Wang Qing's initial anger quickly subsided; she knew it was about time.
The difficulty of repaying favors didn't mean they were impossible. Lu Ming had replied that several of the Zhao Hou's sons had repented and were working diligently, and her two sons had been entrusted with important responsibilities—this was already quite good.
There's a saying: "Those whose virtue doesn't match their position will surely suffer calamity!"
She didn't want her sons to suffer, but the mention of the Prefect of Chang'an stirred her thoughts.
Because if Liu Qi became the Prefect of Chang'an, she, as his mother, could indeed help him stabilize the situation.
"Anmin, I am, after all, Ling'er's mother. If you really want a woman, whatever kind of woman you want, I can find her for you." Wang Qing didn't say anything about lust; she knew Lu Ming had many women, but many of them were pregnant.
This stud pig, besides having a high success rate after conception, also had an astonishingly high success rate.
Her daughter had complained more than once that Lu Ming was too forceful, leaving her exhausted and forcing her to call in others for help.
Wang Qing, of course, scoffed at this under her breath. What a ridiculous situation!
"Heh, I don't want anyone else, I only want you," Lu Ming said, stroking Wang Qing's cheek with a smug expression. "If you've made up your mind, send someone to tell me you're unwell and need medical attention. Remember, you only have three days. After three days, even if you throw yourself at me, it won't work."
Watching Lu Ming leave, Wang Qing's expression was uncertain. Her lack of a scene meant she wasn't actually against it, but this whole situation felt humiliating.
If Liu Qi hadn't told her beforehand that she needed to live well for their brothers' careers to advance, she would have definitely turned on him on the spot.
Now, with an opportunity right in front of her, should she cling to her status as the wife of the Marquis of Zhao and her position as an elder, or should she set aside her dignity to serve her son-in-law?
For Lu Ming, the choices for his men in Chang'an were already decided: Liu Qi and Jia Xu.
Either was acceptable.
Both were loyal, so there was no risk of betrayal.
Moreover, Liu Qi would be better at winning over the powerful families, while Jia Xu would be easier to scheme against and eliminate.
Meanwhile, in Chang'an, at the Jia residence.
Grandmother Jia received a letter from a servant; it was from her granddaughter Yingchun. Yingchun had been writing frequently lately, and even her granddaughter Lin Daiyu and daughter Jia Min had written.
Yingchun's letter described how well she was doing at Lu Ming's residence, expressing her happiness.
She had also successfully become pregnant with Lu Ming's child.
She had even sent over underwear and underpants, saying they would promote longevity and help her maintain her figure.
The letter lavished praise on Lu Ming, claiming he was highly regarded, not only by the Emperor Ling who entrusted him with important responsibilities, but even the Empress was currying favor with him, indicating a bright future.
He commanded over 100,000 soldiers; a large army wasn't necessarily a sign of rebellion, but rather a power to punish and destroy others!
Grandmother Jia opened the letter, her mind already contemplating her relationship with Lu Ming.
Normally, noble families and powerful clans didn't care who was the governor.
Even when the leadership changed hands, they remained unmoved, as immovable as mountains; as long as their interests weren't harmed, they wouldn't interfere.
But now it was different. Lu Ming held absolute power, and this would likely remain so until his death.
This meant they had to re-evaluate their relationship with Lu Ming.
After all, whichever crown prince ascended the throne would need to win over Lu Ming; this situation wouldn't change for at least ten years.
Ten years—how many decades does one have in a lifetime?
"Go and summon the eldest and second masters, and all the ladies as well," said Grandmother Jia, her expression turning serious as she put down the letter.
The letter was actually from Yingchun, who mentioned that Lu Ming planned to take more concubines and wanted Tanchun and Xichun to marry into the family to serve him.
Furthermore, establishing a good relationship would make things easier later; the influence of one person's influence versus three people's is considerable.
As for her daughter Jia Min and granddaughter Lin Daiyu's letters, they only mentioned briefly that they would both marry Lu Ming as concubines.
Not only Lin Daiyu, but Jia Min was also being married off!
Mother and daughter sharing a husband!
This made Grandmother Jia feel uneasy. Even if Jia Min and Lin Daiyu married into the family, it wouldn't really have much to do with the Jia household, since Jia Min had already been married before.
Lin Daiyu wouldn't represent the Jia family, which is why Yingchun wrote to Tanchun and Xichun, urging them to marry into the Jia household together—strength in numbers.
Even as concubines, it would at least ensure the Jia family's stability.
It's important to know that Lu Ming has repeatedly expressed his dislike for Jia She; there's no guarantee he won't take action against the Jia family.
Furthermore, the Xue family has recently had significant friction with Lu Ming, mainly because Zhang Chun swallowed up all of the Xue family's businesses in Liangzhou, severely damaging the Xue family.
The Xue family doesn't have many capable figures; their only direct descendant, Xue Pan, is a good-for-nothing.
With the Marquis's tacit approval, even the Xue family, as imperial merchants, has suffered heavy losses.
In these times, if the Imperial Household Department needs you, you're an imperial merchant; if they don't, you're considered lowly!
Even Jia She wouldn't dare disobey the Old Madam's summons. He had previously plotted to marry Yuanyang, Jia Mu's most favored maid, but was severely punished by Jia Mu and gave up the idea.
Yuanyang managed Jia Mu's personal wealth, valued at tens of thousands of taels of silver.
This wealth was accumulated by Jia Mu over decades since she became a daughter-in-law of the Jia family. She usually kept it hidden in large chests. The fact that Jia Mu "sent Yuanyang to give instructions" before distributing the remaining funds indicates that this enormous fortune was entirely managed by Yuanyang alone. And to be able to manage this wealth so quickly, Yuanyang couldn't have done so without a well-prepared ledger.
Yuanyang was originally a servant girl born into the Jia family. Her father, Jincai, and mother had long been responsible for looking after the Jia family's old house in Nanjing, and Yuanyang had become one of Jia Mu's maids since childhood.
Imagine, how could Yuanyang be raised by two caretakers who weren't around?
She was gradually trained by the capable matriarch, Grandmother Jia, and eventually surpassed the other maids, becoming Grandmother Jia's confidante and personal accountant.
Yuanyang's monthly salary was only one tael of silver.
Managing a vast fortune for such meager pay required unwavering loyalty to Grandmother Jia; otherwise, she could easily have embezzled a few hundred taels, like Fengjie, to engage in usury, which would have yielded substantial profits.
But Yuanyang did not do this. Her gratitude and loyalty to Grandmother Jia far outweighed her pursuit of material wealth. She even voluntarily relinquished the power of being Jia She's concubine. Such a professional accountant is truly rare.