The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 753 Marquis of Dingyuan

Today is the last day of the twelfth year of the Qiansheng reign, the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, which is also New Year's Eve. As usual, the Jia family held a grand sacrificial ceremony to worship at the ancestral hall, followed by a reunion banquet, also known as the New Year's Eve dinner. The entire family gathered together in joy, with fireworks and a festive atmosphere.

We won't go into the details of how the Jia family celebrated the festival, but we will mention that at the reunion banquet that evening, Grandmother Jia announced to everyone that Jia Huan would be marrying both Daiyu and Baochai at the same time, and set the wedding date for the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. It was a bit rushed, but it was the Lantern Festival, a time of beautiful flowers and a full moon, so it was quite fitting.

In addition, as the Governor-General of Shaanxi, Jia Huan's main purpose in coming to the capital was to present the captives and report on his duties. He would have to return to his post afterward unless the court made another appointment. Therefore, after the New Year, Jia Huan could leave the capital at any time, so it was understandable that the wedding date was set in a tight schedule.

In the past, if Jia Huan had married both Daiyu and Baochai at the same time, the entire household would have been in an uproar. But now, even the servants think it's perfectly natural. What's wrong with Third Master Huan, a count and governor of a province, marrying two cousins ​​at the same time? This is called double happiness and a joyous New Year!
So when the news was announced, the whole household was overjoyed, except for Da Lianbao, who was the most disappointed. He couldn't even eat the New Year's Eve dinner. He hurriedly ate a couple of bites and then returned to Yihong Courtyard in a daze, where he got drunk by himself.

That night, just like Da Lian Bao, the current emperor, Qian Sheng, was also unable to eat his New Year's Eve dinner.

Just before nightfall on New Year's Eve, an urgent plea for help arrived from the Liaodong front. The letter stated that Huang Taiji was about to reach Pyongyang and requested that the Celestial Empire send heavenly soldiers and generals to rescue them, otherwise Korea would be destroyed.

Emperor Qiansheng was now in a dilemma, and the good mood he had been in after Jia Huan quelled the various rebel armies in Shaanxi was greatly diminished.

Korea was a vassal state of the Great Jin Dynasty and its most loyal ally. If the Great Jin Dynasty were to stand by and watch Korea perish, it would surely lose face and all its prestige. However, if it were to send troops to its aid, it would inevitably fall out with Huang Taiji, and the peace treaty that had been painstakingly signed would be nullified, plunging the Northeast, which had only enjoyed two years of peace, back into war.

To be honest, Liaodong has been garrisoning 200,000 troops year-round, and the construction of the Guan-Ning-Jin defense line has consumed more than 10 million taels of silver. In addition, there have been constant uprisings in the country in the past two years, and Emperor Qiansheng himself has been engaged in large-scale construction projects. The country is in dire straits, burning the candle at both ends. The national treasury is already overburdened. If we were to fight Huang Taiji again, how could we possibly continue to make trouble?

As a result, Emperor Qiansheng was in a daze all night, and he even skipped the royal banquet that night. He summoned Zhao Mingcheng, Sun Chengzong and other important cabinet ministers to the palace to discuss countermeasures.

…………

Early the next morning, on the first day of the Lunar New Year in the thirteenth year of the Qiansheng reign, before dawn, Jia Huan and his son Jia Zheng changed into their court robes and braved the bitter cold to go to Fengtian Gate to offer their congratulations. Grandmother Jia, who held an imperial title, was originally also supposed to go to the palace to offer her congratulations, but due to her advanced age, she was granted an exemption from doing so.

All officials in the capital, regardless of rank, had to attend this grand court assembly, making it a very large event. The focus of this year's New Year's court assembly was naturally the newly appointed Governor-General of Shaanxi, the Earl of Dingyuan—Jia Huan!
As dawn broke, Emperor Qiansheng ascended the throne in front of Fengtian Gate, received the homage of civil and military officials, delivered a New Year's address, and then came the highlight of the day—the ceremony of presenting captives.

Jia Huan, dressed in a python robe and jade belt, walked with a scepter in his hands. Behind him were the Imperial Guards escorting 108 rebel leaders, their armor gleaming, swords and spears raised, exuding a murderous aura. Meanwhile, Gao Yingxiang and his rebel leaders hung their heads in dejection, their faces ashen.

Ultimately, these rebel leaders were all poor people from the bottom of society. They had never seen such a solemn and magnificent formation before, and most of them were so frightened that their legs went weak and their eyes were filled with fear and unease.

Emperor Qiansheng, sitting on his throne, looked coldly at the terrified rebels crawling before him. He felt both hatred and immense satisfaction, temporarily setting aside the matter of Korea's plea for help.

At this moment, Jia Huan walked to the imperial steps, knelt down and paid homage without looking to the side: "Your subject Jia Huan pays respects to Your Majesty, may Your Majesty live ten thousand years!"

Prince Qing, Xu Wenye, and Prince Min, Xu Wenhou, stood at the head of the civil and military officials respectively. At this moment, their eyes both turned to Jia Huan.

Xu Wenhou is two years older than Jia Huan, and is already twenty years old this year. He is still obese, but his face has matured a lot, although it is still round.

Prince Qing, Xu Wenye, was much more handsome, but due to a disability in his right foot, one shoulder was noticeably higher than the other when he stood, which seriously affected his appearance.

Unlike Prince Min, Xu Wenhou, whose expression was one of obvious joy, Prince Qing, Xu Wenye, had a very subtle expression and extremely complicated feelings.

Two years ago, Jia Huan was dismissed from his post for disobeying an imperial decree and refusing to marry the princess. Xu Wenye secretly mocked Jia Huan, saying that he was incredibly foolish to ruin his future for a mere woman, and no wonder he would befriend a good-for-nothing like Lao Qi! However, in just two years, Xu Wenye was proven wrong. Jia Huan not only successfully brought his beloved woman back from Hami, but also incorporated Hami into the territory of the Great Jin Dynasty. He even defeated Turpan and became the only civil official to be granted the title of Earl after the Great Jin Dynasty's period of peace and prosperity.

Immediately afterwards, Jia Huan forcefully wiped out hundreds of rebel groups in Shaanxi, killing or capturing the leaders of the rebels who had dug up the imperial tombs. Wow, his strength is indeed terrifying!
Therefore, Xu Wenye was very wary of Jia Huan at this time, because if such a person fully supported the seventh prince, he would be a huge threat to his struggle for the throne!
It is worth mentioning that Emperor Qiansheng has not yet established an heir apparent, and the position of crown prince remains vacant. The Donglin Party naturally supports Prince Qing, Xu Wenye, while the Diecui Academy faction favors Prince Min, Xu Wenhou, because Xu Wenhou is kind and gentle, and if he becomes crown prince, he will surely be a benevolent ruler in the future.

However, according to the principle of establishing the legitimate heir if there is one, and establishing the eldest son if there is no legitimate heir, Prince Qing, Xu Wenye, is undoubtedly the first in line to succeed him. Unless something unexpected happens, Xu Wenhou's chances of becoming the crown prince are slim.

Of course, nothing is absolute. Before the dust settles, no one can say there won't be any surprises. There are many precedents in history of princes who have been in the position for many years but were eventually deposed.

Getting back to the main point, Jia Huan knelt before the imperial throne, and Emperor Qiansheng said with a gentle smile, "Rise, my dear Jia."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Jia Huan stood up and bowed, saying, "Since I received the imperial decree to suppress the bandits last June, I have felt deeply burdened by the weighty responsibility bestowed upon me by Your Majesty's grace and have not dared to slacken in the slightest. Thanks to the blessings of Heaven, Your Majesty's strategic planning, the wise decisions of the officials in the court, and the concerted efforts of the soldiers, we have finally wiped out the bandits in Shaanxi and Shanxi, killed bandit leaders such as Wang Ziyong, Wang Jiayin, Shen Yikui, Tuo Yangkun, and Zhang Xianzhong, and captured a group of notorious bandit leaders, including Gao Yingxiang, the rebel leader. I now present these 108 rebel leaders, who have defied the emperor, to Your Majesty for your judgment!"

Emperor Qiansheng was overjoyed and said, "Good! Minister Jia has won every battle and brought glory to our country. Bring the list of rebels here."

Shi Dayong immediately scurried down the steps, took the roster from Jia Huan, and then eagerly presented it to the emperor.

Emperor Qiansheng took the list, glanced at it, and then ordered, "This list shall be read aloud by the Prince of Min."

Upon hearing this, Prince Qing, Xu Wenye, changed his expression, and the Donglin faction officials present also had subtle expressions.

Xu Wenhou carefully took the list of traitors and then read it aloud to the public. This kid had indeed matured a lot; at least he wasn't stage-frightened in front of everyone, and his voice was loud and clear.

After reading the list of 108 rebels, Xu Wenhou bowed to the throne and said, "Your Majesty, I have finished reading."

Emperor Qiansheng nodded in satisfaction, then said sternly, "Take all the rebels back to the death row and execute them on a chosen day!"

"Yes, sir!" The Imperial Guards escorted Gao Yingxiang and the others away from Fengtian Gate, returning them to the Ministry of Justice's death row cell to await their deaths.

Next, Emperor Qiansheng ordered officials from the Ministry of Rites to announce the imperial edict, immediately bestowing upon Jia Huan the title of Marquis of Dingyuan, granting him a mansion in the capital, adding the title of Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, and rewarding him with a large amount of gold, silver, and silk as a reward for his merits.

Although there had been rumors that Jia Huan would be granted the title of marquis, when it was officially announced, it still made all the civil officials in the court envious.

Jia Huan hurriedly knelt down to express his gratitude, feeling a little excited. He had indeed won over the Marquis; Emperor Qiansheng was quite generous.

Little did he know that if it weren't for the letter of appeal from North Korea last night, the title of Marquis of Dingyuan would probably not have fallen into his hands. In times of crisis, even if it is to encourage the three armies, an example must be set, otherwise how can the soldiers on the Liaodong front fight bravely against the enemy?

Next, Emperor Qiansheng announced the rewards for a group of generals, including Feng Ziying, Tiehu, Xingwei, and Mangui, all of which were extremely generous. Among them, Feng Ziying was also granted the title of Earl of Pingrong and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Right Army Commandery.

(End of this chapter)