The Military Governor in Dream of the Red Chamber

According to Madam Wang, both Lord Qin and the master were officials in the Ministry of Works, holding the rank of fifth grade.

What was this "Construction and Repair Officer"? Jia Shenshi didn't understand.

But she was still clear about this from the perspective of a fifth-rank official.

It should be noted that even the county magistrate in a local area was only a seventh-rank official.

How could his own son marry the daughter of such a high-ranking official?

Of course, Jia Shenshi was ignorant of some things in officialdom. Although Qin Ye's rank was higher than that of the county magistrate, in terms of real power, he was definitely far less than the county magistrate.

"Madam, is this...is this...okay?" Jia Shenshi's face was full of unease.

The other party is a big shot, from an official family.

"Of course, of course," Madam Wang said with a smile. "Master just went to see Lord Qin, and Lord Qin agreed. As long as you give your nod, and then send a matchmaker to formally visit in a couple of days, the matter can be settled."

Jia Shenshi's face flushed red; she was excited.

I never expected that the lord would actually agree?

Moreover, it was the master himself who came forward.

How much face is this for my own son?

That truly brings honor to one's ancestors.

However, she quickly calmed down.

"Madam, I'm afraid Chen'er is not a good match for the daughter of Lord Qin." Madam Jia was still somewhat uneasy.

"Don't say that. Chen-ge'er is a centurion now, and he'll be a deputy centurion and a centurion in the future," Madam Wang said. "Oh, by the way, the expenses for Chen-ge'er's wedding will be covered by the household and Master Zhen, so you don't need to worry."

Lady Wang was well aware of Jia Shenshi's concerns.

One is the difference in status between the two companies.

However, since it was the Jia family who stepped in, Qin Ye naturally had no problem.

Jia Shenshi was definitely worried about the wedding expenses.

This was indeed what Jia Shenshi was worried about.

For an ordinary family, she had saved up some money over the years, and even if it wasn't enough, the two hundred taels Jia Chen had given her this time were more than enough.

But the other party is a high-ranking official of the fifth rank, and two hundred taels is not enough.

"What are you still standing there for? Don't you agree?" Li Wan said with a smile.

She was happy for Jia Shenshi.

Li Wan's words startled Jia Shenshi, who hurriedly kowtowed to Madam Wang, saying, "Thank you, Madam."

"Get up. Chen'er is a promising member of our Jia family, and this marriage cannot be taken lightly," said Madam Wang.

……

Jia Shenshi had no idea how she got home.

It feels like a dream.

The woman talked to her about many things, which made her feel both fearful and excited.

I never dared to dream of these things before.

"Mother, what's wrong?" Jia Chen was startled to see his mother so absent-minded.

That shouldn't be the case; it shouldn't be anything bad.

"Ah?" Madam Jia Shen snapped out of her daze, grasping Jia Chen's hand excitedly, "My son, this is truly... truly a momentous occasion..."

"Mother, please speak slowly." Jia Chen was speechless for a moment. His mother was so excited that she was incoherent.

"Madam just called Mother over to arrange a marriage for you," said Madam Jia Shen, her face beaming with joy.

These words made Jia Chen's heart sink.

Here it comes. These days, what's bothering him a bit is probably his marriage.

Arranged marriages are decided by matchmakers and parents.

There's no such thing as free love here.

In other words, once the parents have made the decision, the children have no chance to object and can only accept it.

"Mother, you didn't agree, did you?" Jia Chen asked tentatively.

He doesn't even know who the other person is or what they look like. How can he accept this?

Upon hearing Jia Chen's words, Madam Jia's previously joyful face instantly darkened: "Chen'er, what are you saying? Madam is helping to arrange a marriage, how can you refuse? Besides, the other party is a high-ranking official of the fifth rank. If it weren't for Master's intervention, we wouldn't be able to afford such a high position. Also, don't worry about the wedding expenses. Madam said that the household and Master Zhen will cover them, especially Master Zhen, who will contribute the lion's share..."

Jia Chen was stunned.

This was a bit unexpected.

In his mind, it's very likely that the Jia family would choose a maid to marry him.

At most, this maid is just a bit higher in rank.

In the eyes of the Jia family, this was definitely a favor bestowed upon them.

Unexpectedly, it wasn't like that at all. The daughter of a fifth-rank official?

That's quite unusual.

"That was an official in the Ministry of Works who worked with the master, called something like Yingshanlang, Mother doesn't really know. That official's surname is Qin, and his daughter is just of marriageable age..." Madam Jia Shen recounted what Madam Wang had said to Jia Chen.

Construction official? Surname Qin?

Jia Chen immediately understood, and he almost blurted out, "Qin Keqing."

Isn't the construction manager surnamed Qin Qin Ye?

Then isn't his daughter Qin Keqing, the beauty in Dream of the Red Chamber who possesses both the beauty of Daiyu and Baochai?

Jia Chen's mind was a little foggy.

Wasn't Qin Keqing Jia Zhen's daughter-in-law and Jia Rong's wife?

According to her mother, Jia Zhen was going to help with her wedding and cover most of the expenses.

Why does this feel so strange and suspicious?

Is it because his promotion to centurion made the Jia family feel proud?

What reward did Jia Zhen, as the head of the Jia clan, give himself?

That can't be right. He's just a minor centurion; how could he cause such a commotion?

There's nothing wrong with arranging a marriage, but the problem is that he's been betrothed to the daughter of a fifth-rank official, which is quite unusual.

Even a centurion in the army is not worthy of such a family, even though Qin Ye's position doesn't have much power.

After thinking it over, Jia Chen suddenly had a thought.

He couldn't help but think of some speculations about Qin Keqing's identity, such as that she was the daughter of the old Prince Yizhong who had committed a crime.

Previously, he was mostly skeptical about this matter, as it was all just speculation from others.

Now that the Jia family has pulled this stunt, Jia Chen feels that the matter is almost certainly true.

The Jia family must have known Qin Keqing's identity.

Later, rumors circulated about incest, and after the incident, Qin Keqing hanged herself at Tianxiang Tower.

These things need to be carefully considered.

If Qin Keqing had such a background, then such an incestuous relationship would be impossible.

It was probably just a smokescreen put out by the Jia family to find an excuse for Qin Keqing's death.

Even this marriage is highly problematic. How could the Jia family dare to marry the daughter of the disgraced Prince Yizhong?

Even if you marry her, you'll probably just treat her like royalty, right?

Would Jia Zhen and Jia Rong dare to touch Qin Keqing?

Later, it probably involved the Jia family's political alignment in the court.

Prince Yizhong's side had already lost power, and the Jia family clearly wanted to make some severance, so Qin Keqing became the sacrifice.

Only death can allow the Jia family to extricate themselves from the situation as much as possible.

Jia Chen dared to say that this was either a murder case or that the Jia family forced Qin Keqing to commit suicide.

Now, the Jia family has given Qin Keqing, a woman with a special status, to them?

There must have been some deeper considerations on the part of the Jia family; otherwise, they wouldn't have arranged such a marriage for themselves.

Jia Zheng personally went to find Qin Ye, and the Jia family covered all the wedding expenses.

This is too unusual.

However, no matter how much he thought about it, Jia Chen found that he couldn't refuse.

The Jia family approached her mother, ostensibly to discuss the matter, but in reality, she had no right to refuse.

Since that's the case, what else can Jia Chen think about? He has no choice but to accept it.

Of course, Jia Chen was also curious about what this beauty, who possessed the beauty of both Daiyu and Baochai, looked like.

Regardless of Qin Keqing's background, given her status as one of the Twelve Beauties, Jia Chen felt he had no reason to let her go.

Even though there were some risks involved, Jia Chen didn't dwell on them.

If something really happens, it's not just my problem.

Can the Jia family really just ignore things completely?

This is a huge matter; it's impossible for the Jia family to completely sever ties.

Jia Chen sighed inwardly. He had thought he probably wouldn't have a chance to see the Twelve Beauties, but he never expected to skip several steps and marry one of them directly.