Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

The servants of both households were shocked and somewhat agitated upon hearing Jia Lian's words.

"Did you hear that clearly? Second Master said how much compensation is due? Fifty taels of silver for each person, plus an additional one hundred and eighty taels for those who died in battle, and even one hundred and twenty taels for those who were seriously wounded? Did I hear that right...?"

"You heard me right! Didn't you see them all go up to collect their silver?"

I wondered what those plates of gleaming silver were for; turns out they're compensation for the dead! Second Master, aren't you being a bit too generous…”

A sour, sarcastic voice said.

The others also looked at each other in bewilderment.

Indeed, twenty or so baskets of copper coins would suffice as a reward for the servants in the manor; there's no need for those dozen or so trays of silver ingots...

For a time, some people envied it, while others were envious.

Some people even started to secretly plot.

A man in his forties suddenly said to the person next to him, "I heard that most of the men that Second Master used to train died on the way to the Oirat Mongols, and only a few came back alive..."

Do you think the Second Master will recruit new guards?

Those around him seemed to be deep in thought upon hearing this.

One of the men laughed and said to the man, "Old Fu, who doesn't know that your wife is fertile? She's added five strong men to your Zhou family! What, are you envious of the silver that Second Master gave you? Do you also want your son to go to the battlefield with Second Master to fight?"

"You saw it yourself, going to the battlefield is no joke. Even Second Master went through countless brushes with death. So many people around him died. Aren't you afraid your son will die on the battlefield too, and then your wife will shave your beard off?"

"As long as Second Master takes a liking to my boys and is willing to train them, even if they all die fighting alongside him, it will be their honor!"

The old man said with a proud look on his face.

The others also cast approving glances at him, and then pondered the matter.

Those without sons could only sigh inwardly, while those with sons began to ponder how to send their sons to serve Jia Lian!

Even the middle-aged man who had just tried to persuade the man had his own plans.

He also has two sons, the younger of whom is quite strong; it's unclear whether he has a chance with his younger son.

Each of them had their own plans.

No one wanted their son or husband to die in battle, and they weren't particularly envious of the compensation money. After all, it was money earned by others risking their lives.

Look at those few people whose eyes are swollen from crying now; if they could get their sons or husbands back without the money, they would probably be willing.

However, it's not as simple as just providing compensation.

They already knew that those who served Master Lian received the best treatment. Not only were their monthly wages quite good, but they were also likely to receive rewards for doing a good job for Master Lian.

Master Lian is very generous to those who can get things done.

Moreover, didn't you see how well the Second Master takes care of the people around him?

Given Master Lian's status, he actually spoke up personally, saying that the family records of those dead guards were people he was going to take care of and that no one was allowed to bully them.

They were all from the same prefecture, and no one had ever thought of bullying another. But to be remembered and protected by Second Master Lian—what an honor that was!

Those who usually follow Master Lian are already a cut above others. I never imagined that even in death, they would not be forgotten, but would instead become even more glorious!

In this way, living has great benefits, and even if you are unlucky enough to die, it is definitely not a loss.

I believe many people can answer this kind of multiple-choice question well.

The reactions of the servants in both households were naturally within Jia Lian's calculations and were intentionally guided by him.

He stood in the very center of the hall until the family members finished receiving their compensation and thanked him before Jia Lian spoke again.

"Since ancient times, it has been the highest honor for a man to make meritorious achievements and die on the battlefield!"

My Jia family, since the time of the two Dukes Ning and Rong, has also established itself through military achievements.

This vast Duke's mansion, and its century-long glory, were all bought with the lives of countless enemies by our ancestors.

Jia Lian is unworthy, yet as a descendant of the Duke of Rongguo, he presumptuously attempts to emulate his ancestor, serving the country and being loyal to His Majesty.

However, war is dangerous and treacherous, and swords on the battlefield have no eyes. Even someone as arrogant as Jia Lian dares not say that he can dominate the battlefield on his own!

Therefore, I need to establish a personal guard, a guard that dares to act and kill, a guard that I, Jia Lian, can completely entrust with the safety of my camp, so that I have no worries.

As Jia Lian paused briefly after speaking, several loud voices immediately rang out from below, and then more and more voices joined in, all volunteering to serve as Jia Lian's personal guards.

Upon seeing this, Jia Lian smiled, but quickly suppressed the smile and said coldly, "I will only select fifty men from this batch of personal guards. So, if you are not afraid of hardship or death and want to follow me to build a great career, go and register with Zhang Yong or Zhao Sheng tomorrow."

But let me make this clear beforehand: my personal guard will not accept those who are in poor physical condition, those who like to cheat or shirk their duties, or those who have a history of serious misconduct.

Therefore, you should all think this over carefully and make a decision before going to Zhang Yong and the others to register. Otherwise, even if you manage to sneak into my personal guard, I will kick you out in the future.

Once you're kicked out of my personal guard, hmph, you should know the consequences without me even having to say them.

After Jia Lian finished speaking, he didn't give them time to respond. He flicked his robe and continued, "Next, is the last thing to do tonight."

As you can see, there's still a considerable amount of silver left on these tables...

Following Jia Lian's gesture, everyone looked and indeed, even after the family scrolls had been distributed as rewards, about half of the silver on the long tables in front of the hall remained!

"I'm sure you're all curious about what this silver is for."

But don't worry, you'll find out soon enough.

Jia Lian paused for a moment to keep everyone in suspense, then turned back to face the people in the courtyard and said solemnly, "You all already know that many of those who followed me to the Northwest this time have died."

I can also tell you that being my personal guard can really be life-threatening.

But even if one day you do die on the battlefield like those before you, dying under the enemy's sword.

As long as I, Jia Lian, am alive, I will not let your blood be shed in vain.

I plan to build an ancestral hall, separate from the ancestral hall of our Jia family, and I will name it "Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness".

The Temple of Loyalty and Righteousness, as its name suggests, is established for people of loyalty and righteousness, and is a place to commemorate those who are loyal and righteous.

Like my Jia family ancestral hall, it is the second ancestral hall of my Jia family!

All members of the Jia clan, whether masters or servants, must respect and worship the Jia Family Loyalty and Righteousness Shrine as they would the Jia Clan Ancestral Hall.

Anyone who shows disrespect will be treated the same as one who disrespects the ancestral hall, and will be considered to have betrayed their ancestors and forgotten their lineage.

In addition, every year after the Qingming Festival, I will personally lead a group to hold a worship ceremony at the Zhongyi Ancestral Hall.

At that time, all male members of the Ning and Rong mansions, regardless of whether they are masters or servants, must not be absent without a valid reason.

Although Jia Lian's speech was quite long, many intelligent people were able to grasp the gist of it in a short time.

Many people even found their breathing becoming heavy!

It should be noted that, apart from some who were bought later or who came with the mistress as part of her dowry, the vast majority of the servants here were already servants of the Jia family during the time of the two Dukes of Ning and Rong.

They were the servants of the Jia family, the most trusted and favored by their masters, but also destined to be slaves for generations to come.

Many of them, such as Lai Da and Lin Zhixiao, went on to become prominent figures in society after leaving the Jia family.

In and around the capital, there are very few officials below the fifth rank who dare to disrespect them.

They were called "Hao Nu" by outsiders.

So-called powerful slaves possess considerable energy and power, but they are, in a sense, lackeys.

They were not allowed to participate in scientific expeditions or engage in business; in the eyes of those truly powerful figures, they were the lowest of the low.

There is no social dignity.

They wouldn't have cared much about what kind of shrine of loyalty and righteousness Jia Lian wanted to build; they just needed to cooperate in fulfilling whatever their master wanted to do.

However, from Jia Lian's words before and after, many people realized that the Jia Family Loyalty Shrine was not necessarily dedicated to members of the Jia family, but rather...

They thought they must be crazy to think that way.

In this world, what kind of master would offer sacrifices to his servant?

But many others, especially those who were determined to run for the personal guard, stared wide-eyed at Jia Lian above them, their eyes burning with rage.

Finally, a steward from the Rongguo Mansion stepped forward and asked, "May I ask, Second Master, where do you plan to build this Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness...? And since it is the second ancestral hall of my Jia family, who exactly will be enshrined there, or rather, who are qualified to be enshrined in the second ancestral hall of my Jia family after their death...?"

The question of who is in charge is also the question everyone wants to know.

Jia Lian stated frankly, "I plan to build this Loyalty and Righteousness Shrine in the east courtyard, near the East Mansion Ancestral Hall for the time being."

This matter will be entrusted to Lin Zhixiao, Zhang Yong, and Zhao Sheng; the three of you will work together to handle it.

Lin Zhixiao and the others had already received Jia Lian's instructions, and they came out one after another, kneeling down to receive their orders.

"As for who is qualified to be included in the Temple of Loyalty and Righteousness..."

Jia Lian swept his gaze across the crowd and declared in a loud and clear voice:

"The thirteen men who died with me in the northern desert are all qualified to be included in the Temple of Loyalty and Righteousness, and to be worshipped by my Jia family for generations."

In addition, all those who have rendered great service to the Jia family since the time of the Dukes Ning and Rong, as well as all my personal guards who died in battle and those who made great contributions to the Jia family from this day forward, are also qualified to be enshrined in the Temple of Loyalty and Righteousness after their deaths.

The entire audience erupted in uproar, then burst into cheers.

……

Unlike the bustling Rongguo Mansion, the Xue family's residence was always quiet and deserted.

Because it was the day Jia Lian had just returned, Aunt Xue and her daughter were both paying close attention to the situation inside the Rongguo Mansion.

When they heard that Jia Lian was lavishly rewarding the servants and women of the two households, Aunt Xue and her husband didn't care much. However, when they heard that Jia Lian was publicly showing kindness to the guards who had died with him, they were somewhat surprised by his generosity.

When they heard that Jia Lian had just returned home and was about to build the Temple of Loyalty and Righteousness, and when they learned about the things Jia Lian had said in the Rongguo Mansion, they were all stunned.

As the mother and daughter looked at each other, they both saw the shock in each other's eyes.

"A second ancestral hall? To enshrine those servants? Would your master and mistress agree to that?"

"Well... since Second Master Lian dared to announce this in public, he must have discussed it with the gentlemen, right?"

But you didn't see it, Auntie. When the Second Master was in the courtyard and said those words to us, he was so full of vigor... no, I can't even describe it.

Anyway, after hearing this, everyone in both our mansions was very excited and immediately kowtowed to the Second Master to express their gratitude.

If it weren't for the fact that I was ordered to deliver things to my concubine, I wouldn't have been willing to leave.

Ah, it's a pity that my son has always been the least able to endure hardship, and his health isn't very good either; otherwise, I would have liked to let him give it a try.

"Tsk tsk, once you become one of our Second Master's personal guards, not to mention the benefits, even if you really die, you'll be enshrined in the second ancestral hall of the Jia family, receiving generations of worship from the Jia family. That kind of glory is incredibly exciting just thinking about it."

Upon hearing the old woman's reply, Aunt Xue and Baochai exchanged bewildered glances.

Aunt Xue glanced at the old woman, thinking that she might just be all talk. Even if her son was healthy, she probably wouldn't be willing to send him to be Lian'er's personal guard. After all, people die on the battlefield!

These glib-tongued old women are used to flattering and belittling; their words may not be sincere.

"It's getting late, you should go home soon too. Please thank your wife for me, it's kind of her to think of me."

"Yes, then, Madam, I'll head back now."

"Go."

After the old woman from the Rongguo Mansion left, Aunt Xue sighed, "It seems that their family might really prosper under Lian'er's leadership."

Although Xue Baochai shared the same sentiment, she still asked with a smile, "Mother, why do you say that? It's just building a shrine to loyalty and righteousness. I suppose it's to emulate the virtuous people of the past and to recruit talented people."

The true effect will only be known in the future; isn't Mother being a bit hasty in saying this now?

Aunt Xue sighed, "I don't know about the effects or not, but just looking at the things Lian'er has done since he came back, it's not hard to see that he is truly a shrewd and resourceful person."

Although I wasn't there, I could imagine how envious and grateful the servants of those two mansions must have been when they received those rewards, saw the benefits those heroes received, and the honor of being able to be enshrined in the Jia family ancestral hall after death and be worshipped by the Jia family for generations!

Lian'er, this has completely united the hearts of people in both of their households.

In my opinion, if things continue like this, in the future, everyone in the Jia family will probably be completely devoted to Lian'er and obey his every command.

In this situation, even your uncle would probably...

Aunt Xue shook her head and didn't say anything more.

Baochai understood perfectly and remained silent.

Although she was a woman, she was not like an ordinary child who would concern herself with the gains and losses of a needle and thread, or a household or courtyard.

She is someone who can see through the ways of the world and understand people's hearts.

Although there are many people in the world, they are either pursuing fame or profit, bustling about, and it is difficult for her to feel admiration for anyone.

Only Jia Lian, her cousin-in-law whom she could get in touch with, surprised and impressed her.

She often wondered if she were a man, would she be able to save the Xue family from decline and restore its glory?

She knew very well that it was difficult, so she often understood her brother's helplessness and self-abandonment.

Therefore, she admired Jia Lian even more.

Jia Lian accomplished many things that she believed she couldn't do even as a man.

Jia Lian is now a marquis.

Even if she were selected to enter the palace and had the good fortune to serve a noble person, she probably could not match the prestige of Jia Lian's status.

Unless one can become a concubine like the eldest daughter of the Rongguo Mansion?

But that's too difficult, so difficult that even with the Xue family's background, it's not possible for her to sit in that position.

So, although she seemed sad about not being selected, she wasn't actually that sad inside; she had already done her best.