The Terms

"A contract is a relationship, so at least until the very end, we need to take care of each other." Xuan Yang spoke up for the first time and it was in support of the ger.

Xu Feng nodded at the other man.

"The marriage, the dowry, and the property are all things we need to deal with in the early stages. I am unwilling to compromise on these three things. It can be noted in the contract that the property can be taken back if no child is conceived within a set amount of time—maybe three years? Since that is the average time for most newly married gers, fertile or not, to conceive a child."

"In addition, the Nanshan estate has three courtyards. The one the young master and I are sharing, the one Lady Xuan is using, and the third central one set aside for distinguished guests. I would like the third courtyard prepared for my use and my use alone."

"Then where will guests stay when they come to see…"

"This will be Xu Zeng's estate when the marriage is settled, it would only be right for Mother's courtyard to become the guest courtyard."

Lady Xuan stared at her traitorous son wide-eyed. He expected her to be treated as a guest in HER estate.

"It will be Xu Zeng's estate, and until the divorce is finalized, he will be the young mistress of the Xuan family here in Nanshan Village. I'm sure Mother can get Father to compensate for Mother losing her estate."

"Thank you, Young Master," Xu Feng greeted before continuing, "As a young mistress, I should be given a monthly stipend to manage the estate while the title is mine. Apart from these little things, I don't want anything else from the Xuan family. The land in the Nanshan village below can be transferred to me when the divorce is finalized."

Xu Feng was determined to use this time to settle himself in the Nanshan Village, and start earning some kind of steady side income just in case being a landlord doesn't work out.

The dowry, the courtyard, the full command of the estate, and a monthly stipend were enough to show Xu Feng's power and support him financially as he settled himself in this new home. It would be counterproductive if he couldn't run his own household because of a lack of respect from servants and a lack of funds.

"We should also…"

"What now! Didn't you say you wouldn't ask for anything else?" Lady Xuan had completely lost her composure and was cross with the ger.

Xu Feng rubbed his nose sheepishly. He wasn't asking for anything the Xuan family couldn't easily give him, but the exchange of power would still leave a bad taste in Lady Xuan's mouth.

"We should also dictate terms for the contract…" Xu Feng paused as he looked over at the angry woman, it was easy to talk sex in front of the two men, as he considered himself a man too. It was a different ball game talking sex in front of an older woman.

"Both parties should agree to the frequency of sexual intercourse," Lady Xuan's face completely flushed at this, "a minimum of once per week should be entered into the contract. There should also be some kind of punishment or penalty fee if this term isn't followed."

There was only a moment of silence before Xuan Yang took charge of the situation.

"I agree to the terms Xu Zeng has brought up. Instead of giving him the monthly stipend a young mistress would get in Jinghua, it would be more appropriate to give him the monthly stipend given to Steward Wu with a small increase."

At this Lady Xuan nodded. The difference between the stipend for a young mistress in the capital and the stipend for a steward in charge of a holiday estate was worlds apart. This savings alone made Lady Xuan calm down a bit.

Her son was still her son, and he'd even called her mother!

"Additionally, to make sure I am available for my sexual duties, it would be best if I moved to the Nanshan estate until my child has been conceived. This is a great time to leave the capital."

"But your career. We must strike while the iron is hot, and win favor with…" Lady Xuan stopped on her own as she stared at her son before sighing.

He was a great scholar; he had worked hard to achieve all the merits under his name. He didn't just sit and wait to receive handouts from his father like most other young masters would in Jinghua.

It was obvious her son was tired of the politics and the complicated power struggles at every turn. He deserved this respite in the countryside. Once the baby was born, it wouldn't be too late for him to continue bringing honor to their Xuan family.

"Until the wedding, you are to return to the main house with me. In the meantime, the soonest appropriate date will be set for a small wedding here in Nanshan Village. Renovations will begin as soon as Xu Zeng decides what he wants to be done with my…with the Blooming Courtyard."

Xu Feng's current shared courtyard, the Budding Courtyard, and the Flowering Courtyard would also be redone according to Xu Feng's wishes. All renovations would be covered by the Xuan family in haste before winter arrived.

"I have a final request. Now that I have my hokku, I want to change my name from Xu Zeng to Xu Feng as I enter the Xuan family."

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After another round of discussions, as the three ironed out the details, Xu Feng did several happy dances in his head. This had gone much smoother than expected. And Xuan Yang had been extremely helpful during the entire process.

Xuan Yang and Xuan Jian began writing out the contracts three-fold, while Lady Xuan called for one of her maidservants and an older nursemaid that followed her to Nanshan Village, to be witnesses to the signing of the contract.

"We should have the village chief as a witness as well." Lady Xuan's mood once again turned sour as she stared down the ugly ger. At least he had good bloodline she thought as his silver hair moved and the red mole on his forehead caught her eye.

"He doesn't need to read the contract terms, we just need to tell him it's a betrothal contract or something of that nature. Either way, we need an official third party to witness the signing of the contracts."

Xu Feng wasn't willing to budge on this, no matter how accommodating Xuan Yang seemed, he couldn't trust anyone.