The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 655: Feeling suspicious
After bidding farewell to the emperor in front of Fengtian Gate, Jia Huan, carrying the marriage certificate bestowed by Emperor Qiansheng, escorted Lin Daiyu and her entourage out of the imperial city and headed straight for the Prince Zhongshun's residence.

Before Lin Daiyu was bestowed the title of Princess Kang Le, she had already been adopted as a goddaughter by Prince Zhongshun. Naturally, she had to bid farewell to her "parents." However, these so-called "parents" were merely a routine political maneuver, and there was no real parent-child affection between them. Therefore, her farewell was just a formality.

Lin Daiyu really wanted to go back to the Jia family to say goodbye to her maternal grandmother, Old Madam Jia, but it was obviously impossible. So after completing the formalities at Prince Zhongshun's mansion, she could only leave the city in a palanquin, tears streaming down her face. Xue Baochai, thinking of her mother who was living in the Jia family, couldn't help but shed tears, feeling extremely sad.

This trip away from Beijing will be a journey of thousands of miles, with many mountains and passes to cross. Although there is a promise from my brother Huan, my future is uncertain, and whether I can return to my homeland is unknown!

It was only the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, and the weather was still very cold. After leaving the city through Fucheng Gate, the howling northwest wind blew straight down their necks, making the musicians of the honor guard shiver and droop their heads. On the other hand, the eunuch Duan Yong rode on his horse with great spirit, his back straight, running back and forth, shouting and yelling, with the air of a general going to war.

Man Gui grimaced as if he had a toothache and muttered under his breath, "Brother Tie Niu, do you think this Eunuch Duan wasn't properly castrated? He's more arrogant than a rooster!"

Tie Niu scratched his head and chuckled silently, while Jin Bao and Mu Ye, the two servants, almost laughed themselves off their horses.

Jia Huan couldn't help but chuckle. This Duan Yong was indeed a bit special. Most of the eunuchs in the palace were fair-skinned and plump, but Duan Yong not only had dark skin, but also a strong and well-proportioned figure. He seemed to be quite good at riding. If it weren't for his slightly high-pitched voice, he really wouldn't look like a eunuch.

Getting back to the main story, after Jia Huan and his party left Fucheng Gate, they traveled south along the official road. The procession, consisting of nearly a thousand people, was filled with carriages, banners, drums, and music. The crowds of people from the countryside who came to watch the spectacle were like a tide, which slowed down the already slow-moving wedding procession even further. After traveling for half a day, they finally arrived in the Liangxiang area around dusk.

At this moment, a young general in full armor turned his horse around, approached Jia Huan, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Envoy Jia, Liangxiang is not far ahead. There is a post station there where you can rest. Would you like to stay here for the night?"

This young general was the leader of the five hundred guards of the princess's residence. He was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old and had a very famous name—Han Xin. However, this Han Xin was not the same as the Han Xin in the story; they just happened to share the same name and benefited from the fame of their predecessor.

Han Xin was originally a deputy commander of the Imperial Guard, but he was temporarily transferred to serve as the head of the Princess's Palace Guard. His 500 soldiers were also from the Imperial Guard. Although they looked very imposing and their armor was bright, in the eyes of Jia Huan, who had been through many battles, they were just a group of young masters with gold and jade on the outside.

The Imperial Guards and the Golden Guards were the emperor's personal ceremonial guards, mainly responsible for the emperor's ceremonial processions. They had basically never been on the battlefield, and their combat strength was inferior to the three major battalions of the capital army. Compared with the border army in Liaodong, they were far inferior. To put it bluntly, they were a group of mascots used to put on airs, good for show but useless.

Of course, these 500 guards were more than enough to deal with ordinary bandits and thieves. Moreover, when the princess's entourage passed by, local troops from various prefectures and counties along the way would also be dispatched to escort them. Therefore, traveling within the Great Jin territory was safe and secure.

Enough of this digression, let's get back to the main point. Commander Han asked Jia Huan if they should stay overnight at Liangxiang Post Station. Jia Huan nodded and said, "It's getting dark, let's stay here for the night."

So the wedding procession stopped at Liangxiang Post Station to rest for the night before continuing their journey at dawn.

…………

Not long after Jia Huan and his party left the city, a fast horse came straight from Tongzhou towards Chaoyang Gate. Soon, an urgent report from the Liaodong front arrived on Emperor Qiansheng's desk.

At that moment, Emperor Qiansheng was having lunch. When he opened the urgent report, he was so excited that he jumped up and blurted out, "Nurhaci is dead?"

Emperor Qiansheng looked on in disbelief, and read the urgent report several times to confirm its accuracy before laughing loudly, "Hahaha, that old bastard Nurhaci is finally dead! Heaven blesses my Great Jin!"

This urgent letter, delivered by Gao Di, the newly appointed military commissioner of Liaodong, clearly stated that the Jin dynasty had sent envoys to Jinzhou to announce the death of Nurhaci, and that Nurhaci's eighth son, Huang Taiji (Huang Taiji), had succeeded to the throne.

Nurhaci was undoubtedly a great ruler who single-handedly transformed the Jianzhou Jurchen from a small tribe into a powerful Khanate that dominated Liaodong. In the past seven or eight years, he had utterly defeated the Jin army, leaving them completely breathless. Although he suffered a major defeat at the hands of Jia Huan not long ago, his strength was still formidable and should not be underestimated.

To be honest, Emperor Qiansheng was very wary of Nurhaci. Now, upon suddenly hearing the news of the latter's death, he was naturally overjoyed and laughed heartily. However, after laughing, Emperor Qiansheng's face quickly darkened again, because news had come back before the new year that Nurhaci had been wounded to death by the Hongyi cannon in the battle of Ningyuan City last year. Now, this news just confirmed the rumor.

No wonder the Jurchens were so eager to negotiate peace and send Prince Qing back. It turns out that old man Nurhaci was nearing his end, or perhaps he had already died before the peace negotiations, but his death was kept secret. Only now that the two countries have reached a peace agreement can they dare to announce his death!

Thinking of this, Emperor Qiansheng couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. If he hadn't recalled Sun Chengzong and dismissed Jia Huan, but instead ordered an army to cross the Liao River, he might have already wiped out the Jurchens and completely eliminated this major threat!

Emperor Qiansheng was increasingly frustrated that he had missed a golden opportunity to eliminate the Jurchens. His expression changed constantly, and he immediately summoned his ministers to the Wude Hall for a meeting.

Soon, the civil and military officials of the court arrived at the Wude Hall, where Prince Qing and Prince Min stood before the assembled officials.

By this time, the news had spread, and all the officials were overjoyed, happy that their powerful old rival Nurhaci had died. Some optimists even celebrated, saying, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! With Nurhaci dead, the Jurchens are no longer a threat!"

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Heaven blesses the Great Jin! Heaven blesses the Great Jin!"

"Your Majesty is wise and blessed by Heaven, bringing good fortune to all people and ensuring the eternal stability of our Great Jin Dynasty!"

Some sycophants took the opportunity to flatter Emperor Qiansheng, but the latter showed no joy and even frowned.

At this point, the ministers who were good at reading people gradually realized what was going on, and the sycophantic officials wisely shut their mouths.

Xu Dahua, a senior official in the Ministry of Justice, stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, Nurhaci, that old scoundrel, has just passed away, and Huang Taiji (Huang Taiji)’s ascension to the throne is not yet secure. I believe we should take advantage of this opportunity to send troops across the Liao River and surely wipe out the Jurchens in one fell swoop.”

This Xu Dahua was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), but he had no integrity whatsoever. He was a man like Jia Yucun, who was most adept at opportunism and scheming. He had long since sided with the eunuch faction and was Shi Dayong's strategist and advisor. Many of Shi Dayong's vicious schemes to harm people originated from this man, so many officials in the court despised his character.

Seeing that Emperor Qiansheng showed no joy, Xu Dahua guessed and flattered the emperor, proposing to take the opportunity to launch an attack across the Liao River. As expected, Emperor Qiansheng showed a tempted expression. Jia Yucun, a senior official in the Ministry of Works, immediately chimed in, "What Lord Xu said is absolutely right. This is a great opportunity to pacify the Jurchens and should not be missed."

Jia Yu's real name was Jia Hua, and Yu Cun was just his courtesy name. Because he and Xu Dahua were both members of the eunuch faction, and both of their names contained the character "Hua," and both served as doctors, some people gave them the nickname "the two Hua of the eunuch faction" or "the two wolves of the eunuch faction."

Prince Min, Xu Wenhou, had a sudden thought and seized the opportunity to say, "Father, I also believe that now is the perfect time to eliminate the Jurchens. We should immediately reinstate Jia Huan as the governor of Liaodong. Jia Huan is skilled in both literature and military affairs, is decisive and resourceful, is familiar with the situation on the front lines, and is deeply loved by the soldiers on the Liaodong front. If we appoint him to lead the army to atone for his crimes, we will surely achieve twice the result with half the effort, and the annihilation of the Eastern Barbarians will be just around the corner!"

Prince Qing, Xu Wenye, sneered, "Jia Huan is arrogant because of his merits and disobeys imperial orders. Father Emperor has already shown great leniency by only demoting him. Yet Seventh Brother still dares to try to help him regain his official position and hold a large army. What are his true intentions? Is it because Jia Huan is on good terms with you?"

Xu Wenhou, who was already timid and insecure, turned pale when Xu Wenye questioned him sharply in public. He stammered, "Your Majesty... why do you say such things? I am only thinking of the country... the nation... the state. Besides, there were rumors before the New Year that Nurhaci was wounded and near death by the cannons of the Red Barbarians. Now that Nurhaci is indeed dead, it is clear that the rumors were true. Nurhaci's death was due to Jia Huan's merit. Even if Jia Huan disobeyed the imperial decree, his merits and demerits are enough to offset each other."

Sun Chengzong shook his head inwardly. Although His Highness Prince Min meant well, he was still too naive. His words might backfire and confirm Jia Huan's accusation of being arrogant because of his merits.

As expected, Emperor Qiansheng immediately frowned. Prince Qing was secretly pleased and sneered, "Let's not talk about whether Nurhaci's death was related to Jia Huan. Even if it was, it's not a reason for him to disobey the imperial edict and show no respect for the emperor. If all our soldiers were as arrogant as him, relying on their merits and holding their own power, wouldn't our Great Jin Dynasty be in danger? Where would the emperor's dignity be?"

Xu Wenhou was speechless and could only lower his head and say, "Brother Wang is absolutely right. I was wrong. However, if we are to send troops to wipe out the Jurchens, I think Jia Huan is the only one who can do it. Why not let him redeem himself through meritorious service?"

Xu Wenye sneered, "Seventh Brother, your words are utterly laughable. Our great Jin Dynasty is full of talented people. Do you think that without Jia Huan, there is no one else who can command the three armies? It's not that there is no one who can lead troops, but that there is no one who can. The Great Jin Dynasty and the Jin Dynasty have only recently reached a peace agreement. If we were to send troops to attack Liao now, it would be tantamount to blatantly breaking the peace agreement. Such a breach of faith and lack of justification would leave the Great Jin Dynasty without any credibility in the future."

Xu Wenye bowed to Emperor Qiansheng on the throne and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that it is not appropriate to wage war against the Jurchens at this time."

“Your Highness Prince Qing is absolutely right. A person cannot stand without integrity, a business cannot prosper without integrity, and a country will decline without integrity. Now that the two countries have signed a peace agreement, we must not go back on our word again,” said Zhao Dongxing, Minister of Revenue.

Zhao Dongxing, the Minister of Revenue, was a member of the Donglin Party. The Donglin Party had staked their hopes on Prince Qing, Xu Wenye, so it was perfectly normal for him to stand up and echo their sentiments at this time.

"What Lord Zhao says is absolutely right, I agree!"

"I second the proposal!"

"I second the proposal!"

Officials from the Donglin Party faction stepped forward to echo their sentiments, strongly advocating against sending troops. Prince Qing, Xu Wenye, was extremely pleased with himself, glancing contemptuously at Prince Min, Xu Wenhou, as if to say, "Seventh Prince, what do you have to compete with me?"

In the past two years, although the eunuch faction led by Shi Dayong has been rising, and the Diecui Academy school represented by Ye Gao and Sun Chengzong has also been expanding its strength, the Donglin Party still dominates the court.

Emperor Qiansheng remained expressionless, but inwardly he was on high alert. The reason he established the Eastern Depot and tolerated Shi Dayong was, of course, because Shi Dayong was good at making money, but his greater intention was to use the power of eunuchs to check the civil official group, especially the Donglin Party, which was the only one that was dominant.

However, seeing the Donglin Party officials responding to his call and supporting Prince Qing, Xu Wenye, Emperor Qiansheng realized that the Donglin faction's power far exceeded his expectations. If he were to get entangled with Prince Qing again, it would not be a good thing.

As the saying goes, "once bitten by a snake, twice shy," Emperor Qiansheng was betrayed by Crown Prince Xu Wenhong. Although nearly three years had passed, he still harbored resentment, which was the main reason why he had not established a new crown prince. Now, seeing the Donglin Party so supportive of Prince Qing, he naturally felt wary and disgusted.

Hehe, at this moment, Prince Qing, Xu Wenye, was still immersed in the smugness of having a hundred followers, unaware that he had already aroused Laozi's suspicion and dissatisfaction.

Emperor Qiansheng already regretted not taking the opportunity to send troops to attack the Liao River. This time, he convened a meeting of his ministers in an attempt to "mend the fence after the sheep are lost." Unexpectedly, Prince Qing took the lead in opposing the sending of troops, and the Donglin Party also unanimously advocated peace. Naturally, he was extremely unhappy.

"Grand Secretary Sun, you were originally the Liaodong Military Commissioner, so you must be very familiar with the situation in Liaodong. If I were to send troops to attack the Jurchens now, what would be the chances of victory?" Emperor Qiansheng was clearly still not giving up and turned to ask Sun Chengzong.

Sun Chengzong is currently the Minister of Personnel and has entered the cabinet to assist in government affairs. He holds a high position and wields great power. The reason why Emperor Qiansheng attaches great importance to Sun Chengzong is precisely to use the Diecui Academy faction to check the Donglin Party.

Sun Chengzong naturally understood this point as well. However, he was an upright man with a heart for the country and was not one to flatter his superiors. Naturally, he would not give opinions against his conscience just to please his superiors. After a moment's thought, he analyzed: "Several months ago, although our army achieved a great victory at Ningyuan and recovered all the lost territory in western Liaoning, our foothold is not yet secure. We still need time to build up our defenses and consolidate our gains."

Furthermore, although the Jurchens have recently suffered a defeat, their strength remains formidable, and Huang Taiji should not be underestimated; his intelligence and courage are no less than Nurhaci's, and we must not take him lightly.

Emperor Qiansheng's heart sank, and his face turned somewhat grim. He said in a low voice, "So, Grand Secretary Sun also opposes sending troops?"

Sun Chengzong nodded and said, "I believe it is indeed not advisable to send troops at this time. Since the two countries have already signed a peace agreement, we might as well take this opportunity to recuperate and strengthen the Liaoxi defense line. I believe that with Huang Taiji's wolfish ambition, once he has secured the Khanate, he will definitely find an excuse to tear up the peace agreement. By then, our Liaoxi defense line will be completed, our troops will be strong and well-equipped, our cities will be fortified and our artillery will be powerful. We will be able to attack or defend, and we will have a legitimate reason to send troops. At that time, we can sweep away Liaodong in one fell swoop and eliminate future troubles forever!"

Emperor Qiansheng's expression had returned to normal, and he said calmly, "Since all of you ministers oppose sending troops, then let it be. Issue my decree that the Ministry of Rites send an envoy to Shenyang to offer condolences!"

After Emperor Qiansheng finished speaking, he waved his hand, stood up, turned around and left the Wude Hall. Shi Dayong hurriedly announced the end of the court session and then rushed to follow Emperor Qiansheng.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Mingcheng, the leader of the Donglin Party, lowered his head and showed a thoughtful expression. As a close minister of the emperor, he was favored by the emperor and naturally noticed Emperor Qiansheng's displeasure, which inevitably made him feel uneasy.

(End of this chapter)