Qingya was not a good teacher by any measure.
Her method of teaching was to beat him.
But the boss said that on the battlefield, being able to endure beatings and knowing how to avoid them were both skills. He had no other options for the time being, and so he gradually grew stronger under Qingya's harsh training.
Of course, in the end, he still couldn't defeat Qingya.
When he could last fifty moves against Qingya, the boss brought him to Xiaoshan Guard.
Those years in Jiangnan were truly chaotic. After being allowed to go to the battlefield, he moved into the Xiaoshan Garrison and met a bunch of bachelors there, like the strategist Meng Changdong, and the simple-minded Mao Pengyi. When it came to actual close combat, Song Ming realized that the Japanese pirates were far more brutal than he had imagined. The first time he killed someone, the blood splattered onto his face, but he didn't even have time to be afraid.
The brutal battlefield allowed him to grow rapidly, and he quickly integrated into it.
The boss disliked living in the garrison. After all, he had a beautiful wife, soft jade, and warm fragrance at home, as well as a troop of servants to attend to him. In the garrison, it was difficult to even get a bowl of hot noodle soup.
But there's a saying that when you're on the battlefield, you're not in control of your own fate. The boss returned less often than he could. During those times, Qingya would be ordered to bring him food, all the things we poor souls couldn't afford to buy on a daily basis.
So, it's good to marry a rich wife.
He truly benefited a lot from being by the boss's side. It would have been even better if Qingya didn't have to coach his martial arts every single time.
Qingya's martial arts were so good that even the boss admired them greatly. Strategist Meng had proposed to recruit her into the army, but for one, Qingya had no interest, and for another, the boss was unwilling to snatch someone away from his own wife.
The boss wasn't good at academics, but he was a master at investigating cases and fighting wars. In those years, he led his brothers to sweep across the islands. Who knows how much wealth was confiscated for the national treasury, coupled with the tributes from merchants, the once impoverished garrison gradually began to shine under the boss's leadership. Within three years, the boss had risen to the position of Commander of the Garrison, a third-rank official.
The Japanese pirates were forced to retreat steadily, holed up in a corner, and did not dare to make a move easily.
Then the imperial court saw that the war in Jiangnan was going well, and this military merit could not be given to others for free. Before the year's end, Prince Ning arrived with great fanfare and immediately stripped the boss of his authority. The foundation that the boss had painstakingly built was all for someone else's gain. The boss was summoned to the capital to become an official.
Song Ming and Meng Changdong had a tacit understanding. The boss had barely left the garrison when they followed him.
As for the simple-minded Mao Pengyi.
Alas, this lad was physically strong but simple-minded, truly unsuited for officialdom. It was better to let him shine on the battlefield.
Upon arriving in the capital, Song Ming learned that the boss was the eldest son of the Marquis of Guangling's mansion.
Although he was merely a庶子 (son of a concubine) living under his legitimate mother's name, this status was enough for Song Ming to look up to.
Prince Ning was not acting properly, but the Emperor was acceptable. After arriving in the capital, the boss was assigned to the Dali Temple as an official, the Minister of the Dali Temple, a third-rank position. They returned to their old line of work.
Song Ming had no great ambitions; he did whatever the boss told him to do. He quickly obtained a small seventh-rank official position and was quite happy with his work. Those years were quite turbulent in the court, and he followed the boss through various busy tasks. Life following the boss was always particularly exciting. Before long, another huge bombshell exploded in the court. The boss was actually the Emperor's son who had been lost among the common people. Now recognized and acknowledged, he was enfeoffed as Prince Rui.
A prince! For someone like him, a "mud leg," to reach back even thirty generations, no one had ever seen such a figure. Song Ming's first reaction was that he had struck it rich.
It's time to find Qingya for a drink.
At this time, he had not yet realized what kind of feelings he had for Qingya.
It wasn't until they were handling the silver casting case that Qingya provided great assistance. Song Ming then thought of inviting Qingya to the celebration banquet.
That girl loved to eat the most.
Unexpectedly, Meng Changdong objected, "Nonsense. How can Qingya, a young lady, go drinking with a bunch of old men?"
Song Ming was unconcerned: "Didn't Qingya drink with us plenty before?"
Meng Changdong said: "The capital is not like Jiangnan."
Da Mao patted his chest with great loyalty: "What's the big deal? At worst, I'll marry her. Besides, Qingya looks quite pretty when she's thin. Do you think I can propose to the Princess Consort?"
Song Ming's heart immediately soured, and he elbowed Da Mao in the stomach: "You wish. Marrying you is worse than marrying me."
Unfortunately, whether it was him or Da Mao, they were both a step too late.
He thought Qingya, who hadn't yet opened up, had already been snatched by Wang Shoucheng.
People who do business are glib-tongued. Qingya must have been deceived by him.
Much later, Song Ming still felt indignant about this.