Chapter 27: A man should act without scruples
Chapter 27: A man should act without scruples
The warm afterglow of the setting sun shines on the stone walls of Shaojiawei, giving the mottled stones a layer of gold.
The Jichuan River flows quietly southward, and the leaves of several ginkgo trees by the river have turned yellow.
Between Weizi and Hailing City, dark tiles are connected, the population is dense, and smoke from cooking fires rises continuously.
A dream of rich Yangzhou, a prosperous and gentle land in Lianghuai. Taizhou is adjacent to Yangzhou and has been a prosperous place with literary talent since ancient times.
Wenxiu stood quietly outside the dike, smelling the rich sweet-scented osmanthus fragrance wafting through the air. Her heart was not as calm as her appearance suggested.
I haven't seen that handsome brother Shao for more than half a month. He has become a sixth-rank military officer. Doesn't he look more handsome with the hat on?
When she raised her head, Wenxiu's romantic thoughts disappeared in an instant. Four bloody heads were hung above the gate of the village.
Wenxiu covered her chest and tried hard not to vomit.
Suddenly I realized that this is a time of chaos. The Taiping rebels are not far from the south of the Yangtze River. To the north and west are tens of thousands of Nian troops. The place where Brother Shao is staying is a military camp where people use knives to kill people.
After calming herself down for a while and deliberately not looking at the head, Wenxiu suddenly felt at ease again.
Brother Shao has the ability to send himself and his mother back to Taizhou from the capital over a thousand miles, so he should be able to get by in the military camp, right?
When Wenxiu thought of Brother Shao slapping his oxtail knife on the table and looking like a scoundrel about to shave someone's head, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly. He will definitely be able to do it!
In troubled times, having someone like Brother Shao supporting me from behind really makes me feel more at ease...
The gate of the village opened. Wenxiu wiped her eyes and blinked carefully. The person who came out to greet her was Brother Shao?
It was not the original attire of a yamen runner, nor was it the sixth-rank hat that he had imagined.
He was wearing a blue tweed military uniform, a large cap with a circle of gold braids on his head, large leather boots, a belt around his waist, a holster on his shoulder, and a leather belt slung across his shoulder.
Behind him was his sworn brother, followed by eight personal soldiers, all wearing new military uniforms.
Don’t mention anything about looking like foreigners, human aesthetics are the same.
When the new military uniforms were unveiled for the first time, everyone who saw them would give a thumbs-up and say, "So cool!"
Shao Quanzhong's power was still small, so he only made ordinary officer uniforms for himself. The truly gorgeous marshal's uniform and a high-level command sword with a hand guard were his ultimate pursuit.
Wearing the uniform of an officer of the New Army, Shao Quanzhong exuded a fierce aura, completely lacking the humility he had when he met County Magistrate Wen's family in Shunyi.
He took a few quick steps and saluted, "Your humble servant greets Miss Wen."
This vibrant atmosphere was completely different from the decadent temperament of the Qing officialdom that Wenxiu was familiar with. Wenxiu's heart tightened, jumped suddenly, and she was stunned for a moment.
Seeing Wenxiu entering a state of dementia, Shao Quanzhong leaned over and extended his hand, "Thank you Miss Wen for your support for the group training, please!"
Miss Wen was in a daze.
The scene was a bit awkward. Mr. Wengui behind Wenxiu took half a step forward and said, "Little brother Shao, you don't know that the young master of Mr. Wu Wenxi's family unfortunately passed away more than ten days ago.
This is a huge blow to our Wen family, and none of the ladies can accept it.
These days the young lady has claimed that she will no longer marry and will shoulder the burden of the Wen family independently.
I am busy with the farm, the grain store and the oil mill, and I also have to worry about the newly built Wenfuji shopping store in the Wen Mansion. I am really overwhelmed. Please bear with me.
If you ask me, the marriage with the Wu family was just a verbal agreement when Master Wen was alive, but there was no three letters and six ceremonies, so there was no need to remain faithful to the Wu family.
The young lady was worried that there would be no one to take over the Wen family, so I advised her to find a live-in son-in-law to support the family and not to show up in public herself. Mrs. Wen also meant the same thing.
It was I who suggested that the young lady come over in person, under the pretext of rewarding the troops, to see you—"
"Uncle Gui, stop talking!"
Wenxiu finally woke up from her petrified state and her face turned red.
Shao Quanzhong finally understood why Wenxiu came here. This was to test him to see if he was willing to be the son-in-law of the Wen family. Shao Quanzhong looked at Wenxiu carefully again.
Wenxiu wore a long jacket with light green trim and a dark green horse-faced skirt. She looked simple and elegant, as graceful as a chrysanthemum. Her rosy cheeks were filled with shyness, and her heart was moved.
The young lady of a Jinshi family is virtuous and elegant, has a great fortune, leads a large family, and has close relations with the government of Taizhou.
If I could climb up to this high branch, I would have no shortage of money and connections in Taizhou, and I would be able to make money in both the black and white worlds, and my rise would be much smoother.
It seems that all the founding emperors had a powerful father-in-law, right? Whoever gets the father-in-law gets the world.
As for being a live-in son-in-law, it's not good? No status? When I have 400,000 soldiers under my command and dominate the world, who dares to look down on me? My son still has to be named Shao, right?
This is a good thing that came to my doorstep, and it is also the result of my careful efforts to cultivate my relationship with the Wen family over the years.
Mr. Wen died because he owed me a letter of recommendation. Now he gave me his daughter, property, and Wen’s connections as compensation. Is that not too much?
If Shao Quanzhong had been hardworking and unswerving in his previous life, he would have agreed immediately. Anyone who didn't agree would be a fool.
But now, he hesitated.
Rong Hui's cute round face came to mind.
He is no longer just a warlord from his previous life. He has also lived as a member of the Shao family for twenty years. The honest and loyal blood of the Shao family flows in his body, but his temperament is no longer exactly the same.
Rong Hui obviously also has feelings for him, and neither of these two girls is likely to be inferior to the other, so he can only choose one.
Shao Quanzhong suddenly felt a heroic spirit and thought, damn it, I’m living my life over again, do I have to sacrifice myself for my future?
With the gun in my hand, I can also make a future in troubled times.
A real man should act without any scruples. I'm going to be willful for once in my life and not be so profit-driven!
Shao Quanzhong was determined and made up his mind immediately, pretending not to hear Guo Wengui's almost explicit hint.
“The establishment of the militia was made possible thanks to the strong support of the Wen family.
Siwen, go and ask Le Xiucai to take over the pigs and sheep.
Miss Wen, please come into the village and review the results of my training these days. The enthusiastic donations from the gentry of Taizhou will not be in vain."
Shao Quanzhong led the way in front, Wenxiu and Wengui followed behind, looking at the old butler with dissatisfaction.
You still thought that Brother Shao was the yamen runner we ordered around at will.
Now Brother Shao is a sixth-rank military officer, in charge of hundreds of people, so he has to maintain his face.
Even if we have this intention, we have to discuss it quietly. If we ask someone to be our son-in-law, will he have the nerve to agree to it in person?
The soldiers in the village had just finished dinner and came out of the kitchen, two in a row or three in a line.
Some soldiers had already changed into military boots, and their iron palms stepped on the gravel road, making crisp sounds very neatly.
The soldiers who don't smoke opium hold their heads high and chests out, and are full of energy and spirit. It's obvious at first glance that they are well-trained.
During the past nine days, apart from singing military songs during breaks, the Right Battalion has been conducting drill training and strengthening training in one item, which has of course produced significant results.
Although Wenxiu is an outsider, she can see that such soldiers are much better than the messy Green Camp and Eight Banners. Brother Shao is really capable.
"Siwen, send someone to gather the team and report the training results to our sponsor, the gentry representative Miss Wen."
"Don't!"
Miss Wen quickly stopped him, "It's so late, don't bother everyone. I'll stay here tonight, and we'll see tomorrow morning."
Shao Quanzhong turned around and was stunned. What? You want to stay?
(End of this chapter)