Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

In a military camp 300 miles away from Zhangjia Village.

"Hey, Changyuan, these are some cornbreads I just baked. Want one?"

"Thank you, godfather." Changyuan took the cornbread that the old soldier threw to him, thanked him, and began to eat it heartily.

The other people gathered around also each received a baked cornbread, and they ate and chatted.

“I’m telling you, in the long run, you should go home. I don’t think the current situation is stable. You’re still young, so it’s best to go home, get married, and have a couple of kids.”

A man in his late twenties, chewing on a cornbread bun, said to Changyun.

"Brother Zhu, I'm all alone and have no family to worry about. I'm living a carefree and easy life. Why would I need to get married? It would just be asking for trouble."

"I told you you're just a greenhorn, you don't know the benefits of having a wife. Sigh, I had no choice, I was conscripted. Otherwise, the most comfortable life is still with a wife, kids, and a warm bed at home." The man called Brother Zhu originally wanted to comfort Changyuan, but it stirred up his own sadness, and he no longer enjoyed the cornbread in his hand.

"Then you should train hard and try to kill more enemies on the battlefield. When you get an official position, won't your sister-in-law be happy when you go home?" Changyuan saw that he was in low spirits and tried to persuade him instead.

"You're still too young, kid. You wouldn't understand even if I explained it to you." Brother Zhu shook his head, not wanting to continue the topic.

"I heard that the imperial court is giving the fallen soldiers a hundred taels of silver as compensation, along with five mu of fertile land, and a ten-year tax exemption. This compensation is unprecedented! To be honest, as long as the silver and land are in place, I'm not afraid of death," another person suddenly said.

"It will definitely be in place. The imperial court's proclamation states that anyone who dares to embezzle this silver will have their entire family and three generations barred from holding office. Moreover, I heard that Lord Shen is personally overseeing this matter."

"Which Lord Shen?" Changyuan suddenly asked.

"It's that Grand Secretary Shen from the cabinet. I heard his ancestral home is in our Zhongzhou Prefecture. He's incredibly powerful."

"I've also heard of someone called something like 'Lord of the Village,' something like 'Lord of the Village,' right? It's on the tip of my tongue, but I just can't remember the name." The man patted his head, trying to recall the familiar name.

"Lord Wenfu?" Changyuan's heart stirred, and he blurted out.

"Yes, yes, it's this Wenfuxiangjun." The man finally remembered the name after a long reminder.

"What happened to Lord Wenfu?" Changyuan asked hurriedly when he heard the man mention Xia Yu.

"I heard that Lord Wenfu's father donated 200,000 taels of silver to the imperial court to compensate the soldiers who died in battle." As soon as Brother Xiong finished speaking, gasps came from the surrounding area.

"Donating so much silver? If I had that much silver..." Brother Zhu blurted out when he heard Xia Yu's father donate 200,000 taels of silver.

He stopped halfway through his sentence because he noticed that several people around him were looking at him.

"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Why did you stop talking? What would you do if you had two hundred thousand taels of silver?" Changyuan asked.

"Even if I had 200,000 taels of silver, I wouldn't be willing to donate it. I'd just buy a few hundred acres of land, marry a few beautiful concubines, and become a wealthy little landlord. Wouldn't that be wonderful!"

"shush"

His words, however, drew a chorus of boos from the crowd.

Brother Xiong, who was telling this story, looked at him and said...

"Or you could say it's a difference in magnanimity. Do you know what happened after Lord Wenfu's father donated 200,000 taels?"

"What? Tell me quickly, don't go to court!" Everyone was anxious and urged Brother Xiong to continue.

"The Emperor rewarded Wenfu Township Lady's father for his loyalty and righteousness, bestowing upon him the title of Baron of Zhongzhou. How about that? Two hundred thousand taels of silver for a title, personally granted by the Emperor, going directly from commoner to nobleman." Brother Xiong gave a thumbs up, beaming with pride. But as he spoke, he unconsciously looked into the distance.

"Tsk tsk, different people have different fates! Now look what's happened, they've already got their names on the Emperor's lips, what can't their family do from now on?"

"..." Changyuan listened silently, feeling happy for his third uncle.

Lying in the tent at night, surrounded by the sounds of snoring, Changyuan couldn't fall asleep, so he sat outside the tent and looked at the stars.

Having been away for so long, he missed his mother a little. But he wasn't worried about his family. Xiaxia was now a village lady, and his third uncle had also received a title. With them at home, his family would naturally be safe.

"Why aren't you going to sleep?" Changyuan suddenly heard his godfather's voice from behind. He turned around and saw his godfather coming out of the tent with his back bent.

"Can't sleep?"

"Ok!"

"Missing your mother?"

"Um"

"Then let's go home!"

"Hmm, huh? Ah, no, no, I didn't miss my mother. I don't have a home." Changyuan suddenly realized that he had inadvertently let something slip.

"Kid, don't explain anymore. You haven't been here long, and one night you were talking in your sleep calling for your mother and saying you wanted to eat braised pig intestines." Changyuan's godfather patted his head and said with a smile.

"Did I talk in my sleep? Did I call for my mother?" Changyuan was somewhat incredulous.

"I'm sorry, godfather, I lied to you. My parents are fine. I just want to go to the battlefield to fight the enemy, but my family doesn't agree." Changyuan had been taken care of by his godfather for the past few months, and now that his lie had been exposed to his face, he felt a little uncomfortable.

"You really think you can fool me? I saw through your lie back then. But you're just a kid, and I was worried you'd get scammed if I didn't bring you in, so I took you in as my godson. Now that you're homesick, go back. Your name isn't even on the camp's register anyway, so it's easy to leave."

"No, I won't go back. I want to go to the battlefield and kill the enemy." Changyuan's stubborn eyes were full of determination.