Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

The palace city of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Qianyang Palace.

Although the Minister of Rites Guo Youchang knew very well that the emperor harbored deep disgust and alienation towards the four kings and eight dukes and other nobles, he was planning to get rid of them as soon as possible.

However, as the Grand Master of Rites, he has the responsibility to uphold the legal system and ethics of the country. If he allows Prince Zhongshun to make such outrageous remarks and trample on the legal system and ethics, how can he have the dignity to serve as the head of the Ministry of Rites?

Although Guo Youchang, the Minister of Rites, was forced to take the position by Emperor Jiazhao, who took advantage of the false accusation of Jia Cong to stir up the great ritual dispute.

But Guo Youchang served as an official in the Ministry of Rites all his life. When Liu Jing'an was the Grand Master of Rites, he was influenced by Liu Wenzong for a long time and always attached great importance to the orthodox doctrines and laws.

A man like him, who has studied hard for ten years and worked as a civil servant in the Ministry of Rites for decades, would never dare to abandon his moral integrity.

Even though he knew that Emperor Jiazhao had deep thoughts in his mind, he could not turn a deaf ear to Prince Zhongshun's outrageous words.

Moreover, Jia Lian was just a son of the Rong State who had not inherited a title. If he was stripped of his title, which had been passed down from generation to generation, and even his property was confiscated and his family was demoted because of his crimes, it would be tantamount to tyranny.

If this standard were applied, all the hereditary nobles in the capital would be stripped of their titles and their property would be confiscated, because every wealthy family would have a few unfilial sons like Jia Lian.

If it comes to that, wouldn't it be the beginning of a cruel policy of collective punishment? Where will the legal system and etiquette of the country be?

Guo Youchang raised his head and said, "Your Majesty, what the Grand Master said is against the law and justice, and it goes against the orthodox ethics and teachings, it must not be done!

Xie Jing, Qi Jianhui, Qiu Liang and the other three were noblemen who inherited titles and were confiscated property according to clan law, which is still under discussion.

Jia Lian of Rongguo Mansion is not the heir to the title of Rongguo, but a son of the Jia family. He has committed a crime and should be punished according to the criminal law of the people, not the laws of the clan.

If the Rongguo Mansion were to recklessly remove the title and confiscate the property of an unfilial son because he was convicted, it would be against common sense and against the law. If it were to happen, it would surely stir up public opinion, attract criticism, and attract the attention of the world!"

Prince Zhongshun, who was standing by, was so angry that his face turned purple when he saw Guo Youchang's sharp words refutation of his words as worthless and showing no mercy to him.

He said: "Your Majesty, the reason why I proposed to remove the title of Lord Rong is because the sons of the Rong Kingdom are disrespectful and immoral, and are not worthy of the honor of being a lord.

Jia She, the first-class general of Rong State, has passed away. The crown prince Jia Lian has committed a serious crime and is no longer eligible to inherit the title. According to clan laws, there is no one in the eldest branch to inherit the title, so the title must be passed on to the younger brother after the elder brother's death, and the second branch of the family will inherit the title.

However, Jia Zheng, the second branch of the Rong family, was mediocre in talent and strategy. He had been sitting in the official court for more than ten years without any moral achievements. It was only with great reluctance that he was appointed as a lord.

When nobles and clan members inherited titles, there was not only the rule that the younger brother would inherit the title after the elder brother, but also the rule that the son would inherit the title from the father, and there was a distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children.

Jia Baoyu, the legitimate son of Jia Zheng, is not good at either civil or military affairs. He is idle, lazy, and has a corrupt character. He even speaks wildly and insults his father. The clan government once issued a document to severely reprimand him.

Such a person who has no moral integrity and rebels against the emperor must not be allowed to inherit the title of nobility and honor, otherwise the filial piety of the emperor and his ministers will be humiliated!"

After hearing this, Guo Youchang felt a slight chill in his heart. He didn't know whether this Grand Master had received instructions from the emperor or had a deep prejudice against the Rongguo Jia family. He was really in a hurry to get rid of him.

With just a few words, he brought up the topic of filial piety and dignity of His Majesty and the royal family, which is a threshold that cannot be crossed.

Jia Baoyu, the man with a jade in his mouth, would no longer be eligible to inherit a title. For a child of a noble family, this was tantamount to being deposed for life.

Jia Cunzhou of Rong State was mediocre in talent and strategy, but his moral character was quite upright. However, it was the father's fault that the son was not well educated. In terms of raising his children, he was bound to be criticized for the rest of his life.

On the other hand, Jia Yuzhang, the eldest son of the Jia family, was abused and discriminated against by his biological father and stepmother since childhood. Although he was born and raised like an ordinary person, he was able to grow up to be a dragon and a phoenix.

There is a huge disparity between the warmth and coldness within the family, and it is a strange thing that two people who are so different from each other appeared in the family.

……

Prince Zhongshun continued, “Therefore, even if Jia Zheng can inherit his brother’s title, there will be no legitimate son to inherit it in the future, so how can it be established?

Jia Zheng does have a concubine's son, Jia Huan, who is only nine years old and was born to a servant. He has been instigated and influenced by his mother since he was young. His words and deeds are evil and narrow-minded. Everyone in the Jia family hates him and he is the same kind of person as Baoyu.

Although the second branch of the Jia family had three generations of Jia Lan, he lost his father at a young age. According to the clan law of the imperial dynasty, the father's title was inherited by the son and it was forbidden to pass it down to the next generation. Moreover, those who lost their fathers could not inherit the title. Therefore, although Jia Lan was a legitimate son, he had no qualifications to inherit the title.

From this we can see that the Rong family has been neglected since Jia Zheng, and there is no talent to inherit the title. This is why I propose to abolish the title of Rong, so that the noble title will not be passed on to the wrong person, which will bring disgrace to the state. "

After hearing these words, Guo Youchang, who was standing by, couldn't help but look sideways at Prince Zhongshun.

This Grand Master was very shrewd in his calculations in order to get rid of Rong Guojue. Although his words were harsh, what he said was actually well-founded and showed that he had put a lot of thought into it.

The reason why this Grand Master was squeezing out the Jia family of Rong State was perhaps not just out of personal grudge, but also because he had figured out the Emperor's thoughts...

Fifteen years ago, the Wu King Rebellion broke out in Shenjing, and the current emperor took advantage of the situation to ascend the throne.

The two Dukes Ning and Rong, who were the backbone of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes, refused to help either of them and just watched from the sidelines because of their relationship with the retired emperor and the King of Wu.

This action caused the current emperor and Prince Zhongshun, who supported the emperor to ascend the throne, to both feel resentful. It seems that this old incident has been causing harm to this day...

Otherwise, when Prince Zhongshun just spoke at length about eliminating the title of Duke Rong, His Majesty would not have allowed him to speak freely without stopping him.

Guo Youchang was thinking about this when he suddenly heard Emperor Jia Zhao say behind the imperial desk: "What the Grand Master of the Imperial Clan said is not without reason. People like Baoyu from the second branch of the Jia family are indeed not worthy of such a noble title.

However, what Mr. Guo said is that Jia Lian is just a son of the Rong Kingdom. He has committed a crime that does not involve clan laws. He should be punished according to the law. This is also in line with the law and fair. This matter is quite difficult. "

After Emperor Jiazhao said this, Guo Youchang found that Emperor Jiazhao glanced at him with a cold and solemn look, and the meaning was difficult to understand.

Prince Zhongshun, who was standing beside him at this moment, suddenly glanced at him intentionally or unintentionally.

Guo Youchang noticed that the scene was a little strange, and his heart couldn't help but skip a beat, and he had a bad premonition.

The voice of Emperor Jia Zhao was slow and unpredictable. He said, "Lord Guo, what you and the Grand Master of the Imperial Clan said makes sense. In your opinion, how should this matter be handled?"

Guo Youchang suddenly recalled the past, when Jia Cong won the first place in the imperial examination, but was falsely accused by a fellow scholar. How Emperor Jia Zhao concealed his ulterior motives in his words and led him astray step by step, and finally he had to stand on the emperor's side.

At this time, Guo Youchang, who was the Grand Master of the Ministry of Rites, had a sense of déjà vu in his heart, as if he had fallen into the trap again...

……

However, Guo Youchang was absolutely unwilling to follow Prince Zhongshun's words and agree that no one among the younger generation of Rong State was qualified to inherit the title, and therefore agreed to remove the title of Rong State.

Not only did the rules of propriety and morality in his heart not allow him to say anything against his will, but as the head of a first-rank ministry, it was always uncomfortable for him to be fooled by others.

Guo Youchang was racking his brains, thinking about how to respond. Even if he could stay out of it, he could prevent Emperor Jiazhao from forcing the Minister of Rites to speak out, which would serve as a footnote to the emperor's success.

After all, any civil servant, or any civil servant who is trying to climb the ladder of power, values ​​a good reputation more than their life and does not want to be tainted by the stigma of fawning on the emperor and being punished for his actions.

Just as Guo Youchang was hesitating, a eunuch suddenly came in and reported: "Your Majesty, Jinyiwei Commander Xu Kun wants to see Your Majesty, saying that there is an urgent military report from Datong."

When Emperor Jia Zhao heard this, his eyes were slightly stunned. A few days ago, he asked Xu Kun to dispatch elite Jinyiwei to cooperate with officials from the Five Military Commandery to go to Datong to convey the order to arrest people.

Qian Shaoyang and Sun Zhanying had not yet been taken back to the capital, so how could the Jinyiwei bring back urgent military information from Datong? Emperor Jia Zhao felt a little nervous and said, "Summon him to the palace!"

Guo Youchang was interrupted by this incident and was able to temporarily avoid the emperor's attack.

Xu Kun walked quickly into the hall, his face looking quite worried.

He came to the imperial desk, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the Jinyiwei sent an urgent report from Datong that Sun Zhanying, the commander of the Military Equipment Department, escaped six days ago when the imperial edict had not yet arrived, out of fear of punishment!"

Emperor Jia Zhao's face was solemn, his eyes flashed fiercely, and he shouted, "Sun Zhanying was a suspicious person. Before the imperial edict from the capital arrived, the Jinyiwei of Datong did not take precautions in advance!"

Xu Kun's forehead was covered with cold sweat. He said, "The Jinyiwei of the capital went to Datong to investigate Sun Shaozu. On the way back, they had contact with the Jinyiwei Qianhu of Datong. They had spies near Sun's mansion. According to their report, Sun Zhanying and his son went to the yamen and camp as usual, and there was nothing unusual with usual days. Later, 2,000 musketeers from Liaodong were about to enter the city to change guards, and the people in Datong were uneasy.

The Datong Jinyiwei Qianhu Division transferred some personnel from the vicinity of Sun's mansion to patrol and suppress the riots in the city, but still left necessary spies near Sun's mansion.

Six days ago, everything around Sun's residence was normal. When it was time to change shifts in the evening, the Jinyiwei discovered that all the spies they had originally deployed had been killed silently.

When they entered the Sun Mansion again to check, except for some servants who were unaware of the situation, Sun Zhanying, his eldest son Sun Shaorong, and the young men of the clan were all missing.

That night, the Jinyiwei conducted a thorough search of the four south gates of Datong, but found no trace of Sun Zhanying and others.

Later, a strict check was conducted on the roads heading north. According to the customs records, at sunset that day, a batch of cloth and rice were sold through Huiyuan Shop in Datong City.

Huiyuan Shop was a property owned by the Sun family. According to the confession of the soldiers guarding the pass, the number of caravans in the shop was three times more than usual, and the number of goods and carriages and horses they carried was also half as much.

The team guarding the pass wanted to conduct a check, but the deputy general Zhang Tianlin stopped them and ordered them to pass.

Afterwards, the Jinyiwei urgently sealed off the city and arrested a concubine's younger brother of the Sun family who had not had time to escape. According to his confession, he delayed leaving the city because his old mother was ill.

Ten days before Huiyuan Store's goods were shipped out of customs, the Sun family bribed the border guard Zhang Tianlin with a large sum of money, and it was he who handled the matter.

According to his account, the young children of the Sun family's direct descendants secretly left Datong ten days ago under the arrangement of Sun Zhanying, and their whereabouts are unknown.

Sun Zhanying led the Sun family members and sneaked out of the pass by mixing in the caravan. According to the Sun family members, Sun Zhanying had been operating for many years and had left a retreat route outside the pass.

This time he found out that something was not right, so he went out and surrendered to Anta Khan, the remnant of the Mongolian tribe!"

……

When Xu Kun said this, Prince Zhongshun and Guo Youchang present both took a deep breath.

From the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty by Emperor Taizu Li Tianling until Emperor Yong'an, every emperor had extraordinary military strategy and they mobilized the entire country to fight against the Mongolian cavalry that once swept the world.

Not only did they chase down the powerful Mongolian army that once dominated the world, but they also drove them out of the Central Plains.

Moreover, famous generals of all dynasties constantly divided and split the various Mongolian tribes, causing the once-mighty Mongol Empire to fall apart. They fled to the deserts and grasslands in the north, barely surviving and barely maintaining their existence.

When Emperor Jiazhao ascended the throne, the Mongolian barbarian tribes on the grassland began to grow stronger and began to invade border towns more and more.

Although Emperor Jiazhao was not good at military affairs, he was a king who was good at employing people. He had a keen eye for talent and promoted the deputy general Liang Chengzong from the Liaodong army to be the main general in the battle against the Tuman tribe.

Liang Chengzong was resourceful, brave and courageous in battle. In the end, he lived up to Emperor Jiazhao's expectations and defeated the Mongolian Tuman tribe five times, greatly weakening the strength of Anta Khan of the Tuman tribe.

Liang Chengzong was also specially granted the title of Marquis of Pingyuan by Emperor Jiazhao because of his five consecutive victories and the stability of the border. He was also the first general in the Jiazhao period to be granted the title of marquis for his military achievements.

Throughout the Zhou Dynasty, scholars and common people all knew that the men of the Han family had long since changed the weak state of the old Song Dynasty, and that the power gap between the Zhou Dynasty and the remnant Mongols was huge, and the present was no longer the same as before.

Therefore, over the generations of the Great Zhou Dynasty, there were only a handful of court generals who defected to the remnant Mongols. After all, the strength of the strong and the weak was obvious, and they had no choice but to take desperate measures.

And this was the first time in history that Sun Zhanying had defected from the remnant Mongols since Emperor Jiazhao ascended the throne fifteen years ago, which was truly a loss of dignity for the king.

Emperor Jiazhao was furious: "Sun Zhanying committed a serious crime, but instead of repenting and accepting his punishment, he betrayed his country and surrendered to the enemy. This is truly an unforgivable crime!
Xu Kun, I order the Jinyiwei to handle this matter strictly. Anyone in the army who colluded with Sun Zhanying or secretly communicated with him will be strictly investigated and dealt with, and there will be no leniency! "

Xu Kun quickly replied: "After receiving the news, I have sent Commander He Honghui and selected the best officers under his command to rush to Datong to investigate the matter.

Zhang Tianlin, the deputy commander of Datong Pass, has been found to have accepted a huge amount of gold and silver bribes from Sun Zhanying and neglected his duties, allowing Sun Zhanying to take advantage of the opportunity to sneak through the pass and surrender to the enemy. He has now been detained by the Datong Jinyiwei! "

Emperor Jiazhao asked again in a cold voice: "How is Datong General Qian Shaoyang?"

Xu Kun said: "After Qian Shaoyang received the order, the news spread and his trusted generals became restless. Thanks to Your Majesty's foresight, he mobilized 2,000 elite firearms soldiers from Liaodong to enter the city to suppress the rebellion.

Although there were some scoundrels in the Datong army, they did not dare to act rashly. Deng Hui, the deputy general of the Liaodong army, was in charge of Datong military affairs temporarily, and would hand over the affairs after the court sent a senior official.

Qian Shaoyang has been ordered to be escorted to the capital to report on his duties. In order to prevent any unexpected events, the Datong Jinyiwei Thousand Households have dispatched a hundred elite Jinyiwei to escort him along the way, so he will be safe."

Emperor Jia Zhao said in a serious tone: "Qian Shaoyang, as the general of the border town, protected corruption, failed to manage the army strictly, and failed to supervise effectively, which led to his subordinates surrendering to the enemy and treason. After arriving in Beijing, he will be stripped of his military position and severely punished!"

Guo Youchang, Prince Zhongshun, Xu Kun and others present were all experienced people in the court. After hearing Emperor Jiazhao's assertion about Qian Shaoyang, they all felt a chill in their hearts.

A general who once commanded tens of thousands of elite frontier troops and was a second-rank military official was doomed to fall because of this dispute alone and would never be able to make a comeback.

Datong is the core border town among the nine important border towns. The fall of Datong’s military chief will inevitably lead to constant turmoil, and the lower-level generals of Datong’s border army will face a major reshuffle.

The waves and ripples caused by this in the military will gradually spread, and the impact will definitely not be limited to the Datong Army. It will expand into fluctuations in the entire Da Zhou military.

An officer of the Royal Guard like Xu Kun, who was embroiled in sinister plots, vaguely realized that the appearance of such a slight ripple in the stagnant military might be exactly what the emperor wanted to see...

……

Emperor Jiazhao gave a few brief instructions on the affairs of Datong, and Xu Kun respectfully left the hall to do his work.

Perhaps it was the shock caused by Sun Zhanying's treason, or perhaps it was because Guo Youchang and Prince Zhongshun were still in shock at the defeat of a town's general.

There was a brief silence in Qianyang Palace.

Until the eunuch outside the palace entered the palace again and said, "Your Majesty, Weiyuan Earl Jia Cong has a direct report to you. Please review it."

According to the regulations of the Great Zhou Dynasty, only officials of the fourth rank and above have the right to report directly to the emperor.

Before Jia Cong went into mourning, he was only a fifth-rank official in charge of the Firearms Department. Normally, he did not have the power to make direct reports.

But two years ago, Jia Cong solved a major case in Nanjing and presented the three-stage firing method of a musket to the court, which was the first method of strengthening the military with firearms.

Emperor Jia Zhao was very pleased with this and granted Jia Cong, who was only a seventh-rank official at the time, the power to make direct reports, which was only available to fourth-rank officials.

According to common practice, officials would submit reports directly to the emperor as soon as they were submitted, and they could be delivered to him earlier than the daily reports from the government offices.

When the eunuch brought Jia Cong's memorial into the palace, Guo Lin stepped forward to take it, and then placed it on the imperial desk of Emperor Jia Zhao.

When Guo Youchang, who was standing by, heard Jia Cong's name and thought of the ambiguous looks of Emperor Jiazhao and Prince Zhongshun, he suddenly had an idea and his eyes flickered...

Emperor Jia Zhao opened Jia Cong's memorial, and what struck him was the outstanding calligraphy in a clear, elegant, ancient and simple style, with vivid strokes and lively spirit, which made him feel slightly refreshed.

He carefully read the memorial and saw that it was written in earnest words:
……

My brother has the appearance of a playboy, but he has no evil thoughts. Although he has done treacherous things, he has no intention of harming the country.

Now I regret to have violated the state law, and my confession has been made public in the government office. I have been deprived of the honor of my noble family and my resources for inheriting a title. His life is better than death, and it is enough to serve as a warning to other nobles to follow suit, and to demonstrate the severity of the criminal law.

I am an official appointed by the country and I know that the laws of the country are as heavy as a mountain. Your Majesty has a great ambition to govern the country. I am willing to sacrifice my life and serve you, the holy king, to the end of my life.

However, his heart of devoting himself to serving his country cannot be denied the love of his family, relatives, and brothers, and his crime is unbearable to describe.

I pray that I may be exiled to a frontier area, endure the hardships of wind and snow, serve the country loyally, and atone for my sins, so as to show Your Majesty's intention to educate and enlighten me.

I ask that you forgive me for my father's mourning, return to my country, and return to the Firearms Department to work on important weapons for the country, in order to repay your majesty's kindness and forgiveness... (End of this chapter)