After the morning court.
The Minister of Revenue quickly went up to Jia Jing and said with a smile, "Lord Jia,
Would you do me the honor of having a drink with me today? "
"Thank you, I can't do it today. I'll treat you another day." Jia Jing rolled his eyes, shook his sleeves, and left the Minister of Revenue. Drink? He was in the mood to drink after being set up? What he needed to do now was to make preparations. No matter what, he had to save Lin Ruhai and Wang Ziteng's lives.
Looking at Jia Jing's back as he left,
The Minister of Revenue shrugged.
"Lord He, you also have a day like this. Look, you're so calm normally.
You're so angry, "the Minister of War followed and joked.
"There will always be a chance to drink with Lord Jia." The Minister of Revenue smiled because he knew that even if he was set up, the Jia family still had a favor to ask of him.
Therefore, although Jia Jing was so angry, he still said that he would treat him another day.
After all, Lin Ruhai was now his subordinate.
For Lin Ruhai.
Even if the Jia family was set up, they would not become enemies with him for the time being. However, after this, how to appease Jia Jing's anger would be a problem. After all, Jia Jing was not a pushover. It was not easy to touch a tiger's butt. After touching it, he would have to pay the price.
The Minister of War smiled and said, "I still have something to do at the Ministry of War, so I'll take my leave first."
"Okay." The Minister of Revenue nodded and stepped aside to make way.
After such a big thing happened, Jia Jing naturally did not return to the Ministry of Rites after the court. Instead, he asked for leave and went back home. He did not expect that Lin Ruhai would be chosen to go to Jiangnan. It was time to make all the necessary connections. He also had to be careful not to disturb the Jia Daishan. Everyone knew how dangerous it was to go to Jiangnan to check the accounts. The Jia Daishan could only rest now. Excessive joy or sorrow could worsen his condition, so he had to hide it from the Jia Daishan.
After Jia Jing returned home, he directly called Jia Zhen and Jia Xie.
"Today, His Majesty announced the candidate to go to Jiangnan." Jia Jing's tone was not good.
"Who is it?" Jia Zhen was curious. Seeing that his father's face didn't look good, the Jia Zhen was shocked. Could it be his father? "It can't be you, right?" The Jia Zhen started to worry.
Jia Jing shook his head and said, "It wasn't me. It was the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Justice."
"That's good." The Jia Zhen patted his chest. It was such a dangerous thing. Anyone who wanted to go could go. It was better for their family not to get involved.
Jia Xie heaved a sigh of relief. Obviously, his thoughts were similar to Jia Zhen's.
"However, Lin Ruhai and Wang Ziteng are on the list." Looking at Jia Zhen and Jia Xie, Jia Jing heaved a sigh of relief and began to announce the bad news.
"What?" Jia Xie was shocked.
Jia Jing nodded and said, "His Majesty announced it in the court today. Lin Ruhai and Wang Ziteng's names are on the list. Presumably, His Majesty's imperial edict will be issued today." Jia Jing rubbed his eyebrows. This matter was not easy to handle. Jiangnan was too involved. Although the Crown Prince's rebellion killed several princes, these princes' mothers were still alive and were deeply involved in it. After all, the Crown Prince was very powerful and the other princes wanted to compete with him. Without financial support, how could they succeed? When the Crown Prince proposed to reorganize Jiangnan, it was not without his own selfish motives. Cutting off Jiangnan meant cutting off the arms of the other princes. The Retired Emperor was worried that the Crown Prince's power was too strong and deliberately supported the princes to compete with the Crown Prince. Naturally, the Retired Emperor would not allow it. Therefore, the Retired Emperor only sent someone to warn the Crown Prince.
Thinking of this, Jia Jing's head hurt even more. Also, who was the culprit behind the assassination of the imperial envoy? Was it really done by people from Jiangnan or was there something else going on?
"Big Brother Jing, what should we do now?" Jia Xie was anxious. Lin Ruhai was his brother-in-law and Jinyu was only three years old. It would take him ten or twenty years to grow up. If something happened to Lin Ruhai, what would happen to his sister?
"Don't panic, I'll write a letter and get in touch with Jinling first. Also, Second Uncle should have given you the favor of the army. I remember that there is a garrison near Jiangnan and the general of the garrison used to be Second Uncle's subordinate. Write a letter and quickly get in touch with him now and ask him to take care of Lin Ruhai and Wang Ziteng for the sake of the Duke." Jia Jing's heart ached again. If he protected Lin Ruhai and Wang Ziteng, he also had to protect the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Justice. No matter how he thought about it, he felt very aggrieved. Forget it, he must take revenge for this.
"Yes," Jia Xie hurriedly said.
Jia Jing let out a long sigh. He hoped that Lin Ruhai would be safe on his trip to Jiangnan.
The Emperor returned to the Imperial Study and opened the memorial submitted by the Minister of Revenue. He looked at Wang Ziteng's name and asked, "Zhong Guang, who is this Wang Ziteng? His name is quite familiar. "
"Your Majesty, you forgot. He is the second legitimate son of the Wang family of Jinling," Zhong Guang reported.
"So he is from the Wang family of Jinling. No wonder the two of them added his name. Where is this Wang Ziteng now?" Tu Chen asked.
"The second legitimate son can't inherit the title, so naturally he can only work hard. He is now working in the Ministry of War. It is said that his performance is not bad. However, promotion in the Ministry of War depends on military merits. This Wang Ziteng is using his connections to transfer to the army below to earn some military merits. He is a motivated person," Zhong Guang said.
"It seems that he is a useful person. Among the four major families of Jinling, the descendants of Jia, Wang, Shi, and Xue seem to be good. If they can come back safely this time, this Wang Ziteng is useful. Since he wants to earn some military merits, I will naturally help him," Tu Chen said.
"This subordinate is really envious of this Wang Ziteng. He caught Your Majesty's eye so quickly. However, Jinling doesn't only have the Jia, Wang, Shi, and Xue families. There is also the Zhen family. Five major families," Zhong Guang reminded.
Tu Chen rolled his eyes at Zhong Guang. "You say it as if I don't think highly of you. However, this Zhen family is really amazing. They only have one Madam Feng Sheng, but they have so much power. I heard that the Zhen family is able to suppress the Jia, Wang, Shi, and Xue families in Jinling."
"The main reason is that the Jia family, Wang family, and Shi family are all in the capital. The Xue family is just an imperial merchant. They don't have to listen to what the people in Jinling say. Besides, the Zhen family is powerful. This only shows that the daughters of the Zhen family are very capable. Not to mention that Grand Concubine Zhen gave birth to Prince Zhongshun for the Retired Emperor, which of the other daughters of the Zhen family hasn't been married off?" Zhong Guang said disdainfully. A family that didn't rely on men and only relied on women? How shameless!
"That also proves that the daughters of the Zhen family are very loyal to the family. Let's not talk about this anymore. Has the imperial edict been issued?" Tu Chen asked.
"The eunuchs have already gone to announce it. I think it should have been announced by now," Zhong Guang said.
"That's good. Jiangnan, ha …" Tu Chen closed his eyes and sneered. Everyone still thought that the Crown Prince was still alive. Back then, in order to support the other princes and keep the Crown Prince in check, Imperial Father didn't care about Jiangnan. Now that the Crown Prince had passed away for many years, the other princes had also followed him. However, they still didn't know how to stop. They had gotten used to it and forgotten that one day, a knife would come down and chop off their claws.
"That's right, Your Majesty, Prince Zhongshun sent a few performers to the palace to relieve the Retired Emperor's boredom," Zhong Guang reported.
"Zhongshun seems to have been very close to the performers recently. It's said that he's looked for all of the famous opera houses in the capital," Tu Chen said.
"It's said that's the case. This subordinate feels that it's just a method for him to get out of the palace." The Duke Rongguo had fainted from anger, and the Retired Emperor had been enraged. He had been confined to his own palace, so no matter what, there had to be some changes. Liking performers was the first step to losing one's will. Once the Retired Emperor found out, he would have called them to the palace to give them a lecture. If he found out that they were bored in the palace and could only watch plays to pass the time, perhaps the Retired Emperor would immediately release them.
"Humph, he's used to these kinds of unorthodox methods. Keep a close eye on him. Old Sixth and that woman's ambitions aren't small," Tu Chen said.
"This subordinate understands," Zhong Guang said.
"Alright, you can leave." Tu Chen picked up a memorial to the emperor and began to read it. Because of the Jiangnan incident, his chopping board was full of memorials every day.
Compared to the busy emperor, the Retired Emperor's days were much more leisurely. Because of the incident where Prince Zhongshun had fainted from anger, although the Retired Emperor had only punished Prince Zhongshun on the surface, he had also punished Imperial Concubine Zhen in secret. This was because the Retired Emperor had promoted two new imperial concubines. These two imperial concubines were new to the Retired Emperor during the last emperor's selection. The two imperial concubines were only 18 years old and were at the age of budding.
"Your Majesty, Prince Zhongshun is truly filial. Unlike His Majesty, who is so busy every day that he doesn't even have time to come and enjoy such a good play. Isn't that right, Retired Empress?" Imperial Concubine Sun looked provocatively at the Retired Empress.
The Retired Empress was a bit embarrassed. She wanted to defend His Majesty, but didn't know where to start. Because of the Jiangnan incident, His Majesty had been exceptionally busy. He hadn't come to the imperial harem for more than half a month. Although His Majesty paid his respects to His Majesty as usual, His Majesty had to return to the imperial study immediately afterwards. However, being filial to his father was a son's duty.
Imperial Concubine Sun is still young and ignorant. His Majesty is the Son of Heaven and has to take care of everything in the world. I heard that His Majesty hasn't come to the imperial harem for more than half a month. Let's talk about our disciple? He's just a prince. He doesn't have time to come to the imperial harem either. "Imperial Concubine Zhen sneered. His disciple? She was dreaming. She didn't like His Majesty, but everyone knew that His Majesty had been busy with the Jiangnan incident. This matter had been permitted by the Retired Emperor. Imperial Concubine Sun didn't know who had bribed her. Did she really think that she could run wild after being favored for a few days?
"Sister Concubine Zhen is too careful. Who doesn't know that Prince Zhongshun has been grounded by His Majesty for making a mistake?" Imperial Concubine Sun didn't let it go.
"That's right. So, our disciple? That's why His Majesty has so much time to fiddle with these things. Imperial Concubine Sun, it's all thanks to His Majesty's blessing. If His Majesty hadn't had our disciple, you wouldn't have been able to see such a good play today. "Imperial Concubine Zhen's expression was smug, as if she had taken advantage of Imperial Concubine Sun. She wasn't worried at all about Prince Zhongshun being grounded.
"Sister Zhen is so broad-minded!" Imperial Concubine Sun was furious.
"Sister, you're scolding me for being broad-minded and fat. I feel that my body is just right. I'm not fat at all." Seeing Imperial Concubine Sun stomp her feet in anger, Imperial Concubine Zhen's bad mood for the past few days was swept away.
"Your Majesty, look at Sister Zhen. She only knows how to tease chenqie," Imperial Concubine Sun said coquettishly to the Retired Emperor.
The Retired Emperor frowned. He had no intention of standing up for Imperial Concubine Sun. He only said faintly, "Let's watch the show."
"Yes." Imperial Concubine Sun was a bit anxious when she saw that the Retired Emperor wasn't willing to help her. Her father had written a letter telling her to stop His Majesty from sending another imperial envoy to Jiangnan. The only one who could stop His Majesty now was the Retired Emperor. However, although she had been favored recently, the imperial harem couldn't interfere in politics. How to beg the Retired Emperor was a problem. That was why she wanted to push Prince Zhongshun out. She wanted to use Prince Zhongshun to join forces with Imperial Concubine Zhen. However, Imperial Concubine Zhen wasn't willing to take the bait.
Imperial Concubine Sun's mind was preoccupied with other matters. She wasn't in the mood to watch the opera on the stage.
"Sister, what do you think of Qu Mu Guiying as the Commander?" Imperial Concubine Zhou, who had been promoted along with Imperial Concubine Sun, asked.
Imperial Concubine Sun's eyes turned. She suddenly thought of a plan and said, "It's naturally good for Mu Guiying to be the Commander. She'll serve her husband in the army. Just like now, when the incident in Jiangnan broke out, those ministers are loyal to His Majesty. I heard that the Lin family is among the imperial envoys going to Jiangnan this time. Duke Rongguo will probably be worried. After all, his daughter married into the Lin family. I heard that one of the imperial envoys has already died.
This time, it won't be peaceful. "As soon as Imperial Concubine Sun's words came out, everyone fell silent except for the performers on the stage.
The Retired Empress looked uneasily at the Retired Emperor and then turned her gaze to the stage. Imperial Concubine Zhen's mouth curved into a cold smile. She didn't look sideways. Her eyes were fixed on the performers on the stage.
Imperial Concubine Sun felt that the atmosphere wasn't right. She looked nervously at the Retired Emperor and found that his expression didn't change. She was even more afraid. She couldn't help but kneel down.
The Retired Emperor didn't look at Imperial Concubine Sun. He just watched the play on the stage and didn't tell Imperial Concubine Sun to get up.
When Mu Guiying finished singing on the stage, the Retired Emperor stood up and said to the Retired Empress, "The imperial harem is not allowed to interfere in politics. Deal with it according to the palace rules. Also, disciples? These performers were well chosen. I still have two ancient fans. When the time comes, I'll find them and send them to him. "
"Farewell, Your Majesty." The grand concubines all stood up and bowed.
Imperial Concubine Zhen glanced at Imperial Concubine Sun, who was kneeling on the ground, and snorted coldly. "Empress, I feel unwell. I'll leave first. I'm afraid I'll be infected by staying with some idiots. There's no disease in this world that's scary. The scariest thing is a stupid disease. I'll take my leave first." Imperial Concubine Zhen bowed to the Retired Empress and left slowly. Well, today's play was really big.
It wasn't until Imperial Concubine Zhen left that the Retired Empress turned her gaze to Imperial Concubine Sun, who was kneeling on the ground. "Deal with her according to the palace rules. I don't want to see her in the palace."
"Yes." Two mamas came out from behind the Retired Empress and took Imperial Concubine Sun away.
The Retired Empress looked at the struggling Imperial Concubine Sun and whispered, "You brought this upon yourself."
Jia Jing didn't know what was happening in the imperial harem. After all, Jia Jing had only hurriedly contacted the Shi and Wang families. The Xue family was in Jinling and couldn't be contacted at the moment. However, the Xue family was a local tyrant in Jinling. This time, they really needed their help.
When Lin Ruhai went back that night, he told Jia Min that he had been chosen to go to Jiangnan. Jia Min almost fainted when she heard the news. "Quick, while it's still early, let's go to Rongguo Province."
Lin Ruhai also knew that it was dangerous, so he didn't hesitate. He had a servant drive the carriage to Rongguo Province.
"Master, the young master and grandaunt are back." Ding Feng came over to report.
"Just in time. I was just about to send them a letter. Tell them to come over," Jia Xie said.
"Brother …" As soon as Jia Min saw Jia Xie, tears came out of her eyes.
"I know why you came. Jing Da Ge already told me. I was going to send you a letter, but you just happened to come. Since that's the case, you can come with me to the East House," Jia Xie said.
Hearing Jia Xie's words, Jia Min was a little relieved. She thought that Jing Da Ge had a plan.
Jia Min and Lin Ruhai followed Jia Xie to the East House. Jia Zhen directly greeted them and said, "Aunt Min is also here. It just so happens that my daughter-in-law drew a painting and wants to find someone to appraise it. I'll send Aunt Min over."
Jia Min glanced at Lin Ruhai.
"Go and see Jinyu," Lin Ruhai said gently.
"Yes." Jia Min nodded. Although she was worried, she also understood that there were some things that she couldn't participate in.
"Zhong'er, take Uncle She and Uncle Lin to my father's courtyard. I'll send Aunt Min to my daughter-in-law's courtyard," Jia Zhen said.
"Yes, Master She, Master Lin, please follow me." Zhong'er led the way in front.
Jia Zhen sent Jia Min to Ninggyeongdang and said to Xia Lu, "Stay with Aunt Min and chat. I'll be back soon."
"Yes." Xia Lu also knew that the Jiangnan incident had erupted. Jia Zhen didn't hide it from him and also knew that Lin Ruhai was on the list of people going to Jiangnan. One imperial envoy had already died, which was enough to show how dangerous this matter was. It was normal for Jia Min to be worried. However, Xia Lu, who knew the original work, wasn't worried. Sister Lin hadn't even come out yet, so how could Lin Ruhai die?
After Jia Zhen sent Jia Min to Jia Jing's courtyard, he hurriedly went to Jia Zhen's courtyard.
Xia Lu looked at Jia Min's uneasy expression and said, "Aunt Min, sit down and have a cup of tea. Nothing will happen to Uncle Lin."
"I hope so." Jia Min held the tea brought by the servant and sat there in a daze.
Seeing Jia Min like this, Xia Lu sighed and sat down with Jia Min. It was like this in ancient times. No matter what was discussed inside, women could only wait outside.
When Jia Zhen arrived at Jia Zhen's courtyard, Chen Er had already brought people from the Wang family and the Shi family. The Wang family's County Uncle had already gone. The two brothers, Wang Zisheng and Wang Ziteng, came. The Shi family's people were Old Marquis Shi and Crown Prince Shi. As for the Xue family, the person who came was a chief steward stationed in the capital.
"Everyone is here. Let's start," Jia Zhen said.
"Everyone, I think you all know why I invited you here. The four families in Jinling, the Jia family, the Wang family, the Shi family, and the Xue family are related by marriage. His Majesty has checked that Lin Ruhai and Wang Ziteng will follow the Minister of Revenue and the Minister of Justice to investigate the matter in Jiangnan. It will be a dangerous trip, and he needs your help. That's why I invited you here." Jia Jing went straight to the point.
"It's about my brother. The Wang family is duty-bound." Wang Zisheng directly expressed his attitude. He was now the head of the Wang family, and his words naturally represented the Wang family's position.
Jia Jing looked at the steward of the Shi family and the Xue family. He was not surprised that the Wang family expressed their attitude. After all, Wang Ziteng was also involved. The Wang family definitely had to help. The Xue family and the Shi family were in a difficult position. To be honest, the Jia family had not contacted the army for a long time to avoid suspicion. However, the Shi family was different. The Shi family had people in the army. As for the Xue family, they had been in Jinling for a long time and probably had influence in Yangzhou. If something really went wrong, it should not be a problem for the Xue family to protect the two people.
Shi Hou and Shi? After discussing in a low voice for a while, Shi Hou finally nodded and said, "Min 'er, you have to call me uncle. Of course, I will help you. But I don't know how the Shi family will cooperate." Shi Hou asked. They knew that Jia Jing had asked them to come over because of the matter in Jiangnan. They had discussed it a long time ago. Not to mention that the fourth brother's family was related to each other by marriage, the fact that the Jia Daishan was still alive was enough for them to help this time.
"Thank you very much. Let's discuss it in detail. What about the Xue family?" Jia Jing looked at the steward of the Xue family and asked.
"I'm sorry. This is such a big matter. I can't make the decision. I have already sent people back to Jinling to ask for the master's opinion," the steward of the Xue family said.
Jia Jing nodded. He understood what the steward meant. After all, he was just a servant. It was difficult for him to make such a big decision.
"Then I'll rely on you to contact the Xue family." Jia Jing still gave the Xue family enough face.
"Thank you very much for your understanding, Earl."
"Zheng 'er, send the steward out first." Since the Xue family didn't say anything, they naturally couldn't listen to the rest of the conversation.
"Thank you very much, Earl." The steward was very tactful. He directly followed Jia Zhen out.
Only the Wang family and the Shi family were left. Jia Jing began to tell them what to do, especially the Shi family. Although the general of the garrison near Jiangnan used to be the Jia Daishan's subordinate, Jia Jing wasn't sure that the general would definitely help. It was up to the Shi family to contact him.
The Wang family had the deepest influence in Jinling apart from the Xue family. If the Xue family refused to help this time, the Wang family had to do it. In the end, they had to protect Lin Ruhai and Wang Ziteng's lives.
"Tell me, why can't I participate in such a big matter? I can't share the burden with my Husband." Jia Min, who had been silent all this time, suddenly opened her mouth and asked.
"Maybe it's just a different era. Maybe there was a dynasty where men and women were equal. Men were only allowed to marry one wife, and women also had to go out to earn money to support the family. Just like men, they had to compete for the same job," Xia Lu said gently. In fact, she understood Jia Min's feelings. She could only wait outside. She didn't know what was going on inside. It was indeed very torturous.
"Was there such a dynasty?" Jia Min forced a smile.
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