The sky gradually darkened and the entire Marquis Wu Wen Residence was lit with red lanterns. Everyone was busy and there was no trace of the peace that a common household should have at night.
Princess Zhennan, Luo Yun, symbolically ate dinner before returning home. According to logic, the entire residence should be resting, but seeing the servants and maids rushing in and out, it showed that they were even busier than usual.
And from the side door in the northwest corner of the residence, there was a continuous flow of high quality gold bricks, glazed tiles, cedar and other materials. There were signs of construction.
There was only one reason for such a busy day. In the evening, the imperial edict had come. The Empress Dowager intended for the Marquis Wu Wen Family and Consort Yuan Lady to form a marriage alliance. Ten days later, Lady Consort Yuan Lady would return to visit her family to relieve the pain of missing her hometown.
This was a very important matter, but it was much more grand than the Princess visiting the residence. The etiquette was much more complicated and it was necessary to carry out a large construction.
When the Princess came to the residence, she only had to set up a table to welcome her. When the Lady came to the residence, all the noblewomen had to kneel to welcome her.
But this was also a great honor. The Hong Family of Marquis Wu Wen had changed and become a relative of the Emperor. Their status was even more solid and grand.
Although the residence was bustling, Hong Yi was deep in thought.
"What is going on? Is Lady Zhao showing goodwill to me? She helped me change rooms and even took the initiative to give me three hundred taels of silver? When did she become so generous? Even if I am acquainted with the Princess, the Princess will not be able to interfere with the family matters of the Marquis Fu. I can only borrow her power for a while and not for a lifetime. It is very likely that she will settle my heart now and then slowly plan to deal with me. "
Outside the window was a picturesque Guilin. The bright moon shone through the shadows of the trees. The bottom of the Guilin was clean and tidy. The stone tables and stools were exquisite and elegant. There was also a rock garden and a flowing pond.
In the side room, there was a screen and a couch. The inner and outer rooms were all made of high quality wood. It was spacious and comfortable.
The inner room was where Hong Yi lived, and the outer room was where the four maids who served him rested.
At night, if there were any matters to attend to, she just had to lightly call out and the servant girls in the outer room would immediately wake up and listen to her master's orders.
This was the standard treatment for a young master of the Marquis's household. This environment was a hundred times better than the small courtyard in the northwest corner where Hong Yi used to live.
At this moment, Hong Yi was sitting on the bed. The bed was covered with embroidered silk blankets, and the fragrance of incense wafted through the air. Anyone who laid down on the bed would be able to feel the taste of riches and honor, and would not want to get up.
However, Hong Yi didn't lie down. Instead, he sat cross-legged on the bed. He didn't light up the lamp either. Instead, he closed his eyes and meditated in the dark.
As it turned out, when Luo Yun left, Hong Yi found out that Zhao Furen had bestowed upon him the Osmanthus Flower Room on the east side of the Hou fu. At the same time, she had assigned four servant girls to serve him and had even asked the accountant to give him three hundred taels of silver.
On the surface, it looked like she was trying to improve their relationship. However, Hong Yi knew that things weren't that simple.
Not to mention that Princess Zhennan, Luo Yun, had only known him for a short period of time. Even if they were good friends, Zhao Furen wouldn't treat him with such respect.
One had to know that Zhao Furen had two sons. Hong Xi was the eldest son, and would definitely inherit the Hou fu's title in the future. Now, he wasn't a good character either. He was the commander of the Godly Machine Battalion, one of the three main battalions of the Imperial Army. His identity was mysterious, and his martial arts skills were impressive.
As for her second son, he had become an official in a wealthy province in the south.
Furthermore, her maiden family wasn't simple either. They had several generations of scholars.
"No matter what she's plotting, I should move out quickly. However, this can only be done after I become a High Scholar. Only then will I have the right to speak."
Hong Yi had long wanted to move out of the Hou fu. However, he didn't have a source of income. Furthermore, as a member of the Hou fu, he couldn't move out just because he wanted to.
However, once he became a High Scholar, things would be different. An Elementary Scholar was just a Young Master, while a High Scholar was a 'Master'. After becoming a High Scholar, his status would change drastically. His family would be exempted from the Imperial Court's taxes, land taxes, and labor.
As the saying goes, the gentry didn't have to pay taxes.
With this rule, many commoners would come to rely on you and sell themselves as slaves. They could even put their land under your name to avoid taxes.
Although the Da Qian was in a golden age, taxes were still very high, and labor was not uncommon.
In other words, as long as Hong Yi became a High Scholar, even if he left empty-handed, there would be a large number of people who would send him money and land to work for him. Within half a year, he would be able to build a sizable family.
More importantly, a High Scholar's status was equivalent to that of a local official. When they met a County Magistrate, they could call each other brothers. They could also enter the yamen to meet with the local officials.
With this status, they had the right to speak. Within the Hou fu, if one wanted to move out, Hong Xuanji wouldn't have any reason to reprimand or stop him.
"Consort Yuan … Ziyue … What are they doing? Although I guessed that Consort Yuan was someone from the palace, I didn't expect her to be the Imperial Noble Consort. She left the palace in the middle of the night, was highly skilled in martial arts, and went to see her relatives … She also seemed to be friends with Ziyue. Could it be that she is also one of the eight great demon immortals? But she is the Princess of the Yuan Tu Country … Ziyue seems to be a member of the Yuan Tu Bai Family? They reincarnated into the Yuan Tu Country, and then entered the Da Qian Palace. I'm afraid it's not as simple as looking for scriptures. Could it be that they are plotting something? "
At this time, Hong Yi had already found out some things from Luo Yun. This confirmed his guess that the Consort Yuan he met at the West Mountain's Autumn Moon Temple was definitely the Imperial Noble Consort, the Princess of the Yuan Tu Country.
The eight great demon immortals, Hakuziyue, and Consort Yuan. When all these people were linked together, Hong Yi vaguely felt that there was a big conspiracy. In the future, something big would definitely happen.
"But, what does this have to do with me? When I'm rich, I'll help the world. When I'm poor, I'll take care of myself. Right now, I'm poor and sleepy, so I can only take care of myself. What does the affairs of those big shots have to do with me? Even if they want to overthrow the Da Qian Kingdom, I don't have the ability to do anything about it. How big a bowl is, how big a rice bowl is. Meddling in things that you don't have the ability to do anything about is the behavior of a reckless man, not a sage. It's better to think about my own matters. "
Many thoughts flashed through Hong Yi's mind.
After calming down his thoughts, Hong Yi thought about how he looked at Qian Daozi's painting of the plum blossoms in his study. From there, he gained a deeper understanding of the Amitabha Sutra and was actually able to leave his body and travel. Now that he had finally settled down, Hong Yi decided to test the extent to which his soul had strengthened.
After a brief visualization, his soul had already floated out.
As soon as Hong Yi's soul left his body, he felt a kind of carefree feeling. It floated around the room, flickering. One moment it was here, and the next moment it was there. Within ten steps, it was within the blink of an eye. He even felt a little ghostly.
Without a doubt, this was the result of the strengthening of his soul.
It turned out that when he was traveling at night, Hong Yi knew that his soul could only float about two to three feet above the ground. He also couldn't walk too fast, or else he would be in danger of being injured.
But now, ten steps was within the blink of an eye. Although he still didn't have the ability to travel a thousand miles, Hong Yi felt that he could already leave his body far behind.
Hong Yi's soul floated out. He passed through a short corridor and arrived at the outer room. On the bed in the outer room, there were four maids sleeping. Their breathing was even. Their eyes were closed and their ears were moving slightly. They were as agile as cats and dogs.
Clearly, they were maids with skills.
"Monitoring my every move?" Hong Yi sneered.
At this moment, a silhouette silently walked in. After walking in, the silhouette patted a maidservant's shoulder. The maidservant immediately woke up, and when she saw the person in front of her, she softly said, "Grandma Zeng?"
The person who walked in had a head full of silver hair, but her hands were like those of a young girl. It was the old woman who followed the First Madam, but her name was Nanny Zeng.
Nanny Zeng waved her hand, indicating for the maid to follow her, but she had already walked out.
The maid was very alert, and immediately followed her out. The two stood at the foot of the wall and talked.
"Keep an eye on that kid. Report his every move immediately. Find out where he practiced martial arts, and what kind of martial arts he practiced. Also … "
Hong Yi heard the voice.
If he didn't have the ability to travel spiritually, he wouldn't have been able to detect this Nanny Zeng. She was very skilled.
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