Madam Li had ordered an account audit a few days prior. At first, nothing seemed amiss, but later, she discovered a large, fixed monthly expenditure to a live fish shop—a sum that had been paid consistently for a full decade without interruption.
"I personally went to that fish shop, only to find it had closed ten years ago!" she exclaimed.
"I’ve only been managing the household affairs for four or five years. Before that, it was my elder sister-in-law who handled them, but she has long since passed, leaving no way to investigate further."
"Third Sister-in-law, what should we do?"
Madam Li flustered about like a headless fly until Chu Ruoyan steadied her and asked, "Second Sister-in-law, how much was that sum?"
"A full ten thousand taels every year!"
In the past, the monthly stipends of the Grand General and the heir had barely reached a hundred taels each. Ten thousand taels—that was nearly a year’s salary!
Chu Ruoyan was also taken aback. After a moment of deep thought, she asked, "Second Sister-in-law, what about the person responsible for disbursing the funds? Have you questioned them?"
The mention only made Madam Li’s face twist further, like a bitter gourd. "It was someone close to Father-in-law, known only as Uncle Huang. This time, he also remained on the battlefield with them…"
This had become an unsolvable mystery.
The person who handled the money was gone, and the destination of the funds was unclear—equivalent to the General’s estate losing ten thousand taels of silver every year!
Madam Li frowned in distress. "Third Sister-in-law, to be honest, the estate has almost no income now. Between Old Dowager’s illness and the funeral expenses for Father-in-law and the others, silver is flowing out like water. If we can’t get to the bottom of this, I truly can’t bear the responsibility…"
Chu Ruoyan reassured her, "Second Sister-in-law, don’t worry. Such a large sum couldn’t have vanished without a trace. Let’s go to the fish shop first and see."
At noon, under the scorching sun, the Yan family’s carriage slowly came to a stop in front of a dilapidated, abandoned shop.
Chu Ruoyan and Madam Li stepped out, and the attendant waiting outside reported, "Second Young Madam, Third Young Madam, we’ve searched inside and out—there’s truly no one here."
Chu Ruoyan gave a slight nod and entered the shop.
Dust filled the air, and cobwebs clung everywhere. It had clearly been abandoned for at least five years…
Suddenly, a timid little head popped up from beneath the windowsill. "Who are you?"
It was a boy of about four or five, his face smudged with dirt, his large eyes brimming with curiosity.
Before Chu Ruoyan could respond, an elderly woman with a wrinkled face and tattered clothes hurried over. "What are you running around for? Come home with me at once!"
The boy, Little Man, shook his head. "No… Grandma, didn’t you say we haven’t had food for half a month? If we don’t come to check, even without disaster, we won’t survive…"
With that, he darted toward Chu Ruoyan, clutching a black-and-white puppy in his arms, startling Madam Li behind her.
"Whose child is this? Why is he here?"
Chu Ruoyan raised a hand to stop her and asked gently, "Do you need food?"
Little Man shook his head again. "No, I just wanted to ask—do you know Uncle Huang?"
The name made Chu Ruoyan and Madam Li exchange glances.
Huang?
"You mean the man who served the Grand General?"
At the mention of the Grand General, Little Man’s eyes lit up with excitement. "Yes, yes! Uncle Huang was the Grand General’s most trusted man! He said we kids would grow up to be like the Grand General—fighting on the battlefield and serving the nation!"
The boy’s grandmother hobbled over anxiously. "Honorable ladies, please don’t mind him. We’ll leave right away!"
As she tried to drag her grandson away, Chu Ruoyan signaled Yulu to stop them. "May I ask, how are you connected to Uncle Huang?"
"Master Huang was our benefactor," the old woman replied, relaxing slightly at Chu Ruoyan’s gentle tone. "To be honest, this old bag of bones and Little Man here only survived because of the relief money Master Huang gave us every month… This time, we only came because we’ve been without food for nearly a month and couldn’t hold on any longer."
Madam Li blurted out, "Relief money? Ten thousand taels?"
The old woman looked horrified. "Honorable lady jokes! How could we receive so much? It was only three taels per person each month—barely enough for a meal."
Madam Li’s face fell in disappointment, but Chu Ruoyan’s eyes gleamed. "About how many people received this relief money?"
"Counting us, around a hundred households—three hundred or so."
Three hundred people, three taels each per month—that amounted to nine hundred taels.
Over a year, it would total nearly ten thousand taels!
Madam Li perked up, about to press further, but Chu Ruoyan suddenly asked, "Grandmother, where is your family?"
At this, the old woman’s expression darkened.
Little Man piped up, "I know! My father died in battle when I was born, and my mother ran off with someone else. It’s just me and Grandma now!"
Chu Ruoyan’s expression turned grave. Madam Li gasped, "You’re military dependents? That can’t be! Our dynasty’s conscription exempts those with elderly or ill parents and no other able-bodied sons. If your family had only one male, how could he have been drafted?"
Little Man looked confused, but his grandmother sighed bitterly. "Originally, Little Man’s grandfather was still alive. But after hearing about his son’s death, he passed within days…"
Madam Li froze, then stammered, "Then… then didn’t the Relief House provide for you?"
The Relief House was a government institution meant to support veterans and the wounded.
The old woman shook her head. "They used to give us money, but after Little Man’s father died, they stopped."
"What about the Charity House? Did you try there?"
The Charity House, as the name suggested, aided the widowed, orphaned, and disabled—also funded by the Ministry of Revenue.
Yet the old woman kept shaking her head. "They wouldn’t give either. They said since we’d already received Relief House funds, we couldn’t get theirs. We ran back and forth, but in the end, nothing came of it… And it wasn’t just us. Most of the hundred households faced the same. The Relief House and Charity House are far apart, and with our bad legs, after a few trips, we just gave up."
As the old woman’s weary voice trailed off, Madam Li felt as though a boulder had settled in her chest.
The destination of those ten thousand taels was now clear—Father-in-law had instructed Uncle Huang to use his own silver to support these military families, and he had done so for ten years!
In the past, they might have managed, but now…
Where would the Yan family find such funds?
The old woman, sensing she had spoken too much, tried to leave again with Little Man in tow. The boy looked up and asked, "Grandma, what will we eat tonight?"
The old woman hesitated, then glanced at the puppy in his arms.
Little Man immediately clutched it tighter. "Don’t eat Lucky! He saved my life—he’s a good dog!"
But what did it matter if the dog was good? Without food, even children might resort to exchanging flesh…
The old woman remained silent, dragging the boy away. Madam Li couldn’t bear it. "Wait—perhaps you could come back with us—"
Though the Yan family was struggling, feeding two more mouths wouldn’t be impossible.
But Chu Ruoyan cut in sharply, "No!"
Madam Li was taken aback. Chu Ruoyan quickly pulled her aside. "Second Sister-in-law, I understand your sympathy for this grandmother and child, but behind them are three hundred more mouths waiting to be fed. If we take them in, what happens when the others learn of it and come knocking at our gates?"
Madam Li shuddered, a cold sweat breaking out on her back.
She was right—if those people came begging, the Yan family could never support them all!
"Then… what should we do?"
Chu Ruoyan lowered her voice and advised gently, "This matter must be resolved through the authorities. Please don’t worry for now—let me discuss it with the Marquis when I return." After speaking, she instructed Yulu to buy some meat buns for the elderly woman and her grandchild. "Take these for now to ease your hunger. In a few days, the court will be distributing porridge in this area, which should help you get by for a while."
The old woman repeatedly expressed her gratitude, to which Chu Ruoyan added, "Also, in the coming days, please spread the word to others—avoid sleeping in temples or dilapidated houses. Try to rest in open, uncovered spaces, away from walls, and keep plenty of clean water on hand."
