A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 228: One sentence angers Guo to death
Li Yi strode out of the Du Mansion.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the streets of Chang'an were filled with the lively atmosphere of the New Year. On the doors of every house, new peach charms were brightly colored, and in the streets and alleys, the sound of burning bamboo sticks popping could be heard from time to time.

The aroma of food wafts in the air.

In the streets, children dressed in new clothes are running and playing.

When neighbors meet each other, they bow and greet each other with smiles on their faces and say auspicious words to each other.

Li Yi felt that it was a very festive time.

Whether rich or poor, everyone tries to make the New Year more lively and festive.

Du Ruhui personally escorted Li Yi to the alley outside the door, and kept expressing his gratitude.

Li Yi said, "As a family, let's stop saying those awkward things. I hope Third Brother can come back soon, and Second Brother can stay as well."

Du Ruhui nodded. "Well, I know you're busy with New Year's affairs, so I won't keep you here any longer. We can get together again in a couple of days when we're free."

In the evening, dusk enveloped the city of Chang'an.

Du San hurried back from outside, walked straight into the inner courtyard, and went to pay a visit to Guo.

"I just went to the Dali Temple Prison again and saw Silang." Du San was so busy that he didn't even have time to drink a sip of water. He spoke with a hint of urgency. "Silang has been moved to a separate cell. The environment is clean and tidy. I arranged for the jailer to make it easier. I sent Silang bedding, a fur coat, and a stove. I also specially arranged for an old servant to wait on him."

Although it cost a lot of money, it was good enough to solve the problem with money. This was because there was an order from above, requiring Du Jingai to be kept alive and sent to Luoyang for replacement in a few days.

"Have you called a doctor?" asked Mrs. Guo.

"Wuyi has arranged for a doctor, and Silang has also taken medicine, and his condition has improved." Du San said with emotion, "Actually, Wuyi is a really good person. He repays evil with kindness. Jingai tried to assassinate him, but he was still willing to help."

When Guo heard Du San praising Li Yi, a nameless anger suddenly surged in her heart.

Li Yi was good? It was only after she pleaded and begged him, even offering him a treasure worth tens of millions, that he agreed to help. Hundreds of gold and silver items, worth tens of thousands of taels, had saved her beloved's life. Add to that the tens of millions of taels that the emperor had confiscated and awarded to Li Yi, and Li Yi had essentially stolen twenty million.

When she learned of Li Yi's method for saving her grandson, she was even more amazed at the brilliance of his methods. He accepted millions of taels of gold, yet also sold favors to Du Ruhui, the Dugu family, the Yang family, and others; and then did a big favor on the other side. He was truly shrewd.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Guo thought about her dowry, the wealth she had accumulated over decades, even the inheritance her late husband had allocated to her two sons, and the priceless hoard of gold and silver she had carefully guarded. All of this had suddenly fallen into Li Yi's hands.

Shi Niang and even Du San were so grateful for his kindness, saying that they should repay evil with kindness.

"Shut up!" Guo shouted angrily.

However, before she could finish her words, Guo's voice suddenly became unclear, and then her body tilted and fell to the side.

Du Sanlang was horrified. After a closer look, he saw that Guo's eyes were crooked, her mouth was tilted, and saliva was flowing from the corners of her mouth, as if she had suffered a stroke.

"Someone, go get a doctor!" Du Sanlang shouted anxiously.

······
Li Yi rode in a carriage and slowly headed towards Pingkangfang.

On both sides of the carriage, a team of Yulin and Lubin troops surrounded and guarded it, and his own subordinates and servants also followed him. The scene was very majestic, just like the travel of a prime minister or a minister, attracting the attention of passers-by.

Li Yi himself felt that this behavior was a bit too ostentatious, but since the Emperor and the Crown Prince had not yet abolished the Yulin and Luben guards, he was naturally happy to enjoy the comprehensive protection of these free bodyguards. After all, he didn't need to pay for it, and with so many armored and sharp-armed imperial guards surrounding him, he was truly safe.

Pingkangfang, Qianshuihou Mansion.

Outside the Wutou Gate, a long row of gorgeously decorated carriages were parked in a row. The horses pulling the carriages were fat and strong, with majestic and agile postures. It was obvious at a glance that they all came from famous families.

Seeing Li Yi return, the gatekeeper, Ah Fu, hurried forward to greet him and said respectfully, "Ah Lang, many distinguished guests have come to our home, from the Dugu family, the Yang family, and the Cui family. They all brought generous gifts, including rare spices such as pepper brought thousands of miles from the Western Regions, as well as exquisite Shu brocade and high-quality jute paper sent as tribute from Shu."

Normally, when noble officials visited someone, they would not just walk in on the spot. Instead, they would send a visiting card to inform the host in advance. Upon receiving the card, the host would reply, thus avoiding rudeness and arranging a proper meeting time.

However, it is usually extremely rude to show up at someone's door without saying hello, unless the person is a very close one.

Li Yi wasn't familiar with the Dugu, Yang, and Cui families, but he was incredibly perceptive and instantly understood their identities and intentions. He must have come to the palace to advise the emperor to exchange Du Jingai for the wife and children of the Luoyang Dugu family, as well as the remains of Dugu Wudu and the others who had been killed. The families must have known about this and were therefore paying their respects.

Li Yi walked into the mansion.

A number of people were already seated in the front yard's living room. Seeing Li Yi enter, they all rose and saluted. These people weren't particularly distinguished; most were illegitimate children of certain families, like Du San, responsible for managing the government affairs.

Their arrival today was actually to offer gifts of gratitude and a visiting card. The true head of each household would choose another auspicious day for a formal visit.

These are all top-level aristocratic families.

Take the Dugu family, for example. Their reputation was renowned, and they held a central position among the powerful families of Guanlong. Three empresses were born into their family, and Dugu Xin himself was one of the Eight Pillars of the Western Wei Dynasty. He had seven daughters, three of whom became empresses.

His eldest daughter married Emperor Wu's son, Yuwen Tai, who later became Emperor Ming of Zhou. His fourth daughter married Li Yuan's father and was posthumously named Empress Yuanzhen. His seventh daughter, Dugu Qieluo, married Yang Jian and became Empress of the Sui Dynasty. He married three wives and had seven sons. Dugu Xin's second wife was Guo from Taiyuan. He bore all six sons and one daughter to Guo, who was also a relative of the Guo family of Fengxiang Marquisate.

The Yang family also sent someone. Yang Gongshen was the son of Yang Da, and his sister was the one currently entangled with Wu Shigui. She was nearly forty years old, still a devout Buddhist, and lived in a separate house with Wu Shigui, a married man.

The gifts given by each family were extremely generous. Li Yi exchanged a few words with them, being polite but tactful in his words. After accepting the visiting cards, they said goodbye and left.

Now that Li Yi had just made a fortune and received 20 million yuan from Guo's mother, he didn't care much about the gifts such as pepper, frosted sugar, Shu brocade, and jute paper.

Back in the inner courtyard, Du Shiniang was sitting in front of the window, quietly looking at the scenery outside, with a look of worry between her brows, which made people feel pity.

Li Yi stepped forward and held her in his arms.
"Your brother will be able to return to Luoyang soon," he told her the latest developments.

"Thank you, my husband. My grandfather treated you so badly before, and my father and brother even sent someone to assassinate you, yet you still let go of the past." Du Li was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes. "I don't know how to thank you. I apologize to Alang on their behalf. They are so wrong. How could they do that? I can't believe it."

Li Yi hugged her tightly and said, "Silly girl, you and I are husband and wife, why are you so polite?"

Li Yi knew that Shi Niang was in a difficult situation. She had an inseparable feeling for her family, but also felt guilty and grateful to him. He didn't want her to worry about these trivial matters anymore. He would do what he had to do, but there were some things that he didn't need to let her know.

"Just now, Madam Zhao came to visit us in person and brought many valuable gifts," said Shi Niang.

"Who is the Lady of Zhao?" Li Yi asked.

"She is Dugu Wudu's mother."

Dugu Wudu's mother, He Ruo Tujue, was the wife of Dugu Xin's eldest son, Dugu Luo. This woman named Tujue was no ordinary woman. She was also the cousin of He Ruobi, a famous general in the founding of the Sui Dynasty. At the age of twelve, she married the son of Emperor Wu of Sui, Yuwen Tai, and became the Princess of Yue.

At the age of 34, He Ruo Turk, who had been widowed for nine years, was married to the empress's 55-year-old brother, Duke of Zhao, Dugu Luo, as his second wife, with the help of Empress Dugu. Later, the two gave birth to Dugu Wudu.

He was well aware of the noble status of the Lady Zhao, and the immense power of the Dugu Clan. Her personal presence showed how seriously she took this matter. Li Yi couldn't help but recall the Dugu Clan's glorious history, which had produced three empresses. Dugu Xin, one of the Eight Pillars of the Western Wei Dynasty, held a central position among the powerful families of Guanlong, and was even known as the foremost father-in-law of the Sui and Tang dynasties.

Now, because of a suggestion of mine, such a noble lady came to express her gratitude in person.

The dignified Lady Dowager of Zhao State now has no son to serve her, and her three-year-old grandson is imprisoned in Luoyang Prison.

The Dugu family and the He Ruo family were both the top families in the Guanlong area. He Ruo was also the top lady of the State of Zhao and the aunt of the emperors of the Sui and Tang dynasties. However, in these troubled times, she could not help but feel a bit desolate and bleak.

Li Yi was sighing when Du Gou suddenly came in hurriedly.

As soon as he entered the door, Du Gou knelt down and kowtowed.

"My great-grandmother suddenly had a stroke and can no longer speak. My father-in-law asked my aunt and my cousin to go to her home in Anminfang as soon as possible. The doctor said she might not survive."

Upon hearing this, Du Shiniang panicked, her face turning pale in an instant, her eyes filled with fear and worry: "How could this happen? How could he have a stroke all of a sudden?" She subconsciously grabbed Li Yi's arm, as if grasping at the last straw. Li Yi could feel the coldness and trembling in her palm, and his heart was filled with heartache. He gently patted her hand, trying to give her some comfort and strength, "Hurry over first."

Li Yi had no choice but to rush to the Du Mansion with Shi Niang.

As soon as I arrived at the door of Du's house, I heard bursts of crying coming from inside.

Shi Niang was extremely anxious and rushed straight to the inner house. Du Ruhui met the two of them and shook his head helplessly.

"Grandmother had a sudden stroke and the doctors were unable to save her. She has passed away."

When Du Shiniang heard this, tears welled up in her eyes, "A-Grandpa," she stumbled and cried as she ran to see Guo for the last time.

Li Yi and Du Ruhui stood in the inner courtyard.

"Why did it suddenly disappear?" Li Yi frowned and asked in confusion.

"My third uncle was there at the time and he said it suddenly became like that." Du Ruhui replied, his voice flat and his face expressionless.

The two were silent for a long time. The servants and maids in the mansion were all crying for Guo. Li Yi couldn't tell how many of them were crying sincerely and how many were pretending, but Guo had indeed passed away.

"It's not a bad thing if someone passes away suddenly at the age of eighty, without any illness, pain or torture. This is called a happy funeral in the folks," said Li Yi.

Du Ruhui nodded: "Perhaps because Du Jingai was saved, she felt relieved."

Dying at sixty is called a natural death, while dying peacefully at eighty is called a happy funeral.

Amidst the cries of grief, Du Ruhui began to arrange the funeral.

Li Yi looked at the busy crowd and thought silently in his heart that this old woman was angry to death after all. Maybe she was very unwilling to leave.

He would not mourn for Guo, nor would he feel pity or sympathy for her, but he would take good care of Shi Niang so that she could feel a little warmth and support in this grief.

(End of this chapter)