Dream of the Red Chamber: I can upgrade my entries!

Chapter 100 The Military Governor of the Capital Garrison and the Internal Exchange of Interests within the Jia Family

At the fourth quarter of the hour of Xu (7:45 PM), the sky gradually darkened, and darkness enveloped the Ningguo Mansion, with lanterns in the backyard illuminating the surroundings.

"Yan-ge'er".

"Brother Yan!"

Jia She, Jia Lian, and Wang Xifeng appeared before Jia Yan.

"coming."

Jia Yan extended his hand, gesturing, "Sit."

"Ah."

Jia She and the other two exchanged glances, then took their seats. The maids who were serving them brought out some refreshments and then left.

At this moment, only four people remained in the main hall, sitting facing each other, with Jia Lian and his wife feeling both apprehensive and expectant.

"Uncle She".

“I’m waiting for you to come to my door in person and tell me those things.”

"I thought you would come last night, but I didn't expect it to be today."

Playing with the teacup in his hand, Jia Yan said meaningfully.

"I should also thank you for covering up my shameful secret."

Jia She smiled bitterly. Those few words had confirmed his suspicions. Everything that happened in Ping'an Prefecture was related to Jia Yan. Perhaps only Hei Yun could erase those traces.

"Does Uncle She think the palace is unaware?"

"The Qianqing Palace may not know, but the Daming Palace certainly does."

"It's nothing more than an exchange of interests. It's not necessarily a good thing for anyone to have this leverage over them."

"In addition to being named Marquis Wu and General of the Cavalry, the Emperor Emeritus also appointed me as the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Jia Yan said calmly.

"How is this possible?!"

Jia She couldn't sit still any longer. What kind of official position was the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Army? It was infamous, despised and rejected by the court, and a lackey of the emperor.

For a member of the prestigious Jia family, the Marquis of Daqian, the head of all noble families, to become the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard—what else could this be but an insult to the Jia family?

"Nothing is impossible."

Meeting his gaze, Jia Yan continued, "Life is often like this; to gain something, you must lose something else."

“Father and Prince Yizhong, you and Prince Beijing, the past is indeed the past, but the Jia family must pay the price.”

"Don't forget, you personally helped build up a great Mongolian nation."

'Thump!'

The Jia Lian couple, who were initially confused, were now somewhat terrified.

"We were wrong."

Jia She's face darkened, and he slumped back into his seat.

“I heard that in recent years, Uncle She has taken a liking to playing with fans. That’s fine, but what’s the point of a noble family like us being so pretentious?”

“They made a lot of money smuggling ironware to Ping’an Prefecture. I’d say at least a million.”

"Now that I'm in a high position, I can save this money and don't need to give it to others."

"With such a large deficit in the West Mansion, Sister-in-law Lian must be having a lot of headaches lately. Why not hand over this money to the public fund?"

Jia Yan glanced at Jia She and said indifferently.

In the original story, Jia She incurred the wrath of both heaven and man over a few fans, which was hardly a good thing.

Moreover, Jia She's collusion with the Prince of Beijing's mansion led to the downfall of the Rongguo Mansion, and leaving this money lying around would inevitably give rise to different thoughts.

"it is good."

Jia She agreed.

'Eh!!!'

Upon hearing this, a hint of joy flashed in Wang Xifeng's phoenix eyes. Even a clever woman can't cook without rice. With a million taels of silver poured into the public treasury, the Rongguo Mansion's finances would be revitalized, and she could proceed with her plans with peace of mind.

"Second Sister-in-law Lian".

"For loans with exorbitant interest rates, just get your principal back and that's it."

"Do not do it again in the future."

Jia Yan's gaze fell on Wang Xifeng.

"I"

Wang Xifeng was shocked to find that her secret deeds had been discovered.

"Feng Ge'er".

"How could you do such a thing?"

Jia Lian glared at Wang Xifeng with wide eyes.

The young mistress of the main branch of the Rongguo Mansion is actually lending money at exorbitant interest rates. If this gets out, what will people think of the Rongguo Mansion? It's a shameful thing to do, like having a son without an anus.

"Lian'er."

“This is not Feng Ge’er’s fault.”

"The family has been in huge debts over the years, and that Wang woman is a fool who doesn't know how to manage a business."

"The old lady has always been extravagant in her spending, and she has completely ignored the fact that the income of the household is gradually decreasing."

"If she didn't lend money at exorbitant interest rates, how could she support this whole family?"

Jia She knew what Wang Xifeng was doing and spoke up to explain for her.

"Dad!"

Wang Xifeng was misunderstood by Jia Lian, and felt extremely wronged, her eyes filled with tears.

"Father, I."

Only then did Jia Lian realize who was in charge of all the food, clothing, and daily necessities for the entire Rongguo Mansion family, and he couldn't help but feel ashamed.

"Low revenue is indeed the main reason for the large deficits of the two governments."

"However, the East Prefecture can still manage, but the West Prefecture, which supports hundreds of people, is obviously not going to survive."

"How can we sustain ourselves with just eight villages and no shops outside?"

With a slight smile, Jia Yan touched on the key point.

"Yan-ge'er".

"you mean"

Jia She immediately realized what was happening and glanced at Jia Yan.

"Little Snow."

"Give all those account books to Uncle She."

With a wave of his hand, Jia Yan gave the order.

"Yes, my lord."

Xiaoxue, carrying a pile of account books, threw them all at Jia She.

'rustle!'

Jia She opened one of the books, examined it carefully, and then, with an angry expression, continued reading one book after another, feeling his anger rising within him.

The Jia Lian couple took the account book from him and began to read it. The couple were so engrossed in reading that they realized that the stewards of the Rongguo Mansion were all incredibly shrewd, pocketing all of the Jia family's property.

"Uncle She probably doesn't know that Lai Shangrong donated money to become a student of the Imperial Academy, and now that there is a vacancy in the Ministry of Personnel, he has been appointed as a county magistrate in a certain area."

"In his early years, he enjoyed the privileges of a young master under the protection of the Jia family, and his studies and official appointments were all supported by his master."

"Lai Da and Lai Er passed on all the benefits they had amassed from the Jia family to the next generation, and the Lai family transformed from servants into officials."

"On the contrary, among all the people in the manor, only Second Brother Lian has donated money to become a prefectural magistrate; everyone else is a commoner."

"How brave!"

Jia She was furious. How could the servants of the Jia family live a more comfortable life than their masters?

"That pile is from the West Prefecture, and this pile is from the East Prefecture."

"Wait a moment, when Uncle She leaves, he might as well give this to my elder brother as well. Only when the two families act in unison can we capture these traitors in the family together."

Pointing to a stack of account books beside him, Jia Yan added.

"That's exactly right." Jia She quickly agreed, though he was seething with anger.

The Jia Lian couple had no objection to this. They thought it was no big deal to confiscate the property from a few servants; why should they be expected to show any sentimentality towards them?

"Uncle She brought Brother Lian to my place late at night, not just to chat about these trivial family matters, right?"

"Tell me, what do you want? Or rather, has Second Brother Lian made up his mind?"

With piercing eyes, Jia Yan looked at Jia Lian with a scrutinizing expression.

"I"

Jia Lian felt a little guilty and didn't dare to say anything more.

Jia She glanced at him and stood up: "Yan-ge'er, I only have this one legitimate son. Over the years, I have been constrained by the palace and have not dared to teach him, much less have been able to."

"This fostered his fondness for drinking and women. Although he was somewhat mediocre and disliked reading, he was adept at quick thinking and adapting to situations."

"For the sake of the Rongguo Mansion, could you lend him a hand?"

"Brother Yan."

Wang Xifeng stared intently at Jia Yan with her beautiful eyes, her gorgeous face showing both pleading and anticipation—a clear expression of her wish for her husband to succeed.

"My father once said that among the third generation of the family, Uncle She's martial arts talent is the most outstanding."

"If it weren't for the coup in Shenjing that night, you, Prince Yizhong, and Prince Zhongshun would probably have already reached the Danjin level, instead of remaining at the Huajin level."

"The Ministry of War has passed a resolution to rebuild the three major battalions in the capital. The Earl of Xichuan, the Earl of Shouxiang, and the Earl of Zhubei will each lead one battalion, while the Earl of Dingyuan, the Earl of Zhongzhen, the Earl of Anxi, the Prince of Xiangyang, the Prince of Pingyuan, and the Prince of Dingcheng will serve as assistant commanders of the capital garrison."

"The titles of Zhenguo Marquis, Liguo Marquis, and Xiuguo Marquis must be left idle for a period of time, and the position of Jingying Jiedushi has always been held by the Jia family."

"I need Uncle She to go to the Beijing Garrison to take charge."

Instead of directly agreeing to arrange things for Jia Lian, Jia Yan presented Jia She with a choice.

"Would anyone in the Qianqing Palace agree to this?"

Staring intently at Jia Yan, Jia She said in a deep voice.

Over the years, Emperor Yongping not only pressured Jia Jing, but also demanded that the Jia family do his bidding.

The position of Military Governor of the Capital Garrison is a crucial one, especially after the reconstruction of the three major military camps in the capital. It is hard not to suspect that Emperor Yongping would be willing to give this position to Jia She, who has no allegiance to any faction.

"If Uncle She is willing, an imperial edict will be issued to the Western Palace tomorrow."

Jia Yan replied as if no one else was around.

"You know I have too many chronic illnesses and can only exert my internal strength now."

"It would be difficult for such a weak force to keep these arrogant and fierce soldiers in check."

Jia She hesitated.

Among the founding generation, Li Chuan, Qi Zhengze, Qin Xiuyuan, Li Xiao, Feng Tang, Wei Jingyuan and others were already quite skilled in martial arts. After the bloody battle of Datong, they were all honed to a high level, at least possessing internal strength. In the army, martial prowess is always the measure of superiority. If you can't control them, how can you secure the position of the military governor of the capital garrison?

'Whoosh!'

Suddenly, Jia Yan moved and appeared behind Jia She, his hands flashing with golden light, each of his ten fingers holding a golden needle.

"Brother Yan!"

This scene took Jia Lian and his wife by surprise.

"Puff puff!"

However, Jia Yan's hands danced like butterflies, creating illusions, and the golden needles in her hands were inserted into Jia She's body.

"Um?!"

Jia She let out a muffled groan; the stagnant blood in his body and his chronic illnesses seemed to be stirring restlessly.

Before long, hundreds of golden needles appeared on his back, densely packed like a hedgehog, leaving Jia Lian and his wife dumbfounded.

"Shh!"

Jia Yan waved his hand, took out the golden needle, and used his finger as a knife to strike Jia She's back. A powerful force then entered Jia She's body.

"ah?!!"

Jia She let out a painful growl, his face contorted in rage.

"Clap! Clap! Clap!"

In the blink of an eye, Jia Yan had already channeled his own strength throughout Jia She's body. Wherever he passed, the blockages marked by the golden needles were completely broken through in a violent manner, opening up all the meridians in his body.

"puff!"

Jia She spat out a mouthful of blood, the stench of which made Jia Lian and his wife cover their mouths and noses.

"Hahahaha!"

When he mobilized all his strength to cleanse his internal organs, the six viscera regenerated the essence of the five grains, and his mental energy used internal breath to drive the essence to circulate in the twelve meridians, finally returning to the dantian. The internal and external organs were once again under his control, and hidden strength spread throughout his body.

He exuded an invisible aura, and Jia Lian and his wife, who were standing close by, immediately felt a strong sense of oppression.

"Congratulations, Uncle She, on your return to the Transformation Realm."

With a smile, Jia Yan offered her congratulations.

"I have to thank you for this."

Jia She was in a good mood. Looking at the young man in front of him, he was filled with emotion. He never expected that Jia Yan could so easily cure his chronic illness.

It sounds simple, but it's actually very difficult to do. It requires extremely high medical skills and strong martial arts ability. He searched all over the world, but all the famous doctors were helpless, which shows how difficult it is.

"At present, the key points have been opened. To fully recover, a period of conditioning is still needed."

"I will write a prescription later. Uncle She, please have someone prepare it. You will be fully recovered after taking it for three months."

"Thank you for your trouble, nephew."

Jia She smiled and became more friendly.

"Uncle She".

"The 120,000 men of the three major battalions in the capital must be absolutely safe."

Jia Yan gave Jia She a deep look and offered a word of advice.

"I'll do the work, don't worry."

Jia She's expression turned solemn, and he responded earnestly.

"With Lian's second brother's official position, it wouldn't be too difficult for him to enter the Beijing Garrison as a garrison commander."

"However, I don't think the Beijing garrison is a good place for him."

“I have suffered heavy losses in my personal guards. I have recently recruited some young men from Longxi. Why not let him go there for training as well? With the help of medicinal bath formulas, he will be able to reach the threshold of Ming Jin in a few months. He will make some contributions in the future and be sent to a place as a guard commander.”

When Jia Yan mentioned Jia Lian's arrangements, she couldn't help but say a few more words.

Where do you want him to go?

Jia She asked directly.

A cold glint flashed in Jia Yan's eyes: "Jiangnan is in a state of decay. If the nation wants to unify it, it must start here first."

"The reform of the garrison system is an inevitable trend. Among the garrisons in Jiangnan, Jinling Garrison, Zhenjiang Garrison, Suzhou Garrison, Jinshan Garrison, and Guanhai Garrison are the most prominent."

"The main duties of Jinlingwei were to guard the capital and protect the imperial family, Zhenjiangwei controlled the Yangtze River-Grand Canal hub, Suzhouwei maintained security in the Jiangnan hinterland, and Jinshanwei and Guanhaiwei were both established for coastal defense."

"I am confident that a lot will happen in the near future, enough for Brother Lian to gain military merit. At that time, with the help of the Jia family, we will push him to Jiangnan, either to be the commander of Jinling Guard, Zhenjiang Guard, or Suzhou Guard."

“If anything happens in Jiangnan, the 5600 garrison soldiers under Brother Lian’s command will be a sharp weapon to extract the greatest benefits.”

"However, if that's the case, the Western Prefecture will probably have to provide a lot of support for him. After all, Uncle She knows very well what the garrison is like."

"As it should be!"

Jia She was very satisfied with this arrangement, as it essentially gave Jia Lian a direct path to success.

As long as Jia Lian can be involved in the consolidation of the dynasty, he would give up his entire fortune to support not only 5600 people, but also 56000.

"Then it's settled. Starting tomorrow, Brother Lian will go to the Beijing Garrison. Someone will take you there."

"Ah."

Jia Lian was deeply distressed, but since Jia She had already agreed, he could only obediently comply.

The soldiers in the Beijing garrison were all ruthless men who had fought their way through the bloody battle of Datong, especially the Wuhou personal guards, whose training intensity was simply terrifying.

Once you enter a place like this, getting a skin peeled off is the least of your worries; bigger problems are yet to come.

"Thank you, Brother Yan."

Wang Xifeng thanked him with a smile. Jia Lian had gained a future, and she, as his legal wife, naturally had something to look forward to.

(End of this chapter)