The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 131 Coaxing

At Shou Kang Palace, the retired emperor was leisurely practicing tai chi in the small garden.

At his age, living a few more days is always a good thing. So the old man resolutely ignores everything that happens outside.

As for the danger in Ningxia...

There's no money in the national treasury, so his worries are useless.

We can't just take back the silver that was distributed from Jiangnan and move it to Ningxia, can we?

Therefore, this is an unsolvable problem.

Moreover, the old man believed in the abilities of Jiang Yu, the general of Ningxia. He thought that the soldiers and civilians in Ningxia might have a hard time when the Tatars came, but they would definitely be able to get through it.

After all, the Tatars' goal was to seize disaster relief supplies.

Once they've seized it, they'll naturally retreat.

Over the years, he has become accustomed to it all.

Although he once dreamed of conquering the Tatars and taking over the vast grasslands of Dazhao to make it a horse-breeding ground for Dazhao when he was young, his ambitions gradually faded year after year.

There's nothing shameful about it; all emperors throughout history have done the same.

Even Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han, in the end, weren't they just like that?

"The Great Emperor!"

Upon hearing the urgent message from the eunuch, Dai Quan, who was standing not far away accompanying him, could not contain himself and called out anxiously, "Your Majesty, the Emperor has obtained 220,000 taels of silver and wants Lord Jiang to take it back to Ningxia on the spot."

The Emperor Emeritus: "..."

His punching motion paused for a moment, but he quickly resumed his previous rhythm.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor has entrusted the three prefectures of Qingyang, Pingliang, and Fengxiang to Lord Jiang, saying that he hopes Lord Jiang will achieve great things."

"..."

The retired emperor already had a general idea in mind, so he was not surprised at all, and his fist-fighting movements did not stop at all.

"Emperor Emeritus, the officials of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue have not objected. The Emperor still has his heart set on the Hetao region that was lost back then."

The retired emperor finally couldn't bring himself to throw a punch anymore.

The Hetao region was once an important horse-breeding area for the Zhao dynasty.

But it was lost in his hands.

But can you blame him?
The crown prince blames him, and everyone blames him.

But that year he was in conflict with the Tai Sui (a deity in Chinese astrology), and he had been ill since the beginning of the year, and then war broke out again...

The retired emperor stopped what he was doing and looked coldly at Dai Quan.

"The Supreme Emperor..."

Dai Quan's heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to put on an even more pitiful act, the Emperor Emeritus spoke again, "Drag him away and slap him!"

what?
The eunuchs were surprised, but dared not show the slightest emotion on their faces. Two of them quickly came forward, grabbed Dai Quan, and tried to drag him down.

"Your Majesty, I hit myself. I was wrong."

Dai Quan broke free from the boys' hands and slapped himself hard across the face, yelling, "Serves you right for being so talkative, so talkative, so talkative..."

"Pull it down!"

The retired emperor was furious. He didn't even want to hear his voice anymore, let alone him.

As he strode back, his voice rang out, "Prepare the carriage!"

After Dai Quan finished slapping his mouth, he looked towards the palace and saw that the retired emperor had already boarded the dragon carriage and gone to court.

oops~
Dai Quan's legs went weak, and he almost sat down on the spot.

"Yes, let's help our family back to rest for a while."

His body almost leaned against the little eunuch. "You're a good boy. Today, Grandpa Dai will teach you a lesson: when faced with an unavoidable disaster, you should choose the one with the lightest punishment."

"You mean the Emperor Emeritus and the Emperor..."

"Shh~"

Dai Quan immediately stopped him, saying, "In this palace, those who talk too much don't live long."

Those without mouths can only do the hardest and most tiring work.

"Some things are better left unsaid; the best approach is to observe more, listen more, and speak less."

The officials of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue did not raise any objections to the Emperor regarding the origin of the silver. If he did not report these matters to the Emperor Emeritus, and the Emperor Emeritus found out from other places, he, as the chief steward, would be in deep trouble.

So, when faced with two evils, he chose the lesser one; he had no other choice.

I just hope that this time, we can get through it peacefully as usual.

Otherwise, if not a bloodbath, it would certainly have been a major storm.

In fact, after quickly deciding on the matter of Ningxia, the emperor seemed to be heading to Shou Kang Palace with a furious expression.

Upon seeing his father's imperial carriage in the distance, he hurried over, calling out, "Father~~~"

His voice was full of ups and downs, as if he were full of grievances, "You've finally arrived."

The Emperor Emeritus: "..."

He looked his son up and down. "What's wrong? What kind of state are you in?"

"Son...son is going to get scolded."

The emperor tugged at the sleeve of the retired emperor, as if afraid that if he let go, his father would run away. "There is a disaster in Ningxia. Didn't Lord Jiang say that the Tatars might invade? I was worried about money. Now that I finally have some, I'm rushing over to give it to Lord Jiang. You don't know how big Zhang Fu of the Ministry of Revenue's eyes were when he saw that row of silver chests."

In fact, the old man glared at him right then and there.

The emperor thought he wasn't lying. "If it weren't for the fact that Ningxia couldn't do without Lord Jiang, and Old Zhang was worried about delaying Lord Jiang's departure from the capital, he would definitely jump up and spit in my face."

"……nonsense!"

Although he was reprimanding her, a hint of a smile had already crept into the Emperor Emeritus's eyes.

"real."

The emperor looked aggrieved. "Don't you know that old man Zhang? As soon as the silver passed through his hands, it was as if my father and I had committed some terrible crime."

"..."

The retired emperor empathized with his son and patted his hand reassuringly, also gesturing for the imperial carriage to be put down. "How many years have I put up with his mistreatment? You've only just begun."

With his son's help, he stepped down from the imperial carriage. "However, this money of yours..."

"I really didn't expect this amount of money."

The emperor, supporting the old emperor, walked forward as if taking a stroll. "You would never guess who sent this to us." He emphasized "us," after all, this Great Zhao was still the old man's. "Only now do I realize how wise and powerful you are."

The Emperor Emeritus: "..."

He was a little confused. Did this money have anything to do with him?

"Who?"

"Hehe, Jia Zhen of Ningguo Mansion."

Jia Zhen?

Where did he get so much money?

The retired emperor was also very surprised.

Once they've got their hands on it, who would be willing to let it go?
The Jia family... if it weren't for Madam Shen wanting to accumulate good fortune for the child in her womb, they wouldn't have been able to force the two households to repay the silver and make donations.

But the Jia family has already repaid all their money, so Shen would never empty her family's coffers to send money to the palace, would she?

"That's why I say Father Emperor is wise and mighty!"

The Emperor was delighted. "Didn't he come to you last time crying about the Ministry of Justice's failure to apprehend the murderer?"

He slowly traced the Jia family's investigation back to Xie Zhenghu, and then he told them about how Xie Zhenghu escaped through a tunnel into the God of Wealth Gambling House.

Then Lu Kun, the owner of the Fortune God Gambling House, went to the Ningguo Mansion to apologize, paying back 220,000 taels instead of 100,000. Jia Zhen took the silver but felt it was too much, so he went to his mother, Madam Shen. Madam Shen also felt it was too much and a burden. The Emperor said, "Didn't you tell Jia Zhen last time that if there's anything, just come to your son? Your son was worried sick about the money, but he came to your son with silver. Tell me, how can your son not take it?"

"You, you..."

Even the retired emperor couldn't help but laugh, "How can you bully people like this?"

Two hundred and twenty thousand taels of silver. The retired emperor was also very pleased.

"Isn't there no other way?"

The Emperor tugged at the retired Emperor's sleeve, "I know you're worried about Ningxia, and since he happened to be here, I just went along with it." He seemed embarrassed at this point, "Father..." he pleaded pitifully, "You see, could you please smooth things over for me, or else..."

"Let's do it!"

The retired emperor glanced at his son and said, "Have Dai Quan go to the Jia family later and give them some gifts."

"Eh~"

The emperor was pleased. “Father, you don’t know, Jia Zhen was worried about the other gifts Lu Kun sent, and he was still uneasy about asking for a courtyard from Lu Kun’s steward.”

"He deserves it."

I was almost killed by that assassin.

But was Lu Kun truly unaware that he had sent out so many gifts all at once?

Or did he simply use silver to silence Jia Zhen?
The national treasury was empty, but the retired emperor was not without worry. He said, "Although Jia Zhen is a bit simple-minded, he is an honest man." He trusted this heir of the Ningguo Mansion. "If we can take care of him in the future, we should. We can't keep bullying him."

"Son wouldn't dare. Isn't that why I'm coming to you right away to have it repaired?"

The emperor was also very reassured about Jia Zhen. "Father, with you standing behind me, I can do anything with peace of mind. You told me before that Ningxia is at peace as long as Jiang Yu is here. Today at court, it was the first time I had seen him. Because he was short of money, he was fighting and arguing in court. I felt that his eyes were almost devoid of light. So when I got the money, I sent someone to Shou Kang Palace to report the good news to you, and at the same time, I immediately summoned him."

Have you already shared the good news?

The retired emperor thought for a moment; he was troubled by money today, so he spent a little longer practicing boxing.

When boxing is being performed normally, no one dares to interrupt it.

Thinking of this, the Emperor Emeritus patted his son's hand reassuringly, "You did the right thing. While I am still here, you should test the waters with the Tatars and let those bastards know that our Great Zhao is not to be trifled with. Even if you don't achieve anything in the end, you will have a better understanding of what to do if there are similar battles in the future."

"Father, you are still in good health."

The emperor seemed afraid that his father would say something discouraging, "I only think that when I'm seventy years old, I can still be like Lao Laizi, dressed in colorful clothes to entertain my parents and make you laugh."

A young eunuch, seeing the retired emperor being coaxed into laughter by the emperor, ran away in a flash.

After a while, Consort Zhen gave him two taels of silver as a reward, and then said to Princess Jin, who had come to the palace to pay her respects, "You should leave Lu Kun's matter alone. Who would call themselves the God of Wealth? That's too arrogant, and he shouldn't be dragging you down with him."

The national treasury is broke, yet a merchant dares to call himself the God of Wealth. Even if it weren't for the Jia family, something else would have happened.

"Alright, let's leave it at that for now!"

Consort Zhen also had a headache. "Since you're under house arrest, just stay put and don't think about things you shouldn't."

The retired emperor is far from being senile.

He knows everything about his sons' affairs.

The emperor never gave anyone cause for criticism when he did things, so it seems the retired emperor was becoming more and more satisfied.

Consort Zhen was also helpless, but what's done is done, and it's too late to say anything now.

At least on the surface, the son had to show a submissive attitude, saying, "If Lu Kun is gone, there's still Zhang Kun and Li Kun. There will always be someone else."

The retired emperor would certainly like the national treasury to have more silver.

Now that Lu Kun has already made an appearance before the Emperor Emeritus and the Emperor, there's no way he can run away again.

"But the Jia family..."

Consort Zhen was very dissatisfied with the Jia family.

Just a few months ago, it was a very good piece in her hands. How come in the blink of an eye, it not only got out of her control but also caused her trouble?

“There are a lot of people at the Rongguo Mansion. With so many people, there are bound to be a lot of worries.”

The Ningguo Mansion is difficult to manage; it has only one son per generation, and the whole family works together towards a common goal. But the Rongguo Mansion is different!

"Go back and tell Xuan'er that no matter what he does, he must not be impatient. Take it slow. Things will be done smoothly if you are patient, and people will be at peace if they are patient!"

In the last two sentences, Consort Zhen looked at Princess Jin and spoke very harshly.

Princess Jin understood and went home to find Prince Jin.

At this point, the Prince of Jin had already lost his temper.

He had no idea how that idiot Lu Kun had the nerve to come and ask him for help.

Two hundred and twenty thousand taels of silver were given to Jia Zhen just like that. With Jia Zhen's audacity, would he dare not ask his mother?
Shen clearly sided with the emperor.

The Prince of Jin couldn't bear to think about it; the thought would make him so angry he would gasp for breath.

"Did Mother say this?"

"Yes!"

Princess Jin said very meekly, “In the Rongguo Mansion, Jia She is a man who doesn’t care about anything, and his second wife, Madam Xing, is someone who can’t be brought up to the table.” She didn’t even bother to praise her. “On the other hand, the second branch of the family can be helped. Old Madam Jia also dotes on her second son more.”

The internal strife within the Jia family is none of their business.

"……it is good!"

Prince Jin nodded slowly. "Wu Rubao," he called out to someone outside, "go and tell Lu Kun that if he doesn't want Jia Zhen to keep harping on him, it would be best to become related to the Jia family."

Didn't the Emperor have his eye on Lu Kun's silver?
However, if he wanted to turn the Lu family's silver into his own, he first had to get Jia Zhen, the so-called aggrieved party, to keep pressing Lu Kun.

"You know everything about the Jia family. Find a secluded place and explain everything to him in detail!"

"……Yes!"

Wu Rubao hesitated for a moment, then obediently withdrew.

In the hearts of the prince and princess, the Jia family may still be the same Jia family as before, but in reality, it is now very difficult to find out much about the Jia family.

After several purges of the servants in the Ning and Rong mansions, those who remained were either honest or cunning.

When he went to meet Lu Kun with a sigh, Lu Kun had already been at the Wang family's house for quite a while, chatting happily with Wang Zisheng.

If the Prince of Jin doesn't help him find a solution, he has no choice but to save himself.

Since he couldn't find a solution at Ningguo Mansion, he turned to Rongguo Mansion for advice.

After all, the Ning and Rong mansions are one entity.

Marrying his eldest daughter to Wang Ren, the only son of the Wang family, as a concubine might not only save them from this disaster, but also allow them to establish a relationship with Jia Lian, the newly appointed Director of the Military Treasury. Once this relationship is established, the Lu family can take over some of the work in the Ministry of War!
"I, Wang, will take on this for you."

Wang Zisheng made a bold promise: "I'll definitely give you good news tomorrow!"

What is Jia Zhen?
His nephew-in-law is now a physician in the Imperial Arsenal.

With Jia Lian around, would those people in the Beijing garrison dare to disrespect his elder brother?

When his elder brother's leg heals and he returns to the Beijing garrison, everything will be under control.

Wang Zisheng is currently riding high on the wave of good fortune, having survived a great calamity. "Speaking of which," he said, "my nephew Jia Zhen is a bit of a scoundrel, but he's extremely kind to us elders."

They were just drinking buddies anyway.

Jia Zhen is still not in control of his own affairs. In the past, his elder brother Jing checked his accounts, but now he is strictly controlled by Madam Shen.

"Your silver..."

Wang Zisheng didn't know what to say to this person. "Just slip it in secretly, why did you have to say it outright?"

what?
Lu Kun recalled the servants and maids in that room and seemed to realize something, "Is Madam Shen of the Ningguo Mansion really that strict?"

"Ugh!"

Wang Zisheng sighed, "You have no idea how despicable that Shen is. She even tried to interfere in the Rongguo Mansion and meddle in my sister's affairs."

In fact, the Rongguo Mansion is now largely under her control.

"The young and old men of the Jia family are all angry but dare not speak out!"

The Jia family now hates Shen Shi a lot.

"If you're worried, we'll go to the Rongguo Mansion first thing tomorrow morning. I'll invite Jia Zhen over then."

"in this way……"

Lu Kun bowed deeply. "Thank you very much."

"Oh dear, we're practically in-laws now, you're being too polite."

Wang Zisheng quickly grabbed him and personally saw him out.