Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

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

After reading Jia Cong's memorial, Emperor Jia Zhao felt relieved when he saw that although the words were filled with thoughts of family rites and family affection, they also contained sincere feelings of loyalty to the emperor and dedication to his work.

Jia Lian is Jia Cong's half-brother and the person with the closest blood relationship to Jia Cong.

Now that Jia Lian is convicted and on the verge of death, if Jia Cong is concerned about his future in officialdom and uses the excuse that the law is intolerant and ignores the matter, it seems that he is blameless in terms of national law and family etiquette.

But if Jia Cong really did this, he would fall into inferiority in the eyes of Emperor Jia Zhao, and I am afraid that from then on, the emperor would have a cold-hearted impression of him.

Imagine that for the sake of his official career and to avoid being involved in cause and effect, a person can ruthlessly give up his father, elder brothers, and abandon their relatives for the sake of justice. Then, how genuine is his loyalty to the emperor and his country?

Especially for a person like Jia Cong, who was awarded a title for his merits at the age of fourteen, and was proficient in both civil and military affairs, with a reputation and fame beyond ordinary people. If he could also be extremely ruthless, cold-blooded and tough, he would be no different from a hero.

At that time, Emperor Jia Zhao would never treat him with the same favor and respect as before, but would use his strengths, keep strict precautions against him, and even eliminate him when necessary to avoid future troubles.

For Emperor Jiazhao, who ruled the world, he did not like his trusted ministers to be pure and spotless, indifferent to human feelings, and iron-willed ministers who were difficult to find flaws in both internal and external aspects, because such people were too difficult to control.

Only those ministers who are loyal to the emperor and capable of serving the emperor, but cannot avoid personal feelings and desires, can be used to their advantage and induced to do what they want. Only then can people feel more at ease and be easier to control.

Now, Jia Cong's memorial, which was intended to seek favoritism and partiality, was in line with the enthusiasm and intelligence that a young man should have, and was also in line with the emperor's wishes.

……

Emperor Jia Zhao asked Guo Lin to pass Jia Cong's memorial to Guo Youchang for review, saying: "Jia Cong submitted a memorial to ask for forgiveness of his own mourning period and to return to the Firearms Department to pray for mercy and to spare his brother Jia Lian's life.

This matter is related to the rules of the Ministry of Rites. What do you think, Lord Guo?"

Guo Youchang said: "Jia Cong petitioned for his brother's death out of love, which is also human nature, but the mourning ceremony is for the father's death, and it cannot be exempted because of the brother's love. This is not in line with etiquette.

"After reading Jia Cong's memorial, I thought of what the Grand Master of the Imperial Clan had said about the Rongguo Mansion's inheritance of the title. He suggested that the Rongguo title be abolished because Jia Zheng, the second son of the family, had no sons who were qualified to inherit the title. This was quite biased."

Prince Zhongshun was unhappy when he heard this. As the chief of the clan affairs office, he naturally knew a lot about the inheritance of noble titles.

As for the fact that the younger brother of the second branch of the Rong State had no qualifications to inherit the title, after careful consideration and calculation beforehand, it was naturally clear that there was no bias to criticize.

Even though Guo Youchang kept on pestering him, he was not afraid of what the other party would say, so he looked quite confident and disdainful.

When Emperor Jia Zhao heard Guo Youchang say that after reading Jia Cong's memorial, he realized that the words of the Grand Chancellor were biased, he was slightly moved and said, "My dear Minister Guo, please tell me what you have to say."

Guo Youchang said: "The Grand Master of the Imperial Clan said that Jia Baoyu, Jia Huan, Jia Lan and other children of Jia Zheng either behaved in a way that was against the emperor's will or lost their fathers in previous generations, so they are not qualified to inherit the title, which makes it difficult for the title of Rong to continue.

However, they do not know that the noble title is inherited by the younger brother, and this can only be achieved after the eldest brother's bloodline is cut off.

Jia Lian, the eldest son of Rong State, was convicted and no longer qualified to inherit the title, but the eldest son still has a concubine's second son, Jia Cong, so the eldest son's bloodline is not extinct. How can there be a saying that the younger brother will inherit the title after the elder brother dies?"

After listening to Guo Youchang's words, Emperor Jiazhao had a thoughtful look in his eyes.

Prince Zhongshun, who was sitting next to him, said, "Lord Guo is wrong. Although Jia Cong is the eldest son of the Rong family, he has been conferred the title of Earl of Weiyuan by the emperor for his meritorious service. How can he inherit the hereditary title of the Rong family?"

Guo Youchang said, "May I ask the Grand Master of the Imperial Clan, is there any written rule in the etiquette of the Great Zhou clan that prohibits people who take the title themselves from inheriting the hereditary title?"

After hearing Guo Youchang's question, Prince Zhongshun was speechless for a moment, because there was indeed no such provision in the etiquette of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

……

Prince Zhongshun was born a military general. It was not until several years after Emperor Jiazhao ascended the throne that he was appointed as the Grand Master of the Imperial Clan Court. Although he had been performing royal clan duties for many years, he became familiar with all the clan etiquette and laws.

However, Guo Youchang had served in the Ministry of Rites for decades and was promoted to the position of Grand Master of Rites. His familiarity with the laws and rituals of the Great Zhou Dynasty was incomparable to that of Prince Zhongshun, who became a monk midway through his career.

Guo Youchang must have thought of the details that Prince Zhongshun didn't know. Since he asked this question, he must have been confident.

If Prince Zhongshun wanted to play tricks on Guo Youchang on the written laws and etiquette, he would only be showing off his skills in front of an expert and bringing disgrace upon himself.

Therefore, after hearing what Guo Youchang said, he immediately fell into a passive position and didn't know how to change the subject for a while.

Guo Youchang said: "Just now, the Grand Clan Leader spoke with conviction, proving that the descendants of the second branch of the Rong Kingdom are not qualified to inherit the title. The evidence is sufficient, and I have no way to refute it.

If it weren't for this, I wouldn't have thought that the bloodline of Rongguo's eldest son was still alive."

Prince Zhongshun felt somewhat regretful. Since Jia Cong had already been conferred a title, he naturally ignored him and only made a big fuss about the second wife's younger brother inheriting the title.

It was unexpected that this Guo would find an excuse from Jia Cong to oppose his proposal to remove his title. It was really surprising.

Guo Youchang said: "Fortunately, the eldest branch of Rong State still has the blood of Jia Cong. With Jia Cong's talent and virtue, he has the potential to inherit the title. I believe no one will have any doubts.

Otherwise, if a dignified duke's mansion had its honors cut off because there were no sons and daughters who could inherit the title, it would be too sensational, and would cause the scoundrels to make unwarranted criticisms, pollute the public's perception, and would definitely damage the reputation of the court!"

As the Grand Master of Rites, Guo Youchang spoke with a respectful and upright heart, and his spirit was upright and clear, and his bearing was dignified.

When Emperor Jiazhao, who was sitting at the top of the table, heard this, his expression changed slightly, while Prince Zhongshun frowned tightly as he looked at Guo Youchang who was talking eloquently.

In order to cut off Jia Cong's marriage to the daughter of Jinling Zhen's family, Emperor Jia Zhao concealed the crime committed after Jia She's death and let his son Jia Lian take the blame for his father.

However, according to Emperor Jia Zhao's wishes, Jia She, as a nobleman, committed the forbidden crime of reselling salt and iron, and according to the law, his honor to the country was enough to cause him to be stripped of his title.

It was just because he had to conceal his posthumous crimes, so he could not strip Rong Guojue in a fair and just manner.

However, Prince Zhongshun, the eldest son of the royal family, had always been at odds with the Jia family in the capital. Perhaps he had figured out the emperor's intentions, or perhaps for some other reason, he was very resistant to the idea of ​​Rongguo inheriting the title.

Therefore, based on the theory of "elder brother succeeds younger brother", the brothers of the second branch of Rong State were all demoted as unqualified to inherit the title. Even the Grand Master of the Imperial Clan, Guo Youchang, could not find any fault with them. All this was exactly what Emperor Jiazhao wanted.

Just when he thought he had accomplished his plan, Jia Rongguo would follow in the footsteps of Ningguo, and the four kings and eight dukes would lose another title.

By then, we can follow the rules and regulations and reward the state of Ningguo with the opportunity of conferring a title for three years. Then there will be no criticism from both inside and outside the court.

As for whether Rongguo would be able to restore his title in these three years, Emperor Jiazhao was not worried at all. Given the decadence and incompetence of Rongguo Baoyu and other children, restoring their title was nothing but a foolish dream.

Just when Emperor Jiazhao thought that things would develop as he had imagined, he wanted to hint with words and let the Minister of Rites Guo Youchang take it as his intention to assist in the footnote.

It's just that this Grand Master of Rites was too obsessed with etiquette and rules, and didn't seem to be easily submissive.

What Emperor Jia Zhao did not expect was that, at this critical juncture, Jia Cong submitted a direct petition to plead for his brother Jia Lian, which made Guo Youchang think that the bloodline of the eldest branch of the Rong family was not extinct.

The sudden turn of events made Emperor Jiazhao feel helpless.

……

Moreover, as Guo Youchang said just now, if the Rongguo Mansion's title is stripped because there are no sons qualified to inherit the title, the reason is too far-fetched and deliberate, and it will be difficult to conceal the opinions of the court and the public.

Although Emperor Jia Zhao wanted to achieve his wish through unconventional means, he also needed civil servants like Guo Youchang who were familiar with the rites and laws as a reference and yardstick for weighing the matter.

He has been on the throne for more than ten years and has achieved remarkable results in governing the country. Although he is suspicious and has dangerous intentions, it is undeniable that he is a capable and diligent king.

His imperial mentality is no less than that of the wise rulers of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Naturally, he would not act on his own or be too autocratic in his decisions.

He will not turn a blind eye to Guo Youchang's reaction and attitude towards this matter.

Because the reaction and attitude of civil servants like Guo Youchang to this matter almost represented the thoughts of most civil servants in the court, and also foreshadowed the waves that the abolition of the title of Rongguo would cause in the court and the country.

Emperor Jia Zhao dealt with the corruption and illegal activities of Qian Shaoyang, the general of Datong, and Sun Zhanying, who was suspected of reselling salt and iron in violation of the ban, with swift and resolute action.

However, for civil servants like Guo Youchang, a direct approach will not be taken, because these civil servants represent the world and the people's will, and must act cautiously and balance firmness and flexibility.

Therefore, when Guo Youchang proposed that Jia Cong, the second son of the eldest son of Rong State, inherit the title of Rong State with two titles in one, he was not simply opposed to it, but wanted to hear how the other party would explain the matter.

The reason why he wanted to take the opportunity to deprive the Jia family of their title of Rongguo was nothing more than to strike at and weaken the power of the four kings and eight dukes.

If there are other ways to achieve the same goal and be accepted by the public inside and outside the government, why not do it?

And from what Guo Youchang said about the two titles in one body, he seemed to have vaguely discovered such an opportunity...

……

Guo Youchang continued, "In fact, it is not uncommon for one person to have multiple achievements throughout the dynasties. Every time a country is founded, it is usually a time of war and chaos, when brave generals emerge in large numbers.

There are many cases where the father and son are both founding generals and have received national honors. Later, the son inherits dual titles, which is not uncommon.

When Taizu founded the country, there had been cases of fathers and sons being granted titles together. However, during the first two generations of the Great Zhou Dynasty, there were frequent wars with the remnant Mongols. Both fathers and sons were brave and most of them died on the battlefield, so the inheritance of such honors was cut off.

Whenever there are records of double titles in clan volumes, there are generally two types: double inheritance of titles and simultaneous inheritance of titles.

If two titles are inherited, their descendants will inherit them in different lines and by different ranks; if two titles are inherited together, their descendants will inherit them in a single line and by a single rank.

Therefore, I have made a proposal to Your Majesty to add to and fill in the gaps in the rituals and laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and to request that Jia Cong be given both titles to harmonize the rituals and laws of the clan, to pass on his merits in honoring the country, and to demonstrate Your Majesty's grace and grace."

After listening to Guo Youchang's words, Emperor Jia Zhao pondered for a moment and said, "Although what Minister Guo said makes some sense, this matter is after all unusual. It needs to be discussed by the court and decided later."

Emperor Jiazhao would naturally not agree to Guo Youchang's idea of ​​having two titles in one body right away. He would always observe the situation and think carefully before making a decision.

Besides, the matter of removing or inheriting the title of Rongguo Mansion was not a top priority in the emperor's mind, and it was no big deal to postpone it. His focus now was not on this.

Emperor Jia Zhao said: "The most important matter at the moment is the matter of Sun Zhanying, the commander of Datong, surrendering to the enemy. This move is harmful to the national dignity of Da Zhou. As the Grand Master of the Imperial Clan, Mr. Guo is involved in matters concerning foreign relations.

I want you to negotiate with the Ministry of War and select a suitable envoy to go outside the Great Wall to negotiate with Anta Khan of the Tuman tribe and ask him to hand over Sun Zhanying to the Great Zhou for punishment according to the law of the country!

The day after tomorrow, Minister Guo and Gu Yankui from the Ministry of War will come to the palace and report to me on the strategy of the mission so that I can make my decision."

The commander of the border army of the Great Zhou Dynasty defected to the Mongolian barbarian tribe. As a great country, they naturally could not remain silent. They sent envoys to the barbarian countries and announced that they would take back the defectors. This was a matter of national justice and a necessary move.

After receiving the imperial order, Guo Youchang left Qianyang Palace and prepared to go to the Minister of War Gu Yankui to discuss the matter.

When he stepped over the towering threshold of Qianyang Palace and was blown by the cool autumn breeze outside the palace, the Grand Master of Rites couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

As the Minister of Rites, Guo Youchang had seen many twists and turns in the officialdom, so he naturally understood that Prince Zhongshun had brought up the topic, but the Emperor did not respond on the surface.

However, they had reached a tacit understanding between the king and his subjects. They wanted to take advantage of the fact that the younger brother of the second branch of the Rong Kingdom was stupid and had no qualifications to inherit the title in order to strip Rong Kingdom of its title.

His Majesty hopes that the minister of the Ministry of Rites will agree with it. With the endorsement of the Grand Master of the Ministry of Rites, the removal of the title from Rong State would become more convincing.

However, as the head of the Ministry of Rites, Guo Youchang was responsible for upholding the orthodox rites and laws, and had a high reputation in the officialdom for decades.

Unless it was a matter of life and death, one would never dare to agree to such an act that was against the etiquette of nobility.

Fortunately, at this critical juncture, unexpected events occurred repeatedly in Qianyang Palace today.

First, the Jinyiwei reported that Sun Zhanying of Datong had surrendered to the enemy, causing hostility in the hall. Later, the eunuchs brought a letter from Jia Cong pleading for his brother.

This gave Guo Youchang a chance to catch his breath and, in the name of the eldest branch of the Rong family's bloodline not being extinct, implicitly rejected the plots of Emperor Jiazhao and Prince Zhongshun. This was also his greatest effort to maintain the Taoist orthodoxy and etiquette.

If Emperor Jiazhao and Prince Zhongshun of the Grand Clan still insisted on going ahead, at least Guo Youchang could stay out of it and avoid the danger of being stigmatized.

As for advising the king to die for the sake of Rong Guojue, he probably wouldn't do such a thing...

When Guo Youchang thought of this, he suddenly felt a strange feeling in his heart.

He recalled that when Jia Cong won the first place in the imperial examination, he was falsely accused by a scholar in the same exam. Not only did he not suffer any harm, but because of his biological mother's humble status, the emperor felt sympathy for him.

In the end, through the dispute over the etiquette of the empress dowager's life and death, Jia Cong not only got rid of the name of false accusation, but also turned a disaster into a blessing. As a scholar, he was awarded the eighth-rank official position and began to stand out in the court of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

If he really gets the honor of double honors because of his self-innocence this time, then it would be really...

When Guo Youchang thought of this, he couldn't help feeling surprised. This Jia Yuzhang was not only a man of both civil and military talents, but also had amazing talent and strategy. His strange fortune and luck were also truly extraordinary.

……

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

Originally, since Jia Lian's incident, Wang Xifeng's limelight had been declining.

But ever since Zhang Youshi discovered that she was pregnant, her popularity in the mansion has become hot again.

Every morning, Grandmother Jia would chat with Daiyu and other granddaughters, and then take people to visit Baoyu's room as usual.

The busiest people in the mansion right now are Li Wan and Tanchun, because they have to take care of the household chores for Wang Xifeng and rarely have time to go to Rongqing Hall to talk with Lady Jia.

Yingchun is busy with the chores in the East Palace on a daily basis, and only Daiyu and Xichun can often spare time.

Now, whenever Grandmother Jia talked to Daiyu, she would always invite Wang Xifeng to join in the fun. Besides asking about her health, she would often advise her to move around more during this month, saying that it would be better for the fetus.

For wealthy women, having children is their top priority. Wang Xifeng hadn't had her period for two months and wasn't pregnant at all, but in Lady Jia's eyes, she seemed to have gained status because of her child.

Now Wang Xifeng has come to terms with it and attaches great importance to the blood in her womb. She has become less obsessed with power and lets Tanchun and Li Wan take care of the household affairs while she focuses on taking care of her health.

Besides, she had already talked about Ping'er's matter, which brought her closer to Jia Cong.

She is destined to be the head of the second house in the future, and it is only a matter of time before she can no longer manage the household. The sooner she lets go, the better off she will be. As long as she stands firm under the big tree of Jia Cong, it will be better than messing around in the West Mansion.

Another important matter in her mind was the result of Jia Lian's conviction and sentencing.

After entering the hall today, Grandmother Jia found that she was a little uneasy, so she carefully asked her the reason.

Wang Xifeng replied, "My second sister sent some top-quality bird's nests and snow ginseng yesterday, and also said that Brother Cong had petitioned the Emperor to plead for our Second Master, but there has been no news yet."

After hearing this, Jia's mother felt a little excited and quickly asked Yuanyang to call Jia Cong over to talk.

After a while, Jia Cong followed Yuanyang into Rongqing Hall, and Grandmother Jia asked about the memorial.

Jia Cong said: "Yesterday I submitted a petition to the palace, asking the emperor to release me from my mourning period and allow me to return to the Firearms Department to serve the emperor, in the hope that the emperor would show mercy to my second brother.

I have the power to make a direct report, and I think the Emperor must have reviewed the report, but until now, there has been no response from the palace, and the Emperor has not summoned me to the palace to ask questions."

Wang Xifeng asked worriedly, "Brother Cong, is the emperor unwilling to forgive your second brother? That's why there is no response."

Jia Cong said: "That may not be the case. Now that the Datong salt and iron trafficking case has occurred, three other noble families have been implicated. This matter is of great importance, and it is possible that His Majesty has no time to respond for the time being.

Compared with those three noble families, my second brother's crime is much lighter.

Moreover, my second brother is just a son of the Rong Kingdom, while those three families who are guilty are all inheritors of titles, and they are much more difficult to deal with than my second brother.

I heard that these three people have been stripped of their titles, and it is unclear whether they have been stripped of their titles and their property has been confiscated. "

Mrs. Wang, who was standing by, was shocked when she heard that the title was stripped and the property was confiscated. Her sensitive nerves were touched, and she blurted out, "Brother Cong, you are an official, you know what's going on outside.

Now those three families have also committed the Salt and Iron incident, and they are all talking about confiscating their property and removing their titles. It's frightening to hear that. After Lian Ge'er got into trouble, there has been no news about the inheritance of the family title.

Is there any explanation?"

When Mrs. Wang said this, everyone in the hall looked a little strange. Wang Xifeng looked a little ugly. She just lowered her head, and her two pretty phoenix eyes were a little red.

After hearing what Lady Wang said, Grandmother Jia frowned, thinking that her second daughter-in-law was too impatient.

As the saying goes, one should not talk about darkness in front of a blind man. Now that the eldest son of the family has lost his title, Feng girl is at her most uncomfortable time. Why should she bring up this topic at this moment? Aren't you embarrassed?

Jia Cong looked calm and said, "Madam, don't worry too much. My second brother is not the heir of the Rong Kingdom. Although he is in prison now, he is very different from those three families.

According to common sense, there will be no risk of our family being stripped of the title. Although the eldest branch of the family can no longer inherit the title, according to clan etiquette, the title will most likely be passed on to the master by the younger brother after the elder brother's death.

The master has Baoyu and Huaner as his children, and they will be able to inherit the master's family business in the future."

When Mrs. Wang heard this, she was extremely unhappy. She thought that the master's future title and family property would only be passed on to my Baoyu. What did it have to do with the illegitimate son born to a maid named Huan'er?

What Cong said is really unreasonable. How can Huan'er be compared with Baoyu?

Could it be that he himself is a bastard's son, and is jealous that Baoyu will become the master of Rong State in the future, and feels unfair, so he deliberately brings up Huan'er's words? It's really ridiculous!
After hearing what Jia Cong said, Jia's mother felt a little strange. In her heart, Jia Huan's position was dispensable and could not be compared with Baoyu at all.

However, Lady Jia's reaction was not as strong as Lady Wang's. She thought that Jia Cong was just speaking casually and did not have any specific meaning. After all, Jia Huan was also Jia Zheng's biological son.

However, Wang Xifeng, who was present, was a very shrewd person.

She always knew that Jia Cong was a meticulous person, and anything he said would most likely not be aimless and must have a deeper meaning.

The family business can be inherited by two sons. Does Cong Lao San mean that Huan Er can also inherit the family business, but Bao Yu cannot? (End of this chapter)