From a refugee to a martial artist

Chapter 21: Class Theory
After leaving the palace, Nie Yannian took Meng Yuan out to the street and came to a restaurant by the river called Zuiyue Tower.

The location and style of this place show that it is not a place for poor people to do business. Nie Yannian is obviously a frequent visitor. He first chatted with the beautiful female shopkeeper for a while before going up to the second floor.

After a while, the wine and food were served in a continuous stream, filling the entire table. Nie Yannian took a few bites of the food and praised its delicious taste.

"Master Nie, you are a guard in the palace, why are you so idle?" Meng Yuan has been observing for a long time. This Nie Yannian has never reported for work on time. His status in the palace is not low. It is obvious that he is not an ordinary guard.

"I used to follow the princess's brother. Later, when he died, I followed the princess. I was considered a guest official kept by the princess." Nie Yannian raised an eyebrow at Meng Yuan and gestured to pour the wine.

"I see." Meng Yuan did not ask further questions. He poured wine and said, "Master Nie, what exactly is this job?"

Meng Yuan was thinking that with the talent he had shown now, if he could gain some merit by following Nie Yannian, not only would he get a reward, but the matter of bringing Jiang girl back would be a piece of cake.

"I see you are more anxious than me?" Nie Yannian asked with a smile.

"Master Nie, you know, I was born a refugee, and I have a family in the pastoral village. The work there is hard, and I have a child who should go to school. Isn't this a good opportunity for me to gain credit with you?" Meng Yuan told the truth honestly.

"You come to ask me to do something again! My daughter has never made me worry so much!" Nie Yannian drank a glass of wine unhappily, "There's no need to rush about this kind of thing. It will happen sooner or later."

"When can I raise my monthly salary? How much can an eighth-rank warrior and a seventh-rank warrior receive in a month?" Meng Yuan considered the long-term. If he brought Jiang girl in in the future, and he ate a lot, his expenses would inevitably be huge. He would have to ask how much the salary was and whether he needed to have a side job.

Nie Yannian pointed at Meng Yuan with chopsticks and said, "You are a smart kid. You are diligent in your studies and flatter Xunmei. That's all true. But as you said, you were born a refugee. Although you have a useful brain, you are still not very knowledgeable."

"Please give me some advice, Master Nie." Meng Yuan quickly filled the glass with wine.

"As warriors, we rely on our fists and feet to make a living. But entering the rank is only the first step in the journey of thousands of miles. Rank nine and eight warriors are still ordinary people and can be killed by ordinary people."

Nie Yannian drank several cups in a row and continued, "Ninth and eighth ranks are not worth much. But if you can reach the seventh rank, no matter where you go, you can have a decent meal, just like me now. It is not difficult for a warrior to enter the rank, as long as you endure hardships, but if you want to move up, there are too many difficulties."

Only then did Meng Yuan know that Master Nie was a seventh-rank warrior.

Nie Yannian continued to talk nonstop, "Whether you are a seventh-rank official who goes out to make a living or like me, you will have no worries about food and clothing. But if you want to make a living outside, you still have to bow your head and use favors. But when you reach the sixth rank, your social class is different. It's not that you don't have to bow your head or use favors, but that you can save a lot of trouble. In fact, as long as you ask, someone will give you a house and a woman!"

He pointed outside, "If you want to enter the court, go to the border and fight for a few years. It's impossible to be a marquis or a prime minister, but it's not difficult to gain fame and wealth for three generations. If you stay in the wild, whether it's opening a martial arts company, escorting, or doing business, it will be much more convenient. Many problems encountered by seventh-rank warriors will not appear at all. Wherever you stand, people will be friendly with you."

After listening to this discussion on class, Meng Yuan roughly understood what Master Nie meant.

Ninth and eighth rank people have already found a way to make a living, they can get food anywhere and eat well. When you reach the seventh rank, you can eat well and benefit your descendants. When you reach the sixth rank, the world is so vast that you will never come to be a small guard.

As for going further, when you are no longer concerned about external things, it is time to pursue other things.

Master Nie meant that Meng Yuan was still young, and it was not the time to worry about money. Realm was the most important thing. When he got older and his realm really couldn't be raised, it would not be too late to make money.

"Master Nie, what is it like to be a high-ranking official?" Meng Yuan was extremely envious.

"Most people's final destination is the seventh grade. For a few ordinary people who are willing to work hard and encounter some good opportunities, the fifth grade is the highest. As for the upper third grade, wow, if you can reach that level, you can even sleep with the empress dowager." Nie Yannian whispered.

"Master Nie, actually I still like young people." Meng Yuan emphasized.

Nie Yannian glared at Meng Yuan and said, "Don't worry about it! If you still can't enter the eighth rank next year, I will definitely take you to find the madam!"

You can't forget the brothel owner, right?

"Let's not talk about the madam for now..." Meng Yuan got a headache when he heard about the madam. He sighed and said, "Can I bring my family to live in the city now?"

"If you want to bring your relatives here, it's not difficult. Once you get the rank, you can become a palace guard. Even if a third-class guard doesn't have a separate courtyard to live in, ten taels of silver a month is enough to support a family. Besides, you have good qualifications, and the palace will definitely be willing to cultivate you." Nie Yannian gestured to pour wine, and then said: "But if you ask me, you should go and tell Xunmei. She is in charge of several farms, and she can get it done with just one word. Didn't you hook up with her? Go and talk to her!"

Meng Yuan said sternly, "Master Nie, I was born a gelder, so if my reputation is ruined, it's fine. But Miss Xunmei is a cold plum in the snow, a noble scholar in the snow, and I cannot let her be tarnished in the slightest."

"I was damn right about you. You have a lot of dirty tricks in your heart, but you still look righteous. Damn it, if I had your ability when I was young, I wouldn't have ended up like this!"

Nie Yannian pointed at Meng Yuan's nose and said, "You have a talent for martial arts, but if you become an official, you may have a better future."

"Master Nie, I want to practice martial arts and be an official at the same time." Meng Yuan said.

"You've taken all the good things, haven't you?" Nie Yannian glared at Meng Yuan and said, "Since you're pretending to be a gentleman and don't want to seduce Xunmei, it's not appropriate to take your family now. You only have 10 taels of silver a month. Are you supporting your family or yourself? Martial arts are the foundation. This is a matter of taking one step or three steps ahead."

He tapped the table with his chopsticks and said, "But if this job is done well and I can get some credit, it will definitely work. Besides, it's not bad to see the world."

"Thank you, Master Nie, for your support!" Meng Yuan poured wine attentively and asked curiously, "What kind of work is it?"

Nie Yannian flicked his tongue, smiled and tapped Meng Yuan's knuckles with his chin.

This refers to the spirits! And she already knew that she was defiled by the little weasel!
"Master Nie, I didn't mean to hide it, I just didn't want to get involved," Meng Yuan explained.

"Of course I know, otherwise how could I keep you here? Do you really think Xunmei's reputation is more important than anything else?" Nie Yannian stood up with a smile and patted Meng Yuan on the shoulder. "Don't worry too much, these are all small matters. I'll come to you tomorrow. We'll talk in detail then. I'm leaving now."

After saying that, Nie Yannian staggered down the stairs.

After all this fuss, you still haven't explained it clearly!
Meng Yuan looked at the table full of food, including chicken, duck, fish and meat, but he hadn't eaten much yet.

"Master Nie, take care!" Meng Yuan said politely, took a sip of tea to soothe his throat, and then picked up his chopsticks directly.

It only took him a quarter of an hour to finish the entire table of food. The energy in his body slowly grew stronger, and it was actually more than what he had absorbed from eating in the training ground for three days.

I rubbed my belly and went downstairs. The beautiful shopkeeper came forward with a smile, bowed gracefully, and said, "Thank you for the ten taels of silver. Haha, it's just a small business."

You call this a small business? A table of food costs only three or five taels at most, but you dare to ask me for a month's salary!
Meng Yuan was still not satisfied with the food and was planning to bring Jiang girl here to eat later. After hearing this, he immediately put on a stern expression and said seriously, "Put it on Nie Yannian's account."

"Uncle Nie said that you will treat us all to dinner," the beautiful woman said with a smile.

Meng Yuan saw that his trick of evading debts was exposed, but he was not embarrassed. He just smiled and said, "Of course I know. I was just joking. Are you a local? I don't know why, but when I saw you, I felt familiar with you. You looked like my own sister..."

"Ten taels." The beautiful woman didn't give Meng Yuan any chance to get close to her.

Meng Yuan had no choice, and there was no need to get angry, so he took out a silver ingot and threw it over. The beautiful woman took it and weighed it in her hand. Without weighing it, she smiled and said, "It's the right amount. Take care, young master."

Meng Yuan took a deep breath, suppressed his grief, clenched his fists and took two steps outside. Suddenly he felt something was wrong, as if he had encountered a wine-selling scammer.

"What are your names, sister and Master Nie?" Meng Yuan turned around and asked.

"Master." The beautiful woman put her hands in her sleeves and smiled charmingly.

Eh? You and your daughter set up this trap just to deceive an honest man like me?
"..."Meng Yuan suffered a loss. He just borrowed ten taels of silver from Nie Yannian, and in the blink of an eye, he gave it back to him, but the debt has not been settled yet!

(End of this chapter)