Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

After Princess Zhaoyang returned to Weiyang Palace, she was questioned by the Empress Dowager.

She only said that she went to Prince Xiao's residence to see her unfortunate younger brother.

The Empress Dowager looked at her for a long time and then sighed, "You don't need to compromise like this. If you are unwilling, I have my own ways to keep you by my side."

Princess Zhaoyang was deeply moved upon hearing this.

She naturally understood the Empress Dowager's meaning. If the Empress Dowager insisted on opposing this matter, the marriage alliance might not be able to proceed.

However, she herself did not want the Empress Dowager to lose face because of her.

The marriage alliance was a matter strongly advocated by the court, her father, and even her grandmother, the Dowager Consort. She did not want the Empress Dowager and these people to move towards an unfavorable situation of confrontation.

Moreover, marriage alliances are matters of state. Although the Empress Dowager is favored by the Emperor, if she obstructs this matter, the Emperor will probably be unhappy.

Therefore, this is why she took the initiative to request a marriage alliance before the Empress Dowager could speak out.

The Empress Dowager had doted on her since she was a child and had already sacrificed so much for her. She had also reminded her before to choose a husband as soon as possible.

In other words, her current situation is entirely due to her own willfulness.

Since that's the case, how could she be so selfish as to put the Empress Dowager in a disadvantageous situation because of her own affairs? Forcibly suppressing the emotion in her heart, Princess Zhaoyang smiled and said, "Grandmother, you are overthinking it. Zhaoyang does not feel wronged, nor is she unwilling."

Grandmother has long wanted to marry Zhaoyang off, and now that her wish can finally be fulfilled, Grandmother should be happy.

Grandmother had never met the Oirat prince. He wasn't as filthy and uncouth as the legends portrayed. I thought he was quite knowledgeable about our Central Plains etiquette and could even speak Han Chinese. Actually, marrying him was no different from marrying a Central Plains man.

The Empress Dowager frowned and said, "Do you know how far the Oirat royal court is from the Central Plains? It's thousands of miles away."

Once you go there, you'll probably never have the chance to return to the Central Plains in this lifetime.

"Although it's a bit far, how could there be no chance to come back?"

"Hasn't the Oirat prince already arrived in the capital? It must have just been delayed by a few months on the journey..."

Princess Zhaoyang spoke so lightly that the Empress Dowager couldn't tell whether she truly didn't understand or was just pretending to be naive to comfort her.

"Are you really not going to regret it?"

"She's not even married yet, what's there to regret..."

Hearing the hint of shyness in Zhaoyang's voice, the Empress Dowager felt quite puzzled.

Could it be that this girl has actually taken a fancy to that Oirat prince?

If that were true, she would feel a little better.

In truth, she had long known that Zhaoyang had grown up and would eventually leave her side. She simply wanted her to marry a talented young man from the capital, so that he could frequently visit her in the palace.

However, the Empress Dowager was not a selfish person, nor did she necessarily intend to marry Zhaoyang into a family of an official in the capital. If Zhaoyang truly met someone she liked, even if he was a local general, it wouldn't matter.

What she least wanted was for Zhaoyang to follow in her elder sister's footsteps and go down the path of a political marriage.

But things didn't go as planned, and the situation she least wanted to happen actually occurred.

Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager felt a chill run down her spine.

She knew that Consort Li had played a significant role in this affair. That madwoman, just to make herself uncomfortable, had even gone so far as to harm Zhaoyang, her own granddaughter!

It seems the ancients were right: kindness is often taken advantage of. Over the years, I have indeed been too tolerant of her, which is why, even though the emperor has only just secured his throne, she has been able to provoke me time and time again.

Since that's the case, then don't blame yourself for being ruthless...

……

Just two days later, Jia Lian was indeed summoned by Emperor Ningkang.

Just as Princess Zhaoyang had said, the emperor appointed him as the envoy to escort the princess to the Oirat royal court. He held the imperial sword of the Shangfang Division and, as a third-rank official or below, had the power to execute first and report later.

"The imperial court has decided that the princess will be escorted out of the capital in a month."

You can go to the Ministry of Rites for related matters; there will be someone in charge who will explain them to you in detail.

You should also go down and make thorough preparations, and ensure that all necessary handovers are completed in advance. This escort of the princess to the Oirat royal court is of paramount importance and cannot be allowed to fail.

Even if everything goes smoothly, I expect it will still take at least a year.

Don't start complaining yet. As long as you do a good job on this mission, when you return, I will not only reinstate you to your original position, but also...

As he spoke, Emperor Ningkang glanced at Jia Lian and said, "Besides, haven't you always wanted to emulate your ancestors, serve on the battlefield, and make contributions to the country?"

"I can promise you, if you complete this mission well, I will promote your general's rank to the equivalent fifth rank!"

Jia Lian was startled.

The so-called five ranks of nobility are, of course, duke, marquis, earl, viscount, and baron.

Since the reign of Emperor Taizu, in order to avoid having too many noble families and thus becoming a burden on the court and the army, a new system of general ranks was created in this dynasty.

Those who are granted the fifth rank of nobility can only inherit the title of general if their descendants do not achieve merit on the battlefield.

Among them, a duke is demoted to a first-class general, a marquis is demoted to a second-class general, and similarly, an earl, viscount, or baron is demoted to a third, fourth, or fifth-class general, respectively.

A fifth-rank general is already a fifth-rank official, the lowest rank of nobility.

If a family hasn't risen to prominence by the time they reach the fifth rank of general, they will be stripped of their title. This is the most direct manifestation of the saying, "The blessings of a virtuous person end after five generations."

In fact, only dukes and marquises could survive five generations. Lower-ranking officials like earls, viscounts, and barons would simply disappear before five generations were even up to that point.

Of course, if they performed well, after becoming a fifth-rank general, the court would usually grant some hereditary military officer positions to the eldest son of the legitimate wife. This was the court's final preferential treatment to the families of meritorious officials.

Thanks to this strict system of demoting noble titles, the number of people with noble titles has decreased over the past century in the Great Wei Dynasty, so that noble titles have not put too much pressure on the court.

Now that Emperor Ningkang has actually promised to change Jia Lian's general's rank to a fifth-rank rank, it's practically a blatant declaration to Jia Lian.

Kid, I have high hopes for you. Keep up the good work, and you'll earn military merit.

Therefore, Jia Lian immediately expressed his willingness to die for the emperor: "Your humble servant thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness and vows to protect the princess's safety with his life!"

Get up.

Emperor Ningkang was very pleased with Jia Lian's strong reaction.

"The reason I appointed you as the envoy to escort the bride is that I actually have another task for you."

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian bowed and awaited instructions.

"On your way to the Oirat royal court, you will inevitably have to cross the northwestern desert. You should pay attention to the local customs and landscape..."

In addition, the imperial court has already agreed with the Oirat envoys that, in order to maintain the dignity and prestige of our superior princess, a Han palace will be built in the Oirat royal court for her to reside in.

You will also be responsible for this matter, but I will arrange for officials from the Ministry of Works to assist you.

Therefore, you will be staying at the Oirat royal court for quite some time. Take this opportunity to thoroughly investigate the situation both inside and outside the Oirat royal court. Furthermore, ascertain whether the Oirat royal court is truly allied with our dynasty. If you discover any disloyalty on their part, be sure to send a message back to the capital immediately.

This is of utmost importance, and it is the reason why I appointed you as the envoy to escort the bride. Do you understand?

Jia Lian was alarmed upon hearing this, for it seemed that Emperor Ningkang intended to wage war against the Oirat Mongols.

Otherwise, why bother to investigate the strength and weakness of the Oirat royal court? If it were just ordinary news, a few spies would have found out. But Emperor Ningkang went to the trouble of arranging for himself, the future general, to do this personally, which was clearly preparation for the future when the army would be at the city gates.

That makes sense; being so young should lower the Oirat people's guard...

From this perspective, Emperor Ningkang certainly went to great lengths. However, if Emperor Ningkang intended to wage war against the Oirats, why was he willing to marry his beloved daughter to them?

Is it really true that there is no kinship in the imperial family, and that sacrificing a woman is a matter of course in the face of the court's interests?

I almost asked that question, but I held back.

As I said before, there was no room for him to speak out on this matter; asking would only displease Emperor Ningkang.

"Your Majesty, I understand and will certainly not fail in your trust!"

……