Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Chapter 720 Memorial

Jia Lian saw Princess Zhaoyang and her brother to the door, then turned around and instructed, "Who were those people who were following the Fourth Prince? Wait for me outside the study."

After speaking, Jia Lian went to the side hall.

Ah Qin had just told him that Yingchun had come to see him.

After seeing Yingchun off, Jia Lianfang went to the study and looked at Zhao Sheng and the others below, saying, "Tell me in detail what happened before the Fourth Prince left."

The Fourth Prince's status was special, and even if Jia Lian didn't give the order, his subordinates wouldn't allow him to move around freely; he would definitely be protected and received by someone.

The fourth prince's expression was unusual before he left, so Jia Lian naturally had to investigate.

Zhao Sheng and the others then recounted what happened after the Fourth Prince left the hall, but hesitated at the end.

Jia Lian immediately realized the source of the problem, waved his hand to dismiss the extra people, leaving only Zhao Sheng.

Zhao Sheng guessed what Jia Lian really wanted to ask. Seeing that no one was around, he took two steps forward and whispered, "Prince Xiao came back from the martial arts training ground and happened to run into the Second Miss's carriage."

When the second young lady stepped down from the carriage, Prince Xiao seemed to glance at her a few more times…

Jia Lian frowned. "Is that really true?"

"This servant would not dare to fabricate such a thing; many people in the front yard saw it at the time."

Jia Lian's face turned completely dark.

In the end, Jia Lian didn't say anything, just waved his hand and sent Zhao Sheng away.

Sitting alone behind his desk, he picked up a book, flipped through a few pages aimlessly, then slammed the book on the table in anger and cursed under his breath.

I wondered what was wrong with him, but it turns out he's just taken a fancy to my sister!

As for the Fourth Prince, Jia Lian thought he was a bit immature and a bit dim-witted, but otherwise he was fine.

Speaking of which, among the royal children, they are among the best in terms of conduct.

Even so, Jia Lian was still very unhappy when he learned that he might have inappropriate feelings for Yingchun.

This displeasure stemmed from the reluctance that his prized possession was finally being coveted, and even more so from the fact that he hadn't forgotten the Fourth Prince's ugly face when he and Princess Zhaoyang first got together!

snort!

If he was only temporarily captivated by his sister's beauty, then so be it.

If he has any other inappropriate thoughts, then we must make him understand what it means for life to be mostly unsatisfactory!

Just as Jia Lian was secretly plotting his revenge, a beautiful figure walked in.

Seeing Jia Lian's expression, she was somewhat surprised, but still walked over gently and asked, "What's wrong, Lord Marquis?"

Jia Lian shook his head, looked at the beautiful woman beside him, and casually pulled her into his arms, fondling her for a while.

After she gave him a slight, playful kick, he released her, put one arm around her waist and sat her on his lap, opened a blank form with the other, picked up his brush and began to write a memorial to the emperor.

His actions naturally displeased the woman in his arms.

However, seeing that he was indeed getting down to business, and that such a handsome man was seriously wielding his brush, and that the content was even written directly about the emperor, his charming temperament and the aura of power he held captivated her, a young lady from an official family.

So he quietly went down and nimbly squatted under the table to remove Jia Lian's handkerchief and clothes.

Her only job in the Jia family was to help Jia Lian manage his study; to put it more elegantly, she was a charming and attentive servant.

As time went on, she naturally learned what she should do to make Jia Lian happy when he was doing things.

But Jia Lian acted out of character today. Seeing her like this, although he subconsciously reached down and touched her head, it wasn't to encourage her. Instead, he asked, "Did the princess give you a waist token that allows you to freely enter and leave the princess's residence?"

"Yes." Hu Yuanyao smacked her eyes, looking puzzled.

Jia Lian smiled and said, "In that case, why don't you go back to the Princess's residence this afternoon? I'll go with you."

Hu Yuanyao was the middleman between Jia Lian and Princess Zhaoyang, and had frequently acted as their liaison in the past. Now that Jia Lian had put it this way, how could she not understand?

She had initially wondered why the princess would go to the trouble of giving her a special waist token, since she wasn't required to announce her arrival at the princess's residence. The guards all knew her; who would stop her?

So it was a convenient carriage to take Jia Lian inside...

All her doubts were resolved. Not daring to compete with the princess for food, she obediently got up and went behind Jia Lian to massage his shoulders.

Only then did Jia Lian calm down and continue writing his memorial.

With him by her side, Yingchun's marriage is destined to be one where she suffers no loss.

The most important matter at hand is still being discussed with Princess Zhaoyang, and the potential commotion from Emperor Ningkang's side.

Although he guessed that Emperor Ningkang would most likely launch an uprising at Tiewang Mountain.

But it's just speculation after all.

If Emperor Ningkang truly intended to force the emperor to abdicate, then why hasn't this well-known confidant of Emperor Ningkang, who also holds considerable military power, received a single order, or even a hint, yet?

Even the promise made by Emperor Ningkang before he set off for the imperial mausoleum—that he would inspect the results of his musketeer army's special training upon his return—has never been fulfilled.

Under these circumstances, Jia Lian couldn't help but begin to wonder if he hadn't done something right, and if his boss didn't care about him...

Therefore, he decided to submit a memorial to Emperor Ningkang. In addition to reporting the results of the musketeer army's training, there were two other points.

First, they requested permission to withdraw most of the musketeer troops back to the city after the musketeer training was completed.

Secondly, he petitioned to have the 1,500 artillerymen and 300 cannons of the firearms battalion trained outside the city, just like the musketeers.

It's important to know that the artillery battalion's camp outside the north city wasn't too far from Iron Net Mountain...

Therefore, his action was mainly to test Emperor Ningkang's reaction.

Regardless of how Emperor Ningkang responded to his memorial, he could deduce some of Emperor Ningkang's thoughts from it.

……

Daming Palace.

When Emperor Ningkang received Jia Lian's memorial, he, who was already somewhat dull from reviewing memorials, immediately stopped writing his imperial rescript.

After looking at it carefully, he fell into deep thought, then waved to Dai Quan beside him.

"Take a look at this memorial."

Dai Quan was slightly surprised. Although he enjoyed the deep trust of Emperor Ningkang, it was still rare for the emperor to directly show him memorials like this.

After all, how to prevent eunuchs from abusing their power was a required course for every emperor.

After taking a look, Dai Quan smiled and said, "Marquis Zhenyuan is loyal to the king and so diligent in training troops. He truly deserves to be a minister valued by the emperor."

He offered a light compliment, but when he looked up, he saw that Emperor Ningkang remained silent, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

Dai Quan felt a chill run down his spine, immediately realizing that this was not what the emperor wanted to hear.

For a moment, cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He thought that his embezzlement had been exposed and that Emperor Ningkang was giving him a warning.

Having served the emperor for decades, he was well aware of Emperor Ningkang's thoughts and rationally realized that even if the emperor wanted to reprimand him, he would not use Jia Lian's memorial as a pretext.

Oh, right, Jia Lian, lead the troops!

As if by divine intervention, Dai Quan, in his panic, grasped the key point and his expression became serious.

He quietly stepped forward and lowered his voice, saying, "Master, the Marquis of Zhenyuan's actions have really helped us... Although the Marquis of Zhenyuan only has a few thousand soldiers, according to him, his few thousand soldiers are equivalent to tens of thousands of soldiers in the capital garrison."

Although we don't know if it's true or not, judging from the results of the training ground trial, Marquis Zhenyuan's control over firearms is indeed far superior to that of other generals.

He trained for another year, and it was expected to be effective.

Putting that aside, the key is the artillery battalion's camp outside the city, only twenty or thirty miles away. Once... our master might need it!

After Dai Quan finished speaking, he observed Emperor Ningkang's expression. Seeing that the emperor's brows relaxed, he breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he had selected the correct option.

Then he added, "Although Lord Chen and Commander Zhao have made them worried about the Marquis of Zhenyuan's background and position, this servant does not see it that way."

Although Marquis Zhenyuan was born into the Rongguo Mansion, his grandfather being Jia Daishan and... he himself was genuinely promoted by his master through favor. Without his master's discerning eye for talent, Marquis Zhenyuan would have been nothing more than an unpopular playboy in the Duke's mansion, and how could he have achieved his current illustrious reputation?

Furthermore, this servant observes that Marquis Zhenyuan is utterly loyal to his master. Over the years, the First Prince and the Third Prince have repeatedly tried to curry favor with him, but he has remained unmoved. His master is aware of this, which demonstrates Marquis Zhenyuan's loyalty.

If we can obtain the assistance of the Marquis of Zhenyuan this time, it will be like adding wings to a tiger for our master's great cause!

Dai Quan rose from a lowly eunuch to become the Grand Eunuch of the Daming Palace, holding the title of Inner Minister, over a period of about fifty years.

But for the past fifty years, he has lived under the constant threat of the retired emperor!

He held the Emperor Emeritus in awe to the very core.

However, as Emperor Ningkang's most trusted confidant, whose life, death, honor, and disgrace were all tied to Emperor Ningkang, he had absolutely no possibility of betraying Emperor Ningkang and joining the ranks of the retired emperor.

Therefore, when he learned that Emperor Ningkang intended to rebel, he was terrified. He feared Emperor Ningkang's failure more than anyone else.

Because of Emperor Ningkang's defeat, it meant that he, the high-ranking Grand Chancellor, had suddenly fallen to the bottom, and even his life was in danger.

Therefore, he hoped that Emperor Ningkang would have as many bargaining chips as possible and make as many preparations as possible.

This is why he spared no effort in recommending Jia Lian to Emperor Ningkang.

Emperor Ningkang clearly understood his meaning, but he still shook his head, "I probably won't need him this time. He is a sharp sword, and I will use him in a more significant way, but not now."

Emperor Ningkang offered a casual explanation and then changed the subject, asking, "What I want to ask is, what do you think of him submitting such a memorial at this time?"

Could it be that he guessed something?

Emperor Ningkang's dark eyebrows furrowed deeply.

He was quite certain that ever since he conceived the idea of ​​seizing power, he had acted with extreme caution, striving to leave no trace. He knew the importance of secrecy in accomplishing things.

Even the people he trusted most, the people he relied on most, and the people he needed to carry out this mission, he only found out about when the time came.

These fewer than five people are all completely bound to his interests, and there is absolutely no reason for them to betray him.

However, Jia Lian's memorial to the throne made him, who was already on edge, even more tense.

There was no other reason than that Jia Lian's memorial was exactly what he wanted!

Although he did not intend for Jia Lian to be involved in this incident, being able to reasonably deploy Jia Lian's five thousand troops to the outskirts of Tiewang Mountain was like adding an extra layer of insurance to his plan, so why wouldn't he do it?

But why is Jia Lian so sensible?

If it were just a coincidence, that would be fine.

If not… he knew Jia Lian was a smart man, could it be that Jia Lian had seen through something and was deliberately trying to please him?

Emperor Ningkang was not particularly worried about Jia Lian's loyalty. As Dai Quan said, almost everything Jia Lian had was bestowed upon him by Dai Quan, and based on his observations of Jia Lian, he did not believe that Jia Lian had any reason to betray him.

His concern was that if Jia Lian could see through it, there was no guarantee that other people with ulterior motives wouldn't do the same.

If even one of these people dares to inform the Emperor Emeritus of the secrets, his plan will completely fail!

This is something he cannot accept.

Unable to determine the outcome himself, he probed Dai Quan's opinion. After all, one person's plan is limited.

"How is that possible!"

Dai Quan was greatly surprised, and subconsciously raised his voice a little.

He quickly glanced around the hall and saw only two bowing eunuchs standing in the far corner before turning back to express his opinion.

"Master is being far too suspicious. No matter how wise the Marquis of Zhenyuan is, he couldn't possibly have guessed it!"

Even if a servant follows his master around every day and serves him daily, he would never guess his master's thoughts without the master's revelation.

Marquis Zhenyuan... absolutely not.

It's probably just a coincidence.

Marquis Zhenyuan had always harbored ambitions to help his master unify the six kingdoms, and thus consistently advocated for a policy of strengthening the nation and its military. The firearms battalion was an army he had painstakingly built with his master's support, so he naturally valued it highly and wanted to achieve results in front of his master to repay him.

Therefore, they dared not rest for a moment. As soon as the musketeer training was completed, they immediately asked for permission to bring the artillery out of the city for training.

By the way, didn't the Crown Prince mention it yesterday? He said that the Marquis of Zhenyuan was diligent in training his troops, and the Crown Prince personally witnessed him leading his army dozens of miles back and forth for physical training before dawn.

Given that the Marquis of Zhenyuan possessed such a patriotic heart, it is not surprising that he submitted such a memorial at the meeting.

Emperor Ningkang's doubts were only momentary; in reality, he didn't quite believe that Jia Lian could guess what he was going to do at Tiewang Mountain.

Over the years, he has been suppressed by the retired emperor more than once or twice.

Although the power struggle between him and the retired emperor has escalated since last winter, and the court officials are all on edge, feeling that a storm is brewing.

But to be able to guess that he intended to force a coup was bold enough, to be able to accurately guess that he would choose to act at Iron Net Mountain so quickly, and to deliberately submit a memorial to mobilize troops to cooperate with him...

This can no longer be described as merely intelligent; calling it a prodigy wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Therefore, upon hearing Dai Quan's explanation, Emperor Ningkang suppressed his doubts and wrote a reply for Jia Lian.

He first praised Jia Lian, then approved his two requests, and handed Jia Lian's memorial along with several other memorials to Dai Quan, instructing him to return them that day.

Dai Quan was about to leave with the memorial in his hand when Emperor Ningkang called him back.

Emperor Ningkang pondered for a long time before saying, "I told Jia Lian before that I would personally go outside the city to inspect the results of his intensive training when I return to the capital."

But with the Iron Net Mountain project about to be completed, I really can't spare the time. Why don't you go in my place and take a look, and see if he's been making empty promises?

"Let's set the date for tomorrow."

Dai Quan bowed and accepted the order. After waiting a short while and seeing that Emperor Ningkang had not added anything further, he withdrew.