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

Chapter 53: The Jia family is stunned by the imperial favor bestowed upon them by the Daming Palace!

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

As over five hundred cavalrymen clad in black cloth armor escorted Jia Yan through the battlefield, everyone's pupils constricted sharply.

The armor of these cavalrymen bore countless marks from swords and arrows, some of the bloodstains having turned completely black, with fresh blood and bits of flesh clinging to it. The eyes beneath their visors were cold and indifferent, and wherever they went, they left behind only a blood-stained, muddy path.

"Clean up the battlefield and head back to the city."

Niu Jizong watched Jia Yan leave and then issued an order.

"Yes."

Upon hearing these words, the Daqian soldiers, who were already on the verge of their limit, had a gleam in their eyes. They drove the Mongol prisoners to a place for safekeeping, collected all the warhorses, weapons, and armor, burned the enemy corpses on the spot, and buried the friendly soldiers' corpses in a deep pit, piling them up into a hill.

As night fell, news of the battle spread, and spies from all sides sent reports back to the capital.

In the capital city, at the Ningguo Mansion, the main gate was wide open, an incense table was set up, and all the members of the Jia family were already standing at the lower level.

"The Emperor Emeritus decrees that Jia Daihua, a first-class general of the Ningguo Duke's Mansion, has rendered meritorious service to the country and defended the borders. He is posthumously granted the title of Wu'an Jun, with a rank exceeding that of a first-class official and a fief of three thousand households. His son, Jia Jing, shall inherit the title. Jia Jing's wife is posthumously granted the title of first-class imperial consort."

Wearing a bright red sunflower-patterned robe with a round collar, a black gauze hat with gold trim, and a black horn belt, Dai Quan, the Grand Eunuch of the Daming Palace, opened the imperial edict and read it aloud. The eunuchs on his left and right sides untied the red silk on the trays they were carrying, revealing the official robes, seals, and registers.

'? ? ? '

Upon hearing this, all the members of the Jia family stared wide-eyed. What kind of operation was it to posthumously confer the title of Lord Wu'an on the second generation of the Ningguo Mansion, to be succeeded by Jia Jing?
"The Emperor Emeritus instructed that since Lord Wu'an is not present, the Jia family can receive the imperial edict on his behalf!"

With a smile, Dai Quan closed the imperial edict in his hand and said.

“Brother Zhen”.

Jia She gave a soft shout. This was an imperial favor bestowed upon the Ningguo Mansion by the Daming Palace, and he could not overstep his bounds.

"Yes."

Jia Zhen belatedly accepted the imperial edict, his mind still in a daze.

"General Jia."

"The Jia family has produced a prodigy! We must not fail to live up to the Emperor's favor!"

Before leaving, Dai Quan glanced at Jia She and said something meaningful.

"You old man, you always like to do these kinds of things that only make things more obvious."

Jia She smiled, stepped forward, and silently flicked a five-thousand-tael silver note into Dai Quan's sleeve.

"The Emperor Emeritus is waiting for this old servant to return and report. I will take my leave now."

With a satisfied expression, Dai Quan led a group of imperial eunuchs and Imperial Guards away from Ningguo Mansion and disappeared at the street corner.

"Brother."

This was the first time Jia Zheng had seen Jia She and Dai Quan so familiar with each other, and he couldn't help but show his suspicion.

"You all go back first, Second Brother and Lian'er stay here."

With a wave of his hand, Jia She gave an order.

"Yes, sir."

The women of the Rongguo Mansion, filled with doubt, returned to the West Mansion.

"Zhen Ge's daughter-in-law, Rong Ge's daughter-in-law."

"Have the servants bring some tea and snacks. Zhen-ge and I need to discuss some matters in Ning'an Hall."

"Yes."

Lady You and Qin Keqing naturally understood the deeper meaning behind it and quickly went to make the arrangements.

Before long, all the male members of the Jia family arrived at Ning'an Hall. The maids and servants served tea and snacks and waited outside the hall.

"Uncle She".

"This"

Jia Zhen was still in a daze, pointing to the imperial edict beside him and the trays.

“Brother Zhen”.

"Have someone put these things away and give them to Brother Jing tomorrow."

"What is not yours, you need not think about, much less covet."

After taking a sip of tea, Jia She spoke.

"Uh..."

Jia Zhen stood there, bewildered.

"Brother."

"Our dynasty only has five ranks of nobility: Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Baron. What is the meaning of this 'Lord of Wu'an'?"

Having served in the imperial court for many years, Jia Zheng was intimately familiar with the rules of etiquette and couldn't help but ask. Jia Lian and Jia Rong, unable to get a word in edgewise, pretended not to know anything and stood by as if they were invisible.

"Second brother still doesn't understand."

Shaking his head slightly, Jia She said meaningfully, "Our dynasty inherited the legacy of the Ming dynasty. Even the Dukes of the State do not have fiefdoms; they only receive stipends and hereditary land."

"The two dukes, Ning and Rong, each had a stipend of five thousand shi (a unit of grain), the Ningguo Mansion had 18,000 mu (another unit of land) of hereditary land, and the Rongguo Mansion had 12,000 mu (another unit of land).

“Inherited from our ancestors, the two prefectures purchased a lot of land and built estates together, with 8 in the west prefecture and 12 in the east prefecture.”

"The title of Lord Wu'an was above the rank of official, with a fief of three thousand households. However, there was no specific stipend or land grant. The only thing was that his sister-in-law, Jingda, was posthumously granted the title of First Rank Imperial Consort."

"What does this mean? It means that these rewards were not for Brother Jing, but for someone else."

"To put it another way, this is not the Emperor Emeritus bestowing favors upon my uncle because of his past merits, but rather an additional favor."

what?
Upon hearing this, both Jia Zheng and Jia Zhen showed expressions of astonishment.

"If I'm not mistaken, Yan-ge should be back soon."

Looking towards Datong, Jia She added a sentence.

"Uncle She, you mean these are all my second brother's?"

Jia Zhen immediately realized the key point.

"Of course it's him. Only if he makes a great contribution will Brother Jing and Sister-in-law Jing be granted additional favors."

“If that were not the case, then you would be the one to succeed Lord Wu’an today.”

Jia She gave Jia Zhen a deep look and said, "This is an action taken by the royal family to appease the people."

"The real reward will be bestowed when Yan-ge returns."

"I understand."

Jia Zhen replied somewhat guiltily.

For a fleeting moment, he truly wished the title of Marquis of Wu'an would fall upon him.

"What kind of great achievement could have made the Emperor Emeritus make an exception and set such a precedent?"

Jia Zheng was filled with emotion.

"We don't need to worry about the rest for now."

“When Yan-ge returns, we must open the ancestral hall to comfort the spirits of our ancestors in heaven. The East Mansion should prepare everything needed in advance.”

“All the members of the eight branches of the family in the capital must be notified. If even one person fails to appear, he or she will be expelled from the clan.”

"Our Jia family has not had such a joyous occasion in a long time. We should hold a grand banquet and invite our clansmen and guests to celebrate this joyous occasion together."

"All the produce from the two estates, including grains, fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, and eggs, will be prepared in advance to supply the East Prefecture."

"Lian'er, stay by Zhen'er's side and take care of him these days."

Jia She arranged things methodically.

"Yes."

Jia Lian, of course, would not refuse such a good opportunity to gain exposure, and readily agreed.

"Thank you for your help, Second Brother Lian."

Jia Zhen cupped his hands in acknowledgment.

"Brother Zhen, you're too kind."

Jia Lian offered a slight gesture of support, his attitude amiable.

"Second brother."

Just then, Jia She's gaze fell on Jia Zheng.

"Brother."

Jia Zheng was somewhat confused.