The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 871 Tips
"Your Majesty, I believe that the Duke of Rong is a suitable successor to Huo Zhao."

On the day Huo Zhao led his troops, Duke Rong had already foreseen his inevitable defeat, demonstrating Duke Rong's exceptional military foresight.

If he were to succeed Huo Zhao, he would surely be able to turn the tide in Liaodong.

Several ministers offered their recommendations.

However, Emperor Ningkang's brows furrowed even more deeply.

Seeing that Emperor Ningkang remained silent for a long time, Zhao, the official of the Ministry of Revenue, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I think it is somewhat inappropriate to send the Duke of Rongguo."

At present, Liaodong has just suffered a defeat, and the Tatars in the north are also eyeing it covetously.

At this critical juncture, the imperial court must not be careless.

Therefore, I believe that we should select a mature and prudent veteran general to go to Liaodong to take charge of military affairs.

It is not that I do not trust the Duke of Rong; on the contrary, it is precisely because I have great faith in the Duke of Rong's heart to fight for the country that I feel he is unsuitable.

Once the Duke of Rong arrives in Liaodong, he will inevitably seek a decisive battle against the Jurchens in order to avenge the court.

As a result, the imperial court would inevitably have to invest more troops, manpower, and resources to support the decisive battle in Liaodong.

Leaving aside whether the imperial court is capable of waging a national war, the Tatars will inevitably seize this opportunity to move south.

At that time, our dynasty would be attacked from two sides, which would be unwise.

"Therefore, my suggestion is to first send an experienced general to stabilize the situation in Liaodong, not seeking merit, but seeking to avoid mistakes."

In a few years, when the imperial court is free to deal with the mere Jurchens, it will not be difficult.

Minister Zhao's words were very pertinent, causing many ministers whose minds were filled with anger to reflect on their actions.

Many people are seriously considering what Minister Zhao said, and the more they think about it, the more likely it seems.

Even if they all believed in Jia Lian's abilities, Huo Zhao's defeat had already proven that the Jurchens were not a bunch of incompetent fools.

If the imperial court and the Jurchens were locked in a fierce battle in Liaodong, and the Tatars in the north were to seize the opportunity to move south, wouldn't it immediately escalate into a national war requiring the mobilization of the entire country?

It's not that we can't fight a national war, but the current situation doesn't allow the imperial court to fight such a national war with a difficult outcome.

Those present were all close advisors of Emperor Ningkang, and they all knew how much effort, even compromise, Emperor Ningkang had made in the past two months to stabilize the court.

Although the situation seems to have stabilized, everyone knows that the Battle of Tiewang Mountain has greatly depleted the imperial court's strength!
Even the national treasury is stretched thin.

Intelligent people know that this is the time to stabilize the external situation and improve internal governance.

It is really not advisable to launch a major military operation.

If they were willing to back down, it's likely that the Jurchens wouldn't dare to fight the court to the death.

They understood perfectly well that the Jurchens' southward expeditions were solely for plundering resources for survival.

Some people countered Zhao Shangshu's argument, saying that the Jurchens had come to their doorstep, and if they didn't dare to fight back, how would that be any different from the surrender faction?

Unfortunately, it did not gain strong acceptance in the face of facts.

When Wang Ziteng saw that Emperor Ningkang's brows visibly relaxed after Minister Zhao spoke, he sighed inwardly, knowing that Jia Lian's second request to go to war would probably come to nothing.

He didn't say much.

He had led troops for half his life and knew that war was dangerous and that no one could determine the outcome of a war before it even began.

He agreed with Minister Zhao's strategy of maintaining stability.

Seeing that most of the ministers understood his "good intentions," Emperor Ningkang no longer hesitated and immediately ordered Jia Lian to be "driven" out of the palace.

He doesn't want to see Jia Lian right now.

Firstly, since he didn't need to guess Jia Lian's purpose in coming to the audience, he didn't want to be lectured by his subjects.

Secondly, when Jia Lian volunteered for the battle last time, he said that Huo Zhao was not up to the task, but he was "stubborn and self-willed" and was determined to use Huo Zhao.

As a result, they suffered a defeat.

He was an emperor, but also a human being; it was understandable that he didn't want to see Jia Lian at this moment.

Third, just like when he first refused Jia Lian's request to fight, he did not want to appoint Jia Lian, especially not to give him military power.

……

Jia Lian left the palace with a gloomy expression.

However, this act is mostly just for show.

If the pro-war faction doesn't get angry when their request for war is rejected, then they aren't truly pro-war.

In fact, Jia Lian had anticipated that he would not be able to see Emperor Ningkang before entering the palace.

He was able to grasp some of Emperor Ningkang's psychological state.

After all, it had only been less than two months since Emperor Ningkang had openly stated that he was stripping Ningkang of his military power.

However, there are some things that, even if you can guess the outcome, still have to be done.

If the emperor doesn't see him today, he'll come again tomorrow.

It is imperative to let the emperor, the ministers, and even the people of the world know Jia Lian's determination to fight for the country!
So Jia Lian took the letter of request for battle, which he had prepared to personally deliver to Emperor Ningkang, and submitted it to the Office of Transmission. Then he went to the Wang family.

After Wang Ziteng returned to the mansion, Jia Lian inquired about the situation in the Southern Study before heading back home.

Go to the outer study and have Hu Yuanyao go back to the princess's residence to inquire when Princess Zhaoyang will be free, and arrange to meet her outside the city.

Princess Zhaoyang always complained that he wasn't proactive enough and always waited for the other person to come to him. Jia Lian also felt that this was indeed not right, as it made him seem cold-hearted, ungrateful, and spoiled.

As for why the meeting wasn't arranged to take place within the city.

There are many eyes and ears in the city; if Emperor Ningkang were to come and block our way, it would be disastrous.

If you're outside the city, at least you won't be at risk of being blocked at the gate.

……

"Second Master, the Master instructed that you should go to Mengpo Studio after you return."

The steward's words caused Jia Lian, who was about to head home, to turn back and enter the main courtyard through the moon gate next to the horse stable in the South Garden.

Although Jia Zheng was granted a two-week leave, he could hardly contain his joy at taking up his new post in the Ministry of Rites.

As a seasoned veteran of the officialdom for over a decade, he knew well the importance of maintaining good relationships with his colleagues in order to perform his duties effectively.

So after the appointment documents from the Ministry of Personnel were issued, he began visiting his colleagues at the Ministry of Rites.

Today is no exception.

However, he was having tea and chatting with a friend at the government office when, while talking about Jia Lian, he suddenly heard his friend say that when the last Liaodong War started, Jia Lian rushed back from Tianjin, intending to request permission to lead the expedition.

Unfortunately, the emperor did not grant permission, otherwise the court might not have suffered such a defeat.

He does not mean that.

Jia Zheng suddenly remembered that Jia Lian had also suddenly rushed back from Tianjin after the defeat in Liaodong.

Then I remembered that Jia Lian seemed to have rushed into the palace again that morning.

So he rushed back, wanting to have a chat with Jia Lian.

He wanted to dissuade Jia Lian from this idea.

Huo Zhaodu was defeated and died in Liaodong, so he had heard how miserable the situation of the Nan'an Prince's Mansion was now.

He was very worried that Jia Lian would follow in Huo Zhao's footsteps.

He had already thought of all the reasons for his advice, which were not much different from what Sister Feng had given Jia Lian.

So when Jia Lian arrived and understood Jia Zheng's meaning, he was quite moved.

"Sir, there's no need to persuade me. I have a compelling reason to go to Liaodong."

Although His Majesty did not see me today, I will not give up this opportunity until the army is mustered and ready to march.

After bidding farewell to Jia Zheng, Jia Lian prepared to return through the back gate on the east side of Rongxi Hall, which was the back gate that Lady Wang often used.

It's a coincidence.

Now that Madam Xing has moved to the three-room annex behind Madam Wang's courtyard, the two sisters-in-law are quite close.

I'm afraid that if Madam Wang shouts a few words at night, Madam Xing will be able to hear it clearly.

Unfortunately, I fear that Jia Zheng no longer has the ability to do so.

Just as Jia Lian was pondering this, he had just reached the gate of Madam Wang's courtyard when he suddenly saw a beautiful maid with fair skin walking out of the courtyard with a smile.

Upon seeing Jia Lian, she seemed somewhat surprised, but she quickly composed herself and stepped forward to greet him.

Jia Lian glanced at her twice and asked, "Are you Jin Chuan or Yu Chuan?"

Upon hearing this, Jin Chuan laughed and said, "Second Master, how come you recognize me too? Of course I'm Jin Chuan, look at me!"

Jin Chuan lifted the braid at the back of her neck and tilted her head so that Jia Lian could see her.

She found it amusing.

Could it be that Master Lian is face-blind?
Although she and her younger sister Yuchuan are a rare pair, everyone says they look less and less alike as they grow up.

In particular, in order not to confuse Madam Wang, they have been deliberately dressed differently ever since they came to this courtyard.

Therefore, for so long, very few people have mistaken them for each other.

Moreover, the person who apologized was Jia Lian, which she found interesting and immediately showed it.

Looking at the sunny, cheerful, and somewhat naive young girl in front of him, Jia Lian had a lot on his mind.

This is the object from which Jia Baoyu ate rouge when he was a child.

This is also important evidence to expose the true nature of Lady Wang's Bodhisattva persona.

He was also a pitiful person who chose to die to prove his innocence.

Jia Lian didn't want her to repeat the same mistake, so he said, "Of course I know you are Jin Chuan, but I'm just asking you for no reason."

You've been with your wife for many years, so you should know what kind of people she hates the most.

"Baoyu is all grown up now. You'd better not let him eat the rouge from your lips anymore. Otherwise, if your wife finds out, you can imagine the consequences."

After Jia Lian finished speaking, he immediately turned and left, leaving Jin Chuan standing there, her face flushed red.

Watching Jia Lian's dashing figure disappear into the distance, she was unsure what he meant by those words.

Also, how did Master Lian know that Master Bao had eaten her rouge?
That happened several years ago...

(End of this chapter)