Chapter 237 Brother-in-law, you're not leaving tonight, are you?

Just after 9 AM, Chen Yi saw a flash of golden light appear before his eyes:

[Chance +6.]

[Comment: Chen Yunfan defeated Cui Qingwu with overwhelming strength.]

[To arrive without hearing a sound or seeing the scene, to have an opportunity fall from the sky and not seize it, is the mark of a naturally lazy person.]

As expected, Chen Yunfan won easily.

Upon learning the result, Chen Yi didn't look at it any further. He chatted with Xiao Wan'er while lifting the curtain to look outside the carriage.

The fiefdom of the Xiao family, the Marquis of Dingyuan, was located fifty li southeast of the city of Shuzhou.

It is called Tonglin, a small town under the jurisdiction of the prefectural city.

There are six villages and a town near the prefectural city, located at the foot of the mountain.

Although they may not seem large, these villages and towns, as well as the surrounding mountains, are all Xiao family fiefdoms.

Within an area of ​​approximately two hundred li, there are more than two thousand households.

Using the original text from the imperial edict bestowing titles and rewards at the beginning of the Great Wei Dynasty, it says—"A fief of three thousand households."

At this moment, the carriage had just turned off the main road and was traveling along a forest path.

The crisp, clattering sound of horses' hooves turned into a duller, thumping sound, causing the carriage to sway slightly.

The dirt road under the car was clearly not smooth.

Without waiting for instructions, Shen Huatang, who was driving, pulled on the reins to slow down.

Fortunately, neither Chen Yi nor Xiao Wan'er were pretentious people; they would occasionally laugh and joke when they were relaxed.

Looking at the scenery outside the car, Xiao Wan'er smiled slightly on her pale face.

"This place has changed so much."

She lifted the carriage curtain with one hand and pointed to several mountains in the distance with the other, introducing them to Chen Yi:

“That’s Monkey Mountain. When I was a child, my father would take my second sister and me hunting in the mountains. There were many small animals there.”

"The one to the east is called Xiaoyun Mountain. I remember there was a waterfall at the top of the mountain, and my second sister used to bathe there."

"The river channel between them was built by my father when he was alive; it was a tributary specially diverted from the Chishui River."

"It was from that time on that the people of Tonglin were able to travel by boat to the prefectural city to buy goods, or to other places to make a living..."

Although Xiao Wan'er hadn't been here for a long time, she had a deep impression of this place and could talk about every mountain and river.

She could even tell you which family lived in the mountain village or on the riverbank.

Chen Yi looked in the direction she was pointing and asked, "I remember that the rent your household receives from your fiefdom isn't much each year?"

Xiao Wan'er hummed in agreement, her eyes still fixed on the roadside scenery, and smiled slightly:

“Initially, our ancestors actually exempted them from rent, but after a few things happened, the rules were re-established by our great-grandfather, and 30% of the land rent was collected every year.”

"Thirty percent? Compared to the four-tenths tax required by the Great Wei Law, or even the seven-tenths tax of some powerful clans, that is much less."

"Yes, my great-grandfather said that even if we lose 10%, it will be both a favor and a way to avoid being verbally attacked by other powerful families."

Chen Yi nodded slightly, thinking to himself that what Xiao Wan'er said about what happened on the fief must have chilled the heart of Xiao's great-grandfather.

Otherwise, the Xiao family wouldn't have changed from not taking a penny to charging 30% rent for no reason.

That's fine too.

As the saying goes, "A small favor is appreciated, but a large one breeds resentment." A moderate amount of kindness is always better than emptying one's heart.

Soon, the carriage passed through a narrow mountain road, crossed a wooden bridge, and arrived at Tonglin Town.

The stone-paved road became much smoother as a result.

Chen Yi glanced around and raised an eyebrow, saying, "This place... is not bad."

The road was clean, and there were dozens of wooden shops on both sides, with uniform paint and appearance, which was very beautiful.

The other residences are faintly visible.

Most of them are courtyard houses with gray walls and black tiles, not much different from those in the prefectural city.

Xiao Wan'er nodded and said with a smile, "This was also ordered by Father to be built in a unified manner."

“When he was a child, he often said that the city was not quiet enough and that he would live in Tonglin when he got old.”

It is indeed a good place to retire.

Just as Chen Yi was about to chime in, he suddenly saw more than ten people jogging towards him.

Before he could ask, Xiao Wan'er instructed Shen Huatang to stop the car, and said:

"It's Mingbo and the others."

“Mingbo was originally my grandfather’s personal guard. Later, he was injured and was assigned here by my grandfather to manage the estate.”

As she spoke, Xiao Wan'er, supported by Juan'er and Cui'er, stepped down from the carriage.

Chen Yi followed behind and saw the elderly man in the lead, dressed in hemp clothing and with a hunched back, bow and say:

"Kang Ming greets Miss."

A group of more than ten people followed suit and bowed.

Xiao Wan'er quickly said there was no need for such formalities, and then asked, "Uncle Ming, how did you know I was coming today?"

Kang Ming stood up, his expression slightly excited, and replied, "It was the Third Steward who sent the message the day before yesterday."

"Otherwise, I would not have known you were coming here."

Xiao Wan'er nodded knowingly and said gently, "I only came here to take a look and didn't mean to trouble you."

“Miss, what are you saying? If you return to Tonglin and there is no one to take care of you, I will surely be punished by the Marquis.”

After exchanging a few pleasantries, everyone introduced themselves.

During this time, these people naturally showed Chen Yi a lot of goodwill, saying that Mr. Qingzhou's name had already spread throughout Tonglin.

After a short while, Kang Ming, having ascertained Xiao Wan'er's purpose, dismissed the crowd and said with a smile:

"Miss, how about I take you back to the Xiao residence for lunch first, and then we can go for a stroll around the area?"

Xiao Wan'er hesitated for a moment, glanced at the sky, and then nodded, saying, "Then I'll trouble Uncle Ming."

"No trouble at all..."

The Xiao family's residence is located deep in the town; it is a three-courtyard house nestled against the mountain and beside the water.

Besides Kang Ming's family, three other elderly people were responsible for managing the house.

Perhaps because they hadn't seen anyone from the main branch of the Xiao family for a long time, these people were quite excited when they saw Xiao Wan'er.

While waiting for lunch, several kinds of fruits and snacks would appear on the table from time to time.

Xiao Wan'er couldn't refuse, so she had no choice but to let them do what they were asked to do.

“After Mingbo came here, his son also retired from the Dingyuan Army and joined him in managing the estate.”

“Previously, the land rent of the manor was registered and collected by them, and then the third steward would bring people over.”

Chen Yi smiled and nodded, then asked, "The others must also be veterans of the Dingyuan Army, right?"

"Yes, Uncle Fang and the others are the same, but they were arranged by Grandpa in recent years..."

Amidst laughter and conversation, the group finished lunch and rested briefly. Then Kang Ming came over and asked:

"Where would you like to go, Miss? I'll show you the way."

Xiao Wan'er did not refuse, and asked Shen Huatang to bring a map, pointing to the several locations circled on it:

"Let's go and see these places."

After looking at it, Kang Ming hesitated and said, "Miss, the roads outside the town are narrow, and the carriage may not be able to pass."

Xiao Wan'er smiled and said, "It's alright, we'll walk there."

"No, no, your body is worth a fortune..."

After much persuasion, Shen Huatang finally spoke up and persuaded Xiao Wan'er to agree to ride a horse there.

Chen Yi benefited from this and was able to ride over with Xiao Wan'er.

Not long after, Liu Si'er led two horses over, stopping one of the shorter horses next to Xiao Wan'er, and leading the other horse to Chen Yi:

"Young master, please be careful with this fierce horse."

Chen Yi hummed in agreement, took the reins, mounted his horse, and said with a smile:

"I used to practice riding in Jiangnan Prefecture, even the fiercest..."

Before he could finish speaking, the black horse on his back suddenly reared up, almost shaking him off.

"Forehead--"

The horse neighed loudly.

Chen Yi instinctively tried to suppress it, but when he caught sight of Liu Si'er to the side, his heart stirred slightly. He simply shouted to tighten the reins.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Wan'er's beautiful eyes widened in alarm, and she exclaimed, "Be careful!"

At that moment, Shen Huatang, without hesitation, leaped up and stepped onto the horse's head.

bump!

Instantly, the black horse that was about to gallop away knelt down, its head being trampled on the ground by Shen Huatang.

Upon landing, Chen Yi rolled to the side and lay sprawled on the ground in a disheveled state.

Without thinking twice, Xiao Wan'er rushed over to check on him, asking anxiously:

"Are you okay?"

Chen Yi got up, covered in dust, rubbing his cheek and grimacing, and said, "No, it's nothing."

To make it look more convincing, he even created two bruises on his face himself, causing half of his face to visibly swell up.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Wan'er frowned for the first time and turned to look at Liu Si'er:

"how so?"

Liu Si'er immediately knelt down, "Please forgive me, Miss. I was careless and caused my husband's injury. Please punish me."

"you……"

Before Xiao Wan'er could finish speaking, Chen Yi smiled and waved his hand, saying, "I only suffered some superficial injuries, it's nothing serious."

Seeing Xiao Wan'er still glaring at Liu Si'er, Chen Yi gently tugged at her and continued:

"Sister, there's no need to punish Liu Si'er. It was my own carelessness."

Xiao Wan'er glanced back at him, her beautiful eyes reflecting his swollen face, and hesitantly nodded:

"Uncle Ming, do you have any liniment for bruises? Bring some over."

"Yes, I'll go right away."

Chen Yi naturally did not refuse, his gaze falling on the black horse, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

Then he noticed something unusual about the horse—there was a silver needle embedded deep in its rump.

See here.

Chen Yi glanced at Liu Si'er, who was covered in sweat, and secretly curled his lip.

"That was really... a clumsy attempt."

Previously, Lou Yuxue had already learned that the hidden guards wanted to test whether he possessed martial arts skills.

I thought Lou Yuxue would handle it herself, but I didn't expect that the woman would hand it over to Liu Si'er.

If Chen Yi hadn't been alert just now, he would have almost revealed some of his physical abnormalities.

You should know that when he was at the ninth rank, he had already honed his body to a solid level, possessing the strength of three elephants.

Now, his physical strength has improved even further, reaching the level of the Four Symbols.

It could be said that he could easily suppress that dark horse simply by virtue of his physical strength.

Chen Yi thought about it and then comforted Liu Si'er a few more times, silently making a mental note of his mistake.

"Breaking only one of his limbs earlier was too lenient."

Not long after.

After Xiao Wan'er finished applying the medicinal wine to Chen Yi, she looked at the dwarf horse beside her and hesitated:

"To avoid any further accidents, brother-in-law, why don't you ride a horse with me?"

Before she could finish speaking, a blush appeared on her face.

Chen Yi was slightly taken aback. He glanced at the expressions of Shen Huatang and the others, and then readily agreed.

"Thank you so much, elder sister."

Shen Huatang noticed the expressions on their faces, sighed inwardly, and said nothing more.

On the contrary, Juan'er and Cui'er had much stranger looks in their eyes.

They all knew what Chen Yi had done before—he had pulled back the young lady's blanket.

However, it was clear that neither of them dared to say anything.

A short while later.

With Xiao Wan'er blushing, Chen Yi sat behind her and pulled the reins together.

"Big sister, it's getting late, let's go."

Xiao Wan'er immediately felt a warm breath brush past her ear, and she immediately shrank her neck into her cloak, stammering, "Let's go, let's go."

Kang Ming glanced at him, his expression slightly strange, but he dismissed it as just his overthinking.

This second son-in-law is famous throughout Shu Prefecture and is also the husband of General Jinghong; he doesn't seem like a frivolous person at all.

To avoid troubling everyone, Xiao Wan'er asked Liu Si'er, Cui'er, and Juan'er to wait in the house for the time being.

She then asked Kang Ming to lead the way, and together with Chen Yi and Shen Huatang, they left the house.

However, Xiao Wan'er soon regretted it.

Things were a bit better in town; the roads were smooth, and she was able to maintain her composure and avoid contact with Chen Yi.

But once outside the town, the roads were mostly dirt tracks, full of potholes, making the ponies wobble and sway.

The two inevitably had some physical contact.

So much so that Xiao Wan'er didn't know where to put her eyes, and half of her face was shrouded in the cloak, completely covering herself up.

In contrast, Chen Yi remained calm and composed.

However, he also felt a bit of relief.

—The cloak is such a wonderful thing; it's so thick, so warm, and it makes him feel so at ease.

Fortunately, after walking for half an hour, they arrived at the first place.

Xiao Wan'er finally remembered the important matter and, after calming herself down, said:

"Brother-in-law, this place is the closest to town, and it's located at the foot of Monkey Mountain with plenty of space. What do you think?"

Chen Yi looked around and nodded, saying, "Beautiful scenery, quite nice."

He paused, then looked at Monkey Mountain and asked, "Uncle Ming, there should be plenty of medicinal herbs on this mountain, right?"

Kang Ming put his hand on his forehead, looked at Monkey Mountain and said, "What the second son-in-law said is correct, there are indeed some medicinal herbs on the mountain."

"The main reason is that because Monkey Mountain is lush and wild animals often roam here, ordinary people dare not come here."

Chen Yi nodded, looking at Xiao Wan'er who was so close to him, and explained with a light laugh:

"Big sister, this place is quite nice."

"The Medical Academy focuses on training physicians, and the ability to identify medicinal herbs is also a skill they must master."

"With the convenience of Monkey Mountain, they can follow their instructors up the mountain to collect medicinal herbs and put their knowledge to practical use."

Xiao Wan'er, enduring the tingling sensation in her ears, looked at Monkey Mountain and asked, "So, shall we settle on this place?"

Chen Yi noticed the blush behind her ears, glanced around, and said, "No rush, let's look at the other spots."

"good……"

Upon hearing this, Kang Ming continued to lead the way.

Shen Huatang, who had been keeping a close eye on Xiao Wan'er and Chen Yi, subconsciously gripped her longsword.

This second son-in-law...

How long do you plan to ride with the young lady on one horse?

But when she saw Xiao Wan'er's expression, she couldn't help but sigh, forcing herself to turn her head and look around, secretly making a decision in her heart:

"You lecherous scoundrel, if you do anything indecent again, I will definitely... report to General Jinghong!"

Chen Yi, of course, had no idea what Shen Huatang was thinking.

Of course, he would never take liberties with Xiao Wan'er.

At most, he would take the opportunity to tease her and make a few jokes, and to see the rare shy look on Xiao Wan'er's face.

Xiao Wan'er vaguely understood, and while feeling shy, she couldn't help but feel both angry and amused.

If Shen Huatang and Kang Ming hadn't been there, she would definitely have given Chen Yi a lecture.

Unfortunately, she didn't get a chance to see it until the very last place.

What does my brother-in-law think?

Seeing that the important matters were finished, Chen Yi put aside his ulterior motives and seriously pondered:

"Let's go to the foot of Monkey Mountain."

“The other places are either too far from the town and inconvenient to travel by car, or they are close to villages and will inevitably cause disturbances.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Wan'er smiled and said, "Then it's decided."

With one thing on her mind put at ease, she was naturally happy.

"After we return to the manor tonight, I will have someone come here to conduct a thorough investigation first thing tomorrow morning."

"good……"

Kang Ming, who overheard their conversation, asked, "Miss, Second Son-in-law, are you going to rush back to the prefectural city tonight?"

"It's almost dusk now. If we go back, the city will probably be closed by then."

Xiao Wan'er was taken aback. Just as she was about to insist, she suddenly noticed a few drops of water on her face.

She looked up and saw that the sky was already covered with dark clouds.

Seeing this, Xiao Wan'er hesitated and said:

"Brother-in-law, let's not go back tonight..."

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(End of this chapter)