The Red Chamber: Starting from Saving Xue Baochai

Chapter 74 You Are Only After Gao Le
Prince Beijing’s Palace, inner residence.

Shui Rong had returned from Korea a few days ago and was sitting in the inner hall with the concubine, both of them had solemn expressions.

Concubine Beijing said anxiously, "Is there really no other way?"

Shui Rong was silent for a moment, then replied, "Your Majesty is furious, the whole court is in uproar, I'm afraid this matter cannot be reversed."

Concubine Beijing sighed, "All of a sudden, three dukes' houses are gone! Why don't I go with the old lady of the Jia Mansion to ask for help from the old ancestor in the palace?"

Shui Rong was shocked when he heard this, and tried to dissuade her, "It's not appropriate. Mother and the old lady of the Jia family are colluding like this, it will only backfire!"

The relationship between him and the emperor had improved recently, and he did not want to offend Emperor Yuanzhen again because of those military meritorious playboys.

"The Jia family still has the Rongguo Mansion to continue, but after today, the Ma and Chen families' inheritance will probably be cut off." Concubine Beijing couldn't help but sigh.

Afterwards, the two fell into silence again for a long time.

Nan'an Prince's Mansion.

Zheng Chong did not feel sad for the loss of another, but instead felt fortunate.

"Your Majesty must have wanted to take action against Wu Xun a long time ago. Fortunately, the fire did not burn our Nan'an County Prince's Mansion."

Although Nan'an Concubine was somewhat frightened, she looked pleased at this moment and said with a wry smile, "Jia Zhen and his gang of fools acted without any concealment. They deserve to be punished."

Zheng Chong smiled and nodded, saying, "The four princes and eight dukes have gone to three families at once. I believe that His Majesty will not be in a hurry to suppress the military merits for a while. We can also take a breath and think carefully about what to do in the future."

Concubine Nan'an thought for a moment and reminded: "You still have to find a way to get closer to His Majesty. You can interact more with Prince Zhongshun in the future."

Zheng Chong responded, and suddenly seemed to think of something, and said: "I'm afraid the old lady of the Jia Mansion will come to visit, and then mother must not go with her to disturb the old ancestor in the palace."

Concubine Nan'an only smiled faintly and said, "Don't worry, your mother is not so stupid as to offend the palace at this critical moment."

Among the four kings and eight dukes, the Prince of Xining and the Prince of Dongping were currently guarding the borders and not in the capital. Excluding the four prefectures of Ning, Rong, Zhi and Qi, the remaining prefectures of Zhenguo, Shanguo, Liguo and Xiuguo all chose to remain silent.

Yongshou Palace.

It was already the Hour of the Rooster. The old concubine took only a small amount of liquid food and went to bed early. She was nearly ninety years old, which was considered a long life in any era. Her mind was still clear, but she knew that she didn't have much time left.

"Old Concubine, the old lady of the Jia Mansion is outside asking for an audience."

Although the palace maid couldn't bear to come in and disturb them, she saw that Lady Jia was very anxious and didn't want to leave for a long time. She also knew that the old concubine was a soft-hearted person, so she had to bite the bullet and come in to report.

"Ah!" The old concubine sighed, and with the help of her personal maid, she slowly sat up and said softly: "Let her in."

Soon, Grandmother Jia came in, led by the palace maid.

"Greetings to the ancestors."

When Lady Jia saw the old empress dowager in her twilight years and exhausted look on her face, she felt sorry for her.

"sit down."

Lady Jia sat down and was about to speak when she was interrupted by the old concubine.

"I know why you came, and I also know that you are helpless." The old concubine said, raising her eyes slightly, her slightly turbid eyes staring at Grandmother Jia, and said in a slightly hoarse voice: "Today, please listen to me."

"Please teach me, ancestor."

"Every life has its end! Even a dynasty has its destiny, let alone a family?"

Hearing this, Jia's mother's expression became more serious, her mind was slightly trembling, and she listened quietly. Perhaps in the entire Great Zhou, only this old concubine dared to say such a thing. Perhaps she had a premonition that her life was about to come to an end, and she looked down on the rise and fall of things.

"Although I live in a simple palace, I have heard about what is happening outside. I'm sure you are aware of Wu Xun's arrogance and domineering behavior over the years."

"Ancestors, please give us your full testimony!"

Without mentioning other things about what Wu Xun has done over the years, just look at Jia Zhen and Jia Rong of Ning Mansion, Jia She and Jia Lian of Rong Mansion, how could Grandmother Jia not know their virtues.

However, the old lady only wanted peace and happiness in her later years, and she didn't even reprimand these people. Lady Jia was also responsible for the way things had developed to this point, and she could only respond when the old concubine pointed out something to her.

The old concubine slowed down and continued, "I am in this situation now, and I don't have many days left to live. After all, I can't protect you. Moreover, these people's actions are also destroying the foundation of our Great Zhou."

For a moment, Grandmother Jia was speechless. Although the old lady was very protective of her child, she understood these principles.

After hesitating for a while, he said, "Brother Zhen is guilty and should be punished, but it shouldn't be this serious. Your Majesty is going to destroy the Ning Mansion!"

The old concubine shook her head and sighed, saying: "It seems that you only want peace and happiness, and you can't understand some truths.

If the emperor endures it this time, there will probably be an even bigger outburst next time, and that will be the end of you nobles who have been waiting for you!

Today, Ning Mansion is gone, but Rong Mansion is saved."

After hearing what the old concubine said, Jia's mother's heart sank to the bottom. Her expression instantly became dejected, her body became a little hunched, and she looked much older in an instant.

As the saying goes, the grace of a gentleman will be cut off after five generations. The Ning Mansion lasted exactly five generations until Jia Rong's generation. Although the Ning Mansion disappeared before it was passed on to Jia Rong, at least it has been rich for five generations.

Perhaps this is the cycle of time. The corrupt will eventually perish, and the upstarts will eventually rise.

The old concubine looked at the gloomy expression of Jia's mother, and finally softened her heart. She said in a gentle voice: "I will try my best to save their lives, don't ask for more."

Having said this, Lady Jia didn’t want to disturb the old empress dowager’s rest any longer, so after saying a few words of thanks, she left Yongshou Palace.

When we walked out of the palace, night had already fallen.

At some point in time, a hazy mist began to float in the sky, and the breeze blew past, making the old lady feel chilled to the bone.
A few days later, the much-discussed Ning Zhiqi Sanfu case was concluded by Emperor Yuanzhen himself.

"Jia Zhen and others privately set up money houses, colluded with bandits, and robbed merchants in the capital, causing many people to lose their homes and lives. They should be put to death for their crimes.

However, considering that their ancestors had made great contributions to the country, we will spare them the death penalty. From today on, all their titles in Ningguo Mansion, Zhiguo Mansion, and Qiguo Mansion will be revoked, and their family property will be confiscated.

Jia Zhen and others were exiled to Yazhou and were not allowed to return to the capital unless pardoned.'

Among the four kings and eight dukes, the influence of the three dukes of Ningzhi and Qi was cut off from then on.

When Emperor Yuanzhen's decision was announced, it caused endless discussion in the capital, and everyone praised the emperor for his wisdom.

Perhaps the fate of Jia Zhen and others was already anticipated, and the military families inside and outside the capital chose to accept it calmly.

The fact that Jia Zhen is still alive shows that the emperor does not want to kill all the military heroes. As long as they behave themselves and obey the emperor's wishes in the future, they can still enjoy the wealth and honor they have now.

For Emperor Yuanzhen, it was not realistic to eliminate all the nobles at once, and this was not his goal. As a monarch, his mind was not so narrow.

What Emperor Yuanzhen wanted was to enrich and strengthen the country, so why couldn't he use capable people among the nobles?

In short, suppressing the nobles was not the goal, but a means to revive the Great Zhou. It was only because the extravagant style prevalent among the nobles at the time had become an obstacle to the Great Zhou's becoming a strong country that Emperor Yuanzhen issued a warning.

Of course, he didn't want to push them too hard. At present, half of the generals in the Great Zhou Dynasty came from the military merit system. If they were pushed too hard, chaos would inevitably arise. This time, the treatment of Jia Zhen and others was just right.

(End of this chapter)