As soon as he arrived in Fengri City, Shen Hao received news from his family's housekeeper Hu Tian, saying that his uncle Shen Wentian wrote a letter a few days ago saying that he had gone to Qizhou City in northern Jingbei to meet Yu Shu, the head of the Yu family, in person.
The specific meeting and details were not detailed in the letter, but Shen Wentian's excitement and pride could be seen between the lines. The result was that this trip to Jingbei was a complete success, and everything that needed to be said was clearly stated. And the Yu family also accepted the betrothal gift.
As for the betrothal gift, Shen Wentian paid for it out of his own pocket. There was nothing extravagant or expensive, just some ceremonial symbols given according to custom. For example, the horn comb means growing old together; the jade ruler means hundreds of descendants, etc. The things that really cost a lot of money will have to be carried with the team when the wedding is held later. Now it's just a formality stage.
After that, the two families will meet and discuss many times, from Shen Hao and Yu Qiao's birthdays to choosing the wedding date, then the scale of the wedding, the banquet of the guests, etc... There are many things that still need to be discussed with each other. Shen Hao discussed.
Of course, Shen Hao is not suitable to go to the Yu family before his wedding. Shen Wentian, the "elder", will handle the whole process to show respect for the Yu family.
This did not surprise Shen Hao. Shen Wentian had given him some trouble before this incident. It's just that things always feel a little "fast" when things come to a close.
In fact, it is not only Shen Wentian who is busy, but also the housekeeper Hu Tian. For example, according to the local customs in Jingbei and Jingxi, some gifts are prepared in advance, and a batch of gold jewelry is made. Not only necklaces and headdresses, but also a big golden pig.
Jewelry is given to Miss Yu's dressing table, and the golden pig brings good luck to the Yu family.
No matter how much Shen Hao sends over, these things will eventually go into Miss Yu's pocket, and the Yu family will add some more. This is called "private money". This money belongs to Miss Yu, and no one can touch it except herself. This is legal and not a custom. To put it bluntly, it is to give some money to the daughter-in-law who has passed through the family, so as not to be angry with her husband's family.
Of course, this is the right of the head wife, and concubines do not have such legal protection.
In addition, Hu Tian also gave some advice, saying that since the two families were far apart, it would be best to hold two banquets. First hold a formal wedding banquet at Xin Liangcheng's side, and then return to Jingbei Qizhou City to hold a thank-you banquet. This way, the Yu family's connections will not be offended and the Yu family's face will be taken care of. This is not a special case, many wealthy families do this.
"Master Shen, there is one more thing."
"Huh? What are you talking about, Lao Hu, why are you hesitating?" Shen Hao picked up the herbal tea served in red silk and took a big sip, then leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes to rest.
"That's it, Mr. Shen. A few days ago, the yamen of the Imperial City local government sent a land deed list with bids and asked if you want to buy a house in the Imperial City. You can choose from it."
Hearing this, Shen Hao didn't even open his eyes. He relaxed and enjoyed Xia Nu massaging his head.
"Is there a suitable one?" Shen Hao has not yet decided whether to move the Black Flag Camp's command office to the imperial city. Even if it is to be moved, it will be something that needs to be considered later. For the time being, he still needs to stay in Jingxi to use his three-acre area. Allocate land for settlement. However, this did not prevent him from purchasing property in the imperial city. And this is actually a benefit provided by the Imperial City local government for local officials.
Hu Tian had already studied the land deed list and immediately spread it out in front of Shen Hao and said: "There are eight best ones, five outside the city and three inside the city..."
Shen Hao opened his eyes and looked at the list that Hu Tian had brought over. He was familiar with many of the marked areas in it. He had just taken people to these places not long ago. The property belonged to the former four ministers and three left servants. These properties were confiscated last month, sealed and transferred to the Imperial City local government, where they were reclassified as criminal property and then sold to replenish the national treasury. But I didn’t see Ye Lansheng’s mansion here.
"I don't care about the ones outside the city. The ones in the city are the best and the biggest. Once you have chosen, let me know and I will go and have a look. In addition, you can go to the local government office in Fengri City and ask how much the land around our house is. , just said I want to buy it.”
"Master Shen, are you planning to expand the house?"
"Yes. I need to expand it by at least half more. I want to make the backyard more spacious. You should hurry up and try to get it done before the end of October."
Now in early August, there are still nearly three months until the end of October. Hu Tian quickly nodded and said that he would go to the local government office in Fengri City later to ask how the surrounding houses were sold.
As for what if the people on the other side don’t sell it? Didn’t Shen Hao just say that? If Hu Tian says he wants to buy it, who won’t sell it? Doesn't the dignified commander of the Black Flag Battalion even have this bit of face in Fengri City?
Shen Hao's idea is simple. Shen Wentian's family of liars has already stepped into the role of his own, taking on the role of his "family" and "elders", so his marriage will definitely be finalized before the end of this year. When the time comes, Yu Qiao comes in and becomes the head wife of the Shen Mansion, and then Lianxiang will also come in and become a concubine, and the originally thin backyard will immediately become crowded.
When there are more people, troubles will arise, especially when they are crowded together. So Shen Hao wanted to make the backyard bigger first, so that several women would not be able to see each other with their heads up and their heads down. In this case, the backyard should be quieter.
Of course, there are a lot of rules that Yu Qiao must follow after entering the house, otherwise it will be difficult to deal with if things get messy.
After Hu Tian left, Shen Hao leaned on the recliner and continued to rest with his eyes closed. The red silk and brocade were screened away, leaving Ms. Xia sitting beside him to wait on him.
It seemed that Shen Hao was resting, but in fact, all he could think about was the news he had brought back from Guishan Monastery.
In fact, he shouldn't have been so entangled with the Wang family's intelligence. He could just report it directly to Pang Ban. Anyway, he, a mere fourth-grade commander, was not in a position to decide how to deal with this kind of matter.
But the problem is that after he reports to Pang Ban, he still has to go to the palace to report to the emperor, because the emperor directly ordered this matter to him, and if there is any progress, he will naturally need to report directly. According to the emperor's temperament and the practice of presenting memorials, Shen Hao could not just bring "problems" to the memorial, but also had to bring "strategic suggestions", and these required him to think carefully over and over again.
There are three main problems with the Wang family. First, the strength of the Wang family far exceeds expectations. If they want to make a surprise attack, they may not be able to rely solely on the power of the Xuanqing Guards. Even if Pang Ban takes action himself, he may not be able to do everything possible, so the Golden Sword Cultivator will definitely be needed.
Secondly, this matter must not just be dealt with by the Wang family. The several second-rate sects involved behind the Wang family must not be let go either, otherwise there will be many imitators in the future.
Finally, although the Wang family is the best "glove" secretly created by the sect, the Wang family is definitely not the only one in a similar situation. So does it need to be sorted out later?
