Dream of the Red Chamber: I can upgrade my entries!

Chapter 28 Farewell at the Bridge, the Zhen Family Hedging Their Gains from All Sides!

At 5:45 AM, the red sun was slowly rising in the sky, while the moon had not yet completely set.

On the banks of the Shahe River, at the Chaozong Bridge ferry crossing, a figure stood at the bridgehead, gazing towards the capital, quietly waiting.

"Ta-ta-ta! Ta-ta-ta!"

In the distance, a series of muffled hoofbeats rang out, the ground trembled, and eight hundred armored cavalrymen galloped in, stirring up a cloud of dust. A silent, menacing aura of military might permeated the surroundings, startling the sleeping birds and beasts.

"General."

"There's someone ahead."

Dong Yong rode up to Jia Yan and quietly reported.

'Um? '

Jia Yan's mind stirred, and he couldn't help but crack his whip, striking the rump of his black river horse. The horse sped up and galloped to the Chaozong Bridge. He immediately recognized Jia Jing, who was wearing a Taoist robe and had a rather otherworldly air about him. He quickly tightened the reins and shouted, "Whoa!"

The black Hequ horse, which had been galloping, came to an abrupt halt. Jia Yan then dismounted, handed the reins to Dong Yong, and walked alone toward Jia Jing, asking, "What brings you here?"

"As a father, how can I not personally send my son off to war?"

Looking at Jia Yan, who was dressed in full armor and looked dashing, Jia Jing's face was full of satisfaction.

He and his first wife had known each other since childhood and had three sons: Jia Zhen, Jia Yan, and Jia Xichun. However, he never expected that the most promising one would not be his eldest son, but the youngest son in front of him, who went to war beyond the Great Wall at the young age of fifteen to vindicate the Jia family.

Thinking back, he had also bid farewell to his father Jia Daihua, his uncle Jia Daishan, and the 217 sons of the Jia family in the suburbs of the capital. In the end, very few of them survived. Today, as he bids farewell to Jia Yan and his 800 elite cavalry, he wonders how many of them will be able to return.

"Father."

Jia Yan was somewhat moved. It was quite a distance from Xishan to here, and Jia Jing probably set off two hours in advance and was waiting here early.

"Yan'er".

“Since your birth, I have not taught you anything; this is my fault.”

"The vast desert and grasslands are desolate and fraught with danger. Your father does not ask you to achieve many military exploits, but only hopes that you will return safely."

Patting his young son on the shoulder, Jia Jing's cloudy old eyes gleamed with worry.

At this moment, he was no longer the head of the Jia family, nor a Taoist priest of Xuanzhen Temple, but simply a father.

"The spring is cold and the dew is heavy, please take good care of yourself."

He gave him a deep look, Jia Yan's lips moved, and in the end he only uttered this sentence.

"it is good."

Tears streaming down his face, Jia Jing agreed.

"drive!!!"

Taking the reins from Dong Yong, Jia Yan mounted his horse again and galloped off towards Gubeikou.

"Ta-ta-ta! Ta-ta-ta!"

Eight hundred elite cavalry followed closely, and under the first rays of sunlight on the horizon, the black torrent gradually receded into the distance.

"Owner."

"Let's go back."

Only after Jia Yan had completely disappeared from Jia Jing's sight did a ghostly figure slowly emerge and respectfully inquire.

"Immediately arrange for people to eliminate all spies along the way. I don't want anyone to know Yan'er's whereabouts."

With a deep, unfathomable gaze, Jia Jing spoke without a trace of warmth as he gave his orders.

"Yes."

The ghostly figure vanished into the dawn.

Shenjing, on the western shore of Qianhai and the southern bank of Shichahai, stands a magnificent building.

With pavilions, towers, covered bridges, and waterside terraces, the mansion boasts an abundance of luxurious features, with every brick and tile exuding extravagance comparable to imperial standards. This is the Prince Yizhong Mansion, the most prestigious residence in the entire capital, covering a full 400 acres and adjacent to the Forbidden City.

"Jia Jing's youngest son received the imperial edict, and all eight hundred of them came from Longxi."

"Twenty years have passed, and the Jia family has once again gambled everything." A tall, robust middle-aged man in a royal blue robe with five claws stood in the waterside pavilion, gazing at the sky, and said inexplicably.

"Your Majesty."

Beside him stood Zhen Yingyan, dressed in a brocade robe with a stand-up collar, straight body, narrow sleeves, and dark patterns. He had a thin face, a gloomy expression, and sinister eyes.

"You and he were both successful candidates in the imperial examinations, so you can say you're old rivals."

Do you know what he's thinking?

Prince Yizhong turned around and glanced at Zhen Yingyan, then said indifferently.

"Your Majesty."

"We have lost contact with Xuanzhen Temple, and the 200,000 taels of silver that were sent in previous years have not arrived this year."

"It seems that all of this money was used to recruit eight hundred young men from Longxi for the Jia family."

"Given his character, unless someone offered him a different kind of hope, he wouldn't have made such a big show of it."

Zhen Yingyan stood tall and spoke softly.

In the past, before Grandmother Jia was married, she had a close friend, a woman from the Zhen family of Jinling. Later, the Zhen family woman married into the royal family and became a concubine of the current Emperor Emeritus. The status of the Zhen family rose accordingly. Emperor Shunkang was almost always received by the Zhen family when he went to the south of the Yangtze River. The current head of the Zhen family, Zhen Yingjia, is the Imperial Commissioner and President of the Jinling Provincial Academy of Humanity, holding a rank equivalent to the second grade. Emperor Yongping's birth mother died early, and now the Empress Dowager Zhen holds the most extraordinary position in the harem.

The Jia and Zhen families were close friends and had close ties. His relationship with Jia Jing was even more complicated. The two participated in the imperial examination in the year of Yimao and both became Jinshi. One became the advisor to the former crown prince, and the other became the advisor to the eighth prince.

That night, a mutiny broke out in Shenjing. The former crown prince and the eighth prince were killed by the rebel army, leaving Jia Jing and Zhen Yingyan without anyone to serve. Jia Jing was disheartened and chose to return to Ningguo Mansion to become a dissolute nobleman, while Zhen Yingyan turned to serve under Prince Yizhong and offered him advice.

"The news from the chess camp in the north indicates that the fall of Ping'an Prefecture was orchestrated by Hei Yundu of the Jia family."

"All the officials below the Ping'an Prefecture military governor are dead; not a single one survived. This is very much like his style."

“Jia She and the Prince of Beijing’s mansion have been engaged in smuggling for years, dealing in salt, iron, and tea, and have made a fortune.”

"Don't you think what he did was like biting the hand that feeds him?"

Prince Yizhong mentioned something: the beginning of the war in the northern frontier, which is of utmost concern to the current dynasty.

"Your Majesty."

Zhen Yingyan narrowed his eyes, revealing a chilling glint, and said meaningfully, "So, he's wrapping things up."

"The fall of Ping'an Prefecture buried everything in the flames of war. Even if someone discovers the truth, there's nothing they can do about the Jia family, since the dead can't prove anything."

"This game is getting more and more interesting."

With his hands behind his back, Prince Yizhong said with great interest, "Jia Jing has been slacking off for so many years, but Jia She has not stopped."

"The Jia family has one scholar and one warrior. I'm afraid many people have forgotten that Jia She was notoriously fierce and tyrannical, and was revered by the founding nobles."

“Niu Jizong, Liu Fang, Hou Xiaokang, which of them hasn’t been beaten badly?”

"But Jia Jing took action and cut off the shady dealings between Jia She and the Prince of Beijing's mansion."

"By the way, I heard that recently, Prince Bei Jing and Prince Bao have been getting very close."

"Your Majesty."

Zhen Yingyan trembled and quickly lowered his head.

"The Zhen family has a daughter who married into the Prince of Beijing's mansion and became the current Princess of Beijing."

"Now I want to marry another woman into the royal family, to be my nephew's concubine, that would be a good idea."

"Keep an eye on the movements in the court."

With a wave of his hand, Prince Yizhong dismissed the guests.

"Yes."

When Zhen Yingyan stepped out of the waterside pavilion, his back was already soaked with cold sweat. How could he not hear the warning from Prince Yizhong?

Prince Shui Rong of Beijing is on good terms with the current emperor's fourth son, Prince Bao Qin Li. Zhen Yingjia's second daughter married Shui Rong as his principal wife, and now the emperor wants to marry his third daughter to Prince Bao as a concubine. Isn't this a blatant gamble on Prince Bao?

(End of this chapter)