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

Before Zhen could reply, Tan Chun interjected to explain to Grandmother Jia:

"Madam, the imperial court has this system, which is called 'benefiting the emperor'."

"This refers to the emperor extending or transferring the official rank, honors, and some benefits of an official to his parents, grandparents, or even great-grandparents."

"However, usually it is a nominal title, which is not enough to offset military merits. If the eldest master and the third brother are both granted the title of third-class duke, then it is a special case of bestowing favor, and there is precedent for this."

"Last year, Lord Nian made great contributions in Liaodong, and the imperial court jointly conferred the title of First-Class Marquis on Lord Nian and Old Master Nian."

After Tan Chun finished speaking, Li Shi, who was standing to the side, glanced at her thoughtfully and said with a light laugh:

"Your third young lady is quite knowledgeable, she knows these court affairs so well."

"That's true. Last year, my father-in-law was granted the title of First-Class Marquis because of my second brother! This is what is called 'granting titles to three generations,' and it's also a matter of filial piety. However..."

Li didn't say what she was going to say next, but that was just a polite way of putting it.

In fact, this was a method used by civil officials to suppress the military achievements of military officers, which was not a good thing for Nian Gengyao and Jia Jing!

Jia Jing had originally defeated the invading Qing army last year, and Nian Gengyao, as the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, should have been granted the title of Duke, but he was only granted the title of First-Class Marquis.

Needless to say, Jia Jing was demoted from a first-class duke to a third-class duke.

Although it may seem like there are only two ranks between them, it is actually more difficult to get promoted, whether in official position or noble title.

However, at this moment, Grandmother Jia and the others were clearly unable to fathom the political intrigues and schemes hidden within these bestowals.

Hearing that Tan Chun and Li Shi both said it was possible, and with the precedent of Lord Nian, everyone thought that the matter was bound to succeed.

Only Lin Daiyu, Xue Baochai, Tan Chun, and Yuan Chun secretly frowned.

They were all knowledgeable about current affairs, and they realized that the civil official's advice must have contained a scheme to harm Jia Jing.

Grandmother Jia couldn't help but burst into laughter, and said in a hoarse voice:

"This is indeed good news! Not only has Jing-ge been granted the title of Duke, but the Rongguo Mansion has also regained its title of Duke!"

"When I die, I'll have something to say to my late father, Rongguo!"

Upon hearing these words from Grandmother Jia, Fengjie could no longer contain herself. A blush rose to her fair face, and she blurted out:

"Grandma, what do you think? Should we send Lian Er to the Northwest under our third brother's command to gain experience and accumulate military merits? Military titles can only be inherited through military achievements!"

If we don't bring it up now while Grandmother Jia is in a good mood, when will we?

Madam, you wouldn't want the Rongguo Mansion to lose its Duke title again, would you?

Madam Wang's face fell, and she gripped her prayer beads tightly, retorting:

"Is Lian Er the kind of person who can endure hardship on the battlefield? Besides, the Master doesn't have much time left, and it's not appropriate for him not to be by his side to serve him."

You should just obediently inherit the title of a third-rank noblewoman, the wife of a first-class general!

Dream on, wanting to be a duchess!

Sister Feng: "..."

Sister Feng raised her slanted eyebrows, almost ready to break ties with Madam Wang.

This concerns her title as a Duchess, something even more important than her own life!

However, with the Princess and Madam Li present, Fengjie ultimately swallowed her anger, her expression slightly darkening as she said:

"Why can't Lian Er do it? He manages all the external affairs of the manor, welcoming and seeing off guests, and has never made a mistake!"

"He had told me long ago that he wanted to follow in his third brother's footsteps and serve the country. As the saying goes, 'Brothers fight tigers together, and fathers and sons go to war together.'"

"With his third brother looking after him, who knows, he might also... be able to slay generals, raise banners, and seal the wolf's lair!"

Wang Xifeng didn't know many idioms, but these days she had heard too many phrases like "sealing the wolf's lair" and "slaying generals and raising flags," so she subconsciously used them!

She didn't consider whether Jia Lian was willing to go to the battlefield or not; as long as she felt it was okay, that was enough.

Such immense wealth is like a windfall.

"As for the master! We daughters-in-law will naturally take care of him. Lian Er should focus on preserving the family's military rank; that is true filial piety!"

Following Jia Jing's words at Rongqing Hall, Fengjie used the ancestral tablets to suppress Lady Wang's claim of being unfilial.

It has to be said that Sister Feng did have some cleverness in learning from others!

Madam Wang: "..."

Before Lady Wang could say anything more, Yuan Chun quietly tugged at her arm.

Out of consideration for the presence of outsiders like Madam Zhen and Madam Li, she didn't engage in much verbal sparring with Sister Feng.

However, she thought to herself that it would be good if Lian Er really went to the Northwest front, where there would be no mercy from the bullets.

If things go wrong... then there might still be a chance that the title of Duke will fall into the hands of my own precious jade!

If the eldest son's family had only inherited the title of First-Class General, she wouldn't have cared much! After all, it was just a title without substance, merely a facade!

But if it's a top-tier military rank like a Duke, then she'd have to resort to some means to compete for it...

Princess Zhen, the wife of the Prince of Beijing, sat at the head of the table, watching the two men's expressions and arguments, a hint of amusement flashing in her eyes!

What are we arguing about?

All the fighting and arguing has been for nothing!

Before I could even finish speaking, I witnessed a good show!

In these grand and wealthy households, there's always no shortage of intrigue and backstabbing!

The Jia family was like this, and so was the Prince of Beijing's mansion...

Grandmother Jia's expression also darkened slightly as she glanced at the Princess of Beijing and the other outsiders, including Lady Li.

She thought to herself that these two aunt and niece were really inconsiderate and didn't know the occasion. They had no airs of high-class ladies. Was this the time for them to argue?

At this moment, Grandmother Jia could not reprimand the two, so she asked Princess Zhen of Bei Jing:

"So, Jing-ge'er and his father were both granted the title of Third-Class Duke?"

With a hint of apology on her face, Madam Zhen slowly said:

"It was my fault; I didn't have time to explain everything."

"Although Grand Secretary Fang and his colleagues proposed granting the Marquis of Champion and his son the title of Third-Class Duke, His Majesty ultimately did not agree."

"But under the strong advice of the Prince and Grand Secretary Zhang, he made a decisive decision and still conferred the title of First-Class Duke of Champion Marquis, without intending to bestow the title of Master of Your Mansion."

Lady Zhen emphasized the words "Prince" and "forceful remonstrance," indicating that Prince Bei Jing had played a significant role in the matter.

Upon hearing Zhen's words, the smiles on Feng Jie and Madam Xing's faces gradually disappeared.

Madam Wang's lips curled up slightly; although she was somewhat embarrassed, her joy outweighed her embarrassment.

The others watching this scene gradually began to look at it strangely!

Grandmother Jia's gaze also wavered for a moment. This time, she didn't rush to speculate, but instead asked Zhen Shi to confirm:

"So, the final result was that Jingge'er was granted the title of First-Class Duke?"

Let's hope there's no more unexpected twists or turns; she's too old for that kind of stress.

Madam Zhen nodded and said:

"That's right! His Majesty's word is law; he is hereby granted the title of First-Class Duke!"

Upon hearing Zhen's words, the expressions of the people in the pavilion varied.

Sister Feng was completely stunned, as if a cooked duck in a bowl had flown away... flown away...

If it weren't for the previous remark about being granted the same rank as a third-class duke, she would be happy for Jia Jing to be granted the rank of first-class duke.

But why is it that sorrow and a sense of loss have overwhelmed me now...?