Chapter 52 – Raising Private Soldiers?
“If we raise a flag for rebellion, with these resources, we’ll definitely have the advantage at the starting line!”
Indeed, if all the goods inside were converted to current silver, they might even rival the treasury of Dongqing by several folds. I can’t fathom how Liu Zhi managed to accumulate such a vast fortune without alarming anyone.
Jiang Pengji suppressed her thoughts. Though she had only glanced at the items briefly, she memorized every detail verbatim. Unfortunately, she had no understanding of the current market price and couldn’t grasp their specific value.
“Marriage? Is it about Jingxian?”
“The Wei family has other plans; her temperament doesn’t suit you. It’s likely they’ll propose breaking off the engagement soon. To protect her reputation, they might even make my son suffer a bit,” Liu Zhi smirked sarcastically, well aware of Wei family’s intentions.
The Wei mansion, knowing that the legitimate second son had already died, insisted on keeping the engagement to avoid Jingxian being labeled as a husband-killer.
But surely, the two families cannot let both daughters get hitched, right?
Although this was part of Liu Zhi’s plan, she couldn’t shake off her dissatisfaction.
Thus, it was about time the Wei family voiced their intentions to discuss the annulment.
Jiang Pengji was not surprised, “In this situation, women always have the short end of the stick; it doesn’t affect me, though.”
Knowing full well she was a woman yet still trying to marry her off—it’s like the entire family is either foolish or has ulterior motives.
Liu Zhi calmly covered her slightly trembling hand with her sleeve, concealing her earlier slip.
If Jiang Pengji were a boy, Liu Zhi might have thought her son was generous and humble with such words. But—she’s a girl! It feels a bit off that she’s so brazen. Would having a daughter with such a blunt nature be undesirable?
With a slight lift of her eyelids, she declared, “My Liu Zhi’s son’s face isn’t something to be easily trifled with. I won’t let them take advantage of us!”
When children’s marriages are broken off in adulthood, it’s almost always the “male side” that bears the majority of the social pressure.
How could he possibly willingly accept such loss?
Liu Zhi was not one to be picky, but he’s loathed losing since childhood, and the Wei family needs to show sincerity.
Jiang Pengji: “…”
She secretly poked the system and thought, “I think this cheap father is a bit scheming.”
System: “Host, are you in any position to talk about others? Maybe check out what color you are before criticizing!”
They say like father, like daughter—Jiang Pengji’s demeanor and Liu Zhi’s were shockingly similar. Who could doubt they were truly father and daughter?
Perhaps due to aging, Liu Zhi’s health was no longer as robust as in his youth. After a few light coughs, his eyes were noticeably bloodshot, looking somewhat weak in the flickering candlelight.
“You dismissed some guarding house servants a few days ago?”
Jiang Pengji was currently practicing calligraphy under Liu Zhi’s guidance, finding the method to be significantly more efficient than fumbling through it herself. She paused, lifting her gaze to him.
“Yes, but just a few careless ones who were slacking off. I sent them off to be sold by the old steward.”
Liu Zhi asked this not to lay blame on her. “Though our manor is small, we can’t afford to lack guards. Tomorrow, go with the steward to purchase some suitable servants. Write a plan for me when you return. Think of everything and write down as many details as possible.”
At this point, Liu Zhi paused before continuing, “In recent years, natural disasters and calamities have been rampant, and refugees and bandits are everywhere. Even Hejian County isn’t very peaceful. If it weren’t for your quick thinking in that incident, you might not have escaped so easily. I’ve thought about it, and we still have some surplus grain in the house. If you’re interested, you might consider using it to raise some private soldiers for your own protection…”
Jiang Pengji’s brows jumped a bit more, “Private soldiers?”
According to her knowledge, private soldiers were akin to guarding house servants or servants.
It’s not just the powerful clans; even those affluent countryside gentry often have a few.
The reasoning is quite similar to Liu Zhi’s. Given the current instability, one might encounter several robberies when stepping outdoors. In some places, gathered bandits could raid and plunder. If one lacks power, they could die without knowing the cause.
In today’s society, the wealthy clans are powerful, and the imperial authority is wary, partly because these highborn families have considerable military strength.
Of course, for regular folks, private soldiers = house servants = guards, but Jiang Pengji thought of them simply as private soldiers!
“Though you’re nominally a boy, you’re still a girl deep down and should have some self-defense skills,” Liu Zhi sighed, pulling out a small, folded piece of paper from his sleeve, unfolding it to show her, “Check this out; preparing ahead is never a bad idea.”
Jiang Pengji took the paper and quickly grasped Liu Zhi’s intention after a brief glance.
The content was relatively simple: the Emperor also intended to negotiate a marriage, hoping to have the second prince wed a princess from the Northern Border Royal Court. However, this decision hadn’t been officially announced yet. It’s unclear how Liu Zhi managed to get this firsthand information, perhaps through connections with high-ranking officials in the court.
Purchasing servants is typically the responsibility of the head lady of the household, a part of the inner courtyard’s management which Jiang Pengji, as a “man,” shouldn’t really meddle in. Nevertheless, since Liu Zhi brought it up, this was clearly another test, and the stepmother wouldn’t dare refuse.
As for Lady Die, she merely sent a maid to convey, “Everything will be decided by my cousin.”
So, the next day, the old steward brought two booklets, “The Master said, today all matters are to be decided by the Second Young Master.”
Jiang Pengji took the booklets and took a quick glance, asking, “Is this the record of servants purchased over the past few years?”
She found the Liu Residence’s accounting methods to be quite different from outside—much clearer and more organized, even structured in a tabular format.
It clearly recorded the cost of the servants purchased along with their names and backgrounds; some even listed family members together, with notes on their current positions and skills. She flipped through, relying on her excellent memory to memorize all the servants of the Liu Residence inside and out.
Needless to say, this format must have been devised by Liu Zhi’s mother when she was alive, making household management much easier.
The old steward stood respectfully before her, maintaining a serious demeanor, “Yes, this is the record of servant changes in recent years.”
One booklet was the record for recent years, while the other was brand new—she didn’t need to guess what it was for.
“In that case, let’s first check this tooth shop according to previous procedures.”
She wasn’t sure how many tooth shops there were in Hejian County, so starting from the “familiar” one would be better; at least the chances of being scammed would be lower.
Normally, she would directly have the tooth shop bring people to the residence for selection, but today, this was Liu Zhi’s “test.” Reflecting on their conversation last night about people’s livelihoods, Jiang Pengji decided to venture out herself, also to understand the market prices.
What others say and what’s written in books isn’t as convincing as seeing things for oneself.
