The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 281 New Mansion

Fortunately, General Xiong had made arrangements before he left.

Madam Xiong, along with his principal wife, Lady Wei, his concubines, and his other daughters, were all to move into what was formerly the Prince Zhongshun's Mansion, now the General's Mansion.

The old lady lived to be over seventy years old.

Where have I ever seen such an exotic architectural complex with earthen walls, high platforms, glazed tile roofs, and gardens?
The mere sight of the front gate was enough to startle her so much that she had a maid help her hold her chin.

Xiong Zhen's personal guard, the one-eyed steward of the General's Mansion, was enthusiastically introducing the General's Mansion to the old lady:

"Madam, there are 188 rooms in total, including the front and back courtyards. The back courtyard has 18 courtyards in total. The main courtyard that the General reserved for you has the best scenery, and it's even full of grapevines!"
"Oh my, you have no idea how sweet the melons and grapes are in Hami! I guarantee you could eat them for a month and never get tired of them! And that ten-tael-of-silver-a-pot of wine—from now on you can drink half a pot with every meal, as much as you want!"

The old lady immediately became interested:
"Is Hami really such a wonderful place? The journey here has almost shaken this old man to pieces! Quickly take me to see the grapes. Are they only grown in my yard? Are there many grapes now?"

The one-eyed man laughed and replied loudly:

“Ang thinks this place is wonderful! Beef, mutton, and fruits are all free to eat! Grapes are only grown in your yard, and this year there are more than 800 bunches, which is very pleasing to the eye!”

You can host a grape-viewing feast in your yard later, inviting those elderly ladies to admire the grapes. Once they've had their fill, they can pick and eat some themselves.

"Hahaha, that's a really good idea! Now that Granny Ang is here, the General's Mansion should host a banquet! Invite all the ladies, wives and young ladies who have come all the way from the border town to come and eat grapes."

"I guarantee I'll arrange everything perfectly for you."

Madam Wei walked to her mother-in-law's right, listening silently with a smile on her face.

In truth, she felt only a sliver of joy at the general's residence; her feelings were mostly filled with worry.

Simply put, it's too extravagant!

It is several times more magnificent than the Ningyang Marquis's Mansion in Huaiqing Prefecture!
Even the future King of the Northwest has never lived in such a mansion, how can they feel at ease moving in?
But seeing her mother-in-law's gap-toothed appearance and the undisguised joy in the eyes of her illegitimate daughters...

She wisely kept quiet.

Actually, her life was pretty good.

She held all the power in managing the household.

She didn't need to put much effort into raising the illegitimate daughters.

The concubines were of low social standing, and their private power struggles couldn't reach her.

Her two biological daughters received a large dowry prepared by her own hands and happily got married.

She married into a family of equal social standing.

The eldest daughter is now a mother, and the second daughter quietly told her before leaving that she was less than three months pregnant.

The wife of a 38-year-old general has both the power to manage the household and money, what more could she possibly want?
Let those women who are still focused on having sons fight it out themselves!

Several concubines followed closely behind the main group, their ears perked up.

The one-eyed guard mentioned that each of them had their own independent courtyard, and they were all beaming with joy.

Their smiles lasted for a quarter of an hour after they stepped into the backyard.

"This, this, this."

Who are these eight foreign women kneeling on the ground, with their heads full of braids, their bodies adorned with ornaments, and dressed in thin gauze?

Madam Xiong shouted, "Who are these people? Dressed so indecently! Our household doesn't need such frivolous maids to serve us!"

One-Eyed hadn't expected the General's new favorites to be so bold, coming to pay their respects the very first day the Old Madam and Madam arrived.

They really didn't leave him any room for maneuver.

He could only whisper beside the old lady, "These are spoils of war that the master brought back from Huozhou last time, and they have all been taken!"

The old woman completely disregarded how many people were present and began to hurl insults:
"Can't you all properly advise your husband? How can he be so careless with his health? The concubines I've brought back to his mansion are all the most well-behaved and respectable women. He can't just be greedy for a little pleasure in bed and let him do whatever he wants!"

The old lady knew in her heart that scolding her son's personal guards was useless, but she just couldn't get over it.

She arranged for her son to take concubines all for the sake of having offspring. What kind of vixens are these kneeling on the ground right now?!
That figure, that alluring look, and that outfit made her head spin.

They even paid eight at once!

Isn't this draining her son's lifeblood?!

Moreover.

She didn't want this exotic woman to bear her grandchildren.

Wei watched as her mother-in-law's face went from red to green to purple, and the concubines gritted their teeth in hatred.

She looked miserable, but inside she was practically laughing her head off!

The General's Mansion is a place of great importance, with a large family, a large business, and great responsibilities.

The General's Mansion has the following advantages: fewer people, fewer things to do, and fewer conflicts!

Yes!

As General Gan, who made great contributions to the recapture of the Seven Guards of Guanzhong, she was granted a general's mansion!

There are four general's mansions in Hami City.

Gan Minglan finally chose a house located some distance from the main street, a Han-style residence that was one of the few in Hami City.

This is a courtyard house made of blue bricks and wood!

The gate tower bears the inscription: Guerrilla General's Residence!

Upon opening the door, one is greeted by a mural carved from blue bricks.

It is surrounded by houses on three sides and a wall on one side.

The main building has five rooms, and there are three rooms on each of the left and right wing rooms.

There is also a fairly large yard in the backyard, where you can grow flowers and vegetables.

Zuo Wenkang fell in love with the place as soon as he entered the courtyard.

The royal palace in my past life was like a magnificent birdcage, empty and cold.

The No. 36 courtyard in the border town was too cramped and barren, and he hadn't lived there for long, so he hadn't developed any particular feelings about it yet.

Only this general's mansion.

He felt a sense of warmth and familiarity as soon as he entered the room, as if he were coming home.

As they toured the place, they began to think about how to arrange the decorations.

Mrs. Luo followed behind her son, holding her granddaughter, and said in a low voice:
"Yuanyuan, you are so lucky! You are only half a year old and you are already living in a big house! When you grow up a little more, your mother will probably get four or five maids to serve you."

Zuo Wenkang paused, then replied in a low voice:
"That's because Yuanyuan's mother has the ability. Mother, if you don't like that the General's Mansion doesn't have the Zuo surname, how about I rent another courtyard next door?"

Mrs. Luo: Whose son is this?!

Fatty, oblivious to the adults' subtle wit, led his best friend on a tour of their new home, chattering happily.

"Auntie, isn't our yard pretty? Are there many rooms inside? Now you can tell which way our front door faces, right?"

"You brat! Are you trying to send me back to the border town? Waaah, I thought you were my best friend. Didn't Confucius say that when friends come from afar, you should treat them to good food and drink?"

"Auntie, I haven't learned the Confucian classics yet!"

"Auntie doesn't care. Even Confucius told you to entertain your friends. You can't disobey the sage's words."

"."

(End of this chapter)