The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 647 Sun Chengzong Resigns

The next morning, the Ministry of Rites sent a palanquin to welcome Princess Kang Le and Lin Daiyu. Inevitably, everyone had another tearful farewell. In addition to Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai, four maids, Zijuan, Xueyan, Ying'er and Xiangling, were also taken away.

Thanks to Jia Huan's promise, Xue and Lin were in a stable mood and no longer worried about the uncertain future of their journey. On the contrary, they even began to look forward to it.

For the next few days, Jia Huan had to study etiquette at the Ministry of Rites every day. As the envoy escorting the princess, he represented the image and prestige of the Great Jin Dynasty and could not afford to be impolite, so he had to undergo half a month of training. For example, after the princess arrived in Hami, the Hami king had to go out of the city to greet her, what kind of ceremonial procession to use, how she should get into her lodging after entering the city, how she should get out of her sedan chair, where she should change her clothes, and which direction she should kneel in during the wedding ceremony. In short, there were detailed regulations for the princess's every move, and she could not make any mistakes. It was quite complicated.

Before they knew it, it was the first day of the twelfth lunar month of the tenth year of the Qiansheng reign. Jia Huan had successfully completed his etiquette training as a wedding envoy. On this day, however, a major event occurred in the court: Sun Chengzong, who had served as the Liaodong Military Commissioner for two years, was dismissed and summoned back to the court to serve as the Minister of Personnel.

Previously, General Man Gui, eager for merit, rushed across the Liao River to attack Yaozhou. He was ambushed and suffered a defeat, with over a thousand casualties. Although the casualties were not large, the defeat at the critical juncture of peace negotiations between the two countries undoubtedly increased the opponent's bargaining power and severely damaged the morale of his own side.

Therefore, Sun Chengzong immediately dismissed and punished Man Gui. However, the Donglin Party, led by Zhao Mingcheng, refused to let Sun Chengzong off the hook. They impeached him for mismanagement, and some even accused him of trying to sabotage the peace talks, deliberately launching a river crossing operation, disregarding the life and death of Prince Qing, and having ulterior motives.

If it were just an accusation of his own mismanagement, Sun Chengzong could have tolerated it. But to say that he had ulterior motives and wanted to put Prince Qing to death was a much bigger crime, because it involved the struggle for the crown prince. To prove his innocence, Sun Chengzong took the initiative to write a letter requesting to resign from his position as the Liaodong Military Commissioner.

Emperor Qiansheng had originally intended to recall Sun Chengzong to the court, but now that Jia Huan had caused this incident, and Jia Huan was Sun Chengzong's protégé with whom he had a close relationship, and most of the arrogant and fierce generals on the front lines were promoted by Jia Huan and Sun Chengzong, Emperor Qiansheng was naturally worried, so he took the opportunity to dismiss Sun Chengzong from his position as the Liaodong Military Commissioner.

However, Emperor Qiansheng was not a foolish or incompetent ruler. He was well aware of Sun Chengzong's abilities, and knowing that completely dismissing Sun Chengzong would leave the Donglin faction in the court even more unchecked, he recalled Sun Chengzong to the capital to serve as the head of the Ministry of Personnel. Strictly speaking, Sun Chengzong was promoted. The Ministry of Personnel was the head of the Six Ministries, wielding considerable power over personnel assessments, promotions, and demotions. As a member of the Diecui Academy faction, Sun Chengzong's appointment as Minister of Personnel undoubtedly greatly weakened the power of the Donglin Party.

However, Emperor Qiansheng still had to rely on the Donglin Party to govern the country. Although he deprived the Donglin Party of its personnel power, he also gave them corresponding compensation. The person who succeeded Sun Chengzong as the Liaodong Military Commissioner was Gao Di, who was one of the core figures of the Donglin faction. Another rising star of the Donglin Party, Zhang Pu, was also given an important position as the Liaodong Military Supervisor.

In this way, the excellent situation that Sun Chengzong and Jia Huan had worked hard for two years to build was reaped by the Donglin Party in the blink of an eye. However, Jia Huan himself did not mind that the Donglin Party had taken advantage of him.

Because Huang Taiji was a tough nut to crack, young and vigorous, even more difficult to gnaw on than Nurhaci, a senile lion. In the real world, the Ming Dynasty was destroyed by Huang Taiji. He was a powerful ruler with outstanding strategy and political skills. The Donglin Party now thinks they have picked up the peach, but they will soon realize that they have actually picked up a hot potato.

Furthermore, Jia Huan's connections within the army, much like his renowned reputation, will not disappear due to his temporary retirement. On the contrary, if the situation on the Liaodong front becomes critical, the first name that his former soldiers will remember will be Jia Huan. As the saying goes, a person's reputation is like a tree's shadow; Jia Huan's illustrious name was earned through real battles. When the entire nation yearns for his services, even the emperor cannot stop him, and his reinstatement will be an inevitable outcome.

Enough of the digressions, let's get back to the main topic. It was the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month. Jia Huan, Liu Yi, Huang Cong, Zhang Zhilong, and other students from the Diecui Academy set off early in the morning to Tongzhou to await Sun Chengzong's return to the capital. As the saying goes, every gang has its leader, and every party has its head. Since the old abbot Ye Gao retired, Sun Chengzong naturally became the leader of the Diecui Academy faction.

Jia Huan and the others waited outside the east gate of Tongzhou City in the cold wind for about an hour before finally seeing Sun Chengzong, who had rushed back from beyond the Great Wall, covered in dust.

It is said that Sun Chengzong stepped down from his post as the Liaodong Military Commissioner on the first day of the twelfth lunar month. The next day, the new Liaodong Military Commissioner, Gao Di, took office in high spirits and rushed to the border to replace Sun Chengzong. It is estimated that he was worried that Sun Chengzong would negotiate peace with the Jurchens before he took office, exchange Prince Qing for him, and steal the credit that originally belonged to him.

This is a bit like judging a gentleman by one's own standards. In fact, after receiving the imperial decree to transfer him, Sun Chengzong stopped contacting the Jin envoy and waited for Gao Di's arrival. After Gao Di arrived and the two sides completed the handover, he left with only a few servants and staff. His uprightness and integrity made Gao Di feel ashamed.

When Jia Huan, Liu Yi, and the others saw Sun Chengzong, they quickly dismounted and stepped forward to greet him. The latter nodded slightly, his gaze falling gently on Jia Huan, without any hint of reproach. He simply asked, "When will Ziming depart for Hami?"

Upon hearing this, all the fellow disciples cast sympathetic and regretful glances at Jia Huan, especially the eldest brother Liu Yi, who felt the same way. He knew that his childhood sweetheart had died far from home in Hami because she was ordered by the emperor to marry him.

Now free from official duties, Jia Huan changed into his usual scholar's robe, wearing a square turban. With his red lips, white teeth, sword-like eyebrows, and bright eyes, he remained as composed and gentle as ever, showing no sign of dejection. He simply smiled and replied, "We'll set off on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month after the Lantern Festival, after the New Year."

Sun Chengzong looked at Jia Huan intently, then said with some concern, "Ziming, you have always been exceptionally courageous and decisive, but I must advise you: be cautious on this journey and do not make any mistakes. Remember this well!"

Jia Huan lowered his eyebrows and said calmly, "This student will follow your teachings and will certainly not fail the Emperor's mission on this mission, and will safely deliver Princess Kangle to Hami."

"That's good!" Sun Chengzong nodded, but involuntarily recalled what the old headmaster Ye Gao had said: Although Jia Ziming was calm and composed, and appeared gentle and humble, he gave people a feeling of being unruly, like a maverick wolf. He would not be loyal to anyone.

Now that Jia Ziming has indeed defied the imperial edict, it's clear that Elder Ye's judgment of character is extremely accurate. Hopefully, this young man is simply a man of deep feelings and not a ruthless figure like Huo Guang or Sima Yi. Otherwise, my conversation with the old abbot back then would have truly come true. Of course, ruthless figures like Huo Guang and Sima Yi probably wouldn't ruin their future for a woman; it's clearly not worth it.

(End of this chapter)