The General's Residence is located on the northeast side of Luoyang City. This area is home to the city's dignitaries and nobles, and among them, the General's Residence is the most luxurious.
Red walls and yellow tiles, flying eaves and bracket sets. Just the outer wall on one side of the main gate stretched about a hundred paces left and right. The two gates outside the mansion were tall and heavy, and a plaque with "General's Residence" hung high above, displaying its grandeur and dominance.
Zhang Chen had not yet entered the mansion, but just looking at the magnificent and imposing outer wall before him, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Compared to this place, his own Prefect's Residence could probably only be described as shabby and dilapidated.
Outside the mansion gate, the guards were not servants, but two guards in fine armor, holding long spears.
Zhen Yan walked forward. The two men recognized Zhen Yan and quickly bowed, saying, "Zhen Clerk."
Zhen Yan cupped his hands towards the guards, then turned to Zhang Chen and said, "Brother-in-law, please wait here for a moment while I go and report to the General."
"Thank you, Brother," Zhang Chen smiled slightly.
Zhen Yan then entered the mansion. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Zhen Yan came out of the mansion and said that the General had invited him in, so he led Zhang Chen through the mansion gate.
Upon entering the General's Residence, Zhang Chen was even more astonished by the sight before him. The interior decorations and embellishments were truly like the royal gardens of later generations. Just one garden was larger than his Prefect's Residence, and he would likely get lost without someone leading the way.
Zhen Yan led Zhang Chen to the reception hall and asked him to sit for a moment. Before long, a servant brought fragrant tea. It was indeed fragrant and refreshing, far superior to what he usually drank.
"The General has arrived!" Zhang Chen had just taken a sip of tea when a servant's shout came from outside the door.
Zhang Chen was startled and quickly put down the cup in his hand, standing up.
He saw a middle-aged man wearing an embroidered fur robe walk in from outside the door. The man was nine feet tall, with a waist ten spans around. He walked with the stride of a dragon and the steps of a tiger, his demeanor imposing. His eyebrows were like swords, his eyes like copper bells, full of a chilling aura.
Zhang Chen had already secretly used his Insight Eye to look at this person.
【Name: He Jin】
【Traits: Power Over the Court (Gold), Empress's Kin (Gold), General (Gold), Hates Eunuchs (Blue), Indecisive (White)】
These traits were quite fitting.
Seeing He Jin approach, Zhang Chen quickly came back to his senses and bowed.
After he was seated in the main seat, Zhang Chen stepped forward, bowed low, and said, "Your subordinate, Prefect of Wei Commandery Zhang Chen, pays his respects to the General."
He Jin, seated above, was quite pleased to see Zhang Chen being so courteous. He immediately smiled and said, "Lord Zhang, there is no need for such formality. Please take a seat quickly."
"Thank you, General," Zhang Chen bowed again before slowly getting up and returning to his seat.
Only then did He Jin examine Zhang Chen carefully. He couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Lord Zhang, seeing you are so young, how old are you?"
Zhang Chen cupped his hands and replied, "Reporting to the General, your subordinate reached manhood at the beginning of the year and is now exactly sixteen years old."
He Jin couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Oh? Lord Zhang is so young yet has achieved such a great merit. Truly, the younger generation is formidable!"
Zhang Chen quickly stood up, bowed, and said, "The General overpraises me. The Yellow Turban rebels did not recognize the will of Heaven and foolishly attempted to shake the Heavenly Might of our Great Han with a rabble and unorthodox methods, truly bringing about their own destruction! Your subordinate has long admired the General's prestigious name. I have long heard that the General personally captured the Yellow Tuan leader Ma Yuanyi back then, uncovering the rebels' treacherous plot in advance, which forced them to rise up in haste, preventing the Rebel Armies in various regions from uniting. It can be said that for the Yellow Turban Rebellion to be suppressed so quickly, the General's contributions were immense!"
"Oh? Haha, as a Han official, these are merely my duties. How dare I claim credit? Haha!"
He Jin spoke modestly, but inwardly, he was overjoyed.
Zhang Chen's flattery truly hit home. Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion was suppressed, Huangfu Song, Lu Zhi, and Zhu Jun all received rewards. Even Dong Zhuo, who lost troops and disgraced the nation's might, was appointed General of the Vanguard and Governor of Liang Province.
As for him, the General, he was left ignored.
Yes, the world had long forgotten that he was the one who captured Ma Yuanyi back then. If not for that, how could Zhang Jiao have risen up in haste? If he hadn't risen up in haste, with various matters incomplete, how could Huangfu Song and Lu Zhi have suppressed them in less than half a year?
Such a great merit, yet no one mentioned it. Thinking about it was truly infuriating.
He Jin felt stifled inwardly, but he liked Zhang Chen even more. He thought to himself, this young man is quite eloquent, it's not in vain that I favor him.
Therefore, He Jin said again, "I heard that you were recommended by Li Wen and took his position to become the Prefect of Wei Commandery?"
Zhang Chen replied, "Reporting to the General, that is correct. Lord Li is your subordinate's Li Wen and has given me much guidance."
"Mm." He Jin nodded and said, "Li Wen served as the Prefect of Wei Commandery for several years. When the Yellow Turbans rebelled, he assisted General Huangfu in suppressing the rebellion and achieved great merit. I heard he is an honest official and an upright person. No wonder he could teach a Zhang Chen like you!"
"Li Wen's kindness to your subordinate is as heavy as a mountain, and your subordinate has no way to repay it. Now Li Wen has been transferred to Wuwei. Wuwei is a borderland, and the borderlands are cold and harsh. Li Wen is old and may find it difficult to bear. Whenever your subordinate thinks of this, I cannot help but worry..."
As Zhang Chen spoke, he couldn't help but cover his face and shed tears.
Seeing this, He Jin couldn't help but greatly praise Zhang Chen's filial piety. He immediately said, "Such filial piety from my virtuous nephew is truly rare. This old man and Lord Li served together in the court. Although we have not met in person, our spirits have long been connected. Since you are his Zhang Chen, you are naturally also this old man's nephew."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen immediately showed an expression of being overwhelmed by favor and said, "To receive such affection from Uncle is my great fortune."
He Jin smiled slightly and said, "Virtuous nephew, with such great talent, being a Prefect of Wei Commandery is a bit of a waste. How about staying in the General's Residence? I will appoint you as a General's Clerk, how does that sound?"
As expected, Guo Jia was right!
Zhang Chen thought to himself, this He Jin indeed intends to recruit him. If it were someone else, wouldn't they be ecstatic and overjoyed right now!
But Zhang Chen knew very well. Staying in the capital to be an official, although it looked good on the surface, meant that the foundation he had painstakingly built would be lost in an instant. In this chaotic world, without troops and territory, what use was an official position high above?
As soon as He Jin finished speaking, Zhen Yan, who was standing nearby, showed a hint of joy on his face.
He naturally hoped that Zhang Chen would be recruited.
One must know that His Majesty currently only had two imperial sons. Now that the Zhen family had been made Empress, when His Majesty passed away in the future, the successor would surely be the eldest imperial son, Liu Bian. At that time, the General would surely hold great power, and wouldn't all of them, the clerks, rise to prominence?
If Zhang Chen was recruited, then his Zhen family would have two General's Clerks. In the future court, not to mention the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, they could at least secure two prominent official positions. The Zhen family would surely advance further from then on!
Thinking of this, Zhen Yan couldn't help but secretly glance at Zhang Chen, thinking to himself, why isn't he quickly thanking the General for his grace?
Unexpectedly, Zhang Chen slowly stood up, bowed to He Jin, and said, "Thank you for your misplaced affection, Uncle, but your nephew dares not accept this appointment."
As soon as these words were spoken, Zhen Yan's face immediately changed. He couldn't help but curse Zhang Chen inwardly for not knowing what was good for him. Such a great opportunity was missed for nothing, and he even openly rejected He Jin's kindness. Wouldn't that provoke his anger?
Upon hearing this, He Jin's expression also changed slightly, clearly showing some displeasure. He said, "What, does my virtuous nephew look down on this old man's position as a General's Clerk?"
Zhang Chen said, "How dare I? Uncle's favor has already overwhelmed your nephew. It's just that your nephew has always admired Uncle and wholeheartedly wished to strategize for Uncle, which is why I dare not accept the order."
"Oh? Since you wish to strategize for this old man, why won't you accept the appointment?"
He Jin said, looking at Zhang Chen with a somewhat scrutinizing gaze.