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

In Rongqing Hall,

The smile had vanished from Grandmother Jia's face. She had just assumed that the Princess Dowager of Nan'an and the Princess Consort of Dongping had only come to plead for them, hoping she would help them gain favor with Jia Jing.

Unexpectedly, the following words were laced with barbs, seemingly implying accusations or even veiled sarcasm.

This made her a little uncomfortable. No matter how outrageous her third grandson was, he was still family. She could scold him, but for an outsider to come in and speak sarcastically was simply disrespectful!

It must be said that this is the difference between Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang. Although both of them have the flaw of treating Jia Baoyu as their precious treasure, Grandmother Jia's position as a member of the Jia family is very firm, and she has a clear sense of "Jia family-centricity".

This is clearly evident from the original work.

For example, the Shi family was Jia Mu's maternal family, and she had emotional ties to the Shi family. Shi Xiangyun was raised by her.

However, in terms of substantive family interests, throughout the entire book, there is no evidence that Grandmother Jia used any of the Jia family's resources to subsidize the Shi family, even though the Shi family's economic situation was always not very good.

Furthermore, Grandmother Jia's attitude towards the Wang family is even more intriguing. Lady Wang was Grandmother Jia's daughter-in-law, and Wang Xifeng was Grandmother Jia's most beloved granddaughter-in-law; logically, the Wang family should have held a very high position in the Jia household.

However, Grandmother Jia always maintained a subtle distance from the Wang family, and she never wanted to attend any of their banquets or celebrations.

It was because she knew very well that the Wang family had infiltrated the Jia family through marriage, thereby using the Jia family's political resources to replace the Jia family as the head of the four major families, which had damaged the Jia family's interests to some extent.

With a darkening expression, Grandmother Jia said coldly:

"These are all lies spread by those gossipy old women outside, ruining my Jing'er's reputation!"

"Although I am just a woman and don't understand matters of state, I still understand the principles!"

"I've also heard about the matter concerning those two brothers from the Jiang and Shi families. They were executed for disobeying orders and violating military law in the 12th Regiment. There's nothing to criticize about that; the army has its own rules."

"I remember the late Duke Rong often saying that military law is as imposing as a mountain, allowing no favoritism whatsoever. If one's own relatives or friends break military law, and one is allowed to make an exception, how can the commander-in-chief lead troops in the future? How can the battle be fought?"

"The Dowager Consort and the Crown Princess are both sensible people from the Wu Xun family; they surely understand this principle better than I do!"

After rinsing her throat with tea, Grandmother Jia changed the subject, her tone becoming more meaningful:

"As for the matter of Consort Xiande, it was because she didn't know her place. As a woman, she was not content with staying at home and dared to discuss state affairs, which angered the Emperor and led to her being banished to the Cold Palace. What does this have to do with Jingge'er?"

"For us women, it's our duty to mind our own business. If we overstep our bounds, we're more likely to get ourselves into trouble."

"As for the execution of both families, I also feel very sorry, but this matter cannot be blamed on Jing-ge!"

"If they truly have any grievances or dissatisfaction with Jing-ge, they can submit a memorial to the Emperor, requesting the court to conduct a thorough investigation and seek justice in a fair and just manner."

"But instead of seeking imperial approval or submitting memorials, they secretly colluded with civil officials to bribe assassins and carry out attacks in the capital. Is this something an honest family should do?"

"Their fate of being executed along with their entire family was not caused by Jing-ge'er; they brought about their own demise."

After a slight pause, Grandmother Jia gathered her thoughts and continued:

"To say that Jing-ge'er climbed to his official position by stepping on the corpses of family friends is utterly absurd."

"Defeating the puppet Qing in Liaodong, destroying the Northern Yuan in the Northwest, sealing the Wolf Mountain Pass, and winning ten battles in a row—which of these wasn't a genuine military achievement? Which of these wasn't witnessed by the entire world? If Jingge'er's official position was stained with anyone's blood, it was the blood of the enemy and his own!"

Perhaps influenced by Jia Jing, she had improved, for when Grandmother Jia spoke her rebuttal, her words were reasonable, well-founded, and resounding.

She even made veiled accusations and implied meanings, not only citing the old Duke Rongguo's endorsement but also subtly implying that the Dowager Princess of Nan'an and the Heir Apparent's Consort of Dongping did not know their proper duties as women, using the story of the Virtuous Consort as a pretext.

Faced with these words from Grandmother Jia, the Dowager Princess of Nan'an, though old and shrewd, showed no change in expression.

The Crown Princess of Dongping, being rather inexperienced, blushed and turned red in an instant, quickly trying to distance herself from the situation:

"It's all just gossip from outsiders. I'm just saying it for the old lady to hear. Please don't misunderstand! I've never been one to talk too much!"

Grandmother Jia's face was somber, and she said in a seemingly casual tone:

"I know what kind of person you are!"

Seeing that she hadn't gained any advantage in this matter, the Dowager Princess of Nan'an remained silent for a moment, her eyes flashing, and then said in a hoarse voice:

"Let's leave the matters of the Duke of Shanguo's mansion and the Marquis of Pingyuan's mansion behind us! But now, regarding the three military orders from the General Military Affairs Office, shouldn't we have Jing-ge'er give them more consideration?"

"I'm not exaggerating. When these three military orders were issued yesterday, the entire capital city was in an uproar. Everyone was saying that they were uprooting them and driving them to their doom!"

"When I arrived at your residence today, I saw a large number of military officers from the garrisons and military commanders from the capital causing a disturbance in front of the Ministry of War and the Five Military Commissions!"

"Military matters are no small thing; if they cause a mutiny or rebellion, the consequences will be dire!"

As for why they didn't go to the Zongli Yamen (Office of Military Affairs) to make a scene, it's naturally because the Zongli Yamen is located inside the Imperial City, and ordinary people simply can't get in!

Seeing the slight change in Grandmother Jia's expression, the Princess Dowager of Nan'an continued meaningfully:

"I'm sure you're aware of the recent troubles caused by the Beijing garrison. The examples of Vice Minister Wang and Zhen-ge'er from the Ningguo Mansion serve as a stark warning!"

This is like reopening old wounds and issuing a warning!

The reorganization of the Beijing garrison caused a commotion, Wang Ziteng was dismissed from his post, and the heir of the Ningguo Mansion was stripped of his title and exiled. Your family probably doesn't want history to repeat itself!

Just then, the Princess Consort of Bei Jing suddenly spoke up:

"Does the Dowager only know about Minister Wang's failed military reorganization, but not about Duke Jing's successful reorganization of troops at Ba Shang Camp and in the Northwest? Marquis Linchuan and others have also caused trouble, but what became of them..."

Can Prince Teng be compared to Duke Jing? The difference is like heaven and earth!

The Princess Dowager of Nan'an said expressionlessly:

"Minister Wang is a civil official, and he values ​​benevolence and righteousness. Naturally, he is not as hard-hearted and ruthless as Jing-ge'er!"

"However, the current investigation into the military farms involves military officers from all the garrison posts across the country and military officers from the capital. The situation is far more complex and serious; one wrong move could plunge the entire country into chaos!"

"You must understand, our Great Han Dynasty has over four hundred garrisons in total. If each garrison has over five thousand men, then the total garrison force across the country is over two million. Even considering only the capital region, there are over a hundred garrisons with five or six hundred thousand soldiers. Reorganizing them is no child's play!"

The Princess Dowager of Nan'an was clearly well-prepared, and she spoke with great confidence and eloquence!

"Your Highness is mistaken!"