The Overlord of the Red Mansion

Chapter 247 Good Emperor

When Jia Rong went to court on the Mid-Autumn Festival, he was not in such a good mood.

Jia Rong himself doesn't smoke or drink much, and he doesn't touch any of the strong literary stuff.

However, it only took more than ten days for the civil and military officials in the court to accept the new things.

After all, it was the emperor who gave me the cigarettes himself, and every time I smoked, I would recall this honor.

Jia Rong sat on the throne bored, looking at the hundreds of people with long and short hair below.

"Go to court~" the eunuchs standing in four directions shouted at the same time.

The ministers quickly stood up and moved to the steps outside and knelt down according to the rules.

"Long live my emperor! Long live!"

"Ah."

Jia Rong hummed lazily.

Although architecture and technology are developing today, the imperial system has been preserved intact.

Everyone needs an emperor on top.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The ministers could feel that Jia Rong was in a bad mood today, and it was always easy to guess whether Jia Rong was in a good mood or not.

Soon everyone returned to their seats.

After Jia Rong became the emperor, everyone no longer had to stand at court all day. Although the emperor was still as high and mighty as before, everyone felt a lot more at ease.

Since the emperor was not there, everyone was confused about what to do.

Without the emperor, the outside army and local officials would be difficult to obey.

Jia Rong, who was in a bad mood, looked at the group of people and said casually, "Why did so many people cut their hair? Isn't it good to have long hair?"

Seeing that Jia Rong seemed to be looking for trouble today, Jia Zheng quickly stood up.

Jia Zheng bent down, put his hands on the table and said, "Your Majesty, the craftsmen in the Ministry of Works had their hair cut short in May. Although there was no reward later, many craftsmen also cut their hair short."

"Later, people in the city probably thought that hair was a nuisance in hot weather, so they all cut their hair short."

Hair has no special meaning to most people. Although our hair is inherited from our parents, the emperor has short hair. For some people who like to pursue fashion, imitating the emperor will definitely not be laughed at by others. Instead, it is a symbol of nobility.

Jia Rong was too lazy to say anything. "Let it be. When we get back, ask the Ministry of Industry to open a few more shampoo factories and sell them to foreign countries in exchange for gold and silver."

Jia Zheng replied, "As you wish."

Jia Zheng had a huge workload, but fortunately he was not required to take charge of many things. All he had to do was convey orders to the people below.

After Jia Zheng sat down, the Minister of War stood up and said happily: "Your Majesty, the Emperor is very happy!"

Jia Rong sneered after hearing this, "Great joy? I don't know if it's because of the bad feng shui here, or if being an emperor means you will have no children or grandchildren. In my family, having a child was as easy as drinking water, but in the past few months since I became the emperor, no one in my family has gotten pregnant."

"Do you think this is a woman's problem, or my problem? Or is it a problem with this place?"

The ministers were unable to answer this question. In any case, the bad feng shui of the Forbidden City had been a long-standing issue.

Zong Zheng stood up and said, "Your Majesty, now the world is at peace, all nations are paying tribute, Your Majesty is in his prime, and the treasury is full. It is only right that you should select a concubine from the people and find more virtuous concubines."

Jia Rong was not in the mood at all and didn't bother to care about such things. "Whatever, what else?"

The Minister of War continued, "Your Majesty, the son of the King of Donghai has captured Fusang and killed the bandit chieftain!"

Jia Rong said calmly, "Make him a king, and make his son a duke. From now on, whoever you want to give the duke title to can write to me and I will grant him the title." "Also, the soldiers stationed in Fusang will be allowed to bring their families with them, and they can also freely travel between the two places for business and trade. If the King of Donghai doesn't want the throne of that small place, you can also find a place near Donghai to make him a county king. Let him choose for himself. If you have anything to say, just submit a memorial to me directly."

Jia Rong sometimes calls me "I" and sometimes "I", but fortunately everyone has gotten used to it.

"I obey your order!" The Minister of War said, "According to the spies, the prince of Zhenxi has arrived at the posthouse outside the city and has brought many tributes, including exotic beauties and giant Indian elephants, gold, silver, jewelry, spices, antiques, Buddhist scriptures, etc."

Jia Rong thought about it and frowned.

"Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Something happens almost every year anyway. Forget it, let him put down his things and leave. Confer him the title of King of India. I will have someone send his court robes, official seal, and his annual salary to him in a few days."

"Give the King of India five cartons of cigarettes, twenty boxes of matches, thirty painkillers, a royal rickshaw, a self-defense pistol, one hundred bullets, and a pound of Misty Immortal Tablets."

"Give the same reward to the King of Zhenxi. The King of Zhenxi is old and probably in poor health. Give him two more boxes of cigarettes, a jar of 30-year-old royal aged wine, 20 more painkillers, and an extra pound of magic tablets. Tell him to take good care of himself."

"Although we cannot meet often, I have always respected the King of Zhenxi. Although the foreign states have surrendered and the world is at peace, we must be prepared for danger and not hide our troops and lose our fighting spirit."

"I allow the King of Zhenxi to use the grain from U-Tsang and Tianzhu to support and train his troops and suppress the rebellions in the two places, but he is not allowed to be involved in government affairs. Governing a country is not the same as fighting a war."

***
Outside the gate of the capital city, the Prince of Zhenxi sat on his horse, feeling extremely nervous.

Beijing!

This is the place that the father of the Prince of Zhenxi never wants to come again in his life.

This place is full of weirdness. Anyone who doesn't believe in it will die.

To this day, the place where the army is stationed outside the city still retains traces of the battle left when the cavalry rushed into the camp.

Not only that, the Prince of Zhenxi was also a witness to several attacks that year.

What’s even worse is that what he witnessed was not all.

The incident in which a group of people led by Prince Zhou were blown to pieces made Prince Zhenxi and his men very resistant to this place.

"Brother Wang...should be alright?"

A young man asked the Prince of Zhenxi carefully.

The Prince of Zhenxi did not say anything. He was in his thirties and had a son and a daughter, but he had written a suicide note before coming.

It is easy to fight against India, but it is a bit hard.

Coming to the capital city means facing the test of life or death at any time.

Every night is a test again and again.

Even after arriving in the suburbs of Beijing, the Prince of Zhenxi and others did not dare to sleep at night, let alone walk at night.

Several princes would rather fight, pretend to be sick, or give up their titles than accept this constantly updated instant death test.

Here it is not a single choice, but a death test every minute of the night, just like being illuminated by a ray of light every few seconds, accepting the test of life or death.

This torment was extremely distressing to those who had the good fortune to witness the assassins charging the camp.

There is no way to defend against that assassin. Even if you live in a concrete building, the assassin can throw explosives in and blow up a group of people.

After everyone's agonizing wait, the eunuch messenger and palace guards soon came on horseback and read out the imperial edict.

When the Prince of Zhenxi heard the Emperor asking him to put down the gifts and leave quickly, he was so moved that he burst into tears and his emotions almost got out of control.

"Long live my emperor! Long live!"

At this moment, the Prince of Zhenxi, who was prostrating himself, knew that this country had given birth to a good emperor!
(End of this chapter)