Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 378: Long-term Corruption
Qianqing Palace, three days later.

"It started off well but ended badly, the Dongping Prince's drill is over!" In front of all the cabinet ministers, Emperor Chenghui regained his usual composure, and everything was back under control.

With his hands behind his back, on the ground where no one could see, Emperor Chenghui pinched his right hand left and right to calm himself down.

The ministers became even more respectful and stood up to congratulate him: "Your Majesty is in accordance with the will of heaven and the people's wishes. May you be blessed with great fortune!"

This was the first time that Emperor Chenghui had heard such sincere flattery since he ascended the throne. He had said before that it sounded fake.

The reason why this incident was true was that it was the most dangerous thing the emperor had ever experienced since he ascended the throne.

Ordinary people don't know, but the ministers know very well that Li Ni is in the west and Mu Yu is in the east, echoing each other from afar. If Jia Lian in the northwest is defeated, Mu Yu in Liaodong will definitely invade North China.

"Fortunately, the emperor had a keen eye for talent and appointed Jia Lian as the commander of the Western Expedition. He defeated the enemy at Zhangjiakou. When the news reached us, the Mu rebels retreated on their own."

Liang Daoyuan never lags behind in flattering the emperor. This person is the best at scheming and only wants to climb up. Although Emperor Chenghui doesn't like this person, he still keeps him in the cabinet. It is unknown whether others understand the emperor's intentions, but Kong Zhao must have understood. The cabinet should have all kinds of voices.

"Your Majesty, in the past three days, there have been no less than a hundred memorials requesting Jia Lian to return to the capital. I have ordered the cabinet to suppress them." Kong Zhao knew how to be an official under Emperor Chenghui.

The cabinet chief minister is not an expert in military affairs, so he should support the expert. In the name of doing good for Jia Lian, he let Jia Lian come back from the front line, secretly reminding the emperor that "the achievements are too great to be feared by the ruler".

These memorials could not be passed by the Tongzhengsi and were transferred to the Cabinet. Liang Daoyuan was in charge of the Ministry of Personnel, and he did not block any of them. In the end, it was Kong Zhao who rejected them all.

Liang Daoyuan is certainly not afraid, because this is his job. If he really doesn't do this, there is no need for him to continue to exist in the cabinet.

Liang Daoyuan also knew that it would be difficult for him to take the last step. What if? Anyway, it was impossible for him to leave on his own, so he had to stay no matter what.

"Your Majesty, you can order Jia Lian to repel the bandits and then take charge of Datong and Yunzhou to clean up the border troops." Guo Yan stood up and spoke. Old Guo had been very nervous in recent days, feeling guilty as a thief.

Faced with Guo Yan's suggestion, some people couldn't stand it anymore. Pan Jixun slammed the table and stood up: "Guo Yan, you are shameless!"

"Mr. Pan, please stop slandering me!" Guo Yan naturally refused to retreat. If he tried to dodge out of guilt, his little trick would be confirmed.

"Jia Lian is only eighteen years old, why is he in charge of three border areas? You are flattering him too much!" Pan Jixun pointed out the little thought. In fact, everyone knew it, but only Old Pan said it out.

Emperor Chenghui, who was in a good mood, watched the two people quarreling with great interest, and had no intention of trying to stop the quarrel. Only when people quarrel will they speak their mind without thinking.

What Guo Yan meant was simply that he was worried that Jia Lian would retaliate against him after his return. As for Liang Daoyuan, he knew that he had value in existence, so it didn't matter who he helped. He was happy to watch the show.

"Mr. Pan, I think you are implying that His Majesty is intolerant! This is a crime of deceiving the emperor!" Guo Yan was very skilled in making accusations. His biggest advantage was naturally that he was a member of the imperial party.

Pan Jixun's face turned red with anger, his neck thickened, he rolled up his sleeves and rushed out, punching Guo Yan, and continued to attack: "Traitor, die!"

It turns out that force is the ultimate way to solve problems, and war is the continuation of politics, it is confirmed!
The two men ignored their status and fought each other. Didn't Emperor Chenghui try to persuade them? The main reason was that he could see that Pan Jixun had been working outside for many years and was much stronger, so Guo Yan was no match for him.

In just a few moves, Lao Guo was pinned to the ground and beaten. The emperor didn't say anything, so the crowd had to persuade him, but no one tried to stop the fight. They just kept saying, "Stop fighting!"

"Stop it! This is such a disgrace! This is such a disgrace!"

"This is disrespectful to the emperor. Stop it!"

"Traitor Guo! Watch my beating!" Pan Jixun kept punching!

"Pan Pifu! Hypocrite!" Guo Yan still said stubbornly! Roll and dodge!

Qiu Shian, who was full of joy, came in and took a look, and was immediately stunned. When Emperor Chenghui saw this, he said slowly: "Stop it! Someone, help the two elders up!"

The eunuch stepped forward to pull the two apart, and Qiu Shian then stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Lord Jia has sent back good news from Datong. All the bandits have retreated across the Great Wall."

Everyone was silent immediately. Pan Jixun, whose hat fell to the ground, and Guo Yan, whose eyes were black, both stopped breathing. Although they had predicted that after the defeat in Zhangjiakou, the grassland bandits would be unable to continue and would definitely retreat, they were still very surprised when the news came, because this time the crisis was completely over.

[If I had known, I would not have fought this! ] Guo Yan and Pan Jixun secretly regretted it in their hearts.

Emperor Chenghui wanted to see it first, but when he saw his ministers, he gave up and asked Qiu Shian to read it out directly.

At first, everyone was quite relieved to hear this, but when they heard that the military towns along the way fled without fighting, their faces turned a little ugly. Especially Liang Daoyuan, the Minister of Personnel. As they continued to listen, when they learned that Jia Lian issued an order to kill more than a hundred people, the scene they imagined was naturally full of blood. Then everyone couldn't help but wonder, is Jia Lian crazy? In the end, when they learned that Jia Lian detained everyone in the military camp, sent people to take over Yunzhou and Datong, and used force to force a group of officials to write materials, and waited for the court to make a decision, everyone's expressions were very exciting.

Everyone subconsciously looked at Emperor Chenghui and found that the emperor was actually smiling. The four ministers had different feelings. Kong Zhao just sighed silently, Liang Daoyuan was uneasy, and Guo Yan decided to take the initiative to request to be sent out. As for Pan Jixun, he really didn't care. After all, he didn't deliberately target Jia Lian.

"Draft an edict!" Emperor Chenghui spoke, and the secretaries came in, looking straight ahead, as if nothing had happened before.

"Left Censor Lin Ruhai is the imperial envoy. Marble and the Ministry of Justice have selected capable officials to assist in investigating this case. Hmm, they are granted the Imperial Sword and are allowed to act at their discretion. Ningyuan Bosun is the commander-in-chief and is acting as the general of Datong. He is responsible for suppressing the local forces and assisting in the investigation. On the day of receiving the imperial decree, Jia Lian can lead the Shenji Battalion back to the capital and is not allowed to stay."

After Emperor Chenghui dictated the general idea, a parallel-style imperial edict was written. The emperor read it and sealed it. After the cabinet officials circulated it, there was no objection, so Kong Zhao sealed it.

Looking back at the various schemes of the cabinet at this time, Emperor Chenghui felt like laughing. He cursed silently in his heart: [You bastard, can't I tolerate a young man? ]

After Lin Ruhai received the imperial edict, he was naturally shocked to learn what Jia Lian had done. Legally, Jia Lian could not kill officials at will. Even if he had a golden medal and could sentence them to death, he could not shoot them to death on the spot. He had to escort the people back to Beijing and wait for the emperor's decision. The so-called excuse of military law was very poor. But he did it!
After returning home to explain the situation, Jia Min hurriedly prepared her luggage. When Daiyu followed her, Jia Min was still complaining: "Did Lian Geer take poison? No matter how angry he is, he can't go beyond his authority and kill people."

"Brother Lian must have his own difficulties!" Daiyu showed a worried look as she helped to explain.

Lin Ruhai looked at his daughter in silence, feeling a pang of pain in his heart. That night, Lin Ruhai slept with Jia Min and said many words of comfort.

The next morning, he left the Lin Mansion and met up with officials from the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice. He thought that was it, but unexpectedly, there were three eunuchs and more than a hundred Dragon Guards accompanying him.

Lin Ruhai did not ask any more questions and announced the departure. The group of people were all riding horses, not daring to delay for even a moment. They traveled during the day and stayed at post stations at night. It took them six days to reach the city of Datong. When they saw the remains of the camp on the side of the road, Lin Ruhai stopped his horse and looked for a while. [This is where Lian Ge'er took action.]

At the Shili Pavilion outside the city, Generals Sun and Yang led the troops to greet them. Lin Ruhai did not see Jia Lian, so he immediately asked, "Where is Jia Lian?"

Commander Yang stepped forward and replied, "In reply to the imperial envoy, Lord Jia has been leading his troops on a patrol along the Great Wall for seven days!"

Lin Ruhai was shocked when he heard the news. Why did this kid do such a thing? Was he really not worried at all?

Jia Lian was not worried at all. Not only was he not worried, he was roasting a leg of lamb at the moment, complaining as he roasted it, "Rabbit meat is very tough and not tasty at all. No wonder it cannot be used as military rations."

Zhang San looked at the owner speechlessly, then moved a few steps to the side to distance himself. Is the rabbit meat because it is dry? Is it because it is not oily (fat) and you can't feel full? It's good to eat it occasionally.

As I thought about it, I sprinkled some salt, cumin and chili on the rabbit in front of me. This thing must be eaten with strong flavors, otherwise it will not taste good.

"Sir, you have been away for seven days. There should be news from the court." Zhang San reminded him.

"Yes, it will arrive tomorrow. I found a lot of problems during this trip. The lines along the Great Wall were too lax. This time, the grassland tribes crossed the Great Wall and went south. The people suffered a lot."

Jia Lian's tone could not help but turn cold as he spoke. He had killed too few people before and was too soft-handed. He should kill the prefects, generals, and lieutenant generals of Datong and Yunzhou to vent his anger.

"The problems along the Great Wall were not caused overnight. The officials of Datong and Yunzhou did not abandon the city and flee, so they should not die." Zhang San knew what he was thinking and quickly reminded him not to get excited and go back to chop people.

"You saw it all. The bodies of the soldiers at the pass along the Great Wall were emaciated. No one surrendered. They all died in battle." Jia Lian felt particularly heavy-hearted when he talked about this.

"I saw it. I was the one who led the others to bury it." Zhang San said as his eyes became sore. The rabbit meat in front of him no longer smelled good.

"The soldiers guarding the border don't even have enough food to eat, so should those officials die? After I go back, I will go to Xifengkou and other places to take a look. I will kill anyone who treats the soldiers guarding the border as less than human beings."

At night, Lin Ruhai and others, who had been traveling all the way, refused to rest. They interrogated officials all night to handle the case of the bandits crossing the Great Wall.

The eunuch Xiao Guizi who was accompanying the judge could only drag his tired body to attend the trial.

After a night of hard work, things took a major turn. The eunuch Xiao Guizi cursed: "These officials should have confessed honestly in front of Lord Jia, but they all changed their statements when they met with Lin Zongxian and me. Do you really think I'm easy to bully? The officials from the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice are still speaking for them. I'm so angry. I must impeach these dogs."

When Xiao Guizi was cursing, only Lin Ruhai, who had been up all night, was by his side. Rubbing his sore eyes and putting down the last file, Lin Ruhai sighed, "These officials pay a lot of tribute every day!"

Xiao Guizi sneered, "When we saw them kneeling and wailing, and their devotion to Lord Jia, we knew that they all deserved to die. The officials from the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice also deserved to die."

Lin Ruhai smiled calmly and said, "Copy all the files of the confession change and send them to the capital, your majesty and the ministers. If you are tired, go to sleep."

When he woke up, he learned that Jia Lian had returned and was waiting outside. Lin Ruhai quickly washed up and came out. It was already afternoon.

"Oh, isn't this Commander Jia? He still remembers to come back?" Lin Ruhai said in a veiled tone. Jia Lian silently handed him a report: "Please take a look, General Lin!"

Lin Ruhai snorted twice without refutation. He sat down and ate while reading. Lin Ruhai flipped the pages quickly and read quickly, so he regretted it because reading this affected his appetite.

Throwing the report aside, Lin Ruhai continued to concentrate on eating, not mocking Yin Yang anymore. After finishing his meal in silence, he picked up the report and said, "Let's go!"

In the main hall, officials from the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice were all there, as was the eunuch Xiao Guizi. When Lin Ruhai appeared, everyone saluted, but when they saw Jia Lian following in, everyone had different expressions.

"Lord Jia fought for the country, we are here to show our respect." Little Guizi stepped forward and bowed at a 90-degree angle. Jia Lian hurriedly supported him: "No, please don't! It's your duty to be loyal to your master! It's your responsibility!"

After Xiao Guizi stood up, he sneered, "Lord Jia knows what is his responsibility and what he did. I have seen it with my own eyes and will report it truthfully."

As he spoke, he turned to look at Lin Ruhai and the others and sneered, "Some people...!"

Jia Lian, who had just returned, had no idea what this drama meant, and no one told him.

Lin Ruhai coughed and said, "Eunuch, please announce the decree!"

Xiao Guizi then put away his sneer, took out the imperial edict from his sleeve and held it in his hand: "Jia Lian, listen to the order!"

Jia Lian knelt down with great respect to receive the order!

"The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, proclaims: ..., I decree this!"

Jia Lian stood up and took the imperial edict. After looking at the sunset outside, he said, "Jia will return to the camp to prepare and set off tomorrow."

"Well, let's go back. It will take a few days to fix it here." Lin Ruhai's explanation seemed casual, but it actually had another meaning.

That night, Lin Ruhai and everyone worked hard all night. During the period, there were various debates and the final decision was still unknown, after all, there were too many people.

Before dawn, the vanguard of the Shenji Camp had already left the city. Lin Ruhai and Xiao Guizi were at the city gate to see them off.

"Now all the officials in the prefectures and counties are in custody. As for those who are not the chief officials, I will release them first and let them go back to handle the affairs of the government. The Ministry of Personnel can replace the officials in several counties along the way. The people who escaped have lost their homes, and I am afraid they will also lose their land. After returning, Lord Jia must explain the pros and cons to His Majesty in person."

Seeing Lin Ruhai's earnest words, Jia Lian smiled bitterly and said, "Do your best!"

Xiao Guizi added grimly, "The governor and provincial governor of Shanxi can't even provide food, and the garrison troops and the people needing relief have to buy food from grain merchants. This is really an eye-opener."

Jia Lian looked calmly in the direction of Datong City: "It's normal, otherwise they wouldn't have gone through the trouble of sending the food from Taiyuan!"

(End of this chapter)