Brother Rong of Red Mansion

Chapter 76 Bringing Salary Officials

Become an official!
  Jia Rong wore a black gauze hat, put on an official robe with red tiger and leopard patches, a white jade leather belt, and foundation soap leather boots, and walked out of the Nuan Pavilion.

In an instant, the eyes of Jia She, Jia Zheng, Jia Lian, Jia Qiang and other Jia clan members, old and young, all lit up, and they all clapped their hands in admiration, praising the successor of Ningguo Mansion.

Even the hereditary nobles who came to attend the ceremony were full of praise when they saw Jia Rong changing into regular clothes.

"Next, study hard in literature and martial arts, and prepare for the exam three years later. Don't slack off." Jia She, Jia Zheng and others patiently warned.

"Yes, my grandnephew knows."

Jia Rong nodded, with a serious look in his eyes, and silently clenched his fists.

******
  Although Jia Rong was granted an official title, he still became a guerrilla general with the rank of third-grade military officer. But in fact, he is just a "salary official".

The key point is the sentence in the imperial edict, "Give me a guerrilla background in the Beijing camp to prepare for the exam."

What is a salary officer?
  It is an official who only receives a salary but does not hold real power.

Some of them are "hereditary military positions", which are called "hereditary officials".

At present, most of the noble descendants of the Great Zhou Dynasty are "hereditary officials". If you want to gain real power, you have to take an exam called the "Military and Political Examination." It is a process jointly sent by the "Ministry of War Military Selection and Cleaning Department" and the "Fifth Army Governor's Office" to send personnel to review.

Shen Defu of the former Ming Dynasty believed: "The five-year military administration of the military post is just like the six-year plan of the Beijing official. The code is huge and strict, so hereditary military officers are afraid of it."

Therefore, Jia Rong cannot slack off. What kind of official is he if he has an official position but does not receive real power? I still have to continue studying and practicing martial arts to prepare for the military and political examinations in three years' time.

******
  After changing his official uniform, Jia Rong was in high spirits and accompanied the hereditary nobles in the hall. At this moment, everyone no longer regards him as a young brother. On the contrary, they interacted with each other as equals, and occasionally revealed a few official secrets, which made Jia Rong secretly excited, as if she had seen a new world.

After a while, at noon, everyone moved to Huifang Garden, walked through various scenery of Huifang Garden, and finally had a banquet in the "Ningxi Pavilion" built near the water.

The people accompanied by Master Jia Rong are all powerful men, and none of them are good. Jia Rong was very energetic, and with the help of Jia She, Jia Zheng and others, she chatted and socialized with everyone, and had both sides.

Whether it was drinking orders, poetry, or drinking, Jia Rong mastered them all at his fingertips, which made the hereditary nobles very satisfied, and they looked at Jia Rong with more and more admiration in their eyes.

Upstairs in the theater, the troupe invited by Jia Rong was singing babblingly. Jia Rong, smelling of alcohol, suddenly confessed, came out of Ningxixuan, and went to Tianxiang Tower, Doufengxuan, and Dengxian Pavilion.

In addition to the distinguished eunuchs, ministers, and hereditary nobles, Jia Rong cannot forget those young brothers and sisters, especially the family friends and disciples of Ning Rong Jia's family, and even the Jia clan himself. Tables after tables of guests passed by to enjoy themselves as guests and hosts.

The strong smell of alcohol in the clothes was so smoky from a distance that anyone who came close to him was shocked and had a full understanding of Jia Rong's drinking capacity.

"It's really a gift from the wine master!"

I don't know how many people watched Jia Rong's flushed face, spitting out the fragrant smell of wine, drinking cup after cup, bowl after bowl, and boldly drank it into his stomach.

No matter who it was, everyone was impressed by its gesture and couldn't help but admire it.

This social ability alone is not something that ordinary people can have. This is the golden finger of "physical mutation" that gives Jia Rong extraordinary confidence.

Once you have ability, you need to show it, let people know it, and let people admire it.

Gradually, as your reputation spreads, things will go smoothly.

For example, right now, I don’t know how many people are attracted by Jia Rong’s heroic spirit. They made a promise at the wine shop to get closer to Jia Rong and do something great together. Many people even want to "submit" him.

Although, this is a "scene talk" at the wine table.

But Jia Rong took it seriously.

This is a "stepping stone". Some words become true as soon as you say them. For example, if Jia Rong wants to do something, he needs to ask someone to help him. With this drink, it will be much easier to talk, and the relationship and friendship will be much smoother.

People are emotional creatures.

If you want to make a good friend with someone, but you don't even want to talk or do anything to show off, and just want to be treated as an equal, the process must be very difficult.

Sometimes, bowing your head, toasting, saying nice things, and smiling are not bad things. If you want to do something, you have to be willing to show off your face.

Who said that "toasting and selling laughter" is not a skill? The society is so difficult. To survive in this environment, you have to prove your ability.

This is Jianghu, and worldliness!
  ******
  From noon to dusk, Dai Quan, who was having a banquet in Huifang Garden, and the powerful men in the mansion of the "Four Kings, Eight Dukes, Twelve Marquises and Twenty-Four Generals" gathered in Jia She, Jia Zheng, Jia Lian, Jia Rong, Jia Qiang, etc. He was sent off respectfully and left.

Before leaving, Jia Rong gave everyone a small gift.

Among them, Dai Quan is the most valuable, worth 1000 taels.

The princes and grandsons of the four princes with different surnames are not given silver, but antiques selected from antique houses, the price of which is around 500 taels.

The men from the Hachigong family and General Hou Bozinan's house earn about 200 to 300 taels.

The price for family friends, old relatives, disciples and old officials is 100 taels.

For the Jia people themselves, it is 50 taels.

Moreover, Jia Rong was very considerate. When he asked the prime minister's office to prepare the gift, he specifically ordered it to be packed in a box and pasted a red paper-cut word "囍" on the box.

In this way, it is not a gift, but a "happy gift".

All in all, the gift must be "wrapped" well to appear "high-class" enough, and it must appear that Jia Rong is very attentive and does things in a measured manner.

As expected, all the guests who went out were surprised when they received the "gifts" distributed by Ningguo Mansion, with unexpected joy in their eyes.

Especially, when they returned to the sedan, they curiously opened the "box" and saw the gifts inside. They were even more happy and beaming.

"This Jia Lianhua is really good at getting things done!"

A group of hereditary nobles, including Xiang Daiquan in the Daming Palace, saw Jia Rong's unique "gift-giving method". Everyone was smiling and felt that Jia Rong was calm and thoughtful in his work.

She had a better impression of him and showed deep appreciation.

Of course, these powerful men are not short of money, so they only think that Jia Rong's "wonderful ideas" are different from those of other brothers in the mansion.

And others are different.

For example, young brothers in the hereditary nobility, old relatives and disciples of the Ningrong Jia Mansion, and even members of the Jia clan themselves.

When I saw the gifts in the "box", I couldn't help but be overjoyed and felt that Jia Rong was so good at doing things.

Every situation is different.

Not to mention the "poor relatives" such as the disciples, former officials and people of the Jia family.

He is a young man in a hereditary noble family. How much money does he make every month? All of them are "poor and impoverished". For them, 200 taels of silver is already a large sum of money.

Attend Jia Rong's wedding, eat, drink and have fun for a day, and still have "money" to take home.

They admired Jia Rong's way of doing things, and their importance in their hearts skyrocketed.

The superficial work is done, and the interests are also given. If Jia Rong asks them to do things again, who can refuse?
  Especially some young brothers who admire Jia Rong and regard him as an "idol". I even feel that this leading brother is bold and generous and can achieve great things. I wish I could follow him and do great things!

And what about Jia Rong?

It seems like a lot of money was spent, but in fact, these people came to the door today and all brought heavy gifts. Jia Rong just "exchanged his left hand for his right hand" and "took their money to sell their goods", and did not lose much money at all.

But the effect is not as simple as a gift.

This is called "win-win".

(End of this chapter)