The Han Chinese express joy by eating.

If one meal isn't enough, then two.

It was lunchtime, so Zhao Hu asked the villagers to stay and help out, and then have a meal together.

So now a bunch of people are busy working in this little courtyard.

Seeing the envious looks from the villagers, Zhao Laosan, whose back had been bent all his life, finally straightened up with the help of his son.

He carried the grain from the oxcart on his shoulders and walked forward step by step.

Zhao Hu saw this and wanted to go up and help, but he was stopped.

"Your clothes are expensive, don't get them dirty or damaged. Dad's not old yet, Dad's here to help you carry them."

Old Zhao looked at his son with a big smile, feeling extremely proud.

This is my son, and he will be the pride of the whole village in the future.

In the surrounding villages, who is more capable than my son?

"Tiger, what are you doing in Beijing these days?"

The village chief was quite knowledgeable, but Zhao Hu's clothes looked like official robes or those of the Imperial Guard.

But it's also somewhat different.

These are much nicer than the uniforms of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, and some parts are even sewn with gold thread.

So he looked at it for a long time but still couldn't recognize it.

"I now work as a guard for others, and because I perform well, they put me in charge of all the servants and guards."

Zhao Hu explained with a smile that he dared not say that his teacher was a marquis, otherwise the villagers would probably kneel on the ground and kowtow.

After studying under the Marquis for several months, he also picked up some of Li Chang'an's bad habits.

For example, I don't like watching people kowtow on the ground.

He also doesn't like to kowtow to others.

Of course, if it were a marquis, he felt he should kowtow twice, otherwise he would be struck by lightning.

After all, what their own teacher did could be described as a blessing to all, a meritorious deed of immeasurable virtue.

"So how many people are you in charge of now?" some villagers asked curiously.

Zhao Hu was thinking about the Marquis's affairs when he heard the question and blurted out, "Including personal guards and servants, there are more than 1,500 people in total."

"Whoosh—"

Upon hearing this, Fourth Aunt, who was stroking the silk, began to tremble.

Some of the hard-of-hearing second mothers were stunned and speechless from a distance.

My second uncle, who was paralyzed in a chair, was so excited that he almost stood up.

The other villagers stood there, mouths agape, completely stunned.

The entire courtyard seemed to be on pause.

"My God, my God!"

The village chief, whose legs were not very strong, stood up from his chair and let his promising nephew sit down.

"How high-ranking must this official be?"

Fourth Aunt couldn't help but ask, because in her understanding, the highest official was the county magistrate.

He doesn't even have that many soldiers under his command.

My nephew commands so many soldiers, what kind of high-ranking official is he?

Zhao Laosi glared at the ignorant woman: "More than a thousand soldiers, that's at least a great general."

He didn't know what official positions were; in his eyes, the highest official was a general.

Therefore, he felt that Zhao Hu was also a great general.

The other villagers were also talking about it, saying that Zhao Laosan must have had some good fortune from his ancestors.

Someone suggested that Zhao Laosan go check on the ancestral graves to see if they were on fire.

Otherwise, how could your son be so successful?

Some people huddled around Zhao Laosan and whispered to him how he raised his son. Everyone's kids were the same—uneducated and toiling in the fields—so why was his son so successful?

Zhao Laosan smiled and said no, no, he didn't teach her much; it was all his mother's good teaching.

I was just teaching him how to be a person; I didn't have any special educational tricks. If he didn't listen, I would beat him.

They'll become successful as they keep playing.

Upon hearing this, the villagers nodded in agreement, looking thoughtfully at their own children.

Sitting in his chair, Zhao Hu looked at the excited villagers and couldn't help but smile wryly.

This was still when the Marquis's mansion had just moved to the capital and was short-handed.

If I told them that I manage tens of thousands of people in Lingnan, they would be so excited they'd faint.

"Fourth Uncle, actually..."

"No, no, no, don't call me Fourth Uncle."

The village chief waved his hand tremblingly: "Just call me Fourth Brother. I'm scared if you call me Fourth Uncle."

The other villagers looked at the fourth brother and couldn't help but praise him, saying, "As expected of our village chief, he has such good judgment."

Zhao Hu looked helpless; he knew it would turn out this way.

Once people cross social classes, they begin to feel fear.

Throughout the Ming Dynasty, it was said that the principles of propriety, filial piety, integrity, righteousness, and shame were the foundation of governance, but in reality, class still suppressed morality.

Zhao Hu sighed, stood up from his chair, and said to his father, "I'm going to my room to talk to Mother."

"Go ahead, go ahead!"

Zhao Laosan waved to his son. From the moment he saw Zhao Hu, his mouth hadn't closed, and he was overjoyed.

My son has become a general! He's the first general in my Zhao Family Village!

Tomorrow, I'll have that bastard fourth brother prepare to erect a monument.

This is the pride of the Zhao family.

It must be a separate page from the ancestral genealogy.

Other villagers helped with the cooking, but only a few of Zhao Hu's relatives dared to go over and help move things on the oxcart.

They were afraid of damaging General Hu's belongings.

"Tsk tsk tsk, what fine fabric this is."

Aunt Si touched the silk and seemed quite fond of it.

He couldn't help but feel a little envious and said to his little brat, "Ergou, you should learn more from your brother Huzi. Look how capable he is. Don't hang out with those hooligans in the village all the time."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!