Chapter 67

Wishing everyone in the new year, may your wishes come true and everything goes as you desire!

It seems like a pie falling from the sky. First, he became a Wujiwei (a military rank), then a sword-carrying guard in the Imperial Guard, which looks very impressive. In reality, due to his age, he is only a reserve. This young guard unit is specially set up to provide troops for the twelve imperial guards, nominally under the jurisdiction of the Crown Prince.

Because Zhu Yuanzhang personally promised that if he passed the selection at the age of twenty, he would be initially granted the rank of Zhongxian Xiaowei, a sixth-rank military officer. The word of the emperor is golden, and it is almost a done deal. At that time, Xu Hao would become the lowest-ranking Xiaowei in the Ming dynasty's military rank system.

For commoners, such an honor is enough to bring glory to the family, a leap to the heavens, and a foot in the door of the Ming dynasty's bureaucracy. However, for Xu Hao, a descendant of a noble family, becoming a military officer is too common and not much to be happy about.

The title of Wujiwei, in essence, is like being given the title of a model worker in modern times. Although it comes with certain benefits and honors, it has nothing to do with actual official positions.

It is roughly equivalent to a scholar, who does not have to kneel before officials, is exempt from taxes and labor services, and can have a thicker coffin, a more grand funeral procession, a larger tomb, and a small additional monthly salary after death.

In any case, this time, Xu Hao, by a stroke of luck, has all three: a real position, a military rank, and a title. This honor is rare among people of the same age.

It is important to know that his uncle Xu Yaosu, nominally a fourth-rank Cijiang, actually holds the position of a fifth-rank commander of the capital guard, which is not a real position. A local commander is a sixth-rank official, and he is equivalent to a fifth-rank commander due to his war achievements and being a fourth-rank Mingwei General in the capital.

Xu Wen's position as a hundred-household commander is only a nominal position because his father is still alive. It is a good title, of course, and if he earns military merit, he can immediately become a sixth-rank hundred-household commander.

Next is Mu Ningsnow's title as a county princess, which was granted by Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress because her father was the emperor's adopted son. In reality, Mu Ningsnow should be a county lady, a title given to the daughter of a county prince. Although it is not entirely reasonable, it is the emperor's will. Therefore, ancient official positions are often chaotic, with favored ministers holding a mix of real and nominal titles, from the highest to the fourth or fifth rank, depending on their actual position.

Therefore, the most important thing in ancient official positions is the power one holds, not the rank. Everyone knows that a first-rank duke or marquis has less power than a real thousand-household commander. The most prestigious first-rank officials are just for show, far less powerful than a second-rank Shangshu.

Many noble children were very envious of this news, and because of the fight, Xu Hao instantly became the enemy of the entire army.

What is most infuriating is that at such a young age, he already has all the titles he should have, and he even received an imperial sword, the Xiuchundao, which allows him to enter the Forbidden City freely and get close to the Crown Prince Zhu Yunwen. He is also a personal guard to the Prince of Yan's heir, Zhu Gaozhi. As long as he seizes the opportunity, he will not find it difficult to rise to prominence.

The Xu family was overjoyed by this, of course, with some people feeling jealous. The happiest were the old matriarch and Xu Hao's mother, Xiao Shi. Xiao Shi never expected her son to receive such a high imperial honor. Even a small military position is an official post. As the saying goes, a mother is honored by her son's success. After years of waiting, she was moved to tears.

Compared to the joy of his family, Xu Hao's reaction was still so calm, as if he was very proud! He just thought he had gotten a job, yes! "That's all."

Regardless of Xu Hao's nauseating pretense, the first thing he did when he got home was to be urged by the old matriarch to go to the ancestral hall to pay respects. Then the whole family held a grand banquet to celebrate. Xu Hao was toasted by his family, and he did not notice the subtle changes in the eyes of his cousin Xiao Yuying and the two Wang family girls.

Late at night, half-drunk, Xu Hao chatted affectionately with his mother for a long time. Xiao Shi, still excited, talked about his marriage. With her son becoming a guard, she no longer had the idea of marrying into the Xiao family. She began to consider marrying into the Wang family or even a cousin from the Xu family, so that in the future, he could get help from his in-laws in his career.

Xu Hao quickly said that he could only become a real guard after the age of twenty, and it was too early to talk about these things now. He deliberately brought up the Mu family. Xiao Shi thought it made sense; the Ningning Wang was better than their own family and the Wang family. Therefore, she urged her son to work harder, and if he developed a relationship with a Mu family girl, to send someone to propose immediately. Xu Hao smiled bitterly.

He had to report to the headquarters of the Forward Guard every three days, then train in martial arts with over two thousand young guards. As a young guard who was not yet of age, he would be assigned to serve in the palace with adult guards for three to five days each month, as an internship, or be assigned to serve as a personal guard to the Crown Prince for a few days.

The Forward Guard was originally the personal guard of Zhu Yuanzhang during his uprising, also known as the sword-carrying guard. It has a deep connection with the emperor and is nominally ranked after the Jinyiwei and the Qishouwei, but in reality, it is the most trusted by the emperor. Besides managing the selection and training of young guards, its main duty is to lead the other nine guards in patrolling the entire imperial city and the palace.

The Jinyiwei's functions are more external and independent, responsible only to the emperor and not connected to any other government offices in the capital. The Qishouwei's duty is for ceremonies and processions, with the smallest number of people and overlapping functions with the Jinyiwei's ceremonial guard, due to its responsibility for the emperor's flags and drums. It is nominally ranked before the Forward Guard.

Understanding all this, Xu Hao finally realized that the Forward Guard was equivalent to a military police force, the only counterbalance to the Jinyiwei. However, because its power is too great, unlike the Jinyiwei, which has only one commander, the Forward Guard has five, similar to how the Grand Marshal's office was divided into five, weakening its power and making it increasingly irrelevant.

Xu Hao thought of the mighty sword-carrying guards in Qing dynasty novels, who, when posted outside, could become third- or fourth-rank generals. In comparison, Zhu Yuanzhang was too suspicious.

The guard group should be the most trusted by the emperor, growing up with him, knowing each other well, and young, passionate men easily becoming loyal to the emperor. If used well, they would be a pillar of the state.

Unfortunately, the Jinyiwei was misused from the beginning, both protecting the emperor's safety and investigating officials, setting up private prisons, caning ministers, gathering foreign intelligence, and even assassinating, covering everything, leading to a bad reputation. It is no wonder that ministers were repulsed, and the emperor was wary, using eunuchs to suppress them, eventually leading to the alternation of power between the civil officials and the eunuchs, while military guards were marginalized, and their social status declined, with good men not wanting to join the military.

Xu Hao sighed and let it go. Power had nothing to do with him. Fortunately, he was not in the military, and he planned to quit his guard position in a few years. Otherwise, when Zhu Yuanzhang died and Zhu Yunwen ascended the throne, it would be troublesome. If Zhu Di secretly ordered him to spy on the court or even assassinate his nephew, what would he do? He did not want to be a foolish loyalist, and Zhu Di's grudge was strong, with dire consequences for disobeying orders.

For now, he focused on the hotel business. As agreed, Zhu Gaozhi helped him get the deed to a tavern, mischievously filling in his sister's name, remembering Zhu Gaozhi's stunned expression at the time.

Hongye was smart and had high taste. Xu Hao intended to have his sister manage the tavern. The money earned in the early years would belong to their family of four. After his sister and younger sister got married, he would divide the tavern in half, as a secret dowry for them. After all, having money means not having to rely on one's husband for everything, and Xu Hao thought it through carefully.

In the evening, Xu Hao secretly brought Hongye to the study and told her about it, concluding, "You are the owner. Just choose a trustworthy person to be the accountant and control the big picture. Leave the other trivial matters to others. You don't have to handle everything yourself. I don't expect you to make the tavern flourish; just make sure it makes money every month."

Hongye blinked, confused, "What should I do? I don't understand."

"I understand," Xu Hao smiled slightly, pondering, "A tree that stands out in the forest will be broken by the wind. Moreover, with our financial resources, we cannot make the tavern the most luxurious. So, let's aim for a mid-range tavern. The decoration should be elegant, the dishes should have unique flavors, and the service should be attentive. Unfortunately, we cannot hire charming and lively waitresses. But as the saying goes, food is the first priority for the people. As long as the prices are reasonable and the food is delicious, there will be no shortage of customers."

Hongye nodded, somewhat understanding. She was naturally ambitious and did not need her brother to spell everything out. She had already started thinking about it.