Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

After the Crown Prince left, the Third Prince also returned to the central pavilion, but did not try to win over Jia Lian as the Crown Prince had guessed.

However, as soon as he left, many relatives and friends of the nobility took the initiative to approach Jia Lian and try to establish a relationship with him.

Among the younger generation of non-royal princes, if Prince Bei Jing were not around, Jia Lian could basically be considered the leading figure.

Prince Bei Jing was sent out of the capital by Emperor Ningkang half a year ago, supposedly to conduct an inspection tour on behalf of the emperor.

However, for Jia Lian, it's now difficult to truly connect with these young men. This is a matter of mindset; after all, he used to speak on equal footing with many of their fathers and grandfathers in the Hall of Reverence…

At the second quarter of the first lunar month, the birthday banquet was fully prepared and ready to begin.

All the princes, ministers, and princes lined up outside the main hall of Chonghua Palace to enter the banquet.

Because so many people came to offer their birthday wishes, officials of lower rank were unable to enter the palace and could only enjoy the open-air banquet outside, amidst the wind and snow.

Jia Lian was lucky enough to be seated in the hall, and his seat wasn't too far back, but rather in the middle. As soon as he sat down, he noticed a little boy who looked to be only ten years old next to him. But Jia Lian didn't dare to ignore him at all. After sitting down, he immediately clasped his hands in a respectful bow to the boy opposite him, who also nodded and smiled very politely.

"Hey, Fifth Brother, let's switch seats!"

"This...is not quite right. The Master said: there is an order of seniority. How dare I place myself above my elder brother..."

"Just change it when I tell you to, stop arguing."

After receiving a loving pat on the head from his elder brother, the young fifth prince had no choice but to lift his bottom and move forward one seat, looking aggrieved.

The Fourth Prince plopped down in the seat he had seized. Seeing Jia Lian smiling at him, seemingly mocking him for bullying the younger one, he said irritably, "This kid deserves a beating. At such a young age, he's already full of pedantry and stale mannerisms. He's not cute at all like he was when he was little. It's all the fault of those old fogies in the Imperial Study. They've corrupted my good younger brother. I'll have to think of a way to teach them a lesson later."

The fourth prince had been talking nonsense, but his eyes suddenly became serious as he spoke.

He was also one of those who suffered in the Imperial Study back then. At that time, he was a student and dared not disobey the scholars, but now that he has "graduated," can he finally take his revenge...?

Seeing this, Jia Lian silently turned back and poured himself a cup of wine. He could already imagine the scene the next day when this fool would kneel in the South Study and be reprimanded if he really tried to harm the scholars of the Imperial Study under cover of darkness.

"Jia Lian, when will your firearms battalion be completed? How about I come work for you as your deputy general? To be honest, I'm particularly interested in that 'Zhenyuan Cannon.' Believe me, as long as you let me in, I'm sure I can improve it and make it even more powerful."

"Also, once your new warship is built, don't forget me. We'll go out to sea together to kill the Japanese pirates. Damn it, I've never been on a ship before..."

Hearing the Fourth Prince's incessant chatter beside him, Jia Lian realized that the Fourth Prince seemed to be showing signs of acknowledging him as his superior. Before, this guy would speak to him with a certain arrogance, but he didn't know when that had completely disappeared.

Not only is it gone, but she also likes to stick to him all the time.

While casually dealing with the Fourth Prince, Jia Lian's gaze drifted to the center of the hall. A group of dancers and musicians were already filing into the hall, creating a festive atmosphere for the upcoming banquet for the officials.

However, after a few glances, Jia Lian's interest waned considerably. The reason was simple: the beauty of these court dancers paled in comparison to the four girls in his household, including Shen Pan'er. Their only advantage was their sheer number; in both rounds of performances, not a single dancer repeated.

It seems that the salt merchants back then did not deceive him after all; they really did carefully select the beauty for him.

"Your Majesty the Emperor Emeritus and Your Majesty the Empress Dowager have arrived."

As the eunuch Gao Hang spoke, the dancers and musicians withdrew, and all the princes and ministers in the hall withdrew from their seats, kneeling in unison at the lower left corner of their respective seats, kowtowing and chanting: "Your subjects respectfully welcome Your Majesty~~"

Hearing the deafening sound echoing in his ears, Jia Lian couldn't help but complain inwardly. He finally understood why the ministers in those old TV dramas could deliver such neat and orderly birthday wishes to the emperor.

How could things not be orderly? It's all scripted. Long before entering the hall, eunuchs of etiquette took turns conveying the agenda and specific arrangements of the birthday banquet to the ministers. Who would dare not remember them carefully? Making a mistake on this occasion could have serious consequences.

Silence fell, and after a long while, a deep, resonant voice could be faintly heard coming from above: "Get up, all of you."

"We kowtow in gratitude to the Retired Emperor, wishing him eternal happiness and longevity, good health, and that our Great Wei dynasty may be forever secure and its reign long-lasting..."

After a series of eulogies, nearly a thousand princes and ministers inside and outside the hall rose and returned to their seats, sitting upright.

Only then did Jia Lian have the opportunity to look up at the very top of the main hall.

Sure enough, the two dragon thrones that were originally empty, one high and one low, one upright and one tilted, were now occupied by people.

Emperor Ningkang had already taken his seat on the low-set dragon throne at some point, and beside him, the virtuous and unassuming Empress sat upright.

And on the wide dragon throne at the very head of the table, clearly sat an emperor and an empress. The empress dowager, as always, possessed a radiant and elegant presence, requiring no extra adornment. She simply sat regally at the pinnacle of power, her boundless radiance so dazzling that no one dared to look directly at her.

Jia Lian quickly turned her gaze away and looked at the old man next to her...?

The old man appeared rather ordinary, with a kind face and a slightly hunched posture. If it weren't for the loose yet majestic dragon robe he wore and the relaxed gaze that casually swept over the countless princes and nobles below, no one would believe that he was the current retired emperor, and also the longest-reigning emperor of the Great Wei Dynasty since its founding.

When they first met Jia Lian, the former supreme ruler, his eyes were narrowed, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Suddenly, Jia Lian's eyes caught a glimpse of something and he noticed a short chair placed to the left of the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Dowager's thrones. This chair was currently empty. Who dared to attend the birthday banquet after the Emperor Emeritus and Emperor Ningkang?

As with many ordinary state banquets, someone needs to give a speech before the banquet begins.

The Grand Secretary clearly took on this heavy responsibility. He stood shakily in the center of the hall, knelt down, took out his manuscript from his sleeve, and began to deliver a passionate speech.

First, on behalf of the court and the civil and military officials, they expressed their congratulations to the retired emperor, followed by a long and ornate eulogy praising his merits.

It is no wonder that under the blessings of the retired emperor and the diligent governance of Emperor Ningkang, the Great Wei Dynasty was peaceful and prosperous, with abundant resources and a growing national strength, and the people's lives became increasingly affluent and happy.

If that were all, it would be fine. But after expressing all that, he abruptly changed the subject and began reporting on state affairs to the retired emperor...

Upon arriving here, Jia Lian was completely bewildered. Is this Grand Secretary out of his mind? The retired emperor was simply tired of being emperor and thus retired to enjoy a peaceful life behind the scenes. Today is his rare birthday celebration, and it's inappropriate for him to bring up these trivial matters.

However, Jia Lian looked around and found that the civil and military officials present seemed to have taken it all in stride. Even Emperor Ningkang at the very front, from a distance, was not showing any change in expression on Jia Lian's face.

He glanced at the Emperor Emeritus, and sure enough, the Emperor Emeritus looked displeased. When the Grand Secretary caught his breath, the Emperor Emeritus waved his hand and said, "Alright, that's enough. You may leave."

The Grand Secretary blinked, seemingly still wanting more, but dared not disobey the Emperor Emeritus's wishes. After bowing, he returned to the first seat in the left row with the help of a eunuch.

Just when everyone thought the ceremony was over and it was time to begin the banquet, a man in his sixties suddenly stood up from the civil officials' seats, walked confidently and proudly to the main hall, knelt down, and loudly proclaimed, "Your Majesty, this old minister has a memorial to present!"

His voice drew everyone's attention. It suddenly felt like they weren't there to celebrate a birthday, but rather to attend the morning court session.

Emperor Ningkang calmly looked at the old ministers in the hall and said in a low voice, "Today is the birthday of the Retired Emperor. Grand Secretary Xiao, you should not disturb the Retired Emperor's enjoyment with state affairs. If there is anything important, you can come to me personally to discuss it after the banquet. This is the Retired Emperor's birthday banquet. As an old minister, Grand Secretary Xiao should not be so ignorant of even this basic etiquette."

Under normal circumstances, even if there was an extremely urgent matter, upon hearing the emperor say this, one would certainly know to tactfully withdraw.

However, this Grand Secretary Xiao seemed to be acting strangely. He seemed not to have noticed the displeasure in Emperor Ningkang's words and respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, if it were a trivial matter, this old minister would naturally not dare to bother the Retired Emperor. But this matter concerns the stability of our Great Wei dynasty and the survival of our ancestors and temples, so this old minister has no choice but to respectfully request the Retired Emperor to make a decision."

Inside the main hall, an eerie silence descended once more.

Even the most oblivious person would try to sense something unusual.

Logically speaking, shouldn't the stability of the country and the survival of the ancestral temples be the responsibility of Emperor Ningkang, the current emperor? How come it came to Xiao Jing's mouth as "having no choice but to respectfully ask the retired emperor to make a decision"?

The implication is that Emperor Ningkang has no say in this matter? Who knows how big this must be!

Emperor Ningkang stared at the kneeling man for a long time without saying a word, but even from a distance, Jia Lian could tell that his boss was in a bad mood.

However, Emperor Ningkang did not argue with Xiao Jing in the end. He stood up, faced the retired emperor, and asked a different question: "May I ask, Father, why did my mother not attend your birthday banquet today?"

As Emperor Ningkang raised the question, many ministers finally noticed the problem.

Yes, why didn't Consort Li appear today? That's indeed a bit strange. Because according to past practice, Consort Li would always attend the Emperor Emeritus's birthday celebrations.

Although Consort Li was called Consort Li, everyone knew that she was actually another Empress Dowager, since her own son had ascended the throne as Emperor.

In previous dynasties, Consort Li would have been a proper Empress Dowager of the Western Palace. However, it seems that Consort Li lacked virtue and was deeply disliked by the retired emperor, so she was never given this title.

The Emperor Emeritus looked calmly and said, "She is unwell, so I have allowed her to rest and recuperate properly in her palace."

"But Father, when I went to pay my respects last night, I did not notice anything unusual about Mother."

"You mean, I'm lying?"

"Your subject dares not..."

Seeing that Emperor Ningkang had given in, the retired emperor was too lazy to argue with him. He looked around and ordered, "From now on, my birthday banquets will only require the Empress Dowager to accompany me. Let's cancel this."

As soon as the Emperor Emeritus spoke, the eunuchs behind him stepped forward and carried away the empty short chair next to him.

Seeing this, not only Emperor Ningkang, but also many ministers below him felt a chill in their hearts, all wondering what the retired emperor meant by this.

Was it simply that he didn't want Consort Li to attend his birthday banquet, or was there something else? If it was just dislike, that would be understandable. After all, a king is paired with a queen, and even if Consort Li gained status through her son, she was not the empress dowager, so her position was not legitimate and it was normal for her to be removed from the position.

Removing Consort Li from her position seemed to be a trivial matter to the Emperor Emeritus; his expression didn't even change.

Turning around and seeing Emperor Ningkang still standing there dumbfounded, he said displeasedly, "Aren't you going to step down?"

"Yes."

Emperor Ningkang silently returned to his seat. The empress next to him noticed that he looked unwell and quietly placed a hand on his sleeve.

After this brief interlude, everyone's attention returned to Xiao Jing, who was kneeling.

The retired emperor also looked at him and said indifferently, "Say what you want to say."

Xiao Jing was not disturbed by what had just happened. His expression remained the same as before, appearing as righteous and awe-inspiring.

"Reporting back to the Emperor Emeritus, since Emperor Taizu established the dynasty, he has extensively rewarded meritorious officials and reduced taxes and levies to consolidate the state. Emperor Taizong and Emperor Muzong followed his example."

After the Emperor Emeritus ascended the throne, he upheld the aspirations of the founding emperor, cared for the world, treated meritorious officials with kindness, and benefited all under heaven. As a result, talented and ambitious people from all over the world vied to serve the court and be loyal to the Emperor Emeritus. Only in this way could our Great Wei enjoy decades of peace, with no more major wars on the borders and the people living in peace and prosperity.

However, there are now some people in the court who have forgotten the will of their ancestors, belittled meritorious officials, slandered and misled the emperor, and are plotting to create chaos that shakes the foundation of our Great Wei!

Xiao Jing's voice was loud, his tone was righteous, and his words were deeply moving.

Those seated in the Chonghua Hall were mostly people in the central government of the Great Wei Dynasty. Upon hearing Xiao Jing's words, they immediately understood what he was referring to.

After all, apart from the Emperor Emeritus's birthday celebration, the only other major event in the court recently was the newly established "Land Survey," and only it could be considered a political upheaval that Xiao Jing described as shaking the foundations of the Great Wei Dynasty!

Emperor Ningkang's emotions, which had just been calmed by the Empress, suddenly surged. His eyes narrowed as he stared intently at the righteous and imposing Xiaojing.

You scoundrel, how dare you!

"Xiao Jing, stop spouting nonsense! Who is slandering the emperor? Who is plotting to disrupt the government?!"

The Minister of Revenue stood up from his seat and glared angrily at Xiao Jing.

Xiao Jing sneered, "Anyone who disregards the will of the founding emperor, disregards the stability of the Great Wei dynasty, and insists on a thorough land survey is a slanderer who misleads the emperor and seeks to disrupt the government!"

"you……"

"quiet!"

The old eunuch beside the retired emperor noticed that the retired emperor's brows furrowed and immediately shouted in a shrill voice.

Xiao Jing then ignored the Minister of Revenue and continued to kowtow to the Emperor Emeritus, saying, "Your Majesty, since the change of dynasties, the soldiers who fought against the country and the civil and military officials who toured the country on behalf of Heaven have been the foundation of the stability of a country and a dynasty."

Without the bloody battles fought by the soldiers at the border, the country would surely be coveted by foreign enemies, and the nation would be in danger.

If no civil or military officials are loyal to their duties and tour the four directions on behalf of the emperor, then enemies will rise from within without their knowledge, and the state will surely perish.

Both of these are fundamental to the stability of the nation. And the way to govern a country is nothing more than "rewarding those who have made contributions and punishing those who have made mistakes." But now, the court, in order to increase the national treasury's annual revenue, has forgotten the ancestral precept of Emperor Taizu to reduce taxes and corvée labor, and has easily confiscated the estates and lands that were bestowed upon meritorious officials.

How can such hasty actions last? If soldiers who have fought and bled cannot defend the land they have won with their lives, and officials who are loyal to their duties do not have land and property to support their families, how can soldiers fight bravely and officials remain loyal when everyone is in danger?

Therefore, this old minister humbly requests the Emperor Emeritus to issue an edict revoking the "Land Survey" policy, which has not yet been promulgated by the court, and to restore order and justice to the world!

"What a bright and clear world!"

Emperor Ningkang was so angry he almost laughed when he heard this.

"According to Grand Secretary Xiao, if I insist on implementing the land reclamation policy, wouldn't I be destroying the very foundation of our Great Wei?"

"This old minister had no such intention; Your Majesty has merely been misled by slander. As long as the land survey policy is revoked in time, it will not be too late."

Emperor Ningkang, who harbored a burning desire to kill this man, had no intention of feigning politeness. He sneered, "Let's set aside the fact that I have never intended to reclaim the estates and properties of meritorious officials. Are all those who own vast amounts of land in the land meritorious officials? I acknowledge the soldiers who fought and bled, and the civil and military officials who faithfully guarded their posts. But are all the wealthy gentry and landowners who control their own territories in the prefectures and counties also considered meritorious officials of the dynasty?"

Or perhaps you don't know that most of the world's wealth is siphoned off by these people through various visible and invisible underhanded means?

As he spoke, Emperor Ningkang looked at the princes and ministers in the hall and said solemnly, "I have never thought of taking anything back from you. As Grand Secretary Xiao said, most of you are meritorious officials of the dynasty or descendants of meritorious officials. What the court has bestowed upon you is what you deserve."

However, I absolutely cannot tolerate those powerful and wicked gentry who rely on their power to forcibly buy and sell land, wantonly annexing land throughout the land, causing the people to be displaced and damaging the foundation of our Great Wei. This time, the court is implementing the land reclamation policy to expose these people's true colors and leave them nowhere to hide!

Do you all think this is a policy that benefits the country and its people, or a chaotic and disastrous administration?

Seeing that Emperor Ningkang's words were persuading more people, Xiao Jing hurriedly shouted, "Your Majesty is mistaken! Even the local gentry and clans that Your Majesty looks down upon are an important foundation of our Great Wei."

For a century, our Great Wei has been recuperating and nurturing its people, numbering in the hundreds of millions. Yet, if we carefully examine the official register of our Great Wei, regardless of whether it is in the capital or outside, regardless of rank, the total number of civil and military officials is no more than one hundred thousand! One hundred thousand compared to tens of millions, the difference is immeasurable. Yet, all the prefectures and counties in the land have been able to maintain stability and security. Isn't it precisely these local gentry and clans that the court and government rely on?

If there were no countless local clans in the world, who abide by the laws and regulations of the court and the decrees of the government, and govern and restrain their own clansmen, how could the court govern millions of people with tens of thousands of people?

As Your Majesty said, this land reclamation is intended to root out the local tyrants and evil gentry. But how can Your Majesty distinguish between the countless clans in the land who are the local tyrants and evil gentry who are the loyal to the court?

If this is not possible, once the imperial decree is issued, at best it will cause those clans truly loyal to the court to feel insecure and disheartened, and at worst it will trigger unrest. How will Your Majesty then handle the situation? Therefore, this old minister urges Your Majesty to reconsider and rescind the land survey policy.”

It must be said that Xiao Jing's remarks resonated with many who shared his views.

In fact, ever since the imperial court began discussing the nationwide land survey, the vast majority of people have been opposed to it. This is not solely because it involves their own interests.

A stable country is built upon a top-down chain of interests. Every dynastic change can essentially be attributed to the complete breakdown of this chain, rendering the country unable to sustain its operations.

Now the imperial court suddenly says it's time to do a thorough investigation of land ownership, requiring everyone to disclose their land holdings and pay taxes according to the law... and if any land is of dubious origin, they may even face severe punishment under the law...

How can anyone stand this?

It is conceivable that once this policy is promulgated, even if it cannot overthrow the Great Wei dynasty, it will inevitably cause a complete upheaval from top to bottom for the entire Great Wei.

The risks involved are obvious to many people.

Did Emperor Ningkang and his supporters not see this? Perhaps not. What they valued more was the achievement that would have great significance for future generations after the earthquake.

Emperor Ningkang looked at Xiao Jing with a gloomy gaze. Xiao Jing did not meet his gaze, but instead looked eagerly upwards at the retired emperor, whose expression had not changed much from beginning to end.

Emperor Ningkang seemed to have realized what was happening, and he also turned his gaze to the retired emperor. However, unlike the others, his gaze was more complex and earnest.