“Chen Ran, I hear you got married, and you married a courtesan from the Music Bureau!”
The left thousand-household of the Northern Town Guard, Pi, looked at Chen Ran with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, and said in a lukewarm tone:
“Why didn't you inform your superior about such a joyous occasion as your marriage?”
Chen Ran smiled slightly, neither humble nor arrogant, and said:
“My humble self, after my parents passed away, my family situation was really poor. I dared not hold a grand ceremony, and I certainly dared not trouble the Thousand-Household.”
“However, I have prepared a small gift, which I present to you as a token of my joy.”
With that, he directly presented one hundred taels of silver.
The left thousand-household saw the silver and immediately showed a friendly smile:
“Chen Ran, you're too courteous! How can you give a gift for your own joyous occasion?”
He said this, but he took the one hundred taels of silver in his hand and weighed it, casually putting it in his pocket.
At this moment, Chen Ran presented a silver note.
The amount on the silver note was one thousand taels!
The one hundred taels of silver was just a small token, this one thousand taels was the real main gift.
The left thousand-household saw it, and immediately his eyes lit up. He quickly took the silver note:
“Chen Ran, you... what are you doing, this is too much!”
Chen Ran smiled slightly:
“Thousand-Household, my father passed away half a year ago, and I have always wanted to inherit his will and continue to serve the court!”
The left thousand-household heard this, and he knew what Chen Ran was trying to do.
Chen Ran’s father in this life was a hundred-household of the Jinyiwei, although he was a small official without any influence, he was a genuine rank seven official.
Chen Ran wanted to fill his father’s vacancy and become a hundred-household of the Jinyiwei!
One thousand taels of silver, before he took it out, there was absolutely no chance, after all, many people were eagerly waiting.
But Chen Ran took out one thousand taels, and he could soon become a hundred-household.
The positions in the Jinyiwei were almost openly for sale, a hundred-household position would cost one thousand taels.
Moreover, Chen Ran also gave an extra one hundred taels!
The left thousand-household immediately smiled so hard his eyes narrowed into a line:
“Of course!”
“Your father served the court with utmost loyalty and worked tirelessly all his life, it’s only right that you fill his vacancy. I will discuss this with Master Chen, and you will receive an answer in the next two days!”
“Then I will trouble the Thousand-Household to decide for me, I will take my leave!”
…
Indeed, money can move even gods!
With this one thousand one hundred taels of silver, within two days, the left thousand-household had already completed the process for Chen Ran to fill the vacancy, and he soon announced it in front of all the Jinyiwei:
“….. The former hundred-household of the Northern Town Guard, Chen Song, served the court all his life. He was loyal and courageous, everyone praised him. He later died due to overwork, unfortunately. The court remembers Chen Song’s lifetime service to the Northern Town Guard, and his son, Chen Ran, shall fill his vacancy….”
This edict was well-founded and reasonable.
After all, Chen Ran’s father was a hundred-household, and his son filling his father’s vacancy, no one could object.
A group of Jinyiwei could only feel envious and resentful.
Lu Jianxing, on the side, was a little sad.
His father was also a hundred-household.
For the past two years, he had been trying to ask his superior to let him fill his father’s vacancy, but because he did not have enough money, he always failed!
On the side, Jin Yi Chuan comforted him:
“Brother Lu, Chen Ran becoming a hundred-household is a good thing, after all, he is our own brother, and he has become our superior, our lives will be better!”
Shen Lian also nodded:
“That’s right, Chen Ran is our brother, we should all be happy that he became an official!”
Lu Jianxing listened, and then he put his sadness aside, went to Chen Ran, and congratulated him.
A group of Jinyiwei colleagues gathered around Chen Ran, clamoring for him to treat them to a feast.
Chen Ran cupped his hands and smiled around at them:
“Official business is busy, and my wife just came in, I really am not convenient these two days, I will not treat you to a feast today, I will treat everyone to more drinks another day!”
Now Chen Ran was a hundred-household, he was already the superior of this group of Jinyiwei.
He said that he would not treat them to a feast, and a group of Jinyiwei could only offer a few dry congratulations before leaving in disappointment.
Lu Jianxing and the others saw that Chen Ran was not going to treat them to a feast, and they thought that he was newly married and promoted, and his home must be strapped for cash.
But Chen Ran stopped them, he had a smile on his face, and said:
“I will not treat others to a feast, but we four brothers should still have a good drink together!”
Shen Lian and the others were overjoyed.
Chen Ran would not treat others, but he only treated his three brothers, this was truly treating them as his own brothers, not because he became an official and now looked down on them!
Lu Jianxing laughed:
“Brother Chen, you have just married a wife and been promoted, your home must be a little tight on cash, we don't have to go to a restaurant, we can just have a few drinks at your place!”
Shen Lian nodded:
“That’s right, we brothers can drink anywhere, it's just a celebration, for the sake of fun!”
Jin Yi Chuan also said:
“Exactly, we haven't tasted your wife’s cooking yet!”
…
That night, Chen Ran brought Shen Lian and the other three back to his home.
Although Zhou Miaotong was not good at cooking, thankfully, Li Dama had bought a lot of rice, noodles, meat, and vegetables for Chen Ran’s home, and Chen Ran also asked Li Dama to help, and they managed to set out a full table of food and drink.
The four brothers sat at one table, and Zhou Miaotong was a newlywed, so naturally she was embarrassed to sit with a bunch of men, she set up another table in the bedroom, and ate with Li Dama.
Lu Jianxing quickly became half drunk, his eyes were blurry, he held his wine cup and sighed to Chen Ran:
“Brother Chen, you are still young, but you have already married a beautiful wife and become a hundred-household, you are far superior to Lu!”
He originally thought that Chen Ran marrying a woman from the Music Bureau was inappropriate, but in the blink of an eye, Chen Ran had received a real hundred-household position, thinking of himself who was nearly thirty and still an ordinary person, he couldn't help but feel very emotional.
Chen Ran knew that Lu Jianxing was upset, so he smiled and said:
“Brother Lu, Brother Shen, Brother Jin, we four are the best of friends in the Northern Town Guard, so I would not treat anyone else but only invited the three of you to celebrate!”
“I became this hundred-household, although my position is above you, but in everything, I will be the one to go first, the four of us are united and we are invincible!”
Today, Chen Ran invited the three of them to dinner, both to deepen the friendship between the four of them, but also to establish a hierarchical relationship.
Now that Chen Ran was a hundred-household, Shen Lian and the other three would inevitably have to obey him!
And Chen Ran also promised that he would be the one to go first in everything, the four brothers united and invincible, this also strengthened their dependence on him!
Sure enough, after hearing Chen Ran’s words, Shen Lian and the other three all showed expressions of respect and admiration.
The three of them almost simultaneously stood up, raised their wine cups:
“Brother Chen is right, you becoming a hundred-household is our brothers’ glory!”
“The four of us brothers are united, and we are invincible!”