The Second Master of the Red Chamber

After Jia Lian came out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, he realized that his back was slightly cold.

Despite his confident and eloquent speech in front of Emperor Ningkang, only he knew how nervous he was when he heard that Emperor Ningkang wanted to kill him.

Indeed, serving a ruler is like walking on thin ice. Even a highly favored person like him would occasionally feel like he was walking on thin ice.

Princess Zhaoyang rushed out of the Southern Study, found him, and asked, "How was it? What did His Majesty say to you?"

Jia Lian glanced around and said, "This is not the place to talk."

I'll be waiting for you at the Xi'an city gate.

Princess Zhaoyang was aware of this and nodded.

The general guarding the Xi'an Gate was Hu Yuanyao's father, so the area under their control was relatively safe.

After bidding farewell to Jia Lian, he returned to the Southern Study and waited for a short while before Emperor Ningkang came out in his everyday clothes.

Several cabinet ministers, along with Princess Zhaoyang, Prince Beijing, and others, looked over. Although Emperor Ningkang's complexion still appeared sickly, he was able to walk independently, and they all breathed a sigh of relief.

Emperor Ningkang did not intimidate these ministers as he had done with Jia Lian.

He simply listened calmly to their report on the situation of the imperial court over the past two weeks.

"Zhao Dongsheng and Kong Si."

"The minister is here."

"I intend to establish Prince Xiao as the Crown Prince, and I hereby order you two to draft the imperial edict of investiture."

Furthermore, the Ministry of Rites is instructed to expedite the relevant ceremonial arrangements.

"Yes……"

In his heart, Kong Si was not really optimistic about the fourth prince becoming emperor.

But what can be done? The Third Prince has already ruined himself.

He only realized that the Third Prince had actually sent troops to besiege the Daming Palace when he saw the eunuchs rushing to clean the floors inside and outside the palace.

I heard that the leader was none other than General Wu Tianyou, the Divine General, who was also the maternal grandfather of the Third Prince. He had been killed by a hail of arrows in the Daming Palace.

There's no way to wash this clean now.

No wonder His Majesty was so angry that he deposed the Third Prince outright.

Even a conservative and pedantic person like Kong Si could not criticize Emperor Ningkang on this point.

They even understood that Emperor Ningkang was already being merciful.

If it were a more tyrannical emperor, he would probably have killed such a rebellious son long ago.

He has only been imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court; his wives, concubines, and children have not even been killed...

nothing to say.

The year-long battle between the Third Prince's Party and the Fourth Prince's Party ended in a resounding victory for the Fourth Prince's Party.

The fourth prince is destined by Heaven.

After explaining the most important matters at hand, Emperor Ningkang kept Princess Zhaoyang by his side.

Looking at his daughter who had come to his rescue with Jia Lian today, Emperor Ningkang was not as harsh as he had been towards Jia Lian.

His gaze softened, and he looked at her with a rare look of doting affection: "You've had a hard day."

Princess Zhaoyang smiled and said, "It's not hard work, but I was terrified."

"If I had known that Father Emperor had made preparations in advance, I wouldn't have been in such a hurry."

Emperor Ningkang smiled but said nothing.

The coup d'état by the Third Prince today came suddenly and quickly, and even now, many forces are probably still in the dark.

However, Jia Lian and Princess Zhaoyang were able to assemble an army and storm into the palace to rescue the emperor in such a short time.

Without a doubt, both of them had planted important spies in the palace.

Emperor Ningkang was well aware of this, but he didn't pay much attention to it.

This is the difference between a capable minister and a mediocre minister.

An emperor can make decisions unilaterally, but it's best not to let all his ministers be mediocre.

Otherwise, no matter how loyal they are, in a situation like today, they would probably have their heads cut off by the traitors before they could even react.

"The Third Prince plotted a rebellion, and Wu Tianyou led troops to raid my palace. This matter must be inextricably linked to Zhongcui Palace."

I have ordered the Zhongcui Palace to be sealed off. Later, you will lead your men to assist your mother in conducting an investigation.

Those involved must be dealt with severely.

"Yes."

When his son plotted rebellion, the father led troops to storm the Daming Palace.

Even if Consort Wu is not innocent, she cannot remain uninvolved in this whole affair.

Princess Zhaoyang knew that Emperor Ningkang was probably afraid that the Empress would be too soft-hearted to deal with the matter, so he asked her to assist him.

Just as she was about to accept the order and carry it out, Emperor Ningkang gestured for her to remain calm and dismissed the unrelated eunuchs.

Faced with Princess Zhaoyang's questioning gaze, Emperor Ningkang suddenly asked, "What do you think of Jia Lian?"

Princess Zhaoyang's heart skipped a beat.

She still doesn't know what Jia Lian and Emperor Ningkang had discussed before.

With so many things happening today, she has no choice but to be cautious.

Since her father already knew she liked Jia Lian, she decided to be open about it.

"Your subject believes that Jia Lian is a rare talent, a man bestowed upon Father Emperor by Heaven."

Moreover, he was extremely loyal to his father, the emperor.

Father, you don't know, but Jia Lian was afraid that you would fall into the hands of the Third Prince, so he disregarded the threats from Feng Sheng and others and brazenly ordered the bombardment of Xihua Gate, which made the guards open the palace gate out of fear.

Later, in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Emperor subtly revealed that his third brother had sent someone to harm the Emperor, and I personally witnessed his worried and frightened expression.

It was only because he still needed to control the situation there that I was able to see Father Emperor first.

As you saw later, he also rushed to the Daming Palace...

Seeing Princess Zhaoyang rambling on about how loyal Jia Lian was, Emperor Ningkang interrupted her, saying, "I know Jia Lian is loyal; I don't need you to remind me."

As long as I am alive, I am confident that he will not have any disloyal intentions.

But I…

"If your younger brother ascends to the throne in the future, can you guarantee he will be as loyal to me as he was to me?"

"This……"

Princess Zhaoyang is no longer the naive royal darling; having experienced so much, her mind has matured considerably.

She dared not give a definitive answer to Emperor Ningkang's pointed questions.

Because she knew all too well the attraction that position held for men.

His eldest brother died because of this, his third brother went mad because of it, and finally fell into an abyss of no return.

Although Jia Lian's charm and demeanor were clearly superior to her eldest and third brothers.

However, she couldn't guarantee that Jia Lian would be able to maintain his current temperament when that day came.

She was even a little scared.

She couldn't imagine what she would do if, one day, Jia Lian and the Fourth Prince also reached the point of irreconcilable conflict.

Seeing the worry in Princess Zhaoyang's eyes, Emperor Ningkang nodded secretly.

Thankfully, she was still able to think calmly. She truly is my daughter; she wasn't completely bewitched by that boy.

"I ask you, if one day you discover that Jia Lian is plotting against you and intends to usurp your brother's throne, what will you do?"

This question might be a bit cruel to Princess Zhaoyang, but Emperor Ningkang showed her no pity.

Since Princess Zhaoyang has chosen the path of power, this is what she must bear, and she should be mentally prepared.

Princess Zhaoyang's heart skipped a beat, but facing Emperor Ningkang's cold gaze, she understood her father's meaning.

Without much thought, she immediately replied solemnly, "If that's the case, I will kill him."

"Really? You're not lying to me?"

"Your subject believes in Jia Lian; he would not do such a thing."

But if that day ever comes, I will not forget my place.

Princess Zhaoyang said firmly.

She hadn't actually thought it through, but she knew how to answer the question in a way that would satisfy Emperor Ningkang.

As expected, Emperor Ningkang seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Wei Qingran, receive the imperial decree." Princess Zhaoyang immediately knelt down: "Your subject receives the imperial decree."

"From this day forward, I hereby appoint you as the Grand Commander of the Imperial Guards, in charge of the seven battalions of the Imperial Guards, and responsible for the security of the Forbidden City."

Admire this. "

Princess Zhaoyang looked up at Emperor Ningkang with some confusion.

Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard—a title I've never heard of before.

The original six battalions of the Imperial Guard were built over three reigns, from the founding emperor to the retired emperor.

The six camps were independent of each other and were solely responsible for protecting the safety of the imperial city and the Forbidden City.

Even the Imperial Guard only had the power to arrange troop rotations, not the power to command.

All commanders of the Imperial Guards were directly under the command of the Emperor.

Now, Emperor Ningkang has appointed her as the Grand Commander of the Imperial Guards?
Just by hearing this title, one can tell that it carries immense power and heavy responsibilities.

Even Princess Zhaoyang felt an unbearable pressure and hurriedly said, "I beg Father Emperor to reconsider. Since the founding of our dynasty, there has never been a position of Grand Commander of the Imperial Guards. Your son... Your son is afraid of failing your trust."

"Rise. I believe you are capable of this position."

Moreover, my arrangement is not solely for your benefit.

Only when this position is in your hands can I feel at ease.

Seeing that Emperor Ningkang did not seem to be testing her, Princess Zhaoyang took a deep breath, kowtowed and said, "Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your trust and will certainly live up to Your Majesty's expectations."

Emperor Ningkang nodded and tried to reach out to help Princess Zhaoyang up, but felt as if his waist was filled with lead.

So he just gave a perfunctory help and said, "Get up."

Then, after sitting down at the Dragon Table, he took out a blank imperial edict.

Upon seeing this, Princess Zhaoyang quickly helped to lay out the paperweight.

She originally thought that Emperor Ningkang was going to write an imperial edict to confer a title upon her, but after he finished writing it, Emperor Ningkang did not stop writing.

Instead, he picked up another blank imperial edict and continued writing.

Princess Zhaoyang was still thrilled by being appointed Grand Commander.

Before she could even glance at the contents of the second imperial edict, a look of astonishment crossed her beautiful face once more.

……

Princess Zhaoyang emerged from the Southern Study half an hour later.

Just then, the Fourth Prince entered the palace. She didn't stop to say much to him, only telling him to behave well when he met Emperor Ningkang, before riding her horse to the Xi'an Gate of the Imperial City.

Upon seeing Princess Zhaoyang, Hu Jin jogged forward and whispered, "Your Highness, Duke Rong is waiting for you on the city wall."

"Yes, thank you for your hard work, Lord Hu."

"I dare not accept that. It is my honor to serve Your Highness and Duke Rong."

Nodding, Princess Zhaoyang, filled with excitement, walked up to the city wall.

Sure enough, Jia Lian was seen standing on the city wall with his hands behind his back.

Behind him were the familiar tea table and tea set.

She bought all of those.

As the deputy commander of the guard battalion, it's quite normal for him to have his own resting place in this city wall.

Hu Jin knew about her relationship with Jia Lian, so Jia Lian could use her things as he pleased.

Without disturbing Jia Lian who was admiring the scenery, she walked over and stood beside him.

"You came."

"Ah."

"What is Erlang looking at?"

"Just like you were back then, you are looking at the vast land of our Great Wei."

Upon hearing this, Princess Zhaoyang seemed to realize something: "Is Erlang regretting not obeying the Emperor Emeritus's decree this morning, otherwise..."

Leaving aside loyalty and righteousness, let's focus solely on success or failure.

When they entered the palace in the morning, the palace troops were also in all directions.

The Third Prince's eight hundred elite soldiers (excluding Geng Qiuming's, there were about four hundred); the three thousand or so guards she led; the palace guards her father had mobilized to protect the Daming Palace; and Jia Lian's firearms battalion plus some officers and soldiers from the military command.

It remains unknown what methods his father, the emperor, used to conceal his involvement.

Judging solely from their apparent strength, while it's impossible to say for sure that Jia Lian will win, he can at least put up a fight.

After all, the strength of the firearms battalion had already been tested on the battlefields of Tiewangshan and Liaodong.

However, Jia Lian was not tempted by the position of the retired emperor's grandson and once again firmly stood on the side of Emperor Ningkang.

She didn't know if Jia Lian was truly uninterested in that position, or if the situation was urgent and he didn't have time to think, so he could only stand on Emperor Ningkang's side out of habit.

Jia Lian turned around, looked at the imperial jewel before him, and laughed, "What, even you doubt me?"

"No, of course I believe Erlang."

However, that is, after all, the position of the Crown Prince…

Jia Lian smiled, pulled Princess Zhaoyang into his arms, and said affectionately, "Alright, I am the man Qingran has chosen, how could I be controlled by greed?"

What's mine, I'll fight for it.

I won't risk my life to take what isn't mine.

That's not worth it.

After all, why should someone as fortunate as me destroy my own safety and do something as risky as snatching chestnuts from the fire?

Hearing Jia Lian say this, Princess Zhaoyang breathed a sigh of relief.

Sure enough, the man I was willing to submit to was so strong and confident, making me feel both convinced and safe.

However, Princess Zhaoyang, who was nestled in Jia Lian's arms, naturally couldn't see the suspicion in Jia Lian's eyes.

Was Jia Lian not interested in the position of Crown Prince?

That is impossible.

Jia Lian could tell that the retired emperor at the time was probably serious!

The reason he didn't accept was simply because he was a shrewd and calculating person.

In ancient times, those plotting to usurp the throne were required to follow the "three offers and three refusals" rule.

Even if he, an unacknowledged illegitimate child, were to be struck by good fortune, he shouldn't act too eagerly and invite ridicule.
In addition, he was genuinely worried about Emperor Ningkang at the time.

Emperor Ningkang was not only a wise ruler, but also Ningkang's mentor, who recognized his talent and gave him a great deal of kindness.

If he knew that Emperor Ningkang was in danger and did not go to his rescue, it would be unreasonable from any perspective.

Furthermore, Jia Lian always had a nagging feeling that there was something fishy about Emperor Ningkang's critical illness.

Therefore, he chose to abandon the retired emperor and go to save Emperor Ningkang.

This was the right choice for him.

Even if Emperor Ningkang were to be murdered, he could then rightfully deal with the Third Prince.

At that time, whether they return to the Emperor Emeritus or continue to support the Fourth Prince as planned, it will be perfectly legitimate and justifiable.

However, upon arriving at the Daming Palace and seeing Emperor Ningkang sitting upright in his wheelchair, he immediately suppressed the ambition that had just surfaced within him.

Indeed, as Princess Zhaoyang and others thought, if he had been willing to risk his life, he might have been able to bring the emperor down from his horse.

And after that?
Jia Lian was never a gambler, let alone one who wagered his entire family.

Since Emperor Ningkang was already wary of the Third Prince, how can you be sure that he was only wary of the Third Prince?
Outside the palace and inside the imperial city, there were 100,000 imperial guards and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

There were also a large number of troops outside the imperial city.

As long as the emperor is wary of him, Jia Lian has no real confidence that he can kill him.

Even if he risked killing the emperor, he wasn't confident he could handle the aftermath properly.

They also have to abandon the image of loyalty, filial piety, and integrity that they have always maintained, and even face betrayal and alienation from everyone.

The chances of success are not proportional to the risks.

As he told Princess Zhaoyang, he was now a very important figure in the empire.

He wouldn't risk his life like that unless he was absolutely certain.

This is not only being responsible to oneself and those one cares about, but also being responsible to the court and the national regime.

While he lacked Yue Fei's unwavering loyalty, he was not so foolish as to willingly become a Qin Hui. (End of Chapter)