Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting from Immortal Martial Arts

December 26th, 6:45 AM.

A troop of Imperial Guards, clad in armor and wielding spears, marched in orderly ranks, completely surrounding the decorated pavilions of each prefecture. Outside the pavilions, figures moved about, and footsteps echoed incessantly—civil and military officials were entering.

At 7:45 AM, a high-pitched voice rang out: "His Majesty has arrived! Your subjects kneel to welcome him!"

Upon hearing the sound, everyone, both inside and outside the tent, knelt and kowtowed, waiting for Emperor Changwu to enter the innermost throne of the imperial palace.

"Rise!"

Upon hearing the eunuch shout again, everyone rose and returned to their seats, waiting for the ceremony to begin.

A little while later, everyone felt the ground tremble slightly, and the sound of horses' hooves gradually subsided. The army had arrived and was just waiting for noon.

After a short while, an official from the Ministry of Rites shouted loudly, "Play the grand music, fire the cannon salute, the army is returning in triumph!"

"Waaah~"

The grand and majestic music of "The Great Zhao Pacifies the Four Directions" was played in great force.

After the ceremony and music ended, the crowd saw through the lifted tent flap that Niu Jizong and other generals from the Beijing garrison dismounted and walked in.

Niu Jizong and the others walked to the throne and knelt on one knee.

"Your subject Niu Jizong greets Your Majesty, wishing you utmost respect and peace."

"I am well. All generals, rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After standing up, Niu Jizong straightened his armor, clasped his hands and said loudly, "Your subject has been ordered to lead the troops of the left and right detachments of the Five Armies Camp and the left and right detachments of the Three Thousand Camp to aid Liaodong and defend the border."

Under the sway of His Majesty's divine might, after thirty-two days, the reinforcements from the capital and the garrison troops of Liaodong jointly beheaded more than 62,000 enemy soldiers and captured 2,354, returning in great victory.

"We hereby present the captives to Your Majesty to demonstrate the might of our Great Zhao Army!"

"Excellent!" Emperor Changwu exclaimed, clapping his hands with great joy.

At this moment, the officers of the Imperial Guard cracked their whips to silence the crowd, and the Master of Ceremonies of the Court of State Ceremonies announced loudly, "Present the captives!"

Accompanied by the long sound of horns and the beat of war drums, Jia Tang, who had already dismounted and lined up to wait, shouted "Advance!" upon hearing the announcement of "presenting captives." The soldiers then proceeded in order, escorting squads of Tartars bound by iron chains toward the throne of Emperor Changwu.

Upon hearing the horn sound a second time, the Jia family members inside the decorated pavilion rose to look out and saw a well-organized, heavily armed, and fiercely armed army marching in, led by a burly, golden-armored general with menacing eyes.

"Click!"

"Click!"

The armor gleamed coldly in the sunlight, and an overwhelming killing intent emanated from it.

The girls trembled with excitement upon seeing it, and Xichun kept muttering, "That's my brother! I saw my brother!"

Jia Baoyu was so shocked that he was stunned and went into a hysterical state. This was not what he had expected. How could a smelly, mud-made warrior be so captivating?

When Jia Tang escorted the prisoners to within a hundred paces of Emperor Changwu's tent, he shouted "Stop!" and everyone halted, knelt on one knee, saluted, and loudly greeted, "Greetings, Your Majesty, may you be well."

"Very well, I am at peace."

After looking at the neat and imposing military formation, Emperor Changwu repeatedly praised them.

"This humble general, Jia Tang, now presents the 2,354 captured Khalkha tribesmen captured by the Liaodong army on the banks of the Linghe River outside the pass. They await further instructions."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Changwu straightened his dragon robe, rose, and went to the entrance of the temporary imperial tent. With a stern expression, he shouted loudly, "Take it!"

The surrounding civil and military officials also mustered their martial spirit and literary energy, and roared "Take it!"

The sound was like thunder, awe-inspiring and majestic.

The Tartars were already terrified and collapsed to the ground. A squad of Imperial Guards dragged the Tartar generals away to the suburban temple for a sacrificial ceremony. Then, squads of Imperial Guards entered the scene and escorted the Tartars to various execution grounds in the inner city for beheading. The rest were taken to the Ministry of Rites and distributed to the residences of civil and military officials.

Immediately after Jia Tang began, the soldiers echoed, "We wish Your Majesty ten thousand years of life, and may the Great Zhao Dynasty last ten thousand years!"

The civil and military officials around him, as well as the common people watching outside the city, all cheered for "ten thousand years".

After the soldiers withdrew, Jia Tang quickly returned to his position behind Niu Jizong and the others. The master of ceremonies announced loudly, "Present the imperial edict of congratulations."

The officials in charge would place the tray before the throne, kneel down and read the text aloud, then place it back on the tray and return to the queue.

All procedures have been completed, and only the rewards for meritorious service are awaited.

At this moment, Emperor Changwu was in high spirits: "All generals, step forward to receive your titles."

Upon hearing this, all the generals in the army stepped forward.

"First-class Earl Niu Jizong stepped forward to receive his title."

"Your subject is here."

"Because of..., he was promoted to the rank of Imperial Guard."

"Chen Ruiwen, the hereditary third-rank general of Weizhen, stepped forward to receive his title."

"Your subject is here."

"Because of his good coordination and skill in battle, he was promoted to the rank of Second Class Viscount and given the title of Zhaowu General, commanding the troops of the Left Wing of the Five Armies."

"Jia Tang, a third-class sergeant, stepped forward to receive his title."

"Your subordinate is here."

Jia Tang strode forward and knelt on one knee.

"Jia Tang raised troops in Qi, and his military strategy was extraordinary. He broke through enemy camps and killed generals. He was brave and unparalleled. He was granted the title of Earl of the County, the title of Wuying, and was awarded the rank of General Anyuan. He was promoted to General of the Jiangnan Grand Camp and awarded the bullfighting robe."

"This humble general kowtows to express his gratitude to Your Majesty for your divine favor." Jia Tang thanked the emperor and accepted the reward.

Upon hearing of this reward, the civil and military officials around him expressed a variety of emotions, including admiration, envy, jealousy, and resentment.

Previously, the Emperor had promoted him to Commander of the Capital Garrison, and now he has been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, directly commanding two battalions of troops. He is truly not to be underestimated.

"This is the first major military event since I ascended the throne, and the rewards are exceptional. You have risen to a high position at a young age, and I hope that you will be down-to-earth and not be overly ambitious."

"Yes, Your Majesty's teachings will be remembered by this humble general."

Emperor Changwu smiled and continued, "Now that you are a count, I will bestow upon you a count's mansion, built to the specifications of a marquis's mansion, located to the west of the Rong Mansion."

"Thank you for the reward, Your Majesty."

Jia Tang stood up and looked around. He saw the crowd inside the Jia family's decorated tent and waved slightly.

The people inside the decorated pavilion had varying feelings upon seeing this: Grandmother Jia's eyes were slightly red, seemingly both happy and sad; Jia She's eyes were filled with relief, but his expression was somewhat sorrowful; Madam Xing had a smile on her face; Jia Zheng's face was flushed as he gently stroked his beard; Madam Wang's face was stiff, and her eyes twitched; Jia Zhen and Madam You were both beaming with joy.

The other women were also rosy-cheeked, their delicate bodies trembling, captivated by the magnificent aura, utterly mesmerized by the beauty.

Especially Wang Xifeng, who was stunned by the army, slumped weakly in her chair, her legs tightly pressed together, her delicate hands constantly rubbing the hem of her clothes, her eyes glazed over, her breath coming in ragged gasps, her body trembling.

After a short while, the bestowal of rewards was completed. Amidst the kneeling obeisance of the crowd, the emperor returned to the palace. Subsequently, civil and military officials and households from various prefectures and households dispersed in turn. The military generals led their troops back to their garrison in the capital, settled their soldiers, and returned to their residences after receiving the rewards sent by the Ministry of Revenue.

······

Ningguo Mansion, main hall.

The Jia family members gathered in the main hall and sat down in order. Grandmother Jia held the imperial edict that Xia Shouzhong had just read aloud in her arms. After taking a sip of tea served by the maids, she said with great interest, "I've said a lot today. During the ceremony, several of the old princesses took the initiative to talk to me. Why is that? It's because of the respect my good grandson has brought me."

"Look at the imposing manner Yu Yin displayed today when he presented the captives; it was comparable to when the Duke was alive. Second son's wife, tell the servants to behave themselves. Yu Yin has always been strict in managing the household, and now that he has just returned from the battlefield and been granted the title of Earl, he exudes a strong aura of menace. If he catches you, don't come begging me; this old woman doesn't want to be disliked."

Grandmother Jia spoke quite a bit today, finding it difficult to fully express her excitement, and also to give everyone a reminder.

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the main hall froze. The maids and servants standing nearby dared not utter a sound, for they could not forget the conflict in the mansion a few years ago.

Madam Wang's expression froze for a moment, then she said with a tense face, "Don't worry, Mother-in-law, I will definitely give the people in the household a good talking-to."

The old lady nodded, then said, "Zhen'er, inform the Jia clan members to come and pay respects to our ancestors, and send invitations to all the elders in the family. We will hold a banquet the day after tomorrow to celebrate my grandson's birthday. Let's have a good time."

"Don't worry, Ancestor, leave it to me," Jia Zhen said, patting his chest confidently.

···

At Fucheng Gate in the west of the city, Lai Sheng and his servant waited at the city gate, while Jia Rong drank tea at a tea stall on Fucheng Street.

"Uncle Rong, Master Yu is here."

Jia Rong stood up and looked around. He saw about thirty elite cavalrymen surging towards the official road outside Fucheng Gate, followed by a long caravan. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the one leading the procession was none other than his second uncle.

As soon as Jia Tang rode his horse through the city gate, several people jumped out from the side and knelt down, shouting "Greetings, Lord Yu!" A young man in fine clothes and a magnificent crown stood beside him, bowing repeatedly.

Jia Tang waved his hand to stop Jia Rong and said to the servant, "An, get up."

"Second Uncle, our ancestors are waiting for you to open the ancestral hall for the ancestral worship ceremony. Let's go back quickly."

"You go back first. I need to go to the Ministry of War to register some personal guards. It will take a while," Jia Tang said, shaking his head.

As they were talking, several riders came galloping from a distance. The one in the lead was Xia Shouzhong, who had just come from Ningguo Mansion. He started shouting from afar, "Earl Wuying, come quickly with me to the palace. His Majesty summons you."

Jia Tang was startled. After answering loudly, he said to those around him, "Jia Ping, go to the Ministry of War to register and make a list. Rong'er and Jia An, take the caravan back first. On it are the spoils of war and some other items that I brought from Liaodong. Have your sister-in-law distribute them to each household and put them in the storeroom."

After saying this, he led Jia He and the others away on horseback.

After dismounting at the palace gate and handing the weapons to Jia He, Xia Shouzhong led him to the study in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Emperor Changwu was resting with his eyes closed against a soft cushion, and incense was slowly burning beside him.

Xia Shouzhong walked over, called out softly, and stood to one side, awaiting instructions.

"This humble general pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Get up.

Jia Tang, still in his armor, performed a half-bow and rose, awaiting Emperor Changwu's instructions.

"My dear friend, please give me a seat."

After Jia Tang sat down, Emperor Changwu pointed to the memorial on the imperial desk in front of him and said, "This is a secret report sent by the Yangzhou spies of the Flying Eagle Division a few days ago. Take a look."

Xia Shouzhong stepped forward, picked up the memorial, and handed it to Jia Tang.

After taking it, Jia Tang examined it carefully. He was first surprised. Good heavens, the salt tax loss during the five years of Emperor Changwu's reign totaled more than 21 million taels.

A deficit of over four million yuan in salt tax revenue per year is no small amount.

Continuing down, the final line reads: "Suspected collusion between salt merchants and the Incense-Wenxing Cult; the Salt Inspector was assassinated; three of the Jia family's soldiers were killed."