The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 188 Returning to the Manor

Rongguo Mansion.

The steward rushed over to inform Jia She that Wang Xin had returned to the capital to report to the Ministry of War and would return afterward. Jia She then sent someone to the Ministry of Works to find Jia Zheng. After a long while, Jia Zheng returned and was surprised to learn that Wang Xin was still at the Ministry of War.

“It took so long for the Ministry of War to deliver the report. Could something have happened?” Jia Zheng said regretfully, “If I had known Wang Xin hadn’t returned yet, I would have gone to the Ministry of War to find him first.”

Jia She deeply disliked the Wang family, and by extension, Wang Xin. However, given the close relationship among the four major families and their shared interests, he could only suppress his resentment.

Her younger brother, sister-in-law, and daughter-in-law had endured it for so many years, let alone Wang Xin. But she still couldn't help but worry and said, "Could something have happened again?"

Wang Ziteng likes to act on his own initiative and take the lead, which I tolerate. But Wang Xin, despite his youth, has his own set of rules for doing things. On the contrary, the Jia family coaxes him, which is really going against the grain.

If the Jia family hadn't been struggling financially, I definitely wouldn't have been able to put up with it.

"Probably not." Jia Zheng shook his head.

Jia She frowned and reminded him, "You work in the imperial court, so you know best what's going on there. Anyway, you should know that we two brothers have suffered a lot from your wife over the years."

Jia Zheng picked up a teacup from the coffee table and drank tea without saying a word. Seeing his younger brother's attitude, Jia She was extremely annoyed. There wasn't a single person in the mansion who could help; it was good enough if they didn't make things worse.

"Over the years, Madam has sacrificed a lot for the family." Seeing his elder brother's attitude, Jia Zheng knew what his brother was thinking, and after a while, he said calmly.

Faced with Jia Zheng's weak attitude, Jia She felt powerless but resentful and said sarcastically, "I think Huan'er is quite good. He is the most talented person in the manor. You are his father, so don't waste his talent."

Jia Zheng's face darkened.

Seeing his younger brother angry, Jia She felt relieved and didn't continue speaking.

Jia Zheng stared at his elder brother, who had previously praised Huan'er's intelligence in front of the old lady and the whole family, saying she was even better than Bao Yu. His intentions were truly malicious.

Seeing his elder brother avoid his gaze, Jia Zheng felt both sad and hurt, and said with a sullen laugh, "Although Jia Huan was born to a concubine, he is still a child who calls you uncle."

Lacking confidence, Jia She remained silent.

Was this my fault? Why couldn't I praise Jia Huan? I praised Jia Huan, and everyone in the room changed their attitude, even the old lady got angry with me. Was the old lady angry with me?

You don't dare to criticize your wife, but you only dare to bully the good guy like yourself, right?

The two brothers always had a bad relationship when they met. In order to wait for Wang Xin, they stopped talking and drank their tea, and the room fell silent.

After a while, the steward came in and announced, "Master, Master, Master Xin has returned."

Jia Zheng ordered, "Go and invite him quickly."

Jia She couldn't help but wonder why he had been gone for so long.

A moment later, Wang Xin was ushered into the house from outside. He cupped his hands and smiled, saying, "I'm late."

Jia Zheng and Jia She rose to greet him. Wang Xin's status was no longer what it used to be. Although it had been less than a year, the speed at which he had risen to prominence was truly astounding, and Jia She was still somewhat unaccustomed to it.

It was Jia Zheng who spoke first, laughing, "Why did you take so long?"

"It's a long story. I was invited by Grand Secretary Zhang," Wang Xin explained, and finally said, "Grand Secretary Zhang told me not to go out these few days and to wait for the Emperor's summons in the palace at any time."

Jia She and Jia Zheng were laughing amicably, the unpleasant atmosphere from before had vanished. Everything seemed normal until they heard Zhang Jifu's name. They paused, and when they heard what followed, they were stunned.

Logically speaking, the Jia family, being the family of a founding duke, shouldn't have fallen into such a predicament.

However, the two brothers had been unworthy of their titles for too long. Jia She held only a nominal position, and Jia Zheng was merely an assistant minister in the Ministry of Works. They had no opportunity to meet the emperor privately, let alone the retired emperor.

Unlike military officers, nobles, whose titles are above the rank of nobility, can hold real positions largely based on the emperor's favor. As long as they can gain the emperor's trust, they can be appointed to high-ranking military positions at any time.

As for civil officials, they are subject to stricter rules; the opposite is true for eunuchs.

Therefore, unlike the reactions of civil officials, civil officials, no matter how happy they are when they meet the emperor, must maintain a composed demeanor and remain calm in the face of honor and disgrace in order to gain the approval of the literati and thus be more likely to be promoted.

The nobles valued the emperor's trust even more, so when they heard that Wang Xin had a private opportunity to meet the emperor, the two brothers were shocked beyond measure, even more so than when they heard about Grand Secretary Zhang.

Before Jia Zheng could speak, Jia She said excitedly, "This matter must not be taken lightly. Brother Wang must not leave the manor these days."

His resentment towards the Wang family had long since vanished.

Jia Zheng also spoke up, saying, "I will keep a close eye on this matter in the court. Brother Xin, if you have any needs, please remember not to be distant. Meeting the Emperor is of great importance, and no amount of attention is too much."

The two even changed how they addressed each other, as if afraid that Wang Xin was too young to understand the meaning behind it.

Wang Xin found it laughable. The two brothers were simply not capable enough. Meeting the emperor was certainly a big deal, but the most important thing was to understand the situation. Meeting the emperor was not the most important thing.

No wonder Wang Ziteng wanted to stand out and seize the right to speak from the four major families.

I don't object to aligning myself with the four major families because I have my own needs.

Initially of humble origins, they needed the protection of powerful figures, with both sides exchanging favors. Now, although they have caught the eye of the imperial court, they are even more reliant on a group of people who cheer them on.

My strict entry policy and lenient exit policy destined my small team to develop slowly.

Therefore, for the long-term benefit of the team, it is even more necessary to rely on external forces such as the four major families. Otherwise, it is easy to suffer the same fate as the Zhejiang soldiers in history. Even if they are very strong in combat, once they have no one in the court, they can easily become stepping stones for others and be completely abandoned.

The four major families are powerful in name but weak in strength. They can help me a lot, but they are not too powerful, so that I have no chance to refuse.

For example, if Jia She were to force himself to do something he didn't want to do for his own personal benefit, he could turn against him at any time.

However, if it were a powerful figure like Zhang Jifu, or even Zhou Daofeng, one would have to sacrifice many of one's principles because the disparity in strength between the two sides is too great.

There are gains and losses, so the current four major powers are my best and most important partners. Not only must I focus on my work, but I must also keep an eye on the bigger picture – this has always been my guiding principle.

So Wang Xin asked with a smile, "What is the court's main attitude towards my conflict with Feng Yong?"

Upon hearing Wang Xin's question, Jia She and Jia Zheng realized they had almost forgotten the important matter and felt embarrassed. Finally, Jia Zheng stepped forward and said, "Everything else is fine, but the main problem is that Li Yuan from the Ministry of War and Tao Jie, the Minister of Military Affairs, believe that you have committed insubordination and that this trend should not be encouraged. They should be severely punished."

Upon hearing the name of Minister of Military Affairs Tao Jie, I realized that I had some connection with him.

When I received the order to train troops in the Beijing Garrison, it was during the time when the Ministry of War and the Minister of Military Affairs were fighting fiercely for the right to reform the Beijing Garrison. There was also Li Yuan, the Vice Minister of War. When did I offend him?
The situation at court was too complicated, Jia Zheng was incompetent, and Lu Zhongheng was too young. Wang Xin sighed and asked, "Has Lord Lin sent a letter?"

Jia Zheng replied, "I sent someone to inform Ru Hai a long time ago, and judging by the time, he should arrive soon."

Jia She couldn't get a word in edgewise and sat there drinking tea, looking sullen.

Wang Xin nodded, feeling more confident. For now, the best strategy was to remain still and react to each move as it came.

The imperial court can only make a decision after Feng Yong returns to the capital, which will take at least ten days to half a month, given the speed at which Feng Yong travels by sedan chair.

It took a month to travel from the capital to Yangzhou by boat, and even longer for grain transport boats. This was because grain transport boats had strict regulations, requiring inventory checks and registration along the way. More importantly, efficiency and profit were not prioritized, which is why it took one or two months.

However, if you take a fast boat and travel quickly, you can sometimes arrive in half a month. Even faster is to travel by fast horse along the post road.

Having learned about the situation in the capital, Jia Zheng and Jia She inquired about the affairs of Datong. Hearing of Wang Xin's achievements, even though they knew little about military matters, they recognized Wang Xin's prowess and could only marvel at his leadership. Finally, the two personally saw Wang Xin off from the study. Watching his departing figure, Jia Zheng was fine, but Jia She's expression was somewhat uncertain. He had been a bit too hasty back then; he wondered if that brat had caused any trouble. He had warned him last time, and he shouldn't ruin anything. But if he had offended a guest, he wouldn't forgive him.

After leaving the study, Wang Xin was thinking about the relationship between the four major families.

I will not underestimate this relationship. Just like my own men, we are all brothers in the same trench, and we will definitely stand together against the outside world. Of course, the four major families cannot achieve the same unity as my own men.

Even though the Jia family had declined considerably by the following year, General Yuehai still sent gifts to the Jia family as a sign of respect, which shows how rich the foundation of the four great families was.

The market outside Hexi Camp would not be as prosperous as it is today without the strong support of Yangzhou merchants and the Xue family.

Many people despise businessmen, but they believe that business is the most efficient thing. If you don't use the tools well, you should blame the person using the tools, not the tools themselves. And a business achievement is a great achievement.

It's not that the trade here was easily destroyed, or that the demand generated by trade won't disappear, and that another place can easily be built to replace it. That's a misconception.

The prosperity of commerce stimulates the growth of demand; the two are complementary, not contradictory. Therefore, unlike others, I not only do not despise merchants, but also highly value commerce.

But business is ultimately profit-driven. Out of a hundred businesses, only one or two will emerge from the competition. After a while, another one or two hundred businesses will spring up like mushrooms after rain, maximizing efficiency through fierce competition.

This kind of brutal competition, which leads to the creation of maximum efficiency, is undoubtedly uncontrollable, and is quite different from the stability required by the military.

From this perspective, it is impossible for one to personally control a business, including many aspects.

Moreover, commerce cannot be controlled. Once controlled, commerce withers away. Without fierce competition, it loses its greatest advantage: high efficiency.

Without high efficiency, what meaning does business have? It can only close its doors and become unable to cope with external competition.

Trying to control everything yourself is like being an emperor.

Wang Xin preferred cooperation to controlling others, because he didn't want to be controlled by others. For example, if he made an agreement with everyone, there would be certain conditions under which things had to be done, such as during wartime when all of society's resources would be mobilized.

The Great Zhou Dynasty, and indeed subsequent dynasties, lacked such an agreement. Therefore, towards the end of a dynasty, especially when it suffered defeats in foreign affairs, on one hand, wealthy families indulged in lavish feasts while on the other hand, soldiers on the front lines lacked supplies and went hungry.

Therefore, agreements are what you want, not what you can do as you please.

These questions have become unavoidable, because if I manage to stay in Datong or be transferred back to the Beijing garrison, I will certainly do the right thing, whether in Datong or the markets outside the Hexi garrison, especially in Datong.

Promoting a virtuous cycle of trade within the economy is the right thing to do. Only when the economy prospers can we support our own elite troops. Otherwise, no matter how unified our thinking is, if we can't even feed ourselves, our morale will inevitably collapse.

Fortunately, we are currently in the Great Zhou Dynasty, which is vast and rich in resources and can be self-sufficient. If we were to lack oil and natural gas after the Second Industrial Revolution, that would be a fatal problem.

If we cannot be self-sufficient, we must rely on external sources, and relying on external sources makes us vulnerable to being controlled by others.

If you don't advance, you will retreat.

This land can either move forward and become self-sufficient in the industrial age, or remain conservative and only be able to maintain self-sufficiency in the agricultural age.

But then he thought of Li Yuan, the Vice Minister of War, and Tao Jie, the Minister of Military Affairs, and Wang Xin couldn't help but frown.

This is another weakness of his own, choosing the four great families instead of completely siding with Zhang Jifu. Faced with the opposition of these people, he is currently powerless to resist in the court. Zhang Jifu and Zhu Wei may be willing to lend him a hand, but that doesn't mean they are willing to stand up for him.

So it still comes down to Lin Ruhai. With his qualifications and abilities, if he were to return to the capital and take charge of the overall situation, there would be someone in the court who could carry the flag for him.

Because he was preoccupied with his own thoughts, Wang Xin didn't even realize he had encountered a man and a woman in an alley.

Jia Lian was holding a young woman's hand and hurriedly pulling her into the house. The woman half-heartedly resisted, but Wang Xin saw them. Jia Lian was about to get angry, but he was startled when he saw who it was.

"Trust Master Xin?" Jia Lian stammered.

When Wang Xin heard someone address him, he looked up, his brows furrowed and his face serious.

Wang Xin was only twenty-four years old, which was indeed young, but in recent years he had personally led troops in battle one after another, from south to north, from the establishment of the Yangzhou Camp to the training of troops in the Beijing Camp, and then to leading troops at Yanmen Pass.

Despite his youth, when he gets serious, he exudes an imposing and authoritative aura.

Jia Lian also had something to hide. He was worried that although he hadn't actually done anything when he went back to Tu Bi Manor last time, Wang Xifeng had exposed him, and he had also received a warning from his father. He was still worried about it.

Upon suddenly seeing Wang Xin, and seeing Wang Xin's usually amiable demeanor, which was quite different from today, he was so frightened that he immediately lost his composure and became timid and hesitant.

Wang Xin didn't know the reason, but when he saw that it was Jia Lian, he noticed the woman beside him.

I'd never seen that woman before. She was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with an oval face and a foxy, alluring air. She had a full bust, wore brightly colored clothes, gold and silver ornaments, and a jade bracelet on her wrist. Despite her gaudy appearance, she certainly possessed a captivating allure.

Wang Xin withdrew his gaze and smiled, "Second Master Lian, what a coincidence."

"hey-hey."

Jia Lian grinned foolishly, unlike a young master from a prominent family, completely lacking the naturalness to deal with people.

"Let's have a meal later." Seeing this, Wang Xin stopped exchanging pleasantries, left with those words, and only breathed a sigh of relief after Wang Xin's figure disappeared from sight, as if he had come back to life.

For some unknown reason, the woman suddenly retorted sarcastically, "Are you really that afraid of him?"

Jia Lian didn't hide anything, and pulled the woman into the room while talking about Wang Xin.

"You're so brave, yet you're so small." Once inside, he chuckled at Jia Lian's impatient manner, saying, "You're so cowardly, yet you dare to provoke someone like that."

The woman was being nudged and embraced by Jia Lian, who wanted to lead her to the edge of the kang (heated brick bed). Upon hearing the woman's words, Jia Lian was not angry at all, but instead laughed and said, "You've only met him once, yet you know what kind of person he is?"

That woman was also quite famous.

Unlike the beautiful Miss Duo in the mansion who accepted all comers, this woman was also quite attractive. She liked to seduce men but was also proud and did not easily let others succeed, making her both loved and hated by many, until she became involved with Jia Lian.

He had some initial thoughts, but after seeing Jia Lian's true colors, he became obsessed with money. Jia Lian was torn between love and hate, unable to resist his charm, yet each visit also caused him heartache.

The woman snorted twice and laughed, "People who rise from the bottom like this, the gentler their smiles, the more ruthless they are inside. If you dare to offend them or make a move against them, be careful you won't even know how you died."

Hearing the woman's words, Jia Lian's heart sank.

"Hahaha." Sensing Jia Lian's state, the woman laughed heartily, leaving Jia Lian speechless with despair. After laughing, the woman began to coax Jia Lian, "You're even willing to send Ping'er away. When Lord Xin returns to the manor and sees Ping'er, he'll most likely forgive you."

"I didn't send her." Jia Lian got angry. How could he bear to send Ping'er away?

He was having affairs outside, and the flowers at home were not as fragrant as the wild ones. But how could he bear to let go of Ping'er's beauty? It was only after Wang Xifeng gave her away that he found out.

Seeing Jia Lian's appearance, the woman felt contempt and sneered, "You can go and ask for it back, and tell people that you had your eye on someone else's maid and wanted to take advantage of her while she was not at home."

"Nonsense." Jia Lian immediately deflated, not daring to refute.

The woman looked smug. So-called men are nothing special. It's Ping'er who's really lucky. And that Master Xin, he was so serious just now. Let's see if he can still hold back when he meets Ping'er.

Men are all the same, pshaw.

Why did you spit on me?

(End of this chapter)