Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 106: Filial Piety Can Kill One's Heart

Liu Jing'an said solemnly, "Three years ago, I first saw this child at the Nanxi Literary Conference and had the same reaction as you. At that time, Zhang Tianshi saw that he had an extraordinary destiny and suggested that I accept him as my disciple.

But at that time, he was just a neglected bastard of the Jia family, barely a dozen years old. Given my status, if I rashly accepted him as a disciple, I would probably arouse suspicion and cause trouble.”

Old Song was somewhat surprised: "So the master only recommended him to study at Qingshan Academy to cover up his tracks. If he hadn't been framed today and the master wanted to help him, he would have accepted him as his disciple."

Liu Jing'an showed compassion, as if he was recalling many past events, and said, "You were with me back then, and when we arrived at Wufengpo, the man had already committed suicide by taking poison.

She was pregnant at the time and the child died in the womb, what a tragedy!
Although she is a woman, she is as brave and benevolent as any man. If she had not died and given birth to a child, who knows how much trouble would have been caused. I am afraid the world would have been in chaos!"

Old Song said, "Why does Young Master Ke Cong look so much like her? They look like two peas in a pod. It's hard to believe that these two people have no connection."

Liu Jing'an looked puzzled: "Everyone in the capital knows that Jia Cong's biological mother was a prostitute, and the incident of deposing the first case is because of this.

I have been puzzled over the past few years. How could that person become an otaku? How can the dead be resurrected? How can a fetus that died in the womb come back to life?

You and I both saw the man being buried with our own eyes. It was truly unbelievable.

Fortunately, most of the people who saw her back then are now dead, and most of those who are still alive have disappeared without a trace, otherwise this child would have been discovered by others long ago."

Liu Jing'an said to Old Song again: "This matter must not be leaked at all, otherwise it will be a catastrophic disaster. But that child, is it really just similar to a human?"

……

The palace city of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Qianyang Palace.

Guo Youchang knelt before the Emperor Jiazhao and said, "I, Guo Youchang, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, have been ordered to see His Majesty."

"Lord Guo, I asked you to investigate Jia Cong's background the other day. Did you get any results?"

“Reporting to Your Majesty, I have been looking through the files of the Ministry of Revenue these past two days and have also searched for old people.

Jia Cong's biological mother, Du Jinniang, entered the Jia Mansion when she was pregnant. After giving birth to Jia Cong in the Jia Mansion, she died of postpartum hemorrhage.

Because of his biological mother, Jia Cong was often neglected in the Jia family.

But it is beyond doubt that he was born and raised in the Jia family and is the legitimate grandson of the Rong state.

When Du Jinniang first entered the palace, she did not complete the three ceremonies. However, on this basis, she concluded that Jia Cong was the illegitimate child of a prostitute and not a descendant of the Rong family. She also wanted to revoke his qualification for the imperial examination.

It is really too harsh and unreasonable. Where is the human ethics and justice?"

The more Guo Youchang spoke, the more confident he became, and he sounded quite passionate by the end.

Emperor Jia Zhao smiled slightly and said, "Humanity and ethics, the way of the world is fair! What Mr. Guo said is very good, you should remember it."

After hearing what Emperor Jiazhao said, Guo Youchang was slightly stunned. He seemed to feel that something was wrong, but he couldn't figure it out.

Emperor Jia Zhao asked again, "I also heard that Master Jing'an went to the Jia residence yesterday and accepted Jia Cong as his disciple in person?"

Guo Youchang said: "It is true. It is said that Zhao Chongli, the headmaster of Qingshan Academy, witnessed that Jia Cong kowtowed three times to become his disciple. This matter has spread throughout the capital.

Lord Jing'an had good intentions in doing this. I heard that when Jia Cong was studying at Qingshan Academy, he lived in Luocang Mountain with Lord Jing'an and often went to Lord Jing'an's residence to seek advice.

Lord Jing'an must have known his talent very well and could not bear to see his academic future ruined by an innocent stigma, so he did not hesitate to protect him with his entire literary reputation. Lord Jing'an valued talent and was kind-hearted, and he should be respected by scholars all over the world.

If the court really approved what the censor Chen Minyan suggested and stripped Jia Cong of his title of first place in the imperial examination, wouldn't it mean that the disciples of Emperor Wenzong, the great scholar, were not qualified to take the imperial examinations?

This move will surely arouse criticism from scholars all over the world!
Once this precedent is set, those who are jealous of talents will find some private rumors to frame talented people, and the morale of the scholar community will be ruined. Your Majesty, please think twice."

Guo Youchang stood there with his head bowed for a long time, but did not hear Emperor Jiazhao speak. When he looked up, he saw Emperor Jiazhao flipping through a gray-white notebook and reading it carefully.

Suddenly he stopped what he was doing and said leisurely:

"Liu Yanxiu has lived in seclusion in Luocang Mountain for more than ten years and has not cared about worldly affairs, but he stood up for this kid. It seems that he values ​​him very much. Wen Zong's disciple, humph, is a good move to defeat the enemy without fighting!"

Liu Jing'an was the former Grand Master of the Ministry of Rites. Both the current Minister of Rites Li Jizon and the Left Vice Minister Guo Youchang were once his subordinates and disciples.

Although he is no longer in office, he is still highly respected.

At this critical juncture, Liu Jing'an accepted Jia Cong as his disciple, which was to show his position to the Ministry of Rites, to find excuses for the Ministry of Rites, and to support the Ministry of Rites in saving Jia Cong!

Neither Li Jizong nor Guo Youchang would take Liu Jing'an's attitude lightly.

Moreover, if Jia Cong was dismissed from the first place in the case because he was falsely accused of being the son of a prostitute, Li Jizong would be fine, but Guo Youchang, the Yongzhou schoolmaster and the chief examiner, would have to bear all the blame. Therefore, Guo Youchang would do his best to protect Jia Cong both publicly and privately. He was more suitable than anyone else to stand up in this matter.

Liu Jing'an and Li Jizong, two old foxes, would not have failed to think of this, as they were colleagues with a very good personal relationship back then.

Since Jia Cong was reported, Liu Jing'an, who lived in seclusion in Luocang Mountain, got the news so quickly. Li Jizon, the Grand Master of Rites, suddenly claimed to be sick and stayed at home. Is this such a coincidence?

Emperor Jia Zhao would never believe that there was no conspiracy.

These two old guys are clearly building up momentum for Guo Youchang so that he can go into battle with ease.

It's ridiculous that people like Chen Minyan seem to be eloquent, but they are just showing off their skills in front of Guan Gong.

These old ghosts are all troublemakers!

In particular, Liu Jing'an, who was known as the scholarly sage of Emperor Wenzong, was so learned and knowledgeable that even Emperor Jiazhao had to admire him.

Seeing that Emperor Jiazhao had a deep gaze and didn't know what he was thinking, Guo Youchang felt a little frightened and quickly lowered his head again.

After a moment of silence, Guo Youchang heard another voice coming from the throne:
"I heard that Jia Cong was very filial to his biological mother. Although his biological mother was of humble origin, he always said that a son would not despise his mother for her ugliness. His biological mother carried him for ten months and gave birth to him. In his eyes, she is the most noble woman in the world!"

"Things are kindred spirits, and people are of the same mind. Jia Cong's words touched me deeply. What do you think, Lord Guo?"

Guo Youchang was slightly stunned and said, "Jia Cong's behavior is purely filial, and his words are the truth of filial piety."

Emperor Jia Zhao said: "When my biological mother was alive, she was also of humble origins, and was only a fifth-rank imperial concubine. I was limited by the ancestral rules and etiquette, and could not always serve her. I deeply regret it."

"I heard that Jia Cong cherishes his biological mother. He has repeatedly confronted others because of slander against his biological mother, and even drew his sword against them! Although this move is a bit reckless, I can deeply feel his feelings."

"Lord Guo just said that Jia Cong's action was a pure act of filial piety. His words are the truth of filial piety, which is in line with my opinion. I built the Da Ci'en Temple for my biological mother, and my heart and feelings are the same!"

Guo Youchang opened his mouth in surprise. The emperor had just talked for a long time and went in such a long circle, and it turned out that he was waiting for him here.

Suddenly, she felt ashamed of being fooled by the emperor, but when she thought about it, she could not find any flaws in the emperor's words.

It was what I just talked about, about human ethics, and the world's fairness.

Could it be that human ethics and the justice of the world are applicable to Jia Cong, but not to the emperor?

Jia Cong's love for his biological mother is an act of pure filial piety, and his standing up for his biological mother is the ultimate filial piety.

Does it mean that the emperor, who grieves for his biological mother and wants to build a temple and erect a monument to pray for his deceased mother, would be considered as treason?

Thinking of this, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites felt a cold sweat on his back. The emperor was really hurting him.

In the past, when he was in the court, he took it as his responsibility to uphold the ancestral system and rites, and he dissuaded the emperor from building a temple to rest his biological mother's body. His words were firm, upright, and righteous.

But after speaking to you today, all the previous things have been refuted.

The emperor had already dug a pit, waiting for him to jump in.

Now I am really hitting myself in the face. I have been defeated by myself and can't even say a word.

I felt that something was wrong, but I couldn't find any reason to refute it, and my heart was twisted like a cat's claws.

Emperor Jiazhao glanced at Guo Youchang, who seemed a little at a loss.

Then he said, "Jia Cong was the first candidate for the Yongzhou Academy Examination that you personally selected. If he is dismissed because of his bad reputation, you, as the Yongzhou Academy Director and the chief examiner of the Academy Examination, will definitely be blamed!"

Guo Youchang shuddered when he heard this. He was already approaching old age. If he really lost his job because of the dispute over the first place in the case, his good reputation for half his life would be ruined.

The emperor was warning himself, asking him to make a clear assessment. Life and death, honor and disgrace were only a matter of thought. Guo Youchang felt a chill all over his body. It was said that the emperor's heart was as deep as the abyss, and it was absolutely true.

"I know that you are an upright official with all your heart, and I do not want your reputation to be tarnished for half your life. I also take into account the good relationship between the emperor and his subjects, and I sympathize with Jia Cong's talent and his filial piety to his mother, so I will grant you this grace.

However, this matter has caused a lot of uproar and cannot be resolved quietly. There must be an explanation to convince the people of the government and the country. You need to understand this.

When you were the editor of the Imperial Academy, you often drafted edicts for the retired emperor. Please draft one for me today. Tomorrow you will announce the edict in the palace!"

Guo Youchang looked a little pale, and replied: "Your Majesty... obeys your order."

(End of this chapter)