The Demon-Slaying Grandmaster

Chapter 127 Buying a New House

As for Jia Rong, he also wanted to learn, it was even simpler.

When the yamen starts, let Erfu and others teach Jia Rong Zhenwu Changquan during the day.

If this kid is talented and can get things done, it wouldn't be a problem to teach him the Five Tigers Breaking Door Sword or the Hu family swordsmanship.

Anyway, these two sword techniques have been passed on to Erfu, Zhou Gongzhi and other Jinyiwei.

Having another Jia Rong wouldn’t be a big problem.

However, the Five Tigers Breaking Door Sword that Erfu and his companions practiced was equipped with internal skills.

Whether the secret method will be passed on to Jia Rong will be discussed later.

These past two days, Li Jingxiao has also been considering whether to teach Erfu and the others the basic Quanzhen light skills.

As for whether Jia Rong can endure the hardship, it has nothing to do with Li Jingxiao.

Between two and three in the afternoon, another wave of customers came to congratulate us.

After everyone had left, it was already dark. Li Jingxiao returned to the main room and collapsed directly on the Luohan bed.

Qin Keqing had entertained so many ladies who came to visit her today, but at this moment she smiled with her hands covering her mouth, and told Baozhu and Ruizhu to pour tea and prepare hot towels.

Sitting next to her man, wiping his hands and cheeks with her own hands.

She also reported, "Sir, I personally counted today's gift list. There are seven or eight thousand taels of silver alone, and the other silks..."

"Stop, stop, stop," Li Jingxiao waved his hands, "Madam, you are the one who decides the family affairs. I don't want to hear about this right now.

In the future, if any of your relatives, friends, or colleagues have a happy event, please ask Madam to prepare gifts and send them over."

Qin Keqing's lips curled up slightly. She complained that her husband was lazy, but she was very happy in her heart.

Not only has the power of housekeeping been handed over to me.

Now even the interactions with friends and family are left to myself.

It can be said that from this moment on, no one in the family could threaten her position except Li Jingxiao.

When she was wiping Li Jingxiao's face, the tenderness in her eyes was so strong that Li Jingxiao could feel it directly.

He grabbed his daughter-in-law's hand and Qin Keqing fell into his arms.

But Li Jingxiao's hands became more and more unruly, and Qin Keqing's face became more and more red with embarrassment.

The maids in the room were also blushing with shame and couldn't even lift their heads.

Baozhu and Ruizhu looked at each other and hurriedly drove the little maid out.

Not long after, the maids and old women outside the house heard the sound of opera singing.

However, the two maids who followed from the Qin family had bright and ambiguous smiles on their faces.

I was praying in my heart that the young lady could give birth to a baby boy for the master as soon as possible.

The other maids and servants were both envious and relieved.

The better the relationship between the Marquis and his wife, the less trouble there will be at home.

The lives of these servants are not only stable, but the ladies are in a good mood and the food is of a higher quality.

Not to mention the wages, you can also get rewards from time to time.

Moreover, Qin Keqing is indeed a good hand at managing all the affairs of the household.

Li Jingxiao doesn't need to worry about it at all.

She is very beautiful and obedient to Li Jingxiao.

After a while, Baozhu and Ruizhu had no choice but to help Qin Keqing share the firepower.

During dinner in the evening, Li Jingxiao specially asked Baozhu and Ruizhu to sit at the table together.

Qin Keqing, with a look of elegance after the rain, just rolled her eyes at Li Jingxiao.

He smiled and asked Baozhu and Ruizhu, who were looking at him, to sit down, and at the same time, asked the maid to bring the dishes and chopsticks.

This truly recognized the status of the two concubines, and they could even be considered noble concubines.

Otherwise, even if she was a concubine, it would be impossible for her to sit at the same table with the master and the mistress.

Baozhu and Ruizhu's eyes were red with excitement, but the smiles on their faces were very bright.

The maids and old women standing by were also very envious.

After dinner, Baozhu and Ruizhu became more active in serving Li Jingxiao and Qin Keqing.

Only then did Qin Keqing feel finally relieved.

While sitting next to Li Jingxiao, chatting and digesting his food, he remembered that his husband had already become a marquis.

Now this house seems a little inappropriate for my status.

I couldn't help but mutter to myself, "Sir, you have saved the emperor and made such a great contribution. Why don't the Saint and His Majesty give you a mansion?"

However, after this idea came to mind, I quickly thought of my second uncle.

Although the Xing'an Earl's Mansion is far smaller than the Duke's Mansion.

But compared to residential houses, it occupies a large area.

We just need to change the specifications of the Earl's Mansion and it can be used as a Marquis' Mansion.

If the Saint and Your Majesty grant the Marquisate a mansion, the Li family in Jiangzhou will have two mansions that exceed the standards of ordinary officials.

At that time, the old house will definitely be taken back.

But my second uncle and second aunt are recuperating and living in the old house. We can’t just kick them out, right?

The official himself is unwilling to live with his second uncle and second aunt, and perhaps the emperor and His Majesty also find it troublesome.

That’s why he didn’t reward me with the Marquisate.

Or even just pretend not to see it.

After thinking about it, Qin Keqing felt that if she asked directly, the husband would probably be unhappy.

Qin Keqing also didn't want to put her man in a difficult position.

Then he changed the subject and asked, "Sir, when Sister Yuanchun gets married, will our house seem a little small?"

Li Jingxiao thought about it and it made sense. The number of people that the Jia family brought as dowry must have been several times more than that of Qin Keqing.

It was not difficult to find a place for Yuanchun to live, the west wing of the central courtyard was very suitable.

The maids who came with the dowry also had a place to live.

However, the stewards, servants, and maids that Yuanchun brought with her had no place to live.

Although we don't have to be too nice to the servants, we can't have three back-to-back rooms in the front yard with twenty or thirty people living in them, right?

But there is a solution.

Even in the Jia family, not all servants and maids lived in the Ning and Rong mansions.

People like the steward, housekeeper, male servants, married women, etc. basically lived in the houses behind the Ning and Rong mansions.

People like Lai Da and Lai Er even built large yards outside.

The Lai family was nominally servants of the Jia family, but in reality, Lai Da and Lai Er could be considered professional managers with slave status.

Specially responsible for taking care of external affairs for the Ning and Rong mansions.

Only the stewards around the master and the mistress would live in the Ning and Rong mansions.

As long as the corruption is not excessive, the master will turn a blind eye even if he knows about it.

At the beginning, Li Jingxiao ordered the Jinyiwei and the factory guards to search and confiscate the homes and properties of several managers of the Xing'an Earl's Mansion.

Among them, three managers confiscated 3 taels of silver and copper coins.

There are also 5 shops, 1600 acres of land, and 4 houses (two courtyards).

The reason why Li Jingxiao dared to confiscate the property was because he was in power and could directly crush those managers.

There is no need to worry about anyone exposing the scandals of my second uncle and my great-uncle Xing'an.

If anyone dares to inform on the matter, they will be punished according to the current law.

If a servant denounced his master, the government would kill the servant without asking any questions, unless the master had committed an unforgivable crime such as treason.

Even if it is a heinous crime, the servant who denounces his master will not end up any better than death.

That's why the three managers were so honest and were exiled to the farm. For such a long time, no scandals were reported in the Xing'an Earl's Mansion.

But Li Jingxiao was afraid of being poisoned or taking revenge on his own offspring, so he never thought of living in the Xing'an Earl's Mansion from the beginning.

He was also more willing to trust the servants Qin Keqing brought from the Qin family. Baozhu and Ruizhu served him with food and clothing.

The food they ate was also prepared by Jia Heng's mother, Jia Chen, in the small kitchen.

The maid in the kitchen was also brought by the Qin family.

Throughout history, many emperors were not unaware of the many corrupt officials in the Imperial Household Department.

The reason for allowing it to happen to a limited extent is that, first of all, if you replace them, they will still be greedy in the end.

Secondly, if there is no benefit, who would work for you?

Thirdly, there is no guarantee that you, the emperor, might be poisoned one day.

Even if no one dares to poison you openly, it is not impossible for someone to spit in your food.

Therefore, from ancient times to the present, the powerful and wealthy have always treated cooks, barbers, personal maids and guards well.

Only if you give enough, these people will be willing to serve and protect you.

Even if these people did many shameful things to you in the past, you should treat them better when you get old.

So it’s not that Grandmother Jia didn’t know that the Lai family was corrupt, but she never touched them.

The children of the Jia family had to call Lai Da and Lai Er "Grandpa Lai" when they saw them.

Even Jia She and Jia Zheng had to treat Lai Ma with courtesy when they met her.

Even if the Lai family's property was searched and confiscated, a lot of silver could be found.

But in Li Jingxiao's view, it was just drinking poison to quench thirst.

Maybe if the Lai family is fired today, the Jia family's opponents will get the witnesses and material evidence to attack the Jia family tomorrow.

The more greedy the slaves become, the less power their masters will have.
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The four double-courtyard houses seized during the house search could house dozens of people.

It's just that I live too far away, so the daily commute takes a lot of time. I can only buy some houses nearby and live there first.

Then, Li Jingxiao sighed and said to Qin Keqing, "It would be great if one of the neighbors wanted to sell their house."

Qin Keqing smiled and said, "Sir, if you have time, why not go and ask our neighbor, Mr. Chen, who may be willing to help you?"

As soon as Li Jingxiao heard it, he knew that his wife must have heard something.

He hugged Qin Keqing and tickled her waist, making her tremble so much that she begged for mercy repeatedly.

Busy explaining.

In fact, someone wanted to buy the house of Chen Zhushi, who works in the Ministry of Justice's Qingli Division, years ago.

The reason is simple, Li Jingxiao doesn't like socializing.

To be honest, Jia Zhen only treated us to a meal and we went to Wangjiang Tower for a drink.

I went to Ningguo Mansion again and met the Jia family's old relatives and old connections.

After that, no matter who invites me, I never go.

When the guests came to visit, the Li family's steward said that the host was not feeling well and could not see the guests.

But Li Jingxiao went to the government office and saw patients every day, so how could he look sick?

It was obvious that he was unwilling to pay attention to the officials who wanted to curry favor with him.

Li Jingxiao was a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so he was very lucky that he didn't take the initiative to cause trouble for others.

So this Chen Zhushi, who lived next door to Li Jingxiao, felt a lot of pressure.

The Ministry of Justice's Office of Clearing Officials is a lucrative job.

Just being in charge of collecting and releasing the stolen money from trials, as well as confiscating land, shops and other physical objects, is enough to make a living.

If the family of the death row prisoner is willing to spend money to find a scapegoat, it would cost at least a thousand taels of silver.

When there is a major event in the royal family and the emperor issues a general amnesty, the Ministry of Justice has the final say on whether you are qualified for a reduction in sentence.

The so-called amnesty is just nice talk.

It is impossible for the emperor to release all the prisoners in the world when he ascends the throne, gets married, appoints a queen, changes the reign title, is born as the eldest son, or on his mother's 60th birthday.

More of a reduction in sentence.

Also, why did ancient emperors sometimes punish criminals by saying "never to employ them again"?
The reason is that when a general amnesty is granted, the criminal responsibility of those who are pardoned is completely eliminated.

So some people wanted to ask Li Jingxiao for help, but couldn't see him. As a result, they turned their attention to Li Jingxiao's neighbors.

I bought the house next door and made it your neighbor. You can’t even turn your neighbor away, right?

Chen Jun is the sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Justice's Qingli Division.

Although he is not a high-ranking official, his power is actually not small.

But when a sixth-rank official meets powerful people, he seems too insignificant.

In the end, he couldn't withstand the pressure and was planning to sell the house to avoid disaster.

But I just feel unwilling to accept it. Why should I be forced to sell my house even though I have become Li Jingxiao's neighbor and have not gained any benefits?
If you really want to leave, why not sell it directly to the new marquis?

And if I want to leave, I have to tell Li Jingxiao.

Otherwise, when he finds out later, he might blame me for selling the house without notifying me and causing him trouble.

By the way, you can also complain a little and make Li Jingxiao feel sorry for himself, which is a good thing.

When Li Jingxiao heard what his wife said, he no longer felt tired.

He got up and went to the Chen family next door.

Qin Keqing looked at her man's back and shook her head in amusement.

It seems that the master values ​​the eldest daughter of the Jia family very much.

Fortunately, Qin Keqing knew that jealousy was useless. Besides, the official had given her the key to the warehouse.

All the big and small matters at home are also left to myself.

If he continues to be jealous and stir up trouble, he will be pushing the official towards Yuanchun.

So Qin Keqing knew that she had to not only appear magnanimous.

In order to have a good relationship with Yuanchun, you should take the initiative to make friends with her and get close to her.

As long as I don't make any mistakes, the power of the steward and the treasury will always be in my hands.

This is also a symbol of the power of the wife of the house.

Li Jingxiao went out, turned, and walked fifty or sixty steps before arriving at the Chen family's gate.

If you really count it, the Chen family house covers an area of ​​about 14 acres.

It is bigger than Li Jingxiao’s house, and it has four courtyards. It can be seen that this guy’s ancestors were also high-ranking officials.

However, no matter how glorious the ancestors of a sixth-rank official were, living in such a large house would still be quite conspicuous given his current official position.

If you buy it, break through the wall.

Or open a door on the courtyard wall, Yuanchun can actually live here.

It had been less than two months since Yuanchun got married, and if the reconstruction was not done soon, it would be too late.

Li Jingxiao even thought about going to the palace to find Xia Shouzhong.

With the help of the Imperial Household Department, it will take at most a month to ensure quality and quantity, and you don’t have to worry about anything at all.

He was responsible for the continuation of the Li family's first and second branches in Beijing, which meant that the two houses became two families.

Even the gate of the Chen family’s house doesn’t need to be sealed.

When the Chen family's servants saw Li Jingxiao, they immediately recognized this marquis.

He hurriedly greeted everyone, then ran in to report.

Not long after, Chen Jun came out to greet him with a smile on his face.

After entering the reception room and exchanging some pleasantries, Li Jingxiao didn't say anything more.

Just ask how much the house costs.

Chen Jun didn't expect Li Jingxiao to be so direct.

After thinking about it, I realized that Li Jingxiao already knew the whole story.

If he doesn't buy it, he will probably have to sell it later.

Since it has to be sold, there is no need to waste time talking.

(End of this chapter)