Chapter 113

First, people in this era married early—girls and young men at fifteen or sixteen were too young, their bodies not fully developed, so many of their children died young.

Another very important reason was inbreeding.

The interwoven clan marriage networks meant inbreeding was common.

For example, Princess Jing was Prince Jing's younger maternal cousin, and Empress Liu was the current emperor's older maternal cousin.

Between court scheming, young marriages, and inbreeding, few children in the palace even survived being born.

Even those who made it through birth had slim odds of being raised to adulthood—kids had weak immune systems before age three, and most died in that window.

Imperial Physician He had told him about many palace cases and once asked Chen Jue with curiosity, "Why is it that with all the palace's advantages, so few kids are born, and so many die young?"

Chen Jue hadn't given the real reason at the time. Inbreeding was widespread in the current dynasty, and if he said it out loud, he'd step on too many toes and might even be executed for it.

Inbreeding wasn't just common in the empire; it was widespread abroad too. Driven by self-interest, inbreeding had cast a shadow over nearly every feudal dynasty.

Darwin started studying inbreeding after marrying his own cousin and losing many of their kids young.

He pointed out the downsides of inbreeding, and for that, he almost got run out of the country—because it went against what most people believed and threatened their clans' interests.

When it came to interests, high infant mortality didn't matter—you could just pop out more kids.

With wives and concubines in abundance, nobles and officials never ran short of kids.

What he had told Imperial Physician He was: "If possible, marry later in life and choose someone from a far-off family line. That way, children are born fully developed with better immunity—just as herbs from different regions have different properties, and seeds from different years grow into different plants.

When two older people from different regions marry, their kids are better equipped to handle regional diseases and disasters."

Now he couldn't very well say these things to Empress Liu either. People's mindsets in this feudal society were deeply set—early marriage was required by Daliang Dynasty law to encourage more births, and clan intermarriage was meant to lock in their interests.

These were all too entrenched, and he didn't think his words alone could change anything.

Pushing new ideas came with earth-shattering consequences.

Chen Jue looked at the little one playing on the floor with a gentle look. He wasn't the lone man he used to be.

This wasn't a later era—back then, voicing a different opinion just got you flamed online.

In this dynasty, it meant his whole family would be executed.

Since ancient times, self-interest ruled everything, and in this age of imperial power, he needed backing from all sides.

So Chen Jue didn't volunteer. He'd wait until Empress Liu made the call—and she might not even use him.

He was just some guy from the countryside after all.

Sure enough, when Empress Dowager Qin also agreed to let Chen Jue examine the young heir, Empress Liu stepped in. She said to the Empress Dowager, "Mother, Ming'er is lucky to have your concern. It's just that Doctor Chen traveled all this way at my summons—he's already worn out. Once he's rested up, I'll have him see Ming'er. And let Princess Jing properly look after Doctor Chen as well."

The Empress Dowager nodded in agreement: "You're right. Once Doctor Chen has rested well, he should come to the palace often to see me."

Chen Jue smiled and thanked her: "Thank you, Empress Dowager and Empress, for your kindness."

Just as he'd figured, Empress Liu didn't trust his medical skills yet—and that made sense.

This young heir, Ming'er, was the eldest legitimate son of Prince Jing—Empress Liu's eldest son. If Prince Jing became crown prince, this legitimate son would be the next heir—so he had to be guarded closely, and everyone was suspect.

After all, she didn't yet know where he came from. Although Huo Jilin was someone the emperor had recruited, no one could say for sure whose side he was on.

What if he wasn't there to heal but had some other agenda? That'd be trouble.

Chen Jue could understand.

Just like he'd never let a stranger look after Huo Yu.

Huo Yu had gotten used to never letting strangers hold him from a young age.

Back in the simple countryside, it was fine; but now in the capital with all its hidden currents, they had to be extra careful.

However, Empress Liu also wanted to probe deeper into his medical skills, so she asked with interest how the plague had been eradicated.

"How did you create the cure?"

Chen Jue kept it simple: "Just a folk remedy. Cholera isn't that serious—once you find the right treatment, you can control it. I got lucky and tried a bunch of things before hitting on the right cure."

The Empress Dowager also sighed: "Doctor Chen is too modest. Thanks to you—during the plague, I burned incense to the Buddha every day, praying for someone capable to help the emperor and lighten his burdens."

Empress Liu added: "Indeed, the Empress Dowager worried constantly. I also took the other consorts to Yanhua Temple to burn incense, hoping to ease the emperor's worries. Luckily, heaven didn't let the emperor down..."

Chen Jue listened to their words not all that surprised—in this world, everything revolved around the emperor.

So Chen Jue responded: "The Empress Dowager and Empress are so kind—your sincerity will surely move heaven. The emperor's kindness is why this plague was brought under control. The Daliang Dynasty is blessed with good fortune—that's the people's luck."

This was the speech Huo Jilin had Steward Su write for him.

He'd called it.

Chen Jue recited it exactly, and sure enough, both women looked at him approvingly.

Chen Jue gave a faint smile. The small talk should be wrapping up soon—if it dragged on, Huo Yu would run out of toys. He had already dismantled all the puzzle toys, and now only the last ring of the Chinese ring puzzle remained.

He played with these a lot at home. Huo Jilin had bought him many toys to keep him busy, and had Uncle Zhou make some tricky puzzle toys, including a wooden Rubik's cube.

Huo Yu had played with them so many times they were all familiar. They looked different, but the mechanics were the same—he'd crack them after a couple tries. Right now, he was at that age where he could take things apart but not yet put them back together. Once he'd taken everything apart and had nothing left to play with, he'd want to go.

Sure enough, after the Empress Dowager and Empress Liu exchanged a few more pleasantries, Huo Yu got the nine-linked rings apart. He'd taken every toy apart, then clapped for himself and laughed.

Kids don't hold back—he laughed nice and loud.

Both women were drawn to him. Seeing the toys he'd taken apart—especially the ring puzzle—they were amazed.

"This kid is incredibly smart."

Chen Jue glanced at Huo Yu and thought he was totally normal.

Kids just like to take things apart.

But he said modestly: "You're too kind, Your Highness. Xiaoyu just knows how to take things apart."

The Empress Dowager said: "Still, that's very clever—just like you, Doctor Chen. One day, he'll do great things like you."

Chen Jue thanked her.

The Empress Dowager gave two packets of gold ingots.

Empress Liu also said something kind and took a jade bracelet off her wrist to hand to Chen Jue.

At this point, Chen Jue knew it was time to take his leave.

After the two of them left, Empress Dowager Qin spoke with Empress Liu about him for a while longer.

"It's a pity that Doctor Chen is a male omega, and that child Xiaoyu is also a male omega."

Empress Liu understood her meaning. Although Chen Jue had rendered great service, because he was a male omega and came from the countryside, in everyone's eyes he was not worthy of being the lady of the Hou household.

The Hou family definitely needed a proper lady, and also needed a male heir to carry on the lineage.

Empress Liu said softly, "They have just arrived in the capital. Let them rest first. I will also watch for suitable young ladies from good families in the capital. If there is a suitable one, I will arrange a match for General Huo."

Last night, the Emperor had clearly stated that he intended to give Huo Jilin an important post, so as Empress, she naturally ought to make more plans for the Huo family.

She needed to secure the position of the Hou family's lady and not let anyone else get there first.

Chen Jue and Huo Yu knew nothing of this, and even if they did, they wouldn't take it to heart.

He still had considerable faith in Huo Jilin.

Of course, if Huo Jilin proved unreliable, that was fine too—he could simply take Huo Yu and establish his own household.

He already held a noble title and could set up his own household now.

Huo Jilin also had no idea that Empress Liu intended to arrange another marriage for him. Today, he officially started his post at the Capital Garrison.

The Capital Garrison currently had twenty thousand stationed troops, serving as the capital's defense force. Unlike the garrison troops of the guard posts, they did not return to farming after battle—they were a full-time standing army.

This was one of only two full-time standing armies.

Besides the Capital Garrison in the capital, there was also the Nanjing Garrison.

The military system of the Daliang Dynasty resembled that of the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty. To prevent local forces from privately hoarding troops, they established this guard-post system: troops went to battle in wartime and returned to farming afterward, with units disbanded and commanders rotated every other year.

Most guard-post troops could be self-sufficient.

Huo Jilin currently held the rank of Zhaowu General, serving as Commissioner, a third-rank military official.

His superior was Brave General Wei Yan, a second-rank military official.

This old general had fought campaigns across the south and north, with far more seniority than Huo Jilin.

So the first thing Huo Jilin did upon taking office was to report to his superior.

The old general wasn't in his quarters but out at the training ground.

Huo Jilin went straight to the training ground to pay his respects.

"Your subordinate, Huo Jilin, pays his respects to General Wei." Huo Jilin gave a fist-and-palm salute, then straightened up and looked the old general in the eye.

The old general was already fifty. Though his hair was white, his posture was straight, his build imposing, his expression solemn and stern. His thick brows slanted upward, and his eagle-like eyes fixed on Huo Jilin with a piercing gaze.

He had the presence of a seasoned general.

He was sizing Huo Jilin up, and Huo Jilin let him look.

After a moment, Wei Yan gave a light snort. "You report for duty today, and you show up at this hour?"

Huo Jilin glanced at the soldiers from the various units still straggling in. He wasn't late.

The Capital Garrison's morning drill began at the first quarter of the Chen hour (around 7:15 AM) in winter, with training beginning after breakfast.

This was a full-time military camp, with training scheduled all day, ending at the You hour (5:00–7:00 PM).

Under the current official protocol, on his first day of office, he should have visited his superior yesterday or even earlier.

But Huo Jilin didn't want to do that.

This Brave General, known as the "stubborn rock of the Capital Garrison," had a blunt and eccentric temperament. Huo Jilin wouldn't do anything unnecessary before he understood the man.

The more you do, the more you mess up.

Huo Jilin simply said, "Very well. Tomorrow, your subordinate will arrive half an hour earlier than General Wei."

If you wanted to nitpick, he should indeed have arrived earlier than General Wei. There was no reason to make your superior wait for you.

Wei Yan looked at him as if he didn't understand the subtleties of officialdom.

A faint, unreadable smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Remember what you said. From today on, you're in charge of the Left Battalion's ten thousand troops. In a month, we'll compare you against the Right Battalion."

A month later was the year-end exercise, which would be reported to the Emperor. He had arrived at just the right time—ha! Hopefully he wouldn't screw it up.

Old General Wei had zero confidence in Huo Jilin. After speaking, he turned and walked away without introducing the newly appointed Left Battalion Commander to the soldiers, nor introducing Huo Jilin to the Left Battalion's officers. Like an absentee boss, he wasn't just discourteous—he practically ignored Huo Jilin entirely.

Was he trying to humiliate Huo Jilin?

Wanting all these soldiers to watch Huo Jilin get humiliated?

Huo Jilin's personal guards were furious. Li Jun stepped forward, fists clasped in salute, about to speak, but Huo Jilin raised a hand. Li Jun's face turned red as he choked back his words and retreated back into formation, glaring fiercely at Wei Yan's unhurried back. If looks could kill, the old general's back would be full of holes.

But the old general just strolled away, utterly unconcerned.

Wei Yan knew the men behind him were staring. He let out a cold laugh. Huo Jilin was just a green kid, not even worth his notice.

Though he had taken part in the Northwest Campaign against the Northern Yuan, masterminded the capture of the Northern Yuan Crown Prince, turned the tide of battle, and won some merit—those were all schemes. On the battlefield, real skill was what mattered.

Just how much real skill he had remained to be seen.

Just looking at his age, Huo Jilin was way too young.

At that age, how could he possibly handle this responsibility?

The Emperor really had no one else to use.

Wei Yan let out a heavy breath, which quickly turned to white vapor in the cold morning air, and strode away with big steps.

Huo Jilin watched the old general walk away into the distance.

He had expected before coming that the old general wouldn't take a liking to him.

His seniority was low, he was from out of town, and he had no tangled web of connections. The title of Zhaowu General sounded impressive, but in reality, he was a commander with no army. His personal guards were just the fifteen men he had brought back from Dongling County.

In his private conversation with the Emperor, the message was clear: he should be patient and tolerant.

There was nothing to tolerate. This was just the way things were.

Huo Jilin pulled his gaze away and looked at the soldiers who were gradually assembling.

Though the soldiers gathered sluggishly, they at least managed to line up in orderly formation.

But only a few officers had arrived, scattered and not even half of them present.

The Left Battalion had ten thousand men, divided into two guards and ten posts, with one thousand men per post.

Each post had two chief commanders, ten centurions, twenty commanders, forty cloud cavalry officers, eighty flying horse captains, one hundred and fifty platoon leaders, and three hundred squad officers (including deputies and adjutants of various ranks).

These official positions were numerous and hierarchical, with similar-sounding names that were hard to remember, but they roughly corresponded to modern military ranks: commander-in-chief, army commander, division commander, brigade commander, regiment commander, battalion commander, company commander, platoon leader, and squad leader.

(Adjutants were equivalent to chiefs of staff, with their authority and position varying by rank.)

Modern ranks evolved layer by layer from these ancient ones, which was easy for Huo Jilin, who had served in the military, to understand.

His current position was equivalent to commander-in-chief.

But today, this lone commander-in-chief couldn't even see all his battalion commanders.

His appointment had been formally approved in the imperial court, known to all the civil and military officials at court. Of the officers who came today, only two centurions, five commanders, six cloud cavalry officers, fifteen cloud cavalry officers, and twenty flying horse captains arrived; the rest were one-third of the platoon leaders and half of the squad officers.

This was probably for General Wei's sake.

Huo Jilin stood on the elevated platform of the drill ground, surveying the men.

Ten thousand men seemed like a great number in ancient times, filling the East Drill Ground; but in this age of cold steel, one man was just one man. When facing Northern Yuan soldiers, sometimes three of our men couldn't match one of theirs.

The fighting prowess of nomadic peoples was well-known; even in modern times, those who lived on horseback year-round were physically stronger than the average Central Plains person.

This was the reality.

So these ten thousand capital garrison soldiers wouldn't be considered many if they were called to the battlefield in a crisis.

Thus, he needed to form a small but elite guerrilla force.

Huo Jilin mused quietly, and seeing no one else running from the barracks to the drill ground, he stepped forward. The twenty cloud cavalry officers below also jogged forward a few steps and stood beneath the platform, waiting to relay his orders.

Without high-powered microphones or loudspeakers, these fifth-rank cloud cavalry officers were responsible for relaying orders with precision.

The centurions and others below assumed Huo Jilin would give a lengthy speech, since it was his first day in office, but to their surprise, he only said a few words.

"From this day forward, I, Huo Jilin, assume command of the Capital Left Army, leading you all to protect our homes and defend our country. From this day forward, train diligently and maintain strict discipline."

He was a man who valued discipline and was strict with both tasks and people, and this was the only requirement he had for everyone.

To be strict in carrying out one's duties.

Fulfill the duties of one's position, not seeking merit, but faithfully fulfilling one's responsibilities and doing what a soldier ought to do.

In the military, strict discipline is paramount.

Huo Jilin said just this one sentence, and the twenty cloud cavalry officers loudly repeated it to the soldiers below.

Zhao He, commander of the First Post, who had just straightened his posture and was ready for a long speech, paused—was that it?

Or had he misheard? After all, only twenty cloud cavalry officers were relaying the message, and his post was on the far left; maybe he'd missed something. Oh no, wait—today he was on the far right.

After waiting a moment and seeing the adjutant raise the flag and wave it, he finally confirmed that Huo Jilin was truly done.

Zhao He couldn't believe it.

Wasn't he newly appointed? Didn't new officials always make a big show of authority?

He'd bothered to come today, and if he'd known it would be just one sentence, he wouldn't have gotten up so early and jostled his back on the ride over.

He turned to look at Zhou Yu, commander of the Ninth Post, and saw him equally stunned, looking like a fool who'd been yanked out of bed by his wife from a brothel.

The other commanders who had come also exchanged bewildered glances, while the seventh-rank platoon leaders, thinking they hadn't heard everything, turned to whisper to the cloud cavalry officers nearby to confirm.

Once they confirmed it was indeed just that one sentence, they all clicked their tongues—new officials were supposed to make a big show, but some didn't even dare to.

"Everyone has the time it takes to burn one incense stick to reform your ranks. Those who went to the wrong unit, return to your own—this will not be tolerated again."

The cloud cavalry officer's voice came through, still loud and clear.

Zhao He glanced at Zhou Yu, who was looking at him, and rubbed his nose. He'd arrived late today, so he'd ended up on the far edge—what of it?

Could this Huo Jilin have some kind of all-seeing eye?

Or someone had ratted him out. If he found out who, they'd better watch out.

Under everyone's gaze, Zhao He walked back from the Tenth Post to his own First Post. He was used to this kind of thing and felt no shame. He figured he was better off than most—there were twenty commanders, and over half hadn't shown up today; at least he'd come.

As Zhao He passed the central platform, he clasped his fist toward Huo Jilin. Huo Jilin glanced at him, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly. Li Jun, standing at his side, thought he couldn't stand this dandy-like fellow.

Having followed Huo Jilin for over a year, Li Jun knew well how serious the word "discipline" was in Huo Jilin's vocabulary.

After Zhao He returned to his unit, Huo Jilin spoke calmly: "Those who went to the wrong unit, walk back from the rear."

How could these dandies think they could shamelessly walk back from the front after making a mistake?

Zhao He froze in his ranks.