Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

When Grandmother Jia heard the girls sneering, she knew something was wrong. She spat at Jia Cong and said, "Speak clearly, what do you mean by bold and strong?"

Jia Cong laughed dryly and said, "This girl has a square face, is heroic, unconcerned about details, is stout and tall, with broad shoulders and a round waist, and is very much loved by the Duke of Anguo and his wife.

As the saying goes, a big butt is good for childbearing. Our family is not very prosperous, and Brother Lian only has one son. If Baoyu marries her, not to mention the family background, even in terms of passing on the family line, she will be far superior to her peers. "

Although Jia Zheng was shocked in his heart, he felt relieved when he thought of the girl's prominent family background. He twirled his beard and said, "What Cong said makes sense."

Seeing that Baoyu's face had turned ashen, Jia's grandmother hurriedly held him in her arms and comforted him softly. She glared at Jia Cong again. Although she was not satisfied with the girl's appearance, she also knew that marriages among aristocratic families were political alliances, and as long as it was beneficial to the family, it was fine, so she did not object.

Jia Cong also felt a little "sympathy" for Baoyu. As far as he knew, the girl from the Li family had a leopard head, round eyes, a strong back and strong waist, and a strong temperament. She could probably beat three or five weaklings like Baoyu. He couldn't help but smile at the thought of this.

Seeing Grandmother Jia looking at him, he quickly coughed twice and symbolically comforted her, "Baoyu, I'm not asking you to go to the battlefield, why are you acting like this?

Even if the girl from the Li family is not to your liking, it will get better over time, as the saying goes, love grows with time, hehe.

Well, I know you like pretty girls, but I'm not forbidding you to take a concubine. Aren't Xiren, Sheyue, and Fangguaner in your room pretty?

If you get tired of playing around, why not ask Brother Lian to buy you a few more little girls? "

Grandmother Jia also laughed and said, "That makes sense. It's enough for the first wife to have a good family background and good character. Appearance is just a minor detail. When the time comes, I will give you a few lovely maids. How about that?"

Seeing Jia Zheng glaring at him, Baoyu regained some of his spirit with a start, and said hurriedly: "Don't worry, old lady, your grandson has no other intentions. If I can serve the family, Baoyu will do my best to serve it."

Grandmother Jia smiled with relief and said, "My Baoyu has grown up, and he is doing well."

Jia Cong shook his head and laughed when he heard this, saying, "Old lady, you are so biased. Baoyu has grown up just because he is a groom. Cong has done so many things, but I have never heard you praise him for 'growing up'."

Jia Zheng could not help but teach her a lesson: "After you get married, you must control your bad temper and treat Miss Li well. You will benefit from it in the future.

If you offend her, it would be like offending the Anguo Mansion. Can you bear it?"

Baoyu wanted to cry but had no tears, so he just nodded in agreement.

Grandmother Jia knew that what Jia Zheng said made sense, so she didn't say much.

Jia Cong hurriedly said, "Master, don't worry. Although the daughter of the Duke of Anguo is not pretty, she is from a wealthy family after all, and her character is well-known."

Jia Zheng nodded and said, "Thanks to you, I was able to arrange such a good marriage for this beast."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "This is Cong's job."

Baoyu looked pitifully at Baochai, Daiyu, Xiangyun and others, and just shook his head and sighed.

The girls all smiled at each other, everything is determined by fate and no one has any control over it.

A few days later, news of the marriage between the Jia family and the Li family came, shocking the capital. With the two major military leaders joining forces, wouldn't all the millions of soldiers in the future have the surname Jia?
When the nobles in the capital learned about it, both the Jia party and the Li party were delighted. Needless to say, the Jia party and the Li party's generals were relieved, secretly thinking that Jia Cong would not attack them.

Only the generals who came from humble backgrounds and suddenly rose to high positions were secretly worried. Wang Ning was about to be sent abroad, and no one in the capital spoke up, so their future was in jeopardy.

"Your Highness, this is the list of gifts sent by the wealthy families." Wangcai presented the gifts from all the families.

Jia Cong glanced around and saw that the Qi, Zhi and Shan families were among them, all of whom had presented valuable gifts. He sneered in his heart. These three families had colluded with the King of Beijing to frame him, and now that the King of Beijing had fallen, they came to show their good will again. Did they think that I had forgotten them? Let them stay for a few days.

Yin said, "Take it and show it to the ladies."

"Yes."

In Changchun Palace, the news of the marriage between Jia and Li was also received at this time. After An Wenyao reported it, he bowed and stood aside, waiting for instructions.

The Empress Dowager had a few more strands of white hair on her temples. The past few months in power seemed to have made her much older. She became worried when she thought that after this marriage, Jia Cong would unify the military power of the world and have the power to depose and enthrone the emperor at any time.

"Jia Cong has the heart of a jackal or a fox. He is useful when hungry and flies away when full. Now he is colluding with Li Meng. Everyone knows what Sima Zhao is up to. We must be on guard against him." Chen Ji said in a deep voice.

"Brother, what good ideas do you have?" the Empress Dowager asked calmly.

Chen Ji paused. Jia Cong was now in control of everything. The court and the military were all his people. He had spies all over the capital. Even the slightest movement would be detected. What good plan could he come up with?

The so-called good strategies are probably all strategies for self-destruction.

The Empress Dowager sighed secretly. This brother is talented, but he has never been involved in politics. Compared with the court giants such as Duan Zhun and Jiang Feng, he seems much more immature. Even compared with Feng Yuan, he is obviously inferior. Can't I see that Jia Cong is powerful? The key is how to control him.

After a long silence, the Empress Dowager said, "I will ask Xiao Anzi to compile a list of loyal people who have failed in government offices in various provinces. You can secretly send people to investigate their reputations and abilities, and gradually promote them in the future.

Don't think of using only the Chen family's people. You should be more open-minded. How can the talents in our family be compared with the talents in the rest of the world?

Although Jia Cong has achieved what he has today with the support of his family, it was not achieved overnight. Don't think of taking him down overnight, as that would be like hitting a rock with an egg.

I hope that in ten or twenty years, in addition to the New Party and the Jia Party, there will be a new party in the court - the Royalist Party. "

Chen Ji was very convinced by his second sister, and hurriedly bowed and said, "I obey your order. Then in the army..."

The Empress Dowager sighed, “I replaced the four great generals of the Imperial City the other day, and although he had no objection, he submitted a petition to establish a new Imperial Guard to guard the Forbidden Palace.

His intention was very clear, which was to ensure his own safety and to create an invincible situation first. It also showed that he did not take the four battalions of the Imperial City Guards seriously.

The rule that nobles would be in charge of the military was set when Emperor Taizu founded the country, and emperors of all dynasties could only adopt a strategy of checks and balances. Now that Jia Cong's family is the only one in power, who in the army can check and balance them?

Even Li Meng has put aside his son's murder and is eager to become a relative, so if you want to control his military power, you must not start from the army. This is like going straight to the edge of a knife. You should put more effort outside of poetry."

Chen Ji hurriedly said: "The Empress Dowager is wise, I don't know what is beyond poetry..."

The Empress Dowager said: "In the final analysis, commanding the army is about managing people and money. I think the officials in the court don't want the military to expand too much and eat up their cakes. You go down and discuss with the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Censorate, and write a proposal to submit.

According to ancestral law, the appointment, promotion, transfer, and assessment of generals below the fifth rank were subject to approval by the Ministry of War, and supervision was the responsibility of the Censorate. Generals above the fifth rank were under the jurisdiction of the Five Military Governors' Office.

Over the years, the Five Military Governors' Office has interfered too much and disrupted the law. Now that the General's Office is newly established, all the rules should be established to avoid unclear responsibilities and disputes in the future."

Chen Ji's eyes lit up, and he said, "This is a good way to avoid the strong and attack the weak, start from the foundation, win over the middle and lower-level officers, and control the upper with the lower. "The Empress Dowager said, "After all, there are only a few nobles in the army. Most of the officers are from humble backgrounds. If they don't join the noble families, they will never be able to make a name for themselves.

I am just opening up a new path for them. As long as they are loyal to the emperor, they can be promoted. When this group of backbone officers grow up, we can also follow Jia Cong's method to set up a new army and build a military affairs office led by officers from humble backgrounds to compete with the general's office."

Chen Ji was impressed and said, "This strategy is very clever. The Minister of War Meng Huacai is the backbone of the New Party. He is not close to Jia Cong but is subdued by his power. If there is a chance to secretly weaken Jia's party, he will never let it go."

The Empress Dowager said: "In ancient times, the greatest party struggles were those between civil officials and military officials. Even though Jia Cong is now the most powerful official in the court, the civil officials are always on guard against him, because the higher the official, the less they like others to hold a knife to their necks at any time.

In the minds of civil servants, all power in the world should belong to them, including military power.

This is the irreconcilable contradiction between them and the nobles, and perhaps they will put it aside temporarily, like now.

Once the civil officials gain a firm foothold, they will certainly fight back and try to suppress the military merits, and where they will exert their power, in addition to personnel, there is also money and food. "

Chen Ji nodded and said, "So the Empress Dowager ordered me to discuss with the Ministry of Revenue to tighten up military spending."

The Empress Dowager said, "According to Jia Cong's plan, he wants to build military factories and mines, a navy, and a new army. The cost is huge. The civil officials have to watch helplessly as the money they worked so hard to push the new law is all poured into the bottomless pit of military expenditure. How can they not complain?"

"That's true, but the Ministry of Revenue is now in the hands of Feng Yuan, who is Jia Cong's confidant and may be difficult to convince." Chen Ji frowned.

The Empress Dowager shook her head and smiled, saying: "You only need to raise this issue among the important officials. There are so many places in the country where money needs to be spent. If the national treasury is only focused on military affairs, will other government affairs be ignored?
If Feng Yuan does not comply, no matter what party he belongs to, he will be attacked. How much benefit can Jia Cong give to the civil officials? If there is no benefit, who will work for him?
Moreover, the new party headed by Jun Gong is just trying to compromise and stay dormant for the time being. They have a deep hatred for Jia Cong and will not let him go. Feng Yuan, a mere figure, cannot go against this trend. "

Chen Ji clapped his hands and smiled, "That's exactly the point. If Jia Cong compromises and distributes money and food to the civil officials, it will further strengthen the confidence of the civil officials group. Military affairs are a bottomless pit, and government affairs are also a bottomless pit. Both are insatiable. Jia Cong wants to fill two bottomless pits, but he can only lose one while focusing on the other."

"As the ancients said, desires are hard to satisfy. Although civil officials are weak, their appetites are bigger than those of nobles. Jia Cong can be satisfied temporarily, but not forever." The Empress Dowager's phoenix eyes showed a smile that showed insight into the world.
-
On this day, Jia Cong was in the mansion observing the military situation in various places when Zhuang Qing suddenly came to ask for a meeting.

"What's the matter?" Jia Cong asked as he flipped through the report.

Zhuang Qing said, "We have been searching for the sons of the rebellious families for the past few days. Today, the imperial guards sent a young man, Huo Peng's nephew Huo En, who shouted in prison that he had important information to report to the prince in person, begging for a life sentence."

Jia Cong asked, "Who is Horn?"

"He is a student of the Imperial Academy, in his early twenties." Zhuang Qing said.

"How could a mere prison student have information that you don't know? If every prisoner wants to see me, will you come back?"

Hearing Jia Cong's dissatisfaction, Zhuang Qing bowed hurriedly and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. How dare I disturb you without knowing the importance of the matter?

It is only because this person swore that this news was worth his life, and also said that if the prince felt that this news was not worth it, he would be willing to be tortured by his own guards. I saw that he was quite confident and did not seem to be bluffing, so I did not dare to take the initiative, so I came to report it. "

Jia Cong nodded slightly. He thought that since he dared to be tortured by the Jinyiwei, this person must have something, or he must be mentally ill. So he said, "Send it."

"Yes, I have brought him here and he is now in custody at the gatehouse." Zhuang Qing hurriedly ordered someone to bring Horn in.

"Student pays homage to His Majesty." Horn, dressed in a colorful robe, was escorted in by two captains, pinned to the ground, and kowtowed repeatedly.

Jia Cong glanced at him and said, "Go ahead. If you have any useful information, I will spare your life."

"Yes, your Highness, rest assured. This piece of information is worth my life. But the matter is very secret, and I dare not speak it rashly." Horn said, glancing around, meaning to let Jia Cong leave.

Jia Cong waved his hand, and the two captains saluted and left, leaving only Zhuang Qing and Horn in the room.

"Say it."

"Yes." Horn glanced at Jia Cong cautiously and whispered, "Last year, my uncle summoned me for a private talk. He said that because of my good looks and eloquence, he had assigned me a task. If I succeeded, my future would be limitless."

"What's the errand?" Jia Cong asked.

"Yes... it's to seduce a newly married woman to have sex and make her pregnant." Horn said hesitantly.

"Hmm? Who is this woman?" Jia Cong frowned.

"Yes...it's Linbutang's new wife...her name is Fu Qiufang."

"What?!" Jia Cong shouted, scaring Horn so much that he fell to the ground, trembling.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. I am just following your orders and I dare not lie."

"Tell me in detail! If there is even a single word that is untrue, I will punish you!"

Jia Cong shouted, "Since you said you seduced Fu, you must have met more than once. Lin Butang's home has long been under surveillance by me. If you visit frequently, you will surely be discovered. Tell the truth!"

"Yes, yes." Horn kowtowed several times and said hurriedly, "My uncle has already made plans. He does not allow me to visit Lord Lin's house, but to meet him somewhere else. This requires the cooperation of one more person before it can be done."

"Who?"

"Fu Shi."

Jia Cong had already guessed about 60% of the situation. In his mind, examiner Fu was bewitched, and Huo Peng was slightly favored. He was not afraid that he would not take the bait. So what was the big deal about betraying a sister and brother-in-law?
"Say!"

"Yes, yes. At that time, Master Lin had just married Fu Qiufang. Because Master Lin was busy with official duties, it was Aunt Fu who brought the maids and servants back when he returned home.

With Fu Shi's help, I hid in Fu's house in advance. Fu Shi sent all the servants of Lin's family to drink, and arranged a banquet for me to meet with Fu's wife, claiming that I was sworn brothers with him. Fu's wife was not on guard, and she put...aphrodisiac in her wine. When she was burning with desire, I took advantage of the opportunity and had sex with her..." said Horne.

Jia Cong asked, "Could it be possible that she got pregnant after just one try? Even if Fu Qiufang was fooled once, would she be fooled every time?"

Horn whispered, "Your Highness, I am good at women's work and I know that women are sharp-tongued but kind-hearted. First, I am young and strong, and my appearance is acceptable. Second, I can please women. Third, my private affairs will not be known by others. Fourth, I have Fu Shi to help me.

Aunt Fu cried for a while at first, but then she got used to it. Since we were both willing, Aunt Fu would come back to Fu's house every few days to have a tryst with me, so there was no need to drug her."

Jia Cong said: "Fu Qiufang is also an educated woman who knows about propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame. How did Fu Shi persuade her?"

"Fu Shi said that Lord Lin has no children. If a bloodline could be born to the Lin family earlier, the family would have both status and property in the future. However, Lord Lin does not seem to be in good health. He devotes most of his energy to official duties and does not pay attention to matters in the boudoir.

If you want to have a child, you have to seek help from outside. After hearing this, Aunt Fu also agreed and half-heartedly agreed. "Horn said. (End of this chapter)