The Demon-Slaying Grandmaster

Chapter 192 Since we're going to build a villa, let's make it big and luxurious.
The attention of Grandmother Jia and the others was immediately drawn to these pearls.

Jia She and Jia Zhen's eyes lit up; they couldn't wait to grab and play with it, then stuff it into their pockets.

Then Li Jingxiao said, "This is a gift that Brother Zhu asked me to bring back to give to my father-in-law."

They also said that they would send gifts back every year during festivals.

"Once Brother Zhu and the Third Princess get married, Uncle Shui will probably send over a lot of good things."

A slight smile finally appeared on Jia Zheng's face.

But a few seconds later, his face darkened again.

Where is the logic in a woman giving a gift to a man?
With just a little thought, one can guess that Jia Zhu is essentially a son-in-law who has moved into the wife's family home.

Otherwise, the Jia family would send betrothal gifts to the woman's side.

If Jia Zheng could think of it, then Grandmother Jia, Jia She, Jia Zhen, and even Jia Lian and Jia Rong, if they thought about it for a moment, could also think of it.

No matter how unwilling they were, the family had absolutely no choice.

Everyone quickly pretended not to have thought of this, lest they say it and lose face.

As for what Li Wan thinks, no one really cares about her having to live a life of widowhood at such a young age.

Now that we have Jia Lan, we should focus all our attention on taking care of her and being filial to our mother and grandmother.

Moreover, Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, and others will definitely feel guilty towards her in the future.

Compared to the original novel, where Jia Zhu dies young and Lady Wang blames Li Wan for being a jinx to her husband, this is much better.

Of course, Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang repeatedly assured that they only recognized Li Wan as their daughter-in-law.

Li Jingxiao then had Jia Lan carried in from outside.

He took the boy with both hands and pretended to examine him carefully, all under the expectant gazes of Grandmother Jia, Jia Zheng, and others.

She said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, this child has a broad and bright forehead, a high nose bridge, and full nostrils."

With a full chin, red lips, and white teeth, he is a promising student.

"Sister-in-law, please take good care of Lan'er from now on. I believe Lan'er can earn you a noble title."

At this point, Li Wan believed only a small portion of what others said.

But since these words came from Li Jingxiao, he believed them completely.

After taking Jia Lan back from the maid, Li Wan finally showed a loving smile.

As a result, Jia Zheng, Lady Wang, and Grandmother Jia all began to pay more attention to Jia Lan.

Especially Lady Wang, whose attention used to be almost entirely focused on Jia Zhu.

Now that his eldest son is gone, he was originally planning to focus on raising Jia Baoyu.

But Li Jingxiao specially examined Jia Lan's face today, which made Lady Wang, his own grandmother, think that since Zhu'er might not be reliable.

Baoyu and Lan'er, uncle and nephew, are my hope for the future.

Moreover, investing in two children is always more rewarding than focusing all your energy and love on your youngest son.

Li Jingxiao dared to say this because, in the original novel, Jia Lan did indeed earn Li Wan a title of Lady of Imperial Decree.

Although this life may not be the same as the original story.

But since it succeeded once, the chances of succeeding again are naturally not small.

That's why he instructed Li Wan to focus more on Jia Lan.

Children are more likely to succeed if they are raised by a strict mother.

Of course, Li Jingxiao also felt that Li Wan was indeed innocent.

Although she had no worries about food and clothing, being a widow at such a young age was actually quite difficult.

Giving her hope is a good thing in itself.

As for asking Li Jingxiao to focus his attention and energy on Jia Lan, Li Jingxiao only said it lip service.

If you really asked him to teach Jia Lan, he definitely wouldn't want to.

It's not like he's my own son.

However, saying a few kind words and offering some casual advice in the future is not only effortless but also a kind of investment.

After the meal was prepared and they ate with the old lady, Grandmother Jia pulled them aside and started talking about the Dragon Palace at Jieshou Lake.

But before Li Jingxiao could finish speaking, a family member came to report.

They said the eldest daughter couldn't leave, so they sent someone to inquire whether the Duke had drunk too much at dinner.
If he drank too much, they would send more men and carriages to pick up the Duke and take him back.

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia and the others knew that Yuan Chun and Madam Qin must be anxiously waiting for their master to return.

Moreover, it's understandable that Yuan Chun had reservations about inviting only Yuan Chun and not Qin Keqing.

After all, the person who went to invite Yuan Chun not only didn't know the cause and effect, but even if they did, they couldn't tell her.

Grandmother Jia said with a smile, "Jingyou, let's stop here for today, lest the eldest maid and Madam Qin complain about this old woman for delaying your time together."

Li Jingxiao laughed heartily and bowed to everyone with clasped hands.

The younger generation, including Jia Rong, Jia Baoyu, Jia Lan, Yingchun, and Tanchun, personally saw him off from Rongqing Hall.

Jia Rong even escorted him directly to the gate of the mansion.

Then he mentioned that he had gathered over a hundred servants and descendants of his former personal guards from the Ningguo Mansion's estate in recent days.

He planned to select 20 people to train their strength and martial arts skills full-time, to serve as his servants and guards.

Li Jingxiao nodded in satisfaction, mounted his horse, and said with a smile, "If you can't find a suitable instructor, go and invite Niu Zhanpeng and Chen Hongsheng for a few drinks."

They would definitely be willing to send a few of their old guards to your estate to train these people.

Also, since he brought back a lot of money from his trip north.

Stop trying to take advantage of your father. Buy a few more farms and be self-reliant; there's nothing wrong with that.

Jia Rong's eyes lit up as soon as she heard that.

This kid is very clever. With Li Jingxiao's instructions, Jia Rong no longer needs to hide the silver and valuables he brought back from the grasslands.

There's no need to worry about his father, Jia Zhen, taking everything over under the pretext that the family hasn't separated yet.

Moreover, the expenses of maintaining personal guards and servants are considerable. Jia Rong bought the estate himself, and all future income will be at his own disposal.

Otherwise, if Li Jingxiao knew that Jia Zhen had seized Jia Rong's money, he would definitely think that Jia Zhen himself was not short of money, and that he did not take Li Jingxiao's words, as the Duke of Xingguo, seriously.

Even if Jia Zhen had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare to do that.

What if Li Jingxiao sends someone to Xuanzhen Temple to say a few bad things about Jia Zhen to Jia Jing?

Given Jia Jing's temper, beating Jia Zhen would be considered lenient.

If Jia Jing really angered him, he would use the excuse of making Jia Zhen fulfill his filial duties to forcibly take him to the Xuanzhen Temple.

Then, the Ningguo Mansion was handed over to Jia Rong, a grandson who was already considered promising and was valued by Li Jingxiao.

It's not impossible.

Perhaps the title of Ningguo Mansion's nobleman could be promoted from third-class general to first-class general.

After all, Jia Rong had just made a meritorious contribution, and the emperor and the retired emperor would certainly be happy to let him become the head of the Ningguo Mansion.

Jia Rong was so excited that he immediately knelt down and kowtowed. Li Jingxiao chuckled, liking the kid's attitude.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "If you have time, have Erfu and the others teach you the Five Tigers Breaking the Gate Saber, so you won't have to rely on the servants for protection when you go into battle."

Jia Rong hurriedly kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you, Uncle."

Only after Li Jingxiao's horse had ridden far away did the young man get up with a smug look on his face, humming a little tune as he returned to Rongqing Hall.

Lai Er, the servant and head steward of the Rongguo Mansion, became even more fearful of Jia Rong.

Especially Lai Er, Jia Rong used to have to call him Grandpa Lai when she saw him.

Now, whenever Jia Rong calls him Grandpa Lai, Lai Er immediately kneels on the ground and begs for mercy. Jia Rong chuckled and hummed a little tune, his mood much better than before.

He thought to himself, "Since I'm going to be someone else's grandson anyway, I might as well be the grandson of my uncle-in-law."

Furthermore, he went on a trip to the grasslands with his uncle and brought back tens of thousands of taels of silver, as well as more than a dozen cartloads of furs, medicinal herbs, and other valuables.

I'd rather be a grandson or a slave than a servant.

Moreover, Uncle Zhu, a grandson of the prestigious Rongguo Mansion, also became a live-in son-in-law!
As for immortality, Jia Rong scoffed at it.

Do you really think being a live-in son-in-law is so easy?

Moreover, I really want to cultivate Taoism. Even if my uncle-in-law is unwilling to teach me, I still have my own grandfather!
At worst, I could ask my uncle for mercy and be allowed to join Maoshan. No matter how you look at it, that would be much more reliable than that carp spirit.

Thinking about it this way, Jia Rong began to admire and respect Li Jingxiao from the bottom of his heart.

When Li Jingxiao arrived home, he inevitably recounted his experience to his two wives and the three Jingxi sisters.

Yuan Chun broke out in a cold sweat several times due to nervousness, but fortunately, the good outweighed the bad.

As for becoming a son-in-law, Yuan Chun was also dissatisfied, but she knew that there was nothing she could do about it.

The next morning, Li Jingxiao arrived at the training ground on time, where Yuan Chun, Bao Qin, You Erjie, and You Sanjie were already waiting for him.

Although she hadn't seen Li Jingxiao for several days, Yuan Chun missed him, but she had no mind to practice martial arts at the moment.

He instructed Sister You Er, Sister You San, and Baoqin to practice boxing, swordsmanship, and light footwork.

She sat down next to Li Jingxiao, poured him tea and water, and personally wiped Li Jingxiao's face and hands with a hot towel.

Seeing how considerate she was, Li Jingxiao knew what his wife was thinking.

He simply hoped that he could take better care of Jia Zhu in the future.

After thinking for a moment, I checked my inventory.

He took out several fine pieces of jewelry from the five boxes of jewels he had obtained from the Dragon Palace of Jieshou Lake and placed them in front of Yuan Chun.

Yuan Chun's eyes lit up, and she happily begged Li Jingxiao to put it on her personally.

Then, she put her arm around Li Jingxiao's arm and started talking about how Jia Zhu used to play with her and teach her to read and write when she was a child.

Baoqin, You Erjie, and You Sanjie, who were practicing martial arts, lost their interest in practicing boxing and sword dancing.

They looked at Yuan Chun with worry, yet also at Li Jingxiao with a hint of expectation.

After Li Jingxiao comforted Yuan Chun, he simply gave each of them a gift, and the three women dared not laugh.

But the joy in her eyes was impossible to hide.

The look in his eyes seemed to say he wished he could drag Li Jingxiao into the house right now and serve him properly.

Unfortunately, the timing wasn't right, so I had to suppress these feelings.

A moment later, the voice of a maid could be heard outside the training ground.

Knowing that the three Jingxi sisters had arrived, Yuan Chun finally put aside her worries.

She got up to greet the three Jingxi sisters, and then watched her husband teach his three sisters-in-law martial arts.

They also arranged for someone to prepare breakfast and serve the four siblings their meal.

When Li Jingxiao was sleeping in Yuan Chun's room that night, he gave Yuan Chun a treasure chest containing 1 taels of silver.

Both the east and west courtyards were worth 1 taels of silver; Li Jingxiao treated everyone equally.

When they rested at night, Li Jingxiao was incredibly gentle, which finally calmed Yuan Chun down.

A few days later, he instructed Yuan Chun to discuss the construction of a separate courtyard with Qin Keqing the next day.

Incidentally, he also sent someone to inquire about who in the capital was most famous for garden construction.

Qin Keqing and Yuan Chun were naturally opposed to the construction of the villa at first.

Building a large courtyard would easily cost tens of thousands of taels of silver.

If it's bigger and more luxurious, it'll easily cost over ten thousand.

If we follow Li Jingxiao's advice and build it according to the standards of the Duke's Mansion.

Moreover, it must be a place with pavilions, terraces, lakes, and mountains; even a million taels of silver might not be enough.

But Li Jingxiao only said that he had earned over a million taels of silver from gold and silver alone on this trip.

The two women immediately fell silent.

Besides admiration, the gaze directed at Li Jingxiao was also fixed on him with stars in his eyes.

The expression on his face practically screamed, "How dare you hide so much money and not hand it over!"

Fortunately, Li Jingxiao was in charge of the household after all; if he didn't give it to them, neither of the two women dared to ask for it.

In this way, Yuan Chun and Ke Qing united their forces with just a few glances.

Since we're going to build a villa, let's make it big and luxurious.

In short, she'd rather spend all her money on the villa than have her husband spend it on some other woman.

Moreover, it was indeed somewhat inappropriate for the dignified Duke of Xingguo to live in two houses pieced together.
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More than a month has passed without us realizing it.

Yuan Chun and Ke Qing not only chose the location for building the villa, but also made all the preparations for construction.

They also sought out Xia Shouzhong, asking him to find a master craftsman from the Imperial Household Department to design the design.

In addition, there were Li Jingxiao's own requests.

The final design was larger than the Prince's Palace.

Of course, besides exceeding the permitted area, the two women also strictly followed the Duke's specifications in their design, daring not to deviate in the slightest.

Moreover, since it is a separate courtyard, accommodation is not the primary need, so it has everything: artificial hills, pavilions, gardens, theaters, and drill grounds.

Also, because there are lakes and water in the Summer Palace area, they simply fenced off one of the lakes and turned it into an inner lake.

To this end, Li Jingxiao specifically asked officials from the Ministry of Rites to review the design drawings repeatedly to ensure there were no problems before allocating funds to start construction.

After paying the money, Li Jingxiao stopped caring about anything else and left everything to his two wives.

Meanwhile, Yuan Chun and Ke Qing took Jing Xi with them and also dragged Jia Lian and Jia Rong along to work as laborers.

Furthermore, the Left Garrison Command doesn't concern itself with anything other than matters involving demons or evil spirits.

So everyone is usually very free.

There is no shortage of cattle and horses.

However, Li Jingxiao was still forced to fly to the southern border to find Yue Zhongjie, the mountain god of Yunfeng Mountain.

It took several mountain gods to get two hundred giant trees from the southern border.

After being brought back to the capital, the two hundred giant logs immediately caused a sensation.

Of course, its specifications certainly couldn't compare to the wood used in the imperial palace.

Just like the massive timber used in the main halls of the Ning and Rong mansions, Yuan Chun and Ke Qing were even more careful than Li Jingxiao in this respect.

Many people also approached Li Jingxiao, saying they also wanted to renovate their old houses and wanted to buy giant timber from him.

Li Jingxiao was initially unwilling to sell, since he didn't need the money.

But when someone approached him and said they were willing to pay 5 taels of silver for one, Qin Keqing and Yuan Chun did a quick calculation.

Sell ​​all two hundred pieces of wood, and you'll immediately have a million taels of silver.

Her husband simply flew to the southern border and raised the money in three days.

The two women were incredibly eager to make money so easily.

Li Jingxiao himself was almost tempted, but the problem was that there were fewer and fewer giant trees suitable for use as a main hall.

Moreover, if this money is earned too easily, it will inevitably arouse jealousy and covetousness.

(End of this chapter)