New House

To show his respect for the Sun family, Zhang Kun not only personally welcomed Sun Jing and his entourage, but also invited them to stay in their newly moved-in residence.

The River Works Battalion has completed the dredging of the moat outside Xuanwu Gate and has also assisted the Ministry of Works in demolishing and leveling Liulichang.

Liulichang covered an area of ​​420 acres. The Ministry of Works' Construction Office dismantled Liulichang into sections and sold them off.

Each plot is about 20 to 30 mu, and the base price is 15 taels per mu.

Some were genuine sales pitches, while others were just for show, with the actual transaction going at the reserve price, such as Zhang Kun's eunuch godfather.

After the auction ended, Zhang Kun bought a plot of land of three and a half mu from his eunuch godfather for 85 taels of silver.

Just like that, the eunuch godfather bought 55 acres and was able to earn 3850 taels!

Madam Cheng's side was a genuine sale, and the deal was completed at 45 taels of silver. The twenty-four acres she bought would only earn her 960 taels of silver.

Zhang Kun owned 30% of the shares and received 612 taels back, including principal and interest.

I'll use this money to build a new house on the land I bought:

The layout is a five-courtyard siheyuan, consisting of a main courtyard and east and west side courtyards.

The first courtyard of the east wing was a stable, the second and third courtyards were vegetable gardens that served as a garden, and the fourth and fifth courtyards were separate courtyards for overnight guests.

The first and second courtyards of the west wing were originally storefronts, intended for the future bookstore business, while the third courtyard served as a warehouse.

The fourth and fifth courtyards were a villa bestowed upon Xu Xin.

Zhang Kun originally intended to reward Xu Xin with the two courtyards in Liuxiang, but Xu Xin insisted on working by his side.

Therefore, the reward was given to Zuo Liangyu, who had done a good job in eliminating Lu Sili.

Yang Desheng and Cao Meng are also there; they live near Zhang Kun's new residence and can come quickly in case of an emergency.

"Qing'er, go and call a few servants to move the items parked in the garden into the back courtyard..."

Ning Xuan'er, who was in charge of looking after the family residence, was busy directing the maids everywhere, trying to clear out the entire east wing.

Turning around, he bumped into Sun Shuyun, who was accompanied by servants from the Sun family. An instinctive hostility welled up inside him, and he said:

"Who are you?"

Sun Shuyun guessed that Ning Xuan'er was Zhang Kun's concubine, so she gave a curtsy and introduced herself:

"My name is Shuyun from the Sun family. I've come with my father to stay at your home for a few days."

"So it's Sister Sun."

Ning Xuan'er still felt something was amiss, but she had to be polite, so she apologized to Sun Shuyun:

"We just moved in recently, and the yard is quite messy. Please forgive us."

"It's alright, it's alright."

Sun Shuyun pointed to the servants of the Sun family behind her and said to Ning Xuan'er with a smile:

"My older sister has taken care of some family members; my younger sister just needs to do whatever she wants."

"This...this isn't right. How can we let guests help us clean up?"

Ning Xuan'er wanted to agree, but the Zhang family had too few servants and maids to manage such a large new house.

Unfortunately, the kitchen was still preparing a family banquet, leaving Ning Xuan'er with even fewer people.

Moreover, Ning Xuan'er was worried that if she didn't clean up the east courtyard soon, Zhang Kun would hit her on the head again.

"It's alright, my sister may not know, but our two families are very close."

Sun Shuyun smiled and advised Ning Xuan'er:

"In Tianjin, Zhang Qianhu's mother, as well as his maternal grandparents, lived next door to my house."

"ah......"

Hearing Sun Shuyun say this, Ning Xuan'er immediately felt guilty, as she had never met Zhang Kun's elders.

In those days, when an unmarried man took a concubine, he would often bring the concubine to meet his elders.

Furthermore, Zhang Kun hadn't taken her in as a concubine yet; in reality, she was just a maid kept in his household.

"Quickly help your sister tidy up this place."

Seeing this, Sun Shuyun directly gave instructions to the servants of the Sun family behind her.

Ning Xuan'er felt embarrassed to refuse, so she went along with it and instructed the Zhang family's maids and servants to cooperate with the Sun family.

Not long after, Zhang Kun, Sun Jing, and Matsuura Yasunobu arrived at the East Wing.

Matsuura Yasunobu, of the lowest rank, was the first to bow to the well-dressed Ning Xuan'er, and then asked Zhang Kun with a smile:

"May I ask who this lady is?"

"This is my concubine, her surname is Ning."

Zhang Kun explained to Sun Jing and Matsuura Yasunori, and then nodded to Sun Shuyun, saying:

"Miss Sun, you look great. You've completely overcome that ordeal. Congratulations!"

"If it weren't for Lord Qianhu's two acts of rescue and guidance, I wouldn't have been able to survive this ordeal."

Sun Shuyun performed a deep curtsy to Zhang Kun, looked him in the eyes, and respectfully thanked him:

"I have no way to repay you, except to pray before the Buddha for your well-being, may you enjoy long life and good health, and may your descendants be noble and powerful for generations to come!"

Zhang Kun was somewhat puzzled, so Sun Jing quickly explained:

"My daughter is currently practicing Buddhism at home with her hair still intact, praying for her two deceased brothers."

"I see."

Zhang Kun nodded and advised Sun Shuyun, "You are still young, don't waste your life on Buddhist practices."

With the intention of seeing the rescuer through to the end, he then suggested to Sun Jing:

"Master Sun has been doing business all over the years and has seen many merchants whose owners are women, right?"

I think the Sun family's daughter is literate and speaks well, so why don't we let her go out and work too?

If the Sun family business doesn't have a suitable position, then let the Sun family's daughter work for me.

Zhang Kun's maternal grandparents and mother's uncle were not very literate. After moving to Tianjin, the family letters they wrote were all written by Sun Shuyun.

"I'm afraid my daughter lacks experience and might not be able to handle the task you assigned."

Sun Jing was overjoyed, but he didn't show it. He smiled wryly at Zhang Kun.

"No problem, just do some simple tasks like writing and drawing first."

Zhang Kun waved his hand and asked Sun Shuyun with a smile, "We should ask Miss Sun if she's willing?"

"Lord Qianhu is my benefactor."

Sun Shuyun did not answer Zhang Kun directly, but instead performed a curtsy and said:

"Since my benefactor has given such instructions, I will naturally obey."

"Then it's settled."

Zhang Kun pointed towards the west courtyard and explained to Sun Jing in detail:

"I plan to open a bookstore over there, doing things like copying, proofreading, binding, repairing, and embroidering."

Miss Sun can help with all of this..."

Ning Xuan'er felt increasingly uneasy as she listened, alarm bells ringing in her mind. She stepped forward and interjected:

"Master, it's almost noon. The kitchen is almost ready. Shall we begin the preparations?"

"Let me see..."

Zhang Kun took out the pocket watch, which had been given to him by Matsuura Yasunobu and cost eight hundred taels of silver, and nodded, saying, "Go and make the arrangements."

Seeing this, Sun Shuyun smiled and said, "I'll also go to the kitchen to help Sister Ning."

An awkward silence fell between Ning Xuan'er and Sun Shuyun in the kitchen.

After a moment, Sun Shuyun spoke first, "Sister..."

"Does my sister only worship Buddha and Guanyin?"

Ning Xuan'er interrupted Sun Shuyun and asked her expressionlessly:

"Sister may not know, but Master often goes to the Niangniang Temple in Nanhai to worship the Goddess of Mount Tai."

"Oh?"

Sun Shuyun was taken aback, not expecting that Zhang Kun, a grown man, would frequently worship Bixiao Yuanjun.

However, Sun Shuyun had heard on the way that people in the capital revered Bixiao Yuanjun the most, so perhaps she was just following local customs.

Thinking of this, Sun Shuyun smiled and said to Ning Xuan'er:

"Thank you for reminding me, sister. I heard from senior practitioners that Bixiao Yuanjun is actually an incarnation of Guanyin Bodhisattva."

Guanyin Bodhisattva, in order to relieve suffering and distress, manifested her divine light, appearing in the form of the Compassionate Woman in the Eastern Peak, nourishing the homes of all beings.

Even if that's not true, Bixiao Yuanjun has protected many believers and has countless miraculous responses, so I should still go and pay my respects.

Ning Xuan'er sneered inwardly, "Just you wait, someone will deal with you then."