The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 930: Love for the Child
When Emperor Ningkang saw ten beautiful women walking in, following closely behind, his face immediately darkened.

He looked at Jia Lian, waiting for an explanation.

Jia Lian laughed and said, "In this attack on Jianzhou, we captured more than 5,000 Jurchen women."

Other women, some of whom were sold at high prices by the court to meritorious soldiers.

The rest are also intended to be handed over to the imperial court for judgment.

These are ten carefully selected items, specially presented to His Majesty.

Emperor Ningkang stared at Jia Lian for a long while and then said, "I thought that you had made progress since you became the General Who Conquers Liaodong and commanded an army on your own."

I never expected him to learn such underhanded and despicable tactics.

Jia Lian looked like he was listening to a lecture with his head down.

This time, he had conquered a region, and the women he seized were shared between the soldiers and the imperial court.

Even he and Shui Rong each chose two, so there's no reason why Emperor Ningkang, as the eldest, wouldn't have one.

Regardless of whether he likes it or not, this is the rule, and Jia Lian certainly won't ignore it.

"If Your Majesty truly does not like it, it can be kept as a reward..."

"Hmph, I don't need you to teach me that."

Emperor Ningkang looked displeased, but seeing Jia Lian's guilty expression, he still glanced at the Jurchen beauties.

Although the skin color of Jurchen women was generally not as good as that of women from the Central Plains, their numbers were large enough to compensate for it.

The soldiers had captured young women; even if there were ugly women, they would probably have been killed with a single stab and wouldn't have been brought back to be an eyesore.

Therefore, among those five thousand women, there were basically none who were very ugly.

Especially the ten presented to Emperor Ningkang, they were all selected from among the best.

Although Emperor Ningkang also thought that some of them were indeed quite good-looking, he didn't care.

He had no time to pay attention to his many concubines in the harem, let alone these lowly Jurchen women.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Choose two of these women to take back."

"This, isn't it good..."

"Don't play dumb with me. Don't think I don't know about your philandering!"

Well, since you've put it that way, it would be disrespectful of you not to be picky.

So Jia Lian generously selected two teenage girls from among them.

Emperor Ningkang nodded and immediately ordered his men to take the remaining women away.

Of course, they weren't taken to the inner palace, but rather handed over to the Imperial Household Department for safekeeping, to be used as a reward for meritorious officials.

Then he waited to see the second gift Jia Lian would give him.

They were also Jurchens.

He was a strong Jurchen man whose Achilles tendon had been severed, lying limply on the ground like a dead dog.

Without Emperor Ningkang asking, Jia Lian took the initiative to explain: "This is the leader of the Suk tribe, the second largest tribe of the Jurchens."

This person was one of the masterminds behind the raid on Liaodong.

"I have specially brought this person back to the capital for Your Majesty's judgment."

This time, Emperor Ningkang became much more direct.

He stared coldly at the Jurchen leader, who looked like a dead dog and had clearly been tortured.

After thinking for a moment, he said to Dai Quan, "Send someone to take this official to the Prince of Nan'an's residence and tell him that Huo Zhao died for the country and that I am deeply saddened."

"Let the Huo family deal with this man."

Huo Zhao nearly lost 20,000 elite soldiers. Even now, according to news from Liaodong, only a few thousand have returned to Liaocheng intermittently to report for duty.

At first, Emperor Ningkang was naturally very angry and wished he could punish the entire Huo family.

However, as time went by, or perhaps when news of Jia Lian's great victory over the Jurchens arrived, his mind changed.

He knew that the Prince of Nan'an's mansion had not had a good time in the past six months.

Thinking that no matter what, Huo Zhao died on the battlefield, which can be considered as sacrificing himself for the country.

As the emperor, he couldn't completely ignore the situation, or he would appear too harsh.

We can take advantage of this Jurchen leader's death to improve the Huo family's situation and win over the hearts of the people.

Dai Quan immediately arranged for someone to take Xin Muershan away.

At this moment, Jia Lian couldn't help but secretly give Emperor Ningkang a thumbs up, feeling that Emperor Ningkang's move was like a stroke of genius.

Even he wouldn't have thought of dealing with the bandit leader this way.

"Alright, stop dawdling and quickly present your third gift."

To be honest, although Jia Lian's first two gifts were unexpected, he was quite satisfied.

It's clear that Jia Lian cares about him.

Unlike what some people say, he is not the kind of person who becomes arrogant after gaining power.

In fact, Emperor Ningkang didn't even need to urge him; the eunuchs arranged by Dai Quan had already pushed a cart full of armor and weapons into the Southern Study.

Armor is one thing, but generally speaking, weapons are not allowed in the Southern Study.

Even Jia Lian had his weapons removed before he came in.

However, this cartload of weapons was clearly an exception; not only were they brought in, but even Emperor Ningkang did not find them offensive.

He even immediately stepped down from the desk to examine it up close.

Emperor Ningkang picked up a long sword stained with black blood, tapped it, and asked, "Is this what you cut off from those Jurchen corpses?"
"I heard that you filled hundreds of carts with these things?"

Jia Lian bowed and smiled, "It wasn't all taken from the Jurchens."

Some of them were confiscated from the homes of the Jurchens.

Your subject believes that all the Jurchen weapons must be returned to the Central Plains.

Whether they are kept as spoils of war to display our victory, or recycled and remade into armor for our Great Wei, they still have value.

In addition to these tens of thousands of weapons and armor, Your Majesty has also brought back tens of thousands of cattle and sheep, more than three thousand warhorses, and various gold, silver and bronze artifacts, antiques, paintings and jewels, etc., with a total value of no less than ten million taels.

These items have now been handed over to the Ministry of Revenue for inventory and storage.

Emperor Ningkang was originally thinking that by looking at the dried bloodstains on the Jurchen weapons, he could tell that war was dangerous and fierce, and that no battle could be won simply without bloodshed and sacrifice.

Jia Lian's great victory this time must indeed be due to the dedication of his generals and the bravery of his soldiers.

He was stunned when he turned around and heard something about ten million taels of silver: "How much?"

"Your Majesty, although my estimate may be inaccurate, I can still guarantee that the total value of all the goods is over ten million taels."

Jia Lian didn't blame Emperor Ningkang for being unsophisticated, after all, he knew that Emperor Ningkang was poor.

To seize power, one needs money to appease the hearts and minds of the people and the military.

The Battle of Tiewangshan resulted in the deaths of so many soldiers, and the compensation and resettlement costs will be substantial.

The key point is that Emperor Ningkang seized power in order to realize his own governing philosophies.

Every major policy that was implemented required a significant amount of money.

So even though Emperor Ningkang confiscated so many mansions and ordered people to recover the debts owed to the national treasury for decades, there was still a deficit.

Thinking about it carefully, Emperor Ningkang did indeed have a tough time.

Jia Lian understood Emperor Ningkang, but Emperor Ningkang was truly shocked at this moment.

I've only ever heard of wars burning through money.

This was the first time he had ever realized that war could be so incredibly profitable.

How much of his fortune did he give Jia Lian in this battle?

With over ten thousand soldiers, their provisions and ammunition combined were worth at most a few hundred thousand taels of silver.

He originally thought that even if Jia Lian lost, he could afford to pay back his family's wealth.

Unexpectedly, Jia Lian not only didn't pay any compensation, but also brought him back ten million taels of silver.
How many times the profit is that?

He did not doubt that Jia Lian was exaggerating, because Jia Lian had fought a truly brilliant battle and had no need to exaggerate the spoils to gain his praise.

For a moment, Emperor Ningkang stared intently at Jia Lian and slowly said:

"Jia Lian, how should I reward you?"

Emperor Ningkang's tone was low and his speech was quite slow, which made Jia Lian, who had been in high spirits, suddenly feel a chill in his heart.

Glancing at Emperor Ningkang, Jia Lian replied with a casual smile, "Didn't Your Majesty just bestow two beauties upon your subject?"

Emperor Ningkang snorted: "You think you can be satisfied with just two Jurchen women? Are you too short-sighted, or do you harbor a greater scheme?"

If it were anyone else, they would probably have knelt down the moment Emperor Ningkang asked them that question.

Fortunately, Jia Lian remained calm.

He even looked at Emperor Ningkang with annoyance and said, "Your Majesty, this is not very interesting."

I do not understand Your Majesty's difficulties. I know that I am still too young to hold such a high position.

This was never a good thing to begin with.

This is something Your Majesty said yourself.

Furthermore, I know that the situation in the court and among the people is not yet completely stable, and my position is indeed quite awkward.

That's why I was too embarrassed to ask His Majesty for a reward.

Your Majesty need not feel embarrassed. I volunteered this time because I could not stand the Jurchens' rampage in Liaodong and wanted to serve the country.

Now that the mission has been accomplished, I will not shamelessly cling to my position.

Didn't Your Majesty say before that you would give me a year to recuperate?

There are still several months left in the year.

That's perfect, I'm about to end my mourning period.

I had originally planned to marry two concubines and have several children.

Your Majesty is well aware that I have no son to this day.

Therefore, if Your Majesty is truly compassionate, perhaps you could grant me more time off, allowing me to properly indulge in some leisure.

How could Jia Lian not know Emperor Ningkang's concerns?
He himself was not in good health, and of his sons, one was confined to his home, another was a natural optimist, and the last one was too young.

If too much power were rashly granted to a descendant of the retired emperor, it might cause internal strife.

Knowing this, how could Jia Lian not know when to advance and when to retreat?

In any case, he has gained enough merit and fame from his trip to Liaodong.

At this point, it would be unwise to use this merit to force Emperor Ningkang to return his power, as that would have the opposite effect.

Emperor Ningkang looked calmly at the rambling Jia Lian.

From Jia Lian's words, he could tell that Jia Lian understood perfectly well.

To be honest, this feeling isn't pleasant.

There was a feeling that he owed Jia Lian something.

However, since Jia Lian is sensible and knows when to advance and retreat, he is much easier to deal with.

He then sneered, "Ignoring everything else, you said you still don't have a son. Is that true?"

"Uh……"

Jia Lian stared blankly at Emperor Ningkang, not understanding what he meant.

After Emperor Ningkang returned to his desk with a flick of his sleeve, he said coldly, "What, do I need to bring up all the rotten things you've done and explain them to you in detail?"

"I'm afraid that's unnecessary."

Jia Lian was puzzled.

To this day, only Lady You has given him a son.

Therefore, Emperor Ningkang's words must have meant that there was no danger in this matter.

But he couldn't figure out how this matter had been leaked.

He was perfectly fine before he left the capital; not a word of it leaked out.

"Hmph. Once this matter is settled, I will have the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War devise a reward plan for the soldiers of the army that conquered Liaodong."

As for you, after you have handed over your responsibilities, you can rest at home for the time being, as you wish.

Don't worry, I won't be stingy with your great service this time.

When the time comes, I will definitely give you a satisfactory arrangement.

"By the way, you missed the Emperor Emeritus's birthday banquet. Now that you're back in the capital, why don't you visit Chonghua Palace?"

After Emperor Ningkang finished speaking, he waved his hand, indicating that Jia Lian could take his leave.

"Yes."

……

As Jia Lian was mentally reviewing his dialogue with Emperor Ningkang, he was suddenly grabbed by the arm as soon as he stepped out of the Southern Study.

"Hey, it's me."

The Fourth Prince, looking as if afraid of disturbing them, made a shushing gesture to Jia Lian before pulling him outside.

"Jia Lian, you're really not being fair."

Have you forgotten your promise to me? Why didn't you call me when you went to beat up those little sluts?

The fourth prince looked like a wronged little wife.

Jia Lian replied with a smile, "Your Highness Prince Xiao has misunderstood me."

The Jurchens are fierce, and even I was not entirely confident of success before this journey. How could I dare to let Your Highness take such a risk?

"Come on. I think you just don't want to take me with you, and you think I'm a burden."

The fourth prince sighed and said, "You have no idea how miserable I've been these past six months since you left."

For some reason, my father suddenly became stern with me again.

He made me return to the Imperial Study every day to study, and he also had those pedantic ministers lecture me every day about the way to govern the country and strategies for administration.

It's giving me a headache.

Jia Lian, do you think our plan might have been exposed?
"Does Father know we're going to support our fifth brother on the throne, so he's giving me a warning?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian looked down at the Fourth Prince and suddenly asked, "Does Your Highness truly not understand, or are you pretending not to understand?"

"What do you mean?" The fourth prince's expression immediately turned ugly.

"Why did His Majesty send someone to teach you the ways of governing the country? Does Your Highness really not understand His Majesty's good intentions at all?"

If that's the case, Your Highness has not only failed His Majesty, but I have also misjudged you.

From now on, Your Highness should no longer associate with me.

Otherwise, sooner or later, we will both die a violent death.

As Jia Lian spoke, he shook off the Fourth Prince's hand and walked forward.

The fourth prince's face immediately turned extremely ugly.

Seeing Jia Lian walking further and further away, he suddenly shouted angrily, "Why are you all forcing me?!"

Jia Lian paused for a moment, then walked quickly eastward without responding.

……

Half a year had passed, and the Emperor Emeritus's situation seemed unchanged, except that he looked increasingly aged.

"I have heard about your performance in Liaodong this time."

"Excellent! Truly worthy of being my descendant."

The Emperor Emeritus remained very amiable towards Jia Lian, showing no resentment towards the unpleasantness of their previous meetings.

His demeanor resembled that of an elderly man nearing the end of his life, showing his appreciation and concern for his grandson.

Jia Lian thought for a moment, then walked up to the Emperor Emeritus, squatted down, and held his skin-and-bones hand, whispering, "How has the Emperor Emeritus been lately? Has anyone been so blind as to dare to mistreat him?"

The retired emperor suddenly became somewhat agitated.

This was the first time Jia Lian had shown him any affection since he revealed Jia Lian's background.

He knew that his grandson cared about him, but he hadn't dared to be too close to him before because of Emperor Ningkang.

He raised his hand tremblingly and touched Jia Lian's temple.

Jia Lian had already removed his helmet before entering the hall.

Therefore, the retired emperor could touch Jia Lian's dark hair and youthful skin immediately.

"Good, good. Heaven has truly been kind to the Wei family."

"It is a blessing for our Great Wei to have a son and grandson like you, and it is also a blessing for me."

Jia Lian was only slightly moved by the paternal love of the eighty-one-year-old man, so he granted the request.

After all, the Emperor Emeritus's retirement is now a done deal, so Emperor Ningkang's spirits are probably no longer so tense.

This can be seen from the fact that Emperor Ningkang held a birthday banquet for the retired emperor and took the initiative to invite him to visit the retired emperor.

"Your Majesty, would you like me to tell you about some of the mountains and rivers I saw in Jianzhou?"

Did the retired emperor ever visit Jianzhou?

That place is truly different from our Central Plains.

"Good good..."

……

(End of this chapter)