Chapter 165: The Grand Mansion
The carriage wheels rolled for a long time.
Jiang Mianmian had eaten six pieces of preserved fruit, and her teeth were a little sore.
Only then did they arrive at their destination.
It was a very large gate.
It looked like the entrance to a university.
It was tall and imposing.
A single gate like this was very expensive; besides the thick wooden planks, the bearings and such for the gate certainly wouldn’t be cheap.
There were also iron knockers on the gate, and above each ring was a beast’s head, whose eyes looked like they were made of greyish, clouded gemstones.
On the lintel above the gate hung a plaque—Jiang Mansion.
It had gold characters on a black background and looked very new.
The official who had come to welcome them should have said with a proud tone: “This calligraphy was bestowed personally by the Prefect.”
But now, faced with Lord Sima, who looked devastatingly beautiful and frail but would kill without saying a word, Officer Xiao He wiped the light sweat from his forehead: “This is the Prefect’s calligraphy, prepared especially for Lord Sima. I wonder if you like it?”
Jiang Changtian nodded slightly; it was alright, but this calligraphy wasn’t as good as what Brother Yehang wrote.
Jiang Mianmian and her group got off the carriage and discovered that the gate had stairs.
No wonder it wasn’t opened easily.
It felt quite inconvenient to enter and exit, as one had to walk up a flight of stone steps first, but it looked much more magnificent.
After walking up the stairs, there was the gate, with stone sculptures on both sides.
Jiang Mianmian looked at them curiously; they weren’t lions. There was one on each side, though she didn’t know what kind of animals they were, but they looked fierce.
The stone carvings were old, unlike the new plaque.
Aunt Yin recognized this residence; it had previously belonged to a retired court official and was very mysterious.
Before the Rebels arrived, the whole family had moved away.
Later, the residence was occupied by the Rebels, and after the Rebels surrendered, it was vacated for Lord Jiang.
It was a four-courtyard compound.
It was quite large for the Prefecture City.
When there were many people, Jiang Mianmian acted as if she had no feet, and Great-Aunt always carried her.
Upon entering, aside from the two servants standing on the left and right of the gate, the first thing they saw was a courtyard. Beside the courtyard was a row of rooms, likely the side rooms on the outermost perimeter where the servants lived.
The courtyard had trees and flowers, and in a corner, there was a large vat filled with water, likely for firefighting purposes.
Passing through this courtyard, they arrived at a long corridor, and after walking through it, they saw a relatively larger courtyard.
It was like a large playground; walking through the middle of the courtyard in the middle of summer would make one very easily tanned.
Seeing such a large courtyard, one could slightly understand why young ladies from wealthy families would take a sedan chair to pay their respects to their Mothers when they were feeling unwell.
If they didn’t take a sedan chair and had to run back and forth to pay their respects three times a day, their exercise quota would definitely be met, and they certainly wouldn’t turn into fair, petite, and delicate young ladies—they would probably all be strong and tan.
This courtyard was so huge, with long corridors on both sides and rooms.
The main hall, study, and reception room were all here.
There were rows of pillars, and under them stood maids and manservants with relatively uniform clothing, and a few of the maids were quite striking in appearance.
Seeing the master enter, they all bowed to pay their respects.
With slender shoulders, slender waists, and slender necks.
If it were any other time, this would be a pleasant sight, but today, the official welcoming them saw the demeanor of these maids, and sweat began to pour down again.
Don’t, don’t court death, please don’t.
That girl with the long, white neck, don’t stretch your neck out; I’m worried you’ll get it chopped off.
Keep your eyes in check, don’t let them wander.
He had originally thought that his tactic of preparing such a luxurious mansion and beautiful maids would be very effective, but now he felt very embarrassed, nervous, and terrified.
Stop batting your eyelashes, please stop.
The officials and attendants who had followed them all the way from the city gate wished they could use their official robes or their backsides to block those eyelash-batting maids.
Were they really in such a hurry to die?
Jiang Mianmian, however, didn’t notice these maids; she just felt that in such a large house, sun protection was essential.
A fair complexion covers a hundred flaws; being fair is very important.
Actually, her Mother’s facial features were very dignified and beautiful, but the reason it wasn’t obvious was that her skin was a bit dark and overly athletic, making her look a bit coarse.
If she had snow-white skin, with that figure—tsk tsk, just thinking about it was delightful.
It seemed that Mother’s body was actually very fair; Jiang Mianmian could attest to that.
How does one make sunscreen again?
Forget it, give up; physical sun protection it is.
Wearing a veil on her head or holding an umbrella would work, and besides, there were others to hold an umbrella for her.
Following Great-Aunt inside, they arrived at another courtyard.
This courtyard was impressive; it had flowers, plants, a pond, and a pavilion, practically like walking through a park.
There were long corridors around the outer edge; the ancients certainly had sun protection in mind.
In the middle were stone steps and small paths.
Thinking about those household intrigue stories, here, concubines and the like would have a chance to encounter the head of the house, though it was slightly awkward. Although it was large, it wasn’t so large that one couldn’t see people clearly or play hide-and-seek.
This was likely where the women of the household lived, and outsiders shouldn’t enter, which was why they were brought in by a maid.
The two officials and their attendants stopped outside.
Looking at the bedrooms one by one, the biggest impression was that the beds were huge.
One bed might be even larger than a bedroom in her modern life.
Inside the bed, there were storage cabinets and curtains; it seemed like one could even set up a table inside to eat, and it felt like if one opened up the space under the bed to make a tunnel, hiding a few people would be no problem at all.
The bedroom also had an outer room, but it was that long, narrow kind, and it felt like the structure wasn’t as comfortable as their house in Kaner Village.
However, the carved windows, wooden pillars, and walls here all had a sense of historical weight and wealth.
In comparison, the house in Kaner Village was probably simple, while this was a luxury-renovated house.
Jiang Mianmian took a look; the carvings on the bedroom windows featured eight pictures, including rabbits, birds, rats, flowers, and plants…
The doors were also those row-style ones with carvings on them; they could be opened fully, exposing the entire room, or just one door could be opened.
The door panels looked very thick and heavy.
She specifically looked at the fabric in the middle of the carved doors and windows. Jiang Mianmian poked it with her finger; it didn’t seem easy to poke through, so it wouldn’t be punctured easily, otherwise, it would be too insecure.
Behind this courtyard, there was actually another one, even deeper inside.
This courtyard had a large horse-riding field, the grass was lush and green, and there was a small hill with a pavilion on top.
This location was impressive.
Looking at other places from a high vantage point had a great advantage; everything was in full view.
Moreover, it also served as a secure lookout.
It was getting dark, so they didn’t climb up.
The lanterns of this residence lit up one by one.
Watching the maids stand on their tiptoes to hang the lanterns with a pole was quite atmospheric.
It was just that the cost of the oil for the lamps and such must be a huge expense.
Jiang Mianmian felt a bit uneasy; could the salary of Father, this Commander Jiang, afford to live in such a large mansion and support so many servants?
It felt like living in a house like this, upon entering, one could visibly see that there were more maids and servants than their own family members.
If the other side wanted to rebel, would they be killed by the servants?
Jiang Mianmian had never hired anyone before, so she was still a bit unsettled.
Having more hired servants than family members—how was this handled in ancient times?
However, watching Great-Aunt command the people efficiently, it seemed there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
They took a rough tour.
And then it was evening.
The two officials said they would host a banquet to welcome them.
Jiang Changtian waved his hand and said: “I have just arrived, so let’s rest and reorganize first. Tomorrow, I will be the host and invite everyone.”
The two officials didn’t dare to force Commander Jiang to attend the banquet, and they said repeatedly: “That is only right, that is only right. Then Lord Jiang, please rest well. If there is anything you need, send someone to call me at any time. I live in the residence at the entrance of this street.”
The officials and their attendants left.
The gate of Jiang Mansion slowly closed.
The lanterns slowly lit up one by one.
Jiang Mianmian looked at the lanterns; they were like stars in the sky, twinkling and glittering.
She took a deep breath.
The wind in the Prefecture City was hotter and drier than in Kaner Village.
There was no smog, but the air had a bit more of the scent of daily life.
On the street outside the courtyard, someone was making soup, and the aroma drifted in.
Starting today, they would settle down in the Prefecture City.
Today, Mianmian, from a starving refugee and the young daughter of Jiang the Second, had become the young lady of Commander Jiang’s household.
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