Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

After leaving Weiyang Palace, Jia Lian's calm exterior masked a darkening of his heart.

How could he not see that Princess Zhaoyang's seemingly rational and composed demeanor was merely a choice made out of desperation?

As a man, a man of immense confidence who had rarely encountered setbacks since his transmigration, Jia Lian was naturally dissatisfied with his inability to protect his wife and children.

"My lord, His Majesty has decreed that you be summoned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation for an audience."

A group of eunuchs who seemed to have been waiting outside the west gate of Chonghua Palace saw Jia Lian walking towards them and hurriedly stepped forward to greet him.

Jia Lian nodded and glanced at the eunuchs.

Being deep within the imperial palace, being cautious and prudent was a habit Jia Lian had always maintained. He always felt it was absolutely necessary.

As the eunuchs walked toward the Daming Palace, they suddenly saw Yuan Chun coming from the other side when they were nearing the Kunning Palace.

Seeing that he was heading straight for him, Jia Lian stood still and waited.

"Eldest sister."

Jia Lian bowed slightly and took the initiative to greet them.

This informal and intimate form of address made Yuan Chun, who was rushing over, feel as if she had returned to her youth, when her younger siblings in the mansion would call out to her.

Seeing that Jia Lian was calm, she put aside her anxiety, glanced at the eunuchs behind him, and asked, "I heard that my second brother just paid his respects to the Emperor Emeritus in front of Chonghua Palace. May I ask what the matter was about?"

"It's a personal matter, nothing for my elder sister to worry about."

Yuan Chun's beautiful eyes flickered slightly, knowing that Jia Lian did not want to explain to her.

However, the news that Jia Lian and Princess Zhaoyang were kneeling before Chonghua Palace today, requesting an audience with the Emperor Emeritus, had already spread throughout the entire palace. Correspondingly, the matter between Jia Lian and Princess Zhaoyang had also become public knowledge.

There's no reason why Yuan Chun wouldn't know.

After taking a closer look at Jia Lian, Yuan Chun sighed, "Princess Zhaoyang is beautiful and intelligent, and has a magnanimous nature. She is the most outstanding princess in our dynasty. If she could form a good marriage with my second brother, it would be a blessing from the gods."

However, my second brother should also know that good things are often hard-won. In all things, one should assess the situation and act accordingly, and not be overly demanding or impatient.

You must understand, Second Brother, that you no longer represent only yourself, but bear the weight of the family's rise and fall, honor and disgrace, and the expectations of our elders. I hope you will prioritize the family and your future, and consider the rest later.

As Yuan Chun spoke, she kept looking at Jia Lian, and Jia Lian was also looking at her.

Seeing her radiant beauty and flawless face, filled with concern and comfort, Jia Lian smiled and replied, "Thank you for your guidance, elder sister. I understand."

"I understand what you mean, elder sister. Don't worry, in all these years, when have I ever let you down?"

Yuan Chun was worried because she knew that Jia Lian had been punished by the Emperor Emeritus, and she was also afraid that Jia Lian would continue to anger the Emperor Emeritus if he remained stubborn. Therefore, she inquired about Jia Lian's whereabouts and came to check on the situation, and she wanted to do her best to comfort and reassure him if she found that Jia Lian was not in a good state.

Hearing Jia Lian say this now, as the weight lifted from my heart, I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for my cousin.

She knew that Princess Zhaoyang was pregnant with Jia Lian's child, and given the current situation, it was probably impossible to save the pregnancy.

Yuan Chun knew how devastating such a thing was for a man. In particular, she knew that Jia Lian had only one daughter and no son to carry on the family line.

"Since that's the case, I have nothing more to say. I'll just say one thing: if you're feeling down, Second Brother, you might want to think more about your elders and relatives, think more about Feng and Lin. They are both of impeccable character, and they are so devoted to you..."

Yuan Chun didn't seem to be good at comforting people, and she became somewhat speechless as she spoke.

Jia Lian didn't mind and smiled, "Thank you for your comfort, elder sister. I understand. I have to go see His Majesty, so I'll take my leave now. I'll visit you at Fengzao Palace another day."

Yuan Chun nodded, watching Jia Lian bow and turn away, his tall and elegant figure disappearing into the distance. Only then did Yuan Chun withdraw her gaze, sigh inwardly, and head towards Kunning Palace.

The concubines in the imperial harem were mostly lonely and bored on a daily basis. So, it was a comfort to have a sister come to visit often, even if it was just to chat briefly.

Frequent visits were also the simplest and most effective way for concubines to cultivate feelings and affection.

……

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Emperor Ningkang took his feet out of the steaming golden basin and placed them on a low stool padded with a handkerchief, allowing the eunuchs to wipe them and put on his shoes and socks.

"I already know about what happened at Chonghua Palace. Since the Emperor Emeritus does not approve of your marriage, let's drop it."

Hmph, you don't need to put on that gloomy face.

"The fault originally lay with you two, but now that the Emperor Emeritus has made this decision, it can't be considered an injustice to you."

As Jia Lian and others had expected, Emperor Ningkang had no intention of contradicting the retired emperor on this "trivial matter," and upon meeting Jia Lian, he set his mind on the matter, leaving Jia Lian no room to speak.

Furthermore, upon seeing Jia Lian's low spirits, she reprimanded him mercilessly.

"I warned you long ago that a real man should not be bound by romantic love. Don't forget the boast you made to me."

Putting everything else aside, half a year has already passed. I wonder how your firearms battalion is doing? When will you dare to bring it out so I can see the results?

While Emperor Ningkang was reprimanding him, Jia Lian stood with a gloomy face and his head bowed, looking bitter and resentful.

It wasn't that he was dissatisfied with Emperor Ningkang's reprimand, but rather that his persona in front of Emperor Ningkang had always been one of prioritizing courage and bravery.

If he were to react too calmly to this situation, it would be inconsistent with his previous persona in front of Emperor Ningkang.

He didn't want Emperor Ningkang to think he was too deep in thought.

As for Emperor Ningkang's attitude, it was within his expectations. The most taboo thing for a monarch is a lack of shrewdness and composure.

Jia Lian didn't believe that Emperor Ningkang truly sided with the retired emperor. For an emperor, the ability to keep his word was arguably the most important thing.

He had just agreed to his marriage with his daughter, only to have his father veto it the next day. It was impossible not to feel humiliated.

Perhaps, the reason he's scolding me now is because he feels he's lost face in front of me and wants to establish his authority by reprimanding me.

Moreover, he didn't know why Emperor Ningkang wanted to soak his feet so early in the morning. However, a monarch should maintain his dignity, especially in front of his subjects.

Now, Emperor Ningkang is showing him a live stream of his private foot bath, which shows that he truly regards him as a trusted confidant.

Ordinary officials certainly wouldn't receive this treatment!

Although Jia Lian didn't like watching an old man soak his feet, that's just how things are in this world, and it was a blessing.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, with Your Majesty's and the court's support, the musketeers and artillerymen under my firearms battalion have long been formed and all have completed their qualified training."

Although some equipment is not yet perfect, such as the three types of artillery that I selected for equipment, there is still a considerable shortage.

But I dare to guarantee that although we only have four thousand men, if we use them properly, we can completely defeat tens of thousands of soldiers in the capital garrison!

Furthermore, I have already planned to lead all the musketeers in a month-long special training program in a few days, and the artillerymen will follow suit.

Therefore, if the plan goes smoothly, in three months, Your Majesty will be able to see a completely new army, one that is entirely different from, and even surpasses, all other branches of the Wei army in terms of combat power!

Jia Lian spoke with great confidence, but Emperor Ningkang frowned slightly.

Are you serious?

It should be understood that although the Beijing Garrison was not the strongest fighting force in the capital, the best-equipped and best-treated troops in the capital were always the Imperial Guards within the Forbidden City.

That is, the army directly controlled by the emperor. No, or rather, the army controlled by the retired emperor.

Nevertheless, the fighting strength of the Beijing Garrison should not be underestimated. After all, its reputation precedes it.

Jia Lian's claim that the mere few thousand soldiers of the Firearms Battalion could rival the tens of thousands of troops of the Capital Garrison made Jia Lian feel that he was exaggerating.

But was Jia Lian just bragging?

maybe.

However, anyone who knows the history of how a few hundred British soldiers with not-so-mature firearms defeated tens of thousands of Qing soldiers, forcing them to retreat in disarray, would not think that Jia Lian was exaggerating.

Moreover, the advent of firearms such as the Zhenyuan Cannon and flintlock musket, whose power and efficiency far surpassed those of the past, made Jia Lian truly feel that in the face of such hot weapons, flesh and blood had no courage or possibility to resist.

Even if we take a step back and assume that the firearms battalion that was formed in the short term is still not capable of fighting ten against one against the most elite troops of the Great Wei, it is still impossible.

However, Emperor Ningkang could not possibly risk the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers to verify this, so even if he was boasting, he would not be proven wrong.

In peacetime, who's the most powerful just depends on who can boast the most.

The real solution is to gain attention and resources through deception, thereby strengthening yourself. Boasting is nothing to be ashamed of.

"Your Majesty, I would not dare to deceive you. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you may allow me to set up a battle formation with the Capital Garrison and test it. Then you will know that what I say is true."

Emperor Ningkang remained silent.

He had witnessed the power of the Zhenyuan Cannon firsthand; that guy didn't give a chance to try it out. One shot would definitely wipe out a large number of lives.

Even if he were the emperor, he wouldn't joke about the lives of the soldiers in the capital garrison.

However, seeing Jia Lian's confidence, his mind started to wander. He understood the principle that quality is more important than quantity in warfare; otherwise, he wouldn't have specifically placed the firearms battalion within the imperial city.

Because Jia Lian's firearms battalion was built up from the ground up with his support, it was entirely his own force.

"In that case, I'll wait and see how you do it."

"By the way, you mentioned there's still a deficiency in artillery?"

"Your Majesty, the main problem is that the artillery battalion is newly established. Even with my best efforts to recruit skilled craftsmen, the production capacity cannot meet the needs of the entire army in the short term. In the past few months, we have only produced nearly a hundred new cannons of various types, including the Zhenyuan cannon. We are still short of more than half of the required three hundred cannons."

Emperor Ningkang then said, "In that case, there are many artisans in the Shenji Battalion who are skilled in firearms. I hereby grant you permission to temporarily recruit them. If that is still not enough, the Ministry of Works can also be involved."

The Ministry of Works is the most powerful department in the entire Great Wei in terms of manufacturing capabilities.

The list of artisans is incredibly diverse. Naturally, there are also quite a few artisans and arms workshops capable of manufacturing weapons.

Emperor Ningkang's statement shows that he also longed to see the fully-organized firearms battalion.

Faced with Emperor Ningkang's goodwill, Jia Lian said, "The Divine Machine Battalion is fine. But if it's the Ministry of Works, even if they want to participate, I think there should be some rules and regulations."

Your Majesty, although these new firearms are not yet fully developed, they are, after all, meticulously crafted by the skilled artisans of our Great Wei, and are powerful weapons of our Great Wei.

The Ministry of Works has a diverse workforce, and there may be agents from other countries among them.

Just like the Tatars and the Oirats, although they are not good at using heavy weapons, we can't guarantee that if they find out that our Great Wei has powerful weapons, they will also imitate and manufacture them. If the two armies meet in battle, it will be a problem.

Therefore, I believe it would be feasible to have the Ministry of Works forge some fine steel, or to manufacture some components of the Zhenyuan cannon separately. However, it would be inappropriate to disclose all confidential matters to the Ministry of Works.

"At least I believe that heavy weapons like the Zhenyuan Cannon should remain a secret for now, so that they can deliver the heaviest blow to the enemy at a crucial moment."

In truth, Jia Lian didn't really think secrecy was that important. In this era, there was a severe disregard for firearms.

And such things aren't something anyone can just manufacture. Therefore, even if it were made public, the impact on the Great Wei wouldn't be significant. After all, the Great Wei, currently not relying on firearms, possesses military strength that the surrounding dozens of small states cannot match.

Jia Lian simply didn't want the things he had worked so hard to create to become known to everyone so quickly.

After the incident with the retired emperor, Jia Lian understood even more clearly that no one can have a smooth journey all the time, and unexpected changes can happen at any moment.

In this era when the firearms revolution he initiated was just beginning, his importance had not yet reached the point of being irreplaceable.

If everyone in the Great Wei could manufacture or use the Zhenyuan Cannon, then his title of Marquis of Zhenyuan might not be so important to Emperor Ningkang.

Emperor Ningkang did not doubt that Jia Lian had such a plan. He thought that what Jia Lian said made a lot of sense, so he nodded and let Jia Lian come up with a suitable plan and report it to him in the end.

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