Dream of the Red Chamber: A Refined and Elegant Young Man in a Turbid World

The crab feast came to an end, and it was time for Jia Cong to officially take up his post. In late August, the weather was still a bit hot. Early in the morning, he changed into a blue brocade-patterned round-necked robe, fastened his leather belt, and put on a pair of black boots. A maid then brought him a black gauze hat and carefully helped him put it on.

Jia Cong walked to the mirror and looked at himself. The person in the mirror was wearing a green robe, with a tall and straight posture and a spirited look in his eyes. He had shed his usual elegant demeanor in silk robes and gained more of the majesty of an official and military officer. He truly lived up to the saying "early success".

"No need to bring the waist knife, bring the ancestral golden mace," Jia Cong ordered.

Having been granted official positions, the scions of aristocratic families were no longer comparable to those from humble backgrounds. Jia Cong also abandoned the waist sword of the Ministry of War and instead wore the Zhaowu Golden Mace, further highlighting the Rong Mansion's profound heritage.

Li Rong had been waiting outside the gate with his exotic black horse, Ba Hongchen. With a neigh, Jia Cong mounted the horse and, seeing that it was already bright daylight, urged it on towards the Thousand-Household Office.

The Capital Garrison was under the jurisdiction of the Five Military Commands. The Left Thousand-Household Office was not far from West Street. The official residence had a rather imposing appearance. When the two soldiers in indigo uniforms at the gate saw Jia Cong's official attire, they knew that he was probably a scion of some noble family who had entered officialdom, and they hurriedly stepped forward and bowed.

"May I ask who this gentleman is?"

Li Rong then raised his hand smugly.

"This is my third master, an official holding the position of Left Thousand-Household Commander, with the hereditary title of Yunqiwei, and a high-ranking official!"

The two sergeants exchanged a glance and immediately gave a standard military salute.

"So it's the newly appointed garrison commander. I'll go and inform the commander immediately!"

Before long, a minor official hurriedly came out to greet Jia Cong and brought him in. His two superiors were already seated; one was surnamed Zhou and was a commander of a thousand men, and the other was surnamed Yang and was a deputy commander of a thousand men.

This week, the commander was about forty years old, with a dark complexion and a burly build. He came from a military background and had served in the capital's guards for a long time, where he was quite prestigious.

Deputy Commander Yang was over thirty years old, with a thin face, meticulous mind, and good at overall planning and coordination.

Jia Cong took a few deep breaths, stepped forward, and bowed.

"This humble official greets both gentlemen!"

Zhou Haiyong and Yang Shaoyan exchanged a glance, then both put on smiles and rose to offer assistance.

"General Jia, no need for formalities. The Ministry of War issued the document early this morning, but we were surprised to find such a young hero among you. Please, have a seat! Someone, bring tea!"

Jia Cong sat down with half his buttocks on the ground, and after the clerk verified his official status, he was officially admitted to the gate of the Thousand Household Office.

Although the commander of the garrison was a sixth-rank official, he was also the third-in-command of this thousand-household garrison. Zhou Haiyong immediately summoned a group of centurions and captains to meet the new superior.

Jia Cong could see clearly that the Imperial Guard was probably rotten to the core. Looking at the dozen or so low-ranking military officers below, they were all lazy and sleepy-eyed, probably having just come out of some brothel or gambling den early in the morning.

However, he didn't show it on his face. He was just a commander with little real power, and there was no need to break ties with the two commanders right away.

Most of the centurions and captains also looked at Jia Cong with disdain. They saw that Jia Cong, with his red lips and white teeth, was able to become a garrison commander at such a young age, which must be due to his connections within the family. In addition, whether it was the Capital Garrison or the Five Armies Commandery, there were many positions that were filled by the sons of powerful and wealthy people who were just nominally employed and received salaries, but they were not actually in the camp.

Even the most senior centurion openly laughed at them.

"How laughable that a mere child dares to try and cause trouble in this army!"

His voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough for everyone to hear. Zhou Haiyong coughed lightly and gave a slow, deliberate reprimand.

"You scoundrel! How dare you show such disrespect to your superior! Drag him out and deal with him according to military law!"

The commander spoke, but no one responded. Jia Cong understood this perfectly, and only gave a cold laugh to himself before rising and feigning magnanimity by waving his hand.

"Please calm down, Master Zhou. I think what this brother said is not wrong. Although I have been appointed to office by the Emperor, I am young and inexperienced, and I am afraid that you gentlemen will laugh at me."

Before he could finish speaking, the Li family commander curled his lip in disdain, about to utter another sarcastic remark.

But Jia Cong's expression suddenly darkened, and he stopped pretending. With a flick of his wrist, he drew the Zhaowu Golden Mace, engraved with cloud patterns, from his waist!

Before anyone could react, Jia Cong swayed, unleashing his third-level Martial Realm internal energy through his mace, the force aimed directly at Li Baihu's face! Li Baihu had only just entered the first level of the Martial Realm, and he felt a heavy, powerful force pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe. He hurriedly raised his hand to draw his sword to block, but was knocked back by the mace, his arms going numb. With a clang, his steel waist sword almost broke, and his arms trembled uncontrollably.

Jia Cong stood calmly below, his mace sheathed, unmoved, while Li Baihu knelt in disarray, cold sweat pouring down his forehead, all traces of his former arrogance gone.

Zhou Haiyong and Yang Shaoyan sat up abruptly, their eyes wide with shock as they looked at each other.

The two had initially thought that Jia Cong was nothing more than a pampered son of the Rongguo Mansion, a good-for-nothing who was only nominally pursuing a future. Little did they know that he possessed such solid martial arts skills, far surpassing those of veteran soldiers!

Zhou Haiyong coughed lightly, about to speak, but Jia Cong had already withdrawn his imposing manner, sheathed his golden mace at his waist, stepped forward to offer a helping hand to Li Baihu, and spoke in a calm tone, without any intention of being aggressive.

"Li Baihu, rise. In the army, respect for superiors is paramount. Disrespecting superiors is a serious offense under military law. However, considering this is your first offense, we will impose a light punishment. We hope you will abide by the rules and perform your duties diligently in the future."

Li Baihu was both ashamed and afraid. That attack just now made him realize that Jia Cong was definitely not someone he, a rough man at the first level of martial arts, could contend with. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and bow.

"This humble servant knows his mistake and thanks the magistrate for his forgiveness!"

Jia Cong turned to look at Zhou and Yang, and bowed respectfully.

"Please forgive me, gentlemen. I am young and impetuous, but it is the law of the army that I have to do this. Today is the first time I have met my superior and made friends with you all. It is a happy occasion. Since it is the usual time for the court to have a meal, I will host a few tables of food and wine for you all. This is just a small token of my appreciation."

After saying this, he ordered Li Rong outside the door to immediately prepare the best wine and dishes, without being stingy with money.

Zhou Haiyong and Yang Shaoyan exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise and approval in each other's eyes.

Zhou Haiyong clapped his hands and sighed.

"What a masterful combination of kindness and severity! Commander Jia is young and promising, with superb martial arts skills, and such magnanimity and compassion for his comrades. He truly deserves to be a member of the Rong family; he is far from an ordinary person!"

Yang Shaoyan nodded in agreement.

"Commander Jia is skilled in both civil and military affairs, and acts with propriety. Our Left Thousand-Household Garrison has finally gained another capable leader!"

Seeing that Jia Cong possessed both formidable power and the willingness to personally spend money to win people's hearts, the assembled centurions and captains below the hall dared not underestimate him in the slightest. They all bowed respectfully, their tone deferential.

"Thank you for your generous gift, Commander!"

The hall, which had been so casual and disdainful just moments before, was instantly transformed by the officers and soldiers, who now held their breath and dared not show any disrespect.

Zhou Haiyong and Yang Shaoyan also abandoned their contempt and instructed a junior official to bring out the documents from the office and hand them over to Jia Cong. These documents included a series of military regulations and a roster of personnel, among other things.

Jia Cong spent the whole morning looking through these documents, secretly feeling contempt. Logically speaking, a thousand-household garrison should be equipped with 1,120 men, but right now, including soldiers and officers, there were less than 800!