Luo Ying spat at him. "How dare you talk like that? Who is your wife?"
"What did you do last night? Did you forget?"
Xu Jing brought a wooden basin from outside and said, "Hurry up, don't delay the auspicious time."
The light in Luo Ying's eyes disappeared instantly, and he went to get his clothes in a huff. "Are you worried about delaying the concubine?"
Xu Jing pressed him onto the bed, smiled, and took off his underwear. He soaked some cotton cloth and cleaned the wound, then took out a tube of medicine and applied it to him.
The refreshing coolness soothed away yesterday's fatigue. The medicine was indeed good, instantly rejuvenating. However, the posture was extremely indecent, which made him feel uncomfortable.
"Pa." Suddenly, a slight pain came over her buttocks. Luo Ying turned back to look at him angrily. "What do you want?"
"There's no need for me to dress you, right?"
He kept calling her "wife" which made Luo Ying feel itchy. Since there was no one around, Luo Ying hooked her arm around his neck and kissed him. "Can you not take a concubine?"
Xu Jing sighed, took out his clothes and put them on him. "No."
Seeing the hope in his eyes fade away, Xu Jing rubbed his face and said, "There is a reason for taking a concubine."
"What's the reason?" Could anyone be more important than him?
"My old master wants to find a wife for me. He has found three families with good character and good academic performance and wants me to choose one of them."
Thinking of this, Luo Ying became even angrier. It was shameful for a man to fight with a woman. He could stop him from taking a concubine, but could he also stop him from marrying?
Since ancient times, parents’ orders and matchmakers’ words have been the final word. Failure to respect elders is considered disobedient and unfilial, and the person will be dismissed from office and exiled.
Luo Ying sneered, "In that case, I won't bother Mr. Jiang from choosing a wife."
"Come back." Xu Jing didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He put his arm around his waist and said, "How could you bear to leave before I even finished talking? Yanhong is a pawn I use to fend off the old master of the family. Only if I take a concubine will my family give up the idea of finding me a wife."
"Seriously?" Luo Ying had been deceived by Jiang Xuqing for so long that she had forgotten which of his words were true and which were false.
"It's absolutely true, baby." Xu Jing took his hand and put it to his lips and kissed it, grinning wickedly: "After having you, I would still think about others. Isn't that a jerk!"
That's right, Jiang Xuqing was a jerk. He was so good at deceiving both men and women that he couldn't tell the difference between truth and lies.
Luo Ying tugged at his sleeve and asked, "Does Yanhong know about this too?"
"I promised her that I would not marry her and would not touch her. Everything is just an exchange of interests."
Luo Ying's face was solemn, and he whispered, "What on earth are you planning?"
"I want to use her as a shield. The backyard needs someone to manage it, and she's quite suitable."
Luo Ying was silent for a long time, then said, "You want her to help you manage the inner court so you can free up your hands to take care of current affairs?"
"Smart." Xu Jing gave him an approving look. "You could say that a man should be fighting for his country, not confined to a small courtyard. And if no one is taking care of your own backyard, it will only allow others to take advantage of it."
"Then why not get a wife?"
The benefits of having a wife are much greater than those of having a concubine.
Xu Jing sighed and said, "You and your wife share the family property equally. You have to discuss everything with her. There's no need to take a concubine. She can just do what I want."
"You are quite calculating." She calculated to chill his heart.
"Same here." Xu Jing said softly, "I clipped your wings and trapped you in the backyard. You wouldn't be happy about that, would you?"
Luo Ying didn't comment, changed her clothes and prepared to go out.
"Remember to come over for the wedding banquet later."
Luo Ying paused, turned around and sneered. "A gentleman's promise is worth a thousand gold. I would have come even without you asking."
After everyone left, Xu Jing returned to the yard to have breakfast.
After the meal, the servant came to report. "Master, the housekeeper Li Guo wants to see you."
"allow."
Li Guo spent a day arranging for the servants to install big red lanterns in the new house. The styles were based on the concubine ceremonies of other officials, and there was nothing wrong.
When Li Guo entered and saw that the master was still in casual clothes, he was stunned at first, and then reported all the matters one by one.
The family dinner was scheduled for noon.
Taking a concubine does not have to follow the morning wedding ceremony of the main wife. In addition, time is tight, so it is considered an outstanding ability of Li Guo to arrange everything in one day.
Xu Jing smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work. After the wedding banquet, there will be a generous reward."
"Thank you, Master." Li Guo also smiled. "Master, the magistrates of Baiji and Chishui counties arrived last night. I followed Yun Xiaoniang's instructions and arranged for them to stay at the Tianshui Yage Inn. The two masters have already left and said they want to see you. Would you like to meet them?"
"Invite them to the hall for tea. If they see Bai Shinian, tell him to call County Magistrate Lin and the others as well. I need to call a meeting."
"Now?" Li Guo hesitated. Getting married is the most important thing and the auspicious time should not be missed.
Xu Jing explained, "Keep it simple. We're taking a concubine anyway. We'll just have a meal with the guests later. Now go settle the two magistrates and you can go do other things."
"Okay, sir, I'll go right away."
After a while, Xu Jing changed into his official uniform and went to the hall to meet his two subordinates.
In the past, they were all colleagues, competing with each other and disliking each other. Now Jiang Xuqing has transformed himself, from a pheasant to a phoenix. Although the other two are indignant, they can only pay him respects according to court rules.
Xu Jing accepted the greetings from the two men generously and looked at them carefully.
Seated on the left is Song Yao, the magistrate of Baiji County. Over forty years old and with a sophisticated air, he possesses considerable experience as an official. He is open-minded, mild-mannered, and dislikes trouble. He has a shrewd face and unattractive features, but he is incredibly popular with women. He already has nine concubines, one of whom is Li He's cousin. He possesses considerable power and influence, and he commands considerable influence in the local area.
On the right is Zhang Zhiwei, the magistrate of Chishui County, who is over thirty-five years old. He is eager for success and enjoys pleasure, but his political achievements are mediocre and have not made any breakthroughs. He has no ambition to advance further and is determined to retire in office. He is also greedy for money and lustful, with five concubines and countless maids. His family is relatively well-off, but his clan is large. In short, he is not to be trifled with and is not to be trifled with.
Zhang Zhiwei had a fawning smile on his face and he praised Xu Jing non-stop whenever he saw him. He was so flattered that he almost fainted from happiness.
On the contrary, Song Yao would interrupt whenever he had the chance. Although he spoke little, every word he said was precious. He was not someone to be trifled with.
After Xu Jing and others arrived, they led Lin County Magistrate and others to greet the two county magistrates and then held a meeting together.
County Magistrate Lin said, "The booklet Your Excellency gave me has truly solved my most pressing problem. I have almost finished organizing the files and am now waiting for Your Excellency's review."
Xu Jing nodded. "Shi Dian's efforts to improve public security are showing initial results. The prison is much more comfortable now than before. You've truly made great progress."
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