Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 239: The Dispute over Ningguo Jue

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

Ever since Prince Zhongshun submitted the second memorial, impeaching Jia Zhen and his son for disregarding the law of the country and committing numerous crimes, he pleaded with the emperor to strip Ningguo of his title.

This caused a huge disturbance in the court. The three judicial departments and six ministries and other civil service groups have always been dissatisfied with the military heroes who relied on their ancestors' achievements, were arrogant and extravagant, and ate the court salaries in vain.

The gap and confrontation between civil and military officials have been the norm throughout all dynasties, so it is not surprising that civil officials have such thoughts.

Now that they have encountered a special case like Jia Zhen and his son in Ningguo Mansion, the civil officials naturally want to get rid of them as soon as possible, and use this as a sign of victory to suppress the rough and arrogant attitude of the military merit group.

The group of military heroes headed by the Four Kings and Eight Dukes lost their moral status and voice and were put in an embarrassing and passive situation because of the evil deeds of Jia Zhen and his son, and were criticized by the court and the public.

But if they could watch the Ningguo lineage, one of the four kings and eight dukes, being stripped of their title, it would be a heavy blow to the group of military heroes.

Because from now on, stripping a person of his title for a crime will set a precedent and it will become the norm.

The Four Kings and Eight Dukes have been running the army for generations and have a deep foundation in the army. The Supreme Emperor has been trained in the army since he was a teenager and has unparalleled military strategy in the world. Naturally, he can suppress and control them firmly.

However, the current emperor rose to power as a humble prince and has no military roots. Although he has been on the throne for more than ten years, his control over the world's military power is still stretched. It is understandable that he is wary of these veteran military heroes.

What Jia Zhen and his son did were things that every hereditary noble family has done, but they didn't make a big deal or they just cleaned up the mess.

Now that the precedent of depriving Ning Guo of his title has been set, if the emperor finds any noble family's weakness in the future, he can do the same. The consequences for these hereditary nobles will be disastrous.

Although the military merit group has lost the initiative, they still have to struggle with all their might. They will not let it go even if there is a slight chance to keep the title of Lord Ningguo.

It’s not that they have a close relationship with the Ningguo Mansion, but they are in the same camp. If this precedent is set, all will suffer.

……

At this moment, several prominent figures among the court officials and nobles gathered in Qianyang Palace.

The civil officials included the Cabinet Grand Secretary Cai Xiang, the Ministry of Rites Grand Master Guo Youchang, and the Supreme Court Junior Secretary Gu Yongnian.

There were also two nobles, one of whom was of sturdy build and had a military air. He was the grandson of Duke Zhenguo Niu Qing, and was now the heir to the title of First Earl Niu Jizong.
The other one wore a royal hat with a white tassel and silver wings, and a white python robe with a four-clawed dragon on it. His face was like a beautiful jade, and his eyes were like stars. He was one of the four kings, Beijing King Shui Rong.

There was another person in the hall wearing a black four-clawed dragon robe. He was Prince Zhongshun, the chief of the clan affairs office.

Because the Ningguo lineage was a noble family that was ennobled when the country was founded, the removal of the title was a matter of great importance. In order to be fair, Emperor Jiazhao still summoned both civil and military officials to discuss the matter, even if it was just a formality.

……

Prince Zhongshun was the first to propose the removal of Ningguo's title. He was the first to make a memorial saying, "Your Majesty, Ningguo Jia Zhen and his son have committed numerous crimes. Now the people are angry. To show justice to the world, please remove Ningguo's title."

Gu Yongnian, the Junior Minister of the Dali Temple, also reported to the emperor: "Your Majesty, Jia Zhen and his son not only colluded with corrupt officials to harm the people in the case of Xiuniang's incense shop, but recently a large number of victims who were tortured by them have come to the Dali Temple to report their crimes.

There are witnesses for all the events and the crime is obvious. According to the law, he should be sentenced to death. However, considering that Ningguo's ancestors had made great contributions to founding the country and maintaining peace, the emperor's grace is enormous, so he may be allowed to be protected.

I request that the title and salary of the Ning State be revoked in exchange for the death penalty for Jia Zhen and his son. However, it is difficult to pardon them alive. According to the law, they should be exiled to the border and cannot be returned even if they are pardoned!"

Gu Yongnian, Shaoqing of the Dali Temple, was the chief official of the yamen who presided over the case of Jia Zhen and his son. He was well versed in law and had rigorous thinking, so his advice naturally carried a lot of weight.

As soon as Gu Yongnian finished speaking, Guo Youchang, the Grand Master of Rites, stepped forward to second his opinion. It was obvious that Gu Yongnian's words should have been the consensus reached by the civil servants in advance.

Niu Jizong was one of the few sons of the Eight Lords who was still serving in the army. He was a brave but rough man, and he knew that these civil servants were always mean and evil. He only heard that they wanted to strip him of his title, but could not tell anything else.

But Beijing Prince Shui Rong, who was standing aside, was a wise and talented man among the nobles. After hearing what Gu Yongnian said, he couldn't help but gasp in shock. These civil servants were so vicious.

Gu Yongnian said that he would strip Jia Zhen's title in exchange for his life. It sounded like a special favor, but in fact, he wanted to strip Jia Zhen's title and buy his life.

Being exiled to a remote area and refusing to return even when pardoned is no different from being beheaded.

All the places of exile were in bitter and cold frontier areas. Good-for-nothings like Jia Zhen and his sons, whose bodies were hollowed out by wealth and glory, would probably die before they even got there.

Besides, it was not worthwhile to exchange these two pieces of trash for a hereditary title of Ningguo, and he already had a plan in mind.

“Your Majesty, the ancestors of Ningguo have made great contributions to the Great Zhou Dynasty and their reputations are still passed down. Now, because of one or two unworthy descendants, their titles and salaries are reduced. This is too harsh and pitiful.

I request that Jia Zhen's title be removed, and that both father and son be executed for the same crime! And that talented people be selected from the Jia clan's bloodline to inherit the title of Ningguo, so that the merits of Ningguo's ancestors can be continued."

Shui Rong thought that Jia Zhen and his son had lost their reputation and were greedy and incompetent. Such people occupying titles would be of no use to the military merit group.

It would be better to take the opportunity to abandon them and persuade the emperor to abolish the title and replace the heir, so as to preserve the title of Ningguo and ensure the power of the noble group. He even had a plan in mind for the candidate of the Jia family to inherit the title of Ningguo.

If this person can inherit the title of Ningguo, with his amazing talent and ability, he will definitely add a barrier to the group of military meritorious officials. And if I help him at this juncture, it will be a great favor to him.

……

Although there was a battle between civil and military officials on the scene, Cai Xiang, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, did not say a word. He was known as a brave man in the court and would never reveal himself easily. He just stood on the side of the emperor.

In fact, there were only two opinions from both the civil and military groups present.

According to the civil officials' opinion, the title was stripped in exchange for the death penalty for Jia Zhen and his son, but the Ningguo title was cut off from then on.

According to the opinions of the nobles, the title was stripped and Jia Zhen and his son were executed, and an heir to the title was chosen from among the sons of the Jia family.

There is only one word difference between stripping a title and removing it, but the connotations are worlds apart.

The civil officials wanted to take the opportunity to weaken the power of the nobles, while the nobles wanted to protect their power. Although there was no smoke or roar of gunpowder, it was no less than a fight for life and death.

Emperor Jiazhao, sitting behind the throne, looked at the group of civil and military officials below him, who were scheming and scheming for the title of Ningguo, with a hint of sneer on their lips.

……

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

Grandmother Jia's face was pale and her eyes were filled with deep fatigue. She was very depressed after returning empty-handed from the Empress Dowager's Ninghe Palace today.

Also sitting in the hall were Jia Zheng, Jia She, Mrs. Wang, Wang Xifeng, Jia Lian and other people in charge of the Rong State.

There was also an old man in his sixties, Jia Jing, who had been practicing in Xuanzhen Temple.

Although Jia Jing had practiced in the Taoist temple for more than ten years, he still could not achieve the state of forgetfulness of emotions.

Upon learning that his title of Ningguo was about to be lost, he came uninvited to the Rongguo Mansion.

Because he had been away from officialdom for more than ten years, his original network of contacts had long since withered away, and now the only one he could rely on was Lady Jia.

Grandmother Jia was a duke of the Jia family with a special rank, and she had known the empress dowager of the time for decades and had an extraordinary relationship with her, so Jia Jing begged Grandmother Jia to enter the palace to mediate.

But the result of entering the palace to plan was dismal. Empress Dowager Yizhang was still very kind, but when it came to the matter of Ningguo's removal from the title, she pushed it very decisively without leaving any loopholes.

On her way back, Grandmother Jia remembered the dispute over the etiquette of the life and death of the empress dowager that had taken place in the court last year.

And there is what the Queen Mother said: Capable children can make trouble.

At this moment, Grandmother Jia suddenly understood the deep meaning of the Queen Mother's words. She was afraid that the Queen Mother was a little afraid of this capable emperor and was unwilling to interfere in his political affairs easily.

Everyone has a book in his mind, and everyone is weighing the pros and cons for himself.

The Jia family has been away from the core of power for too long. Once something happens, they will become isolated and helpless, and even at the mercy of others.

Seeing the capable child loving to make trouble, Grandmother Jia suddenly thought of her grandson whom she had always disliked.

Originally, Grandmother Jia blamed Jia Cong for rescuing the owner of the incense shop and making the matter worse, which implicated Rong Ge'er and his son.

But after what happened in the past few days, I found that this is no longer the case.

The incident of Xiuniang's incense shop was at best a case of collusion with the government, and in the end no one was killed, so even if she was convicted, it would not lead to the removal of her title.

Things have come to this point today entirely because of the evidence provided by Prince Zhongshun. Now that Grandmother Jia wants to put the blame entirely on Jia Cong, she herself feels that it is too far-fetched.

Grandmother Jia also thought that this boy often went in and out of the palace and was acquainted with many high-ranking officials, so perhaps he would have some ideas.

There is no other way, so I might as well come over and ask him and see what he has to say.

Grandmother Jia looked at Jia Jing, the man with gray hair beside her, and suddenly felt a little disgusted.

He was a good Jinshi, but he didn't work hard as an official and ended up wasting his life. Now that something happened in the Ningguo Mansion, he didn't even have a clue what to do. He really lived his life in vain!
Grandmother Jia sighed in frustration and asked Yuanyang to call Jia Cong over for questioning.

(End of this chapter)