The Second Master of the Red Chamber

When Jia Lian said these words, he looked up, wanting to observe Emperor Ningkang's reaction.

Unfortunately, Emperor Ningkang had his back to him, so he couldn't see anything.

After a while, Emperor Ningkang slowly said, "Then, if I were to establish the Third Prince as heir, what would you do then?"

Jia Lian felt a chill in his heart, his mind racing as he considered how to respond.

It was obvious that Emperor Ningkang was testing him again.

At this point, it would be unwise to try to fool people with words of "loyalty to the emperor."

Because Emperor Ningkang clearly knew his position, and even more so, he knew that he had already offended the Third Prince to death.

He immediately knelt down and said sincerely, "If Your Majesty wishes to establish the Third Prince as heir, I will immediately try to curry favor with His Highness the Third Prince and strive to gain his forgiveness and even his trust."

Emperor Ningkang smiled and said, "What if he doesn't forgive you or trust you?"

Even so, I am not afraid.

I believe that with His Majesty's protection, even if the Third Prince becomes the Crown Prince, he wouldn't dare to do anything to me.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Ningkang's expression became somewhat complicated.

He slowly walked up to Jia Lian, carefully looked at Jia Lian's somewhat stubborn young face, and sighed:
"With me here, I can protect you."

But Heaven does not grant you long life, and I cannot protect you forever.

Seeing that Jia Lian was about to speak, Emperor Ningkang interrupted him sharply, saying, "Don't try to fool me with the idea that I'm in my prime. I know my own body."

All I want to ask you now is this.

Right now, you and Zhaoyang are at odds with Prince Yun.

If one day I am gone and Prince Yun ascends the throne, what will you do?
Should they abandon all power and wealth and compromise, or simply rebel against him outright?

I know you have the ability.

Emperor Ningkang's gaze was like a knife at that moment.

If it were someone with a less composed mindset, they would probably already be kneeling on the ground, trembling and sweating profusely.

But Jia Lian did not.

It wasn't because he wasn't afraid, but because he had long realized that, given his current situation, he would be suspected by any emperor.

Youth and ability are secondary.

Importantly, his youth and ability are based on the fact that he is a descendant of the retired emperor, who is still alive.

Fortunately, he and Emperor Ningkang had a sufficient foundation of trust; otherwise, he would have sought another way to make a living long ago.

Therefore, he could understand why Emperor Ningkang was testing him time and time again.

If he were the emperor, and there was such a monstrous talent by his side, he would also pay more attention and try to distinguish whether he was loyal or treacherous from multiple perspectives.

Therefore, Jia Lian had already devised a similar countermeasure in his mind.

Emperor Ningkang's interrogation today did not exceed the scope he had anticipated.

So he knelt down with a thud, a hint of sadness and bewilderment on his face, but still spoke very frankly:
"Your Majesty's kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain, and I dare not lie before Your Majesty."

If that day ever comes, I ask myself, perhaps I will not be able to truly compromise and yield.

I have never considered, and would never dare to consider, any act of treason.

I have a happy family, with a wife, daughters, and beautiful concubines. I dare not disregard their lives for some unrealistic ambitions.

I only wish to be a capable minister in a prosperous era.

To be remembered in history is my greatest wish in life.

Your subject would absolutely not, and would never, become a traitor who brings chaos to the country.

Therefore, as long as he is the successor appointed by Your Majesty, I will wholeheartedly assist him, based solely on Your Majesty's kindness.

I would not dare to consider anything other than the slightest possibility.

But if the succeeding ruler truly cannot tolerate me... I will absolutely not sit idly by and await my doom!

Emperor Ningkang raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised by Jia Lian's boldness, or rather, his frankness.

"Does Your Majesty still remember what I told you? This world is very, very vast, and its rich and diverse territory is definitely not just a corner of our Central Plains."

"I am here because I wish to request an imperial edict from Your Majesty."

"Oh, what imperial decree?" Emperor Ningkang seemed to understand.

"Your Majesty, I would like to earnestly request that, in consideration of my loyalty and dedication over the years, if Your Majesty truly intends to establish the Third Prince, and if such a day ever comes when I am in a predicament, Your Majesty would allow me to take the Eldest Princess and the Fourth Prince to sea to seek refuge and establish a new foundation."

I deserve to die ten thousand times.

Looking at Jia Lian, who had finished speaking and was now bowing on the deck, Emperor Ningkang seemed somewhat dazed.

He truly hadn't expected Jia Lian to say such a thing.

What moved him most was that Jia Lian, even at such a critical moment, had not forgotten to bring the Fourth Prince and Princess Zhaoyang along.

Those are his two children.

No father wants to see his children suffer a tragic fate.

The former Emperor Ningkang believed that if he were to become emperor, he should avoid the situation that led to his father killing his brothers.

But reality slapped this emperor in the face.

On Iron Net Mountain, his son, who usually pretended to be the best, actually dared to attack his elder brother when given the slightest opportunity.

He understood, and he started to panic.

He fully understood that even though he was the supreme ruler and had seized the power to rule the world from his father, he would still be unable to avoid the reality of his own flesh and blood killing each other, just like his father.

This is also why he has ignored the proposals from his ministers to establish a crown prince for the past year since he arrived at Tiewang Mountain.

Because he was genuinely afraid.

He hasn't thought about it yet.

Jia Lian's statement today seems to have opened up a new way of thinking for him.

Many thoughts flashed through his mind, but on the surface, Emperor Ningkang still maintained a cold expression.

As a mature emperor, not showing his emotions had long been an inherent trait of his.

He kicked Jia Lian on the shoulder and sneered, "Ignorant and arrogant words."

Little did you know that the reason you were able to accomplish so many great things was because I and the Great Wei were supporting you behind the scenes.

Do you really think you're omnipotent?
What's this about establishing a new base overseas?

Having left me and the Great Wei, and gone to overseas lands, it is uncertain whether you will survive.

They even want to take my son away? Humph, what nonsense.

Have you not heard that when a ruler commands his subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die?

How dare you say you won't just sit and wait to die...

Based solely on what you just said, I know that you, Jia Lian, are not a loyal subject to the emperor.

However, since I have said that I will pardon you, I will not punish you for what you said today.

But Jia Lian, remember this.

Just because I can tolerate you doesn't mean that future rulers will be able to tolerate you.

Knowing when to temper your sharpness won't do you any harm.

Jia Lian hurriedly replied, "Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty. I will certainly keep it in mind."

But he didn't think so in his heart. He thought that if he really used the "the ruler wants the subject to die" argument to deal with it, he was afraid that not only would the other party not believe him, but would also think that he was two-faced and had a treacherous heart.

After all, how could someone who believes in the idea that "if the emperor commands the subject to die, the subject must die" dare to commit such a heinous act of slaughtering people in front of the residence of a prince who has a chance to ascend the throne?
He's clearly betting everything on the Fourth Prince; it's an open secret.

It's a situation where we can only win and cannot afford to lose.

Why do you insist on asking what will happen when the Third Prince ascends the throne?
What can he do?
Should we really just go against the grain and say that if things don't work out, we should just follow our hearts?

……

"What did Father Emperor say to you?"

Faced with Princess Zhaoyang's question, Jia Lian was initially unwilling to say much.

However, when he saw the fourth prince standing idly by, he chose to tell him the truth.

"His Majesty asked me what I would do if Prince Yun were to ascend the throne in the future."

Princess Zhaoyang was startled by his words, but seeing that Jia Lian's expression remained normal, she suppressed her worries and asked, "What did you answer?"

“I said, if His Highness Prince Yun ascends the throne, I will take you and the Fourth Prince by ship to escape overseas for refuge.”

Upon hearing Jia Lian's words, both Princess Zhaoyang and the Fourth Prince fell silent and frowned.

The Fourth Prince finally couldn't hold back any longer and came over to Jia Lian, asking, "Father, are you really going to pass the throne to him?" Only then did Jia Lian look at the Fourth Prince, with whom he had been at odds for quite some time, and nodded, saying, "Since the Fourth Prince has no interest in the throne, and the Fifth Prince is too young, His Majesty can only choose Prince Yun."

However, there is one thing I would like to ask Your Highness to forgive.

I just rambled on in front of His Majesty without ever asking the Fourth Prince for his opinion.

Looking back now, since the Fourth Prince had no interest in the throne, there was no direct conflict between him and Prince Yun.

If, after His Highness Prince Yun ascends the throne, the Fourth Prince is willing to humble himself and yield, perhaps His Highness Prince Yun will spare him any harm out of consideration for their brotherhood.

Therefore, the Fourth Prince naturally does not need to flee in panic like we have.

Staying in the Great Wei and living a carefree life as a prince is naturally far better than us setting sail at sea.

When the Fourth Prince heard Jia Lian say that Emperor Ningkang intended to pass the throne to the Third Prince, his heart skipped a beat.

Although he did not want to be emperor, he also did not want the third prince to be emperor.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have clashed with the Third Prince on New Year's Eve.

Upon hearing Jia Lian say something about bowing one's head, compromising, and being different from them,

Their words clearly excluded him from their group, portraying him as a spineless sycophant, and his expression immediately turned ugly.

"Jia Lian, what do you mean? What do you mean I don't need to be like you?"

Jia Lian said sincerely, "Please forgive me, Your Highness."

It was my and the princess's fault back then; we didn't consult you properly before taking it upon ourselves to plan that position for you.

We two have now thoroughly offended Prince Yun.

Once he comes to power, he will definitely not let the two of us go.

This can be seen from the fact that he sent people to slander my and the princess's reputations back then.

But Your Highness is different.

You didn't do anything from beginning to end; at most, you had some verbal conflicts with Prince Yun.

Therefore, as long as Your Highness is willing to admit defeat and back down, Prince Yun may not be able to tolerate Your Highness as a brother.

Naturally, Your Highness doesn't have to resort to fleeing to the sea like the princess and I did.

Princess Zhaoyang had roughly figured out Jia Lian's thoughts, and she cooperated by saying, "What Rong Gong said is correct."

The third prince appears gentle and refined on the surface, but in reality, he is the most narrow-minded and vindictive.

This can be seen from the death of the eldest prince.

Not only did I expose the truth about his murder of the eldest prince at Iron Net Mountain, but I also caused him to be beaten by the emperor and bedridden for several months.

Now, relying on my father's favor, I have repeatedly opposed him.

I imagine he already hates me to death.

Therefore, once he ascends the throne, I will either die, or I will have no choice but to flee overseas with Duke Rong.”

As Princess Zhaoyang spoke, she took Jia Lian's hand, and the two gazed at each other deeply, like a couple who had made a resolute break.

"enough!"

The fourth prince suddenly erupted.

He glared at Jia Lian and said coldly, "Father didn't say he would pass the throne to Prince Yun. He was probably just testing you, wasn't he?"

Jia Lian raised an eyebrow, and said frankly, "Your Highness guessed correctly. His Majesty did not say that he would appoint Prince Yun as Crown Prince now."

But since the Fourth Prince has no interest in that position, it was only a matter of time.

"Jia Lian, you are very good, extremely good."

The fourth prince spoke almost through gritted teeth.

Although he resented Jia Lian and Princess Zhaoyang for forcing him to climb to that position.

However, as Jia Lian said.

The fact that the Third Prince, who had murdered his own brothers and was a beast in human form, was allowed to ascend the throne forced Jia Lian and his own elder sister to flee overseas. He could only swallow his anger and grovel in order to survive.

He cannot do it, nor would he allow it.

Moreover, he had indeed noticed a significant change in his father's attitude towards him over the past year.

Especially in recent months, he even arranged for several renowned Confucian scholars in the imperial court to teach him the ways of governing the country.

He's not stupid; how could he not understand the deeper meaning behind it?

Therefore, whether it was to live up to Emperor Ningkang's high expectations, the hopes of his elder sister and others, or his own inner dignity, he had to compete with the Third Prince.

As for the promise made to Jia Lian to help the Fifth Prince ascend the throne...

As time went by, he also realized that it was just an unrealistic joke.

Jia Lian treated him like a child from the very beginning.

Actually, he had a very bold idea in his heart.

He felt that there was another person who was more suitable for that position than him and the Third Prince.

That's right, that person was Jia Lian himself.

In any case, the Emperor treated Jia Lian no differently than he would his own son.

No, they are even closer than one's own son.

Take today for example.

They were all driven away, leaving only Jia Lian to speak, and he spoke about the succession to the throne!

Emperor Ningkang never said such things to him.

He also firmly believed that Emperor Ningkang would not say such things to the Third Prince.

He would approve of Jia Lian taking that position.

Anyway, he is also one of the Emperor's descendants, so legally speaking, he is qualified.

If Jia Lian were to take that position and remember his kindness, and thus betroth Yingchun to him, that would be the best outcome.

Without revealing his true thoughts, the Fourth Prince glared at Jia Lian again, snorted coldly, and turned to leave.

Princess Zhaoyang laughed and said, "Ling'er is just like that, stubborn but soft-hearted. Erlang, don't take it to heart."

He must have listened to what you said.

As expected, Erlang has a solution.

Presumably, from today onwards, he will no longer resist our arrangements so much.

Jia Lian smiled.

As a man himself, he couldn't believe that there was anyone in the world who wouldn't be tempted by that position.

Perhaps the Fourth Prince had his own considerations, but as long as those around him could persuade him to ascend the throne in the right way, he would eventually be unable to escape the law of "you have ruined my life".

Turning back to Princess Zhaoyang, with her bright eyes and white teeth, Jia Lian asked softly, "How have you been in Weiyang Palace? When do you plan to move back?"

Princess Zhaoyang smiled and said, "It's very nice. I spend my days playing the zither and chess with my grandmother. Life is very leisurely."

As for when to move back, we haven't decided yet.

What, you missed me?

Princess Zhaoyang had only asked playfully, but to her surprise, Jia Lian nodded quite frankly: "Yes."

Princess Zhaoyang was a little embarrassed and said shyly, "You must be lying. Do you think people don't know that you're busy marrying your Xue sister and Lin sister right now?"

Those two are both stunning beauties; with Erlang having them, why would he care about me?

Jia Lian affectionately flicked Princess Zhaoyang's nose, without discussing the matter further with her.

During the two weeks of the Lunar New Year, he entered the palace several times and met Princess Zhaoyang twice.

However, under the watchful eyes of Emperor Ningkang and the Empress Dowager, they naturally had to restrain themselves.

So, upon closer inspection, they haven't been close for a long time.

Princess Zhaoyang naturally thought of this as well, and after hesitating for a moment, she said, "Since Erlang really misses me, then I will tell my grandmother in a couple of days that there are some matters in the mansion that need to be dealt with, and take this opportunity to move back to the princess's mansion."

"When the time comes... I'll have Yuan Yao inform you."

Jia Lian smiled and said, "Okay."

After carefully examining Princess Zhaoyang's hands, Jia Lian led her to the kitchen on the lower deck.

At this time, the entire Zhenyuan was guarded by the emperor's personal guards. No matter how bold Jia Lian was, he would not dare to do anything out of line to Princess Zhaoyang.

It was a rare occasion for him to lure the emperor out of the palace, so he had already arranged for a head chef to prepare a novel all-fish feast for the emperor.

As for the ingredients, they were naturally the freshest catches from the river by the fishermen. (End of Chapter)