Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 101: Law of Succession and Kinship

Chen Minyan thought about how he went to Beijing to take the imperial examinations. He was poorly dressed and had little money, but he studied hard all the time. Wasn't it all for the noble status he has today?

If Jia Cong was the son of another high-ranking official, Chen Minyan might have some concerns in his heart.

After knowing that Jia Cong was from the old and noble Jia family, he no longer had any scruples...

After the death of Jia Daishan, the Jia family of Rong State left behind two sons, one of whom was an official with a special title, the other an official with a meritorious title, and the other a good-for-nothing. The Jia family had long since become a toothless paper tiger.

What do the civil servants in the court despise the most? Aren’t they the nobles who just sit in their positions and enjoy wealth and luxury without doing anything?

He reported to the emperor and dismissed the illegitimate son of a ridiculous noble and an courtesan, but this would not make the literati feel disheartened as Guo Youchang said.

It will only make those civil servants in the court who are unwilling to be subordinates and regard the nobles as their enemies, congratulate themselves and praise Chen Yushi for not fearing the powerful and having a heart as bright as the sun and the moon, and saying that he can be a model of integrity in the court.

To become a censor, is it just for a mere seventh-rank official title and that meager salary? Of course not.

The most valuable asset of a Censor is his reputation. With reputation as a foundation, he can achieve greater success in his future official career!

This son of the Rong state, born to an oiran, who topped the imperial examination and defied all odds, is the foundation of Chen Yushi's reputation!

When Chen Minyan thought of this, he couldn't help but get excited, and said loudly: "Mr. Guo, as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, you should know that everything in the world must follow etiquette.

You said that Jia Cong's biological mother became a good woman and was taken as a concubine by the eldest son of the Jia family. This is wrong!

Traditionally, taking a concubine has to follow three rituals: parents' approval, money offered, and the first wife serving tea. Only when these three rituals are completed can the concubine be accepted as a concubine.

But as far as I know, Jia Cong's mother was pregnant when she was carried into the Jia Mansion to give birth. The fact that Duke Rong became ill and bedridden due to this and later died of depression was closely related to this incident.

Everyone in the Jia family was extremely disgusted with Jia Cong's biological mother Du Jinniang. The so-called parents' consent, financial donation, and the three rituals of the eldest wife serving tea were all abolished. How could there be a saying that she was the eldest concubine in the Rongguo Mansion?

Since Du Jinniang is not Jia She's concubine, then Jia Cong is not a legitimate descendant of the Rongguo Jia family, but the illegitimate son of the courtesan Du Jinniang. Naturally, he has no qualifications for the imperial examination, so how could he be the first in the case!"

Chen Minyan's extraordinary and grand speech stunned all the officials in the court. How could such a thing be discussed in this way!

There were also some upright nobles and military officials who could not stand the eloquence of this bird censor.

I cursed in my heart, what a shitty censor, he doesn't do his job but has figured out so much about how to get a concubine, he doesn't look like a good man at all, what kind of censor is he, he should be a pimp in a brothel!
Guo Youchang was the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites and was well versed in the rituals and laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

But he had never studied the etiquette of taking a concubine, and was so angry at Chen Minyan's grand theory that he trembled: "You are really making up stories!"

At this time, there were many hereditary military heroes in the court who had friendships with the Jia family. They had always been ridiculed by civil officials as vulgar people, but now a top scorer in the imperial examination had appeared from a family of honor and nobility.

Let these nobles have some sense of honor. The sudden appearance of that kid from the Jia family proves that what those civil servants said before was all bullshit.

Then, military honors such as Niu Jizong, the first-class Earl of Zhenguo Duke, and Liu Fang, the first-class son of Liguo Duke, came out to speak. It was nothing more than that they had daily contacts with the Jia family and knew Jia Cong, the grandson of the eldest son.

In fact, Jia Cong was detained in the East Courtyard since he was a child. He was not even allowed to sit at the seat at the Jia family's annual banquets, and he never saw outsiders. How could they recognize Jia Cong?

It was only in the past two years that Jia Cong began to emerge in the Jia family. However, when they came to visit, they mostly met Jia Lian, Jia Rong and other legitimate sons.

But how would outsiders know all this? They said they knew Jia Cong, but there was no way to check. It was nothing more than that they were all members of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes faction, and they always supported each other.

Now some people want to depose the top candidate of the Jia family. Firstly, they share the same hatred for the enemy, and secondly, they are both nobles and share weal and woe. If they don't express their stance now, it will be embarrassing for everyone in the future.

This unexpectedly expanded the debate, which was originally just between Guo Youchang and Chen Minyan, into a melee between the civil and military classes.

Civil and military officials were constantly implicated and asked to come out of class to make suggestions. The court was filled with a lot of discussion and spit.

If it weren’t for the Imperial Censor who was scolding him.

Some hot-tempered military heroes might even beat up the arrogant civil officials, causing a rare state of disorder in the court.

Guo Lin, who was standing beside Emperor Jia Zhao, was so shocked by the strange scene in the court that his mouth opened wide. This kid named Jia Cong was really weird. He could actually make the court officials mess up like this. Seeing that Emperor Jia Zhao on the throne had a gloomy face, Guo Lin's heart skipped a beat and he sang in a shrill voice: "Silence!"

The sound was sharp and piercing, pouring into the eardrums of every court official. The court, which had been somewhat noisy, suddenly became quiet.

Seeing that Emperor Jiazhao looked unhappy, all the court officials felt uneasy and hurriedly returned to their seats.

Emperor Chongkang said, "The former Duke Rong was a minister of merit and should not be insulted. This matter concerns the privacy of the Rong Mansion.

This matter is not suitable for court discussion. Wait until Guo Youchang, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, verifies Jia Cong's identity before making a decision."

Chen Minyan was originally excited to see that this matter had triggered discussions among the civil and military officials. He also wanted to strike while the iron was hot and make sure that he was the first in the case of Jia Cong's removal.

But he didn't expect that the emperor would just say that it was not suitable for court discussion and temporarily put the matter aside. He had no choice but to give up for the time being. Could he dare to offend the emperor?

Fortunately, the truth has been revealed. It will be discussed in court today and spread throughout the capital tomorrow.

By then, Jia Cong's reputation will be ruined. Even if he is not the son of a prostitute, the court will depose him from the top position for the sake of face!

At this time, another person walked out of the Censorate's train. It was the Deputy Censor-in-Chief Liu Yuqing.

People like Niu Jizong were all wondering in their hearts, is the Censorate going to book the entire court meeting today? These gossipers are so troublesome.

“Your Majesty, I, Deputy Chief Censor Liu Yuqing, impeach the Minister of Works Li Dekang for arbitrarily transporting materials and craftsmen to Nanjing, despite the fact that the Empress Dowager Xianxiao had prayed to the Da Ci’en Temple and the court had not yet decided.

He also appointed officials from the Ministry of Works to Jinling to start the construction of the temple. This is a violation of the emperor's will and private use of state equipment. I ask His Majesty to punish him!"

When the court officials heard this, their faces showed different expressions. Liu Yuqing impeached the Ministry of Works for activating the Da Ci'en Temple camp without authorization, but in fact he was obstructing the emperor from building a temple to pray for his biological mother.

This matter has been discussed by the court since the beginning of the year when the emperor planned to build the Da Ci'en Temple in Jinling, the hometown of his biological mother, the Empress Dowager Xianxiao. It has become a common topic in the court.

The officials who opposed this matter mainly came from the Ministry of Rites and the Censorate, arguing that this move was inconsistent with the ancestral system and laws of the dynasty.

The current emperor's biological mother, Empress Dowager Yi Zhang, is still in the harem, but the emperor wants to build a temple and erect a monument to pray for his deceased biological mother, Empress Dowager Xian Xiao.

It is extremely unbearable for the two Empress Dowagers to face the same fate of life and death. It goes against the principles of filial piety and etiquette.

Which is more important, the law of legitimate wife or the grace of kinship? This is a dispute over ancient etiquette and laws, especially in the royal family. Once a precedent is established, it may even affect the future continuation of the imperial lineage and the trend of public sentiment.

Among them, Li Jizong, the Grand Master of Rites, Guo Youchang, the Left Vice Minister of Rites, and Liu Yuqing, the Deputy Chief Censor of the Censorate, were all leaders who opposed this matter.

Yesterday, Li Jizong, the Grand Master of Rites, was unwell and did not attend court today. The officials of the Ministry of Rites present in the court were headed by Guo Youchang, the Left Vice Minister of Rites.

Now the Ministry of Rites was impeached by Chen Minyan, the censor of the Censorate, because of the suspicion of Jia Cong's background, and a rift began to arise between the two sides.

Just now, Deputy Chief Censor Liu Yuqing impeached the Ministry of Works for initiating the construction of the temple without authorization, but Guo Youchang stood there without saying a word.

Many court officials knew that building a temple to pray for his biological mother was a concern of the emperor, but it was repeatedly opposed by the Ministry of Rites and the Censorate on the grounds that it was not in accordance with ancestral rules and etiquette.

This time Liu Yuqing brought up the incident again in the name of the Ministry of Works. I am afraid that the emperor will be furious.

However, the court officials did not see the emperor Jiazhao's angry face. Instead, he looked calm and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry. No one knew what the emperor was thinking.

Only Guo Lin, who was standing beside Emperor Jiazhao, noticed that when Liu Yuqing impeached Li Dekang, the Minister of Works, the emperor's eyes were looking at Guo Youchang standing in the Ministry of Rites.

On the matter of building a temple to pray for Empress Dowager Xianxiao, Guo Youchang, who had always been in agreement with the Censorate, did not agree with Liu Yuqing's impeachment of the Ministry of Works this time.

Guo Lin, who was always good at secretly guessing the emperor's intentions, felt that he seemed to understand something.

(End of this chapter)