The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 749 Breaking the Rules
After Jia Huan finished his audience with Emperor Qiansheng, he left the palace through the Donghua Gate. Jia Qiang was still waiting outside with his carriages and horses. As for the steward Lin Zhixiao, he had already returned to his residence to make arrangements for the reception.

Third Master Huan is now the face and pillar of the Jia family. This time, he has made great achievements and returned home in triumph. The scene should not be shabby. Returning home in glory should be high-profile and flamboyant, with fine clothes and a spirited horse. It would be meaningless if he returned in the dark.

Of course, Jia Huan himself was calm and clear-headed. He was happy to share the glory with his family, relatives, and servants, but he would not be blinded by it.

At this moment, Jia Huan sat in the luxurious and comfortable carriage, seemingly resting with his eyes closed, but in fact, he was replaying the process of his audience with Emperor Qiansheng in his mind over and over again, carefully studying every word Emperor Qiansheng said, and even his expressions and body language.

Jia Huan's audience with the emperor this time was brief; he only gave a short report, and the emperor said a few words of encouragement before sending him away.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, there will be a grand New Year's court assembly. At that time, all officials in the capital, regardless of rank, will have to go to the palace to offer New Year's greetings. The Ministry of Rites and the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs are making preparations in full swing. There will be a ceremony to present captured prisoners at the court assembly, and it is estimated that Emperor Qiansheng will also reward generals such as Jia Huan for their merits at the assembly.

What impressed Jia Huan most about this visit to the palace was the change in Emperor Qiansheng's appearance. Although he was over forty years old, his hair had turned gray, and he looked much weaker. His skin was loose, and his face had a sickly paleness. It was hard to tell whether he was overworked or just "overworked".

In any case, in recent years, Emperor Qiansheng's desire for enjoyment has indeed increased. He not only engaged in large-scale construction projects, but also held two imperial concubine selections and brought more than a dozen new beauties into the palace.

Of course, the peasant uprisings that have been erupting one after another in the past two years have also caused Emperor Qiansheng a lot of trouble. This year, even his ancestral graves in Taiyuan, Shanxi were dug up by the rebel army. This may be the main reason why Emperor Qiansheng's hair turned white early.

Furthermore, when Jia Huan reported on his duties, Emperor Qiansheng did not ask a single question about Duan Yong's death in battle. However, the more one deliberately avoids certain matters, the more one cares about them. Therefore, Jia Huan was well aware that although his trick of using someone else to kill had successfully eliminated the hidden danger of Duan Yong and seemed flawless, it had actually aroused Emperor Qiansheng's suspicion.

Who is an emperor? The supreme ruler, the most powerful person in the world. In history, which minister who was distrusted by the emperor had a good ending?

A wise person would choose to retire gracefully at this time, but Jia Huan obviously cannot retire now. He is only eighteen years old, and the excuse of retiring to his hometown is not realistic. If he insists on resigning, it will make Emperor Qiansheng seem narrow-minded and jealous of talent. Therefore, Emperor Qiansheng will definitely not allow Jia Huan to resign voluntarily.

As Jia Huan's thoughts raced, the carriage had already returned to Rongning Street. The street was now completely packed with people. Jia Qiang rode ahead on horseback, while servants banged gongs, held up signs, and shouted, "Lord Dingyuan is returning to his residence. Please be quiet and make way."

Back then, the Jia family's East Mansion was confiscated, and the main branch of the West Mansion was also confiscated. Jia She and Jia Zhen's entire family were imprisoned. Then, their debts exploded. Everyone thought that the Jia family, which had been prominent for a hundred years, was completely finished. Unexpectedly, in just a few years, Jia Huan, the illegitimate son of the Jia family, rose to prominence and brought the already decadent Jia family back to life, regaining its glory.

Although the Jia family is not as prominent as it was at the beginning of the dynasty when two members were dukes, Jia Huan's transition from a civil to a military career and his ennoblement as an earl is already quite remarkable. With his triumphant return to the capital and his achievement in quelling the rebellion of hundreds of thousands of rebels in Shaanxi, it is possible that he could be ennobled as a marquis. The key is that Jia Huan is still so young and has unlimited potential. It is possible that he could catch up with or even surpass his ancestors in the future.

However, it is very difficult to surpass that. The title of Duke is basically the top rank for a military general. If you want to go further, you have to make contributions to the founding of the country or to the rise of the new emperor. For example, the four princes of different surnames in the Great Jin Dynasty made contributions to the founding of the country.

Of course, Jia Huan was a six-time Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), and his status as a civil official made him even more outstanding. As a civil official, he was granted the title of Marquis, which put him ahead of his ancestors in this field. He would certainly have unlimited potential in civil service in the future. If he were to enter the cabinet and become a prime minister, he would truly be "both a general and a prime minister".

Pili pala...

Amidst the lively sound of firecrackers, Jia Huan alighted from the carriage and entered the Rongguo Mansion through the main gate. Well, this was not the first time Jia Huan had enjoyed such an honor. The last time was when he returned to the capital from Liaodong to present prisoners of war. At that time, his position was the Governor of Liaodong. Now he is the Governor-General of Shaanxi, which is another big step forward.

Tens of thousands of firecrackers went off for a full ten minutes, the thick smoke almost enveloping the entire Rongning Street. Jia Huan, surrounded by his servants, entered the gate and headed straight for Rongxi Hall.

Jia Zheng, who always liked to put on a strict fatherly air, was unusually standing in front of Rongxi Hall to welcome his son home. Although he still had a serious old face, his subtle body movements could not hide his excitement and joy.

Apart from Jia Zheng, all the male members of the Jia family, including Jia Dairu, Jia Yun, Jia Lan, and Jia Jun, were present. Wait, Jia Baoyu wasn't there; he was in the inner quarters with the women.

Jia Huan hurriedly stepped forward and first greeted Jia Dairu. Although this old man was not very learned, he was, after all, the one who had enlightened him on his path to the imperial examinations and the most senior elder in the clan. Therefore, Jia Huan still respected him very much and performed the full kneeling ceremony, saying, "Huan'er greets Grandfather!"

Although Jia Dairu's learning was not particularly profound, he was extremely long-lived, nearly ninety years old this year, and had almost lost all his teeth. Seeing Jia Huan perform such a grand ceremony, he was greatly pleased, his face beaming with pride, his smile so wide that his teeth were almost invisible. He shakily helped Jia Huan up, saying, "Brother Huan, please get up. You're really too kind to this old man. You are now an earl, a high-ranking official in charge of a region. How can this old man accept such a gesture!"

Jia Zheng stroked his beard and said, "Huan-ge'er is a junior, and he was personally trained by you, Grandfather. Let alone him becoming an earl, even if he became... you, sir, would be worthy of it!"

Jia Zheng originally wanted to say that he had become a "prince", but he felt it was inappropriate and immediately stopped himself. Although he was an ordinary official, he had spent most of his life in the officialdom and was still very risk-aware. He knew that some things should not be said in public, as it could easily give others a handle to use against him.

At this moment, Jia Huan turned around, bowed, and said, "Huan'er greets Master!"

Jia Zheng's face immediately darkened. "You brat, are you doing this on purpose? You used to kneel before me, but now that you've grown wings, you dare to challenge me!"
There was nothing he could do; this brat had really grown too big for his britches. His official rank and title were higher than his own, and he even commanded an elite army. He couldn't very well force this kid to kowtow to him, could he? Jia Zheng nodded sternly and said, "It's good that you're back. Have you seen the Emperor? Did the Emperor issue any decrees?"

Jia Huan nodded and said, "I have already met with the Emperor. The Emperor was very understanding and only asked a few questions before letting me return to my residence to rest. He will give further instructions at the first court assembly on the first day of the new year."

Jia Zheng was secretly pleased, thinking that the rewards would probably be given on the first day of the Lunar New Year. With Huan'er's merits this time, there was a real possibility that she would be granted a title.

"Go see the old lady and the madam first, but don't linger too long. We still need to go to the East Mansion to offer sacrifices to our ancestors later," Jia Zheng instructed.

After bidding farewell to everyone, Jia Huan headed towards the inner quarters of the Jia family mansion, with maids and servants rushing in to deliver messages along the way.

"Grandma, Madam, Third Master Huan has left Rongxi Hall!"

"Third Master Huan has entered the second gate!"

"Third Master Huan has passed through the covered walkway!"

"Third Master Huan has come in!"

"I'm coming!"

Under the fervent gazes and smiling faces of the maids and old women, Jia Huan calmly entered Grandmother Jia's room, knelt properly before her, and said, "Huan'er kowtows to Grandmother Jia."

Grandmother Jia was so happy that tears welled up in her eyes. She nodded repeatedly and said, "Good child, get up quickly. You must be tired from the journey. Are you cold?"

He then called Jia Huan over and examined him closely for a moment, then laughed and said, "He seems a bit darker, but also more muscular. Don't you all agree?"

Everyone laughed and agreed. The wives and mothers in charge praised Huan Sanye for being more mature and dignified, saying that he was indeed the old lady's grandson and had the demeanor of the old master back then. This made Grandmother Jia very happy.

Then, Jia Huan greeted Lady Wang, but he only bowed and did not perform the full kneeling ceremony. The atmosphere immediately became a little tense, but Lady Wang did not seem to mind. She just smiled and nodded, and even asked a few questions about his well-being.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.

In truth, rules are always made for the weak; the strong always transcend them. If it were before, if Jia Huan dared not kneel, Lady Wang would have at least given him a hard time, if not thrown a tantrum. But with Jia Huan's current status and power, where would Lady Wang find the slightest bit of confidence to compete? Clearly, faced with her powerfully rising son, Lady Wang has completely yielded.

If you can't beat them, you have to join them!

Another point is that Jia Huan already has his own title, and the ancestral title that Jia Zheng will inherit will naturally be passed on to Jia Baoyu. With the guarantee of the title, even if Jia Baoyu is not good enough, he will at least not have to worry about making a living for the rest of his life. The more powerful Jia Huan is, the stronger Jia Baoyu's backer will be.

For this reason, Lady Wang not only dared not blame Jia Huan for his rudeness, but also had to try to build a good relationship with him. For example, when Jia Huan wanted to marry both Daiyu and Baochai at the same time, Lady Wang did not object and even expressed her active support.

Therefore, when you have the power to break the rules, the rules can no longer restrain you. Jia Huan now clearly has the strength to marry both Daiyu and Baochai at the same time, so naturally everything will fall into place smoothly and without hindrance.

Getting back to the main point, after Jia Huan greeted Wang Fu, he greeted Li Wan, You Shi, and others one by one, and finally Tan Chun, Xi Chun, and the others such as Chai Dai Qin.

Ever since Jia Huan entered the room, Daiyu and Baochai's eyes had never left him. They had so much to say, but it was clearly not the time to express their longing and feelings to each other.

Jia Huan stayed in Grandmother Jia's room for a while, then someone came to urge him to leave, so he had to say goodbye and go to the East Mansion to pay respects at the ancestral shrine.

(End of this chapter)