Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 276 Is it too late to regret now?

A thick stack of manuscripts was pushed in front of Jia Lian, and Emperor Chenghui said in a serious tone: "Take a look!"

Jia Lian really didn't want to watch it, but it had come to this point and he was afraid he would not be able to leave if he didn't watch it.

Jia Lian had no choice but to pick up the report, sit down and read it slowly, put a cup of tea in front of him, and looked up to see Qiu Shian. Jia Lian sighed in his heart!
Even though many things have been predicted, we still feel nervous when they really happen.

The report is divided into four parts: A, B, C, and D, representing four different forces.

Jia Lian quickly understood that this was a report provided by a secret department of Longjinwei. Although everyone in the report had a code name, such as [Qian Yi], who was undoubtedly the emperor. Jia Lian did not understand who the other code names referred to, but from the content, it can be seen that there were exchanges between the four forces and the emperor. The report just listed some facts and did not make any judgments.

It should be Emperor Chenghui's request, as he didn't want to be led into preconceived ideas.

After reading the report silently, Jia Lian had a deeper overall assessment of the current situation in the capital.

Although Jia Lian had some idea about it before, many things became clear to him after he really came into contact with this report.

Combining the information he had previously obtained, Jia Lian outlined a context.

Emperor Chenghui was a product of abdication. At the beginning of his reign, it was hard to say whether his ministers were obedient or not, but they had no choice. At that time, Emperor Chenghui chose a more stable route. After a few years, Emperor Chenghui's foundation gradually stabilized, but before he could show his strength, the emperor's illness was completely cured. This report is based on such a background.

After the two-day sky-high situation appeared, Emperor Chenghui was forced to slow down his power. The noble group, which had been quite sensible, began to make various attempts and demands, and the situation gradually became chaotic.

This is how Jia Lian, who traveled through time, saw all kinds of phenomena. Emperor Chenghui was forced to compromise.

After the emergence of Jia Lian, an alternative figure among the Four Kings and Eight Dukes, the originally loose alliance of interests has become even more scattered. They are still regarded as an interest group, largely because of inertia. Even so, any one of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes, if singled out, is a considerable force.

The two targets of most concern in the report are naturally the retired emperor and the young Prince Zhongyi. After the old Prince Zhongyi, who was similar to the crown prince, went bad, the young Prince Zhongyi was actually brought up by the retired emperor, and gradually overflowed with unconcealable ambitions. This ambition, with the tacit approval of the retired emperor, gradually became uncontrollable. The remnants of the old Prince Zhongyi colluded with the retired emperor's confidants and were ready to make a move. On the day of the retired emperor's birthday, this tendency reached its peak.

The first problem this trend encountered was the military power of the Beijing Camp. When it comes to the military power of the Beijing Camp, the first ones that cannot be avoided are the Jia family and the Wang family. It's not that the others don't have military power, but they don't have the military power of the Beijing Camp. The reason why the Jia family and the Wang family can have a huge influence in the Beijing Camp is that they gave up a lot of interests from other places after compromise.

Wang Ziteng, who had been unable to avoid it before, returned to Beijing after the war in the Western Regions. Originally, as long as Wang Ziteng stayed in Beijing, everything would be "restored to the original state" in the minds of all parties. Influenced by Jia Lian, Wang Ziteng decided to jump out of the vortex of Beijing.

This upset everyone's expectations, and the biggest beneficiary was naturally Emperor Chenghui. The first stage of the "emptying the cage and replacing the bird" was successfully completed, and the three important armed forces of Jiucheng Command, Fengtai Camp, and Shenji Camp were in hand.

In such a situation, Emperor Chenghui can really say [The advantage is on me]!
The party in an advantageous position naturally hopes for a smooth transition, while the party in a disadvantaged position is the exact opposite and will try every possible means to save the situation.

It can only be said that Jia Lian brought too many variables, and the direction of the original novel was completely subverted. The struggle between the two sides, both openly and covertly, has greatly accelerated. When the contradiction develops to the point where it cannot be reconciled, one side will inevitably give it a try.

"Do you understand why I urgently transferred the Shenjiying back to the capital and left Yue Qi in Shandong?" Emperor Chenghui seemed very calm after dealing with a memorial, and asked Jia Lian who had put down the report.

"I understand, but I don't fully understand." Jia Lian could only tell the truth.

Emperor Chenghui said "oh", looked at Jia Lian with interest and asked, "What don't you understand?"

Jia Lian asked directly: "Why not strike first?"

Upon hearing this question, Emperor Chenghui laughed, raised his hand and nodded at Jia Lian, saying, "Naive! The consequences of striking first are too serious, and if things go wrong, the whole country will be in chaos. Do you know why I sent three cabinet ministers, Sun, Zhang, and Li, to serve as governors?"

Jia Lian was silent for a moment, and a map appeared in his mind. Xi'an, Wuhan, and Jinling, these three locations are very particular. Shaanxi and Gansu have dangerous terrain, Wuhan is the thoroughfare of nine provinces, and the two rivers are important tax collection areas. Once something happens, no matter where it is, the three governors can stabilize the situation as long as they react quickly. Now there is also Wang Ziteng in Guangdong and Guangxi, hiss...

Wang Ziteng's choice at the time was also very thoughtful, and he was truly able to advance and retreat freely.

So, Wang Ziteng, you said that he reached the pinnacle of military commanders by relying on the power of the four great families. That is true, but his personal ability and vision are the decisive factors, right? If someone else has these resources, he may not be able to achieve the level of Wang Ziteng. If you don't believe me, look at Jia She and Jia Zheng, and the two historians.

It can only be said that only Wang Ziteng can integrate the power of the four major families to achieve the best results.

Looking at the map again, Yue Qi is in Shandong, which is not far away. A slight move can contain the main force of the Prince of Dongping among the four kings, so he dare not go all out. Because of his young age, it is still a question whether the Prince of Beijing can hold on to his position. The Prince of Nan'an is old and will soon die. Before there is a successor, he can also be ignored. As for the Prince of Xining, Li Qing is watching him in Xi'an, and there is also an elite force left by Wang Ziteng. Even if something goes wrong, it can delay the time.

Therefore, in terms of foreign aid, the only reliable one between the Emperor and the Little Loyal Prince is the Prince of Dongping. Of the three major camps around the capital, the most important one is the Fengtai Camp, but its main force has been taken away by Yue Qi.

The remaining Xishan Camp and Tongzhou Camp are farther away from the capital. Among them, Xishan Camp can be said to have always been in the hands of the retired emperor, who also lived in Xishan Royal Manor for a long time. This is not without reason.

"Tongzhou Camp and Xishan Camp have 12,000 soldiers in total. If the Nine Gates Command falls into the hands of others, the Forbidden City will be in danger. Your Majesty, the Nine Gates Command has 10,000 soldiers under his command. Although they do not have much combat power, they are of great importance and must not be compromised." After Jia Lian figured it out, his heart trembled. Emperor Chenghui really dared to force the other party to take action first.

"As long as I don't compromise, they won't dare to act rashly." Emperor Chenghui responded very calmly, and Jia Lian was completely paralyzed.

Are you playing such a big game?

"Your Majesty, please tell me what I should do." Jia Lian also figured it out. With Emperor Chenghui's current state, he didn't want to continue to drag it out. He was forcing the other party to take the first step. If he didn't deal with the parties who had been making things difficult for him, he would not be able to carry out the reform that Emperor Chenghui wanted to launch.

If Emperor Chenghui took the initiative, it would not be a problem. The problem is that if he did so, Emperor Chenghui was really worried about the consequences. Taking action first would mean that he was not justified. He obtained the throne by abdication. With just one word "filial piety", the whole world would criticize him to death.

Taking Li Shimin as an example, no matter how much later generations praise his great achievements, they have to point out in the end that he came to power illegitimately, which led to the continuous bloodshed within the royal family of the Tang Dynasty, all of which was started by Li Shimin.

From Jia Lian's perspective, what Emperor Chenghui wants is an internal blood transfusion with the lowest cost. Only when those hiding in the dark take the initiative to jump out, Emperor Chenghui standing on the throne can see clearly and deal with them legitimately, and no one in the world can say anything.

After seeing clearly what Emperor Chenghui was thinking, Jia Lian gave up his persuasion and followed Emperor Chenghui's train of thought. "I hope that if something happens, the Shenjiying will react quickly and take control of the capital. The Wucheng Bingmasi doesn't have much combat power, but it can keep an eye on every move in the capital. I must admit that your ability to quickly control the Wucheng Bingmasi was beyond my expectations, and your ability to completely control the Shenjiying later was expected. You have the ability!"

Emperor Chenghui laid out his plan thoroughly. Jia Lian looked back and saw that there were only the emperor and his ministers in the Qianqing Palace. Even Qiu Shian was hiding far away at this moment. The sun came out and shone on the snow, appearing particularly bright, even a little dazzling.

Jia Lian turned around and tried hard to remain calm and serious, suppressing his heartbeat.

"I can only say that my life and property depend on Your Majesty. If the nest is overturned, no egg can remain intact!"

He had to make a clear statement. Jia Lian had no way out.

When it comes to political struggles, Jia Lian has seen clearly that in this era, the emperor is the only one who can completely control the rhythm of the struggle. Jia Lian's background, no matter how capable he is, can only appear as an X factor because of his status.

Of course, this X factor is not something that either party can underestimate. To put it bluntly, the choice of Jia Lian and Wang Ziteng may be the key factor that determines success or failure.

"In this case, I can rest assured. Have you thought about what to do in the future?" Emperor Chenghui asked again.

Jia Lian did not answer immediately this time, but spent at least five minutes thinking. Emperor Chenghui was not in a hurry and waited patiently. Finally, Jia Lian looked up and said, "I have figured it out. The Five Cities Military Department is the eyes and ears, and the Shenjiying is loose on the outside and tight on the inside. Your Majesty compromised on the position of the Nine Cities Commander, and the rest depends on God's will."

Seeing Jia Lian's confident face, Emperor Chenghui felt a little relieved. He knew that the Shenjiying was very capable, but how capable they were depended on Jia Lian's judgment. Jia Lian was the one who truly understood the Shenjiying!

Jia Lian was confident that he could defeat the attack from both the east and west with the power of the Shenjiying after the enemy launched the attack. This was the source of confidence for Emperor Chenghui to finally make the decision to expose a huge flaw. This huge flaw was the control of the Nine Cities.

"Okay! Take this!" Emperor Chenghui said and handed Jia Lian a gold medal. It felt heavy in his hand. It was made of pure gold.

Upon closer inspection, the front of the gold medal had the words [As if I were here in person], and the north had the words [Just and Open], Emperor Chenghui said, "There is only one such medal! It was passed down by the Emperor Emeritus! I'm not sure if I can mobilize other troops with this medal, but the Shenji Camp will be fine."

Looking at the gold medal in his hand, Jia Lian swallowed a few times, and finally slowed down his breathing and kept it close to his body.

"No matter what, I still want to give your Majesty one last piece of advice. It is not wise to give way to others first."

Jia Lian made one last effort. What legitimacy, what posthumous reputation? What was the use of these as an emperor?

"I understand your intention." Emperor Chenghui smiled. It was difficult for him. Whoever is the emperor has an emperor emeritus. What about Li Shimin? Wouldn't the descendants still focus on his shortcomings? As long as the party that made the first move, no matter how hard they tried to cover it up, they would not be able to leave any flaws.

Alas, I don’t know when I will have free time.

Before finally saying goodbye, Jia Lian made a small request: "Your Majesty, I want to go see Sister Yuanchun."

Emperor Chenghui just smiled and said, "Go ahead. The Queen is afraid that something might happen to Concubine Yuan, so she asked me to keep an eye on her."

Jia Lian was stunned for a moment, but soon realized that if something happened to Yuanchun, how could the Queen clean herself up?

Speaking of which, Queen Zhou is the one who is most worried about Yuanchun getting into trouble.

Jia Lian, who can be more casual in front of Emperor Chenghui, has to follow etiquette when meeting Yuanchun.

Yuanchun, who was about to give birth, was very happy to see Jia Lian. She knew very well the purpose of Jia Lian's coming at this critical juncture.

If you say how deep the feelings between the two are, no one would believe it.

The relationship between Jia Lian and Yuanchun can only be described as one of mutual achievement.

Jia Lian, who is away from home, has an extra aura of being a royal relative because of Yuanchun in the palace. Yuanchun, who is inside the palace, has an extra amulet because of Jia Lian's strong rise. In short, they complement each other. To put it bluntly, without Yuanchun, the Jia family only needs Jia Lian, but without Jia Lian, we all know what would happen to Yuanchun in the original novel.

It was no secret that Jia Lian entered the palace. Seeing Yuanchun was just a side job, but outsiders would definitely see it the other way around. Jia Lian entered the palace to see Yuanchun and to show those who had other ideas that they should put away their claws. The consequences would be unbearable.

Yuanchun couldn't stay here for long, and after half an hour, Jia Lian got up and said goodbye.

On the way out of the palace, the person walking in front took the initiative to stand on the side of the road with his head bowed to make way for Jia Lian.

Of course Jia Lian recognized him as Eunuch Sun; he did that on purpose.

Jia Lian didn't say anything, he just stopped and folded his arms, paused, and continued walking out of the palace.

Eunuch Sun breathed a sigh of relief. Neither side said a word, but they said everything.

After leaving the palace, Jia Lian turned his head and looked back on horseback. Looking at the long and deep palace walls, he felt very upset.

Is this the inevitability of struggle? If you lie down, at most you will be irritated by your father and wife, but if you struggle, you will risk your life.

Is it too late to regret now?
Feeling a heavy weight on his chest, Jia Lian turned around and left without hesitation.

After this incident, Jia Lian completely entered the core of the group headed by Emperor Chenghui.

(End of this chapter)