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

Chapter 138 Revealing Secrets, Explosion Imminent

Jia She looked remorseful after hearing this.

"I never expected things to be this serious. And the treason accusation is completely fabricated. That bitch Wang deliberately framed me."

"Ruhai, you must save me!"

After a moment's thought, Lin Ruhai said.

"I'm afraid things won't be easy to handle."

Jia She panicked and quickly knelt before Lin Ruhai, saying...

"Ruhai, you can't just stand by and watch me die, I'm begging you, brother."

Lin Ruhai then helped Jia She up and said.

"Brother, if I hadn't saved you, I wouldn't have come here."

"But there's something you have to tell me the truth, otherwise, I really can't help you."

Jia She asked with some doubt after hearing this.

"What's going on?"

Lin Ruhai looked at Jia She and asked.

"I have already reviewed your case file and statement."

"Besides asking the military governor of Ping'an Prefecture to arrange a hereditary military officer for a man named Sun Shaozu, you also helped Imperial Physician Wang arrange military doctors in Ping'an Prefecture."

"Let's not talk about Sun Shaozu's matter; you took five thousand taels of silver from him."

"But what's the deal with this Physician Wang? Why did he give up his good job as a physician to become a military doctor in the army?"

“The Embroidered Uniform Guard interrogated you several times, but you always gave vague answers.”

"And just a few days after you came in, Physician Wang suddenly fell ill and died at home."

"This matter is suspicious no matter how you look at it. If this matter cannot be explained, the Embroidered Uniform Guard will not be able to close the case, and you don't know how long you will be detained."

"Given the methods of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, I'm afraid you won't be able to hold out for much longer, brother."

"this,"

Upon hearing this, Jia She hesitated.

Seeing Jia She's appearance, Lin Ruhai said calmly.

"Since you're in such a difficult position, then let's just forget about it."

"Don't worry, brother. I'll take care of your children. I'll be going now."

"Like the sea, and so on, and so on."

Seeing Lin Ruhai get up to leave, Jia She panicked instantly.

For Jia She, Lin Ruhai was his last lifeline.

If even Lin Ruhai abandons him, he'll likely find it difficult to endure the torture and interrogation by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Looking at Jia She's appearance, Lin Ruhai became even more certain that this Imperial Physician Wang must be involved in something earth-shattering, and once exposed, it would lead to Jia She's demise.

Otherwise, Jia She wouldn't have stubbornly refused to tell the truth even under torture by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

After all, if you don't say it, your whole family will die; if you do, your whole family will die.

Lin Ruhai pressed on while the iron was hot.

"Since my elder brother doesn't trust me, what's the point of me staying here?"

Jia She quickly pulled Lin Ruhai aside and said.

"Ruhai, how could I not trust you, brother? I'll tell you, I'll tell you."

"This Imperial Physician Wang, he, he is the Empress's man."

"He was in the palace, where he was responsible for secretly doing things for the Empress that couldn't be done in the light of day."

"I'm not entirely sure what he did specifically."

"However, once when I invited him for drinks, he got really drunk and unintentionally mentioned something."

Lin Ruhai asked curiously.

"What's going on?"

Jia She looked around and then lowered his voice.

"He said with a smug look, 'Don't be fooled by His Majesty's wise and mighty appearance. He's actually all bark and no bite and has been unable to conceive for a long time.'"

Upon hearing this, a look of shock flashed across Lin Ruhai's face.

"Can't sow seeds? What kind of nonsense is that? What about the First Prince and the Second Prince?"

However, apart from the two princes, His Majesty has no other offspring.

After thinking for a moment, Lin Ruhai said.

"You mean that Imperial Physician Wang advised the Empress, which led to His Majesty losing his ability to have children, right?"

Jia She spoke with an extremely solemn expression.

"That's roughly the situation. Over the years, His Majesty has had no children other than his two sons."

"So this matter is most likely true."

"Tell me, how could I dare to reveal what happened to Physician Wang?"

"If the Jia family gets involved in this kind of thing, they can expect to be killed and their clan wiped out, with no hope of redemption."

Lin Ruhai nodded and said.

"Understood. This matter must not be leaked."

"However, we also need to figure out a way to deal with the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"Okay, brother, hang in there. I need to think this over carefully. I'll come see you again in a couple of days."

Jia She looked at Lin Ruhai with anticipation and said.

"Ruhai, your brother is counting on you. You can't abandon your brother."

"Do not worry."

After calming Jia She down, Lin Ruhai got up and left the prison, then went straight to the palace.

Not long after, in the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Yongping and Lin Ruhai sat facing each other.

Lin Ruhai sighed and said.

"Your Majesty has really put me in a difficult position this time."

Emperor Yongping glanced at Lin Ruhai and then spoke calmly.

"What, are you worried that I'll kill you to cover your tracks?"

"It seems I guessed correctly; you really did get something out of Jia She."

Lin Ruhai said with some surprise.

"Does Your Majesty already know something?"

Emperor Yongping said it casually.

"Tell me what you've found out. Who is Imperial Physician Wang related to? Is it the Empress or Consort Yue?"

"It is Her Majesty the Empress."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yongping's eyes flashed with a fierce light, but he quickly concealed it.

Then Emperor Yongping looked at Lin Ruhai and said.

"Ruhai, you are my confidant, and I regard you as my right-hand man."

"You don't usually drink much, so from today onwards, you should give up alcohol. It's good for your health."

Lin Ruhai breathed a sigh of relief, then bowed and said.

"I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty's concern. From this day forward until my death, I will not touch a drop of alcohol."

Emperor Yongping nodded slightly and said.

"Very well, let's get down."

"The minister obeys the order."

After leaving the Qianqing Palace, Lin Ruhai breathed a sigh of relief, and his tense mind relaxed.

His Majesty's decision to abstain from alcohol for the rest of his life is self-evident; it is to prevent himself from losing control while intoxicated and saying things he shouldn't.

In short, the secrets concerning His Majesty must be kept in one's heart until one dies and takes them to one's grave.

If even the slightest leak were made, the Lin family would be wiped out completely. This is only because His Majesty is benevolent; if it were anyone else, they would certainly not have escaped unscathed.

Lin Ruhai was able to escape unscathed, but Jia She clearly wouldn't receive the same treatment.

Not long after Lin Ruhai left the palace, Jia She committed suicide in prison out of fear of punishment.

His death was inevitable after he revealed this secret.

The case concerning the Rongguo Mansion was quickly closed the following day.

Jia She violated the laws of Heaven and failed the Emperor's grace. Therefore, he was stripped of his hereditary title in the Rongguo Mansion and all his property was confiscated.

Old Madam Jia was stripped of her first-rank imperial title for failing to properly educate her son.

As for Jia Zheng, although he had been separated from the Rongguo Mansion, he could not escape it either.

All of Jia Zheng's second wife's property was confiscated, and Jia Zheng was dismissed from his official post.

Thus, the Jia family, which had produced two dukes and had a lineage spanning a century, came to a complete decline.

The day she received the news, Old Madam Jia died of shock, passing away quickly and decisively.

As for Madam Wang, Lin Ruhai used his connections to secretly bring her to the Lin family mansion.

The days ahead for her will certainly not be comfortable. Given the deep-seated hatred between Lin Ruhai and her, it would be strange if he didn't torture her to death.

At noon, inside the Kunning Palace, Empress Shen breathed a sigh of relief after learning of Jia She's death.

Over the years, Physician Wang has done a lot of dirty work for her.

Now, the eldest prince born to Empress Shen has moved into the Wenhua Palace and become the crown prince.

Empress Shen also began to clean up the traces of her past that could not be exposed.

This is just human nature; the story of the chamber pot is an old tale.

People only find a chamber pot convenient when they wake up in the middle of the night needing to pee.

Once daylight arrives, one naturally feels that the chamber pot is dirty and smelly and needs to be cleaned.

To Empress Shen now, Physician Wang was nothing more than a filthy, smelly chamber pot.

After all, in Empress Shen's view, she had already won a great victory. All she needed to do was wait until her son ascended the throne, and then she could live a peaceful life as Empress Dowager.

Therefore, Empress Shen decided to get rid of Imperial Physician Wang.

But Imperial Physician Wang wasn't stupid either. After serving Empress Shen for so many years, risking his life, he was also worried about being discarded after his usefulness was over.

Therefore, Physician Wang left behind some evidence.

Seeing that the attempt to silence him had failed, Empress Shen decided to send Imperial Physician Wang away from the central government and make him go far away.

So the imperial physician Wang approached Jia She, with whom he had a good relationship.

Over the years, Physician Wang has treated many people in the Rongguo Mansion and has had many interactions with them.

Therefore, after Physician Wang approached Jia She, Jia She did not refuse and helped Physician Wang get a job as a military doctor in Ping'an Prefecture.

However, before the matter could be resolved, Lady Wang reported the Rongguo Mansion, which led to Jia She being imprisoned.

Empress Shen was blinded by greed and worried that the royal physician's scheme would be exposed.

She intended to kill both Jia She and Physician Wang to eliminate any future trouble.

However, Jia She was imprisoned, so she couldn't intervene.

Therefore, Empress Shen had no choice but to first silence Imperial Physician Wang, making it appear as if he had died suddenly from an illness.

At the same time, Empress Shen sent people to keep an eye on Physician Wang's family and close relatives and friends to see if Physician Wang had left any backup plans.

After eliminating the threat posed by Physician Wang, the remaining task was to deal with Jia She.

Fortunately, Jia She died in prison without revealing anything, which finally relieved Empress Shen, who was certain that she could rest easy.

Little did she know that the capital was already rife with undercurrents, while she remained oblivious and unaware.

Inside the Western Navy's command tent, the Duke of Nan'an was leisurely drinking and making merry, while a dozen or so dancers were gracefully performing.

If someone didn't know better, they might think this wasn't a military camp, but some kind of brothel or entertainment venue.

The Duke of Nan'an couldn't be happier; coming to the West Sea this time was absolutely the right choice.

During this period, he earned hundreds of thousands of taels of silver simply by reselling military equipment and supplies and receiving salaries without working.

And this is just the beginning.

At this moment, the Duke of Nan'an wished that the Western Navy could stand against the Western Sea barbarians here for three to five years, so that he could make a fortune.

However, he also knew that this was unrealistic, but a standoff for a year or two was definitely achievable.

By then, he'll be eating his fill of delicious food, and after defeating the Western Sea barbarians, he might even be able to return as a king.

At that time, the four kings will become one king, and the founding father and leader will have absolute power. Wouldn't that be better than having the four kings as equals?

Just as the Duke of Nan'an was envisioning the future, a new round of supplies from the imperial court arrived at the Western Navy camp, and another feast for the parasites began.

However, these high-ranking officers of the Western Navy did not realize that more than a dozen battle-hardened veterans from the lower ranks of the Western Navy had quietly disappeared from the camp and were taken away and settled by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Seven days later, in the southwestern sea area of ​​the Great Zhou Dynasty, a fleet of hundreds of ships was advancing majestically on the sea.

Inside the ship's cabin, Jia Jue and Marquis Zhongjing were examining a sand table map.

Marquis Zhongjing looked at the sand table in front of him in surprise and said.

"It seems that you were well prepared, Lord Marquis. You have such a clear understanding of the situation in the Western Sea."

Jia Jue said with a calm smile.

As the art of war says, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."

"Moreover, these were not prepared by me, but by His Majesty."

Shi Ding was deeply moved after hearing this.

"Your Majesty truly possesses the ability to strategize within the command tent and win battles a thousand miles away."

"It seems that His Majesty has been concerned about the Western Sea issue for quite some time now."

Jia Jue nodded slightly and said.

"Our dynasty faces border troubles from the Xiongnu in the north and the barbarians from the Western Sea in the west."

"Because the Xiongnu have plagued us for a century, our Great Zhou can only temporarily put aside the issue of the Western Sea. As long as the Western Sea barbarians don't cause too much trouble, Great Zhou will generally be tolerant."

"Since the Xiongnu were pacified, Your Majesty has been determined to pacify the Western Sea."

"So even without this uprising by the Western Sea barbarians, His Majesty would have taken action against the Western Sea within a year or two."

"These maps and sand tables were secretly drawn and made in the Western Sea by His Majesty's people."

At this point, Jia Jue also expressed his utmost admiration for Emperor Yongping.

As an emperor, Emperor Yongping knew perfectly when to be patient and when to take the initiative.

Perhaps it was because he devoted all his energy to court affairs that his family affairs became such a mess.

Shi Ding smiled and said after hearing this.

"My lord, since that's the case, how should we attack next? Should we contact the Western Navy after our army arrives and launch a pincer attack on the Western Sea barbarians?"

Jia Jue waved his hand and said.

"Absolutely not! His Majesty sent me here in secret precisely because he doesn't trust the Duke of Nan'an."

"Moreover, the Duke of Nan'an harbors treacherous intentions, attempting to nurture bandits to enhance his own power, and may even want to carve out a territory in the Western Sea."

"If he finds out about our movements, it will probably leak out in no time."

Shi Ding nodded and then said.

“That is true, but my lord, in this way, our army will only number 40,000, and our main battlefield will be the mountainous jungles that the Western Sea Barbarians are good at.”

"With our army alone, it would be very difficult to defeat a million barbarians in one battle."

Jia Jue said calmly.

"Don't worry, this battle will be easier precisely because it's mountainous terrain."

"If it weren't for the purpose of suppressing the Western Navy after the great war, I wouldn't have brought 40,000 men; 10,000 would have been enough."

Seeing Jia Jue's confidence, Shi Ding was momentarily stunned.

However, he also knew that there were some things he shouldn't ask carelessly, otherwise he might end up asking himself into oblivion.

Shi Ding then bowed and said.

"Since Your Excellency already has a plan to defeat the enemy, then this humble general will simply follow your orders."

(End of this chapter)