Chapter 4: A means to achieve an end.

Chapter 4: One Way to Get Things Done.

Fang Shi finally gave in to Huo Ling.

She also now understood why her husband had so often been swayed by Huo Ling as well.

Her stepdaughter really knew how to talk her way around things.

Still, there was one matter that made Fang Shi hesitate.

Glancing at her son, she clenched her jaw, fighting back her hesitation: "Before your father left, he told me to get your input on big decisions..."

"Since this is for your father’s future... y-you should keep your own money..."

She stumbled over her words, forcing them out, her face twisted like she might take it back any second.

But she ultimately said it.

Huo Ling thought with a quiet sigh.

This was the reason she could never bring herself to resent Fang Shi.

Her birth mother had died in childbirth, and once the mourning period ended, her father had been set up with Fang Shi through a colleague. Later, they had a son, Huo Ze.

With her own flesh and blood, Fang Shi naturally focused less on Huo Ling—not that she was ever cruel to her.

The servants she was supposed to have, the clothes, jewelry, and monthly allowances were all provided without fail.

The belongings left by her birth mother had also been gradually returned to her over time.

As stepmothers go, Fang Shi hadn’t done badly. Huo Ling knew better than to expect favoritism over her own brother.

—Not that Fang Shi was alone in this. Even her own father, Huo Shiming, hadn’t exactly been fair either.

After a moment’s consideration, Huo Ling said, "The family coffers probably can’t handle such a large sum all at once."

"How about this—I’ll front the money for now. Once Father returns victorious and receives rewards from the court, the sum can be repaid to me."

Fang Shi let out a relieved breath and jumped at the offer, grabbing the lifeline Huo Ling threw her.

***

Meanwhile, at the county office.

Magistrate Qiu was going over famine aid plans with his advisor.

"In just two days, six or seven hundred refugees have gathered outside the city gates. What’s our next move?"

The county’s storehouses still had decent stockpiles, enough to sustain them for a short while. But if the refugee numbers continued to grow, they’d burn through supplies fast.

The advisor cautioned, "Sir, it’s not just the refugees who’ve suffered this year—our own folks are hurting just as bad. Over eight hundred people have come for porridge at the city gates these past two days."

The rest were hometown folks.

The magistrate’s office couldn’t favor outsiders.

The imperial relief grain was gritty and rough, like swallowing sand. Nobody’d come begging unless they were desperate.

So even when they knew some recipients weren’t refugees, the constables still handed out the watery porridge.

Magistrate Qiu frowned, pacing back and forth. "Time to lean on the county’s moneybags."

The advisor nodded in agreement, though inwardly he was skeptical.

Magistrate Qiu had only been in office for a year and hadn’t built strong ties with the county’s wealthy families. If they were to ask for help, those families would likely offer only a token amount just to humiliate them.

And—

"Recently, the price of grain in Yong’an County has been rising steadily. You mustn’t forget, those grain shops are all backed by the county’s wealthy families."

"Asking them to donate grain is like pulling teeth."

Magistrate Qiu gritted his teeth, a glint of steel crossing his eyes.

"Prince Duan is the Military Commissioner dispatched by the imperial court, a man of noble status with the authority to act first, answer later."

"This is the first administrative decree he personally issued upon arriving in Yanxi."

"Anyone who dares to shirk responsibility or whose incompetence in disaster relief leads to unrest in the rear will not only lose their official position but may also lose their lives. I have no intention of being the example Prince Duan makes of someone."

The advisor caught the magistrate’s drift.

However, desperate times called for desperate measures.

Just as he was about to say more, there was a sudden knock at the door.

It was a servant attending to the magistrate’s wife, saying there was an urgent matter and requesting the magistrate to return to the private quarters.

"My lady says someone has come to donate grain and silver," the servant reported.

Magistrate Qiu’s face brightened.

He and his advisor had planned to host a banquet for the county’s wealthy families the next day, yet before they could even draft a single invitation, someone had already come forward.

A look of delight also appeared on the advisor’s face. "Which family is this, reacting so swiftly? It seems you’re about to hit the jackpot today, Magistrate."

For a moment, Magistrate Qiu didn’t grasp the advisor’s implication—until he heard the amount Fang Shi had pledged. Then the penny dropped.

Truly a generous offer, a great harvest indeed!

If it weren’t improper, Magistrate Qiu would have pumped her hand enthusiastically.

Ah, the Huo family’s aid had truly solved his biggest problem!

Magistrate Qiu showered her with praise until Fang Shi beamed with pride, then asked, "When might this grain and silver be delivered?"

Fang Shi automatically looked at Huo Ling beside her.

Magistrate Qiu perked up with interest and turned his gaze to Huo Ling.

Huo Ling bowed to the magistrate. "Magistrate, please allow me to explain. The Huo family can’t provide everything at once."

Magistrate Qiu smiled amiably, showing no trace of displeasure, knowing there must be more to come.

Sure enough, Huo Ling continued, "With the freezing weather lately, I’ve heard many refugees have come down with colds."

"The Huo family wishes to set up a clinic tent beside the county’s porridge station, bringing in a doctor from Hui Chun Hall to treat the refugees for colds and prevent outbreaks of disease."

"The doctor’s fees and the cost of medicine will all be taken from the donation my mother pledged until it is exhausted."

"As for the grain, we will deliver half this afternoon and gather the remaining half as quickly as possible. What do you think, Magistrate?"

Magistrate Qiu inwardly applauded—this solution was truly clever.

It didn’t matter whether the Huo family *actually* couldn’t provide the full sum upfront or not.

If they coughed up everything right away, how else could they *keep* proving their generosity?

But setting up a medical consultation shed was different.

As long as the shed stood there for a day, people would remember the Huo family for a day. No one could *snatch* the credit away from them.

Magistrate Qiu wasn’t hung up on the specifics. As long as the money and grain were truly delivered, he wouldn’t mind even if the Huo family wanted a position in the county office—it’d be something he’d do in a heartbeat.

So he readily agreed and personally escorted Huo Ling and Fang Shi to their carriage.

The clerk scurried over and handed Magistrate Qiu the freshly written invitation.

Catching the cue, Magistrate Qiu bypassed Fang Shi and handed the invitation to Huo Ling just before she boarded the carriage: "The county office will host a banquet tomorrow for the prominent families of the county. This is the invitation for the Huo residence. Since you’re here already, I won’t send another messenger to your home."

"The banquet will be crowded. If Miss Huo finds it inconvenient to attend, your brother can come instead."

Huo Ling accepted the invitation: "Thank you, Magistrate Qiu. The Huo family will attend on time."

Once the carriage left the county office, Fang Shi sagged against the seat: "That was *way* too reckless."

Watching her stepdaughter negotiate with Magistrate Qiu had made her break out in a cold sweat.

Huo Ling patted Fang Shi’s back soothingly: "The magistrate’s not petty. He wouldn’t hold such a trivial matter against a junior like me."

Fang Shi thought it over and agreed.

If *she* had a golden goose knocking at her door, she’d be even more generous than Magistrate Qiu.

As soon as they returned home, Huo Ze practically pounced on them, asking how things had gone.

Huo Ling handed him the invitation without elaboration: "Mother can fill you in. I need to check the grain reserves first."

Once she’d caught wind of the Qiang Rong’s revolt, Huo Ling had taken many precautions.

A key move? Hoarding grain.

The Huo family owned vast farmlands in Yong’an County, yielding abundant harvests every year. They’d never eat *that* much grain themselves, so most of it was sold.

Before this year’s autumn harvest, Huo Ling had instructed the steward to store all the newly harvested grain in the warehouse.

Now, with war breaking out and harsh weather driving up rice prices, she might not have been able to donate so much grain without this foresight.

The steward couldn’t help but feel grateful: "Bless the young lady’s foresight."

Huo Ling entered the warehouse, opened the nearest sack of rice, and rolled the grains between her fingers. She turned to the steward: "Put aside a year’s worth of rations for the household."

"Divide the rest into two portions. I’ll take half first."

"This batch is all newly harvested rice. Exchange it with other wealthy families or merchants—trade all the new rice for old. The older—and *cheaper*—the better, as long as it’s still edible."

Her lips quirked: "Haul every last sack to the county office’s front steps."

If you’re gonna butter someone up, might as well go *big*.

With a donation *this* flashy, Magistrate Qiu’s banquet the next day was sure to go off without a hitch.

The steward froze when he heard Huo Ling's orders.

He'd only known the family planned to donate grain, but never expected it to be this much...

At today's prices, selling this batch of rice would undoubtedly yield a considerable profit.

Moreover, growing grain itself incurred costs.

The ledger's gains versus losses weren't a small amount.

However, the steward quickly regained his composure and praised with a smile, "The mistress and young lady are saints. The common folk will surely remember your kindness once they hear of this."

Huo Ling laughed it off, ignoring the steward's praise.

Saints, huh?

She had never considered herself one.

She wasn't donating out of kindness.

So long as she was fed and clothed, any amount of silver was merely a means to an end for her.

Currently, grain served her better than silver—more effective in achieving her goals.

Thus, she felt no regret over the silver, nor over the grain.

***

Near quitting time, a caravan of carts laden with grain stopped in front of the county office.

The convoy had crossed from the east of the city all the way to the west, witnessed by countless people along the way. Soon, everyone knew that this abundance of grain was donated by the Huo family to aid the county office in disaster relief!

According to the guards stationed beside the carts, the Huo family had donated their entire harvest for the year. What they saw now was only half the amount, the rest coming soon.

Damn, that's some serious generosity.

Magistrate Qiu and his aide were clocking out when they heard the news. Despite the late hour, they rushed to the county office entrance without delay.

At a glance, they saw the long line of carts and the guards standing watch.

Wu Feng, head of the Huo family guards, clasped his fists—his right hand gripping his sword—and announced clearly to Magistrate Qiu, "Wu Feng, under the orders of my lady, delivers ten carts of grain to the county office. I request Magistrate Qiu to dispatch men to tally the amount and receive the grain into storage."

Magistrate Qiu was overjoyed, his face glowing with delight. Suppressing a grin, he adopted a solemn expression and addressed Wu Feng, as well as the onlookers behind him, "Commander Huo defends our homeland on the frontlines, fearless of death. The Huo family, in the rear, generously contributes to assist the government in aiding the people. Their whole family's loyalty puts us to shame."

Following his young mistress's instructions, Wu Feng continued, "We're honored by Magistrate Qiu's praise. My lady says this grain is but the duty of the Huo family as a prominent local household. Those refugees at the gates? They're Yanxi folk too."

He wasn't stupid. With Wu Feng having set the stage, he naturally knew how to climb the steps and bring this performance to its conclusion.

"Yong'an's peace today owes much to the support of local prominent families. Since the Huo family's generosity cannot be refused, I'll take these ten carts off your hands."

While they kept up the act, the bystanders, unaware of the truth, applauded and cheered.

Between cheers for the Huos, some voiced doubts, "Huh? Why is it only the Huo family donating grain? Where are the other rich folks? In terms of affluence, the Chen and Zhou families are no less prosperous than the Huo family."

With Wu Feng and the magistrate steering talk, the murmurs among the crowd began shifting in the direction they desired.

Wu Feng and the Huo family guards, alongside the county clerks, worked together to transport the grain into the storeroom, beating the curfew by minutes.

As the storeroom doors were locked, Magistrate Qiu lingered outside, shaking his head.

The clerk congratulated Magistrate Qiu: "After tonight's spectacle, those wealthy families won't be able to brush us off with just paltry amounts of grain or silver tomorrow."

After all, Magistrate Qiu himself had openly admitted how much he relied on the support of local gentry.

Whether they'd actually helped before or not, now that the Huo family had donated so much grain, the others will have to step up their game.

Magistrate Qiu nodded: "Indeed, we owe them big for this one."

The clerk joked: "Quite the damn valuable favor, I must say."

Magistrate Qiu broke into laughter, then suddenly grew pensive: "That Miss Huo is no commoner."

With years of official experience, he could clearly see that today's grand gesture had been masterminded by Miss Huo herself.

Not just anyone could possess such keen insight, such boldness and decisiveness.

Nor could just anyone wield such freedom of action while still young and with a stepmother running the household.

The clerk couldn't help but nod, recalling the glimpse he'd caught of her when delivering the invitation.

Even at his age, he'd been momentarily stunned by that stunning beauty—a natural reaction to extraordinary grace.

Such grace and bearing, coupled with that rare political savvy...

The clerk sucked in a quiet breath, after a pause, could only echo the magistrate's words: "No commoner indeed."