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

In the Qianqing Palace, as Emperor Jingsheng uttered his words of bestowal of honors, the assembled officials each had their own thoughts.

Although Zhang Tingyu was worried that Jia Jing's power was too great to control, his nature meant that he would not say much, nor should he say much.

Firstly, Emperor Jingsheng had already characterized Jia Jing's merit as stabilizing the country and securing peace. The emperor's words were law and could not be questioned. Since it was stabilizing the country and securing peace, he should naturally be rewarded exceptionally.

Secondly, Jia Jing was rewarded for his meritorious service in foreign wars, which is the most blameless path for a military officer to be promoted. As long as it is not too excessive, promotion and ennoblement are just what is due.

Moreover, Emperor Jingsheng is currently showing great favor to Jia Jing, so it is unlikely that his intervention at this time will have a good outcome.

Zhang Tingyu's eyes darkened for a moment, thinking he should wait and see.

This is only the initial discussion, and it is possible that the Emperor's mind may change later.

He believed that being granted the title of Marquis of Champion was acceptable. Although the title was prestigious, it was still only a first-class marquis of the second rank, and his real power did not increase.

Given Jia Jing's achievements, it is fitting that he be granted this title!

However, the rank of General Who Conquers the West, being only a second-grade official, carries too much power and influence; it would be best not to bestow such a title lightly under any circumstances…

The cabinet ministers had different expressions, but none of them stood up to voice their explicit opposition; each of them had their own plans in mind.

Emperor Jingsheng calmly observed the changes in everyone's expressions before speaking:

"If you have nothing else to say, you may leave! Let's conclude our discussion here for today!"

Afterwards, as the officials left, the Qianqing Palace returned to quiet.

Emperor Jingsheng stood before the map for a while, his face somber, and took a deep breath.

After pondering the political situation at court for a while, he muttered to himself:

"Currently, there are vacancies in the Left and Right Governors-General of the Governor-General's Office and the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet. We should fill these vacancies as soon as possible with suitable candidates."

"While the new party is good, it still needs the checks and balances of the old party! Preventing one party from becoming too powerful is a matter of principle."

Emperor Jingsheng thought of a few names in his mind and pondered for a moment.

He then returned to his desk and began to deal with the backlog of memorials.

…………

Rongguo Mansion.

Grandmother Jia's courtyard.

The crabapple trees outside Rongqing Hall are in full bloom, their pink and white petals glistening with morning dew.

A few petals fluttered down in the wind, landing precisely in the latticework of the carved window frame.

The sun was already quite high in the sky, but it still had the gentle warmth of spring, unlike the scorching heat of midsummer.

Through the intricate lotus scroll pattern on the window frame, it filtered the dappled light onto the blue brick floor of the hall, like scattered gold dust.

At this moment, the three sisters, Daiyu, Shi Xiangyun, and others were all in the hall, each sitting on an embroidered stool, whispering to each other in twos and threes.

There were also Aunt Xue, Sister Feng, and Li Wan, among others, surrounded by beautiful women and adorned with pearls and jade.

Grandmother Jia sat high on the couch, a rare look of helplessness on her face.

Meanwhile, Madam Xing and Madam Wang sat in the seats below. Madam Xing ate fruit while looking on with amusement.

Madam Wang's face was grim, and after a long pause, she uttered a sentence:

"No! I absolutely disagree!"

His voice was loud, and his words were full of unwavering determination.

The young ladies inside the hall hadn't noticed what was happening, but were startled by Madam Wang's angry voice.

One by one, they carefully shut their mouths, no longer daring to playfully tease each other.

Grandmother Jia let out a long sigh and said in a hoarse voice:

"Baoyu's mother, this was something Jing'er instructed me to do before he left. Yuan Chun is easily drawn into the power struggles within the royal family while she's in the palace..."

"Furthermore, Yuan Chun has been living in the deep palace for many years, which has made her life miserable and separated you and your daughter from your own flesh and blood."

"Wouldn't it be a good thing to take this opportunity to bring her out?"

It turned out that after having breakfast with her daughters-in-law and granddaughters today, Grandmother Jia, taking advantage of Lady Wang's presence, mentioned the matter of bringing Yuan Chun out of the palace.

Grandmother Jia's intention was to have Lady Wang accompany her to the palace to meet Empress Zhou and ask for her favor in order to bring Yuan Chun out during the palace's downsizing.

but,

Grandmother Jia did not expect that Lady Wang, who used to always think about her daughter, would vehemently oppose the matter.

Even when facing this old lady, they showed no mercy and refused to take Yuan Chun out of the palace.

Sister Feng, standing to the side, raised her almond-shaped eyes, a hint of amusement on her plump face, and interjected with slightly parted pink lips:

"The old lady is right! I've heard that the palace is a completely boring place, and it's a pity that such a young girl was sent there at such a young age."

"They must have suffered a lot over the years, so it's great to have this opportunity to take them out."

Madam Wang stared at Fengjie with a gloomy expression. She didn't believe that Fengjie was really thinking about Yuanchun's well-being.

Ever since that day when the two almost broke off relations over the power to manage the household, they have become like strangers in the mansion, and the intimacy between aunt and niece is gone.

Their daily interactions have basically ceased, and they are constantly competing with each other behind the scenes.

Madam Wang's face turned ugly as she said:

"It is precisely because Yuan Chun has suffered so much and endured so many years of hardship."

"We can't just accept them now, otherwise all the suffering we've endured over the years would have been for nothing!"

Madam Wang would never agree to this.

Especially knowing that it was Jia Jing who brought this up, she felt an even stronger sense of disgust.

She didn't believe that this illegitimate son of the eldest son could have any good intentions!

They even said they were afraid the eldest daughter would get involved in the power struggle within the imperial court—that's utter nonsense!

The eldest maid has always been sensible, and she is just a lowly lady-in-waiting in the palace. How could she have gotten involved in the power struggle of the imperial court!

It must be that the illegitimate son was afraid that Yuan Chun would gain the Emperor's favor, and that he would be overshadowed by the second wife in the mansion and no longer be able to do as he pleased, so he made up this excuse.

After experiencing the events of being driven out of the mansion by Zhou Rui's maidservant, having her power as the head of the household taken away, and Baoyu being beaten, Lady Wang felt extremely insecure.

She suddenly realized that after Jia Jing rose to prominence, her second branch of the family was in such a disadvantageous position within the mansion.

Faced with Jia Jing's "oppression," she couldn't even protect her own precious son and trusted maid.

She was even denounced as a stupid woman, losing all face, and no one could stand up for her.

She had been thinking about it for days, but she couldn't come up with a good way to salvage the situation of the second branch of the family, or even to take back control of the Rongguo Mansion's business.

Her only two hopes were that her older brother, Prince Teng, would become Minister of War, and that her daughter, Yuan Chun, would be favored in the palace and made a concubine.

Wang Ziteng is her older brother, and if her brother's career goes smoothly...

She can naturally rely on her family for support; since ancient times, the greatest support for married women has always been their maternal family!

But she also knew in her heart that even if Prince Teng successfully ascended to the throne, he might not be able to defeat that illegitimate son.

According to her sister-in-law, that illegitimate son is now holding an increasingly high position and is deeply trusted by the emperor.

During the last meeting in the palace, she scolded her brother so badly that he couldn't lift his head, which angered him so much that he couldn't eat when he got home and even smashed several antique porcelain pieces.

Even if her brother becomes the Minister of War as he wishes, it will be difficult for him to surpass that illegitimate son.