At the end of Qin, I became a son of the plane

Chapter 452, blind date

In the evening, Jia Sheng returned to his home in a carriage.

At this time, the Jia family's house was already very lively. There were more than a dozen tables of buffets set up from the yard to outside the yard. There were bustling crowds all around, including his relatives, neighbors and village elders.

When they saw Jia Sheng's carriage parked, everyone welcomed him warmly. There were also many people watching the fun. It was the first time in hundreds of years that a noble had appeared in Yong'an.

"We were all celebrating for you, why did you come home so late?" Jia Yi said a little dissatisfied.

This was supposed to be a celebration for Jia Sheng, but the protagonist never showed up. Many people were asking the reason. He felt really embarrassed that Jia Sheng didn't come tonight.

Jia Sheng said: "I have some things to do at the court, so I came back a little late."

Jia Sheng really wasn't trying to embarrass his father. Rather, when he was about to go home, Shaofu Chen Chui found him and spent 1000 million to buy his kerosene patent, allowing kerosene to be freely refined within the Han territory.

Naturally, he did not refuse such a thing, but readily signed a contract with the Shaofu. In this way, Jia Sheng suddenly became a rare multi-millionaire in the Han Dynasty.

After Ji Bu knew about this, he gave Jia Sheng two choices. One was to become the Shaofucheng of Ji State, but in this way, he would not be able to run the kerosene industry. Ji State spent 100 million to purchase the patent for kerosene production in Ji State.

The second is that he would invest in the company with his patent and build an oil refinery in Ji State. As the chief engineer, he could take half of the dividends.

It was these two choices that made him think for a long time, and finally he decided to accept the 100 million and become the Junior Prime Minister of Ji State.

"Boss Jia, you've become so rich that you can even afford a sandalwood carriage!" The village elders around were shocked and looked at the carriage that Jia Sheng was sitting in.

This is one of the representative luxury goods of the Han Dynasty in recent years. The sandalwood carriage costs 20 coins. Only wealthy workshop owners can afford it. Although the income of ordinary families in Yong'an is not bad, those who can afford this carriage are all highly skilled craftsmen. They not only have salaries, but also dividends. Their annual income exceeds 10 coins. Only then can they afford such a carriage.

Owning a sandalwood carriage like this means that one's career is extremely successful and one is respected in Yong'an.

"I still have some savings, so buying a carriage like this is no big deal." Jia Sheng said with a smile.

He wanted to return home rich and powerful, and it was impossible for him to have nothing, so he bought the carriage immediately after receiving the patent fee.

Then he came out of the carriage with bags of gifts, called his two younger brothers, put the gifts in the room, and then he followed behind Jia's father to entertain these relatives and friends.

"Boss Jia, what official position do you hold in the Western Regions now? Are you valued by Duke Ji?" asked his uncle.

Jia Sheng smiled and said, "I am currently serving as the Junior Minister of Ji State."

"Wow!" All the relatives and friends present were shocked.

Friends and relatives here may not be familiar with other official positions, but the Shaofu is the Han government office they are most familiar with.

The second in command of the Nine Ministers' Office was a rare high-ranking official. Even though Ji State was a vassal state and its official rank was one level lower than that of the Han Dynasty, he was still a high-ranking official with a salary of nearly two thousand stones.

His uncle immediately smiled and said, "I've known since you were little that you are not an ordinary person. Today you have really made a name for yourself."

Other relatives and friends also gathered around Jia Sheng and said some good things about him, and everyone finished the banquet in a lively atmosphere.

After these relatives and friends left, Jia's mother found Jia Sheng and asked, "Now that you are back this time, do you not have to leave?"

Jia Yi said, "You are really short-sighted. Sheng'er is now the Junior Minister of Ji State. How can he stay in Chang'an forever? A man should focus on his career. Duke Ji has placed such high regard on you, the son of a craftsman, and made you a high-ranking official. You should work hard to repay Duke Ji."

"Yes!" Jia Sheng said.

Jia Yi thought for a moment and said, "You are not young anymore, and you have established a career. It is time for you to get married. Your father will not interfere with other matters. You must get married before leaving Chang'an City."

"Ah!" Jia Sheng had never thought about this.

Jia Yi said angrily, "Ji State is located in the Western Regions, and there are only a few children from good families. Your status is not the same as before. You are not only the Junior Minister of Ji State, but also a baron of the Han Dynasty. With this status, you can also marry the children of officials with a salary of more than 1,000 stones."

"There are the most families like this in Chang'an City. If you don't go to Chang'an City to find a wife, where else do you want to find one? Do you want to go to the Western Regions to find a wild woman as your wife?"

Jia Sheng said: "It's not impossible. The women in the Western Regions are not unattractive."

This was just Jia Sheng's instinct and his love for talking back to his father. The beauty of women in a place actually had a lot to do with the economy. The climate in the Western Regions was dry, the winds and sand were strong, and the place was poor, so there wouldn't be too many beautiful women there.

Jia Yi said angrily: "Are you planning to piss off your father to death by talking back to me about everything you say?"

"Okay, okay, Sheng'er has finally come back, why are you quarreling again after just a few words?" said Grandmother Jia, trying to be a peacemaker.

Then he said to Jia Sheng: "You must listen to your father this time. There are many good families in Chang'an City. After you get married, you can go and serve the old man, Duke Ji."

Jia Sheng didn't want to fight with his family over this matter, so he could only say, "I'll leave the marriage to you two elders."

Then he took his two younger brothers to distribute the gifts.

My mother thought for a moment and said, "I will go to see Grandma Wang tomorrow and ask her to recommend a few ladies from good families."

Jia Yi glared at Grandmother Jia and said, "I told you that you have long hair but little knowledge, but you still don't accept it. What kind of ladies can Wang Po know? She only knows those girls who are as gossipy as you. But how can these people be worthy of Sheng'er now?"

But when Jia Yi thought about his family's connections, his brows frowned even more tightly. He really couldn't find many families that were worthy of his son. Most of his relatives were also in Yong'anli, and most of the people he knew were craftsmen. Only a few of them had become rich and became small workshop owners. Their income was higher than theirs, but their status was the same.

Although Jia Yi is also a master craftsman with a good income, he is not the top master craftsman, nor does he have extensive connections to access the Han official group. His family is a middle-class family that is neither better than the rich nor worse than the poor. It is really difficult for him to find a family that matches his son.

The next day, Jia Yi came to the workshop to work with a pair of panda eyes.

"Master, Jia Sheng is not rich and powerful, why do you look even uglier? Did you have another fight?" Jia Yi's apprentice looked at his master and asked curiously with two panda eyes. "No, Master is thinking about Jia Sheng's marriage. Do you know any ladies from a wealthy family, preferably one with more than 1,000 liters of wealth?"

The craftsmen around were shocked when they heard this. If they really had such a relationship, how could they work here? They would have become Han officials long ago.

Others were lamenting that their master was really different from themselves, and now they were attracted by the ladies from officials' families, which was something they could not even dream of.

Why did such a change happen? It was because Jia Sheng invented kerosene and became a baron. They realized belatedly that their master was already from a noble family.

After Lu Jia knew about Jia Yi's troubles, he found him and said, "I do know a few, but I don't know if they suit your taste."

Jia Yi said excitedly: "Master, please speak."

Lu Jia said, "The sister of Master Gongshu You is also 28 years old this year. I heard that she has not yet been betrothed. I wonder if she is interested in your family."

"Master Craftsman Gongshu You!" Their workshop was renovated by Gongshu You. His family's current life and his ability to get dividends from the workshop are all thanks to Gongshu You's help.

Jia Yi thought about it and thought that if this really came true, he would really be marrying up.

His son is only a baron, but the Gongshu family is the founding father of the Han Dynasty. The ancestor Gongsun Chou followed the emperor to conquer the world. They are a founding earl family, and there are two viscounts in the family. Compared with their family, his family is really a nouveau riche.

Jia Yi said worriedly, "I'm afraid they don't think highly of our family. More importantly, my son is highly valued by Duke Ji. He wants to return to the Western Regions. Is the Gongshu family willing for my son to take his wife to the Western Regions to serve?"

Lu Jia thought about it and felt that this concern was reasonable. The Gongshu family was a wealthy family and they probably didn't want their children to go to the Western Regions to eat sand. Jia Sheng's status was not bad, and it was not an exaggeration to say that he was a young hero, but the place where he served was a minus point after all.

Lu Jia said, "I am also familiar with Zhang Jie, the tax collector of Chang'an County. He also has a daughter who is unmarried. How about I ask him for you?"

"Tax collector?" Jia Yi was a little hesitant. This identity seemed a little too low.

Lu Jia said unhappily, "Haven't you heard that the Han officials in the imperial capital are one level higher? They are from an official family. If Jia Sheng didn't have the status of a baron, even if he worked for the Duke of Ji, he would still be marrying up."

Then he whispered, "My ancestors were all carpenters. How could they understand the twists and turns of the officialdom? If he has a daughter-in-law who understands official affairs, it will definitely be helpful for his future development in the officialdom of Ji State."

Jia Yi suddenly realized that what he said made sense. He bowed to Lu Jia and said, "I'll leave my son's affairs to you, Master."

Lu Jia smiled and said, "I watched Jia Sheng grow up. I am very pleased that he has made great achievements."

"Please hurry up, my son won't be able to stay in Chang'an for long."

Lu Jia said, "I will go over and ask today."

Three days later, Jia's father, Jia's mother and Jia Sheng attended the meeting in their best attire. For this meeting, Jia's father even went to a high-end silk tailor shop to custom-make three sets of clothes.

Jia Sheng drove his own sandalwood carriage and later arrived at a high-end hotel in Chang'an City.

The marriage system during the Han Dynasty was not much different from that during the pre-Qin period. The lower-class people did not care much about it, but the upper-class families still insisted on three letters and six betrothals. Especially in the past two years, as the wealth of the upper class of the Han Dynasty increased, they paid more attention to etiquette and matching. After all, the more they lacked something, the more they would make up for it.

The only change Xu Fan made to the marriage system in this world was that it was no longer like before, where people could only listen to the orders of their parents and the words of the matchmaker. Men and women had to fall in love freely and get married only after both parties agreed. This was stipulated in Han law. Therefore, before getting married in this era, both parties had to meet once and nod in approval before they could continue talking.

Of course, the changes are not big. For the upper class of the Han Dynasty, they pay more attention to the orders of their parents and the words of the matchmaker. It is difficult for young people without financial independence to rebel against their own families. Of course, most people will not rebel. After all, those bloody feuds among wealthy families are only a minority, and most people will not harm their own children.

At most, Xu Fan only gave a little legal protection to those young people who dared to resist.

Because the family of the blind date was an official family, the Jia family was extremely important and was afraid that he would do something unreasonable and be laughed at by others.

After the Jia family entered the restaurant, they were led by a waiter into a luxurious private room. There was a seven-treasure glazed lamp hanging on the ceiling, paintings and calligraphy by famous artists hung on the walls, and even the floor was paved with sandalwood. In Jia Sheng's opinion, the imperial palace was no more than this.

Jia Sheng hesitated and said, "It's very expensive here!"

Jia Yi felt a little distressed. He spent 20,000 yuan on this private room, which was equivalent to a month's salary.

But he still said, "It's worth it. We can't let others look down on our family. The one coming this time is a real lady from a noble family. Three generations of her family have been officials. It can be said that they are a family of officials. If this thing can be accomplished, it will be of great help to you in the future."

Jia Sheng hesitated and said, "Father, you were not deceived, were you? Your Majesty purged all the Qin officials in Guanzhong back then, and the Han Dynasty was founded only a dozen years ago. How could there be such a family of officials?"

Jia Yi said, "Your uncle Lu has already inquired about it. During the Qin Dynasty, their family was a Qin official. Although His Majesty purged Qin officials, he was only purging the guilty. Their family has a righteous character, so they survived the disaster. They are still valued in the Han Dynasty. Now they are Han officials with a salary of 600 shi. If they are sent outside Guanzhong, they can at least be a county magistrate. If you didn't have the title of baron, we would be considered marrying up."

Jia Sheng said dissatisfiedly: "What do you mean by marrying high? I am also the Minister of the Imperial Household. I am highly valued by the emperor. Maybe I can become the Prime Minister of Ji State. Can their family become the governor of a two thousand stone rank? If you want to marry high, it is their family who is marrying high."

"In my Han Dynasty, people conquer the world with their abilities, not with their family background. Not to mention that their family background is not even considered good in my Han Dynasty."

The Han Dynasty was founded only a dozen years ago, and the first generation of nobles all rose from the bottom, so the morale of the Han Dynasty was extremely positive. The whole society's morale emphasized ability and the courage to fight, rather than blood, connections, or family background.

Jia Yi said, "Don't say that when they come."

Not long after, the woman and her group also came to the private room, and Jia Yi and others stood up to welcome them.

The woman's side also consisted of three people, her parents and a woman who was about the same age as Jia Sheng.

The girl's father Zhang Jie saw the young Jia Sheng and exclaimed: "At such a young age, he has become a noble of our Han Dynasty. Brother Jia has really raised a good son."

These were his true feelings. His father was originally an official in Qin. Although the Qin Dynasty was the country with the most open upward channels among the seven countries, it was only relatively speaking. A minor official like him would not have a title higher than the third rank. The first five ranks of titles in Qin were called civilian titles, and only the sixth rank could be considered aristocracy. Jia Yi's baronship was at least the sixth rank, and he could hold a position above the county magistrate in the Qin Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)