Chapter 162: The Jiang family

Li Chen did not answer directly, but instead looked the beautiful woman up and down.

Feeling Li Chen's gaze, the beautiful woman Jiang Ningyue could only stand there obediently, a faint blush on her face, not daring to even breathe loudly.

After a while, Li Chen spoke: "I have come to Shanghe City this time to investigate the two major sects in the surrounding area, but I see that you seem to have something on your mind?"

The first half of Li Chen's sentence was very familiar to the beautiful woman Jiang Ningyue; the late Emperor had come here with the same purpose.

However, the sudden concern in the second half made her feel a warmth in her heart.

Just moments ago, Jiang Ningyue had felt Li Chen's gaze and thought he had ideas of that nature; now it seemed she had misunderstood, and the Emperor was merely showing concern for her.

In truth, she hadn't misunderstood; Li Chen did have those ideas, and the concern was just something he said in passing.

"It is like this, Your Majesty..."

The beautiful woman Jiang Ningyue began to introduce the situation at home, which was the 'crisis' the Jiang family was facing.

That the Jiang family could possess a vast array of industries in Shanghe City was entirely due to the accumulation of the last several hundred years.

That they had developed well in recent years was also because the Jiang family had a flourishing number of descendants.

They had people not only in the Imperial Palace but also within the sects.

At that time, Imperial Consort Yi was still favored by the late Emperor, and the rewards given to the Jiang family were naturally not few.

The Jiang family was, after all, imperial relatives, and the local powerful clans all had to give the Jiang family face.

The Jiang family also had a gifted cultivator who was an Elder in the nearby Profound Heaven Sect, with a status second only to the He He Zongzhu.

With this foundation, the Jiang family's status in Shanghe City belonged to the upper echelons.

Next, the beautiful woman Jiang Ningyue spoke of the main personnel of the Jiang family at that time.

Jiang Ningyue had one older brother and one younger sister; they were the head of the Jiang family at the time—the very fellow who had been shown up by the late Emperor.

And then there was Jiang Ningyi, who was Imperial Consort Yi.

The head of the Jiang family had a wife named Xie Minjun, whose identity was very mysterious, but whose strength was formidable.

She was very loving toward the head of the Jiang family and treated the Jiang family as her own home, doing many things for the sake of the family; in this, even Jiang Ningyue could not compare to her.

Xie Minjun had given birth to two daughters, who were also what outsiders often called the two young ladies of the Jiang family.

The eldest young lady had outstanding commercial talent and had begun helping to manage the family's industries from a very young age.

The second young lady also had excellent conditions for cultivation, and after very diligent practice and assessments, she finally entered the Jade Yu Xu Xian Fu, becoming an official inner-sect disciple.

Jiang Ningyue had a husband who had married into the Jiang family; his talent and strength were both good, and his character was fine, allowing him to help the Jiang family develop.

The two of them had a son named Jiang Cheng; because the husband had married into the family, in order to let his son inherit the Jiang family's industries, Jiang Ningyue's husband was very supportive of his son taking the Jiang surname.

They considered that any subsequent children could take Jiang Ningyue's husband's surname.

Jiang Cheng was somewhat unruly and often caused trouble in Shanghe City, but the power of the family made him fearless.

Although unruly, Jiang Cheng's commercial and cultivation talents were both good, but he didn't work very hard, acting like a second-generation heir.

To make Jiang Cheng settle down, his mother, Jiang Ningyue, found him a very obedient and sensible wife named Dong Zhiqing.

Dong Zhiqing was a daughter-in-law Jiang Ningyue had hand-picked, and she had personally vetted her strictly.

The daughter-in-law was not only beautiful as a celestial being but also well-read, obedient, and capable; in Jiang Ningyue's eyes, she was simply perfect.

With such a good wife, Jiang Cheng also reined in his second-generation heir personality and began to earnestly act as an heir.

At this stage, many people felt that the Jiang family would certainly remain prosperous in Shanghe City for another hundred years, and at the very least, would remain among the top of the noble families for decades.

The people of the Jiang family thought so too.

The very beginning was the loss of favor of Imperial Consort Yi.

This did not cause too much damage to the Jiang family, and the head of the Jiang family felt fortunate that they hadn't gone to the Imperial Capital, or else they would have fallen from grace.

After all, the Jiang family's industries were all in Shanghe City, and these could not be shaken.

Jiang Ningyue occasionally exchanged letters with her younger sister, about once or twice a year.

She knew her sister's non-competitive nature and had never thought of letting her sister gain anything in the Imperial Palace.

The waters of the inner palace were deep, and offending people was not a good thing.

However, a few years ago, the Jiang family suffered a heavy blow.

The Jiang family had someone serving as an Elder in the Profound Heaven Sect, and that day happened to be the birthday of the Profound Heaven He He Zongzhu.

The Profound Heaven He He Zongzhu was a powerhouse, and in order to curry favor with him, or rather to show their faces before such a big figure, the Jiang family's men basically all went to offer birthday greetings.

This included the head of the Jiang family, Jiang Ningyue's husband, and Jiang Cheng.

They could express the Jiang family's respect for the Profound Heaven He He Zongzhu.

But on that very day, the Profound Heaven He He Zongzhu's enemy returned from cultivation and brought people to slaughter their way into the Profound Heaven Sect.

Sect grudges are certainly numerous; to be able to become the Profound Heaven He He Zongzhu and have such cultivation, one must have stepped on the corpses of countless people, so offending people was normal.

This time, the Profound Heaven He He Zongzhu's enemy wanted to blood-wash the Profound Heaven Sect at his birthday banquet.

The enemy had come prepared, and the Profound Heaven Sect became a river of blood.

Following the death of the Profound Heaven He He Zongzhu, the enemy led his subordinates to kill in all directions, vowing to kill everyone in the Profound Heaven Sect to avenge his grievances.

Many people at the birthday banquet were innocent bystanders; even if they weren't disciples of the Profound Heaven Sect, they were blood-washed along with them.

When powerhouses take action, they don't care about such things; they simply don't give a chance for explanation.

The Jiang family's men all died at that time, leaving only a house full of women.

Sect hatred is just that simple and unadorned; if they say they will kill your whole family, they kill your whole family.

Such things are very common in places where sects are numerous; perhaps it starts with a verbal altercation, or a snatching during treasure hunting, and slowly evolves into a blood feud.

In many places, sects are filled with powerhouses, an existence that secular noble families simply cannot reach.

They are also immortals in the eyes of ordinary commoners.

Hatred between sects is very likely to implicate innocent bystanders.

The Jiang family was just such an implicated bystander.

With the destruction of the Profound Heaven Sect, the Jiang family not only lost that Jiang family Elder in the sect but also lost three men.

With the Jiang family's industries losing their core figures, they naturally began to fall from grace.

Even though the women of the Jiang family tried their best to maintain things, the Jiang family still changed from a top-tier noble family to an ordinary, bottom-tier first-class noble family, though still belonging to the first-class ranks.

If it weren't for the fact that the second young lady of the Jiang family was still in the Jade Yu Xu Xian Fu, and many noble families in Shanghe City gave them a bit of face, the Jiang family's industries would likely have been swallowed up.

However, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse; the Jiang family still had many industries, and the women were also very beautiful.

This attracted the secret covetousness of many people.

Added to the fact that the Jiang family had numerous businesses, their current manpower simply couldn't keep up.

The Jiang family decided internally to recruit a few capable and decent-character servants to help manage some of the industries.

Because the Jiang family consisted entirely of female relatives, the vetting of servants was very strict; their character had to be upright.

This led to many young talents in Shanghe City signing up to be servants here.

Some were talented, some had impressive strength.

But men, after all, and all young and strong, while trying to earn a living, their eyes were naturally on the female relatives of the Jiang family estate.

Being noticed by the eldest young lady or the second young lady, both of whom were still unmarried, would naturally be good.

If they could gain the favor of the various ladies, that wouldn't be a loss either, and might even be a huge profit.

Who wouldn't want to save decades of struggle?

Jiang Ningyue naturally understood men very well, so the selection was very strict; the requirements for the preliminary screening could eliminate ninety-nine percent of people.

The remaining people still had to pass various assessments before they could enter the Jiang estate as servants.

Only then would there be a possibility of getting close to the female relatives of the Jiang estate.

However, Li Chen had walked right in, and the women of the Jiang estate still had to stand obediently to the side and listen.

As a direct blood relative of the Jiang family, Jiang Ningyue temporarily shouldered the heavy burden of being the head of the family.

But she wasn't very good at handling commercial matters, and most of the industries were looked after by her eldest brother's wife and eldest daughter.

With so many things piled on them, the two of them were also extremely busy.

Jiang Ningyue was also unable to help; not interfering when one doesn't understand things, and not touching things when one lacks talent, is actually the greatest help.

If she were to help and make things worse, that would be another blow to the Jiang family.

Li Chen roughly understood the situation; the Jiang family was indeed lacking men.

Regarding Li Chen's stated investigation of the sects, Jiang Ningyue also expressed cooperation, saying: "Your Majesty, Jiang Mo is currently an inner-sect disciple of the Jade Yu Xu Xian Fu; I can call her over with a family letter to cooperate with Your Majesty's investigation."

Knowing that Li Chen was the Emperor, Jiang Ningyue naturally focused on currying favor with him.

As long as she could curry favor with the current Emperor, the Jiang family's crisis could naturally be resolved.

Jiang Mo was the second daughter of Jiang Ningyue's older brother, and she was beautiful enough to shame the moon and flowers.

If she were noticed by His Majesty, then the Jiang family's turning point would arrive.

There was also the eldest young lady, Jiang Rong, who was also beautiful and possessed extraordinary intelligence. Jiang Ningyue also knew that these two had no plans to marry for the time being; they were both self-reliant women.

But the problem was that the new Emperor was both young and handsome, and it was said his strength was formidable.

If one of the Jiang sisters could enter the palace, at the very least, the Jiang family would not have any problems in the coming years.

To be honest, it wasn't that Jiang Ningyue was unchaste; she was a typical woman who valued chastity above all else.

After her husband died, those who pursued her were as numerous as the carp crossing the river.

Jiang Ningyue didn't think much of any of them and was very disdainful of such behavior.

But with Li Chen's looks and physique, not to mention his incomparable status, which woman wouldn't have wild thoughts after seeing him?

Jiang Ningyue only let her mind wander for a moment before quickly firming her resolve to remain chaste.

Besides, the Emperor was young and handsome; how could he take a fancy to a widow like her?

Later, she would have to find a way to promote the eldest and second young ladies of the Jiang family; such young and beautiful women were the Emperor's favorites.

!

Furthermore, she had to find a way to make the Emperor stay at the Jiang estate for a few days.

Let the Emperor get to know Jiang Rong and Jiang Mo better.

Hearing Jiang Ningyue say she would have Jiang Mo, the sect disciple, come over to assist with the investigation, Li Chen nodded: "Very good."

At this moment, Li Chen was indeed considering how to find an excuse to stay.

He also wanted to see if the other women here were truly as beautiful as rumored.

What kind of women could make all the young talents of Shanghe City yearn for them?

Jiang Ningyue spoke first: "Your Majesty, the Jade Yu Xu Xian Fu is outside the city, and it will take a few days for Jiang Mo to travel back and forth; why not stay at our Jiang estate first, and you can also investigate the local conditions while you are at it."

This sentence made Li Chen somewhat happy; looking at Jiang Ningyue, he had the feeling that the two of them were truly 'of one mind'.

Li Chen spoke: "Then I shall stay for a few days."

Jiang Ningyue's face showed joy: "Your Majesty's grace is vast; our humble abode is simple, and to be favored by Your Majesty truly makes our home shine."

Li Chen was the Emperor, so there was no need to be too polite; wherever he went, the people of that place would feel honored.

The Jiang family's banquet was already being prepared, just waiting for Li Chen to move his carriage.

Considering that Li Chen was traveling incognito this time, Jiang Ningyue could only tell the core figures of the Jiang family that he was the Emperor.

It wouldn't be good if it spread.

Fearing that the maids might overstep their bounds while serving Li Chen and cause him displeasure, Jiang Ningyue personally served tea and poured water for Li Chen.

This made some of the maids feel it was inconceivable.

Jiang Ningyue was the current head of the Jiang family; even when her husband was still alive, she had never done such a thing.

The maids were all very curious: who exactly was this man who had entered their Jiang estate?

For a time, Li Chen's identity became the topic of conversation in this little kingdom of women.

On the other side, the screening site next to the Jiang estate had also entered its final stages.

Excluding the old, weak, and those just there to watch the fun, there were over a thousand people signed up, all of them young and vigorous talents.

After the first round of testing, only 100 people were able to enter the second round.

These one hundred people would have to compete for three spots in the next few tests; these three people would be able to enter the Jiang estate.

And among the three, there was one important spot: to become the manager of the Jiang estate, which was the reserve for the butler.

One must know that the butler of a noble estate held a very high status, could help the noble family manage industries, and received very generous treatment.

Most importantly, this would allow one to get close to the eldest young lady of the Jiang estate, Jiang Rong.

It was said that Jiang Rong was busy managing the vast family industries and was overwhelmed.

As long as someone could help her, she would likely favor them.

Lin Mo was one of the one hundred people who entered the second round.

When everyone saw that he had also come to participate in the servant assessment, they all felt a bit of pressure.

Lin Mo himself had a certain poetic talent in Shanghe City; he could recite beautiful verses at will.

His commercial talent was very high; he could make some things himself and then find noble families to invest in production, earning a small profit.

Besides this, Lin Mo's cultivation was also quite good; it was unknown how he practiced, and no one had heard who his master was.

Most importantly, Lin Mo had sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes, a tall and straight posture, and wheat-colored skin.

His appearance could indeed make some young maidens' hearts flutter.

Talent, appearance, strength, aptitude, etc. —among the candidates for servants, he was also very top-tier.

It was said that he had long admired the eldest young lady of the Jiang family, Jiang Rong, and this time he had lowered his status to participate in the servant test with a very clear goal.

The people nearby were all gnashing their teeth in anger when they saw Lin Mo had come.

Because in everyone's view, with Lin Mo's looks and talent, conquering the eldest young lady of the Jiang family was only a matter of time.

And if this kid had a bit more ambition, he likely wouldn't let any of the Jiang family's female relatives go.

Thinking of this, everyone felt their scalps go numb with anger.

They couldn't get the woman they wanted, and now Lin Mo had the opportunity to occupy them all; how could they not be angry?

Lin Mo looked at the envious, jealous, and hateful eyes of this group of people and enjoyed it very much.

As a Son of Destiny, even if he came from a humble background, he could still stand out by relying on his talent and ability.

In the process of his previous cultivation, he had obtained a dual-cultivation technique by chance.

In fact, he had obtained it after finding the place where a remnant of the previous dynasty had fallen; he didn't know this at the time and just started practicing it once he picked it up.

This technique could make one more powerful through dual cultivation.

Moreover, dual cultivation required finding people or places with heavy yin energy to practice, in order to achieve twice the result with half the effort.

It didn't have much effect with ordinary women.

As a Son of Destiny, he had accidentally seen the female relatives of the Jiang estate, and after making some inquiries, Lin Mo was ecstatic.

The entire Jiang estate didn't have a single man? Wasn't this the perfect place for him to practice?

Moreover, these women of the Jiang estate were one more beautiful than the next.

The young ones were beautiful and pretty, and the slightly older ones were plump and alluring.

Lin Mo made up his mind that he must take down all the women in the Jiang estate and turn it into his own paradise.

But to get in touch with these women, he first had to get through the door of the Jiang estate.

The mothers of the two young ladies of the Jiang family were experts, some of the maids were also very strong, and coupled with the relationship with the Jade Yu Xu Xian Fu, Lin Mo didn't dare to act rashly, and couldn't even get through the front door of the Jiang estate.

The female relatives of the Jiang estate were generally in the estate, and only the two young ladies were outside.

The second young lady was in the sect, which Lin Mo didn't find easy to pursue, so his target was the eldest young lady of the Jiang estate, Jiang Rong.

The first time he saw Jiang Rong, Lin Mo fell in love at first sight; this love at first sight was about the same as Xiao Ming's love at first sight.

To attract Jiang Rong's attention, Lin Mo constantly displayed his poetic talent, commercial talent, cultivation skills, etc.

He did indeed make some progress and had spoken a few words with Jiang Rong.

But this was not enough to make Jiang Rong look at him with new eyes, not to mention the other women in the Jiang estate, who were even more stunning.

If he could build a good relationship, wouldn't his path of dual cultivation fly high?

Lin Mo had been thinking recently about what method to find to enter the Jiang family.

That's how a Son of Destiny is; once trouble is encountered, the solution appears obviously.

When the news appeared that the Jiang estate was recruiting servants, Lin Mo felt at the time: isn't this tailor-made for me?

For someone of my level to participate in the servant assessment, that is a dimensionality reduction strike.

Lin Mo couldn't find a single reason for himself to be eliminated; the servant position was already reserved for him.

That he, with his ability, still came to participate in the servant assessment, the others who also came to participate could all see his goal, so they were gnashing their teeth in anger.

Lin Mo didn't care; it was as if you all didn't have this goal.

Let's not talk about each other; let's fight with our abilities!

The preliminary test for the servant assessment was to look at the participants' physique, their mental outlook, and do some simple tests; those who passed would get a badge.

For Lin Mo's level, the preliminary test was easy.

Tomorrow was the second test, and Lin Mo felt it wouldn't stump him either; when he went back, images of the Jiang family's female relatives were already appearing in his mind.

He hadn't looked carefully enough last time, and the images weren't clear enough; he hoped that after becoming a servant, he could look carefully and look at them up close.

However, he also knew the rules; he certainly couldn't show this behavior at the beginning, otherwise, it would be easy to be discovered, causing these women to loathe him and kick him out of the Jiang family, which would be a loss that outweighed the gain.

He would show his talent as much as possible during the test, making the Jiang family's female relatives feel that he was here to do business, not to have other motives.

Once the relationship was harmonious, he would create opportunities and take it slow.

And at this moment, the Jiang family's female relatives that Lin Mo dreamed of were accompanying another man and having a good time!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 163 =====