Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

When Cui Yaosheng heard that the palace eunuchs had arrived, he instinctively assumed that it was Consort Zhou from the palace who had persuaded the emperor to support the Zhou family.

Now let's see what you do, kid.

Cui Yaosheng then smiled happily at the surrounding officials and said, "Let's go, let's all go out and see what good fortune our newly appointed commander has brought to our military command..."

The officials, each with their own thoughts, followed him out of the main hall.

But they were all stunned for a moment.

Along the main thoroughfare leading directly to the street outside, countless eunuchs from the academy stood in two rows, carrying trays of various colors, slowly approaching them.

At the very front, a grand eunuch dressed in a red and black robe with colorful patterns walked over with a smile, holding a ruyi whisk in his hand.

Although none of them recognized the chief eunuch, they could guess from his attire and imposing manner that he must be one of the highest-ranking eunuchs in the palace.

In truth, eunuchs were despised by all civil and military officials, but that only applied to those civil officials who considered themselves to be of high moral character.

Because eunuchs were the emperor's messengers and wielded considerable power, civil and military officials usually only dared to look down on them in private. When they actually saw a high-ranking eunuch to his face, they were all incredibly polite. They all knew that eunuchs were typically very petty, and if you offended them, they might sabotage you behind your back someday…

Therefore, the officials of the Military Affairs Bureau, who had never been qualified to come into contact with eunuchs of such a high rank before, were somewhat reserved when they saw Qiu Shi'an, the chief eunuch of the inner court, walking over. They were thinking about how to greet such an important figure.

The other person greeted them with a smile, cupping his hands in a gesture of respect and saying, "Hehehe, Lord Jia, we meet again..."

They were startled, turned their heads, and realized that the person on the other end was their boss greeting them.

Without hesitation, everyone quickly made way for each other.

Jia Lian greeted him with a smile: "So it's Old Man Qiu! What brings you here today?"

"What else could it be? It's naturally to carry out official business for the Emperor..."

Qiu Shi'an paused for a moment, glanced at the main hall of the Military Command, and laughed, "This is quite a nice place, hehehe. I've heard about Lord Jia's appointment here for a while, but I haven't had a chance to congratulate him. Please forgive me, Lord Jia."

In fact, Qiu Shi'an and Jia Lian were not familiar with each other at all; they had only met once.

These senior eunuchs understood the emperor's thoughts best. They knew that Jia Lian was currently favored by the emperor, so like Dai Quan, they all wanted to make a good impression in advance, which is why they showed such closeness.

Jia Lian naturally understood this principle, so he cooperated by exchanging a few pleasantries with him.

As expected, Qiu Shi'an turned around and explained his purpose: "Congratulations, Lord Jia! I have come today on the Emperor's orders to deliver a reward to you..."

"Lord Jia, please receive the imperial decree."

Jia Lian and the others hurriedly knelt down in front of the hall.

Qiu Shi'an did not produce the imperial edict, but instead loudly proclaimed:

"Emperor's Decree:"

The General bestowed upon Jia Lian, Commander of the Western City Garrison, one hundred taels of gold, one thousand taels of silver, five imperial horses, twelve bolts of palace brocade, and a bamboo-shaped green ruyi scepter, in recognition of his bravery in battle and his numerous meritorious achievements.

So be it.

After Qiu Shi'an finished speaking, he asked Jia Lian to stand up, then handed him a simple list and said with a smile, "His Majesty is very kind to you, Lord Jia. His Majesty said that you should continue to work hard and manage Xicheng well for him. He will give you important responsibilities in the future."

By the way, this is the list of rewards His Majesty gave you. Would you like to take a look at it, Lord Jia?

"You flatter me, sir. Please come inside for tea..."

"Hehe, okay."

Jia Lian then led Qiu Shi'an into the hall, leaving only the officials of the Military Command at the doorway, looking at the well-behaved eunuchs below, exchanging bewildered glances.

Those exquisite imperial gifts, all decorated with yellow silk, shone brightly and were so dazzling.

Fan Jin and the others fell silent, all looking at Cui Yaosheng, who had been so smug before but was now ashen-faced.

Shaking their heads, they had no time to mourn for Cui Yaosheng. They all needed to consider how to quickly gain a foothold by Jia Lian's side, hoping to benefit from his influence in the future...

……

Qiu Shi'an sat for only a short while, subtly revealing the emperor's intentions to him, before taking his leave.

Jia Lian personally saw them off. After returning, he first instructed Zhao'er and others to arrange for all the emperor's gifts to be sent home. Then, he returned to the main hall, looked at the officials gathered around, and said with a smile, "Today is the Lantern Festival, and there will surely be many people out enjoying themselves. All of you gentlemen have important responsibilities. Go and make arrangements according to yesterday's plan. If you find any problems, report them immediately."

All the officials said in unison that those who had been assigned tasks quickly went to make arrangements, while those who had not been assigned tasks stood in place, waiting for instructions.

Looking at Cui Yaosheng, who was walking up behind him with a dejected expression, Jia Lian said apologetically, "I didn't know that Lord Cui would be coming to the yamen today, so when I was arranging things yesterday afternoon, I didn't take Lord Cui into consideration..."

Well then, since the yamen has enough manpower, why don't you take today off, Lord Cui, go home and spend some time with your family and take good care of your daughter? That's the only thing I can do for you."

Upon hearing this, Cui Yaosheng looked up and glanced around the hall, only to find that apart from Jia Lian, no one else was giving him a second glance.

Even those subordinates he had personally promoted ignored his gaze.

A sudden wave of sorrow washed over him. He bowed slightly to Jia Lian and left the hall without a word.

Just as the officials in the Military Affairs Bureau had predicted, three days later, a document from the Ministry of War was delivered directly to the Cui residence.

Cui Yaosheng was reprimanded for dereliction of duty, abuse of power, greed, cruelty, and bribery; he was hereby dismissed from his post.

From then on, everyone in the military command respected Jia Lian above all others.

……

On that day, when Jia Lian saw the last gift the emperor bestowed upon him, which was a bamboo ruyi, he understood the emperor's meaning.

In short, as an emperor, one needs to know how to appoint people to positions of authority; at the same time, as a subject, one also needs to be able to understand the emperor's intentions in order to carry out the imperial mission well.

When Jia Lian was first appointed by the emperor as the commander of the Western City Military Command, he guessed that the emperor probably just wanted him to gain experience in this place and, incidentally, manage the Western City, which was full of powerful and influential people, on behalf of the emperor...

Therefore, Jia Lian publicly flogged Zhou Sheng on the street yesterday, then arrested him and took him back to the yamen, refusing to release him no matter who tried to persuade him.

It was also to test the emperor's intentions.

If the emperor wanted him to be impartial and incorruptible, then he would be impartial and incorruptible.

Otherwise, I will learn from my predecessors and be more wise.

Clearly, the emperor's gift of the bamboo ruyi was a clear message to him: one must have integrity...

Jia Lian could easily see this, but then he thought that even if the emperor praised his actions, there was no need to do anything more for such a small matter; silence was the best attitude.

However, the very next day, the emperor, under the pretext of praising his battlefield achievements, sent a chief eunuch to contact him. Clearly, the emperor's intention was that his brother-in-law could be beaten or imprisoned, but Zhou Niangniang and the palace should be given some face, and he should not be imprisoned for a year or two in accordance with the law.

This point was confirmed in the conversation with Qiu Shi'an.

Therefore, Jia Lian naturally knew what to do.

……

Meanwhile, the Zhou family waited a day for news but received no reply from the palace. The next day, however, they heard that the emperor had sent someone to reward Jia Lian handsomely.

Anyone who isn't a fool can see what the emperor means.

For a time, Mrs. Zhou and the old lady were crying their hearts out at home, feeling as if their beloved grandson (son) was beyond saving...

Zhou Hongchang had no choice but to give up his wishful thinking and his pride as the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial. He put on plain clothes, took only two or three servants with him, and went to the Military Command himself.

Along the way, I saw the people of the city dressed in new clothes, out to enjoy themselves and prepare for the Lantern Festival. Their faces were beaming with smiles, but I felt even more bitter inside.

Upon arriving at the military headquarters and requesting an audience with the commander, they were not given any difficulties and were quickly seen by Jia Lian in the inner room.

"Haha, I had no idea Lord Zhou would grace us with his presence. I am so sorry for not greeting you properly..."

Jia Lian walked in from the back hall and saw Zhou Hongchang sitting there. He immediately stepped forward with a beaming smile to greet him.

Zhou Hongchang hurriedly stood up to return the greeting, and then looked at Jia Lian, who was handsome and had a somewhat ethereal air about him. Even though he loathed Jia Lian to death, Zhou Hongchang couldn't help but be impressed. What a good-looking young man!

After a brief greeting, Jia Lian took the host's seat and, pretending not to understand, inquired about Zhou Hongchang's purpose.

Zhou Hongchang didn't expose Jia Lian's lie, "I've come here with a request that I'm reluctant to make..."

My unworthy son is arrogant and disrespectful, and has violated the law. Fortunately, Lord Jia corrected him in time, preventing a major disaster. I thank you in advance.

"No, no, Lord Zhou, you're too polite..." Jia Lian looked at Zhou Hongchang with a smile, secretly admiring him.

He is a person who can be flexible and adaptable.

"However, when my mother heard that her grandson had committed a crime, she was so anxious that her old illness relapsed. Seeking doctors and medicine was of no use. The only person she thought about was her grandson."

"I have no choice but to shamelessly beg Lord Jia to temporarily release my son so he can go home. If this can save my mother's life, I will be eternally grateful and will remember Lord Jia's kindness for the rest of my life..."

Zhou Hongchang spoke with deep sorrow and rose to bow to Jia Lian.

Jia Lian quickly stepped forward to help him up, and said just as sincerely, "Lord Zhou's filial piety is truly moving. However..."

Alas, to be honest, what your son did was not a serious crime. However, with so many people witnessing it, I had no choice but to act in accordance with the law.

However, I know that your son acted impulsively, and for the sake of Lady Zhou, according to the circumstances of your son's crime, he should have been imprisoned for a year... I have taken it upon myself to decide that after two months, I will release your son to go home because of his good attitude in admitting his mistake.

This is already the maximum authority I have.

Now that I hear the old lady is seriously ill, I desperately want to send your son home to visit his grandmother, but doing so would mean failing the people, and His Majesty might also blame me… I'm in a difficult position.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Hongchang knew that appealing to emotions wouldn't work, so he immediately gave his attendant a wink, who then brought over a wooden table.

Zhou Hongchang took it and placed it on the table, sighing, "I know that Lord Jia is in a difficult position... However, I have heard that the Military Command has a rule that if a criminal who has only disturbed public order sincerely repents and is willing to pay the fine in full, he can be exempted from imprisonment."

I wonder if, based on my son's crimes, eight hundred taels of silver is enough to pay the fine?

"Please rest assured, sir. After we return, I will ensure that my son is properly disciplined and will not repeat the mistake, causing you any further distress..."

"There is indeed such a rule, but..."

Jia Lian pondered for a long time, then seemed to grit his teeth and said, "Fine, we are officials in the same court, and I dare not disrespect Lord Zhou. Even if His Majesty finds out and blames me, I will accept it."

"Guards, please bring Young Master Zhou out here..."

Zhou Hongchang cursed inwardly, but still said sincerely, "In that case, thank you for your magnanimity, sir. On behalf of my son and Grandmother Jia, I thank you in advance."

"Not at all, Lord Zhou, you're too kind..."

After watching Zhou Hongchang lead the still somewhat limping Zhou Sheng away, Jia Lian entered the room and lifted the cover off the wooden table on the table.

Sure enough, there were neatly arranged silver ingots, and with Jia Lian's keen eye, he could tell at a glance that it was indeed a full eight hundred taels.

The Zhou family is really generous.

You should know that back then, it only cost him a thousand taels of silver to buy the official position of Tongzhi.

They had half of it packed, and then the rest was taken to the military headquarters' accounting office.

The Bingma Division is indeed quite lucrative; this kind of "extortion" is just the tip of the iceberg. The real money comes from the "management fees" charged to the street vendors.

Therefore, the Military Command distributes "benefits" every quarter, and everyone from top to bottom receives one. As the commander of the Military Command, he naturally gets the lion's share.

Since he's just taken office, let's all benefit from this first foreign investment deal.

A slow and steady approach will yield results; there's plenty of time ahead...