The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 265 can be tried first.

Early the next morning.

Before dawn, Wang Xin had already gotten out of bed and was practicing boxing in the courtyard of Tubishan Villa.

Qingwen brought over the copper basin, placed it on the washbasin stand, then took out a towel. After preparing everything, she looked at Wang Xin not far away and pouted.

"Since Lord Xin returned, Sister Ping'er has developed the habit of sleeping in late. Lord Xin is a man of iron, and he should be more considerate of Sister Ping'er. How can Sister Ping'er bear Lord Xin's presence?"

Qingwen stood up for Ping'er.

Hearing Qingwen's childlike words, Wang Xin was amused.

When it was almost time, Wang Xin came over, took the handkerchief that Qingwen handed him, wiped his face with it, and then handed it back to Qingwen.

Qingwen's hands were fair and delicate. She put the handkerchief into the copper basin, rubbed it a few times with water, wrung it out again, and used her small hands to squeeze it, revealing the fine blue veins on the back of her hands. Then she handed it to Wang Xin.

"Forget it, I'll do it myself."

Wang Xin smiled and took the towel, wiped his arm, and washed it again.

Qingwen rolled her eyes and went to prepare her toothbrush and tooth powder.

After Wang Xin finished washing his face and wiping away the sweat, Qingwen came over carrying a small box.

Besides toothbrushes, the box also contained tooth powder specially made by the Jia family.

Tooth powder varies from place to place.

The tooth powder used in the Jia family's household contained Chinese herbal medicines such as soapberry, ginger, cimicifuga, rehmannia, eclipta, salt, and alum water.

It can not only kill bacteria and reduce inflammation, but also prevent periodontal disease, etc.

Smelling the fragrance from Qingwen's breath and her pearly white teeth, Wang Xin couldn't help but laugh and said, "This tooth powder is fine for you girls, but it's too girly for me. Do you have any other brands?"

Qingwen smiled and said, "If Master Bao can use it, why can't you?"

“He is from a noble family, I am a poor man, how can I compare to him?”

Wang Xin disagreed.

However, when Qingwen spoke, her teeth were as clear as melon seeds, and with the added fragrance, people couldn't help but get closer. The things used in this noble mansion would still be considered quite good even by later standards.

"I'm afraid there won't be enough time today. I'll go to another courtyard later and get some for the next few days." Although Qingwen found Wang Xin troublesome, she didn't refuse.

Wang Xin was filled with emotion.

Although he was diligent and frugal, after having Qingwen and then Ping'er, he eventually got used to being served by others.

Fortunately, my salary is quite good.

He went back inside while thinking about it.

They were going out soon, so they didn't wait for Ping'er or let Qingwen wake her up. The two of them ate breakfast in the room.

Qingwen felt as if she had returned to the time before Ping'er came.

At that time, she only ate with Xinye. Later, Pingjie came, and it became a three-person meal. Pingjie's relationship with Xinye was also much closer than hers.

Qingwen ate her meal silently, lost in thought.

Wang Xin was also calculating his finances.

The guerrilla general of the Great Zhou Dynasty was a third-rank military officer, with an annual salary of 180 taels of silver, which was equivalent to 15 taels of silver per month.

It was far superior to that of the Ming Dynasty, yet far inferior to that of the Qing Dynasty.

In addition to official salaries, the Qing Dynasty also provided additional stipends in rice and allowances for maintaining integrity.

However, the price of silver in the Qing Dynasty was not as high as it is now in the Zhou Dynasty.

Overall.

Ignoring the expenses related to long-standing problems, this salary is quite good.

Many families, even if they didn't eat or drink for a whole year, wouldn't have fifteen taels of silver.

Qingwen and Ping'er each received one tael of silver per month. Ping'er, unlike Qingwen, received six taels more per year, making it only thirty taels a year.

Once you have your own house, you can hire a few maids for menial tasks, paying them five taels of silver a month. At most, you can hire two or three long-term maids, paying them only eight or nine taels a month. With six people working, the annual cost will be less than fifty taels.

The remaining hundred taels of silver would be enough to support the education and martial arts training of three to five children, and to cover the family's expenses.

But there's no end to spending money.

In the exchange of gifts and favors, extravagance and greed mean that even 1,800 taels wouldn't be enough, let alone 180 taels.

However, if he followed his own habits, and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general, he would receive a salary of 240 taels of silver a year, which should be enough no matter what.

If you consider your descendants.

That's not enough.

They have their own strengths and rely on their own abilities to make a living, without having to depend on others, and they don't have high desires.

What about their descendants?
If one's descendants are not capable, they will always have to ask for favors. Asking for favors requires social obligations, and if one goes down this path, even a few hundred taels of silver in salary may not be enough.

That's how I am.

What about Tang Ping, Zhang Can, and Zhao Yong?

They have their own homes, and some will soon be starting families.

Once you have your own home, you'll think too much about your family and your descendants, wishing that one generation could amass all the wealth for their descendants so that they can lie on mountains of gold and silver.

How much money will ever end?

That's why we need to set rules.

Even if Wang Xin didn't know how many generations this rule could be passed down, he was afraid that when he was gone or when he was old, his descendants would no longer follow the rule because they were willing but unable to.

I'm only in my twenties, and I'm already thinking about old age.

Wang Xin shook his head.

“Feng’er said she’s taken a liking to a courtyard. Tell your sister Ping that you and Feng’er should go and have a look during the day. If you two think it’s good, then buy the courtyard.”

Wang Xin gave the instructions.

Having served as a guerrilla general for a long time, and including his previous position as a commander, he received 140 taels of silver annually.

A typical three-courtyard house.

Even the capital city is divided into different areas.

The area around the Imperial City is inhabited by the wealthy and powerful. A three-courtyard house there would cost at least five thousand taels of silver. Then there's the East District, which is more commercial and has a more prosperous location, and would cost around two thousand taels of silver.

I can't afford it myself.

You can only buy from a place further away.

In the western district, or a three-courtyard house on the south side, it would cost about four hundred taels of silver.

With his own reward money plus several years' salary, he could just buy a place and still have two or three hundred taels of silver left to maintain the daily life of the courtyard.

Buying a house is always a big expense.

With these three courtyards, the subsequent expenses were greatly reduced.

Qingwen looked surprised, then happy, and said joyfully, "I want to go too."

"Go."

Wang Xin laughed.

Only if Qingwen and Ping'er are willing to follow him and leave this paradise-like Duke's mansion can he take them away. If they are unwilling to go to the three courtyards and prefer the wealth and extravagance of the Duke's mansion, then he will not be able to take them away no matter what.

So it depends on their own choice.

It's reassuring that neither Ping'er nor Qingwen are vain people.

Or perhaps it's just human nature to be vain.

But knowing what he wanted most and what kind of life he liked, he made his own choice.

As for the three-courtyard house, although it is not as grand as the Duke's mansion, compared to ordinary people, having one's own three-courtyard house is already a blessing from one's ancestors, something that cannot be asked for and can be passed down as an ancestral home.

After Wang Xin finished his breakfast, he met with Shi Ping and the others outside the back door.

Jia Zheng treated me very well.

And she also received meticulous care from Wang Xifeng.

Knowing that he had personal guards with him, he specially cleared out a courtyard in the back street for Shi Ping and his men to live in, so that Wang Xin wouldn't have to worry about them.

However, living in the Jia family mansion was not a long-term solution.

As her conflict with Wang Ziteng deepened, it was bound to involve the four major families. To avoid potential problems, moving out as soon as possible was now imperative.

Ningrong Street is located on the edge of the imperial city. In the morning, the capital was crowded with people, and the streets were full of pedestrians. The soldiers of the Five Cities Garrison patrolled, which finally kept the road clear and allowed everyone to go their own way.

Not long after, Wang Xin arrived at the Ministry of War.

Zhang Jifu is on duty at the Ministry of War today; it's unclear whether he did it intentionally or unintentionally.

The Ministry of War was strictly governed by rules, and the officials who came and went were of high status. Wang Xin discreetly handed over his waist token, which was checked by a minor official and then taken inside to be given to the official. Soon after, an official arrived and warmly welcomed Wang Xin inside.

The servants were used to it and knew that this person was no ordinary military officer.

Without waiting, they led him inside. Wang Xin was taken aback and quickly bowed, saying, "This humble official, Wang Xin, greets Your Excellency."

Zhang Jifu sat behind his desk, holding an official document from some unknown government office, and carefully examined it.

Upon hearing Wang Xin's voice, he said without looking up, "Find a seat for yourself."

The official who brought Wang Xin in has already quietly left.

Wang Xin looked around, but without any trepidation, he found a place to sit down and waited for Zhang Jifu to speak.

after awhile.

Zhang Jifu finally finished reading the official document, looked up, and his gaze fell on Wang Xin.

Wang Xin sat upright, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

Zhang Jifu sighed.

I genuinely like Wang Xin's style; it suits my taste perfectly. It's a pity that the retired emperor has taken a liking to him.

Even if he was arrogant and confident that he could snatch someone from Lin Ruhai, he would not dare to snatch someone from the Emperor Emeritus, even if the Emperor Emeritus might have forgotten about this person. After all, the Emperor Emeritus had contact with so many people, and Wang Xin was just one of them.

"You have some nerve in doing this in Datong."

Zhang Jifu sneered.

Wang Xin did not change color.

Given Zhang Jifu's position, if he didn't want what I was doing in Datong, he would have stopped me long ago, instead of waiting until today.

Seeing that he hadn't intimidated Wang Xin, Zhang Jifu wasn't surprised. He asked seriously, "If I don't agree to let you stay in Datong and instead transfer you back to the Beijing garrison, what do you plan to do?"

Wang Xin was stunned.

I really didn't expect Zhang Jifu to ask such a direct question.

It seems that Zhang Jifu has already established himself in the capital and is destined to become the future Grand Secretary. He probably has confidence in Zhu Wei as well, otherwise, where would he get such an overbearing aura?

Things should be done in a roundabout way, but you must follow the rules.

That's because they don't belong to the rule-makers.

Zhang Jifu was already the one who set the rules, and he was unwilling to bother with trivial details.

In other words.

Zhang Jifu's strength has increased.

Wang Xin's expression turned serious. After pondering for a while, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he suddenly understood. Fortunately, he was knowledgeable and had watched "The Ming Dynasty 1566" eight hundred times on the video channel.

With Zhang Jifu's power, how could the commotion in Datong be kept from him?

What he wants is his attitude, not genuine concern about his actions.

When dealing with someone of such high caliber, someone who has risen to prominence within the scientific community, telling the truth is the safest course of action; lying will only displease them.

"If Your Excellency agrees to let me stay in Datong, I will integrate the forces of Datong West Road and, before Ou Yanhu unifies the Sheng Hu, destroy his stronghold in Dabansheng, cut off his roots, and force him to return to his base."

Zhang Jifu asked, "Aren't you afraid of being defeated by him?"

Wang Xin did not hesitate or boast, but based his answer on the actual situation: "If we can successfully disrupt this man's plans and prevent him from unifying the Shenghu tribes, and if I am unable to defeat him, and he then unifies the various Shenghu tribes and successfully returns to Dabansheng, I will be no match for him."

Zhang Jifu nodded.

This is the truth.

Seeing that Zhang Jifu had no more questions, Wang Xin continued, "If Your Excellency does not agree to let me stay in Datong, then I will send my elite troops to the local areas to strengthen their strength, at least to defend against enemies outside the pass and prevent the Hu people from easily entering the pass and harming the people inside the pass."

Zhang Jifu finally understood.

Or.

Zhang Jifu was unwilling to believe his own judgment.

Wang Xin was too loyal.

His loyalty was almost frightening.

No matter who it was, Zhang Jifu simply couldn't believe that someone would so easily relinquish the strength they had painstakingly accumulated. Whether for personal or public reasons, Zhang Jifu couldn't comprehend such a noble person.

Wang Xin is a smart man.

Zhang Jifu was very certain of this.

Since they are intelligent, they cannot be extremely simple and honest.

Zhang Jifu had no doubt that Wang Xin was loyal and virtuous, but he could not believe that Wang Xin was so loyal and virtuous.

Zhang Jifu could understand everything.

Only Wang Xin.

I still can't understand it.

Zhang Jifu couldn't understand it and didn't want to think about it anymore, because he had thought about it long enough and had dragged it out until now. He still couldn't figure it out and was becoming more and more "unable to understand" Wang Xin.

"Do you think that after you leave, the wealthy families of Datong, along with the elite troops you left behind, will be able to fight against Ou Yanhu?"

Zhang Jifu asked urgently.

Wang Xin lowered his head.

There's no need to rush to find out Zhang Jifu's identity.

Yes.

Nobody wants to have an emperor above them.

This is the inevitable choice for the petty bourgeoisie.

The flourishing of handicrafts in Jiangnan gave rise to a large urban class, which, by removing the constraints imposed on them and allowing them to engage in commerce and production without hindrance, thus unleashing productive forces, destined the birth of new learning.

Late Ming Dynasty.

The legal thought proposed by figures such as Li Zhi and Huang Zongxi emphasizes the importance of law, believing that law can limit the power of the monarch and protect the rights of the people.

Gu Yanwu advocated "rule by the masses" instead of "rule by the monarch," that is, to limit the monarch's dictatorship through the participation of the people, expand the powers of prefectural and county officials, and enhance the people's participation in politics.

Some thinkers advocated developing commerce to promote national prosperity, even though this contradicted the prevailing policy of emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce. They believed that the development of commerce could drive economic progress, and so on.

Although history has changed, social progress has not been interrupted.

The Great Zhou Dynasty has come to this.

Progress does not equate to strength; on the contrary, it is sometimes the darkest hour before dawn, because productivity has not yet caught up with the relations of production. Compared with the overly advanced relations of production of the times, it can lead to confusion and decline.

Society has no right or wrong, only outcomes.

Everything has two sides.

There are no absolutes.

So, when Wang Xin saw the new model he had created, he simply couldn't believe that Zhang Jifu, who came from Jiangnan, wouldn't be tempted.

This is what civil officials aspire to most.

It is also what wealthy people aspire to the most.

As for whether it's right or wrong.

The result is what matters.

All roads lead to Rome.

As long as you reach the finish line, then it was the right thing to do.

Whether it's a black cat or a white cat, a good cat is one that catches mice.

pity.

The Jiangnan region could become wealthy thanks to its dense network of waterways, but it was limited by the productivity of the era and could not expand to the whole country. Instead, the development of commerce and the loose management brought damage to other places.

The new school system would undoubtedly not work outside of Jiangnan.

History has proven it.

But now there's an additional variable: myself.

Wang Xin raised his head and looked at Zhang Jifu, saying, "If Your Excellency trusts me, you can let me try in Datong. Once we have the results, it won't be too late to transfer me."

(End of this chapter)