Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 15 Clan Discussion (Please give me a monthly ticket, a recommendation ticket, and support. Thank you!)
"Thank you for the reward, Master. I wish you great fortune and prosperity in your career."

"Thank you for the reward, Master. Good people will be rewarded."

"I thank you for the reward, and I wish you a smooth career and a high position in the capital."

Zheng Guohui nodded repeatedly. His way of dealing with relatives and servants in the clan was to give out a lot of red envelopes. Each relative from each branch received a red envelope, and inside the red envelope was a ten-liang silver note, which had been prepared long ago.

Guards and servants were directly rewarded with cash, each of them receiving a small silver cake weighing one or two taels. It felt heavy in the hands, and was both festive and intuitive.

The lively atmosphere lasted for more than 20 minutes. Zheng Shouren and Zheng Guohui, father and son, had no time to say a few words and were surrounded by the crowd and led into the lobby of the Zheng Mansion.

Now, women, children, family members and servants were unable to enter the hall. They stood in the yard in groups of three or five, talking happily, as if it was a huge happy event.

That’s right.

The Zheng family was a local wealthy family in Tongzhou Prefecture and a typical local rich family. One of their ancestors had a third-class Jinshi who brought honor to the family, but that was during the Yongzheng period, more than 130 years ago.

Zheng Guohui now holds the position of the third-rank official of Jinling City Defense Commander, which is an unprecedented high-ranking official in the Zheng family and a height that has never been reached before. It can be said that he has restored the family's glory.

All the Zheng clan members in Tongzhou City were proud of it.

Tongzhou is a place with a strong literary atmosphere. Unless the family is really poor and has no means of livelihood, they will send their children to private schools for a few years to avoid gossip from others.

During this era, Jiangnan Province was economically prosperous and accounted for a quarter of the court's revenue and expenditure. It had a flourishing literary style and was known as "half of the world's talents came from Jiangnan."

Looking around, there are strong players everywhere. Tongzhou Prefecture ranks eighth among the nine prefectures in Jiangnan. Since the early Qing Dynasty, there have been only about a hundred Jinshi people who have passed the imperial examination.

Compared with more than 645 people in Gusu Prefecture, 471 people in Changzhou Prefecture, 311 people in Yangzhou Prefecture, 240 people in Jiangning Prefecture, 209 people in Songjiang Prefecture, 129 people in Zhenjiang Prefecture, and people in Huai'an Prefecture, it can only rank eighth, slightly higher than the number of Jinshi in the two lists of Xuzhou Prefecture.

Back to topic
In the lobby of the Zheng Mansion, clan leader Zheng Shouren sat high up on the main seat on the right. Zheng Guohui was forced by several uncles to sit on the main seat on the left, side by side with his father Zheng Shouren.

The rest of the uncles, including the third uncle, the fourth uncle, the fifth uncle and the managers of each room, and the adult men were arranged on the left and right at the bottom. Those in the front row sat, while those in the back row could only stand and listen. There were more than thirty people in total.

Because his second uncle Zheng Shouyi died young, his position was taken by his second uncle Zheng Guojun, who sat behind his fifth uncle Zheng Shoucheng.

Among the people present
Zheng Guohui held the highest official position and the most respected status, but in contemporary society where filial piety, brotherhood, benevolence and righteousness are the guiding principles, he could not surpass his father Zheng Shouren and take the first place, so he had to take second place.

The old man's gray beard trembled with joy. He had never felt so comfortable and relaxed sitting on the position of clan leader. His eyes and brows were narrowed into slits due to his happiness.

After everyone sat down, Zheng Shouren was still busy laughing, stroking his gray goatee under his chin, and didn't talk about business.

Fourth Uncle Zheng Shouye was watching with a mixture of laughter and tears, so he could only speak first. "A great joy has come today! Our nephew Guohui has returned home in triumph. How should we celebrate? And how should we proceed with all the other matters? It's time to discuss this great event. First, we need to invite the local authorities and..."

"Wait a moment." Zheng Guohui stretched out his hand to stop his fourth uncle Zheng Shouye from speaking, and his eyes swept over his third uncle Zheng Shoudao, fifth uncle Zheng Shoucheng and a group of cousins, and said;

"This trip should not be publicized too much. My bandit-suppression army is still stranded in Xishan County for rest and recuperation. I have been ordered to do so, and it is wrong for me to leave my post without permission.

It's just that I miss home so much that I have to be a little more flexible.

This is not an ordinary visit to the hometown to visit relatives, but a lively occasion for the family.

"We must not start a big fight, as that will only draw everyone's attention, which will greatly damage my reputation and will not be good for the situation."

"Yes, yes, is it my uncle's lack of consideration, or is it my nephew who is right? The officialdom is unpredictable, how can we country folk understand it? I will drink three cups at the banquet." My fourth uncle Zheng Shouye is worthy of being a businessman. He admitted his mistake very quickly, shaking his head with a look of regret on his face.

Zheng Guohui smiled and said;

"This is just a small banquet, originally it's harmless, but I'm worried that with so many people talking, there will inevitably be rumors.

If you only invite a few local prefects, associate prefects, and magistrates, that's fine too. You can just make some friends with them.

How about this

Zheng Shun took my business card and went to invite several local prefects, and we scheduled a small gathering at the mansion tomorrow evening.

It's understandable that we should make an effort to befriend these local officials."

After this arrangement, all the Zheng family members present felt proud and stood up straighter.

During the Xianfeng period, wars were frequent, and the status of military officers also rose accordingly. The situation in the early and middle periods where civil officials were more important than military officials was no longer the same.

"Uncle, my second brother is now a high-ranking official in the court, and he is already in his twenties. How should this marriage be arranged? You should come up with some rules!" The speaker was Zheng Guojun, the eldest brother of the second wife.

He is the same age as Zheng Guohui, but a month younger.

In Tongzhou, uncle and second uncle can also be called "big uncle" and "second uncle", which means the same thing.

Hearing what Zheng Guojun said, the other elders also echoed his words. Because of the delay caused by the war, Zheng Guohui had indeed reached the age to get married.

Zheng Guojun, the head of the second wife, got married at the age of 16 and now has two children. In the first wife's family, the eldest son, Zheng Guoguang, died at the age of 7 after accidentally falling into a river. The second son, Zheng Guohui, is actually the eldest brother, or it is more appropriate to say that he is the eldest son of the first wife.

His marriage can be said to be a major event in the clan.

Zheng Guojun's question reminded the cheerful clan leader Zheng Shouren, who nodded with a smile and said, "Yes, we must do it, and we must do it in a grand and spectacular way."

"Uncle, you're overjoyed. Have you forgotten which girl Second Brother has chosen? The three matchmakers and six betrothal gifts haven't even been arranged yet. Where can we hold the wedding? Isn't that right, everyone?"

This reminded the clan leader Zheng Shouren. Just as he was about to express his opinion, he was stopped by a look from his son Zheng Guohui.

Zheng Guohui turned his gaze towards Zheng Guojun, and suddenly slammed the table, his whole body filled with fierce momentum, and he shouted sternly;
"How dare you! Who are you talking to?

I am a dignified guerrilla general of the imperial court, holding a high position of power, and with so many elders present here, how can I allow a mere junior like you to speak without thinking?

You have no respect for your superiors and elders, so I punish you by making you kneel in the family ancestral hall for three days and three nights and reflect on your mistakes.

Come on, drag him out."

Zheng Guohui displayed his official authority and instantly shocked the entire audience. No one dared to say a word.

Two burly bodyguards rushed forward, kicked the pale-faced Zheng Guojun to the ground, and roughly handcuffed his hands behind his back and dragged him away.

from beginning to end
No one dared to say a word of mercy to Zheng Guojun. They were all so frightened that their souls were out of their bodies and their faces changed.

Zheng Guohui wanted this effect of having one word and being the final word. Otherwise, everyone in the clan would be talking at the same time and it would be chaos.

He has been too friendly since he returned to his hometown. Coupled with his youth and being a junior, he really gave these Zheng clan members the illusion that he was easy to control.

Now that Zheng Guojun has emerged, it is a good opportunity to kill him as a warning to others and establish authority.

If it is an elder, it will be difficult to deal with.

After the outburst, Zheng Guohui's expression softened, a smile appeared on his face, and he said to his third uncle, fourth uncle and others;

"This Ah Jun is too unreasonable, he must be severely punished and taught a lesson.

They were sitting in the lobby discussing matters, and several elders hadn't spoken yet. What was his identity?
What qualifications do you have?
It's okay to urge him once. Considering that he is young and ignorant, I will let him go for now.

Who would have thought that this person had no idea of ​​hierarchy and no respect for elders, and actually urged me to get married for the second time? It was simply outrageous and disrespectful."

Third Uncle Zheng Shoudao's face changed, and he echoed fearfully, "Yes, yes, my second brother died early, so this Guojun kid has developed a careless personality. This time he learned a lesson, and he needs to be more careful with his words and actions in the future."

"That makes sense. It's better to suffer at home than outside."

"Don't hide it for him. The Nationalist army is a bully in Tongzhou City. They have always been so arrogant and domineering. No one dares to provoke them."

Fourth uncle Zheng Shouye suddenly revealed this huge bombshell. When everyone was stunned, Zheng Guohui's face was covered with a layer of frost after hearing it.

He snorted coldly and said, "Tongzhou is the foundation of my Zheng family. If any unfilial son of our clan tarnishes the family's reputation, he is a bully. He causes the people of my hometown to be angry but dare not speak out. He must be severely punished and must not be tolerated."

His tone was so cold that it sent chills down the spines of everyone present.

Everyone in the hall fell silent after hearing this. This kind of thing was not uncommon among wealthy families. There were many children in a large family, so it was normal for a few bad guys to appear.

The problem is that clan consciousness is extremely strong in this era, and even if bones are broken, the tendons are still connected.

Zheng Guohui ignored these peacemakers and told Zheng Shun:

"Go and listen around.

What evil things has the national army done in the countryside, and what is its reputation?

Are there any evil deeds that will anger God and man?

Or maybe he just has a bad temper and speaks inappropriately. The nature of the two is different.

After you have thoroughly investigated, please report to me in the evening. Do not conceal anything."

"I obey your command!" Zheng Shun bowed a thousand times, turned around and left quickly.

At this time, no one dared to mention marriage anymore, and everyone became much more obedient.

When they looked at Zheng Guohui again, there was a hint of fear in their eyes.

(End of this chapter)