Chapter 221: The Origin of Bao Zhu

By the middle of the sixth lunar month, half a month after the results of the Imperial Examination were posted, an imperial decree was issued from the palace to the Jia family of Lady Rongguo Prefecture.

Once the contents of the decree spread, it caused a stir among the officials and nobility in the Love Shenjing. The concubine-born son of the Jia family's eldest branch truly never had a day of peace, constantly coming up with such novel and strange matters.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's decree promoted Jia Cong, the top-ranking scholar of the Yongzhou provincial examination, to the Ministry of War for political observation and to the Ministry of Works as an assistant supervisor of the Firearms Bureau.

Although these were not yet substantive positions, for a mere licentiate to be granted the roles of political observer and assistant supervisor was considered an extraordinary imperial favor and promotion.

One must know that in the past, such positions were only granted to successful candidates of the metropolitan examination.

The probability of a licentiate being granted an official post was very low; even if they were, it would only be as local deputy officials such as instructors, assistant county magistrates, or registrars. If a licentiate could not pass the metropolitan examination, they could not even serve as a substantive county magistrate.

Yet Jia Cong, being merely a licentiate, was not only granted an official post but could also stand on equal footing with metropolitan graduates. Such prestige was extremely rare among his peers.

However, there were things outsiders did not know. In fact, before Jia Cong had even passed the provincial examination, the Minister of War, Gu Guo Yankui, and the Marquis of Marquis Zhongjing, Shi Ding, had already proposed recommending him for these positions.

It was only because Jia Cong was merely a scholar at the time that Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao feared inviting criticism and temporarily dropped the matter. Now that Jia Cong had passed the provincial examination and possessed the qualifications for office, it was simply a matter of fulfilling an old plan.

……

Because he himself was a metropolitan graduate and it was a timely opportunity, he was appointed as a Grade 6B assistant supervisor of the Firearms Bureau.

Currently, the main personnel of the Firearms Bureau was the assistant supervisor, Liu Liu Shizhen.

Although Grandmother Jia was extremely biased, she felt helpless in her heart. She could vaguely estimate that in a dozen years or so, the one who would be able to support the prestige of the Lady Rongguo Prefecture would likely be this grandson she was not close to.

Thus, from the day the imperial decree was received, the Qingzhi Studio, which had been quiet for half a month, began to bustle with activity again.

Every afternoon, he would go to the Ministry of Works Firearms Bureau to look around. The Firearms Bureau was a newly established office under the Ministry of Works, its structure still being perfected, and it had not yet established a chief official, temporarily being supervised by the director of the Construction Bureau.

The *mao* hour refers to the time between 5:00 AM and 7:00 AM.

Hearing that he was focusing on the metropolitan examination two years later and was unwilling to discuss marriage, naturally, no one would use the status of an elder to do something like forcing a cow to drink water.

Even in an era with such strict ritual teachings and where filial piety was paramount, the attitude and tolerance others had toward you still depended on your own strength.

Every morning, Zhi Shao, Wu Er, Qing Wen, and Xiang Ling would all rise early to help Jia Cong organize various miscellaneous tasks, allowing him to arrive at the office on time to sign in.

From this perspective, the effort Jia Cong had exhausted over these years, putting in so much work into the literary imperial examinations, now seemed to be gradually showing results.

But there were also discerning people who saw that whether it was political observation at the Ministry of War or being an assistant supervisor at the Firearms Bureau, both were related to military affairs. Compared to the pure nobility of being a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, it was quite a bit inferior.

Now, everyone in both the Ning and Rong prefectures could see that Jia Cong's momentum of rising was unstoppable, far surpassing the legitimate descendants of the Lady Rongguo Prefecture such as Jia Baoyu and Jia Lady Lian.

Last time, based on the rough sketch Jia Cong drew, Liu Liu Shizhen successfully completed the modification of the Lumlut musket, and the power of the newly built musket was significantly improved. Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao believed he had the talent of a great firearms master.

……

Furthermore, given the perverse nature of this kid, it was feared that he could not be forced. If he were to stir up some other trouble, it would only result in everyone losing face.

Only Jia Cong himself knew that it was because the Ministry of Works Firearms Bureau was built based on his proposal, and because he understood Western firearms techniques, he had been "drafted" by Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao.

As for the marriage proposal disturbance that occurred in the household some time ago, it has already dissipated like smoke and clouds at this time.

In the morning, Jia Cong would handle some battle reports and documents in the main hall of the Ministry of War, categorizing them by urgency so that his superiors could review them effectively.

What was even more surprising was that Jia Cong was granted a position involving both the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Works, making people feel even more that he was favored by the Emperor.

Additionally, there was the focus on the various matters of building the firearms army, proposing suggestions, and tracking implementation. This was also the main intention behind Gu Guo Yankui's strong recommendation of him for political observation at the Ministry of War.

The reason Liu Liu Shizhen was able to be promoted this time and display his strengths was entirely due to those few Lumlut musket modification drawings by Jia Cong, which gave him the opportunity to showcase his talent before the Emperor.

Therefore, he had always felt grateful toward Jia Cong.

Now, seeing that he not only had ingenious ideas in the way of firearms but that his literary talent was also so outstanding—passing the provincial examination as the top scholar in one go, far surpassing himself back then—he felt even more admiration and closeness toward him.

Besides researching and constructing firearms, another important task of the Firearms Bureau was to recruit Western scholars.

However, regarding this matter, neither the director of the Construction Bureau who was managing the Firearms Bureau nor Liu Liu Shizhen knew where to start.

Yet Jia Cong seemed quite familiar with the process, taking Liu Liu Shizhen to search through all the eastern and western markets in the Love Shenjing and all the foreign churches within the city.

He actually managed to find two foreign monks who were proficient in astronomy and calculation.

He even found an Englishman named Masiduo in a shop selling foreign fruits in the western market. Although he was over seventy years old, he had worked as an Ottoman musket craftsman in his youth.

He had a deep understanding of all kinds of Western muskets. Thirty years ago, he drifted to the Love Shenjing and had settled there ever since.

Liu Liu Shizhen was simply ecstatic to be able to find such a Western musket master.

And the fact that Jia Cong could communicate freely with Masiduo in a foreign language left Liu Liu Shizhen dumbfounded.

This youth was only in his teens; where did he learn these strange and peculiar skills?

……

Ningguo Prefecture, Jia Rong's courtyard.

In the room, Qin Keqing was talking to Bao Zhu. On the day she returned to her maiden home, Jia Cong seemed to have calculated the time perfectly and actually waited for her halfway.

He even placed this maid named Bao Zhu by her side, letting Bao Zhu protect her safety, saying that the Ningguo Prefecture was not peaceful.

This was also the first time they had met since they parted ways in Jinling. Whenever Qin Keqing thought of the scene at that time, she couldn't help but tremble in her heart.

She felt that she had indeed been right to do so back then. He was a person who strove for success; he had actually passed the provincial examination as the top scholar. His future prospects would likely be even more extraordinary.

Seeing him arrange for a little maid to protect her safety, she always felt it was a bit childish, but she was very happy in her heart.

Returning to the Ningguo Prefecture, she only said that Bao Zhu was a maid she had brought back from her maiden home. Even if someone asked her parents, they would likely guess the reason and would naturally cover for her.

Especially her father, who valued this marriage alliance extremely highly. Now that she had married into the Ningguo Prefecture, even if something happened, he would not dare to make it public. Every time she thought of these things, she felt a sense of sorrow in her heart.

Ever since she had Bao Zhu, the panic in her heart had lessened quite a bit in this strict and unfamiliar mansion.

Because Bao Zhu was sent by him, seeing Bao Zhu was like seeing him.

She always recalled those times at the Anding Temple in Jinling; this was the greatest comfort in her heart.

From the day Bao Zhu arrived, she had pampered her very much, and they were inseparable in their daily comings and goings. It was said that he had also instructed Bao Zhu this way.

She felt that by being good to Bao Zhu, it was as if she were being good to him. She even let Bao Zhu accompany her when she went to bed daily.

At this time, Rui Zhu was doing needlework in the room, and Qin Keqing took a box of candied fruit for Bao Zhu.

Ever since that day she saw Bao Zhu move the stone stool in the courtyard without any effort, Qin Keqing also began to understand why he said this little maid could protect her.

She didn't know where this thin little maid got such great strength.

Watching Bao Zhu eat the candied fruit with relish, Qin Keqing asked a question she had never asked before: "Bao Zhu, how did you know Cong... him? Has it been a long time?"

Bao Zhu replied: "Is the young lady asking about Young Master Cong?"

As soon as Rui Zhu heard this, she got up and went into the courtyard, sitting on the stone stool to do needlework.

Rui Zhu was of course also there on the road the day she returned home. Fortunately, the eldest master was not there that day. Ever since they got married, the eldest master had not been home.

Rui Zhu of course knew Bao Zhu's origin. If people knew that Bao Zhu was specially brought to the young lady by Young Master Cong, that would be a disaster. The young lady would not be able to explain it even with a mouth, and it was feared that her little life would also be lost.

In the big mansion, had they heard few stories of black-hearted and cruel deeds?

The young lady also knew the severity of the matter, but she always couldn't help but ask Bao Zhu about Young Master Cong, which made Rui Zhu feel terrified.

Every time the young lady and Bao Zhu talked about Young Master Cong, she would go to the door and sit there, so as to prevent the news from leaking.

Seeing that the eldest master never came home, the master would occasionally come over to take a look, ignoring the rules of propriety, which was annoying, so they had to be on guard.

Since entering the Ningguo Prefecture, she had heard many unpleasant rumors. Rui Zhu suddenly understood why Young Master Cong had sent Bao Zhu.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 222 =====