Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

Jia Cong returned home and told Pang Chao about the emperor's order to adjust the personnel of the Jinyiwei, and asked, "What do you think, sir?"

Pang Chaowei groaned for a moment and said, "I'm afraid this is a sign that the emperor is going to reduce your power."

Jia Cong nodded slowly and said, "I think so too. This time, the incident with Princess Yuan had some signs.

If I don't take action and let Concubine Yuan be convicted of the crime of defiling the palace, I will be in an even more passive position. I have no choice but to choose the lesser of two evils.

As for the person behind the scenes, he has never been tortured out."

Pang Chao laughed and said, "How can a master chess player show any signs of chiseling? The best way is to let the chess pieces stay in the game without knowing it."

Jia Cong said: "That's right, Concubine Wu and Wu Shitao and his daughter thought they were smart, but they didn't want to be used as a knife by others.

Hey, luckily I have already made a backup plan for the Jinyiwei, otherwise it would be like losing an arm. But it is not easy to use the Jinyiwei to do it in the future. "

Pang Chao smiled and said, "The Hydra has been incubating for such a long time, it is now ready for use."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "It's not bad. But if the emperor wants to attack me, I can't be unprepared. I can't wait until the sword and axe are about to hit me before I think of fighting back."

Pang Chao said: "What you mean is..."

Jia Cong said: "Move the Jifeng Battalion and a fleet of warships north to kill the chicken to scare the monkey."

Pang Chao nodded and said, "Which chicken should be killed?"

"Gao Li." Jia Cong smiled and said, "I have wanted to get it for a long time, but I have never been able to do so."

Pang Chao laughed and said, "You said that Yang Guang's three expeditions to Korea failed because he took the land route. Does that mean he would definitely succeed by sea?"

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Don't worry, sir. We will definitely win this battle. With Goryeo's current national strength, several thousand new troops can defeat it."

"Good. With such powerful troops, we can turn the situation around at the critical moment." Pang Chao clapped his hands.

Jia Cong immediately wrote a secret order, and in addition to the 4 elite troops of the Jifeng Camp under Yan Shuangying's command, he also dispatched a newly purchased Western Yi fleet to the north and stationed it at the newly built port of Jinzhou Wei, including 8 second-level ships, 12 third-level ships, and fourth-level ships.

Using this force to wipe out a tiny country that mainly relies on cold weapons should be a dimensionality reduction attack and is not worth mentioning.

Each country only has one or two first-class ships. If you want to buy one, you can only wait for it to be built, which is too late.

The second secret order was sent to Liaodong, ordering Wang Jin's 10,000 new troops to intensify their training and prepare for the expedition, and all food and wages would be transferred from the villages in Liaodong.

At the same time, he ordered the Liaodong Thousand Households Office to hand over information about Goryeo's geography, military strength, population, etc. to Wang Jin.

On this day, Jia Cong took his wives and concubines out of the city to bury Jinse. Then he heard that Fang Ji was coming to visit, so he went out to the main hall to meet him.

"Your humble servant greets you, sir." Fang Ji learned his lesson and continued to be "your humble servant" obediently.

"Tongzhi Fang is now in the emperor's favor. How can you still use the old name? You can't do that." Jia Cong said with a smile.

Fang Ji hurriedly apologized with a smile: "Without your support, how could I have the virtue to hold this position? How dare I forget my roots?"

Jia Cong waved his hand and smiled, saying, "The internal affairs of the guard are complicated, how can you have time to come to me? You just took over this guard, are Wen Zhen and the others obedient?"

Fang Ji was speechless and laughed dryly, "It's all thanks to your grace, my lord. All my colleagues have helped me a lot. Everything is done according to the old rules, so there is no trouble."

Jia Cong nodded with satisfaction, and said earnestly: "You are also an old Jinyi Guard, and you have just come to power. You must establish your authority when you need to. Don't be afraid of breaking my rules and hurting my face. Now that I am no longer in charge of Jinyi Guards, what is the point of saving face?
If you want to establish your authority, you must start with me. If the rules I set and the people I promoted are out of date, they should be changed or removed. Only in this way will everyone obey you. Don't let old friendships delay official business, or you will be in vain."

Fang Ji almost burst into tears after hearing these words. "I want to change it, but will you let me? Now I can't even get my monthly salary, and I still want to change it?"

I could only smile and say, "I cannot take responsibility for what you said, sir.

Your Excellency is as wise as the sun and the moon. The rules you have given to us in Weixing are all relevant to the current situation and are precise and sophisticated.

These rules must be strictly observed as long as we are in office, otherwise trouble is inevitable.

The brothers you have promoted are both talented and virtuous, calm and steady, and highly respected by the public. They are the best of our guards in the past 20 years. If you let me choose again, I can't choose a better one.

Now that I think about it carefully, I am really grateful for the foundation you laid, so that I won't be so flustered after taking over."

Jia Cong laughed loudly, pointing at Fang Ji and said, "Old Fang, Old Fang, you are still so good at talking. No wonder the emperor wants to promote you. Tell me, what are you here for today?"

Fang Ji bowed and said, "My Lord, I am sorry. I came here to ask for help. I beg you to lend a hand to us brothers as we are both Jinyi."

Jia Cong laughed inwardly and said, "What's the matter? Just tell me."

Fang Ji hurriedly told Jia Cong what Fan Ming had reported. Of course, Jia Cong already knew this.

Jia Cong looked embarrassed and said, "Old Fang, it's not that I don't want to help you, but now I am only a figurehead in the Jinyiwei, and it would be inappropriate for me to show up again.

Besides, you know what His Majesty meant. He told me to stop caring about the Imperial Guard and focus on military affairs. How can I show up for this? If His Majesty knew, he would think I was greedy for power and suppressing you, the official in charge of the seal."

Fang Ji hurriedly said, "Sir, how could this be possible! You are still the commander of the Jinyiwei, and it is perfectly legitimate for you to mediate the affairs of our guard.

What's more, Your Majesty ordered me to share your worries, which shows your care for you and your fear that you are overworked.

Now our guard is in a difficult situation, and only if you take action can we turn things around. On behalf of nearly 100,000 brothers in the imperial court, I kneel down and beg you to show mercy." After saying this, he lifted his clothes and bowed.

"Hey, you... you... ah..." Jia Cong shook his head and sighed, "Why do you have to do this? It's not that I don't want to watch my brothers starve to death, I really have my own difficulties."

Fang Ji hurriedly said: "Brothers only regard you as our second parents, please show mercy."

"Well, I'll take the responsibility. I'll go back and tell my brothers that as long as I'm still in the Jinyiwei, I won't let them go hungry." Jia Cong said generously.

Fang Ji breathed a sigh of relief and bowed, saying, "I will definitely bring it to you. Thank you, sir."

Although he felt disgusted, he felt much more relieved that Jia Cong was willing to take on this burden. He could then slowly find a way to consolidate power in the future.

Didn't the emperor come this way? Now Jia Cong is like the emperor in the Jinyiwei. Only when he falls will he have a chance.
-
Just after sending Fang Ji away, Jia Lian came.

"What's the matter?"

Jia Lian hurriedly bowed and said, "Third brother, the master has been taking medicine for a few days but is still the same. He is paralyzed in bed and can't speak. Only his eyeballs can move.

Do you think you can ask the Imperial Hospital to send another skilled doctor to take a look? Otherwise, I don’t think it will last long.”

Jia Cong thought to himself that he couldn't let him die at this time, so he said, "Really? Then take my letter and ask Mr. Ye to take a look. If he can be brought back to life, I think it won't be a problem to prolong his life."

Jia Lian said hurriedly, "Okay, I'll send someone to invite her right away. Besides, the first and second wives came to the palace to visit the queen today and said that she is well and in good spirits, and everything in the palace is back to normal. His Majesty has also given rewards and consolation. I have only one message for my third brother."

"What?"

"The Queen Mother said that it was thanks to my third brother's wisdom that I was able to escape this disaster. Please be careful of villains who may harm you.

Also, the Empress said that my third brother has been married for more than a year, has many wives and concubines, but has no children yet. It is time for him to pay more attention to expanding our family. "Jia Lian said with a smile.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, elder sister. I will follow your instructions and do it. Well, the eldest master is seriously ill in bed now, so it is not appropriate for him to see guests, let alone be disturbed by outsiders. Do you understand?"

Jia Lian hurriedly said, "Don't worry, third brother. Apart from the eldest wife, me and a few servants, the imperial physician is the only outsider who can see her." "Then I feel relieved. Although Mr. Ye is very capable, we still have to invite more imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Bureau to see her. It doesn't matter whether you take their medicine or not, I just want peace of mind." Jia Cong said.

"Don't worry, Third Brother. I understand."

"Go." Jia Cong waved his hand, stood up and returned to the inner hall.

After the case of Concubine Yuan was solved and Jinse's funeral was taken care of, Jia Cong felt a little relieved. Although the power of the Jinyiwei was reduced, it did not affect the overall situation.

Seeing the girls teasing the toddler Qiaojie, Jia Cong went over to join in the fun, picked up Qiaojie, and said with a smile: "Good girl, call me master, call me master..."

Qiaojie rolled her eyes at him and burst into tears.

All the girls laughed.

Jia Cong cried out, "Why are you crying? I'm not a bad person. Be good, don't cry... Damn it, don't cry, do you hear me? If you cry again, you will be punished." After saying that, he raised his hand and pretended to hit her.

Seeing this, Qiaojie cried even louder.

"Don't scare her." The girls said in unison.

Jia Cong suddenly found that his hand was a little wet and hot, and he shouted hurriedly: "Oh, someone, take him away, he peed on me."

Feng Jieer hurried forward to take Qiao Jieer away, and said, "How can you scare a child like this? It would be strange if she doesn't cry."

Jia Cong laughed and said, "I am using both hard and soft tactics. I didn't expect her to attack me with water, and she attacked me from top to bottom. This girl is a good candidate for being a general. She has learned how to flood seven armies at such a young age."

The girls laughed and said, "How can a girl be a general?"

Jia Cong said with a smile, "Of course there are none. Hua Mulan, Princess Pingyang, and Fan Lihua have become generals, right? Well, they are all here. I will ask you a question. Whoever can answer it will be rewarded handsomely."

Ruyi asked curiously, "What's the problem?"

"Questions about the female general Hua Mulan."

"Tell me about it." Daiyu said with a smile.

Jia Cong smiled and asked, "How many years has Hua Mulan been in the army?"

Daiyu smiled and said, "The Ballad of Mulan says 'We have been together for twelve years'"

"Okay, now the question is, how could Hua Mulan disguise herself as a man and serve in the army for twelve years without being discovered by her comrades? Could it be that all the men in the Northern Wei Dynasty were fools and couldn't even tell the difference between men and women?"

Jia Cong smiled evilly and said, "Does this make sense? Yun'er, you like to dress up as a man the most. If you don't believe me, let's try it. Wear men's clothes and go out, and see if others can recognize you."

Xiangyun stuck out her tongue and said with a smile, "I didn't dress up seriously. If I dress up properly, I guarantee it will be indistinguishable from the real thing."

Jia Cong shook his head and smiled, "It's hard to give up one's natural beauty, how can one hide it?"

"Hateful." Xiangyun blushed and spat at him, but she was very happy in her heart.

Daiyu said: "Why doesn't it make sense? Mulan only needs to paint her face, change her hairstyle and clothes, isn't that enough?

And she is skilled in martial arts, who would have guessed that she was a woman? Didn’t we have any doubts when we saw Ling Su in Jinling that day?”

"That's right." Baochai, Wang Xifeng and others said.

Cheng Lingsu smiled slightly.

Jia Cong laughed loudly, pointing at Daiyu and the others, and said, "Don't try to cover your ears and steal the bell. Women's posture, gait, voice, physique, and facial features are all very different from those of men. How can they disguise themselves?

For example, a woman has no Adam's apple, no beard, and... hey, what about breasts? I can't keep doing it for 12 years, right? Does Pin'er have any good ideas?"

Daiyu blushed and spat, "Do you think that the peasant men in ancient times were as cunning and treacherous as you? Maybe they were just stupid and didn't notice it?"

Jia Cong laughed and said, "Okay, okay, you are right. But you don't know the military affairs. Brothers eat, drink, defecate and urinate together. Hehe, don't you think Hua Mulan doesn't need to take a bath or relieve herself?"
Will there be a special tent for her in the military camp? She will become a general later."

"This..." The girls paused, blushing and shaking their heads.

Baochai reluctantly said, "Mulan usually goes without anyone's knowledge or in the dead of night to take a bath."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Okay, even if she can hold it back. There is one more thing, what should a girl do when her period comes? Should she hold it back and wait until late at night?"

"you……"

"Dirty seed."

"What a shameless person, thinking about these dirty things."

"Don't be ashamed."

The women were ashamed and condemned him one after another.

Jia Cong hurriedly said, "Speak with reason, and do not make personal attacks."

Ruyi thought about it and said with a red face: "Girls will naturally know before their period comes. Isn't it enough to take precautions in advance?"

"Yes." The women insisted.

Jia Cong laughed and said, "The army is not like home, how can we be on guard? If you can just use one and throw one away, how can Mulan afford that? Then why don't you wash and air the toys after using them?"

"You... bastard." Ruyi, Daiyu, Baochai and others were so angry that they stamped their feet.

Xiangyun whispered, "She can prepare more, wash them together at night, hang them far away to dry, and then quietly bring them back without anyone knowing."

"That makes sense." The girls nodded quickly.

Jia Cong glanced at Xiangyun and said jokingly, "As expected, Yun'er has been thinking about disguising herself as a man. Even if you are right, there is one last thing."

"Speak." The women gritted their teeth and were very indignant that Jia Cong questioned the ancient female hero.

Jia Cong chuckled, untied his belt, took off his shirt and stood shirtless.

"What are you doing in broad daylight?" The girls were embarrassed and spat in unison.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Look, look, Sister Chan, they are all very discriminatory, and their Buddhist cultivation is not as high as mine. I don't have that. If you don't believe me, try taking it off. I promise I won't change my expression."

Chu Chan sneered and rolled her eyes at him.

Daiyu was ashamed and annoyed, and sneered, "We have no one to teach us 'Buddhism', so naturally we are not as good as you."

Ever since Baoyu and others invited Miaoyu to dinner on their birthdays last time, smart people like Daiyu and others have noticed some clues.

Jia Cong hurriedly changed the subject, coughed lightly, and said, "I'm showing you the scars on my body." He pointed at various places. (End of this chapter)