, so he needed to consider it carefully.

Moreover, the other party is twenty-two this year; three years later, he will be twenty-five.

He was a man himself and knew that it would be hard for a man of that age to wait three years.

Also, if his daughter marries over, if they go for a few years without having children, or if the first child is a girl, then the other party would be thirty.

Would he mind that?

For a moment, Third Uncle Qin didn’t have a clear idea.

Yang Haiyan said, “No rush; take your time to think.”