Xiao Ji looked helplessly at his superior. “Master Han, did you go out drinking again last night?” Otherwise, why would he be talking nonsense in broad daylight?
City gate guards were the lowest-ranking military positions in the Daqing Imperial City. Aside from the highest-ranking officers, most came from humble backgrounds. Although Han Ming, the Zongqi of Zhengyang Gate, commanded ten Xiaoqi under him, he too was genuinely from a poor family.
Compared to dealing diplomatically with superiors from noble families, Han Ming took great care of the Xiaoqi and soldiers under his command.
He was like a Nanny from a wealthy household, treating the soldiers under him as his own children. If parents’ children grew old without marrying, the parents would surely worry themselves gray.
Over the years, Han Ming and his wife had acted as matchmakers for many under his command who couldn’t find wives. Now, these families lived in harmony, their lives quite content.
The happy lives of others only made Xiao Ji stand out more like an oddity.
Xiao Ji had little farmland to his name, owning only a single-courtyard house in the western part of the capital. He lost his father in childhood, and a few years ago, his mother passed away due to illness. Now, he was all alone in his family.
Such conditions were indeed not favored by matchmakers. However, since he owned his own house, and Xiao Ji himself was tall, strong, and held a position at the City Gate Guard Station, many families without sons wanted to take him in as a live-in son-in-law.
When families sent matchmakers to propose marriage, some would not insist after being rejected, simply moving on to the next candidate.
But some families not only had their eyes on Xiao Ji’s house but also admired his strength and vigor. They thought that if he married into their family, they would gain a free laborer, and perhaps even their old ox could retire.
Harassed repeatedly by matchmakers coming to his door, Xiao Ji stopped outright refusing. Instead, he followed a matchmaker to the prospective bride’s home once, after which the matter was quietly dropped.
Later, Xiao Ji’s doorstep became much quieter. According to the matchmaker present that day, Xiao Ji had insisted on going right at lunchtime. As soon as he entered, the family was setting out their meal. Without a word, Xiao Ji grabbed a bowl, served himself rice, squatted in their courtyard, and alone finished an entire bucket of rice, sweeping clean all the dishes on the table.
He looked like a bandit who had starved all winter, finally descending the mountain.
The girl’s father was so frightened his hands went weak, and he immediately tactfully rejected the idea of having Xiao Ji marry into their family.
Who had a family fortune thick enough to support a son-in-law who seemed like the reincarnation of a rice bucket?
Since then, any family considering a match with Xiao Ji would hear the tale of him eating a whole bucket of rice in one meal. Gradually, this promising young man was left unattended. Now, seeing that he was already twenty-four or twenty-five, Han Ming felt his hair turning white just thinking about him.
Coincidentally, a few days ago, while dining with his superior, Han Ming heard his superior mention, almost as a joke, how several officials under the current Prince Chen had been frequently hosting banquets in an attempt to win over Imperial City Commander Master Chen.
As the Commander of the Imperial City Department, Master Chen bore the crucial responsibility of protecting the imperial city. Not even Prince Chen, nor even the Crown Prince, could make him take sides.
Those officials were quite willing to invest, even proposing to offer their daughters in marriage to soldiers in the army.
Master Chen understood exactly what schemes those people were plotting.
Wasn’t it just about using the slow-boiling frog method to gradually win over military personnel? However, Master Chen didn’t outright refuse. Instead, he turned around and wrote a memorial to the current Emperor about the matter.
The Emperor, with his vermilion brush, decreed that Master Chen should handle it as he saw fit.
Master Chen pondered the matter all night and that very evening invited several Zongqi from the Imperial City Gate Guard Station to a banquet.
After three rounds of drinks, Master Chen looked calmly at his trusted confidants present, especially Han Ming. Weren’t they always complaining that their men couldn’t find wives? Well, now someone was actively offering young women to marry their soldiers. Wasn’t this a stroke of luck falling from the sky?
Not only would this solve the marriage problems of the older unmarried soldiers, but it also wouldn’t offend Prince Chen. Master Chen thought to himself, feeling quite pleased with how he had handled the situation.
Unfortunately for the officials aligned with Prince Chen, they had carefully selected their most beautiful daughters to marry the powerful officials of the Imperial City Department. Little did they expect that while Master Chen hadn’t outright refused, the list of proposed marriage candidates he sent back didn’t even include a single lowly Zongqi.
They were being taken for fools. These officials were furious and wanted to accuse Master Chen of breaking his word, but they had no grounds to do so.
Just when they thought the matter would blow over, Master Chen became relentless. Every day, he would ask when the agreed-upon marriages would take place.
If anyone dared to refuse, this reckless man would glare fiercely and demand:
“Should I go ask Prince Chen if he’s just toying with me for fun? Or perhaps we should go before His Majesty and see if Prince Chen intends to bully me with his influence?”
Master Chen had held the position of Imperial City Commander for many years. Without skill and a temper, he would have been torn apart long ago.
Although the princes had grown up and factionalism in the court was nothing new, even if everyone knew what was happening, who would dare to bring it before the Emperor?
Prince Chen’s followers certainly didn’t dare. So, these officials could only make do by selecting moderately attractive women from among their household servants and sending the list to Master Chen, leaving it to him to decide who would marry whom.
Hah! When Master Chen received the list, he intended to see which families’ daughters were on it to make arrangements and sent someone to investigate. The results, however, left him deeply dissatisfied.
He didn’t think these servant-born women were unworthy of his soldiers, but sometimes it wasn’t about the outcome—it was about pride.
Weren’t you the ones who came to me, calling me brother and proposing to become in-laws? What are you doing now, treating me like a beggar to be brushed off?
Master Chen rarely picked fights, but with the Emperor’s sons growing up one after another, the political situation in the court was becoming increasingly tense. His position was already sensitive, and he needed to show others that he wasn’t someone to be pushed around.
In the end, although the families offered only their less-favored concubine-born daughters, they were still respectable young women from official families. Only then was Master Chen satisfied.
When Han Ming learned of this, the first person he thought of was Xiao Ji. You brat, didn’t you say you didn’t want to marry? Well, now your superior has personally arranged a match for you and even offended many court officials in the process. You don’t get to refuse.
He called Xiao Ji over and informed him to happily await his new bride.
Xiao Ji felt overwhelmed, his brows furrowed so tightly they could crush a fly. His reluctance made him look fierce at first glance.
Han Ming immediately grabbed a whip from the wall and lashed Xiao Ji several times without mercy before saying:
“Let me tell you, a man’s affairs have nothing to do with women. These young ladies raised in official households—on ordinary days, even if you broke your head trying, you wouldn’t stand a chance with them.”
“Young lady was raised well by her family and now she’s come to your home. If you dare treat her poorly, I’ll personally come and whip you.”
Seeing Xiao Ji still stiff-necked and glaring with a face full of defiance, Han Ming immediately whipped him a few more times: “Get out and go on duty right now. If you don’t make progress day after day, you won’t even be able to support a wife in the future.”
Xiao Ji grew even angrier at that—if anyone couldn’t support a wife, it certainly wouldn’t be him.