King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 765 Responding to Heaven Again
Xue Pan set out at noon, and the Jia family set out in the afternoon. They were still on the road after nightfall and caught up with the Xue family in Hanshan County two days later.

So it was natural for the two families to travel together.

Xue Pan was extremely happy as he and Jia Lian had similar interests, and they talked and laughed all the way.

They stopped in Hanshan County at night. The Xue family was obviously more well prepared and brought more servants and cooks with them, so they were more particular about their food and daily life.

Everyone in the Jia family was warmly entertained and did not go to bed until late at night.

However, the so-called rest referred to the majority of the people on this trip. Xue Pan and Jia Lian went to the city to fool around.

Jia Baoyu and Jia Lan lived together, and the uncle and nephew got along very well. The latter always asked about some business matters in the market.

Especially the story about a copper coin that Jia Baoyu had told earlier shocked Jia Lan deeply.

Not only was he shocked, but Jia Baoyu would never have thought that he would almost be killed by a copper coin.

"Uncle, I will study hard in the future, pass the exam and become an official, so that the people can live a good life!"

Jia Lan is already twelve or thirteen years old. After experiencing family changes in the past two years, he has become very sensible.

"The officialdom is full of villains. If you work with them, you will not be able to move forward!" Jia Baoyu sighed.

"It is precisely because villains are rampant that we need honest officials to rule them, otherwise these people will only become more rampant!"

"Our family suffered misfortune and was bullied in Nanjing because there were too many of these evil villains!" Jia Lan was filled with indignation.

"Did you know..."

Jia Baoyu now knew very well how the Jia family fell into decline. He wanted to tell Jia Lan the truth, but he swallowed the words back when they came to his lips.

It’s because the so-called truth is now a "taboo" in the Jia family, and knowing it may not be a good thing.

"Uncle, do you know anything?" Jia Lan looked up and asked.

Jia Baoyu smiled and replied: "You know that passing the imperial examination is extremely difficult!"

When saying this, Jia Baoyu thought of Feng Yuan. He had taken part in the imperial examinations twice, in the 14th and 17th year of Zhengtong, but had still failed to pass.

After nearly a decade of accumulation and sedimentation, Feng Yuan is now more knowledgeable and has a more methodical approach to things, but it is still uncertain whether he can pass the scientific examination next year.

Jia Baoyu and Feng Yuan were old friends and they reconnected three months ago, so he learned about these circumstances.

Feng Yuan's repeated failures were not an isolated case, but a norm in the imperial examinations. In fact, the fact that he was able to take part in the spring examination put him ahead of 80 to 90 percent of the people.

Fortunately, Feng Yuan was not only obsessed with the imperial examination, but he also managed to build up his family business well over the years and had a wife and children.

The uncle and nephew were chatting here, while in the guest room on the other side, the brothers Jia She and Jia Zheng were also talking.

"Since the eldest son of the Xue family is so eager, our efforts over the past two years have not been in vain!" Jia Zheng looked pleased.

After nodding, Jia She replied: "With his help this time, we can see the prince... I think there is a 50% chance!"

"Should we discuss what we want to say to His Royal Highness?"

"Alright!"

So the two brothers lit the lamp and pondered over it again and again until Jia Lian and Xue Pan came back late at night, and then everyone went back to their rooms to sleep.

In the blink of an eye, it was the next morning. Xue Pan got up early because he was awakened by a nightmare and couldn't fall asleep.

The so-called nightmare was actually a dream about Zhu Jinghong, in which he was whipped again.

After getting up, he felt light-headed because he had too much fun last night, so he asked someone to prepare a nourishing "nutritional meal".

This kind of thing is troublesome to prepare. Before Xue Pan could wait for the nutritious meal to be delivered, he received a letter from Xia Yuegui first.

The letter was sent out last night, and the Xue family's servants traveled all night and just delivered it to Xue Pan this morning.

The content of the letter is very simple, analyzing the special relationship between the Jia family and Zhu Jinghong.

Then Xia Yuegui reminded Xue Pan in the letter that it was okay for everyone to have friendly interactions on weekdays, but when he arrived in Luzhou to meet the prince, it would be best not to get involved with the Jia family.

After all, even the Crown Princess may not be sure about the Crown Prince's attitude towards the Jia family, so it would be safest for them to stay out of it.

After reading the letter, Xue Pan realized the problem. It turned out that everyone in the Jia family had to catch up with him just to meet Zhu Jinghong.

“That’s true!”

Sighing, Xue Pan shook his head helplessly, then put the letter in his arms.

If it weren't for Xia Yuegui's letter, even if Xue Pan knew that the Jia family needed his help, he would actually be willing to lend a hand, after all, the two families were related.

But now... Xue Pan sighed again.

On September 24, in a mansion in the northeast of Luzhou City, Zhu Jinghong was taking a walk after dinner.

He has stayed here for three days and will stay for two more days because the situation here is more complicated and may involve a major case.

"Why can't this man stop being greedy? He has so much land but still wants more. How much is enough?"

Hearing Zhu Jinghong's sigh, Baochai, who was following beside him, slowly replied: "Everyone in the world is like this, so you are also greedy. You haven't even occupied all the land around the Ming Dynasty, but you have already set your sights on overseas wealth!"

Only Baochai could say this. Zhu Jinghong was not annoyed when he heard it. After all, there were very few people who could speak for him, and there were only a handful of them in the whole world.

"We are fighting foreign enemies, but they are committing crimes. It's different!"

"They are different, so they will be investigated. So don't be angry!" Baochai replied with a smile.

Then she continued, "In the past six months, we have investigated so many major cases along the way. It has been worth the trip!"

Zhu Jinghong stopped and slowly turned around and said, "Is the trip worthwhile? The real purpose of my eastern tour may not have even begun yet!"

"The real business hasn't started yet?"

This puzzled Baochai. After she thought about it, she answered, "Water Master?"

"That's right, it's the navy. How it has been built in recent years is what I care most about!" Zhu Jinghong replied in a deep voice.

Land survey is indeed important, but the navy is the weapon for future hegemony, so Zhu Jinghong attaches great importance to it.

This time he came not only to inspect the warships and artillery, but also to focus on whether the troops were skilled in operating the warships and the coordination and cooperation within and between fleets.

It would take at least one or two months to test all of these, and we could even fight a war if necessary.

"Your Highness, just now Dragon Guard Lu Qianhu came to report!"

Captain Lu of the Dragon Guards was Zhu Jinghong's confidant Lu Yuxin. He and Zhang Lin were both promoted to the rank of Captain of the Dragon Guards at the beginning of the year.

Don't underestimate a mere centurion. The starting rank of a centurion of the Dragon Guards is the fifth rank, which is not a low rank in itself. Moreover, they are deeply trusted by the emperor (Zhu Jinghong), so their future prospects are still limitless.

Even if he cannot be sent out, he can still be promoted to a higher rank by continuing to gain experience as a Dragon Guard, and it is basically not difficult to obtain a title.

"What's the matter?" Zhu Jinghong asked.

"We just caught three spies on the third street north of here... After interrogation, we found out that they are the White Lotus traitors!"

The White Lotus Sect has always existed, and in the past six months since Zhu Jinghong's eastern tour, this is the third time they have targeted him. However, the defenses around him are too tight now, so it is impossible to kill him.

For example, in the three "assassination attempts" in the past six months, the closest one was two miles away from him, with at least seven or eight defense circles in between.

As the crown prince, Zhu Jinghong was accompanied by a large number of guards on his eastern tour. There were 200 Dragon Guards responsible for close protection, 1,000 Banner Guards assigned to escort him, 1,000 soldiers from the Left and Right Yulin Guards, and 5,000 soldiers from a guard of the Beijing Camp.

In other words, there were more than 8,000 guards around him, not counting the guards increased by local military governors.

"understood!"

After agreeing, Zhu Jinghong did not ask any more questions, but continued chatting with Baochai.

After walking back and forth a few times to help digest the food, the couple washed up and went to bed.

The next morning, Xue Pan and his party arrived in Luzhou. In the morning they went to Zhu Jinghong's residence to ask for a meeting. Naturally, the Jia family was left behind by Xue Pan.

After entering the mansion, Xue Pan realized that he had been thinking too much. It was not easy to see Zhu Jinghong. He even waited for an hour to see his own sister.

After drinking three cups of tea in the outer courtyard room, Xue Pan was led in by a maid and saw Baochai through a curtain.

"Why are you here, brother?"

The voice was cold and clear, and although it was right in front of one's eyes, it made one feel as if it was thousands of miles away.

He originally thought that he would not be nervous when meeting his own sister, but at this moment Xue Pan's forehead was sweating and he did not know what to say for a moment.

If Baochai didn't urge him, Xue Pan would definitely be embarrassed and it would also be her loss of face.

"Reply...Reporting to Her Majesty, I am here to welcome His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

Baochai immediately asked, "Didn't I write to you earlier to tell you not to come and meet me?"

"This... Luzhou and Yingtian are next to each other, so... it's not too far away!"

Hearing this, Baochai smiled and said, "Forget it... I already understand your intention, brother. If you have nothing else, go back!"

"Ah? This..."

"Go back to the sky and do your job well. The prince will be happier!"

"Yes!" Xue Pan had no choice but to agree.

At this time, Baochai asked, "How is mother's health?"

Although she was the Crown Princess, Baochai was also a daughter, so she asked about her biological mother.

After the two chatted for a while, Xue Pan gradually relaxed. Through the chat, he learned that Lin Yao met Zhu Jinghong yesterday.

Although he was scared to death of Zhu Jinghong, Xue Pan still felt somewhat disappointed when he thought that Lin Yao, the concubine's younger brother, could be summoned, but he, the wife's elder brother, could not.

But he had no idea that the person Zhu Jinghong wanted to see was not Lin Yao, but Liu Xiang who came with Lin Yao. The latter now made maritime trade very successful, making Zhu Jinghong's personal fortune very rich.

While chatting with Xue Pan, Baochai learned that the Jia family had also come and also knew about the letter from Xia Yuegui.

"You did the right thing. Listen to your wife's advice in the future. She is thinking about you wholeheartedly... Don't bully her!"

"Your Majesty's teachings, I will definitely keep them in mind!"

After meeting Baochai, Xue Pan had no choice but to return to Yingtian, taking the Jia family with him.

In a blink of an eye, another two days passed and Zhu Jinghong set out for Yingtian again and crossed the Yangtze River on September 27.

On the east bank of the Yangtze River, high-ranking civil and military officials in Jinling had already set up their tents to welcome Zhu Jinghong's arrival.

Zhu Jinghong basically didn't recognize any of the officials in Jinling, but that didn't stop them from knowing him.

Whether it was when he came to suppress the Japanese pirates in the tenth year of Zhengtong, or when he led the fleet to attack the Western Barbarians in the fourteenth year of Zhengtong, both left a deep impression on the officials in Nanjing.

Who in the world doesn't know you? This is absolutely true when it comes to him.

While Zhu Jinghong was chatting with several senior officials, in a corner of the crowd, a father and son were also talking about their reunion.

In the tenth year of Zhengtong, Lu Changxin was appointed as the assistant commander of Zhenjiang Guard, and was later promoted to the assistant commander and commander-in-chief of Guard. Two years ago, he took the most critical step and was promoted to the assistant commander of Jinling Military Region, fourth rank.

Although Lu Changxin himself was capable enough, he knew that he was able to rise step by step in the past seven or eight years because of his son Lu Yuxin. Otherwise, he would now be the Tongzhi of Zhenjiangwei and might not even be able to become a commander in his lifetime.

Although his son is only a fifth-rank official now, Lu Changxin knows very well that his son is the future of the family.

Back then, the fact that Lu Yuxin could be involved in the Dragon Guards was beyond Lu Changxin's expectations. Now that he has been promoted to a captain in the Dragon Guards, it is something he had never dared to think about before.

After the father and son showed concern for each other, Lu Changxin gave his only words of warning: "Son, follow His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and do your best. Don't worry about other things!"

Lu Changxin was very self-aware that his son had developed better than himself, so he did not pass on his experience in officialdom to him. This was the only sentence he could guarantee was absolutely correct.

"I understand, Dad, don't worry!" Lu Yuxin nodded seriously.

"By the way...when can you come home? Your mother is always thinking about you, as well as your second brother and third sister!"

Lu Yuxin's brothers and sisters have now all started their own families and careers. After he was selected into the Dragon Guards ten years ago, he has only been able to see them every two or three years.

The last time he came home was in the autumn two years ago. When he returned to Beijing after vacation, his second brother happened to be ill, which made Lu Yuxin worried for a long time.

"If you can't leave, don't go back. What matters is protecting His Highness!" Lu Changxin warned again.

"Son understands. After he is settled in a few days, he will go home to visit his mother!"

While the father and son were chatting here, on the other side of the Yangtze River, Zhu Jinghong was talking to several senior officials.

There were only eight so-called high-ranking officials, namely, Zhao Chengwu, the admiral of Liaodong Navy, Wang Long, the admiral of Jinling Navy, Xu Minglin, the admiral of Zhejiang Navy, Wang Rongxian, the admiral of Guangdong Navy, as well as the Jinling governor, the provincial judge, the commander-in-chief and the inspector-in-chief.

The four naval admirals were originally in different places all over the world, but they appeared here together because Zhu Jinghong notified them in advance to come for the meeting.

"You all know how heavy the maritime taxes are!"

"The imperial court has invested so much money in the navy just to protect the financial route at sea. Only in this way can the Ming Dynasty have long-term stability!"

"This time, the emperor sent me on an eastern tour. The first priority is to pay homage to Taizu. The second priority... is to test the combat effectiveness of several naval forces!"

"If I don't achieve my goal, I won't be able to report to His Majesty, so this time... don't blame me for being ruthless!"

This is called having it said in advance. The navy is of great importance and is the most important thing for the court in recent years. Its priority and importance are equal to those of land surveying.

The implementation of the land surveying policy brought down so many officials, and Zhu Jinghong would not mind crushing anyone who messed with the navy's construction.

Before they officially entered Yingtian, Zhu Jinghong's words were colder than the autumn wind, making several generals feel the chill.

There are military supervisors and eunuchs in the army, as well as spies planted by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot. At least the few naval admirals present can have a clear conscience.

But they couldn't guarantee 100% that the people below were absolutely clean, so everyone was worried at this moment.

Of course, they would not forget the loyalty of this watch, so there would not be a dull moment.

(End of this chapter)