"Chen Mansion"
Looking at the shimring golden characters on the mansion’s plaque, Chen Jiuge felt quite emotional. This is probably my first foothold.
The mansion gate was locked, so Chen Jiuge could only knock on the door.
Soon, a shrewd old man opened the gate, poked his bald head out, and said, "This is the residence of the Assistant Minister of the Beast Control Departnt. Which noble person is visiting?"
Chen Jiuge replied cheerfully, "Do I look like the Assistant Minister of the Beast Control Departnt?"
The old man exclaid and imdiately knelt down, saying, "Old Chen San at your service, serving as the gatekeeper of the Chen Mansion."
"Hmm, take to the hall. Also, gather everyone in the mansion; I need to get acquainted with them."
...
The Chen Mansion was incredibly large, outrageously so. The six-section mansion covered nearly a thousand acres and included two training grounds for Cultivation alone. This was not to ntion the thousands of living quarters for the servants; the guards were accounted for separately.
According to the laws of the Qingming Ancient Country, officials from the Ninth Grade to the Seventh Grade could privately enlist 100 to 300 soldiers, and those from the Sixth Grade to the Fourth Grade could enlist 500 to 1,500 soldiers. This ant that Chen Jiuge could legally assemble an army of 1,500 soldiers.
「In the hall」
Chen Jiuge looked at the dense crowd of nearly a thousand maids and servants below him and felt a bit dizzy, asking, "Why are there so many people?"
An old man dressed in a green scholar’s robe, looking kindly, stepped forward carefully and said, "My lord, I am temporarily the chief steward. My na is Chen Feng. These people were all bestowed by the Ritual Departnt."
He continued, "These are the indenture contracts."
A thick stack of indenture contracts was handed to Chen Jiuge by Chen Feng.
These indenture contracts were strongly binding. They were not only protected by the laws of the Qingming Ancient Country but also marked by the Dao, aning these contracts were recognized by the cosmic Dao as legitimate.
"That’s really outrageous!" Chen Jiuge exclaid, though he was not too concerned.
He then threw the contracts on the table and turned his gaze towards a ten-foot-tall Armored Soldier standing next to Chen Feng, asking, "And who are you?"
"We twelve are the Divine Martial Guards bestowed by His Majesty. I am the team leader, Yu Sanxiao."
Divine Storage Realm Cultivation, and the most difficult Body Cultivation Divine Storage at that. This King of Qingming is truly generous.
Chen Jiuge then said, "I don’t really understand all this, so let’s leave it at that. Chen Feng, you will continue to handle the arrangents within the mansion."
"Yu Sanxiao, since you are a Divine Martial Guard, you must be very strong. My current batch of slaves is too weak; please help train them. Also, they don’t have any Cultivation Techniques yet. Go buy so. Get the resources from Chen Feng."
"If there’s nothing else, you may all leave," Chen Jiuge said, waving his hand.
The crowd dispersed, leaving only Chen Feng unmoved.
"My lord, the resources in the mansion’s treasury are running low," Chen Feng said, presenting a list.
The list recorded the expenses of the past half-year. Although these people had signed indenture contracts, they still needed to be paid, as they all required resources for Cultivation. Selling themselves was an indication of their loyalty to him; it didn’t an they no longer required compensation.
Chen Jiuge had no resources of his own; the expenses during this period had been drawn from the reward he had previously received.
"If there is no inco, at the previous salary rate, we can last for about a hundred years. However, if my lord wishes to train the guards, the consumption rate will have to increase by dozens, if not hundreds, of tis," Chen Feng reminded him.
"Is that so? No worries. Don’t concern yourself with the resources; I’ll handle it," Chen Jiuge said, waving dismissively.
Seeing Chen Jiuge’s confident deanor, Chen Feng couldn’t help but feel relieved.
"Also, Chen Feng, gather information on shops that deal in Spiritual Beasts. I have a batch I need to sell."
"Yes, my lord."
As a chief steward specially trained by the Ritual Departnt for nobility, Chen Feng was certainly capable. Gathering information on a few shops was a relatively effortless task for him.
In less than an hour, a thick dossier was delivered into Chen Jiuge’s hands.
His vast Divine Soul Power whirled rapidly. Within a few breaths, Chen Jiuge had absorbed all the information and selected the most suitable shop for his current needs—the Beast Pavilion.
...
Accompanied by twelve Divine Martial Guards, Chen Jiuge walked unhurriedly into the splendidly decorated Beast Pavilion.
"Well, well, if it isn’t the new Assistant Minister of the Beast Control Departnt?" a voluptuous female shopkeeper with seductive eyes said, gently taking Chen Jiuge’s arm as if she were boneless.
"Heh, you must be Manager Yu, I presu. I have a small matter of business I’d like to discuss with you." Chen Jiuge wasn’t surprised that this Manager Yu knew his identity. After all, whenever an official was formally appointed, their likeness would be publicly circulated to prevent minor misunderstandings.
"Just call Yu Niang, Assistant Minister. This way, please," Yu Niang said with a charming laugh.
Wisps of fragrant smoke rose. This private room, specially designed for entertaining nobles, was filled with a unique fragrance that made one’s Divine Soul operate more rapidly and clearly.
The Spiritual Beasts I have aren’t actually that many, and their value is only average, Chen Jiuge thought. The reason Yu Niang brought to a place like this and is entertaining with such high standards is entirely due to my official position.
He took out hundreds of thousands of Green Jade Mice, over a million Fire Spiritual Mice, and a large number of other unique Mutant Spiritual Beasts, even Yin Pole Deer and Yang Pole Deer.
As for the Taiji Deer, he was sowhat apprehensive. Chen Jiuge didn’t dare to sell it. Who knows if the King of Qingming would fly into a rage and imprison if I sold it?
Yu Niang’s Cultivation was very high, at least at the True Monarch Cultivation level, possibly even higher. With a light sweep of her Divine Sense, a hint of pink flashed in her eyes. Yu Niang now had a certain understanding of the value of these Spiritual Beasts.
"Lord Chen, the grades of these Spiritual Beasts are a bit low!" Yu Niang said, her White Jade-like fingers tapping lightly on the Purple Jade desk.
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