The Demon-Slaying Grandmaster

Chapter 250's shortcomings are too obvious.

The only problem is that Shen Boping, the clerk of the Daolu Division, is only a sixth-rank official.

Qin Ye's position as the head of the Ministry of Works was also a sixth-rank official. He couldn't very well fire his former superior just for the sake of his father-in-law.

Fortunately, the matter was actually easy to handle; Li Jingxiao submitted a memorial to the emperor.

The excuse was that the Daolu Si had many merits.

They requested that Shen Boping, Rao Guangxian (Right Right Censor), and Yu Fubao (Left Legal Expert) be granted the titles of fifth-rank and fourth-rank civil officials, respectively.

Their official ranks were fifth and fourth grade, but in reality, their actual power was only at the sixth grade and lower sixth grade.

It's understandable that Qin Ye was transferred there, placing him below the three of them.

Perhaps Rao Guangxian and Yu Fubao would even be willing to be promoted and transferred.

However, to Li Jingxiao's surprise, Rao Guangxian and Yu Fubao, who had previously been thinking about being transferred, were now gone.

At this point, he couldn't wait to die in the Daolu Division.

Not only because their treatment has improved by several times compared to the past, but also because the powerful and wealthy circles in Beijing now basically know about the real existence of evil spirits.

However, Li Jingxiao rarely attended court and disliked making friends.

Even if they go to the door to request a meeting, they are 99% of the time turned away.

Therefore, anyone who had a good relationship with Li Jingxiao became a hot commodity.

The three Shi brothers had by then become the main force of the Daoist Registry in exorcising demons and monsters.

Their contributions inevitably benefited Rao Guangxian and Yu Fubao as well.

Only a fool would want to be transferred to another government office as a deputy or a low-ranking official. It's much better to stay in the Daolu Division.

Li Jingxiao's memorial arrived at the emperor's desk that afternoon, and the result was announced that evening.

He not only agreed to Li Jingxiao's request to grant the three chief and deputy officials of the Daolu Division the title of "honorary official" (a title without real power).

He also rewarded Qin Ye with a civil official title of fourth-rank official.

With this official position, Qin Ye will now be qualified to wear a red robe.

When he retires, if he's lucky, he might get promoted again.

He could become a Zhongshun Dafu, or even retire from the rank of a third-grade Zhong Dafu.

The news spread within a small circle that very evening.

The news had spread throughout the capital's literary and military circles and noble circles by the next day. Some people felt sorry for it, while others were envious.

The next day, Li Jingxiao took Yuan Chun and Wang Xifeng to the Rongguo Mansion.

As Lady Wang's own niece, Wang Xifeng was naturally qualified to visit Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang at the Rongguo Mansion.

Moreover, although a concubine is still a mistress, she still saved face for the Wang family.

The so-called "secondary wives" are actually not recognized at all.

They were both concubines, so it really didn't matter.

However, this saying and practice exist among the common people.

Just as Li Jingxiao had saved face for the Wang family, his status in the household was indeed higher than that of the concubines.

The New Year's gifts delivered to the Jia family were naturally much more lively than those delivered to the Qin family.

Jia Lian, Jia Baoyu, and Jia Rong had been waiting at the gatehouse for a long time.

Upon hearing the servants say that the Duke, his wife, and his concubine's sedan chairs were about to arrive,

Jia Lian and the other two hurriedly came out of the gatehouse and waited outside the main gate with smiles on their faces.

Jia Lian was still shouting, telling people to open the middle gate quickly.

Li Jingxiao was not only the son-in-law of the Jia family, but also a son-in-law who brought his wife to visit relatives. Many families would open the main gate of the house.

Moreover, Li Jingxiao was a true Duke, and no matter how high the Rongguo Mansion's social standing was, in reality, they were still half a step below Li Jingxiao.

After all, he was a true hereditary duke.

Li Jingxiao dismounted at the gate and waved to the servants carrying sedan chairs, signaling them to carry Yuan Chun and Wang Xifeng's sedan chairs into the front yard together.

Jia Lian opened his mouth, wanting to say that Wang Xifeng was not qualified to enter through the middle gate.

But look at Jia Rong. Not only did he not object, he quickly stepped forward to guide the two sedan chairs across the central gate.

Jia Lian was furious, but after thinking about it, he decided to let it go.

Rong-ge is much more powerful than me now.

His status at home has risen dramatically, and he used to have no say in many things.

But now, if anything happens in the Ning and Rong mansions, the old lady, the master, and the eldest master will not only ask Jia Rong to participate.

Sometimes Jia Zhen wasn't around and he didn't care, saying that as long as Rong-ge'er was there, that was enough.

Enraged, Jia Zhen repeatedly caused trouble for Jia Rong, but somehow the news reached Xuanzhen Temple.

Jia Zhen was summoned to the Xuanzhen Temple by his father, Jia Jing, and served Jia Jing obediently as a Taoist priest who worked as a fire-tending alchemist for a month.

After that, Jia Zhen stopped caring about Jia Rong's affairs altogether.

We still need to discuss any matters concerning the Ningguo Mansion with Jia Rong.

However, Jia Rong was also good at interpersonal relationships, and he received two Goryeo maids from Li Jingxiao.

The original plan was to send someone to Goryeo (Korea) to find a few Goryeo maids to bring back as a gift for Jia Zhen.

But after thinking about it, he still sent someone to Zhenjiang Fort, and then contacted that woman, Quan Zhili.

Not only did he do business, but he also took over a dozen Goryeo maids from Kwon Ji-ri.

He gave four to his father Jia Zhen, two to Jia She, and two to Jia Lian.

The rest were all given to nobles with whom they had good relationships.

Along with the goods brought back from Korea, Jia Rong sold them directly to various powerful figures, becoming a wholesaler himself.

Not only did he send women to others, but he also led everyone to make money. Jia Rong's status in the circle of nobles in the capital suddenly became much more important than that of his father, Jia Zhen.

Even when Jia She spoke among his relatives and nobles, he often didn't have as much influence as Jia Rong.

Of course, Jia Rong didn't forget to get Jia She involved in making money too.

Wholesale to others is profitable, and wholesaling to Jia She, who can then sell to Datong, Xuanfu, or even the south, is equally profitable.

Therefore, at this time, Jia Rong's status in the Jia family had completely surpassed that of Jia Lian.

Seeing Jia Rong so eagerly leading his aunt Yuan Chun and his distant cousin Wang Xifeng across the central gate.

Jia Lian could only sigh inwardly, thinking to himself that he really couldn't continue living such absurd lives.

He also needs to find something to do seriously, lest he inherit the Rongguo Mansion in the future and end up as just a third-class general.

On the other hand, Jia Rong, due to his military achievements, was promoted to First-Class General after taking over the power of Ningguo Mansion from Jia Zhen, who was a Third-Class General.

Then the positions of the Ning and Rong mansions would have to be reversed.

Even he, as the uncle, was being suppressed by his nephew, Jia Rong.

Therefore, when Jia Lian looked at Li Jingxiao, he immediately became even more enthusiastic.

Moreover, the thought that Li's eldest daughter, Jingxi, would be 14 years old after the New Year made Jia Lian's heart begin to stir with desire.

Wang Xifeng's sedan chair followed Yuan Chun through the middle gate into the Rongguo Mansion.

Wang Xifeng, inside the sedan chair, was incredibly excited.

This woman was always going to be strong.

But this time, there's no need to guess; the reason she was able to enter through the middle gate is definitely because of her man.

Moreover, Ping'er had been following the sedan chair the whole time, so she naturally saw Li Jingxiao waving to the servants to carry the sedan chair through the middle gate.

When he whispered it to Wang Xifeng, the woman became so excited that she wanted to throw herself into Li Jingxiao's arms and serve him well.

However, Yuan Chun's expression turned somewhat unpleasant as soon as she stepped out of the sedan chair.

But since she was the most particular about rules, she knew that Wang Xifeng couldn't be blamed for this.

However, Yuan Chun not only lacked the courage to argue with Li Jingxiao, but was also unwilling to quarrel with her husband over this matter.

He could only sigh and secretly blame his father, brothers, and uncles for being so useless.

As a result, she was looked down upon by her own husband.

She felt even more sorry for Jia Zhu and lamented the injustice of fate. When her gaze fell on Jia Baoyu, her kindness and gentleness turned into sternness.

Jia Baoyu was immediately startled.

I felt a little confused, wondering what I had done to offend my sister.

Li Jingxiao walked over with a smile and patted Jia Baoyu, who would be 7 years old by the New Year, on the shoulder.

“Baoyu, come to your brother-in-law’s house tomorrow. Your sister and brother-in-law have found a lot of nice things from the south and will give them to you.”

Jia Baoyu was overjoyed, and judging from his brother-in-law's tone, it seemed that he had no objections to him.

Jia Baoyu immediately moved closer to Li Jingxiao and even gave Yuan Chun a smug look.

Yuan Chun was so angry that she almost reached out to twist the boy's ear.

Li Jingxiao didn't know why his wife disliked Jia Baoyu.

He hurriedly stepped forward and grabbed Yuan Chun's hand: "Alright, today is a happy day. If Bao Yu makes a mistake..."

When he comes to our house tomorrow, you can have a good talk with him.

After saying that, he looked at Jia Baoyu, whose eyes were indeed darting around.

There's a high chance he'll find an excuse not to go tomorrow, and he probably won't even go during the Chinese New Year holidays.

Li Jingxiao smiled and said to Jia Rong, "Tomorrow you will escort your Uncle Bao to my place."

I also prepared some small gifts for you, as New Year's money from your Aunt Yuanchun and me.

Since Jia Rong was not married, it was perfectly fine for him to receive New Year's money from his elders.

Even if Li Jingxiao didn't call him, he had already prepared a gift himself.

They were just waiting for Li Jingxiao and Yuan Chun to come to Rongguo Mansion to deliver the New Year's gifts before going to Xingguo Duke's Mansion to give them to Li Jingxiao.

Upon hearing this, Jia Baoyu's face immediately fell.

I know I can't escape it tomorrow.

Jia Rong didn't care whether Jia Baoyu was faking illness or not; he would definitely complete any task assigned by Li Jingxiao.

In particular, after traveling to the grasslands with Li Jingxiao, I know that this man is a man of his word.

No matter how difficult it is, you have to get it done for me.

Otherwise, a beating is inevitable.

Li Jingxiao's behavior influenced Jia Rong to some extent.

In addition, he also served in the Palace Guard and the Left Garrison Command, both of which were responsible for enforcing military law and orders.

Once an order is given, you have no right to refuse.

Jia Rong nodded hurriedly, but when he looked at Jia Baoyu, the boy immediately felt a chill run down his spine.

Fortunately, Jia Rong wasn't stupid; after all, this boy was Yuan Chun's own sister.

When Li Jingxiao led Yuan Chun, along with Wang Xifeng, Baoqin, and Ping'er, and followed Jia Lian into the second gate.

Jia Rong had a sudden thought and pulled Jia Baoyu aside to whisper a few words to him.

That immediately caught the kid's eye.

Since we know this kid likes to hang out with girls and even has a habit of eating the maids' rouge since he was a child.

Jia Rong's method of dealing with him was also very simple.

Anyway, the Ningguo Mansion keeps some young and pretty Goryeo maids.

It was merely an excuse that the petal rouge newly produced in Goryeo was somewhat different from that of the Great Zhou.

He easily won over the boy by inviting him to try it when he visited Ningguo Mansion.

As for sending a Korean maid to Jia Baoyu, Jia Rong wasn't that foolish.

If I actually did it, I would definitely be summoned by Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang and given a severe scolding.

Especially after Jia Zhu's accident, he voluntarily remained at Jieshou Lake in spirit form.

Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang began to pay even more attention to Jia Baoyu.

But if it were just a matter of inviting Jia Baoyu to Ningguo Mansion to play, eat some rouge, and frolic among the young girls, Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang wouldn't mind.

Often, spoiled children are simply a result of being pampered by their parents and grandparents.

Li Jingxiao's physical abilities far surpassed those of ordinary people, so he naturally overheard how Jia Rong was trying to fool Baoyu.

However, he didn't care. He had already made up his mind to raise this kid to be a spoiled brat.

Staying at home and playing with the little girl saves her from going out and causing trouble.

Therefore, Li Jingxiao not only stopped Jia Rong from doing what he did, but also secretly praised Jia Rong a few times.

However, when Jia Lian led the way, he vaguely mentioned Jingxi, which displeased Li Jingxiao.

My younger sister will be 14 after the Lunar New Year, and in this day and age it's time for her to find a husband.

There's no need to get married at fourteen or fifteen; it's not too late to get married at sixteen.

Qin Keqing was 16 when she married into the family, while Yuan Chun was almost 17 when she married her.

However, if you don't look for a suitable brother-in-law in advance, it's rare to find a good girl, and it's also rare to find a good son-in-law or brother-in-law.

As for Jia Lian, he was immediately ruled out by Li Jingxiao.

This guy's tastes are indeed a bit peculiar.

Whoever marries him will definitely have a miserable life from now on.

In addition, the situation in the Rongguo Mansion was complicated, and even a woman as shrewd as Wang Xifeng ended up with a bleak fate.

In the original novel, as soon as Xue Baochai married into the family, Wang Xifeng's power to manage the household was taken away by Madam Wang.

It's clear that the concepts of "close aunt" and "close niece" are meaningless.

If Jingxi were to marry Jia Lian, unless Jia Lian had the guts to leave the mansion and live alone, his sister would definitely be tormented by all sorts of subtle means.

Moreover, Jia Lian was not a good match either. Li Jingxiao did not expect his brother-in-law to remain faithful to him, as he himself had many wives and concubines.

Lee Kyung-hyo never forces others to do what he himself cannot do.

But at the very least, one must have the responsibility to remain devoted to one's lawfully wedded wife.

As he thought about it, Li Jingxiao suddenly felt a headache coming on.

Even the emperor's daughters struggled to find husbands, and it wasn't easy for daughters of noble families to find a good husband either.

Li Jingxiao was in charge of the Left Garrison Command, and could freely access the archives of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Having witnessed so much hypocrisy and depravity among nobles and officials in private, I sometimes even feel that Jia Rong is an exceptionally good person.

Even Jia Lian was better than most sons of noble families; at least he rarely went out to drink and carouse.

They won't cause trouble outside.

This is truly a case of choosing the best from the worst; it's not just about getting better, it's about getting worse.

Even among scholars, some of their hobbies left Li Jingxiao speechless.

If there were characters like Qi Xiaogongye or Sheng Changbai from "The Story of Minglan," Li Jingxiao would directly propose marriage to them.

It's a pity that I've been in this world for two and a half years and haven't met a single person like that.

Li Jingxiao suddenly felt that he should also attend court more often.

They can always find a suitable candidate for a sister-in-law among young people who has good character.

Whether Jingxi likes it or not is actually not important at all.

A girl who grew up in the inner quarters of the house was like a blank sheet of paper.

I don't even know many young men, let alone outside men.

If Lee Kyung-hyo thinks it's good, Kyung-hee will definitely think it's good too.

Of course, Lee Kyung-hyo wouldn't mind creating opportunities for the two of them to get to know each other for a while.

To avoid a completely 'arranged marriage' where there's at least a 50% chance that married life will go in a bad direction.

Thinking of this, Li Jingxiao suddenly realized that he really had to go to court.

(End of this chapter)