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

In the study in the backyard of Huacai Hall, Jia Jue was discussing matters with Zhang Han after returning to the city from outside.

Zhang Han looked at Jia Jue with some confusion and said.

"Your Majesty, since you intend to use Xiao Jingxuan, why not just help him ascend to the position of Crown Prince instead of making him do it himself?"

Jia Jue said with a calm smile.

“What I want to be is not his strategist, handling every little thing for him; what I want to be is the god in his heart.”

"It is already a great blessing for the gods to give guidance. How could we possibly help them to continue their schemes?"

Zhang Han nodded slightly and said.

"Your Majesty is wise, but in this way, Xiao Jingxuan, that worthless nobody, may not be able to subdue Prince Qi."

Jia Jue said with a chuckle.

"He's a complete failure. I never expected him to succeed."

"But Xia Jiang and Xie Yu are both cunning people, and Consort Yue is much smarter than Xiao Jingxuan."

"Let's just watch them fight it out for now. If things don't go well, you can secretly intervene and guide them."

"Let's not talk about that. Your most pressing task right now is to get the Shadow Guard's intelligence system up and running as quickly as possible."

Zhang Han said thoughtfully.

"Your Majesty, I have encountered some difficulties in the process of building the intelligence system."

"There is a Jianghu organization called Langya Pavilion, which also makes a living by intelligence gathering."

"Within the territory of Daliang, Langya Pavilion has many branches."

"They have worked hard for many years and have a good reputation."

"The Shadow Guard is still small in scale, so it won't attract the attention of the Langya Pavilion for the time being."

"But if the Shadow Guard continues to expand on a large scale, then Langya Pavilion will become a hidden danger sooner or later."

Hearing this, Jia Jue was also somewhat moved.

Speaking of Nirvana in Fire, the world it depicts is truly distorted; it is, after all, a world dominated by female-oriented fiction.

An intelligence agency like Nirvana in Fire is openly and brazenly present in the public eye, claiming to be omniscient and omnipotent.

This is tantamount to revealing that Langya List has planted spies throughout Liang Kingdom to gather intelligence.

No normal country would allow the existence of Langya Pavilion.

However, in the world of Nirvana in Fire, the Langya Pavilion actually exists openly and even has its headquarters located on Langya Mountain, which is utterly ridiculous.

Although it's illogical, Jia Jue can only say that if it exists, it must be reasonable.

After a moment's thought, Jia Jue looked at Zhang Han and said.

"It's alright, for now we'll just infiltrate the capital of Liang."

"As for Langya Pavilion, I will take care of it after the matter of Prince Qi is settled."

"Your Majesty, I understand. I will take my leave now."

After Jia Jue waved his hand, Zhang Han bowed and left the room.

Jia Jue sat cross-legged on the bed and began to practice the circulation of Qi.

The next day, in Consort Yue's palace, Consort Yue was discussing matters with her son, Xiao Jingxuan.

Consort Yue's eyes were filled with excitement, and it was clear that the conjunction of Mars and Antares last night had a great impact on her.

"Jingxuan, it seems that heaven is still looking out for us, mother and son, and has actually delivered such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity into our hands."

"That Mr. Jia is truly a genius. He can actually predict the stars. It's amazing."

Xiao Jingxuan nodded and said.

“What Mother says is absolutely right. Mr. Jia not only possesses profound knowledge, but his martial arts skills are also extraordinary.”

“Last night, I witnessed Mr. Jia soaring through the air, walking on the moon.”

"Such methods are far beyond the reach of even the greatest expert of this dynasty, Commander Meng Zhi."

Consort Yue then looked at Xiao Jingxuan and said.

"So, did you manage to persuade Mr. Jia to assist you last night?"

After a moment's thought, Xiao Jingxuan said.

"It's both yes and no."

Consort Yue asked with some curiosity.

"What do you mean? What do you mean by 'neither counts nor doesn't count'?"

Xiao Jingxuan said with a hint of helplessness.

"Mr. Jia offered to assist me and told me that now was the perfect time to overthrow Prince Qi."

"But when I asked him for advice, he didn't."

"He only recommended two people to me, Xia Jiang and Xie Yu."

"Then Mr. Jia told me that if I was truly the destined one, this alone would be enough for me to move into the Eastern Palace."

"If not, then he has misjudged the person."

Consort Yue frowned upon hearing this and said...

"How arrogant! Well, all great talents have some eccentricities."

"This person's abilities match his temperament."

“Since he wants to test you, then your mother will naturally help you get through this hurdle.”

Xiao Jingxuan looked at Consort Yue and asked.

"Mother, but I feel that this matter is not so simple."

“Xia Jiang is the head of the Xuanjing Division and only obeys the Emperor. If we want him to work for us, he will not easily comply.”

"Moreover, although Xie Yu is the imperial son-in-law, he doesn't have much real power. What can he do to help us?"

After a moment's thought, Consort Yue spoke.

"Leaving Xie Yu aside for now, it is true that Xia Jiang is arrogant by nature and only obeys His Majesty."

"Even if you become the crown prince, he might not be able to use you."

"But when it comes to getting Prince Qi to step down, Xia Jiang will most likely help us."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Xiao Jingxuan said, somewhat puzzled.

"What Mother Consort means is that Xia Jiang has a grudge against Prince Qi, but I haven't heard of that."

Consort Yue said calmly.

"Few people know about this matter. If your father hadn't spoken of it in anger, I wouldn't have known either."

"Prince Qi was an upright man who acted in accordance with laws and regulations."

"But the Suspended Mirror Bureau only obeys His Majesty's orders and has done many shady and dirty things."

"Prince Qi believed that the royal family should act openly and honestly, and should not have an institution like the Suspended Mirror Bureau that could not see the light of day."

"Therefore, Prince Qi once submitted a memorial requesting your father, the Emperor, to abolish the Suspended Mirror Bureau."

“Your father would naturally refuse, since the Suspended Mirror Bureau is a force directly under your father. Abolishing the Suspended Mirror Bureau would be tantamount to directly weakening your father’s eyes and ears, so he rejected Prince Qi’s memorial.”

"Because of this matter, your father and Prince Qi had a dispute and parted on bad terms."

"Others may not know about this, but Xia Jiang should."

"Even if he didn't know, he could definitely sense Prince Qi's dissatisfaction with the Suspended Mirror Bureau."

"It is foreseeable that if Prince Qi ascends the throne, the abolition of the Suspended Mirror Bureau will be inevitable."

"If Prince Qi succeeds, how will Xia Jiang find himself?" "To preserve his power, he would definitely want Prince Qi to fall."

"But what I'm curious about is how Mr. Jia knew about such a confidential matter."

Xiao Jingxuan smiled and said after hearing this.

"Mr. Jia is incredibly capable; he can even read the changes in celestial phenomena as if they were lines on the palm of his hand, let alone matters of the mortal world."

“Mother, I don’t think this is the main point we should consider.”

"Our top priority is to get in touch with Xia Jiang and Xie Yu as soon as possible."

"Since you mentioned these two people, there must be a deeper meaning behind it."

"If we can accomplish this, Xia Jiang and the people on our side will be able to be controlled by us, and the Xuanjing Division will also be at our disposal. Wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?"

Consort Yue nodded slightly and then spoke.

"That's true. It's inconvenient for me to leave the palace, so I'll leave the matter of contacting Xia Jiang and Xie Yu to you."

"Remember to be careful and never let the news leak out."

"This matter is of utmost importance; the slightest mistake could lead to utter ruin."

"I have arranged some people over the past seven days, ostensibly to be on the side of Prince Qi. They will gradually submit their reports today regarding the matter of Mars guarding the heart."

Xiao Jingxuan asked with some curiosity.

"What did Mother Consort tell them to submit a memorial to? To submit a memorial that Prince Qi has lost his virtue, causing Heaven to issue a warning, with Mars guarding the heart?"

Consort Yue chuckled and said.

"No, I told them to report that Mars guarding the heart of the constellation is a warning from Heaven, and that His Majesty should fast for forty-nine days and issue an edict of self-reproach to offer sacrifices to Heaven."

Xiao Jingxuan was stunned for a moment after hearing this, but quickly realized what was going on.

"Your Majesty's insight is truly admirable."

Consort Yue used a very simple tactic to sow discord. Originally, the presence of Mars in the heart of the sky meant that the imperial star was dim.

Emperor Liang must have been furious about this.

At this point, the people under Prince Qi actually made Emperor Liang fast, offer sacrifices to Heaven, and issue an edict of self-reproach. This was clearly an attempt to shift the blame for Heaven's warning onto Emperor Liang for his lack of virtue and to absolve Prince Qi of any responsibility.

Emperor Liang would inevitably take his anger out on Prince Qi.

As for the truth of the matter, Emperor Liang neither cared nor wanted to know.

He had long disliked Prince Qi, but he was just waiting for a reason to make trouble for him.

Therefore, setting up a scheme doesn't require much skill; it's simply a matter of arranging the game in the direction the participants want to achieve their desired outcome.

In this way, even if the method is slightly clumsy, the person in charge will not care, because things are unfolding in the direction he expects.

After Consort Yue and her son discussed the matter, Xiao Jingxuan hurriedly left the palace to begin preparations for contacting Xia Jiang and Xie Yu.

In the afternoon, in Empress Yan's palace, Empress Yan was discussing matters with her adopted son, Prince Yu, Xiao Jinghuan.

Xiao Jinghuan looked at Empress Yan with great excitement and said.

"Mother, you know about the morning court assembly, right?"

Empress Yan nodded slightly and said.

"I've heard about it, but I never expected that Prince Qi would make such a foolish move."

"The conjunction of Mars and Antares is inherently harmful to the imperial star, yet the people under Prince Qi actually said that His Majesty has lost his virtue and ordered His Majesty to fast and offer sacrifices to Heaven."

"The others under Prince Qi were cheering and shouting, and Lin Xie and Li Chong even said that the celestial phenomena were nonsense and there was no need to pay attention to them."

"His Majesty was so angry that his face turned ashen, and he immediately suspended court."

"However, this is just a glimpse into the whole picture. Prince Qi has quite a few supporters in the court. Half of the people in the court actually agree with the views of Lin Xie and others."

"This made His Majesty wary, and he dared not launch a direct attack."

Xiao Jinghuan quickly said.

"After today's court meeting, the conflict between Father and Prince Qi has become even more acute. Mother, do you think Father will continue to tolerate this?"

After a moment's thought, Empress Yan said with some emotion.

“The Prince of Qi has threatened the imperial power, which is something His Majesty cannot tolerate, even if he is his own son.”

"But now that Prince Qi has gained considerable power, it is difficult for His Majesty to make trouble for him without any reason."

“Your uncle wholeheartedly supports Prince Qi, and I don’t need to make much use of the Yan family’s connections.”

"With the forces we have, it's difficult to pose any threat to Prince Qi."

"If we want to bring Prince Qi down, it seems we'll have to cooperate with that vile woman from the Yue family."

Xiao Jinghuan hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"What the Empress Dowager means is to join forces with the Imperial Concubine to bring Prince Qi down from the throne."

Empress Yan nodded slightly and said.

"I know that you think if Prince Qi falls, then you will be competing with Prince Xian for the position of crown prince. Cooperating with him is no different from asking a tiger for its skin."

"But ultimately, if Prince Qi doesn't fall, neither of you will have a chance."

"Even if the King of Xian might not agree to this, that vile woman from the Yue clan will definitely agree to cooperate."

"Alright, you can stay in the manor and get ready. I will go and see Lady Yue to discuss this matter."

"We'll talk about the future later. Right now, if you want a chance, you have to bring down Prince Qi first."

"Your subject will obey Your Majesty's command."

Inside Emperor Liang's palace, the emperor was so angry that his face was contorted with rage, and he smashed everything he could in the palace.

Emperor Liang never expected that after the Mars-Antares conjunction, so many people in the court would still support Prince Qi. The sheer number of his supporters made Emperor Liang's heart pound with fear.

Emperor Liang never underestimated his son, but when things happened, he realized that he had underestimated him.

As an emperor, Emperor Liang felt incredibly humiliated that he had to compromise and bow down.

In fact, the current situation is also inseparable from Emperor Liang himself.

After years of diligent governance, Emperor Liang became somewhat arrogant, feeling that he had worked hard for so many years and it was time to enjoy himself.

Therefore, Emperor Liang indulged in sensual pleasures and transferred much of his power to Prince Qi.

For an ordinary father and son, it's a good thing that the son is capable.

But for the emperor, a son who is too capable is not necessarily a good thing.

After enjoying this for a few years, when Emperor Liang looked back, he was surprised to find that Prince Qi had grown powerful and had many followers.

Emperor Liang discovered that the situation was somewhat beyond his control.

Emperor Liang then began to consider reclaiming power, but the people he had placed in the court and the army had all been dismissed by Prince Qi and Lin Xie.

Now, with the marriage alliance between the Lin and Mu families and the conjunction of Mars and Antares, the last fragile balance has been broken.

Although Emperor Liang was reluctant to admit it, he was genuinely afraid.

He worried that Lin Xie was colluding with Prince Qi and would launch a palace coup like he had done years before, ousting him from the throne.

After venting his anger, Emperor Liang calmed down. A person who can seize the throne in the struggle for succession may not be a great talent in governing the country, but when it comes to playing tricks and schemes, he is definitely a master.

Emperor Liang was also quickly thinking of a way to break the deadlock, trying to figure out how he could do it.

Emperor Liang's first order was to place the entire Imperial Guard under martial law, thus taking command of the Imperial Guard back into his own hands.

Emperor Liang did this for a simple reason: Meng Zhi, the commander of the Imperial Guards, was also from the Chiyan Army and had served under Lin Xie.

Now that things have escalated to this point, Emperor Liang must prepare for the worst.

He himself was the victor in the palace coup, so he naturally knew the importance of the Imperial Guards.

But Emperor Liang was well aware that his actions would soon trigger a chain reaction. (End of Chapter)