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

The sunlight slanted across the horizon, turning the entire field a dark gold. The sorghum leaves rustled in the wind, like countless hands clapping.

On the ridge of the field, Jia Jing sat on a rock under the shade of a tree, eating the food and snacks he had brought from the mansion that morning to stave off hunger.

Jia Cong, Jia Huan, and Jia Lan sat around him, while Xuanwu led his personal guards to stand watch around them.

After quickly filling his stomach, Jia Jing looked at his three cousins ​​and nephews, and asked amidst their admiring or respectful gazes:

"Having witnessed so much today, what are your thoughts?"

Faced with Jia Jing's question, Jia Huan, Jia Cong, and Jia Lan looked at each other, hesitant to speak for fear of saying the wrong thing.

Although they admired Jia Jing, there was also a hint of fear in their admiration!

Firstly, Jia Jing was always stern and serious, rarely smiling in the mansion, giving the others the feeling that he was even more terrifying than Jia Zheng and Grandmother Jia.

Secondly, before they left today, the group had been warned by Tan Chun, Li Wan, and others to maintain a proper attitude in front of Jia Jing and not to speak carelessly.

Seeing the three remain silent, Jia Jing frowned and said in a deep voice:

"A real man stands tall and upright; what is there that he can't say?"

"You are still young, so don't learn from the bureaucratic ways of being cautious in your words and actions. Just boldly express your thoughts."

"Whether it's right or wrong, only by speaking out can we clarify the issues, understand the situation, and learn something!"

"Even if you say something wrong and embarrass yourself, it's better than keeping it bottled up inside! Young people should have the energy of youth and be bolder!"

Hearing Jia Jing say this, Jia Huan sniffed, his eyebrows furrowed, and tilted his shoulder to one side. He then twisted his neck and began to curse:

"These maggots and wicked creatures have no... no seeds of good fortune. The old lady and her three grandchildren from earlier were all so thin."

"Her son served the imperial court and died. She lost her land, had nothing to eat or drink, and her daughter-in-law was driven to hang herself."

"Those heartless people from the so-called Duke's Mansion are all villains in the Qi Nang organization, they all deserve to die!"

After speaking, she tightened her little face, secretly glanced at Jia Jing, and before Jia Jing could see her, she hurriedly looked away. Then, when Jia Jing wasn't paying attention, she glanced at him again.

Jia Jing nodded expressionlessly. Although Jia Huan's words contained a lot of Zhao Yiniang's words, at least he still had some sense of right and wrong.

Jia Cong was a bit more composed than Jia Huan. After thinking for a moment, he slowly spoke:

"Third Brother, what I'm thinking is that managing the household requires strictness!"

"Many of those unfortunate people we just saw were bullied and oppressed by the stewards of the Duke's and Marquis's mansions!"

"Just like those servants in our household before, they all committed evil deeds outside under the guise of their masters."

"If it weren't for Third Brother's military discipline and strict family rules, they would probably still be at large, lording it over others!"

This is a reflection offered from the perspective of a steward, taking into account Jia Jing's previous actions.

Upon hearing this, Jia Jing remained silent for the time being and turned his gaze to Jia Lan.

Jia Lan hesitated for a moment before speaking softly:

"Third Uncle, I'm reminded of Du Fu's poem, 'Behind the red gates, meat and wine go to waste; on the road, the bones of those frozen to death lie.' I didn't quite understand the meaning of these lines before, but what I've seen today is even more tragic than what's described in the poem."

"Besides, our Jia family is also a noble family; we must never become like them!"

After listening to the three men's words, Jia Jing remained silent for a moment, then stood up and paced under the tree, facing west.

The setting sun cast a dark golden light on his face, stretching his shadow long and thin, which fell on the dirt road like a sword stuck in the ground.

He turned around, looked at the three boys, and first offered a word of praise:

"What you all say makes a lot of sense, and you have your own independent thinking, isn't that great? What's there to be afraid to say!"

Upon hearing this, the three of them relaxed a little, their tense expressions lessening.

Jia Jing remained silent for a moment, then gently admonished them separately:

"Jia Lan, you recited Du Fu's poem well! 'Behind the red gates, meat and wine go to waste; on the road, frozen corpses lie.' It's always been like this, from ancient times to the present!"

"But has it always been right? Good and evil will eventually be rewarded. Our Jia family is also a wealthy family. The glory and wealth of our family members were earned by our ancestors through hard work and struggle. There is nothing wrong with that."

"But our ancestors and the imperial court never granted us the right to break the law, violate discipline, or bully others! No one can act recklessly without any bottom line! No one has the privilege to exceed the laws and regulations of the imperial court!"

"The rich may indulge in lavish feasts, but such feasts must not be obtained by oppressing the common people!"

"Jia Cong, you said you need to strictly manage the household, and that many bad things are done by the stewards under each household. That's only half true."

"The stewards of these dukes and marquises dare to bully men and women and commit all sorts of evil deeds not because they are simply bold, but because they know that someone is backing them up."

"Those occupied farmlands had signs put up by the steward, but the land deeds were in the names of the various mansion owners. Would the steward dare to act recklessly without the master's prior approval?"

Jia Jing paused, his gaze falling on the distant fields dyed red by the setting sun.

"It's true that you need to be strict in managing a household, but strictness shouldn't only apply to the servants. If the head of the household is not upright, the subordinates will also be crooked."

"If the master first controls his own hands, he will not take what he should not take; he will control his own mouth, he will not eat what he should not eat; he will control his own heart, he will not covet what he should not covet, only then will the people below follow the rules."

"If the master reaches out first, those below will only extend their reach further. This is how a little rot at the top leads to widespread rot below; once everything is rotten, the entire family is finished!"

"Jia Huan, you said all the bad guys in the sphere should be killed. Killing them isn't difficult; I've killed more people than any of you have ever seen."

"But what happens after all the killing? The new people who come in will just revert to the same old ways in a few years. Kill one batch, and another batch will take advantage; kill another batch, and another batch will take advantage. When will it ever end?"

Jia Jing turned around to face the three people, his gaze sharp as knives, and slowly said:

"Killing is just a means; the real goal is to prevent corruption and abuse of power from happening again after the killings are over."

"And this can only be achieved by improving the system, by strict supervision, and by guiding the ideology, so that these powerful and influential officials cannot, dare not, and do not want to be corrupt."

That's what they say, but those who deserve to be killed will still be killed. No one can act recklessly without paying the price!

but,

As the capital region, Shuntian Prefecture had twenty-four guards under its jurisdiction. It was necessary to first understand the situation of most of the guards before making a targeted decision.

Although the situation at Liangxiang Camp that I saw today was shocking, it only involved the two founding military families, the Duke of Shanguo's Mansion and the Marquis of Pingyuan's Mansion.

What he wanted to rectify was all the martial nobles in the capital city, so he had to make full preparations and conduct a thorough investigation.

of course,

Since he chose to start by investigating and rectifying the military affairs of the capital region, it must have been a well-thought-out decision!

According to reports from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, very few of the founding military heroes, the heroes who fought in the Jingnan Rebellion, or the newly risen military heroes did not seize land from the military garrisons in Shuntian Prefecture.

Encroachment on military farmland and smuggling were the two most common crimes committed by the Shenjing military officers, and also their biggest sources of profit.

Therefore, by using this incident as a starting point, at least half of the nobles in Shenjing City will be severely punished!