Tiger Guards

Chapter 679 Changes in Fate
Jinyang, the end of the year is approaching.

It is located in the Queshu Valley official road post station between Taiyuan and Hedong.

A convoy of carriages moved slowly along. Inside the carriages, Zhao Jian was dressed in simple black clothes. Having served for three years without being promoted to the rank of corporal, he had retired along with other Tiger Step soldiers with similar experiences and was transferred to the rank of corporal in Hedong County.

Zhao Xu, the governor of Hedong Commandery, was very good at interpersonal relationships. Within a few months, he promoted Zhao Jian to a civil official in the 100-man team, which barely qualified him to wear official uniforms and allowed him to escape the hardships of front-line training and duty.

As the year drew to a close, Zhao Jian asked for leave, and neither his superiors nor their superiors dared to refuse.

At this moment, Zhao Jian felt heavy-hearted, yet also harbored a certain expectation.

Zhao Xu clearly had the intention to curry favor and ingratiate himself, but he didn't want to show it too directly.

What Zhao Xun could offer was to recommend Zhao Jian as a filial son, and no one, from top to bottom, dared to object to this honor of being a filial and incorruptible official.

However, Zhao Xu expressed his concerns, worrying that this would go against the Grand Tutor's good intentions and original intentions in training his elder brother.

Zhao Jian couldn't help but sigh deeply as he thought about the difficulties involved. His wife, Pei, who was in the same carriage, noticed his repeated sighs and raised an eyebrow at him, asking, "We're about to go to Jinyang to celebrate the New Year, why are you so worried, my husband?"

"This is a sorrow that cannot be explained."

Zhao Jian responded and glanced at his children nestled on either side of his wife. He didn't want to speak ill of Zhao Ji or Zhao Yan in front of them.

They might be worried that their child might accidentally say something in front of strangers, or that their child might not be able to hide their emotions and express them in front of Zhao Ji or Zhao Yan.

Of course, there is also the possibility that he doesn't want his children to be involved in the grudges of this generation.

Lady Pei had her hands on her children's shoulders. Because of Zhao Jian's military rank, her family could not use high-grade jade artifacts or ornaments, but the fabric of their clothes was top-of-the-line, and the filling inside their clothes for warmth was also various kinds of velvet presented by the nobles of the Hu tribes.

The leather sleeves that Xiao Pei was wearing at that moment were made from mink fur that had been deliberately stripped of its fur and sewn together.

Even Zhao Jian's goatskin shawl was made of multiple layers of soft lambskin stitched together, with ordinary goatskin on the outside.

His family's household items were mostly in this simple style. While other families used gold leaf and gold paint on pottery and bronzeware, his family would practically coat their goldware with a layer of mud.

After the victory in the campaign against the Hu, the three families of Zhao Jian, Zhao Yuan, and Zhao Xing received countless gifts during festivals.

Including Zhao Lian from Dai County and the Pei family in Tongxiang, all five of them received various customary gifts.

Due to the extreme disparity and injustice in their status, these five places are basically places where one can enter but not leave.

In order to properly sort, store, and preserve these gifts, Zhao Jian, who currently holds the lowest social status, has no choice but to hire some villagers as laborers to keep the family business running.

He brought with him a large number of gifts that were not suitable for storage, intending to sell them in Jinyang when he returned to Jinyang for the family gathering.

As for his parents and Zhao Yan, Zhao Jian could simply give them gifts appropriate to his current status.

Zhao Jian was already quite satisfied with the various unexpected incomes he had received so far.

So much so that he longed to resign from his post in the county and stay home to pursue his studies.

Previously, many factors limited his pursuit of scholarship. For example, he had to actively participate in the affairs of the county and prefecture as a member of the Pei clan; the survival and development of his family also forced him to devote himself to officialdom, to cultivate connections and gather information.

The most crucial point is that if he were to pursue his studies from home, he would be vulnerable to being taken advantage of if he had no connections in the county government.

At the same time, the severe lack of books and materials also limited his ability to work in isolation and improve his academic knowledge.

Besides, simply pursuing academic research offers no future.

The important thing is to build up a reputation, thereby attracting more students and disciples to collect tuition fees, and expanding influence through students and disciples.

Now there are no longer any factors restricting him. Due to the turmoil and chaos in traditional literature, Zhao Jian's current status makes it easy for him to acquire a large number of manuscripts by famous writers. He doesn't need to spend time building his reputation. With his current status, he can immediately gain the recognition of other great scholars and famous people. There are countless outstanding young men and women who want to study under him.

Therefore, the time was ripe for him to resign, stay home to pursue scholarship, and cultivate the influence of his lineage. However, this idea remained only in Zhao Jian's mind; he wanted to consult Zhao Ji or Zhao Yan when they were alone.

As for his wife, Ms. Pei's, opinion... I really can't ask or consult her about that.

The Pei family would not allow him to resign, much less allow him to seize the 'student pool' in Hedong and the surrounding areas of Taiyuan.

Zhao Jian is of above-average talent, but his unfavorable background limits him. Now he doesn't need to struggle for survival, and under Zhao Ji's suppression, he even has a unique kind of clarity.

He even suspected that Zhao Ji had long ago intended to arrange for him to associate with famous scholars and Confucian masters.

His personality and background were more suited to this job, while the second son, Zhao Yuan, was clearly not. By using the Prince of Chen to promote Zhao Yuan to general through diplomatic exchanges, internal discussions were avoided.

Being a hostage abroad is essentially risking one's life for a cause, and no one would stand up to question it.

Moreover, Zhao Yuan had returned wounded. Although he had no military achievements on the battlefield, his qualifications as a general were beyond doubt.

Even if Zhao Yuan is sent to lead the troops in the future, the arrogant military officers below will not feel much dissatisfaction.

As long as Zhao Yuan is properly equipped with an assistant team, he can easily establish a mediocre and ordinary general's headquarters.

We cannot expect all armies to be highly capable; we need a mix of strong and weak forces to maintain checks and balances, and we should focus on maintaining orderly and healthy internal development.

Zhao Yuan's development path has basically been determined, and few people dare to jump out and disrupt it.

Zhao Jian had no interest in discussing matters with Xiao Pei. Thinking of his own affairs, he couldn't help but sigh again.

Under this kind of passive-aggressive treatment, Xiao Pei could only remain silent and dare not throw a tantrum.

Now, Zhao Jian really dares to divorce her.

Even her branch of the Pei family, a concubine's descendant, might cause her to die suddenly from an illness, and then, in order to take care of the children, Zhao Jian might be given a more gentle and virtuous second wife.

At this moment, Madam Pei even felt some gratitude towards Zhao Ji. If it weren't for Zhao Ji deliberately suppressing Zhao Jian, preventing outsiders from interfering at will.

Otherwise, Zhao Jian, now in a high position with dozens of concubines and beautiful maids, would have treated Xiao Pei as nothing more than a decoration in his household, just like his father Zhao Lian.

If she can recognize the change in her status and strive to be a good housekeeper, she can stay in the position of the principal wife, enduring hardship until her biological children marry into a powerful family and she gains external support, at which point she, as the matriarch of the family, can regain her rightful power and status.

Otherwise, without Zhao Jian's intervention or instruction, the ravenous concubines, beautiful maids, and ambitious servants could have easily killed Lady Pei by joining forces.

No one will stand up for her; her family will only be eager to find Zhao Jian a second wife.

That's how life is. The more Pei Shi privately resented Zhao Ji's ruthlessness in the past two years, the more positive feelings she would have for him at this moment.

For at least these past few years, Zhao Jian has had no other children, either inside or outside the home. Her children will inherit everything from Zhao Jian... and that is enough for her.

Ms. Pei has managed to ignore Zhao Jian's emotional abuse and maintain the stability of the family. She is confident that she will have the last laugh.

While the young couple were lost in their own thoughts, Zhao Yuan, along with his wives and concubines, had already arrived in Jinyang.

During his recovery, Zhao Yuan also devoted himself to studying military strategy and the Taoist practices passed down in the Zhao family.

While it is called Taoist magic, it is actually based on mathematics and has derived from astronomy, calendar systems, and some medical sciences.

The influx of various kinds of knowledge into his mind made Zhao Yuan's temperament more composed.

Upon entering Jinyang City, Zhao Yuan's first act was to pay a visit to Grand Tutor Zhao Yan.

(End of this chapter)