The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

Feng Ziying said with a serious face, "Even if the people in the southwest have the means to cope with these harsh environments, it's hard to say whether you, Brother Wei, can adapt quickly!"

The others nodded in agreement, feeling terrified just thinking about it.

Wei Ruolan's handsome face turned into a bitter expression.

Judging from his delicate, fair skin and slender build, it's clear that he's not that dedicated to martial arts.

If you train properly and have a strong physique, why would you care about the environment?

For a scion of a military family like Wei Ruolan, the martial arts passed down in their family naturally focus on the martial arts techniques practiced in the military. Once they reach a certain level of proficiency, why would they need to worry about not adapting to a new environment?

"I'll discuss this with my family when I get back!"

Wei Ruolan dared not be negligent. She first thanked Jia Huan for the reminder, and then made a solemn statement.

"There's no need for that, we're all friends!"

Jia Huan waved his hand and laughed, "It would be best if it could help Brother Wei!"

At this point, the atmosphere at the table became rather somber, lacking the liveliness of before.

Feng Ziying and the others didn't say much, after all, the matter was of great importance!

"Brother Feng, what about you?"

Jia Huan shifted his focus, asking curiously, "You're not going to come along too, are you?"

"How could that be? I don't have that kind of luck!"

Feng Ziying smiled wryly and waved his hand, saying helplessly, "I plan to participate in the military examination first, and then find an opportunity to transfer to the Southwest Army after the examination!"

Then, he countered with, "Brother Huan, what about you? Don't you have any thoughts?"

What ideas could there be?

Jia Huan chuckled and said, "The Ning and Rong mansions have been detached from the army for far too long!"

"Even though there are still some people who wish to donate, we can't waste it!"

"My thinking is very simple: I'll pass the martial arts exam this fall first!"

"With Huan-ge'er's abilities, it's not impossible for him to pass the martial arts examination, or even be among the top three!"

At this point, Feng Ziying's face was full of envy, as were the other sons of noble families.

"You're too kind, Brother Feng. With your abilities, you should be able to pass the military examination!"

Jia Huan's words were not genuine modesty or politeness; he had also witnessed Feng Ziying and others' outstanding performances in the martial arts examination.

In his opinion, passing the military examination should not be a problem!

"I appreciate your kind words, Brother Huan, but we brothers know in our hearts that we are afraid our abilities are not enough to pass the imperial examination this year!"

When he said this, his face was full of dejection and helplessness, and it wasn't something he was deliberately showing.

Looking at the others, including Wei Ruolan, they all had bitter and helpless expressions on their faces.

"What's going on? Could something have changed?"

Jia Huan was taken aback and shook his head, saying, "That's unlikely, isn't it?"

The so-called family tradition of learning is not just something to be taken lightly.

Feng Ziying, Wei Ruolan, and others were all children of founding noble families, and they were among the more hardworking ones.

They were forced to practice martial arts from a young age, and with adequate nutrition, their martial arts skills were actually quite good.

Chapter 325 An Encounter (Please Subscribe)

Feng Ziying and Wei Ruolan were the most skilled martial artists Jia Huan had ever seen among the sons of noble families of the same age, except for that scoundrel Liu Xianglian.

With their martial arts skills and family traditions, it shouldn't be difficult for them to pass the imperial examination for military officers.

But now Feng Ziying looked dejected and had little confidence in passing the martial arts exam this year. This made Jia Huan feel quite strange. Could there be some secret that he didn't know about?

After he pressed her for an answer, Feng Ziying finally explained the reason with a wry smile.

The matter is actually very simple: the competition for this year's martial arts examination is too intense!

Anyone who isn't blind can see that he wants to make a name for himself in martial arts.

That was a great opportunity for commoners to rise through military merit, and with Jia Cong's encouragement, this year's military examination naturally became very popular.

According to Feng Ziying, the competition for military examination candidates in Zhili was not too fierce.

After all, there are still many career paths for the sons of noble families; they don't necessarily have to take the military examination.

Well, the saying "there's no first place in literature, but there's a second place in martial arts" isn't a joke.

Generally speaking, no matter how well an article is written, there will always be people who don't appreciate it, so it's difficult to distinguish between good and bad.

But martial arts are different; your skill level is what it is, and you can't lie about it.

Among the many noble sons in the capital, very few are truly willing to put in the effort to diligently practice martial arts.

There may be noble sons who want to learn martial arts, but they lack the opportunity and chance to do so.

For example, even if illegitimate children from various families want to work hard, their families are willing to provide them with resources and support.

Someone like Jia Cong wouldn't have his current strength without Jia Huan's strong support.

Similarly, the competition for the military examinations in Zhili was not too intense.

But other places are different, especially in areas with powerful martial arts sects, where many masters have emerged among the martial arts candidates.

For example, the martial arts candidates from the Central Plains and the Hunan and Hubei regions seemed to have received strong support from local martial arts sects, and each of them possessed astonishing martial arts skills.

Feng Ziying only lost confidence in passing the military examination after receiving relatively accurate information.

Judging from Wei Ruolan's expression, she was probably in the same situation!

Jia Huan knew what was going on and never mentioned the martial arts examination again. That would be like rubbing salt into the wound, and there was really no need to be so malicious.

After that, we just ate and drank and talked about lighthearted topics.

Whether it was the alcohol or some other thought, Jia Huan talked a lot with Feng Ziying and Wei Ruolan, which was quite insightful for him.

For example, Feng Ziying's future plans: after the martial arts examination, he planned to find a way to enter the Imperial Guard as a temporary measure, and then use connections to enter the Beijing Garrison. This was a relatively normal path.

Others planned to join the Five Cities Garrison and the Patrol Battalion, where they generally had connections and could be properly arranged.

If the war in the southern border region drags on a little longer, they can also be mobilized through the Ministry of War.

The message was clear: Wei Ruolan's help would be needed then, and they could stick together in the army for mutual support.

Wei Ruolan didn't make any promises, only saying that if everything went smoothly, he would definitely not let his brothers down, and that it was too early to talk about such things now.

They then inquired about Jia Huan's thoughts!

What could Jia Huan say?

It directly indicates that after passing the military examination, one will definitely become a royal guard first, and then be transferred to follow the same path as Jia Cong, whether it is to join the Beijing Garrison outside the city or Jia Cong's troops.

The banquet lasted from noon until the sun was almost setting.

Jia Huan didn't drink much, and Feng Ziying and the others knew he wasn't very interested in drinking, so they didn't force him, since it was just a gathering of friends.

As he was leaving the restaurant, he happened to see a group of burly customers shouting loudly on the first floor.

He didn't really care at first, but then he heard one of the drinkers call another one "Shaozu"!

Hmm, is it Sun Shaozu?

This was Jia Huan's first reaction; he looked in the direction of the sound.

Just then, I saw a tall, burly man with a full beard, exuding an air of arrogance, downing a bowl of wine in one gulp.

Amid cheers from his tablemates, he slammed his wine bowl down and declared in a gruff, boastful voice, "Rest assured, everyone, my ancestors had some connection with the Rong family. I'm sure my visit will be fruitless!"

Upon hearing this, how could Jia Huan not know the man's identity?

It is none other than Sun Shaozu, the most detestable "wolf in sheep's clothing" in the story of Dream of the Red Chamber!

A cold, murderous glint flashed in Jia Huan's eyes, but he did not act rashly.

After all, in public, who knows if any experts can see through my hidden techniques?

It's not worth putting yourself in danger for someone like Sun Shaozu.

If I remember correctly, Sun Shaozu's family had some influence in Datong, and he was also a member of the Datong border army. He had to leave his hometown and come to the capital to pull strings because of his own mistakes.

Various thoughts flashed through his mind, but he didn't stop walking. In the blink of an eye, he left the famous restaurant.

On his way back to the martial arts school, he thought of Yingchun again, who had not yet shown any signs of getting married.

It's safe to say that the master of the house didn't care about this daughter at all!

Yingchun is nineteen years old now, and will be twenty in another year, making her a typical old maid.

I wonder what the master is thinking?

As far as Jia Huan knew, although there weren't many families who had taken the initiative to propose marriage over the years, there had still been a few.

But the master rejected them all, as if he was waiting for some opportunity!

However, given the prevailing social climate at the time, even if there were any opportunities, Yingchun was far too old to take any shortcuts.