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

Chapter 43: Layer upon layer, the calculations of the four kings
Seeing that Jia Jue was in a dilemma, Duke Yingguo struck while the iron was hot.

"Marquis Guanjun, don't worry. I have already promised Master Sheng that even if this goes through, the title of Marquis Guanjun will belong to Miss Sheng Six's offspring in the future."

"Also, as far as I know, Miss Sheng Liu's biological mother was originally a concubine of Master Sheng, and her family background was not high."

"I will meet with His Majesty and request that you posthumously confer the title of Imperial Edict on the birth mother of Sixth Miss Sheng. This way, you will have an explanation to Sixth Miss Sheng. How do you think?"

Hearing this, Jia Jue looked at the Duke of England in surprise.

It has to be said that the Duke of England spent a huge amount of money for this precious daughter.

Not to mention girls, even for boys, if they are illegitimate children, after they hold a high position, the emperor will generally grant imperial edicts to his stepmother, but not to his biological mother.

Looking at the history of Blue Star, it seems that the only person who granted an imperial edict to his biological mother who was a concubine was Yin Jishen, a favorite of Emperor Yongzheng.

As for a concubine's daughter wanting to posthumously confer an imperial edict on her biological mother, there has never been a precedent in history books.

The Duke of England looked at Jia Jue's astonished eyes, sighed and said.

"Marquis Champion, you don't have to look at me like that."

"If there is any other way, I will not resort to such a desperate measure."

"Who told Fen'er to have a crush on you? I can't do anything about it."

"Now that we've come to this point, I think you should be able to see how sincere I am."

"Fen'er's life is in your hands. You make the decision."

Jia Jue thought for a moment and then hesitated and said.

"I understand your intentions, sir."

"Master, can you give me some time? I will go to the Sheng family later."

"You know, with such a big thing happening, I have to go see Minglan."

The Duke of England nodded and said.

"It's my duty, but please don't delay any longer and give me an answer as soon as possible. Fen'er's health is getting worse day by day. As a father, I am really worried."

After reaching an agreement, Jia Jue got off the carriage and went straight to the Sheng family.

In the mansion of Prince Beijing, Prince Beijing and four other princes gathered together at this time. The faces of the four were uglier than each other, and the atmosphere was terribly solemn.

After a long time, the Prince of Dongping was the first to break the silence.

"Everyone, tell me what we should do about Wang Ziteng."

"This is a blatant betrayal."

"If we don't take any action, I'm afraid we won't be able to lead this team of founding fathers in the future."

The Prince of Nan'an and the Prince of Xining also nodded.

"That's right. We must not let Wang Ziteng change his allegiance so easily. He must be dealt with."

Prince Beijing sighed and said.

"Why do you still have time to think about this? Isn't the most urgent matter the affairs of the Beijing Camp?"

"We miscalculated this time. We didn't expect Wang Ziteng to betray us."

"The current situation is too unfavorable. We must be prepared to keep our mouths shut. If necessary, some sacrifices are worth it."

Upon hearing this, the four kings' expressions became even uglier.

The Prince of Nan'an slammed the table and cursed.

"This bastard actually dared to try this on me. When I recover, I will kill him."

"Prince Beijing, it seems it's time to silence him."

"Let's make arrangements quickly so we don't have to wait too long."

"But after these people are truly silenced, I suspect the Beijing Camp will have to change its banner."

"I've run this business for a hundred years, and now I'm giving it away like this. It makes me sad just thinking about it."

Over the past hundred years, the Four Kings' families have lived off the capital's army for three generations.

The food, horses, weapons, armor, military pay and logistics for 120,000 soldiers are an astronomical figure.

During the time of the first and second generations of the Duke of Rong, the Rong Mansion was also eligible to share in the profits. After that, these benefits became the cake of the four kings, and no one else could get involved.

Now that they are about to lose control of the Beijing Camp, how can the Four Kings be willing to accept this?

Prince Beijing said after a moment of thought.

"The military power of the Beijing Camp must not be given away so easily."

"Even if we're missing three generals, the vast majority of the commanders in the Beijing camp are still ours."

"We've dealt with the arms case cleanly here, and the British public won't be able to find anything."

"What we need to guard against is them using the arms and embezzlement cases as an excuse to reorganize the Beijing camp."

"There's only one person who can stop this from happening."

Prince Nan'an and others' eyes lit up after hearing this.

"The Great Emperor."

Prince Beijing nodded slightly and said.

"Yes, it is the Emperor."

"The reason why the Emperor Retired can remain in Daming Palace is largely due to the fact that the military power of the Beijing Camp is not controlled by Your Majesty."

"So if Your Majesty wants to get involved in the Beijing Camp, the Emperor must have his own ideas in mind."

"As long as the Emperor can help us withstand the pressure from His Majesty, then with the four of us having been operating in the Beijing Camp for a hundred years, it will be extremely difficult for the Duke of Ying and his men to stir up any trouble in the Beijing Camp."

Prince Dongping said after a moment of thought.

"It's been almost four years since the Emperor Retired moved to Daming Palace."

"If the emperor had wanted to restore the throne over the years, he would have taken action long ago."

"But the Emperor Retired spends his days eating, drinking and having fun in Daming Palace. It's clear he has no ambition anymore."

"Even when we asked to see the Emperor this time, it only temporarily relieved the pressure."

"The Emperor is over seventy years old. No one can predict how long he can hold on."

"If one day the Emperor were to ascend to heaven, how would we cope?"

Prince Beijing said with confidence.

"Prince Dongping, this is not something we should be thinking about right now."

"The most important thing right now is to maintain control of the Beijing Camp."

"As for the future, it won't be difficult."

"We bet on the wrong horse back then, and that's why we're in this situation."

"If we want to reverse this situation, we have to take another gamble."

Prince Nan'an said thoughtfully.

"Brother Shui, what do you mean..."

Before Prince Nan'an could finish his words, Prince Beijing waved his hand slightly and spoke.

"Just be clear in your mind."

"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. Everyone, please send your trusted confidants to find the commanders of the Beijing camp."

"Those who need to be told to shut up should shut up. Also, inform the other mid-level and high-level officers of the Beijing Camp that they must not cause chaos at this time."

The Prince of Nan'an nodded, then looked at the Prince of Beijing and said.

"I think we can't let them sit idle here at Rongguo Mansion."

"After all, apart from anything else, Wang Ziteng is also a vassal of the Rongguo Mansion."

“They have to do their part, too.”

Prince Beijing said calmly.

"Don't worry, I've already informed them, they know what's going on."

"If they don't make any noise this time, they'll be in trouble."

After a discussion, several people went their separate ways.

In the afternoon, at the Sheng residence in Jiying Lane, after informing the family's eldest wife, Wang Ruofu, Jia Jue met the slightly haggard Sheng Minglan in Mucangzhai. Although Sheng Minglan finally agreed to the Yingguo Mansion's request for various reasons, her father Sheng Hong's attitude, coupled with her inner discomfort, had left her sleepless and listless last night.

In the side hall of Mucangzhai, after sending the maids away, Jia Jue looked at Sheng Minglan with great heartache and said.

"Minglan, are you okay?"

Sheng Minglan nodded obediently and said.

"Brother Jia Jue, I'm fine."

"My father told me everything about the British Mansion."

"If Princess Yong'an can marry into the Marquis' Mansion, it will be of great help to you, Brother Jia Jue."

"You know our family's situation well. It's hard for us to help you in the court."

"I am willing to agree to this marriage. Don't worry, Brother Jia Jue. I'm fine."

Looking at Sheng Minglan's compromising look, Jia Jue gently held Sheng Minglan's hand and said.

"Minglan, I, I."

"I really never had the idea of ​​climbing up the social ladder."

Sheng Minglan looked at Jia Jue tenderly.

"Brother Jia Jue, I know. I know you are not a treacherous or unfaithful person, nor do you covet wealth and power."

"Otherwise, you wouldn't have to ask me to marry you when you returned to the capital in triumph. If you had asked me to marry you, the Duke of Ying would have gladly agreed."

"The Duke of Ying has shown you kindness and support, and he has never used his power to intimidate me. Being able to serve Brother Jia Jue alongside the Princess is no disgrace to me."

"Don't worry, I'm fine."

Jia Jue looked at Sheng Minglan with a firm gaze and said.

"Minglan, don't worry, I will never let you down in this life."

"By the way, after meeting me today, the Duke of England promised to ask His Majesty to grant your biological mother a title of consort."

"What, this, this, is this true?"

Sheng Minglan looked at Jia Jue in disbelief, with a hint of surprise in her eyes.

Most of the previous unhappiness disappeared because of this news.

Sheng Minglan has a very deep affection for her biological mother, Wei Xiaoniang. Although Sheng Minglan was granted the title of first-rank lady early on, she feels bad when she thinks about the suffering her biological mother suffered during her lifetime and the lack of any honor after her death.

Now, when she suddenly heard Jia Jue say that her biological mother could be posthumously awarded the title of Lady, how could Sheng Minglan not be overjoyed.

Seeing Sheng Minglan's surprised expression, Jia Jue nodded slightly and said.

"Don't worry, this is what the Duke of England promised himself."

Sheng Minglan thought for a while and then sighed and said.

"How could this be easier said than done? My mother was only a concubine. Posthumously bestowing her with an imperial edict is against the law. I'm afraid Your Majesty won't make an exception."

Jia Jue said with a slight smile.

"This matter is difficult, but the most difficult thing has been done by Her Majesty the Queen."

Sheng Minglan said in confusion.

"Brother Jia Jue, what do you mean by this? Why do you bring up the Empress again?"

Jia Jue said calmly.

"The Empress has a younger brother, General Shen Congxing of Weibei."

"Four years ago, His Majesty launched a coup, and the Divine Capital was in chaos. The deposed Crown Prince's followers launched a frenzied counterattack and attacked the Qiandi Residence."

"When the Empress was about to fall into danger, it was Shen Congxing's wife, Zou, who put on the Empress's clothes and led the rebels away, thus saving the Empress's life."

"But Zou was killed by the rebels."

"Later, when Your Majesty ascended the throne, Shen Congxing, in order to take care of the Zou family, took Zou's younger sister, Xiao Zou, as a concubine. The Empress Dowager personally pleaded with Your Majesty to grant Xiao Zou an imperial decree."

"Since there's already a precedent, and with the Duke of England's respect, His Majesty will most likely go along with it and agree to posthumously confer an imperial decree on your biological mother."

Sheng Minglan nodded happily.

"That's great, but the Empress and Uncle Shen are really calculating."

Jia Jue said after smiling calmly.

"Why do you say that?"

Sheng Minglan said after hesitating for a moment.

"Brother Jia Jue, you don't think I'm just making random guesses, do you?"

Jia Jue waved his hand and said.

"You and I will be husband and wife in the future. Is there anything you can't tell me?"

A smile appeared on Sheng Minglan's face.

"Then I'll tell you what I'm saying. If the Empress really wants to take care of the Zou family, she should let Uncle Shen marry little Zou as his second wife. There's no point in taking her as a concubine."

"They clearly look down on the Zou family and feel that Uncle Shen's continued marriage to Little Zou will not be of much help to the Shen family and the Empress."

"So, by retaining the position of the Crown Prince's wife, he intends to secure a powerful ally for the Empress and the First Prince, so as to counter the Concubine Yue and the Third Prince."

Jia Jue gently scratched Sheng Minglan's nose and said.

"If you were a man, you would definitely be a noble or a prime minister."

"Okay, these are just between you and me, but don't tell anyone else."

Sheng Minglan nodded repeatedly and said.

"Brother Jia Jue, don't worry, I'm not that stupid."

After comforting Sheng Minglan, Jia Jue chatted with her for a while. When it was getting dark, Jia Jue left the Sheng family and returned to the Guanjun Marquis Mansion.

Jia Jue had just returned to the Marquis' Mansion and arranged for someone to deliver a letter to Duke Yingguo. Then, just as he had a sip of tea, the little maid came to the hall, bowed respectfully, and said.

"My Lord, the Governor of the Beijing Camp, Lord Wang Ziteng, has come to see you, my Lord."

Jia Jue said calmly.

"Please go to the side hall for tea, Your Majesty. I will be there shortly."

"The slaves obey."

Not long after, Jia Jue and Wang Ziteng met in the side hall.

Wang Ziteng said with an anxious look on his face.

"My Lord, something bad has happened."

Jia Jue said calmly.

"Master Wang, don't worry, the sky won't fall. Okay, all of you go down."

"promise."

After sending the maid away, Jia Jue leisurely drank a sip of tea.

"Okay, Lord Wang, did the generals involved commit suicide, and the warehouse of the Beijing camp caught fire?"

Wang Ziteng looked at Jia Jue in surprise and said.

"My Lord, you know everything."

Jia Jue chuckled after hearing this.

Just kidding, this is an old routine. If Jia Jue couldn't even foresee this, then he would have lived two lives in vain.

Jia Jue said after understating it.

"These are just expected things, nothing to be surprised about."

"The Four Kings have controlled the Beijing Camp for a hundred years. They have their people everywhere. If they can't even silence witnesses and destroy evidence, then they are truly foolish."

Wang Ziteng looked at Jia Jue's leisurely pace, and his anxiety was beyond words.

As one of the founding fathers, he was very clear about the power of the Four Kings and was also very wary of them.

So after choosing to betray the Four Kings, Wang Ziteng wished he could immediately borrow the power of Emperor Yongping to crush the Four Kings so that he could rest assured.

(End of this chapter)