Red Mansion: After being expelled from the family, I was granted the title of Marquis of Mobei

Chapter 123 The Succession Crisis, The Royal Family Banquet

Upon hearing this, Zhao Pan'er could no longer contain her excitement and threw herself into Jia Jue's arms.

This was a moment she had been waiting for, and now it had finally come true.

Jia Jue gently stroked Zhao Pan'er's hair, everything was understood without words.

Time flies, and three more days have passed in the blink of an eye.

Over the course of three days, Old Madam Jia and Madam Wang racked their brains to sell off their properties and finally managed to raise 400,000 taels of silver.

Afterwards, Old Madam Jia personally went to the Prince of Beijing's residence, firstly to apologize, and secondly to send over silver and jewelry.

Seeing that the Rongguo Mansion had also taken a stand, and with Old Madam Jia coming in person, Prince Beijin did not criticize her too harshly. After accepting the money, he even chatted with Old Madam Jia for a while.

After Old Madam Jia left the Prince's Mansion, Prince Bei Jing arranged for his steward to deliver the silver and jewels to the Marquis of Champion's Mansion.

In the evening, in Jia She's courtyard of the Rongguo Mansion, Jia She was chatting with Madam Xing.

Jia She said in surprise.

"Did you ask clearly? There's actually such a thing."

Madam Xing nodded and said.

"Don't worry, sir, I've found out everything."

"These past two days, the old lady has sold a lot of her dowry, raising 100,000 taels of silver, which she used to subsidize the second wife's family."

"To be honest, I didn't expect the second son's family to be so ruthless. That Madam Xue is her own sister, and she even betrayed her own sister."

"The Xue family isn't stupid either. They immediately went to the Marquis of Champion. The second son's attempt to steal a chicken backfired. Not only did he have to return the silver, but he also had to pay an extra sum to apologize to the Prince of Beijing."

After hearing what Madam Xing said, Jia She was also shocked.

He couldn't help but recall his conversation with Lin Ruhai and Jia Jue at the villa a few days ago.

At first, he thought Lin Ruhai and Jia Jue were exaggerating.

In retrospect, their assessment of Madam Wang was quite accurate.

This vicious woman even betrayed her own sister; who wouldn't she betray?

Most importantly, he took the money but did nothing, and even acted as if he wanted to exploit them, which scared the Xue family so much that they switched their allegiance to the Marquis of Champion.

Of the four great families of Jinling, the Wang family sided with the Marquis of Champion early on, and now the Xue family is doing the same.

In addition, the Shi family has had very little contact with the Rongguo Mansion over the years.

Therefore, it seems that the four major families no longer exist.

Thinking of this, Jia She couldn't help but feel a sense of shared sorrow.

Under the intricate schemes of Old Madam Jia and Madam Wang, the Marquis of Champion became the Rongguo Mansion's mortal enemy, and Lin Ruhai, the Rongguo Mansion's son-in-law, hated the Rongguo Mansion to the core.

The Wang, Xue, and Shi families now have no further connection with the Rongguo Mansion.

Jia She couldn't help but feel a sense of irony.

Jia She was well aware of Old Madam Jia's disdain for him.

Jia She knew he wasn't cut out for anything.

Even if I am utterly useless, I shouldn't be able to cause the four great families to fall apart and become enemies everywhere.

On the contrary, the mother thought the shrewd second son's family was now making the Rongguo Mansion teeter on the brink of collapse and vulnerable to attack from all sides.

Seeing that Jia She was deep in thought, Madam Xing hesitated for a moment and then gently tugged at Jia She's arm and said something.

"Master, the situation in the manor is really bad right now. I think we should make some plans as soon as possible."

After hearing this, Jia She looked at Madam Xing and said calmly.

"what do you mean?"

Madam Xing said weakly.

"The old lady used her dowry to subsidize her second son's family, and the subsidy amounted to 100,000 taels of silver."

"Although it was the old lady's own money, the two brothers should treat each other equally."

"Such favoritism is simply unacceptable."

As she spoke, Madam Xing kept an eye on Jia She's expression, afraid that she might say something wrong and get a scolding from him.

Seeing that Jia She showed no unusual behavior, Madam Xing grew bolder and continued speaking.

"That's fine, but the trouble my second brother got into was caused by his precious son."

"Now, in order to fill the hole in the Xue family and apologize to the Prince of Beijing's mansion, I estimate that the old lady and the second branch have been almost completely drained."

"But my second brother's lawsuit is a bottomless pit. If we don't appease Prince Zhongshun, the money will be wasted."

"I don't know how much more money will be spent on bribing officials next, and the old lady will definitely insist on using public funds."

"If this continues, I think we'll be starving in a few months."

"Master, we can't hesitate any longer."

After hearing this, Jia She sighed and said with some difficulty.

“I know about this, but I went to the elders in the clan, and none of them were willing to step forward. They said it was a family matter of the Rongguo Mansion and they shouldn’t interfere.”

Madam Xing smiled and said.

“Sir, since the paddle didn’t hit them, they naturally won’t complain of pain.”

"We need to let them know that what the old lady and the second son's family are doing is not only causing losses for us, but also for them. Only then will things fall into place naturally."

After thinking for a while, Jia She's eyes brightened a bit.

"Well, I didn't realize you had such a sharp mind. It seems I underestimated you before."

Madam Xing smiled slightly and said.

"Not at all, I was just trying to help the master out of my spare time."

After chatting for a while, the couple made up their minds instantly.

Late at night, inside the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Yongping stood at the entrance of the main hall, quietly gazing at the magnificent imperial city.

A short while later, Xia Shouzhong came over with a cloak and said.

"Your Majesty, it's late. Please put on some clothes so you don't catch a cold."

Emperor Yongping put on his cloak and smiled as he spoke.

"Only an old man like you still cares about me."

Xia Shouzhong quickly replied after hearing this.

"How could that be? His Majesty is the sovereign and father of the Great Zhou, and all the subjects of the Great Zhou are concerned about their sovereign and father."

Emperor Yongping said with some emotion.

"I am a lonely man, a lonely man."

"Now I understand why there's a saying, 'The higher you climb, the colder it gets.'"

"Xia Shouzhong, draft the decree. In order to consolidate the foundation of the country, I have decided to establish an heir apparent."

"Officials from other regions who are of the second rank or above, and officials from the capital who are of the fourth rank or above, can submit memorials recommending suitable candidates."

Xia Shouzhong respectfully agreed and then said...

"This servant obeys the decree, Your Majesty. However, I fear that this will cause quite a stir in the court."

Emperor Yongping said calmly.

"It's good to have some excitement; it'll also help divert some people's attention."

"The new policies and reforms have already kept many people up at night, so discussing the issue of establishing an heir at this time is just right."

"Go and draft the imperial edict."

"promise."

After Xia Shouzhong left, Emperor Yongping gazed at the distant imperial city, his eyes growing increasingly sharp and majestic.

The very next day, an imperial edict was issued, instantly causing an uproar throughout the entire court.

Emperor Yongping's decision to establish an heir caused a great stir. The Empress and Consort Yue, upon hearing the news, mobilized their supporters and began to build momentum for the heir's appointment.

Inside the main hall of the British mansion, Jia Jue was having tea with his father-in-law, the Duke of Yingguo.

Jia Jue looked at the Duke of England and smiled.

"Why did you decide to invite me for tea today, Father-in-law?"

Seeing Jia Jue's calm and composed demeanor, the Duke of Yingguo helplessly shrugged and said...

"You're really good at keeping your composure, kid. Did you know that His Majesty is going to establish an heir?"

"If the eldest prince is made crown prince, you'll be in big trouble later."

"Don't you have any thoughts at all?"

Jia Jue said calmly.

"Why is my father-in-law so nervous? To me, whether it is the eldest prince or the second prince, it will not affect me in any way."

The Duke of England sighed and said.

"Everyone is born, grows old, gets sick, and dies one day. Your Majesty is now in the prime of life, so everything is naturally easy to discuss."

"But what if His Majesty passes away? At that time, the eldest prince will inherit the throne. How will you handle that?"

Jia Jue said after a light laugh.

"Father-in-law, has Consort Yue contacted you secretly?"

The Duke of England nodded slightly and said.

“That’s right, I met with Marquis Xiaoyue.”

Jia Jue waved his hand and said.

“Father-in-law, listen to me. We cannot take sides now, whether it is the eldest prince or the second prince.”

"His Majesty will not care how they befriend civil officials."

"But if they want to seize military power, then they are cutting themselves off from His Majesty."

"By the same token, any powerful general who gets involved in the struggle for the throne will never have a good ending."

The Duke of England sighed and said.

"Are we just going to stand by and watch? What if the eldest prince really is made crown prince? That would be a real problem."

Jia Jue said calmly.

"Based on my understanding of His Majesty, he has no intention of establishing an heir."

"The reason for bringing up the issue of establishing an heir now feels like it's to muddy the waters."

"This matter is definitely related to the implementation of the new policies. In addition, His Majesty must have other thoughts, but I can't figure them out for the time being."

"To be blunt, His Majesty probably doesn't think much of either the eldest prince or the second prince."

"Your Majesty is so wise and insightful, yet the two princes have not the slightest bit of the demeanor of an emperor."

"Besides, His Majesty is only in his forties. What if he has a child later in life?"

"Why are you in such a hurry to place a bet now?"

The Duke of England said after hesitating for a moment.

"Are you really confident, or are you just trying to put my mind at ease by staying here?"

Jia Jue smiled and said.

“Father-in-law, I can’t possibly joke about the lives and fortunes of my entire family.”

"Rest assured, let the storm rage on, I will remain steadfast."

Seeing Jia Jue's confident demeanor, the Duke of Yingguo had no choice but to give up and not continue the topic.

However, Jia Jue could tell from the Duke of England's eyes that he was still very worried about this matter.

However, there are many things that Jia Jue cannot say openly. After all, Jia Jue cannot possibly tell his father-in-law that the current elite Imperial Guards are all his loyal followers.

With just a single command, the imperial city would be awash in blood. The eldest and second princes, if Jia Jue so desired, could all become dead at any moment.

Whether or not there is a crown prince is completely unimportant.

If Jia Jue's life and fortune are truly threatened, let alone the crown prince, Emperor Jia Jue will kill him without hesitation.

However, these words were so shocking that Jia Jue couldn't tell his father-in-law directly.

After the father-in-law and son-in-law finished discussing this topic, they chatted for a while longer.

Jia Jue had lunch at the British residence at noon, and then took Zhang Guifen back to the Marquis of Champion's residence.

Late at night, in Consort Yue's palace, after receiving a letter from Marquis Yue, Consort Yue's face darkened.

She never expected that, despite having already offended the Empress and the First Prince, Jia Jue would still refuse her and the Second Prince's attempts to win him over.

There are only two princes in total, and you, Jia Jue, are incredibly bold to offend both of them. Well, you brought this on yourself.

Consort Yue immediately began writing furiously and started sending messages out of the palace.

On the other hand, things were not peaceful in the Queen's palace either.

Empress Shen was talking with her younger sister, Wenxiu Jun.

The Empress looked at Wenxiu Jun and said.

"Because of the imperial examination cheating scandal, we have a deep grudge against the Marquis of Champion."

"Now that His Majesty is determined to establish an heir, if the Marquis of Champion were to side with that vile Consort Yue, the situation would be extremely dire."

"You must hurry up and get Cong Xing and Wang Chun to act according to the plan."

Wenxiu nodded and said.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, there will be no mishaps this time."

With the issue of choosing an heir apparent looming large, various factions took turns vying for power, creating a lively and bustling scene.

Faced with this chaos, Jia Jue remained inactive. Apart from going to his post as a guard, he spent his days at home with his beautiful wife and concubines, living a very comfortable life.

On the seventh day of the seventh month of the fourth year of Yongping, today is the day that Wang Shiping, Sheng Hong's brother-in-law, returns to the capital.

After serving as an official in other places for many years, Wang Shiping had accumulated enough seniority and was finally able to return to Shendu to take up a post.

That morning, Sheng Hong brought his wife and children to the Wang family to celebrate with his brother-in-law, Wang Shiping.

Sheng Minglan was also notified and, accompanied by Jia Jue, arrived at the Wang family's residence.

Wang Shiping and his wife naturally attached great importance to Jia Jue's arrival, given his official position.

Although Jia Jue was a junior, Wang Shiping did not dare to be presumptuous and treated Jia Jue with great respect.

As a result, Wang Shiping also showed more respect for his brother-in-law, Sheng Hong.

Seeing this, Sheng Hong felt a surge of secret satisfaction.

When Sheng Hong married Wang Ruofu, it was considered a step up for him. So for many years, Sheng Hong always felt inferior to the Wang family.

Wang Shiping also looked down on his brother-in-law.

Now that the Wang family has declined, while the Sheng family is thriving, how could Sheng Hong not feel comfortable with this contrast?

From now on, your brother-in-law will have to be more respectful when he's with me. Times have changed.

While the group was eating, Sheng Hong asked with some curiosity.

"Brother, Mother-in-law was chatting with us in the side hall just now, but she's nowhere to be seen at dinner time."

Wang Shiping smiled slightly and said.

"My mother said that everyone felt uncomfortable eating here, so she went back to her room to eat by herself."

"Oh, right, after dinner, Mother also asked Minglan and her husband to go there."

"They said they had some gifts for you."

Upon hearing this, Sheng Minglan immediately became alert. If it weren't for the clay doll incident, Sheng Minglan wouldn't have thought much of it. She would have just felt that she was now married into the Marquis's mansion and was in a position of wealth and status. Old Madam Wang was trying to curry favor with her, hoping that she could seek help from the Marquis's mansion if she encountered any problems in the future.

(End of this chapter)