The county magistrate watched as the eunuch and Old Man Qin came out together, noticing the kind smile on the eunuch’s face.

He thought to himself that Old Man Qin must have given him quite a bit of benefits.

The county magistrate approached, saying, “Sir, Old Man Qin.”

The eunuch nodded.

He held a somewhat haughty attitude when facing the magistrate.

Although he wasn’t particularly powerful in the palace, anyone who could come out to announce the imperial decree usually had some backing, as it was well-known that those who delivered decrees could often expect substantial rewards.

So, it was unlikely that someone without connections would be given this task.

Moreover, being able to venture outside the palace was a rare experience for eunuchs who seldom left the palace.

The eunuch said, “Let’s go. Old Man Qin, we’ll take our leave now; you stay here.”

Grandpa Qin replied, “I’ll see you off, sir, and you too, Magistrate.”

Thus, they all went to see the magistrate and the eunuch off.

Not only the Qin family accompanied them, but also the villagers who were partaking in the banquet.

Everyone was curious.

For them, seeing someone from the royal palace, even if it was just a eunuch, was a rare experience in their lives.

At this moment, who cared about his status as a eunuch?

No one paid any mind to that.

The Qin family escorted the eunuch and the magistrate to the village entrance.

The eunuch said, “You all stay back, please.”

He was genuinely surprised by the warmth of the villagers, who had all come out to see him off.

Due to his condition, he had always felt somewhat inferior around normal people, as no eunuch felt entirely at ease in their presence.

However, today, he felt particularly pleased.

Seeing the eunuch’s attitude, the county magistrate thought, “Qin Fang must be doing very well; otherwise, this envoy wouldn’t treat him like this.”

Everyone knew that people from the palace were the best at gauging their treatment according to their status.

Thus, the magistrate’s demeanor became even friendlier: “Old Qin, I must accompany the envoy for a while. I won’t stay any longer. I’ll leave my clerk behind to discuss the title matters with you.”

Grandpa Qin gratefully responded, “Thank you, sir.”

After seeing off the eunuch and the county magistrate, Grandpa Qin invited the clerk to his home for the banquet.

The clerk understood that the magistrate wanted to build a good relationship with the Qin family.

Although the magistrate was a local authority, he couldn’t compare to someone like Qin Fang, who had made a name for himself in front of the Emperor.

The magistrate felt that Qin Fang must have accomplished something remarkable to earn the Emperor’s favor and grant the Qin family two titles, making him quite eager to befriend them.

Today, the Qin family’s banquet was no longer just a simple gathering; before the magistrate arrived, the villagers hadn’t fully realized that the Qin family had changed.

However, after the magistrate’s departure, everyone recognized that the Qin family was indeed different now.

The banquet remained lively, and everyone enjoyed the feast, many even staying to help out.

Inside the House

The clerk informed the Qin family about various matters related to the titles, saying, “In our dynasty, titles come with allowances. For the two noble ladies, they can receive half the salary of a seventh-rank official, which means each can get around four taels of silver a month.”

“Is it really that much?” Second Aunt Qin exclaimed.

Instantly, everyone turned to look at Second Aunt.

She awkwardly chuckled, “I’m just surprised.”

In her heart, she thought that since the eldest son’s family had an allowance, would that not mean the allowances for the two elderly ladies were also given to the eldest son’s household?

That would be eight taels a month!

Thinking this way, Second Aunt Qin felt a bit uncomfortable.

Qin Mother and Qin Grandma were equally shocked; they truly hadn’t thought about the allowances.

Seeing their expressions, Qin Mother asked, “Clerk, how do my mother and I receive our allowances?”

The clerk explained, “In our dynasty, the allowances are distributed biannually. The two noble ladies will have to wait until this June to receive the first payment, which will include June’s allowance, covering the first half of the year. By the end of the year, you will receive the allowance for the last six months of the year. The distribution takes place at the County Treasury Office.”

Traditionally, local officials would collect their salaries from the County Treasury Office, which is akin to a local office of the Ministry of Revenue in modern terms.

Qin Mother and Qin Grandma understood and thanked the clerk.

After chatting for a while longer, the clerk left.

Once the clerk departed, the banquet also came to an end.

Some villagers left, while only Qin’s relatives remained, including relatives from Qin Mother’s side, Second Aunt Qin’s side, Third Aunt Qin’s side, and also the family of Qin Dayi.

Today, the banquet had gathered all the relatives together.

For example, Qin Daya used to have some standing in her husband’s family.

A woman’s standing is given by her parents and brothers.

While her father and mother didn’t treat her as well as they treated Qin Fang, the eldest son, they still cared for her and provided a good dowry, which she took with her.

Furthermore, she had three biological brothers, so her in-laws treated her with respect.

Now, with her eldest brother becoming a general and her mother and grandmother receiving titles, Qin Daya would be the first person in her husband’s family going forward.

Qin Daya’s husband’s surname is Liu, and his name is Liu Wentian.

Liu Wentian said, “I’ve never seen such a display of power in my life. I used to think the county magistrate was someone unattainable, but now that I’ve seen him, I realize it’s not as grand as I thought.”

Liu’s mother shot him a look and added a witty remark: “That’s because Daya’s brother has achieved success; if it were someone else, you’d see what kind of attitude the county magistrate would have!”

Everyone understood this matter clearly.

Qin Daya said, “In a few days, my family will be going to Yunxiang County, and after that, who knows when we’ll see each other again?”

Liu’s mother, being understanding, replied, “If you miss them, you can bring Wentian along to Yunxiang County anytime you want. Although it’s a long way, the journey will tire you out.”

She was pleased that her daughter-in-law had a good relationship with her family.

While they weren’t the type to seek benefits from the Qin family, having a brother-in-law who was an official was a good thing for the Liu family.

The Liu family was indeed well off.

When Qin Daya and Liu Wentian were engaged, Qin Fang was still in military service, and the Liu family didn’t expect the Qin family to reach such heights.

If Liu Wentian were to propose to Qin Daya now, it definitely wouldn’t have worked out.

With Daya now a lady of an official family, their foolish son would not be worthy of her.

Thinking of this, Liu’s mother felt even more satisfied with Qin Daya.

After sitting for a while longer and exchanging some pleasantries with the Qin family, the Liu family took their leave.

With such a big event happening today, the Qin family would certainly be busy, and they didn’t want to be a bother.

However, they did leave Qin Daya and her husband behind.

After the Liu family left, the people from Third Aunt Qin’s family also departed, leaving only Qin Mother’s family and Second Aunt Qin’s family behind.

Second Aunt Qin’s mother, named Lu, secretly called her daughter into the room: “Daughter, this old Qin family has truly prospered! Your eldest nephew has become a general, and your sister-in-law and mother-in-law have received titles. From now on, they will all have lives of comfort.”

Second Aunt Qin replied, “Isn’t that so? Ah Fang is already a great general. Whether my sister-in-law gets a title or not has nothing to do with our second branch.

After all, my sister-in-law is originally the mother of a great general; we still have to respect and flatter them.”

She didn’t have any thoughts about Qin Mother receiving a title; she was simply happy that her mother-in-law received one. “Mother, did you hear what the secretary said? My mother-in-law now has a title and receives over four taels of silver every month! Surely, that silver must have something to do with us, right?”

Lu Mothet’s eyes lit up: “You’ve all separated families, and the two elders are with the first branch, so how could that silver be yours? That silver is definitely for the first branch. In my opinion, you should redistribute the family shares.”

Second Aunt Qin scoffed: “Mother, don’t come up with such rotten ideas.”

Redistributing the family shares?

She wouldn’t do that even if her life depended on it.

If she dared to bring up redistributing the shares, her mother-in-law would kick her out.

Moreover, her eldest nephew had already given them ten mu of prime land; was she really going to redistribute and still expect to get ten mu of prime land?

Besides, she hoped that Ah Fang would take care of Niu Dan and help him find a good livelihood, so she wouldn’t offend the first branch.

Seeing this, Lu Mother felt exasperated: “Don’t you want any silver? Your mother-in-law earns fifty taels of salary a year; that’s fifty taels every year! Are you just going to let it go to the first branch?”

Second Aunt Qin replied, “My sister-in-law also has fifty taels of salary every year. Besides, Ah Fang’s position is higher than my sister-in-law and mother-in-law, so his salary must be even more.”

She continued, “What’s so special about fifty taels? Ah Fang has already bought us ten mu of prime land, and that’s worth much more than fifty taels. In the future, we can rent out the land, and the annual rent won’t be small.”

Of course, while she spoke eloquently, she still envied her mother-in-law’s fifty taels of salary.

She wouldn’t dare to ask for it, but she could encourage her son to spend more time with his mother-in-law.

Moreover, Second Aunt Qin wasn’t foolish like her mother; in her in-laws’ eyes, the eldest grandson was irreplaceable.

However, for the other grandsons, they treated them equally.

Now that Ah Fang had become a great general, who would care about fifty taels?

Her mother-in-law would save that salary, and when they grew old, wouldn’t it still be divided among the grandsons?

So, Second Aunt Qin didn’t come off as greedy.

Lu Mother was taken aback: “What did you say? Ah Fang bought you ten mu of prime land? Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

Ten mu of prime land?

That’s worth over a hundred taels of silver! Her eldest nephew was truly filial!

Second Aunt Qin rolled her eyes: “This is a filial gift from my eldest nephew to his second uncle and aunt; it has nothing to do with you. Why should I tell you?”

Lu Mother said, “You… you are being too unfilial! I am your mother!”

Second Aunt Qin replied, “A daughter who has been married off is like water that has been poured out. You should rely on my brother to be filial to you. Just like me, I’m not expecting Er Ya to be filial to me; I only expect my Niu Dan to be filial to me.”

Lu Mother said, “…Daughter, your eldest nephew is now a great general. His wife hasn’t given birth yet, has she?”

Second Aunt Qin looked at her mother warily: “What are you planning?”

Lu Mother smiled: “What could I be planning? Just think about it; which high-ranking official doesn’t have three wives and four concubines? If you want Qin Fang to take care of Niu Dan, then Qin Fang must have someone by his side who can speak up for Niu Dan, right?”