The Overlord of the Red Mansion

Chapter 225 Sending the Emperor Away
"Long live the Emperor! Long live! Long live the Emperor!"

Jia Rong knelt down with the others and saluted.

The people watching behind Jia Rong became even more terrified.

Whenever Jia Rong starts to follow the rules, it's probably not good.

Not to mention the ministers, even the emperor was uneasy, feeling that there was a ghost wandering in the Forbidden City.

"Someone come!" the emperor shouted.

Jia Rong's expression remained unchanged, but the other ministers were terrified.

The emperor shouted, "Go and light some candles and put them on the ground! Light more! Make it bright!!!"

Jia Rong and the others lowered their heads, but they could clearly feel that the emperor was afraid of the dark.

Everyone was silent. Jia Rong did not speak, but stood quietly.

The others were waiting for him to speak, but they didn't dare to ask more questions.

Dark clouds are threatening to destroy the city!
The atmosphere in the room is extremely depressing!

The emperor himself could hardly bear it any longer.

boom!
Click!

A bolt of thunder shook the night sky, illuminating the throne room at 7:30 in the morning.

The emperor sat on the throne, his face pale with fear, and he even dared not to continue his previous plan.

Today is not a good day for rebellion or big talk.

Wow!
The summer rain fell rapidly to the ground.

It was blown on the heads of the guards and ministers working in the Forbidden City.

The court officials quickly ran to the eaves to take shelter from the rain, but the guards had to continue standing guard and could not run anywhere.

Jia Rong continued to remain silent.

It was raining so hard that I couldn't hear what people were saying.

Silence. After more than ten minutes of silence, the sky finally brightened.

Only then did Jia Rong bow and say, "Your Majesty! I have something to report!"

The emperor breathed a sigh of relief, "Tell me!"

Jia Rong suddenly forgot what he was going to say.

After more than ten seconds of silence, Jia Rong finally remembered what was going on.

The main reason is that I was in a daze for more than 20 minutes just now, and I was so bored that I forgot what I came here for.

"Your Majesty! Today, the Jiangnan region has repeatedly contributed far more taxes than in previous years. Everywhere there is a scene of peace and prosperity."

"Now, more than 20 years have passed since the Jiangnan region received the emperor a few years ago."

"The Governor-General of Jiangnan has written to me. I have read the memorial and I also think it is necessary."

The emperor said happily, "Oh? Submit the memorial quickly so that I can take a good look at it!"

Jia Rong knelt down quickly, which frightened the emperor again.

The left and right prime ministers beside him were also under great pressure, worried that Jia Rong was going to pass on the blame.

The left and right prime ministers looked at each other and neither of them had received any memorial from the Governor-General of Jiangnan.

Ruined!
My life is over!

Jia Rong must be trying to frame me!

"Your Majesty, please forgive me!" Jia Rong whispered, "I forgot where I read the memorial, and I forgot where I put it after reading it. I can't find it anymore."

The left and right prime ministers breathed a sigh of relief and told him not to pass on the blame.

The emperor then realized that it was just a random excuse, so he said, "It's okay. I remember reading this memorial, which said it was about going to Jiangnan, but I forgot the specific content. Brother, tell me the details."

Jia Rong stood up and said, "Yes."

The others immediately understood that this was just a play between the two of them. Whoever disagreed would be in trouble.

If the emperor had not mentioned that he was going to the south of the Yangtze River, everyone would have thought that Jia Rong was calling a horse a zebra.

But looking at the emperor's expression, it is most likely that he himself wants to escape.

At this time, it had only been a few days since a large number of princes and dukes had died. The assassin had killed a large number of elite soldiers and royal nobles among the vast army, and had frightened all the civil and military officials in the court.

Breaking into the Forbidden City was not unheard of, and everyone felt that even with an army of 100,000, they would not be able to stop that fierce man.

Jia Rong quickly talked about the benefits of going to the south of the Yangtze River.

"The emperor has been on the throne for a short time. The capital is now peaceful and worry-free. The only thing he is worried about is the south of the Yangtze River."

This made the emperor feel very embarrassed.

The other ministers were even more certain that the emperor was planning to escape.

“There are many benefits to going south of the Yangtze River.”

"First, we can inspect local areas, select capable officials, and examine local governance so that we won't be deceived by local officials' concealment of information."

"Secondly, we inspect water conservancy projects, identify safety hazards in various river channels and riverbanks, and punish corrupt officials."

"Thirdly, we can also reduce or exempt some taxes according to the situation of the local people."

"Fourthly, I want to see how the tributes from various places are made, so that I can know whether they are good or bad in the future."

"The fifth is to look for talents, find some capable ministers and generals, and also inspect the soldiers and ships and artillery fighting on the front line."

The emperor was very happy. There was another benefit of going to the south of the Yangtze River that Jia Rong didn't mention, which was to look for beautiful women in the south of the Yangtze River!
"My Royal Brother is right, but if I go to Jiangnan, how will I handle the affairs of the court?"

Jia Rong replied: "Let the left and right prime ministers and the cabinet ministers handle it."

The right prime minister came out quickly and said, "I am willing to share the emperor's worries!"

Several university scholars also said: "I am willing to share the emperor's worries!"

The Grand Tutor disagreed and objected directly, saying, "The Emperor's safety concerns the country, how can he leave the palace at will? Going to the south of the Yangtze River will definitely cost a lot of money and manpower, I think it is inappropriate!"

The left prime minister said directly: "The Grand Tutor is wrong. The emperor is protected by elite soldiers and generals, and the loyal and filial prince is also guarding him. If this is not appropriate, then is it okay to stay in the palace?"

The Grand Tutor couldn't say anything more, after all, the most unsafe place was the palace.

Jia Rong said at this time: "The capital has many affairs, and it has not been peaceful in recent years. Although I am not in charge of state affairs, I ask for your permission to stay. If something happens, I will go to the palace to lead the officials to guard the capital. If nothing happens, I will also make medicine at home and pray for the emperor!"

The emperor really wanted Jia Rong to accompany him, but he also knew that there must be someone he could trust to stay and guard the capital.

"Thank you for your hard work, my brother. When I am not here, many matters will be handled by the left and right prime ministers. The command of the Beijing camp and other military camps will be supervised by Prince Zhongxiao. If there is an emergency, you can execute first and report later!"

Jia Rong quickly bowed and said, "I obey your order! Unless there is something dangerous, I will not leave my home!"

The emperor smiled and said, "No, my brother should go around and share my worries. All the tributes sent by various places during this period will be given to my brother!"

Seeing that the emperor was determined to escape, the others had no way to object and just let him do what he wanted.

The emperor was not going to the south of the Yangtze River immediately. The first thing to do was to prepare the dragon boats, and secondly, to repair the water conservancy projects on both sides of the road and prepare a guesthouse to welcome him.

When the emperor travels, he must be accompanied by at least three thousand core personnel. Together with the guards sent by local authorities and the farmers who pull the boats, it would require at least ten to twenty thousand people.

These tasks cannot be completed in a month. By the time they are completed, it will be August or September, when floods are likely to occur, and it will be risky for ships to sail at that time.

The ancients all went to Yangzhou in March for fireworks. It is obvious that the emperor is not going there to escape the summer heat. Who would go to the south to escape the summer heat specifically when it is cooler?

The emperor did not go to Jiangnan immediately. After Jia Rong helped him deliver several children, the emperor, who had two sons, soon abandoned his wife and children and went to Jiangnan for fun.

Jia Rong has already found a good place for the emperor to build a new capital, and has also arranged some things for the emperor to do when he is bored.

During this period, Jia Rong also married Lin Daiyu, Shi Xiangyun, and Jia Tanchun, basically marrying all the young ladies in the Jia family.

It was already August at this time. Unknowingly, half of the year had passed. Jia Rong and his people moved into the renovated Prince Zhongxiao's Palace.

After riding a horse with a cartload of beauties into the Zhongxiao Palace, Jia Rong laughed out loud, "Hahaha! I can finally have some free time!!"

You don’t have to go to court, serve the emperor, or worry about so many messy things. You can play happily every day.

(End of this chapter)