EBE #149 - Chapter 149 I also have a house in Beijing
#149 - Chapter 149 I also have a house in Beijing
Having left the Imperial City, Marquis Longxiang first returned to the garrison of the Longxiang Army.
The Lady Marquis bestowed all the dozen or so boxes of gold, silver, pearls, and jade obtained in the Imperial City upon the soldiers.
With such generous rewards, the entire army was naturally elated.
After settling the Longxiang Army, the Lady Marquis, accompanied by her personal guards, prepared to receive the bestowed Marquis estate.
The party of Marquis Longxiang traversed streets and alleys, arriving at the Dongcheng district of Shangjing, where the streets were wide and lined with tall mansions adorned with carved beams and painted rafters.
In Shangjing, Dongcheng had always been the upper-class district, where the residences of high-ranking officials and nobles were mostly concentrated.
The mansion bestowed upon Marquis Longxiang was located in Yongan Lane on Lion Street in Dongcheng.
The location was easy to find, and the party quickly arrived outside the mansion.
Looking up, they saw that a plaque with the words "Marquis Longxiang Residence" had already been hung above the gate of the mansion.
Several yamen runners were also guarding the residence in front of the gate.
Upon seeing the arrival of Marquis Longxiang and her party, these yamen runners hurriedly bowed and paid their respects to the Marquis.
The Lady Marquis ordered her men to push open the gate of the mansion.
Various items bestowed by the palace, as well as a hundred servants, were all in the courtyard.
Li Yuan accompanied the Lady Marquis on a tour of the new mansion, and as a Marquis estate, it was indeed not small.
It had a front yard and main hall in the front, and an inner residence and a back garden in the rear, with the entire mansion having five courtyards.
However, the architecture of the mansion was slightly dilapidated, evidently lacking maintenance on ordinary days.
Nevertheless, the furnishings inside the mansion were complete.
It was basically ready for move-in.
Marquis Longxiang summoned Zhao Yong and Zheng Biao, instructing them to temporarily serve as stewards in the mansion.
She arranged for the servants to clean the courtyard and tidy up the mansion.
The Lady Marquis was just about to ask Li Yuan to choose a room for himself.
But she saw Li Yuan with a smile on his face, cupping his fist towards the Lady Marquis and saying.
"Congratulations to the Marquis on acquiring a mansion, Xiaobo offers his congratulations."
"However, Xiaobo must also take his leave."
Upon hearing that Li Yuan was leaving, the Lady Marquis was stunned and quickly asked.
"Li Lang, where are you going?"
Li Yuan said with a joyful expression and a gentle voice.
"Has the Marquis forgotten?"
"Today, the imperial court also bestowed a residence upon Xiaobo."
"Naturally, I must also go and take a look."
Now, Li Yuan was also a person with a house in Shangjing City.
The Lady Marquis sighed and nodded, saying.
"Alright, Li Lang, then go quickly and return quickly."
"Ah."
Li Yuan was taken aback; the Lady Marquis was not planning to let him live in his own house?
Oh well, he would go take a look first.
Li Yuan, accompanied by his maid Xia荷, left the gate.
His current title was only a County Count.
In Shangjing, where nobles were everywhere, he belonged to the bottom rung.
The mansion bestowed upon him would naturally not be in the Dongcheng district, where land was precious and nobles congregated.
Instead, it was in the Nancheng district, where the middle and upper-class households of Shangjing were concentrated.
Li Yuan and Xia荷 traversed streets and alleys, heading south towards Nancheng.
The streets here were narrower than those in the Dongcheng district.
But the crowds were bustling and lively, with shops and stalls everywhere, full of life.
Compared to the deserted streets of the Dongcheng district, Li Yuan preferred it here.
Most of those living in Nancheng were small merchants or wealthy households of Shangjing.
The houses here were mostly courtyards with two or three sections.
Li Yuan took out the bestowed warrant, looking at the address written on it.
Qingshui Street, Ganjing Lane, Household Number Twenty-Eight, Jia Section.
After inquiring with passersby, he quickly found the mansion bestowed upon him.
Li Yuan first looked up and examined it; this was a very common residence in Nancheng, Shangjing.
The blue brick and gray tiled gatehouse was on the right side; the residence was not large, but it looked understated and practical.
Two yamen runners were also standing in front of the gate, chatting in low voices.
Li Yuan walked over and cupped his fist at the two men.
"Greetings, esteemed sirs, I am Li Yuan, Count Qingyuan."
"I have come to receive the officially bestowed residence."
Then, he handed over the bestowed warrant in his hand.
The two yamen runners first sized up Li Yuan, and the older one said with a smile.
"Congratulations to Count Qingyuan on receiving a fine residence; this humble one offers his congratulations."
Li Yuan naturally understood the etiquette; he took out five taels of silver from his pocket and said gently.
"It has been hard for you two to guard the residence for me; buy a packet of tea to drink."
The two men accepted the silver and thanked him repeatedly, then handed over the house deed and household registration certificate to Li Yuan before taking their leave.
From then on, Li Yuan was also a person with a house in Shangjing.
Li Yuan pushed open the gate of the residence and stepped into his own mansion.
This was a common two-courtyard residence in Nancheng, Shangjing, slightly smaller in area than his residence in Xihe Fort.
Although it could not be called carved beams and painted rafters, it was built exquisitely and elegantly.
Passing through the gate corridor, Li Yuan stepped into the courtyard.
As soon as he entered, he saw ten women in green clothes standing here.
Li Yuan was first stunned, and then he remembered.
He had also been officially bestowed ten beauties; presumably, these were the women in front of him.
These women were all standing properly, and when Li Yuan came in, they kept looking at him.
Seeing that the person who came in was a young gentleman.
The leading woman first bowed to Li Yuan from afar.
Then, she asked very respectfully.
"Are you Lord Count Qingyuan?"
Li Yuan nodded slightly.
"I am indeed."
These women, looking at Li Yuan's handsome appearance, secretly exchanged glances, all with surprised expressions.
Then, led by the leading woman, they quickly bowed down.
"This humble servant greets Your Lordship."
Li Yuan sized up the ten women.
These women were dignified in demeanor, beautiful in appearance, and each had an extraordinary temperament.
They seemed to all be palace women from the Imperial City.
But their ages seemed to be all above twenty-four or five years old.
In this era of Da Liang, these women should be considered old maids.
Li Yuan secretly smiled bitterly in his heart; nominally, it was said that the imperial family was bestowing beauties.
But it seemed that this was more like the imperial family dismissing overage palace maids in the form of rewards.
However, in Li Yuan's view as a person from later generations, the age of these women was just right.
In their twenties, they had lost the innocence of young girls and had not been tainted by too much worldly dust in the closed Imperial City.
Each of them had also been trained by the palace to be well-mannered and observant of etiquette, and their appearances and figures were very good.
Li Yuan was actually very satisfied.
Unlike the mentality of this Count Qingyuan, these women were actually quite uneasy in their hearts.
Yesterday, the Imperial City Division sent people to select ten beauties from the palace women, requiring them to be of proper appearance and slightly older.
It was said that they were to be bestowed upon a newly promoted Count as maids.
These selected women were somewhat uneasy in their hearts.
After all, they did not know what kind of person this Count Qingyuan was.
It was said that nobles from military backgrounds were mostly violent in nature.
If he was fond of beating and killing, then they would have hard days ahead.
However, being able to leave the palace was a good thing for these palace women.
Because in these days, too many people had really died in the Imperial City.
Some time ago, the Chief Eunuch before the Emperor interrogated the matter of theft in the palace, throwing dozens of palace maids into the lake in one go.
The people in the palace were so frightened that everyone was in danger, and many palace people had nightmares at night.
Because they themselves did not know when they would be implicated and lose their lives.
Therefore, these women were rewarded to others and were able to leave the Imperial City.
It could be considered a way to seek a way out.
As long as the master did not abuse them, it would ultimately be safer than in the Imperial City.
They were still uneasy just now, wondering what kind of personality this Count Qingyuan had and whether he was easy to serve.
As a result, when this Count came, everyone saw that he was actually an unusually handsome young man.
Immediately, these women's thoughts became active.
If such a young and handsome Count took a fancy to them, wouldn't good days be coming?
Thus, these ten beauties surrounded Li Yuan like butterflies flitting among flowers, each being incomparably diligent.
At this time, Li Yuan was sitting on a rattan chair.
Behind him, a woman with a gentle face was rubbing his shoulders, and in front of him, two women were pounding his legs.
The other women were also busily working in the small courtyard, cleaning and tidying up the furniture, wanting to leave a good impression on the Count.