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

Inside the side hall of the right-hand gate

Sun Jiacheng's impeachment of Nian Gengyao elicited various reactions and heated discussions among the court officials.

Some officials, especially those hearing about this situation for the first time, were even more shocked by Nian Gengyao's extravagance.

It costs 20,000 taels of silver a day? That would be 600,000 taels a month, and several million taels a year.

Is this okay?

You should know that the combined annual salary and tributes received by many of their officials were less than what Nian Gengyao spent in a single day!

Emperor Jingsheng was also startled upon hearing this.

Although he had heard that Nian Gengyao lived a somewhat extravagant life, he did not expect it to be to this extent.

Of course, he was also aware that there might be something fishy or untrue about it.

For example, it's highly unlikely that you would throw away all the vegetables just because they're not fresh.

If you don't eat it, can't all the soldiers below you eat it?

Furthermore, the imperial court only allocates a few million taels of silver to Liaodong for military pay each year; how could it all have been spent by Nian Gengyao alone?

Nian Gengyao may have been a bit extravagant and fond of enjoyment, but he was by no means as exaggerated as the civil officials described!

but,

Nian Gengyao's temperament is indeed far inferior to Zijie's; he still needs to be given a good talking-to.

He should be encouraged to guard against arrogance and impetuosity, cultivate a calm mind, and work diligently to serve the court and share its burdens!

Thinking of this, Emperor Jingsheng pretended to frown and looked at the cabinet ministers in the hall, asking:

"Is what Minister Sun said really true?"

Cabinet minister Fang Congzhe had remained silent throughout the court session, but now he noticed that Emperor Jingsheng seemed to be dissatisfied with Nian Gengyao's actions.

A surge of joy welled up in his heart, as if he had smelled the blood of a shark. Before Chen Tingjing could reply, he stepped forward and said:

"Your Majesty! According to the copy of the accounts from Nian Gengyao's headquarters reviewed by the Cabinet, this is indeed true!"

"Every expenditure of the Liaodong army is clearly recorded. The records of purchasing vegetables from Dengzhou are available every month from September of last year to May of this year."

"I have also heard that when Nian Gengyao holds banquets in Liaodong, he is often accompanied by a hundred people, with delicacies and fine wines served every day. His mansion is more luxurious than that of an ordinary prince, and there are many instances of exceeding the bounds of propriety."

"In addition, although Jia Zijie in the Northwest did not live a life of extravagance like Nian Gengyao, he seized countless treasures in the Northwest, but only handed over a small portion to the imperial court."

"Most of it was distributed to the soldiers under his command, and the compensation for the wounded and killed soldiers was more than three times the usual compensation amount of the imperial court."

"This strongly suggests an attempt to win over the morale of the troops! I request a thorough investigation into the faults of these two men!"

Fang Congzhe's impeachment not only involved Nian Gengyao, but also used Nian Gengyao's case to spread the fire to Jia Jing.

Since Jia Jing was enfeoffed as the First-Class Duke of Jing, the civil officials' fear of military generals has reached an unprecedented level.

In private these days, they have been finding fault with Jia Jing and Wu Xun quite often.

But Jia Jing has always been upright and honest. Apart from being "overly" protective of his soldiers, there is really nothing wrong with him!

On the contrary, Nian Gengyao did not restrain himself and was full of flaws, especially his extravagant behavior, which was very easy to detect!

That's why we have the scene of Sun Jiacheng impeaching Nian Gengyao today!

In this sense, Nian Gengyao was caught in the crossfire because of Jia Jing.

Otherwise, he might not have "exploded" so quickly!

Just as Fang Congzhe finished speaking, Xu Zhuo, the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, stepped forward and reported:

"Your Majesty! Minister Sun's impeachment of Nian Gengyao is well-founded. I believe that officials should be dispatched to verify it."

"As for Jia Zijie, who holds the positions of military governor of Ba Shang Camp, governor of the three border regions, and general of the Champion Army, his military power is too great."

"The safety of the nation rests on the shoulders of one man. I believe there should be checks and balances. He should be recalled to the capital immediately, and another capable minister should be sent to the Northwest to lead troops to deal with the false Qing and the Hunnic rebels..."

Xu Zhuo was Xu Qianxue's cousin and also a member of the old faction of civil officials.

In private these days, he and Xu Qianxue often criticized Jia Jing as a powerful minister and were very hostile towards him.

Upon seeing that Cabinet Secretary Fang Congzhe had taken the lead in impeaching him, I hurriedly followed suit and offered my advice!

Kong Ying, a senior official in the Ministry of War, stepped forward and announced in a loud voice:

"I second that opinion! Vice Minister of War Wang Ziteng has made considerable progress in reorganizing the Beijing garrison. He is quite capable and knowledgeable in military affairs."

"Since the old illness of Grand Marshal Qiao relapsed and he was unable to perform his duties, the position of Minister of War has been vacant for a long time."

"I believe that we can appoint Vice Minister Wang to take charge of the Ministry of War and send him to the northwest to inspect the border and deal with the border war. He will surely be able to defeat the enemy and achieve victory as soon as possible..."

This was to curry favor with Wang Ziteng, hoping to promote him to the position of Minister of War, so that he could serve as a model of military knowledge among the civil officials and counterbalance the military figures like Jia Jing.

Among the six ministries of the imperial court, the officials of the Ministry of War were the most eager to suppress the rise of military figures like Jia Jing.

The rise of military leaders like Jia Jing had the greatest negative impact on the power held by officials in the Ministry of War.

After the retired emperor's defeat in Liaodong, the Han general Wu Xun suffered heavy casualties and his power was greatly reduced.

Originally, the Ministry of War was already taking this opportunity to gradually undermine the Five Military Commissions, forming a pattern of "the Ministry of War in charge and the Military Commissions holding nominal titles."

The Five Military Commissions gradually evolved from an institution with real power to command troops into a nominal office responsible only for the daily management of the garrisons.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of War gradually began to grasp the core power of officer appointment and dismissal, military command and deployment, and strategic decision-making.

But before the Ministry of War officials could even taste the benefits, military figures like Nian Gengyao, Yue Zhongqi, and Jia Jing began to rise to prominence, each more powerful than the last.

The power that the Ministry of War had just acquired and barely had time to enjoy was quickly snatched back by the Five Military Commissions.

Even now, with Jia Jing concurrently serving as Vice Minister of War and in charge of military affairs in the nine border regions, the Ministry of War often has to follow Jia Jing's arrangements and orders in many matters.

The original system of civil officials controlling military officials has been transformed into one where military officials control civil officials. How could the civil officials in the Ministry of War be willing to accept this?

But before he could finish speaking, Emperor Jingsheng interrupted him with a cold shout:

"Alright!"

If it were merely Sun Jiacheng's impeachment of Nian Gengyao, and his accusations were well-founded, Emperor Jingsheng was prepared to send someone to investigate and give him a warning!

After all, although he trusted Nian Gengyao, the extravagant spending of hundreds of thousands or even millions of taels of silver a year was indeed a bit excessive!

He can turn a blind eye to some minor things, but there should be a limit.

However, Fang Congzhe deliberately dragged Jia Jing into it, using the ridiculous excuse of excessive compensation.

Then Xu Zhuo and Kong Ying quickly followed up, saying that the military power was too great and that the officials should be transferred back to the capital, with civil officials patrolling the border!

Isn't this just the same old tactic of civil officials forming cliques and eliminating dissidents among military generals?

These old-fashioned civil officials obstructed the new policies. Not only did they not do any practical work for the court all day, but they also kept eyeing their own "dream-bearing virtuous ministers"!

Their intentions are absolutely despicable!

Emperor Jingsheng frowned, his face darkening. He felt his previously calm mood had been completely shattered.