Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 609 Will
Jia Lian wouldn't give much thought to becoming a saint; that kind of thing really doesn't appeal to him.

In Jia Lian's mind, the most awesome person is still that great man who wrote "Six hundred million people in China are all like Yao and Shun" (referring to the legendary emperors Yao and Shun). He himself could never do that, so he could only look up to him!

In this life, make yourself live like a human being and look like a human being.

After seeing the imperial envoy off, Jia Lian quickly ordered his servants to prepare carriages and horses so he could go to Rehe to express his gratitude.

Fortunately, the weather had cooled down considerably, so Jia Lian wouldn't suffer too much on his journey. Before leaving, he made a special trip to see Daiyu and Marquis Anguo, Jia Rong.

The name was given by Jia She, and it's obvious he wasn't planning anything good, but Jia Lian didn't object.

The feud between Jia She and Jia Zheng could not be settled before Grandmother Jia died.

As he was leaving, Wang Xifeng and her children came to see him off. She whispered to Jia Quan, "Go and talk to him."

Jia Lian stopped and turned around, looking at Jia Quan who looked nervous. He smiled and squatted down, saying, "I will be back in a few days. Be good at home and don't make your mother angry."

Qiaojie came forward, hugged Jia Lian's neck, and whispered, "Mother cried last night!"

Jia Lian patted Qiao Jie's head, stood up and went to Wang Xifeng, looking at her and smiling, "I keep my word!"

Wang Xifeng nodded vigorously. Jia Lian turned around, waved, and mounted his horse, saying, "Let's go!"

The Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway has already started construction. Taking advantage of the less labor-intensive period before the autumn harvest, we are focusing on the preliminary preparatory work.

Riding his horse along the official road, Jia Lian could see the crowds at the construction site in the distance. The significance of this railway lay in further strengthening control over the grasslands.

From an economic perspective, the two major north-south arteries are of greater significance; the biggest challenge now is the Yellow River railway bridge.

The research and development department has come up with several solutions, one of which is to use reinforced concrete to build the bridge piers and carry out the construction during the dry season in winter.

The idea is good, but it requires a window of opportunity when the river is low. The Yellow River is not yet at the point of almost drying up, so the construction is still quite challenging.

Jia Lian was powerless to help, but the country was vast and full of geniuses. They had been working hard to solve the problem and even regarded Jia Lian as their teacher, wanting to emulate him as a saint.

Thinking about all this, Jia Lian felt particularly complicated. This world has always been like this; just do your best.

For example, there are clear regulations that require workers on construction sites to be paid their full wages and that deductions are prohibited. If any contractor is found to be in violation of the regulations, their qualification will be revoked and they will be fined.

Looking at the bustling construction site, Jia Lian suddenly thought of a lame joke: targeted poverty alleviation is something only socialist countries do.

After a three-day journey, Jia Lian arrived at the Rehe Imperial Palace. When he met the Emperor to express his gratitude, he bowed deeply with utmost sincerity. After completing the formalities, he added, "Your humble servant thanks Your Majesty for your kindness!"

Emperor Chenghui smiled warmly upon hearing this and waved his hand, saying, "You and I, ruler and subject, complement each other perfectly, and are destined to leave a beautiful story in the history books."

Jia Lian stood up and reached out to help the emperor walk, but Emperor Chenghui waved his hand and said, "I don't need anyone's help. Let's go for a walk together."

Autumn comes earlier in Rehe. At this moment, in the courtyard of the imperial palace, the branches have begun to turn yellow or red, and occasionally a fallen leaf sways down.

On the red brick path, Emperor Chenghui walked slowly ahead, while Jia Lian lagged behind by half a body length.

"This palace was built by my father, yet he rarely comes here. He mostly goes to the Western Hills Imperial Estate to escape the summer heat. Do you know why?" Emperor Chenghui asked seemingly casually.

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian's heart tightened slightly, and he said solemnly, "According to historical records, after the late emperor ascended the throne, he ordered the construction of the Rehe Palace. However, after its completion, the country was plagued by many troubles. As the saying goes, if internal troubles are not eliminated, external threats will inevitably arise. After Your Majesty ascended the throne, you have brought peace to your subjects and defended against foreign invaders, expanded the territory, and achieved a prosperous era, which the late emperor could not achieve!"

Emperor Chenghui remained silent, gazing into the distance with his hands behind his back. Jia Lian stood silently behind him. After a while, Emperor Chenghui said, "Let's go back. I'm tired!"

Upon returning to his residence, Jia Lian, without saying a word, ordered the door to be closed, prepared paper and pen, and began to write a memorial requesting to be transferred to a post outside the capital.

This time, Jia Lian did not send it directly to the palace, but went through the proper procedures and sent it to the Office of Transmission first.

The cabinet was quite surprised. On the one hand, after Jia Lian arrived and expressed his gratitude, he should have paid his respects to the cabinet members and greeted the ministers of various departments. However, unexpectedly, after expressing his gratitude, he closed his doors to visitors.

When the memorial reached the Grand Secretariat, the officials read it and began to understand it, but they still couldn't quite decipher it. Even Lin Ruhai couldn't understand its meaning and could only connect it to Jia Lian's act of expressing gratitude.

Out of consideration for avoiding any appearance of impropriety, Lin Ruhai read the memorial and then left it to others to handle.

The other cabinet ministers, upon reading the memorial, naturally dared not express their opinions easily and quickly sent it to the palace.

Upon reading Jia Lian's memorial, Emperor Chenghui was gratified but also faced a difficult decision. Ever since discovering his health was declining, Emperor Chenghui had been pondering the question of who would succeed him.

Originally, the emperor intended to leave Jia Lian to the next emperor, but unfortunately, there weren't many places left to bestow favors upon him. That's why Jia Lian said those words when he expressed his gratitude.

Emperor Chenghui's original intention was to hope that Jia Lian would nominate an heir to show his attitude, but Jia Lian preferred to request a transfer to a post outside the capital rather than take the initiative to nominate one.

Having no stance is itself a stance; the implication is that Jia Lian will resolutely support the successor chosen by His Majesty.

Therefore, Jia Lian did not hesitate to be sent to a post outside the capital first. Whether he could return to the capital after the new emperor ascended the throne was entirely up to the new emperor.

Emperor Chenghui was in a deep dilemma. He didn't know how much longer his body could hold on. If he sent Jia Lian away to a distant post, and Jia Lian lived for another ten or eight years, without Jia Lian by his side, which prince might be misled and harbor wicked thoughts? The emperor's sense of security would be inadequate. But if he didn't send him away, what could the new emperor use to show favor to Jia Lian?
Unable to make a decision, Emperor Chenghui turned to Qiu Shi'an and asked, "Should I grant his request or reject it?"

Qiu Shi'an laughed and said, "How could this servant have any say in this matter? This servant only knows that wherever the Emperor goes, this servant will follow him."

Emperor Chenghui couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this: "Hehe, yes, you are different from Buqi."

At this moment, Emperor Chenghui made up his mind and wrote on Jia Lian's memorial: "Nonsense. All those new things you've been tinkering with will only create chaos if you just leave. Focus on doing your own thing."

The memorial was sent back to the cabinet. After reading it, the officials were filled with jealousy, and their eyes turned red.

Lin Ruhai waved his hand weakly: "Send it to him quickly and tell him to get back to the capital immediately. I don't want to see him."

For the first time, Li Qing so readily agreed with Lin Ruhai, nodding vigorously: "That's right, make him get out immediately, overnight."

In the end, Fang Song proved to be a true friend, personally delivering the memorial with a reply to Jia Lian and escorting him to the main road.

As they parted, Fang Song remarked, "Hurry up and go, or you might get a beating."

Jia Lian smiled slightly, spurred his horse, and rode away.

In the cabinet, Yue Qi couldn't help but mutter to Pan Jixun, "The Jia family has been favored by the emperor for generations, and they are not like ordinary families."

Pan Jixun replied irritably, "If Zhangjiakou hadn't been lost, Li Ni would not be in this situation today if he had led the grassland bandits to invade our borders."

Yue Qi was speechless. But that wasn't the end of it. Li Qing happened to walk in and heard Pan Jixun add insult to injury: "Prime Minister Yue has received no less imperial favor than anyone else. Why are you so jealous and incompetent?"

Li Qing couldn't help but laugh. In the current cabinet, Yue Qi was the one who benefited the most. Leaving aside the others, without Jia Lian, even if Yue Qi could return to the capital, he wouldn't have had the chance to become Minister of War, let alone enter the cabinet. These people, they really are never satisfied, unable to see the situation clearly, nor can they see themselves clearly. Privately, Li Qing also complained to those around him about Yue Qi, saying that a military man is just a military man, lacking in discretion and tact.

The implication is that Jia Lian was, after all, a top scholar in the imperial examination; how could a mere martial artist dare to compare himself to him?
The thought of Jia Lian's existence gave Li Qing a headache. As a member of the cabinet, he had an obligation to maintain balance within the cabinet, and despite his disdain for Yue Qi, he still had to win him over.

Despite his seemingly glamorous life, Jia Lian became even more low-key after returning to the capital, spending his time either at work or at home.

In fact, Jia Lian did not want to be sent to a post outside the capital. Judging from the emperor's health, he would only have two or three years left.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, Emperor Chenghui ordered Li Yuan and Li Heng to go to Rehe to celebrate the festival together. After the festival, Emperor Chenghui set off to return to the capital, and fell ill that very night after entering the palace.

Immediately, the cabinet ministers who had just returned home rushed to the palace that night, and Lin Ruhai also sent someone to deliver a letter to Jia Lian.

Upon receiving the news, Jia Lian immediately reacted, ordering his adjutant Fan Ping to be stationed in the south of the city to prepare contingency plans in case of unforeseen circumstances.

Jia Lian had no intention of staging a coup; he was merely acting in self-preservation. At this critical juncture, it was hard to predict what might happen. Jia Lian's task was to ensure the smooth flow of information.

With such a large family, leaving is impossible, so we can't worry about that if necessary. What we're doing now is preparing for any eventuality.

During the emperor's coma, the nine gates were kept closed, and various rumors circulated in the market.

Overnight, the Jia family appeared relaxed on the outside but were on high alert inside, with all their retainers making preparations. At dawn, there was no disturbance in the city. After giving some instructions, they went to work at the yamen as usual.

The inner city was sealed off, but the gates of the outer city were opened to avoid affecting the livelihoods of the people.

The cabinet ministers did not come out of the palace. Jia Lian looked at his subordinates who were not interested in government affairs, but did not urge them. Instead, he sat quietly in his office in the research and development department.

Seeing that Jia Lian was as steady as Mount Tai, the uneasy subordinates were reassured and went about their business.

Emperor Chenghui woke up in the afternoon, rested for a while, and first asked Qiu Shi'an, "Where is Buqi?"

Qiu Shi'an said, "Your Majesty, Lord Jia is on duty as usual!" Emperor Chenghui gestured for him to sit up and said, "Summon Buqi to the palace immediately."

Qiu Shi'an immediately complied, and Emperor Chenghui then said to the Empress, whose tears were still visible, "Empress, it seems I cannot bear it any longer."

Empress Zhou turned her head away and silently shed tears. It took her a while to stop. After wiping them away, she turned back and said, "His Majesty is blessed by Heaven. He will be alright."

Emperor Chenghui shook his head and asked, "Where are the second and third sons?"

Empress Zhou choked up as she said, "They're waiting outside."

Emperor Chenghui then asked, "Where are the cabinet ministers?"

Empress Zhou replied again, "They are all waiting outside. They entered the palace last night to wait."

As they were talking, Qiu Shi'an brought over a bowl of medicine, and Empress Zhou personally fed him the medicine. After Emperor Chenghui drank the medicine with great effort, he leaned back wearily, closed his eyes, and seemed lost in thought.

He must be making his final decision right now!

"Your Majesty need not worry too much. Rest assured and everything will be alright," Empress Zhou reassured her, gesturing for the imperial physician to come forward and take her pulse.

After taking the emperor's pulse, the imperial physician tried to remain calm and said, "Your Majesty's most important task right now is to rest and recuperate."

Emperor Chenghui calmly opened his eyes and said indifferently, "Stop trying to fool me. If I don't explain things now, it will be too late. Don't be afraid, my illness is not your fault."

After saying this, he instructed Empress Zhou not to blame the doctors, as they had done nothing wrong. The excited imperial physicians knelt down, prostrating themselves, and said, "Your Majesty is so benevolent; we have no way to repay you."

Being a royal physician may seem like a lucrative and prestigious job, but it's actually a very risky profession.

"As Buqi once said, a good doctor is a national treasure and must be cherished! We must not let the medical skills be lost, lest future generations criticize us." Emperor Chenghui even added a special explanation, seemingly expressing his feelings.

The imperial physicians silently remembered this sentence.

"Summon the cabinet ministers!" Emperor Chenghui sat up again, looking much more refreshed.

The cabinet members filed in, with Li Yuan and Li Heng each standing in a corner, facing each other but not making eye contact.

When Qiu Shi'an, who was announcing the imperial decree, did not mention the two of them but only called the cabinet ministers, Li Heng was slightly taken aback. He subconsciously took two steps before suddenly waking up, stopping and retreating to his seat.

Li Yuan kept his head down and showed no intention of moving.

Qiu Shi'an had been observing the reactions of the two princes. Seeing this, he couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly. Turning inside, he saw the cabinet ministers kneeling and refusing to rise. He cautiously approached the emperor, who was resting with his eyes closed, and whispered in his ear. Emperor Chenghui sighed, opened his eyes, and said to the ministers, "I have decreed that the Empress remain as a witness. What are your thoughts?"

Lin Ruhai took the lead and said, "That is the proper way, and we have no objection."

Emperor Chenghui leaned against the wall with his eyes closed, seemingly waiting for something.

Upon receiving the imperial decree, Jia Lian immediately spurred his horse and dismounted at the palace gate. There were people waiting to lead the way, and Jia Lian strode inside.

Inside the hall, Emperor Chenghui leaned back with his eyes closed, seemingly gathering his strength. He only opened his eyes when footsteps sounded outside. A eunuch entered to announce that Jia Lian had arrived.

Emperor Chenghui spoke weakly: "Summon them!"

After Jia Lian entered and paid his respects with great ceremony, Emperor Chenghui beckoned him and said, "Buqi, come here and stand beside me."

Jia Lian got up and stepped forward, standing beside the bed. Emperor Chenghui continued, "Buqi, whether or not you can carry out the words I left behind depends on you."

Jia Lian knelt down without speaking. When he looked up, tears streamed down his face, and he choked out, “Your Majesty has shown me great favor. Your Majesty left a will that anyone who disobeys it will be executed along with me.”

Upon hearing this, Emperor Chenghui sat up abruptly, his eyes gleaming as he looked intently at the assembled officials and declared, "Gentlemen, listen to my decree!"

The cabinet ministers, who remained kneeling, responded, led by Lin Ruhai, "We await your decree!"

Emperor Chenghui, surprisingly, spoke with great vigor: "Birth, old age, sickness, and death are the will of Heaven, and no one else is to blame. If I pass away, all of you should serve the Second Prince Li Yuan as your master and do your best to assist him."

"Your Majesty, we will obey your command without fail," Lin Ruhai and the others responded loudly.

Emperor Chenghui added, “After I am gone, the mourning period should not be too long, so as not to delay the people’s livelihood. It shall be set at forty-nine days, and it must not be delayed.”

Upon hearing this final statement, the official in charge of recording the emperor's daily life burst into tears, writing as he wept: "Cheng Hui, being of utmost benevolence, could not bear to let the people's livelihood be disrupted by the nationwide mourning period."

(End of this chapter)