The Demon-Slaying Grandmaster

Chapter 163 Having designs on Wang Xifeng

Seeing her beloved youngest son looking dazed and confused, Madam Wang felt a surge of anger.

Fearing that this kid would embarrass himself and the Jia family, he secretly thought that he should not bring this kid out to visit relatives next time.

He hurriedly pulled Jia Baoyu to sit at the lower seat.

When Lady Wang saw the third-rank imperial robes that Yuan Chun had just been bestowed upon her, as well as the three-colored vase of blessings, longevity, and prosperity bestowed by the Emperor Emeritus, she finally smiled with delight.

However, Madam Wang still harbored some regrets and bitterness in her heart.

She herself was only a fifth-rank noblewoman, but her daughter, who had been married for just over three months, had already become a third-rank noblewoman.

From now on, when attending palace banquets, she would have to sit behind her daughter, which immediately made her feel annoyed.

Although Keqing's personality was 'gentle and peaceful', her way of dealing with people was not only no less than that of Yuanchun, the legitimate daughter of a duke, but was even slightly better.

Although Jia Yuanchun was intelligent, she was a bit too dignified and lacked a bit of wit.

When a couple encounters a bookworm of this era, their life together can be described, to put it nicely, as 'mutual respect'.

To put it bluntly, it's utterly devoid of charm and passion.

Fortunately, Li Jingxiao has a modern mindset. He shamelessly pesters Yuan Chun, making her feel ashamed but secretly pleased. She pretends to refuse him, wishing her husband would touch her inappropriately.

After exchanging pleasantries with Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang, Keqing noticed that Jia Baoyu was staring at her blankly.

She wasn't angry at this boy who was the same age as her younger brother Qin Zhong, but was still a child.

Smiling, he instructed Baozhu and Ruizhu to invite Qin Zhong and the three young ladies over to pay their respects.

Now, Jia Baoyu actually had the idea of ​​staying at his brother-in-law's and sister's house.

Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang also liked the three sisters, Jingxi, Jingyue, and Jingrong, very much.

As for Qin Zhong, he naturally showered him with praise.

Upon hearing that Jingxi was 12 years old, Grandmother Jia couldn't help but feel a pang of regret once again.

I had thought about marrying Li Jingxiao before, but Jia Lian couldn't wait for Jingxi to grow up.

Otherwise, if things drag on and the marriage doesn't happen, and Jia Lian is already over 20, it will be really difficult for him to find a good wife.

Not long after, Grandmother Jia mentioned that when she was a daughter-in-law, Jia's father-in-law, Daishan, was also away leading troops in battle for many years.

Sometimes, they are gone for several years.

Qin Keqing and Jia Yuanchun understood immediately after hearing this.

Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang came to persuade the two of them.

The two sisters sighed, but quickly regained their composure.

Then, Grandmother Jia spoke of the powers and responsibilities of the Five Military Commands, and how glorious the Right Commander-in-Chief, a first-rank official, was to a noble family.

It is also said that the Duke of Daihua of Ningguo Prefecture back then, even as the military governor of the capital garrison, was only a first-rank official.

As for Lord Daishan of Rongguo Mansion, he also never served as the commander of the Five Military Commissions.

In the future, when Li Jingxiao returns victorious, he will surely become the first-class leader among the noble families.

As the two young wives listened, their smiles brightened.

For a woman, glory comes from her husband.

The higher the husband's status, the more he can satisfy his wife's vanity.

Grandmother Jia held Qin Keqing's hand and said with a smile that she was both blessed and good for her husband.

After Li Jingxiao married her, his official career flourished, and he was promoted and ennobled repeatedly.

After saying that, Grandmother Jia took Yuan Chun's hand and said that Yuan Chun was also blessed.

Li Jingxiao is still young, and he will surely be able to earn a title for the second branch of the Li family in the future.

To have two marquises in one family, or one marquis and one earl, would be an unparalleled honor.

Qin Keqing was already extremely satisfied with her status as a marquis's wife.

She never even dared to dream of becoming a duke's wife in the future.

So when Grandmother Jia finished speaking, Qin Keqing nodded in agreement.

He also told Yuan Chun that if their child could achieve the same lineage as the two marquises of the Shi family, it would be a blessing from their ancestors for generations to come.

Grandmother Jia's maiden name was Shi, and indeed, her family had produced two marquises. Qin Keqing's words made Grandmother Jia extremely happy.

But she sighed inwardly, thinking to herself that although the eldest wife of the Li family was still young, half a year younger than her eldest granddaughter, she was still a formidable woman.

Then, Grandmother Jia felt a sense of relief.

Fortunately, Jingyou was a sensible man, and his two wives lived in two separate courtyards, one on the east and one on the west.

While keeping things clearly separate, it also reduces a lot of unpleasantness and troubles.

Li Jingxiao is indeed very capable, and it shouldn't be difficult for him to earn a title for the second wife in the future.

A family with two marquises—that's something to look forward to.

In this way, Keqing and Yuanchun no longer had any conflict of core interests, and their relationship would naturally be much more harmonious.

Therefore, Grandmother Jia grew increasingly fond of Qin Keqing.

It wasn't until it got dark and many candles and lanterns were lit inside and outside the house that Grandmother Jia got up and said she wanted to go home.

Qin Keqing and Yuan Chun naturally got up to see them off.

They did not persuade Grandmother Jia or Lady Wang to stay longer or stay overnight.

It was because Keqing knew it was impossible.

Moreover, the two families live so close together, there's no way they would stay overnight at the Marquis's residence.

He hurriedly instructed Baozhu and Ruizhu to prepare some gifts for Jia Baoyu.

Take some more tonics and send them to Grandmother Jia, Jia She, Madam Xing, Jia Zheng, and Madam Wang in her and Yuan Chun's names.

Seeing that she had done everything perfectly and that the gifts were so valuable, Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang thought she was very generous, and their opinion of Keqing improved even further.

Yuan Chun naturally had gifts prepared, but she had some reservations.

You can't just openly take all the good stuff from your husband's family and send it to your own family.

But Keqing didn't have these concerns.

Besides the tonics, several of the gifts given to Jia Baoyu were rare and precious items.

Yuan Chun was very grateful for Ke Qing's actions.

However, when Yuan Chun recalled her husband's words about keeping Jia Baoyu at home to practice martial arts and study, she realized that...

He opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't say anything.

Even though Jia Baoyu was her younger brother and still young, he was still an outsider.

With Li Jingxiao not at home, and her sister keeping Jia Baoyu behind, Qin Keqing would inevitably have some objections.

Therefore, he instructed Jia Baoyu to study hard at home, which immediately banished Jia Baoyu's desire to stay in the Li family.

After seeing off Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, and Jia Baoyu, Qin Keqing and Yuan Chun chatted for a while longer.

Then they all went back to their rooms to rest.

But the two of them are destined to have no peaceful sleep tonight.

Her heart was filled with longing and worry for Li Jingxiao.

Although Li Jingxiao planned to travel at night on horseback, he actually left the palace around 5 p.m.

It's May now, and in the height of summer, it's still not dark at seven or eight o'clock in the evening.

After traveling forty or fifty li outside the city, they arrived at the post station where they had rested their horses on the way to the capital.

Because this official road connects Jizhou and Shanhaiguan, there is a post station every twenty or thirty li.

Moreover, the post stations also kept horses, which were used specifically to deliver military intelligence.

The so-called 400-li urgent delivery and 600-li urgent delivery were simply changing horses at these post stations.

That's how you can run 400 or 600 miles a day.

Moreover, this area is actually within Tongzhou territory, and in addition to post stations, there are many more tea stalls and inns.

The courier at the post station recognized Li Jingxiao at a glance.

They busied themselves arranging for people to feed the horses, pour water, and prepare rooms. Li Jingxiao, however, waved his hand, saying he would rest for a while and then leave.

The post station staff and the postmaster knew that the man in front of them looked young, but he was definitely an important figure.

The scales on this body are clearly of exceptional quality, judging from their craftsmanship.

The armor in the game is not only highly defensive, but also looks extremely good.

Moreover, it's breathable to wear and won't feel hot.

Not to mention that black horse, it was absolutely a one-in-a-million steed.

Otherwise, this gentleman wouldn't have been able to make such a quick round trip from Jizhou this morning.

This post station is 45 li from the capital, which is 240 or 250 li round trip.

An ordinary horse would be lucky to finish the race in two days.

This post station was located next to Tongzhou Wharf, so it was built to be extremely large, and it housed many officials who traveled to and from various places.

These guests weren't stupid; they could tell from Li Jingxiao's attire that he was not someone to be trifled with.

So even though they were envious of that Akhal-Teke horse, no one dared to cause trouble.

When the sharp-eyed officials noticed the gold medal hanging from Li Jingxiao's waist, their gazes towards him were filled with shock and disbelief.

Ignoring the others, Li Jingxiao picked up the purple-gold gourd and gulped down several mouthfuls of wine.

Feeling hungry, he tossed a piece of silver and asked the courier to bring some cooked chicken and mutton.

It would be best if there was pre-cooked beef available.

The officials staying at the post stations would never pay money; they were all taking advantage of the imperial court.

The courier wanted to take the loose silver on the table, but unfortunately, there was no cooked beef to be found.

The post stations only provided rice, noodles, and vegetables; otherwise, the post stations along the way would have gone bankrupt long ago.

Moreover, even if the postmaster himself did keep some meat, he wouldn't take it out.

Otherwise, even though he earned some money after giving it to Li Jingxiao, the other officials were people the postmaster couldn't afford to offend.

This money was too good to pass up, so naturally no one was foolish enough to provide meat for Li Jingxiao.

Li Jingxiao waved his hand, intending to have a few sips of wine, but after feeding the horses water and fodder, he set off again.

Anyway, it's only about 140 or 150 li away, which should take at most two hours to get there.

Moreover, this wasn't the only rest stop along the way.

A young man in his early twenties, dressed in silk, approached and bowed, saying, "Jingyou?"

Li Jingxiao frowned, but after recognizing the person, he smiled, stood up, and cupped his hands, saying, "Brother, please don't be offended. I was preoccupied with official duties and felt troubled, which is why I didn't recognize you."

This man was Wang Ren, Wang Xifeng's own brother. When she married Yuan Chun, she had naturally met Wang Xifeng's nephew.

In the original novel, after the Jia family's property was confiscated, Wang Ren, the maternal uncle, actually sold Qiao Jie, the only daughter of Wang Xifeng and Jia Lian.

But that was the plot that Gao E continued in the last forty chapters of the original work, and Li Jingxiao didn't really believe it.

Believe it or not, there's no doubt that this guy is a good-for-nothing playboy.

Therefore, after marrying Yuan Chun, Li Jingxiao did not care much about the Wang family's relatives.

Apart from Wang Ziteng, there was indeed no one in the Wang family worth his attention.

Since we've met here, I certainly can't let Wang Ren lose face.

He politely invited Wang Ren to sit down, casually tossed some loose silver to the courier, and ordered him to serve tea.

Having received more than two taels of silver, enough for the postman's salary for two or three months, the postman was naturally happy to go and make tea.

Seeing Li Jingxiao casually handing over loose silver coins, Wang Ren thought to himself, no wonder his aunt said that her son-in-law was not only highly capable, but also had a luxurious personality.

After my cousin married into the Li family, she not only lived in a separate courtyard, but Jingyou also separated the two wives and let them live their own lives.

So as soon as my cousin entered the house, she took charge of all the affairs of the west courtyard and the storeroom.

A truly proper housekeeper/wife.

Although the gifts received during the homecoming were few, each one was of exceptional quality.

He won the favor of the old lady of the Jia family and her aunt, who were extremely satisfied with him as their son-in-law.

With that in mind, Wang Ren naturally wanted to benefit from it.

Wang Xifeng's father, Wang Boteng, was the eldest son of the Wang family, but unfortunately, he was not good at either literature or martial arts. He was waiting for the old master of the Wang family to resign from his official post and retire to his hometown.

Since Wang Xifeng's father had no official position and was outshone by his younger brother Wang Ziteng, he naturally had to accompany the old master back to Jinling.

Over the years, Wang Ren has frequently traveled between Nanjing and the capital.

He was also entrusted with managing some of the businesses in the capital and the affairs of his estates.

However, without official position or power, relying solely on his second uncle's influence was far from sufficient.

This area is not only within the Tongzhou territory, but also a hub of trade, and the Wang family has acquired a considerable amount of farmland here.

After Wang Ren arrived in Tongzhou, he saw that it was getting late and there was no need to rush.

They stayed at the post station for one night and then went to the capital the next day.

Unexpectedly, I ran into my cousin's husband.

After exchanging pleasantries, Wang Ren tried to curry favor, while Li Jingxiao was thinking about how his campaign to the north would go smoothly.

We'll definitely be able to collect a lot of cattle and sheep.

When these cattle and sheep are transported back inside the Great Wall, the officials who take over will inevitably take the opportunity to make a profit.

Rather than letting a stranger take advantage of you, it's better to let a relative benefit.

However, Li Jingxiao thought again that relatives can be good or bad.

Sometimes, relatives are even more greedy and unscrupulous.

As a powerful marquis, he certainly wielded considerable influence over lower- and middle-ranking officials.

On the contrary, relatives are less fearful and act without restraint when taking advantage of others.

However, Wang Ren was Wang Xifeng's elder brother after all. If he could use money to make the Wang family willingly give Wang Xifeng to him as a concubine, he could do so.

Let alone tens of thousands of taels of silver, I would be willing to spend 10 or 20.

However, when it comes to exchanging benefits, Wang Ren is not only unqualified, but also unable to make the decision.

It's better to let the lower-level officials benefit than to let him get away with it.

Those officials who handled the matter would at least remember the favors they received, but Wang Ren might even feel that he didn't get enough benefits.

Moreover, directly mentioning money would be a slap in the face to the Wang family.

Even the most greedy person still has a sense of shame.

Li Jingxiao quickly lost interest in Wang Ren.

If you want to make a move on Wang Xifeng, you might as well contact her father, Wang Boteng, directly.

As the eldest son of the Wang family, Wang Boteng had always been suppressed by the second son, Wang Ziteng. Li Jingxiao did not believe that Wang Boteng had no thoughts of his own.

Li Jingxiao never used Jia Lian, but instead kept Jia Rong by his side as a servant.

Perhaps she was also secretly thinking that if Jia Lian became successful, he would be more likely to marry Wang Xifeng, just like in the original story.

I chatted with Wang Ren about everyday things for a while, and before I knew it, the horse had been fed.

Upon hearing the courier's words, Li Jingxiao stood up and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Please forgive me, elder brother, I am preoccupied with official duties and can only discuss this further after I return to the capital."

Wang Ren nodded in return, saw Li Jingxiao out, and then mounted his horse, Zhui Feng.

After exchanging a few more polite words, watching the departing figure, I couldn't help but feel envious.

Then she sighed inwardly, for her aunt had written home before, saying she wanted to marry Feng to Jingyou.

But before his father could agree, news came from the capital.

The retired emperor bestowed a marriage upon Jia's cousin, Yuan Chun, and betrothed her to Jingyou.

At that time, Jinling's father scolded his younger sister, Lady Wang, for being unreliable and mocked the Jia family for abandoning all sense of shame in pursuit of wealth and status.

(End of this chapter)