Chapter 66: Back in Dongzhi City
Chapter 66: Back in Dongzhi City
When morning arrived, Xiang Ling and the others headed downstairs, after freshening up, to have an early breakfast. The sky was covered in clouds but every now and then, the sun kept peeking from behind them, teasing the Mortal Realm with its warmth.
After finishing their breakfast, they immediately set out toward Dongzhi City. Xiang Ling, Fu Xiao, and the An sisters settled down in the big carriage. Aunt Yan and the other three girls took the second carriage which was still big enough for four people. The men mounted the horses, each horse carried two of them.
The journey was mostly eventless and by the time they entered the City gate of the Dongzhi City, it was already past noon. The two big carriages and nearly a dozen horses caught way too much attention from the citizens.
On their way to the Chen Manor, Xiang Ling asked the coachman to stop the carriage in front of the vegetable stalls. She then handed Fu Xiao a total of five silver taels and asked her to buy enough rations for the next few days.
While Fu Xiao left to take care of the task, the rest of them headed toward the Magistrate Manor. The carriages stopped at the front gate of the manor and everyone climbed down. When Xiang Ling stepped out of the carriage and moved to climb down, she found a hand waiting there to help her down. Her gaze looked up at the owner of that hand and she found herself looking into a pair of beautiful sapphire blue eyes.
Her eyes immediately shifted toward the others and she was momentarily baffled at what she saw. All her husbands were waiting for her at the entrance along with the group of servants and for the first time since she arrived in the Moral Realm, Xiang Ling found people looking at her with softness and warmth in their eyes instead of disgust and bitterness. So much had changed within the past two weeks that she spent in the Mortal Realm.
A smile made its way to her lips and she accepted the hand offered to her. She slipped her fingers into his palm before his fingers covered hers as he closed his palm. Even though his skin was warm against hers, her spiritual energy felt the sleeping cold divine energy in him.
Li Xian didn’t immediately let go of her hand once she had climbed down from the carriage and it seemed like Xiang Ling wasn’t the only one who noticed it. He eventually released her hand a moment or so later.
They all entered the Manor and Xiang Ling took the new servants in the direction of the main hall of the manor. Unexpectedly, all five of her husbands followed as well.
As they opened the door and stepped inside, Xiang Ling was horrified to see the state of the hall. The floor was covered in a heavy layer of dust. Cobwebs were seen everywhere, and the furniture was scattered all around the place. Except for her husbands, everyone was taken aback by the state of the place.
Clearing her throat, Xiang Ling turned around to face the group of servants and addressed them. "This is the manor of the current County Magistrate of this city and I’m Chen Xiang Ling, the First Young Miss of this family." She started by officially introducing herself.
Her attention then shifted toward the five good-looking men and she began again, "These five Young Masters over here... are my husbands." The words tasted foreign to her as she called them hers for the first time and despite the absurdity of the situation, something inside her liked the idea of all five of these fine men belonging to her.
Shaking off her thoughts, she started introducing the men whose gazes were fixed on her and were making her feel way more self-conscious about her choice of words.
The servants did appear shocked to know that she had not one but five husbands as it was still not usual for a woman to marry more than one man. However, they didn’t ponder too much on the topic and accepted the relationship of their master.
"As you all can already see, this place hasn’t been looked after for a while as the owner is no longer living here. Your first task here is to bring back this place to life and its former glory. It will need a thorough cleaning of all the courtyards, ponds, and gardens, and a little bit of rebuilding and renovation. By the end of the month, I will evaluate all of you based on your work and you will get fixed jobs and promotions according to your performance."
The servants looked excited by her words and it made Xiang Ling feel satisfied. She had a high hope from these people whom she had selected for herself. It would have been a disappointment if they didn’t turn out as she expected them to be.
Fu Xiao entered the hall at that moment and informed Xiang Ling that the rations would be arriving within half an hour. Nodding her head in approval, she directed the girl, "Take them to the servant quarters and let them all settle down. Once the rations are here, prepare lunch for everyone and then we will discuss the rest."
Fu Xiao and the others bowed their heads as they took their leave. Xiang Ling watched them leave the hall before she turned her attention toward her husbands who had been silently listening to her all this time. "Can I get a map of this manor?" Her question wasn’t directed to anyone in particular and it was Wen Zhe Yuan who answered. "I have one. Let me go and get it for you."
Before the man could have moved to leave the hall, Xiang Ling stopped him. "Nevermind. Let’s go to your courtyard." Her eyes darted around the hall as she proposed the idea.
Wen Zhe Yuan accepted her idea immediately. "As you wish, LingLing. Besides, it’s been a while since you visited my courtyard."