Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 290 Meeting Consensus
"I'd better stand!" No matter what Emperor Chenghui's purpose was, Jia Lian would not and dared not sit down on this occasion.

This answer did not seem to cause much commotion. Emperor Chenghui simply glanced at him and said, "Then just stand there!"

Jia Lian silently gave himself a thumbs up in his heart for returning the gold medal right away, and found a place to stand in the corner.

"My dear ministers, the Prince of Dongping reported that he was worried that something might happen in Liaodong, so he rushed back urgently. I..., how should I deal with this?" Emperor Chenghui said in a heavy tone, looking around at his followers.

Everyone who looked within his sight lowered their heads, and no matter their position or rank, no one answered this question.

Emperor Chenghui finally stopped his gaze on Jia Lian and said, "Jia Lian, tell me what you think."

Jia Lian took a step forward, took a deep breath, folded his hands and bowed: "Your Majesty, I haven't slept all night, and my mind is not clear. How about waiting until I get some sleep before answering?"

Emperor Chenghui, who was at the peak of his powers, was caught off guard by Jia Lian's unreasonable move. His momentum was instantly gone, and most of his anger also dissipated.

Wait, what's wrong with me? Oh, before Jia Lian arrived, dozens of officials above the third rank came in, and no matter what I said, they didn't say a word. Even when I called their names, they would answer "I am guilty" or "I am stupid". I was so angry that they lost their minds.

The purge must be carried out, but none of these officials are willing to take the lead. Jia Lian is only a fifth-rank official, and so many officials above the third rank have said nothing. Why should Jia Lian be allowed to speak?

"Well, how is the Emperor?" Emperor Chenghui, realizing the crux of the matter, decisively asked this question that everyone was concerned about.

That's right, the key to the problem is whether the emperor is dead or not! The life or death of the emperor has a lot to do with the expressions of the ministers. If he is dead, there is one argument, and if he is alive, there is another argument.

These people, they are reluctant to do things, but they are all experts in being officials. They want both the substance and the appearance, and the words in the history books must be clean.

Emperor Chenghui, who had read a lot of history books, was very clear about the mentality of the ministers. When doing things for the emperor, wouldn't they be careless? But when doing things for themselves, they would pay attention.

Therefore, they would not risk speaking before the result was finalized. Even Guo Yan and Pan Jixun chose to remain silent.

"Your Majesty, when I left, the retired emperor was fine and safe in the Xishan Imperial Villa. The defense of the Xishan Imperial Villa is currently in the charge of Marquis Ningyuan!" Jia Lian answered very formally.

The officials were slightly agitated. The emperor was still alive, which was great. At least he would not be labeled as a regicide in the history books.

How to explain this? Let me give you an example! The candlelight and the axe sound, the original version is a positive folk story about brotherly love and respect. Later, anyone who knows a little bit about history knows that it evolved into a fantasy story. Zhao Kuangyin, who traveled thousands of miles to send his daughter to Beijing, was hacked to death by a weak scholar. If this is not a fantasy story, what is it?

The key here is that Zhao Kuangyin died, which gave later fan fiction creators unlimited room for imagination.

To give another example, after the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Li Yuan was placed under house arrest. No matter how future generations create new stories, they can’t make up a ridiculous story about Li Shimin eating Li Yuan’s corpse, right?
Now that the emperor is alive and well, these officials don't have to worry about being slandered too much by future generations. At least they won't slander him beyond the bottom line.

As expected, when Jia Lian said that the retired emperor was still alive, there was a brief commotion among the ministers, and then someone stood up.

"Your Majesty, the traitor Li's attempt to rebel against the emperor failed and his whereabouts are unknown. We must find out his whereabouts as soon as possible to prevent future troubles." Kong Zhao was the first to speak up. He mentioned the young Prince Zhongyi but did not mention the Prince of Dongping. Is he too old to have a good memory?

Jia Lian stepped back and went back to the corner to watch the show. The most exciting moment was coming.

"Your Majesty, Li Ni escaped at night. We should send timely orders to various passes, especially Zhangjiakou, which is the key point. We must guard it strictly and prevent him from escaping through the pass and colluding with foreign vassals to stir up trouble." The next person to speak up was Liang Daoyuan. His words were also directed at the young Prince Zhongyi, and he also did not mention the Prince of Dongping.

Do you find it strange? Why didn't they mention the Prince of Dongping? Emperor Chenghui asked.

Jia Lian was also thinking about this question, and after thinking it over, he came to a conclusion. These people may not have attended the birthday banquet of Prince Dongping yesterday, but they definitely sent gifts. When Emperor Chenghui asked Prince Dongping before, he was actually hinting to all the ministers whether Prince Dongping was a traitor or not. I don't know how to characterize him, so please don't mention him.

As for why Emperor Chenghui did not want to mention Prince Dongping, it was very simple, because he really had a large number of troops under his command, had the strength to rebel, and was sufficiently vigilant.

It's like a lighthouse saying you have weapons of mass destruction, you better actually have them.

Therefore, the question of whether the King of Dongping rebelled is a Schrödinger's rebellion.

At least in the short term, Emperor Chenghui has not yet cleaned up the rebellion in the capital. When the situation enters a stable period, Emperor Chenghui will not take action against Prince Dongping.

There is another question, how deeply the four princes of the southeast, northwest, northeast and southwest are involved in this matter is actually very detailed.

The four princes and eight dukes are a group of interested parties. If one move affects the whole body, Emperor Chenghui is indeed afraid to act rashly. Although he has temporarily dealt with the young loyal prince, the whole process is not so beautiful. If it were not for Jia Lian's efforts to turn the tide at the critical moment, the person sitting on the dragon throne in the hall would probably have to be replaced.

As for Jia Lian, there is still room for improvement, so it is not a problem for the time being.

After the two cabinet ministers took the lead, everyone stood up to speak, whether they were civil officials or nobles.

Of course, when everyone was condemning Prince Zhongyi as "Li the traitor", Lin Ruhai stood up and expressed another point of view.

"Your Majesty, I am guilty. I arrived early and left early at the birthday banquet for Prince Dongping yesterday, but I was too drunk to handle the alcohol and went to bed early. I was ashamed of not being able to contribute to the suppression of the rebellion. I ask Your Majesty to punish me."

Lin Ruhai's words were a reminder to the nobles. After all, Lin Ruhai was also from a noble family and was representative. Then came the King Zhongshun: "Your Majesty, I was sick and resting at home. I was also unable to contribute to the suppression of the rebellion. I am also guilty. Please punish me, Your Majesty."

In fact, Prince Zhongshun was the most aggrieved one at this time. Everyone knew it, but I was the only one kept in the dark. When did I lose the trust of His Majesty?
Even the dumbest person would have realized what was happening by now. There was such a big commotion last night, but no one knew about it beforehand. How could King Zhongshun, who considered himself a loyal dog, not be afraid?

The nobles who had attended the meeting earlier came forward one after another to plead guilty, and the civil officials followed the tone of the two cabinet elders, condemning the traitor Li and demanding that all evil be eradicated.

Judging from this situation, a consensus has been reached invisibly and a greatest common divisor has been found.

That is the main task from now on, to clean up the line of Prince Xiao Zhongyi, to confiscate the property of those who should be confiscated, and to arrest those who should be arrested. As for the matter of Prince Dongping, let's put it aside for now to avoid unnecessary trouble.

As for the emperor, as long as he didn’t die last night, it’s not a problem. Even if he died of illness today, it’s not a big problem. In short, he couldn’t have died last night.

After everyone had finished speaking, Jia Lian also stood up and said, "I apologize on behalf of my father, my second uncle, and my elder brother Zhen. It is better not to mention my small contribution."

This is very annoying, at least that's what Emperor Chenghui thinks.

So Emperor Chenghui said unhappily, "Jia Lian, stand back." The truth is, what does it have to do with you? Stand still and shut up. What are you messing around with?
This enlarged cabinet meeting reached a temporary consensus not to expand the meeting, so it was not in vain.

In fact, this is also the idea of ​​Emperor Chenghui. You should eat one bite at a time and do things one by one. After what happened last night, Emperor Chenghui clearly saw that no matter how far-sighted you are, if you don't use the right people, you can still play a good husband. As the saying goes, different trades are like different mountains. Although Jia Lian didn't lead troops to fight, he learned very quickly from his family background. After two experiences, he could become a general. Xia Shouzhong and his ilk are loyal, but commanding a war is a joke.

If you ask who Emperor Chenghui is most wary of now, it must be the four kings and eight dukes and other military families. The reason is simple, they really know how to fight.

When Emperor Chenghui looked at Jia Lian with mixed feelings, he was actually feeling fortunate that Jia Lian was on his side.

Xia Shouzhong came in at this time and knelt on the ground to report: "Your Majesty, I have been ordered to impose martial law in the whole city. The Imperial Horse Administration has taken control of all the city gates. No one is allowed to enter but not leave within three days. After investigation, it was found that Zhen Qin of the Zhen family in Jiangnan had close contact with Li Ni after entering the capital. I have arrested him and am waiting for Your Majesty to deal with him."

Jia Lian stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the Zhen family and the Jia family have a close relationship. I ask Your Majesty not to rush to deal with Zhen Qin until the matter is thoroughly investigated."

The actions and remarks were very abrupt and seemed very stupid, but some people didn't think so.

Emperor Chenghui on the stage gave Jia Lian a thumbs up in his heart. The ancestors of the Zhen family had nursed the emperor. As long as the emperor was alive, the Zhen family could not be touched, and Zhen Qin could only be imprisoned without trial. When the emperor was gone, it would be the time to settle accounts with the Zhen family. In this way, later historians would speak well of Emperor Chenghui when recording this period of history. The Zhen family had committed such a serious crime, but they kept it to themselves just to save the emperor's face. How could this be described by just one word of "filial piety".

Emperor Chenghui was very satisfied because these words were said by Jia Lian and he only needed to go with the flow.

"Mr. Jia has a point. Let's wait until the matter is clear." Emperor Chenghui smiled with satisfaction. When will the matter be cleared? Isn't it up to me to decide? Taking this opportunity, we can see who will come out to speak for Zhen Qin. If we can't settle accounts with the Zhen family, can't we settle accounts with these people who have come out? Others thought that Jia Lian gave the Zhen family some time to operate in a buffer because of the friendship between the two families, but Emperor Chenghui thought it was for his own face.

Kong Zhao's viewpoint is consistent with that of Emperor Chenghui, and he can only sigh that Jia Lian really understands Emperor Chenghui. Liang Daoyuan's perspective is quite special, and he thinks that this is Jia Lian's delaying tactic, sending a signal that it will not expand in order to calm people's hearts. It must be said that this move is indeed beautiful and worthy of praise, after all, he is too young.

Lin Ruhai's point of view is another angle. He judged that Jia Lian was cooperating with him to appease the four princes and eight dukes. The most important thing for the capital at the moment is stability. Only under the premise of stability can other things be discussed. As for what the nobles think, Lin Ruhai thinks it is not important. This group of people will probably not be able to escape, and will be liquidated sooner or later. Not to mention the civil servants. Under Jia Lian's suggestion, Emperor Chenghui did not even care about the nobles who had a lot of contacts with the Prince of Loyalty. Would he still care about those civil servants?

There is not much to say about the following meeting. According to Kong Zhao's proposal, they reached a unanimous opinion to liquidate the line of Prince Zhongyi and eliminate some people under the Emperor.

There is only one purpose, which is to take a step forward towards further centralization of power for Emperor Chenghui.

After the meeting, Jia Lian was the last one to come, several hundred meters away from the main hall, before he was caught up by a young eunuch and called back.

"You still have to lead the Shenji Camp! Prince Dongping, you really can't move?" Seeing that there was no one around, Emperor Chenghui spoke very directly.

Jia Lian guessed that Emperor Chenghui was not here to seek advice, but had already made up his mind and was unwilling to accept it, so he needed someone he absolutely trusted to give him affirmation.

"Your Majesty, after the Prince of Dongping returns to Shanhaiguan, the tribes outside the pass will be completely unprepared, and the initial integration can be completed in half a month at most. The affairs of the capital city cannot be stabilized for more than a month. I think that the Prince of Dongping can be put aside for now. The Nan'an County is old, and Your Majesty will surely gain a lot by honoring him. The Prince of Xining is entrenched in Tianshui and Wuwei, so we need to reassure him while preventing him from entering Guanzhong. If the Prince of Xining must go north, then let him go. As for the Prince of Beijing, I think that he is young and lacks prestige. This time we can take advantage of the situation to cut off his arm. After this incident, he is no longer a threat."

Jia Lian's thinking was very clear. The King of Dongping and the King of Xining were outside with a large number of troops, so he would not touch them. He would first deal with those who were easy to deal with in the capital, but he should not deal with them too much, so as to give the people outside the capital the illusion that the emperor still cared about the glory of their ancestors and punished them severely. Didn't you see that the Zhen family was not severely punished? Besides, after such a big incident, it was normal for the emperor to make adjustments.

At this time, everyone is like a frightened bird, trembling and waiting. As long as they are not forced into a desperate situation, no one will take the risk.

Emperor Chenghui thought Jia Lian's point of view was worthy of recognition, but he did not intend to let him go, so he said: "You take the Shenji Camp to Zhangjiakou and keep an eye on Xuanda. I will send Lin Ruhai to the Nine Frontiers. There will be a relatively large adjustment in personnel. You keep in touch with Lin Ruhai. Once he needs it, you can send troops to suppress the rebellion."

Jia Lian could see that Emperor Chenghui's arrangement was not because he did not trust him, but because he wanted to seize this window of time when people were in a panic and eliminate the old subordinates of Prince Beijing as soon as possible. As for the Prince of Nan'an, Emperor Chenghui must have made other arrangements, so it was not his turn to worry about it. Jia Lian was alone, and there was really not much he could do.

"I obey your order!" Jia Lian quickly accepted the order. Leaving the capital at this time was not a bad thing, nor was it a hard job. Staying in the capital would mean facing requests from all sides, which would be a life-threatening matter.

"By the way, I will let Long Jinwei and his team follow you to investigate the matter of Li Ni. They will handle it." There is no doubt that Emperor Chenghui was also worried that the young Prince Zhongyi would be exposed.

Speaking of the outside of the pass, the past thirty years have been relatively honest. The court relies on trade and occasional expeditions against those who are disloyal, and the basic base of the outside of the pass is relatively stable. The Great Zhou, which inherited the former Ming Dynasty, has a normal attitude towards grassland nomads. As long as they rebel and pay tribute, they will implement the system of control. Trade on one hand and swords on the other hand, they cooperate with each other.

In this case, if the young Prince Zhongyi escapes, the trouble he will cause will definitely be huge.

(End of this chapter)