Chapter 660 I have a marriage proposal. Do you want one?
The head of the Wang family, Wang Xie, and his wife, Mao, are discussing the marriage of their eldest daughter.
"The Duke's family is naturally impeccable. To be honest, our family is a little too high. But it's understandable to marry a woman of lower status or a man of higher status."
Wang Xie was over 40 years old and looked very majestic. "Madam has learned how to manage a household since she was young and has read a lot of books. She is not only a beautiful lady, but also a good wife. The only thing that worries me is whether the young Duke is really crazy."
Mrs. Mao nodded. The slightly plump lady was not worried but happy. "Actually, this is not a bad thing. The young prince can go out on weekdays, which shows that even if he has madness, it doesn't happen all the time. Even if it happens all the time, as long as the lady has a son..."
Wang Xie frowned, "You woman... actually have such an idea."
"He can be crazy as he pleases. The Madam and her son will just take over the Duke's Mansion. Husband, won't the Madam have to rely on us when the time comes? That's a Duke's Mansion after all!"
Mao's eyes were gleaming. "We are not saying that we will swallow up the Duke's Mansion. We cannot do that either. But if the two families join forces, who can stand up to us in the capital? When Dalang and his family enter the government, they will have the support of the Duke's Mansion and our family... Then why worry about their careers?"
Wang Xie's expression eased a little, "This matter..."
"My Lord, Madam, someone is coming from the Duke's Mansion."
A servant reported.
"Who is coming?" asked Mao.
"It's Long Wilbur who comes."
"It's him?" Wang Xie narrowed his eyes, "You go and receive him."
As for the difference between men and women, don't be ridiculous. They are already old, what difference is there? The marriage of children is so important, do you need people to pass messages back and forth?
"Just say I'm not feeling well and can't see guests."
Mao stood up and said with a smile, "Others are afraid of him, Wilbur, but I am not. Getting married is a happy event. Do you think he dares to threaten me with the energy he used to kill people in the northwest?"
"go!"
Mao was escorted to the front.
Jiang Qingzhi didn't expect that he would discuss this with the hostess, and couldn't help but feel a little surprised.
"We can certainly trust the character of the young Duke." Mrs. Mao spoke kindly, "But..."
Jiang Qingzhi had seen this tactic many times before, so he smiled and said, "Please go ahead."
Mao smiled faintly, "I heard that the young Duke wants to join the army?"
"Yes." The Duke's Mansion has reported this matter.
"You can join the army! But you want to get married in such a hurry, and ask for the marriage proposal..." Mao looked at Jiang Qingzhi, "You can't just skip it, right?"
"Of course I won't skip it, but I'll do it faster." Jiang Qingzhi said with a smile.
Speed up the pace and let Zhu Shitai sow seeds as soon as possible.
Mao laughed, "My wife is not only spoiled, but also valued since she was a child. I have taught her a lot about how to get along with each other, but..."
Jiang Qingzhi suddenly stood up. Mao thought he was going to change his clothes, so she smiled.
"In that case, goodbye!"
Jiang Qingzhi nodded, then strode out. Not long after, the steward's voice came from outside, "Uncle Changwei, Uncle, where are you going?"
"go back!"
Mao slowly stood up, and Wang Xie, who had been hiding behind her, rushed out, "Where's Jiang Qingzhi?"
Mao still couldn't believe that Jiang Qingzhi was gone, "He...he's gone."
"Didn't you leave a single word?" Wang Xie was also confused after asking about the conversation between the two parties.
"He said, 'So, goodbye.'"
In the backyard boudoir, a young girl was being teased by the housekeeper, "Madam, that is the Duke's wife. Look, even the one proposing marriage is Long Wei Bo, which shows how much they value you."
There was a look of longing in the girl's eyes, and she lowered her head in embarrassment.
"Madam, madam!"
A maid came in hurriedly.
"Behave yourself!" the female steward said angrily, "You have been with the Madam for many years, and now that you are at the Duke's Mansion, are you going to be so flustered? Not only will you lose face for the Marquis' Mansion, but you will also cause the people in the Duke's Mansion to look down on the Madam."
The maid gasped, "That long Wilbur...he's gone."
"But is it agreed upon?" the housekeeper asked with a smile.
The maid shook her head and said, "She said... she refused."
"what!"
The girl looked up suddenly, her face pale.
……
"That Mao was a bit arrogant, hinting at Dalang's problems in her words. Her general meaning was that since Dalang had problems, if his daughter married into the Duke's Mansion, would... Sister-in-law, what do you think I am doing?"
Jiang Qingzhi said.
The Duke's wife sneered, "The Wang family has made a good plan. They want their daughter to be in charge of the affairs of the mansion after she marries!"
"My sister-in-law is really a fortune teller." Jiang Qingzhi said with a smile. He had no interest in interfering in the secret affairs of the inner house.
"So, this marriage..." The Duke's wife looked at Zhu Xizhong.
"Since Qingzhi refused on the spot, let's not mention it anymore." Zhu Xizhong shook his head.
"Duke, Madam." A steward came to report, "Someone from the Wang family has arrived."
"You are arrogant at first but respectful later. How despicable!" Zhu Xizhong said calmly, "Tell someone to tell Wang Xie that Qingzhi's intention is the intention of my husband and I. Even if this fails, our friendship remains!"
What the hell? Jiang Qingzhi dared to bet that the two families would never have any contact with each other again.
Wang Xie and his wife were very upset after hearing the news. The old housekeeper could not bear it any longer and said, "My Lord, Madam, please forgive me for speaking frankly. If the young Duke is really crazy, would Duke Cheng and his wife dare to send him to the army? Even if they dared to send him, would Lord Wei agree?"
The old housekeeper had followed the old marquis to the border in the past. Seeing Wang Xie and his wife were stunned, he sighed and said, "The army doesn't care if you are a little duke. If you go crazy in public, will the reputation of the Duke's Mansion in the army be lost?"
Wang Xie slapped his thigh and said, "Yes, the reason why the Chengguo family is trusted by the emperor is because of their prestige in the army. If Zhu Shitai was crazy, why would the Chengguo family take the risk of letting him join the army? This marquis... is stupid!"
Mao shed tears, "I shouldn't have done this if I had known earlier. But Jiang Qingzhi didn't understand and made me..."
"It's not that he doesn't know the difference, ma'am." The old housekeeper smiled bitterly, "He is using this matter to measure the Marquis's mansion!"
……
"Sooner or later, something bad will happen to this foolish family, and then Dalang will be implicated." Jiang Qingzhi said, "I still say the same thing, when it comes to Dalang's marriage, don't just focus on whether the two families are well-matched."
Zhu Xizhong sighed, "Forget it, this matter...", he looked at his wife.
The Duke's wife said, "Please ask Qingzhi to make the decision for Dalang regarding this matter."
"I'm talking to you two... are there any parents like you?" Jiang Qingzhi thought this was kidnapping. The Duke's wife smiled bitterly, "Your elder brother and I are confused because of our concern, but you are a bystander who can see clearly the intentions of those people."
The little transparent Zhu Shitai said: "As long as it is found by my second uncle, I like it."
Snapped!
Zhu Xizhong slapped him on the back of his head, "So your mother and I both don't like you, right?"
Zhu Shitai nodded. "My parents weighed too many things and had too many concerns. They wanted everything to be perfect, but that only resulted in problems everywhere."
Zhu Xizhong thought about it and realized that it was true. He shook his head and sighed, "Forget it, I'll leave this matter to Qingzhi."
Jiang Qingzhi knew that this guy wanted to rely on his status. When the woman saw that it was Jiang Qingzhi himself who came to propose marriage, she was shocked!
A minister trusted by the emperor, a great figure of the Mohist school, a famous general of the Ming Dynasty... Based on the identity of this matchmaker, this marriage can't be wrong.
If anything happens to the young couple in the future, can this second uncle and matchmaker just sit back and watch?
What a great marriage!
As soon as the news got out, the threshold of the Bo's house was trampled down in an instant.
Jiang Qingzhi was not at home.
At this moment he is in the left guard of Huben.
Du He was also there, listening to Jiang Qingzhi's instructions with the other generals.
"The spring season has passed, and we should get our minds back on track. How is the training going now?" Jiang Qingzhi asked.
Yan Xu said: "Whether it is formation change or rotation, it is very smooth."
"Once the battle starts, the bayonet is the only weapon the soldiers have for self-defense. How is the assassination drill?"
"We must practice every day, but the soldiers complain that using bayonets is not as good as using swords and guns." Yan Xu said with a smile.
"It's fine to use swords and guns, but muskets are their weapons. And when the battle is about to begin, how can they have time to change weapons?"
Jiang Qingzhi said: "Also, it's time to start practical training."
"Practical combat?"
"Ok!"
On the parade ground, five thousand soldiers lined up in battle array, which was a spectacular sight.
"Among the guards in Beijing now, my Huben Zuowei has the largest number of soldiers, but the new recruits still need training," Yan Xu introduced.
"How many new recruits have retreated?" Jiang Qingzhi had originally vowed that only by enduring this stage of the Huben Zuowei training could he be considered to have truly passed it.
"More than 200 people retired. The Ministry of War replaced them in time, but they complained that we had the most replacements in the entire Beijing Guard."
"I want elite troops, not those young masters!" Jiang Qingzhi narrowed his eyes, "Cavalry!"
"Cavalry?" Everyone looked at each other.
"Pull out the cavalry and charge straight into the formation!" Jiang Qingzhi pointed at the formation, "Tell them to charge in front of the formation so that the breath of the horses can spray on the faces of the soldiers in the first row."
What the hell!
Someone said: "If you are not careful, you might bump into..."
"Hmm!" Jiang Qingzhi turned around. "What did I say? Only by sweating more in peacetime can we bleed less in war. Did you ignore me?"
The general knelt on one knee and said, "I admit my guilt."
Jiang Qingzhi pointed at him and said, "You lead the team to attack the formation. If it is inappropriate, you will be punished for both crimes!"
"Leader!"
"Chenbao!"
"Here!" Chen Bao had been ignored for a long time and was secretly happy to hear the voice.
"I can hear you. You don't need to yell like that." Jiang Qingzhi ordered, "Bring your men to make noise at the side and throw things into the formation, mud, stones..."
This is to artificially increase the difficulty!
Everyone gasped, but some people just wanted to watch the fun and said, "How about lighting some firecrackers and throwing them in?"
Everyone turned around and saw a young follower looking at the array with great curiosity.
This was the first appearance of Zhu Shitai, the young Duke, in Huben Zuowei.
Jiang Qingzhi's cheek twitched, "Move now!"
Xu Wei sighed, and later went over and whispered, "Young Duke, those are firearms. The soldiers are carrying gunpowder, if they are ignited by firecrackers..."
Zhu Shitai was shocked. There was no one around Jiang Qingzhi at that time, so he waved and called Zhu Shitai over.
"Today you entered the camp disguised as my follower. Next time you come, you will be a member of the army. The military rules are strict. When the superior speaks, the subordinates are not allowed to speak without permission..."
Jiang Qingzhi looked at his nephew and felt a bit of a headache. "Go home and ask your father to teach you... Never mind. I'm afraid your father himself doesn't even know much about military law. I'll find some old soldiers from the Duke's Mansion to teach you."
Du He said: "I can give the young Duke some extra lessons here."
Lao Du was a warm-hearted person, and Jiang Qingzhi said, "That's good."
On the parade ground, the cavalry took their positions.
The array is in place.
Chen Bao took his men to their positions.
Jiang Qingzhi nodded, "Begin!"
Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves was heard and the cavalry began to accelerate towards the formation.
It was fine at the beginning, but as the distance got closer, some of the infantrymen turned pale.
"Raise your guns!" the general shouted.
The flintlock rifle was raised. Yan Xu and others shook their heads. "It's uneven. I don't know where the lead bullets that this motherfucker fired went. It's true that he missed this lesson. My uncle is wise."
The wise Lord Jiang folded his arms and said coldly: "Go and tell Qin Yuan that the vanguard of the government army must also be trained according to this method."
"Yes."
Jiang Qingzhi turned around and watched Du He tutoring Zhu Shitai in a low voice. The two of them were surprisingly harmonious.
"Lao Du."
"Uncle!" Du He looked up.
"Remember your eldest daughter is still unmarried?"
"Yes!"
"I have a marriage proposal here. Do you want one?"
(End of this chapter)
