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

Chapter 130 clarifies the inside story.
Jia Jue chuckled lightly. Who could have imagined that it took humanity over a million years to develop from primitive humans to slave society?

Humanity only took a few thousand years to go from slave society to feudal society and then to the Industrial Revolution.

Humans are truly the most wondrous species created by the Creator.

The so-called South City Explosion might be mistaken by outsiders as a divine punishment.

But Jia Jue knew perfectly well that this must have been caused by the explosion of black powder.

Yes, gunpowder exists in this world, after all, there are fireworks and firecrackers. Extending from this, the prototype of black powder naturally also exists.

However, due to the lack of advanced technology, the power of gunpowder was generally limited. In addition, the use and storage of black powder were major problems. Therefore, gunpowder was only used in fireworks and firecrackers and was not developed for military use.

To create that earth-shattering explosion in Nancheng, the amount of gunpowder used would have to be astronomical.

Moreover, it is not difficult to see from the two sentences left on the stone turtle that this matter must be closely related to the interest groups that suffered losses in implementing the new policy.

Using this kind of thing to cause trouble is a tradition.

What meteorite fell from the sky? The First Emperor died and the land was divided.

Or perhaps it's the fox's cry, a note stuffed inside a fish's belly, and the rise of the Great Chu and the reign of Chen Sheng.

The stone man with one eye incites rebellion throughout the land.

Similar events have been commonplace throughout China's five-thousand-year history.

Seeing Jia Jue's smiling face, Lin Daiyu couldn't help but pout and say coquettishly.

"Why aren't you saying anything, my husband? Did I say something wrong?"

Jia Jue lightly kissed Lin Daiyu's cheek and then said.

"I was thinking, since the night is so short, is it really necessary for us to be agonizing over this kind of thing?"

"We both have more important things to do."

Upon hearing this, Lin Daiyu blushed, and then Jia Jue picked her up and carried her to the bed.

The romantic night was naturally beyond description.

The next day, in a side hall of the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Yongping leaned back in his chair, his face showing signs of exhaustion and weariness.

The massive explosion in the southern city kept Emperor Yongping awake all night.

People in the capital are now filled with fear and rumors are rampant.

Emperor Yongping's heart was also very impure.

The new policies were initially implemented smoothly, and the court was developing steadily in accordance with Emperor Yongping's wishes.

This unexpected event at this crucial moment left Emperor Yongping with mixed feelings.

Subconsciously, Emperor Yongping felt that this matter must have been caused by someone.

But such a massive explosion is beyond human capability.

This made Emperor Yongping waver. Could it be that I was wrong, and Heaven was warning me?

This morning, a large number of memorials were presented to Emperor Yongping, all requesting him to cancel the new policies and issue an edict of self-reproach to Heaven.

This was something that Emperor Yongping found very difficult to accept.

Just as Emperor Yongping was feeling frustrated, Xia Shouzhong, the chief eunuch of the six palaces, came to the side hall, bowed, and said...

"Your Majesty, the Champion Marquis requests an audience."

Emperor Yongping sighed and then said.

"These are turbulent times. His lawsuit with the Wang family is not over yet. What is he doing in the palace at this time?"

Xia Shouzhong then spoke.

"Your Majesty, the Marquis of Champion came in disguise."

Emperor Yongping nodded slightly and said.

"Alright, let him in."

"The slaves obey the order."

After Xia Shouzhong left the palace, Emperor Yongping closed his eyes and rubbed his face, trying to clear his head.

Before long, Jia Jue entered the side hall.

Upon approaching Emperor Yongping, Jia Jue bowed and spoke.

"I have met His Majesty."

Emperor Yongping raised his hand slightly and said.

"No need for formalities. You shouldn't be here at this time."

Jia Jue glanced at the exhausted Emperor Yongping and smiled as he spoke.

"His Majesty is not as energetic as usual today. Could it be that the explosion in the South City has disturbed his mind?"

Emperor Yongping waved his hand and said.

"You little brat, why do you have to bring up the one thing you don't want to talk about?"

"Speak, what is it? You didn't come here just to laugh at me, did you?"

Jia Jue said as he bowed.

"Your Majesty, I dare not say that. I only feel that Your Majesty's current state is in line with the wishes of those who have ulterior motives."

"If I am not mistaken, Your Majesty's desk is now piled high with memorials from officials urging you to cancel the new policies."

After a moment's thought, Emperor Yongping's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he became more alert.

"What exactly are you trying to say, kid? Do you know something? If you do, then just say it."

Jia Jue said with a calm smile.

"Your Majesty, I know you are in a hurry, but please don't rush, let me explain in detail."

"Your Majesty is wise and powerful, and well-versed in history. You must know that cases of using supernatural tricks to commit treason are commonplace."

"This major explosion in Nancheng is this type of case."

"The so-called stone tortoise proverb can be made artificially."

"What should puzzle His Majesty is where that earth-shattering explosion came from."

"Your Majesty, I can answer this question for you."

"Your Majesty knows about firecrackers and fireworks, right?"

Emperor Yongping nodded slightly and said.

"Of course I know. You don't mean to say that the explosion in the southern city was caused by firecrackers and fireworks, do you?"

"Firecrackers and fireworks are so weak that they could not possibly make such a noise, which even half a god could hear."

Jia Jue said calmly.

"Regular firecrackers certainly cannot cause an explosion of that scale."

"But what if you pile up a large amount of gunpowder for making firecrackers, put it in the south of the city, and then deliberately detonate it?"

"Once the quantity increases, the explosive power will naturally increase as well."

"Given the scale of the operation in the southern part of the capital, I believe that investigating this matter should not be difficult."

"First of all, although the site of the explosion has been reduced to scorched earth, judging from the explosion scene, the gunpowder should have been buried underground at the center of the explosion."

"Therefore, a large number of tunnels will definitely be found at the scene."

"Then came the source of gunpowder."

"The main components of gunpowder are saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal."

"The amount of materials consumed in such a large-scale gunpowder explosion must be considerable."

"It should still be not too late. Your Majesty can immediately dispatch the Embroidered Uniform Guard to secretly investigate the merchants who have been dealing in these materials for the past two months, to see which ones have made large-scale purchases, and to track the whereabouts of the materials. They should be able to find some clues."

"Of course, if someone dares to do something like this, the person behind it must also have a remarkable ability to clean up the mess."

"By now, most of those who needed to be silenced have probably been silenced." "But that's not important. As long as His Majesty can get the Embroidered Uniform Guard to find evidence to expose the truth to the world, proving that the explosion in the southern city was a carefully planned conspiracy and not some divine punishment, and quell the rumors and discontent, then the mastermind's goal will be thwarted."

"As for the real mastermind, with Your Majesty's wisdom and prowess, do you really need to investigate thoroughly to find out?"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yongping hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Are you really sure that the gunpowder filling firecrackers can cause such terrifying damage?"

"You should know that dozens of shops in the southern part of the city were instantly reduced to ashes and burned to the ground."

Jia Jue nodded and said.

"Your Majesty, just let the Embroidered Uniform Guard investigate. They will find out soon enough."

Hearing this, Emperor Yongping finally made up his mind. After a moment's thought, he said...

"Alright, I understand."

"You're a decent fellow, knowing to come and share my burdens right away."

After hearing this, Jia Jue smiled and said.

"Then shouldn't Your Majesty reward me with something?"

Emperor Yongping glared at Jia Jue and then spoke.

"You brat, I just praised you a couple of times, and now you're reaching out to me, huh?"

Jia Jue chuckled and said.

"Your Majesty knows that both of my wives are pregnant, and now I have been dismissed from my post and will no longer receive my salary."

"I still have to support my family."

When Emperor Yongping saw Jia Jue's appearance, he couldn't help but smile.

"You have the nerve to say that? When have you ever lived off your salary? With the caravans in the north, the salt permits in the south, and your title of Marquis of Champion, you're rolling in money, yet you're complaining to me about being poor."

"Alright, considering how thoughtful you were this time, I will definitely give the children a gift when your two wives have their one-month celebrations."

Jia Jue said after a light laugh.

"Then I thank you, Your Majesty."

After Jia Jue's words of encouragement, Emperor Yongping's mood improved considerably.

Emperor Yongping then summoned Xia Shouzhong and instructed the Imperial Guards to quickly investigate the South City bombing case secretly, following the investigative approach suggested by Jia Jue.

After finishing his business, Emperor Yongping ordered someone to serve him a meal, allowing Jia Jue to have breakfast in the palace before letting him leave.

At this time, a conflict broke out between Xue Baochai and her mother, Xue Wangshi, in the Xue family of Dongcheng.

Lady Xue said, her anger barely contained.

"Baochai, have you been bewitched?"

"The Marquis's residence is currently a place of trouble. Let's take this opportunity to let bygones be bygones regarding our previous agreement with the Marquis's residence."

"Why are you so bewitched, insisting on becoming the Marquis's concubine at his residence?"

"You don't think it's embarrassing, but I still think it's embarrassing."

Xue Baochai gave a cold laugh, then looked at her mother and said.

“Mother, now you know how shameful you are. You didn’t say that when my elder brother was imprisoned in the Marquis of Champion’s mansion.”

"Back then, you were afraid that if I didn't agree to go to the Marquis of Champion's mansion, you wouldn't be able to get my elder brother out, right?"

"Now that things have come to this, you feel that the Marquis's mansion is involved in the lawsuit, and you are worried that if I go to the Marquis's mansion and the Marquis's mansion loses, it will implicate our family. That's why you are doing everything you can to stop me from going to the Marquis's mansion, right?"

Having her thoughts exposed by Xue Baochai, Madam Xue was somewhat embarrassed. Enraged, she slapped Xue Baochai across the face and cursed.

"Shut up! Is this how you talk to your own mother? Where is your manners from elementary school? What happened to them?"

After being slapped by her mother, Xue Baochai's eyes remained firm, and she looked at her mother without flinching.

"The sage said that a mother's kindness and a son's filial piety mean that a mother's kindness is the prerequisite for a son's filial piety."

“Mother, you know what you're thinking, and I know it too.”

“From the moment I brought my older brother back, I owed you nothing, and I owed the family nothing.”

"You didn't listen to me back then and insisted on trusting the Rongguo Mansion. The consequences are still fresh in my mind."

"Even now, you still stubbornly believe that the Marquis of Champion's mansion is doomed."

"In that case, our mother-daughter relationship is probably coming to an end today."

"Isn't your concern that my going to the Marquis's residence will implicate the Xue family?"

“I have already written the letter of severing all ties, signed it, and pressed my fingerprint on it.”

“From today onwards, I have no further connection with the Xue family. You can rest assured now.”

"From now on, you and the Xue family should take good care of yourselves."

After saying this, Xue Baochai turned and left the room without any hesitation.

Seeing this scene, Xue's mother felt a mix of emotions, but she still stuck to her own opinion, feeling that Xue Baochai going to the Marquis's mansion at this time was no different from a moth flying into a flame.

After putting away the letter severing ties, Madam Xue breathed a sigh of relief. Let that stubborn girl go if she wants to, as long as she doesn't implicate the Xue family.

Leaving aside the Xue family's affairs for now, let's turn to the main hall of the Marquis of Champion's mansion, where Sheng Minglan is happily keeping her grandmother, Old Madam Sheng, company.

"Grandmother, what made you decide to come today?"

Old Madam Sheng smiled slightly and said.

"You've been pregnant for a while now. The first three months of pregnancy are the most dangerous for a woman."

"Although I miss you, I'm thinking of waiting until your pregnancy is more stable before we talk about it."

"Now that I see you're in this state, I'm relieved."

"It seems that the matter at the Marquis's residence hasn't affected your mood too much."

Sheng Minglan couldn't help but smile after hearing this.

"Actually, it was my husband who kept comforting me, telling me that there wasn't much of a problem at home."

"I was quite worried a few days ago, but seeing that things were going as usual at the Marquis's residence and nothing had changed, I was able to put my mind at ease."

Grandma Sheng chuckled softly.

"The Marquis of Champion is a general with the talent to stand alone. A general can remain calm even if Mount Tai collapses in front of him."

"His mental resilience is definitely much stronger than yours."

"You haven't experienced or seen enough of life."

"Alright, put your mind at ease. The cases involving the Wang family and the Marquis's mansion will definitely be resolved soon."

Hearing this, Sheng Minglan nodded happily.

Just as the grandmother and granddaughter were chatting happily, Jia Jue arrived at the side hall where Sheng Minglan and the old lady were talking.

When she saw Jia Jue walk in, Sheng Minglan's face lit up with joy, and then she stood up.

Upon seeing this, Jia Jue quickly stepped forward, helped Sheng Minglan up, and then said...

"Alright, you're pregnant, why are you standing up? Sit down properly."

Seeing Jia Jue's meticulous care for Sheng Minglan, Old Madam Sheng took it all to heart and naturally became more and more satisfied with Jia Jue as her grandson-in-law.

Upon seeing this, Sheng Minglan chuckled and then spoke.

"My lord, I am not so delicate. When the imperial physician came to our mansion to take my pulse, he told me that I should exercise more often, as it would be good for both me and the baby."

Jia Jue said after smiling calmly.

"Exercise is exercise, but let's forget about all those complicated rules at home. We don't have that many messy rules in our family. Okay, sit down."

"Grandma, I hope I didn't disturb your conversation."

(End of this chapter)