The Demon-Slaying Grandmaster

Chapter 251 Show off
Now that my younger sister will be 14 after the New Year, it's time to start thinking about marriage.

If we delay for another year or two before starting to look for a husband...

Jingxi herself might not be in a hurry, but her second uncle and aunt will definitely become anxious.

Therefore, Li Jingxiao really should make preparations.

Fortunately, there are still two years left, so I can take my time choosing.

As I was thinking, we arrived at the third courtyard.

Go straight ahead to reach Rongxi Hall, and turn left to reach Rongqing Hall, where Grandmother Jia resides.

Li Jingxiao held Yuan Chun's hand, gesturing for her to follow Jia Baoyu to Grandmother Jia's place.

He nodded to the somewhat nervous Wang Xifeng, even shaking her hand and giving her an encouraging look.

Then he went with Jia Lian and Jia Rong to Rongxi Hall to see Jia She and Jia Zheng.

When Yuan Chun returned to her parents' home, she was naturally not afraid at all.

Wang Xifeng took a deep breath and, with Ping'er's help, followed Yuan Chun to the left.

However, Li Jingxiao's worries were in vain, as this woman had visited the Ning and Rong mansions frequently since she was a child.

She herself is a clever, shrewd, and quick-witted person.

Before leaving, Li Jingxiao shook her hand again, giving her confidence.

The tension in my heart dissipated almost entirely in an instant.

Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang had to consider their kinship and Li Jingxiao's feelings, so naturally they wouldn't make things difficult for her.

In the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, Wang Xifeng had made Grandmother Jia beam with joy.

Needless to say, Madam Wang is her own niece, and there is no core interest conflict between them now.

His elder brother, Wang Boteng, was promoted to the fifth-rank "Cavalry Commandant" and the sixth-rank "Assistant of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices" because of Li Jingxiao, and was specially assigned to collect fine wines from Jiangnan for the imperial palace.

Not only were they imperial merchants, but they were also one of the emperor's informants in Jiangnan.

Despite her lowly position, Lady Wang wielded great power, and naturally became kind and amiable towards her niece.

Li Jingxiao sent Wang Ziteng back to Jinling to farm, and then helped Wang Boteng back to power. His methods were not particularly clever, but they had a great deterrent effect on Madam Wang.

For Madam Wang, what she feared most was that her family would lose power and influence, which would affect her status in the Rongguo Mansion.

That's why Lady Wang kept extracting money from the Jia family to support Prince Teng.

Even knowing that Wang Ziteng didn't value Jia Baoyu, his own nephew, she still continued to flatter and support him.

To put it bluntly, a married woman's status in her husband's family largely depends on the support and backing she receives from her father and brothers in her own family.

Even though she knew in her heart that her father and brothers might be using her, she still had to make sacrifices for her family.

Now that Wang Boteng is a royal merchant, he has plenty of money to rake in.

He also became the emperor's spy in Jiangnan.

To a certain extent, this position was more favored by the emperor and valued by him than Wang Ziteng's position as the "Commander-in-Chief of the Three Jin States".

Moreover, not having military power is actually safer.

Li Jingxiao's actions were, to some extent, a message to Madam Wang that she had better behave herself.

Otherwise, it would have been easier to help Wang Boteng up and then drive him down.

Therefore, whether it was Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, or Lady Xing, they were all very kind and close to Wang Xifeng.

Especially Madam Xing, that woman is single-mindedly focused on making money.

He was even fawning over Wang Xifeng.

Yuan Chun was quite annoyed by what she saw, but she couldn't lash out.

Wang Xifeng could naturally see what Madam Xing was thinking. While she was secretly pleased with herself, she also knew that she could not compete with Yuan Chun.

Moreover, when Wang Xifeng needs to back down, she backs down faster than anyone else.

In the original novel, she devoted herself to serving Grandmother Jia. Now that she has married into the Xingguo Duke's Mansion, the people she tries to curry favor with are Qin Keqing and Yuan Chun.

Moreover, Wang Xifeng wasn't stupid, and Jia She and Madam Xing offered her no help.

How could I possibly cause a conflict with Yuan Chun for the sake of this couple?
So Wang Xifeng directly put her arm around Yuan Chun's arm and smiled at Madam Xing.
He said, "Please forgive me, Madam. In the Xingguo Duke's Mansion, the Duke is in charge of external affairs, while Madam Qin and Sister Yuanchun are in charge of internal affairs."

When it comes to business matters, neither my niece nor my sister Yuanchun dares to make the decisions.

"Sister Yuan Chun must first ask the Duke before we can proceed."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Chun gave Wang Xifeng a satisfied smile.

Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang were laughing so hard their mouths were crooked.

These words reveal that Wang Xifeng was willing to be subordinate to Yuan Chun.

He also said that since it involved outside matters, neither he nor Yuan Chun could make decisions, which meant that everything was pushed onto Li Jingxiao.

Madam Xing shook her head helplessly, thinking to herself that this girl Feng was just as difficult to deal with as before.

Knowing Wang Xifeng's personality, Madam Xing wasn't angry.

Not to mention Jia Rong, who had to kneel before Li Jingxiao upon meeting him.

If you offend Yuan Chun and Feng Ya'er, those two sisters will whisper in the ear of the Duke of Xingguo when they get home, and then you won't be able to do business with Jia Rong anymore.

If Jia She found out that it was because he had offended Yuan Chun and Wang Xifeng that he had delayed Jia She's ability to make money.

He's definitely not going to get away with this.

After that, everyone started chatting about everyday things and interesting stories from Nanjing.

Yuan Chun also mentioned that Jia Zhu had taken gifts from the Dragon Palace of Jieshou Lake to Li Garden in Jinling.

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, and Li Wan's expressions darkened.

Li Wan was overcome with grief and wiped away her tears with a handkerchief.

Yuan Chun knew that if she talked about her elder brother in front of Li Wan, Li Wan, her sister-in-law, would feel bitter.

However, Yuan Chun felt that not telling Li Wan would actually be even crueler to her.

As long as a woman knows that her husband is still alive and doing well, it's something to look forward to.

She looked forward to the day when her husband would come home.

Even just thinking of it as her husband studying or learning a craft abroad, and seeing him again in ten or twenty years, would be much better than her husband dying.

After Yuan Chun's words of encouragement, Li Wan indeed stopped crying.

But what she really thought was different from what Yuan Chun had imagined.

After all, when Yuan Chun was at her parents' home, she was the apple of her mother's eye and her parents' eye.

After she got married, her husband was a hereditary duke, a first-class wealthy and powerful family.

Life is good for them, but they can't understand the bitterness in Li Wan's heart.

Li Wan even thought that if Jia Zhu drowned in the Yangtze River, his soul would go directly to the underworld.

At worst, I'd rather be buried with him; that would be infinitely better than him becoming the Dragon King's son-in-law.

Ultimately, Li Wan also cares about her reputation; in fact, she values ​​her reputation more than her life—this is a common mindset in this society.

Fortunately, Li Wan knew that Yuan Chun meant well, and instead of blaming her, she was grateful.

After expressing her gratitude, Li Wan suddenly had a thought.

He thought to himself, why not take this opportunity to ask the young lady for help in finding a chance for Lan'er?

If one could become a disciple of the Duke of Xingguo, one can only imagine how powerful one's cultivation would be.

At least it's good for improving physical health.

So that in the future, when I study for the imperial examinations, I won't end up like Lan'er's heartless father.

Reading a book can ruin your health.

After speaking, he stood up and bowed to Yuan Chun.

"Young lady, I have a favor to ask of you."

Yuan Chun was taken aback, thinking that she wanted to ask her husband to take her to see Brother Zhu.

Just as I was hesitating, Li Wan said, "After the New Year, Lan'er will be 4 years old, which is the perfect age for her to start her education."

But I'm worried about Lan'er's health; I don't think she can handle that kind of hardship.

So I thought I'd ask the young lady to help me plead with the Duke, hoping he could take Lan'er as his apprentice.

If Lan'er is not fortunate enough to have that, then I beg the Duke to teach her a method for strengthening her body.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Chun had already agreed in her heart. However, just as Wang Xifeng had said, Yuan Chun dared not make decisions for Li Jingxiao when it came to martial arts or Taoist practices.

But if you go ask Li Jingxiao, that should definitely be fine.

Nodding, he hurriedly helped Li Wan up himself.

After thinking for a moment, he instructed Baoqin to stand guard outside Rongxi Hall and ask Li Jingxiao when he came out.

Li Wan was overjoyed, and Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang also nodded with smiles on their faces.

However, everyone's attention then turned to Jia Baoyu.

Now, the more Yuan Chun looked at this boy, the more displeased she became.

Unable to resist asking, "Baoyu, your sister and brother-in-law went to Jinling for two months."

During this time, were you able to study and practice martial arts diligently?

Jia Baoyu was startled and quickly looked to his grandmother for help.

However, since these words came from Yuan Chun's mouth, Grandmother Jia couldn't very well refuse her granddaughter.

Not to mention, when an older sister inquires about her younger brother's studies, it's clearly out of concern for him, and she certainly has the right to do so.

So Grandmother Jia turned her head and picked up her teacup, pretending not to see Jia Baoyu's pleading look.

Madam Wang was even more eager for Yuan Chun to discipline this boy.

At least Yuan Chun and her son-in-law Li Jingxiao wouldn't be like Jia Zheng, the father, who would resort to corporal punishment to discipline Jia Baoyu at the drop of a hat.

As long as it doesn't harm her youngest son's health, Lady Wang is actually quite happy to see Jia Baoyu become more ambitious.

Jia Baoyu had no choice but to bite the bullet and say which articles he had memorized.

He also diligently studied Zhenwu Changquan (a style of Chinese martial arts).

However, this boxing style is too difficult and tiring to practice, and I'm always covered in sweat, so I don't really like it.

Hearing this, Yuan Chun frowned immediately.

The thought that Qin Zhong was not only good at studying...

He has already mastered martial arts, including fist techniques, sword techniques, mental techniques, and lightness skills, and has even made some progress in them.

Even the secret of Yi Jin Duan Gu, which was not to be passed down to others, was exceptionally passed on to Qin Zhong, who was not of the same surname.

A few days ago in Nanjing, I even rewarded that kid with a precious fan.

He immediately felt very dissatisfied with Jia Baoyu.

He thought to himself that this kid didn't know how lucky he was.

They're both brothers-in-law, yet all the benefits went to that Qin family brat.

Thinking about it this way, I could no longer suppress the anger in my heart.

She intentionally revealed some methods to attract Jia Baoyu's curiosity and enthusiasm.

They can also show off in front of their grandmother, mother, and other relatives.

The thought of showing off at her parents' home made Yuan Chun feel a little proud.

The saying goes, "To not return home in wealth and honor is like wearing fine clothes at night."

In a flash, three afterimages of Yuan Chun appeared.

He grabbed Jia Baoyu by the back of his collar, who was a few meters away, and pulled him back to where he had been sitting.

Wang Xifeng's pupils contracted, realizing that this was the "Nine Shadows of Spiral" lightness skill her husband had mentioned.

Meanwhile, there were Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, Lady Xing, Li Wan, Yingchun, Tanchun, and Xichun, as well as the maids and servants.

They were all stunned by Yuan Chun's move.

In particular, when the Spiral Nine Shadows technique is mastered to a high level, nine afterimages can appear in a single flash to confuse the opponent.

Even each of the nine phantoms could be either fake or real.

This shows just how fast this movement technique is.

Although Yuan Chun has only mastered three phantom images so far, in the eyes of Grandmother Jia and others, it is a divine skill.

Looking at Yuan Chun again, his eyes were filled with curiosity, excitement, and envy, which he couldn't hide.

Yuan Chun grabbed Jia Baoyu and pinched his face, saying angrily, "You ungrateful brat!"

Your brother-in-law also taught you basic boxing techniques, but it's been almost a year and a half and you still haven't mastered them.

Compared to Zhong Ge'er of the Qin family, who is talented in both literature and martial arts, you are simply a stubborn rock.

If someone else had said this, Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang would definitely have been unhappy.

But when Yuan Chun said that, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law would only feel embarrassed, especially since Yuan Chun compared Qin Zhong to him.

Upon hearing this, they realized that Yuan Chun was indeed right.

Both Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang had met the young master of the Qin family; although he wasn't as handsome as Baoyu.

He didn't have the air of wealth that Baoyu possessed, but it was a fact that Li Jingxiao clearly preferred that child.

No matter how much Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang deceived themselves, they knew in their hearts that Li Jingxiao was actually disappointed in Baoyu.

In the past, they would often invite Baoyu to stay at their residence for a few days, but in the last six months, they haven't paid for it even once.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law sighed inwardly, but then they heard a maid outside the house calling out, "The Duke is here."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Chun and Wang Xifeng quickly got up to tidy their clothes and hair.

Yuan Chun took several deep breaths to avoid letting Li Jingxiao see that her face had turned red with anger.

The sisters' actions left the women in the room speechless.

He then thought to himself, "It seems that this Duke really has the final say at home."

That's why such a capable young lady and Miss Biao are so nervous.

Jia Baoyu, on the contrary, began to admire his brother-in-law, Li Jingxiao.

She thought to herself, "My older sister is so amazing, but as soon as she heard that her brother-in-law was coming, she immediately turned into a gentle and virtuous lady from a respectable family."

I wish I could be like my brother-in-law in the future.

Li Jingxiao and Jia Zheng didn't really have much to talk about.

The father-in-law and son-in-law simply have completely different hobbies.

Li Jingxiao disliked old scholars the most and had little interest in the Four Books and Five Classics, poetry, and songs.

But Jia Zheng liked it the most and was relatively good at it.

When there's nothing to do, I spend more time at home having leisurely conversations with a few guests.

To put it bluntly, his career was not going well, so he could only live in his own world.

It would be strange if the father-in-law and son-in-law could have a good chat.

Fortunately, Li Jingxiao knew he had to give his father-in-law some face.

So at least there won't be any awkward silences when you're together.

As for Jia She and Jia Zhen, ever since Jia She learned that Li Jingxiao knew about his smuggling activities with the border generals of Datong and Xuanfu...

Even Wang Ziteng was forced by Li Jingxiao to resign from his official post and return to Jinling to farm because of this incident.

In front of Li Jingxiao, Jia She could only offer flattery and fawning.

They wouldn't dare use Yuan Chun's uncle's agility to make a fool of themselves.

Needless to say, if Li Jingxiao were dissatisfied with Jia Zhen, Li Jingxiao wouldn't even need to lift a finger; Jia Jing, Jia Zhen's biological father from Xuanzhen Temple, would skin him alive.

However, Li Jingxiao actually had a good attitude towards Jia Zhen, because this guy had taken the initiative to give You Erjie and You Sanjie to him.

In addition, he was always respectful, and whenever we entrusted him with something, he handled it very well.

There's no reason to dislike Jia Zhen.
-
When Li Jingxiao entered Rongqing Hall, he saw that his two daughters-in-law had already stood up and bowed to greet him.

Smiling, she stepped forward to help Yuan Chun and Wang Xifeng up, and then helped them sit down before bowing to Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, Lady Xing, and Li Wan.

He then greeted Yingchun, Tanchun, and Xichun.

Sanchun was also very curious about her brother-in-law.

However, since they were still young girls, Li Jingxiao didn't want to say too much to them.

After exchanging a few polite words, Baoqin and Ping'er brought over the gifts they had brought.

(End of this chapter)