Dream of the Red Chamber: From a Border Ruffian to a Capital Tyrant

Once the commotion inside the Golden Palace had subsided somewhat, Xia Shouzhong mustered all his strength and roared out the final climax:

"Although we killed over ten thousand enemy soldiers in this battle, our army also suffered heavy casualties!"

"Despite his injuries, Deputy General Jia volunteered to lead eight hundred exhausted soldiers to carry out the decapitation strike!"

"At dawn on September 24th, Jia Lang led eight hundred fierce warriors in a surprise attack on the Xiongnu royal tent!"

"To take the general's head amidst a sea of ​​soldiers!"

"Successfully killed the Xiongnu Left Wise King and more than ten tribal leaders!"

"Wherever they went, corpses littered the fields, and rivers of blood flowed!"

"The Xiongnu Chanyu was terrified and looked north in panic! His army of 100,000 collapsed without a fight!"

"This battle!"

"Complete victory! A resounding triumph!!"

Xia Shouzhong's shrill voice echoed throughout the hall, each word like a heavy hammer blow, striking the hearts of the officials.

After the reading was finished, the entire room fell silent.

Everyone was stunned by the bloodshed and glory in the victory report, as if they could see a god of war rising on the border.

"What's wrong?"

"Your Excellencies seem rather displeased with the great victory at Yanmen Pass?"

Seeing everyone dumbfounded, Emperor Qianyuan deliberately put on a stern face, but his tone was full of mockery.

This one sentence instantly ignited a powder keg!

"We won! We won!"

"May Heaven bless the Great Qian! May Heaven bless the Great Qian!"

The military officers were so excited that they danced with joy, their faces flushed, and some even burst into tears on the spot.

For these pure soldiers, this victory was incredibly inspiring!

That was so satisfying!

On the other hand, the civil officials, though smiling, each harbored their own calculations deep in their eyes.

But who would dare to offend Emperor Qian Yuan?

They were all smiling more brightly than flowers, their mouths full of words praising the saint's virtues.

At this moment, a burly military general strode forward and asked in a booming voice:

"Your Majesty! Just who is this Jia Lang? How could he be so incredibly brave?!"

"Judging from this surname, could it be... a member of the Ning and Rong families?"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianyuan was greatly pleased. His gaze swept over the military general like lightning, and he nodded with a smile.

"My dear minister, you have a discerning eye! This man is none other than the grandson of Jia Gong, the First-Class Divine Might General of the Ningguo Mansion, a descendant of the two Dukes of Ning and Rong!"

Whoosh—!

The imperial court erupted in chaos once again!

The military group instantly erupted in excitement:

"Excellent! No wonder he's the son of the old Duke! Like father, like son!"

May the spirits of the two Dukes Ning and Rong protect you!

"Our Great Qian Dynasty has gained another military genius! How can we fear that the Xiongnu will not be destroyed!"

Another veteran was so excited that his beard trembled.

"With such a divine general, the nation is truly a sharp blade!"

"What a blessing for our dynasty! What a blessing for our nation!"

Even the usually arrogant civil officials had to put aside their contempt and chime in with their opinions:

"Like father, like son; Jia Lang is truly a prodigy!"

"At such a young age, he has already accomplished extraordinary feats; he will surely become a pillar of our dynasty, a beam of gold supporting the sea!"

Although a very few individuals with dark intentions were wondering if the Jia family's power would be revived as a result, in this time of national celebration, who would dare to utter a single word of dissent?

Emperor Qianyuan was quite pleased to see his ministers, who usually schemed against each other, now working together to praise Jia Lang.

This great victory is not only a victory in war, but also a shot in the arm for morale!

It tells the world—the Great Qian Dynasty is not old yet! The Great Qian Dynasty's blade is still sharp!

And this sharpest knife is now in my hands!

Emperor Qianyuan sat on his high dragon throne, looking down at all living beings, his eyes burning with a raging fire called ambition.

"My beloved ministers."

Emperor Qianyuan slowly straightened up, and his body, which had been lazily leaning back in the chair, suddenly exuded an imperial aura as heavy as a mountain.

He coughed lightly, his clear voice seemingly carrying the aura of battle and warfare, resonating throughout the hall.

"Jia Lang has performed an extraordinary feat this time, and I will certainly reward him handsomely!"

"I want the entire world to see clearly that the might of my Great Qian Dynasty is inviolable!"

"Those who offend our might, though far away, shall be punished!"

This resounding declaration echoed like thunder in the ears of every minister.

The civil and military officials were terrified and immediately knelt down in unison. The thunderous response shook the dust off the palace beams.

"Your Majesty is wise! Long live the Emperor!"

"Alright, I know you ministers are overjoyed, but this is not the time for celebration."

Emperor Qianyuan raised his hand and pressed it down, his face as calm as an ancient pool, undisturbed, except for the chilling glint in his dragon eyes.

The majestic voice echoed slowly in the vast and empty Golden Palace, carrying an unquestionable air of autocracy.

"In the Battle of Yanmen Pass, not only were the 100,000 fierce Xiongnu cavalry utterly annihilated, but the Xiongnu Left Wise King was also killed in battle!"

"Such glorious victories are enough to enhance the prestige of our Great Qian army and shake the spirit of our Great Qian nation!"

"My dear ministers, let us discuss this carefully and decide how to reward Jia Lang in a way that would be worthy of his immense merit."

As soon as he finished speaking, King Chungshun stepped forward from the ranks of military officers. His usually dignified old face was now flushed with pride, as if he had performed the great feat himself, and he laughed loudly:

"Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, the greatest credit for this battle belongs to none other than General Jia Lang!"

"A surprise attack on supplies and a fire attack on enemy camps—this demonstrates wisdom and courage."

"To slay the enemy chieftain and turn the tide of battle—this is true military strategy!"

"Not to mention he also killed the Chanyu's right and left arms!"

"These numerous achievements and accomplishments, accumulated over time, would not be an exaggeration to grant him a noble title!"

If we were to say who was most overjoyed and proud upon learning that Jia Lang was actually a descendant of the Ning and Rong mansions, it would undoubtedly be the founding noble group led by the Four Kings and Eight Dukes.

Back then, the Four Kings and Eight Dukes were incredibly powerful and influential. They were the iron-willed brothers who fought alongside Emperor Taizu to conquer the world!

However, wealth rarely lasts beyond three generations. By the current generation, the descendants have become unworthy, the family fortunes have declined, and the family has long lost its former vigor and power.

Especially the Jia family. Although the Ning and Rong mansions still bear the prestigious title of the Duke's Mansion, what about the family members?

Even Jia Zheng, who fared the best, was only a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Works. In the capital, you could throw a brick and hit a third-rank official. This position was even worse than that of a gatekeeper.

This is why the once-powerful nobles who stood at the pinnacle of the capital can now only rely on the legacy of their ancestors to eke out a living at the bottom of the first class, and even have to act according to the whims of the newly rich.

Even worse, among the four princes and eight dukes, only the four princes were allowed to attend court and participate in government affairs. The other eight dukes were even stripped of the right to step into the Golden Palace and could only wait outside the palace gates.

But that doesn't mean these old bones have lost their teeth!

After a century of intricate connections, the network of relationships within the imperial court had become as tangled as a knot.

We are all interconnected, like children and in-laws, teachers and students, weaving a vast, all-encompassing network.

In the eyes of the civil and military officials, the Eight Dukes were a whole; if one of them was moved, the whole thing would be affected.

If you dare to lay a finger on the Jia family, you'd better be prepared to be drowned in spittle by the other seven families!

This is the fundamental reason why, despite Hachiko's diminished strength, no one dares to provoke him easily.

Moreover, behind this group of old nobles, there stands the retired emperor who, though deposed, still wields considerable influence!

"No! I think it's absolutely unacceptable!"

Before King Chungsun could finish speaking, a censor in a scarlet robe suddenly stepped forward from the ranks of civil officials and retorted in a shrill voice without thinking.

"Your Majesty, Jia Lang is not yet of age; he's just a mere child!"

"Besides, he was previously unknown, just a minor deputy general at Yanmen Pass. Who knows if he just got lucky or fraudulently claimed military merit?"

"Although this battle sounds incredible, to be granted a title and position based solely on a single victory is to treat the nation's honors as a joke."

"Throughout history, there has never been such an absurd precedent!"

"If this precedent is set, everyone in the army will be vying for credit, and what will become of the imperial laws and regulations!"

Civil officials and military generals have always been mortal enemies, as incompatible as water and fire.

Seeing a rising star emerge from the ranks of military generals, how could these censors who made their living by writing let it go?

They won't sleep soundly unless they nip this problem in the bud.