The Demon-Slaying Grandmaster

Chapter 109 Life is like a play, it all depends on acting skills
Li Jingxiao smiled and bowed to the emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, I left in such a hurry today that I didn't even have time to say a word to my family.

I am indeed a little worried.”

The corners of the emperor's mouth turned up even more.

She even expected Li Jingxiao, Qin Keqing, and future girls from the Jia family to give birth to one child every year.

With more offspring, Li Jingxiao had more concerns.

Looking at Xia Shouzhong, he said, "Xia Banban, go to the Bo's Mansion and reward Li Qinshi with a pair of five-tailed phoenix hairpins.

By the way, tell Li Qinshi that I have something important to discuss with Li Qing tonight. If it's too late, I will let Jingyou stay in the palace for one night."

Xia Shouzhong quickly agreed, and before leaving, he secretly glanced at Li Jingxiao who was thanking the emperor.

He secretly thought that His Majesty was extremely gracious to this kid.

Phoenix hairpins are also divided into grades.

Needless to say, the Nine-tailed Phoenix Hairpin can only be used by the Queen.

Next are the seven tails and five tails, which are only available to the royal family.

Even the three-tailed one can only be worn by princesses.

Although this kind of reward has no practical benefits, it represents status.

It is a great honor for the women in the harem.

In the future, when you meet with other ladies who have been granted imperial titles, as soon as they see the phoenix hairpin on your head, they will immediately feel that they are inferior to you.

However, for the wives and grand wives of dukes and marquises, a five-tailed phoenix hairpin is not that rare.

Many of the rewards given by the old concubines, the queen and the imperial concubines in the palace were these flashy and impractical things.

When there is a happy event in the Jia family, Wang Xifeng can wear a five-tail or even seven-tail phoenix hairpin.

Therefore, Li Jingxiao was not actually troubled, and even felt that Emperor Longde was the same as the rumors outside.

He is not very ambitious and sometimes even seems stingy.
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Xia Shouzhong was about to go out when the emperor suddenly called him again.

"By the way, although the girl from Rongguo Mansion has not yet married Li Aiqing, her marriage has been decided. She will be the daughter-in-law of the Xing'an Earl's Mansion.

The eldest daughter of the Rongguo Mansion was also rewarded with a pair of five-tailed phoenix hairpins.

At the same time, he told Lord Jia that Li Aiqing was working hard on state affairs and was very tired.

From now on, the children of the Jia family should help Jingyou more, so as not to tire out her grandson-in-law."

As soon as Li Jingxiao heard it, he knew that this was an attempt to win over the Jia family.

In other words, he was testing the Jia family's attitude.

I don't ask to transfer from the side of the retired emperor to the side of the emperor immediately.

Instead, he wanted to use his status as the future grandson-in-law of the Jia family to see if the Jia family really did not know how to adapt and was determined to be loyal to the emperor.

Xia Shouzhong nodded again and glanced at Li Jingxiao secretly.

Li Jingxiao thought for a moment and realized that Jia Zhu was waiting for the provincial examination and Baoyu was still a child.

The male members of the other six branches of the Jia family in Beijing did not have enough status in the eyes of the emperor and could not represent the Ning and Rong mansions.

The only options are Jia Lian, Jia Rong, and perhaps Jia Qiang can be considered half-choice.

If you choose Jia Lian, he is of the same generation as you, and Jia Lian is actually very smart.

There are too many calculations, it would be better to choose Jia Rong, who is a generation younger than him.

Moreover, this kid is usually suppressed too much by his father and has no status in Rongguo Mansion.

This kind of person is best won over.

Li Jingxiao hurriedly said to Xia Shouzhong, "Eunuch Xia, since Your Majesty has shown such magnanimity towards me, please tell the old lady when you go to the Jia family that I think Rong'er from Ningguo Mansion is a good person.

We intend to recruit him as the treasurer of the Left Pacification Office. If he is willing, he can report to the yamen tomorrow.

If you don't want to?"

After saying that, Li Jingxiao glanced at the emperor and saw that he was looking at him expectantly. He knew that the emperor was now being forced into a corner by the retired emperor.

The retired emperor has always held a great deal of military power, and now he may have cultivated internal strength, which makes the emperor very anxious.

In this state, no one knows what the emperor will do.

But in fact, if you think about it carefully, you can probably guess that in the future he will definitely try every means to win over other people.

Then hold a grudge against those who rejected you.

A hundred years after the death of the retired emperor, even if these people pledged allegiance to the emperor, it would be difficult for them to be accepted.

Thinking of this, Li Jingxiao no longer hesitated and said with a smile, "If he doesn't want to, then I, your future uncle, will personally come to your house and force him to serve as an errand boy in the Left Pacification Office.

I believe that if Uncle Jing knew about this, he would not be angry but would thank me instead."

The emperor was immediately overjoyed, and the smile on Xia Shouzhong's face also suddenly brightened.

Xia Shouzhong smiled at Li Jingxiao and said, "Master, this is for the good of Jia Rong. How can I not agree?"

Li Jingxiao shook his head and pretended to be helpless, saying, "Brother Rong has been living a life of luxury since he was a child, so he is only useful for entertaining guests and socializing.

If I really let him catch thieves, hang bandits and arrest criminals, I myself would not feel at ease.

Just like my second brother Lian, who works as an errand boy for my father-in-law, he handles trivial matters and runs errands for me."

When the emperor heard this, he thought about it carefully and it seemed to be true.

In the entire Jia family, only Jia Zhu has some ambition and prospects.

But Jia Zhu also took the path of imperial examination, and the emperor was unhappy when he thought about it.

The importance he attached to the Jia family suddenly decreased by three points.

Moreover, Li Jingxiao is Jia Zheng's son-in-law and Jia Zhu's brother-in-law. Li Jingxiao's influence in Rongguo Mansion is not small.

Now that he has Jia Rong by his side to do errands, Jia Zhen of Ningguo Mansion will certainly be grateful.

Thinking about it this way, the emperor felt that it would be more appropriate for Li Jingxiao to choose Jia Rong than Jia Lian.

He waved his hand at Xia Shouzhong and said, "Alright, go early, otherwise everyone will be asleep and you will have to get up from the quilt to receive the order."

Xia Shouzhong nodded hurriedly, pretending to be anxious, and walked out of the imperial study in two steps.

But I was thinking in my heart that His Majesty said that he would reward me with a five-tailed phoenix hairpin, but he didn't say what style of hairpin it would be.

I'd better find two pieces of excellent specifications from the inner warehouse and send them over.

It can be said that Li Jingxiao's money was not given in vain.

As the emperor continued to talk with Li Jingxiao, his attitude became obviously much closer.

He even mentioned with a smile Li Jingxiao's biological father Li Huaiyi who died early.

Li Jingxiao pretended to be curious and excited and asked, "Your Majesty, can my father learn martial arts?

Still like reading?

Is he good at making friends, or is he like me, disliking socializing?

besides,,,"

"Stop, stop, stop." The emperor was both happy and speechless after hearing Li Jingxiao's somewhat urgent words.

The more filial Li Jingxiao showed himself to be, the better it would be.

But to be honest, Emperor Longde had very little contact with Li Huaiyi back then.

Firstly, he was an unappreciated prince at the time, while the crown prince was favored and had great power.

How dare I make friends with nobles everywhere?

Secondly, to be honest, the Xing'an Earl's Mansion had long since declined, and there was not even a person with real power in the family.

Even if Emperor Longde dared to make friends with nobles back then, he would not have set his sights on the Xing'an Earl's Mansion.

Seeing that Li Jingxiao was so concerned about his father's past, Emperor Longde could only smile and talk about some things related to Li Huaiyi that he had heard when he was young.

Li Jingxiao's eyes sparkled with tears after a while of listening. Emperor Longde was deeply moved and couldn't help but feel pity for him.

After all, he is still a half-grown child.

And I heard that two days ago, even the secret of practicing true qi was taught by his daughter-in-law to his three younger sisters.

He had just explained his doubts to the retired emperor, and he was not hypocritical in front of the emperor himself.

It can be seen that this person clearly distinguishes between gratitude and resentment, and he will be good to whoever is good to him.

I thought to myself, 'Jingyou is indeed a good boy, we should be more tolerant of him.'

The king and his minister chatted very harmoniously for a while.

If Li Jingxiao knew this, he would only be secretly happy.
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outside the palace.

Qin Keqing had already received the imperial edict with her younger brother and three sisters-in-law. She was relieved to know that her husband was in the palace at that time.

After seeing off Xia Shouzhong who was going to Jia's house to announce the imperial edict, the three Jingxi sisters hurriedly wanted to see how their sister-in-law would look like when she wore the phoenix hairpin.

Qin Keqing had no choice but to ask Baozhu and Ruizhu to replace the golden hairpin on her head.

The golden buyao is actually a general term for golden hairpins and golden hairpins.

Because there are tassels or pendants hanging from the hairpins and gold hairpins, which sway with every step, it is called buyao.

The difference between it and the phoenix hairpin is that it is just a phoenix-shaped headdress and not everyone is qualified to wear it.

When she put on a pair of five-tailed phoenix hairpins, Qin Keqing suddenly looked three times more beautiful.

The three Jingxi sisters, Baozhu, Ruizhu and Qin Zhong, could not help but congratulate Qin Keqing.

Qin Keqing's face flushed with joy, and her love for her husband was deep in her heart.

I thought that one day when my father has a day off, I would wear this phoenix hairpin and imperial robe to visit my parents, which would also bring honor to my father.

It’s a pity that the official doesn’t like to return to the Xing’an Earl’s Mansion, otherwise, it would be a happy thing for him to show up in front of Second Aunt and other ladies.
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On the other hand, the Jia family was waiting for Xia Shouzhong's sedan chair to arrive at Rongguo Mansion.

Although it is already past 9 o'clock in the evening, the imperial edict has arrived, so who cares whether you are asleep or not.

Not only was there chaos in Rongguo Mansion, but after hearing the news, Jia Zhen also dressed up in Ningguo Mansion.

He hurried to Rongguo Mansion with Youshi, Jia Rong, Jia Qiang, who were also dressed in their best, as well as You Erjie and You Sanjie who were there to watch the fun.

When the imperial edict-announcing officer came to someone's home to announce the decree, he rarely broke into the house directly.

At the very least, the family that receives the imperial edict must first set up an incense table and gather all the clan members.

Xia Shouzhong stayed in the reception room in the front yard of Rongguo Mansion and drank a few cups of tea.

After hearing the eunuch say that everything was ready, he personally carried the tray.

Smiling, she came to the eaves of the main gate in the front yard and looked at the dozens of masters from the Ning and Rong families kneeling behind the incense table.

I couldn't help but sigh at the Jia family's luck.

However, thinking that the two governments now actually have to rely on their sons-in-law to maintain their dignity, I felt amused again.

After the imperial edict was read out, Jia Mu, Jia She, Jia Zheng, Jia Zhu, Jia Lian, Jia Zhen, Mrs. Wang and other female relatives all had smiles on their faces.

Before Yuanchun even got married, the emperor rewarded her husband Li Jingxiao with a five-tailed phoenix hairpin because of his new achievements.

He not only valued the Jia family, but also showed his favor to Li Jingxiao.

Jia She, Jia Zheng, Jia Zhen, Jia Zhu and Jia Lian were still thinking in their hearts that it now seemed that investing in Li Jingxiao would indeed bring greater returns than investing in Wang Ziteng.

However, Li Jingxiao did not need the help of the Jia family and he made great achievements one after another, which inevitably made everyone in the Jia family feel a little regretful.

Feeling a little uneasy again.

Simple efforts may be acceptable once or twice.

If this happens too often, the son-in-law will get tired of his father-in-law's family.

But Lady Wang, Yuanchun, Yingchun and many servants don't care about this. The more powerful the son-in-law is, the more honor the Jia family will gain and the more benefits they will get.

As for Jia Rong going to Li Jingxiao to wait for orders, only Jia Lian felt a little regretful.

Jia Zhen, Jia Zheng, Jia She, Jia Zhu, and even Lady Jia, Lady Xing, Lady Wang, and Mrs. You, all showed their joy on their faces.

How could his family not know what kind of person Jia Rong was?

He is neither good at literature nor martial arts, and his family members are worried about letting him go out to be an official.

Now everything is fine, I’m following my uncle Li Jingxiao.

With safety guaranteed, you will be promoted faster in the future.

If you can get to the fifth level, that would be good fortune.

If he is lucky in the future and makes meritorious contributions by serving Li Jingxiao, the title of third-class general of Ningguo Mansion will be passed on to Jia Rong and may be passed on to another generation.

Even if he is promoted to a first-class general, he will continue to be rich for two generations.

After decades of wealth and prosperity, let alone Jia Zhen, even Jia Rong himself is reliable if he follows Li Jingxiao.

It is also your own opportunity.

Without anyone's persuasion, he bowed down to Xia Shouzhong and shouted words of gratitude.

Seeing that Jia Rong was so obedient for once, everyone in the Jia family nodded in satisfaction at Jia Rong.

Jia Zhen was so happy that the amount of silver notes he gave to Xia Shouzhong increased from 200 taels to 500 taels.

Xia Shouzhong was so happy that his laughter became a little gentler.

I stayed behind on purpose, using the excuse of having a cup of tea to warm myself up.

He took Jia She, Jia Zheng, Jia Zhen, Jia Zhu, Jia Lian, and Jia Rong, who was going to be successful in the future and had to go out to work as an errand boy, and talked about what happened today.

When the six heard that Li Jingxiao had received a letter from a paper crane this morning, they rushed over 200 miles to support the Maoshan masters and the disciples who went out to fight.

After killing the cat demon that had killed two small flags of the Jinyiwei, and more than a dozen yellow-skinned monsters the size of hunting dogs.

Everyone in the Jia family was shocked, and then surprised.

That cat demon killed the Jinyiwei, no matter whether she was a human or a demon, she was a rebel.

This alone was enough to put down the rebellion for Li Jingxiao and others.

Even if we cannot tell the world, the contribution is still significant.

Not to mention that the cat demon was causing trouble, and he had a dozen powerful yellow-skinned creatures around him to help him.

Once it wreaks havoc, the harm it causes is no less than that of some small-scale natural disasters.

But unexpectedly, Jia She suddenly sighed, and everyone looked at him in confusion.

Jia She then said, "The contribution is indeed not small, but Jingyou has just restored the earldom of Xing'an. Unless the contribution is extraordinary, it is not enough to be granted a marquisate or a hereditary title."

In the minds of noble sons like Jia She, title is the most important thing.

After all, the Jia family itself is an example. They have been rich for generations, but the official positions they hold in the court are at most a dozen or twenty to thirty years.

If you are unlucky, you might be dismissed from office and sent back to your hometown one day, or even commit a crime and have your property confiscated and be exiled.

Jia She was even thinking in his heart that it would be great if the cat demon and the yellow-skinned man could not cause trouble to the people.

If we can get rid of these monsters at that time, we will achieve greater merit.

But it was impossible to say this in front of Xia Shouzhong.

Jia Zheng, Jia Zhen and others heard this.

You know what, it’s exactly as Jia She said.

Moreover, with this little achievement, it would be difficult to even get promoted to a higher rank, let alone a title of nobility.

Li Jingxiao is now a fourth-rank pacification commissioner. If he is promoted two levels higher, he will be a third-rank official, a true high-ranking official in the court.

At the young age of 15, he has already been promoted to the third rank, which is definitely a unique honor.

But sitting in a high position at too young a age is not necessarily a good thing.

(End of this chapter)