Red Mansion Royal Cat

Chapter 524: He Was Conferred the Title of Marquis

The one in the Jia family who has the keenest political sense is the eldest master. The others, combined, are not even half as good as the eldest master.

After Jia Cong revealed the reason why Cao Jiugong was looking for him, Master Jing had already understood his master's intention and had drawn up a complete picture of dispatching generals and troops in his mind.

Several situations were deduced, and there was no trace of the Jia family in any of them.

"Our family is in a state of great turmoil. Your Majesty, even if it is to preserve the hard-earned relationship between the monarch and his subjects, must suppress our family and let the people from the Zhenguo Mansion and other military families lead the troops..."

Halfway through his words, Master Jing turned his gaze to Jia Cong and said meaningfully: "Brother Cong's title will most likely be restored!"

what?
"Ouch, really?"

The old lady was stunned at first, but then she understood the meaning of her nephew's words and clapped her hands in joy: "That's right, otherwise I wouldn't have asked Cong to take care of this matter."

Where does military merit come from? Fighting on the battlefield with real weapons, organizing logistics and transporting food and grass, and giving advice and planning overall strategies.

Among these three major items, as long as one of them can play an important role in the entire war, the military merit obtained will rank among the top.

What Jia Cong is best at is handling Western affairs, and he has a very strategic vision.

The rebellion of the monks in U-Tsang was not only caused by the shadows of Western countries, but now there is also a Rakshasa country in the northwest. It is simply like God is chasing Jia Cong to feed him.

Even if Jia Cong didn't want the credit, the emperor would force it into his mouth.

In the whole of Daxia, who can compare with Jia Cong in understanding Westerners? After receiving the news, Cao Jiugong chose to invite Jia Cong as soon as possible, because he knew that Jia Cong was absolutely indispensable in this matter.

As for why the emperor let Jia Cong take charge of formulating the overall strategic guidelines for this war, on the one hand, he valued Jia Cong's ability, and on the other hand, he was laying the groundwork for restoring Jia Cong's title.

"Brother Cong..."

Master Jing did not hesitate at all, and did not care that today was his niece's coming-of-age ceremony. He directly began to explain to Jia Cong his views on the battle.

"If we want to completely pacify U-Tsang, we must be cautious in three areas. The first is Lamaism on the plateau. The power of faith is the most terrifying."

"Secondly, whether it's England or Luosha, they won't really help U-Tsang. Their goal is to take the opportunity to disrupt the country and consume our national strength. Therefore, if we want to prevent them from succeeding, we must quell the rebellion at the lowest cost."

"Since they don't want us to be in peace, we can't let them watch the show in peace. I remember that the English and the French have always been at odds, right?"

Master Jing is truly a master of strategy. Just this one sentence is enough to make Jia Cong admire him to the core.

As a reborn person, he could only think of this with the help of his memories from his previous life. Master Jing stayed in the clan school every day to teach children, and only based on the little information in the court newspapers and rumors, he could think of using France to weaken England.

"Uncle Jing, you are really awesome. This is what I am planning. Wen Shaobao has already reached an agreement with France. As long as we are willing to sell them firearms, they will help our dynasty occupy a piece of territory in the West. I think if our dynasty gives the French some benefits, France will definitely help us deal with the English."

The conflicts between Britain and France are so long that it would take more than a year to describe them all.

Jia Cong just didn't believe it. If Daxia helped France build a huge fleet, the English's backyard would definitely be on fire. By then, would they have the leisure to cause trouble in the East?

As for the Rakshasa Kingdom, when it comes to grassland warfare, who is Daxia afraid of?
"Uncle Jing, I plan to recommend three people to Your Majesty for the candidates to enter Tibet. One of them is Uncle Niu..."

Jia Jing waved his hand to interrupt Jia Cong: "Just keep this in mind, don't say it out loud, or someone will find out and bother you."

Just kidding, there hasn't been any war in the country for two years, and the generals are so bored that they have to go on expeditions every day, which almost annoys the emperor to death.

The monks in U-Tsang were about to rebel, which almost drove the military generals in the court to death, as they were just waiting for them to raise the banner of rebellion.

If they knew that Jia Cong had already chosen the candidate, the threshold of Rongguo Mansion would probably have been trampled down by military generals.

When Jia Cong thought of that scene, he couldn't help but shudder.

He scratched his head, laughed foolishly, and changed the subject, saying, "My nephew does not intend to recommend anyone from our family to U-Tsang, but they can still have a bowl of broth. As the saying goes, it is impolite not to reciprocate. Since the Luosha Kingdom in the northwest has intervened, we cannot let them have an easy time. The Luosha Kingdom annexed a lot of places to the west two years ago. My nephew plans to send someone to bring a cavalry over to help those annexed tribal countries restore their country!"

The desire for territory of the Rakshasa Kingdom is definitely the strongest that Jia Cong has ever seen, but they are different from the Central Plains dynasties. Their rough level of governance makes it difficult for the people in the occupied areas to truly submit to them.

As long as Daxia sends a cavalry over, relying on the Celestial Empire's reputation, benevolence, and powerful military force, it will be enough to reignite the resistance that Rakshasa has suppressed with great difficulty. By then, Rakshasa will no longer have the mind to cause trouble in the Celestial Empire.

In Jia Cong's expectation, the team heading northwest did not need to fight the Rakshasa Kingdom head-on, but only needed to delay them from moving south.

Therefore, this contribution is not big, but it is not small either. At least it is an above-average contribution.

"I want Rong Ge'er and Qiang Ge'er to go together. As long as we can hold back the Rakshasa Nation's southward advance, once U-Tsang is pacified, it will be no problem for them to be promoted to the next level after returning to Beijing."

Jia Cong smiled bitterly, ignoring his second brother's resentful look, and explained his thoughts to Master Jing.

The two older nephews sitting at the end had expressions of gratitude on their faces.

Coming from a family of military honors, who wouldn't want to achieve great things if they had a little self-respect?
They are really brothers in distress. The absurdity of the past few years has caused them to lose many opportunities.

Now they want to work hard, but God seems to be playing a joke on them. Both of them have become representatives of "freeloaders" in Beijing.

One married the daughter of the late crown prince, and the other married the beloved daughter of the eldest princess...

Jia Jing looked at the eager eyes of his two grandsons, and finally could only sigh and nod to agree to the matter.

He skipped over this matter and talked about his third opinion on the matter of U-Tsang.

"Since you have already made up your mind about the Luosha Kingdom, let's not talk about it. Brother Cong, the outcome of the battle with U-Tsang has already been determined, but the most important thing is how to make U-Tsang completely loyal. Earlier, you advised His Majesty to abolish serfdom, and I think it's time to start implementing it!"

……

The spring breeze in February is the gentlest, blowing on your face with warmth, just like a beauty’s hand brushing your face, extremely comfortable.

Huanghuafang was particularly busy today, and the street in front of the Lin residence was almost completely blocked by horse-drawn carriages.

In order to prevent the prince from being stuck outside, the housekeeper of the Lin residence had to ask people from the Five Cities Military Department to direct traffic on the street.

Lin Bo and several brothers of the Lin family stood in front of the door to welcome the guests. Jia Cong, together with his second brother Jia Lian, Baoyu, Jia Huan, Jia Rong and Jia Qiang, entertained the guests who came to congratulate in the main hall of the Lin Mansion.

Princess Wen'an, the Emperor's goddaughter and the eldest daughter of Minister Lin, the Great Xia's God of Wealth, came of age today, and almost all the officials in the capital were alarmed.

The ceremonial officer at the Lin residence had shouted himself hoarse, but the gifts filled three entire rooms and were still not put down.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness the Crown Princess are here!"

All the guests sitting in the main hall stood up and came out to greet Lin Ruhai.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness the Crown Princess!"

Crown Prince Liu Hong and Crown Princess Zhang entered the palace hand in hand and exchanged greetings with everyone outside the main hall.

Liu Hong said gently, "I am here today to congratulate my younger sister on her coming of age. Today, we are not the emperor or the minister. Please stand up quickly."

The Crown Prince of Daxia was impeccable in his words and deeds. He personally stepped forward and helped up several veteran ministers and scholars. With just a few words, the atmosphere outside the main hall reached a climax.

Everyone surrounded the prince and sat him down in the main hall. They chatted happily for a long time. Jia Cong took the opportunity to take Liu Hong to the study to rest for a while.

"You should be aware of the situation in U-Tsang and do your best. Your father intends to use this opportunity to restore your title. You must make great contributions in this matter to avoid being criticized by others."

The prince's advice warmed Jia Cong's heart. His cheap fourth brother was really good to him...

Jia Cong nodded solemnly: "I know, don't worry, Fourth Brother, I have already made up my mind about this matter. At the latest, I will send the memorial to the Qinzheng Palace the day after tomorrow morning."

"No hurry. After you finish writing, I will take you to the Duke of England's mansion and ask the Duke of England to correct you."

If the court ministers' attention had not been tied up in the imperial inspections and major affairs, Jia Cong's position as Minister of the Imperial Household Department would have been in jeopardy.

If we want Jia Cong to regain his title now, we must make sure that no one can find fault with him.

Liu Hong just couldn't believe it. Even with the combined strength of the strongest military heroes of the Jia and Zhang families, they still couldn't formulate a complete and detailed strategic plan?
Liu Hong has secured the title of Congge'er!
"Thank you very much, Fourth Brother. I have more confidence after receiving the guidance from the Duke of England!"

Jia Cong bowed his hands in thanks, and Liu Hong nodded with a smile.

At this time, the voice of the East Palace eunuch came from outside the door: "Your Highness, there is news from the Cining Palace that the Empress Dowager's phoenix carriage is about to arrive."

ha?
The Queen Mother is coming too?
Liu Hong blinked at the shocked Jia Cong and said with a smile, "In the Cining Palace, the imperial sister is much more favored than me. The imperial grandmother told my father a few days ago that she would come out of the palace today to be the main guest of the imperial sister."

what?
The Queen Mother is the main guest of Sister Lin?
"Didn't Zhengbin invite Princess Deqing?"

Jia Cong's doubts were soon answered. Jia Qiang got the news from his mother-in-law that when Princess Deqing went to the Cining Palace to pay her respects, she inadvertently mentioned that the Lin family invited her to be the guest of honor at Daiyu's coming-of-age ceremony.

The Empress Dowager was so bored that she thought of leaving the palace to be the guest of honor of her godson, the fairy-looking girl.

Daiyu's mother passed away early, and although she is of noble status now, there are always people who talk about it behind her back.

With the most noble woman in the world as the guest of honor at the coming-of-age ceremony, anyone who dares to talk about losing his mother when he was young would be disrespectful to the Empress Dowager and would be given a slap in the face.

……

The royal family all loves appearance, and the Queen Mother likes beautiful children the most.

There is absolutely no flaw in Daiyu's appearance, and Empress Dowager Cao loves her no less than her own daughter or granddaughter.

In addition, as the Empress Dowager, who loved hustle and bustle, had finally left the palace, after being welcomed into the back hall, she immediately summoned the ritual officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Zongzheng Temple to her side and began to check the prepared procedures for the ceremony of coming of age.

"Replace those ceremonial objects with the ones I brought. Those gold and silver objects are so tacky, how can they match a girl like me who looks like a fairy?"

"Why didn't the musicians from the Ministry of Rites come? What were you thinking, the people from the Ministry of Rites, that you invited musicians from the streets! Go find them quickly! Before the ceremony of coming of age begins, I want to meet the people from the Ministry of Rites!"

The Empress Dowager seldom meets outsiders, but today she made the people from the Ministry of Rites and the Zongzheng Temple sweat.

Can't be bothered, can't be bothered!
They had no choice but to replace the ritual vessels quickly and sent someone to invite people from the Taichang Temple over.

By the time the coming-of-age ceremony was about to begin, the Empress Dowager was finally satisfied.

……

Dong, Dong, Duang~
Woohoo~
Huanghuafang welcomed another team of majestic and noble carriages, and the golden dragon flag embroidered with a five-clawed dragon indicated the owner of the carriages.

No one had expected that the emperor would come to the Lin Residence in person before noon.

After welcoming the Crown Prince and the Empress Dowager, everyone gathered again at the gate of the Lin Mansion and bowed to welcome the Emperor.

"Your subjects (the common people) pay homage to our emperor. Long live the emperor! Long live the emperor! Long, long live the emperor!"

The emperor, dressed in a black dragon robe with gold patterns, got off the imperial sedan and walked to the gate of the Lin Mansion. The first words he said were to Lin Ruhai.

"Everyone says that Daxia has two Pixiu, one is Wen Tongxuan who has entered the cabinet, and the other is Lin Ruhai, the Minister of Finance. It is because of you two that the country has the confidence to fight against the enemy and appease the people."

"Fighting on the battlefield is a merit, and stabilizing the rear is also a merit."

"I will not forget the contributions of anyone, so I came here today to celebrate my daughter's coming of age and to reward you for your contributions!"

"Big companion!"

Under the surprised and puzzled gazes of the crowd, Xia Shouzhong held up a colorful dragon-patterned imperial edict, raised it and said loudly: "Imperial edict! Pillar of the State, Ronglu Doctor, and Minister of Revenue Lin Ruhai accept the edict!"

Fortunately, the Lin Mansion prepared an incense table today, for fear that the emperor would issue an imperial decree to reward Daiyu in the middle of the journey.

Soon an incense table was set up in front of the gate, and Lin Ruhai led a group of people from the Lin Mansion to kneel down to receive the order.

Xia Shouzhong opened the imperial edict and read it loudly: "The imperial edict says, I have heard that ministers serve the emperor with merit, and the emperor rewards the ministers with titles... The imperial edict conferring Lin Hai the title of Marquis of Changzhou County, a founding minister who assists the country and upholds integrity and justice..."

The conferment of the title of nobility upon a civil official was definitely a major event that shocked the court and the public.

At this time, Lin Ruhai didn't know whether he was dreaming or not. He just stood there stupidly. It was not until Lin Bo beside him reminded him in a low voice that he kowtowed with his fellow tribesmen in a daze.

"I bow to thank Your Majesty for his grace! Long live His Majesty, long live His Majesty, long, long live His Majesty!"

With a shout of "Long live the emperor", the people who were watching the ceremony were also stunned.

I thought it was just a reward, but I didn't expect it to be so astonishing.

Lin Ruhai was actually granted the title of marquis!

Monthly ticket recommendation ticket

　Damn, the internet was disconnected in the middle of writing, and some parts were repeated, so I revised it.

　　Gentlemen, if you see that there is a problem with the important things, just refresh it.

　　I’ll stop here tonight and continue tomorrow. Good night!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)