The Demon-Slaying Grandmaster

Chapter 204 Rushing Back to My Hometown to Farm

Why did Wang Ziteng have to choose such a bad time, the day when Li Jingxiao brought Yuanchun back to the Jia family to deliver New Year's gifts?

The reason was simply that they were calculating that the Jia family and Lady Wang would speak well of them on this day.

As a son-in-law, Li Jingxiao couldn't very well refuse.

However, Wang Ziteng seriously overestimated his status and importance.

The Jia family members aren't fools either.

The fact that Jia Zheng had held Li Jingxiao's wrist earlier already indicated that Jia Zheng was very displeased with Wang Ziteng's unexpected arrival.

If Li Jingxiao encounters these unpleasant things every time he comes to the Jia family, he will stop coming in the future.

The family that suffered the greatest loss was naturally the Jia family.

But Madam Wang's silence was truly unexpected for Li Jingxiao.

Sitting next to Li Jingxiao, Yuan Chun instructed Baoqin to serve her husband tea.

Although she didn't understand why her man rejected her so decisively.

But she was raised by Grandmother Jia and was far smarter than Lady Wang.

She knew that at this moment, she had to stand by her man without hesitation.

Moreover, the fact that Grandmother Jia didn't say anything can be considered a reminder to Yuan Chun.

But when she saw her husband looking at her mother, her heart tightened.

Between her second uncle and her biological mother, Yuan Chun chose her biological mother without hesitation.

If she had to choose between her second uncle and her own husband, Yuan Chun would not hesitate to stand on Li Jingxiao's side.

Yuan Chun hurriedly grasped Li Jingxiao's hand, looking at him with some unease.

Li Jingxiao was both surprised and satisfied that Yuan Chun hadn't spoken well of Wang Ziteng, and that his father-in-law and mother-in-law had behaved well earlier.

Naturally, he wouldn't take his anger out on his wife.

She turned her head and smiled, still holding Yuan Chun's hand tightly.

Yuan Chun finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Then Li Jingxiao said to Jia Rong, "Rong-ge'er, you wait for the younger generation and the young lady to all go out."

After saying that, even Jia Lian, Li Wan, Wang Ziteng's wife, Wang Xifeng, and others were unceremoniously kicked out by Li Jingxiao.

Only Grandmother Jia, Jia She, Jia Zheng, Jia Zhen, Yuan Chun, Lady Wang, and Prince Teng remained.

Then he said to Wang Ziteng, "Second Uncle, I know exactly what you're up to."

In the past few years, you have been in charge of the military and political affairs of Shanxi Province, but you have accomplished nothing.

That's fine.

But as far as I know, there are many landlords, powerful merchants and wealthy people in Shanxi who sell grain, ironware and salt to the Tatars and Oirats and make a fortune.

You say you don't know? Not only do I not believe you.

Even His Majesty and the Emperor wouldn't believe it if they knew.

The threatening intent behind those words is quite clear.

Wang Ziteng's anger instantly turned into fear.

Jia She, standing to the side, also turned slightly pale.

Merchants and wealthy people in Shanxi traded goods with the Tatars and Oirats. Although they did it discreetly, it was impossible to completely hide it.

Although Li Jingxiao still gave him some face, he didn't explicitly say that Wang Ziteng was colluding with powerful families in Shanxi.

However, Grandmother Jia and the others still understood the meaning behind Li Jingxiao's words.

Moreover, Li Jingxiao was the commander of the Left Garrison of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so what he just said must have been discovered by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

That makes it even more credible.

More than half a year has passed since the Tatar siege of Datong and Xuanfu.

The fact that Wang Ziteng has been fine all along means that Li Jingxiao has already shown leniency towards him.

Otherwise, he would have been imprisoned long ago.

Even if we can't get evidence of his smuggling, he can't escape the charge of dereliction of duty.

Smuggling to the grasslands requires a large amount of supplies, so Jia She had people secretly transport supplies to Datong and Xuanfu, even though he didn't use Wang Ziteng's connections.

But if Wang Ziteng is investigated and arrested, the generals in Datong and Xuanfu will not be able to escape either.

If things go wrong, it could implicate Jia She.

However, Datong and Xuanfu had just experienced a Tatar invasion, so Li Jingxiao would not be foolish enough to investigate such matters at this time.

Even if he were brainless, the emperor and the retired emperor would not agree to it.

At this time, what is needed most is stability.

For the time being, smuggling is nothing more than a minor ailment in the eyes of those in power.

Li Jingxiao added, "Out of consideration for our kinship, I'll pretend I didn't see some of these things."

But you're in such a hurry to get promoted, to go to the capital to seek the position of military governor of the capital garrison.

To put it nicely, it's an eagerness to make progress.

To put it bluntly, you're trying to climb over me to get ahead.

After speaking, Li Jingxiao looked at Grandmother Jia, who had remained silent.

The old lady sighed. Seeing that Li Jingxiao had spoken so bluntly, which was tantamount to turning against her, she knew that things wouldn't be so easy to turn back today.

At the same time, he understood that Li Jingxiao was asking him to choose sides.

In just a moment, Grandmother Jia stood on Li Jingxiao's side without hesitation.

To Li Jingxiao's surprise, the old lady actually knew about politics.

Since she had chosen to side with Li Jingxiao, Grandmother Jia no longer kept it a secret.

She shared her thoughts with Jia She, Jia Zheng, and Lady Wang.

Li Jingxiao had been the Duke of Xingguo for less than a year when he took command of 5 cavalrymen of the Palace Guard to protect the imperial palace.

He was still the commander of the Left Garrison Command. Although he didn't concern himself with the affairs of the North and South Garrison Commands, his subordinates were legitimate members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

This meant that they controlled both military power and intelligence agencies.

If Li Jingxiao and the Jia family were together, they would be running around and pulling strings.

By promoting Wang Ziteng to the position of military governor of the capital, most of the military power inside and outside the capital was in the hands of him and his faction, the Jia and Wang families.

Even if someone were the emperor, they would feel uneasy.

When you feel uneasy, it's easy to overthink.

Wang Ziteng was only concerned with his own interests and didn't care at all whether the Li and Jia families would arouse the emperor's suspicion.

Perhaps this guy is even hoping that Li Jingxiao and the Jia family will be distrusted by the emperor.

He could then simply go and pledge allegiance to the emperor, ensuring his own safety and becoming a loyal subject of the emperor.

Incidentally, it was used by the emperor to control Li Jingxiao and the Jia family.

Upon hearing Grandmother Jia's explanation, Yuan Chun and Lady Wang's expressions changed drastically.

When she looked at Wang Ziteng, deep doubt and unease were already evident in her eyes.

Jia She, Jia Zheng, and Jia Zhen were all glaring angrily at Wang Ziteng.

Wang Ziteng opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know how to defend himself.

Of course, he wasn't truly rendered speechless by what he was being told.

Instead, they were worried about their smuggling dealings with powerful and influential figures in Shanxi, because they would be sent to the palace by Li Jingxiao in the future.

That's why I've been keeping quiet, lest I provoke Li Jingxiao and things become truly irreversible.

At the same time, Wang Ziteng also understood that Li Jingxiao's words were only meant for the Jia family.

In the future, I can forget about getting support from the Jia family; they might even try every means to bring me down.

To avoid implicating the Jia family and their son-in-law.

For a moment, Wang Ziteng felt cold in his hands and feet, and felt that his future had become bleak.

Years of hard work and effort have ultimately amounted to nothing.

Li Jingxiao picked up his teacup and said quietly, "Second Uncle, you should resign from your official post and go home to live a comfortable life as a wealthy man."

After speaking, he glanced at Jia She almost imperceptibly.

Lord She's heart skipped a beat, all hope vanished. He knew Li Jingxiao must already know about his smuggling activities to Datong and Xuanfu.

He jumped up and started cursing and threatening Wang Ziteng.

As he continued his tirade, he even turned his attention to Madam Wang. Only after Li Jingxiao coughed did the man quiet down.

Then, pulling Jia Zhen along, they cupped their hands and said to Grandmother Jia, "Grandmother, our family dares not accept relatives like this again, whose hearts, livers, spleens, and lungs are all black."

One wrong move, and it could be a heinous crime leading to the ruin of one's family and the loss of one's title.

Although Grandmother Jia found her eldest son's behavior somewhat strange.

But thinking about it, Jia She must have been genuinely frightened.

Jia She is the heir to the Rongguo Mansion's title, so if something really happens to him, he will be the first to suffer.

It's understandable that they would have such a strong reaction.

As for Jia Zhen, he was also filled with lingering fear at this moment.

Prince Teng of the secret passage is really too cunning; how can he betray his relatives like this?

Since you are unkind, then don't blame yourself for being unjust.
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Wang Ziteng never knew how he got out of the Jia family.

After arriving home, he fell seriously ill and could not be cured.

After thinking it over, Li Jingxiao went to the palace and told the emperor about it.

But he didn't say much, only that he and the Jia family refused Wang Ziteng's request for an official position.

Unexpectedly, Wang Ziteng fell seriously ill after returning home.

It seems he was extremely disappointed with the Jia family, his in-laws, which is why he fell ill from anger.

But to the emperor, these words meant that Li Jingxiao and the Jia family knew what they could and could not do.

He was not only extremely satisfied with Li Jingxiao, but also felt much more favorably toward the Jia family.

He then instructed Xia Shouzhong to visit the Wang family and pay a visit to Wang Ziteng.

To avoid getting too angry and harming his health, he decided to retire and return to his hometown due to illness while still in his prime.

Xia Shouzhong immediately understood that this statement should be interpreted in reverse.

First, let's see if it's a real illness or just faking it.

Secondly, it was a way of getting him to go to the Wang family, implying that Prince Teng should resign from his official post and return to his hometown.

After Xia Shouzhong left, the emperor frowned and thought for a moment before saying to Li Jingxiao, "My dear minister, His Majesty has been thinking of you a lot lately."

Why don't you come with me to pay homage to the Emperor?

Li Jingxiao knew this was a negotiation with the retired emperor, or rather, an exchange of benefits.

It's obvious that what the retired emperor cares about most right now is related to Taoist cultivation.

Unfortunately, just as Li Jingxiao had predicted, even if the old emperor cultivated true qi, he was too old to do so.

Even with Wang Chongyang's talent, he would only ever reach the level of one of the Five Greats of the World.

Not to mention, the old emperor not only lacked Wang Chongyang's talent, but his cultivation speed was also inferior to that of Jingxi and Jingyue.

However, the old emperor's determination to pursue Taoism was indeed strong.

Having sought it for many years without success, now that he has finally entered the path, his determination to cultivate the Tao has only grown stronger.

I also feel that I am making a little progress every day, and I think I have pretty good talent.

The last time Dai Quan saw Li Jingxiao in person, he only glanced at the incomplete Five Thunder Orthodox Method once, but he was already impressed and figured out some tricks of it.

The retired emperor has been focusing all his attention on cultivating the Five Thunder Orthodox Method lately.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard the old emperor studied, he could not figure out the technique.

That's why he kept mentioning Li Jingxiao, his purpose being nothing more than to get Li Jingxiao to take the initiative to teach him at the Daming Palace.

But this cannot be said outright, lest the emperor have to consult his ministers, which would be a loss of face.

Emperor Longde was actually quite conflicted about the old emperor's pursuit of Taoism.

They both hoped their father would achieve success in his cultivation and wished he wouldn't live too long.

When Li Jingxiao arrived at the Daming Palace, the old emperor was indeed very pleased.

He grabbed him and, under the pretext of discussing the Dao, asked him many questions related to thunder magic.

Li Jingxiao is always willing to answer any question. Even among disciples taught by the same master, there are differences in skill level.

Moreover, the Five Thunder Orthodox Method was an incomplete version, and Li Jingxiao was able to master it entirely because of his high level of comprehension and innate talent.

The retired emperor was already old, and his memory and comprehension had all deteriorated.

Li Jingxiao understood immediately upon hearing just one simple sentence.

But to the old emperor, it was as incomprehensible as a book written in heaven.

Finally, he sighed and remarked, "It seems that not everyone is qualified to cultivate lightning magic."

No wonder only the sect leader, that Daoist Shi, and you, Jingyou, could master the Lightning Thunder Fist at Maoshan.

Li Jingxiao did not answer, and the old emperor seemed somewhat disinterested.

She still felt that Li Jingxiao was not doing his best, but then she remembered that Li Jingxiao had explained things to her in great detail.

Let alone gathering the Five Thunders and the Five Elements returning to their origin.

They can't even gather the Qi of the five internal organs and unite it into one; they can't even get to the basics.

Most importantly, he couldn't even sense the Yin and Yang energies, which meant that, just like the Taoist priests recruited by the palace said, he had absolutely no talent for cultivating thunder magic.

Some people are born to cultivate thunder magic, while others, no matter how hard they try, will find it all in vain.

What you are born with, you either have or you don't.

The old emperor waved to the emperor and Li Jingxiao.

Li Jingxiao secretly rejoiced. Of all the choices, why did he have to pick the most difficult-to-cultivate thunder technique?

If it were that easy to learn, there wouldn't be so few Taoist priests in the world who could master thunder magic.

As Li Jingxiao and the emperor left the Daming Palace, Emperor Longde asked somewhat reluctantly, "My dear minister, is thunder magic really that difficult to master?"

Li Jingxiao shrugged. "Your Majesty, whether it's Maoshan, the Celestial Master's Mansion, or the Zaoge Sect, only one in ten thousand can master the Thunder Technique."

Otherwise, if everyone could cultivate, all the other races in the world would have been wiped out by our human race long ago.

Emperor Longde understood this principle, but he was still unwilling to accept it.

But then I realized that I had already learned the method of inner cultivation from the retired emperor.

Unfortunately, he was busy with government affairs every day, and even if a divine skill manual were placed in front of him, unless he secluded himself to cultivate it like the retired emperor, he simply wouldn't have time to practice it.

Thinking about it this way, I finally understood.

Power and immortality are choices that most normal people would choose to pursue.

But that's just for ordinary people. Once they've tasted the power, they'll naturally want both.

But if one could only have one preference, the most likely choice would still be power.

After all, the emperor was still in his prime, and he must have been thinking that once he had control of the court, he would be like the retired emperor.

Enjoying rights while cultivating the Tao.

Li Jingxiao could guess the emperor's intentions at a glance.

He had previously wanted to have both, but recently he felt that his path to power had come to an end.

Only then did he shift his focus to cultivation.

A few days later, on New Year's Eve, Li Jingxiao, who had slept in Qin Keqing's room the night before, got up and went to the martial arts field, where he learned the news from Yuan Chun.

Wang Ziteng submitted his resignation yesterday and will return to Nanjing after the New Year once his condition stabilizes.

Li Jingxiao nodded indifferently and pulled Yuan Chun into a martial arts duel.

Yuan Chun was relieved to see that he showed no abnormalities.

But I felt a pang of emotion; I never expected my second uncle to be so wicked.

If it weren't for my husband seeing through it, I would be the one to suffer in the future.

Although Lady Wang chose Li Jingxiao and Yuan Chun, she ultimately lost the support of her maternal family.

Yuan Chun hadn't been feeling well these past few days, so Li Jingxiao didn't fuss and gave her a Three-Flower Jade Dew Pill.

Tell her to send someone to the Jia family.

Yuan Chun was finally completely relieved.

(End of this chapter)