Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

The imperial city was far more somber than ever before.

On the wide stone-paved avenue, apart from the guards, there were hardly any pedestrians to be seen.

He dismounted at Xihua Gate and walked to Daming Palace. Soon, Jia Lian received a summons from Emperor Ningkang.

"Your subject Jia Lian pays his respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be well."

"I am at peace, rise."

Emperor Ningkang put down the memorial in his hand and looked at the young man in the hall.

Every official in the court was extremely cautious when entering the palace for an audience. The first words they uttered were mostly in strict accordance with the standard script set by the Ministry of Rites, which he had become numb to.

Only a few people dare to make any changes.

Among these few people, Jia Lian stands out the most. Almost every time before he speaks, you don't know which line he will use today.

He was actually quite looking forward to it.

"I heard you've been having a rather leisurely time these past few days. The eunuch who delivered the imperial decree just returned and said that when I summoned you, you were planning to go out of the city for a stroll?"

"That is a plan."

Jia Lian glanced at Emperor Ningkang and, seeing his unfriendly expression, quickly said, "This is all thanks to Your Majesty, who allowed me to recuperate at home."

"Since the weather is so nice today, I thought I'd take my two younger cousins ​​out of town for a stroll, so as not to waste this beautiful time."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Ningkang's expression turned even more unpleasant.

He's been incredibly busy these past few days, getting less than two hours of sleep a night. The moment he opens his eyes, a mountain of troubling tasks awaits his approval and handling!

This guy has the leisure to take his cousin out of town for a stroll, and both of them at that?

"You unambitious fellow! You possess remarkable talent, yet all you know is to indulge in play and pleasure, reveling in sensual pleasures and debauchery. How can you possibly shoulder great responsibilities in the future if you squander your time like this..."

Hearing the familiar insults from Emperor Ningkang, Jia Lian was speechless and blinked at him.

Your Majesty, would you like to hear what you are saying?

I don't want to waste my time; I want to take on great responsibilities, but you won't allow it!

If I don't act a bit straightforward, especially since you're going through a sensitive period, I'm afraid you'll mess with me.

Emperor Ningkang was used to scolding Jia Lian, and he realized his mistake halfway through, snorted coldly, and took back the rest of his words.

He glanced at Dai Quan, who then bowed and went out, quickly leading in an old, decrepit eunuch.

Ignoring the old eunuch's trembling kowtow, Emperor Ningkang said, "This is the head eunuch of Xichun Garden, and also one of the close eunuchs who served the retired emperor. He once accompanied the retired emperor on a border patrol... um, the one during the Marquis of Anyang's rebellion."

Emperor Ningkang left it at that, and Jia Lian immediately understood what Emperor Ningkang meant, looking at the skinny old man beside him.

As a senior eunuch who served the retired emperor, this old eunuch's seniority was naturally extremely high.

But at this moment, he appeared extremely humble and respectful. Seeing Jia Lian looking at him, he immediately said respectfully, "This old servant, Shi Le, pays his respects to the Marquis of Zhenyuan."

Emperor Ningkang summoned him and then called the old eunuch over, which clearly indicated that the old eunuch knew about his background, so Jia Lian naturally did not hold back.

"You're too kind, sir. Since you're an old friend of the retired emperor, how much do you know about what happened back then?"

"Is my father truly the illegitimate son of the Emperor Emeritus?"

"This old servant dares not deceive Your Excellency, but I am not very clear about Your Excellency's background either."

However, this old servant accompanied the old emperor to Datong Town and does know some things about it.

When the old emperor was on the orders of Emperor Muzong to inspect the border towns, he passed through Datong Prefecture and took a liking to the beauty of the Lady of Anyang Marquis, so he summoned her to serve him in the inner tent.

Unexpectedly, the Marquis of Anyang learned of this and, in a fit of rage, led his troops to surround the Imperial Envoy's residence. Fortunately, the Commandant of the Central Army, who later became the Duke of Rong, Jia Daishan, and others risked their lives to protect the Emperor, and the old Emperor escaped safely...

"The Lady of Anyang Marquis? Isn't she the sister of the Marquis of Anyang?"

Jia Lian's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

The old eunuch looked somewhat uneasy. He glanced at Emperor Ningkang above him, but quickly replied, "Marquis Anyang, Geng Rong, is the only son of the Geng family and has no brothers or sisters. This is easy to verify. If Marquis Zhenyuan doesn't believe this old servant, he can go and ask those who knew the inside story back then..."

The South Study fell into a brief silence.

"And then?"

"When Geng Rong saw that the old emperor had escaped, he decided to go all the way and rebelled. However, he was quickly suppressed by the old emperor and the Duke of Daishan."

I don't know much about what happened after that.

After the old emperor returned to the capital, Emperor Muzong passed away, and the old emperor ascended the throne.

Not long after, the Duke of Rongguo passed away, and the Duke of Daishan inherited the title. About a year later, the Duke of Daishan had his eldest son.

Because the old emperor and the Duke of Daishan had a very good relationship, the old emperor also liked this child very much. At a palace banquet, the old emperor personally praised him for being well-behaved and intelligent, saying that he would grow up to be a marquis and a prime minister...

Jia Lian and the others were speechless for a moment.

Jia She? Granted a title and appointed prime minister?

Monkey as in monkey, elephant as in elephant, right?

However, things are now fairly clear: most of what the Emperor Emeritus said that day was true.

However, to save face, the retired emperor claimed that the wife of the Marquis of Anyang was the Marquis of Anyang's sister.

The Lady of Anyang, who was also his adoptive grandmother, was probably secretly placed in the Rongguo Mansion by the retired emperor after the rebellion of the Marquis of Anyang was suppressed, and became one of Jia Daishan's nominal concubines.

However, how Jia She suddenly became Jia Mu's biological son, and how Lady Anyang died, remain mysteries.

When asked, the old eunuch didn't know either.

After all, fifty or sixty years have passed, and there were probably not many people who knew the inside story back then, and most of them are probably dead by now.

It seems that only by meeting Granny Lai can we learn more about the inside story.

By the time Jia Lian finished thinking about all this and came to his senses, the old eunuch had already left, leaving only Emperor Ningkang and Dai Quan still staring at him.

Jia Lian immediately bowed and thanked Your Majesty: "Your Majesty has gone to such trouble for my sake; I am deeply humbled."

Emperor Ningkang snorted, as if to say, "It's good that you know, kid."

However, he then narrowed his eyes, looked sharply at Jia Lian, and said in a deep voice, "So now you know why the Emperor Emeritus has never publicly revealed Jia She's identity all these years."

Even though you performed so well, he never intended to acknowledge you or grant you the status and honor that a member of the royal family deserved.

It wasn't until that day at Iron Net Mountain that he was forced to reveal your true identity to the public!

Emperor Ningkang stared intently at Jia Lian, trying to discern his thoughts and intentions from Jia Lian's immediate reaction.

Jia Lian's expression was also very serious, even showing a hint of righteous indignation.

"Your Majesty, I know! Your Majesty, no, your lineage and that of your father are a stain and a disgrace in the life of the Emperor Emeritus."

He never truly regarded my father and me as his descendants.

That day at Iron Net Mountain, he merely wanted to use the troops under my command to oppose His Majesty, nothing more!

As Jia Lian spoke, he seemed like a potion about to burst into flames. He suddenly knelt on the ground with a thud, and said angrily:

"But as the saying goes, a loyal minister does not serve two masters! Although the Emperor Emeritus is also my sovereign, over the years, I have received great favors from Your Majesty and have risen from an unknown nobody to become the renowned Marquis of Zhenyuan, holding multiple positions in the court, which can be described as a position of great power and influence!"

All of this is thanks to His Majesty.

Therefore, in my heart, Your Majesty is the only person I truly want to serve.

Therefore, even though the Emperor Emeritus offered me the title of Prince that day, it could not shake my will in the slightest.

"My greatest wish in this life is to serve as Your Majesty's General of the Cavalry, to sweep away the barbarians on all sides, and to conquer a vast territory for our Great Wei!"

It was clearly a long speech expressing loyalty, but Jia Lian said it almost as if he were roaring, which was a breach of etiquette in front of the emperor.

A flawless version after careful inspection!

However, Emperor Ningkang was quite pleased with what he heard.

It was worth it for him to take the time out of his busy schedule to help him figure out his background.

but……

"You dare to compare yourself to Huo Qubing?"

"Um, Your Majesty, I only said General Huo Qubing, not that it must be General Huo Qubing."

"Your Majesty's words seem to imply that you are the same person as Emperor Wu of Han..."

"Hmm??" Emperor Ningkang frowned.

Dai Quan, who was standing next to him, couldn't help but wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

My little darling, are you not happy unless you stroke the tiger's whiskers or something? You finally managed to make His Majesty happy, and instead of taking the opportunity to say something nice to win over the Emperor's heart, you actually dare to make sarcastic remarks. Well... you're really bold and daring.

Emperor Ningkang glared at Jia Lian a few times, and seeing that he hung his head and dared not act presumptuously again, he snorted and said, "The Emperor Emeritus wants to see you, so get out of here."

"Um, may I go see him?"

"What, do you also think I am a traitor, that I cannot even allow the Emperor Emeritus to summon a foreign official?"

"I had no such intention. Who in the world does not know that Your Majesty is..."

"roll!"

"Okay."

Jia Lian got up, took a few steps back, and then suddenly walked back.

Under Emperor Ningkang's clearly impatient gaze, he suddenly said, "Your Majesty, although state affairs are important, there is an old saying: 'Where there's life, there's hope.'"

With so many civil and military officials around Your Majesty, it's best to leave the less important matters to them.

Your Majesty should take good care of your health in your spare time.

Only when Your Majesty is in good health can you have more time to govern this vast land and more time to seek the well-being of the 200 million people of our Great Wei.

Your Majesty, I earnestly hope to be able to stay by Your Majesty's side at all times...

Emperor Ningkang initially thought Jia Lian was about to cause some trouble again, but as he listened, his expression changed.

He paused for a moment, then said calmly, "I understand."

Jia Lian stood for a moment, and seeing that Emperor Ningkang had no intention of paying him any more attention, he bowed and turned to leave.

After leaving the Daming Palace, Jia Lian breathed a sigh of relief.

If he had some concerns before that Emperor Ningkang was deceiving him, after today, he truly felt reassured.

It was obvious that the Emperor Emeritus wanted to see him today, which was why Emperor Ningkang summoned him to the palace.

However, the fact that Emperor Ningkang summoned that old eunuch is quite interesting.

It's like three close friends, but now two of them have fallen out.

Then one person found evidence and a third person said, "Look how he treated you back then. He never treated you as a true friend (grandson)."

What is the purpose of this plan?

Isn't it just that he wants you to be with him, and not with him?

Jia Lian was keenly aware of this at the time, so he readily agreed and expressed his loyalty to completely dispel Emperor Ningkang's concerns.

As for his later concern for Emperor Ningkang, it was basically genuine.

He noticed as soon as he entered the hall that Emperor Ningkang looked very unwell, but he was forcing himself not to show it.

The previous coup, the death of the crown prince, and the ruthlessness of the third prince must have already dealt a blow to this emperor who was eager to establish his achievements.

In addition, although the power grab was successful, it was not smooth.

The Crown Prince's betrayal disrupted his overall plans, making his coup attempt to seize power almost public knowledge.

It's easy to imagine that in the two days since he returned to Beijing, he must have encountered many troubles and heard a lot of opposition and even condemnation.

Under such circumstances, Jia Lian was genuinely afraid that he might not be able to hold on and would quit.

Although he secretly intervened, making the Third Prince's plot to murder the Crown Prince known to many and damaging the Third Prince's "virtuous reputation," according to Princess Zhaoyang, Emperor Ningkang still mostly regarded the Third Prince as his heir.

In such a situation, if Emperor Ningkang were to pass away and the Third Prince were to ascend the throne, would he be in a good position?

Although he had Princess Zhaoyang represent him that day and he himself never showed his face, he didn't believe the Third Prince would remain completely unaware.

Even if the Third Prince doesn't suspect him in this matter, he will still clash with the Third Prince later when he helps the Fourth Prince seize the throne.

Therefore, he was genuinely afraid that Emperor Ningkang would suddenly kick the bucket.

For Jia Lian, the longer Emperor Ningkang lived, the better. Ideally, he would live like the retired emperor, outliving the third, fourth, and even fifth princes...