Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 295: Reward

Emperor Jiazhao did so many things, but in fact he was just digging a hole for himself.

To sow discord between himself and his family, the position of noble honor is the lifeline of a great noble family and is the most valued and protected thing.

The clan law is strict about establishing the eldest son as the legitimate heir. Just as Jia's grandmother said, no matter how extravagant and dissolute Jia She was, he was eventually allowed to inherit the title just because he was the eldest son.

Now, Emperor Jia Zhao, through the clan affairs office, ordered the Jia family to abolish the legitimate heir and establish a concubine's son. Jia Cong could not think of anything else that could touch the bottom line of the Rong family more than this.

This would certainly make Jia Mu and others in Rongguo Mansion more resentful and wary of me, making me even less welcome in the family.

In fact, the reason behind this is not that complicated if you think about it carefully.

Jia Cong knew that the talents he had displayed would inevitably attract the attention of Emperor Jia Zhao. If he was a child of a poor family, Emperor Jia Zhao would have no scruples in using him.

But he was born into the Jia family of Rongguo and was a legitimate descendant of the Duke of Rongguo. He was born with the stigma of the four kings and eight dukes.

For someone of his status, once he achieves success and grows his power and influence, the connections behind the scenes are too complicated and it becomes a question of where he will end up.

This was also Emperor Jiazhao's greatest suspicion and precaution towards people of his background.

Back then in the warm room of Qianyang Palace, Duke of Qi Chen Yi simply felt that Emperor Jiazhao was mean and thrifty.

Jia Zheng believed that the palace and the court officials all valued Jia Cong, so he proposed that he be made the heir apparent.

Even Tanchun felt that the emperor was very good to her third brother and wanted him to inherit the title.

Only Jia Cong himself understood that Emperor Jia Zhao did these actions just to increase the rift between himself and his family and create the greatest possible split.

Let himself be abandoned by the family, the stigma of the four kings and eight dukes fade away, and he becomes a lone minister with a whitewashed background to be used by him.

In fact, among the four kings and eight dukes, there was once such a treacherous and loyal minister, and that was Shi Ding, Marquis Zhongjing.

Shi Ding was born into the direct lineage of the Shi family, one of the four kings and eight dukes, but he used his merits in following the emperor as a token of his allegiance to completely separate himself from the old camp.

He was granted a title at the beginning of Emperor Jiazhao's accession to the throne and became his most trusted and most important minister.

Perhaps in the mind of Emperor Jiazhao, he hoped to be a lone minister like Shi Ding, which was in the best interests of the emperor himself.

……

Jia Cong sighed in his heart. The emperor had gone to great lengths and tried his best to achieve his goal, but in Jia Cong's opinion it was all in vain.

Because he was reincarnated and did not belong to this world, his ties with this world were much less than those of ordinary people.

Even though he was called the Young Master of Rongguo Mansion, except for his sisters in the family who showed him favor and love, he had no sense of belonging or consciousness towards the Ningrong Jia family, and felt like a stranger to them in his heart.

As for the so-called group of four kings and eight dukes, in their hearts, they have nothing to do with him at all.

He was destined to be a lone minister, so why did the emperor have to play so many tricks? Thinking of this, he couldn't hide his sneer in his heart.

However, he was not affected by the noble family of the Jia family, and he shared the same ideas as Daiyu and other sisters.

He was not afraid of the Jia family's nobility, so he and Lady Jia and others were at odds with each other and it was difficult for him to gain a foothold in the Jia family.

He thought much more deeply about this issue than his sisters like Daiyu.

From the beginning to the end, he felt that the hereditary title of the Rongguo Mansion was a filthy and difficult to escape quagmire, and he never had any ridiculous ambitions for it.

If he really inherited the title of Rongguo, then he would never be able to sever his ties with the Rongguo Jia family.

This title of nobility would allow him to protect the happy ladies and dissolute young masters in the back house from wind and rain and clean up the mess for the rest of his life.

This allows people like Lady Jia to put endless pressure on him in the name of gratitude, righteousness, and filial piety, so that they can enjoy wealth and glory with peace of mind.

How stupid does Jia Cong have to be to covet this hereditary title?

With his abilities and achievements, he could have easily earned a high position and rank on his own. Why would he have to pick up the leftovers of Jia family's ancestors and give others an advantage?

In this case, he could only write a letter of resignation, make his attitude clear as soon as possible, and get rid of this trouble as soon as possible.

In Jia Mu's eyes, the hereditary title of nobility was as precious as a precious gem. She felt that it was a blessing that a bastard like Jia Cong could never dream of obtaining in his entire life.

In fact, Jia Cong regarded him as garbage that even dogs would not pick up. I wonder if Jia's mother would die of shame and vomit blood after knowing this.

……

It was during Jia Cong's strategy for pacifying the Jurchens that Emperor Jiazhao and several of his ministers discussed countermeasures in the warm room at the rear hall of the Qianyang Palace.

The initial edict was drafted by the Cabinet, and after being discussed at the court meeting the next day, it was re-copied, stamped, and sent urgently to Liaodong Town.

Ten days later, Liaodong Town received an imperial decree from the imperial court. The entire Liaodong Town began to operate at high speed again like a huge war machine.

Almost at the same time, Jia Cong's resignation memorial, refusing the throne change by the crown prince, arrived at the desk of Emperor Jia Zhao from faraway Liaodong.

Another letter with almost the same content was also sent from Liaodong to Jia Zheng of Rongguo Mansion.

Emperor Jia Zhao saw that Jia Cong firmly refused the position of crown prince in his memorial.

The memorial also said: The Jia family of Rong State is a family of scholars and scholars, with a strict and harmonious family tradition. They always attach great importance to the ancestral law and etiquette, and the order of seniority and distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children. This has been passed down for generations and has become a fixed law. Cong is the illegitimate son of the eldest son, and he is not a person who goes against his will, hurts the feelings of his relatives, and creates resentment. When I was fourteen years old, I was favored by the emperor and promoted to the eighth rank official, which is a special favor.

With tears in my heart, I only wish to devote my life to my country.

As the son of a commoner, I do not take advantage of the inheritance from my ancestors. I only seek to achieve success on my own to repay the emperor’s great grace…

Emperor Jiazhao was somewhat moved when he saw this memorial.

He took advantage of the fact that Duke Qi Chen Yi mentioned that Jia Cong had the honor of inheriting the title, and asked the clan office to go to the Jia Mansion for consultation. He also knew that it was impossible for Jia Cong to become the crown prince of Rong.

He did these actions just to polish the imprints of the four kings and eight dukes on Jia Cong before re-employing him, so that he could use him without any doubt.

In his eyes, Jia Cong is a man of both civil and military talents, brilliant and talented, and has great potential!
The more talented a person is, the more cautious we need to be in using him. We must cut off all ties and become a lone minister first, and then he can become a loyal minister. Only by becoming an upright minister can he become a sharp blade that helps him cut through all obstacles!

Jia Cong's resignation memorial showed that his goal had been achieved. From these words, Emperor Jia Zhao deeply felt the estrangement and alienation between Jia Cong and the Rong family.

In fact, this is not surprising. According to the secret notes of the Imperial Chariot Department, Jia Cong was born in a humble family and was abandoned by his biological father and stepmother, and grew up in a state of beating and abuse. How could such a person be close to his family?

The fact that Jia Cong submitted this letter of resignation from Liaodong, thousands of miles away, must have been due to the pressure from the Jia family. Although Jia Cong said he was resigning, he must have resentment towards the Jia family in his heart!
And these are exactly what Emperor Jia Zhao hoped to see. If you want to forge a sharp blade, you must first be burned by poisonous fire, and then forged with a steel hammer, so that its sharpness can be revealed and all illusions can be cut off!

This is his way of being a king and employing people.

……

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

After reading the letter sent by Jia Cong, Jia Zheng felt quite heavy-hearted. Although the words in the letter were sincere, the implicit coldness and alienation could be read between the lines.

He read the contents of the letter to Lady Jia. When Lady Jia learned that Jia Cong had taken the initiative to decline the position of Crown Prince, she heaved a sigh of relief. Finally, she didn't have to go out and offend the person in the palace.

If that evil creature really became the crown prince, the family would be in chaos. However, after hearing what Jia Cong said in the letter, Grandmother Jia felt uncomfortable again.

This kid is really angry. He said something about hurting the feelings of his family and causing a feud between them. That means his family has hurt his feelings of his family and caused a feud between them.

What he said about not taking advantage of the legacy left by his ancestors and only seeking achievements for himself, means that he does not take the achievements left by the Duke seriously, nor does he take this family seriously!
Originally, Jia Cong had become more and more outstanding in recent years, and Grandmother Jia had changed her mind and had begun to think about winning him over.

Otherwise, she would not have treated Zhishao and Yinglian in Jia Cong's room differently.

But after this resignation, the relationship that had just been somewhat eased may be pushed further away.

But there was nothing that could be done about it. The inheritance of the noble family was a matter of utmost importance to the Jia family. As the ancestor of the Jia family, she would never allow any mistakes to happen.

In fact, when it comes down to it, after more than ten years of estrangement, no matter how outstanding Jia Cong is, his weight in her heart is still far less than that of her direct descendants such as Baoyu and Jia Lian.

After hearing the news that Jia Cong had resigned his title, Lady Wang, Wang Xifeng and others felt relieved.

Mrs. Wang doesn't have to worry that Jia Cong will seize the title and suppress Baoyu in the future.

As for the title of imperial decree that Wang Xifeng had always coveted, it was finally saved.

And it was a happy thing for them that Jia Cong, a troublemaker by nature, would forever withdraw from the competition for the title of noble of the Jia family.

Only sisters such as Daiyu, Yingchun, and Tanchun breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.

Daiyu felt sad when she saw how cold her grandmother, second aunt, and Feng Jieer were in front of the hereditary title.

No wonder the third brother is alienated from his family. How can he not be disheartened if they treat him like this?

Jia Zheng felt a little lost. Although he was a bit straightforward by nature, he was not completely dull. He could see from Jia Cong's letter that he became more and more alienated from his family.

……

Just when everyone in Rongqing Hall was in different moods.

The grandmother of Rongqing Hall came to report that another eunuch from the palace had come to convey an imperial decree to reward Master Cong Sanye, and asked the master to go to Rongxi Hall to receive the order.

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room was shocked!

Jia Cong's letter of resignation had just arrived, and the palace immediately issued an edict to reward him!
The last time the palace came to Jia Chong's house to give him gifts and rewards, Jia Zheng and others were actually a little surprised. According to common sense, since Jia Cong had made great contributions in the victory, he should not only be given gifts, but also be rewarded with an official position.

It seems like the palace deliberately left it until today.

In Rong Xi Hall, Jia Zheng met his old acquaintance Guo Lin, but this time Guo Lin did not deliver an oral order, but a formal imperial edict woven from yellow satin and gold.

Emperor Fengtian Chengyun issued an edict:

Jia Cong, the director of the Firearms Department of the Ministry of Works, was the son of a famous scholar. He was not fond of extravagance, had a simple and honest character, was loyal and courageous, was diligent in the king's affairs, was loyal, upright, courageous, and had outstanding military skills.

His military strategy was well-known among the three armies. He beheaded the chieftain and intimidated the enemy. He won a great victory at Yafu Pass in Liaodong and won the first honor. He was promoted to the fifth rank Wujie General, and his civil service position was equivalent to that of a Jin.

On the day of receiving the imperial edict, he had already sent a message to Liaodong, commanding an army to enter the old Jurchen territory to wipe out the remaining enemies.

This is it.

(End of this chapter)