Chapter 8: Today I Set My Aspiration

Jia Mu's words shocked everyone in the hall, leaving them staring speechless.

I never expected Jia Jing to be so rude today, yet Jia Mu didn't scold him; instead, she gave him an official post.

An eighth-rank military officer! That's not small either!

Moreover, going from commoner to official is a complete transformation of status!

Don't just look at Jia Lian's donation of a fifth-rank assistant magistrate; Jia Lian is the heir, and the position he bought is merely nominal, useful only for convenience when dealing with powerful families outside.

But Jia Jing's eighth-rank military post carries real authority; on the Liaodong front he can command at least dozens of men.

As a martial aristocratic family, they are well aware of the officer ranks in the Da Han dynasty.

In the Da Han dynasty, military offices are divided into honorary and functional posts; honorary posts determine rank, functional posts determine actual authority.

Among them, military officers are divided into nine ranks and eighteen grades.

From the ninth-rank junior cavalry commander up to the first-rank Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.

An eighth-rank military officer is considered a lower-middle rank; typically, the sons of martial families with no merit start at best around seventh or eighth rank when they first join the army.

Although it's just a lowly grassroots officer, it's still a position many commoners could never reach in a lifetime.

As for whether Jia Mu could pull it off, nobody present had ever doubted it!

The Jia family, with two dukes of the state, already has deep military ties; even the right to recommend a third-rank Military Governor of the Jingying camp belongs to them.

The previous Jingying Military Governor, Wang Ziteng, could not have held that position without the Jia family's backing.

So let alone a minor eighth-rank officer, even sixth- or fifth-rank military posts could be arranged by the Jia family.

This is the prestige of the top founding-merit nobility.

Feng Jie stood aside, staring speechless; the day's events were already bizarre, and Jia Mu's arrangement left her utterly unprepared.

What does the old lady mean by this?

Is this because she can't do anything about Jing'er, so she's trying to placate him?

Or does she genuinely look upon Jing'er with new eyes and wish to cultivate him?

Since the passing of the Duke of Rongguo, the old lady has hardly interfered in external affairs.

Now Jia Jing has even struck Jia Mu's trusted aide Lai Da, and behaves so arrogantly, disrespecting the patriarch, yet she hasn't punished him at all?

At the very least, she should have given him a sound thrashing and made him kneel for days in the ancestral hall!

However, she also didn't take this petty eighth-rank officer seriously,

After all, eighth-rank officials are a dime a dozen in the capital; normally, one of that rank wouldn't even be qualified to step through the Jia mansion's gate.

Her husband's second son, Jia Lian, donated a fifth-rank assistant magistrate,

even the grandson of the Jia family's servant Lai family bought a seventh-rank magistracy—what good is that?

An office without real power is good only for sounding impressive when making acquaintances abroad; otherwise it's utterly useless.

What do you call an official who can't make money?

Could it really be that he's becoming an official for the court and the people?

Without connections or wealth to grease the wheels, you can't get by in officialdom.

What's more, the situation in the Da Han dynasty is dire nowadays; I've heard that the troops in Liaodong have been rotated several times due to casualties.

The soldiers of Liaodong are certainly not the sort of rear‑echelon gentlemen who avoid the front lines.

Since the situation deteriorated, Liaodong has seen a small skirmish every three days and a major battle every five, with fighting never ceasing.

Compared to the danger, such a petty post is nothing at all!

As for Jia Jing growing up and later competing with Jia Lian for the inheritance of the Rongguo mansion's title, that's not a worry either.

Not to mention that Jia Jing has deeply offended Jia She today; even the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate offspring is not something easily overcome.

Besides,

Do you really think winning glory on the battlefield and being ennobled is a simple matter?

Which of those martial heroes who achieved fame and fortune didn't snatch back their lives from a hail of swords, spears, and arrows?

So, although Feng Jie is surprised, she feels no worry in her heart, because this really isn't a desirable post.

Jia She heard Jia Mu's words, his face turned anxious, and he hurriedly said, "Old lady, this isn't right……"

He certainly doesn't want to let this little bastard actually leave the mansion, let alone give him an official post!

If he doesn't give this little bastard a stern punishment, what face will his patriarch have to stand on in the household thereafter?

Before Jia She could finish speaking, Jia Mu cut him off in a stern voice:

"You're getting on in years, yet you neglect your duties, don't look after your health, spend all day drinking flower wine and taking concubine after concubine—I won't even bother to scold you!"

"Now that you've stirred up trouble and still show no restraint, insisting on courting disaster, you'll only be pleased when an official impeaches you and strips away the hereditary title passed down from your ancestors!"

Seeing Jia Mu fly into a rage, Jia She hastily dropped to his knees, but dared not say another word.

He lacks Jia Jing's martial prowess and the confidence to meet force with force.

If he truly incurs Jia Mu's displeasure, an impeachment before the empress and dowager empress could also strip him of his rank.

After all, as the heir to the Rongguo mansion residing in the east wing, while Jia Zheng's young son manages the household, this clearly shows he is out of favor.

"And you, you never fulfill a wife's duties, never advise the patriarch, letting him run wild—you're practically 'overly virtuous'."

Jia Mu also gave Mrs. Xing a mild reprimand.

Mrs. Xing also hurriedly knelt down, obediently accepting the lecture.

"Jing'er, do you accept my handling of you? After all, one brushstroke cannot write two Jia characters."

"I know you've suffered grievances in the mansion before, which led to today's incident. But father and son harbor no overnight grudge; a family should still live in harmony."

Jia Mu watched Jia Jing stand tall in the hall below without uttering a word; she felt uneasy as well, for his disturbance had unsettled the whole household, leaving her quite weary.

"What the old lady says is true! One brushstroke cannot write two Jia characters; the grandson must take his ancestors as a model, diligently practice martial arts, fight bravely against the enemy, serve the nation, and restore the family's style! Let not the ancestors' prestige fall, nor disappoint the old lady's high hopes!"

Jia Jing had originally intended to take this opportunity to cause trouble and leave the Jia mansion,

It would be best to be expelled from the Jia Mansion and make a clear separation with the Jia Family.

Even if he had a system, he didn't want to get involved in this mess of the Jia Family, because after all the Jia Family's fate is to be confiscated.

But at this moment, Jia Mu offered the bribe of an eighth-rank military post, and he immediately regretted his decision.

An eighth-rank military post means he can directly receive a system reward once.

Moreover,

An eighth-rank military post may seem minor, but it is not easy for an ordinary person to attain.

Even if he possessed Zhao Yun's martial prowess, once he left the Jia Mansion, it would still be difficult for him to rise quickly in rank on the battlefield.

Because promotion often depends not on merit and martial skill, but on background and connections.

Without the Jia Mansion's background, having one's achievements snatched away is to be expected.

But if the Jia Family arranges his entry into the military, as long as he makes some contribution, he can inherit the Jia Family's connections in the army; he will not only avoid being suppressed and having his achievements stolen, but will also be vigorously promoted by the founding martial lineage as one of their own.

Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, at this moment not leaving the Jia Mansion is actually the better choice.

Although the Jia Mansion is a great mess, at this moment enhancing one's own strength and status is most important.

This way, whether he stays or leaves in the future, he will retain more initiative.

"Jing'er, you should move out of the mansion from today onward!"

"Do your duties well, work conscientiously, and you need not come back to this mansion in the future! Your morning and evening greetings are also waived! When you truly achieve something, come back to see me!"

Jia Mu's following words caused everyone's expressions to change; this was directly expelling Jia Jing from the mansion.

It seems Jia Jing did not receive punishment today, but in Jia Mu's heart he has already lost points severely.

Everyone looked at Jia Jing with some sympathy, feeling that being expelled from the mansion was the harshest punishment.

After all, without the Jia Mansion's backing, what is a lowly eighth-rank official in Shenjing City worth?

As for the talk of returning after achieving something, isn't that just empty pleasantries?

Jia Jing remained expressionless, merely bowing and saying:

"I will dutifully follow the matriarch's order; Jia Jing will move out of the mansion today!"

"Today I set my resolve here; if I achieve nothing, I will never return to the mansion!"

Having said that!

Jia Jing's expression unchanged, he then gave a salute to Jia She and Mrs. Xing, and withdrew from the Rong Qing Tang at a leisurely pace.

At this moment, San Chun, Daiyu, Baoyu and others behind the screen had finished watching this farce.

Tan Chun lifted a cup of tea and spoke first: "What a strong-willed Third Brother; I had actually underestimated him in daily life."

"If I were a man, able to leave, I would have already done so; after establishing a career, I would naturally have my own principles."

Tan Chun's eyes bright, eyebrows long, she sighed again:

"It's a pity that I won't get to see Third Brother in the future; although the ancestors permitted him to leave the mansion, they only allowed him to return after he has achieved something."

"I reckon Third Brother will need at least ten or more years, rising to fifth rank or even fourth, before he can return to the mansion openly and honorably."

"This time we should see him off properly; although we don't interact much day-to-day, we are still siblings from the same mansion."

Yingchun beside them was somewhat anxious and tearful, urging:

"How could the Liaodong front battlefield be child's play? One might easily lose one's life there!"

"Besides, the military camp is full of rough soldiers; how could Third Brother endure such hardship!"

"I heard that the soldiers at the Liaodong border must fight daily against those man-eating Tatars and Mongols; if Third Brother encounters any mishap, what could be done?"

Meanwhile, Lin Daiyu's eyes flashed with a hint of thought, as if she inadvertently said:

"I think this Third Brother is no ordinary person; perhaps he could bring us some surprise."

She had just carefully observed Jia Jing's entire performance, finding that not only was his composure throughout extraordinarily calm, but more remarkably, his martial skill was exceptional.

This shows he is also deeply hidden, and possesses great courage,

Even when facing the ancestors and his great-uncle, he behaves with propriety and is in the right.

He is utterly unlike other Jia Mansion juniors, who tremble before their elders like mice before a cat.

Thinking this, she glanced at Jia Lian in the hall and Jia Baoyu beside her.

Jia Baoyu had been leisurely eating grapes served by Xiren, upon hearing Daiyu's words,

he could not help but feel a tinge of sourness and said:

"What's so extraordinary! I originally thought he was a refined gentleman, but he turns out to be nothing more than a careerist greedy for official rank and salary."

Tan Chun originally wanted to argue a few points, but ultimately did not speak them.

Daiyu merely chuckled, cracked melon seeds to herself, and ignored him.