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

Chapter 85 Imperial Residence: A Manor of Great Favor or Hidden Motives?!

"Yan-ge'er".

"You just said that the residence bestowed by His Majesty is not far away?"

Jia She's attention shifted to the Imperial-bestowed Marquis's residence, his brow furrowed as if he had thought of something.

"Big brother!"

Before Jia Yan could speak, Jia Zheng interjected, "The mansion bestowed by His Majesty is the Prince Lian's Mansion."

He was an assistant director in the Ministry of Works, and coincidentally, the Department of Construction and Repair was in charge of the construction and repair of palaces and government offices. All the palaces of the imperial family and the mansions of dukes and marquises in the capital were repaired by the Department of Construction and Repair.

This time, the bestowal of mansions upon meritorious officials was not limited to Jia Yan, but also included Wang Ziteng, Nian Gengyao, Yue Zhongqi, Zhang Guangsi, and other newly emerging nobles of the dynasty.

"It really is there."

Jia She sighed deeply, a complex expression appearing in his eyes.

"That's it!"

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia's cloudy old eyes suddenly cleared.

Prince Lian, Qin Zheng, was the eighth son of the retired emperor. His mother came from a prominent family, a former member of the Ming imperial family. She was once a figure who stood on equal footing with the crown prince in the court. At the age of 20, he took charge of the Ministry of Revenue's Bureau of Personnel, controlling the lifeline of the promotion of officials throughout the country.

At the age of 24, he was in charge of the Ministry of Works, concurrently managing the Four Barbarians' Hall and the Imperial Household Department. He wielded immense power and was once hailed as a wise prince. He was the candidate for the throne supported by the gentry of Jiangnan, and the Donglin Party advocated for him. At his peak, even the former crown prince could only avoid his sharp edge.

The current Prince Yizhong was once just a follower of Prince Lian. Back then, there were as many as three of the retired emperor's sons who were attached to Prince Lian: Prince Luo, Prince Dun, and Prince Yizhong. In contrast, the former crown prince only had the current emperor (Emperor Yongping) and Prince Zhongshun behind him, which shows his power!

That night, a mutiny broke out in Shenjing. The Jia family mobilized all their forces, and a group of personal guards, under the command of Jia Jing and Jia She, defeated the rebel army that had sided with Prince Lian. If it weren't for Jia She and Prince Zhongshun stopping Prince Yizhong, Prince Lian's faction would probably have already stormed the Eastern Palace and assassinated the former Crown Prince.

Later, the sons of the retired emperor all perished, and the founding nobles, the Donglin Party, the Chu Party, the Jin Party and other forces fought each other. By dawn, only Emperor Yongping, Prince Yizhong and Prince Zhongshun were still alive.

This battle led to a generational gap in the imperial court's top power structure. Officials from humble backgrounds under the Emperor Emeritus rose to prominence, and together with the Yuan dynasty nobles, they completely seized control of the entire country. The Jia family subsequently went into hiding, with Jia Jing and Jia She hiding in their mansion, licking their wounds.

Who could have imagined that today, Emperor Yongping would bestow the Lian Prince's Mansion upon the Jia family? This is clearly making the Jia family the target of everyone's hatred. Prince Yizhong and even those who follow Prince Lian will regard Jia Yan as a thorn in their side.

"Yes."

Under everyone's gaze, Jia Yan nodded firmly.

Oops! ! !
The Jia family members present did not understand the origins of Prince Lian, but they knew that a prince's mansion was bestowed upon a subject as the residence of a military commander. This was unprecedented since the founding of the dynasty, which showed that Jia Yan was enjoying great favor from the emperor.

"Yan-ge'er".

"It seems this matter can't be avoided."

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

"The boss is right."

"To bestow a prince's residence upon you is rather presumptuous."

Grandmother Jia rarely showed a concerned expression, and looked at Jia Yan with a solemn face.

'? ? ? '

Everyone else stared wide-eyed. Why would they push away such a good thing?

"Ugh!!!"

Looking around at the Jia family members, Jia Yan sighed inwardly: 'A bunch of useless good-for-nothings, utterly unworthy of respect. No wonder in the original story, Emperor Yongping only offered a pittance to make the Jia family his vanguard, exhausting their last bit of resources, leaving them utterly destitute!'

"Elder brother, Mother."

"Is this matter inappropriate?"

Jia Zheng noticed something amiss in the tone of Jia Mu and Jia She's voices and couldn't help but ask them about it.

"Uncle She is right." "Some things cannot be avoided or escaped."

"Everything that needed to be done has been done."

Jia Yan gave Jia She a deep look and said something inexplicably.

'Thump!'

Jia She's expression changed slightly. He knew that Jia Yan was pointing something out to him; there were some things he couldn't hide even if he wanted to.

"Tomorrow, I will personally visit your residence for a discussion."

After a moment of contemplation, Jia She replied.

"it is good."

Jia Yan said calmly.

This scene only added a few more wrinkles to Grandmother Jia's old face, but she didn't say much. She knew that although her status was very special in the two mansions, that was on the premise that it did not involve the power of the Jia family. There was nothing wrong with the affairs of the inner courtyard.

Real foreign affairs still required Jia She's final decision, as only Jia She, a first-class general, could represent the Rongguo Mansion.

As for the others, they were filled with questions, but none of them asked them.

"Brother, I'm hungry."

Just then, little Xichun, who was being held in Jia Yan's arms, pitifully touched her little belly.

"Feng Ge'er".

Seeing this, Grandmother Jia called out to Wang Xifeng.

"Ping'er, tell the kitchen to serve the dishes."

Wang Xifeng immediately realized what was happening and called out loudly.

"Yes, grandma."

Ping'er hurriedly went down to make arrangements, and the maids on either side followed her out of Rongxi Hall. The old women all got to work, and the kitchen was filled with noise. Some exquisite pastries were served first, followed by the main dishes.

Before long, the Rongxi Hall was filled with steam and a fragrant aroma. Jia Yan put little Xichun down. The women sat on the other side, while the younger generation, including Jia Baoyu, sat at a separate table. At the main table, besides Jia She, Jia Zheng, and Jia Zhen, Jia Lian and Jia Rong served them. These were all influential men from the two mansions. Jia Yan sat in the main seat without hesitation, and no one found it inappropriate.

"Second brother."

"What arrangements should be made for the matters in the palace today?"

After everyone had exchanged toasts, Jia Zhen, emboldened by the alcohol, hurriedly asked the most crucial question.

It wasn't just him; Jia She and Jia Zheng were also concerned. After all, apart from the Ning and Rong mansions, all the other noble families from the founding lineage had already removed their plaques and replaced them with new names. Among the twelve marquis mansions, only the Shi family hadn't made any moves.

"The West Mansion is run by Uncle She and Uncle Zheng, while the East Mansion is run by the eldest brother."

“Now that I have established my own residence, I should not interfere in the affairs of the two residences.”

"However, since you asked, I'll add one more thing: how long can this mansion's wealth and luxury last?"

“If the title of First-Class General of Uncle She is passed down to Second Brother Lian, then he will probably only be a Third-Class General. And the title of Eldest Brother can no longer be inherited. According to the rules of the dynasty, this means that the title will be revoked.”

Jia Yan picked up his wine cup, took a sip, and leisurely broke through this barrier.

"This"

Jia She remained expressionless throughout, Jia Zheng had no title to begin with and cared nothing for it, only Jia Zhen's face was ashen. The Ningguo Mansion had been passed down to him, and Jia Rong was an unambitious fellow; he feared there was no future for him.

(End of this chapter)