Expelled from the Duke's mansion, the fake heiress is richer than a country.

Chapter 128 Well-intentioned

"Ambitious!"

Yu Wanran praised him and then forced a large ingot of silver into his hand.

"Consider this money a loan from your sister Yu, and you can pay it back when you grow up! You'll be penniless in the beginning, so you'll need to find a way to settle down in Decheng first, right? Rent a small house, and once you have a place to stay, you can gradually adapt."

She couldn't give too much at once, fearing it would hurt Song Lianghan's pride and ruin him. The government would likely also give Song Lianghan a reward; if the siblings were frugal, they could manage for a few years.

Song Lianghan stopped refusing, accepted the silver with both hands, and bowed respectfully to Yu Wanran.

"Sister Yu, thank you! I will definitely repay this money three times... ten times over!"

Yu Wanran smiled and patted his thin shoulder: "Lianghan, your name has a lot of meaning. It shows that the person who named you had high expectations for you. You must study hard so as not to let down your family and friends who have loved and cared for you!"

Song Lianghan's eyes were red.

This name was given to him by his mentor. Sadly, his mentor and his entire family perished in a fire in Yangxi Village six months ago. Now that he has avenged his father, he will return to Yangxi Village to comfort the spirits of his mentor and his family in heaven!

"If you encounter any difficulties in the future, come to Sister Yu."

Yu Wanran told him her address in Huangshan County and also told him about her plans with the Lin family to set up an inkstone-making workshop by the river. She explained that if the Song siblings encountered any difficulties in the future, they could contact her through the Lin family.

As the two were chatting, Xue Heyu, beaming, and Si Yuankai arrived at the back office together. Upon seeing Yu Wanran, they were overjoyed: "My dear niece, so you were here! We've been looking for you for ages!"

Just as the two were about to bow, Xue and Yu stopped them. The four of them walked back to the main hall and sat down, and Si Yuankai raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Is this young man the same Song Tongsheng who hid in Qingling Mountain for more than half a year, enduring hardship and biding his time to obtain information about the bandit's lair?"

He initially thought the child was at least an adult, but it turned out to be a child even younger than Yu Wanran, still in his early teens.

Truly, heroes emerge from among the young!

Xue Heyu held Si Yuankai in high esteem.

He is over forty, his wife has divorced him, and he has only one unruly and spoiled daughter. Even though he has now embarked on a political career, the bond between father and daughter is difficult to mend.

Look at your own, then look at others', people are afraid of comparisons! He only regrets that this Song Xiaotongsheng is not his own son.

Of course, Song Tongsheng was from Decheng, and if he could make further progress in the imperial examinations, it would be considered an achievement for him. Hearing Si Yuankai's exclamation, his initial admiration for the boy gradually transformed into genuine affection.

"He is Song Lianghan, a young prodigy who passed the county examination at the age of ten and won third place!"

Seeing the two powerful figures in Decheng praising him so highly, Song Lianghan felt a little shy. He stood up bashfully and bowed respectfully.

Xue Heyu waved his hand gently, gesturing for him to sit down: "I've discussed with the commander about rewarding those who participated in the bandit suppression. Also, we'd like to hear your opinions on how to resettle the rescued civilians."

The two men made great contributions in suppressing the bandits, and Si Yuankai also mentioned that Yu Wanran seemed to have other ideas. Therefore, Xue and Yu wanted to hear their advice.

Song Lianghan remained silent. He knew that although the two officials appreciated his talent, his age made him unfit to sit on equal footing with them and discuss matters. The two officials' attention was clearly focused on Sister Yu.

Yu Wanran, naturally not one to take the lead, smiled and asked about the result of Xue Heyu and Si Yuankai's discussion.

Without hesitation, Xue Heyu said, "We plan to take a small portion of the captured supplies to compensate the affected villagers so that the survivors can rebuild their homes."

"In addition, the government posted notices for the women who were rescued, asking their families to come and take them home."

Yu Wanran shook her head upon hearing the last sentence.

"Uncle, these women have already lost their innocence in the eyes of outsiders. Not to mention that most of their families have been killed by bandits, even if they were still alive, wouldn't the neighbors gossip if we took them back?"

"Many voices can melt metal, and accumulated slander can destroy bones. Even if they manage to survive the gossip, they will most likely find it difficult to find a good partner and waste the rest of their lives."

These victims were mostly young women in their prime, many of them just teenagers. To have their lives ruined so innocently is truly unfair to them!

Si Yuankai glanced at Xue Heyu, his expression saying: See, what he really meant was that Miss Yu had a problem with it!

Xue and Yu were in a difficult position.

He was just a low-ranking official of the seventh grade, with limited power. The reason he was able to decide to use a small portion of the spoils to settle the victims was because Si Yuankai was willing to support him.

Could it be that, according to Yu Wanran's idea, he should use the name of the government to help these more than one hundred women find husbands who are willing to accept them?

While the imperial court encouraged widows to remarry, it could not force the people to accept women who had lost their virginity. These were two completely different things!

"Uncle, what I mean is that the government can consult their own opinions."

Seeing his expression, Yu Wanran knew he had misunderstood, so she simply spoke frankly.

“If they have family members who are willing to take them away and they also want to go home, they can be taken away quietly. If they have lost loved ones or do not want to return to their original place of residence, they can be given a new identity and household registration and arranged to live in a slightly remote village.”

With government-provided resettlement funds, and given that these rescued women were hardworking villagers, they were naturally able to quickly forget the past and start a new life.

As for those who might be weak and unable to take care of themselves... she could only say that everyone has their own ambitions and they should take care of themselves.

Si Yuankai clapped his hands and praised, "Miss Yu's method is feasible!"

Xue Heyu pondered for a moment, and then his tightly furrowed brows relaxed.

“My dear niece, you have put so much thought into this. As the official in charge of the people's welfare, I will certainly make sure the person is settled properly. Don't worry!”

Although it was a bit troublesome, it was still a way to save the lives of those hundred victimized women.

After chatting for a few more minutes, seeing that it was getting dark, Si Yuankai got up to say goodbye, as he still had to return to the garrison to reorganize the troops.

After seeing the other party off, Xue Heyu was about to invite Yu Wanran to the banquet when Yu Wanran clasped her hands in greeting and spoke.

"Uncle Xue, there are only a few bandits left in Qingling Mountain. Your men can easily wipe them out. There's nothing serious happening in Decheng, so I must take my leave. I've been away from home for so long, and I wonder how things are back home. I'm eager to return!"

Xue Heyu wanted to persuade her to stay, but after hearing her words, he was too embarrassed to speak. Song Lianghan, standing nearby, said anxiously, "Sister Yu, are you leaving already? You should at least stay in the city for a couple more days!"

Yu Wanran smiled and said, "The Lin family and I plan to jointly set up an inkstone-making workshop. We will also come to Decheng, so don't worry!"

Upon hearing this, Xue Heyu happily replied, "My niece plans to set up a workshop here? Don't worry, your uncle will definitely protect and support you!"

Yu Wanran spoke up because she wanted him to know about it, and a sly smile appeared in her eyes upon hearing this.

"Uncle, would you like to invest some money? You can get dividends once the workshop is up and running!"

If Xue Heyu could be brought onto the merchant ship, her business in Decheng would be virtually guaranteed.