The Military Governor in Dream of the Red Chamber

The next day, Jia Chen and Jia Mao went to the Jia residence to receive the rewards that Jia Zheng had mentioned the day before.

After explaining their purpose, they were taken to the accounting office to receive their reward.

Jia Zheng had clearly given instructions, so no one made things difficult for them.

Jia Chen received 80 taels, and Jia Mao received 30 taels.

It wasn't that Jia Zheng didn't want to give more, but rather that he didn't want to exceed the imperial court's rewards.

Jia Chen wanted to see Jia Liuya, but she was currently undergoing training by the old women, and the rules in the mansion were strict, so he couldn't see her.

Yesterday, Jia Chen did mention bringing Jia Liuya back, and he mentioned it several times.

In the end, they were all rejected by Jia Shenshi.

Madam Jia still believed that Jia Liuya was the safest place in the Jia family.

Jia Chen was unable to persuade Jia Shenshi, and he felt helpless about it.

Jia Shenshi was still worried because her position wasn't high enough, and she felt that her future income might not be enough for the young couple to live on.

Because Jia Shenshi heard that the distribution of wages in the border towns might be even more difficult than that in the capital, and the deductions would be more severe.

Jia Liuya will be able to supplement the family income while staying in the Jia family.

There was nothing Jia Chen could do but find another opportunity to bring Jia Liuya back later.

As the two were leaving the mansion, they happened to run into Lai Da, who was coming in from outside.

Lai Da glanced at the two of them, snorted coldly, and didn't say anything more.

He just looked rather pale.

Of course he knew about Hu De's affair; last night, the master summoned him and gave him a lecture.

He also knew about Jia Chen's marriage.

Next, the Jia family will need to help Jia Chen with his wedding arrangements, and he, as the steward, will also have to contribute.

He was certainly unwilling to do this, but he didn't dare to play any tricks.

After all, it was the master's decision, a decision made jointly by the master and that Master Zhen.

Lai Da was puzzled. Why did the men value Jia Chen so much?

A centurion might not be a bad position for those below him, but what does he mean to the lords?

He was still angry about the time Jia Chen had snatched a spot when he entered the Beijing Garrison.

I never expected this kid to get promoted and get married. I don't know where his luck came from.

However, Lai Da wasn't in a hurry; there would be plenty of opportunities to settle accounts with Jia Chen in the future.

"You dog!" Jia Mao cursed as he left the Jia mansion.

This is an insult directed at Lai Da.

Jia Chen shook his head and said nothing.

Jia Chen naturally didn't have a good impression of someone like Lai Da.

After all, they schemed against me, and I'll remember that debt.

"Second Uncle, is she really that Ying Shan Lang's daughter? Ying Shan Lang is a fifth-rank official?" Jia Mao only heard about Jia Chen's marriage when he came over.

This matter spread throughout the Jia family, as they needed to help Jia Chen with some preliminary arrangements.

For example, finding a matchmaker, borrowing various steps for the wedding, such as betrothal and name-asking.

Since Jia Chen's father, Jia Gan, was no longer alive, Jia Zheng was basically in charge of these steps that required the groom's elders to be involved, but Jia Zhen would handle the specific matters.

Indeed, in Jia Chen's view, this might also be a deliberate way for the Jia family to spread the word, indicating that they are open and honest and have nothing to hide.

These were made for those who knew Qin Keqing's true background.

"Yes," Jia Chen nodded.

"Second Uncle, congratulations!" Jia Mao said happily. "It's such an honor to have the gentlemen of the manor help with all this."

Although Jia Chen was already quite prestigious for marrying the daughter of an official, Jia Mao believed that the real glory lay in the fact that Jia Zheng and other gentlemen were personally involved in arranging the wedding.

The Jia family was naturally centered around the two mansions, especially the Rongguo Mansion.

In Jia Mao's mind, nothing was more important than getting involved with the two mansions.

"Now that you're a commander, you must have quite a few matchmakers trying to set you up, right?" Jia Chen asked.

When asked this, Jia Mao chuckled and said, "Second Uncle, someone came over last night."

Jia Chen was not surprised at all.

If it weren't for Jia Zheng and his associates finding Qin Ye, the door would definitely have been overwhelmed with matchmakers.

"Is there one you like?" Jia Chen asked.

At Jia Mao's age, he should have been married long ago.

His family was poor before, so he couldn't get married.

Now that they've turned their lives around and have the status of a banner commander, they've become highly sought-after.

"No, no, those matchmakers praised them like fairies from heaven. Do you really think I don't know? I've seen some of them. Their looks and figures..." Jia Mao shook his head.

Women from ordinary, lower-class families were not like the daughters of wealthy families who never left their homes; some even had to go out to help with chores and work.

The women being introduced to Jia Mao now are just some from the surrounding area, which isn't surprising since Jia Mao has seen them before.

"Even if I don't marry a daughter of an official like you, Second Uncle, I must marry someone I like myself," Jia Mao added.

"Which maid in the manor?" Jia Chen asked.

Jia Mao gave an awkward laugh.

Jia Chen did know a little about Jia Mao's thoughts.

Jia Mao had mentioned before that he wanted to marry a maid who worked in the Jia family. His greatest wish was to marry one of her maids.

Jia Chen didn't see anything wrong with this.

The maids in the Jia family were all extraordinary, far superior to girls from ordinary families outside.

Jia Mao grew up listening to stories about the Jia family, and he felt proud of anything related to the Jia family.

This wasn't just true for Jia Mao; it could be said that men in the surrounding area considered it an honor to marry a maid who worked in the household.

Besides the fact that the maids in the Jia family were excellent, the other advantage was that they had a stable income, which provided a solid guarantee for the family's future livelihood. This was a real benefit.

Unfortunately, marrying one of the maids in the mansion wasn't so easy.

Jia Mao was just a lowly soldier in the Beijing Garrison before, so he could only dream about it.

Now there is some hope.

"I'll find someone better later," Jia Chen added.

"Second Uncle, if you get promoted again in the future and can speak on my behalf to the Master and the others, you must put in a good word for me," Jia Mao said.

Jia Chen was both amused and exasperated; this guy was determined to find the maids in the manor.

Not long after Jia Chen returned home, a servant sent by Liu Tianwang came to deliver a message, telling him to go to the Beijing garrison early the next morning.

Jia Chen didn't expect Liu Tianwang to act so quickly.

Liu Tianwang thought it would take at least a few days to complete the procedure.

Liu Tianwang probably feared that things might change if he waited too long, so the most important thing was to quickly select the people and take them to Datong.

That day, Jia Chen got up early, and Jia Mao also came over.

The two prepared to go to the Beijing garrison to select some people to return to Qianshanbao.

Jia Chen and Jia Mao had already discussed who to choose.

It mainly involves people related to the Jia family, such as collateral relatives like Jia Mao, and sons of servants in the Jia family, etc.

Not all of these people are hopeless; some are actually quite capable.

Jia Mao is quite familiar with this and can select some from it.

Besides them, it was Liu Wang's group of brothers.

Many of these people had followed Jia Gan and had been to the battlefield.

They were originally from various places who were sent to Beijing for rotational training, but were eventually left in the Beijing garrison and could no longer return to their hometowns.

Liu Cheng once said that for them, everywhere is the same.

Whether it's the Beijing garrison or Datong, neither is my hometown.

Moreover, the expenses in the Beijing garrison are high, after all, it is the capital city, and the lives of the lower-ranking soldiers in the Beijing garrison are actually even more difficult.

If it weren't for Jia Gan's help back then, many of them would probably have starved to death.

When Jia Mao arrived at the entrance of Jia Chen's courtyard house, a large crowd had gathered outside.

In particular, some children surrounded him, shouting and making noise.

After all, the two of them are now the most famous and successful people in the neighborhood, and kids always like to join in the fun.

Jia Mao had previously bought a lot of candy and distributed it to some children in the neighborhood, hoping for good luck and celebration. As a result, the children would gather around Jia Mao whenever they saw him.

Hearing that the two were going to the Beijing garrison, they came over early.

Let alone children, some adults around us are the same.

Just then, a horse-drawn carriage slowly approached from not far away and stopped at the intersection.

The driver, an elderly man of about 60, stopped the carriage and asked a short, stout man of about 50 beside him, "Brother, I've heard there's a hero here who made great contributions in killing the northern barbarians in Datong. May I ask who he is?"