The Red Chamber: Starting from Saving Xue Baochai

Chapter 75 Changing Ningguo Mansion to Shen Mansion

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

Grandmother Jia sat on the Arhat couch, her face dejected, and the melancholy between her brows lingered for a long time.

Below them, sitting on the left were Jia Zheng and Mrs. Wang, on the right were Jia She and Mrs. Xing, Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng were also in the hall.

After a moment of silence, Jia's mother said gloomily, "The title of the East Palace has been lost, and the inheritance has been cut off from now on. Even the incense may have been cut off. How can I face your ancestors after I die?"

Seeing his mother blaming herself so much, Jia Zheng felt sorry for her and tried to comfort her, saying, "This is the karma created by Zhen'er. Mother has done her best. Even the old ancestors in the palace were powerless, let alone us."

He paused, glanced at Jia She and Jia Lian who were sitting opposite him, and continued, "Rong Mansion is now the only hope for the Jia family. We must learn from the Ning Mansion's lessons and not repeat its mistakes."

As Jia Zheng spoke, he thought that he would have to be stricter with Baoyu in the future, and he thought that the old lady would not be able to stop him.

This was the only benefit that Jia Zhen's incident brought him.

Jia She, who was standing opposite him, heard the implication in Jia Zheng's words and snorted lightly, saying disapprovingly: "Your Majesty has already dealt a heavy blow to Wu Xun this time. Even a rabbit will bite when it is anxious. Moreover, my Wu Xun faction still controls nearly half of the military power of the Great Zhou. I'm sure Your Majesty won't do anything to us anymore."

"Shut up! Cough cough cough."

After hearing what her eldest son said, Grandmother Jia was extremely angry and felt a strong sense of worry in her heart.

"How dare you say such a thing! Do you want my Jia family to be doomed?"

After being scolded by Lady Jia, Jia She realized that he had indeed spoken out of turn, and defended himself by saying, "I should just say this behind closed doors at home."

Wang Xifeng, who was standing by, saw this and couldn't help but feel that her father-in-law was indeed a bit stupid, but she still said amiably, "The East Mansion has its own destiny. It's no wonder our old lady, grandfather and great grandfather can definitely tell the difference between right and wrong. If you really want to explain, let Brother Zhen explain it himself in the future."

After hearing this, Jia's mother felt a little better. She sighed and said, "Well, when I die, I will be willing to accept the responsibility of not teaching as an elder. I can't control other things."

The old lady glanced at the group of younger generations sitting down and said in a serious tone, "You should all be more alert. If you make mistakes like Zhen'er, you will have to go to your ancestors and accept the punishment for being unfilial."

Upon hearing this, Jia She, Jia Zheng and others responded in unison.

Wang Xifeng also deliberately glanced at Jia Lian beside her. Her husband often went to the East Palace, and he and Jia Zhen and his son had similar interests.

Grandmother Jia put away her previous solemn expression and spoke in a more amiable tone, saying, "Brother Lian, you can go and see off Brother Zhen and the others on behalf of the West Mansion. Bring some money with you and bribe the yamen runners. You can also help look after them on the way. This is our last token of our gratitude."

Think about it, when Jia Zhen later arrived in Yazhou, which was thousands of miles away, separated by mountains and seas. Even if he wanted to take care of him, it would be out of his reach.

Jia Lian replied, "Don't worry, old lady. I will take care of it."

"It's just that the East Palace is gone." After a pause, he continued, "Then what should I do with my Jia family's ancestral temple?"

Among the two Dukes Ning and Rong, Ning Mansion was the eldest, so the ancestral temple of the Jia family was set up in Ningguo Mansion.

When everyone heard this, they all fell silent.

Ningguo Mansion was confiscated and even the ancestral temple could not be preserved. This was such a sad thing for the descendants of the Jia family.

Grandmother Jia looked at Jia Zheng and said in a heavy tone, "Go and ask His Majesty that Jia Zhen's crime is not as serious as that of our ancestors. Please allow our Jia family to move the ancestral temple."

Jia Zheng nodded, his expression equally serious.

Wang Xifeng, who was standing by, thought for a moment and said, "What should we do with Sister-in-law Zhen and Brother Rong's wife?" Everyone fell silent again. The women of the East Palace were now confined in the palace, and had not yet received the emperor's decision.

Earlier, Shen Yuan entered the palace to report to the emperor on the matters concerning the training of the new army.

Imperial Palace, Imperial Study Room.

"Your Majesty, the training of the new army guards has begun to show results. According to the various assessments of the new army drill manual, they have all met the standards." Shen Yuan said: "In addition, the hot air balloon and telescope have also been developed and tested."

Emperor Yuanzhen flipped through the new military drill manual in his hand and was quite pleased. He said in a clear voice: "Yes, Huaizhong is indeed quite good at training soldiers."

After a while, he put down the manual, looked up at Shen Yuan, and asked, "You came here today for something else, right?"

"Your Majesty is wise. According to my investigation, there are now thousands of bandits gathered on Phoenix Ridge in the southern suburbs. They often kidnap merchants traveling to and from the capital, disrupting the security of the capital. What's worse, they collude with the powerful in the capital and bully the people. I request your permission to lead the new army to suppress them, which can also slightly improve the combat effectiveness of the new army soldiers."

Although the bandits are roving bandits bound together by interests, they are not entirely a mob. They have the advantage of geographical location, and can burst out with enough ruthlessness when faced with life-and-death dangers. Their combat power is not inferior to that of the government troops.

Moreover, these people knew how to combine combat with the natural environment, and they had the essence of the guerrilla warfare of later generations.

This is also the reason why the bandits in the mountains have been unable to be completely eliminated over the years.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yuanzhen did not hesitate and nodded, saying, "I approve your request."

After saying this, he showed some curiosity on his face and said with a smile: "When will Huaizhong let me see the hot air balloon and telescope? I also hope to be able to fly in the sky one day."

"Your Majesty's body is precious, how can you risk it?"

"I believe Huaizhong can ensure safety."

"Your Majesty, this..." How could Shen Yuan agree to this easily.

He could understand the shock that Feitian brought to Emperor Yuanzhen, and he also understood that the emperor wanted to use this to increase his prestige and rally the people.

But no matter how safe the experiment was, he could not let the emperor take risks. If any accident happened, the Great Zhou would collapse, and he would end his life early.
"Let's put this matter aside for now." Emperor Yuanzhen saw Shen Yuan's concerns, so he temporarily avoided it and changed the subject, saying, "I heard that Huaizhong's wedding is approaching, and I plan to give you a mansion as a gift to you in advance."

Shen Yuan was slightly stunned when he heard this. He had recently seen a house and was planning to buy it in the next two days. He never thought that the emperor would give him the house at this time. It was indeed a surprise.

"The new army has just been established, and I have not yet made any contribution. Why do I deserve such great favor from Your Majesty?"

"Who says Huai Zhong has not made any contribution? Isn't the Korean War, such a great achievement, worth a mere mansion?"

The emperor had obviously made arrangements in advance, so Shen Yuan couldn't refuse.

He bowed and said solemnly: "I thank your majesty for your grace."

"This is what Huaizhong deserves. I've said before that I'll remember all your contributions." Emperor Yuanzhen paused and continued, "From today on, I'll change the name of Ningguo Mansion to Shen Mansion, and grant it to Shen Yuan as his residence."

When these words came out, not only Shen Yuan, but even Dai Quan, the internal minister beside Emperor Yuan Zhen, was shocked.
Shen Yuan could never have imagined that the emperor would bestow Ningguo Mansion upon him and even change its name to Shen Mansion.

You must know that in this era, only the residences of royal relatives and dukes can be called mansions.

What kind of expectations does Emperor Yuanzhen have for Shen Yuan reflected in this imperial bestowal?

(End of this chapter)