Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Since the day Jia She rejected the elders' request and refused to grant Jia Lian the title, some rumors have gradually spread in both mansions.

Second Master Lian was not favored by the First Master. The First Master's favorite son was actually Third Master Cong. The First Master wanted to pass the title to Third Master Cong, which was why he refused to request a title for Second Master Lian.

Another version of the story says that Jia She actually wanted to emulate the old Duke, passing the title to Second Master Lian and having him continue living there, while leaving the property in the east wing to Third Master Cong for him to inherit...

There's an even more astonishing claim that Second Master Lian wasn't truly filial; his feigned filial piety was all an act. Others couldn't see through it, but the First Master noticed, which is why he disliked him so much. It's also said that Second Master Lian, under the guise of caring for the First Master during his illness, actually imprisoned him, refusing him medicine and forbidding him from seeing outsiders!

The rumors, some true and some false, were spread by those with ulterior motives, causing a great uproar.

Jia Lian held this in contempt. If Jia She were still alive, damaging his reputation might have been somewhat useful. Now that Jia She was in this state, was it too late to think of this now?

Despite this, Jia Lian still did not let it go unchecked.

Anyone caught spreading rumors would be interrogated separately, then pinned down in front of the east courtyard gate and given dozens of hard lashes.

On the one hand, he would make three trips a day to invite the elders of the entire clan to visit Jia She.

With this two-pronged approach, the rumors gradually disappeared without causing any adverse effects on Jia Lian. On the contrary, it made it clear to discerning people that there were villains plotting against him behind the scenes.

As for who it was, under Jia Lian's deliberate guidance, many people could guess and couldn't help but scoff.

"Truly a toad lusting after a swan, only dreaming of easy things!"

Sister Feng was especially angry and was about to spit in someone's face when Jia Lian stopped her.

Given Wang Xifeng's tendency to insult people by pointing out their weaknesses, if she were to make a scene, she would only embarrass the other person without achieving anything meaningful, and would also lose face herself.

With the New Year holidays over, all the government offices in the capital began to resume their daily work. A troop of soldiers drove up Ningrong Street and stopped directly at the entrance of the East Wing Courtyard.

The gatekeepers of Ningguo Mansion and Rongguo Mansion saw this and rushed in to report the news.

Jia Lian, who was in the east courtyard, received the news immediately. He quickly tidied himself up and came out. Seeing the person in the lead, he was quite surprised and immediately stepped forward to bow, saying, "Greetings, Second Uncle. May I ask what brings you here?"

Zhang Song, the Director of the Department of Military Affairs of the Ministry of War, seemed completely unaware of Jia She's illness. He looked at Jia Lian with a smile and said, "It's a happy occasion for you in the Ministry. The Minister knows our relationship, so he specially entrusted me with handling it."

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian roughly guessed what was going on and bowed in response.

Zhang Song reached out and took the document from his attendant. Behind Jia Lian, the gatekeepers of the east courtyard, mistaking it for an imperial edict, all knelt down.

Having already served as an official once, Jia Lian naturally understood that the imperial edict of appointment issued by the emperor to the Ministry of War was to be sealed within the Ministry of War. What he could produce was the appointment document from the Ministry of War, so he was even more respectful.

Ignoring the reactions of others, Zhang Song began to read aloud:

"Entrusted with a mandate:"

Jia Lian was appointed as the commander of the Western City Military Command, and was given three days to take up his post.

The tenth day of the first month of the fifth year of the Ningkang era.

Zhang Song only read the first page of text before closing the document and handing it to Jia Lian.

Jia Lian took it and subconsciously opened it to take a look.

Besides what Zhang Song read aloud, there was a large amount of smaller text describing his identity, experience, and basic appearance, and it was stamped with the official seal of the Ministry of War.

This was his official document, his main proof of eligibility to take office.

Without examining it closely, Jia Lian closed the book and bowed to Zhang Song, saying, "Thank you, sir. I will certainly serve you loyally and live up to His Majesty's and the court's high expectations!"

Zhang Song nodded casually, then beckoned two Ministry of War clerks carrying trays over and said, "Inside are your official seal, official robes, and waist token. You must keep these things safe. If they are lost or damaged, you must report it to the Ministry of War immediately."

The following sentence is Zhang Song's extravagant explanation: he was worried that Jia Lian, being new to officialdom, would not understand these details and principles.

"Understood, sir." Jia Lian nodded, took the things, and seeing that Zhang Song had no other instructions, invited Zhang Song in for tea.

Zhang Song glanced at the gloomy east courtyard and shook his head: "I still have official business to attend to, so I won't linger here any longer. Remember to take up your post at the West City Military Command within the deadline and familiarize yourself with military affairs as soon as possible."

Jia Lian agreed, knowing that the Zhang family still couldn't stand Jia She, so he didn't insist. He respectfully invited Zhang Song into the carriage and watched him leave.

"Congratulations, Second Master! Congratulations, Second Master...!"

As soon as Zhang Song left, the servants and lackeys came forward one by one, kowtowing and offering their congratulations.

Some of them might not understand what official position their second master had been given, but who cares, they'll just pay their respects first.

Jia Lian beckoned these people to get up, then remained still, having already seen Jia Zhen leading his men over from the east and Jia Zheng from the west.

In the end, Jia Zhen ran faster. He stepped forward and smiled at Jia Lian, "Brother Lian, I heard you've been promoted again. What rank did you get this time?"

Jia Lian humbly shook his head, and only after Jia Zheng approached did he say, "I am not very familiar with the West City Military Command, so I would like to ask Brother Zhen to enlighten me."

"The West City Military Command? I'm very familiar with that. I deal with them often. They are in charge of the security and traffic of all the streets and roads in our West City. They are responsible for things like apprehending criminals and thieves, as well as fire prevention and curfew at night."

Oh, and the soldiers at the city gates are also under the jurisdiction of the Five City Garrison Command, which is a truly important department...

"So, Brother Lian was sent here?"

As Jia Zhen spoke, he hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Is it the commander? Or the deputy?"

Jia Zhen was very familiar with the Five Cities Garrison, which frequently dealt with wealthy and noble families.

The Five City Military Commands consisted of five separate offices: Central, East, South, West, and North. These offices were independent of each other, but all belonged to the Ministry of War and were under the control of the Beijing Garrison, making them a typical example of dual jurisdiction.

As for its status, it was a small government office, but it had a lot of trouble. And since it was in the capital city, where powerful people were everywhere, it was often the one that took the blame.

Upon hearing that Jia Lian had been transferred to such a place, Jia Zhen was both disappointed and pleased...

But then he thought again, Jia Lian was originally a fifth-rank official, so it made no sense that he would be demoted and reassigned after returning from a trip to the border. Therefore, it seemed that the only suitable positions for Jia Lian in the entire Western City Military Command were the positions of commander and deputy commander, one a fourth-rank official and the other a lower fourth-rank official...

Jia Lian laughed and said, "It's not a deputy."

"Tsk tsk tsk, congratulations, Brother Lian! At such a young age, you've already become the head of a local government office. Congratulations, congratulations!"

Jia Zhen received the expected reply, but couldn't help feeling a little sour.

This is a fourth-rank official, a fourth-rank official...

Brother, I'm only a third-rank official, only a third-rank official!

This is before the kid has inherited the title. Once he does, he'll completely surpass his father...

Jia Zheng, standing nearby, was filled with mixed emotions. However, when he saw Jia Lian looking over, he stroked his beard and pretended to be nonchalant, saying, "Hmm, not bad. The West City Military Command, although a small office, has great responsibilities. As its head, you must be loyal and devoted in the future to live up to His Majesty's favor and the court's trust..."

What could Jia Zheng say? Although he was not comparable in terms of literary and military skills, he was only four years old, he really was only four years old, and he was almost fifty!

And this kid won't be twenty for another two months...

Jia Lian cupped his hands to Jia Zheng and said, "Thank you for your encouragement, sir. I am young and inexperienced. I will need your guidance and support in my future career as an official."

Because Jia Lian spoke sincerely, Jia Zheng did not suspect that Jia Lian was mocking him, so he nodded slightly and said, "This is good news. The old lady is waiting. Go in and report to her yourself."

After saying this, Jia Zheng looked at Jia Zhen and said, "Now that you're here, go in and see the master."

"Yes."

So the two middle-aged and elderly people, feeling a pang of sadness, went in together, intending to take a good look at the living dead who was better off than them but could only lie in bed, hoping to find some happiness in return.

Only after they went inside did Jia Lian put away his humble expression.

He was a fourth-rank commander. Coincidentally, the highest position he held under Prince Teng was that of a commander of an army, which was also a mid-level fourth-rank military officer.

Of course, that was a temporary appointment on the battlefield and not a formal appointment, so after he returned to the capital, he still only held the position of a fifth-rank colonel.

The emperor then officially appointed him as commander, which shows that the emperor truly valued him.

Since the emperor is so thoughtful, it seems I must perform even better.

As for the official in charge of this scapegoat department... hey, catching petty thieves and setting fires, uh, I mean preventing fires, isn't bad, and he even has military power now, right? Although not much.

Therefore, Jia Lian looked again at the east wing and the Rongguo Mansion.

From this day forward, he will no longer have to be so timid and will be able to selectively use force to break the spell!

Speaking of which, why don't we just turn around and strangle Jia She...?

Please remember the original domain name of this book: _wap.