The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 84 Remembering the Past

At Shou Kang Palace, the retired emperor personally met with Jia Zhen.

Looking at the apprehensive young face, the retired emperor sighed inwardly.

The Jia family is indeed loyal.

Therefore, just like his father had done back then, he selected the most capable Jia Jing from the Jia family for the crown prince at a young age.

They imagined that they would be able to get along well as ruler and subject in the future.

Perhaps it's because he's getting old, or perhaps he's feeling a bit regretful, but last night he dreamed again of the once dashing and spirited prince.

How happy and proud he was to see the Crown Prince at that time!

The fatigue of the day would always dissipate because of the Crown Prince. When he was sick, the first thing he would see when he opened his eyes was the Crown Prince. When he was recuperating, the Crown Prince would always accompany him to his palace with endless government affairs to handle. Just like the current emperor's son, he would deal with the simple matters for him first, and then ask him for advice on the difficult or uncertain ones.

He never worried that the Crown Prince would be unable to fulfill his duties after his passing.

At that time, Jia Jing was always by the Crown Prince's side.

It's as if he always has two Jias by his side.

But they are all gone.

After the Crown Prince died, he also neglected the two Jias. In that year, the two of them fell ill due to accumulated worries, which caused their old injuries to flare up and they passed away one after the other.

How many people died that year!

The Emperor Emeritus closed his eyes briefly and said gently, "Please take a seat!"

"...Thank you, Your Majesty!"

When Jia Zhen realized that they were really going to have a casual chat, she felt very flustered.

He didn't know what to talk about.

There's nothing particularly outstanding about my family.

"Now that you're the head of the Jia family, are you sure you can handle the family affairs well?"

The retired emperor actually knew that the Jia family was ruining this child.

He once told the Crown Prince that the Ningguo family had been surrounded by their close associates for three generations, and that they should be careful in the fourth generation.

However, the Crown Prince said that among the four princes and eight families, the Jia family knew best how to advance and retreat, and would never do anything to embarrass the royal family.

Sure enough, this child, like Dai Ru's eldest son, was neither good at literature nor martial arts.

"It's barely... barely acceptable."

Jia Zhen was so frightened that sweat beaded on his forehead.

He was an incompetent clan chief; "If I don't understand something, I will ask my mother."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Jia Zhen knelt down again, "Your Majesty, I thank you for granting my mother such dignity!" He was truly grateful to the Emperor Emeritus for this, so when he kowtowed, he did so sincerely, making several loud thuds, "I only hope that Your Majesty will live to be a hundred years old..."

Upon hearing the news of the emperor's centenary, Jia Zhen broke out in a cold sweat again, exclaiming, "I only hope that the Emperor Emeritus lives ten thousand years!"

"sit down!"

The retired emperor was tired of hearing "Long live the emperor" repeatedly. Since most emperors in history had short lifespans, he only hoped that he could live to be a hundred years old. "I have known your grandfather and uncle since childhood. We have drunk wine together, ridden horses together, and... encountered danger together."

They were older than him and had been protecting him.

After his three older brothers either died in battle or were poisoned, he, the emperor's only son, was protected by the Jia family for two generations.

The Duke of Ningguo and the Duke of Rongguo, one in charge of internal affairs and the other in charge of external affairs, along with their sons, truly protected him like an iron barrel.

The retired emperor sighed, "Your Majesty's words of 'Long live the Emperor' are just for show; living to be a hundred is much better."

This child is an honest person.

“Back then, your eldest uncle died of an illness before he was even ten years old. Your grandfather cried a lot in front of me.”

The pain of losing his son was something that man likely never found peace of mind until his death.

Therefore, his crown prince was gone, but Jia Jing was still alive.

"Now that you have a younger sister, have you informed your grandfather?"

"Yes, Your Majesty! Your son reported the good news to our ancestors in the ancestral hall on my behalf."

Jia Zhen's eyes were a little red.

Although he had thought the retired emperor might chat with him about everyday matters, he never expected him to say these things.

"That day, I was assassinated and my life hung in the balance. My mother was also struggling to survive in the delivery room. Fortunately, Her Majesty the Empress sent a female physician who saved my mother and sister's lives." As he spoke, Jia Zhen kowtowed again. "My entire family is deeply grateful!"

"...The Empress is indeed very good."

The retired emperor never expected that the daughter-in-law he had casually chosen for his son would be the best among all his daughters-in-law.

She was able to remember his former officials, which suggests that the prince must have spoken highly of her in front of him.

At this moment, the retired emperor was unusually satisfied with his emperor son and daughter-in-law who were accompanying him in the palace. "Speaking of assassination, has the assassin been found?" He had remembered it before, but had forgotten it due to other matters. Now that it was brought up, he naturally wanted to ask.

"...Not yet, we only know that it is related to the remnants of the previous dynasty."

Those who need to complain still need to complain.

This was something his grandfather taught him when he was still alive.

The old man was afraid that he and his father might not know their own strength and accidentally kill him.

Jia Zhen pleaded pitifully, "Your Majesty, they attacked at that time because they wanted to wipe out my entire family!"

His son is still young.

"I went to the Ministry of Justice the other day to urge them on, but the officials there were still very hostile towards me, saying that they were doing their best to investigate. However, my friend in the Five Cities Garrison said that this case is probably going to be dropped. They don't seem to care about it as much as they did at the beginning, and now it's somewhere between investigating it and not investigating it."

Jia Zhen couldn't swallow this insult.

He almost died.

So, after seeing the Emperor Emeritus's kind face, he couldn't help but complain again.

"Is there such a thing?"

The retired emperor frowned as expected. "Someone, go to the Ministry of Justice and ask that old official what happened."

"……Yes!"

The young eunuch attending Jia Zhen glanced at him and quickly left.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for upholding justice for your subject."

As he spoke, Jia Zhen kowtowed again.

The retired emperor waved his hand, "Your son's name is Rong-ge'er?"

"Yes!"

Speaking of his son, Jia Zhen smiled and said, "He is more promising than me. He has already read Mencius and said that he will pass the imperial examination and come to kowtow to you many times so that he can go back to the ancestral hall to report the good news to our ancestors."

The Emperor Emeritus: "..."

He paused for a moment, then, recalling the age of Jia Rong reported by his secret guards, he smiled slowly. "Then I'll wait for him to pass the imperial examination and come to kowtow to me, to report the good news to his ancestors."

Judging from his appearance, he still has a long life ahead of him.

The Emperor Emeritus was quite satisfied, feeling that although Jia Zhen was a good-for-nothing, he was quite sweet-talking. "By the way, since he's more successful than you, you, as his father, can't just beat him all the time, can you?"

The Duke of Ningguo beat his son as if he were a thief.

The Emperor Emeritus witnessed firsthand how badly the Duke of Ningguo beat Jia Daihua. It was a beating every three days, a small one every five days, a big one, which terrified him.

Later, Jia Daihua did the same thing to Jia Jing, and once even frightened the crown prince.

The crown prince ran up to him and said, 'Father, you are so kind.'

Those were truly wonderful times!
"...Your Majesty..." Jia Zhen hesitated for a moment, "He has his grandmother protecting him, so I've never been able to really beat him."

He hasn't hit his son in a long time.

Jia Zhen was slightly disappointed.

That brat got beaten up so much less than him!

"Hahaha~"

The Emperor Emeritus understood the expression on his face and couldn't help but burst into laughter. "I still remember when you were a child, you fell down from climbing a tree in the palace. Your grandfather was annoyed that you couldn't even climb a tree properly, so he whipped you and chased you back up into the tree."

The poor child was not only beaten by his grandfather, but also frequently beaten by Jia Jing.

"It was your grandmother who came over, wiping away tears, and brought you home."

"Your Majesty, I was only six years old at that time."

Jia Zhen couldn't help but smile when he recalled those days. It's a pity his grandmother passed away so young.

Otherwise, he would have not only his mother to protect him, but also his grandmother.

However, since his grandmother passed away, his grandfather has stopped hitting him as much.

If he could turn back time, he really wished his grandfather could still beat him, and his grandmother could still jump out to protect him every time.

Dai Quan, who had just returned from Consort Zhen's palace, heard the Emperor Emeritus laughing heartily from afar. His brows furrowed slightly, and he quickened his pace.

At this moment, the emperor unusually showed concern for the empress.

The salt fields that Shen had Lin Ruhai experiment with were so successful that the secret guards in Jiangnan had already sent word back, and it would be really inappropriate not to grant them a favor.

But the emperor clearly wanted to suppress it, and he, as the emperor, couldn't give it even if he wanted to.

All I can give is a promise that seems very weighty.

Although the emperor believed that Lady Shen was a smart person and that her requests would not be too outrageous, he was still feeling guilty because he had nothing of value.

"emperor!"

Eunuch Liu came over beaming, "Little Sanzi just came to report that Madam Shen is requesting Her Majesty the Empress to release Lady Jia Yuanchun to return home."

oh?
The emperor slammed his hand on the table, delighted.

"I don't know what they said, but now the Empress wants to act as matchmaker for the Marquis of Xinping."

Xinpinghou?
The emperor thought for a moment, then slowly nodded, "Indeed a good match!"

The Emperor is also worried about this matter.

He stood up abruptly. "Let's go, prepare the carriage for Shou Kang Palace."

It would be best if the Emperor issued a decree to grant the marriage.

Otherwise, things could get complicated and Consort Zhen might ruin everything.

The Emperor had suffered too many losses at the hands of Consort Zhen, and now he was determined to do whatever he decided, as long as he was even slightly confident, and absolutely could not delay.

In Kunning Palace, Shen Ning inquired about the health of Marquis Cheng Luo of Xinping from the Empress.

Once it was confirmed that he was physically fit, though slightly frail due to the family tragedy, and had no concubines, making it impossible for him to go to the battlefield in the future, he agreed on the spot.

They were afraid that if they were too slow, Yuan Chun would be mistreated by Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang when she returned home.

One was her grandmother, and the other her biological mother; they had more say in Yuan Chun's marriage than she did.

If Lady Wang were to make a foolish mistake and try to win over someone for the Wang family, such as betrothing Yuan Chun to a military officer, then everything would be over.

"The lady seems quite satisfied with this son-in-law."

The matchmaker's success pleased the woman, and the Empress was delighted. "I'll talk to the Emperor about it and see if he can issue an imperial decree to grant the marriage."

"That would be even better."

Shen Ning expressed her gratitude, saying, "I'll leave everything to Your Majesty the Empress."

"Haha, what trouble? Their marriage is settled, and our two families are now related by marriage."

The Emperor was quite saddened by Princess Baofeng's situation.

That was his older sister who used to take care of him.

Because of the Emperor, the Empress naturally paid more attention to Cheng Luo's affairs. "Now, Cheng Luo only has one half-brother in the Cheng family."

Another girl, about the same age as Cheng Luo, was also taken away by Princess Baofeng.

In the Empress's opinion, Princess Baofeng was too kind-hearted. Since she had already done it, she should have taken the old woman from the Cheng family and her favorite grandson with her.

The life of a princess was taken away by only two people.

This forced Cheng Luo to respect that old woman out of filial piety.

"The Cheng family doesn't have many members in the main branch," the Empress said. "When the incident happened, the Emperor was furious and originally intended to divide the family property among them, but unfortunately, some things happened in the end, and the division didn't happen."

The old woman followed the lead of the Princess Consort of Nan'an, who then approached Princess Consort Zhen, who in turn spoke ill of her to the Emperor Emeritus. The word "filial piety" effectively suppressed all of them.

"Wait until Cheng Luo gets married..."

"For my daughter's safety, I will keep an eye on things and try my best to get them to separate."

Shen Ning smiled broadly.

Even if there's no opportunity, you can create one.

Although she had no experience in domestic power struggles, she had certainly watched quite a few palace dramas.

Yuan Chun has managed to survive in the palace until now; perhaps if you just mention it a little, she'll know what to do.

"Madam, please have some tea!"

The Empress liked people like Madam Shen who were intelligent and had principles.

They even found out just now whether Cheng Luo has any other hidden illnesses.

Clearly, if things go wrong, she might turn against them.

The Empress admired him greatly.

It's truly remarkable that someone would give up such a heavy promise for a distant niece.

"This is a new pre-Qingming tea from this year. If you like it, take a few cans with you when you get back."

"In that case, I shall respectfully comply."

Shen Ning and the Empress exchanged a smile.

Unbeknownst to the two, because they had been talking for so long, a palace maid had already informed them.

Consort Zhen had already read the letter from Wang, which had been sent to the palace with a large sum of money.

Yuan Chun didn't really care whether she could get close to the Emperor.

After all, she is far inferior to her.

The Emperor's favorite was the Empress. Yuan Chun wanted to follow in her footsteps and become a favored concubine... but it was simply impossible.

The Jia family is declining, and its descendants are unworthy; they are no match for the Zhen family.

However, even though the Jia family was in decline, they still had some connections in the military.

Consort Zhen waited patiently, eager to see all of Yuan Chun's and the Jia family's secrets.

Only by seeing things clearly can you grasp them.

Although the retired emperor is still in good health, the current emperor has gradually gained a firm foothold in the court, making it very difficult to bring him down again.

Consort Zhen had an immature idea, but this idea desperately needed Yuan Chun's cooperation.

She could only wait until she encountered setbacks everywhere in the palace before making a decision.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor has come to see the Retired Emperor again."

A palace maid entered and reported in a low voice.

Do you know what it is?

"I don't know, but His Majesty looks very happy, as if something has made him happy."

"...Then let's go and find out."

Consort Zhen suddenly remembered something, "By the way, has Jia Zhen left yet?"

"not yet."

The palace servant shook his head. "I heard that because of him, the Emperor Emeritus has laughed several times."

what?
Consort Zhen stood up abruptly, "Why didn't you report this sooner?"

As her husband, she knew that the Emperor Emeritus, as he grew older, increasingly enjoyed reminiscing about the past.

The mutual protection between the two generations of the Jia family was always remembered by the retired emperor.

If it weren't for the Crown Prince incident, her son would have to be mindful of Jia Jing's feelings.

"Go and have a look."

In a way, the Zhen family and the Jia family are related by some means.

One of her sisters-in-law was a member of the Shi family.

Although he died young, if you really wanted to climb it, you could still reach it.

When Consort Zhen and her entourage hurried off, little did they know that the Emperor was already smiling broadly as he discussed the marriage between Cheng Luo and Yuan Chun with the Retired Emperor.