Red Mansion: After being expelled from the family, I was granted the title of Marquis of Mobei

Chapter 85: The rabbit is dead and the dog is cooked
The secrets of the boudoir are not worth mentioning. The next day, Jia Jue was full of energy and got up early to do morning exercises.

As for Sheng Minglan, she was so sleepy last night that she couldn't even open her eyes and was still catching up on her sleep.

After Jia Jue finished his morning exercise, he came to the courtyard where his mother-in-law, Lady Liu, the Duke of Yingguo, was staying.

At this time, Liu was having breakfast with Zhang Guifen. When she saw Jia Jue coming, Liu smiled and waved and said.

"My uncle is here, please sit down."

Jia Jue said with a chuckle.

"Mother-in-law, did you and Fen'er rest well last night?"

Liu smiled and said.

"That's great. Seeing you two living so happily together makes me so happy."

After Jia Jue nodded slightly and sat down, the maid beside him served him a bowl of porridge, and then the three of them happily ate breakfast.

While eating, Jia Jue hesitated for a moment and then looked at Zhang Guifen and said.

"Fen'er, there's something I need to tell you."

Zhang Guifen said immediately after hearing this.

"Husband, what's wrong?"

Jia Jue said with some guilt.

"After the grand court meeting the day before yesterday, His Majesty summoned me to the Qianqing Palace and sent me on an errand. He ordered me to go south to inspect the Jiangnan Navy."

"If I had known you were pregnant, I wouldn't have taken this job."

"His Majesty has already agreed to my departure south, but it has to happen at this very moment."

Zhang Guifen's eyes immediately revealed her reluctance to leave her husband.

After all, I had just confirmed that I was pregnant, and I wanted my husband to be with me.

It just so happened that my husband was going south at this time.

However, Zhang Guifen quickly adjusted her mood and said.

"What are you talking about, my husband?"

"My husband is a man of integrity, holding a high position of power and responsibility. How can you sacrifice public service for personal gain?"

"Besides, there are so many servants in the mansion, and my mother even brought me two experienced old maids to take care of me yesterday."

"Don't worry, my husband. I will take good care of the baby and wait for your return in the Marquis' Mansion with Sister Minglan."

Hearing this, Jia Jue held Zhang Guifen's hand. The couple looked at each other and everything was said without words.

Lady Liu, the Duchess of England, was very pleased to see this scene and said with a smile.

"Alright, alright, you two stop being so affectionate. There's someone sitting next to you. Let's eat quickly, or the food will get cold."

After hearing this, Zhang Guifen's pretty face turned red, and then she said in a coquettish tone.

"Oh, mother, look at what you said."

Liu said with a gentle smile.

"Look, look, everyone is going to have kids soon, and they're acting like kids."

"Uncle, it looks like Fen'er will need you to take care of her more from now on."

Jia Jue said with a chuckle.

"Mother-in-law, you are too kind. His Majesty has ordered me to go south in five days. During my absence, I hope you can take the trouble to look after Fen'er."

Liu nodded slightly and said.

"Don't worry, I will come to the mansion to see Fen'er often."

"As for you, just do your job well."

"A real man should be a hero, fighting on horseback and achieving great feats. Let women take care of the affairs in the harem."

"Okay, eat, eat."

After a brief conversation, the three of them continued to eat.

After a harmonious breakfast, the Lady of the Duke of England left the Marquis' Mansion and returned to the Duke's Mansion. After all, the Duke's Mansion was also a large family, and they all needed Liu to take care of it, so she couldn't stay in the Marquis' Mansion for long.

It was not until noon that Sheng Minglan finished washing up and left the bedroom.

After arriving at the side hall, Jia Jue was chatting with Zhang Guifen in the side hall.

When she saw Sheng Minglan, Zhang Guifen smiled meaningfully and said.

"Minglan, I'm pregnant now, so I'm going to have to trouble you from now on."

When Sheng Minglan saw Zhang Guifen's smile, she immediately became shy.

She naturally understood what Zhang Guifen meant.

After all, in the past, even if there was a dragon and two phoenixes, the two women could not withstand Jia Jue's attacks together, and in the end they were defeated and begged for mercy.

Now that Zhang Guifen is pregnant and unable to have sex, Sheng Minglan is left alone. Situations like today where she overworks herself and sleeps until noon will inevitably happen again and again in the future.

Sheng Minglan could only look at Zhang Guifen helplessly and said.

"Hate it! My elder sister has learned bad habits from her husband and is now making fun of her younger sister."

Zhang Guifen chuckled after hearing this, and everything was said without words.

Seeing this, Sheng Minglan quickly changed the subject.

"By the way, sister, why don't you see aunt?"

Zhang Guifen said with a chuckle.

"My mother passed away. My husband and I sent her off."

Sheng Minglan said embarrassedly after hearing this.

"Oh, why did you leave, husband? It's all your fault. I should have seen my aunt off, but now you're so rude. What should I do?"

Jia Jue said calmly.

"Don't worry, mother-in-law has been through this before, and she will definitely understand you."

"Hateful, virtue."

Sheng Minglan glanced at Jia Jue, her eyes full of tenderness and a hint of coquettishness.

After the couple chatted for a while, Zhang Guifen looked at Jia Jue and Sheng Minglan and said.

"My dear husband, my mother has been here. There is no need to go to the Ying Mansion again. You should go south soon. Before leaving Beijing, you should visit the Sheng family."

"After all, a lot of things have happened recently, and I should go and comfort my uncle and aunt in the Ansheng family."

Sheng Minglan said with some surprise after hearing this.

"Why is my husband heading south for no reason? Is His Majesty sending him on an errand?"

Jia Jue nodded slightly and said.

"Your Majesty has ordered me to go south to inspect the Jiangnan Navy. I should be leaving in five days."

"I've thought about it. The day after tomorrow is the day when the imperial examination results will be announced. I've already inquired about it, and Changbai is on the list this time."

"After the results are announced, I'll accompany Minglan to the Sheng family and we'll get everything done right away."

"Minglan, Fen'er is pregnant. I'll need you to take care of the things at home."

Sheng Minglan nodded obediently and said.

"Don't worry, my husband. My sister and I will take good care of the Marquis' Mansion. Just focus on your work."

Jia Jue hugged Zhang Guifen and Sheng Minglan with great satisfaction. With such wives, what else could a husband ask for?

Just when the family of Guanjun Hou was living in harmony, in Kunning Palace, Empress Shen was discussing things with her brother-in-law, General Wang Chun, and her younger brother, General Weibei Shen Congxing.

Wang Chun and Shen Congxing were both a little anxious.

Wang Chun said after bowing.

"My Lady, I'm afraid that Master Lou's situation is not going well."

Queen Shen asked hurriedly after hearing this.

"Why, is he in deep trouble?"

Wang Chun nodded and said.

"It's more than just deep, it's a bottomless abyss."

"The evidence in the memorial filed by Imperial Tutor Sheng Hong impeaching Grand Tutor Lou was detailed, and he also submitted a large amount of witnesses and evidence to the Three Judicial Departments at once."

"Not to mention the relatives of Master Lou's hometown, just to protect his two sons, Master Lou suppressed seven or eight murders."

"Under normal circumstances, a few untouchables wouldn't be a big deal, but right now, the three judicial organs are investigating the case, and it's going straight to the emperor's court." "As the saying goes, once a word enters the government, even nine oxen can't change it."

"It will be extremely difficult for Master Lou to overturn the verdict this time."

"Even if the whole family is not exiled, Master Lou will definitely lose his official uniform."

"My Lady, what should we do?"

Queen Shen said after a moment of thought.

"What does Master Lou mean? What does he have in mind?"

Shen Congxing said helplessly.

"Your Majesty, Master Lou has been sending people here almost three times a day, begging you to save him because he assisted the Crown Prince."

"But this case is clearly caused by cheating in the imperial examinations, and Sheng Hong is only a fourth-rank imperial tutor."

"If he didn't have the support of Marquis Guanjun, how could he dare to sue Master Lou?"

"And His Majesty's attitude is also inclined to severely punish Master Lou."

"If we go against His Majesty at this time, I'm afraid it will only make the situation worse."

Wang Chun on the side hesitated for a moment and said.

"Cong Xing, you mean not to save Master Lou."

"Will this, will it discourage the officials who have pledged their allegiance to the Crown Prince?"

"Furthermore, Grand Tutor Lou has taught the eldest prince for many years, and they have a close relationship between teacher and student."

"If the eldest prince knew what we did, he would definitely feel uncomfortable."

"And more importantly, we all know what the imperial examination cheating case is all about."

"If we don't save Master Lou, what if he seeks a way out for himself and goes directly to Noble Concubine Yue to protect himself?"

"When the time comes, he will reveal everything that the Empress and the Crown Prince had done to him, shocking the whole government and the people."

"Then what will the civil and military officials of the court, and the students of the world, think of the eldest prince, and what will they think of the queen?"

"If it really comes to this, not only will the eldest prince lose his chance to become crown prince, but even Her Majesty's chances of remaining firmly in the harem will be hard to say."

When Shen Congxing heard what Wang Chun said, he also felt troubled.

He knew that Wang Chun was not making a move without a purpose.

The eldest prince and the second prince used all kinds of tricks to fight for the throne. Although Concubine Yue seemed to be silent during this period, it was impossible for her to have no reaction.

If she were to seize this opportunity, the fight for the throne would end immediately.

A prince who manipulates the imperial examination to cheat will inevitably lose all his prestige and morality. How can he be qualified to become the king of a country?

Just when Shen Congxing was in trouble, Queen Shen thought for a while and said.

"Wang Chun, what you said makes a lot of sense, so I absolutely cannot let this happen."

"Since we can't save Master Lou, and we can't let him talk nonsense, I'm afraid there is only one way left."

Wang Chun and Shen Congxing were frightened when they heard this. The murderous intent was evident in Queen Shen's words.

Wang Chun said after hesitating for a moment.

"Your Majesty, should we talk to the eldest prince about this matter?"

Before Wang Chun finished speaking, Queen Shen waved her hand and said.

"The emperor has a kind heart, but it's inevitable that he has some soft spots."

"If he knew about this, it would only make things more difficult."

"Wang Chun, from Xing."

"Please find a suitable time to talk to Master Lou."

"If he is respectable, give him respect."

"If he is not decent, then help him be decent."

"Then you can contact the court officials. Considering that Grand Tutor Lou has worked tirelessly for many years as an official, you can preserve the bloodline of the Lou family and leave a glimmer of hope for them. This will be considered as a way of repaying him."

Hearing this, Wang Chun and Shen Congxing couldn't help but feel a little shocked, and they were impressed by Queen Shen's decisiveness in handling the matter.

After seeing the expressions of the two, Queen Shen spoke calmly.

"I know you think I'm cruel and ruthless, right?"

"In that case, I might as well tell you."

"Let alone a Lou Taifu, as long as it can allow the emperor to inherit the throne, even if it is the position of Empress Dowager, I will not hesitate at all."

"You are all relatives of me and my son. You should consider my son's affairs as I do."

"As long as the prince can inherit the throne, all the efforts will be worth it, and the Shen and Wang families will also reap rich rewards."

"Okay, let's do it quickly."

Wang Chun and Shen Congxing bowed and then left Kunning Palace.

In Kunning Palace, Queen Shen's eyes were full of determination.

"My son, don't worry. Mother will definitely clear all obstacles for you so that you can smoothly sit on that supreme throne."

In the evening, in Rongguo Mansion, Mrs. Jia and Mrs. Wang fell into deep thought.

Just recently, the two of them had just finished reading Jia Yucun's reply.

Mrs. Wang said with some doubt.

"Mother, what's going on with Jia Yucun? It's been so long, and he hasn't made any progress at all."

"This time they even asked for money, saying that the matter was difficult to handle and that they had to bribe with a large sum of money."

"Is he selling our house?"

Mrs. Jia said after a moment of thought.

"That shouldn't be the case. We are holding his pledge of allegiance."

"If he dares to play any tricks, he will be seeking death."

"After all, we have investigated all those things thoroughly, and there is nothing false."

Mrs. Wang said after hesitating for a moment.

"Mother, you mean to send him back the money. He has asked for twenty thousand taels."

Old Mrs. Jia gritted her teeth and said cruelly.

"Give it to him. You can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child. If the matter is successful, a mere twenty thousand taels will be nothing."

Mrs. Wang nodded helplessly and said.

"Okay, mother, I'll make arrangements later."

Mrs. Jia said after a moment of thought.

"By the way, we can't just stand by and watch over the Xue family anymore."

"I've figured it out. These people are watching the decline of the mansion, and they all have their own little plans."

"You have to make some arrangements and let the Xue family know that among the four great families of Jinling, our Jia family will always have the final say."

"The Xue family is dreaming if they want to do something shady."

Mrs. Wang agreed and said.

"Mother, I understand. I'll arrange for someone to do it right away."

In the study of the Marquis of Guanjun's mansion, Jia Jue was discussing things with Zhang Han.

Zhang Han said after bowing.

"My Lord, you summoned me here. What are your instructions?"

Jia Jue said after smiling slightly.

"My trip south this time will probably take at least one or two months."

"You must carefully plan the affairs of the Divine Capital."

"Also, the Marquis' Mansion must be strictly controlled."

"I have made many enemies. If someone wants to do something while I'm away from the Marquis' Mansion, you must take precautions."

Zhang Han nodded and said.

"Please rest assured, my lord. Zhang Han will not let the mistresses get into trouble even if he is willing to sacrifice his life."

(End of this chapter)