Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 305: The Emperor's Gift

Rongguo Mansion, Tanchun Courtyard.

The sisters in the family all like to gather and chat in Tanchun's room.

That's because Tanchun is a man of vigor and vitality, and she likes spaciousness. Even the room she lives in has been stripped of partitions, making the place spacious, comfortable and elegant, making it the perfect place for gatherings and conversations.

At this time, Daiyu, Yingchun, Baochai, and even little Xichun were all there, but there was no sign of her host Tanchun.

Today, Baochai heard Xue Pan come back and say that he was drinking with some sons of nobles today and heard new war reports from Liaodong.

It was said that there had been another great victory in Liaodong. Many decrees had been issued from the palace, and many officials in government offices had suddenly become busy. However, the news of the great victory had not yet spread in the marketplace.

In fact, Xue Pan heard such words because according to the rules, such a great victory in war could only be announced to the world after the Ministry of Personnel had evaluated the performance.

Moreover, the nine edicts issued by Emperor Jia Zhao were all aimed at entering the areas outside the Great Wall as quickly as possible, so that the Great Zhou could gain actual control over the areas outside the Great Wall in the shortest possible time.

Speed ​​is of the essence in war, and secrecy is the key to success, so there is no need to exaggerate the great victory of Qingyuanji at the moment.

However, those who have some official channels will probably know the truth of the matter soon, but the court has not announced it, so many people are reluctant to spread it.

Those who drank with Xue Pan were all sons of noble families on the verge of ruin, so naturally they did not know the details of this great victory.

But Baochai was concerned about it and told the sisters in the garden about it. Now that Jia Cong was in Liaodong, all the sisters were worried about him.

In the end, it was Tanchun who volunteered to go to Mengpo Zhai Study to inquire for news.

……

Because she knew that her third brother had gone to Liaodong, her father Jia Zheng began to pay close attention to the war in Liaodong.

He often copied and listened to some news from the Ministry of War's slanderous reports through the relationship with his colleagues.

Jia Zheng's colleagues all knew that he was Jia Cong's uncle, and Jia Cong had become a prominent figure in the Liaodong war since he had won the great victory at Yafu Pass.

Everyone believed that the rise of the Rongguo Mansion was just around the corner, and that the success would definitely be achieved through this extraordinary young man, so they were naturally happy to do Jia Zheng some favors.

Jia Zheng also discovered that as long as Jia Cong's name was mentioned, his colleagues would send him slanderous reports from Liaodong through various channels, either in copy or in manuscript.

This made Jia Zheng feel somewhat proud. Even though Congge'er was thousands of miles away, his reputation was still effective in the capital, and everyone would give him some face when they heard about him.

Jia Zheng also told the old lady and Mrs. Wang several times about the news reported in the newspapers that Jia Cong led the army to destroy several Jurchen strongholds and annihilated many enemy bandits.

However, they didn't care much about the news and brushed it off without giving Jia Zheng a chance to say a few words, which made Jia Zheng quite bored.

Tanchun, on the other hand, was smart and clever. She felt like she had found a treasure after hearing the news, and she often went to Mengpo Zhai Study to inquire about Jia Cong's news.

Jia Zheng was naturally happy to have his daughter as an audience member, and the two of them often discussed news in the newspapers in the study.

One was talking happily and absorbedly, while the other was listening with a smile on his face. It was quite interesting.

But every time Tanchun listened to her father's nagging, she would collect the slanderous reports collected by Jia Zheng and keep them for herself.

Eventually, these slanderous reports became a favorite reading material for the sisters in the garden.

In fact, girls like them don't know much about sieges, firearms, military tactics, etc.

But whenever they saw Jia Cong's name in the slanderous newspapers, they found it interesting and exciting, and their topics were also varied.

For example, Daiyu would say, "I know Pantuo City, it's on my map."

Baochai would ask how far it was from the capital, and how many months it would take to walk there.

As for Tanchun's words, they were more heroic and aggressive. This time, the third brother killed two hundred enemies again, which was really amazing...

Yingchun's words were mostly off-topic and a little dull. For example, didn't Brother Cong say he would come back when spring came? It's almost summer now, so why hasn't he come back yet?

This was probably because after Jia Cong went to Liaodong, the sisters of the Jia family often searched for information about distant people out of boredom and longing for them, and used it as a source of fun in casual conversation.

……

By mid-May, the 20,000 troops mobilized by the imperial court had already entered the area outside the Great Wall and began to set up forts and camps outside the Great Wall to guard the border.

The Ministry of Personnel urgently selected a large number of officials, who also arrived in various towns outside the Great Wall and began to set up governments to govern the people.

In the process of pastoral management, there will inevitably be some resistance from the indigenous people, but with the support of 20,000 troops, these are more than worth mentioning.

Any official with some experience knows that this is the policy of a new land and a process that must be experienced. After a few years of governing, the unfamiliar things will become habits.

The traffic between Liaodong and Shenjing became unprecedentedly busy. The Ministry of Works has planned to build 12 more post stations between the two places, greatly increasing the density of post stations along the way.

The channel stations outside the Great Wall are also being built urgently, which will greatly improve the channel transmission efficiency between Shenjing and Liaodong.

These measures show Emperor Jiazhao's firm determination to govern the areas outside the Great Wall.

As Emperor Jiazhao implemented his measures in the areas outside the Great Wall, the situation in the new areas outside the Great Wall gradually became a foregone conclusion, and the government began to exaggerate the victory of Qingyuanji.

The Jia family of Rongguo Mansion, which had disappeared for more than ten years, seemed to have returned overnight and began to become the focus of military glory in the capital city.

The streets and alleys were all filled with the story of the eldest son of the Rong family, who had won the imperial examination twice, whose poetry was famous throughout the world, and whose deceased mother was posthumously awarded an imperial edict.

Now he has caused another big commotion, and has achieved the miraculous feat of wiping out the Jurchens in a single battle in Liaodong...

Many old relatives of the Jia family have come to celebrate in the past few days, and Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding even personally brought his wife to congratulate his aunt.

However, the four kings and eight dukes, who had aristocratic friendship with the Jia family, did not rush to visit, because although Jia Cong had made military achievements, he had not yet returned to the capital to receive rewards.

Now that they were still in Liaodong, it would be too abrupt to come and celebrate now. After all, they were different from the old relatives of the Jia family. They were blood relatives after all, so they didn't have so many scruples. But something that happened later completely changed these people's minds.

……

No one expected that at this critical juncture, Empress Dowager Yizhang suddenly sent eunuchs to the Jia Mansion and rewarded Jia Cong with some of the finest four treasures of the study.

He also brought a message to Lady Jia, congratulating her on raising a good grandson who could make contributions to the country.

The eunuch also left a message for Jia Cong, asking him to write his calligraphy of Linjiangxian when he came back, and someone from the palace would naturally come to pick it up.

The Queen Mother's sudden gift to Jia Cong not only surprised the Jia family, but also caused quite a stir in the circle of officials and nobles in the capital.

Many people know Empress Dowager Yizhang and Lady Jia. They were close friends when they were young. So it would not be strange if the Empress Dowager gave a gift to Lady Jia.

But I have never heard of any contact between Jia Cong and the Queen Mother. They are not related at all. Why did she suddenly give Jia Cong a gift at this time?

Moreover, the rewards given were the Four Treasures of the Study, and she even specifically asked for Jia Cong's calligraphy, but I have never heard that the Empress Dowager likes calligraphy.

Only the retired emperor of Chonghua Palace was fond of calligraphy, and many people knew that the retired emperor had a copy of the Heart Sutra written by Jia Cong, which was the retired emperor's favorite calligraphy treasure.

This was not a gift from Empress Dowager Yizhang, but a gift from the Empress Dowager on behalf of the Supreme Emperor, and she asked for Jia Cong's calligraphy, which he had always admired.

It makes sense when you think about it this way. As the emperor emeritus, he really can't show closeness to others casually.

However, given the friendship between Empress Dowager Yizhang and Lady Jia, there was no such concern.

Although the emperor has always loved Jia Cong's calligraphy, why did he choose this time to ask for a calligraphy?

Elders like Chen Yi, who were members of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes, all knew that the retired emperor was a man of extraordinary military strategy in his time, and he liked younger generations who were outstanding in bravery and strength.

Jia Cong's brilliant performance in Liaodong this time, and his military achievements such as the great victory of Qingyuanji, actually caught the eye of the retired emperor, who began to pay attention to him.

The older generation of the Four Princes and Eight Dukes had all followed the retired emperor to travel around the world, so they naturally knew the retired emperor's preferences very well.

Therefore, Chen Yi was definitely not the only one who had such speculations.

As a result, many old noble families in the Shenjing City, although the heads of the families could not come in person, began to send their second sons or housekeepers to congratulate Madam Jia.

The atmosphere in the Rongguo Jia family has been very weird recently, with some very unfamiliar people always coming to congratulate them.

……

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

Guo Lin stood in front of the imperial desk with his body bowed, reporting the news just reported by the Imperial Chariot Service to Emperor Jiazhao, whose face showed no emotion.

"Your Majesty, according to a secret report from the Chonghua Palace, the Empress Dowager went to Chonghua Palace yesterday to pay a visit to the Retired Emperor, who was admiring the Heart Sutra written by Jia Cong.

The retired emperor said to the empress dowager: Jia Cong is a genius in calligraphy, which I have never seen in my life. I didn't expect that he is also quite talented in military affairs.

The Queen Mother said: The child of the Jia family is indeed quite promising. It has been a long time since any family has produced such an outstanding child.

The emperor said: I heard that in recent years, his calligraphy has become more and more proficient, and his writing is probably even better than this Heart Sutra.

The Queen will give him some top-quality writing instruments and ink tomorrow, and ask him to write a new piece of calligraphy and send it to me."

Emperor Jia Zhao asked, "Did Father and Mother say anything else?"

Guo Lin replied: "Your Majesty, the Emperor and the Empress said other things, but they were all trivial matters in daily life and have nothing to do with this matter."

So Guo Lin continued to babble on and on, repeating all the other gossip that the retired emperor and the empress had said.

Even the Empress Dowager and the Emperor were chatting, and Doctor Liu, who had served the Empress Dowager for thirty years, had a new granddaughter. Guo Lin reported these trivial matters word for word.

The spies from the Imperial Chariot Department were truly amazing, recording every word spoken by the Empress Dowager and the Emperor Retired without omission.

Finally, Emperor Jiazhao was fed up with listening so much that he waved his hand and told Guo Lin to shut up immediately.

Emperor Jia Zhao glanced at Guo Lin and asked solemnly, "You are in charge of the Imperial Chariot Department. Why do you think the Supreme Emperor suddenly gave Jia Cong a gift to ask for a name?"

When Guo Lin heard this, all the hairs on his body seemed to stand up, and he thought for a moment.

He replied, "Your Majesty, the Supreme Lord has always loved calligraphy. He especially loves Jia Cong's Heart Sutra. He has often admired it over the years, and everyone in the palace knows it.

The retired emperor was the most skilled in military strategy in the world in his time, and he loved younger generations who were good at military affairs. This was known to all the nobles and old ministers. Now Jia Cong has made great achievements in Liaodong.

Perhaps it attracted the attention of the retired emperor. The retired emperor had been idle in Chonghua Palace for many years, so he was curious and on a whim, he gave a gift and asked for a calligraphy, which seemed reasonable. "

Emperor Jia Zhao spoke with a hint of sarcasm, saying, "Father has always liked sons who are good at military affairs. I know that my brother was like that.

But I was mediocre in military skills at the beginning, huh...

Even if the emperor likes Jia Cong's military prowess, it's not a good idea to reveal it at this time, or the people below will speculate wildly."

Emperor Jia Zhao finished his speech with some reluctance: "Send the few pieces of calligraphy I collected from the previous dynasties to Chonghua Palace."

He added: "Jia Cong is only fourteen this year, and has not yet passed the age of dancing elephants. Let the Queen give Jia Cong clothes and shoes, so that those noble old officials will not have strange ideas."

Guo Lin quickly replied, "As ordered, I will do it right away."

However, she was somewhat resentful in her heart. She thought to herself that Jia Cong had such bad luck that the emperor used the gift from the empress to dilute the criticism of the gift from the empress dowager, and that all the honor was given to him alone.

(End of this chapter)