As the clock ticked ten, Wickham delivered Miss Margaret Bernard back to the Bernard family mansion punctually.

"Mrs. Bernard, Miss Berner has been safely returned as agreed. By the way, isn't His Excellency the Viscount at home? Remembering the stiff faces of Old Man Bernard as the two departed, Wickham asked with some caution.

Mrs. Bernard had just returned from the opera house, and before she had time to take off her supple otter skin shawl, she saw Wickham returning her daughter on time, so she smiled kindly: "Captain Wickham, my husband is in the study now, and I will take you there."

When Viscount Bernard saw Wickham enter the study, he placed half of the Pilgrim's Progress on the oak desk. "Pilgrim's Progress" is an epic poem on religious themes written by the early 17th-century poet Bunyan, and is one of the favorite books of many Anglicans.

As a young man, Viscount Bernard, although he insisted on praying every day and going to church every Sunday, was not so much a devout Anglican as he regarded these religious ceremonies as a part of his life and social life.

But as he grew older, perhaps because he needed a faith in his heart to rely on, Viscount Bernard began to believe that there was a supreme force in the underworld, ruling the whole world. So he began to like to sit in his quiet study, perusing the religious works written by Milton and Bunyan, and each time he was inspired by something new.

Wickham saw that the old man Bernard did not speak, so he spoke: "Your Excellency, I have sent Miss Bernard back safely. Old man Bernard came to his senses, took out three papers from the drawer, and handed them to Wickham: "Boy, everything you have entrusted me with has been done, you can see for yourself." ”

Wickham took three documents, the first one had a very conspicuous royal coat of arms, Wickham opened it and found that it was a letter of appointment issued by the Privy Council, appointing Wickham as the Auditor of the Quartermaster Division of the War Office, with an annuity of £150, and the seal of George III and the seal of the Privy Seal. From now on, Wickham ceased to be accountable to the Admiralty and became a member of the British Army.

The Keeper of the Seals is a very special position, nominally ranked first in the Cabinet, mainly responsible for the custody of the King's seal, responsible for drafting and issuing important government documents, the awarding of knighthoods and official positions in the government, and the appointment of senior officers in the army. It can be said that with this letter of appointment, Wickham can jump out of the meat grinder of the European battlefield, and can legitimately stay in the rear instead of going to the battlefield to die.

The second document was a promotion document issued by the War Department, which promoted Wickham from captain to major, and since then Wickham has also stepped into the ranks of mid-level officers. If you want to say that you are unhappy, it is a lie, there is an ancient Chinese saying that "the three joys of life, the promotion and fortune of the wife die", in the past few days, Wickham has been promoted to the official and made a fortune, how can he not be happy in his heart.

The third is a letter of recommendation from the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, recommending Zhang Mingxia to enter the Artillery Section of the Royal Army Military Academy in Woodrich as a foreign midshipman, with the signature of the Secretary of War attached.

Wickham took the three documents, and was so excited that he didn't know what to say for a while, and after a while, he bowed sincerely to the old man Bernard: "Thank you, Viscount Bernard, thank you!" If there's anything you need my help with in the future, I'll definitely do my best. ”

In fact, Wickham has always been unable to figure it out, he and Viscount Bernard are not related, and the little kindness that rescued Mrs. Bernard has long been used up, but Viscount Bernard still spares no effort to help him. Although he didn't understand the joints, he still wrote down Viscount Bernard's kindness.

Viscount Bernard was pleased with Wickham's attitude and often had a grateful heart, which proved that he was not wrong.

"Because of the war on the European continent, the War Department is very busy right now, so you must behave well after reporting tomorrow. In addition, after you go back, remember to remind your friend Mr. Zhang Mingxia to report to Woodrich within fifteen days with the recommendation letter as soon as possible, and there must be no overdue behavior. ”

The auditor of the Quartermaster Department of the War Department is a fat shortage, and many noble children are watching it. Viscount Bernard also had a lot of effort to get it from his old friend, Secretary of War William Ginsburg.

He did this because he was optimistic about Wickham's development in the military. The Bernard family was originally a military aristocrat who landed in England with William I, and their roots were also in the army, but the eldest son of the family, Robert Berner, was not interested in joining the army and wanted to get involved in the Whig election in Bedfordshire.

After thinking about it for a while, Old Man Bernard decided to support George Wickham, a young man, after all, what he is doing now is just a gesture, and Wickham is a help. If Wickham can make a difference in the army in the future, he can continue to maintain the influence of the Berner family in the army.

Wickham didn't know the twists and turns in the old man's stomach, so he just nodded and said, "Please rest assured, Viscount Bernard, I will definitely behave well in the War Department." As for my friend's business, I asked him to leave for Woodridge to report at once, without delaying the date. ”

It was not too early, and Wickham was just about to say goodbye when he heard Viscount Bernard say: "Wickham, as an elder, I have some advice to tell you, my daughter Margaret and you are not suitable. Although it was a bit abrupt, Wickham was not at all surprised, for Viscount Bernard's opposition was clear from the start.

In the past few days, getting along with Miss Margaret Bernard has made Wickham have a different affection for this playful and beautiful girl. Because of this, Wickham didn't want to hurt this beautiful woman easily, because it was destined that he couldn't give her the marriage she wanted from the beginning, so after listening to Old Man Bernard's words, Wickham didn't open his mouth to refute, but nodded and said: "I understand what you mean, Viscount Bernard, I will keep a certain distance from Miss Berner in the future." ”

Feeling that what he had just said was a bit stiff, the old man Bernard explained: "I have never mentioned to you that more than a hundred years ago, the ancestor of our Bernard family was canonized by William I and became a viscount with a fief in Bedfordshire. I am not telling you this to show off the exploits of your ancestors, but to tell you that you and Margaret are too far apart. The door is like a weight on the balance of marriage, it doesn't matter where they are high or low, but if there is too much difference, the balance can quickly become unbalanced. ”

"Maybe you will be able to get the canonization of His Majesty the King in the future, but how long will this process take, five years or ten years? I know, Margaret can't wait that long. I say this recklessly, in the hope that you will understand that I am not biased against you, but to prevent a marriage that is not destined to be happy. This is also the insistence of the old man Berner, in his plan Wickham is a potential stock worth "investing in", but he has no intention of making Wickham a relative of the Berner family.

Since his rebirth, Wickham has been working hard to change the image of his original George Wickham, he has worked hard to earn wealth and improve his position in the military, but his shortcomings cannot be changed in the short term.

The English aristocracy of the late eighteenth century was not the aristocracy of a hundred years later with no titles, and needed to marry wealthy nouveau riche to barely maintain dignity. Few of today's aristocrats marry merchants, even though merchants have become the dominant source of wealth in society. Because in the eyes of the aristocracy, doing business is very undignified, and owning land and living on rent is a truly virtuous "gentleman".

And Wickham's identity is the most embarrassing, because the profession of a housekeeper is only a job of serving people, and the old Wickham said in Britain that he is a decent housekeeper, and if he puts it in China, he is a house slave! With a background like Wickham, it is not impossible to marry a noble woman like Margaret, but the probability of winning the lottery is not much higher than buying a lottery ticket.

Wickham finally understood why the predecessor of his body had so much resentment towards the Darcy family, because Wickham was raised by old Darcy like a noble young master, but in the end he couldn't enjoy the treatment that a noble young master should have, and no one could accept this kind of identity gap.

Wickham didn't blame Viscount Bernard for despising him, because in the position of the nobility, Viscount Bernard's attitude was good enough. It's just that what Wickham didn't expect was that, as if it was destined by God, he was defeated in both lives. In her previous life, Gao Yuanyuan's parents strongly objected to Gao Yuanyuan being with her because she was a poor student from a rural area.

And now General Bernard is using the barrier of class to try to isolate him from Miss Margaret Bernard's field of vision. Wickham had even foreseen how bumpy his road to marrying George Anna would be, and he didn't know how resistant Darcy was and the entire upper class.

After coming out of the Bernard mansion, Wickham realized that he seemed to be missing something other than money in the past two years.

Waiting for the carriage, Wickham watched the street scene flashing out the window, and from time to time a few poor people of the North End flashed by the glossy Fleet Street, their ragged clothes contrasted with the palatial mansions of Fleet Street.

And the gentlemen and ladies of the past invariably ignored these people who were struggling at the bottom, and did not give even a penny to charity. At this moment, he truly realized that the world he was in now was not the world of Jane Austen's pen with only love and beauty, but a transformative era of survival of the fittest!

If he doesn't catch up, sooner or later he will be trampled under the feet of others like those poor people in the North End. Wickham secretly made up his mind that even if he fought for his life on the European battlefield, he would earn a share of fame, which was the only way to quickly improve his social status.

Because the newly bought house had not yet been cleaned up, Wickham went straight back to the hotel. The third floor of the hotel was a little empty, because after buying the house, Ye Shihan brought all the servants to the new house, and she stayed there with great interest to decorate the new house herself.

Just as Wickham was about to go back to his room, Zhang Mingxia, who had disappeared for several days, appeared in front of him. After a few days of not seeing, Zhang Mingxia had cut off his ugly big braids and wore a cyan Hanfu straight jacket, while the entourage next to him had short hair and wore a black Western-style suit.

Zhang Mingxia's face was a little tired, but his eyes were bright and he looked very energetic. The experiences of the past few days have been unheard of in China, such as the House of Commons in a vegetable market with heated debates, the British Army in full gear by the docks, and the newspapers sold by the newsboys on the street that resemble the newspapers of the Qing Imperial Court. This is a completely new world, a world completely different from the Chinese civilization, and he can't wait to understand.

"Brother Mingxia, you are so weirdly dressed, if there were no other Chinese in this hotel, I wouldn't dare to come forward to recognize you." Wickham used Chinese etiquette to bow to Zhang Mingxia.

Zhang Mingxia waved his hand and smiled: "Brother Zihan's words are wrong, this Manchu pig's tail, I have long been unpleasant, so it's good to cut it." Although my parents should not be easily damaged, now that I have restored my ancestors' clothes, I am not necessarily ashamed of my ancestors. ”

Wickham remembered the letter of recommendation that Viscount Berner gave him, so he took it out and handed it to Zhang Mingxia: "Brother Mingxia, this is a letter of recommendation to the Royal Army Officer Academy of Woodridge, you can just take this letter and report directly to Woodridge." By the way, the deadline for reporting is fifteen days, so be sure to keep in mind. ”

Zhang Mingxia didn't expect things to be done so quickly, and took the letter of recommendation in surprise, and now he just wants to learn the advanced military knowledge of Europe as soon as possible, so that he can quickly go back to overthrow the rotten foreign court and restore the Han family: "Thank you for your kindness, Brother Zihan's kindness is remembered." Time is pressing, and I'll leave tomorrow for that Woo What Richie. ”

Seeing Zhang Mingxia's hot appearance, Wickham said with some amusement: "Why are you in such a hurry, do you know where Woodridge is?" I'll have my butler take you there in two days, he used to run the carriage and knows where Woodridge is.

Zhang Mingxia shook his head: "Thank you Brother Zihan for your kindness, but I hope to leave tomorrow morning, so that I can get to Woodridge early and learn more about this military school before enrolling." As for the person who leads the way, tomorrow I will find a coachman myself, so I don't have to bother so much. ”

"There is one more thing, I need to trouble Brother Zihan." Zhang Mingxia beckoned the entourage to come over, and continued: "This is my brother Xiaohu in the Heaven and Earth Society, who followed the dart master of the Southern School of Boxing in his early years to go south and north, and he is very good at fist and foot kung fu. This time, I went to Woodridge to study, and I didn't need an entourage, and I hope that Brother Zihan can accept Xiaohu and protect you in normal times. ”

Only then did Wickham notice that the young man who was often around Zhang Mingxia looked a little weak, not at all like a person with strong martial arts.

Hearing this, Xiaohu said with some disapproval: "Mr. Zhang, I once swore to Second Master Guan that I would follow you and protect you thoroughly, do you want me to be the unbeliever and unrighteous person?" ”

Zhang Mingxia raised his hand and said, "Xiaohu, I'm going to study, where is there any danger, and what kind of system does it become with an entourage, and Bai Tian's classmates joke." If you still treat me as a benefactor, just listen to me, and follow Lin Gongzi in the future to ensure his safety. ”

Seeing Zhang Mingxia so insistent, Xiaohu had no choice but to give up his hand and say, "Then it depends on Mr. Zhang." ”

Although Wickham didn't think that Xiaohu's combat effectiveness was strong, it was a good thing to have a compatriot to stay with him, so he agreed. It's just that what Wickham didn't expect was that this weak teenager saved his life many times in the future, of course, this is a later story.