The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 842 Rongguo Duke’s Mansion
After leaving the palace, Jia Lian went straight to the Marquis of Linzi's residence.

In the old man's courtyard, Jia Lian and his second uncle Zhang Song stood beside him.

"You don't need to worry. Your eldest uncle and your eldest cousin are currently trapped in Liaocheng with Prince Bei Jing."

It is anticipated that once the imperial army arrives, the Jurchens will surely retreat, and the crisis will resolve itself.

Jia Lian's maternal uncle, Zhang Leng, was the general of Youzhou and Liaodong. Years ago, when Jia Lian accompanied Prince Teng on his northern expedition against the Tatars, he received preferential treatment from them.

This time, the Jurchens launched a surprise attack on Liaodong, their military force aimed at the Prince of Beijing, who was on inspection tour of Liaodong on behalf of the emperor.

After the incident, Zhang Leng led his troops to the rescue, and now he and Prince Bei Jing are besieged in Liaocheng by the Jurchen army.

Seeing Jia Lian's worried expression, his second uncle Zhang Song comforted him, saying, "The reason why the Jurchens were able to launch a surprise attack this time is simply because of the mobility of their cavalry."

In reality, the Jurchens were confined to the area between the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River, with a sparse population and scarce resources, and were not a threat to the imperial court at all.

My guess is that they dared to invade the south because they were misled by the Tatars.

"Don't worry, as soon as the imperial army arrives, they will surely flee in terror."

It's no wonder Zhang Song looked down on the Jurchens.

After the fall of the Jin Dynasty in the north during the Song Dynasty, the Jurchen people were fragmented and never unified again.

Now only one Jianzhou Jurchen tribe remains, still possessing some size. They were driven by Emperor Taizu to the area between the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River, east and north of Liaodong, where they barely survive.

For the Great Wei, with a population exceeding 200 million, the Jiannu, whose population was perhaps less than 100,000, were hardly worth paying attention to.

In the eyes of most courtiers, the only real enemy was the Tatars to the north.

The Tatars had only made peace with the Great Wei two years ago, so it is unlikely that they would easily start a war with the Great Wei again.

This is also why the atmosphere in the Southern Study was not tense at all before.

However, Jia Lian, who came from later generations, would certainly not look down on these wild boar hides in such a way.

Even though he didn't believe in the myth that "the Jurchens are invincible if they number less than ten thousand, but if they number ten thousand, they are invincible," he still knew that many years later, when the Jurchens grew up, they might enter the Central Plains and bring profound disasters to the vast Chinese nation!

This is why he immediately wanted to request permission to lead an expedition when he heard that the Jurchens had invaded his territory.

Not for military merit, but because he genuinely didn't mind eliminating this potential threat at its source, ideally turning over the White Mountain and boiling the Black Water.

To destroy their race and wipe out their descendants.

Of course, it might not be easy to do that, and Emperor Ningkang did not intend to give him the opportunity.

"Second Uncle may not know, but I am not worried about the Jurchens. What I am worried about is the person leading the troops this time."

"Oh, I just heard you say that Huo Zhao is leading the troops this time. Is there something wrong with him?"

Jia Lian didn't know how to explain it. He couldn't very well say that he had some kind of premonition and guessed that Huo Zhao would lose the battle, could he?

Besides, he wasn't entirely sure either.

After all, in his memory, the Nan'an Prince's Mansion had suffered a defeat overseas, but this time it was a northward journey beyond the pass.

However, based on past events, Jia Lian always felt that things would develop in the direction he expected.

"I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong with him, but I just feel that he's superficial and doesn't seem like someone who can lead troops into battle."

Although Jia Lian's words were unfounded, the old man and Zhang Song couldn't help but worry because they trusted Jia Lian.

The old man even scoffed, "The imperial court can't be so incompetent as to be unable to deal with a mere Jurchen, can it? If I didn't know His Majesty wouldn't grant it, I would have personally requested permission to lead the expedition and utterly annihilated those Jurchen Tartars..."

Lian, you too. You're so young and strong, it's the perfect time for you to serve your country, why don't you ask the court for permission to go on a campaign?
"Could it be that you've become a coward after being granted the title of Duke, and are now afraid to go to the battlefield?"

Jia Lian said, feeling wronged, "Grandpa, you're wronging your grandson. When I went to the palace just now, I asked His Majesty for permission, but unfortunately, I was scolded by him."

As you know, my current situation is somewhat awkward, and His Majesty probably won't be inclined to use me.

The old man sighed deeply and said nothing more.

At this moment, the girl, who had been peeking from the side corridor for a while, saw that things seemed to have calmed down in the courtyard, and then she ran down: "Cousin, my mother wants you to go to her place."

Jia Lian turned around, looked at the sunny and lively girl, and asked with a smile, "Did your aunt say anything?"

"She said she had something for you, but I don't know anything else..."

After the girl finished speaking, she glanced at Jia Lian, and without waiting for a reply, she ran away quickly.

Zhang Song cursed from the side, "This girl is getting more and more rude. I'll teach her a lesson later."

Jia Lian simply smiled, apologized to the old man, and then set off for his second aunt's side.

The old man kept watching the direction his granddaughter and Jia Lian left in. Only after Jia Lian's figure had completely disappeared did he stand up: "If I remember correctly, in another month, Yan'er will be of marriageable age?"

Zhang Song bowed and said, "That's right."

"Have any families come to propose marriage?"

"Reporting to the old master, there are indeed two, namely..."

Zhang Song was about to explain in detail when the old man interrupted him mercilessly.

"It's not a bad thing for a girl to stay home and play for a few more years. Don't rush to agree to her marriage yet; wait a few years before making any decisions."

"What does father mean?"

Zhang Song was puzzled and glanced back.

The old man said mysteriously, "It's too early to say now, we can talk about it later."

Zhang Song hesitated, but seeing his father's expression, he could easily guess what he meant.

He didn't know whether to be happy or sad. Although it was said that it was common for a man to have three wives and four concubines.

But I've heard that this guy is quite the ladies' man...

He was worried that his daughter would suffer in the future, but he didn't want to go against his father's wishes.

At the same time, he also knew what the old man was planning.

That bastard Jia She is actually the illegitimate son of the retired emperor! Good heavens, my sister has given birth to a great son for their family.
If it weren't for the fact that Emperor Ningkang is currently in power, the Zhang family would have taken off just based on this alone.

Although things are a bit bumpy right now, as long as Jia Lian can get through this, they dare not even imagine what he could achieve given his status and abilities.

Therefore, he understood why the old man wanted to postpone his daughter's marriage, after all, it was for the sake of the family, to firmly bind this grandson with dragon blood to the family.

Thinking about this, he couldn't help but feel a little regretful that he hadn't seen Jia Lian's potential sooner.

If the marriage had been arranged long ago, the current Duchess would belong to the Zhang family...

……

In the east wing of the Rongguo Mansion, when Jia Lian's horse stopped at the gate, Jia Yun, who had been waiting there, immediately came to greet him.

Jia Lian looked around and saw that the black lacquered gate that used to be at the entrance of the east courtyard had disappeared.

Instead, there was a majestic and solemn red-painted copper gate, just like the main gate of the Rongguo Mansion.

"Nephew greets Second Uncle."

Ignoring the grinning Jia Yun, Jia Lian dismounted and walked to the seven steps leading up to the gate before him.

Upon seeing this, Jia Yun smiled and said, "As instructed by my second uncle, I have already replaced the main gate. I have rebuilt it in the style of the main gates of the two mansions."

To facilitate the entry and exit of carriages and horses, two side gates were also opened on both sides.

The left side gate was for the second master and mistress's carriages and horses, while the right gate was for the servants' daily use.

Jia Lian looked around in the direction Jia Yun had indicated.

Because of the Rongguo Mansion's impressive width, even the East Courtyard, with its two side gates on the left and right, does not feel cramped or narrow.

"However, please forgive me, Second Uncle. I really didn't know you would be back so soon. Right now, we've only finished the exterior work; the interior work hasn't even started yet."

"Oh, right, my second uncle is back. I have two important matters to discuss and would like your guidance."

"what's up."

Jia Yun jogged up the steps, pointed to the spot above the gate where a plaque was to be hung, and said with a smile, "Now that the gate is complete, I don't know what to hang the plaque for. Please give me your advice, Uncle."

Jia Lian glanced at the impressive lintel in front of him, then stepped forward.

Only after stepping onto the last table did he speak seriously: "Let's hang 'The Duke of Rong's Mansion'."

In fact, Jia Lian had also seriously considered this issue.

There should only be one Rongguo Mansion in a dynasty, and the imperial court will only recognize one Rongguo Mansion.

Moreover, he had no intention of completely separating from the Jia family. Even now that they have established a new residence, he has not argued with Grandmother Jia about the point of "not separating the family."

Since the family is not separated, and even if Sister Feng still manages the Rongguo Mansion, it means that both sides are still one household, and he does not need to establish a separate household.

However, the main reason Jia Lian wanted to separate from Rongguo Mansion was because he was going to marry Baochai and Daiyu next year. He didn't want them to enter the gate of the "Imperial Rongguo Mansion"; he wanted them to enter his Jia Lian's gate.

If everything is still the same as during the "black oil gate" era, then what is the point of all this fuss? Is it just so that he and his wife can move into the Grand View Garden legitimately?
That's not the case.

The reason he didn't completely separate was twofold: firstly, because of the emperor's attitude, and secondly, because of the insistence of Grandmother Jia and others to stay.

But he knew that he would eventually leave and establish his own government.

Therefore, connecting the Grand View Garden and the East Courtyard into one place as a new residence was merely a stopgap measure and a compromise.

After weighing the options, Jia Lian felt that since he held the title of Duke of Rongguo, there shouldn't be any problem with his residence being called "Duke of Rongguo's Mansion."

As for whether hanging it up would cause controversy because it would be the same as the "Imperial Decree Rongguo Mansion" to the west...

It's bound to cause a stir, and even the people of the Rongguo Mansion themselves will find it surprising.

Perfect timing, he needs this kind of discussion. He wants the whole world to know that he is actually a "son of the dragon."

What, you don't believe it?

Then go take a look over Ningrong Street. There's an Imperial-Built Rongguo Mansion and a Rongguo Duke's Mansion. Tell me, aren't you surprised and delighted?

When the whole world recognizes him as the son and grandson of the emperor, and when Emperor Ningkang has completely wiped out the remaining power of the retired emperor and no longer sees his identity as a threat, that will be the time for him to regain his status.

At that time, the king will have no problem getting anything out of his pocket.

As for Jia Yun and the others, although they felt that hanging the words "Rongguo Mansion" was unusual, they had never heard of two mansions with the same title in one dynasty.

However, since Jia Lian spoke so solemnly, it meant that he had his own plans, and they naturally wouldn't object.

Seeing that Jia Lian was about to walk into the gate, Jia Yun quickly pointed outside the gate and said, "Then outside, should we also carve two stone lions to guard it, just like the two mansions?"

Jia Lian glanced back and thought that there was nothing wrong with the wide and flat gate, which was also convenient for guests to park their cars.

So as he walked inside, he casually instructed, "No need for the stone lions, the outside is fine as it is."

Hanging the plaque is necessary, but placing two stone lions side by side with the stone lions of the Rongguo Mansion, which were built by imperial decree, is not really necessary and could create conflict.

Ultimately, it's just a temporary residence. Once he establishes his own princely residence in the future, it will have to be returned to Jia Zheng or Jia Lan.

(End of this chapter)