The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 645 My Fate is in My Own Hands
After announcing the imperial decree, Prince Zhongshun departed. Before leaving, he explicitly instructed Princess Kang Le, Lin Daiyu, to pack her things as soon as possible, taking what she needed, discarding what she needed to discard, saying goodbye, and that a royal carriage would come to fetch her the next morning to take her to the temporary princess residence. She would be required to stay there until the marriage alliance delegation departed for Hami, where she would be attended to by dedicated palace maids and would not be allowed to see outsiders easily.

After leaving the Jia residence, Prince Zhongshun went straight back to report to Emperor Qiansheng. At this time, Emperor Qiansheng had just finished the morning court session and was reviewing memorials in the Hall of Mental Cultivation after having breakfast.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects!" Prince Zhongshun entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation and bowed to Emperor Qiansheng behind his desk. The latter put down his imperial brush and said with interest, "Uncle, rise. No need for formalities. How did Jia Huan react?"

Prince Zhongshun sneered, "No matter how powerful Sun Wukong is, he can't escape the palm of the Buddha. What else can that kid do but accept the imperial decree and express his gratitude?"

Emperor Qiansheng said calmly, "He must also be harboring resentment."

Prince Zhongshun said dismissively, "So what? This kid can't possibly rebel against the heavens. He dares to disobey orders. The Emperor is already being exceptionally lenient by not taking his head. My royal princess is so noble, how could she be married and abandoned by someone like Jia Huan, who is just a piece of trash?"

Emperor Qiansheng nodded and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Uncle. Please go and rest."

Prince Chungshun bowed and said, "Your subject will take his leave now!" After saying that, he withdrew from the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Emperor Qiansheng let out a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of satisfaction at the thought of Jia Huan's pained and regretful expression. Indeed, Jia Huan was a rare talent, but before him, Emperor Qiansheng, every subject had to be obedient. No one was allowed to be arrogant or presumptuous, and Jia Huan, a troublemaker who dared to defy the imperial edict, had to be made an example of!

You disobeyed the imperial decree for your childhood sweetheart, refusing even the position of imperial consort. Well then, I'll break you up and make you personally give your sweetheart to another man, so you can experience unbearable pain and let the entire court see the consequences of going against me.

As for Liaodong, it was indeed a pity that Jia Huan was no longer in charge, but Emperor Qiansheng was not too worried. The Great Jin Dynasty was full of talented people, surely they could find a general who could replace Jia Huan? Moreover, the Liaoxi region had now been completely recovered, with the natural barrier of the Liao River, advanced firearms, and three thousand powerful Guan Ning cavalry, they should still be able to hold the line.

After a short rest, Emperor Qiansheng continued to review memorials. Several memorials were impeachments by local officials against tax supervisors and mining supervisors. Some officials even pointed the finger at him personally, accusing him of favoring eunuchs and allowing tax supervisors and mining supervisors in various places to act recklessly, extort money, and compete with the people for profit, causing unrest and suffering to the people in the local areas!

Emperor Qiansheng's face was grim as he threw all the memorials into the trash can. At that moment, a palace guard entered and reported, "Your Majesty, His Highness Prince Min requests an audience."

Emperor Qiansheng frowned. The seventh prince was probably here to plead for Jia Huan. He was about to say "I won't see him" when he changed his mind and said calmly, "Let him in!"

A moment later, Prince Min, Xu Wenhou, walked in. He was very fat and had difficulty stepping over the threshold. Emperor Qiansheng shook his head and said, "The seventh prince is ruined by his mouth. He is too greedy and has no self-control!"

Xu Wenhou held a vase of plum blossoms kept in clear water in both hands, knelt down in front of the throne, carefully placed the vase of plum blossoms aside, and then kowtowed and said, "Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."

Emperor Qiansheng said calmly, "Get up. What are you holding in your hands?"

Xu Wenhou immediately smiled and said, "A wintersweet tree in my palace has bloomed. You know, wintersweet usually blooms in the twelfth lunar month, but this year it bloomed in the eleventh lunar month. It is quite rare. I dare not enjoy it all by myself, so I have prepared two bottles. One bottle was sent to my mother, and this bottle is for my father. It is placed in the room, and its fragrance is delightful. It is both pleasing to the eye and pleasant to smell!"

Emperor Qiansheng felt a warmth in his heart and nodded, saying, "Put it down. It's rare to find someone with such filial piety."

“Your Highness, please hand it over to this servant.” A young eunuch serving in the palace immediately stepped forward to take the vase of winter plum blossoms from Xu Wenhou’s hands, but the latter shook his head and said, “These flowers need to be arranged well to complement each other, do you understand?”

The little eunuch shook his head sheepishly. Xu Wenhou glared at him and said, "If you don't understand, why are you getting involved? Go to the side, I'll do it myself!"

The young eunuch had no choice but to step aside, but Emperor Qiansheng ignored him and continued to review the memorials. Xu Wenhou pretended to look around, and finally placed the vase in the upper right corner of the imperial desk, but his eyes wandered around.

Emperor Qiansheng was both amused and annoyed. He said calmly, "If there's nothing else, you may leave. Don't delay me from doing my work."

Xu Wenhou responded with an "oh," but didn't move. Emperor Qiansheng looked up and asked, "Is there something you need?"

Xu Wenhou seized the opportunity to kneel down and pleaded, "Your Majesty, I implore you to rescind your decree and not grant Hami Kingdom's request for a marriage alliance."

Emperor Qiansheng had anticipated Xu Wenhou's purpose, and his expression darkened slightly as he asked, "Why?"

Xu Wenhou said indignantly, "The current King of Hami, Baiwa, is a traitor who usurped the throne. He is an illegitimate ruler and a rebellious minister. I believe that Your Majesty should not only refuse the marriage alliance but also send troops to annihilate him. This traitor Baiwa usurped the throne and even arrogantly threatened our Celestial Empire. Instead of punishing him with thunderous force, Your Majesty sent a princess to marry him. Where is the dignity of our Celestial Empire? What will happen if all the vassal states in the world follow suit?"

Emperor Qiansheng was furious and slammed his fist on the imperial desk: "How dare you!"

Xu Wenhou shuddered in fright, his round face turning deathly pale.

Emperor Qiansheng stood up abruptly, his whole body radiating murderous intent, and he shouted sharply, "Did Jia Huan teach you to say these words?"

Seeing the emperor's fury, the eunuchs and guards on duty were so frightened that they fell silent, not daring to even breathe.

Xu Wenhou was a cowardly and timid fellow to begin with. Although he had become much braver after his near-death experience on Iron Net Mountain, he still couldn't change his cowardly nature. Seeing that Emperor Qiansheng was really angry, he was so scared that his teeth chattered and he couldn't utter a word for a long time.

Emperor Qiansheng was even more enraged upon seeing this, and shouted angrily: "Issue my decree to capture Jia Huan and execute him. He is no longer needed as the marriage envoy!"

Xu Wenhou was greatly alarmed and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. What I said just now was not instigated by Jia Huan, but was my heartfelt opinion. When Your Majesty ordered Sister Wanruo to go to Hami for a marriage alliance, I was very opposed to it. Unfortunately, I was too timid to plead with my father. If I had been bolder to dissuade her back then, perhaps Sister Wanruo would not have died in a foreign land."

Xu Wenhou was a man of deep feelings and loyalty. When he talked about this sad past, his eyes immediately reddened and he burst into tears. He cried more and more sadly, tears streaming down his face, which moved all who saw him.

Emperor Qiansheng frowned deeply, but his tense face visibly relaxed, his gaze shifting uncertainly. "I beg you, Father, have mercy! Sister Wanruo is already gone, must we also lose Princess Kangle? People are all made of flesh and blood, all children are born of mothers and mothers, and every family cherishes its daughter. Besides, our Great Jin is a great nation, why should we use women to please a small country? Truth lies only within the range of cannons, and dignity lies only on the edge of a sword. We can subdue the little Hami Kingdom!" Xu Wenhou cried as he spoke.

Emperor Qiansheng, who had initially softened his stance, was enraged again upon hearing this and roared, "Insolence! Are you trying to teach me how to conduct myself? Marriage alliances are nothing but political maneuvering. Even powerful dynasties like the Han and Tang did it. Were they all just trying to please smaller countries? It seems I should just execute Jia Huan to prevent you from being influenced by such heretical doctrines!"

"Father, have mercy! Father, have mercy!" Xu Wenhou cried out anxiously, desperate and clinging to Emperor Qiansheng's leg, weeping as he pleaded, "Your Majesty, I was not instigated by Jia Huan. In fact, I haven't even seen him today. The reason I'm pleading with Your Majesty is purely out of gratitude for his saving my life. If it weren't for Jia Huan, I would have died on Iron Net Mountain two years ago. Jia Huan's disobedience is a capital offense, but please, Father, have mercy on me, considering that he once saved my life and the merits he once rendered!"

Emperor Qiansheng's face was cold and gloomy. He recalled that Jia Huan had indeed made many contributions. If it hadn't been for Jia Huan's help in cracking the Yangzhou salt smuggling case, he wouldn't have been able to bring down Prince Yizhong, the Emperor Emeritus's moneybag. Moreover, without Jia Huan protecting the seventh prince and promptly sending a message, he probably wouldn't have had time to return to Shanhaiguan, and the Emperor Emeritus's restoration might have been successful.

"All of you, get out!" Emperor Qiansheng swept his gaze across the hall with authority, and the eunuchs and guards inside hurriedly left the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Emperor Qiansheng looked down at his fat son, who was crying and sniffling, and said with a hint of disappointment, "Why aren't you letting go? You're getting married soon, don't you feel ashamed? Look at your useless appearance, how can I entrust the country to you after I pass away?"

Xu Wenhou shuddered and involuntarily let go, his expression blank like that of a child with Down syndrome.

Emperor Qiansheng frowned and shouted, "Get up! What kind of behavior is this!"

"Your Majesty promised to spare Jia Huan, and only then will I rise!" Xu Wenhou said somewhat shamelessly.

Emperor Qiansheng was amused and said coldly, "Then you can stay kneeling and not get up!"

Xu Wenhou indeed knelt obediently. Emperor Qiansheng pondered for a moment and sighed, "Seventh Prince, you are too sentimental. This is your strength, but also your weakness. As a ruler, you must not be swayed by your own feelings. Although you are already an adult, there is still so much for you to learn."

"I know you have a deep friendship with Jia Huan; he even saved your life. But this boy is like a thorny bramble. Even if he's a pillar of society, you're not capable of handling him. One wrong move, and you might even get scratched by his thorns. I'm now removing all the thorns from Jia Huan for you, smoothing them out, so you can handle him with ease in the future. Do you understand?"

Xu Wenhou nodded thoughtfully, his heart burning with excitement, for it seemed his father intended to make him the crown prince.
A barely perceptible glint flashed in Emperor Qiansheng's eyes. He bent down and patted Xu Wenhou's shoulder, saying earnestly, "Seventh brother, you've turned eighteen this year. You'll be getting married soon and starting a family. You need to be more mature and watch what you eat. You look like you've gained some weight."

Xu Wenhou lowered his head sheepishly.

Emperor Qiansheng waved his hand and said, "Step down. I know how to handle Jia Huan. Such a troublemaker needs to be disciplined. We can't let him get away with it."

Knowing he couldn't persuade the emperor to retract his order, Xu Wenhou had no choice but to rise and take his leave.

…………

In the Jia Mansion, at the Xiaoxiang Pavilion, Lin Daiyu finally awoke from her unconsciousness. She immediately saw Jia Huan sitting by the bedside and burst into tears, throwing herself into his arms and sobbing helplessly.

Seeing this, Jia Baoyu was extremely jealous and scolded, "It's all your fault! What kind of hero are you? If you had bowed your head and agreed to marry the princess earlier, Lin Daiyu wouldn't have had to go to that damned Hami for a political marriage!"

Jia Huan was in a terrible mood and didn't want to waste his breath arguing with Da Lianbao, so he said indifferently, "Get out!"

Having fought on the battlefield for many years, Jia Huan naturally possessed a sharp and imposing aura. Although it was just a calm sentence, it still made Da Lian Bao feel an invisible pressure. He gritted his teeth and stubbornly insisted, "Why should I leave? This is Lin Daiyu's place! Why should I leave?"

Jia Huan raised an eyebrow, his gaze suddenly turning sharp. Jia Baoyu felt a chill run down his spine and instinctively took two steps back, stammering, "You... what do you intend to do?"

Seeing that Jia Huan was about to lose his temper, Zijuan and Xueyan coaxed Jia Baoyu out of the room. The latter was actually intimidated and took the opportunity to back down.

"Huan-di, what should we do?" Lin Daiyu raised her tear-stained face and looked helplessly at Jia Huan.

Jia Huan gently comforted her, "Sister Lin, don't worry. Since I can send you to Hami, I will bring you back safely."

"Really?" Lin Daiyu asked happily.

Jia Huan nodded solemnly, and Lin Daiyu immediately stopped crying and started laughing. In her mind, Huan Di was always capable of what others could not. Since he said so, he must be confident, so she was relieved.

Seeing that no one was around, Jia Huan leaned down and gently kissed Daiyu's lips, whispering, "Pack up quickly. We'll move to the Princess's residence temporarily tomorrow. Don't worry, leave everything to me."

Lin Daiyu felt a sweet warmth in her heart, nodded, and offered a kiss, saying softly, "I'm not worried, I just didn't expect to implicate Sister Bao."

Jia Huan, however, knew perfectly well that Emperor Qiansheng's special appointment of Baochai as a maidservant was most likely the work of Shi Dayong, and that traitor Lü Youwei was probably also involved, otherwise Baochai wouldn't have been implicated.

Sigh, I underestimated Emperor Qiansheng's pettiness. I thought he was pragmatic and would only give a "minor punishment" in the end. I didn't expect this emperor to be so narrow-minded. But it's fine, he can forget about being "loyal to the emperor and loving the country" from now on. To hell with the emperor-subject relationship, the father-son relationship; to hell with the emperor-minister relationship, the subject-subject relationship!

My fate, Jia Huan's fate, is in my own hands!
Jia Huan spent some time with Lin Daiyu, then gave her some instructions on what to be careful of before leaving Xiaoxiang Pavilion and heading straight for Hengwu Garden.

(End of this chapter)