Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Jia Lian was unaware of this trivial matter in Liangshui Alley.

He had simply seen the habits of people at all levels and knew that even if he gave a clear order, some people would still take chances and secretly resort to some underhanded tricks.

He was also worried that no one would act as a raft for him to intimidate others, so he asked Zhao Sheng to send people to keep an eye on the thirteen families. If there was any movement, he could deal with it as he saw fit.

After leaving the Lin residence, Jia Lian went straight to the Linzi Earl's residence.

The master seemed to have anticipated his arrival, and had already set up a stage in the mansion. Before he could exchange pleasantries with Zhang Shuo and the others, he grabbed him and said he wanted to test whether his skills had deteriorated in the past six months.

Jia Lian was happy to accept the old man's teachings.

Although the old man is old, and even though his title has now surpassed that of the old man, the old man and he are not the same.

The old man's title of First-Class Earl was earned entirely through battlefield combat, through countless battles, and by wearing white robes.

Its value far surpasses that of his marquisate, which he obtained through the patronage of his ancestors and a few imperial edicts.

Therefore, the moves and training methods taught by the old man were all summaries of his decades of battlefield experience. Even though Jia Lian only trained with the old man for half a year, he still felt that he benefited greatly.

At least it's much better than before when he was blindly practicing with Zhang Yong.

After inspecting and instructing him, the old man personally challenged Jia Lian to a duel. Upon discovering that Jia Lian was holding back, he kicked Jia Lian hard in the buttocks a few times. Then, the old man had his strongest bodyguard fight Jia Lian on his behalf.

After his guards, acting on his instructions, gave Jia Lian a sound beating, the old man sat down at the tea table below, having a servant massage his shoulders while laughing heartily, thoroughly enjoying himself.

The laughter reached the backyard, causing the ladies and grandmothers of the Zhang family's inner quarters to burst into laughter as well.

Even without anyone announcing it, they knew it must be the old man's beloved grandson. He hadn't been this happy in a long time…

Jia Lian rubbed his shoulders and legs, limped off the martial arts stage, came to the old man's side, and silently bowed.

"Haha, you're not happy about getting beaten up?"

"I wouldn't dare. My grandson is no match for others; he deserved to be beaten."

Knowing the old man's temperament well, Jia Lian naturally knew how to make him happy.

Moreover, half of his behavior was an act.

Even with the old man's orders, the guards wouldn't dare to really beat him severely; it was all bark and no bite.

At the old man's invitation, he sat down next to him, took a big gulp of warm tea, and immediately a servant came forward to massage his shoulders and relax his muscles.

Perhaps sensing Jia Lian's discomfort, the old man leaned over and asked with a smile, "Don't you like the boy serving you? How about I call a pretty maid to loosen your muscles?"

As he spoke, his old face beamed with a smile, displaying a very doting expression.

If Jia Lian were meeting the old man for the first time, he would probably think he was a lewd old man.

However, Jia Lian, who had been fooled before, knew that if he dared to agree, he would definitely be beaten up again, so he quickly shook his head.

This earned him another round of ridicule from the old man.

After a while, the old man dismissed the servants and suddenly said, "You're quite pleased with yourself now, aren't you? You've become a marquis at such a young age, two ranks higher than my own!"

The old man took a big gulp of tea, his face full of displeasure, seemingly jealous of Jia Lian.

Jia Lian knew that the old man was just like that—he said what he meant. Besides, true jealousy and dissatisfaction wouldn't be expressed openly.

If the old man was truly unhappy about his being granted a title, he wouldn't have set up the arena so early to wait for him, nor would he have been smiling so happily just now.

"Grandson is not as good as his maternal grandfather. His title was earned through real skill and by himself."

My grandson's marquisate was partly due to luck, a fact my grandson knows, so naturally he wouldn't dare to boast in front of his grandfather.

"Hmph, you don't need to underestimate yourself."

You have a family background; that's something you were born into. Back then, I secretly resented my humble origins and lack of support.

I especially envy that old bastard Jia Daishan. He's clearly not as good as me in martial arts, but he snatches away so many good opportunities just because he comes from a better family and is close to the Emperor Emeritus.

So in the end, he became the Duke of Rong, while I could only be granted the title of Earl!

The old man spoke with a mixture of annoyance and reminiscence.

Jia Lian only dared to smile slightly. He believed that perhaps his grandfather Daishan's kung fu was indeed inferior to the old man's, but...

It is said that my grandfather, Dai Shan, was both a scholar and a warrior, while my father was an illiterate man with a crooked head and tail.

Even in war, it's not about individual combat strength.

Therefore, it's really hard to say whether the two are truly capable.

But he dared not say that, otherwise the old man, enraged by his embarrassment, would surely not let him off the hook.

"Alright, although you are now a marquis, I still have a few pieces of advice for you."

"If you're willing to listen, then I'll speak; if you're not, then I won't."

After the old man emerged from his memories, he saw Jia Lian sitting respectfully to his side, nodded secretly, and then said...

Jia Lian knew that his grandfather had this carefree personality, so he bowed respectfully and said, "Grandson is willing to listen to his grandfather's teachings."

"Firstly, although I, as an old man, feel that your title of Marquis is somewhat undeserved, I believe many others would share this opinion."

However, when you go out in the future, you must not flaunt your humble and polite demeanor.

If anyone dares to be rude to you or talk back to you, spit on them hard. If the opportunity is right, even beat them up.

Anyway, your title was personally bestowed by the emperor, so you can be as arrogant as you want. Beat him so badly he won't dare to say another word. Otherwise, those guys who are incompetent but envious of others' wealth will definitely take advantage of you and be relentless.

In short, remember this: you are now a marquis. In the entire dynasty, there are few people of higher status than you. If anyone dares to make you unhappy, just make them even more unhappy.

"Hehehe, your grandson will obey his grandfather's orders."

Jia Lian smiled. He knew the old man meant well and was afraid that his mood would be affected by other people's gossip.

However, in reality, his military achievements alone were not enough to warrant the title of marquis.

However, he was not originally granted the title of Marquis, but rather promoted to the rank of Marquis.

If it were a dynasty where titles did not decrease in rank, he would have been destined to become a Duke after his elder brother (Jia Hu) died young!

Even though the number of noble titles decreased with each generation in this dynasty, it was to prevent the excessive influence of noble relatives from placing too much burden on the country.

However, this does not mean that the dynasty would mistreat its meritorious officials.

One point is that of the four kings and eight dukes, only the Prince of Beijing's mansion still holds the title. However, although some of these eleven families have already lost their titles, each of them still maintains the appearance and dignity of a prince's or duke's mansion.

The annual salary and rewards from the imperial court were also distributed according to the standards for princes and dukes.

Therefore, although he was a second-class general before, his full title was actually "hereditary Duke of Rongguo, second-class Zhenyuan General"!

In other words, his title was based on the title of Duke of Rong.

He enjoyed the privileges of a Duke as a second-class general.

Anyone who has worked within the system should know that once you enjoy the benefits of that level, it's easier to get promoted later.

The same applies to titles of nobility.

Therefore, according to the nobility system of the Great Wei, if one's ancestors were dukes, it would not be too difficult for their descendants to become dukes as well.

My ancestors were marquises, so it wasn't too difficult for me to be promoted to marquis.

Of course, the difficulty here is relative to the common people being granted titles and honors.

In other words, if one's ancestors were only earls, then wanting to advance to become a marquis is no different from being granted a marquisate in plain clothes.

Similarly, if one's ancestors were marquises, it would be extremely difficult to be granted the title of duke, and it would be virtually impossible to achieve in times of peace and prosperity.

This is why, at that time, Duke Daishan was able to become the first-class Duke of Rongguo in a natural way.

Because his father was the Duke of Rongguo, a first-class nobleman.

Now, Jia Lian is simply moving up this path as well.

His first step was to follow the path laid down by his ancestors...

In other words, the first step is to take down the position of First-Class Duke of Rongguo.

As for whether he can make further progress, that depends on fate!

Besides his family background, his military achievements were not insignificant.

Previously, it was alright for him to follow Prince Teng in dealing with the Tatars. For a whole year, although he made more than ten merits, they were all minor ones.

Even combined, it wouldn't be enough to confer a baronship.

When he escorted Princess Zhaoyang out of the border, he encountered the third prince of the Oirat Mongols colluding with the Tatars. He won two battles, each involving several thousand people, and beheaded nearly two thousand.

This is already a fairly qualified military achievement.

Not to mention that he later led his troops on a raid that covered hundreds of miles to rescue the emperor.

The merit of saving the emperor has always been a mystery.

They may be granted titles of nobility or marquis, or their honors may be disregarded; it all depends on how the monarch views them.

This is why Emperor Ningkang dared to directly promote him to the rank of marquis.

Otherwise, even with his hereditary title of Duke of Rong, Emperor Ningkang would not have done this.

After all, according to regulations, for a marquis to appear out of thin air, one would have to at least wipe out most of an enemy state as large as the Oirat Mongols to qualify.

Therefore, although Jia Lian knew that his title of marquis was partly due to luck, he did not feel that he was not qualified. So it was impossible for him to feel ashamed or inferior because the old man was worried that he could not withstand the pressure from the outside world.

He wished Emperor Ningkang would directly bestow upon him the title of Duke. As long as there were tangible benefits, he wouldn't care about what others thought.

"You're a smart guy, you must have understood what I mean, so I won't say any more."

The second point is similar to the first.

Now that you bear the title of a favored minister, you will likely not be as successful on the battlefield as before.

Good romance novels

Even I'm a little envious of you, kid. You can imagine how jealous those people who have toiled in the military for decades without getting high-ranking positions or titles must be of you.

You need to be mentally prepared for this.

Jia Lian nodded in agreement.

"Finally, it is best for us meritorious officials to avoid getting involved in the struggles among the princes, and even more so, to avoid getting involved in the affairs of the retired emperor and His Majesty. This is of utmost importance, and you must remember it very well."

At this point, even the usually relaxed Mr. Zhang couldn't help but become more serious.

He genuinely loved his grandson, who hadn't visited in ten years, and didn't want to see him make mistakes due to inexperience, ruining his promising future.

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian's expression also became solemn. He bowed and said, "Grandson, I will remember your words, thank you for your guidance."

"Haha, I'm just giving you a heads-up. You are now highly trusted and relied upon by His Majesty, so it's impossible to completely avoid these things. However, you'll have to find the right balance yourself."

Okay, let's practice one more time, then have dinner here before heading back.

"Yes."