A leisurely life in the world of cultivation

Chapter 23 Imperial Execution Division (Please add to your favorites and recommend!)
The warm room was cozy, filled with the scents of women's perfumes and cosmetics, yet it smelled wonderful.

When the Li family members see Li Weizhou again, their feelings are completely different.

Although the time interval was not long, the last time I went to Shiqiao Street, I felt that I went with the intention of helping the poor and orphans, and I was facing two orphaned and abandoned children.

Actually, it was quite embarrassing before because the predecessor of the company had caused trouble for six years, cursing Li Delong's family and their ancestors for eighteen generations, leaving almost no one unscathed.

If it weren't for the fact that the head of the family, Li Delong, felt sorry for his second nephew, they wouldn't even bother with the pretense of doing the work.

This is only natural, after all, they have no blood relation to Li Weizhou and Ximei, and have suffered so much infamy for so many years.

Aunt Cao was alright, after all, she had lived with Li Weizhou's parents in the past, and she got along well with Li Weizhou's mother, Yao, who was her sister-in-law.

But the eldest sister-in-law, Luo, and the second sister-in-law, Guo, were wronged. They had never even gotten along well with Li Weizhou's family and had been constantly scolded over the years.

So when we first met, they seemed enthusiastic, but in reality, they kept their distance and left after sitting for a short while.

However, these people are treating Li Weizhou differently now.

The business at Zuixianlou is beyond booming, especially after they introduced the yin-yang hot pot. The delicious broth is a real blessing for women who can't handle spicy food.

Every day, there are many people queuing outside Zuixianlou. After the number plates were introduced, even the number plates used for queuing became hot commodities, with some people queuing up early to resell them.

The families of both Luo and Guo in Qingzhou Prefecture came to ask them to help prepare a hot pot meal.

Whether it's spicy or savory, it's addictive, especially the spicy one.

In the frigid north, a hearty and spicy hot pot meal can bring immense satisfaction and joy, even while walking in the biting wind.

When a person is poor, even their relatives will look down on them.

But once you become successful, past mistakes will be forgotten...

After Li Weizhou entered the hall and bowed to greet the elders, Cao praised Li Delong, saying, "He looks just like Silang. He's sure to have a bright future."

This is already extremely high praise.

It should be noted that Li Changning, the fourth son of the Li family, possessed superior martial arts skills and was taken as a disciple by a master in the capital.

There is no child as promising as him in the entire Qingzhou Prefecture.

A true case of rising to the top in one step!
If it weren't for Li Silang, the marriages of the eldest and second sons wouldn't have gone so smoothly.

In comparison, opening a restaurant or eatery is really nothing special.

Li Delong snorted, "Yeah, he's really capable." He was almost furious!
Li Changping told Li Weizhou some good news: "Silang wrote a letter a while ago, saying that he would be coming back to visit his family in a few days. We were hoping he could come back today... If Silang could come back today, that would be a real reunion."

Li Chang'an leaned back in his chair and chuckled, "He was on official business and just happened to be going home for a visit. How could he possibly decide for himself? Fourth Brother is currently working in the Imperial Execution Department... Third Brother, do you know the Imperial Execution Department?"

When he said his last sentence, his face was all smiles, and everyone else also had happy expressions, even an uncontrollable arrogance.

Li Weizhou nodded with some surprise upon hearing this. He had read some books these days and knew a few things.

The Great Qian Dynasty had two secret service organizations. One was the Mountain and Forest Guard, mentioned earlier, which monitored famous mountains and rivers throughout the land, as well as any disturbances in the martial arts world. Whenever there were disturbances in the rivers, lakes, or seas of the Great Qian Dynasty, the Mountain and Forest Guard would quell them.

The other one is the Imperial Punishment Office.

The single character “御” reveals its true nature.

The composition of the Mountain Forest Guard is very diverse, with representatives from all eight sects joining, making it difficult to guarantee their loyalty. As long as they follow the rules, that's fine.

However, everyone in the Imperial Punishment Bureau is trained from childhood, and there are strict requirements regarding family background; they must be from absolutely clean and respectable families.

And basically, they all have excellent physical attributes.

Just imagine, with such inherent talent, coupled with the foundation of the imperial arsenal, how terrifying this force would be.

Furthermore, their power is astonishing.

For any crime that threatens imperial power, officials of the third rank or below may execute the offender first and report later. Officials of the third rank and above may request the offender to return to the capital immediately for trial.

Of course, if it is later found to be a wrongful conviction, what punishment will be given is unknown.

It will likely come at a considerable cost...

But in general, no one in the world was unafraid of the Imperial Punishment Office.

Therefore, the arrogance on the faces of the Li family members is understandable...

Li Chang'an winked at Li Weizhou and said, "Those people from the Fu and Zhou families will have to behave themselves from now on. Sanlang, our good days are coming!"

Li Weizhou paused for a moment, then reminded him, "It's better to play it safe. Even if the family can't help much, don't let them hold Silang back. Growing up alone outside like this, he won't have a good life."

After saying that, I felt a little strange, wondering if I had actually awakened some kind of "tea-like" quality...

Upon hearing this, the Li family members exchanged glances, all deeply moved.

Cao was so moved that she kept chanting Buddhist prayers: "Amitabha, it is clear that we are cousins ​​after all, a real family. This is truly a good thing! Good child, good child! You have suffered so much these years..." Upon hearing this, Li Weizhou lowered his eyes slightly, his thoughts unreadable.

Li Delong's face was also somewhat gloomy. After taking a big gulp from the wine cup, his depressed mood became even stronger.

The family members were puzzled, but Li Chang'an laughed and said, "Dad, you miss Second Uncle again... Dad, Sanlang is getting better and better now, and Second Uncle and Second Aunt... will definitely be happy when they come back in the future. Let's not think about anything else today. After the ancestral worship, let's have a good drink together."

Li Changping, somewhat naive and innocent, actually said regretfully in front of a room full of women: "Today, two brothels on East Market Street had a poetry contest..."

Li Chang'an, with a strange expression, pulled Li Weizhou out, leaving behind a group of women shouting about killing the eldest son of the Li family.

……

The Li family's ancestral worship ceremony was naturally incomparable to the Jia family's ancestral worship ceremony that Li Weizhou saw in "Dream of the Red Chamber." The scale was far smaller, and the rules were not as numerous.

Li Delong would lead his family in kneeling and worshipping the ancestral tablets. He would mutter a few words, and then everyone would kowtow together, and that would be the end of it.

Of course, everyone's expression must be very solemn and respectful.

Facing the ancestral tablets, Li Delong watched as Li Weizhou introduced each of them: his grandfather Li Fushun, his great-grandfather Li Shoutian, his great-great-grandfather Li Tusheng...

“Your great-grandfather, Li Tusheng… there’s not much to say about him. He married a good wife and his family owned hundreds of acres of fertile land.”

“Your great-grandfather, Li Shoutian… there’s not much to say about him. Your great-grandmother was a very good person; her family were officials.”

“Your grandfather, Li Fushun… well, to avoid mentioning him, let’s leave it at that. But your grandmother was a very good person.”

"Everyone says the Li family got rich because of our maternal relatives, but they don't know anything! Our Li family relies on the abilities and hard work of its members, as well as our upright family values, harmonious marriages, loving siblings, and filial children and grandchildren. With these family values, even if we fall on hard times, we will eventually rise again. This is our Li family motto, do you remember it?!"

Li Weizhou's gaze swept over the ancestral tablets one by one, and he nodded slightly.

Li Delong blinked at him, wanting to say something profound, but finding he couldn't quite put his finger on it, so he let it go...

Once outside the ancestral hall, the atmosphere suddenly lightened, and everyone began to chat and laugh.

The lively Guo Shi was naturally well-liked, and even Luo Shi showed concern for Li Weizhou, praising his new clothes.

Li Weizhou wasn't quite used to this kind of family affection. He had lived alone for too many years and had become accustomed to loneliness.

Of course, I wouldn't say I'm particularly averse to it.

Humans are, after all, social animals.

"Sanlang, the valley near Fu Family Village is quite lively. Those bastards from the Fu family have hired a group of refugees to dig for stones there. They only provide them with two meals of coarse grains a day, and they're still not full. You put up three hundred taels of silver, and they make a net profit of more than two hundred taels."

At the dinner table, Li Chang'an said with a smile.

Li Weizhou, however, didn't seem to care much about "losing money." He chuckled lightly and said, "Shortsighted, greedy for small gains and forgetting the greater good, they're damaging their family's reputation." He then asked, "Are there many refugees now?"

Li Chang'an's smile faded slightly, and he clicked his tongue in disapproval, saying, "There's already been a severe drought for two years. If it continues for another year, the problem will be even bigger. Haven't you talked to the servants you bought?"

Li Weizhou shook his head and said, "No, if they do their job well, I'll pay them their full wages. If they stay for five years, we can talk about it later."

Li Chang'an laughed heartily, "You're brilliant! That makes perfect sense. If someone can't be satisfied, nothing you say will make a difference. That's a good move, Sanlang, you're really something."

Li Delong suddenly said, "When Lao Si comes back, you can stay at home too."

Li Weizhou replied noncommittally, "We'll see when the time comes."

Li Chang'an chuckled and said, "That's right, what's so great about the fourth brother? If we brothers work together, Qingzhou City will be ours, and we'll still live a carefree life!"

Li Delong was so angry his head ached, but he knew he couldn't do anything about his two nephews, so he asked, "What are you planning to do with the land in Fu Family Village?"

Li Weizhou thought for a moment and said, "I'll make time to go and take a look tomorrow afternoon, and we'll discuss the specifics later."

Li Delong made it clear from the outset: "It's absolutely impossible for you to move out of the city and live over there." His tone left no room for negotiation.

Even Li Chang'an said, "It is indeed inappropriate. Putting aside the Fu family's wolfish ambitions, just consider the increasing number of refugees outside... When people are starving, they are capable of anything. If someone leads them astray even slightly, it will cause trouble."

Next, Li Weizhou roughly learned that there was another evil cult in the martial arts world called Manichaeism, which was extremely good at bewitching people and inciting rebellion.

This sect has a history far older than the Great Qian Dynasty. Successive dynasties have tried their best to suppress it, but it has never been eradicated, which shows how deep its roots are.

Every year of great disaster is a time when Manichaeism stirs up trouble.

Li Weizhou was not afraid at all; on the contrary, he was very interested.

Good heavens, even the Demonic Cult has appeared!
At this moment, Li Weizhou once again truly felt that this was indeed a martial arts world.

However, these people had better not provoke him, otherwise, he would like to see how many rounds of his bullets those demonic cultists could withstand...

……

(End of this chapter)