Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting from Immortal Martial Arts

Where are you?!

Prince Zhongshun's face turned ashen, and he was speechless. Where else could he be? At that time, Emperor Changwu had not yet ascended the throne, and he was just a nobody among the many princes, indulging in a life of pleasure and debauchery.

On the dragon throne, Emperor Changwu lightly tapped the dragon table, ignoring the conversation between Prince Zhongshun and Liu Fang, and said indifferently: "You are all officials of the court, yet you are like shrewish women, constantly insulting your elders in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and every word you utter is directed at the esteemed elders. You have no shame whatsoever. Jiang Zining, you spoke first, so you will be fined one year's salary, and the rest of you will be fined three months' salary."

"Your Majesty is Old Xie..."

"Xie Jing will also be fined one year's salary."

Upon hearing this, Xie Jing opened his mouth, glared at Jiang Zining, and began to curse inwardly.

"Xia Shouzhong, draft the imperial edict."

Emperor Changwu's expression turned solemn. As he ordered the preparation of the imperial edict, he saw Dai Quan, the chief eunuch of Tianshou Palace, dressed in a bright red python robe, enter with his guards outside the palace gate.

"This old servant greets Your Majesty. His Majesty has heard that the border army has won a great victory and has specially ordered this old servant to come and deliver the imperial decree of rewards." After kowtowing, Dai Quan stood up and said to Emperor Changwu with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Changwu narrowed his eyes slightly, his face expressionless: "Oh? Father actually has a reward to bestow. Quickly summon him."

Dai Quan looked around and said loudly: "Emperor's decree: Marquis of Pingliao, Zhao Mingshan, is skilled in planning and command. He is hereby awarded the title of Dragon and Tiger General, and appointed as the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Central Army, in charge of the Jiangnan Grand Camp and overseeing military affairs in Jiangnan."

Cao Zhao, the Earl of Andong, led his troops into battle and made great contributions. He was promoted to the position of Commander-in-Chief of Datong Town.

General Niu Jizong, who was in charge of the overall situation and provided assistance, was awarded the rank of General of the Cavalry and appointed Minister of War.

"Jia Tang, the acting guerrilla general of the Liaodong Grand Camp, is renowned for his loyalty and bravery in serving his country, having slain an enemy general in battle, rendered meritorious service in defending the border, and possessing formidable martial prowess. Therefore, Jia Tang, the second son of the fourth generation of the Ningguo Mansion, is hereby granted the title of First-Class Viscount, awarded the rank of General Huaiyuan, and appointed Commander. This is the imperial decree."

"Your Majesty, the Sage also said that this is the first major military event of the third emperor of the Great Zhao Dynasty, and that the captives should be offered as sacrifices to honor Heaven and Earth, and that a second reward should be given to show the grace of Heaven."

Upon hearing of the rewards, Emperor Changwu's expression eased slightly. He nodded and said, "Issue my decree: order Jia Tang's troops to escort the prisoners back to the capital along with Niu Jizong and others. The generals will be rewarded after the prisoners are presented. As for the other generals in Liaodong, once the cabinet and the ministries have drafted the reward lists and submitted them, I will reward them immediately after reviewing them."

"only!"

The civil and military officials in the palace readily agreed, since no one could object to the two emperors' words.

Xia Shouzhong received Emperor Changwu's oral decree, took the imperial edict from Dai Quan, and led a few eunuchs, a team of Imperial Guards and the left and right musicians of the Jiaofangsi, making a great fuss as they headed towards Ningguo Mansion.

···

Rongguo Mansion, Grandmother Jia's courtyard.

Today is Laba Festival, and the large and small kitchens in the mansion have been purchasing ingredients and cooking Laba porridge since yesterday.

In the morning, all the wives and daughters gathered to pay their respects to Grandmother Jia. After having breakfast together, they did not disperse but stayed in the main hall to keep warm and chat.

At this moment, Grandmother Jia, sitting at the head of the table, was beaming with joy as she listened to Jia Rong, who had just rushed in, recounting what he had seen and heard on the street. The ladies of the various households, the three sisters of the Spring and Autumn period, and Shi Xiangyun, who had been brought to the mansion in the twelfth lunar month, along with the maids and servants around them, were all listening attentively.

"Grandfather, back then, in every ward in the east of the city, the people were all excitedly shouting 'Great Victory!' to congratulate my second uncle on his mission in Liaodong. With my second uncle's extraordinary abilities, he must have made great contributions and being appointed a general was probably no problem," Jia Rong boasted from the side.

Most of the women around also looked pleased and echoed the praise.

"Of course, Master Yu has been powerful since he was a child."

"It's good that we won; it's truly a blessing from our ancestors."

"Hahaha, is my brother coming back soon? Second sister-in-law, third sister, you've both bullied me, I'm going to make my brother bully you too."

The little girl Xichun sat on the chair, shaking her head happily and shouting that she would teach the two girls a lesson.

"You little brat, we'll deal with you first."

Tan Chun and Wang Xifeng stepped forward and each grabbed one of Xi Chun's fair and tender faces, and the three of them started to playfully fight.

Grandmother Jia, sitting at the head of the table, watched the maids playfully bickering with a smile, and chimed in, "That's for sure. Hu'er is an excellent boy; he'll definitely bring honor to our family."

Madam Wang replied ambiguously, "Our family will definitely remain a first-class family in the future. With Tang-ge'er protecting the family in martial arts and Bao-yu governing the world in literature, you can just wait to enjoy a life of happiness and bliss."

A cold glint appeared in Grandmother Jia's eyes. Protect the family? Even your eldest brother wouldn't dare to speak like that. You really have no sense.

Just as they were about to strike, a commotion arose outside. Before Grandmother Jia and the others could ask anything, Lai Sheng rushed in and said urgently, "Grandmother, the imperial envoy has arrived at the East Mansion with an imperial decree to confer the title upon Master Yu."

"What? Yuanyang, quickly get my makeup!"

······

The main gate of Ningguo Mansion was wide open, leading to the main hall.

Jia Zhen, who had not attended the regular court session today, was chatting with Xia Shouzhong with a smile, while Lai Sheng led his maids and servants to kneel on the ground beside him.

When Grandmother Jia, wearing a phoenix crown, a red imperial robe, and a dark blue shawl, arrived with her masters and servants, Jia Zhen quickly led You Shi into the procession and knelt in order towards the eastward-facing imperial city.

After burning incense and setting up the altar, Xia Shouzhong unfolded the imperial edict and read it aloud:

"By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:"

I believe that for an emperor to govern the world, he must rely on generals as fierce as bears and tigers to spread his power and virtue, and to secure the interior and defend against foreign aggression.

We hereby appoint Jia Tang, acting guerrilla general of the Northern Route Patrol Battalion of the Liaodong Army, who has always been loyal and courageous. He rose from the ranks and has accumulated numerous merits.

With skillful planning and decisive action, he led from the front, breaking through enemy lines, burning their supplies, beheading their generals, and capturing their flags. The enemy fled in the night, and the border was brought at peace.

All this is because you are braver than anyone else in the army and have exceptional wisdom and strategy, which has enabled you to achieve extraordinary feats, make outstanding contributions to the country, and have made great contributions. I am very pleased with you.

Meritorious service is rewarded according to the established laws of the state. Therefore, you are hereby granted the title of First-Class Viscount and the rank of General Huaiyuan, with the position of Commander.

You shall respectfully obey my command and not go against my will.

Therefore, this imperial edict is hereby issued for your utmost respect!

Everyone in the Jia family kowtowed and shouted, "We thank His Majesty for His grace!"

After hearing the thanks, Xia Shouzhong quickly stepped forward to help Grandmother Jia up, handed her the neatly arranged imperial edict, and congratulated her, saying, "Congratulations, Madam! Lord Jia has distinguished himself in battle in Liaodong, beheading enemy generals and then the enemy chieftain, achieving a great merit that will advance him to the Outer Realm. It won't be long before the court gains another second-tier Grand Master. This is an initial reward from the Emperor Emeritus; His Majesty will bestow further rewards upon his return to the capital to present the captured prisoners."

Grandmother Jia received the imperial edict, her face beaming as she listened to Xia Shouzhong finish speaking. She couldn't help but say happily, "Thank you, Your Excellency, for your kind words."

Then he turned to Jia She and said, "Serve the tea!"

Jia She quickly took out a silver note from his sleeve and handed it to Xia Shouzhong, saying, "Thank you for your care, Your Excellency. This is just a small token of my appreciation."

Xia Shouzhong looked down and exclaimed, "Wow, a thousand taels!"

He reached out and took it, smiling as he said, "I thank you for your kindness, Madam. This old servant must return to the palace to report, so I won't stay any longer. I'll take my leave now."

After saying this, he led his men out through the ceremonial gate.

After watching Xia Shouzhong and the others leave, Grandmother Jia said to Jia Zhen, "Zhen'er, quickly open the ancestral hall. I want to respectfully inform our ancestors that future generations will obtain military merits and titles."