Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

The next morning, Jia Lian went to the palace to meet the emperor, only to find that someone had arrived earlier than him.

"Father, since that's the case, I'll go and assign the disaster relief tasks."

"Go."

"Your subject takes his leave."

As the Third Prince left the Southern Study, he nodded to Jia Lian in a friendly manner before leaving.

Observing his demeanor, Jia Lian thought to himself that since the land reclamation incident, the Crown Prince seemed to have lost favor. At the same time, the Third Prince had risen unexpectedly, seemingly enjoying the Emperor's favor and being entrusted with important responsibilities by Emperor Ningkang one after another.

Jia Lian did not believe that Emperor Ningkang had abandoned the Crown Prince, because the events of that time clearly had little to do with the Crown Prince; at most, he was implicated. However, Emperor Ningkang's continued coldness towards the Crown Prince only suggested that his heart was unfathomable.

"After the Lantern Festival, an earthquake struck the Hetao region, and several prefectures reported severe damage. I have appointed the Third Prince to take full charge of disaster relief." Seemingly noticing Jia Lian's confusion, Emperor Ningkang actually offered an explanation.

The so-called "earthquake" refers to an earthquake. Jia Lian was aware of this matter, but since it wasn't within his purview, he didn't know much about it.

But based on this, Jia Lian couldn't help but feel that being an emperor was quite difficult. The country was so vast, and the affairs so numerous, that ordinary people could hardly imagine it.

In particular, people are superstitious, and whenever a natural disaster strikes, it is easily seen as divine punishment caused by the emperor's lack of virtue. Therefore, although an earthquake affecting several prefectures could not have as great an impact as the floods and droughts affecting several provinces in previous years, Emperor Ningkang, who was then under the pressure of the retired emperor, probably dared not take it lightly.

After bowing deeply, Jia Lian praised the Third Prince a few times, and then, as was customary, reported the affairs of Tianjin to Emperor Ningkang.

"So, everything went smoothly, and Tianjin was able to build a fully-fledged modern navy within a year?"

"Your Majesty, that is indeed the case."

"very good!"

Emperor Ningkang looked at Jia Lian with a look of satisfaction in his eyes. No matter how capable an emperor is, he still needs a group of strong ministers to assist him, and clearly, Jia Lian's ability to handle affairs was as satisfactory as ever.

After discussing matters concerning the reform and strengthening of the navy, Jia Lian prepared to take his leave. Suddenly, Emperor Ningkang said, "I heard you returned to the capital yesterday and even visited an enemy..."

Jia Lian's heart skipped a beat, and he dared not be negligent, nodding in agreement.

"Is it because of the Xue Pan case? I've heard that the Jia family, the Xue family, the Shi family, and the Wang family are known as the four great families of Jinling. They have always been closely connected, sharing both prosperity and adversity. They have a very deep friendship."

Emperor Ningkang's words were not particularly tactful, but Jia Lian could still discern his displeasure.

Indeed, no monarch wants his subjects to form cliques and gain influence!

"Your Majesty, I have also heard people mention the title of the Four Great Families, but that is just a title bestowed by people who are fond of good deeds. The reason is probably that our ancestors were all close ministers who followed the founding emperor, and their relationship was closer than that of other meritorious officials. Also, we all came from the Jiangnan region, so there is such a saying."

But that's all in the past. Now all four of our families have declined and no longer possess the glory of our ancestors.

In today's Jinling Province, there are countless families far more powerful than ours. The title of "Four Great Families of Jinling" is no longer a fitting name.

Emperor Ningkang smiled slightly at Jia Lian's statement but did not express his opinion.

"As for my going to my enemy's house... I dare not lie before Your Majesty, it was indeed for Xue Pan's sake."

Upon hearing Jia Lian's admission, Emperor Ningkang raised an eyebrow and said unhappily, "That Xue Pan is arrogant and domineering. He killed someone in broad daylight. He is so audacious. If he is not severely punished, what will become of the laws and regulations of the country?"

You are a minister I value highly, with a bright future ahead of you. Do not let yourself be ruined by insignificant people.

Upon hearing Emperor Ningkang's words, Jia Lian's heart sank, knowing that the worst-case scenario had occurred. Emperor Ningkang not only knew about the case but also specifically warned him that under such circumstances, the chances of rescuing Xue Pan were practically zero.

Upon realizing this, Jia Lian immediately knelt down and pleaded guilty, saying, "Your Majesty, as a subject of the Great Wei, Jia Lian would never dare to disregard the law of the state for personal reasons."

I know Xue Pan is guilty, but I have no intention of exonerating him. Xue Pan is young and impetuous, causing trouble while drunk and even resulting in a death. He should be severely punished according to the law, and even a death sentence would not be excessive.

It's just a pity for the matriarch of the Xue family. She was a kind person all her life, but she raised such an unfilial child.

When the matriarch of the Xue family learned that her son had killed someone, she was heartbroken and felt sorry for the couple who had lost their son. She wanted to apologize, but now the Xue family had no male heirs except for Xue Pan.

Left with no other choice, she turned to me, asking me to represent the Xue family in offering sacrifices to the wronged souls of their enemies and to apologize to Lord Qiu and his wife.

Jia Lian's statement explained his reasons for going to his enemy's house, and since he admitted Xue Pan's guilt and stated that he would not protect Xue Pan, Emperor Ningkang could not say anything more.

He didn't care about the Xue family or Xue Pan in the first place; he only mentioned them to give Jia Lian a warning.

Just as I was about to let this matter pass, Jia Lian said again, "By the way, there is another matter I would like to report to Your Majesty."

"Speaking of which..."

"The matriarch of the Xue family was a devout Buddhist. Upon learning that her son had killed someone, she knew she was gravely guilty. She then heard about the earthquake in the Hetao region, which had displaced hundreds of thousands of people and caused countless mothers like her to lose their children. She then proposed to donate 50,000 taels of silver and 5,000 shi of grain for the court to provide relief to the disaster victims. I will convey this message on her behalf."

Emperor Ningkang was taken aback by Jia Lian's words, and then gave Jia Lian a disapproving look.

He immediately understood that the Xue family wanted to use the donation of money and grain to plead with the court to give Xue Pan leniency.

However, the court seemed to have no reason to refuse this request.

The imperial court is vast and has many expenses, so even disaster relief must be carried out according to budget. But Emperor Ningkang was well aware that the more money and grain for disaster relief, the better. For example, these 50,000 taels of silver and 5,000 shi of grain, if transported to the disaster area, might save tens of thousands more lives.

Therefore, Xue Pan's current offense can be considered a great act of merit.

Therefore, Emperor Ningkang nodded and said, "If that's the case, it's naturally a good thing. You should go and negotiate with the Third Prince yourself; I believe he will use this money and grain to help the people in the disaster-stricken areas."

"Yes."

Jia Lian secretly observed Emperor Ningkang's expression and felt that his sudden idea must have worked.

With this groundwork laid, when the Ministry of Justice's interrogation results come out tomorrow, even if Emperor Ningkang suspects that he was involved, he probably won't be angry anymore.

However, we must plan more carefully to make the case more plausible and reasonable, so that it is not obvious to anyone that there is something fishy going on.

Haha, this is the ultimate level of favoritism and corruption. Forget about persuading the victim to stop making trouble or using gold to bribe officials in the Ministry of Justice; he directly bribed the emperor!

Jia Lian inwardly grumbled a few words and was about to get up to take his leave when Emperor Ningkang suddenly spoke again: "How do you think the Ministry of Justice will handle Xue Pan's case, or rather, how do you think Xue Pan should be tried according to the law?"

Jia Lian did not understand the deeper meaning behind Emperor Ningkang's question, but he replied solemnly, "Your Majesty, Xue Pan is my brother-in-law, and I should have avoided mentioning this case."

However, since Your Majesty has asked this question, I will boldly speak my mind.

Xue Pan was, in essence, just a spoiled young master, and while he was young and ignorant, and certainly fond of drinking and fighting, he was not a criminal or a villain.

Moreover, although Xue Pan was one of the main culprits in the fight at Jinxiang Courtyard, after understanding the case, I know that the real person who caused Qiu Pan's death was someone else.

This man's name is Sun Shaozu. He comes from a family of military officers in Datong Prefecture, and my family had some connections with him. He was dismissed from his post for assaulting his superior while drunk, so he came to the capital to seek a better life.

Although this man has a notorious reputation, he is strong and powerful, and in his eagerness to curry favor with Xue Pan, he is a first-rate busybody. In my opinion, if this man had not tried so hard to impress Xue Pan, the incident that day would have been nothing more than a trivial squabble among the sons of noble families, and would certainly not have escalated to the point of causing death.

Of course, my saying this inevitably carries the implication of pleading for Xue Pan. However, I sincerely believe that Xue Pan's crime does not warrant death.

However, the law is impartial; since he participated in this case, he naturally cannot escape legal punishment. I humbly believe that Xue Pan may be spared the death penalty, but he cannot escape punishment and should be sentenced according to the law.

When Emperor Ningkang heard Jia Lian say that Sun Shaozu was a military officer and had a past relationship with the Jia family, he knew that Sun was not someone the Xue family had randomly chosen to take the blame. Naturally, he trusted Jia Lian's words more.

He said, "The death penalty may be spared, but punishment is inevitable? Then, in your opinion, how should Xue Pan be sentenced?"

"My understanding of the laws of the Great Wei is far inferior to that of the officials in the Ministry of Justice, and I dare not make a hasty judgment."

"I'm telling you to speak."

"Well... in my humble opinion, someone like Xue Pan should be sentenced to at least five years in prison, and all the other principal offenders and accomplices should be punished according to the law."

Furthermore, given that the people most deeply harmed in this case were Lord Qiu and his wife from the Imperial Guard, and that none of the other perpetrators besides Xue Pan possessed sufficient means to compensate Lord Qiu and his wife, the Xue family should also be ordered to provide adequate humanitarian compensation to the Qiu family.

Xue Pan is eighteen years old now. Serving five years in prison will teach him a lesson, and when he comes out, he will be at the prime of his life, which won't delay his marriage and having children. This will also be a way for him to give his aunt an explanation.

Emperor Ningkang chuckled: "You've certainly thought things through."

Knowing full well that Emperor Ningkang was being sarcastic, Jia Lian could only awkwardly accept it.

But Emperor Ningkang said, "Since Xue Pan is not the mastermind, and the Xue family is willing to compensate their enemies, there's no need for five years in prison. Let's change it to one year."

"Uh... Your Majesty is wise!"

"Alright, now that things are on track in Tianjin, let's not neglect the firearms battalion. Don't forget the boast you made to me!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will certainly not disappoint you."

The boast that Emperor Ningkang made was naturally the one Jia Lian had previously mentioned: that within a year, the firearms battalion would be trained into a force with considerable combat power.

"Go down."

Watching Jia Lian leave the Southern Study in a proper manner, Emperor Ningkang's expression turned somber.

To him, Xue Pan was nothing more than a lowly playboy, whose life or death he cared nothing for. He mentioned him only to warn Jia Lian not to rely on the emperor's favor and stray from the right path.

The reason he asked more questions later and even took the initiative to reduce Xue Pan's sentence was simply because he suddenly felt that although Jia Lian kept saying that Xue Pan should be severely punished according to the law, judging from his attitude, he definitely hoped that Xue Pan could live.

The way to manage subordinates is to use both kindness and severity. Given Jia Lian's excellent performance and his tactful way of speaking, he took the initiative to show him kindness.

If Jia Lian had pleaded for Xue Pan from the beginning, or even tried to deceive him to achieve his goal, he would have made sure Xue Pan died a horrible death, even if he didn't care about someone like Xue Pan. This would have shown Jia Lian that the majesty of Heaven is inviolable.

Thinking of Jia Lian, Emperor Ningkang couldn't help but think of his daughter, Princess Zhaoyang, and his face darkened with hatred.

That wretched brat!!