Red Mansion, Ningfu Scholarly Family

Chapter 337 We are all for Daxia!

……

Under the city of Xuzhou.

The rebels were quickly defeated under the double-sided attack from the Governor of Shandong and Lin Ruhai. The leader of the White Lotus Sect disappeared, the remaining small group was taken prisoner, and most of them ran away and disappeared.

Lin Ruhai felt helpless as he watched groups of rabble being escorted to the military camp.

He doesn't even need to fight this battle.

These rebels were at best composed of rioters. They were able to break into the Jining County Government Office probably because the office was too dilapidated, and the rioters broke in by relying on their large numbers.

It is undoubtedly a foolish dream to want to capture Xuzhou.

As he led his troops back and forth like this, the Japanese pirates had already been prepared and even ready, so it was extremely difficult to wipe them out.

Of course, what Lin Ruhai didn’t know was that there were even more powerful people waiting for him.

On the day when the rebels were wiped out, the Governor-General suddenly took out the Emperor's decree: "Order Lin Ruhai to return to Beijing immediately, and hand over the matters of wiping out the Japanese pirates to Shandong Governor-General Liu Qing. I decree this."

Emperor Anping was about to take action against Jia Jing, so how could he allow Lin Ruhai to still have an army under his command?

Lin Ruhai felt even more helpless.

"Sir, obey the order."

He handed over his military power and returned to Beijing under the supervision of several Jinyiwei.

It feels like a crime.

Compared with Lin Ruhai, Jia Jing was in a better situation. Emperor Anping did not dare to take direct action for the time being. One reason was that the emperor had not yet passed away, and the other reason was that he was worried that Jia Jing would disobey the order and not return to the capital, and would directly rebel.

That would be troublesome!

After returning to Beijing safely, Jia Jing did not show any abnormality. He went to the court to hand over official business as usual and reported to Emperor Anping that the commercial tax reform was going smoothly.

Emperor Anping was very pleased and praised Jia Jing. He even said that Wen Ting would retire and return to his hometown after the new year due to his old age, and he would be the second assistant of the cabinet.

Of course, Jia Jing was very humble and said that he was not experienced enough to be qualified for the position of second assistant.

Emperor Anping said with a smile: "Lord Jia, there is no need to be modest. I have made up my mind. You have too many things to do in the cabinet, so you don't need to hold the position of Minister of War anymore. Let Wang Ziteng take over the position."

"My lord, I obey the order..."

Jia Jing smiled in his heart.

Wang Ziteng, do you still want to return to Beijing?

Your Majesty, you think too much.

When Emperor Anping saw Jia Jing obediently hand over the position of Minister of War, he smiled slightly in his heart.

Wang Ziteng has a grudge against Jia Jing, and Wang Ziteng has been the governor of the Beijing Camp for many years, so he has a good control over the Beijing Camp. It would be best to wait for Wang Ziteng to return and control the Beijing Camp before taking action against the Jia family...

……

Let’s talk about Lin Ruhai.

Emperor Anping now has no good feelings towards this confidant of Jia Jing. Even though Lin Ruhai is very capable, if he cannot be used by him, he is his enemy.

The enemy could not stay in the capital to help Jia Jing gain more power, nor could he be directly punished, which would alert Jia Jing and arouse his suspicion. After much deliberation, Emperor Anping simply banished him to Southeast Asia.

"My dear Minister Lin, you are more familiar with Nanyang, so you can go there to serve as the governor." Emperor Anping said in a light voice.

Lin Ruhai: "Your Majesty, I obey your order."

Emperor Anping: "There is no time to lose. You should set off this afternoon."

Lin Ruhai: “…”

……

“Haha, see!”

"How many days can Jia Jing live after returning to Beijing? As soon as he dies, all the commercial tax reforms will come back in full force." After Jia Jing left, the eldest son of the Jinling Zhen family said with a smile on his face.

Zhen Lao Er laughed and said, "The prince and big brother's strategy is brilliant. On the surface, they are obedient, but in fact they are chasing him away as soon as possible and waiting for the emperor to deal with him... Heheha!"

"Once the Jia family falls, the Xue family will be like meat on the chopping board. You must prepare quickly and take over all of the Xue family's assets, including overseas... How many ships does our Zhen family have?" The eldest son of the Zhen family took a sip of tea and suddenly asked.

"Don't worry, big brother. We still have twenty large ships, five of which are equipped with cannons. It should not be a problem to deal with the Xue family!" Zhen Lao Er said confidently.

"not enough!"

Boss Zhen waved his hand and said in a calm voice, "The Xue family is naturally nothing, but the Jia Mansion has developed well overseas in recent years, and there are probably no shortage of warships and artillery. You go to Fujian. Mr. Liu from the Fukang Shipyard is my disciple. Borrow fifty warships from him and go to sea. You must root out the Ningguo Mansion's power!"

After hearing this, Zhen Lao Er did not take it seriously and smiled, "Brother, you are worrying too much. The Jia family mainly relies on the Lianghuai and Penglai naval forces of the imperial court. Once the Jia family falls, the monkeys will scatter when the tree falls. Who will work for them?"

Boss Zhen's face darkened. "Just do what I tell you to do. Do you think Jia Jing has been doing useless work these years? I tell you the truth. Even without the Lianghuai and Penglai navies, the Jia family still has at least fifty warships overseas!"

"Fifty warships!"

Zhen Lao Er was somewhat frightened, yet somewhat indifferent.

Warships are not cargo ships, how can they be so easy to get? Moreover, the control of Daxia warships is very strict, and it is almost impossible to get fifty ships quietly... At most, a cannon is added to the bow to scare people.

However, he did not dare to openly refute his elder brother. It was not a difficult matter to borrow money from Fujian Shipbuilding Company, so he just went there.

"Brother, I will go and prepare now. Let's strike first to avoid being taken advantage of by others." Zhen Lao Er said anxiously.

"Well, you go."

Boss Zhen waved his hand.

That year, the Xue family sank a cargo ship of the Zhen family, suffering a heavy loss. This time, the Zhen family is determined to annex the Jia and Xue mansions and become the largest family in Jiangnan!

"Oh, by the way, take that uneducated beast out to see the world, so that I don't accidentally kill him if he keeps wandering around the house!"

Zhen Lao Er said hurriedly: "Yes, I will go and call Baoyu now."

The backyard of Zhen Mansion.

"What!?"

"Second Master called me? What's the matter?"

Zhen Baoyu, who was chatting with the sisters, suddenly became dispirited and walked towards the study room, taking two steps forward and one step back.

The sisters all smiled and didn't take it seriously. The second master wasn't really that cruel when he beat people, it just looked scary. The eldest master was really cruel when he beat people, and every time he beat Baoyu, his skin was torn and flesh was exposed.

"Master, did you call me?"

Baoyu lowered his head and asked in a weak voice.

"Beasts!"

Zhen Lao Er had a gloomy face and lectured: "I don't see you studying all day, you just hang around at home and do whatever you want. Get ready tonight and follow me to the sea tomorrow!"

"what!?"

Zhen Baoyu had a sad face.

How can it be more fun to go out and hang out with those stinky men than to play with your sisters at home?

However, seeing his father's cruel look, he dared not say anything and just agreed meekly.

……

Jinling, Jia Mansion.

It's already November and the weather is getting cooler. Although it's not as snowy as in Kyoto, it still feels like early winter with light snow.

Suddenly a letter came from Kyoto, saying that Grandmother Jia would not return to Jinling for the time being, and Jia Jing also returned to Kyoto. For a while, there were only Jia Rong, a group of aunts, as well as Jia Huan, Jia Jun and others in Jinling.

Without their elders around, everyone was not afraid. Instead, they felt free from oppression and became happy and cheerful.

"Will they call us all back to the capital?" Xichun asked. She was wearing a snow-white dress today, and a cloak with a white fox lining, which made her look particularly cute and innocent. "No," Jia Rong said.

Jia Jing would not let them enter the capital until the situation in the capital was good. Currently, the Ning and Rong mansions in the capital are all inhabited by the older generation of the Jia family, including Jia Mu, Jia Jing, Jia She, Jia Zheng... and of course Baoyu, Jia Cong, Jia Qiang, Jia Lan, etc.

If Jia Jing can't hold on, it would be terrible.

Of course, this is unlikely.

After all, the emperor has not passed away yet, so even if Emperor Anping dislikes the Jia family, he still has to take them into consideration.

"I want to take them to visit Nanyang. Little aunt, you all need to stay at home. If there is any danger, I have made all the arrangements. You can take a boat to the sea to find me."

I've made arrangements for the fallback, but I hope it won't be needed.

Xichun didn't know what danger was, but she was reluctant to leave Jia Rong. She pouted and asked, "Why can my third sister go with you, but I can't?"

"you are too young."

Jia Rong rubbed Xichun's head.

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

"Hate it, I'm not a kid anymore."

Xichun did not avoid Jia Rong's hand, but stamped her feet and said with some anger.

"Then when you are as old as your third aunt, I will take you to visit Southeast Asia, okay?"

“Hmm…Hmm?” Xichun was about to nod, but suddenly realized something was wrong and said hurriedly, “Okay, Rong’er, you coax me!”

Jia Rong: “No.”

Xichun said: "But I will never be as old as Third Sister!"

Jia Rong said seriously, "I mean you are the same age as the current Third Aunt, okay?"

"Well... that's fine!"

"But it will take several years!"

"Don't be afraid, you'll be big enough to get married in the blink of an eye."

"Ah, wuwu, I don't want to get married!"

……

In early December, a light snow fell in Jinling.

Jia Rong went out to sea on the warship "Jinling", accompanied by Xue Pan and the three people from the Jia family, Jia Huan, Jia Jun, Jia Zao, as well as Jia Tanchun and Shi Xiangyun.

Why did Shi Xiangyun follow him? Because the Shi family was a distant relative in Jinling, she said it was very inconvenient here, and there was another reason that was hard to refuse... her engagement was broken off, she was in a bad mood, and wanted to go out and relax.

But Jia Rong didn't notice that she was in a bad mood at all. He looked around and even wanted to go to the deck to see how the cannons were fired.

"Aunt Yun, stop making trouble and go back quickly. The sea is windy." Jia Rong pulled Xiangyun inside.

Xiangyun clapped her hands and said with a smile: "I'm just a little curious and want to see how the cannon is fired."

Jia Rong: "Okay, I'll teach you when I have the chance."

Xiangyun smiled and said, "Really? You're not lying to me?"

Jia Rong: "Of course, I never lie."

Xiangyun: "Then why don't you teach me now?"

Jia Rong said seriously: "You are still too young to have sex."

Xiangyun smiled and said, "Are you afraid that the cannon will hurt me?"

Jia Rong: "Yes, that's right."

At this time, Tanchun came over and said with a smile, "Just now, Uncle Lin sent someone to ask us if we want to get off the ship at Fujian Port to eat."

"Okay, let's go down and take a look at the southern Fujian cuisine." Jia Rong said.

Tanchun said, "I heard that Minnan cuisine is very spicy."

Xiangyun laughed and said, "I'm thinking of Feng Lazi, haha... When will Sister Feng come here to eat? Let's make fun of her."

Tanchun said, "Who can laugh at her? Just don't let her laugh at you."

Several people got off the boat and had a Fujian meal. As expected, the spicy food made their faces red. Tanchun touched their hot cheeks and said worriedly, "It may be due to irritation. If you get acne, it will be very ugly. You have to eat light food from tomorrow on."

Xiangyun said indifferently: "You can eat light food. I am not afraid anymore. I was sad for a while at first, but now I think it is a blessing in disguise. From now on, I will be free and no one will bother me."

Tanchun asked, "Does your aunt not care about you anymore?"

Xiangyun shook her head: "It's hard to predict whether my uncle will be good or bad, and my aunt is busy with her own affairs, so how can she care about me? If I were a man, I might be able to help, but as a girl, what can I do? Can I change my fate by "Are there any kings, princes, generals or ministers who are born with blood?"

Tanchun sneered and said, "I remembered a person, a woman who defied fate and changed her destiny."

Xiangyun: "Wu?"

Tanchun: "Yes!"

Xiangyun: "You are so bold."

Tanchun: "I didn't dare to think about it, I just followed your words... You are an outsider, what do you think of our Jia family now?"

Xiangyun thought for a moment and whispered, "All I can think of is that Rong Ge'er took us to Southeast Asia to find a way out. Jia Ge Lao is in a high position with great power and glory, but he may have caused the emperor to be wary of him..."

"Hey!"

Tanchun sighed: "No matter what the family is like, as daughters of the family, we can only rise and fall with it."

"Don't worry." Xiangyun hugged Tanchun and said, "Don't forget that the emperor is still here. With him here, no one can touch Lord Jia, and no one can touch the Jia family."

"But... the emperor will eventually grow old..."

Xiangyun smiled and said, "Don't worry about it. Why are you still worrying about it? You were already married at that time, and you didn't even know what kind of wife you were. What were you worried about?"

"Pooh."

Tanchun blushed.

"What kind of wife are you?"

Xiangyun said confidently: "I can't do it. People don't want me. I will be Miss Yun'er in this life."

……

"Rong'er, you are going to Southeast Asia this time for Luzon, right?" Lin Ruhai took a sip of wine and said while being a little drunk.

"It is indeed for Luzon. There are gold mines and vast plains on Luzon Island. Rice can be harvested three times a year. There are also various fruits and spices that Daxia does not have. The products are very rich. Taking over Luzon will bring us Daxia nothing but benefits."

Jia Rong knew what Lin Ruhai wanted to ask, what Lin Ruhai was worried about, and even knew what Lin Ruhai was afraid of.

"Don't worry, father-in-law. Grandpa will not rebel. Everything he does is for the long-term stability of Daxia."

"I believe it, but..." Lin Ruhai hesitated and said, "If the emperor..."

Jia Rong said, "Father-in-law, Daxia is the Daxia of the Daxia people, not the Daxia of Emperor Anping, and there is also the Emperor Emeritus above him..."

Lin Ruhai naturally understood what Jia Rong meant. He nodded silently and continued drinking.

As for how loyal he was to Emperor Anping, of course not much.

But it was impossible for him to follow Jia Jing.

Perhaps staying out of trouble in Nanyang is the best option for him. In case Jia Jing fails, he can still leave a way out for his daughter and son-in-law.

……

(End of this chapter)