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

Li Wan stood to the side, not uttering a word, but a layer of hidden worry settled in her usually calm eyes.

The Li family were prominent officials in Nanjing. After retiring from his post as Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, Li Shouzhong retired to Nanjing to live out his retirement.

Besides her elderly father, there was also her widowed aunt with her two cousins, Li Wen and Li Qi. If the enemy's advance really approached Jinling, what would become of her family of elderly, weak, women and children?

In fact, not only the Xue, Wang, and Li families had roots, businesses, and relatives in Jiangnan, but the Jia family did as well.

Or to put it another way, which of the four great families, Jia, Shi, Wang, and Xue, didn't originate in Jinling? Otherwise, the "protective charm" in Jinling wouldn't have read, "The Jia family is not fake; their halls are made of white jade and their horses of gold."

On a larger scale, weren't the families of the founding ministers of the entire Han Dynasty mostly from the south?

After all, Emperor Taizu of Han started his rebellion in Jiangnan and conquered the north from the south to establish this empire.

Similarly, this is why the Jiangnan region is now too powerful and its influence is deeply entrenched, making it difficult for the imperial court to take decisive action despite repeated attempts to rectify the situation.

"What's going on? How could such a big mess suddenly happen in Jiangnan?" Aunt Xue asked anxiously, her voice filled with genuine panic.

Sister Feng chimed in, her brows furrowed as she said:

"Does the imperial court have any solutions? Are they just going to let the bandits run rampant?"

As he spoke, his expression froze, then suddenly he remembered something, his eyes lit up, and he said:

"Isn't my third brother in charge of military affairs? Shouldn't he take charge of this?"

Grandmother Jia sighed and said in a hoarse voice:

"How could the imperial court ignore such a major matter? The emperor has already issued an edict, ordering Jingge'er to oversee the military and political affairs of the five provinces of Southern Zhili, Zhejiang, Henan, Jiangxi, and Huguang, and to go south to quell the rebellion."

"He's also been granted the authority to patrol on behalf of Heaven and act expediently. I reckon Jing-ge'er has already gone to the 12th Regiment to mobilize troops!"

"Governor-General of Five Provinces? A proxy emperor on a tour of inspection?"

Sister Feng gasped, the worry in her phoenix eyes lessening somewhat with surprise.

Although she didn't fully understand the Han Dynasty's official system, she could still grasp the weight of the title "Governor-General of Five Provinces."

The third brother has seized control of half the world.

Fengjie wanted to ask more questions, but Grandmother Jia waved her hand, signaling the maid to serve tea to everyone.

After everyone was seated, she gave a brief account of what had happened in the palace that day.

From the incident in the side hall where Lady Sun and Princess Zhongshun launched their attack, to Empress Zhou receiving each of the young ladies, and then to the urgent report from Jiangnan reaching the inner court...

The instigation by Madam Sun and Princess Zhongshun, Daiyu's speech, and finally the arrival of definite news from the Imperial City Guard and the Governor of Huaiyang caused a stir both inside and outside the country, and the imperial edict was issued, etc.

Tan Chun, standing to the side, occasionally added a few words. When she spoke of Daiyu rebuking Princess Zhongshun in the palace, she gave Daiyu a meaningful look, and seeing Daiyu lower her head and remain silent, she smiled and stopped speaking, only saying:

"Sister Lin's presence in the palace today truly brought honor to our Jia family!"

Fengjie listened, mesmerized, regretting that she wasn't qualified to go to the palace with them to broaden her horizons. It took her a long while to recover, and she sighed:

"So much has happened in the palace in just half a day!"

Then, after regaining his composure, he spoke again:

"However, since my third brother is personally leading the troops, the chaos in Jiangnan shouldn't cause any major trouble."

Upon hearing this, the expressions on the faces of the people in the hall relaxed somewhat.

It must be said that, given Jia Jing's past record, the Jia family members are not worried about any danger or defeat he might face while leading troops.

This is also why Grandmother Jia is not overly worried about the Jinling clan at this moment.

My third grandson may have many flaws, such as being difficult to get along with and disobedient, but when it comes to fighting, he has never lost!

Grandmother Jia picked up her teacup, took a sip, and said with a smile:

"That makes sense, but war is dangerous and perilous, so we always have to be careful!"

At this moment, Aunt Xue, who was standing to the side, revealed a smile that was more like a grimace than a cry on her fair face, and suddenly interjected:

"Grandma, Her Majesty the Empress bestowed gifts upon Bao'er and the other two girls. What... does this mean?"

As she spoke, her voice betrayed a deep sense of frustration and disappointment.

Although Grandmother Jia didn't say it explicitly, she had already understood what she meant.

Lin Yatou, my own daughter, and Nian Yatou were all chosen by the Empress. However, it seems that Lin Yatou is the most senior among the three!

But there can only be one wife. Does that mean my precious daughter and the Nian family's daughter are concubines?

What kind of arrangement is this? I thought they would only choose one wife, how come they chose three all at once?

Besides, how did Lin girl become a mother? She's not much better than my own daughter, is she? A daughter who lost her mother, and her health isn't even that good...

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia's expression became somewhat complicated. After pondering for a moment, seeing that they were all family members, she didn't hide anything and said in a low voice:

"Logically speaking, given Duke Jingge'er's status, he should only have one principal wife. There's no such thing as a courtier choosing concubines!"

"But Her Highness's every move has a deeper meaning; there's no reason for it to be arranged haphazardly! Furthermore, Yu'er was bestowed with a nine-tailed phoenix hairpin, an item that only a princess can wear!"

"So I've thought about it over and over. Either the palace will wait until Jing-ge'er makes meritorious contributions in the south before bestowing a marriage upon him, or... Jing-ge'er's title will probably be promoted again..."

As Grandmother Jia spoke, she seemed a little dazed, as if even she herself felt it was unreal!

The rank of Duke is above that of a king of a different surname. In the more than one hundred years since the founding of the Han Dynasty, there have only been four kings of different surnames. What an honor this is!

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed.

Sister Feng's phoenix eyes suddenly brightened, and a look of surprise appeared on her pretty face. She said:

"Does the old lady mean that my third brother is going to be made a prince?"

Is her family going to produce a prince? Her mind raced.

Your Highness, that is such a dignified and honorable title!

The procession, the regulations of the mansion, what to wear and what accessories to carry – everything was top-notch.

Moreover, the title of king is hereditary and perpetual, and the king's life is intertwined with the nation's; it is truly the epitome of wealth and honor!

Yuan Chun, standing to the side, spoke up, her elegant and dignified face showing a thoughtful expression, and said in a low voice:

"If others wanted to be made a king, it would be extremely difficult, but with Jingdi's merits and the emperor's trust in him, it is only a matter of time before he is made a king."

"I originally thought it would be several years before Brother Jing recovered Liaodong, but now it seems... if Brother Jing achieves great merit during this trip south, it's not impossible!"

She spoke steadily, but a glint of light also shone in her beautiful, gentle eyes.

She knew that for other officials in the court, the title of Prince was perhaps an unattainable one for a lifetime!

But compared to Jia Jing's current power to control the army and govern the military and political affairs of five provinces, the title of Prince is nothing!

After all, the Prince of Nan'an and the Prince of Dongping had already fallen into Jia Jing's hands not long ago!

Yingchun, Xiangyun, and the others looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock.

Although Daiyu and Baochai did not speak, their expressions were quite different.

Daiyu lowered her starry eyes, lost in thought; Baochai sat upright, her face expressionless, though the fingers gripping her teacup were a little tighter than before.

Seeing everyone's reaction, Grandmother Jia added, "..."

"I'm just guessing, it's possible! It's been difficult to confer titles upon non-royal princes since ancient times, and Jing-ge'er is still young, so it's possible that the marriage will be arranged by imperial decree."

"In short, the Empress in the palace has already made plans for Bao'er's marriage, and her aunt should be aware of this."

Aunt Xue, who had been somewhat dejected, immediately perked up and hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes! The old lady is right!"

If she could be a prince's concubine, that would be nice too!

The prince's concubines were all of high rank, held official titles, and were respected; they were registered in the Imperial Clan Court.

She had thought about this before, but she never expected Jing-ge'er to be made a prince so quickly...

My precious daughter is truly born with a life of wealth and privilege!

It's a pity she's not a princess...

Just as everyone was lost in thought and the hall fell silent, Yuanyang strode in from outside, a hint of joy on her face, and reported:

"Grandma, the Duke is here!"

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia's expression relaxed, and she stood up, saying, "Please come in quickly!"