Dream of the Red Chamber: I can upgrade my entries!

Chapter 10 The Demon's Poisonous Scheme: Who is scheming against whom?

“In the past, Jia Jing and Jia She, one a scholar and the other a warrior, assisted the Crown Prince.”

"Even if the eighth, ninth, tenth, and fourteenth princes joined forces, they still couldn't gain the slightest advantage over them."

"Even with my aggressive stance, the Jia family never considered standing up to support either side."

"Today, Jia Jing has taken the initiative to submit a petition to serve the country; there must be something fishy about it."

Emperor Yongping stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes constantly shifting.

The Jia family was the leader of the founding lineage. He had always wanted the Jia family's support in order to gain their loyalty and counter the power cultivated by the retired emperor in the court. Unfortunately, no one in the Jia family responded, and some even chose to degenerate rather than stand in the court.

The Jia family's Black Cloud Army, along with the Embroidered Uniform Army, the Blood Droplets, and the Hidden Dragon Guard, are among the few secret service organizations in the world. He was not surprised that they were able to obtain news from the northern frontier so quickly. What he cared about was what the Jia family wanted.

"His Majesty."

Wu Sidao closed the memorial, a sliver of color returning to his pale face, and said, "Whatever the Jia family intends to do, they will never remain submissive as before."

"The most important thing right now is not the Jia family, but Datong. The fact that the Emperor Emeritus handed this memorial to His Majesty undoubtedly tells us one thing."

"It is impossible for the Twelfth Battalion to go to Datong. The only troops available in the capital are the Beijing Garrison."

"What suggestions do you have, sir?"

Emperor Yongping was well aware of the urgency of the situation and looked directly at Wu Sidao.

“The Shanxi Town and Xuanfu Town, which are closest to Datong, can send some soldiers to Datong, which can relieve the immediate crisis.”

"In order to completely pacify the northern frontier, we must raise troops from the capital and send a capable general to lead troops to aid Datong."

"Without the emergence of Yuan Congxun and other nobles, the only generals available in the court are from the founding generation, such as Niu Jizong, Liu Fang, and Hou Xiaokang, who are all veteran generals who have been on the battlefield for a long time."

"However, before that, the founding line must be weeded out. Those useless fellows will only be corpses if sent to the battlefield."

"Your Majesty could take advantage of the Jia family's memorial to issue an edict ordering the nobles and officials in the capital to relieve the country's worries."

“Yun Xun Gui was to raise his own grain and salary, recruit soldiers to guard the border, or pay 100,000 taels of silver to support the front line. Those who did not comply were stripped of their titles and demoted to commoners.”

Sitting upright in his wheelchair, Wu Sidao revealed a sinister expression and offered his suggestion.

"Great!"

Emperor Yongping's eyes lit up after hearing these words.

For a long time, the military power of the dynasty has been in the hands of the retired emperor. Apart from the twelve battalions stationed in the capital, all the border garrisons and local guard posts were appointed by the Ministry of War. Zhou Peigong, the Minister of War and Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall, was a key minister promoted by the retired emperor.

The founding lineage was always sidelined, with many of its members frustrated and unable to achieve their goals. Most of them were simply hopeless, which was a source of great distress for him.

By using the Jia family's memorial to the throne to purge the nobles, not only was the dynasty's predicament of having no soldiers to use resolved, but also, through the process of weeding out the bad, those who remained were all capable. As long as the founding line made military achievements, Emperor Yongping would personally issue an edict to reward them. Naturally, the former nobles would not be happy about this, and the founding line would lean towards him.

As for whether the founding lineage would willingly go to Datong to fight, there is no doubt about it, because the Jia family is the leader of the founding lineage. The Jia family took the initiative to request to defend the country's borders, and others could not refuse even if they wanted to, as they could not disobey the imperial decree.

"His Majesty."

"Since the Jia family has such a patriotic heart, why not go with the flow and issue an imperial edict to bestow upon the Jia family members the rank of Tiger-like Colonel, a sixth-rank official?"

"All those who follow the example of nobles will be granted the rank of sixth-grade colonel, commanding no more than a thousand soldiers."

Wu Sidao stroked his long beard and added.

"Sir, your plan is brilliant."

Emperor Yongxi immediately realized what was happening and loudly issued an edict: "Guards, draft the decree."

"Niu Jizong, the first-class earl of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, is appointed as the General of the Northern Expedition, responsible for leading troops to aid Datong. Liu Fang, the first-class viscount of the Duke of Liguo's mansion, is appointed as the vanguard general, and Hou Xiaokang, the first-class viscount of the Duke of Xiuguo's mansion, is appointed as the rearguard general, to accompany them." "The Jia family members are granted the title of Tiger-like Colonel of the sixth rank, and are given the right to wage war independently."

"."

"Yes."

The eunuch in charge of the Qianqing Palace, Su Peisheng, personally went down to deliver the imperial edict, which was to be sent to all the noble residences in the capital at the same time. This was no small matter.

"Your Majesty is holy."

Upon hearing this, Wu Sidao understood. Emperor Yongping had not given up on testing the Jia family and granted them the right to wage war on their own, which was quite unusual.

Daming Palace, Hanyuan Hall.

The heavy curtains blocked out the sunlight, making it somewhat dark. A figure sat leaning against the imperial couch and said indifferently, "This is not the work of the fourth prince."

‘Click! ’

Dai Quan, sitting below, immediately knelt down and said in alarm, "Your Majesty, the Blood Droplets have been protecting him all along, making it difficult for the Hidden Dragon Guard to make a move."

"is it?"

A chilling glint appeared in Emperor Shunkang's cloudy old eyes as he said coldly, "I never expected that the fourth prince would value this sorcerer so much."

"His service in supporting the emperor is indeed the greatest achievement in the world. Without his planning behind the scenes, how could the capital have been stained with blood that night?"

"To conquer the world, one must rely on force; to govern the world, one must rely on the grand principles; intrigue and trickery are always inferior methods."

"He still doesn't understand why I haven't handed over the reins of government to him yet."

Dai Quan, the chief eunuch of Daming Palace, didn't even dare to breathe loudly, wishing he could disappear into the ground. How could he possibly listen to such words?

“A mere 300,000 Mongol Tartars are nothing more than a minor ailment; this should have been a good opportunity for him to secure his throne.”

"I never expected him to hand over this opportunity to someone else, and even wanted to use it to subdue the founding lineage. How foolish."

"He thought he was plotting against the Jia family, but little did he know that everything he did was already part of someone else's scheme."

"Jia Jing must have planned this all along, so that his youngest son could stand out in this battle and take up the banner of the founding lineage again. But the fourth son was so stupid that he didn't realize it and paved the way for others."

Emperor Shunkang sat up from his imperial bed, his wrinkled old face filled with a look of disappointment and frustration.

If it weren't for that night when the Crown Prince's faction and the Eighth Prince's faction were wiped out, leaving only Emperor Yongping, Prince Zhongshun, and Prince Yizhong among the princes, why would he have chosen Emperor Yongping? Did he really think that no one knew about Wu Sidao's existence?

"The Great Emperor."

Dai Quan sensed something amiss in Emperor Shunkang's words and boldly raised his head to ask a question.

"Jia Jing wouldn't do anything to threaten the Great Qian Dynasty."

"It's just a contest between some children and grandchildren. The fourth son is not as skilled as the others, so it's not like I have to clean up his mess."

"The Jia family has been quiet for so many years, it's time for them to resurface. It's not good for Yuan Congxun's family to be so powerful."

"I want to see just how good this prodigy hidden by the Jia family really is."

With a wave of his hand, Emperor Shunkang didn't take the Jia family's schemes to heart at all. Back then, he, Jia Daihua, and Jia Daishan were like brothers, having grown up together since childhood, just like the former Crown Prince and Jia Jing and Jia She. To him, the Jia family was more trustworthy than any noble or imperial relative.

"Yes."

Dai Quan kept his head down.

(End of this chapter)