latelenovela Chapter 463 The Steward of Bright Moon Manor, Part 1: Jiang Qiao
Chapter 463 The Steward of Bright Moon Manor, Part 1: Jiang Qiao
The Five Elements Academy is divided into the Medicinal Cuisine Hall (which was opened by Dongfang Jin according to the recipes in the "Medicinal Cuisine" book in the Ruyi Realm; it is her own business).
Caiwen Clothing Shop (owned by Gu Caiwei and Yang Wenwen).
Qinxiangju (selling various floral-scented balms, lipsticks, floral soaps, perfumes, etc., was a property of Prince Dun's Mansion).
Linlang Pavilion (sells various glass products and ceramics, mainly tea sets; it is part of Lingyun Pavilion's business.)
Bencaoju (selling various rare medicinal herbs, it is Dongfang Jin's own business and also the most profitable shop in Mingyue Manor).
The medicinal herbs here are only sold to VIPs visiting Mingyue Manor.
Each courtyard in Mingyue Villa is surrounded by flowing water, which is drawn from the mountain springs and hot springs of the Western Hills. The tinkling sound and the shadows of flowers complement each other.
Most of the flowers in the courtyard were found by her after traveling to various places, and then cultivated in Ruyi Realm.
Some of them were grafted using flowers from the courtyard of Ruyi Residence.
These flowers are all imbued with a spiritual quality; they not only have a long blooming period but also produce very large blossoms.
Everything here was built and planted by Jun Qirui and his second brother, following her design drawings.
The estate south of Mingyue Manor belongs to the Changsun Lan family, and also includes the dowry of Meng Peiyao, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Duke of Zhenguo.
There are also many estates belonging to powerful and wealthy families gathered here in the surrounding area.
The emperor, her cousin, gave her this estate as part of her mother's dowry.
Later, when her mother found out about this, she gave her the estate under her name.
The only difference was that her mother-in-law's estate was in between, and at that time the estate was under the name of her eldest sister, Gu Yunxi.
Later, when her elder sister heard that she wanted to change the ownership of the estate, she contacted Gu Chenglin and transferred the estate to her.
She did not mistreat her elder sister; in return for the estate, she gave her a 10% share of the net profits from Lingyun Pavilion.
Later, when Ruyi was searching for calligraphy and paintings in the warehouse, she found two property deeds for the estates among the items that had been confiscated from the Zheng family's underground palace.
Those two estates happened to be next to the one her mother had given her.
There were five estates in total, and she combined them into one, which she named "Bright Moon Estate".
All the buildings here are designs based on ancient elements that Gu Chenglin and she found on their computers.
Some of the people in the village were personally selected by my mother, eldest brother, and second brother, and they were all trustworthy.
The workers she hired were all wounded soldiers who had been discharged from the Helian army. They were all people she had asked the Duke of Zhenguo for.
She still vividly remembers how the Duke of Zhenguo laughed excitedly, like a child who had just received a piece of candy, after hearing her words.
To the north of Mingyue Villa is the main road leading to the Royal Temple, and further north is the Royal Estate.
"Is this Mingyue Manor?" Chu Mengyu asked, noticing the blooming red roses in the flowerbed at the entrance.
The high walls were also covered with colorful roses.
"so beautiful!"
Jiang Qiao jogged over and was about to kneel down in front of Dongfang Jin, but Gu Chenglin helped him up.
"Butler Jiang, there's no need for formalities. We came here unexpectedly as well."
Jiang Qiao saw the person jumping off the carriage and said happily, "Princess, son-in-law, young masters and ladies, please come in with this old servant."
The young prince had already sent a message saying that the princess had returned to the capital, and they were all looking forward to her coming to stay for a while.
"It's getting cold soon, are there many people coming to soak in the hot springs?" Dongfang Jin asked, pulling Gu Caiwei with one hand and Xiao Mengyu with the other as they walked into the manor.
Jiang Qiao grew up with his father, and when we first met, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were as deep as if they had been carved by a knife.
There is a light brown mole below the corner of his left eye, which, when he makes a slight expression, looks like a tea seed that has fallen on the bark of an old tree.
At the age of forty-eight, his hair was already half white, revealing a broad forehead with three shallow lines across it, like the marks left by the passage of time.
His palms were always warm and red, with thin calluses on his fingertips, the result of years of holding an abacus and calculating accounts, and serving tea to his masters.
On the tiger's mouth is a light-colored scar left from when he was cut by an enemy's knife while on a mission with his father.
His back always had a habitual slight bow, as if he was about to pay his respects to his masters at any time, or like an old tree that was bent by wind and rain but never fell.
The most noticeable feature is the inch-long scar behind his right ear, which is faintly visible hidden in his temple.
It is said that he was left behind by bandits when he followed his father to suppress bandits in his fiefdom twenty years ago.
Seeing that scar reminded her of the miserable state Gu Chenglin had in when they first met.
The scar was made even fainter by the newly grown white hair, yet it still resembled a stubborn line, etched with countless days and nights of painstaking effort over the past twenty years.
When he squinted, he resembled a bronze statue covered in a thin layer of dust; though no longer sharp, he possessed a calm and composed demeanor.
Ruyi thought he was alright, so she had Gu Chenglin give him a pill.
He looks like he's forty years old now.
"Your Highness, it's not bad. Most of the guests coming to the estate now are here for a short stay."
Those people started by renting for seven days, but now they're all paying monthly..."
Jiang Qiao stepped aside, walking a step behind Dongfang Jin, and bent down to report on the situation of Mingyue Manor.
"At first, those people came just to soak in the hot springs, but now they're all coming for our medicinal cuisine."
Just as the princess said, most of the people who come to the estate now are elderly people and ladies from wealthy and powerful families.
It's often said that men spend money like water, but when women spend money, it's absolutely insane.
In the past year or so, he has truly broadened his horizons at Mingyue Manor.
Moreover, Mingyue Manor also has a loyal guard team of stray dogs (found by Dongfang Jin in the capital).
They were not only strong and sturdy, but also imposing.
There is also a bird "messenger" team, which is even better than the pigeons of Prince Dun's mansion.
Because of this, the young prince begged the princess for a long time, but she still wouldn't give it to him.
Gu Chenglin looked at the completed estate; he hadn't been here for two years.
Unexpectedly, Zhuangzi was built so beautifully by them, like a fairyland.
However, compared to the Realm of Wishes, there is still a world of difference.
This is all thanks to his wife!
Thinking about it, he looked at Dongfang Jin, this ethereal woman was his wife.
The children following behind were all excitedly looking around.
Because of her status, she would occasionally mutter in surprise, "So beautiful."
"This place is so beautiful."
"Wow, there's still steam rising from that river."
"This place is simply a place where gods live," and similar sentiments.
Just as the group was turning at the fork in the road, they encountered two people who were neither quite familiar nor completely unfamiliar with each other—Hua Lingshu and Xie Wenjing.
Hua Lingshu stood like a star surrounded by admirers on the road leading to the hot springs, while Xie Wenjing, who was standing opposite her, stood facing her with a tense standoff.
An Qin, who was watching from a distance, saw Dongfang Jin and her group.
He immediately ran over: "Master, they are fighting over the right to live in Dongli Residence, what do you think?"
Dongfang Jin was a little curious, since these two were mortal enemies even before they got married.
Wherever they went, they would fight over whatever the other wanted.
However, I heard that the Hua family, also known as the Ningguo Duke's Mansion, arranged for Hua Lingshu to become a marriage partner for the sake of the family's interests.
She married Xie Wenfeng, the grandson of Prime Minister Xie's elder brother and Xie Wenjing's cousin.
However, Xie Wenfeng's family was in business, and his backer was Prime Minister Xie, so once he entered the Xie family's gate, he was inferior to Xie Wenjing.
Xie Wenjing, however, married Mu Qingqing, the eldest grandson of the Duke of Dingguo, into the Mu family of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion.
This Mu Qingqing is the younger brother of Mu Qingfeng, a good friend of the second brother. He is now following Long Er and can be considered a member of Lingyun Pavilion.
He was considered a manager at Lingyun Pavilion, and his salary was quite good. After working for five years, he would also receive a bonus.
Even when I get old, I still receive a monthly wage.
This was implemented by Dongfang Jin based on the pension insurance system of later generations.
In matters of marriage, Xie Wenjing is one step ahead of Hua Lingshu, and how could the proud and arrogant Hua Lingshu possibly accept that?
Unfortunately, Xie Wenfeng was rich, and Hua Lingshu's status and position were undeniable.
For the sake of his family's business, Xie Wenfeng had no choice but to tolerate her arrogance and domineering attitude.