Madam Jia was also pleased and casually asked her son, "Have you received any care from the Li family while you were in the army? Are you well-fed and clothed?"
Jia Dun nodded immediately, "During training, General Li never allowed me to slack off. But occasionally when the Li family sent things to the military camp, General Li would always send me a portion of food."
"Although most of it is always snatched up by the brothers in our tent, I can still have a taste."
"When the padded jackets and trousers were distributed, our team was among the first to receive them, so we didn't get cold."
Madam Jia was completely relieved and said repeatedly, "In a few days, I will prepare a generous gift to thank the Li family."
A hint of displeasure flashed in Madam Jia's eyes. Previously, this sister-in-law had been lukewarm towards the Li family, as if she had made friends with them. How could this be considered an insult to her status?
Now that her son has benefited from the Li family, he's rushing to curry favor with them again...
Master Jia noticed that his sister-in-law was unhappy, so he quickly changed the subject.
"Dun-ge'er, what exactly happened to the soldier in your camp who died suddenly these past few days? The Chen family insists it's General Li's fault and wants to imprison him for questioning."
Jia Dun's expression immediately changed, and he muttered, "That Chen family is really despicable! Chen He and I are in the same team, just not in the same tent."
"I was just a few steps away when he suddenly collapsed and couldn't get up."
"Training that day was the same as usual. General Li didn't make him do any extra training, nor did he impose any punishment. His death has absolutely nothing to do with General Li!"
The Jia family members all breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Although they trusted the Li family, the sight of the Chen family returning with a coffin yesterday was truly heartbreaking, and anyone who saw it couldn't help but waver...
Leaving aside how the Jia family reunited, it's just that every household in the capital was like this.
To everyone's surprise, the weak and spoiled boy who enlisted had changed drastically in just a few months.
He not only gave up his habits of eating, drinking, and having fun, but also became much more masculine.
They could complain about how bad the food and lodging were in the barracks, but no one was allowed to say a single bad word about the Northern Expeditionary Army.
Moreover, they would unconsciously talk about how brave the Marquis was during his northern expedition, how the barbarians slaughtered the people of Tianwu like cattle and sheep, and how they vowed to fight back to Jiangbei and recover half of the country...
Their family members listened and watched, and their feelings were truly complicated.
My son has become successful; he's no longer a good-for-nothing who only knows how to eat, drink, and have fun. Logically, this should be a good thing.
But how are they supposed to deal with their son, who has been so successfully brainwashed and has become a qualified member of the Northern Expeditionary Army?
Perhaps we should be even more courteous to the Northern Expeditionary Army in the future.
This has put the Northern Expeditionary Army in a difficult position. Leaving aside the Marquis's feelings, his own son would likely be the first to be unhappy...
Regardless of how happy or conflicted each family was, just when the sun was high in the sky, a group of people suddenly arrived in front of the Princess's residence.
Upon hearing the news, the eldest princess quickly sent her head steward out to greet her and escort her to the main courtyard to talk.
The eldest princess was even more surprised when she saw the smiling eunuch Feng.
Although she held the title of princess, she received very little imperial favor. Even when she went to the palace to pay her respects to the emperor, he usually refused to see her.
Why would His Majesty send Eunuch Feng, whose rank is second only to Chief Eunuch Yi, here today?
Despite her doubts, she still warmly welcomed him and invited Eunuch Feng to have tea.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Eunuch Feng didn't linger and said, "Your Highness, the Emperor has acquired a golden birdcage, which he greatly admires. Unfortunately, no one is familiar with it and cannot explain its wonders."
"It was because Steward Yi heard that our master is learned and an expert in appreciating these kinds of things that he sent this old servant to invite him to the palace."
The eldest princess breathed a sigh of relief. She had some spies in the palace, so she naturally heard that the Marquis of Xinting had refused the emperor's invitation in court, thus displeasing the emperor.
Unexpectedly, his own son actually got the chance to enter the palace and meet the emperor because of this.
If you can please the Emperor, even without any reward, you'll be able to visit the palace more often, and others will no longer look down on the Princess's residence!
She quickly instructed her personal nanny to call her son and make sure he was dressed neatly before entering the palace.
After waiting for a full half hour, Master Bao finally arrived with a servant and a nanny.
The eldest princess, accompanying Eunuch Feng, had been talking until her throat was dry and her face was stiff from smiling.
She glared at her son, then looked him over carefully. Although he was still a bit tired, he had changed into new clothes, washed and combed his hair, and looked presentable.
Eunuch Feng quickly stood up and said, "Your Highness, this old servant has been out for quite some time. I will now accompany the Master back to the palace."
"Alright, thank you for your hard work, Eunuch Feng." The Princess also stood up and nodded to the head steward at the door.
The head steward smiled and led the way, then subtly slipped a purse into the hand of Eunuch Feng when the opportunity arose.
"Your Excellency, our master doesn't come to the palace often. If there's anything he might have overlooked, please give him your guidance."
Holding the flat purse, Eunuch Feng guessed that it contained silver notes, and his face lit up with a smile. He quickly replied, "Of course, of course."
Soon, they left the house, got into their car, and headed straight for the palace.
Lord Bao had a good time outside last night, but he was dragged out of the house not long after he got home, and his mind is still a bit fuzzy.
But as soon as he arrived at the palace gate, he was startled awake and kept turning his head to look at his personal servant.
The servant boy also shrank his neck, looking terrified.
Fortunately, Eunuch Feng still had some dignity, and the soldiers guarding the palace gates didn't check the master and servant before letting them in.
Master Bao was relieved and followed Eunuch Feng to the side hall next to the Imperial Study.
Eunuch Feng said, "My lord, please sit down, have a cup of tea and a snack. This old servant will go and see what the Emperor is busy with right now. If I have a moment, I will report to him."
Master Bao quickly bowed and thanked him.
In retrospect, he had lived most of his life, but unfortunately he had accomplished nothing and had no official rank or title.
Even if outsiders wanted to show him respect, they could only address him as "Master".
He hadn't thought much of it before, but now he felt a little embarrassed.
So they mustered their spirits and waited to meet the emperor.
What if, just as Mother said, he managed to please the Emperor and be rewarded with an official position...?
Soon, Eunuch Feng returned and whispered, "My lord, it's really unfortunate. People from the Ministry of Revenue have arrived and are speaking with the Emperor."
"As you know, those people in the Ministry of Revenue can haggle for half a day over a few taels of silver, so I'll have to trouble you to wait a little longer."
How could Master Bao dare to complain? He quickly replied, "It's alright if I wait a little longer, Eunuch Feng, please go ahead with your work."
"Very well, sir. As soon as His Majesty has some free time, this old servant will report to him immediately." Eunuch Feng cupped his hands, smiled, and withdrew.
Master Bao had no choice but to sit and drink tea...
Unbeknownst to him, in the next room, the Emperor, whom Eunuch Feng had described as being very busy, was leisurely playing chess with the Marquis.
Steward Yi stood in the corner, observing Master Bao's every move clearly through a small mechanism in front of him.
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