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

Chapter 80 Nobles Unite as One, Jia Yan Visits Rongguo Mansion for the Second Time!

As night deepened, dozens of figures stood outside the Chengtian Gate of the Forbidden City, leading their horses and craning their necks to look on.

"My lord!"

Upon seeing Jia Yan's figure emerge from afar, a group of guards hurriedly surrounded him and rushed forward.

"Uncle Niu, Uncle Liu, Uncle Hou, what are you doing here?"

Looking at the group of founding nobles before him, Jia Yan couldn't help but show a look of surprise and doubt.

“It wasn’t just us; Nian Gengyao and the others originally wanted to wait here, but I persuaded them to go back.”

Niu Jizong said with a kind expression.

"That's right, we'll wait here, there won't be any problem."

"If they were here, His Majesty would be very uneasy."

Hou Hsiao-kang, with his quick wit, made a teasing remark.

“You were summoned by the Emperor Emeritus earlier, and we thought it wouldn’t be long, but we waited and waited and you still didn’t come out. So we decided to wait here together, so we can look out for each other if anything happens.”

Liu Fang explained calmly.

"That's the truth."

Feng Tang, Li Chuan, Wei Jingyuan, and others echoed this sentiment.

"Thank you all!"

Although Jia Yan knew their worries were unfounded, their actions still warmed his heart.

The reason why the founding nobles were waiting here was simply because they felt that the royal family was being unfair and that they would inevitably be targeted because the Jia family's merits overshadowed the emperor. Throughout history, there have been countless instances of this kind of "using someone and then discarding them," not to mention the current state of the Jia family, which everyone has witnessed.

With so many people guarding outside the Forbidden City, even if the royal family wanted to create an accident, they would have to consider the weight of the founding lineage.

"Hey!!!"

"You're being too polite, my lord."

With a wave of his hand, Niu Jizong frowned and said.

"It's only right that we wait for you. You are the Marquis of Wu. Without you, we wouldn't be where we are today."

"That's how it should be."

Everyone chimed in with their own comments, leaving Jia Yan both amused and exasperated.

"My Lord".

"Did His Majesty summon you again just now?"

Liu Fang immediately realized the crux of the problem and asked.

'Shuh! '

The others then came to their senses and turned their attention to Jia Yan.

"Ah."

Nodding slightly, Jia Yan instructed, "Tomorrow morning, the Earl of Anxi, the Earl of Xichuan, and the Earl of Zhubei will head to the garrison in the capital."

"The Earl of Shouxiang, the Earl of Dingyuan, the Earl of Zhongzhen, the Prince of Xiangyang, the Prince of Pingyuan, and the Prince of Dingcheng assisted in organizing the drill grounds, clearing out training grounds, supply depots, stables, etc. for the Three Thousand Battalion, the Five Armies Battalion, and the Divine Machine Battalion respectively."

"The Imperial Household Department will allocate three million taels of silver for the Beijing Garrison's military expenses. I will make arrangements on how and where this money should be used."

"Most of the 120,000 soldiers came from various parts of Hebei. They were given a five-day break after being conscripted, allowing them to reunite with their families."

"The compensation for the fallen soldiers must be taken care of by the three uncles themselves and distributed to the families of the fallen soldiers."

"Yes!"

Niu Jizong and the others were startled and responded loudly.

They never expected that in just an hour and a half, this important matter would be settled.

"It's getting dark, so I won't invite you all to a banquet now. I'll host a banquet for you all when the Marquis's mansion is completed."

"Let's all go back now."

As they spoke, Jia Yan took the reins from his guard, mounted his horse, and galloped off toward Ningrong Street.

"Let's call it a day."

Niu Jizong turned around, looked at everyone, and gave instructions.

"Alright." The group of founding nobles then rode back to their respective residences and disappeared into the night. The guards at Chengtian Gate breathed a sigh of relief, finally seeing off this group of 'big fathers'.

At midnight, the capital city was quiet and still. There wasn't a single person on the streets, except for the lanterns of some wealthy families that illuminated the surroundings.

"I'm coming!"

In front of the Ningguo Mansion, a dozen servants and men heard the sound of horses' hooves not far away, and they were all very excited.

"Has Brother Yan/Second Uncle arrived?"

Jia Lian and Jia Rong, who had been feeling listless, immediately opened their eyes wide and stared at the street corner.

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

A group of figures galloped in on horseback, heading straight into Ningrong Street. From afar, the strong smell of blood could be smelled, and the invisible military aura made the servants of the Jia family turn pale and fall silent. Even Jia Lian and Jia Rong felt a chill run down their spines.

"Why are you here?"

Jia Yan pulled on the reins, looking down at the two of them from his elevated position.

"Second uncle."

Jia Rong quickly stepped forward to take the reins, and Jia Yan dismounted.

"Brother Yan."

"The old lady specially arranged a banquet at Rongxi Hall, just to welcome you."

Everyone is waiting for you.

This was the second time Jia Lian had met Jia Yan. He spoke with humility and a hint of awe.

"Dong Yong".

"You should return to the East Mansion first."

"Everything needed has been prepared for Jingzhe."

Jia Yan gave the instructions in a soft voice.

"Yes, my lord!"

Dong Yong and his guards didn't even glance at Jia Lian and the others before riding their horses into the Ningguo Mansion.

"Quick, get out of the way!"

Jia Rong, being perceptive, instructed the servants and boys to open the gate.

Not to mention that the twelve guards were all Jia Yan's personal soldiers, their status alone was enough to impress Jia Rong. After this battle, the twelve guards all received the hereditary title of a third-rank light cavalry captain, the same treatment as Niu Meng and other princes. This shows how great their achievements were.

"Brother Yan!"

"this way please!"

Jia Lian bowed slightly and stepped forward to lead the way, while the other servants and boys went in to deliver the message.

"Ah."

With a slight nod, Jia Yan strode into the Rongguo Mansion. This was his second visit, and his status had undergone a complete transformation. Everyone had to bow and scrape before him because he was a Marquis of the State, a figure standing at the pinnacle of nobility and military generals.

Thus, accompanied by Jia Lian and Jia Rong, Jia Yan entered the Rongguo Mansion and walked directly to Rongxi Hall through the middle gate.

At this moment, Rongxi Hall was bustling with people. The Jia family had all gathered here, and the banquet had been prepared long ago, just waiting for Jia Yan to return.

Little Xichun stared longingly outside the hall, while Lin Daiyu's watery eyes were filled with anticipation. Unconsciously, the figure in her heart had become very clear; a young girl's feelings are always poetic.

As for the others, some viewed it indifferently, some waited expectantly, and some harbored resentment; everyone's expression was different.

"old lady!"

"A servant came to report that Second Master Lian and Master Rong accompanied Marquis Wu into the mansion!"

Yuanyang, the head maid who served Grandmother Jia, hurriedly entered the room with small, quick steps to report.

rub! ! !
All the members of the Jia family rose to greet them, their eyes fixed on the outside of the hall. Even Grandmother Jia was helped off the bed by her maid.

In the dim candlelight, a tall and slender figure appeared in everyone's sight, and everyone's heart seemed to be gripped.

Dressed in a python robe and jade belt, with a purple-gold crown binding his hair, the moment Jia Yan stepped into Rongxi Hall, they all felt a sense of oppressive superiority. It was not just a difference in status, but also the murderous aura forged by a military general who had emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Apart from Grandmother Jia and Jia She, Jia Zhen, Jia Zheng, and the others all felt short of breath and their faces turned pale.

(End of this chapter)