Chapter 16

Xuan Wu Mansion was not located in the city. It had its own manor and castle, which was more than 20 miles away from Xuanwu City.

Shen Lang had only seen the castle from afar, and he was shocked by its magnificence. However, he was not qualified to enter the castle due to his status.

The Xu family was rich and could be considered as a local tyrant in Xuanwu City.

However, Xu could only enter the castle two or three times a year, and at most, it was received by the housekeeper.

The Xu family's manor was large and rich enough, but it was nothing compared to the Count House in front of him.

The Kim family's Count was a real fief, which was completely different from those nobles who only had titles.

In the past hundreds of years, the largest fief of Count Xuanwu was more than 5,000 square kilometers. Later, because of the political turmoil, the Great Yan Dynasty and the State of Yue had carried out a series of political reforms, so now the fief of Count Xuanwu was much smaller.

Even so, Count Xuanwu was still the supreme ruler of Xuanwu City.

Xuan Wu Mansion's manor was more than thousands of acres, with its own fields, breeding farms, orchards, wineries, and so on.

The castle stood on a mountain two or three hundred meters high, with an area of more than 100,000 square meters. The city wall was taller and thicker than Xuanwu City, and the garrison was also larger than that of Xuanwu City.

Therefore, if a war broke out and Xuanwu City was lost, this territory would not fall.

Once the castle of the Black Tortoise Earl Manor was lost, this region would truly fall into enemy hands.

At this time, Shen Lang entered the castle, which had a history of hundreds of miles, for the first time. It was the noblest building in the whole Nujiang Prefecture.

...

The young miss of the Black Tortoise Count's Mansion, Jin Mulan, had taken off her silver armor, leaving only the tight-fitting snakeskin outfit on her body. It made her devilish figure even more alluring. Her perky breasts and round buttocks looked like they were about to burst out of her clothes.

She practiced martial arts all year round, so she was taller than ordinary men. Her long legs were unparalleled, full of absolute strength and beauty. His figure was slender and fit, and his curves were so impressive that no one could look at him directly.

Stripping off the snakeskin on her body, Mulan's hot body walked into the huge bath.

Every time he led an army back, the most comfortable thing was to soak in a hot bath.

After bathing, she put on a man's outfit and went to visit her parents.

Dressed in men's clothing, he appeared even more valiant, beautiful, and elegant.

"Greetings, Father, Mother!" Jin Mulan bowed.

The Count House's study wasn't that magnificent, but every object inside had a history of a hundred years, extremely exquisite and restrained.

Most of the books here were over a hundred years old.

Count Xuanwu, Jin Zhuo, was in his fifties. He was handsome and had a gentle temperament. Occasionally, his gaze was like a sword that could pierce through people's hearts.

He was a martial artist, and his martial arts cultivation was very high. However, most of the time, he did not carry a sword. Instead, he held a scroll in his hand all year round.

He had a high position and authority, but he rarely wore embroidered clothes. Most of the time, he was either wearing cotton clothes or linen clothes.

He also rarely wore gold and silver. The only thing that looked noble was the jade pendant on his waist.

"Mulan is back? How was the martial arts practice? "Count Xuanwu asked.

Jin Mulan said: "Not bad. I didn't embarrass the Kim clan."

Count Xuanwu laughed: "If you say not bad, then it's very good."

He looked at his daughter with a very loving gaze, but also very complicated. He sighed softly: "If your brother was thirty percent as valiant as you, my Xuan Wu Mansion wouldn't have to worry about having no successors. What a pity …"

Jin Mulan said: "Father, is the situation very bad?"

"Very bad!" Count Xuanwu said: "The whole Great Yan Dynasty is implementing new policies, and my State of Yue is no exception. The will of the Monarch is very clear. The replacement of the old and the new forces will accelerate, and the old aristocrats will be stripped of their fiefdoms and military power. In such a turbulent time, the successor of my Black Tortoise Count's Estate is so incompetent. I'm afraid it's going to ruin the foundation of my Jin Clan that's lasted for a few hundred years. How would I have the face to see my ancestors after I die? "

Speaking of his son, Lord Count really hated him to the point of gnashing his teeth. He was too useless.

Jin Mulan said: "As long as my daughter is here, my Xuan Wu Mansion will not collapse."

She was not boasting. Today, she was indeed the pillar of the whole Count House. She was the greatest pride of her parents.

But a woman would always marry. Jin Mulan was already 22 years old.

"I will not marry for life. I will stay at home to help my brother and protect the hundred years of foundation of my Kim family." Jin Mulan said in a cold voice: "Whoever wants me to marry will destroy the livelihood of our Count House. He will be the enemy of our family!"

The atmosphere between the three was very heavy. Their daughter had sacrificed so much for the family. It made the Count couple sad. They couldn't even say words of comfort.

After a while, Count Xuanwu changed the topic: "When you came back today, your cavalry injured a person on the street of Xuan Wu city?"

"Yes." Jin Mulan said.

Count Xuanwu said: "Treat him well. After he is cured, give him a sum of money and send him home. Especially at this time, our family needs a good reputation. "

At this time, the voice of the Count's servant was heard outside the door: "Master, Senior An wants to see you."

"Let him in!" Count Xuanwu said.

After a while, an old man walked in. He was one of the three doctors of the Count House. After Jin Mulan brought Shen Lang back to the Count House, he was responsible for the treatment.

"Master." The old doctor bowed and said: "The young man who was hit has woken up. He is fine."

Jin Mulan was stunned. Wasn't the young man seriously injured?!

"That's good." Count Xuanwu said, but he was a little surprised. Was there a need to report such a small matter to the Count? It was more than enough to let the housekeeper deal with this matter.

"After the young man woke up, he wanted to see Master Count."

"See me?" Count Xuanwu was stunned. This young man was too arrogant. Even the officials of Xuanwu City didn't dare to see him, let alone an ordinary young man.

Doctor An said: "He said he has something very important to tell Master Count. It's related to Miss' marriage."

Count Xuanwu couldn't help but frown. He nodded and said: "If he is fine, let him see me."

…

Shen Lang's body was indeed fine, but his muscles and bones were injured. It was a little difficult for him to walk. Because he stayed up all night, his face was a little pale.

After arriving at Count Xuanwu's study, he bowed and said: "Student Shen Lang greets Master Count."

He was a citizen of Xuanwu City. To some extent, he was also a citizen of Count Xuanwu. Therefore, he should kneel. However, Shen Lang came from modern Earth, so he certainly didn't want to kneel to anyone.

Count Xuanwu's face didn't look kind, but he didn't pretend to be dignified. His eyes fell on Shen Lang's face, and he was quite surprised by his handsomeness.

He was really a very beautiful young man. It was rare to see such a face in the countryside!

"Student?" Count Xuanwu said: "What official rank do you have? I know all the civil and military officials in Xuanwu City, but I have never heard of the name Shen Lang. "

Shen Lang said: "I'm a student of the school in Cold Water Town."

When saying this, Shen Lang felt a little embarrassed.

The school in Cold Water Town was completely an elementary education. It was almost equivalent to a primary school in modern Earth. It was a bit shameful to say that he didn't even graduate from the school in Cold Water Town. He was directly kicked out.

Count Xuanwu frowned and said: "You have soft skin and tender flesh. Your parents must love you very much and let you concentrate on studying. However, at this age, you didn't even enter the school in Xuanwu City. It's really unfilial!"

At this time, Count did have some disdain for Shen Lang. His son was already ignorant and useless, but he was much better than the young man in front of him.

As soon as these words came out, Shen Lang had a little good impression of Count. He could clearly feel that Count regarded everyone in Xuanwu City as his own people. When he heard that Shen Lang's studies were not good, he immediately reprimanded him on behalf of his parents.

"You were injured by the cavalry of my mansion. Is your body okay?" Asked Count.

Shen Lang said: "My body is fine, but my muscles and bones are a little painful."

Count said: "You said that you have something important to tell me. It's related to my daughter's marriage. Tell me."

Shen Lang said: "I heard that the Zhu family wants to propose to you. Zhu Hongxue wants to marry Miss Jin Mulan of the Count House."

This was a secret. Almost no one knew about it.

All of a sudden, the earl's expression changed drastically.

Zhu family? The top dignitaries of the State of Yue, the in-laws of the Monarch, the Governor of Tiannan Province and the General were all from the Zhu family.

Once Jin Mulan married, who would guard the Count House? Who would command the private army of the Kim family?

Someone wanted to dig the roots of the Xuan Wu Mansion and break the pillars of the family.

…