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

Chapter 74 Reigning as a lord in the Golden Palace, there is no one like me in the world!
"Tap tap!"

Just when everyone thought the court session was coming to an end, a series of light footsteps came from outside.

"Ok?"

Emperor Yongping's eyes narrowed as he looked at the figure that had appeared outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

'Why is he here? '

The civil and military officials also noticed the newcomer. He was wearing a bright red sunflower-patterned shirt with a round collar, a black gauze hat, and a rhinoceros horn belt. His temples were gray and his old face was full of wrinkles. Who else could it be but Dai Quan, the chief eunuch of the Daming Palace?

In the blink of an eye, Dai Quan had already entered the Hall of Supreme Harmony, stood beneath the emperor's throne, faced all the officials, and held aloft a piece of yellow silk: "The Emperor Emeritus has decreed!"

'Whoosh!'

All the civil and military officials in the hall stood up straight, their faces solemn, ready to listen to the imperial edict.

"The Emperor Emeritus decrees: Jia Jia’s son has served the country and shed his blood on the battlefield. He shall succeed as the Marquis of Wu’an. His fief shall be increased to 30,000 households. Chengde shall be granted a fiefdom with a radius of 1,000 li. All matters shall be handled in accordance with the Western Han system. He shall be exempt from taxes for three years. The Marquisate of Wu’an shall be hereditary and shall live and die with the country."

Dai Quan, the chief eunuch of the Daming Palace, opened the imperial edict, and his sharp voice echoed throughout the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

'? ? ? '

In an instant, the entire hall fell into a deathly silence, and everyone was stunned.

"This humble general accepts the imperial decree and expresses his gratitude."

Jia Yan remained calm and composed throughout, striding forward to accept the yellow silk with both hands.

"My Lord".

"A map of Chengde's territory, spanning a thousand square miles, will be sent to the government office later."

"All officials under the jurisdiction of the fiefdom, once appointed by the lord, only need to be reported to the Imperial Clan Court for record-keeping."

“The 30,000 households of imperial tenant farmers can go to the Marquisate of Wu’an at any time.”

Dai Quan kindly gave his instructions.

"Thank you, Grand Eunuch!"

With a slight nod, Jia Yan accepted the olive branch extended by Dai Quan.

"His Majesty."

"Slave, please leave!"

Immediately afterwards, Dai Quan bowed to Emperor Yongping and slowly withdrew from the Hall of Supreme Harmony, as if he had never been there.

Only then did the officials and nobles realize what was happening. They stared blankly at the imperial edict in Jia Yan's hand. They didn't know where Chengde was, but they knew how vast the land of a thousand li was. The 30,000 households of imperial estate tenant farmers numbered over 100,000 people. These were the people of the Marquisate of Wu'an.

More importantly, the Marquisate of Wu'an followed the Western Han system. In the Western Han Dynasty, the feudal lords had a high degree of autonomy within their fiefdoms, and could set up their own bureaucratic systems, form their own armies, and appoint generals to command them. This meant that Jia Yan had rightfully become the ruler of a country, which was simply unbelievable!

"Dismiss the dynasty!"

Emperor Yongping's cold and stern words echoed throughout the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Before the civil and military officials could leave, the emperor had already stepped down from the dragon throne and disappeared from their sight.

"What exactly does Father want to do?"

Prince Chungshun stood there with a worried expression.

"Old Thirteen."

"Father is a man of great talent and ambition; how could we possibly fathom his thoughts?"

Prince Yizhong patted him on the shoulder and strode towards the outside of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, followed by a number of officials.

With the departure of Emperor Yongping, the entire court suddenly became chaotic. Most officials, military generals, and nobles left one after another. Jia She, Jia Zheng, and Jia Zhen wanted to wait for Jia Yan to leave together, but they couldn't get close enough to join him.

Congratulations, Your Excellency!

Niu Jizong and others surrounded Jia Yan, offering their congratulations one after another.

What is a lord? It is the ruler of a country, the lord of the Great Qian Dynasty. This status surpasses that of a duke, a prince, and a prince of the blood, and is in a class of its own.

"We should go!"

Jia Yan nodded and said calmly.

"Yes." Surrounded by a group of nobles, he left the Hall of Supreme Harmony and the Forbidden City step by step, like stars surrounding him. Jia She, Jia Zheng, and Jia Zhen followed helplessly behind, not daring to utter a single complaint. This was no longer a topic they could participate in.

Qianqing Palace, Yangxin Hall.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"I am the Emperor, the supreme ruler, the Son of Heaven!"

"How dare they do this?!"

Emperor Yongping could not suppress his anger at all, and he smashed everything on his desk.

The eunuchs serving around him trembled with fear, their heads bowed, not daring to utter a sound, for fear of being caught in the crossfire.

"Squeak! Squeak!"

The sound of gears grinding broke the atmosphere in the hall. Wu Sidao slowly moved his wheelchair and appeared before Emperor Yongping.

"gentlemen."

The moment Emperor Yongping saw Wu Sidao, his anger subsided somewhat.

Why is Your Majesty resorting to such a large-scale war?

Sitting in his wheelchair, Wu Sidao asked, his face pale.

"gentlemen."

Emperor Yongping roared, "Where does this action by the founding line place me?"

“I am not the kind of person who would discard someone after they have served their purpose, but their actions undoubtedly tell the world that I am that kind of person.”

"The Jia family has no regard for me, the emperor, or even his father. They have even shown him favor. What a noble lord, what a marquis of Wu'an."

"If Father Emperor thinks that I am too comfortable as emperor, why not hand the throne over to the fourteenth prince? Why humiliate me again and again? What is the purpose of this?"

After he finished speaking, the entire Hall of Mental Cultivation fell silent, and no one dared to interrupt.

"Your Majesty is worrying too much."

Wu Sidao shook his head and patiently explained, "What the founding lineage did was nothing more than taking precautions."

"What they care about is probably not His Majesty, but the retired emperor, or rather, the Yuan Congxun nobles."

"The reason for doing this is simply to remove the rotten flesh and gather strength."

"From today onwards, the founding line will be re-established as a system of three marquises and seven earls, and even the Marquis of Baoling and the Marquis of Zhongjing will be excluded."

"In contrast, there are the twelve heirs of the Yuan dynasty's marquisates, namely the twelve earls, and then there is the newly emerged Fourth Earl of Yongping."

"Isn't this what His Majesty wanted to see?"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yongping's eyes narrowed. The founding line, the Yuan Cong line, and the Yongping line—the three noble families stood in a tripartite balance.

In a sense, this was indeed the situation he most wanted to see, because he had always wanted to break the monolithic court under the control of the retired emperor. The Yuan Cong nobles were far ahead in the court, controlling the Twelve Battalions. The founding nobles and Yongping nobles returned to the court with 12 elite troops who had experienced bloody battles, which just happened to restrain the Yuan Cong nobles.

"His Majesty is worried about the Jia family, or rather, Jia Yan."

"I believe there is no need to worry."

Wu Sidao continued.

"gentlemen?"

Emperor Yongping frowned and looked at Wu Sidao.

"Does Your Majesty know where Chengde, which was bestowed with a title by the Emperor Emeritus, is located?"

"Located about 200 li west of Gubeikou, it was originally just a small village, a small plain nestled among the mountains, flanked by the Yanshan and Qilaotu Mountains, a range of towering peaks, the so-called 'thousand li' refers to the area from Shanhaiguan in the south to the Bashang Grassland in the north."

"Regardless of how this place should be developed, the claim that the Marquis of Wu'an is abusing his power is nonsense. The imperial army only needs a few thousand men to guard the mountain passes, and the Marquis of Wu'an's army will be unable to move an inch."

"what?"

Emperor Yongping looked surprised and suspicious. He really hadn't expected that Emperor Shunkang's so-called reward would be like this.

(End of this chapter)