Red Mansion: After being expelled from the family, I was granted the title of Marquis of Mobei

Chapter 36: Emperor Yongping's Arrangement, the Troubles of Quling Houfu

Jia Jue said with a chuckle.

"They are just some old members of the army moving back and forth."

"How can you compare to His Majesty, who is so busy with all sorts of affairs?"

Emperor Yongping said leisurely after drinking a mouthful of porridge.

"I really want to take care of everything, but unfortunately, I can't do it in two places."

"Even the current government affairs are making people anxious and overwhelmed."

"Let's not talk about this anymore. How about the Wang family thing you mentioned last time?"

Jia Jue showed a confident smile on his face, with a look of certainty.

"Your Majesty, rest assured. Everything is going smoothly. The results will be revealed at the Grand Court Meeting on the 9th day of the first lunar month."

Emperor Yongping nodded slightly and said.

"The grand court meeting on the ninth day of the first lunar month will surely be very lively."

"This time you went south to Jiangnan on business, and became a thorn in the side of some people."

"They are now trying every possible means to bring you down."

"But don't worry, I asked you to do this, and I will never push you out."

"If everything goes smoothly, it will be fine. But if something unexpected happens, I will never let you bear such great pressure."

"I also want to see, this time, what monsters will come out."

Emperor Yongping's words were indeed sincere and heartfelt.

Any promotion of reform will inevitably harm the interests of some people.

If Emperor Yongping had abandoned Jia Jue, a person who could get things done, because of the opinions in the court, the reform would have inevitably died in the womb.

Ultimately, no matter how good a reform strategy is, it still needs people to implement it.

If Emperor Yongping compromised once, it would not only fail to appease the conservatives, but on the contrary, it would further encourage their arrogance.

At the same time, doing so would also hurt the feelings of people like Jia Jue who get things done.

Even if other officials know that the new policy reforms are good things, they will not step forward to implement the new policies.

After all, no one wants to charge into battle and then not be rewarded with a promotion, but be sent to Fengbo Pavilion after twelve golden medals.

Just for this little salary of yours, why would I risk my life for you?

Emperor Yongping, as an emperor with great skills and strategy, would not do such a self-destructive thing.

After hearing this, Jia Jue bowed and said.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your sincere love and care."

Emperor Yongping waved his hand and said.

"As long as they are sincere in their work and loyal to their master, I will never let my left and right arms bleed and cry."

"Okay, let's get back to the topic. The reason I summoned you into the palace today is because there is something I need you to do."

Jia Jue nodded and said.

"Your Majesty, please give me your instructions."

Emperor Yongping didn't say much and simply told Jia Jue about Jia Yuanchun's affairs.

Jia Jue said with some embarrassment after hearing this.

"Your Majesty, this is a palace matter. I'm afraid I can't do anything about it."

Emperor Yongping looked at Jia Jue meaningfully and said.

"No, I believe you will find a way, right?"

Jia Jue said helplessly.

"Your Majesty, I will be getting married soon."

"If something happens at this checkpoint, how will the people of Shendu view me?"

Emperor Yongping said with a calm smile.

"Okay, if someone else said this, I would believe it."

"Why are you trying to do this to me, kid? You're even talking about reputation."

"Why didn't you mention reputation when you were trying to snatch a bride in the street?"

"Don't worry, you won't be blamed for nothing. After the matter is accomplished, I will grant you two imperial manors."

Jia Jue sighed and said.

"It is my duty to share your majesty's worries, not a matter of whether it is an imperial estate or not."

"It's just that this matter is really, really..."

"Five imperial estates."

Emperor Yongping looked at Jia Jue with a relaxed expression.

Jia Jue then spoke in a righteous manner.

"Your Majesty, rest assured. I will serve you even if it means death."

Emperor Yongping looked at Jia Jue, whose eyes were determined as if he wanted to join the party, and he couldn't help but smile.

"I knew you were going to reach out from the coffin and ask for money."

"Alright, I'll have Xia Shouzhong go to the Shaofu later, and I'll also give you the income from the five imperial farms last year."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the reward."

After discussing the serious matters, Jia Jue and Emperor Yongping began to eat their meal leisurely.

In the evening, outside the Daming Palace, Dai Quan, a eunuch of the Daming Palace, was heading towards the Daming Palace.

The Rongguo Mansion was still very efficient. After the two mansions in the east and west reached an agreement, they quickly took out 80,000 taels of silver and handed it to Dai Quan.

This time Jia Zhen learned his lesson and counted the amount of banknotes several times in succession, fearing that something might go wrong again.

After being appeased, Dai Quan accepted another 80,000 taels of silver. He was very righteous and took the money to do the job. He began to flatter the emperor.

Inside the Daming Palace, the retired emperor with white hair and beard was enjoying singing and dancing.

Since being ousted from power, the retired emperor has been letting himself go, indulging in sensual pleasures and not wanting to leave.

Dai Quan walked in from outside the hall, bowed respectfully and said.

"His Majesty."

The emperor smiled and said after seeing Dai Quan.

"Where did you go this afternoon, old man?"

Dai Quan said with a smile.

"Your Majesty, I have left the palace to do something and was just about to report to Your Majesty."

After hearing this, the emperor waved his hand, and then the dancers all went out.

Only the retired emperor and Dai Quan were left in the hall.

The emperor looked at Dai Quan and said calmly.

"Could it be that those people are still trying to instigate me to restore the throne?"

Dai Quan waved his hands repeatedly and said.

"No, no, after what I said last time, they now understand your majesty's intentions."

The emperor nodded slightly and said.

"You have followed me for most of your life. You must know clearly what you can and cannot do."

Dai Quan said with a slight smile.

"I am just an old dog beside your Majesty. I will do whatever your Majesty tells me to do."

"Today I left the palace. Someone from Rongguo Mansion came to see me. They said they wanted Jia Yuanchun, the eldest daughter of Jia Zheng of Rongguo Mansion, to be officially accepted into the harem."

The emperor said thoughtfully after hearing this.

"It seems that after being fooled by the Champion Marquis, they are really a little scared." Dai Quan nodded and said.

"Back then, the Jia family was also a family of two dukes, the highest nobility of our Great Zhou."

"Now that it has declined to this extent, how can they not be afraid?"

"Ever since the passing of Young Duke Rong, the Jia family's descendants have been getting worse and worse, with no one to carry on the family legacy."

"If this continues, the Rongguo Mansion will be ruined."

The retired emperor said with great emotion.

"During my reign, the Xiongnu invaded year after year, and the imperial court could only do its best to resist."

"That rebellious son took the throne for only three years before he put down the Xiongnu rebellion."

"Champion Marquis, Champion Marquis."

"Alas, Daishan, why did you leave so early?"

Dai Quan on the side sighed and said.

"The untimely passing of Duke Rong is truly a cause for regret, but it happened many years ago. Your Majesty, please stop being sentimental and take care of your health."

The retired emperor said with some sigh.

"I just sighed. If Daishan were still alive, with such a big limelight, how could that rebellious son have the turn to stand out? I certainly wouldn't have let that rebellious son control the imperial guards so easily."

"That's all, let's not talk about this anymore."

"Sooner or later, the Great Zhou will be ruled by that rebellious son."

"Although he committed such a heinous act, he is more resolute than I imagined. These people in Rongguo Mansion have long been a thorn in his side."

"With the Huns pacified, his dominance has been secured."

"Plus, he has a trusted general like Guanjun Hou under his command who is willing to work hard for him."

"The Jiangnan Salt Administration case has far-reaching implications. The salt merchants and officials are all intertwined, and there are also a large number of officials in the court who are involved."

"But that rebellious son and the Marquis of Guanjun were so courageous that they swept through Jiangnan with an iron fist. Over twenty salt merchants, hundreds of officials, and tens of thousands of people were implicated. The Marquis of Guanjun dealt with them all with a single move. Why can't I get such a loyal minister?"

The words of the retired emperor truly came from the heart.

He was not a foolish ruler, and he was able to see the shortcomings of the government.

However, the retired emperor had relied on the faction of founding fathers to seize the throne, so naturally he had to rely on them.

Expecting these vested interests to revolutionize themselves is nothing but a fairy tale and a foolish dream.

Dai Quan, who was standing by, looked at the reaction of the retired emperor and didn't know what to say, so he could only speak tentatively.

"Your Majesty, how do you think we should deal with this matter at Rongguo Mansion?"

The emperor sighed and said.

"The Rongguo Mansion is in a state of decline and decay."

"It's fine if I'm alive now, but once I become the emperor's guest, I'm afraid that rebellious son will take action."

"Although the Rongguo Mansion is now useless, I should leave them a chance to survive for Daishan's sake."

"Well, prepare a draft decree to take Jia Yuanchun from the Rong Mansion into the harem of that rebellious son. This is a gift from the elders, and I dare not refuse it. It will be enough to make that rebellious son feel uncomfortable for a while."

"The slaves obey."

Dai Quan didn't think much about the retired emperor's feelings. He only knew that this matter was successful and he had earned the 80,000 taels of silver.

Although the process was a bit bumpy, the result was always good.

However, Dai Quan also knew that the longer the night, the more trouble he would have. If Emperor Yongping knew what he and his men were planning, it would definitely cause more trouble, so Dai Quan decided to make a quick decision.

There was no letter that night, so the next morning, Dai Quan sent two groups of people to leave Daming Palace early to order the Secretariat to draft an edict in the name of the emperor.

The other route went straight to Rongguo Mansion.

The purpose of Dai Quan sending people over was very simple, which was to inform Rongguo Mansion and let the people in Rongguo Mansion know that he was paid to do things.

As soon as the people from Daming Palace set out, Xia Shouzhong sent people to follow and keep a close eye on them.

After the eunuch from the Daming Palace arrived at the Secretariat, he was told that the Secretariat officials responsible for drafting the imperial edict had not yet arrived at the government office, and asked him to wait for a moment.

Although the eunuchs of Daming Palace were a little confused, they still went aside and waited.

After all, times have changed, and changing one's head is like changing one's knife.

If it were the time when the retired emperor was in power, the eunuchs in the Daming Palace would naturally walk with their heads held high, and would be dissatisfied with everyone they saw.

Now the retired emperor is in his twilight years and Emperor Yongping is in charge.

Therefore, except for old fellows like Dai Quan who have not much time left, all the other eunuchs in Daming Palace are naturally afraid and have learned to behave themselves.

In the morning, in the mansion of Marquis Quling, Marquis Quling Cheng Shi and his wife Xiao Yuanyi were looking worried, without any festive mood of the New Year.

Xiao Yuanyi looked at Cheng Shi helplessly and said.

"What are you thinking? Are you really planning to continue interfering in your uncle's affairs?"

Cheng Shi sighed.

"Ma'am, I know this is a difficult matter, but I can't bear to just stand by and watch."

"You know, my father died young, and it was my mother who raised my brothers and me all by herself."

"My uncle is the only relative on my mother's side of the family. If anything happens to my uncle, how will my mother bear it?"

Xiao Yuanyi said angrily.

"My uncle is involved in an arms case. You come from a military background, so you must understand the stakes involved."

"And my uncle was captured by the Jinyiwei. You've looked for Brother Wan before. Didn't you see how he was avoiding me?"

"Plus, the person in charge of this case is your Majesty's adopted son, General Ling Buyi. He has already made great military achievements and is second only to the Marquis of Guanjun among the young generals in the army. Your Majesty has great trust in him."

"How can we protect our uncle?"

After hesitating for a long time, Cheng Shi looked at Xiao Yuanyi and said.

"Madam, I know. I understand everything you said. Do you think we should ask the Marquis of Guanjun for help? If he is willing to intervene, this matter might turn around."

"After all, the Marquis is in the Emperor's favor, and His Majesty has great trust in him."

"Besides, my uncle is just a warehouse keeper, a minor figure in the arms case. If we can save my uncle, it will also fulfill my mother's wish."

Xiao Yuanyi said after hesitating for a moment.

"You are not one of the Marquis's trusted generals. You are merely serving in his tent during the Battle of Mobei."

"We have such a small bond with the Marquis, are you going to use it just like that?"

"Besides, it's still unclear whether the Marquis is willing to take care of this matter."

Cheng Shi also understood that Xiao Yuanyi had been dissatisfied with his uncle for a long time.

For so many years, Cheng Shi's uncle has been surviving by sucking blood from the Cheng family.

That’s not all. Xiao Yuanyi was married for the second time and married Cheng Shi.

For this reason, Cheng Shi's uncle and mother both disliked Xiao Yuanyi and often made things difficult for Xiao Yuanyi both openly and covertly.

Now Cheng Shi was going to use the little affection that the couple had accumulated over more than ten years of guarding the border to save such a thing. It would be strange if Xiao Yuanyi didn't feel uncomfortable.

Although Cheng Shi knew all of this clearly, between his wife's feelings and his mother's feelings, he ultimately chose the latter.

Cheng Shi looked at Xiao Yuanyi and said.

"Madam, I really can't bear to see my uncle end up like this. Mother can't bear it. Please understand me."

Seeing that Cheng Shi had made up his mind, Xiao Yuanyi's face darkened and he turned around and went back to his room without saying a word.

Cheng Shi didn't care about these things and immediately ordered people to prepare visiting cards and gifts, planning to go to the Marquis of Guanjun's Mansion to ask for help tomorrow.

In the Daming Palace, Dai Quan was furious. He had sent a young eunuch to the Secretariat to draft an edict in the morning, but it was already noon and he hadn't returned yet.

Dai Quan ordered his men to prepare a sedan chair, and then he stormed off to the Secretariat.

After going to the Secretariat to inquire, Dai Quan was so angry that his face turned green when he found the young eunuch.

At this time, the young eunuch was sleeping soundly on the desk.

　Brothers, thank you all for your continued support and companionship. I can't repay you all. I, the author of "Push Street", would like to kowtow to all the fathers here. I wish you all good work, good health and more money in the new year.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)