The Red Mansions

Chapter 1724: New Dynasty, New Atmosphere

Grand View Garden, Qichi Garden——

Zhen Lan and Zhen Xi were wearing blue dresses with wide sleeves. They were also watching the maids packing their luggage and carrying boxes of jewelry and clothes into the car.

Zhen Lan smiled and said, "Finally, I have entered the palace."

Zhen Lan sighed again: "Once you enter the palace, it's no longer ordinary. The palace has many rules and many people."

Zhen Xi said: "Sister has given birth to a son now, and Brother Heng likes her very much too."

Zhen Lan remained silent for a moment, then whispered, "So what? I am not a high-ranking official, and I am not the fifth empress. I will not have a chance to have children in the future."

In fact, the Imperial Noble Consort was also qualified, mainly because the empress had no children, and the other five queens were all noble ladies of the previous dynasty, so they, the Imperial Noble Consorts, should be qualified.

Zhen Xi said: "Sister, don't talk about this, I'm a little scared."

Zhen Lan smiled softly and said softly, "Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. It's not as simple as you think in the palace. Intrigue is inevitable."

Zhen Xi bit her pink lips with her pearly teeth and said, "Brother Heng is a person who can't tolerate any sand in his eyes. He won't let the harem be in such chaos."

Over the years, especially after Zhen Xi gave birth to a son for Jia Heng, she has gradually become more mature.

Zhen Lan was silent for a moment, then said, "How could I not know?"

But there are some things that even an emperor cannot avoid.

At this moment, a beautiful maid quickly entered the hall and said, "Madam."

As they were talking, Yaruo came in from outside, accompanied by several female officials and maids.

Compared to the heartless, naive girl she was many years ago, Yaruo now has become more gentle and warm like a mature woman.

"Sister Lan, Sister Xi, we're packing." Yaruo walked quickly forward and smiled gently, with a hint of innocence still on her face.

Zhen Lan chuckled and said, "I'm having someone clean it up."

Yaruo said, "Let's go to the palace and play first, and let the servants take care of these."

Zhen Lan's pretty and gentle face was full of smiles, and she said, "There are some important things in here, I need to keep an eye on them, and then..."

After thinking about it, Zhen Lan decided not to tell Yaruo what was in her mind.

Besides, the Empress Dowager hasn't entered the palace yet, and they are so anxious that it's a bit rude.

It can be said that even before entering the palace, Jia Heng's harem already had some "Beauty's Rival in Palace" and "The Legend of Zhen Huan" tendencies.

Yaruo said: "Then I will accompany Sister Lan and Sister Xi."

Zhen Lan smiled, looked surprised, and asked, "Where are Sister Yun and Sister Baoqin? Why didn't you go play with them today?"

Normally, Xiangyun and Yaruo are closer to each other.

At this moment, Yaruo's voice was filled with a smile as sweet as a silver bell, and she said, "Sister Lan, they went to Zhuijin Tower."

Zhen Lan chuckled and didn't say anything else.

Now that they have arrived at the palace, the four girls who were given the titles of virtuous and virtuous should have spontaneously formed a group. The two girls from the Xue family would also be in a group, while she and her sister Xier would be somewhat isolated.

As the saying goes, where there are people, there is the world. Three women make a drama, let alone so many women.

Among Jia Heng’s concubines, there are also “mountains” of varying sizes.

It can be imagined that there will be undercurrents in the harem in the future.

Of course, there are many talented people in the harem, and with the "Five Constant Virtues" such as Chen Xiao and Xian Ning in charge, they can't cause any big trouble.

And in the courtyard where Ping'er was——

Under her dark blue eyebrows, Fengjie's phoenix eyes flickered. She looked up at Ping'er, smiled, gently pinched Ping'er's cheek, and said softly, "Ping'er, you are really blessed now. Unlike me, I can't go into this palace much."

Although she gave birth to a son for that bastard, she didn't even get the title of concubine. That bastard really refused to acknowledge it.

Ping Erh gave a gentle warning and said, "Grandma, I think you will be able to enter the palace in a year or two."

Sister Feng said with a hint of resentment in her tone, "How can I enter the palace without even a title?"

Ping'er whispered, "After all, grandma gave birth to a child for His Majesty, and she will definitely be made a concubine in the future."

Sister Feng hummed softly and said, "I hope so."

Originally, she hadn't thought of counting on it, but she did it for the sake of the baby in her belly.

At this moment, a maid in a green dress came into the wing room from the outer room, looked at Feng Jie, and said, "Grandma, the old lady sent Lin Zhixiao's wife over, saying that she had something to tell you."

Sister Feng turned her eyes to Ping'er and said, "Ping'er, you stay here and watch. I'll go over and take a look."

With Fengjie's intelligence, she had some guesses about this.

Most of the time, they mentioned the titles of the Ning and Rong mansions.

……

……

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall——

Grandmother Jia sat on a Luohan bed covered with a mattress. She was dressed in brocade clothes and had a head full of silver hair, but her smile was kind and honest.

On a pearwood chair covered with a mattress at the bottom was sitting the second wife of King Xing, and on the other side was Cao, both of them noble ladies with hair full of pearls and jade.

Grandmother Jia sighed and said, "Now that Yu'er and Bao have entered the palace, the mansion has suddenly become deserted."

Grandmother Jia was a person who liked to be lively. Suddenly, there were fewer people to talk to in the house, so she couldn't help feeling a little depressed.

Madam Wang paused the string of sandalwood Buddhist beads in her hand and said, "Madam, there is still no statement on the titles of the Ning and Rong mansions."

Because her eldest daughter was named Consort Xian and gave birth to a son for Jia Heng, Mrs. Wang felt more confident.

Grandmother Jia glanced at Madam Wang and said, "Brother Heng has just entered the palace and there are so many things to deal with. We still have to wait for the title of the Ning and Rong mansions."

Now that Heng Ge'er is the emperor, the so-called thunder, lightning and rain are all grace from the emperor. How can you demand it back?
Madam Xing said, "I have just sent someone to ask Feng girl. When the time comes, let him ask the East Palace indirectly."

At this moment, Lin Zhixiao's wife walked into the room quickly and said, "Madam, Second Madam Lian is here."

Ever since Feng Jie gave birth to Jia Heng's child, no one in the mansion knew how to address her. The situation became even worse after Jia Heng became emperor.

If she is called "Empress", her identity is unclear. If she is called "Second Madam", I'm afraid Sister Feng will not like it.

Later, everything remained the same.

After a while, the beautiful lady with a gorgeous face, who looked like a splendid phoenix, came out from outside. She met the gaze of a noble lady in the hall, smiled and said, "Grandfather, did you ask someone to call me just now?"

Grandmother Jia chuckled and said, "Feng girl, I called you over here. How is the cleaning going in the East Palace? When will you enter the palace?"

Sister Feng paused for a moment, and said softly, "Grandfather, today, the Queen is leaving."

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "Wait a minute, you should go over and talk to her."

Sister Feng nodded gently and said, "Then I will mention it to Keqing when I go to see her later."

Grandmother Jia said "hmm" and asked, "What do you say? Isn't there any promise or explanation from Heng'er?"

In Rongqing Hall, all the family members looked at Sister Feng, and an inexplicable feeling of joy welled up in their hearts.

Sister Feng said, "What else can I say? Let her stay at home first, and then bring her into the palace after a year or two. It won't be too late."

After all, she is the emperor's woman. Now Feng Ji is not as secretive as before, but chooses to show her relationship with Jia Heng openly.

Of course, everyone in Rongqing Hall now stared at Sister Feng.

Grandmother Jia hummed softly and said in a gentle voice, "Brother Heng is a man who knows what's going on."

Fengjie said "hmm" softly, with an indescribable expectation in her heart.

That enemy should know what she is thinking.

……

……

In this way, the women from the Ning and Rong mansions headed towards the palace.

Time flies. Half a month has passed unknowingly. It is March of the eighth year of Qiande. The grass is lush, the warblers are flying, the spring willows are swaying, and the sun is bright, shining on the earth.

If we follow the convention of changing dynasties, the reign title should actually be changed.

But according to Jia Heng's order, the next six months will mainly be a transition to solve the historical problems left over by Chen and Han dynasties. The new dynasty will begin to record events with the Shengding era name from next year.

Daming Palace, Hanyuan Hall, South Study Room——

This was different from the study room where Emperor Chongping used to work. Instead, it was a wing room that Jia Heng had built and converted into an office space, and eunuchs usually entered the hall.

Jia Heng, dressed in a dragon robe, sat in a square study, reviewing memorials, or congratulatory messages, sent in from various provinces.

To a certain extent, it was also a token of submission from local governors and governors-general, who submitted congratulatory messages to the central government, expressing their submission to the rule of the new dynasty.

Next year, the reign title will be changed to Shengding, and a new round of adjustments will be made to the governors-general of the provinces of the Han Dynasty.

As for the national policy, it was basically a continuation of Jia Heng's past assisting in the administration, and there was no tendency to re-examine the country or start a war.

"Your Majesty, the nobles have entered the palace." At this moment, a eunuch came quickly and spoke in a gentle voice.

Jia Heng nodded and said, "I understand."

At this moment, a young eunuch came in quietly and said, "Your Majesty, the Queen of the East Palace is here."

Jia Heng said, "Announce."

But Chen Xiao was seen walking quickly from outside the hall. The beauty was wearing a scarlet palace dress, with a slender waist tied high and a beautiful bun. Compared with the coldness of her young girl, the beauty's temperament was more graceful.

Jia Heng raised his eyes to look at Chen Xiao and asked, "Where did this come from?"

Chen Xiao said: "I just inspected the palace. A group of concubines entered the palace. There are many complicated matters in the palace that need to be sorted out urgently."

As she approached, the beauty reached out and gently picked up the teacup that Jia Heng had placed on the table. She took a sip and asked, "How do you feel about entering the palace these past two days?"

Jia Heng sipped his tea and said, "Everything is fine. I have stayed in the palace before."

"You were a subject before, and now you are a king. Your state of mind should be different." Chen Xiao smiled and said in a low voice.

Jia Heng nodded and said, "That's true."

Chen Xiao asked, "The memorials from all provinces have been delivered."

"Except for some remote provinces, other provinces have sent congratulatory messages." Jia Heng said.

Chen Xiao asked: "What are your plans next?"

Jia Heng thought for a moment and said, "Now that all the major government affairs of the court are being carried out in an orderly manner, it is enough to be stable for a few years."

When a dynasty has just changed, the most taboo thing is to be ambitious and act recklessly, which will cause complaints and lose the support of the people.

Moreover, when he was assisting in the administration, the Han Cabinet and the six ministries all had their own affairs to attend to, so there was no need to rush.

Jia Heng said, "After a few years, when everything goes smoothly, I will go to Jiangnan to recuperate."

Chen Xiao raised his eyes and rolled his eyes at Jia Heng, and said unhappily, "Let's go to Jiangnan to hunt for beauties?"

Jia Heng: "..."

Jia Heng was silent for a moment, then corrected himself and said, "I am just visiting incognito to understand the people's sentiments."

Chen Xiao hummed softly and said, "It's just a side job."

Jia Heng said: "The children are all grown up now. I should set an example and not act rashly."

Chen Xiao stared at the young man in python robes and said, "It's good that you know. Look at the twenty titles of imperial concubines, but there is no one to arrange them. It's really hard to explain."

Jia Heng did not refute, and said: "Xiaoxiao, what is the trend in the capital now?"

Chen Xiao said: "Most people agree. Since you ascended the throne, you have conferred titles on many members of the royal family of the previous dynasties and treated the royal family well. Now there are not many voices of criticism in the capital."

Under the ancient feudal etiquette, if one could treat the previous dynasty well, one would often leave a good reputation among the people.

Jia Heng looked surprised and asked, "Does the Suzaku Guard have any news about the local governor?"

The period from the time when he ascended the throne to the change of the reign title next year is the most dangerous time if there is a rebellion in the local area under the banner of "serving the king and suppressing the rebellion."

Chen Xiao said: "The local governor has not made any unusual moves recently."

Jia Heng thought for a moment and said, "The congratulatory letter from Yunnan has not been delivered yet."

Chen Xiao nodded and said, "It's a long way to go, they should still be on the way. Besides, Mu Sheng, the prince of Dongping, is now the governor of Japan and you have placed him in a very important position. The old prince of Dongping should remain silent."

Jia Heng said: "Yunnan is the outpost for the imperial court to march into the former territory of Nanyue."

In a few years, Daxia will invade South Vietnam, then conquer Indochina, control the seaports, and take over India.

Chen Xiao asked, "There is no rush to conquer foreign invaders. What is the current progress of the Ministry of Industry's railway construction plan?"

Jia Heng nodded slightly, looked surprised, and asked, "What does Xu Guangqi say?"

Chen Xiao nodded and said, "The locomotive of the train has been improved once before, and the speed should be able to be increased again."

Jia Heng asked: "Can the transportation capacity be improved a little bit?"

Chen Xiao said in a gentle voice: "The speed can be improved a little bit, just like a fast horse, running 300 miles a day."

"This speed still needs to be improved." Jia Heng said softly, and asked: "How is the immigration situation of the navy in Australia?"

At that time, there were only a few Australian Aborigines in Australia. After the Han army landed in Australia, they built a city into a fort, which was then occupied by the Chinese.

Chen Xiao was silent for a moment, then asked, "Many cities have been built. Regarding immigration, we still need to discuss it with the central government after traveling across the ocean."

Jia Heng looked surprised and asked, "Did the Liangjiang Governor Xu Kai send any letter?"

Xu Kai was transferred to Liangjiang in the sixth year of Qiande, which has been two years ago. Jia Heng's plan is to let him stay in Liangjiang for six years before transferring him to the cabinet.

Chen Xiao said, "There is no slander from Liangjiang officials, but there are still some noises among the scholars in the southern province."

In fact, this is a normal situation. The scholars in Jiangnan were originally quite dissatisfied with Jia Heng's proposal of the Chongping New Deal. Now that Jia Heng is "replacing the Han Dynasty", the scholars in Jiangnan finally got Jia Heng's moral handle and expressed their complaints in private.

Jia Heng said, "It's inevitable. In recent years, new learning has flourished in the world. Those who were originally good at eight-legged essays will inevitably feel suspicious when they see those who are good at engineering being promoted. This is human nature."

To put it bluntly, the interests of the vested interests are damaged.

Chen Xiao asked, "Will a big prison start in Jiangnan in a year or two?"

Jia Heng said: "Don't be in a hurry yet. We should take our time to deal with the affairs in Jiangnan."

The transformation of Confucianism is an ongoing process, and in the past few years, Confucianism has changed a lot to cater to political trends.

Chen Xiao said: "By the way, the old lady of Rongguo Mansion and Madam Wang are both paying attention to the transfer of the title."

"It's just a matter of seeing if the title can be transferred to Baoyu." Jia Heng smiled, picked up a blue and white porcelain teacup, and took a sip.

Baoyu is now married, but he still hasn't passed the imperial examination.

Jia Heng thought for a moment and said, "I wanted Jia Cong to take over before, but he passed the imperial examination the year before last and has recently been working as an imperial censor in the Censorate."

Chen Xiao said: "After all, he is the emperor's uncle, and according to the rules, he will be given more grace. Jia Huan and others should also be rewarded."

Jia Heng nodded and said, "Then the title of Rongguo Mansion will be awarded to Baoyu, and he will be granted the title of First-Class General Mingwei. Jia Huan is not in the Beijing camp now, so he will be granted the title of Third-Class General as a favor."

Over the years, the younger generations of the Jia family, such as Jia Cong and Jia Huan, have gradually grown up, and some have studied literature, some have studied martial arts, and have gradually entered the political and business circles.

As Jia Huan is Tanchun's younger brother, Tanchun still spent a lot of effort to cultivate her younger brother.

Coaches and martial artists from the Beijing Camp were selected to teach Jia Huan martial arts and strategies. Jia Huan was now in his early twenties and served as a centurion in the Beijing Camp. However, there had been no war in the court in the past two years, so Jia Huan's official position had not been promoted for the time being.

Chen Xiao said: "Chanyue also wants to take care of things in the Ministry of Internal Affairs recently."

According to Jia Heng's instructions, each of the concubines in Jia Heng's harem now has some tasks to handle, and the affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are handled by Fu Qiufang and Lianxue.

Princess Xianning had some free time and often went to the harem to visit her mother.

Jia Heng said: "If you want to manage it, just manage it. You have to find something for yourself to do."

Chen Xiao didn't say anything else. He sat down aside, picked up a memorial that Jia Heng had reviewed, and began to read it.

Well, executive vice emperor.

……

……

Zhejiang, Shaoxing, Han's House——

Han Yang, the chief minister of the cabinet during the Chongping period of the Han Dynasty, sat down in the square study at this moment, put down a report in his hand, and a deep look appeared on his old face.

After Jia Heng ascended the throne, he ordered people to travel 600 miles by fast horse and use imperial edict to announce it to the world. Han Yang in Zhejiang also received the news of Jia Heng's abdication and accession to the throne.

Han Yang's thoughts are inevitably much more complicated.

The young military officer who served in the same palace back then is now the king of a country. His life experiences are so mysterious.

Han Hui said with emotion: "Father, Prince Wei is really scheming and has great ambitions. Who would have thought that after so many years of hard work, he would be able to become the emperor today."

Thinking back to the time when he and the emperor first met at Hanmoxuan, it seemed like fifteen years had passed.

Han Huang raised his eyes and glared at Han Hui, then said in a gentle voice: "The current emperor is now the emperor, so you can just call him Your Majesty."

Han Hui paused for a moment, then said, "Father is right."

Thinking back to the time when he first met Jia Ziyu, fifteen years had passed.

Han Hui thought for a moment and then asked, "Father, are you still willing to serve as an official?"

Han Huang pondered for a moment and said, "How can I, the former prime minister, serve as an official? But you can take advantage of the new emperor's amnesty next year and take the imperial examination to serve as an official again."

Han Hui immediately held his breath and asked, "Father, can I really pass the imperial examination and become an official?"

Han Huang said, "A new dynasty brings a new atmosphere. However, I asked you to study science before. Have you made any progress recently?"

Han Hui said, "Don't worry, father. I have studied a lot of new techniques and am just waiting for the imperial examination this year."

Han Huang nodded and said, "Now the new emperor attaches great importance to these things. Moreover, the new learning is indeed quite unique. According to a letter from a friend, the railway in the direction of Jinling goes directly to the capital, which can be said to be convex and contiguous."

Han Hui said: "Father, the new school emphasizes the pursuit of knowledge through investigation of things, which is indeed very different from other Confucianism."

At this moment, a young servant walked into the study quickly, bowed and said, "Master, this is the letter sent by Master Yan from Nanjing."

After hearing this, Han Huang took the letter from the servant, read it, and said to Han Hui, "Your uncle has now taken over the position of the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue."

Ever since Shen Fang, the former Governor-General of Liangjiang and later Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was implicated in the Hao family's treason case and was implicated, the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue has remained vacant temporarily.

After Jia Heng ascended the throne, he instructed the Ministry of Personnel to reward Yan Hong, the chief academic officer of the Imperial College in Nanjing, with the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue in Nanjing, which could be considered a reward in a way.

Han Hui asked, "Is this a favor from the Emperor Wei...?"

Han Huang nodded and said, "Yes, he will be promoted to the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue first, and then seek to be transferred to a frontier official in the future. Whether he can go far in the future depends on his luck."

Han Hui said, "Father, I think that Chen Han has been established for a hundred years and the people of the world have benefited greatly from it. Is your position now... still safe?"

Under Han Huang's two white eyebrows, a sharp light flashed in his old eyes, and he said: "Follow the will of heaven and the people, and be as steady as Mount Tai."

Although he ascended the throne by abdication and seized the inheritance of other people's widows and orphans, the country is now peaceful and the people are benefiting from the new policies.

Han Hui said: "But father, the emperor seems to be interested in continuing to reform the government."

Han Huang said: "It's hard to say. The emperor is good at planning and will not act rashly. Besides, the new policy is now sweeping the world, which is already a huge change. Although there are some voices of opposition, it has not caused too much trouble."

Han Hui nodded, looking thoughtful.

……

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