Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 213 Returning to Beijing
People need luck, but Jia Lian's luck is not very good. He could hear such shocking news before leaving.

Old man Liu really didn't realize that he had a group of brave men in his hands. There were not many people, but they were all good fighters who had fought through many years of blood and swords, and were no worse than the elite guards of the Jia Mansion. They lived in a manor outside the capital.

This is no secret to the high-ranking officials in the capital. If it weren't for the Fulilai dental case, there was really no evidence at all, and Long Jinwei would not have suspected him. In fact, there are only a few people in the capital who are capable of doing such a thing without leaving any traces.

Of course it’s just a suspicion, what if it’s true?

For some things, after eliminating all impossibilities, the remaining impossibility becomes possible.

Once suspicion arises, evidence no longer matters.

Emperor Chenghui suffered a great loss in the battle with the retired emperor.

But we have to fight. Who knows when the young Prince Zhongyi will bring his people to Emperor Chenghui and say: Please let your uncle abdicate.

How to put it, this is the trump card in the hand of the emperor. Once it is played, there will be no room for maneuver.

At present, the situation is still one of fighting but not breaking. Relying on the advantages of age and position, Emperor Chenghui has slowly gathered a group of people. Eight years after ascending the throne, he has finally gained the upper hand.

The Supreme Emperor is the legitimate father and son, and isn't Emperor Chenghui also the legitimate emperor on the throne?

There is no father and son in the royal family, who would be willing to be a puppet emperor?

Righteousness and justice, this word cannot be seen or touched, it really exists like a banner.

As long as you still use Confucianism to govern the country, no matter who becomes the emperor, it will be useless.

So the question is, what if the emperor died?

Using the case of Fulilai Yahang, Qiu Shian's secret agents kept a close eye on the young Prince Zhongyi. This guy followed the path of a virtuous king. He used to hold parties with literati and sing songs together. He was very elegant. When he really encountered trouble, he hid in the Xishan Royal Manor and dared not come out.

But who can guarantee that he won't take risks? Even if the little loyal prince won't do that, what about the emperor?
In such a situation, if I go back to the capital, I will be forced to work for the emperor.

Teacher Zhang Tingen is really good at cheating students.

While waiting for Jia Yucun to wash up and prepare a banquet for him, Jia Lian suddenly thought of a possibility.

Is it possible that Emperor Chenghui deliberately sent Sun Huazhen and Zhang Tingen out of the country to lure them out?

Jia Lian couldn't help but shudder. This was a ruthless guy!

If the speculation is true, there must be someone among the four kings and eight leaders who holds military power who has secretly defected to the emperor.

Whoever this person is, it is definitely not Wang Ziteng. If it were him, he would not have been driven to the Western Regions to quell the rebellion.

Who else could it be? Jia Lian pondered over it. If there was no one in the capital, then who could be near the capital?

After taking a hot bath and applying medicine on his wounds, Jia Yucun came back to life.

Seeing Jia Lian waiting, he hurried forward to greet him.

Jia Lian waved his hand to indicate that he was welcome, and after inviting Jia Yucun to sit down, he talked while eating.

Jia Lian spoke very carefully, explaining every detail one by one, just hoping that Jia Yucun would follow the rules and not act recklessly.

"The government still holds 6,000 hectares of land. This is the bargaining chip left for you. You can use it as you see fit. Ding Damu and his gang must be wiped out. Don't let them live. You don't have to worry about the war. As for logistics, my mentor will only be in charge of the overall situation after he goes to Wuhan. You have to take care of the specific matters."

With the military and civil forces working together, as Xu Liang went down the mountain, the entire Yunyang area basically returned to peace. Now Ding Damu's group is at most a bandit problem. If this guy had not committed such a heinous crime, he would not necessarily have been killed. After all, in this world, where are there no bandits?
Jia Yucun listened very carefully. After people are over forty, they value opportunities more than ever before.

As long as he can eliminate Ding Damu during his term of office, Jia Yucun will definitely be promoted.

It is easy to become an official if you have someone in the court. You can do whatever you want in Huguang within three years.

After eating and drinking his fill and having explained everything that needed to be said, Jia Lian left in high spirits. He had been very tired recently and needed a good rest.

They celebrated the New Year together. On the fifth day of the first lunar month, the office of the Recruiting Ambassadors was disbanded, and the unemployed Jia Lian was "forced" to go home.

Zhang Ting'en escorted them ten miles away, and finally said, "Remember, beware of the enemy in the dark who may be desperate."

Jia Lian wanted to ask, what can I use to defend? In the end, he didn't say anything, but he complained in his heart, I don't have the legitimate right to lead the army, what can I do with just a few dozen family generals?

After passing Wusheng Pass, Jia Lian's bad luck took over. A heavy snow fell, and he arrived in Nanyang with one foot deep and one foot shallow. Jia Lian finally escaped. When the gentry in Nanyang learned that Jia Lian had arrived, they immediately felt like they were facing a great enemy, fearing that this guy would cause trouble again.

After seeing what he did in Yunyang, the gentry realized that he was really kind to the gentry in Nanyang. He was only concerned about the food and didn't think of taking away the land. He was really moved.

Nanyang Magistrate Ma insisted on taking Jia Lian to his house for a banquet. He learned that Jia Lian did not even bring a servant with him, and he wanted to send a maid. Jia Lian said that he would never be corrupted. Magistrate Ma felt deeply sorry that he could not be on the same path as Jia Lian.

Magistrate Ma was an official who was originally doomed to death during the Nanyang Rebellion, but he was unexpectedly rescued. Naturally, he was very grateful to Jia Lian.

The snow stopped, and Jia Lian, who was anxious to go home, continued on his journey. Magistrate Ma accompanied him for ten miles, and there was an extra box on Jia Lian's carriage.

There is no other way. I have to accept him. If I don't accept him, I won't be able to fully accept him.

The reason is this: if you are an official, it is understandable that you don't want to give women gifts, after all, people have different preferences. But everyone doesn't like money, right? Giving silver is too conspicuous, so Magistrate Ma prepared 1,000 taels of gold.

Don’t ask, the answer is years of savings.

In fact, this was the money that the gentry of Nanyang raised overnight to buy the land!
Did you believe the court's statement that Yunyang was a special case? Anyone who believes this should go to Jiangnan for a few days to see what Sun Huazhen was doing.

The matter of Yunyang is now a taboo in the court, and no one mentions it. It seems that this place does not exist in the world.

During the reign of Emperor Taizu, the gentry in Jiangnan had been making trouble and were unwilling to pay taxes, right? Didn't Emperor Taizu chop off the man named Jin who made a fuss about Water Margin? Now the gentry in Jiangnan have forgotten the pain after their wounds have healed. Sun Huazhen is reminding them that the knife is in their hands!
Recently, Sun Huazhen has been investigating a case of official farmland loss with great fanfare, which has frightened officials from Liangjiang all over the country, and they have submitted memorials praising Sun Huazhen. Sun Huazhen, who was notorious among officials and gentry, has miraculously become ordinary.

To put it bluntly, let alone a governor, Hai Rui was not a high-ranking official, but he still made Xu Jie feel ecstatic.

This is the benefit of having the imperial court as your backer. It is a legitimate way to clear up the tax arrears. If you refuse to cooperate, don't blame me.

It cannot be said that all of these gentry are spineless and vicious. If we pick out every one of them, there will definitely be some that slip through the net.

If you don't believe me, please look at the end of the Ming Dynasty. In the huge Donglin, you can't count five loyal people on your fingers.

The only people who can be remembered by future generations are Gu Yanwu, Chen Zilong, and a corrupt official from Jinhua!
It’s no wonder that later generations look down on them, it’s really embarrassing.

It’s strange to say, but whenever Jia Lian stopped to rest, the snow would stop, but when he went out to travel, it would start snowing.

Jia Lian had a hard time on the road. It was not until he passed Baoding that the weather cleared up completely. Not to mention snow, there were hardly any raindrops in the capital in winter. Fortunately, it was winter. If it were summer, the ground would be dry and cracked.

This is not a good sign by any means.

On the twenty-eighth day of the first lunar month, Jia Lian led his men into the capital. When Jia Rong, who was waiting at the city gate, saw him, he jumped up and rushed forward to pull Jia Lian's sleeve: "Second uncle, you are finally back." Seeing his miserable expression, Jia Lian was surprised and asked: "What's wrong? Did you lose money in business? That shouldn't be the case. The orders from the Yunyang Army alone are enough to keep you busy for half a year."

In my impression, Jia Rong only behaves like this when he loses money.

Jia Rong said miserably, "Of course the business was profitable, but my share of the money was all taken by my father."

Understanding, Jia Lian raised his hand with a look of disgust and slapped his hand away: "Stay away from me, you are a waste, you are not worthy to be close to me."

Jia Rong was not willing to let go. He followed Jia Lian's horse back with a licking face, crying as he walked.

Things were fine at the beginning, but later on, Jia Zhen got drunk and flew into a rage. He made a fuss about the concubines and wanted to beat Jia Rong to death. Jia Rong's cowardly nature was exposed and he was completely defeated.

There is no turning back once you kneel down.

After listening to Jia Rong's story, Jia Lian couldn't help but complain: "You are going to marry a wife this year, wait, or you won't be able to keep your wife by then."

These words made Jia Rong silent, and he followed silently. Jia Lian was not in a hurry either, and slowly let his horse go as it pleased and walked back.

As they approached the Jia Mansion, Jia Rong said, "Second Uncle, you have to protect me."

Jia Rong's expression was not right at this moment, and it was gloomy. Seeing this, Jia Lian turned over and dismounted, patting him on the shoulder: "Man, remember, you are a man. Everyone hopes that the father is kind and the son is filial. You and I are unlucky, so we can only rely on ourselves."

This sentence gave Jia Rong empathy. Yes, the father of his second uncle's family was also a bastard.

Jia Rong nodded vigorously as a response.

Seeing Rongning Street in sight, Jia Lian could only look at it from afar. He asked everyone else to go back and went to the palace himself.

I joined the army in the first place under the emperor's order, and now that I have returned, naturally I have to report first. This is called putting public interests before private ones.

Emperor Chenghui saw Jia Lian as soon as possible. Looking at the mud spots under his clothes, he couldn't help but sighed, "I didn't expect you to be able to hold on and do your job well."

"Without Your Majesty bearing the enormous pressure in the court, I would have done nothing. My small achievements are all due to Your Majesty's trust. I dare not take credit for the small achievements I have made."

After hearing these words, Emperor Chenghui tried hard to suppress the smile on his face, but finally he just gave up pretending and burst into laughter.

"Don't learn from those old-fashioned people at such a young age." Emperor Chenghui said in a hypocritical manner.

Jia Lian replied seriously: "These are all my sincere words. This time, the officials and the grassroots see that the people are crying for food, but the officials and the gentry are busy lining their pockets. The incident in Yunyang is not a natural disaster, but a man-made disaster."

After hearing this, Emperor Chenghui's smile gradually faded, and he nodded and said, "Yes, Jiang Chaozong still has the nerve to ask for my forgiveness."

Jia Lian remained silent after hearing this. Emperor Chenghui looked at him and asked, "Why don't you say anything?"

"Your Majesty, this is a matter concerning an important official of the imperial court, and it is not for me to comment on it."

Emperor Chenghui was silent for a while before he said, "Marquis Jia En was full of vigor and energy back then, a little impetuous, he was not as good as you."

Wait, Jia Lian felt like thunder exploding in his ears, there must be some gossip here.

"Father... please forgive me for my silence."

"I just remembered some old things. It's better not to mention it." Emperor Chenghui waved his hand and did not mention it again.

"You followed the army shortly after your wedding, which was really hard for me to do. How about giving you two months' vacation?"

"I thank your Majesty for your kindness."

After Jia Lian left the palace, he saw that the people waiting outside were not only Zhuzi and others, but also Lin Zhixiao.

Jia Lian naturally asked the housekeeper who was willing to reimburse him two hundred taels in a friendly manner: "Is your family waiting anxiously?"

Lin Zhixiao smiled and said, "Who says it's not true? It's been three days in a row. Every day, Second Madam wakes up and asks if Second Master has arrived. It's the same with the old lady. My aunt went home to stay for a while and said that Lin's son-in-law is going back to Beijing, so I went back to clean up the house."

"Oh, uncle is going to be transferred back to the capital?" Jia Lian asked subconsciously. Lin Zhixiao explained: "I don't know the details, I just heard it."

Jia Lian did not ask any more questions, and the group rode back at full speed.

As soon as we arrived at Rongning Street, the sound of firecrackers was deafening!
The residents of Rongning Street really came out spontaneously to welcome Jia Lian home.

Many of the people here are family members of the retainers, and they support Jia Lian from the bottom of their hearts.

Grandmother Jia couldn't even wait in the yard and went straight to stand behind the screen at the gate. When Jia Lian entered the yard, he saw Grandmother Jia surrounded by a group of women.

Taking three steps forward, Jia Lian knelt down and kowtowed: "I, the unfilial grandson Jia Lian, kowtow to my grandmother."

As if she saw the past event of the middle door being opened wide, Grandmother Jia said tremblingly, "You cannot be both loyal and filial, my dear grandson, please get up soon. We cannot open the middle door wide today, so let's wait until the future." The phrase "open the middle door wide" set the tone again.

Jia Lian thanked his mother and stood up. He glanced at Wang Xifeng in the crowd, took two steps forward, and in front of everyone, took her hand and said, "I'm sorry that you've suffered while I'm away."

Wang Xifeng, who was straightforward by nature, could not stand this trick at all. She burst into tears and said, "My master is the one who has to work hard outside. This is what I deserve."

The couple held hands and looked at each other with tears in their eyes, and everyone's scalp tingled when they saw their affectionate show.

Grandmother Jia was tactful and sent Jia Lian away with a smile, telling him to go back and wash up and rest.

Jia Lian, who had been traveling all the way, held Wang Xifeng's hand all the way. Although she was very shy, Wang Xifeng still resisted.

After entering her own courtyard, Wang Xifeng said, "I have asked someone to prepare hot water, please take a shower quickly."

Jia Lian was enjoying a comfortable bath in the huge bathtub when Wang Xifeng led Ping'er in, holding clothes in her hands.

"Ping'er, stand guard at the door, and Feng'er will wipe my back."

Jia Lian was extremely overbearing, but Wang Xifeng was easily fooled by him. She curled her lips and Ping'er put down her clothes and left.

Ping'er was standing at the door, listening to the strange noise behind her and stamped her feet lightly.

Can't wait until dark, huh?

The bath lasted for an hour, and Wang Xifeng, with ripples in her eyes, was supported by Ping'er when she came out.

When the servants saw this, they all lowered their heads, not daring to even look at her, and even warned themselves to watch their mouths, lest the Second Mistress send someone away.

(End of this chapter)