Emperor of the Red Chamber

Chapter 144: Eat the Emperor's Salary, Be Loyal to the Emperor

For officials in the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, working hours were divided into "summer time" and "winter time".

From the spring equinox to the autumnal equinox is daylight saving time, and get off work ends at 4 pm.

From the autumnal equinox to the vernal equinox is winter time, and we get off work at 3 pm.

This is the general rule, but there are also special cases.

For example, Jia Zhu, due to the importance and uniqueness of his job, often stayed away from get off work late.

Such is the case today.

Jia Zhu accompanied Yuan Qingbai on his incognito trip and it was past the normal working time, but there were urgent matters waiting for him to deal with at the Ministry of Internal Affairs. After a busy period, when Jia Zhu returned to Rongguo Mansion, it was already 4:00 in the evening, the sky was dark, and the winter night wind was biting.

The brothers Ni Da and Ni Er had been waiting in Rongguo Mansion for a quarter of an hour. They were chatting with Jia Zheng in Jia Zheng's outer study when they suddenly heard that Jia Zhu had returned home. They hurried to the main courtyard to greet him.

Jia Zhu said politely to the two men, "I heard that you two brothers have been waiting in the mansion for a while? Thank you for waiting."

Ni Da hurriedly said, "My Lord summoned me to come at 4:45 p.m. at twilight hour. I didn't dare to be late, so I arrived a moment earlier. I am sorry to bother you and the father-in-law. The father-in-law asked us to stay in his study to chat for a while."

Ni Da is 38 years old this year, five years older than his younger brother Ni Er. He is also a sturdy man, but he does not look as rough and unruly as Ni Er.

The two brothers have very different personalities. Ni Da is calm and steady. He inherited the title from his ancestors and has been working in the military for twenty years. He is already a third-rank guerrilla under the command of the Nine-Gate Admiral.

Jia Zhu asked with a smile: "I sent someone to invite you brothers to be the host today, but due to official duties, we had to postpone it until dark. Have you brothers had dinner yet?"

Ni Da responded respectfully: "It is a great honor for me to be able to come to your house and enjoy your hospitality. How can I come back after dinner?"

Jia Zhu nodded and asked Ni Da and Ni Er to wait for a while. He went to Jia Zheng's outer study to greet Jia Zheng. The father and son talked for a few words, then he returned and led Ni Da and Ni Er into the Xiangnan Hall in the middle of the Rongguo Mansion.

The south hall was brightly lit and filled with delicious food and fine wine.

Jia Zhu, Ni Da and Ni Er all sat down. Ni Da and Ni Er toasted Jia Zhu with a glass of wine. Jia Zhu then asked Ni Er, "Do you know that the Third Master here today is the current emperor?"

Ni Er said, "I see. I still can't believe it now. I never thought that I, Ni Er, would be so lucky to meet His Majesty who was traveling incognito. Fortunately, Master Jia reminded me in advance that I should not neglect His Majesty. Otherwise, if a rough man like me said something that I shouldn't have said, wouldn't it offend His Majesty?"

Jia Zhu smiled and asked Ni Da, "Do you know what happened today?"

"Your Excellency, I have already heard my brother's detailed account," Ni Da replied respectfully, and then asked respectfully, "But I don't know why you, Your Excellency, are in such a high position and have so many official duties that you would condescend to invite us to your house for dinner today?"

Jia Zhu calmed down and said, "Since you asked, I won't beat around the bush. Today, Ni Er's physique, martial arts and chivalrous deeds have won the favor of the emperor. The emperor wants to appoint Ni Er as the captain of the battalion and send him to the Jianrui Battalion."

Ni Da and Ni Er were not very surprised when they heard this.

Ni Da had already guessed in advance that the reason why such a distinguished figure as Jia Zhu suddenly invited him and Ni Er to the Rongguo Mansion for dinner tonight was perhaps because Ni Er was appreciated by Emperor Tianlong today and Emperor Tianlong had rewarded Ni Er, or perhaps Jia Zhu took a liking to Ni Er and wanted to promote him.

Although Ni Er was not very surprised, he was stunned. He had his own thoughts.

He was born with a strong physique and a distinguished family background. If he had worked hard when he was young, he would have achieved something. Even if he could not be as good as Ni Da, he would not be so useless.

However, he did not work hard when he was young, and was infected with playboy habits at an early age. Over time, he became a scoundrel, and even his brother Ni Da disliked and alienated him.

Today, by chance, he was suddenly appreciated by Yuan Qingbai, who allowed him to join the army and appointed him as a captain of the sixth rank. This made him feel dazed and he doubted whether he was qualified for the job.

Seeing Ni Er in a daze, Ni Da hurriedly said, "Second brother, why don't you thank me quickly."

Ni Er came to his senses and said to Jia Zhu, "Master Jia, I, Ni Er, am very lucky to be favored by the emperor. Logically, I should go through fire and water to repay the emperor's grace. But forgive me for being frank. I, Ni Er, have never been an official or a soldier. I usually like to drink and fight. If you suddenly ask me to join the army and lead soldiers, I am afraid that I will not be able to do it well, and I am also afraid that I will break the rules of the army."

This remark made Jia Zhu appreciate Ni Er even more, and he felt that Ni Er was honest. This remark also once again reflected that although Ni Er was a rough man, he was meticulous and had some brains.

Jia Zhu said amiably, "Second Brother, you are speaking candidly. I specially invited you to this dinner today because I have something to say to you."

"You are appointed as the battalion commander and sent to the Jianrui Battalion. This is not only the emperor's reward to you, but also the emperor's will. You should be grateful and cannot disobey his order." "You roamed the streets, loved drinking and fighting, but that was your past. Now you are over 30 years old and have wasted many years. Your brother is now a guerrilla in the infantry battalion. Don't you have any shame at all?"

"Now that you have this God-given opportunity, you should seize it and go to the Jianrui Battalion to perform your duties. Wear armor and wield a spear, lead the troops and ride horses, and make achievements to repay the emperor's grace, to continue the martial arts of your ancestors, and to bring honor to your family. This is what a real man should be like, and your life will not be in vain."

"I will not hide it from you. The Jianrui Battalion is an elite division founded by the current emperor after he ascended the throne. It is composed of two thousand carefully selected brave men. The emperor intends to send this battalion to the west to conquer Junggar. The emperor wants to send you to this battalion as a thousand-man commander, which shows that he values ​​you very much and is giving you a chance to make achievements."

"Second brother, I, Jia Zhu, also favor you, and your Ni family's ancestors are old relatives of my Jia family. I sincerely hope that you can become a useful person and make great achievements. Therefore, I will say all I have to say today, and I hope you don't think I am too long-winded. Come, I, Jia Zhu, solemnly offer you a glass of wine today, and I hope you will achieve great success and glory in the future."

After saying this, Jia Zhu raised his glass to Ni Er.

Ni Er was both moved and excited after hearing this long speech.

Without much hesitation, Ni Er raised his glass and said proudly, "Master Jia favors me, Ni Er. If I were to shrink back, I would be ungrateful. I, Ni Er, will drink this glass of wine and from now on I will be a good military officer and lead the troops and horses well."

Jia Zhu said, "Okay, second brother, this is what a husband should do. I will drink this cup completely and remember your promise!" After that, he drank the wine in the cup.

Jia Zhu knew that it was difficult for people to change, and it was not easy to change their ways. Now he deliberately said that he had written down Ni Er's promise, which was equivalent to warning Ni Er again, so that Ni Er would not break this promise in the future.

Looking at the scene in front of him, Ni Da couldn't help but feel emotional.

Jia Zhu is only twenty-six years old this year, seven years younger than Ni Er and twelve years older than Ni Da.

Jia Zhu could be so noble at such an age, and could now so earnestly persuade Ni Er, which made Ni Da admire Jia Zhu even more. He believed that the reason why Jia Zhu was favored by Emperor Tianlong was not only because of his family background, but also because of his talent and character.

Ni Da also felt guilty. As a brother, he had not been able to help Ni Er become a useful person for many years, and he even disliked Ni Er. A few years ago, because his parents had passed away, he gave the old house under the west corridor of the Jia Mansion to Ni Er and bought a house for himself to live in. On the surface, this seemed like he was treating Ni Er well, but in fact, he wanted to distance himself from Ni Er.

Jia Zhu looked at Ni Da and said solemnly again, "I specially invited you to this dinner today for two purposes."

"First, Ni Er is your brother. He has encountered such a good fortune today. You should be happy for him."

"Secondly, you have fought in the military for many years, and have also fought in the field. I remember that when you first joined the army, you were only awarded the rank of seventh-rank captain, but now you have been promoted to third-rank guerrilla. You have a lot of experience and are steady and prudent. I hope you can persuade and help the second brother in the future. If the second brother becomes a useful person, you, as his elder brother, will also be proud of it. If your ancestors and your parents are still alive in heaven, they will surely smile in their graves."

"Today, I, Jia Zhu, also solemnly offer you a glass of wine. I hope you will remember my words and I also hope that you will make more contributions in the future and become more prominent. If one day you two brothers become famous generals of the Tianlong Dynasty, my Jia family will also be proud of it."

Ni Da was both moved and excited after hearing these words.

Ni Da raised his glass and said, "I am deeply grateful for your kind advice to me today. I will never forget your kind words. My ancestors were members of the Jia family, and we are your disciples. How dare we accept your toast? This glass of wine should be toasted to you."

As expected of Ni Da, who had been in the military and government for twenty years, his words were both humble and clever in trying to curry favor with Jia Zhu. If Jia Zhu accepted these words, it would be equivalent to recognizing Ni Da and Ni Er as his disciples, and logically he should support the brothers.

Jia Zhu understood what he meant and said with a smile: "Times have changed. You two brothers have bright futures. I cannot bear the title of 'disciple'. Our master is the present emperor. We, as his subjects, should serve him with all our hearts and souls. I toast you with this glass of wine!"

Jia Zhu and Ni Da drank together.

After finishing the business, Jia Zhu ended today's host event after a while.

After Ni Da and Ni Er left, Jia Zhu walked from the outer house to his residence in the inner house. On the way, he looked up at the night sky. There were more than ten bright stars in his field of vision.

Jia Zhu was touched and sighed: "If every star in the night sky is a famous general of the Tianlong Dynasty, then it would be amazing if the Tianlong Dynasty could produce more than ten famous generals!"

As Yuan Qingbai's most trusted and loyal minister, Jia Zhu knew that Yuan Qingbai had great ambitions in military affairs. Yuan Qingbai had told him that he wanted to train some famous generals for the Tianlong Dynasty.

Eat the emperor's food and be loyal to him!
Jia Zhu sincerely wanted to be loyal to Yuan Qingbai with all his heart. In his view, this was not only the duty of a subject, but also a repayment for the great favor.

One of the reasons why he entertained the Qingmu Ni brothers in this way today was that he hoped that one of the brothers could become a famous general to assist Yuan Qingbai.

He even hoped that he could become a famous general of the Tianlong Dynasty in the future...

(End of this chapter)