Chapter 144: Yujing Nobles and Dignitaries

"You really are generous, entrusting him with an entire estate just like that."

Watching Shen Xiuye leave, Tian Manyin, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke.

Lu Sheng might not have understood the value of a manor bestowed by the emperor, but she was well aware of its significance:

"Hereditary peers with actual fiefdoms generally have their own lands and are rarely granted manors and mansions within Central Province. Such properties are usually reserved for floating nobles."

"Yet you, the newly enfeoffed Prince of Jinyang, not only possess a fief but have also been granted a manor and a mansion by the emperor—"

"Could it be that your principal wife is truly his own granddaughter?"

"And what if she is?" Without denying it, Lu Sheng glanced at her and said, "Before she is married into the household, however, you will be the mistress of the Jinyang Prince's Estate—"

"From now on, all domestic affairs of the estate shall be placed entirely in your hands!"

With that, he pushed the received invitations and gift lists toward Tian Manyin.

Looking at them, Tian Manyin covered her mouth and chuckled, "Should I call you generous, or should I say you certainly know how to put people to work?"

"Aren't you afraid that I might fill the entire estate with my own people?"

"Let them be placed if they must!" With an indifferent tone, Lu Sheng replied, "Besides, there are hardly anyone in my estate right now anyway!"

Then, urging Tian Manyin, he said, "Now, quickly show me which ones require a reply, and which ones need a return gift!"

"If anything goes wrong with this matter, I will hold you solely responsible!"

"Very well! As you wish!" Without further refusal, Tian Manyin said with a smile.

Having grown up in Yujing since childhood and as a member of the Duke of Cheng's clan, Tian Manyin was quite familiar with the affairs of the powerful and elite.

Before long, the documents that had given Lu Sheng such a headache were organized neatly by her into distinct categories.

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"These seven were sent by representatives of the Grand Masters. You had better reply to them personally, lest you offend them."

Pointing to seven of the invitations, Tian Manyin said.

Counting the newly joined Venerable Tianhe, the Great Jing imperial court had a total of seven Grand Masters. Perhaps out of consideration for the fact that Lu Sheng had been brought back by Lu Wanshan, the representatives of all seven Grand Masters—regardless of whether the Grand Masters themselves were currently in Yujing City—had sent congratulatory messages to Lu Sheng.

This gesture was intended to show respect to Lu Sheng; if Lu Sheng failed to respond, he might instead offend them.

Therefore, Lu Sheng said, "Hmm! They do require a personal reply!"

Even with his strong confidence in eventually becoming a Grand Master himself, Lu Sheng was not arrogant enough to offend the representatives of the Grand Masters at this juncture.

"These were sent by various Martial Masters. If the invitation was personally written by a Martial Master, you must reply in person; if not, you may have someone else do it on your behalf."

Pointing to a much thicker stack of invitations beside them, Tian Manyin said.

Across the entire Great Jing court, there were dozens of Martial Masters. Not only were these individuals formidable in strength, but most also held high official positions.

If they personally penned a congratulatory message, Lu Sheng naturally had to reply in person.

"How does one tell the difference?" Lu Sheng asked.

"You can tell by the seal. To show solemnity, notes personally written by a Martial Master usually bear their personal seal." Pointing to a mark on one of the invitations, Tian Manyin smiled and said:

"This is the mark of the Duke of Kang. It seems he truly holds you in high regard!"

Clearly, the Duke of Kang personally writing a congratulatory note for Lu Sheng came as quite a surprise to Tian Manyin.

"Then you can pick out the ones with seals, and handle the replies for the rest as you see fit!" Ignoring Tian Manyin's remark, Lu Sheng said.

If it wasn't personally written by a Martial Master, he had no interest in replying himself anyway—

Besides, it wouldn't be long before he possessed the strength of a Martial Master himself!

Seemingly surprised by Lu Sheng's quiet confidence, Tian Manyin glanced at him but said nothing more. Pointing to another stack of invitations, she said:

"These were sent by the princes and nobles currently in the capital. Aside from the Prince of Qi, the Prince of Wu, the Prince of Chu, the Prince of Zhao, as well as the Duke of Cheng, the Duke of Yue, and the Marquis of Xiangping, the rest can also be handled by someone else."

"Those seven families all had feudal kings as their ancestors, didn't they?" Pondering the names of those seven houses, Lu Sheng asked.

"Indeed," Tian Manyin said. "The six sons of Emperor Jing, along with the four Grand Masters who aided him in founding the dynasty, were all enfeoffed as feudal kings."

"Today, apart from the Prince of Jin—your lineage—whose title has already been revoked, the title of the Prince of Wei is inherited by the Grand Master Lu Yuanlin, and the Prince of Wuyuan, Lü Wu, is also a Grand Master. The congratulatory notes sent by their people have been grouped with the Grand Masters."

"As for these seven, while some hold great power and influence while others have declined, you would do best to treat them all equally!"

Nodding slightly, Lu Sheng said, "Then I shall reply to them personally!"

He then asked Tian Manyin, "Are there any others?"

"You only need to pull out the ones that require my personal response!"

"The rest?" With a soft laugh, Tian Manyin said, "You probably wouldn't care for the rest of the officials anyway, so there's no need to trouble yourself with them!"

"However, since you are going to marry the emperor's true granddaughter, the emperor's sons and daughters will all be your elders henceforth. You should personally reply to their congratulatory messages."

"In addition, the Prince of Gaoyang and the Prince of Fenyang—two hereditary commandery princes who belong to the Pingzhou Lu clan just like you—have not only sent representatives with congratulatory notes, but are also waiting outside."

"You would do well to meet with them in person to discuss the matters concerning ancestral worship."

With that, she asked with a trace of curiosity: "When do you plan to perform the ancestral worship and visit your own fief?"

Although close to Central Province, the distance between Jinyang City and Yujing City was not insignificant. If he delayed, Lu Sheng might not make it back before the martial assembly began.

"Ancestral worship!" After a moment of thought, Lu Sheng said, "It will likely be another three or four days. I must finish up my business here before returning to perform the ancestral rites."

Looking at Tian Manyin, he added, "In the coming days, I will marry you into the household as soon as possible, and you shall accompany me to the ancestral worship."

"Along the way, should any noble matrons or high-ranking ladies pay visits, you shall receive them!"

As for the principal wife, Lu Sheng estimated that Murong Yu would be married into the household together with him once she awoke.

As for Tian Manyin, a secondary consort, he could take her in casually without elaborate wedding rites.

By now, his teacher was likely already considering how to propose formal marriage to the Duke of Cheng's estate.

"Hehe!" Tian Manyin laughed softly and said, "You want to bring me along even for ancestral worship—could it be that you simply can't bear to be apart from me?"

"In truth, even without a formal title, I would still follow by your side! Lest you..."

Pausing for a moment, Tian Manyin leaned close to Lu Sheng's ear and whispered softly, "Get your soul bewitched by other women!"

"Rest assured!" Lu Sheng said. "No one can spirit my soul away!"

He had writing materials prepared and sat down with Tian Manyin to write the replies.

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"Grand Masters, Martial Masters, princes and nobles, and various officials—is this how the upper strata of Yujing City are divided?"

"It truly is a world where martial might is supreme!"

Writing while pondering the order in which Tian Manyin had categorized the visiting cards, Lu Sheng thought to himself.

Judging by her attitude toward these invitations, Lu Sheng easily divided the ruling class of Yujing City into four tiers.

At the very top tier were clearly the Grand Masters and Martial Masters—

Such was the power structure of Yujing City!