Tianliangyuan

Chapter 20 Renewed Thoughts

Dingxiang did indeed send someone to inquire, but Wannian County is quite far from the Marquis's residence, and it would take at least half an hour to get back.

"Miss, this Second Miss Jiang has come with ill intentions!"

Xu Zhaozhao naturally understood the true intentions of this Miss Jiang. To put it bluntly, she wanted to test her strength and weaknesses. In addition, she probably wanted to figure out her current abilities before devising any schemes to harm others.

Xu Zhaozhao wouldn't indulge her: "Remember to inform everyone in the manor, especially the stewards outside, and tell them to be on their toes and not get caught doing something wrong."

"Yes, ma'am."

The land that Xu Zhaozhao had her eye on was more than 70% planted with fruit trees.

Xu Zhaozhao went to see it herself and found that some miscellaneous grains, such as beans or some vegetables, could be planted between the fruit trees.

Fortunately, Jiang Ning still had some self-respect today and didn't try to take it by force; otherwise, I would have had to search again, which would have been a real waste of time and effort.

The next day, Zhu Zi brought the land deed, books, and other documents to report on matters, and casually mentioned the current progress.

"Your Majesty, construction officially began today. The past two days have been spent clearing rubble and debris. We can't build the house on proper farmland; that would be too wasteful. In addition, I have taken the liberty of hiring Cai Duliao, a renowned craftsman from the capital, and also hired twenty local workers. Their wages are the same as in the market, but the lunches here are better."

"You can handle this matter as you see fit. Just one thing: you must not tarnish the reputation of my Marquis's mansion, and you must not allow the surrounding people to accuse our mansion of being rich but heartless!"

"Yes, sir, I will remember."

After carefully observing the estate for a moment, Zhu Zi asked, "Master, once this estate is completed, would you please bestow a name upon it?"

Xu Zhaozhao hadn't expected there to be a naming issue: "No rush, let's talk about it later."

"Yes, there are currently forty-six acres of fruit trees on this estate, as well as more than ten acres of ordinary crops. What do you think we should do? Should we hire tenants to work here, or should we hire other long-term laborers?"

What do you think?

Zhu Zi was certain that his master was asking for his opinion, so he said slowly, "My master, I think we can hire some farmhands and buy some servants. As for tenant farmers, I don't think it's necessary."

Xu Zhaozhao's lips curled slightly: "Why?"

"Although I don't understand what Master is planning, seeing so much fruit, Master must have other plans when it ripens. If we invite the tenant farmers, the news might leak out, which would be inappropriate."

Long-term laborers and tenant farmers are different.

Basically, farmhands ate and slept at their master's house, but they didn't sign indentured servitude contracts, so they weren't considered slaves.

Tenant farmers, on the other hand, have more freedom, and generally, they are villagers from the surrounding area.

“Good, you can arrange this matter. Short-term laborers, you can go to the brokerage and take care of those poor people who have suffered misfortune and have no choice but to sell themselves into servitude. After you bring them to the estate, do not mistreat them.”

“Our master is kind and benevolent.”

Xu Zhaozhao did not respond to his words, but instead beckoned Dingxiang to bring the box over again.

"Here are two silver ingots; you may take them. You did a good job with the land this time; this string of cash is a reward for you."

"Thank you, Master! I will certainly live up to your kindness and do my best in my duties."

Zhu Zi then pledged his loyalty again before leaving.

Xu Zhaozhao is not short of money now; those two Xiangpiaopiao stores alone can bring her huge profits.

She wanted that estate not only for future financial gain, but also to use it as a cover to enhance her supernatural abilities while returning the land to its rightful owner.

Jiang Ning was at a disadvantage in their first encounter, and naturally he was not convinced.

Jiang Ning was deep in thought. She had to find a way to sabotage the marriage alliance between the Xu and Xie families. Only in this way could her chances of succeeding with Prince Zhong be greatly increased.

There was a commotion outside, but it didn't sound very clear; it must have been outside her yard.

"What's going on? All this noise and commotion, what kind of behavior is this?"

"Reporting to Second Miss, it was Eldest Miss who came back crying, saying she was frightened by the vicious dog kept by that concubine. But no sooner had Eldest Miss entered the door than the eldest son-in-law arrived with his men. I overheard something, and it seems that it was because the eldest son-in-law was unwilling to punish that concubine."

Concubine?

Jiang Ning's lips curled up; this had reminded her!

Jiang Ning plotted something in the room, then tidied herself up and went to persuade her good older sister.

Xu Zhaozhao was unaware that Jiang Ning had become somewhat obsessed with breaking up her marriage with Xie Sanlang, and was even willing to use her own family members at will.

Xu Zhaozhao dressed simply today to attend the poetry gathering hosted by the Jiang family.

Actually, she didn't want to go, but Jiang Ning sent someone to deliver an invitation, and the words were very sincere, as if the two of them were very close friends.

After reading the post, Xu Zhaozhao knew that Jiang Ning must have ulterior motives.

Moreover, since she had already sent an invitation to the Marquis's residence, she was now the only one in the Marquis's residence qualified to attend such a banquet at the Jiang residence. After all, none of her cousins ​​were currently at the Marquis's residence, so this trip had to be made by her alone.

Xu Zhaozhao did not arrive too early; given the status of the Marquis's residence, the carriage would naturally not stop too far away.

She had just stepped off the carriage when she heard someone calling her.

Sun Qian smiled broadly and took her arm as soon as she got close: "Little sister, you look so good. If I had known you were coming, we would have come together."

Xu Zhaozhao smiled and said, "We've run into each other now, so let's go in together."

"it is good."

Sun Qian also accepted the invitation from the Jiang family, which was something Xu Zhaozhao really hadn't expected.

After all, given Jiang Ning's status, it's unlikely she would take the initiative to associate with Sun Qian. Moreover, just now, when she looked up, she could tell her identity from the carriages of each mansion.

Sun Qian, the daughter of a low-ranking official, is indeed too conspicuous.

The main problem is that their social status is too low.

"My cousin is acquainted with Miss Jiang? I don't have much contact with Miss Jiang, and we've only met a few times. But I've heard that she's extremely talented. Could it be that she often discusses poetry with my cousin?"

Sun Qian's expression was somewhat unnatural, but the corners of her lips remained upturned: "It's alright. Miss Jiang is the daughter of a Grand Secretary, while my father holds a low-ranking official position. How could he often associate with Miss Jiang? The fact that I received her invitation today must be because of the Marquis's family's influence."

Xu Zhaozhao smiled without saying a word, thinking to herself that if you really knew that you would benefit from the Marquis's family in every way, then you wouldn't have done all sorts of things that were detrimental to the Marquis's family.

After finding a spot with potted plants, Xu Zhaozhao sat down and began to admire the scenery with great curiosity.

Unbeknownst to anyone, she was actually gathering information about the Jiang family.

Because of her limited abilities, she couldn't gather much information. After sitting for half a day, it was basically useless, so she simply stopped wasting her energy and just waited to deal with whatever came her way.