The Demon-Slaying Grandmaster

Chapter 100 Buy one get one free
Li Jingxiao soon realized that after Old Man You passed away, Old Woman You was left alone to raise his second and third sisters, and their living conditions were actually very bad.

Being Yuanchun's dowry is indeed a good thing for the third sister and her mother.

But Li Jingxiao couldn't understand for a moment why, with Yu Sanjie's strong character, she would agree to be someone's concubine?

Jia Zhen seemed to be able to see what he was thinking and chuckled.

She whispered, "My dear brother, you are so charming and handsome. I am willing to marry into the Li family."

Li Jingxiao finally came to his senses and realized that with his own conditions, he was indeed very attractive.

As for You Sanjie, she is not yet of marriageable age, so of course she will be fed in our family first and then raised for a few more years.

He bowed to Jia Zhen and thanked him.

When Jia Zhen saw that he agreed, he thought to himself that all his efforts were not in vain.

Then Li Jingxiao, Jia Zhu and others continued to walk towards the front hall.

As they walked, Jia Zhen kept complaining that his father-in-law shouldn't have arranged a marriage for You Erjie so early.

If my second sister's husband is good, has good character, and is ambitious, then everything will be easy.

But not only did Zhang Hua's family fall into poverty, he himself was also a loser.

He is idle and hangs out with a bunch of ruffians all day.

He also developed a gambling addiction and is now hated by everyone.

If You Erjie married a man like this, you can imagine that her future life would not be good.

It may even affect Yu Sanjie's marriage.

Anyone who marries the third sister will be in trouble if he is depended on by a scoundrel like Zhang Hua in the future.

After hearing this, Li Jingxiao frowned and thought to himself, no wonder Old Lady You pushed the two women into the quagmire of Ningguo Mansion.

Except that this old woman is selfish and wants to have a stable and prosperous old age.

If I don't enter Ningguo Mansion, my second sister's fate after getting married will probably be even worse.

Gamblers are not human beings, and most of them have no humanity.

If one day Zhang Hua becomes addicted to gambling and owes a large amount of gambling debts, You Erjie will become Zhang Hua's tool to make money.

Or lose the second sister to someone else.

It's not impossible.

Ancient laws were not as strict as modern ones, and paying back debts was a natural thing.

No money?

It is not uncommon to use wives to pay off debts.

There are also many people who sell their daughters to pay off debts.

Li Jingxiao looked at the problem from the perspective of foresight and felt that Old Lady You was hopelessly stupid.

But in the eyes of Old Lady You and the second and third sisters, entering Ningguo Mansion was the best way out they could think of at the time.

Even if You Erjie became Jia Zhen's concubine, it would be a thousand times better than marrying Zhang Hua.

So if Li Jingxiao was willing, You Erjie and You Laonian would be more than willing to send their second and third sisters into Li Jingxiao's arms.

After hearing Jia Zhen's hint, Li Jingxiao was still a little surprised.

Given Jia Zhen's lustful personality, how could he let go of You Erjie and You Sanjie so easily?

When he heard Jia Zhen say that he had done favors for both the Ning and Rong mansions, it was a pity that there was no girl of the right age in the Ningguo mansion.

They could only find a girl from a relative's family to repay the favor on behalf of Ningguo Mansion.

By the way, it can also be considered as helping the You family so that Old Lady You won't be left without anyone to rely on when she's old.

Jia Zhen’s second wife, Youshi, was not You Lao Niang’s biological daughter.

And You Erjie and You Sanjie are not You Laodi’s biological daughters.

In other words, once Old Man You died, not only did Mrs. You and Old Lady You, mother and daughter, have no blood relationship, they also had no obligation to support Old Lady You.

Li Jingxiao then realized that Jia Zhen was trying every possible way to please him.

The purpose is nothing more than fear of death.

If anyone in Ningguo Mansion falls ill in the future, I will definitely do my best to treat them.

The second reason is that through the relationship of relatives, if Jia Jing has any doubts about Taoism in the future, he will have the confidence to come to the family for advice.

Li Jingxiao actually didn't care much about this. Apart from being lustful and making no contribution to the family, Jia Zhen didn't have any bad reputation in the eyes of outsiders.

This guy is actually quite smart and self-aware.

You can say that he lives a luxurious life, violates ethical principles, and is hypocritical and sanctimonious.

He abused his power as patriarch and acted recklessly to satisfy his selfish desires.

He even bullied his clansmen, causing chaos within Ningguo Mansion.

It damaged the reputation of Ningguo Mansion and even the entire Jia Mansion.

But he only harmed the interests of the Jia family, a typical bully.

But he doesn't cause trouble or get into trouble outside.

It's comparable to Wang Xifeng's usury, killing Zhang Jinge and the garrison commander's son, and forcing You Erjie to death.

Jia Zhen is considered a good person.

There is also Jia She who colluded with Jia Yucun to steal Shi Daizi's ancient fan and killed Shi Daizi.

The crimes include secretly communicating with border military generals, smuggling scarce materials into the grassland, etc.

Jia Zhen's little things are nothing at all.

However, if Qin Keqing is really the posthumous child of the former prince, then Jia Zhen in the original novel is indeed the source of the chaos in the Ning and Rong mansions.

But now that Qin Keqing has become Li Jingxiao's daughter-in-law, she has actually changed the future of Ningguo Mansion.

In Li Jingxiao's view, Jia Zhen was a good man because he gave You Sanjie to him.

Now there is another You Erjie who wants to give it to him, Li Jingxiao can't help but say to Jia Zhen with satisfaction,

"If Brother Zhen is interested in helping his relatives, I'll have someone check on Zhang Hua."

Jia Zhen was overjoyed and nodded quickly, saying, "With Jingyou's help, my second sister will definitely be able to escape that unpleasant marriage.

It's possible that my brother's mother-in-law might be so happy that she might give my second sister to you as a concubine."

Li Jingxiao hurriedly said hypocritically that he was only helping out because of their relationship and had no intention of taking advantage of others.

But Jia Zhen didn't care about all this. He even said that if You Erjie broke off the engagement, it would be difficult for her to get married in the future.

It would be better for her to follow Li Jingxiao, so as to avoid finding a new husband's family and still being despised.

Jia Lian and Jia Rong echoed and persuaded.

Only Jia Zhu had a bad expression, but he didn't say anything.

They are just concubines and cannot threaten Yuanchun's status.

Not to mention, there is Qin Keqing, the mistress of the first house, so Jia Zhu is not opposed to finding help for his younger sister Yuanchun.

Li Jingxiao was willing in his heart, but he kept saying "no, no".

But this was not a direct rejection. To Jia Zhen, Li Jingxiao was actually already moved.

It was only because of concern for my reputation that I didn't agree immediately.

Wait a year or two before bringing it up again, and it will definitely be done.

Thinking of this, Jia Zhen said, "Then let's deal with Zhang Hua first."

Li Jingxiao no longer hesitated and nodded, saying, "Don't worry, the Jinyiwei will definitely catch this scoundrel who is involved in drinking, whoring and gambling."

Jia Zhen and Jia Rong, father and son, couldn't help laughing.

Jia Lian opened his mouth, wanting to persuade Li Jingxiao and Jia Zhen, father and son, not to go too far.

It would be best to let Zhang Hua give up and cancel the engagement on his own initiative.

But when the words came to his lips, he finally sighed in his heart and didn't say much.
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As I entered the front hall, I heard a lot of noise inside.

As soon as Li Jingxiao and others appeared, they immediately became the focus.

However, Li Jingxiao must have bowed to his future father-in-law Jia Zheng first. Jia Zheng looked at Li Jingxiao, dressed in a Jing robe, with a righteous and heroic appearance and a kind and amiable smile.

He helped Li Jingxiao up, took his hand, and introduced Jia She first.

Although Li Jingxiao didn't like this guy, he kept saying nice things to him and was very polite.

Jia She was also very satisfied with his nephew-in-law.

Not to mention, he was still thinking about the pills in Li Jingxiao's hand.

Moreover, if Li Jingxiao had not come today, there would not have been so many old relatives and friends present.

Afterwards, the two brothers took Li Jingxiao to introduce the guests present one by one.

The first person introduced is Niu Jizong, which also shows that among the eight dukes back then, the lineage of the Duke of Zhenguo had become the leader.

But this is normal. Niu Jizong inherited the title of first-class earl. Although he is also an earl, the addition of "first-class" means that he has military merits.

Liu Wei and Hou Liang were also first-class sons, and they had also fought on the battlefield and made military achievements.

These three people are the only ones left in Eight Kilometers who can be the head of the family.

After getting to know other people, Li Jingxiao suddenly remembered that Baoling Hou Shi Nai and Zhongjing Hou Shi Ding were not there.

These two brothers are nephews from Lady Jia's maternal side. It is interesting that they don't come to visit at this time.

In Li Jingxiao's eyes, Baoling Hou Shi Nai was a waste, but Zhongjing Hou Shi Ding was different.

The ancestors of the Shi family were marquises, and their title was hereditary. Unfortunately, after three generations, their descendants were not up to par, and the preciousness of the word "hereditary" became lost.

Shi Nai is not good at business and is as confused as Jia Zheng in his official duties.

Only Shi Ding had some ability and approached Emperor Longde early on.

The relationship between Shi Ding and Shi Nai should not be good. He was very cold and even indifferent to Shi Xiangyun, the daughter of his eldest brother who died early.

Shi Xiangyun's biological father is the eldest son of the third generation of the Shi family and inherited the title of Marquis of Bowling.

Unfortunately, he died early and the title was inherited by his second son, Shi Nai.

After all the introductions, it’s natural to eat first.

Some of the people present had attended Li Jingxiao’s wedding before, while others were new acquaintances.

But everyone knows that Li Jingxiao is known as the wine immortal.

Niu Jizong even said that when the vassal states and foreign countries come to Beijing to pay tribute at the end of the year.

People from the Lifanyuan and the Honglu Temple will definitely come to Li Jingxiao to ask him to help them entertain foreign officials.

For the barbarians on the grassland, they will only settle down if they can beat them in drinking, archery and wrestling.

Li Jingxiao laughed and said no problem.

People like him are definitely Great Celestial Empire supporters.

Not only did he have to conquer the surrounding small countries and the barbarians on the grassland, but he also had to make the foreign countries admit defeat in other aspects so that he would feel satisfied.

Before I knew it, it was already 9 o'clock in the evening. If it was any later, there would be a curfew in Beijing.

Although there is plenty of room to stay in Ningguo Mansion, if you can't drink enough, there is no point in drinking any more.

The purpose of today was to get to know Li Jingxiao.

After a drink with him, I found that he was actually quite easy to talk to, humble and polite.

He also knows how to respect older people, so naturally he has a good impression of Li Jingxiao.

After all the guests had left, Li Jingxiao also planned to say goodbye to Jia She and Jia Zheng.

But unexpectedly, Jia Zhen grabbed his arm and said with a smile, "Jingyou, wait a moment. Pick out a few wild deer and roe deer from Liaodong and bring them back to your family to try."

When Jia She and Jia Zheng heard this, they nodded.

He smiled and said, "Jingyou, although the things are not precious, they are also a token of Zhen'er's kindness. Just wait a little longer."

Li Jingxiao was not polite about this. He thanked them a few times and started chatting with Jia She and Jia Zheng again.

As for Jia She, he hinted that he wanted to buy some Sanhua Yulu Pills.

Li Jingxiao did not refuse directly, but whispered, "Uncle, you don't know that Yulu Pills can only be preserved for five or six months.

Moreover, if it is not maintained properly, the efficacy of the medicine will be damaged faster.

If anyone in your house is sick, please ask someone to tell me and I will have medicine delivered to your door.

If it's the old lady, I'll come over and take her pulse myself."

Jia Zheng nodded with satisfaction.

Jia She felt a little bitter.

Li Jingxiao has said so, and if I continue to criticize him, even a fool can guess that I have ulterior motives.

But when I think about a Sanhua Yulu Pill, if I sell it to a border county, I can make several times, or even ten times the profit.

Jia She felt somewhat unwilling.

But then he thought again, he didn't even know who among the border troops was injured or sick.

If you buy it, but can't find anyone who needs it for several months, and the efficacy of the pill has worn off, then it would be a waste of money.

He thought to himself that there was no need to rush this matter. By the time Yuanchun got married, he would have sent people to contact his old connections in the border army.

The right thing to do is to first find out who wants it and how much they are willing to pay.

He smiled and didn't mention it again.

This made Li Jingxiao wonder if Jia She had changed his personality.

Just now, he had been thinking of several excuses in his mind to reject Jia She again, but now none of them worked for him. Instead, he felt a little surprised.

Soon, more than a dozen servants from Ningguo Mansion came to the front yard, leading five sika deer and five silly roe deer.

Li Jingxiao thought to himself that he had not expected that the Jia family could bring back so much game from Liaodong every year.

Come to think of it, more than a decade later, the Jia family had fallen into disgrace.

The Zhuangzi in Liaodong also sends 30 large deer, 50 musk deer, and 50 roe deer every year.

20 wild boars, 20 hairless pigs, and 40 dragon pigs and Siamese pigs.

Even so, Jia Zhen also said that there were much fewer things than in previous years.

And this kind of scarcity is getting smaller and smaller every year.

Or in two or three years, there will be less.

It can be seen that the amount of game transported by the Jia family from Liaodong at this time was at least several times the amount a dozen years later.

Li Jingxiao saw that the five deer and five roe deer were fat and strong, and thought that they must have been transported along the way with a lot of food and fodder.

Otherwise, if the game was not taken good care of after such a long journey, it would have become skinny and dry.

Adding the manpower and material resources consumed along the way, the consumption here may be equivalent to the value of the New Year's goods delivered every year.

No wonder the price of a cow or sheep from the grassland increases several times when it arrives in Beijing.

It can be seen that the Ning and Rong mansions were indeed too extravagant.

Jia Lian noticed Li Jingxiao's unhappy expression, and thought to himself that it was normal for Jingyou to be disgusted by the extravagance and waste of the powerful and wealthy since he grew up in a Taoist temple.

He hurriedly explained with a smile, "Jingyou, don't underestimate the fact that the East and West Mansions receive a lot of tribute from the northern manor every year.

But in fact, if you buy these big deer, roe deer and so on in the capital yourself.

The price will have to double or triple.”

Li Jingxiao couldn't help but look at Jia Lian in surprise.

Jia Lian thought to himself that it was just as he thought.

He continued with a smile, "But if we transport it from our farm in the north, we can save at least two to three thousand taels of silver.

Moreover, most of these things were captured by farmers who took the initiative to go into the mountains.

Each one of them can offset the farmer’s rent for half a year or even a year.

It’s good for both the owner and the farmers.”

(End of this chapter)