The Second Master of the Red Chamber

"Does Erlang yearn for the battlefield so much?"

On the gate tower, Princess Zhaoyang spoke in a rare, melancholic tone.

Looking at the beautiful and noble woman before him, who was behaving like a child, Jia Lian felt a pang of pity.

He turned around, placed his hands on the rough parapet, looked at the Xi'an Gate in the distance, and slowly said, "Actually, I don't like the battlefield at all."

"I don't like fighting with people, and I don't even like seeing blood or any cruel scenes."

"However, this is my mission as the Duke of Rongguo."

"There are some things that I will regret in the future if I have the ability to do them but do not."

Princess Zhaoyang was somewhat puzzled: "Mission? Is the Korean Peninsula that important?"

In the eyes of people from the Central Plains in modern times, Korea, a tiny place, was simply not worth considering.

Indeed, no one was willing to go even to the vast Liaodong region, which stretches for thousands of miles, let alone to the other side of the towering mountains, a corner that has been occupied by barbarians since ancient times.

In the past, there were dynasties in the Central Plains that wanted to conquer it, but they all failed or gave up because of the high mountains and long distances and the dangerous roads.

Faced with Princess Zhaoyang's doubts, Jia Lian nodded without hesitation: "Yes, it's very important."

It may not be important now, but it will be very important in the future.

Princess Zhaoyang didn't quite understand Jia Lian's words, but she knew that Jia Lian would never speak without a purpose when it came to serious matters.

He seems to have been born with a visionary perspective that transcends his time.

Since he said the future is important, it must be true.

"Even if it is important, our dynasty has so many capable generals, we don't need Erlang to go every time."

With his father ill and bedridden, Ling'er is unable to shoulder the great responsibility.

With you by my side, I can still feel at ease.

I get a little worried if you're not here.

Princess Zhaoyang understood perfectly.

Emperor Ningkang placed great trust and responsibility in her by appointing her as a minister of state and putting her in charge of the imperial guards.

This clearly indicates that she was tasked with helping her younger brother stabilize the court before the fourth prince was deemed incapable of fulfilling his duties.

To prevent her from being overwhelmed alone, Jia Lian was appointed as the military governor of the capital garrison, so that he and Jia Lian could work together to assist the fourth prince, one inside and one outside the garrison.

With Jia Lian around, the two relied on each other and were confident that no one could break their bond.

She was genuinely unsure of herself, as the situation had just begun to take shape.

Jia Lian turned around, patted Princess Zhaoyang's head, and said with a smile, "Don't worry, His Majesty is still here."

Don't you believe in your father's abilities?
With him around, no evil spirits or monsters can cause any big waves.

Moreover, I trust my Qingran. She's so smart; even without His Majesty and me, she can handle everything perfectly well.

Upon hearing this, Princess Zhaoyang pouted and said, "You're just trying to coax me."

After speaking, seeing Jia Lian smiling without saying a word, she knew that his mind was made up.

So, imitating Jia Lian's earlier actions, he leaned against the city wall, looked at the vast imperial city, and said, "The imperial city seems peaceful at the moment, but I feel a little uneasy."

"Tell me, what is my third brother thinking right now?"

Upon hearing this, a flash of coldness crossed Jia Lian's eyes.

He walked to Princess Zhaoyang's side and stood beside her, then suddenly said, "As the saying goes, even strangers cannot separate close relatives. I regard Qingran as my closest person, which is why I said this to you."

Seeing Princess Zhaoyang turn her head in surprise, Jia Lian continued, "Although he has been deposed by His Majesty, he is like a poisonous snake."

If he's still alive, he'll bite someone if given the chance.

For my sake, for the Crown Prince's sake, and for everyone Qingran cares about, I hope that Qingran, given the opportunity, will not hesitate to eliminate him.

Princess Zhaoyang raised an eyebrow, staring at Jia Lian's handsome profile.

His cold expression revealed how serious Jia Lian was when he said those words.

She smiled and turned around: "I've remembered what Erlang said."

If given the opportunity, I wouldn't hesitate.

"However, I don't like Erlang's first sentence."

What does it mean to treat distant relatives as close as close ones?

Erlang is the closest person to me in this world, besides my grandmother and Ling'er.

As for him, he ceased to be my third brother the moment he killed my eldest brother and attempted to murder my father.

A warmth appeared on Jia Lian's face as he looked up at the sky.

He reached out and pulled the princess beside him into his arms.

Princess Zhaoyang continued in Jia Lian's arms, "However, Erlang need not worry about what trouble he can cause."

His father demoted him to a commoner and beheaded all the soldiers and staff of his royal palace, clearly abandoning him completely.

Now he is merely clinging to life in the Imperial Clan Court.

I also arranged for many people in the Imperial Clan Court to keep a close watch on him day and night.

If he dares to make any trouble, I'll kill him on the spot.

A resolute glint flashed in Princess Zhaoyang's eyes.

She wasn't originally so determined.

But Jia Lian's words reminded her.

That person even dared to harm their father, the emperor, which shows just how utterly depraved he was.

Last time, Emperor Ningkang was well-prepared and thus escaped disaster.
But what about next time?

She couldn't gamble with the safety of those around her.

The emperor may not have killed him because he didn't want to bear the guilt of killing his own son.

Perhaps she could do it for him.

A look of relief flashed across Jia Lian's face.

His only worry when he left Beijing was this.

In most respects, Emperor Ningkang was a competent emperor.

They weren't ruthless enough.

Even though Prince Yun dared to commit patricide and regicide, he still couldn't bring himself to kill him.

And then there's the retired emperor. Well, if Emperor Ningkang were ruthless enough, perhaps he wouldn't be standing here unharmed.

It doesn't matter if Emperor Ningkang isn't ruthless enough; what he fears is that Princess Zhaoyang and her siblings might act the same way, giving the Third Prince a chance to catch his breath.

Now that Princess Zhaoyang has expressed this opinion, Jia Lian is much more at ease.

Princess Zhaoyang and her brother, one commanding 100,000 imperial guards and the other upholding orthodoxy and righteousness, shouldn't be able to be tricked by a useless person.

As for why Jia Lian didn't take action to prevent future troubles...

Emperor Ningkang was still alive after all.

If Emperor Ningkang were to pass away, Jia Lian would immediately send that fellow to fulfill his filial duty.

……

After parting ways with Princess Zhaoyang, Jia Lian went directly to the Ministry of War.

Although this rescue of North Korea is not as critical as the campaign against the Jurchens last year, it will be much more relaxed.

However, as the saying goes, even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit.

In order to avoid a sudden and unexpected setback, Jia Lian naturally had to make ample preparations.

He wanted to personally select these 50,000 soldiers.

Why was Yue Fei's army always able to win?
That's because everyone in Yue Family Army, from top to bottom, listened to Yue Fei.

Similarly, Jia Lian didn't want to bring over a ragtag army that the Ministry of War had randomly assigned to him, one that he couldn't command and control, let alone achieve any merit.

Having roughly finalized the troops to be mobilized, Jia Lian rushed to the Ministry of Revenue without stopping.

The Ministry of Revenue also indicated that there was no problem.

Putting aside the fact that the national treasury is indeed much more abundant than last year, the Ministry of Revenue must also support Jia Lian's expedition.

Can you not support it?

Other generals, when fighting, would only ask the imperial court for money.

Only Jia Lian, after fighting a major battle, ended up with nothing when the Ministry of Revenue finally settled accounts.

Wow, I made a fortune!

Therefore, when the high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Revenue saw Jia Lian, it was as if they had seen the God of Wealth.

Not only will the military equipment and provisions that Jia Lian needs be prepared as soon as possible.

The newly appointed Minister of Revenue, Lu Zhongxiang, and others repeatedly hinted to Jia Lian that he should set a good example and not return empty-handed from his trip to Korea.

Jia Lian found it somewhat amusing.

Indeed, only the person in charge knows the cost of firewood, rice, oil, and salt.

After a busy day, I didn't get home until the afternoon.

Looking at Feng Jie, who was about to give birth, Jia Lian felt somewhat guilty.

After hesitating for a moment, I decided not to tell her about my upcoming expedition.

After leaving the Grand View Pavilion, Jia Lian originally intended to go to the Hengwu Garden.

Suddenly, I realized that I had indeed been visiting Hengwu Garden and Xiaoxiang Pavilion too frequently over the past month, to the point that I had somewhat neglected the other beauties.

After thinking it over for a moment, Jia Lian arrived at Daoxiang Village.

Pushing open the wooden gate by the water, one could see Jia Lan holding a wooden bow and shooting arrows at the scarecrow in the vegetable garden.

The little guy is ten years old this year and is becoming more and more energetic.

"Second uncle!"

When Jia Lan saw Jia Lian, he quickly ran over and bowed in greeting.

Jia Lian asked with a smile, "Why are you playing again? Didn't your mother tell you to study?"

Jia Lan chuckled: "Thanks to my second uncle's help, my mother no longer forces me to study like she used to."

After school each day, I only needed to finish the homework assigned by the teacher and then review my lessons for half an hour. The rest of the time was up to me.

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian nodded in satisfaction.

As expected, the main reason Li Wan pressured Jia Lan in the past was because she lacked a sense of security.

They were afraid that Jia Lan would fail the imperial examinations and have no future.

Now she naturally no longer needs to worry about this.

Although Jia Lian is not currently considered to wield absolute power, he is still a pillar of the nation.

Given his status, securing a good future for Jia Lan would be incredibly easy for him.

Therefore, Li Wan's mindset changed.

Compared to winning Jia Lian's favor, studying was secondary.

Since Jia Lian said that there should be a balance between work and rest, Li Wan naturally wouldn't disobey and force Jia Lan to study from morning till night every day.

"Even though your mother is no longer pressuring you, you can't let that make you lazy."

You're a natural scholar, with the potential to excel in both academics and martial arts. Don't waste your talent.

"Hehe, yes, thank you for your teachings, Uncle. I will remember them."

Jia Lan smiled, afraid that Jia Lian would continue to scold him, and immediately changed the subject: "Second Uncle, are you here to see my mother? My mother is talking to Aunt Zhen in the south room. You can see her when you go over."

"Ah."

Jia Lian felt somewhat uncomfortable with Jia Lan offering directions.

I feel that since the child is older, it's better to avoid them.

Then he added, "Didn't I tell you that if you want to practice archery, you should go to my training ground? This place is too small, and you're more likely to hurt someone."

Jia Lan scratched his head: "My mother told me not to bother you unless it's absolutely necessary..."

"Go quickly, you can use my training ground anytime from now on."

"Yes, thank you, Second Uncle. I'll be going now."

"Go."

Watching Jia Lan leave happily, and even turn back to bow to him again before leaving, Jia Lian felt even more satisfied with the little guy.

Since I've already taken in one adopted son, should I take in another?
Shaking his head, Jia Lian stepped over the vegetable patch and entered the thatched hut.

Sure enough, the sound of women talking could be heard from the wooden house to the south. (End of Chapter)