After the eunuch Shang Baojian read out the decree, he left with the Qilin Guards.
Outside the brightly lit gate of the Hou Mansion, the maids and nuns of Qiluanxuan climbed up from the ground with sad faces, helped the miserable eldest lady with all their hands, and returned to Qiluanxuan with Jiang Xuanlin.
It can be predicted that from today onwards, Qiluanxuan's life will be difficult.
"Jiang Li, since the Holy One values you so much, I hope you will do well for yourself. Don't let the Holy One down or let down the court. If you dare to rebel, I will kill you with my own hands!"
Jiang Shirong's voice was indifferent, but he was upright, majestic and selfless, like a strict father admonishing his children.
Sitting down, the Black Horse King neighed, moved his iron hooves, walked past the kneeling people in the Hou Mansion, and rode his horse into the manor.
It wasn't until the figure disappeared that the tense and depressing atmosphere relaxed slightly.
The third lady Wei and several concubines stood up and looked at each other, feeling as if they were in a dream.
The eldest lady, He Lou, has been in charge of the Hou Mansion for more than 20 years and has accumulated great prestige.
On weekdays, everyone is on tenterhooks and cautious, fearing that if they are negligent for a moment, they will be severely punished.
In addition, the Helou family was born into a wealthy family in the south and had been in a family for thousands of years. The family power was deeply rooted and intertwined, which was no small matter.
Before today, no one had ever thought that they would be able to escape the suppressive control of the Helou clan in their lifetime.
"From today on, the third lady will be in charge of the Hou Mansion?"
"The eldest lady has lost power, so Jiang Xuanlin should restrain himself!"
The third wife, the Wei family, has no children. At this time, there are still more than a dozen of Wuhou's descendants standing outside the gate of the Hou Mansion.
Many people are older than Jiang Xuanlin, but because they are the sons of concubines and have low status, they are often ordered and taught by Jiang Xuanlin.
Now seeing Jiang Xuanlin defeated, everyone is secretly happy.
However, no matter whether it was the third wife Wei, several concubines, or Wuhou's descendants, retainers, and domestic slaves, after Wuhou entered the mansion, they still did not dare to be careless and presumptuous, let alone enter the mansion first.
"Chuchu, get up quickly, the eunuch of the palm seal has already left!"
Gao Zhanma moved his iron hooves and walked into the servants of the Hou Mansion who were kneeling on the stone slab. When he came to Chuchu, Jiang Li raised his palm, and a gentle force slowly fell down.
"Master!"
Chuchu let out a low cry, and a gentle force gently lifted her up. She flew up lightly and landed on Jiang Li's horse.
"Sir, there are many people watching. This is against the rules of the Marquis!"
When Jiang Li hugged her at first, she felt ashamed and scared.
She is the lowest-status maid in the Hou family.
Everyone present, including the housekeeper, retainers, aunts, and maids in each room, all had a higher status than her.
Not to mention the third lady, several concubines, young masters and young ladies.
In full view of everyone, a little maid sat on a horse, which was contrary to the rules of the Marquis.
"rule?"
Jiang Li smiled lightly.
What rules!
It's just the superiors looking for a high-sounding reason to exert arbitrary pressure.
When the eldest lady, He Loushi, ignored etiquette and acted arrogantly in the Marquis' mansion, bullying and humiliating him wantonly, didn't she break the rules?
Why did Jiang Shirong, a master of Neo-Confucianism, not react at all and turn a blind eye?
The eldest lady doesn't abide by the rules, and neither does Zhenwu Marquis. Why should he, Jiang Li, abide by the rules?
"At Chuchu, the Holy One has given us a house. We will move out of the Marquis' Mansion today. From now on, you are the one who rules!"
Jiang Li rode his horse, passed through the gate of Zhenwuhou Mansion, and headed straight for Lanhong Pavilion.
No one at the scene dared to say anything to stop him, and they watched Jiang Li enter the house on horseback and disappear.
"Sir, is the fourth-grade general a very high official position?"
As the horse galloped in the alleyway of Zhenwuhou Mansion, Chuchu stretched out his little hand and curiously touched Jiang Li's Xuanji Heavy Armor.
The thick armor was dazzling with silver light and cold to the touch, exuding a fearless yet mysterious and powerful aura.
"The Marquis is the second grade, and the Young Master is the fourth grade. It doesn't seem like there is much difference!"
Chuchu clasped his fingers and muttered to himself, not quite understanding the meaning and difference.
"It's not much different!"
Jiang Li smiled and stretched out his hand to scratch the little maid's nose.
In the military system of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Ministry of War and the Governor's Office of the Five Armies jointly governed the military and administration of the country.
The country is divided into five major regions, which are equivalent to the military regions in Jiang Li's previous life.
Each military governor's office is in charge of general officers from several provinces, and is under intertwined management with the Ministry of War. Each performs its own duties and checks, balances, and supervisions on each other.
Each province is divided into several camps. There are guards under the camps to command the envoys. Each guard has 5,600 people.
The Wei has jurisdiction over five thousand-household offices, each with a population of 1,120.
Jiang Li is a fourth-grade military general. Normally, he can serve as a guard commander and command 5,600 troops. He has already entered the ranks of high-ranking generals.
But there are also battalion commanders, the commander-in-chief of the five armies, and the chief governor on top.
It is difficult for ordinary people to cross one of these levels throughout their lives.
There is still a long way to go before he can compete with Jiang Shirong.
But Jiang Li possesses the Thirty-Six Divine Powers of Tiangang, and worldly status and power are just a passing thing to him and are not what he ultimately wants.
In Lanhong Pavilion, the items that Jiang Li and Chuchu needed to take away were not many. He was no longer the humble concubine who couldn't even raise a hundred taels of silver a few months ago and had to rely on others.
Except for the Hunyuan Baoding and the Crocodile Jiao Jingyuan Powder given to him by Princess Yunle, Jiang Li did not take away any more items.
Carrying Chuchu on horseback, Jiang Li walked out of the courtyard of Lanhong Pavilion without any nostalgia.
"Brother Fifteen!"
Jiang Xuanxin was holding the white horse chasing the wind given to Jiang Li by Princess Yunle, and two maids, Yuemei and Luoxue, were already waiting outside the door.
Although there were many brothers and sisters in the Hou Mansion, Jiang Xuan believed that Jiang Li was the only one of his relatives.
Wherever Brother Fifteen goes, he will go!
"Come on, let's get out of here!"
Jiang Li nodded, and a group of five people gathered together and headed towards the door of the Hou Mansion.
The high courtyard walls on both sides of the lane continued to recede, and everyone became more and more relaxed.
The huge and forbidding Marquis Mansion is like a huge cage that is difficult to escape from, making it impossible to breathe.
"Master!"
When the five people passed by a corner, a head sneakily poked its head out from the shadows. Seeing that there was no one around, he quickly stepped forward and knelt down on the roadside.
But he was a middle-aged man in his fifties with gray hair on his temples. This man was slightly fat. Although he wears the clothes of an ordinary house slave, his hands have no calluses, so he must have a high status among the house slaves.
"You are from Qiluanxuan?"
Jiang Li rode his horse and stood up, vaguely feeling that this man looked familiar.
"Back to the young master, the younger one is the gardener of Qiluanxuan. He has been serving the eldest lady's flowers for almost forty years!" the gardener said with an apologetic smile.
"What do you want from me?" Jiang Li's eyes flashed and he asked calmly.
"Young Master is a smart man, so don't beat around the bush!"
The gardener rubbed his hands and said: "The First Madam has lost power, the Third Madam has taken over, and Qiluanxuan's good days are coming to an end. We usually bully others relying on the power of the First Madam.
"The young one also has some unclear grievances. If he continues to stay in the Marquis Mansion, he may be in danger of his life. He wants to find a way to protect himself from the young master!"
"Change?"
Jiang Li's eyes narrowed.
"Just exchange, exchange for news!"
The gardener nodded, "Master Li, I can no longer stay in the Hou Mansion. Many people in Qiluanxuan are also waiting and watching. I am not the only old man who knows the news. Even if I don't say it now, I will in the future." Someone came to see the young master in exchange for favors!"
"What do you want to change?" Jiang Li asked.
"Two hundred taels of gold, Mr. Li, I only want two hundred taels of gold!"
The gardener's voice was full of desire and greed, "With this money, I can redeem myself, leave the Marquis's mansion, and buy a family property. From now on, I will no longer have to look at people's faces and serve them with smiles. I also want to be a master, and I also want to control girls." !”
"Two hundred taels of gold? What news is so valuable!" Jiang Xuanxin was speechless.
One hundred taels of gold can be exchanged for ten thousand taels of silver. The wealth of a middle-class family in Shengjing City is only three to five hundred taels.
"It's news about the death of Mr. Li's mother!" The gardener took two steps forward and his voice became even lower.
"About my mother!"
When Jiang Li heard this, he was suddenly startled.
"More than ten years ago, not long after Mr. Li's mother passed away, when I was tending orchids in the garden, I heard the eldest lady and Grandma Yan saying that about Zhao Chan'er, thanks to the help of Wukong Temple, Grandma Yan was allowed to leave the city. Thank you very much!"
The gardener seemed to be afraid of being seen, and spoke very quickly: "Another time, the Marquis once reprimanded the Madam. I faintly heard a sentence, how many times do you want to do such a thing? Do you really think that this Zhenwu Marquis Mansion is? Don’t you belong to the Helou family?”
"Everything you said is true!"
Jiang Li's eyes suddenly narrowed, Zhao Chan'er was his mother's name!
Zhenqi burst out and turned into a big hand, grabbing the gardener and bringing him to him. Jiang Li's eyes were as dark as water and he asked coldly.
"Master Li, it is absolutely true. Although I am not sure whether the death of the master's mother is directly related to the eldest lady, the eldest lady must have done something detrimental to the master's mother!"
The gardener said anxiously: "Wukong Temple is three hundred miles outside Shengjing City. You can check whether what I said is true, but please don't say that I leaked the secret!"
"Wukong Temple, Helou clan!"
Jiang Li's eyes flashed. When his mother passed away, Jiang Li was still young in his previous life and could not remember many things clearly.
I only remember that after my mother was framed by the Helou family for stealing jewelry and jade, she was so angry that she soon fell seriously ill and passed away.
What if the cause of my mother's death was not disease, but the murderous hand of the eldest lady?
Jiang Li clenched his fists tightly.
"Master Li, I've told you everything I know, but you have to give me benefits!" the gardener said worriedly.
"As long as what you say is true, I won't spare you a mere two hundred taels of gold!"
After his true energy dissipated, Jiang Li let go of the gardener, took out two ingots of gold, and threw them into the gardener's hands, "Here are twenty taels of gold, which will be used as a deposit. After you redeem yourself, go to the restaurant outside the house and wait for me. As long as I verify that it is true, the remaining I will send someone to deliver the gold to you!"
"Thank you sir, I will always wait for you!"
The gardener looked at the two ingots of gold in his hands, his eyes lit up, and he hurried away with a smile on his face.
"Brother Fifteen, can this person's words be trusted?" Jiang Xuanxin asked doubtfully.
"Given the insidious and vicious narrow-minded nature of the eldest lady, it is not impossible for her to do such a thing. We will find out after checking!"
Jiang Li said that he has the magical ability to turn stone into gold, and gold is not that rare to him.
Even if what the gardener said was false, it would not be a loss to him.
"Let's leave the Hou Mansion first and then worry about this matter slowly!"
Jiang Li rode towards the gate of the Hou Mansion. There was no evidence. Even if he went to Qiluanxuan to question him now, he still wouldn't get any confirmation, and he might be able to scare the snake away.
The five people walked out of the gate of the Hou Mansion. The third wife, Wu Hou's concubines, children and servants were all gone. Only a group of twenty-horse Zhou sergeants were waiting outside with ten carts of treasures and artifacts rewarded by the Holy Emperor.
For generals of the fourth rank and above, the imperial court will give them mansions to house their families and relatives. This is not only a blessing from the Holy One, but also a means of control.
Jiang Li's house is located in Yifang City, north of Shengjing City.
Different from ordinary square cities, the houses in this square city have spacious courtyards and neat layouts. They were all built by the imperial court and specially used to house the families and relatives of generals above the fourth rank. They are known as general houses.
The courtyard walls are tall and solid, the streets are spacious, and there are sergeants of the Zhou Dynasty patrolling the square day and night, so the defense is tight.
"Sir, is this our home?"
In front of the house, Chuchu looked at the black golden nanmu plaque on the top of the red vermilion painted door. He was in a daze, and tears could not help filling his eyes.
She and her son have lived together in the Marquis Mansion for more than ten years, and today they finally have a home of their own.
It was not given by the Marquis Mansion, but a residence that truly belonged to the young master and her.
"This is our home. From now on, the young master will not let anyone bully my Chuchu. You will be the only mistress in the mansion!"
Jiang Li held Chu Chu's little hand and walked into the house.
The mansion covers an area of several miles and is divided into two parts, the inner and outer mansions.
There are dozens of houses in the outer courtyard, as well as stables, martial arts arenas, equipment pavilions and other facilities, which can be used for soldiers to live and practice martial arts.
The main body of the inner palace is a three-entry courtyard, with several courtyards and gardens on the left and right, which can also accommodate one or two hundred people living together.
Although it cannot compare with the splendor and vastness of Zhenwuhou Mansion, it is a place that truly belongs to Jiang Li.
In the next few days, Jiang Li stopped going out and stayed in the house to practice with concentration and study the "Arsenal" scroll.
He was awarded the title of Fourth-grade Commander-in-Chief of the Light Army and General Zhongwu, and there was no need to participate in military examinations.
Jiang Xuanxin, on the other hand, has been going to the examination room every day in the past few days to participate in competitions in martial arts, martial arts, riding, and shooting.
The appearance of Qilin in the Great Zhou Martial Arts Tournament shocked the world and attracted the attention of countless aristocratic families and sects.
As the focus of everyone's attention, Jiang Li knew that he had been too popular recently. In the street melee a few days ago, as many as seven or eight high-ranking officials died at his hands, and many people would definitely hate him.
Although he is not afraid of trouble, he does not want to take the initiative to cause trouble.
It's a pity that he wanted to practice quietly, but Emperor Jing didn't agree.
On the tenth day of the martial arts examination, all subjects have been completed.
Jiang Xuanxin lived up to Jiang Li's teachings and successfully passed the military examination and was awarded the title of seventh-grade deputy lieutenant of Yihui. He could be appointed as the general banner and command fifty sergeants.
"Brother Fifteen, the palace examination begins today. The top 300 will compete under the witness of all the martial arts examiners to determine the final ranking!"
In the early morning of this day, just after dawn, Jiang Li and Jiang Xuanxin left the mansion on horseback and headed towards the martial arts field of the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion.
Yesterday Emperor Jing issued an order, ordering Jiang Li to accompany him today to observe the palace examination.
(End of chapter)
