The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 738 Loyalty

The second half of the palace, where the empress dowager stayed, was also guarded.

A team of guards from the imperial army camp came in with a ferocious look, scaring the pampered eunuchs and palace maids into screaming.

Just when this extremely noble and quiet place was about to be plundered by soldiers, dozens of riders rushed in.

"stop."

Princess Zhaoyang rode her horse up to the leading general and looked down at him coldly.

"Who asked you to come here?"

When the general saw Princess Zhaoyang, he also put away his rebellious look and clasped his fists and replied, "Your Highness, we are following the order of Your Majesty to take the attendants in the palace to another place to guard them. Be careful not to let the prince's rebels sneak in and threaten the safety of the two saints..."

Princess Zhaoyang narrowed her eyes and said, "This is the Queen Mother's residence. There are no rebels here. You can go somewhere else."

"But Princess, this is His Majesty's order. If..."

"If the emperor asks, I will go and report in person."

"But……"

"Snapped!"

A whip hit the general's face hard. He screamed and looked up, only to see that Princess Zhaoyang's face had become extremely gloomy.

"I have said that there are no rebels here. If you cannot make the decision, call Helian Xiong. I want to ask him how brave he is to let you disturb the Queen Mother."

"……Yes!"

Although the general's expression changed, he didn't dare to say anything more. He waved his hand and left with his subordinates.

Seeing these uninvited guests leave, Princess Zhaoyang dismounted from her horse, straightened her appearance, and slowly walked into the Queen Mother's bedroom.

Although there was chaos outside, the Empress Dowager's bedroom was quite quiet and peaceful.

Except for the vague worry on the servants' faces, everything was the same as usual.

"Where's the Queen Mother?"

"The Queen Mother is playing the piano in the back."

Princess Zhaoyang came to the small garden at the back and saw the empress dowager playing the zither in the pavilion.

She walked to the Queen Mother and did not say anything to disturb her, but silently massaged her shoulders.

After the song, the Queen Mother asked, "What's going on outside?"

"Grandpa and eldest brother lost."

It was something that was expected, so there was nothing to ask.

"Does the Empress blame me?"

Princess Zhaoyang suddenly felt a little worried. She guessed that Emperor Ningkang might force the emperor to abdicate, but she didn't tell the empress dowager, so she didn't help either side.

But at the last moment, she completely sided with Emperor Ning Kang to deal with the retired emperor and the crown prince, and couldn't help feeling sorry for the empress dowager who had always treated her as her own daughter.

The Queen Mother looked at Princess Zhaoyang in surprise, and then understood what she meant.

Shaking her head, the Queen Mother pulled her to sit in front of her and sighed, "Why should I blame you? Since you chose to do this, you must have your reasons.

Speaking of which, I am very pleased. After all these years, I have not spoiled you. When the time comes, you can still bravely shoulder your responsibilities as a royal child."

Princess Zhaoyang was surprised: "But, if Grandpa Huang lost, Grandma Huang would be at a disadvantage. Grandma Huang was so good to me, but I..."

The Queen Mother shook her head again, "You have been by my side for so many years, don't you know me well?

I never cared about these things.

The struggle for power has always been a game for men, and it has nothing to do with you and me.

All my life, I have been nothing more than a chess piece manipulated by others. I have never lived for myself for a single day. I never lived for myself before, and it will be difficult for me to live for myself again in the future.

So, whether your grandfather wins or loses, it doesn’t make much difference to me, it’s nothing more than living in seclusion in this deep palace.”

After hearing this, Princess Zhaoyang admired the Queen Mother's carefree and indifferent attitude, but at the same time she couldn't help feeling a little distressed.

She quickly hugged the Queen Mother tightly and murmured, "Don't worry, Grandmother, Zhaoyang will definitely protect you forever."

The Queen Mother smiled upon hearing this, and patted her head with relief. Suddenly, she said, "When you came over just now, I saw a look of sadness on your face. I'm afraid you're not just worried about me, right?"

"Ah? I'm just worried about the Imperial Grandmother..."

Princess Zhaoyang raised her head, then lowered it again.

Seeing this, the Queen Mother sighed and said, "I heard from the palace servants that the Emperor Emeritus admitted in public that Jia Lian was his bloodline left behind?"

"Hmm." Princess Zhaoyang said in a muffled voice.

"No wonder he was against you being together in the first place."

The Queen Mother looked somewhat sad and even regretful.

To be honest, there was nothing going on between these two youngsters at the beginning. It was he who took a liking to Jia Lian at first sight and tried his best to bring them together.

At first they didn't accept each other, but who would have thought that after some changes and setbacks, they fell in love with each other to death.

Patting Princess Zhaoyang on the back, the Queen Mother said, "Let the past be the past.

One must always look forward in life. The Wei family is also a famous family in the capital. The young master of the Wei family is also a handsome man with humble manners, not much weaker than Jia Lian.

In the future, when he becomes your consort, you two should support each other and live a happy life in harmony."

Princess Zhaoyang blinked her eyes buried in the Queen Mother's arms when she heard this.

How could she dare to confess to the Queen Mother that the reason she chose Wei Ruolan was, firstly, for expediency, and secondly, because Young Master Wei was weak and sickly, and looked like he would die young...

"Ahem, Grandmother, I suddenly remembered that I have some important things to deal with outside...

I will leave some of my guards with the Empress Dowager. If the Empress Dowager has anything to say, just let them come back to me. I will definitely come back as soon as possible."

After saying this, Princess Zhaoyang slipped out of the Queen Mother's arms, bowed hastily, and ran away.

……

On the other side, Emperor Ning Kang also walked out of the emperor's bedroom.

He originally thought that after defeating his father, he would have a lot to say to the emperor.

He would straighten his back and tell his father everything that he was right!

But when he actually did all this, he found that these thoughts had faded.

Therefore, he did not stay in the emperor's bedroom for long, as there were too many things outside waiting for him to deal with.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince led his troops back, but they were defeated by General Feng. Now the Crown Prince is fleeing to the north with the remaining troops."

Without waiting for Emperor Ningkang to return to the palace, he came to report.

It turned out that when the prince heard that the emperor was in danger, he knew something was wrong, so he immediately gave up fighting with Xie Jing and led his troops to rescue him.

After all, they were outnumbered and eventually chose to flee to the north, because the north of Tiewang Mountain was the direction where Emperor Ningkang's power was the weakest.

Emperor Ning Kang stopped his horse, a cold look on his face.

This time, he could have won beautifully without paying such a huge price or having so many sequelae.

  All this is because the prince turned against his allies!

"Tianqu."

"The end will be here."

"I order you to lead the three thousand guards to pursue the crown prince. Make sure you capture him before he escapes from Iron Net Mountain."

"The last general has given orders!"

"Father..."

The Third Prince suddenly stepped out of the line, clasped his hands and said, "Father, my eldest brother is not an ordinary person after all, so it would be inappropriate to only let Deputy Commander Tian to capture him.

If Your Majesty trusts me, please let me go with Deputy Commander Tian.

I, your son, am willing to issue a military warrant. If I cannot personally capture my eldest brother, I will accept any punishment!"

Emperor Ning Kang hesitated for a moment, but seeing the Third Prince's sincerity and willingness to help his father, he finally said one word:

"allow."

……

Just as the battle between the two saints of Tiewang Mountain came to an end, the capital city also gradually quieted down.

Although in the capital, the troops more loyal to the retired emperor should be more numerous and stronger than the troops more loyal to Emperor Ning Kang.

However, because Emperor Ning Kang had made proper arrangements and did not allow the edict of the retired emperor to enter the capital, the troops such as the Cavalry Battalion, although somewhat restless, did not violently resist.

More people even believed the claim that the "Prince was plotting treason" and thought that the Jinyiwei and others were just arresting rebels.

The order that Emperor Ning Kang gave to the Guard Camp and the Embroidered Uniform Guard was only to control the gates of the capital and ensure that no soldier or horse was allowed to leave the city.

If the other party does not cross the line, they do not need to provoke them. They just need to wait for Emperor Ning Kang to return victoriously, and everything will be simple.

Therefore, after two days of running-in and competition, all parties are already in a delicate balance.

And in this balance, the hearts of wealthy families like the Jia family gradually settled down.

But he still lives his life behind closed doors, not daring to go out and cause trouble.

But sometimes, if you don't go out to find trouble, trouble will come to you.

A large group of Jinyiwei rushed out of a mansion not far from Ningrong Back Street. Following them came a group of "rebels" they had detained.

These Jinyiwei all had happy faces, as if they had been beggars for many years and suddenly made a fortune.

"These guys are just like dogs. They act so high and mighty on weekdays, but when they meet the real brothers, they become as cowardly as dogs and confess everything honestly."

"That's right. It's just a pity that this is the last one the higher-ups have instructed us to do. After this one, it will be hard for the brothers to make money this way in the future."

He ordered his men to take all the "rebels" back to the Pacification Office, while several leaders gathered together to discuss how to distribute the stolen goods.

Since they are rebels, their homes must be searched and evidence collected.

Since it was a house search, it was inevitable that a lot of property would be seized. And the exact amount of this property was not up to them, so how much to report and how much to keep was a science.

They divided the stolen money in perfect harmony. One of them suddenly laughed and said, "This area is the famous Gonghou Street. There are countless dignitaries living here. If you guys really want to get rich, are you afraid that you don't have a chance?"

Everyone understood what he meant immediately, but they were a little hesitant: "That being said, some people have powerful backers, and I'm afraid we can't afford to provoke them."

"What are you afraid of? We can just say that some rebels have fled into their mansion and we need to go in and search.

At this time, any smart person would know that losing money can avoid disaster... In this way, we don't have to do anything serious, but we can still get something good, isn't it a good thing?"

Everyone was interested when they heard this. They all knew that such an opportunity only came once, so they all agreed to do a few more rounds.

Ningrong Back Street, Xue’s House.

A large group of Jinyiwei suddenly came, and the Xue family's doormen who were well prepared were frightened and hid inside the door.

The Jinyiwei were not in a hurry. After they deployed their troops, a commander personally came forward and knocked on the door: "Jinyiwei has been ordered to arrest the rebels. Open the door, open the door quickly!"

The door was knocked with a deafening noise. How could the Xue family's doorman hiding inside dare to open the door? He could only go in and report to Aunt Xue in a hurry.

How could Aunt Xue know how to deal with these vicious Jinyiwei? She was so frightened that she had to ask Xue Ke and the housekeeper to step in.

After some "friendly negotiations", the Xue family finally understood that the other party came for money.

Although Aunt Xue felt miserable about this, she dared not be accused of harboring a traitor. In fear, she could only prepare a box of silver to get rid of these evil guests.

No one knew whether it was because of the Xue family's reputation or because they thought the Xue family was too easy to bully, but the Jinyiwei took the silver but were in no hurry to leave.

"Sir, we just saw five more rebels climbing over the wall and hiding in their house."

The commander received a loud report from his subordinates, and said to Xue Ke with a smile: "Sir, did you hear that? It's not your fault that the brothers didn't give you face, it's really that your family is too attractive to the rebels.

This person has one price, and these six people, naturally, have six prices. I said this, maybe you understand what I mean?"

"you……"

Xue Ke was young after all, and had never seen such a scoundrel in official uniform.

The old housekeeper also said angrily: "Don't be too greedy! Our Xue family is not easy to bully. Our ancestor was a first-class official in the founding of the country. The Rongguo Mansion and my family are also relatives..."

Without waiting for the old butler to finish speaking, the commander kicked the old butler in the stomach, sending him flying far away.

"He is just a ruined imperial merchant who has been expelled from the imperial family. Even the head of the family is still in prison. He dares to put on airs in front of me."

"If you are smart, take out five more boxes of silver and money of the same weight, and we will call it a day.

Otherwise, don't blame us brothers for being rude and going in to arrest the rebels."

The Jinyiwei all smiled maliciously.

  A century-old imperial merchant, and a century-old imperial merchant with no roots in the capital. Where can you find such a fat sheep if you miss it?

"Da da da da..."

A large number of military horses came from the streets. The Jinyiwei didn't care much at first, until these military horses surrounded them, their faces changed.

"The Jinyiwei has been ordered to arrest the rebels. Who dares to interfere?" the commander stepped forward and shouted.

The soldiers and horses separated and a rider walked out.

"I am the patrol officer of the West City Military Department. I have received a secret report that there are rebels impersonating the Jinyiwei, bullying the good and extorting people, so I have come to arrest them.

If you don't lay down your weapons, you will all be killed without mercy."

The Jinyiwei commander's face changed, but he immediately remembered his identity and couldn't help but sneered: "Since when did the people of the Military Affairs Department dare to intervene in the affairs of the Jinyiwei?"

The patrol officer rode on his horse and said calmly, "Since my master took charge of the military department, even the princes and dukes dare not cause trouble in my West City.

So, don’t say that you are just rebels pretending to be you. Even if you are the real Jinyiwei, if you dare to do evil in West City, I, the city patrol, will arrest you without hesitation.”

"you……"

The Jinyiwei commander was furious, but fortunately at this moment a clever younger brother stepped forward and whispered, "Sir, these are the men of Zhenyuan Marquis Jia Lian.

I heard that the Jia and Xue families have a close relationship, and I'm afraid they came here to protect the Xue family."

The commander was stunned for a moment, then finally reacted.

Among the officials working in the capital in recent years, there is no one who has not heard of Jia Lian's name.

The Jinyiwei and his men in the Bingmasi did not take Jia Lian seriously, but they did not dare to offend Jia Lian easily.

Because Jia Lian, like their commander-in-chief, could easily get direct access to the emperor's ears.

They just want to make money, but they don't think about dying.

Didn’t you see that they didn’t go to any place like the two mansions of the Jia family, but only picked some weak persimmons to pick on?

Glancing at the soldiers of the Military Affairs Department who clearly outnumbered them by several times, the Jinyiwei commander gritted his teeth and said, "Let's go!"

He didn't believe that the other party really dared to "arrest" them.

The Zhongcheng Military Division, which was known as the strongest of the five major military divisions, was destroyed by their commander-in-chief and his troops the night before yesterday. Even the commander Qiu Liang was killed.

If the other party does not know what's good for them, the Jinyiwei would not mind taking this opportunity to massacre another military unit.

"People can go, but the stolen goods must be left behind!" said the city patrol.

"you!"

The commander was furious and drew his sword.

The city patrol officer responded calmly, but the hundreds of soldiers under his command all showed their weapons.

"If you're brave, I'll remember you. Brothers, let's go."

Seeing these dozens or even hundreds of Jinyiwei leaving dejectedly, the city patrol officer's eyes became deep.

The position of City Patrolman of the West City Military Department is not a permanent position, but is held in rotation among the four major commanders.

Jia Lian has been in charge of the West City Army for many years, and many of his confidants have been promoted. For example, the original commander Jie Jun was promoted to the Firearms Battalion, and the vacancy he left behind naturally needed to be filled.

He is the lucky guy.

If it were when he was working in the Bingmasi before, he would naturally not dare to offend the Jinyiwei.

But now, with Jia Lian's support, the entire West City Army is not too afraid of the Jinyiwei.

The most frightening thing about the Jinyiwei is that they serve the saint directly.

But Jia Lian was able to report to the emperor and was not afraid of being slandered by the Embroidered Uniform Guards.

What's more, protecting the two Jia family mansions was the order left by the Marquis before he left Beijing, so he certainly would not neglect it.

Seeing the vicious Jinyiwei being driven away, the whole Xue family was overjoyed.

Aunt Xue even came out in person to thank the officers and soldiers of the Bingmasi.

However, the city patrol officer and others left directly on the pretext that they had patrol matters to attend to, and did not even take the benefits sent by Aunt Xue.

What a joke, the Marquis has been so kind to them, it is only natural for them to protect the Marquis's relatives. If they still want to take advantage of this, wouldn't that be a disgrace to their loyalty to the Marquis?

……