The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 243 Han Yutong~Ground Latitude
This approach of "if I can't handle it, I'll just hand it over to the emperor" left Dong Xiaoquan speechless.

The Jia family wasn't like this before!
Leaving aside the Dukes Ning and Rong, Jia Daihua and Jia Daishan were both men of both literary and martial talents. They were the ones who charged into battle when the Emperor Emeritus couldn't handle them. As for Jia Jing, there was nothing to say. At a young age, his father left him in the Beijing Garrison, where he studied while handling various affairs of the garrison for him.

If the Crown Prince has any troubles, he will be given them. If he can't handle them well, he will use his summoning magic to summon his father, his uncles, and other relatives. If his father, uncles, and relatives are not effective, he can summon his father-in-law and use his father-in-law to summon civil officials and scholars from all sides.

He was summoned once, even before he had passed the official examination.

He passed the imperial examination, entered the Hanlin Academy, and was conscripted into the army multiple times.

did not expect……

Dong Xiaoquan sighed inwardly.

The Emperor is quite satisfied with the Jia family now.

That's fine too!
When Dong Xiaoquan, who was being pulled by the Emperor to figure out how to use Jia Wen to scheme against the Jin people, left the palace, he saw the steward's carriage speeding away and had a sudden thought. He turned around and went back into the palace.

The emperor was still in his study.

He still has many memorials to approve.

If we want to defeat the Jurchens and take back the territory they seized, the first step is for the Great Zhao to achieve internal harmony and good governance.

Furthermore, Ryukyu was so bothered by Japan that they repeatedly sent letters to request that the Great Zhao garrison its troops.

The Ministry of War was also discussing this matter.

Unfortunately, the Great Zhao Kingdom had just experienced a major war last year, and now the Russian Kingdom is coming on strong again, in addition to the instability in the south...

The emperor felt overwhelmed with a thousand and one thoughts.

It wasn't that he didn't want to unleash his full power and conquer all the places that needed to be attacked, but he knew that excessive military campaigns would only damage the strength of the Great Zhao and its people.

He had to eat his food, bite by bite.

"Your Majesty, Lord Dong has returned."

Liu An was somewhat afraid of Dong Xiaoquan.

When that old fellow got angry, even the retired emperor had to back down, let alone their emperor.

"Huh? You're back again?"

The emperor paused for a moment, then said, "Let's issue the decree!"

We have no choice but to announce it!

The emperor resigned himself to his fate and put down his pen.

"emperor!"

Dong Xiaoquan strode in, but before he could bow and shout "Long live the Emperor!" the Emperor waved him off, saying, "Forget the formalities, just say what you need to say."

"Your Majesty, Duke Rongguo, Jia Daishan, is not an unwise man. Tell me, why would he betroth his daughter to someone in Shenyang?"

Ok?
The emperor frowned.

"Of his three sons-in-law, Wu Feihuai was the only one from the south. He had no roots in Shenyang, and the Jurchens had established a state in Shenyang. They would definitely keep a close eye on that place. If you were the Duke of Rong, would you have betrothed your daughter to someone there?"

This?
Although the entire Lan family died tragically, it was because Jia Zheng and Wang Ziteng were inhuman.

Wu Feihuai...

"Your Majesty, there are also the names of Jia Wen and Jia Wen."

Dong Xiaoquan said, “The two pronunciations are so similar, I feel that something is not quite right, so I request to review the secret memorial that Duke Rongguo Jia Daishan sent to the Emperor Emeritus.”

Actually, the best person to ask about this is the Emperor Emeritus.

Unfortunately, the retired emperor no longer recognized anyone.

"allow!"

The emperor understood what Lord Dong meant and quickly said, "Liu Quan, immediately do as Lord Dong says and bring over all the memorials that Duke Rongguo, Jia Daishan, has submitted to the Emperor Emeritus."

"Yes!"

Liu Quan left in a hurry.

Not long after, Jia Zhu, who had just returned to the Imperial Academy to study, was again temporarily transferred to the palace to examine the memorial his grandfather had written to the Emperor Emeritus, looking for words like "Golden Man" and "Shenyang Guard".

Anyway, Dong Xiaoquan wouldn't do this job himself.

As the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, he had many responsibilities.

Jia Zhu and several classmates worked hard to flip through the pages.

In the Jia family, he was considered quite good at studying, but at the Imperial Academy... he was only considered passable, still a long way from being a genius.

Previously, he was never involved in these kinds of temporary assignments to the palace.

Today, he is entirely benefiting from his grandfather's fame.

Jia Zhu searched very diligently.

Suddenly, his junior classmate Lü Yongrui, whom he greatly admired, stood up abruptly and exclaimed, "Found it!"

His face showed both excitement and shock.

Lu Yongrui glanced at Jia Zhu, his expression turning slightly strange again. "The Duke of Rongguo had already foreseen this day would come."

what?
Jia Zhu's face froze instantly.

He looked at the document, which should be a secret report, and hesitated for a moment, unsure whether he should ask to take a look.

"Brother Jia, please take a look. We will send it to the Emperor in a while."

They were often summoned to the palace, either to look up or to copy documents.

Last year, around the time of the Lunar New Year, I was summoned to the palace to write words of encouragement and rewards for the various nobles and high-ranking officials on behalf of the Emperor.

Back then, everyone helped each other out.

Now Jia Zhu has been summoned...

Clearly, the emperor was not hiding anything from him.

Lü Yongrui also admired the Duke of Rong's foresight and handed over the memorial directly.

"Thank you!"

Jia Zhu took the book, but it would have been better if he hadn't read it at all...

His face gradually turned pale.

It turns out that his three aunts' marriages to distant frontier regions all had a deeper meaning.

Especially my second aunt's husband, who married into Shenyang.

"...If the two women return with the Jin royal family in the future, we can activate the hidden agents we planted back then, divide them up, and defeat them one by one!"

Jia Zhu had already read through many of his grandfather's memorials.

My grandfather was deeply worried about the Tatars and the Jurchens.

Especially the latter.

The Mongol Yuan dynasty's entry into the Central Plains and the Jurchen Jurchens' entry into the Central Plains followed the same path.

The Jurchens were even more brutal and ruthless than the Mongols.

The Jurchens were outnumbered by the Mongols and Yuans, and if they wanted to gain a foothold in the Central Plains, they would only resort to killing.

The killings were relentless, leaving everyone trembling with fear...

Although they were later driven out, having seen the dazzling world of the Central Plains, my grandfather believed they would only yearn for it even more.

Given the opportunity, we will definitely unite with the declining Mongol Tatars again and take action when the Great Zhao is weak.

Just like how they dealt with the former Ming dynasty.

Therefore, my grandfather planned ahead early on, even at the cost of sacrificing the happiness of his three aunts.

Jia Zhu's hands trembled.

Nobody in their family knows!

Or do you mean everyone who knows...?

Thinking of her uncle Jing, who had just died last year, Jia Zhu's eyes immediately reddened.

"Let's go!"

Lu Yongrui patted him on the shoulder, "Give it to the Emperor."

What he really wanted to say was that since his aunt had already taken this path, they couldn't let it go to waste.

But considering how much the Jia family values ​​their daughter these days, he couldn't bring himself to say that.

Finally, the memorial was reviewed by three other students before the emperor summoned the emperor.

After reading this secret memorial, the emperor was also in turmoil.

Jia Daihua and Jia Daishan died of illness in the year after the Crown Prince left.

But before they died, their father only had doubts about them.

Only after they were all dead did he remember the brotherhood they had shared over the years.

But this thought... was still based on his recollection of his glorious past.

But who is behind this hidden connection?

After so many years, is the other party still willing to listen to him?

"You've done a good job, you can all leave now!"

He wasn't afraid that they would spread the word.

They were summoned to the palace only after being instructed to keep it a secret.

The emperor still trusted Lü Yongrui and his associates. The secret agents hidden among the Jurchens needed him and Liu An to investigate the secret files left by their father.

Only he can do that.

The emperor waved for them to leave, then got up and headed towards the Shou Kang Palace.

Although the retired emperor had long since abdicated, he had only truly stopped interfering in affairs for the past month or so; in the past, he had everything under his control.

The emperor never even got to see the secret files.

now……

The emperor originally thought that he would at least make a show of it and then go to move it to see it in February, but he didn't expect that he couldn't wait any longer.

“Your Majesty, Eunuch Dai is most familiar with those secret files.”

Liu An knew how tired the emperor was, and he also knew that it was simply not possible for the two of them to find the problem today.

"Look..."

“Of course, we should go find him.”

The emperor never neglects anyone.

"Hand over the secret files to him. Give him a decent retirement and tell him that I will not be stingy."

As long as he doesn't make any fundamental mistakes, he's not that heartless.

"Eh~"

Liu An answered with exceptionally loud voice.

The retired emperor was suspicious by nature and often acted according to his own whims, so Eunuch Dai's life was not as glamorous as outsiders imagined.

In fact, for eunuchs, their wealth, status, life, and death were all in the hands of their masters.

The newly appointed chief eunuch, Liu An, was willing to give his predecessor some face.

This is also to give himself dignity.

If he relentlessly pursues his ex, how will the newcomer treat him?
Besides, Dai Quan has been operating in this palace for many years. If we really push him too far, who knows what unwise thing he might do?
Liu An was well aware that he and the emperor had taken over everything in the palace, and what they needed now was stability.

Chasing the dog into a dead end at this point would be the most unwise thing to do.

When the master and servant arrived at Shou Kang Palace, Dai Quan then directed the eunuchs to change the Emperor Emeritus's trousers.

The emperor arrived at an inopportune time, startling him into a cold sweat.

I'm glad I didn't slack off too much.

“You all serve Father well here, I… will remember it.”

The emperor's eyes swept over everyone, and he said, "Dai Quan, are you aware of the secret files the retired emperor kept against the Jurchens?"

"Yes!"

Dai Quan hurriedly and loudly agreed.

Only after completely handing over those things can he be considered to have successfully retired.

Now, the emperor has finally asked the question.

……

Meanwhile, the guards returned to the capital with Jia Zhen's letter.

But Shen Ning still felt uneasy about Jia Wen...

Searching for the original body's memories, Jia Wen's personality is also gentle yet firm.

Unlike Yingchun and Tanchun in Dream of the Red Chamber, Jia She and Jia Zheng almost completely ignored them, but Jia Daishan, as their father, paid close attention to Jia Wen and the other two.

He personally selected husbands for them, as if he were afraid that Grandmother Jia would harm his three daughters.

but……

Looking back now, the three sons-in-law he chose were actually not very good.

Couldn't he find any military officers around the capital, or even inland ones?
Lan, Wu, and Min are all stationed at the border. Although they are not on the front lines, they will be affected immediately if there is any fighting.

Even if it were for the sake of the Jia family's control over the border, the three of them held low-ranking positions and could not actually offer much help.

Shen Ning didn't understand why Jia Daishan would do this.

Before they got married, the original owner of the body seemed to have raised objections with Jia Jing.

What did Jia Jing say at that time?
Shen Ning rubbed her forehead.

She had a terrible headache.

Jia Jing didn't seem to agree at the time.

Whether he's a civil or military official, he has connections and can easily find better husbands for his cousins.

But in the end, he went to the West Mansion and came back telling her not to mention the matter again.

Is there something she doesn't know about this?
Shen Ning is annoyed.

Jia Jing has probably already boarded a ship and headed to Japan.

She couldn't get the information she wanted to ask.

Grandmother Jia...

Will the old lady know?
If we knew that, surely it's impossible that only one of the four daughters of the Jia family in Dream of the Red Chamber, Jia Min, would be mentioned?

Shen Ning really wanted to sigh!
"grandmother!"

Rong-ge'er rushed in, "Grandmother, look what I found?"

His eyes gleamed, as if he had found something truly valuable.

Shen Ning glanced at it and saw it was a book. "What book?"

"The old lady is putting out books with flower patterns."

Rong-ge showed it to her, saying, "This is the 'Han Yu Tong ~ Di Wei' written by Xiong Renlin of the previous dynasty."

Shen Ning: "..."

She didn't know, so she could only search the original owner's memories.

This book... seems to be about geography.

But she hadn't read the book.

I've only ever heard my father say that.

This book records that when all nations came to pay tribute in previous dynasties, Emperor Chengzu of Ming seemed to have dispatched envoys with imperial credentials to visit various places to understand local customs and traditions, with the aim of pacifying distant lands and pacifying distant regions. He also established officials in charge of astronomy, calendar, and mathematics to govern the seasons according to the heavens and protect the four barbarian tribes.

My father's generation also hoped that the Great Zhao Dynasty could be as prosperous as the Ming Dynasty, with all nations paying tribute to it.

And it governs the four barbarian tribes.

But this book...

Shen Ning took the book, which was missing several pages.

“Grandmother, look here,” Rong-ge’er pointed to a page and read it to her, “The land represented by the Nine Heavens has been fully encompassed by the ‘Map of the Holy Age,’ which upholds the Confucian teachings of ‘investigating things to acquire knowledge.’”

Shen Ning's eyes caught sight faster than his pointing. She saw the five continents of the world, different regions, different languages, yet all could be translated and distinguished.

"Mr. Chang once told me that this book says the place we live on is the entire circular earth."

Jia Rong was still excited: "Can the earth be round? I've only ever heard of a round heaven and a square earth, but the teacher said this book is very amazing. It was written by Mr. Xiong after consulting countless ancient and domestic books."

A circular earth?

Shen Ning's heart pounded wildly.

She flipped through the book abruptly, but the pages nearly tore in front of her.

"What else did your husband say?"

“Our master said that Mr. Xiong’s book on geography can help knowledgeable people travel all over the world.”

Jia Rong grinned, showing his large teeth. "Didn't you say that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles? I've always wanted to find this book, and then travel all over the world from here to see if the earth is really round."

Shen Ning: "..."

She was so shocked she didn't know what to say.

"My grandson even went to see Uncle Zhu in the West Mansion because of this book. He said that the teachers and students of the Imperial Academy also had a lot of debate about this book."

Jia Rong said, "But because of the war, only fragments of this book remain. It would be great if we could find the complete set."

"……try to find!"

Shen Ning carefully took the book. "Ask the village chief if this book is for sale?"

"Sell!"

Jia Rong laughed and said, "I've already asked them, and they're selling it. I've already spent another twenty taels to buy it."

Unfortunately, it's still just a fragment.

But there's nothing we can do about it.

However, he is still so young. If he has the ability to find these, he may be able to find others in the future.

Perhaps, by combining everyone's fragments, we can piece together the whole book.

Those interested can search for it. Even in historical materials such as "Da Ming Yi Tong Zhi", "Ming Shi", "Ming Hui Dian", "Ming Shi Lu", "Xi Yang Zhu Fan Zhi", and "Wai Yi Chao Gong Kao", which were revised by the Qing Dynasty, more than 180 tributary states can still be found.

The "Hanyutong ~ Diwei" effectively refutes Giulio Aleni's "Zhifang Waiji". Zheng He's trip to the Americas and the large number of Ming Dynasty copper coins left there are also clear evidence.

Just like the cult leaders of today, during the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were also so-called experts who belittled themselves and misled the people, claiming that the achievements of the Ming dynasty far exceeded our imagination.