A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 351 Duke of Jin Returns Home

Outside the walls of the imperial palace,

South of the East Gate was the residence specially bestowed upon Li Yi by the emperor. Adjacent to the palace wall, a row of residences were all estates granted by the emperor to important officials.

Outside the western wall, peonies were planted everywhere, while inside the palace walls, many hibiscus were planted.

Li Yi and Zhang He left through the east gate of the palace, crossed Wangxian Bridge, passed Tangchang Temple, and arrived at a place called Mudanfang, where they reached their own bestowed estate.

The estate covers about ten acres, not very large, but it is decorated in a unique and elegant style.

His family already knew he was back and were waiting for him.

From afar, Luo San jogged up to greet him, "Ah Lang is back."

"Why are you being so polite, Uncle?"

Luo Wu, Hei Zi, Da Fu, and other soldiers from Luo Family Fort also greeted Luo San with joy. Luo San had delivered goods to Hedong several times and was very happy to see them all return.

"What official position?" Luo San asked his nephew Da Fu.

"From a seventh-rank officer in the General of the Cavalry, to a sixth-rank official with the title of Grand Master of the Three Departments, and a sixth-rank official with the title of Military Commandant," Da Fu said to his uncle, patting his chest with pride and even a hint of smugness.

Liu Heizi added on his behalf, "He was also rewarded with eighty mu of land and one hundred and twenty bolts of silk. This time, the official can receive more permanent land and merit land, as well as official land."

Luo Wu also laughed and said, "We fought in Hedong for eleven months and the spoils were quite plentiful. Each of us received several horses, a few slaves, and some money and silk."

Judging from their excitement, they really made a fortune on this trip.

Luo Dafu and Luo Wudeng both received the rank of seventh-grade captain, while Liu Heizi received the rank of seventh-grade lieutenant general. Aside from the long absence from home, their gains on this trip far exceeded their expectations, rising from an unranked squad leader to a seventh-grade lieutenant general and captain.
Not to mention the honorary titles and honorary positions they received, as well as the land and silk rewards, and the horses and slaves they were allocated.

These eleven months represent an achievement that many people would struggle to attain even after two or three generations of hard work.

Although he can't compare to Li Yi, who can? Firstly, even if Li Yi's father is from the prestigious Li family of Tianshui, Longxi, his great-grandfather was Li Jing, the Duke of Hua, and his father, Li Zhi, was once the Marquis of Yuanqiu County and the Prefect of Longxi.
He was adopted by Li Xiaoan, whose stepfather was the Duke of Wan'an and Minister of Justice, and whose uncle was the Prince of Yi'an of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Yi now calls the emperor his uncle.

Moreover, Li Yi was the commander in Hedong, and the reason these people received so many rewards and achievements was because they were Li Yi's personal guards.

In fact, everyone felt that it was only natural for Li Yi to be granted the title of Prince of Fenyang. On the contrary, it was a bit hard to understand why Li Yi would resign the title of Prince of Fenyang to the emperor as soon as he returned.

They wouldn't think about the downsides of being made a king; they only thought about the glory of it.

"Let's go home first," Li Yi smiled, eager to see his wife and children.

Luo San smiled and jogged back.

"Ah Lang has returned home."

The middle door is rarely opened.

The whole family came out to greet them.

Li Yi immediately spotted Shi Niang in front of him. She had become much thinner and was holding a chubby baby in her arms. Ji Lingyi was standing next to her, also holding a chubby baby.

Jin Yushu stood a little further back, clearly holding Little Chili Li Shu in her arms, while Luo Sanniang and Shuying followed behind the mistress.

Seeing Li Yi return surrounded by everyone, joy filled their faces.

“Ah Lang,”

"Is Madam doing well at home?"

"Good, everything is fine at home too. Look at Ping An Lang, he's grown up to be fair and chubby."

Although the children were born to Ji Lingyi, Du Shiniang held them in her arms, and the twins were usually raised in Shiniang's courtyard. When the children grew up, according to custom, they would have to call Shiniang "mother," while their birth mother, Ji, would only be called "aunt."

This is the patriarchal system of wealthy families. Children born out of wedlock can only call their legal mother "mother." Even if these children make meritorious contributions on the battlefield and are able to bestow titles upon their legal mothers, they can only do so upon their legal mothers.

Li Yi took the chubby little boy, whom he named Ping An Lang.
This kid is really fat. It's springtime, so he's not wearing many clothes and his blanket is thin. Li Yi felt that the weight in his hand was quite heavy, and he estimated that it weighed about 26 or 27 pounds.

This is a bit overweight.

"Ping Anlang was born weighing six pounds and four ounces, and now he has gained a full twenty pounds," Du Shiniang said with some pride. The twins also had two wet nurses, one for each of them, and the milk was very good.

Li Yi pulled open the blanket and peeked inside; he'd been fed to the point of looking like a Michelin star.

"The baby shouldn't be fed too much. Now that he's over seven months old, it's about time to start introducing some vegetable rice cereal as complementary food."

"Isn't it good to be so fair and chubby?"

Li Yi smiled and said he would talk to them about it later. It's not good for babies to be as fat as possible; obesity itself is a disease.

After hugging Ping An, I hugged Ru Yi, who is also quite chubby and fair-skinned.

Li Shu, the adopted daughter, is over fourteen months old. She weighs less than her father, Ping An Lang, at around twenty pounds, but she is already over eighty centimeters tall.

Although she was being held, Jin Yushu told Li Yi with a hint of pride, "Little Chili can already walk by herself, she doesn't need any support anymore, she walks very steadily."

"She can talk, she says two words at a time, it's so cute."

She herself couldn't have a son or daughter, but now she's taken Li Shu under her wing, taking care of her every day.

"Shu'er, this is your father. Go over there and let your father hug you. Call him 'Father'."

Li Shu was put on the ground, and she took a steady step. When she reached Li Yi, she stopped, looked up, and sized up the stranger.
"Quickly call him 'Yay!'" Shi Niang also laughed.

Although this child was found in front of Wujibao in December two years ago, after raising him for more than a year, he is very cute and everyone in the family loves him very much.

Little Chili looked at Li Yi curiously, but she wasn't afraid; she just wouldn't shout.

Li Yi smiled and picked her up.
As a result, the girl reached out and tugged at his beard. Li Yi was young and only had a short beard on his chin. It was as sharp as steel needles, and the girl immediately withdrew her hand.

"Hahaha,"

"My lord, it's windy outside, let's go back home first." The group walked home.

After entering the mansion, Shi Niang instructed Shu Ying, "You should first help Ah Lang take a bath and change his clothes. He has been traveling a long way and is very tired."

Then, Luo San Niang was instructed to arrange the meal. Today, Li Yi had returned with ten soldiers from Luo Family Fortress and thirty-six followers, so a proper welcome was in order.

"Then I'll go take a bath first. Third Uncle, you talk to Hei Zi and the others, and keep my uncle company for me."

Zhang He waved his hand, "I'm not an outsider, there's no need to be so polite. Go and take a good bath and relax."

Li Yi asked Third Sister, "Is there a bathhouse at home? If so, arrange for everyone to take a bath there. If not, send a servant to take everyone outside to bathe."

Third Sister said there was also a bathroom in the outer courtyard, but the conditions were relatively basic.

Dafu said to his sister, "Hot water is fine, nothing else matters. Actually, we can wash with well water too. We're fighting on the front lines, we don't have time to be picky."

Li Yi laughed and said, "We're home now, no need to force yourself to suffer. How about I arrange a maid for each of you to help you bathe?"

"That's not a good idea," Dafu chuckled.

"Alright, Third Sister, pick a maid for each of them and have them serve you well. Later, release them from prison and give them some jewelry so they can become Dafu's concubines."

"Very well, I'll arrange it right away."

Du Shiniang had no objection to her husband's arrangement. Ten maids were nothing to the Li family now, while the ten Luo family guards had all followed her husband in many battles and obtained the seventh-rank military rank. They had to be well won over.

Li Yi then said, "The thirty-six servants who followed me on this expedition will all be released. Each of them will be given one hundred mu of land, exempted from rent for ten years, and also rewarded with an ox, two shi of grain, and ten bolts of silk."

If they are unmarried, you may choose suitable women from among our servants and maids to be given to them.”

Li Yi was quite generous to these troops who followed him on his campaigns.

"Don't worry, I'll arrange it right away."

Li Yi kissed each of his three children on the lips, "There's one more thing I forgot to mention. I declined His Majesty's title of Prince of Fenyang and requested the title of Duke of Jin with a real fief of a thousand households. His Majesty was gracious and also granted Ping An the title of Duke of Rong."

Li Shu was also granted the title of Princess of Daning County, while Ruyi remained the Princess of Yong'an County.

"Madam, you can no longer be a princess; you can only be the Lady of Jin."

Du Shiniang laughed and said, "Husband and wife should follow each other. Ah Lang should make the decisions on important matters at home. Go and take a bath."

There is a bathroom in the inner courtyard.
They even have hot springs flowing from the palace!

The hot spring pool can accommodate several people.

Li Yi lay in the pool, feeling extremely comfortable.

Shuying, dressed only in a light gauze, went into the water to bathe him, and Li Yi comfortably closed his eyes.

Full body bath,

Even her hair was untied and washed with soap.
"Is this soap from our own workshop?"

"Yes, our soap is now a tribute to the palace. Nobles, high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital often receive our soap as a reward from the emperor. Therefore, our soap is quite popular among the upper class."

Is it only popular among the upper class?

"Third Sister said that the production of soap from various workshops is limited, while there are many bath beans and other products from different manufacturers, making the competition fierce. It would be better to just go up to the upper level. She also said that this is what Ah Lang taught her before."

"Hahaha." Li Yi laughed loudly, "Third Sister really has a good head for business."

Nowadays, Li Yijia soaps come in a variety of scents, and in terms of workmanship, packaging, and even cleaning effect, they are indeed much better than traditional bath soaps. Taking the high-end route is not wrong, and the profit is not lower than that of making mass-market products.

After washing in the bathtub, I went to the side to rinse off.

Shuying deliberately teased him, and when Li Yi slapped her, she let out a proud cry, which ignited Li Yi's passion.

"You little hussy," Li Yi muttered under his breath, letting her get her way.

···
The bath took more than half an hour.
Li Yi emerged from his new clothes, looking refreshed, while Shu Ying's cheeks were flushed with a rosy glow that lingered for a long time.

In the front yard living room,
After showering and changing, Liu Heizi and his group chatted animatedly, clearly having enjoyed themselves.

Zhang He, the dignified Dali Minister in his purple robes, actually chatted quite well with this group of rough men.

"The imperial edict has arrived!"

Li Yi set up an altar and burned incense to welcome them.

"Disciple,
I, having received the mandate of Heaven and inherited the great foundation laid by past sages, aspire to promote the flourishing of civilization and thus seek wise and capable advisors. I hereby appoint you, Li Yi, Right Grand Master of the Palace and Governor of Bingzhou, a member of the imperial clan, who possesses the pure spirit of the mountains and rivers and harbors the sincere loyalty and filial piety.

In the past, Liu Wuzhou and Zhang Zhang of Fen and Jin seized Bing and Lan. You personally led an elite army to recover the territory. Your strategic planning changed the course of events, and your valiant troops crushed the enemy's advance in battle. Your achievements are comparable to those of Wei Qing in sweeping Longcheng and Huo Yunbing in pacifying the northern deserts, and your merits are especially outstanding.

The former bestowed upon you the title of "Fenyang" in recognition of your outstanding achievements, but you, with profound humility, firmly declined the royal honor. I admire your modesty and will grant you this honor.

He is now enfeoffed as Duke of Jin, with an additional 400 households as real fief, bringing the total to 1,000 households. He is also granted a certificate of merit and inscription, to be passed down through generations.

Your eldest son, Ping An, was born with outstanding talent and was granted the title of Duke of Rongguo. Your eldest daughter, Li Shu, was born with exceptional beauty and was specially granted the title of Princess of Daning County.

He was also bestowed with three thousand bolts of silk and ten imperial horses to demonstrate his exceptional favor.

I remain the same.

Alas! Wei Qing resigned his post, and the Han dynasty shone ever brighter; Xiao He yielded his fiefdom of ten thousand households, and Emperor Gaozu of Han prospered even more. May you embrace these extraordinary fortunes and forever enjoy good luck! Reverence!

"Your subject, Li Yi, obeys the imperial decree,"

"Thank you for the Emperor's grace!"

(End of this chapter)