Red Mansion Royal Cat

Chapter 523 No Taboos
Perhaps in the eyes of others, a high-ranking official like the Minister of the Imperial Household is a height that is difficult to achieve in a lifetime.

But in the eyes of the retired emperor and the emperor, the position of Minister of the Imperial Household was just a transition to help Jia Cong improve his qualifications.

Because of Jia Cong's uniqueness, the old man Wei Qinghe's words that he was born with knowledge and wisdom had already allowed the two saints to make proper arrangements for Jia Cong's future.

How could such a talent be allowed to raise horses in Taipu Temple?

As long as Jia Cong is here, Daxia will prosper for three generations!
If Jia Cong was not so young, the contributions he had made overtly and covertly over the years would be enough to earn him the title of Duke.

How could they make the two saints worry so much that their hair shed just to help this kid gain qualifications?

"Brother Chong..."

The old emperor waved to his grandson, and Liu Chong obediently stepped forward.

The old man admonished, "Although you are three years older than Jia Cong, his talent is far superior to yours. Go and work under him. He will be your teacher. Forget your status as a prince... Remember, you are a newcomer to the government. Listen more, watch more, learn more, and talk less!"

Liu Chong not only did not resist the eight-word request, but he bowed to Jia Cong with the etiquette of a disciple.

This was beyond Jia Cong's expectation. He was so shocked that he dodged to the side and said in return: "My Lord...what are you doing, brother? I am not worthy of your courtesy. Let's learn from each other in the future..."

We are all so familiar with each other, and it is so formal. Isn't this destroying the relationship between brothers?
Old Thirteen at the side slapped his thigh and laughed, "You two are brothers, aren't you?"

Liu Ke never does things in a pretentious way, he prefers to be straightforward.

"Dad, let the young people decide their own affairs. As long as they do what you and Fourth Brother have told them to do, that's all."

The old man also nodded, agreeing with the words of his unreliable yet reliable Old Thirteen.

"Okay, that's settled. But..."

The old man suddenly changed the subject: "There is something you should be mentally prepared for in advance. You should have seen what happened at the court a few days ago. As the new policy continues to advance, the resistance to the new policy is growing both in the court and among the people. Although Zhou Jiong can still suppress it for the time being, there will be a day when he will not be able to suppress it. By then, many things will be difficult to handle in the court. At that time, it will be your turn to step up to the front."

The words of the retired emperor made the atmosphere in the pavilion become solemn.

The old man looked solemn, his eyes full of meaning as he stared at Jia Cong: "Many times, there doesn't have to be a deep hatred to fight to the death. Jia Cong, you are good at everything, except that you are sometimes soft-hearted. For some things, you should cross the rules, and don't hesitate when you should kill someone. Otherwise, you will be the one to die!"

In fact, these words only touched the surface. The deeper meaning was not revealed, but Jia Cong had already guessed it.

The old man was reminding him that those who are not ruthless cannot stand firm in the court.

Moreover, when it comes to reform, how many reformers throughout history have had a good ending?
Famous prime ministers and wise ministers flashed through Jia Cong's mind, such as Wang Anshi and Zhang Juzheng, but their new laws were destroyed after their deaths.

Old man Wei Qinghe had said something similar to him at the beginning, and Zhou Jiong had also hinted at it to him a few days ago.

The Prime Minister didn't want any posthumous title. This was a reminder to him that if he died, it would be his, Jia Cong's turn to take over the reform.

The person who presides over the reform can die, but the new law must continue.

This reform, which was planned by Wei Qinghe and implemented by Zhou Jiong, will likely require the sacrifices and efforts of several generations before it can completely solve the deep-rooted problems that have accumulated over thousands of years.

The dangers and hardships involved are incalculable. The emperor understood this, the emperor understood this, Zhou Jiong understood this, and Jia Cong himself understood this.

"We want to dig up their roots, which is more hateful than the hatred of killing your father or stealing your wife. I know that all the reformers in history were hated by others."

The most terrifying thing is the invisible bloody struggle, but Jia Cong doesn't care about it.

He spread his hands indifferently and grinned: "But I'm not afraid. I have you protecting me and your majesty protecting me. Even if I offend everyone in the world, I won't be afraid!"

Jia Cong's fearless appearance made the old saint laugh. The fourth brother probably trusted him because of this boy's unrestrained nature.

Sometimes, only those who have no taboos can accomplish great things.

The old man said with relief: "Don't worry, kid, they can't represent everyone in the world. The people of the country are on our side!"

……

It was the Flower Festival again. Just at daybreak, the gates of the Lin Mansion in Huanghuafang had already been opened. Servants were busy coming in and out, sweeping the floor, hanging red silk, and pasting silk flowers.

Mo Ge'er put on a brand new red coat, and looked like a big red envelope.

Today is Daiyu's coming-of-age ceremony. Minister Lin, who has been busy for several days, has specially asked for leave to stay at home. Now he is sitting at the table, having breakfast with Jinse and his two children, while talking about the coming-of-age ceremony.

Daiyu is quite troubled. The coming-of-age ceremony is so troublesome!

"Someone from the palace came to tell my daughter yesterday that the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess will arrive at home at the end of the morning hour today. Third Brother Bai and several brothers will greet the guests at the front door. When the time comes, Second Brother Lian and Brother Cong will go to entertain His Royal Highness the Crown Prince..."

There is nothing that can be done about it. The only two people in the Lin family who can talk to the prince are Lin Ruhai and Lin Bo, while the others are of lower status.

Mr. Lin wanted to entertain the guests in the front hall, and Lin Bo wanted to bring a few brothers to greet them at the front door, so he could only borrow the help of his cousin from his maternal uncle's family.

Fortunately, the emperor will not come today, otherwise it would be troublesome...

Lin Ruhai nodded. His daughter had a special status, so today's coming-of-age ceremony not only had to invite royal relatives, but also had to be presided over by people from the Zongzheng Temple and the Ministry of Rites.

Instead, he, as a father, has to stand aside today.

dong dong dong~
"Master, the old lady and uncle are here."

"So early?"

As he was speaking, Lin Ruhai saw through the window Master She, holding his granddaughter and walking towards him with big strides.

"Brother-in-law, hurry up and wait at the gate. The queen's carriage is coming soon!"

Which queen? Needless to say, it was the virtuous concubine Yuanchun.

Lin Ruhai and his companions stood up in surprise, not even bothering to have breakfast, and hurriedly called for everyone in the mansion, big and small, to gather at the gate.

As soon as everyone had gathered, a team of Dragon Guards walked in from the street corner, lined up, and guarded both sides of the road.

duang, duang, duang~
The gongs in the quiet street were struck one after another, and the imperial concubine's procession appeared in Huanghuafang for the first time.

The people on both sides opened their doors one after another and looked at the imposing and luxurious phoenix carriage with curiosity and surprise.

"It's actually a phoenix-shaped ceremonial procession!"

"Oh! I remember now, there was an imperial concubine in Mrs. Lin's family!"

After Mr. Lin came to Beijing, he lived in Rongguo Mansion for three years. The Lin family was very low-key, and the neighbors almost forgot about the Lin family's powerful in-laws.

When the imperial carriage arrived, the neighbors realized that the Lin family not only had a minister, but also had top-notch relatives.

"Oh, the coming-of-age gift we prepared is too light. Go and change it quickly. Find the most precious thing in the mansion. If it doesn't work, go buy something quickly. The Lin family's connections are really far-reaching!"

Some people slapped their thighs in regret and complained to their wives and children that the gifts they prepared were too small.

But he heard his wife curl her lips and reply: "Master, you are wrong. It's not that the Lin family has connections that go far away. Miss Lin is a princess who was conferred by the emperor. She is the sky! I have already put away the original one and prepared a new gift. Why would I wait until now?"

……

Yuanchun left the palace today not just to attend Daiyu's coming-of-age ceremony.

In fact, she would not return for the time being after leaving the palace today. After Daiyu's coming-of-age ceremony was over, she would return to Rongguo Mansion with the Jia family to stay temporarily.

"It is my niece who disturbed my uncle's peace. It was the people from the Ministry of Rites who insisted that my niece come with a full set of ceremonial objects."

After entering the mansion, Yuanchun went to the inner hall, changed out of her luxurious and heavy palace dress and put on a light pink skirt. She only inserted a jade hairpin in her hair, and she looked a lot more relaxed.

Now that there were no people from the Ministry of Rites watching over her, the inner hall was filled with relatives. Yuanchun didn't bother to care about the palace rules and etiquette, and just held Mo Ge'er in her arms and played with him.

After hearing Yuanchun's self-proclaimed name and explanation, Lin Ruhai agreed to her wishes and asked with a smile, "Did your Majesty not bring the little prince out?"

"The Saint sent someone to pick me up yesterday. He lives in the Huangji Palace with the Fifth Prince and Chun'er."

Yuanchun was also helpless. She wanted to take her son back home to visit her parents, but the old man now liked playing with his grandchildren more and more. The prince and others were too old to play with, so he always asked someone to pick up his grandson.

The old lady was delighted when she heard this and said, "This is a good thing. The more the Saint loves the little prince, the more others will be cautious."

Everyone in the room nodded, especially Jia Jing and Jia She, who had experienced the struggle for succession at the end of Emperor Zhaowu's reign. They understood this principle best.

Even though the palace seems calm now, everyone knows that the wind in the palace has never stopped!
"By the way, where is Brother Cong?"

Yuanchun has never seen Jia Cong since she entered the mansion.

It is said that today is Daiyu's coming of age, so no one can be missing except Jia Cong!
Master She smiled bitterly: "Before dawn today, Cao Jiugong sent someone to knock on our door and called Congge over..."

……

Jia Cong sat in the study of the Dragon Guard Commander's Mansion, yawning constantly and glancing at the ticking clock from time to time.

"That's the thing. According to Mr. Qing Teng, although the situation in U-Tsang is temporarily under control, we still have too few people on the plateau. If it were just the monks in U-Tsang, it would be fine. But now that the English have gotten involved, we are really overwhelmed."

The Dragon Guards who rushed back to the capital from U-Tsang brought secret letters from Xu Jin. One letter was delivered to the palace and the other to the Dragon Guards.

Cao Jiugong entered the palace before dawn and sent someone to invite Jia Cong, who was an expert on all nations.

When he returned from the palace, he immediately conveyed the emperor's order.

At this time, Jia Cong's opinion is the main one!
"Your Majesty, now that both the north and the south are at peace, the army has been arranged to fight against Japan. You are the one who is most familiar with the West. Whether to fight, how to fight, who to use, and where to mobilize troops are all up to you to determine the general direction."

Jia Cong had not slept well last night and was awakened before dawn. He was in a hurry to go to the Lin family to celebrate his sister Lin's birthday and coming-of-age ceremony, so he was in a bad mood.

Hearing what Cao Jiugong said, he immediately replied: "Of course we have to fight! Territorial disputes have always been determined by strength. These monks from U-Tsang think that they can ignore the Celestial Empire with the support of the English. Then we should use cannons and swords to teach them a lesson!"

Cao Jiugong nodded, asked someone to bring the map, and after spreading it out, he said, "We must fight. According to the news from U-Tsang, there are also traces of Luosha people in the Western Regions, and these people are secretly colluding with the British and U-Tsang people. Cong, tell me the truth, if a war breaks out on both sides, how confident are we?"

Jia Cong smiled when he heard this: "I dare not say it is 100%, but 99% is still possible!"

"Oh? Are you so sure?"

Although Cao Jiugong also wanted the Celestial Empire to be victorious in every battle, he was born into a military family after all, and he was also the commander-in-chief of the central army. He knew very well that there was no army in the world that was invincible.

Moreover, this time the Celestial Empire not only has to deal with England and U-Tsang, but also has to fight wits and courage with the people of Rakshasa Kingdom on the northwest border.

But Jia Cong curled his lips in disdain: "Dudu, do you still remember the letter sent back from the West?"

……

"Master, the uncle is here!"

Steward Lin Fu personally welcomed Jia Cong into the inner hall. As soon as he entered, he saw Yuanchun sitting in the first seat, chatting and laughing with the old lady.

"Big sister is here so early? I thought big sister would arrive before noon."

Jia Cong bowed and greeted several elders. Yuanchun saw that Jia Cong looked tired, so she waved her hand to let him off the hook and asked, "What happened? I heard from my uncle that Commander Cao called you over before dawn."

Everyone looked at Jia Cong. If it wasn't a serious matter, Cao Jiugong, the commander-in-chief of the Dragon Guard and the commander-in-chief of the Central Army, wouldn't be in such a hurry to call Jia Cong over.

Jia Cong replied helplessly, "The teacher sent back a letter from U-Tsang. There are traces of English and Russian people in U-Tsang. The teacher is worried that we don't have enough manpower there, so he wants to transfer some troops over there."

Before Yuanchun could react, Jia Lian, who was sitting next to her, slapped his thigh and said, "Oh, good news! It's my turn to lead the troops this time..."

slap~
Master She raised his hand and patted his son on the head: "What does it have to do with you? If anyone should go, it should be me, your father!"

Bang!
"Why did you hit Lian'er? Don't you think about how old you are? Do you think you can go to U-Tsang? Do you want to die?"

The old lady slammed the table violently, and this sudden outburst frightened Master She greatly.

The old lady had a solemn look on her face, and even the usually unrestrained Master She looked a little embarrassed.

For a moment, the room was somewhat dull. At this time, Jia Jing was holding a teacup, sipping tea while saying quietly, "Don't worry, Auntie. We can't let anyone from our family lead the troops this time..."

Monthly ticket recommendation ticket

　I’ll stop here tonight and continue tomorrow. Good night!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)