[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army":3,"chapter-a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-200":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","A Little Soldier of the Late Ming Border Army",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1205489,1561,"Chapter 200: Forgive This Officer","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-200",200,"\u003Cp>On the thirteenth day of the sixth month in the eleventh year of Chongzhen, Wang Dou followed several servants of the Provincial Governor’s residence to Xuanfu Garrison City, the foremost of the Nine Frontier Garrisons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xuanfu Garrison City had long been known as the Screen and Pillar of the Divine Capital; anyone who came to Xuanfu would marvel at the garrison city’s immensity. It had a perimeter of twenty-four li, contained thirty thousand military households and several thousand civilian households, with a population of over a hundred thousand. Within the city, besides the Garrison Commander’s government office, the Provincial Governor’s government office, the Regional Military Commission of Wanquan, and their various subordinate offices, there also stood the Prince of Gu’s mansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou entered the garrison city through the Changping Gate on the city’s south side. The streets within crisscrossed in a grid, and countless officials, generals, gentry, and merchants walked along them, but Wang Dou had no heart to look. He followed the several Provincial Governor’s residence servants, whose faces had remained dark the entire way, until they arrived before the Provincial Governor’s government office on Pailou East Street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The government compound was imposing: the towering flagpoles, the massive screen wall, and the rows of tall guards in iron armor before the main gate all proclaimed that this was the seat of the highest authority in Xuanfu Garrison. Gazing at this forbidding Provincial Governor’s gate, Wang Dou let out a long breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The servants from the Provincial Governor’s residence told Wang Dou’s guards, Xie Yike and the others, to wait outside the government office, then led Wang Dou straight through the main gate. They passed through hall after hall and winding corridors, finally arriving at a great hall in the rear courtyard of the Provincial Governor’s government office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, Wang Dou saw Ji Shiwei, the Provincial Governor of Xuanfu Garrison, seated high in the place of honor, his face livid. Beside him sat a richly dressed middle-aged woman. On the seats to either side below sat several men and women, each of distinguished bearing. After Wang Dou entered, many pairs of eyes fixed their gaze upon him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou stepped forward steadily and paid his respects to Ji Shiwei. For a long while, there was no response from the seat of honor. After a long pause, he heard Ji Shiwei’s voice, straining to contain its fury: “Garrison Commander Wang, is my daughter in your residence?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou replied, “She is.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Shiwei was so furious he laughed. “Well, well, Wang Dou. This old man has truly misjudged you. I never imagined you would have the gall of a bear and the audacity of a leopard, daring to lure away and deceive my daughter!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou raised his head. He rose to his feet and said evenly, “My lord Provincial Governor, this humble officer admits he is of meager talent and shallow learning. Why your esteemed daughter has set her affections on me, this humble officer does not understand either. But every action this humble officer has taken leaves him with a clear conscience. How can the charge of luring and deceiving even be raised?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Shiwei had originally regarded Wang Dou with great esteem, but his daughter’s elopement to Baoanzhou had enraged him beyond measure, and now he found Wang Dou utterly displeasing to the eye. Hearing Wang Dou’s neither servile nor overbearing tone, Ji Shiwei grew even angrier. He rose to his feet and shouted, “The facts are all here, and you still quibble?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was so angry his nose had gone crooked, his refined, handsome face was contorted, and even his beard was quivering. Wang Dou remained silent, but his stubborn expression made it clear that in his heart he did not accept the accusation. Seeing his manner, Ji Shiwei grew angrier still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His wife, Lady Chu, said from beside him, “My lord, speak calmly. Why lose your temper so?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She studied Wang Dou from head to toe. Wang Dou’s appearance was somewhat lacking — big and burly, he could not compare with the elegantly graceful Wu Lue, nor with Yang Guanbi. Yet her own daughter was so fond of him that she had even fled an arranged marriage to follow Wang Dou. Lady Chu doted on this daughter of hers most of all; since the die was already cast, she could only yield to her daughter’s wishes. On reflection, Wang Dou was after all a Guard Commander of a guard battalion. Though civil officials were esteemed and military officers held cheap, his status was still barely a match for her daughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Shiwei glared at his wife, recalling how she had threatened suicide over their daughter’s affair, and that his own daughter had done such a thing… He sighed and said, “Wang Dou, your glib tongue is something this old man has long known. This old man will not bandy words with you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He continued, “Listen well. This old man gives you one choice: go back, divorce your wife, and marry my daughter. Then this matter will be settled. Otherwise, I will not let you off.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his heart he was bitter: he, a dignified Provincial Governor, had sunk to the point of forcing his own daughter upon a military officer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had thought Wang Dou would be overjoyed and hastily agree to the match. Instead, he heard Wang Dou say, “My lord Provincial Governor, Junjiao’s feelings for me are true, and I will never betray her. But to demand that I divorce my wife and marry again — that is absolutely impossible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said calmly, “As the ancients said, a wife who has shared one’s hardships must not be cast aside. If I, Wang Dou, were a man who would abandon his wife and child, would Junjiao have set her sights on me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Shiwei was stunned. He pointed at Wang Dou and for a long moment could not speak. The men and women beside him were also greatly taken aback, staring at Wang Dou with incredulous eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long pause, Ji Shiwei said in a sinister tone, “Garrison Commander Wang, this old man is the dignified Provincial Governor of an entire garrison. Could it be that my daughter is still not worthy of you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou replied, “My lord’s generous regard moves this humble officer to tears of gratitude. Yet to divorce my wife and marry again — that is absolutely impossible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Shiwei said “Good” several times in succession. He picked up the teacup beside him to drink, but his hands trembled so violently that he could not bring it to his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, a man stepped forward, saluted Wang Dou, and said, “Garrison Commander Wang, my respects.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou observed that this man had a dignified and imposing appearance, was not yet thirty, and bore some resemblance to Ji Shiwei. His eyes held a shrewd gleam as they shifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Wang Dou had left Baoanzhou, Ji Junjiao had carefully explained her family’s circumstances to him. From the man’s appearance, Wang Dou knew this was Ji Shiwei’s eldest son, Ji Boqing. He had heard that Ji Boqing was twenty-six this year, held the rank of Provincial Graduate, and served as County Magistrate of Guangchang County — a man of youthful accomplishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Shiwei had three sons and five daughters, but only Ji Boqing and Ji Junjiao were born of the principal wife; the remaining children were all born of concubines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou returned the salute and said, “You must be Junjiao’s elder brother. This officer pays his respects.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Boqing smiled faintly. “Fifth Sister has indeed lost her heart to you, to have even told you this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He continued, “How Fifth Sister came to know you and how she came to your residence — I shall set that aside for now. But since she has given her heart to you, how can you betray her? She is a daughter of a Provincial Governor’s residence; to be the principal wife and first lady is, of course, only natural! Does Garrison Commander Wang believe that if my sister were promised to you as your wife, it would somehow be an injustice to you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, a hint of menace crept into his voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, Ji Boqing rather admired Wang Dou. Setting aside the strife between civil and military officials, Wang Dou’s miraculous rise and his deeds in Baoanzhou had won Ji Boqing’s repeated admiration; he admitted he himself could not have done the same. But when it came to his own sister’s happiness, no matter how much he admired Wang Dou, he would speak the words that needed to be spoken without the slightest hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Shiwei’s second son, Ji Zhongkun, also stepped forward and said, “Garrison Commander Wang, my elder brother speaks reason. Countless men have worn out their doorsteps trying to climb into our Ji family. You had best think this over carefully.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a pause, he added one more sentence: “Not to mention, you are merely a military man.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Zhongkun’s face bore a distinctly arrogant expression. He served as a Clerk in Yanqing Department and on ordinary days was close friends with Wu Zhi’s son, Wu Lue, the Department Magistrate of Yanqing. That his own sister’s match with Wu Lue had fallen through pained him deeply, and it made him find Wang Dou all the more disagreeable. The contempt in his words at this moment was impossible to conceal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou glanced at him and said evenly, “I will naturally treat your sister well, but it is not in order to climb the dragon and attach myself to the phoenix.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned to Ji Shiwei and said, “My lord, forgive this officer’s bluntness. You sit in the high seat of Provincial Governor — what connection does that have with this officer? Does my lord believe that this officer came to know your esteemed daughter in order to rely on your patronage and promotion?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He continued, “This officer rose from a common garrison soldier. Though I have had the promotion of various superiors, the future I have won was earned by risking my life.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He went on, “My lord knows that in the seventh year of Chongzhen and the ninth year of Chongzhen, without the ten Eastern-slave heads and the two hundred and eighty-odd Eastern-slave heads that this officer took, it would have been difficult for you to sit securely in the high seat of Provincial Governor. My present post of Garrison Commander is also something this officer has earned. If this officer attains a higher post in the future, it will be through his own efforts; he has no need to rely on anyone’s patronage or promotion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cast a cool glance at Ji Zhongkun. “As for this officer’s status as a military man — in these troubled times for the Great Ming, a military officer who can lead troops and fight battles may not necessarily be inferior to a civil official. It may well be that my lord Provincial Governor will yet have need of this officer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who can say what the future holds? A day may come when my lord Provincial Governor will think that letting Junjiao follow me was a wise decision.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By now he could not even be bothered to use the term “humble officer” and directly used the more equal term “this officer.” He had heard the lofty, arrogant tone of everyone present; even Ji Boqing, the most courteous, was full of the implication of bestowing favor. If he did not make his own advantages clear, he would certainly be looked down upon by them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Wang Dou’s blunt words, everyone in the hall was stunned. Ji Boqing was taken aback, and a thoughtful look flickered in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Zhongkun’s face darkened. He snorted and said, “What grand boasts. Those two hundred and eighty-odd heads on the eastern route in the ninth year of Chongzhen — were they all taken by you…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked toward his father and was momentarily dumbfounded. Ji Shiwei’s face was a shifting mixture of shadow and light. Wang Dou’s words had struck straight into his heart. In truth, as early as last year during the conflict between Wang Dou and Wu Lue, he had already witnessed Wang Dou’s sharp tongue. Though he did not understand how a military man could be so incisive with words, Wang Dou’s speech now forced him, for the first time, to truly reckon with the man Wang Dou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, compared to everyone else present, he knew better the inside story behind those heads. Without Wang Dou’s two hundred and eighty-odd Qing soldier heads, his obtaining his current post as Provincial Governor would have been impossible; even his post as Military Defense Circuit might have been in jeopardy. Looked at this way, compared to his several sons-in-law, it was Wang Dou who had actually rendered him greater assistance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the more this was true, the more infuriated he was by Wang Dou’s bluntness — as if Wang Dou did not take him, a dignified Provincial Governor, seriously at all. How could Governor Ji tolerate that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though fury surged within him until his hair seemed to stand on end, outwardly he grew calm. He set the teacup down on the table beside him and snorted, “Glib of tongue. Then how do you intend to settle matters with my daughter?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou pondered and said, “Though she would not have the title of principal wife, as long as Junjiao is happy and content, I imagine she…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all this talk, Wang Dou was still saying the same thing. Ji Shiwei could bear it no longer and cursed, “Happy and content, my foot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He abruptly seized an object beside him and hurled it at Wang Dou. Wang Dou naturally would not let himself be struck; with quick eyes and swift hands he caught it — it was a teacup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a man of Ji Shiwei’s status to make such a gesture showed he was enraged to the extreme, utterly disregarding official dignity and decorum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ji Shiwei stormed into the inner chambers, flinging back one sentence: “Such an unfilial daughter — I shall consider her dead. I will no longer concern myself with her affairs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the unfriendly stares of everyone in the hall, Wang Dou exited. Footsteps sounded, and he saw Lady Chu emerge, supported by several maidservants. In tears, she said, “Garrison Commander Wang, I beg you, treat Jiao’er well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou said, “My lady, I will.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Dou bowed deeply to her, then strode away with his head high, leaving behind the people in his wake with their long sighs and short laments.\u003C\u002Fp>",2441,"2026-06-03T14:05:19.908Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","6415e6a0c86caa31bf085141e2171acd56ef9576fa1894e58d3c80b8482453e8","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-201","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-199",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]