The Red Mansion: From a Small Pawn to a Leader

Chapter 517 Will Li Hu rebel?
There is still no festive atmosphere in the capital, and it is deserted everywhere.

Both the Ning and Rong mansions have family mourning, national mourning and family mourning. They cannot celebrate the festival and the atmosphere is cold and lonely.

The sound of horse hooves could be heard, and Jia Baoyu, dressed in plain clothes, came galloping over with several followers.

When they reached the big archway of "Ningrong Street", Jia Baoyu slowed down his horse and walked slowly towards Rongguo Mansion.

Early this morning, the imperial edict granting the marriage was delivered to Rongguo Mansion.

Jia Baoyu went to Tiekan Temple to report the matter to Mrs. Wang and burn some incense at the same time.

"Baoyu!" A somewhat familiar voice came from the alley between the Ning and Rong mansions.

Jia Baoyu pulled the reins suddenly.

Mingyan and the others also reined in their horses and looked towards the alley.

The man who had spoken had already walked over, wearing a cloak and still covered with a cape, with only his eyes showing.

"Who! What are you doing!" Mingyan asked loudly.

The man walked straight up to Jia Baoyu and took off the hood on his head. It was actually Wang Ziteng!

"Uncle, uncle." Jia Baoyu hurriedly dismounted and was about to kneel down.

Wang Ziteng supported him with both hands and said, "There is snow on the ground!" Then he turned his gaze to Mingyan and others who were kneeling and saluting, "You are not allowed to tell anyone about what you saw me today, otherwise... Humph!"

Mingyan and others answered in unison: "Yes."

Wang Ziteng put on his hood and said to Jia Baoyu, "Take me to your father's study, and then go and invite the master back."

Jia Baoyu was startled: "I"

Seeing Jia Baoyu's panic, Wang Ziteng sighed silently and turned his gaze to Mingyan, "Go to the Ministry of Personnel and tell Jia Lian that I'm back. Ask him to invite the master back." As he spoke, he saw Mingyan looking at Jia Baoyu, and he whispered, "Go quickly!"

Mingyan responded hurriedly, jumped on his horse, and galloped towards the government office outside the imperial city.

Wang Ziteng looked at Jia Baoyu and said, "Let's go to your father's study."

Jia Baoyu: "Yes."

The Minister of Personnel was Zhen Yingjia, but Zhen Yingjia was still the Second Assistant. There were too many things waiting for him to assign in the cabinet, so he had no time to manage the Ministry of Personnel. So he directly handed over the practical affairs of the Ministry of Personnel to Jia Lian, the Left Vice Minister of Personnel.

In the Ministry of Personnel's duty room, Jia Lian sat at his desk and said to the officials standing on both sides: "This spring examination is different from the usual ones. This is the first spring examination held by the emperor after he was crowned. No mistakes can be made. Do you understand?"

Officials: “Yes.”

Jia Lian then turned to Jia Yucun, who was sitting on a chair by the window, and asked, "Yucun, do you have anything else to add?"

Jia Yucun stroked his beard and smiled, "What the uncle said is exactly what I wanted to say."

Although the imperial examination was led by the Ministry of Rites, it involved the cooperation of multiple government offices, including the Ministry of Personnel. Today is different from the past. The Jia family has become a royal relative and the mother's family of the young emperor. Jia Lian has also become the emperor's uncle, and his father is a minister entrusted with the care of the orphan. Jia Yucun naturally cannot let Jia Lian go to him for consultation, not to mention that he still has to rely on the big tree of the Jia family.

As for Jia Lian speaking without the permission of the Minister of Rites, the Dashun regime is now a complete mess. Half of Jiangnan has fallen into the hands of the enemy, and there is also a war in the Central Plains. God knows how many candidates will come to Beijing to take part in the spring examination next year.

At this time, Jia Yucun certainly would not care about Jia Lian's usurpation of the limelight.

At this time, one of Jia Lian's followers hurried in and whispered something in his ear.

Jia Lian frowned: "Didn't you say anything?"

The attendant said: "Mingyan said that the matter is of great importance and needs to be discussed in person." Jia Yucun stood up and said: "I won't disturb the king's uncle." After that, he led the officials out.

Jia Lian: "Bring him in."

The attendant walked out quickly and brought Mingyan in soon.

Mingyan greeted Jia Lian, then moved closer to him and lowered her voice, "Uncle Wang is back!"

Jia Lian seemed not to hear clearly: "Who is back?"

Mingyan: "Uncle Wang"

Jia Lian's eyes flashed, Wang Ziteng is not dead yet? !
Mingyan: ".My uncle said, please ask the second master to report this matter to the first master. He is waiting for the first master in the second master's outer study."

After hearing Mingyan's words, Jia Lian's face suddenly changed. These damn servants, they didn't even know that someone was hiding in the alley in broad daylight. What if someone had bad intentions? !
The light in the outer study had dimmed.

Jia She came to his senses, lit the tinder, and illuminated the lamp on the desk.

At this moment, the door curtain was raised, and Jia Lian walked in. He brought a bowl of hot tea to Jia She and asked, "Master, do we really want to help Wang Ziteng?"

Jia She took a sip of tea, put it down, and sighed, "The Empress Dowager and the Prime Minister are too impatient. They have expanded the army by hundreds of thousands and hundreds of thousands of imperial guards in one go. All of them are in the hands of Niu Ben. It's too dangerous. If he has other intentions,

Jia Lian was startled: "He dares?"

Jia She: "This is not a matter of daring or not. Ambition never comes out of thin air. It is often slowly nurtured by hope.

The imperial court is now a complete mess. The elite troops in the imperial court have basically been defeated, and the military strength in the capital is empty and weak. The Prince of Nan'an has set a bad example again. Back then, Duke Zhuang of Zheng pulled the Zhou emperor off the altar and started the magnificent Spring and Autumn hegemony. "

After a pause, he said, "With strength and ambition, who would be willing to be inferior to others?"

Jia Lian nodded.

Jia She was silent for a moment, then continued, "The Prime Minister is a man with a broad perspective. He must have seen the hidden dangers. He will agree to go with me to persuade the Empress Dowager to reduce the number of troops under Niu Ben and let Wang Ziteng reorganize the Beijing Camp. Only by checking and balancing each other can the safety of the capital be guaranteed."

"Will Li Hu rebel?" Jia Lian suddenly asked.

Jia She sighed: "No one expected that Li Hu would really break through Shengjing City. Now he has really become a local lord! No one dares to order Li Hu anymore. The official documents sent to Li Hu by the cabinet are all about discussing with him, asking him when he can wipe out the remnants of Fu Kang'an and when he can enter the pass to quell the rebellion?"

Jia Lian smiled bitterly. The area outside the Great Wall now is not the same as it was in the past. After the immigration and garrisoning of the border in the past few years, the Hetao area, Daqingshan, and the six towns of Yinshan have all become the Jiangnan area outside the Great Wall. Together with Liaodong, it is fully capable of supporting hundreds of thousands of troops.

Jia She was silent for a moment. "Write a letter and tell Lin Yatou about Wang Ziteng and our plan. Ask her to pass it on to Li Hu. Have your sister deliver the letter. Also, let her stay at the Li family."

Jia Lian hesitated for a moment and said, "Our family is not the Xue family. If this gets out."

Jia She said angrily: "Which is more important, face or life?"

Jia Lian smiled bitterly and replied, "Yes."

Jia She paused and said, "Be nice to your sister. You may need to rely on her in the future."

Jia Lian was stunned for a moment, then nodded.

Jia She stood up and yawned, "Wang Ziteng is unreliable and has never accomplished anything. We should find a way out in advance." After that, he walked out.

Looking at Jia She's back, Jia Lian remembered the sentence "With strength and ambition, who can be willing to be inferior to others?"

After a moment of distraction, Jia Lian muttered to himself: "Will Li Hu rebel?"

(End of this chapter)