The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 666 Taking advantage of the topic
The capital city. Although it was already the end of February in the eleventh year of the Qiansheng reign, the weather was still very cold. This year's weather was indeed somewhat abnormal. In previous years, the banks of the Yongding River would have been adorned with peach blossoms and willows at this time of year, but this year the willows along the riverbanks had not yet sprouted any new buds, and a light snow had even fallen recently.

Perhaps it is because the cold air from the north is particularly strong, while the warm and humid air from the south is too weak to move northward, that the phenomenon of "floods in the south and droughts in the north" has occurred, with torrential rains causing disasters south of the Yangtze River, while the north is extremely dry.

The situation in the Beijing area is relatively better, perhaps because it is near the sea and some moisture has moved northward, so there have been a few rain and snowfalls after the Lunar New Year. However, the weather in Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi and other places is particularly severe.

Now, after Jinbao left Luoyang that day, he carried Jia Huan's memorial and letter, traveling day and night, and finally arrived in the capital. It was almost noon, and Jinbao hurriedly ate a bowl of noodles at a noodle stall on the street before rushing to the Six Ministries. Jia Huan had specifically instructed him to personally deliver the letter to Sun Chengzong, and since it was lunch break, he planned to try his luck at the Six Ministries.

Sun Chengzong was the head of the Ministry of Personnel. He usually spent his days at the Ministry office handling official documents unless he was on duty at the cabinet. Jinbao arrived outside the Six Ministries compound, intending to find someone to inform them, but instead encountered Jia Zheng and Jia Yucun coming out from inside.

"Hey, isn't that Jinbao, the servant boy next to Master Huan?" Li Shi'er, the sharp-eyed servant, recognized Jinbao, who was looking around, at a glance.

Jia Zheng was taken aback, and Jia Yucun also looked doubtful, because everyone knew that Jia Huan was the envoy who escorted Princess Kangle to Hami for a marriage alliance. It had only been less than a month, so they should not have gone halfway.
Jia Zheng was filled with unease, thinking that his unfilial son Jia Huan had once again disobeyed the emperor's orders and escaped halfway back. He shouted, "Summon that servant here!"

Jinbao wanted to avoid it, but it was too late. He could only step forward and kowtow, saying, "This servant greets Master!"

Jia Zheng asked in a deep voice, "Why are you here instead of serving Huan-ge'er?"

Jinbao stammered, "This servant... was it Third Master Huan who sent this servant back to the capital on business?"

Seeing Jinbao stammering and his eyes darting around, Jia Zheng angrily rebuked him, "You're stammering, there must be something fishy going on. Tell the truth now, or you'll regret it!"

Seeing that Jinbao still looked troubled, Jia Zheng flew into a rage and shouted, "You dog of a servant, tie him up and take him home to question him!"

The servants, including Li Shi'er, were about to step forward and tie Jinbao up when he hurriedly said, "Master, please calm down. It was indeed Third Master Huan who sent me back to the capital on business. Third Master instructed me to deliver a letter and a memorial to Grand Secretary Sun."

Jia Zheng frowned. What was this wretched child up to now? Instead of obediently sending Yu'er to Hami, he actually submitted a memorial to the Emperor. Did he think the Emperor wouldn't remember him?
A barely perceptible glint of surprise flashed in Jia Yucun's eyes as he smiled and said, "Brother Cunzhou, my nephew is writing a letter to Grand Secretary Sun and submitting a memorial at this time, so I guess something big has happened."

Jia Zheng thought to himself, "What big thing could this wretched child possibly do? I have a lot of things to deal with myself."

Jia Zheng was still uneasy, so he called Jinbao aside and asked him in detail about the situation. Jinbao recounted everything that had happened in Luoyang. After listening, Jia Zheng's expression immediately turned grim. Although he hadn't seen Jia Huan's memorial yet, he could guess what had happened. He said in a deep voice, "Bring out the memorial so I can see it."

Jinbao hurriedly said, "Master, this is not appropriate. Third Master repeatedly instructed me to personally deliver it to Lord Sun."

Jia Zheng's face darkened as he said, "I am his father, and besides, since this memorial is being submitted to the emperor, it will be known to everyone sooner or later. Can't his father even see it?"

Jinbao thought it made sense, so he untied his bundle and took out Jia Huan's memorial. Jia Zheng opened it and immediately gasped: "What a sharp and incisive memorial! How outrageous! This unfilial son is starving himself, yet he still has the mind to meddle in other people's business!"

After hearing Jinbao's account, Jia Zheng had already guessed that Jia Huan was going to impeach Wan An, the mining supervisor of Luoyang. After reading the memorial, he was right. Moreover, Jia Huan's memorial was a thousand words long, concise and sharp as a knife and a sword. It was clear that the title of "Six-Rank Scholar" was not given for nothing. However, the sharper this wretched boy's memorial was, the more it would probably provoke Shi Dayong's hatred.

It should be noted that not long ago, the Prefect and Assistant Prefect of Luoyang were retaliated against by Shi Dayong for impeaching Wan An. Shi Dayong fabricated charges against them and sent the Embroidered Uniform Guard to Luoyang to arrest them and bring them back to the capital for trial. They are still being held in the Embroidered Uniform Guard's prison, and it is unknown whether they will survive.

Imagine, a dignified prefect can arrest someone at will. Shi Dayong's power is now so great that even the Donglin faction has to avoid him. It is unwise for Huan Ge'er to provoke the eunuch faction at this time!

Jia Zheng only saw the surface of the problem. Out of a desire to avoid misfortune, he put away the memorial and said, "I'm not taking this memorial. You don't need to give that letter to Grand Secretary Sun. Take it back and return it to Huan-ge'er. Tell him to carefully deliver Princess Kangle to Hami and not to meddle in other people's business. If he fails to live up to the Emperor's grace, he will die a hundred times over."

Although Jia Zheng used his father's name to confiscate the memorial, he dared not peek at the letter Jia Huan wrote to Sun Chengzong.

Seeing that Jia Zheng was about to put away the Third Master's memorial, Jinbao hurriedly snatched it away, saying, "Master, please forgive me, this is what the Third Master instructed me to give to Lord Sun, I cannot give it to you."

Jia Zheng was taken aback, clearly not expecting this servant to be so audacious as to snatch something from his hands. He was so angry that his face turned red, and he shouted sternly, "You audacious servant, you've gone too far! Take it and tie him up!"

Li Shi'er and his four attendants rushed forward to grab Jinbao. The latter tried to run away, but was grabbed by the clothes. In the midst of the struggle, the memorial slipped from his hand and flew out, landing right in front of someone.

The man bent down to pick up the memorial, frowned, and said, "Who is making such a racket in front of the Ministry? What kind of behavior is this?" The man's voice was neither hurried nor slow, but it carried a sense of threat. Jia Zheng's expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly bowed and said, "This humble official greets Your Excellency, the Grand Secretary. It is all Jia Zheng's fault for not managing his subordinates properly. I will tie this dog of a servant up and take him back to the mansion for strict discipline."

The newcomer was dressed in a scarlet robe and wore a jade belt. He was none other than Zhao Mingcheng, the Grand Secretary and leader of the Donglin Party, and was accompanied by several officials in scarlet robes.

At this moment, Zhao Mingcheng seemed to be absorbed in the memorial in his hand, ignoring Jia Zheng and carefully reading it. Jia Zheng felt uneasy and secretly groaned!

"Excellent! What a fine Jia Ziming, what a talented scholar! You played it wonderfully!" Zhao Mingcheng exclaimed in admiration, then laughed and said, "This remarkable piece is for all to enjoy. You gentlemen may also take a look." With that, he handed the memorial to several officials beside him.

After reading it, the officials' expressions were extremely interesting. One of them clicked his tongue and said, "Truly, his pen is as sharp as a knife. I admire him greatly. This can be called the best memorial in our dynasty!"

Another official praised, "I used to think that although Jia Ziming was a man of both literary and military talents, he was too fond of romantic relationships, which was a real pity. Now it seems that we have all misunderstood him."

"Indeed, indeed! Now that the eunuch faction is rampant and all voices are silenced, Jia Ziming remains unyielding and has submitted a memorial impeaching Wan An, a member of the eunuch faction. This is truly a loyal and courageous act, which is inspiring. He would risk his life for the country, and would not avoid danger for personal gain or loss. How magnificent!"

The officials praised him one after another, while Jia Zheng complained and felt uneasy. Although his political talent was mediocre, he had been in officialdom for so many years, how could he not see through Zhao Mingcheng and the others' thoughts?

Now that the Donglin Party and the eunuch party are locked in a power struggle, the conflict is intensifying. The Donglin Party is just looking for a pretext to launch an attack, and now that Jia Huan has submitted his memorial, isn't that the perfect opportunity? So why don't Zhao Mingcheng and others go out of their way to praise and push Jia Huan forward? Once caught in the vortex of the two parties' struggle, it will undoubtedly be extremely dangerous.

At this moment, Zhao Mingcheng glanced at Jinbao and asked in a gentle tone, "If I remember correctly, you should be Jia Ziming's servant, right? You were also present when we welcomed Princess Kangle off to her wedding!"

Jinbao could only nod: "Grand Secretary Zhao has a good memory!"

Zhao Mingcheng stroked his beard and chuckled: "Where is Jia Ziming now? Did Jia Ziming send you back to the capital with this memorial?"

Unlike Mu Ye, Jin Bao was not quick-witted and answered truthfully, "Yes, Third Master instructed me to personally hand it over to Grand Secretary Sun."

Zhao Mingcheng smiled and said, "Brother Zhisheng, you are on duty at the cabinet today. I happen to be heading to the inner cabinet anyway. How about I take this memorial to you?"

Jinbao quickly shook his head and said, "Third Master specifically instructed that I should personally deliver it to Grand Secretary Sun."

Zhao Mingcheng laughed and said, "Jia Ziming is still so cautious. In that case, you may come with me." Then he turned to Jia Zheng and said, "Brother Cunzhou, you don't mind, do you?"

Jia Zheng said awkwardly, "I wouldn't dare!"

"Grandpa Jia's teaching is excellent, cultivating such a loyal and upright talent. It is truly a blessing for the country!" Zhao Mingcheng exclaimed, then led Jinbao toward the direction of Donghua Gate.

Jia Zheng could only watch helplessly, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. In the end, he could only stamp his foot and sigh, "What a wretched child!"

Jia Yucun feigned concern, saying, "Cunzhou, don't worry. Huan-ge'er is a smart man; he has naturally weighed the pros and cons."

Jia Zheng shook his head and said, "This wretched child was clever all his life, but made a foolish mistake this time. Now he's going to be roasted over a fire."

Jia Yucun comforted Jia Zheng for a few words, then turned around and ran to inform Shi Dayong that Jia Huan had impeached Wan An, the mining supervisor of Luoyang, and that the Donglin Party was preparing to use this as an excuse to provoke him, so that the Grand Eunuch should prepare a response as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, inside the Grand Secretariat at Donghua Gate, Sun Chengzong was processing memorials, his brow furrowed, his face filled with worry. Since last year, disasters had frequently struck various regions, and many places had submitted memorials requesting disaster relief and tax exemptions. The Grand Secretariat had drafted proposals to approve these, but after the memorials were sent to the Emperor for his approval, they disappeared without a trace, receiving no response. Saving the people was urgent, and if this continued, it would likely lead to great chaos!

At this moment, Zhao Mingcheng brought Jinbao in and said with a smile, "Lord Sun, someone is looking for you, so I took the liberty of bringing him in."

"This servant greets Lord Sun!" Jinbao hurriedly stepped forward and bowed.

(End of this chapter)