The Second Master of the Red Chamber

The following day, at the grand court assembly, the Korean envoy tearfully denounced the crimes of the Japanese invaders in the Golden Hall and pleaded with the superior nation to send troops to their aid.

The entire court was outraged. After consulting with Emperor Ningkang, the three prime ministers immediately decided to send an army of 100,000 to help Joseon suppress the bandits.

The figure of 100,000 was just a claim; the actual number of troops deployed was only 50,000.

Even with an army of 50,000, the tasks of preparing the troops, managing logistics and supplies were still enormous and complicated.

You can imagine how busy Jia Lian was.

In the spacious palace corridor, Jia Lian and Princess Zhaoyang walked side by side.

"How could he be so sick?"

"Ever since Prince Yun's rebellion failed, my grandfather has actually been on his deathbed..."

Princess Zhaoyang offered a casual explanation, but not hearing Jia Lian speak again, she glanced sideways and hesitated before saying, "Brother, please don't misunderstand, this matter has nothing to do with Father..."

Jia Lian smiled and reached out to pat Princess Zhaoyang's head: "I know. After all, the Emperor Emeritus is so old."

As the saying goes, few people live to seventy.

He is 82 years old this year, and his blessings and longevity far exceed those of ordinary people. Therefore, no matter what happens, we should be happy for him.

Princess Zhaoyang breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, saying, "Brother Wang is right."

Given the Emperor Emeritus's age, even in ordinary society, his death would be considered a joyous occasion.

Upon arriving at Chonghua Palace, Princess Zhaoyang hesitated for a moment before saying, "Brother, please go in by yourself. I won't accompany you."

Seeing Jia Lian's confusion, she smiled mischievously: "He was unhappy because of what happened before."

Let's not get in his way.

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian thought of Princess Zhaoyang's child, which she had been forced to abort shortly after becoming pregnant, and a feeling of pity welled up in his heart.

Without saying anything more, he gave her a comforting look before entering Chonghua Palace.

In the inner chamber filled with the smell of medicine, I met the retired emperor lying on the dragon bed.

"Grandfather..."

Upon hearing Jia Lian's voice, the Emperor Emeritus turned his head with difficulty, his eyes lighting up with joy: "You've come."

Jia Lian squatted down in front of the bed, holding the Emperor Emeritus's bare hand, and said with pity, "Yes, your unfilial grandson came to see you."

The retired emperor simply looked at him for a long time before asking, "I heard that he recognized you as his son and even bestowed upon you the title of king?"

"Yes. His Majesty has bestowed upon me the title of Prince Pingliao."

"Good. I'm relieved that you're safe and sound and have been recognized by your ancestors."

Facing the Emperor Emeritus's loving gaze, Jia Lian was filled with mixed emotions.

To be honest, Jia Lian didn't have a good impression of the retired emperor at first.

According to his inquiries, the retired emperor was a typical example of someone who reigned for a long time, had made many achievements in the first half of his life, but became ambitious, extravagant, and even somewhat muddle-headed in his old age.

In comparison, Emperor Ningkang appeared to be much wiser and more powerful.

Of course, it's also possible that Emperor Ningkang wasn't old yet.

Now, seeing the emperor who had reigned for so many years nearing his death, Jia Lian couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow.

No matter how noble or powerful one may be, one will ultimately be subject to birth, aging, sickness, and death.

Moreover, Jia Lian still doesn't quite understand.

Logically speaking, a person like the retired emperor should be extremely self-centered and regard all people as worthless.

Why would he show such affection for a junior like himself who has never been close to him?
She liked him to the point of being almost ingratiating!
If it is said that Tie Wangshan, and even during the earlier rebellion of Prince Yun, showed him care in order to use him, it was an act.

Now that everything has settled down and he is about to be buried, why bother with all this?

Is it really true that unrequited love is often the most intense?

"I heard the imperial court is going to war, and he's sending you to lead the troops?"

"Yes. The Japanese invaded Korea, and His Majesty trusted me, which is why he sent me to lead troops to their aid."

"Hmph, I think he'd love for you to die out there, so he can ruin his reputation."

Jia Lian understood and didn't care about the retired emperor's resentment towards Emperor Ningkang; he simply explained:
"Grandfather has misunderstood Father. He trusted me, which is why he let me lead the troops."

Hearing Jia Lian address him as "Father Emperor" so casually, the Emperor Emeritus's eyes showed some displeasure.

You should know that he had begged Jia Lian several times in order to get Jia Lian to call him "Grandpa Emperor".

That unfilial son, he must have done it on purpose.

He resorted to such unscrupulous means to prove his success and show his failure, completely deceiving this fool and making him willingly recognize a thief as his father!

Thinking of this, the retired emperor deeply resented Emperor Ningkang's treachery and complained that Jia Lian had sided with outsiders, distrusting him several times and choosing to stand on Emperor Ningkang's side.

They also resented Prince Yun's incompetence, which caused him to miss his last chance to turn the tide.

Now, he has no energy left to do anything more.

So be it. That hypocritical, unfilial son values ​​his reputation most.

Now that he has recognized his beloved grandson as his son, he probably won't harm him anymore.

Putting this aside, the retired emperor sighed, "When I was young, I was just like you, eager to make a name for myself."

Therefore, I can understand you.

It's just a pity that Grandfather probably won't be able to live to see the day you achieve further merit and return in triumph.

Jia Lian hurriedly said, "Grandpa, just take good care of your health, and you will definitely recover."

When your grandson returns, I'll tell you how he defeated those Japanese pirates.

The Emperor Emeritus smiled, then suddenly grabbed Jia Lian's hand, leaned close to him, and looked straight at him.

Jia Lian looked inquiring.

Then the Emperor Emeritus said in a low voice, "Do you have any designs on that position? Your grandfather can help you..."

Jia Lian never expected that even with the Emperor Emeritus in such a state, he still hadn't given up.

So he raised an eyebrow and asked, "How does Grandpa intend to help me?"

"I can give you an imperial edict. You can take advantage of this opportunity to lead the army out of the capital, and then, in my name, summon troops from all over the country to come to the capital to defend the emperor. Then the matter can be settled!"

Jia Lian sighed, stood up, and looked at the only old eunuch by the bedside: "Where is the imperial edict?"

The old eunuch immediately looked at the retired emperor.

Seeing the Emperor Emeritus nod excitedly, he quickly ran to the inside of the bed, took out a piece of bright yellow silk from the seam of the bed, and handed it to Jia Lian.

After Jia Lian took it, he looked around and finally saw a pot of charcoal that had not yet burned out in the corner.

So he walked over and threw the silk cloth, which he hadn't even glanced at, into the container.

The old eunuch was shocked and immediately tried to rush to the rescue, but Jia Lian held him back.

Once it was confirmed that the silk could not be saved, Jia Lian released the old eunuch and returned to the bedside.

Seeing the bewildered Emperor Emeritus, he squatted down and advised, "I appreciate your kindness, Grandfather."

But the grandson really couldn't obey.

"Just consider it my fault for being timid. Even my grandfather was defeated by my father, so I have no confidence in defeating him and can only disappoint my grandfather."

Are you kidding me? Do you really think that before Iron Net Mountain, the Emperor Emeritus's edicts were still so effective?

Moreover, even before Iron Net Mountain, the retired emperor's edict to serve the emperor might not have been so effective.

Weren't Wang Ziteng and his men ordered to come to the emperor's aid? What was the final outcome?
It can be said that Jia Lian found the Emperor Emeritus's behavior quite childish.

It's not that there's absolutely no chance of success.

However, the chances of success did not lie in the Emperor Emeritus's decree, but in the Prince of Pingliao himself.

Is the retired emperor trying to make fun of him like Prince Yun?

Moreover, although he was ambitious, he was not insatiable, nor was he like Prince Yun, who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

Given his current reputation, he could achieve new successes in this campaign against Korea.

It can be said that unless he falls out with Princess Zhaoyang, even if the fourth prince ascends the throne in the future, his words will still carry weight in this world.

Under such circumstances, how could he possibly betray Emperor Ningkang's trust and do something so counterproductive and alienating? Therefore, Jia Lian tricked the emperor into revealing the imperial edict and destroyed it, both to avoid trouble for himself and to protect the retired emperor.

Don't assume that just because someone is an emperor emeritus, they have an invincible body.

Emperor Ningkang has already let him go twice.

The saying goes, "Things shouldn't happen more than three times."

If he truly disregarded the court and the fate of the nation, and was determined to cause trouble, even if Emperor Ningkang had sent him on his way, the officials wouldn't have said much, and later historical records wouldn't have criticized him too much.

The Emperor Emeritus looked deeply at Jia Lian, sighed, but did not get angry.

Clearly, he had anticipated Jia Lian's rejection.

"Fine, I hope you won't regret your decision today in the future."

"Feng Cheng, bring out the other imperial edict."

Upon hearing this, the old eunuch went out of the inner hall and soon brought back an imperial edict that was much more formal than the previous silk scroll.

"My grandfather doesn't have many days left. Before he passes away, there are still some things he asked Feng Cheng to write down in his will. I'd like to trouble you to give them to him on my behalf."

Upon hearing that it was a will and was to be delivered to Emperor Ningkang, the wariness in Jia Lian's eyes dissipated, and he nodded to accept the imperial edict.

After speaking with the Emperor Emeritus for a while, Jia Lian got up to take his leave.

After leaving the inner room, just to be on the safe side, Jia Lian immediately took out the imperial edict from his sleeve.

Upon seeing the document, one could indeed find some matters that the retired emperor was concerned about, including his burial requirements, hints to Emperor Ningkang about what temple name and posthumous title to give him, and even information about Jia Lian.

It was simply to make Emperor Ningkang keep his promise and protect Jia Lian.

None of these were significant, but when Jia Lian suddenly saw one of the points, his expression changed.

Outside the palace, Princess Zhaoyang saw Jia Lian come out and immediately went to greet him.

Her smiling face changed when she saw Jia Lian's complicated expression, and she quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

Jia Lian glanced at the soldiers and officers of the Imperial Guard that filled Chonghua Palace and shook his head at Princess Zhaoyang: "This is not the place to talk."

Princess Zhaoyang, who was familiar with Jia Lian, knew from his tone that something important must be on his mind.

Without hesitation, he immediately suggested, "Let's go to my grandmother's place."

……

At Weiyang Palace, the Empress Dowager did not seem very welcoming of Princess Zhaoyang and Jia Lian's visit.

In particular, the fact that the two of them went to Zhaoyang Palace together openly after a perfunctory greeting to her almost broke the Empress Dowager's guard.

What do they think her palace is?

However, this time the Empress Dowager misunderstood Jia Lian and Princess Zhaoyang.

After entering the bedchamber and dismissing the maids, Jia Lian took out the Emperor Emeritus's last edict and gave it to Princess Zhaoyang.

Princess Zhaoyang's expression turned serious upon seeing this, clearly indicating that she had other thoughts on the matter.

However, after realizing that it wasn't an imperial edict in a belt, she looked up at Jia Lian in confusion.

Jia Lian gestured for her to continue looking ahead.

Princess Zhaoyang soon saw the edict that shocked Jia Lian.

"The Empress Dowager has no children, so she is demoted to Imperial Concubine Dowager, ordered to be hanged, and to be buried with me."

Princess Zhaoyang looked up in disbelief, her face extremely pale.

Jia Lian then explained, "This is the late Emperor Emeritus's will, instructing me to deliver it to my father so that he can carry it out."

"no!"

Princess Zhaoyang was unusually panicked. She stood up and shouted loudly.

Jia Lian didn't speak, he just looked at her.

Princess Zhaoyang finally regained her senses. She realized that Jia Lian hadn't expressed his opinion in front of others, but only told her here, which clearly meant he knew she wouldn't agree to this matter and had come to discuss it with her.

So she gave him an apologetic look and said resentfully, "That old man, my grandmother followed him her whole life and suffered enough, yet he still wouldn't let her go even on her deathbed."

Seeing that Princess Zhaoyang was calling the Emperor Emeritus "old thing," she was clearly in a panic.

This also reveals the Empress Dowager's position in Princess Zhaoyang's heart.

"Don't panic, there's still room for things to turn around."

Upon hearing Jia Lian's words, Princess Zhaoyang forced herself to remain calm.

Then he tentatively asked, "Does Your Highness mean we shouldn't hand over this imperial edict?"

I'm afraid it's not possible.

Even if we can conceal this imperial edict, can we really silence the Emperor Emeritus forever?

Princess Zhaoyang thought about it and agreed. Unless they could silence the Emperor Emeritus, the truth would be exposed sooner or later.

At that time, not only would the Empress Dowager be unable to protect herself, but she and Jia Lian would also be guilty of deceiving the Emperor.

"As the old saying goes, 'To be old and not die is to be a thief.'"

He wanted my imperial grandmother to be buried with him—how could he even think of that!

However, his father was no longer the father who could only obey him.

He might not agree.

The Bai family would never agree to this.

My uncle is the military governor of Anxi, commanding 100,000 troops and responsible for guarding the western frontier.

Even the Emperor himself couldn't ignore the Bai family's opinion.

Princess Zhaoyang was clearly trying to bolster her confidence.

Indeed.

The Empress Dowager's family was not some humble background.

Putting aside other foundations, the Anxi Military Governor's Office alone is not something the imperial court can easily ignore.

The Anxi Military Governor's Office controls a vast area of ​​western Xinjiang, which has been managed by the Bai family for over a decade.

Any change in circumstances would be a huge storm for the imperial court.

This is something even Jia Lian couldn't understand.

From any perspective, the Empress Dowager was deeply favored by the Emperor Emeritus.

Otherwise, the retired emperor wouldn't have entrusted such an important position to the Bai family.

If the Empress Dowager is forced to be buried alive with the Emperor, the Bai family will use this as a pretext to rebel.

Even if they couldn't conquer the Central Plains, the loss of the Anxi Protectorate alone would be an unbearable loss for the imperial court and an indelible stain on an emperor's record.

The Emperor Emeritus's decision was neither reasonable nor wise.

Does staying in that position for too long really make one think of oneself as a god and no longer regard the people of the world as human beings?
"Although I also think that Father Emperor might not agree to this."

But is Qingran willing to take the gamble?

Princess Zhaoyang was taken aback. Yes, she dared not gamble.

Emperor Ningkang's coup to seize power is an indelible stain on his record.

The fact that he showed leniency to the retired emperor on both occasions shows that Emperor Ningkang was ultimately not so heartless as to disregard even his own family.

He still cares about his reputation.

Now the retired emperor is imprisoned by him and is about to pass away.

At this time, the retired emperor left a will instructing him to comply.

Even if it was just to silence public opinion, Emperor Ningkang would most likely agree.

This is actually why she was anxious.

Because she also knew that in the eyes of an emperor, nothing was beyond sacrifice.

It all depends on whether it's worth it. (End of Chapter)