I was a stepmother in ancient times, and I led my whole family to wealth.

Chapter 86 Gu Chenglin is the husband

It's rare to see a woman who can afford to spend such a large sum of money on property without looking down on Gu Chenglin's situation.

To be honest, when she first saw Xiao Jin getting out of the bridal sedan chair, she was also extremely disgusted.

Who would have thought...

Gu Chenglin nodded in a hoarse voice: "I understand. I will treat her well and stand by her side."

Now that I've been expelled from the clan and cut off from all my relatives, I have nothing to fear anymore.

Feng's family...

Lin Lizheng...

The couple had the same thought: You are nothing to be afraid of, but with your mother's temperament, knowing that you live here, will she let you live in peace?

Grandpa Xu took a sip of wine: "You are too honest. You said that Gu Yongliang was defeated by that family, so he joined forces with the elders of your clan to expel you from the clan."

If you don't resist, at the very least you should get a written explanation for the expulsion from the clan, right?

"You said they'd rebel later, wouldn't that delay Shi Tou's future path?"

This child has suffered so much at his mother's hands, why didn't she take precautions?

Filial piety? The word "filial piety" has weighed people down to such an extent.

Gu Chenglin drank a bowl of wine, wiped his mouth, and smiled bitterly: "Grandpa Xu, I made them write it. At first, they were unwilling, afraid that I would change my mind. They said that I was leaving the clan voluntarily and starting my own household."

I've figured out the reason: because I've lost my ability to work, I won't be able to work anymore, I won't be able to bring any benefits to the clan, and I might even become a burden to them..."

Lin Lizheng nodded in agreement, thinking that Gu Yongliang would regret it later: "You were too hasty."

Upon hearing this, Grandpa Xu nodded: "That's good, it means Gu Yongliang still has some conscience."

That family is probably... also afraid that you'll ruin Gu Yaohui's future.

In my opinion, that whole family is stupid, and Gu Yongliang, the clan head, is even more stupid.

As he spoke, his voice involuntarily rose a few decibels.

Everyone...

There's already too much before I've even drunk any?

Jun Qirui then interjected, "You all probably don't know, but Brother Gu is the eldest son of the Gu family."

Our Eastern Lin State has a rule that the eldest son or only son in a family cannot participate in military service.

People who meet the required number of reclaimed land, and people who have served two or more years of corvée labor, are exempt from military service. I'm sure everyone knows these rules.

However, you may not know that those who have served in the military for more than four years and were injured and discharged are considered national heroes.

Although they can no longer fight for the country, they are still heroes, people who have contributed to our dynasty.

Everyone...

Lin Lizheng...

Is that so? How come the village chief didn't know about this?

Lin Yu...

That Chenglin... he's been gone for four years.

Everyone stopped drinking and, except for a few children, looked at Jun Qirui.

Jun Qirui didn't keep them waiting long: "If there are such people in the clan, or if there are students in the clan who take the imperial examinations, they will receive preferential treatment."

For example, regarding seating in the examination room, they all had assigned seats, while everyone else drew lots on the spot.

Grandpa Xu paused for a moment while drinking, glanced at Uncle Gu, and then continued drinking.

Lin Lizheng was stunned. Was this kind of treatment really possible? He knew about the imperial examinations for scholars; he had once taken the exams himself.

After passing the inspection, when he was drawing lots with his belongings, he drew the spot closest to the toilet.

You should know that experience was a nightmare for him for the rest of his life...

Lin Yu and the others listened in stunned silence... The Gu family was incredibly stupid.

The Gu family members were all dumbfounded... What was Old Lady Gu up to?

Jun Qirui's voice was like a demonic whisper: "Furthermore, if students from the clan's middle school pass the imperial examinations and become officials, they will have priority in the selection of officials from their respective regions."

What you may not know is that not all top-ranked students have the opportunity or qualification to be appointed as officials outside the province.

Most people entered the Hanlin Academy, and those without connections might have a lifetime of service there.

This is a notoriously poor government office, known for its poverty.

If this soldier has rendered meritorious service in the army, and is an officer of the rank of centurion or above, then the whole village will benefit from his achievements.

Leaving aside corvée labor, even military service can be exempted for two people as long as the person presents their medals.

You say that the Gu family expelled Brother Gu from the clan, and that the Gu clan itself…

Jun Qirui didn't say what came next, but it was obvious to everyone that he didn't need to.

Grandpa Xu put down his wine bowl: "Is it really true? I thought my senior brother was lying to me."

After that, Grandpa Xu told them what he had heard from his senior brother at Yonghetang.

Everyone was even more dumbfounded...

It seems they are still too isolated from information.

Lin Li slapped his thigh, looking regretful: "It's all because of poverty."

Dongfang Jin...

Where in your area isn't poor?

The members of the Gu family were completely dumbfounded, staring blankly at Gu Chenglin, filled with guilt and regret...

Dongfang Jin walked over with a bowl of wine, clinked it against Gu Chenglin's, and looked at him teasingly: "Brother, you served in the army for five years, did you manage to get an officer position?"

Gu Chenglin looked at her rosy cheeks, took the wine from her hand, and drank it down in one gulp.

This daughter-in-law, they haven't officially drunk the nuptial wine yet even after getting married?

Thinking of this, he looked annoyed and, fueled by alcohol, said, "I'm not very capable; I've only managed to become a centurion in the vanguard battalion."

"Clang..." The wine bowl in Sun Xing's hand fell to the ground. Luckily, it was a low stool; if it had been a high stool, the bowl would have shattered.

"What? A... a centurion!"

"Crack..." It was the bowl in Lin Lizheng's hand that fell to the ground and broke in two.

"What? The Vanguard Battalion..." He knew a little about that.

The Vanguard Camp was a gathering place for those guilty officials during the reign of the late emperor.

I heard the new emperor changed things, but... that sounds ominous.

Upon seeing this, Lin Yu quickly got up to tidy up. Gu Chenglin's words were... a bit frightening.

"Thump, thump..." Two sounds came from Uncle Gu and Lin Jiang, both looking at Gu Chenglin in disbelief.

This...this is...this is actually an official position?

"What?" Jun Qirui asked, equally surprised.

Centurion? And from the vanguard? That's a sixth-rank official, one rank higher than a county magistrate.

It's important to know that not every centurion has a rank.

Dongfang Jin was taken aback. A centurion? And from the vanguard battalion?

Good heavens, to put it bluntly, they were the first wave of soldiers to charge out in ancient battles, the "cannon fodder."

Wow, they actually came back alive! How tough must they be on the battlefield?

What does it mean to be able to become a centurion in the vanguard battalion?

Sigh! That's true. In this ancient society where there were different social classes, what could a farmer's son like him do?

They're not descendants of military generals. Those military generals' descendants all practice martial arts from a young age, and sometimes they even go to the battlefield to practice. Which one of them hasn't seen blood at a very young age?

This farmer's son who went to join the army had never been trained before, so he could only serve as a "pawn" in the military camp.

At this moment, a mix of emotions welled up in Dongfang Jin's heart, and she felt sorry for this man for a minute.

Reincarnation is a skill in itself.

Gu Chenglin looked at them and smiled sadly, "You all know how I got to the army and what the situation is like here."

Because the list had been submitted in advance, and my name was checked off, I was assigned to the miscellaneous service soldiers as soon as I arrived at the army, which was also the most tiring type of soldier.

In the military, we were there wherever we were needed...

Later, because I performed well and showed no signs of running away, I was noticed by the leaders above and was selected to go to the armory to maintain weapons.

Later, General Helian Yu took a liking to me, so I went with him to the battlefield and helped carry the wounded soldiers...

That time, that group fell into an enemy ambush. While our group was searching for the wounded, the enemy launched a counterattack...

It was during that battle that I caught the eye of General Helian Lu, the young general of the Western Garrison, and I followed him ever since…

Later, when his father, the Divine Martial General, wanted to form a special forces battalion, I was taken there by the Young General of the Western Garrison…”