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

Marquis Yongjia comforted him, saying:

"Old Zhao! Don't panic! Old Hu's death won't just end like this! But since we're all here now, let's think of a plan together before we take action!"

"If you ask me, what's going on with Lao Hu and Lao Lu? Didn't they agree on a few days ago to outwardly comply while secretly undermining Jia Jing's authority? How did things turn out like this?"

"I do not understand!"

"The camp at Ba Shang is full of our people—not to mention our personal guards and tens of thousands of soldiers. How could we have suffered such a crushing defeat, with some being killed and others captured?"

Marquis Nanxiong, his face grim, said angrily:

"What else could it be? They must have been careless! The person's dead, why worry about anything else!"

"If you ask me, all your back-and-forth discussions and fussing is utterly useless!"

"We military men rely on our swords and spears! Forget everything else, let's take down that brat Jia Jing first!"

Duke Cheng's expression softened, and he said in a deep voice:

"That brat Jia Jing is no ordinary child! Don't underestimate him! He was able to defeat over ten thousand Qing troops; he's not someone to be trifled with!"

"I heard he was exceptionally skilled in martial arts, and at first I didn't believe it, thinking it was just hearsay and exaggeration from Liaodong. But now it seems he really does have some skill!"

"And times have changed! Behind that brat Jia Jing stands the current emperor…,"

"Now that the military power of the Ba Shang camp is gone, and the Beijing garrison is in the hands of the founding faction, what do you have to fight them with? Rely on our few hundred personal guards?"

Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Nanxiong's face turned ugly, and he said:

"We also have the Imperial Guards, the Marquis of Ji'an has 100,000 troops in Yulin in the northwest, the Marquis of Liu'an has military power in Jinling, and there are 200,000 troops in the southwest..."

"Wait, don't even mention the southwest. Those people in the southwest aren't on our side..."

Before Marquis Nanxiong could finish speaking, Marquis Yongjia interrupted him.

Marquis Nanxiong snorted coldly:

"I refuse to believe that they can just sit idly by and watch my Jingnan Military Merit being bullied like this by the Founding Military Merit. We're brothers who've risked our lives together; can they really just stand by and do nothing?"

"Besides, it's a matter of mutual dependence; if we fall, how can they possibly escape unscathed?"

Duke Cheng sighed and said:

"Even if we take it all into account, with nearly a million troops in the nine border regions, we only have less than half the military power."

"Besides, it's still too late to solve the immediate problem. Sending troops to the capital without authorization is a serious crime of treason, but it hasn't come to that yet."

"Things are not like they were a few years ago. Now, the current emperor's position is becoming more and more secure. In Liaodong, we have Nian Gengyao and Yue Zhongqi in charge of the army, in the capital, we have Niu Jizong, and now we have Jia Jing. It will not do us any good to confront him head-on!"

Upon hearing Duke Cheng's words, the expressions of all the generals present, including those involved in the Jingnan Campaign, changed slightly, and their expressions became solemn.

Originally, with the military power of the Ba Shang Camp in Shenjing, Wu Xun of the Jingnan Camp was invincible, and even Emperor Jingsheng had to be wary of them.

Furthermore, with the retired emperor backing them up, they could nominally maintain their position.

Who would have thought that once the military power of the Ba Shang camp changed hands, the situation would become so passive.

"Then what do you suggest we do? Are we just going to let it go so easily and let Marquis Linchuan die in vain?" Marquis Nanxiong asked angrily.

"Of course not!" Duke Cheng replied coldly and decisively, his eyes lowered.

How could we just let it go like that!

The Duke of Cheng's own son was executed by order of Emperor Jingsheng, and his only legitimate daughter became the Emperor Emeritus's concubine, making her a natural confidante of the Emperor Emeritus.

How could he be willing to watch Emperor Jingsheng gradually consolidate military power and gain prestige? How could the retired emperor then seek to restore the throne?

Those of us who are loyal to the retired emperor will also likely meet a bad end!

Over the years, he and the Marquis of Linchuan and others have done a lot of dirty work for the Emperor Emeritus, and it is impossible for them to switch sides again!

Now that the Marquis of Linchuan is dead, we must seize this opportunity to take back the military power of Ba Shang!

And that brat Jia Jing must pay with his life!

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, the Duke of Cheng slowly stood up and said slowly:

"Even if the Marquis of Linchuan and others are guilty, they should be handed over to the three judicial departments for joint trial. How dare this brat Jia Jing act so recklessly?"

"Let's go! We're going to the Qianqing Palace to see His Majesty! If we don't get an explanation for this matter, we, the meritorious officials who have fought against the rebellion, will never let this go!"

After Duke Cheng finished speaking, he walked out of the hall, followed closely by Marquis Nanxiong, who then said:

"That's right, we must get an explanation for this! We are not those civil officials who can only bow their heads and wait to die!"

"If His Majesty is biased and unjust, then don't blame us for acting recklessly! If Jia Jing can kill people, why can't we?"

The group followed behind Duke Cheng, heading aggressively towards the palace.

……

Rongguo Mansion.

It was already past lunchtime, and laughter filled the Rongqing Hall, where Grandmother Jia was.

At this moment, Grandmother Jia was playing dominoes, accompanied by Aunt Xue, Madam You, Wang Xifeng, Li Wan, and others.

Rarely after the snow, the weather cleared up. The women in the inner quarters didn't have much else to do. They usually spent their days chatting and laughing together, playing dominoes, or listening to operas. Grandmother Jia especially loved playing dominoes.

In particular, Sister Feng's witty remarks kept Grandmother Jia laughing continuously.

In this round, Sister Feng deliberately played a card that allowed Grandmother Jia to take it, then pretended to be in a hurry to take it back, saying as she did so, "I played the wrong card!"

Grandmother Jia had already thrown down the cards with a smile, and said with a stern face:

"You dare take it back! Who told you you were wrong? Put it down right now!"

Sister Feng, feigning a sour tone, said:

"But I also want my fortune told! I posted this myself, so it's not like I was lying in wait!"

Grandmother Jia smiled and said:

"But you should be the one to slap yourself and ask yourself that question."

Then he smiled at Aunt Xue and said:

"I'm not stingy or greedy for winnings, it's just a bit of a lucky draw."

Aunt Xue laughed and said, "That's not true at all. Who would be so foolish as to say that the old lady loves money?"

Sister Feng was counting money when she heard this, so she quickly put the money back on and smiled at everyone:

"That's enough. You're not even trying to win money, just for the prize. I'm such a cheapskate; I just count my money when I lose. Put it away now."

The maids Yuanyang and Hu Po chatted and laughed with their masters while shuffling cards and serving them snacks and fruits.

In a nearby side room, the three sisters, along with Daiyu, Baochai, Xiangyun, and Baoyu, were composing poems together, and the boisterous shouts of Shi Xiangyun could still be heard coming from within.

"Well, you two went to recite poetry, admire the snow, and eat hot pot with your third brother, without even inviting us."

Then came Baochai's calm and composed voice:

"I originally went to deliver some venison and pickled goose feet and duck tongues to my third brother. It just so happened that he asked Lin Daiyu to teach Xiangling poetry, so we each wrote a poem in response to the conversation. It wasn't intentional that I didn't invite you!"

Then came Lin Daiyu's teasing voice:

"Yes, indeed! It's not like someone said we should imitate the ancients or be pretentious! You're just a nobody, aren't you?"

"Hehe! I don't know anything!"

Then came a burst of laughter and chatter.

Hearing the laughter and chatter coming from the side room, Madam Wang, who was sitting at a small table sipping tea, frowned slightly.

This girl Bao is not usually like this, why does she act differently when Jia Jing is mentioned!

Just as Rongqing Hall was enjoying a peaceful and serene moment, a commotion suddenly broke out outside.

"Grandma, something terrible has happened! Grandma... something terrible has happened..."