After those contract deliverers were apprehended, Jiang Yu still appeared rather sulky. One of his friends consoled him, “Those boors have been arrested already. You may vent your anger on them in whatever way you like. Stop being sullen. I’ll take you to a brothel tonight, and I guarantee all your anger will be completely dissolved there.”
Jiang Yu threw a glance at him, uninterested in brothels. “I’m not going.”
“Why are you being so shy? It’s just a brothel. You still don’t dare set foot in one till this day.”
“I’m not interested.”
“Oh, so you’re not very struck on girls of that sort. Have you been hiding some kind of beauty in your house, by any chance?”
“You may go without me. I’m going back home.”
After parting from his companions, Jiang Yu returned home with a cold face and immediately instructed servants to prepare bathwater for him. It was only when he washed himself clean in the bathroom that his face which had been stern all along slightly softened. Sitting in the bathtub, he involuntarily recalled that scene in the Taibai Tavern once again, tucking his lips in. Then he raised his hand to wipe them, but when his hand was halfway to the other corner of his mouth, he heavily smacked it onto the surface of the water, his face alternating between green and pink, looking very bizarre.
…
“Grandfather.”
“I heard that yesterday when you were dining in the Taibai Tavern, another group of daredevils made trouble for you?”
In the morning, Ling Zhang arrived at the Imperial College and paid a visit to Ji Yin first. Naturally, all others in the college believed that Ling Zhang and Ji Yin were just on very good terms, and none of them was aware that they were family. The first thing Ji Yin did at the sight of Ling Zhang was ask about the incident in the Taibai Tavern, which made Ling Zhang go slightly red in the face. What happened the day before wasn’t really a serious event, but the knowledge that his grandfather had been worrying about him made him feel somewhat guilty.
“Two groups of contract deliverers from out of town got drunk and started fighting. We happened to be walking past and narrowly avoided being hurt. It’s nothing serious.”
“I’ve heard of the Taibai Tavern before. It’s said to be the best tavern in the capital city. The way I see it, its reputation is unearned. First one of their waiters was bought and tried to poison you, and then people carrying weapons brawled in it. It seems to be a terribly troubled place.”
Ji Yin’s voice grew unhappy as he talked. He felt that fame was the only thing the Taibai Tavern had – their management was not strict enough; they allowed all kinds of customers to get in, and his grandson’s life had been threatened there. It’d taken him, an old man, so many years to find his grandson, and he hadn’t found the opportunity to make up to him for these years’ absence of love in his life, but these nasty incidents had happened one after another, in which his grandson had been faced with danger. Ji Yin was very disgruntled at the thought of this.
Seeing that Ji Yin was angry, Ling Zhang, worried that anger might compromise his health, said, “I’ll never dine in the Taibai Tavern again. It turns out eating at home is the best choice.”
“How about grandfather buys you a manor outside the city or a second residence in the city? So that you and your friends will have a place to stay in when it’s not inconvenient for you to take them home, and it’ll save you going to any of those taverns on the streets to dine, and spare you worries about safety.”
After hearing Ling Zhang’s words, Ji Yin suddenly offered to buy him a manor or another residence, sounding as casual and natural as if he were talking about buying two steamed buns.
“And about those twenty-four security guards of yours, don’t just leave them at home as though they were some kind of decorations. You should take them with you when you go out. They’ve been practicing those martial formations for such a long time, and it’s about time they made themselves useful. In a few days I’ll talk to the principal and resign my professorship, so that I’ll have time to help you reach the third layer of the mental cultivation method and teach those brats some discipline. Um, I think a manor will be a better choice. Grandfather will personally select one for you. When it’s done, you and your security guards may move into it immediately.”
Ling Zhang fell open-mouthed as he heard Ji Yin’s decision. “Wait, Grandfather. There’s no need to go to that much trouble. Buying a manor is too–”
“There won’t be any trouble. It’s just a manor. I’ll buy a big one and have it revamped. There’ll be a spacious drill ground, and a quiet chamber for you to cultivate internal energy. And you don’t have to worry about the hiring of servants. I will handle it for you. If nothing else works, I’ll drug them to keep them under control. You may rest assured that all of them will be absolutely loyal and obedient.”
Hearing this, Ling Zhang came to realize that his grandfather had already had everything planned out, including even what kind of manor to buy, and how to revamp it. He hurriedly tried to talk him out of it. “Buying a manor is too big a move, Grandfather. What if someone notices and becomes suspicious of you?”
“Don’t fuss. I’ll be in disguise.”
“But a manor costs a fortunate, Grandfather. I’ll buy one myself after I earn enough money. You should keep your money in case you’re in need some day.”
“A manor doesn’t really cost that much. I have more than enough money to buy a city, and I seldom find myself in need of any. Those silver ingots are getting moldy in there.” After saying this, Ji Yin, as if something had just occurred to him, told Ling Zhang, “You’re still young, and there’ll be a lot of occasions when you need money. Besides, you’re with Yuwen Tong and your identity is different now. That money will be of much more use to you than it is to me.”
A hint of urgency appeared in his voice as he talked about this. Ji Yin felt that previously he’d been too careless. His grandson’s status was different now, and maybe the reason why he’d encountered so much trouble from the beginning of his journey to the capital city till this day was because people believed he was weak and from a poor family.
‘No. I’ve got to do something for my grandson right away,’ thought Ji Yin.
“You have a lesson to attend, don’t you? Hurry. Go back to the classroom. Grandfather’s got some business to deal with.”
Ling Zhang looked at Ji Yin’s anxious face, dazed. He kept feeling that his grandfather would definitely create a sensation if he let him go out like this. “Grandfather, you really don’t need to buy a manor for me. I’ve already got a residence. Also, Yuwen Tong owns a manor in the suburb…”
Ji Yin’s eyes which were fixed on Ling Zhang went piercing as though he’d thought his grandson knew better than this. “You said it yourself – that manor belongs to Yuwen family, and it’s different from a manor of your own. You’re my grandson, which means you’re of very noble blood. How can I let anybody look down upon you? It’s true that members of the Millennium Pavilion live in seclusion, but you’re not. In no circumstances should this matter be taken lightly.”
Back at the time when Ji Yin had just found Ling Zhang, what with his worrying about Ling Zhang holding resentment towards him, he’d been overcautious, not daring to do anything that might upset Ling Zhang, but over the past half a month, the two of them had been getting along better and better. Ji Yin was very happy, so naturally he began to consider some other matters. Although the Millennium Pavilion had been in seclusion for centuries, there were countless treasures and manuals of unique skills hidden in it, the total value of which was greater than that of a country, and the branches of it that had been covertly operating these years were also making profit. It was probably the wealthiest place in the world. Ji Yin, as the Prime Elder of the Millennium Pavilion, naturally was a super-rich man. In the realization that Ling Zhang was his only family member left and he himself didn’t need that much money, Ji Yin who was on increasingly better terms with Ling Zhang had come up with the idea of doing something for his grandson.
Ling Zhang had only felt the existence of the Blood of the Phoenix Clan on the few occasions when he’d been easily accepted by animals. There was nothing else, and he didn’t have any other expectations, which was why he was a little confused when Ji Yin reminded him that he was of noble blood.
“Pity I cannot mobilize the secret resources planted by the clan.”
Ji Yin felt it a great pity that he couldn’t use the resources of the secret branches of the Millennium Pavilion, which had been established to make sure that the clan was not utterly uninformed of the outside world. These were the Millennium Pavilion’s ears and eyes, and were of great importance. They must not be exposed, otherwise there would be trouble. Ji Yin would unhesitatingly make use of them to offer Ling Zhang help if it weren’t for these limitations.
Ling Zhang was overwhelmed by this unexpected favor. “Please do not use them, Grandfather.”
If his grandfather was subjected to punishment because of it, he would have a terribly guilty conscience.
Ling Zhang still wanted to talk Ji Yin out of the idea of buying him a manor, but he had just started when Ji Yin shooed him out of the house, and then he himself also left in a hurry.
Resigned, Ling Zhang had no choice but to have Miao Shiba inform Yuwen Tong of it and tell him to pay attention to events in the city and keep his grandfather safe.
What with this matter, Ling Zhang appeared absent-minded during the lesson and almost got scolded by the teacher.
…
When Yuwen Tong received the message from Miao Shiba, a muscle twitched at the corner of his mouth. It was not that he disapproved of the way Ji Yin was showing his affection for Ling Zhang, but that he had a premonition that his manor in the suburb would probably become useless, that he wouldn’t be able to hide his sweetheart there or have private time with him in it as he pleased…
As the weather got hotter, this residence would be even more unsuitable for spending the summer compared with that manor. Yuwen Tong had originally wanted to take advantage of this opportunity and trick Ling Zhang into going back to the manor. If Ling Zhang got his own manor, he definitely wouldn’t go there again. Also, Ji Yin would be in Ling Zhang’s manor…
Yuwen Tong immediately instructed Yao Yi and some others to keep their ear to the ground and pay special attention to the real estate trading center.
If it were anybody else, Yuwen Tong could directly have his men keep close watch on them, but when the target was Ji Yin, even he himself might not be able to spy on him, not to mention any of his subordinates. The old man always came and went like a shadow, and also had mysterious abilities of laying all kinds of formations. The very thought of this gave Yuwen Tong severe headaches.
Yuwen Tong massaged his temples. Ling Zhang’s powerful grandfather had become something of a vexation.
At this time, he missed Ling Zhang’s uncle and the others very much, all of whom were so adorable compared with Ji Yin.
…
Although Yao Yi had assigned some men to the real estate trading center to keep watch, he still failed to stop Ji Yin. In the afternoon, Ji Yin, through an unconventional method, directly purchased a large manor of the Marquess Ning’an (AKA, the Marquess of Peace), along with some private courtyard houses nearby and a piece of land.
Theoretically, not everybody could build manors in the suburbs of the capital city. The site and size of a manor had to be reported to and approved by the emperor before people could start the construction, and there were certain constraints on the manors trade, but the problem was that the piece of land bought by Ji Yin happened to be on the verge of the suburb of the capital city, just out of the boundary.
When the Marquess Ning’an had been at the climax of his political career, a large area of land had been awarded to him; though his fief had gone beyond the boundaries, nobody had dared raise any objections. Afterwards, as the family’s influence had gradually declined, its fief had dwindled, and eventually, all its land within the boundaries had been sold. They’d kept the part outside the boundaries to maintain the family’s dignity.
Sure enough, it was not that the land outside the boundaries was too out-of-the-way to catch buyers’ fancy. In fact, that area was moderately populated. The reason was that the emperor couldn’t domineeringly take possession of all the suburbs. Construction work within the boundaries required his approval, but when it came to the area beyond the boundaries, the emperor had permitted merchants of every description and rich families to build houses on it, which had been meant as a privilege.
Though the manor was far away from downtown, there was also an upside in this regard – it wouldn’t be easy for people living in the city to pry into the personal life of the owner of the manor.
Moreover, Yuwen family’s manor was not far away from this place. Old General Yuwen had chosen a remote area to build his manor because he’d enjoyed the quiet.
Ji Yin had purchased the whole piece of land of the Marquess Ning’an in that area. When Yao Yi and the others got wind of it, he had already finished the hiring of artisans who were going to do the revamp. Ji Yin had directly bought the manor along with everything inside it. At this time, the butler and servants who had been working in it were leaving, baggage in hands.
Yuwen Tong, after being informed of it, lapsed into a long silence. The old man had got it done so quick that there was nothing he could do now. The silver lining was that the two manors were not very far away from each other.
