Chapter 995
Jia Lian Rongguo Mansion
Chapter 995 Jia Lian Returns to Rongguo Mansion
The moon is approaching,
Small vendors set up their stalls on one side of Ningrong Street. Whether it's ordinary people coming here to have a bite to eat, or the guys working in the Rongguo Mansion, they come here to sit and order two plates of side dishes and a pot of wine, and they can sit here for half a day.
Following the shout of the servant in front of the Rongguo Mansion, the whole Rongguo Mansion became noisy, and even the people on Ningrong Street all looked over.
Jia Lian was seen riding a horse, leading his men back exhausted, wearing a bloodstained heavy armor that was in tatters. Behind him were only five personal soldiers, wearing the same heavy armor and the same blood stains, but the murderous intent in their eyes had never disappeared. When they arrived at the gate of Rongguo Mansion,
Rein in the horses,
Looking at the still splendid gate of the Duke's Mansion, Jia Lian couldn't help but feel a lot of emotions in his heart. He thought he would be overjoyed, but when he arrived at the gate, the trace of joy in his heart disappeared.
"Get off the horse, wait until we enter the mansion, prepare to bathe and eat, you guys stay in the mansion and have a good rest."
"Yes, General."
The five personal soldiers nodded, clasped their fists, and dismounted together with Jia Lian. Only the sound of armor and iron plates colliding could be heard, which made Lai Da, who was guarding the gate, feel a little restrained. This was Second Master Lian. Not only had he changed his appearance, but he also looked so "majestic".
"Second Master, you are back."
He quickly called the steward to come over and pay his respects to the Second Master.
"Well, everything is fine at home."
Then he hummed, threw the reins to the doorman, touched the long sword at his waist, and felt a little more emotional.
"In reply to Second Master, everything is fine in the mansion. The Empress in the palace has given many rewards. After Second Master left, the manors of the two mansions were combined to build a fortress, and the outline of the imperial visit courtyard has been completed. After a few more days, the foundation of the main hall can be laid. Second Madam is in the mansion and often misses Second Master."
Lai Da thought about the last sentence and finally said it. After hearing it, Jia Lian moved, nodded, and walked into the mansion. Behind him, there were five personal soldiers. The smell of blood and a hint of evil aura made people shudder.
When they were about to return to the opera house, a maid came in a hurry. Seeing Master Lian covered in blood, she was startled and bowed quickly.
"Master Lian, the old lady wants to see you,"
"understood,"
Without bothering to go back to change his clothes, Jia Lian led his people to Rongqing Hall, entered the inner courtyard, walked around the corner corridor, and lifted the curtain. He saw that the inner hall was full of people, including the eldest and second masters.
He stepped in and saluted Lady Jia.
"Jia Lian pays his respects to the old lady,"
As soon as he finished paying his respects to Lady Jia, everyone in the room fell silent. One reason was that Jia Lian had changed so much, with a bloodstained shirt that was very scary. The other reason was that the murderous aura was overwhelming. Jia She's face turned black, and he wanted to scold him, but when he saw the bloodstains on his body that had turned black, he felt a little nervous.
Grandmother Jia didn't think so. She was delighted to see Jia Lian, who seemed like a completely different person.
"Okay, it's a blessing to be able to return safely. Sit down first and let's talk."
Even the old lady changed her tone unconsciously. The atmosphere in the whole inner hall seemed a little strange. Jia Lian clasped his fists and nodded.
"Thank you, old lady. You are dirty, so just sit down."
I don't know why, but looking at the familiar inner hall, I felt it was much more flashy, and I felt vaguely uncomfortable in my heart. Covered in blood, I went to sit down in the last seat on the west side. Sanchun was curious and kept looking at me.
Jia She's face darkened, and he looked a little suspicious, and asked:
"Humph, after going to the south, he has become much more arrogant. People who don't know him would think he is an ever-victorious general. How did he fight in the south?"
As soon as he opened his mouth, everyone in the room frowned. How could such questions be asked openly? Jia Zheng felt that it was inappropriate, so he spoke up to smooth things over.
"Jia Lian, there are some rumors in the capital about what happened in the south. Is it true? Is it true?"
It was hard to talk about the defeat, but Jia Lian didn't care. He stood up and bowed.
"Second Master, what father said just now is all right. The government army was defeated three times to your south. Only one out of the hundreds of thousands of troops survived. They returned in a disastrous defeat, and most of them didn't even make it back."
Looking at Jia She again, a look of "as expected" flashed across his face, and Jia Lian bowed to Lady Jia again.
"Grandfather, I have one more thing to ask of you. Please give me some silver to my personal soldiers. Each family and each mansion should give an extra portion of silver. We fought in the north of Linshan County City, and finally the camp was lost. We were surrounded in Daliang City. We lost three battles and three times. The mansion army tried its best but failed to win a counterattack. I had fifty personal soldiers around me, but now only five are left. We fought together and died together. We were rescued by the reinforcements of Luo Yunhou and were able to get back."
She didn't say much, but everyone could see the danger hidden inside. The bloody clothes and broken armor all told of the difficulty of the war. A trace of solemnity flashed in the old lady's eyes. She turned to look at Feng Yatou who was still a little dazed beside her and clapped her hands.
"This is easy to deal with. Feng girl, withdraw three thousand taels of silver from the public account for Jia Lian. Since we are together through life and death, I will definitely not treat them unfairly."
"Uh, okay,"
Wang Xifeng came back to her senses, her face flushed, and she responded, feeling heartbroken.
"Thank you, ancestor."
Jia Lian clasped his fists again, turned around and sat down, picked up the tea, and drank it all in one gulp. However, he was still worried about the general. If his uncle was really deprived of his position, his position as a "general" would be over.
"What are you thanking me for? We are all family. What do you say in the camp or in the palace?"
This is what the old lady wants to ask. The governor of the Beijing camp is of great importance and involves many interests of the Jia family. She has to ask,
"Grandfather, there is no definite plan in the palace. My uncle has not returned to the palace yet. He said he will stay in the camp. The other generals should go back to the palace to rest and wait for the compensation money from the court to come down. After the merits are determined, they will return. It should not take a few days. As for the others, no one has said anything."
Jia Lian also knew what the old ancestor meant, but he could not see the intention behind it.
"Well, since you didn't say anything, it's a good thing. Okay, don't delay here, Feng girl, go back with me and help me take a bath and change clothes, and wash away the evil spirit on my body."
Grandmother Jia even pushed Wang Xifeng's arm with her hand. It was strange today. Such a smart person on weekdays was acting stupid now.
"Yes, old lady,"
Perhaps it was the old lady's push that brought Wang Xifeng back to her senses. She stood up and bowed, then called Ping'er and went back to the Pear Garden with Jia Lian. As for the five personal soldiers, they were led by a servant to the guest room to rest.
As soon as they entered the Pear Garden, before Wang Xifeng could speak, Jia Lian tore off his armor in the garden. Sometimes it was inconvenient, so Ping'er and Wang Xifeng worked together to take it off. After a while, only the military uniform was on her body. She wanted to say something, but was pulled into the main house by Jia Lian. With a cry from inside the house, the people working in the yard all packed up their things and left the yard. Only Ping'er, with a red face, picked up the armor on the ground and followed in. She saw the messy clothes on the floor in the house, and there were muffled gasps from the inner hall. I don't know how much grievance grandma has suffered. As the sound came out, it was like a storm, one wave bigger than the other. Ping'er almost couldn't sit still, so she had to go back to the small room, lying on the bed with her head covered in the quilt, but those whispers were everywhere, and she couldn't help but think of the time when she was eavesdropping with grandma, it seemed that the second master was worse than the marquis.
In Rongqing Hall,
After Jia Lian left, the bloody smell in the room dissipated a lot. Jia She looked impatient and waved his hand.
"Mother, you too, even for the personal soldiers, the pensions have always been issued by the court. Why waste these three thousand taels of silver? The southern army was defeated, and only one tenth of the government troops survived. It is unknown when they will recover. I think the court does not have the energy to organize one."
Although the words sounded cold, to be honest, the court is short of money in all departments now. So many people died, and the pension money alone would cause a huge deficit. If the government army is rebuilt, the money will disappear into the sea. It is impossible to think about it. Although Jia She does not care about worldly affairs, he still has to go to the grand court meetings. He knows a thing or two about the court. Those deficits are all old accounts left over from the time of the retired emperor. Even if he wants to check, he can't find them.
Jia Zheng shook his head. How could these be compared with what happened in the court?
"Brother Lian had a hard time too. He survived a near-death experience with the help of his personal soldiers. He should have a clear conscience after getting some silver. No matter what the government troops do, Jia Lian is from the Beijing camp, and he will return to the Beijing camp to be an official."
Everyone looked at Jia Zheng. They had thought that this man was pedantic, but now he could say such words. Grandmother Jia felt a little better.
"Yes, the second brother is right. Fighting bravely is one thing, but taking care of the master is another. The Jia family cannot be ungrateful. The government army cannot control it, but Jia Lian is still the commander of the Beijing camp. Many things in the future will still depend on Jia Lian. As for the rest, wait and see."
The last sentence was said by Grandmother Jia to the Second Madam. The Second Madam nodded, her face looking a little grim. If something happened to the eldest brother, how would the Wang family support themselves?
"What the mother said is,"
"Don't think too much. Just focus on what the Queen needs. Prepare it immediately. Don't delay important matters."
Grandmother Jia gave a worried reminder. This was the most important thing. After the eldest girl entered the palace, there was not much news that could be conveyed. Now, she should focus on stabilizing her position and put everything else aside. In addition, Wang Ziteng was not without a chance. Even if the noble old relative really wanted to replace him, it would not be a casual change. Although the Marquis of Xiangyang was clever and versatile, it was precisely because of this that he could not sit in that position.
"Yes, old lady, my daughter-in-law knows about it. A few days ago, I prepared some loose change and sent it in. I think it will be useful."
"Well, that's good. Let's go home and have a rest. We can talk about tomorrow's affairs tomorrow. I'm tired."
Grandmother Jia waved her hand, and everyone stood up and said goodbye. They all had different thoughts. They felt that the mansion had changed a lot, and they didn't know what went wrong.
North of the city.
The residence of Prime Minister Li
In the originally quiet backyard pavilion, Young Master Li had a mixed look on his face. He hurried into the inner hall and asked where the master was. Following the guidance of the steward, he arrived at the backyard pavilion, where he saw his father lying on a specially made soft couch with a blanket wrapped around him. The maids who served him were surrounding him, blocking the breeze.
Li Chaosheng was dressed in white, with a green jade belt around his waist, on which hung a lifelike mutton-fat jade. When he arrived in front of the pavilion, he slowly climbed the steps, watching his father closing his eyes to rest, and whispered;
"Dad, something big happened in the capital,"
"Well, you are here, but have you eaten yet?"
The answer was irrelevant. Li Shoufu leaned to the side and slightly opened his eyes. It was unclear whether he was really asleep or just pretending to doze off.
"Dad, eating is a small matter. I heard that Wang Ziteng has returned to the capital, and brought back 20,000 Taiping prisoners from the Beijing camp. When Marquis Baoning led the imperial guards to take over, the rebels uttered treasonous words, and were killed by Wang Ziteng and Marquis Baoning in front of the South City Gate. I heard that these people were imprisoned outside the South City by the imperial guards under Marquis Baoning. In this case, the civil officials will definitely take action, my son thinks..."
Li Chaosheng smiled slightly. Such a great opportunity was right in front of him. If he could use this opportunity to shock the generals of Wuxun, it would be good. I think that Lord Gu and Lord Lu would take action secretly. Wang Ziteng had been the governor of the Beijing camp for so many years with the face of the Jia family. It was time for him to take action.
Of course, how to move still needs to be decided after consideration.
I was wondering if my father could give me some advice, but I didn't hear any words from him, only the sound of his deep sleep. I was really doubtful. Could it be that my father didn't agree?
"Father, I don't know if what I want is possible. If it is possible, I will try to arrange it."
Li Chao was afraid that his father didn't hear him, so he deliberately asked loudly. Only then did Li Shoufu move his body and slightly narrow his eyes. It was unclear whether he was awake or not.
"Some things are done by people, and some things are driven by people. You think it is an opportunity, but others may not think so. Wang Ziteng's position seems to be in danger, but in the eyes of the palace, no one may want to move him."
The eldest son's face changed when he heard the faint words. His father was not optimistic.
"Father means not to move. Then Lu Wenshan and Gu Yichen will also take action, right?"
"Yes, if they were going to make a move, why would you bother doing this?"
After Li Shoufu finished speaking, he turned over again and covered himself with the blanket, leaving the eldest son Li silent. His father meant to use stillness to control movement. Could it be that the palace did not want to move, or that Changle Palace did not want to move?
However, if Wang Ziteng is really moved, the most likely successor is Marquis of Xiangyang. This person is the messenger among the military honors and is even more difficult to deal with. If other people among the honors and nobles are really allowed to get involved, it may not be a good thing. The Jia family has a concubine.
Thinking of this, I began to think about it.
"Father is right. Wang Ziteng is related to the Rongguo Mansion of the Jia family. Now the Rongguo Mansion is also considered a royal family. Wang Ziteng is a relative by marriage. The Jia family has made great efforts to secure the position of the governor of the Beijing camp. But what if someone from the cabinet brings it up?"
Young Master Li opened his mouth to ask if Lord Lu and Lord Gu would take action. If one of them took action first, the civil officials would be watching.
"You are still uneasy. The two of them are so cunning and treacherous that they will not take the first step. Not only will they not take action, but they will persuade me. If they are really impatient to take action, then I am blind. Of course, if Wang Ziteng does not move, other things may happen. Go back and think about it carefully."
After mumbling something, he began to chase people away. Li Chaosheng had no choice but to bow respectfully and then slowly retreat. Judging from the old man's expression, Wang Ziteng's position could not be moved, but what did the last sentence mean? There might be something else. Could there be something else going on in the Beijing camp? He couldn't figure it out for a while, so he could only go back to discuss with his three senior brothers.
I looked at the sky. The afterglow was high in the sky, and there were no clouds in the sky. It was not yet night, so it was a good day. So I hurried out of the house and disappeared.
The residences of other people in the capital,
They were not idle either. Some sent people out to inquire around, and some even sent clever servants to check at the South City Gate. When they came back, there was another round of noise. Even the two princesses' houses had spies from outside, who came in and out from time to time.
The eldest princess Zhou Xiangxue was the first to know about it. Liu Yue and Wei Shuyun had already entered the inner hall of the backyard of the princess's mansion to report what was happening in the capital, especially after Wang Ziteng's defeat, he did not even see the emperor. This was particularly important.
"You mean, Wang Ziteng is still in the Imperial Army camp and hasn't returned."
"Yes, Your Highness. Wang Ziteng dismissed all the generals in the camp and did not return to the palace. In addition, all the generals who returned to the palace knelt in front of the Meridian Gate before leaving. Only one in ten of his personal soldiers remained. Even Jia Lian, who was sent to the Beijing Camp by Rongguo Mansion, had 50 personal soldiers when he left, but only 5 of them followed him when he returned, and all of them were injured."
Others didn't notice this, but Wei Shuyun didn't let it go. She figured out that the battle in the south would be difficult to fight. The people of Taiping Sect were really powerful. If it weren't for Luo Yunhou, Wei Shuyun blushed when she thought of Luo Yunhou. She didn't know why she felt irritated.
"It's really tragic. It seems that those evil people of the Taiping Sect are not made of clay. They dared to shout such treasonous words at the city gate, but no one backed down. Wang Ziteng's defeat was not unfair. It's a pity that Luo Yunhou is too good at fighting."
Zhou Xiangxue put down the guqin in her hand, her face somewhat grim. Others might not know about the victory report that night, after all, Emperor Wu did not make it public, and she did not know what her brother meant, but she knew that although Luo Yunhou also lost a lot of soldiers and horses, it was rare to be able to beat the leader of Chu and make him flee in embarrassment.
"Yes, Master. According to the secret letter from the south, the battle at the foot of Anyang Mountain lasted for more than four hours. Both sides fought to the death. The 50,000 soldiers of the Imperial Guards were nailed to the battle formation and returned to the camp only after sunset. Of the more than 50,000 soldiers of the Imperial Guards, less than half are left."
Wei Shuyun blinked and deliberately recited the number of people.
"Haha, the Right Guard of the Imperial Guard and Xiaocheng's troops, he really dared to fight to the death. Could it be that the emperor didn't send someone to pass on a message to him? Tsk tsk, Marquis Luo Yun is still so powerful. If it were someone else, they wouldn't have ended up like this."
The eldest princess was also all smiles. The matter here was really interesting. Only Liu Yue didn't understand and asked in confusion,
"Your Highness, how can there be no deaths in war?"
(End of this chapter)