The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 862 Jia Zheng Returns to the Capital
That night, Jia Lian was to go to Baochai's room to serve her in bed.

Baochai refused.

Just as Jia Lian brought the seemingly heartless yet charming Hengwu Jun to Tianjin, where they indulged in romance and revelry day and night, the situation in the capital gradually stabilized.

The undercurrent of the retired emperor being forced into a life of luxury was gradually suppressed by Emperor Ningkang, causing him to lose his sovereign status.

Meanwhile, good news kept pouring in from the border.

Daming Palace, Southern Study.

Emperor Ningkang felt a rare relief from the pressure he was under, and only summoned a few key ministers for a meeting.

During this time, he had Dai Quan read aloud the victory report sent back by Huo Zhao.

Upon hearing this, the ministers learned that after Huo Zhao's troops marched to Liaocheng, they not only defeated the Jurchens but also rescued the trapped Prince of Beijing.

Moreover, they were poised to press their advantage and annihilate the Jurchens in one fell swoop, and each of them spared no praise.

"General Zhenguo has won one victory after another in this campaign, greatly boosting the morale of our army. This is all thanks to His Majesty's ability to recognize talent and appoint people to their positions."

"The General Who Protects the Nation is indeed worthy of being the grandson of the Prince of Nan'an; he has the same demeanor as the old prince in his prime."

"Your Majesty, we offer our congratulations!"

Emperor Ningkang, unusually, did not stop the barrage of praise, but accepted it all without question.

He certainly needs such a successful foreign war to ease internal conflicts and establish greater prestige.

Seeing Emperor Ningkang's reaction, the officials knew that he was in a good mood.

After the hymns were finished, one of them suddenly looked at Wang Ziteng with a smile:
"Grand Secretary Wang."

If I remember correctly, your renowned nephew-in-law used to look down on General Huo.

He even said in front of His Majesty that if General Huo led the troops, this battle would surely be lost.

What should we do now?

Hearing these obviously off-putting words, Wang Ziteng frowned slightly.

Where there are people, there will be conflict.

Even among the same circle of founding nobles, things weren't necessarily harmonious.

Although the four kings and eight dukes had been friends for a hundred years, it was all for show; in reality, there was already a rift between their descendants.

The four royal mansions, in particular, were of the highest social standing, and their usual associates were mostly princes and grandsons of the emperor, or princes and heirs of the imperial clan.

He didn't take the other ordinary nobles seriously either.

Although the Prince of Beijing's residence maintains closer ties with other residences, this is entirely due to the current Prince of Beijing's peaceful and refined demeanor, as well as his respect for scholars and officials.

The other three families had titles that were passed down for only one generation, while others had them for two or three generations.

In any case, nowadays, all of them have lost their royal titles due to the law of demoting members of the royal family.

As a result, their social standing declined and their influence diminished significantly.

Originally this was nothing.

Apart from the Prince of Beijing's mansion, almost all the founding families were like this, so it wasn't considered shameful.

In recent years, the Jia family, the head of the Eight Dukes, has produced a concubine and been granted a new marquisate, giving them a strong advantage over the three royal families.

It's inevitable that some people will feel jealous or resentful because of this; that's only natural.

It was only recently revealed that Jia Lian was actually a grandson of the emperor, and that the title of Duke was probably Emperor Ningkang's compensation to this "nephew" that those in the shadows felt somewhat at ease.

Unexpectedly, what Jia Lian said when he volunteered for battle in the Southern Study that day was leaked, which enraged Huo Zhao, the heir to the Prince's mansion who now only inherited the title of General of the State.

He immediately declared that if he could not achieve a great victory in this battle, he would be willing to become Jia Lian's apprentice and learn military strategy from him.

Those who liked to spread the story of this feud far and wide, but Jia Lian pretended not to hear it.

Normally, such grudges are nothing to military generals; it's common for them to ridicule and belittle each other in order to achieve "military merits."

Perhaps the only thing that seems inappropriate is that Jia Lian is a junior compared to Huo Zhao.

Now that the opposing faction has won a great victory, it is not surprising that they are mocking and ridiculing them.

Knowing that Jia Lian was in the wrong in this matter, Wang Ziteng had no intention of arguing with him, and simply replied: "In court debates, everyone should rely on their own opinion."

The General's victory proves that His Majesty's decision to refuse the Duke of Rong's request to fight was indeed wise and decisive.

Seeing that Wang Ziteng was avoiding the main issue, the man's smile widened.

"His Majesty's refusal of the Duke of Rong was undoubtedly a wise and brilliant decision."

However, this great victory of the General Who Protects the Nation should also teach some people not to think that just because they have some ability, they can be arrogant and reckless.

Especially as a younger generation, one should show respect to elders to avoid making a fool of oneself.

Many people frowned upon hearing this.

Everyone was wondering what the Duke of Rong had done to offend this person.

However, it wasn't just the Prince of Nan'an's mansion that had connections with the Jia family; there were also quite a few who admired Jia Lian.

The Minister of Revenue, known in the Jia family as "Official Zhao," chimed in:

"Lord Chen, you have gone too far."

The Duke of Rongguo had the temperament of a young man.

His previous remarks were nothing more than an eagerness for war.

This is a heart devoted to serving the country and making contributions; it is precisely the spirit that a martial artist should possess.

"But Lord Chen, isn't it petty of you to use such harsh words to attack a young talent who has rendered numerous merits to the court?"

Minister of War Fan Chengju also said, "What Lord Zhao said is true."

We were all present that day and should know that the Duke of Rongguo's words were merely a slip of the tongue and not intended to target the General of the State.

Lord Chen said he was arrogant, but I disagree.

"Let alone the fact that young people are naturally prone to arrogance, just consider this: Lord Chen lectured the Duke of Rong in the tone of an elder. Did he think his achievements were greater than the Duke's, or his position more important?"

Minister Chen never expected that his casual remark would immediately attract so many condemnations, and from such prominent figures.

He forced a defiant remark, then stopped trying to embarrass himself. Emperor Ningkang watched his ministers arguing amongst themselves but paid them no heed.

It's normal for ministers to have their own interests and conflicts. He'd only feel uncomfortable if they were all united.

As for the fact that so many important officials sided with Jia Lian, Emperor Ningkang didn't think much of it.

Because in his eyes, Jia Lian was just that outstanding.

Furthermore, Jia Lian was personally trained by him. The fact that everyone admires him is a tacit way of saying that he is wise and has a keen eye for talent.

Seeing that everything was alright, he ordered the ministers to leave.

Suddenly, a eunuch came in from outside the palace to announce that Jia Zheng had returned to the capital and was kneeling outside the palace gates, requesting an audience.

Emperor Ningkang was taken aback, and then he remembered this trivial matter.

He waved for the officials to leave, then put on a cold expression and said, "Summon them."

"Announcement: Jia Zheng, the Guangdong Provincial Education Commissioner, is hereby summoned for an audience."

……

Before long, a middle-aged man of medium build and with a rather refined appearance walked in.

Emperor Ningkang still had some impression of this father-in-law who had come from a wealthy family.

Seeing that after he entered the hall to pay his respects, he prostrated himself on the ground, trembling slightly, it was not wise to continue frightening him.

"Jia Zheng, do you know your crime?"

“The guilty official Jia Zheng acknowledges his crime.”

Emperor Ningkang coldly said, "Extorting students and condoning your servants to injure people—do you know you've done wrong?"

Jia Zheng glanced up at Emperor Ningkang discreetly, then lowered his head again and said:

"This guilty subject has failed Your Majesty's trust. However, if this guilty subject does not defend himself, and Your Majesty mistakenly believes that Jia Zheng is an unpardonable villain, it may also damage Your Majesty's wisdom."

Since assuming office in Guangdong, I have never forgotten Your Majesty's grace day and night. I only wish to make some achievements in my post so as not to fail Your Majesty's kindness and favor.

I, a disgraced official, know all too well that the most taboo thing for an official is corruption.

Therefore, the disgraced official not only reflected on himself every day, but also frequently instructed his subordinates and officials to be honest and self-disciplined.

However, a provincial education commissioner has dozens of subordinate offices, hundreds of officials, and thousands of other clerks.

Perhaps because the guilty official was busy with official business every day, he lacked the ability to restrain the many officials under his command, which allowed them to commit many evil deeds behind his back.

By the time the guilty official realized his mistake, it was too late for regrets.

As for the matter of the servants beating the students, upon learning of it, I immediately handed it over to the local prefect for severe punishment according to the law, without any favoritism or perversion of justice.

Everything I have said is true.

Your Majesty, I assure you that I have absolutely not used my position to seek any improper benefit.

Your humble servant has returned to the capital and has not yet been able to go home.

If Your Majesty suspects me, you may order your troops to search my carriages and belongings. If any ill-gotten gains are found, I am willing to accept death.

Jia Zheng spoke with considerable confidence.

He had worked his way up in the Ministry of Works for so many years, a very lucrative department, yet he was still able to remain clean and earn praise from both the court and the public.

Not to mention going to the political science school, which he considered his ideal "sacred place".

As the de facto controller of a duke's mansion, the mansion's output was sufficient to cover daily expenses. There was no need for him to risk disgrace, confiscation of property, or execution by engaging in embezzlement.

Therefore, when he went to Guangdong, he carried silver and banknotes in his suitcase to take up his post.

He cherished this opportunity from the very beginning and wanted to be a good and honest official.

If he can make the emperor see his efforts, he can make further progress in the future and leave a mark in the history books.

Even if it's just a faint stroke, he feels he has no other desires in this life.

Unexpectedly, things went against my wishes.

Now that he's in this state, he's practically being escorted back to the capital by government troops. You can imagine the disappointment he feels.

Emperor Ningkang sneered, "Oh? You want me to investigate?"
Even if you had accepted bribes from others, you would have already had them transferred. How could I possibly find out?

Jia Zheng was speechless and trembled with fear.

Upon seeing this, Emperor Ningkang rebuked him, saying, "Even if you did not embezzle, you cannot escape the charge of dereliction of duty and incompetence."

"This sinful subject has failed Your Majesty..."

Emperor Ningkang looked at Jia Zheng before him and sighed inwardly.

Long before he had Jia Zheng escorted to the capital for trial, the Embroidered Uniform Guard and local officials had already presented all the evidence against him.

If he hadn't known that Jia Zheng was mostly being misled, given Jia Zheng's ability to turn the scholarly circles of the province into a chaotic mess in just a few months, he would have ordered Jia Zheng to be beheaded long ago, and there would be no way he would be allowed into the Southern Study.

The minister before me seems loyal and not greedy, but he lacks the ability to manage his subordinates.

Well, perhaps such a person really shouldn't be allowed to govern a region.

So he deliberately waited for a while, letting Jia Zheng truly feel his imperial might, before softening his tone and saying:

"Considering that this is your first offense and that you are the biological father of the Imperial Concubine, I will spare you for now."

You should go home and rest for half a month, and then report to the Ministry of Rites.

Jia Zheng was overjoyed upon hearing this.

Judging from the situation, I thought the worst outcome would be dismissal and unemployment, but unexpectedly, the emperor actually asked him to report to the Ministry of Rites.
Although the Ministry of Rites may seem like a leisurely government office to many, in Jia Zheng's eyes it was a prestigious place reserved for the most upright and honest officials.

The great affairs of the country lie in sacrifice and military affairs.

The Ministry of Rites was responsible for the education of the entire nation, so its status was self-evident.

Since he couldn't make it in Shilin anymore, going to the Ministry of Rites would suit his wishes perfectly.

I just wonder what position His Majesty will give him...

……

(End of this chapter)