Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

Given Jia Jing's current status and position, he is fully capable of stopping Wang Ziteng's plan.

Jia Jing pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

He didn't care about Prince Teng; his main concern was Emperor Jingsheng's opinion.

It must be said that Zhu was right about one thing: no matter how much Emperor Jingsheng trusted him, he could not possibly put all 200,000 troops in the capital under the command of the founding line of Wu Xun!

If we were to actually do that, it wouldn't be a sign of trust, but rather it would be detrimental to the lineage of the founding military heroes!

The true way to protect your ministers is to use checks and balances! Don't give them the opportunity to become too powerful!

Otherwise, if a minister becomes too powerful or his achievements overshadow the ruler, a rift will inevitably develop between the ruler and his minister.

Once a rift develops and trust is lost, that's when the reckoning begins.

Jia Jing, with a solemn expression, said slowly:

"Reorganizing the army is beneficial to the country and is something that must be done sooner or later! If we obstruct it, how are we any different from those who sought to quell the rebellion!"

"Besides, if we do this, His Majesty will definitely be dissatisfied with me! We shouldn't do something that harms others and ourselves!"

"However, since Wang Ziteng tried to exploit the connections within my Jia family, I have to teach him a lesson!"

"The reorganization of the army is a matter of vital interest to the founding line of the dynasty. He thinks he can easily get people to cooperate just by reading a few letters from Jia Zheng; he's being far too naive!"

"If I hadn't unexpectedly killed the Marquis of Linchuan and captured the Marquis of Zhongqin and most of the high-ranking military officers of the Ba Shang camp, how could I have so easily succeeded in reorganizing the army!"

"He's trying to imitate others, but he's only asking for trouble! Struggles for interests aren't like dinner parties; they're life-or-death battles, and bloodshed is inevitable!"

"As a civil servant, he has no personal guards or confidants in the military; for him to accomplish this is as difficult as climbing to the heavens!"

"Here's what we'll do: send some men to the capital garrison... let them organize the troops and offend people, while we quell the rebellion and reap the rewards! That way, His Majesty will be satisfied, and we'll be satisfied too!"

Jia Jing whispered some instructions to Zhuque, who immediately gave a thumbs-up with a look of excitement:

"Brilliant! The Marquis is truly brilliant! This time, he tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead!"

Jia Jing composed himself and continued:

"The initial training at the Ba Shang camp has been successfully completed. The next step is to continuously intensify training and, after the New Year, engage in bandit suppression and see some blood!"

"How can an army be considered elite without experiencing blood and fire! Let Ma Guocheng keep an eye on things here, let's go back to the mansion!"

"If we don't go back and rectify the situation, they'll turn the whole place upside down!"

"Take the intelligence and account books you've gathered, and this time, thoroughly clean the mansion!"

Jia Jing said this and walked out, with Zhu Que following closely behind, cupping her hands in greeting:

"promise!"

A moment later, a troop of elite cavalry galloped out of the Ba Shang camp and headed straight for the capital city.

At 3:45 PM, Jia Jing and his party arrived at Ningrong Street.

To his surprise, someone was already waiting for him at the entrance of the Rongguo Mansion.

"My lord!"

"My lord, you're back!"

The old woman and the servant kept calling out.

"Greetings, Lord Marquis! Second Madam said you might return today, so she sent me here to wait for you!"

At this moment, the beautiful Ping'er walked forward with several maids and servants, and spoke with a smile on her face.

Jia Jing frowned. Feng Jie was getting impatient!

He sent someone to inform her and had her personal maid, Ping'er, wait at the door to greet her.

Jia Jing dismounted, but instead of rushing back to his own courtyard, he asked Ping'er:

"How are Lin Daiyu and the Second Master? Where are the Old Madam and the others now?"

Upon hearing this, Ping'er's bright face lit up with a smile, and she walked to Jia Jing's side and said:

"Rest assured, Your Excellency, the imperial physician has already examined them. Miss Lin and the Second Master are both fine! They just need to rest for a while!"

"The old lady is at Rongqing Hall with my wife and grandmother! They've probably just woken up from their afternoon nap and are chatting!"

"Oh, by the way, the Madam and Grandmother of the East Mansion are here too. They heard that the Second Master and Miss Lin were ill, so they came to visit. The Old Madam kept them here for a chat!"

Jia Jing, his face cold, said to Zhuque:

"You and your men come with me to Rongqing Hall. Order your men to surround the mansion and make sure no one escapes!"

After saying this, disregarding his armor and travel-worn appearance, he led Zhuque and dozens of personal guards straight to Rongqing Hall.

The remaining guards, under Zhuque's orders, rode their horses and surrounded the Rongguo Mansion with swords in hand.

Ping'er's expression changed drastically upon seeing this. Although she knew that Jia Jing might take some action upon his return, she did not expect it to be so direct and so intense.

He actually led his personal guards straight to Rongqing Hall, which was the inner courtyard where the old lady lived.

This is going to escalate!

Grandma thought that if the Marquis and the second wife were to clash, there was no way she could possibly gain an advantage! How could such a strong-willed man let you get away with it!

Inside Rongqing Hall at this time,

Grandmother Jia, Madam Xing, Madam Wang, Feng Wan, Aunt Xue, Madam You, Qin Keqing, the three sisters, Baochai, Baoyu, and others were all present.

They might be drinking tea, chatting, or admiring the rouge on the maid's lips.

With a worried expression and a sense of unease in her heart, Grandmother Jia thought and thought for a while before finally giving instructions to everyone:

"Don't spread what happened today, and especially don't tell Jing-ge. He's a strong-willed person, ruthless in his actions, and hard-hearted."

"I'm already grateful he doesn't cause trouble; let's not provoke him!"

After saying that, he instructed Sanchun and the others standing to the side:

"What Madam said today was all a joke! Don't take it to heart. Just continue to treat Jing-ge'er the same way you always have, understand?"

Although Sanchun and Shi Xiangyun were somewhat unhappy, they still nodded in agreement.

Madam Wang's expression darkened upon hearing this, though she now realized that what she had said was inappropriate.

However, being rejected in public by Grandmother Jia still made him feel somewhat embarrassed.

Besides, is that illegitimate son of the eldest son really that scary? It's like we can't afford to offend him!

Once my brother becomes the Minister of War, reaching the pinnacle of power, then we'll see what happens!

Upon hearing this, Jia Baoyu, who was in Grandmother Jia's arms, became even more unhappy, squirming and acting coquettishly towards Grandmother Jia!

Grandmother Jia patted his hand and said:

"I'll do whatever you say about everything else! But we can't mess with Jing-ge! Let's just enjoy ourselves at home and not provoke that scoundrel!"

"Don't you like Qingwen from my courtyard? Tomorrow I'll give her to you and have her serve you in your room!"

Grandmother Jia's words finally calmed Jia Baoyu down a bit. It wasn't bad to have Qingwen; she was the maid he had longed for for a long time.

Just as everyone was talking, a surprised voice suddenly came from outside Rongqing Hall from Granny Xia.

She had done a good job of delivering a message to Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang today, saving Jia Baoyu from a beating. Grandmother Jia summoned her and rewarded her with silver. She is currently playing in the courtyard and hasn't left yet!

"My lord! This is the inner quarters; it's not appropriate for you to bring your personal guards in!"