Chapter 610: 107: Establishing the Mansion

Chapter 610: Chapter 107: Establishing the Mansion

The caravan arrived at Xing City just after 6 p.m.

Lan Chengqun had specially arranged a banquet for Li Fei.

During his time at Datong Prefecture, Li Fei had declined the banquet arranged by Bian Jingru, but now he had accepted Lan Chengqun’s invitation.

As Li Lei was to delve deep into Xing City, this would also be the site for Li Fei’s mansion.

Naturally, the banquet was a joyful occasion for all, and the officials of Xing City dared not overfill Li Fei’s cup. Instead, Li Lei ended up drinking quite a bit.

Late at night, Li Lei, Li Fei, and Li Tianyu took a car back home, while Lv Wenxing and the others stayed at the government guesthouse.

As an Inspector General, Li Lei could actually have moved into a better house assigned by the government.

But Zhang Yuqing had grown accustomed to living there and had made friends with the neighbors and was reluctant to move, so the couple continued to live in the old place.

Upon returning home, Zhang Yuqing had already prepared hot water and tea for sobering up for the three of them.

Perhaps she hadn’t seen Li Fei and Li Tianyu for a while, and her eyes reddened upon seeing them.

After some pleasantries, Li Fei suddenly said,

“Uncle Li, Aunt Zhang, I’m going to build a Marquis Mansion in Xing City. I plan to have you move there once it’s ready. Since I won’t be able to stay in Xing City for long, the mansion shouldn’t be left unattended. If you move in, you can also help me look after it.”

Li Lei naturally had no objections. He knew a Marquis Mansion was not merely a residence; it represented much more—the largest foundation of his status as Marquis Jing’an!

He turned to look at Zhang Yuqing.

Zhang Yuqing smiled upon hearing this and said without hesitation,

“No problem, I’ve never lived in a big house anyway.”

After speaking, she exchanged a glance with Li Lei, and the couple shared a smile.

Li Fei was also happy to see this.

The family talked until late before going to sleep.

The next morning, Li Fei took Li Lei’s car to the Government Affairs Building.

Chief Lan Chengqun personally greeted them outside the building, and Lv Wenxing and the others had arrived early, waiting nearby.

Then Li Fei, along with Lv Wenxing and Lan Chengqun, and Li Lei, entered a reception room.

They were to discuss the construction of the Marquis Mansion in Xing City.

“The Central Cabinet has already issued the funds for constructing your Marquis Mansion, a total of one million.”

Lan Chengqun told Li Fei.

One million might not buy a decent mansion in a prime location in Lanling City.

But in a smaller place like Xing City, one million was more than enough for Li Fei to build a super luxurious mansion!

After all, the average salary in Xing City was still less than 50 yuan.

“We have prepared several plans for the construction of the Marquis Mansion,”

Lan Chengqun took out a proposal he had prepared in advance and handed it to Li Fei:

“The first option is to build a new mansion, with three locations available for selection. The second option is to purchase an already-built mansion. We have found five suitable sellers whose properties are quite nice and are willing to sell to you. Once you purchase one, you can remodel and expand.”

Li Fei immediately understood upon hearing this.

Purchasing an already-built mansion was definitely the most cost-effective, as no seller would dare to overcharge him. Furthermore, to ingratiate themselves with the Marquis Jing’an, the prices offered would surely be very reasonable.

As expected, he glanced at the proposal Lan Chengqun had handed him— the prices from the five sellers were almost like giveaways!

“Let’s build a new one, I don’t like using other people’s things.”

Li Fei said indifferently.

“Alright, we will proceed as you wish.”

Lan Chengqun’s expression remained unchanged.

Li Fei then chose a location closest to the current Inspection Bureau’s family compound.

Though Zhang Yuqing had not mentioned it, he quickly guessed that she would be reluctant to leave their current home.

After selecting the site for the mansion, he no longer concerned himself with the details such as the size of the mansion, specific architectural styles, materials, and so on, and prepared to leave that to others to handle.

Next, he was to discuss ‘taxation’ with Lan Chengqun.

The Emperor had allocated Xing City to Li Fei as his feudal manor, granting him the right to collect taxes from Xing City.

This portion of the tax could be a new addition or could be drawn from a part of Xing City government’s annual tax revenue.

Li Fei chose not to impose new taxes. Though it would increase his income, he didn’t want to add to the burden of the citizens of Xing City.

So, he ultimately decided to draw ten percent from Xing City government’s annual tax revenue as the income for the Marquis Mansion.

“The Marquis truly empathizes with the people.”

Lan Chengqun offered a flattering remark.

Lastly, they had to discuss the Marquis Mansion’s private soldiers.

Li Fei himself had to pay for these soldiers; weapons and equipment could be bought from the court, but that too would be at his own expense.

“How many private soldiers does the Marquis plan to have? I’ll register it here for reporting to the Central Government.”

Lan Chengqun asked.

“Five hundred.”

Li Fei said indifferently.

Five hundred was the upper limit for a Marquis.

“This source of soldiers, does the Marquis plan to recruit them himself, or?”

“The source, the Inspection Bureau can handle a part of it.”

Li Lei, who had been silent up to this point, spoke:

“Some Inspectors will submit resignation reports.”

Having private soldiers still required training, and people recruited from outside couldn’t compare to the elite Inspectors trained extensively by Li Lei with abundant ammunition and actual combat training.

This was essentially Li Lei using court resources to train private soldiers for Li Fei.