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

Xie's words made Feng Jie raise an eyebrow, and the beautiful young woman was speechless!

Even though Lian Er was the elder brother of the third brother, he could only inherit a noble title.

You, a relative who's so distant and several layers removed, have quite the imagination!

As for what position the middle-ranking officer Xie mentioned?

Because it concerned Jia Jing's position, most of the Jia family members had made a point of learning about it.

According to the military structure of the 12th Regiment Battalion.

The supreme commander was naturally Jia Jing, the military governor who oversaw the military administration of the twelve regiments and was responsible for the highest decision-making of the entire army.

He was in charge of all affairs of the twelve battalions, including troop deployment, military order issuance, and appointment and dismissal of senior generals. He was directly responsible to Emperor Jingsheng and held the rank of second grade.

Below them are the deputy military governor and the officers of the central army, who are ranked in the third rank.

The deputy military governor was the deputy to the military governor, each commanding tens of thousands of troops and assisting in the management of the entire army; he was a third-rank official.

In peacetime, they lead the training and deployment of troops; in wartime, they are ordered to take charge independently.

Routine administrative affairs were first reviewed by the deputy envoy, while important matters were submitted to the military governor for decision.

It should be noted that there is a distinction of rank between the two deputy military governors, with Zhuque on the left and Ma Guocheng on the right, and Zhuque being the more respected one.

The commander of the central army ranks above the generals of the various battalions. He is in charge of conveying military orders, commanding personal guards, coordinating the affairs of various battalions, and is the chief of staff of the commander-in-chief.

The commander-in-chief could delegate daily command affairs to a junior officer, who would then coordinate the actions of each battalion and hold the rank of third grade.

Next are the twelve battalion commanders, divided into four brave battalions, four mighty battalions, and four courageous battalions. Each battalion commander is the chief officer of his battalion and is responsible for the battalion's daily training, defense, and combat.

In other words, the lieutenant officer position that Shi Nai was seeking was a key and important post in the 12th Regiment, even higher than the battalion commander's position.

To seek such an important position, he didn't come himself, but sent his wife to deliver the message, saying that it was no big deal!

Xie's words left the people in the hall both amused and exasperated. Was she treating the imperial position as a joke?

Having endured this for a long time, Madam Niu could no longer contain herself and said to Madam Xie with a half-smile:

"His second uncle really has ambition and vision; he immediately chose such a promising position as a middle-ranking officer! This is no small post!"

Even with his capable master and extensive military experience, he only dared to aspire to the position of battalion commander.

His second uncle, for some unknown reason, had the confidence to start by calling himself a middle-ranking officer.

Xie, completely oblivious to the sarcasm in Niu's words, her eyes gleaming, said in a deep voice:

"Oh? This official position is quite high?"

"It's huge!" Mrs. Niu nodded.

Madam Xie chuckled strangely a few times, then said happily:

"I'm not familiar with the intricacies of these official ranks; it's all what the master told me, and I've written it down."

"However, I reckon that since the master has taken a liking to it, this official position must indeed be lucrative, with considerable perks!"

In Xie's mind, a promising future directly translates into a money-making opportunity!

Upon hearing this, Ms. Niu almost burst out laughing and quickly lowered her head.

As Daiyu listened to their conversation, the frosty look on her face vanished, replaced by a mocking glint in her bright, dark eyes.

She tugged at Xiangyun's small hand, who was hiding behind her with an obvious embarrassed and cautious expression, and gave her a look, as if to say, "Have you always been like this, Auntie?"

Xiangyun, her face flushed with shyness, looked up at Daiyu and nodded gently.

When Baochai looked at Xie Shi, the coldness on her fair and delicate face disappeared.

She was now certain that Xie hadn't meant to say that Jinglang was a powerful minister.

For someone like that to want to become an official is undoubtedly wishful thinking!

Aunt Xue also glanced at Madam Xie, her expression shifting.

She originally thought that as the matriarch of a wealthy merchant family, she already valued money highly enough.

I never expected that this lady of a second-rank marquis would be so greedy, always talking about making money and profit, completely disregarding her dignity, she's practically obsessed with money!

No wonder Yun stayed up all night doing needlework at her house; she was far too mercenary!

At this point, Grandmother Jia was already quite annoyed by Xie Shi.

If it weren't for the Shi family's reputation, she would have loved to throw a bowl of tea in Xie's face to wake her up!

What sweet dreams are you having in broad daylight, still half asleep!

After a long silence, Grandmother Jia composed herself, picked up her teacup, took a sip, suppressed her anger, and said in a cold, expressionless voice:

"Mrs. Xie! Since Nai-ge'er is determined to serve in the army, I have no objection!"

"But I'm just an old woman, so my opinion doesn't count. You should let Nai-ge'er talk to Jing-ge'er!"

Hmm! Let that troublesome brat deal with this fool! That brat is really good at swearing!

Given the strong-willed nature of her three grandsons, if even a reasonable and understanding grandmother like herself could be called senile, how could those two idiots possibly get away with it?

Grandmother Jia knew without a doubt that if Xie Shi had said these words to Jia Jing's face,

If she doesn't get a good scolding, this old lady might as well eat her own surname!

Upon hearing this, Madam Xie smiled apologetically;

"Grandma, what are you saying! You are the matriarch of both families, and Jing-ge'er's own grandmother!"

"Filial piety is paramount! If you just say the word, would Jing-ge dare utter a single word of dissent?"

Grandmother Jia was so angry she laughed. She took a deep breath and snorted twice.

"Hehe... You have a lot to do at home, why don't you go back first? Don't keep this old woman company and let it interfere with your important family matters!"

Seeing that Grandmother Jia did not agree, Xie's eyes flickered, and she solemnly whispered a "reminder":

"Grandma, even if we younger generations are incompetent, we are still respectful."

"I won't let you ask for nothing. If this works out, I'll treat you to a reward!"

Xie rubbed his fingers together, his meaning quite clear.

Grandmother Jia felt a wave of dizziness and almost fell off the couch. Did she think that she was asking for a favor?

Grandmother Jia was somewhat desperate; there was no reasoning with such a muddle-headed person. She waved her hand weakly and said:

"Go and tell Jing-ge'er these things! He'll be pleased to see how well you all know your manners."

"Perhaps we can also make Jin-ge'er and Neng-ge'er into battalion commanders!"

Xie Shi completely failed to realize that Grandmother Jia was being sarcastic. After thinking about it seriously, she asked doubtfully:

"Jin Ge'er and Neng Ge'er can also become battalion commanders? Is this in accordance with the imperial court's system?"

"I heard that Zhen-ge'er from the East Mansion almost got beheaded for selling official positions in the Beijing Garrison. Will Jing-ge'er get into trouble for doing this? We don't want to be implicated..."

Grandmother Jia rubbed her forehead, feeling a throbbing pain in her head: "Ouch..."

…………

Meanwhile, Jia Jing changed his clothes and came to the main hall of the courtyard.

The main hall spans five bays, with all the doorposts painted black. The couplets on the pillars are in gold on a black background, with characters as large as a bushel.

The threshold was extremely high, about half a foot high, and one could not cross it without lifting one's leg high.

Inside the door, on both sides, there are a pair of signs that read "Silence" and "Avoidance," painted in black with white lettering, leaning against the wall.

A plaque hangs on the beam, inscribed with the calligraphy of the founding emperor, its gold characters gleaming even in the darkness.

There are no screens in the hall, and you can see the back wall at a glance from the door. On the wall hangs a painting called "Sunrise over the East", which depicts the sunrise at sea and is very majestic.