Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Chonghua Palace remains as majestic and magnificent as ever.

The bustling scene of palace maids and eunuchs coming and going was gone, making it seem much quieter.

The eunuch leading the way brought Jia Lian to the outside of Chonghua Hall, where he respectfully waited under the corridor, while the eunuchs guarding the gate announced the arrival of the guest.

Shortly after, Jia Lian arrived inside the palace.

Inside the vast hall, there were almost no strangers, except for an old man sitting on the dragon throne at the very top.

Upon seeing this, Jia Lian couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow.

Back then, the retired emperor was so high and mighty, ruling the world for nearly sixty years. His words were obeyed by all under heaven.

Even in his later years, he was merely a high-ranking eunuch from his own palace, yet he dared to look down on all the civil and military officials and disregard the Grand Chancellor of the Ming Dynasty.

Now that he has lost his power, he can only sit alone in this cold and gloomy hall like an ordinary old man.

Of course, Jia Lian believed that Emperor Ningkang did not intend to mistreat the retired emperor.

In the previous situation, Emperor Ningkang never showed any intention to kill the retired emperor, which shows that Emperor Ningkang's goal from beginning to end was only to seize power.

He probably didn't intend to retaliate against the retired emperor.

He's just too busy right now. Perhaps after locking the retired emperor in Chonghua Palace and replacing all the previous palace servants and guards, he hasn't had time to arrange for more servants to come in.

"Your humble servant Jia Lian pays his respects to the Emperor Emeritus, wishing him good health and longevity."

Jia Lian respectfully kowtowed to the Emperor Emeritus.

Putting aside the fact that the retired emperor might be the blood grandfather of this body, the retired emperor was actually quite good to him back then.

Even the opposition to him and Zhaoyang now seems reasonable.

"Rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The retired emperor's voice no longer carried the hysteria of his defeat; it had regained its former composure.

"You are my grandson, and you should address me as Grandfather, just like the other princes."

"Your subject dares not..."

"Are you afraid that getting too close to me will displease him?"

Jia Lian glanced at the Emperor Emeritus and thought to himself, "You already know all this, so why are you asking?"

The retired emperor was somewhat displeased. After a moment of silence, he said, "Come up a bit. It's tiring for me to talk from so far away."

"Yes."

Jia Lian then stepped onto the red carpet and ascended the steps.

"Closer."

Jia Lian had no choice but to move closer.

The retired emperor looked him up and down and sighed, "What a handsome appearance! Seeing you makes one realize how quickly time flies, like a fleeting moment."

Seeing that Jia Lian remained silent, the Emperor Emeritus realized that his current show of closeness to Jia Lian seemed somewhat cheap, so he changed his way of speaking.

"I heard he stripped you of your military command and even removed you from all your official positions?"

"Yes……"

"Can I regret it?"

Jia Lian raised an eyebrow and shook his head, saying, "Both thunder and rain are the Emperor's grace. Since the official position I hold was bestowed by His Majesty, it is only right that His Majesty takes it back now."

Besides, His Majesty told me that he only wanted me to go home and recuperate for a while, so that I could take the opportunity to properly observe mourning for my father.

"Do you believe him?"

"Your Majesty's word is as good as gold, and I naturally believe it."

The retired emperor frowned, seemingly thinking Jia Lian was too naive, or perhaps jealous of Jia Lian's trust in Emperor Ningkang.

He curled his lip and said, "That's fine too. Now that you have no power, he naturally has no reason to harm you."

In that case, you'll be able to live a peaceful life, which is better than others.

The retired emperor's eyes showed a hint of melancholy and reminiscence, it was unclear who or what he was thinking of.

"Do you blame me?"

"Why does the Emperor Emeritus say such a thing?"

The Emperor Emeritus's sudden question surprised Jia Lian.

The Emperor Emeritus said casually, "Is it my fault for not recognizing you all these years, leaving you and your father to wander far from home? Is it my fault for suddenly revealing your true identity that day, causing you to lose your promising future?"

"The Emperor Emeritus is overthinking it."

My father and I were not wandering far from home; we grew up in the Jia family, living a life of luxury.

My father is a first-class Divine Might General, and I am also favored by His Majesty and granted the title of Marquis. In terms of both wealth and status, I am above all others.

Therefore, I don't know how my father is, but I certainly don't resent the Emperor Emeritus, because I know that he must have been watching over the four of us, father and children, all these years.

As for the idea of ​​me losing my future, that's simply out of the question.

On the contrary, it was I who dared to disobey the Emperor Emeritus's orders that day; I beg the Emperor Emeritus not to hold me accountable.

Jia Lian's words were all reasonable, yet they also revealed a sense of estrangement.

The retired emperor was fully aware of this.

He was furious that Jia Lian had refused his promise to help him resist Emperor Ningkang.

But in the last two days, his anger has subsided.

Living in seclusion deep within the palace, with almost no one to talk to, he felt lonely and couldn't help but think of his grandson Jia Lian, feeling indebted to him, and thus wanted to see him.

His original intention was to get closer to Jia Lian.

After all, Jia Lian far surpassed his other grandsons in both appearance and talent. Coupled with his special background, he held a somewhat different place in his heart.

However, Jia Lian's attitude clearly told him that it was a bit late to say these things now.

He knew that this was the downside of being a smart person.

If Jia Liansheng were a bit more foolish and stubborn, given his status, as long as he was willing to acknowledge her and showed her a little kindness, she would have readily submitted and developed a deep affection for him.

Like other juniors.

"It's good that you think that way. Actually, after I ascended the throne, the country was beset by internal and external troubles, and I really didn't have the energy to focus on anything else. Therefore, I did neglect your father."

Perhaps it was precisely because of my negligence that he developed into that kind of person.

Once I have worked diligently to govern the country and brought peace to the realm, I have considered bringing your father back to the imperial clan.

But by then, your father had grown up and was unruly, and most of the things he did were condemned by everyone.

Ultimately, for the sake of the imperial family's reputation, I did not do so.

The retired emperor seemed to be offering an explanation.

Jia Lian nodded repeatedly, seemingly believing the Emperor Emeritus's words.

But he didn't care at all. Jia She was the seed of evil deeds, and the Emperor Emeritus was probably too busy covering it up to openly welcome him back to the imperial clan. Wouldn't that just be inviting the whole world to dig up dirt on him?

Therefore, the claim that someone is incorrigible is probably just an excuse.

Otherwise, my reputation over the years has been pretty good, so why hasn't he ever cleared my name?

"I had already completely given up on your father, but I never expected that he would leave me with you... the three of you siblings."

Especially you, your talent and ability are something I greatly admire.

"I had already decided to find a suitable opportunity for you three siblings to be recognized as family members. That's why I personally tested you at last year's birthday banquet."

Jia Lian's eyes showed a look of emotion as he sighed, "It's a pity that life is unpredictable. If this hadn't happened, my second sister, my brother Cong, and I would have been living a life of luxury and privilege."

The retired emperor looked slightly apprehensive.

In fact, the only person he cared about was Jia Lian. He didn't even know the names of Jia She's other two children, since he had too many grandchildren, at least a hundred or two.

In fact, if Jia Lian hadn't mentioned it repeatedly, he wouldn't have even brought up Yingchun and Jia Cong at all.

He did indeed intend to acknowledge Jia Lian, but it was definitely not as Jia Lian "thought" that he would reveal the truth to the world.

His plan was to first express his favor towards Jia Lian, and then have one of his sons adopt Jia Lian as his godson, so that he could legitimately bring Jia Lian under his wing and raise him.

A flawless version after careful inspection!

In that case, no one else has anything to do with it.

In the eyes of this high and mighty emperor, only a grandson like Jia Lian, who possessed excellent looks, talent, and ability, could make him unable to discard him like worn-out shoes, and could give him the urge to reclaim his bloodline.

It's hateful that the sixth brother is so cunning and rebellious, yet he dares to rebel against him!

It's hateful that Jia Lian is so pragmatic; seeing him lose, he shows no concern whatsoever for the affection shown by his blood relative, his grandfather.

"In short, in my heart, you are different from my other grandsons."

I can no longer leave this Chonghua Palace, and I don't want to go out anymore. Since he thinks I'm wrong, I'll let him do whatever he wants. One day he'll get tired of it and understand my helplessness.

Never mind, let's not talk about him anymore.

"If you wish, you may come to the palace to see me whenever you have free time. If you dare not come, I can speak to your sixth uncle and have him grant you a token to enter and leave the palace at will."

"this……"

"Hmph, you don't need to worry. I have entrusted the entire world to him, he won't refuse even this small request of mine."

"Go back now, I'm tired."

Jia Lian hesitated slightly: "Yes... Your humble servant takes his leave."

……

After leaving Chonghua Palace, the eunuch who had been serving him took him back to the Southern Study.

Emperor Ningkang was still reading reports. When he saw him enter, he asked without looking up, "This is the first time you two have met since you recognized each other. Why are you back so soon?"

"The Emperor Emeritus is not in good health. After exchanging a few words with me, he felt tired, so I took my leave."

"Really? What did he say to you?"

"It's nothing much, he just told me some old stories and suggested that I visit him in the palace more often if I have time... The Emperor Emeritus seems quite lonely..."

Jia Lian's words caused Emperor Ningkang to fall silent for a moment. He then turned to Dai Quan and asked, "Have you made proper arrangements for the eunuchs and palace maids I asked you to assign to Chonghua Palace?"

"Your Majesty, due to the recent complexity of palace affairs, manpower is needed in various places, and the Imperial Household Department cannot spare too many people at the moment."

Yesterday, I personally arranged for twenty-eight eunuchs and twenty-eight palace maids to be sent in. The rest should be all arranged by tonight.

Emperor Ningkang then remained silent and looked at Jia Lian again.

Jia Lian also responded calmly.

No matter what, the retired emperor was still his grandfather. If he kept avoiding suspicion and didn't dare to say a single word for the retired emperor, Emperor Ningkang might look down on him and even think that he was harboring malice.

Sure enough, Emperor Ningkang only glanced at him twice before lowering his head and picking up a bright yellow imperial edict from the table. He examined it carefully for a moment, then placed it on the table, picked up the imperial seal from the gold-inlaid sandalwood box beside him, and stamped it with both hands.

After putting the imperial seal back, Emperor Ningkang picked up the imperial edict again, glanced at it, and handed it to Dai Quan: "Give it to him."

Jia Lian was still suspicious when he saw Dai Quan walking towards him with a smile, saying, "My lord, receive the decree."

Jia Lian immediately knelt down before Emperor Ningkang.

The imperial edict stated:

Marquis Zhenyuan, Jia Lian, is a man of both virtue and integrity. He is devoted to public service and serving the country. Since taking charge of state affairs, he has been diligent and hardworking, achieving great merit and winning my heart.

For his numerous merits and rewards, he is hereby promoted to the third-class Duke of Rongguo and granted permission to ride the imperial horse into the palace.

I hope you will work even harder in the future and not fail my kindness.

So be it.

Upon hearing the words "Duke of Rongguo," Jia Lian paused for a moment, but immediately kowtowed in gratitude.

Taking the imperial edict from Dai Quan, before even looking at it, Dai Quan smiled and said, "This servant greets the Duke of Rong. From this day forward, Your Excellency is the foremost duke outside the imperial family."

Jia Lian stood up, his eyebrows slightly raised, and he couldn't help but feel a little excited.

He had considered that Emperor Ningkang would reward him. Leaving aside his previous minor merits, he had made the greatest contribution at Iron Net Mountain; it wouldn't be right not to reward him!

But no one expected Emperor Ningkang to be so generous, actually granting him the title of Duke.

This is not the founding of a nation, but the Duke of Taiping!

In the world today, apart from those half-baked dukes from the royal family and those dukes from the small foreign states they depend on, there isn't a single real duke!

There are many marquises, but a duke... he is probably the only one!

Although this may be an advantage due to the ancestral title, even so, once it is publicized, it can still cause quite a stir.

Just like the first and only non-King Wang Shui Rong.

Seeing the rare excitement on Jia Lian's face, Emperor Ningkang snorted, "He can hardly be considered an outsider."

"Alright, I've given you what I was supposed to give, and that will save someone from cursing me in their heart any more."

Upon hearing Emperor Ningkang's words, Dai Quan pretended to slap his own mouth, then looked at Jia Lian with a smile.

It seems His Majesty treats Jia Lian as a member of the royal family; bestowing upon him the title of Duke is not a big deal.

However, if that's the case, why did His Majesty insist on bestowing the title of Duke of Rongguo upon Jia Lian? Doesn't this just re-establish Jia Lian's place within the Jia family?

"Your Majesty is too kind. How could I dare to curse Your Majesty in my heart? In my heart, Your Majesty is like a living Buddha to all, the only guiding light in my mind..."

Jia Lian was delighted and prepared to shower Emperor Ningkang with flattery. However, faced with Emperor Ningkang's cold and unyielding gaze, he had no choice but to swallow the rest of his words.

"Since the Emperor Emeritus has instructed you to visit him in the palace frequently, just remember that. I will issue an edict to the palace guards, allowing you to enter and leave the Forbidden City."

Furthermore, although I have granted you permission to ride into the palace, you must not disregard the rules and wander around inside. When you reach the Linjing Gate, you must dismount before me!

"Go ask Dai Quan about the rules in the palace. If... hmph, don't blame me for not warning you."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand."

Jia Lian didn't think there was anything wrong with it. Emperor Ningkang was probably afraid that he was young and impetuous, and there were many nobles in the palace, so he might easily offend someone.

But putting aside the fact that he was long past his youthful days, he never intended to visit the palace often.

Did he really want to rekindle the bond between grandfather and grandson with the retired emperor?

If Emperor Ningkang hadn't forced the emperor to abdicate, then there would have been a different story.

Seeing that Emperor Ningkang seemed to be alright, Jia Lian couldn't wait to take his leave and leave the palace.

"Wait. Now that you're in the palace, go to Fengzao Palace and check on your sister for me."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

……