Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

Inside Ning'an Hall.

Jia Zhen felt a surge of passion for his daughter-in-law, Qin Shi, and was preparing to take advantage of his drunkenness to get intimate with his two concubines. He had been feeling incredibly stifled by being bedridden for the past few months!

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door, followed by the servant's announcement:

"Master, Master Rong is here!"

Jia Zhen frowned slightly, stopped what he was doing, and straightened his robes.

He then waved his hand, telling Pei Feng and Xie Luan to retreat to the side room behind the screen to prepare, and that he would go to find them after he had seen Jia Rong.

The curtain was lifted, and Jia Rong, smelling slightly of alcohol, walked in with his head down.

He was wearing a blue silk robe and a warm hat. When he entered, he sniffed the air and quickly glanced at Jia Zhen and the messy table.

He then stepped forward a few paces, stood before the table with his hands at his sides, and said:

"Your son greets you, sir!"

Jia Zhen gave a faint "hmm" and didn't tell Jia Rong to sit down.

He always maintained a strict fatherly demeanor in front of Jia Rong, and lazily asked:

"Why did Wang Yi invite you over for drinks today?"

"His family has always been close to the west, and it's rather unusual that they've hosted you for several banquets lately."

Wang Yi was the eldest son of Wang Ziteng.

The Wang family descendants are ranked according to the principles of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness. Wang Ren is Wang Xifeng's older brother, while Wang Yi and Wang Li are the sons of Prince Teng.

Upon hearing this, Jia Rong glanced at Jia Zhen, his voice tinged with caution, and said softly:

"Reporting to Master, it was... Yi-ge'er's good intention."

He told his son that Lord Wang was now highly regarded by the Emperor and had been assigned to reorganize the affairs of the Beijing Garrison, and asked his son if he had any thoughts about going to the Beijing Garrison to gain experience.

"He could talk to Lord Wang and try to get his son a good job in the capital!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhen raised an eyebrow, pondered for a moment, and then remained silent.

Seeing this, Jia Rong became a little bolder, and with a fawning expression, continued:

"Yi-ge also said that his son could follow Lord Wang to help with some chores, which would be neither hard nor dangerous."

"Moreover...moreover, once the reorganization of the Beijing Garrison is completed, Lord Wang will likely be promoted further and take up the position of Grand Marshal of the Ministry of War."

"When the time comes to reward those who have made contributions, my son will at least get a substantive position as a fifth-rank captain."

"My son thinks... he's not young anymore, and staying cooped up at home all day isn't a long-term solution."

"This is a rare opportunity, and the Wang family is a long-standing friend of the Jia family. If we can get a decent job, our future will be bright..."

Jia Rong's words carried a hint of excitement, clearly indicating that he was tempted!

It should be noted that Jia Zhen's title of Third-Rank General was merely a nominal fifth-rank title. If he could become a fifth-rank captain with real power...

Does that mean I can turn against the Heavenly Gang and never have to suffer the master's beatings and scoldings again?

Jia Rong thought this was a great opportunity!

It's not dangerous, it's not strenuous, and I can get such a great deal! This is simply a stroke of good luck!

He had already made an agreement with his sworn brother, asking him to put in a good word for him in front of his father. If the matter succeeded, he would invite him to Fanlou for entertainment.

After listening, Jia Zhen picked up the wine cup on the table and took a sip.

He then sneered, glancing sideways at Jia Rong with his cloudy old eyes. Seeing Jia Rong's delighted expression, he cursed:

"Damn beast! You don't even realize you've been made a fool of, and you're still gloating over it?"

"Haven't you heard the saying, 'Unsolicited kindness is either a motive or a thief'?"

"With a brain like yours, you still want to go out and gain experience? You'll probably get sold off. How did I give birth to such a brainless thing..."

Jia Rong got spittle from Jia Zhen on his face, but didn't dare wipe it off. He quickly lowered his head again, his voice tinged with timidity and confusion, and asked:

"Master, what do you mean? Yi-ge'er meant well!"

"Fuck your mother! You damned beast, a few ounces of cat pee and you think you've got no right to call yourself a man? Pah..."

Jia Zhen flew into a rage, spat a mouthful of phlegm in Jia Rong's face, and then sneered:

"What are the Wang family's intentions that I can't possibly hide? They're just after my Ningguo family's ancestral connections."

"Our ancestor, Lord Daihua, was once the military governor of the capital garrison. Who in the capital garrison didn't give him some face? How many of the commanders of the various camps and veteran soldiers hadn't received his favors?"

"He sent you to work in the capital garrison simply to use the connections of my Ningguo Mansion to get you a job that would offend people!"

"What a clever scheme! Not only do they need the reputation of the West Mansion, but they also need to borrow the favor of the East Mansion."

"The Wang family may be good for nothing else, but they're adept at these crooked schemes, sucking the blood off my Jia family!"

Jia Zhen was also dissatisfied with the Wang family's rise to high positions by leveraging the Jia family's political resources, but he secretly tolerated it due to the Rongguo Mansion's power.

Jia Rong now understood the Wang family's intention. Forgetting to wipe the phlegm from his face, he said sheepishly, with a mixture of flattery and reluctance:

"Master is truly astute; he saw through the Wang family's scheme at a glance. As for my son... should I go and inform him?"

Jia Zhen frowned and stared at Jia Rong. After a long while, he suddenly said:

"Why bother replying to him! These ancestral favors are meant to be used! Even if we don't use them, those guys from the West Mansion will."

"However, Wang Ziteng thinks he can get rid of the Ningguo Mansion with a mere fifth-rank official? He's thinking too simplistically!"

"I'll talk to Wang Ziteng about this. You don't need to worry about it. Without a military rank, he can forget about getting this advantage!"

Jia Zhen's meaning was simple: he could ask for favors, but the Wang family would have to pay extra... costs!

"Military rank? Aren't military ranks only conferred by the imperial court upon those who have rendered meritorious service in the military?"

Jia Rong's eyes lit up. If he could obtain a military rank, he might as well be like his third uncle, Jing San, of the Western Mansion.

In the future, with his personal guards, he will be able to govern the government with his troops. At that time, who would dare not call him "Lord"? Even "Master" might not be able to resist him.

Jia Zhen had no idea that Jia Rong had already harbored rebellious thoughts.

The reason he agreed to this was...

Firstly, as he said, he wouldn't use the favors from his ancestors if he didn't take them; it would only benefit the people from the Western Mansion. He heard that Wang Ziteng was able to get the job of reorganizing the Beijing Garrison because the second branch of the Western Mansion helped him.

Secondly, he heard that Wang Ziteng and Jia Jing were at odds and had had several unpleasant arguments.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend; he hated Jia Jing to the core.

Although he dared not openly oppose him, he was still happy to cause Jia Jing some trouble in secret.

Thirdly, he also wanted to send Jia Rong far away so as not to disturb his good time with Qin Keqing.

Jia Zhen raised his head, a hint of arrogance on his face, and shouted:

"Rules are rigid, but people are flexible! Besides, it's not impossible to earn military merit in the Beijing garrison. If handled well, even a viscount title isn't out of the question!"

"It's really not good for you to stay at home all day! I was originally planning to ask the palace eunuch Dai to help you get a fifth-rank Imperial Guard post, so that you would at least have a title."

"Now that I can hold a position with real power, it is naturally better than that empty title of Imperial Guard."

"Let me see if I can find someone to pull some strings for you, get you a substantive sixth-rank post first, then go to the Beijing Garrison, it'll be easier to get promoted later."