Chapter 022: Entering with arrogance
After the episode of the salt smugglers hijacking the ship, the journey northward was smooth.
On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, thousands of sails competed for beauty outside the East Gate, and cruise ships were lined up along the Datong Bridge.
The servants of the Jia family raised the imperial flag of the hereditary Rongguo Mansion early in the morning and rushed around on the river surface which was like dumplings being dropped. They were really rampant.
Although Sun Shaozong and Jia Yucun both felt that it was inappropriate to be so ostentatious in the imperial city, they had no choice but to do so as Jia Lian had been away from the capital for nearly a year and had finally returned, but he still didn't know how to write the word "low-key".
The two men tried to persuade him indirectly, but seeing that he seemed to hear nothing and was just posing on the bow of the boat, they didn't bother to pay any attention to him.
Soon, the passenger ship docked at the pier. Before the boatmen could set up the gangplank, someone on the shore jumped up and down and shouted, "Second Master, Second Master! You're finally back!"
Jia Lian looked over from the boat and laughed, "Bao Er, it turns out it's you, a dog!"
As he spoke, he saw that the springboard had been set up and walked ahead without hesitation.
Sun Shaozong and Jia Yucun excused each other for a few words, and then Sun Shaozong was the third one to get off the boat. He was originally thinking about whether to take the Jia family's carriage into the city, or simply break up here and find another way to return home.
"Second Master!"
Suddenly, a man rushed forward, grabbed his arm and burst into tears: "Why didn't you answer my call? I have been waiting here for more than half a month, and finally you are back!"
Only then did Sun Shaozong realize that he was actually included in those calls of "Second Master".
He looked carefully and saw that the man who called himself "old slave" was about fifty years old. Although his hair was already gray, he was quite strong and sturdy, only half a head shorter than himself.
After thinking about it in his mind, Sun Shaozong immediately remembered the identity of the visitor - Wei Licai, the old steward of the Sun Mansion.
When the Sun family fell into poverty, all the servants left. Only Feng Weili stayed with the Sun brothers and went through seven or eight years of hard times together. Therefore, although they were master and servant in name, they were actually no different from family members.
"Wei Bo!"
Remembering this, Sun Shaozong naturally did not dare to neglect it. He quickly supported Wei Licai with his backhand and said angrily: "It's so cold, how can I let you wait for me here? What about those little monkeys at home? Are they all rebelling?!"
A servant nearby hurriedly explained: "Second Master, it's not that we don't know the rules, it's really..."
"I asked for this job because I wanted to be the first to see the Second Master." The old housekeeper said as he looked Sun Shaozong up and down. After a while, he praised, "After more than a year, the Second Master has become even more handsome!"
Sun Shaozong was speechless after hearing this. With his sturdy physique, he was afraid that no matter how he was described, he would not be able to be described as handsome.
However, Jia Lian originally wanted to give Sun Shaozong a ride, but when he saw that Sun Shaozong had his family waiting for him, he did not bother to ask any more questions. He just reminded Sun Shaozong not to forget to visit the Jia Mansion to talk to him after he settled down at home.
Needless to say, Jia Yucun would definitely go to the Jia Mansion to stay temporarily.
So the three of them said goodbye to each other inside the east gate, took their wives and luggage into the cars, and went to Rongguo Mansion and Sun Mansion respectively.
Since the Sun Mansion sent two carriages, Sun Shaozong gave one of them to Feng Xin and asked the servant to take him home first and then take the luggage on the carriage back to the mansion.
Let’s not mention Feng Xin.
However, Sun Shaozong brought Ruan Rong to the car. He was thinking about how to introduce her to the old housekeeper. However, Wei Licai acted as if he had never seen Ruan Rong and did not even ask about her, which made him waste his thoughts.
The carriage passed through the East Gate and Chaoyang Gate into the inner city, and then headed northwest. Seeing that the front was not far from the Sun Mansion, Sun Shaozong was trying hard to recall the situation at home to avoid making a fool of himself, when he suddenly felt a sweaty little hand grasping his wrist.
Looking up, he saw that Ruan Rong looked uneasy, not at all her usual heroic and carefree self.
"Do not worry."
Sun Shaozong said hurriedly: "I only have one brother in my family, and no parents. I can make most of the decisions on my marriage myself!"
That being said, these days people believe that 'eldest brother is like a father', especially since Sun Shaozong grew up with his brother. Without Sun Shaozong's approval, how could Ruan Rong marry into the Sun family with peace of mind?
Just because she didn't want him to worry with her, Ruan Rong forced a smile and said, "Of course I trust you," and then she said nothing more.
Ouch~
Soon, Wei Licai stopped the horse and shouted vigorously, "Hurry up and open the door. The second master is coming back!"
In those days, the main gate was usually just for decoration, and people usually entered and exited through the corner gates on both sides. Only when encountering major events or to welcome distinguished guests would the main gate be opened intentionally - for example, when Lin Daiyu first entered the Rongguo Mansion, she walked through the corner gate.
Seeing the vermilion lacquered door creaking open, Sun Shaozong's heart moved. Without saying anything, he pulled Ruan Rong out of the carriage and walked straight inside without waiting for the servants to come out.
But this time Wei Licai didn't dare to pretend he didn't see it. He rushed forward a few steps to block in front of Sun Shaozong, smiled at Ruan Rong and said, " Please go back to the carriage first, and I will call two maids to take you to the back to rest, so as not to be bumped by those monkeys in the mansion."
All of this was for Ruan Rong's own good.
But the real reason is: except for marrying the bride, women are generally not allowed to enter or exit the main gate - concubines, mistresses and the like can only be carried in from the corner door or the back door to get married.
When Sun Shaozong and Ruan Rong crossed the threshold together, it was also a disguised declaration of her identity as the hostess.
Ruan Rong didn't understand what was going on at first, but when Steward Wei stopped her, she suddenly understood. She looked at Steward Wei who refused to budge, and then at Sun Shaozong who had a gloomy face. She gritted her teeth and said decisively, "Brother Sun, I'd better get back to the car first..."
"Get back to the car!"
Sun Shaozong scolded, looked at the old housekeeper and said, "Uncle Wei, if it weren't for Rong'er's help, I would have died in Qianxiang Country, not to mention the friendship that has never left us all the way - we have already pledged our lives together. Since she will be the mistress of this mansion sooner or later, what does it matter if she leaves the main gate earlier?"
As he spoke, he took half a step forward, and with a light push of his shoulder, he carried Butler Wei to the side, then pulled Ruan Rong inside.
"Second Master!"
Seeing that the two were about to cross the threshold, Wei Licai could no longer care about anything else and hurriedly shouted, "During the reign of Emperor Taizu, a rule was set that military officers in the army were not allowed to marry foreign women. Those who violated the order would be demoted to civilian status!"
The Great Zhou Dynasty actually had such rules?
It makes sense if you think about it. When Emperor Taizu of Zhou first established the country, he had just driven out the Mongols and restored the rule of the Han people. It was a time when national sentiment was high, so it was not excessive to set such a rule.
Sun Shaozong paused when he heard this. Ruan Rong beside him suddenly changed color and struggled desperately. Tears welled up in her eyes as she advised, "Brother Sun, as long as I can be with you, Rong'er is already satisfied. Please don't..."
If she had not persuaded him, Sun Shaozong might have hesitated a little. However, this persuasion aroused Sun Shaozong's temper. So he immediately reached out and pushed the old housekeeper away without saying a word, and pulled Ruan Rong in proudly!
After crossing the threshold, Sun Shaozong stopped walking again. Looking at Ruan Rong who was already in tears, he laughed and said, "Why are you crying? A military officer cannot marry you, so I can be a civil servant. When I meet the emperor, I will first ask for permission to be a civil servant, and then I will marry you!"
He was not just talking nonsense to fool Ruan Rong.
At the beginning of the establishment of the Great Zhou Dynasty, in order to avoid repeating the imbalance between civil and military officials in the two Song Dynasties, a special rule was established: after each imperial examination, a group of scholars would be selected from the civil scholars to serve in the army; and a group of warriors who were proficient in literature and writing would be selected from the military scholars to serve as officials close to the people.
Unfortunately, this rule failed to reverse the inertia of history.
After decades of peace, the group of civil officials gradually suppressed the noble families, and the bad habit of valuing civil officials over military officials became popular again.
Therefore, to this day, although this rule still appears to be effective, its essence has long been changed beyond recognition.
As for the civil Jinshi, only the unlucky ones among the other Jinshi would be kicked into the army for training, and they would all be promoted to the sixth-rank official positions as an exception.
Among the military scholars, only the top three in the first class and the top twelve in the second class were eligible to transfer to civil positions. When changing positions, they would often be demoted two to four levels, and then wait for vacancies as fellow scholars - and they could not become official officials such as county magistrates, and could only assist the civil scholars.
Not only that, after taking office, the military scholars had to endure being excluded by regular civil servants, and would be impeached if they were not careful.
But even so, military scholars are still eager to switch to civil service.
And Sun Shaozong was the fifth ranked military scholar in the second class in the eighth year of Guangde. Otherwise, considering his young age and the fact that he had never inherited any title, how could he have become a sixth-rank captain?
It was precisely because of this identity that Jia Yucun advised him to seize the opportunity to transfer to a civilian job.
