Martial Arts Showdown: My Wife Asked Me to Be the Champion

Chapter 109 This humble servant is willing to be your slave, to serve Young Master Xu day and night.

Chapter 109 This humble servant is willing to be your slave, to serve Young Master Xu day and night.

Stealing a half-day of leisure, Xu Qingya lay on the rocking chair, stretching out his arms and legs, enjoying the massage from Beitang Xin'er and Qin Nanqin.

Zhuge Zhengwo, who was "recovering from his injuries" in Jiangling, could no longer keep up the pretense. He ended his vacation and returned to the capital, leaving all the follow-up tasks to him.

In a daze, Zhuge Zheng felt that he, the Grand Tutor of the court, had become Xu Qingya's old nanny.

While Xu Qingya was in charge of suppressing bandits and arresting people, he followed behind to clean up the mess and handle things properly.

In Jingzhou, Xu Qingya annihilated the Longsha Gang, found the Liancheng Treasure, fought a great battle against the Ancient Sword Soul, and even wiped out the Blackwater Path thousands of miles away.

Zhuge Zhengwo stayed behind twice to handle the aftermath.

In Bianliang, Xu Qingya completed his "upgrade" and in just one month, he successively destroyed five forces: Seven Kill Valley, Broken Soul Valley, Heavenly Dao Manor, Seven Kill Society, and Black Stone.

The money, food, cloth, and labor for disaster relief and reconstruction were all prepared at once. At the same time, the huge amount of funds at hand were used to attract merchants from nearby states to do business and quickly complete the reconstruction.

The matter was handled very well, but the speed of action was too fast and the ruthlessness too great. The behind-the-scenes forces of these underworld groups have been attacking Xu Qingya.

Zhuge Zhengwo immediately returned to the capital to help with the aftermath.

Meanwhile, the ledgers and letters seized from the five underworld groups were all sent to the capital, and those behind the scenes quickly distanced themselves to protect themselves.

A simple cut was obviously impossible. Liu Dinghuan and Zhuge Zhengwo took advantage of the situation and launched a fierce attack, relentlessly pursuing their target. How could they possibly stop until they suffered heavy losses?

Xu Qingya understood nothing about the political intrigues and power struggles of the court; he only knew that these things were utterly boring and far less interesting than beautiful women.

Qin Nanqin wore light makeup. Beneath her delicate eyebrows were a pair of bright and beautiful eyes, and below her small and exquisite nose were delicate and beautiful cherry lips, warm red, fragrant and alluring, making one want to take a bite.

Beitang Xin'er wore a white dress, her petite figure was plump, her round face and curved eyebrows gave her both the cuteness of a girl next door and the domineering aura of a holy maiden of a demonic sect, with a hint of resentment between her brows.

Beitang Xin'er looked at Xu Qingya with resentment, as if she were looking at a heartless scoundrel who had started a relationship and then abandoned her. Her hands were heavy and light, and when she occasionally looked at Qin Nanqin, the resentment in her eyes almost dripped down her face.

Qin Nanqin comforted her, "Miss Beitang, why are you jealous of me? I'm just a maid, a dowry maid brought by Miss. Now that you're married into the family, you can at least be the second wife, and you can also bring a dowry maid!"

Beitang Xin'er complained, "Nanqin, if my senior brother were half as considerate as you, I wouldn't have any worries!"

Xu Qingya's face twitched slightly: "Xin'er, how am I not considerate? I've done everything for you—making your bed, washing your clothes, feeding you—no, I've fed you, I've only done the foot bath. How about I wash your feet?"

Upon hearing this, Beitang Xin'er snorted, went to the side to bring over a recliner, gestured with her hand to make it perpendicular to Xu Qingya's recliner, lay down, gently raised her legs, and placed her jade feet in Xu Qingya's palm.

With a quick bounce, she removed her shoes and socks, revealing a pair of flawless, plump feet. The pink soles gleamed with a smooth luster, and her five slender toes were neatly clustered together. The pale pink toe flesh resembled double-petaled flower stamens, lively, vibrant, and exquisitely beautiful.

From the soles to the arches, the color gradually changes from a delicate flesh-pink to a light pink, and from the soles to the calves, the color gradually transitions to a lotus root white.

Qin Nanqin knew Xu Qingya's preferences best. She glanced over instinctively and her heart fluttered. She thought to herself that Beitang Xin'er's jade feet were truly unparalleled.

How could this be a desert rose that grew up in the vast deserts of the Western Regions and endured countless sandstorms? Even a girl who grew up in the water towns of Jiangnan wouldn't have such delicate and beautiful feet.

Even Qin Nanqin couldn't resist wanting to touch it, let alone Xu Qingya. Xu Qingya held Beitang Xin'er's jade feet in his palm as if he were holding a finely crafted work of art, and gently rubbed her ankle with his fingertips.

Martial artists often have calluses on their fingers, especially those who practice with weapons; their fingertips and the area between their thumb and forefinger are covered in calluses.

Firstly, it can increase defense by thickening one's skin and flesh, thus reducing pain whether hitting or being hit, and it can also "damage" the impact.

Secondly, people in the martial arts world are often exposed to toxins. Using calluses to test them can effectively protect themselves. It's always better to peel off a layer of calluses than to peel off a layer of flesh.

Xu Qingya's fingertips also had calluses, which brought a slight tingling sensation when they brushed against her skin. Beitang Xin'er subconsciously tucked her toes in, making her small and exquisite feet appear even more lustrous and irresistible.

Qin Nanqin thought to herself that judging from these feet, Beitang Xin'er definitely didn't grow up in the Western Regions. In fact, this was because she was ignorant. The Western Regions were not all sandstorms. Most of the famous dancers liked to dance barefoot.

There are no shortage of beauties in the Western Regions, but Beitang Xin'er doesn't seem to have grown up in the Western Regions. She seems more like someone who grew up in Jiangnan, like a refined lady from a prominent family, bathed in the misty rain of Jiangnan, clear and bright, with a delicate and graceful beauty.

Beitang Xin'er whispered, "Senior brother, Sister Liu has been confined to her quarters again. I told you long ago, how could the prince go to the kitchen?"

"Now look what's happened! Those idle censors have found something to criticize her for, and her three-day confinement has just ended, and now they've added another ten days!"

"Hmm? It can't be that bad—"

"It's probably because they've heard the gossip. Forces like Black Stone and Seven Killings Society have powerful backers, especially Seven Killings Society. As a local bigwig, they offer their backers at least 100,000 strings of cash every year."

This huge deal is not only something we'll never get again, but for our own safety, we have to cut ties with the other party and sacrifice some of our former protégés and officials. Some of the ministers left with faces as sour as stinky tofu.

Your Majesty is diverting attention, letting Liu Erjie take the blame, so that no one will cause you trouble!

Senior brother, you'd better stop causing trouble!

Even the underworld has it tough!

Beitang Xin'er was filled with schadenfreude. She felt immense joy whenever Liu Qingci suffered misfortune; misfortune for those in the underworld was a common occurrence.

"Lian Ni Chang" is even more fun!

Qin Nanqin complained, "These bastards! Once His Majesty has the time, he'll deal with them sooner or later!"

Xu Qingya laughed, "Don't worry, anyone who dares to make things difficult for me, I'll spend the New Year at their house and make sure they find all their old, grudge-breaking enemies. One poisoned their food, another stabbed them in the back, their youngest son assassinated the emperor—I'll drag their whole family to hell!"

Beitang Xin'er spat, "Senior brother, what nonsense are you spouting? Why would you kill the emperor?"

Xu Qingya raised an eyebrow: "This is a little story I saw in my hometown. There was a son of a scholarly family and an official family who was bullied since he was a child. Even his mother was bullied to death. His whole family were his great enemies."

His family was so powerful that he couldn't possibly take revenge on his own. Fortunately, his family was so large that the emperor, to show his favor, came to visit him at home one day.

In order to avenge his entire family, this guy took a knife and tried to assassinate the emperor. Assassinating the king and killing the emperor is an unforgivable crime. Even if the emperor is merciful and does not execute nine generations of his family, the execution of the entire family is still inevitable. Even if the execution of the entire family is not possible, does that mean that the large family has no enemies?

Would the emperor, having survived an assassination attempt, still show favor to this family? Do you think the emperor believed that his illegitimate son wanted to drag his entire family to hell, or did he believe that this family was testing the emperor's limits and their crimes were unforgivable?

Once doubt takes hold, the results appear immediately.

If you doubt the sturdiness of a teacup, it's destined to shatter. You'll keep testing it, lifting it one foot, two feet, three feet off the ground—

It's only when the cup is smashed that you realize that a cup thrown five feet off the ground onto a bluestone slab will break.

Just listen to this story, that's all.

Don't take it seriously!

Beitang Xin'er gave a cold laugh: "Senior brother, it seems the execution of my entire family won't be counted against me! You don't want the emperor to come to the Jing'an Marquis's residence—ah!"

Xu Qingya gently rubbed Beitang Xin'er's sole with her little finger. Beitang Xin'er was ticklish and was so startled that she kicked wildly. She lost control of her body and rocked the recliner backward. Just as she was about to fall flat on her face, a slender hand caught the recliner steadily.

Yang Yan caught the rocking chair with one hand and held three brand-new silver notes in the other, then handed them to Xu Qingya.

"Qingya, look at this!"

"Three hundred taels of silver notes, what for?"

Xu Qingya crossed her arms in surprise and tightened her clothes. Yang Yan scolded, "Stop playing around! I just want to take your clothes off, do you have to go through all this trouble!"

Before he could finish speaking, Xu Qingya felt a lightness around his waist as Qin Nanqin casually untied his belt. Qin Nanqin looked at Xu Qingya with a grin and said, "Master, I'm only so-so at other skills, but this one is unparalleled!"

Beitang Xin'er braced herself on the recliner, then sprang to her feet. She picked up the silver notes, examined them carefully, and exclaimed in surprise, "This isn't right! Why are the serial numbers on these three silver notes the same?"

A bank note is equivalent to a "passbook".

People deposited their gold and silver into money shops, which would issue vouchers based on the amount deposited. In the past, these vouchers were mostly made of iron, but later, paper vouchers, which were more convenient to carry, appeared. These vouchers were called bank notes and could not be used for direct spending.

Only banknotes issued by reputable large banks with branches in various state capitals possess the attributes of currency and can be directly used to trade goods.

For example: Hua's Datong Money Shop, Lu's Ping'an Money Shop, and Huo Xiu's Sitong Money Shop.

These money shops and banks were backed by powerful families and had prestigious reputations. Their banknotes could be used as paper money. The three banknotes that Yang Yan brought over were banknotes from the Hua family, called Datong Baochao. At first glance, they seemed fine, but upon closer inspection, it was discovered that these three banknotes looked like they had been copied and pasted together!

Every part of the banknote is exactly the same.

This includes numbers that are absolutely impossible to be the same.

The Hua family were imperial merchants. In the past three years, when Liu Dinghuan was most short of money, he would go to the Hua family to exchange his silver deposits at Datong Money House, which were equivalent to the national treasury.

If someone were to produce large quantities of Datong Baochao (大通宝钞), causing panic among the people who rushed to exchange them at money shops, even the Hua family's resources would not be able to withstand such a "run on the bank."

The downfall of the Hua family is not the main issue; the newly replenished national treasury may very well be plundered by thieves.

Xu Qingya asked, "Where did you come from?"

Yang Yan said in a deep voice, "The black market in the capital! Linglong Pavilion has three underground banks in the black market. Two days ago, several people used these three silver notes to exchange for cash."

Datong Money Shop has a good reputation, and Datong banknotes are in high demand on the black market. According to the rules, the origin of the banknotes is not questioned. One hundred taels of silver notes can be exchanged for sixty-two taels of silver. Yesterday, when the accountant was doing the accounting, they found that there was a problem with the banknotes.

I want to thank Qingya here.

The old gentleman you found is indeed very good at accounting; he's the one who discovered the problem.

I had someone check the accounts, and in the last few days, we received a total of thirty-five Datongbao notes, all of one hundred taels. All the notes were identical in paper, mold, and serial number. I just gave some of the notes to Boss Hua.

Qingya, this matter must be resolved immediately.

Whether it's the black market or the legitimate market, the underworld or the legitimate world, being squeezed out by this kind of thing will never end well!

Soon, Hua Baifeng arrived in a flurry. Hua Man's pawnshop had recently received several of these notes. The money exchanged on the black market was all dirty money, and they were worried about being caught, so they could only sell them at a discount on the black market. Spending them at the pawnshop meant that the notes came from a legitimate source, making the situation a hundred times more serious.

If you exchange it on the black market, the other party is likely a small group that makes counterfeit banknotes; they are amateur craftsmen.

Using it openly and honestly, without any concern about being found out, could really cause a huge uproar!

Hua Baifeng pleaded, "Young Master Xu, I am, after all, a member of the Hua family. If this matter escalates and His Majesty blames me, I fear I will be executed. If you, Young Master Xu, would save the Hua family, I am willing to serve you as your servant, accompanying you day and night!"

Qin Nanqin was furious. She thought to herself, "You serve my master day and night, what am I supposed to do? Are you suggesting I be sold off to Lingnan to sell sweet soup and roast meats?"

Beitang Xin'er glanced at Hua Baifeng and thought to herself, "Your acting skills are much better than mine. I was exposed by Xu Qingya as soon as I entered the capital, but you can still act now!"

You didn't do this, did you?

Even staged accidents like this aren't done this way!

If my senior brother doesn't agree, fine, but if he does, I'm afraid he'll stay in the Marquis's mansion for the rest of his life!

Xu Qingya chuckled: "This matter is of great importance, and I, Xu, am duty-bound to do so. As for the matter of serving as a slave or maid, there is no need for that, otherwise it would make me appear mercenary."

Hua Baifeng winked seductively: "A life-saving grace should be repaid with one's body; this is a well-known tale in the martial arts world. Throughout history, no one has been more principled than Confucius. Even Confucius believed that saving lives should be rewarded!"

Yang Yan smiled and said, "Boss Hua, it is certainly right for Zigong to accept the ox, but he cannot use the favor to his advantage."

Hua Baifeng smiled even more brightly: "Whether it's taking advantage of a favor or not, the person involved can say for sure. If I could stay by Young Master Xu's side often, I would be willing!"

Yang Yan: I've figured it out! You're not asking for help, you're after Xu Qingya's body!

Xu Qingya waved his hand, signaling everyone not to dwell on such matters, and said seriously, "This matter concerns the safety of the national treasury and His Majesty's prestige. I am the Marquis of Jing'an, appointed by His Majesty, and I must intervene!"

At this point, Beitang Xin'er asked, "Since you are a marquis, do you have a fiefdom?"

"Of course!"

"Where?"

"Half of them are in Jiangling, and half are in Bianliang! There are at least five or six hundred memorials submitted against me!"

Since his debut, Xu Qingya has made two famous moves: one was suppressing bandits in Jiangling, and the other was providing disaster relief in Bianliang. He is highly respected in both places, especially in the vicinity of Bianliang, where he is known as a "great wise teacher".

With a single call from Xu Qingya, not to mention the food and drink and the provisions, gathering several thousand people was no problem at all.

Bianliang is more than 400 li away from Luoyang. If Xu Qingya were to rebel, the capital would surely suffer heavy losses.

Yang Yan asked, "Qingya, how does His Majesty handle these matters? He should at least have found a plausible reason to shut the censors up!"

Xu Qingya shrugged: "His Majesty said that if I lead troops to invade the capital, he will have the Prince of One-Shoulder-to-Shoulder stand on the city wall, nock an arrow, and shoot me dead!"

Yang Yan: What the hell is this?!

Beitang Xin'er: The Emperor is right!

Hua Baifeng: Remember to find me first to leave your seed!

Qin Nanqin: The emperor has a truly rich imagination!

Liu Qingci: I'm still in solitary confinement! Is anyone going to let me out? I'm about to suffocate!

Xu Qingya instructed, "Bai Feng, tell Old Man Hua about the counterfeit silver notes and tell him to prepare in advance. Yan'er, go to the black market and find out where those wandering knights who exchange silver notes get their money!"

Beitang Xin'er asked, "What should I do?"

Xu Qingya gave her a slap on the head: "The kitchen just got a new oven, I want to eat grilled naan. Go make me some grilled naan, we'll have barbecue tonight!"

Qin Nanqin pointed to herself.

Xu Qingya waved, and Doubao ran over from a distance: "Go give Doubao a bath!"

>