The destiny of all heavens begins in the Red Chamber

Putting aside other matters, if the Rong family chooses to fight to the death and uses assassins to perish together, it will directly target Prince Zhongshun, the one in charge of confiscating the property.

If they were even more reckless, assassinating the emperor or even starting a rebellion wouldn't be out of the question!

This is also the main reason why, during the feudal imperial era, when people confiscated property, they would usually leave some traces.

Such things as sacrificial fields will not be confiscated. Otherwise, if the families whose homes are confiscated put up a desperate resistance, although they may not be able to cause much trouble, they still have the ability to disrupt the local government or the imperial court.

If Prince Zhongshun really did oversee the confiscation of his property, he would be a thorn in the side of the nobility.

As long as the founding nobles, and even the Taizong meritorious officials, haven't completely collapsed, Prince Zhongshun will remain under their close watch. It's quite normal for a few members of the prince's household to die occasionally, isn't it?

What do you call this? You call taking the blame for the emperor!

The key issue is that even the emperor might not appreciate it. Once the current emperor dies, the next emperor will definitely not acknowledge it. That's how messed up it is. For princes of the generation like Prince Zhongshun, seizing power is as difficult as climbing to the sky.

If there are no other options, this is the only way.

But Jia Huan's words were a wake-up call, pointing out a clear path for Prince Zhongshun, which he should seize.

"No matter how difficult it is, it's still much better than being trapped and dying in the capital and the imperial court!"

Prince Zhongshun said leisurely, "Please contact Zhongcheng, Zhongyong, and the others privately. Contact all those who still have some thoughts on the matter. Remember to avoid that brat Zhongyi for the time being!"

The chief secretary nodded and agreed, "If the princes join forces, there is still a chance of success!"

"Perfect timing! Isn't the current emperor eager to make a name for himself in martial arts? Brothers, give him a push in secret!"

Prince Zhongshun's eyes blazed with fury as he chuckled, "My goal isn't grand. First, I'll help the border troops reopen the Silk Road in the Western Regions and see if those small kingdoms are still around!"

The chief secretary's eyes lit up, thinking to himself that it was fortunate that the prince hadn't become too arrogant. If it were only targeting the small countries in the Western Regions, it would be much easier to handle.

"Your Highness, could it be that Jia Huan came up with this idea because he saw what's happening now?"

"That's actually quite possible. That's why people say talented people are hard to come by!"

Prince Zhongshun said with a wry smile, "If it weren't for wanting to ask and probe this kid's background, the Rong family could dream of getting through this easily!"

The chief clerk remained silent, clearly having anticipated that Prince Zhongshun was thinking this way.

"If all the princes are interested, should we ask Jia Huan for some guidance?"

He changed the subject, asking curiously, "This kid is really hard to deal with!"

"Hehe, let's take this kid with us and go out to develop our careers. Let's give him a chance to establish his own kingdom!"

Prince Zhongshun sneered, "This kid isn't exactly a peaceful fellow either. Since he's thinking of going out and causing trouble, he's obviously got some ideas. As long as this guy has ambition, that's good!"

Now it was the Chief Secretary's turn to be dumbfounded. His mind went blank for a moment, and he didn't know how to respond.

Naturally, he felt both envious and jealous. Why was Jia Huan, such a young fellow, able to gain such attention from the prince and be tempted with such great benefits?

He knew the problem perfectly well, but he was just unwilling to accept it, feeling like he'd wasted his life at such an old age.

"It's decided then. In a few days, I'll host a banquet and invite those brothers over for a drink, and I'll mention this matter while I'm at it!"

Prince Zhongshun made the decision immediately, declaring resolutely, "I am not young anymore, and I cannot afford to wait!"

No one knew that Jia Huan's visit to Prince Zhongshun's mansion would stir up the ambitions of a group of idle princes, but it was too early to tell anything.

As I said before, the current emperor's ascension to the throne was not so normal, and his brothers are very dissatisfied with him.

The retired emperor lived too long, giving the current emperor ample time to gradually strengthen his already weak foundation and then suppress all his brothers.

Such a situation would not be acceptable to any prince with ambition.

Although most of them are idle princes, their combined strength is quite formidable.

Instead of going against the current emperor, if one were to go along with the prevailing trend of the court and give it a strong push, it would still be possible to achieve something, and the risks would be much smaller.

There's no need to rush into how to proceed at that time; there will always be opportunities.

It's likely that the current emperor himself is also having a headache over these brothers who are in their prime, as well as several who are still minors; they are not easy to settle down.

The emperor himself had many children, plus the children left by the retired emperor; just thinking about it gives me a headache.

These idle princes voluntarily proposed to leave the territory of Daqian, which was beneficial to everyone.

I refuse to believe that we have the courage to deny them any chance and crush them all in the capital!

Chapter 244 Protecting (Please Subscribe)

Jia Huan followed Master Zheng to the entrance of the Rong Mansion on Ningrong Street.

"Sir, I think I'll pass!"

Looking at the familiar lintel, Jia Huan said, "This time, after all, it was me who led people to cause trouble at the Prince's Mansion and dragged Brother Bao into it. I don't think the Old Madam and Madam will be happy!"

"Go inside, I'm here!"

The Second Master Zheng's expression was quite complicated. He looked at Jia Huan and said in a deep voice, "You did very well this time!"

Jia Huan chuckled and invited Jia Cong and Jiang Yuhan to come in. This trip to the Rong Mansion was bound to be anything but peaceful, so it was necessary to give Master Zheng a heads-up beforehand.

As for Jia Baoyu, judging from Master Zheng's demeanor, there probably won't be any family discipline. After all, the most infuriating and angry moment has passed; it's just a matter of seeing how he behaves.

Sure enough, Yuanyang was already waiting at the second gate, and she rushed over when she saw them.

"Second Master, Second Master Bao, Third Master Huan, and Third Master Cong, the Old Madam invites you!"

Judging from her expression, her pretty face was very serious, and it was clear that the old lady was not in a good mood.

With her intelligence, she naturally understood that this time things were bound to get quite chaotic.

"Since the old lady has invited us, let's go to Rongqing Hall!"

Master Zheng sighed and walked directly towards Rongqing Hall.

Deep down, I wasn't really keen on going. I was already in a terrible mood, and then I had to listen to the old lady express her dissatisfaction. She's over fifty; how could she possibly bear this?

That's why they say Master Zheng is such a filial son!

Jia Huan and his group naturally followed, and Jiang Yuhan was also called upon to go along.

Upon arriving at Rongqing Hall, the atmosphere was extremely solemn.

The old lady sat at the head of the table, her face calm but her eyes sharp, clearly indicating that she was not in a good mood.

Madam Wang sat at the lower end, her face frosty and her anger flaring, her hands gripping the Buddhist prayer beads tightly.

Master She and Madam Xing were also present, their expressions quite solemn.

Unexpectedly, even Jia Lian and Wang Xifeng were there. They sat at the lowest seat, but they didn't show any expression, as the matter had little to do with them.

Upon seeing Master Zheng enter, those who were to bow did so, and those who were to stand up rose.

"Hey, second brother, judging from your condition, you didn't suffer any losses at the Prince Zhongshun's residence!"

Lord She spoke first, teasingly asking, "So, what exactly happened?"

He was naturally notified, but he did not go with Master Zheng.

After all, the one involved was just an unimportant illegitimate son of the eldest son's family. Lord She wouldn't rush over there. Who knows if he would actually fight with Prince Zhongshun?

"Big brother, everything's alright!"

The Second Master Zheng forced a smile and shook his head, saying, "Prince Zhongshun is quite reasonable and didn't intend to make things too difficult for me. When I arrived, the Chief Secretary of the Prince's Mansion had already sent Huan-ge'er out!"

"Oh, so you mean Huan-ge'er has entered the Prince's mansion?"

Master She was somewhat moved and exclaimed in surprise, "Huan-ge'er really has guts!"

"I have to go!"

At this moment, Jia Huan and his entourage strode in, bowing and greeting each other once again.

However, the old lady and Lady Wang were very indifferent, as if Jia Huan and Jia Cong were not members of the Rong family. Their eyes were all on Jia Baoyu, showing both pity and sorrow.

"Huan-ge'er, you haven't finished speaking yet!"

After the greetings and salutations were completed, Lord She urged, "What exactly happened? Did you enter the Prince's residence alone? Wasn't that a bit too risky?"

"The Prince of Zhongshun has invited us; how dare we refuse him?"

Jia Huan chuckled and said, "As for danger, there's no danger at all. The prince invited us directly, so he wasn't being unreasonable. Just explain the situation clearly!"

Lord She looked on with suspicion, clearly not believing such an explanation, but he did not press the matter further.

"Heh, I had no idea, Huan-ge'er, that you were so brave as to come straight to the Prince's mansion to cause trouble!"

At this moment, the old lady spoke calmly: "Tell me, what exactly do you want?"

Jia Huan did not answer, but turned to look at Master Zheng, asking with his eyes what was going on.

Could it be that the news didn't reach the old lady?

"Answer my question, why are you winking at your father?"

The old lady gave a sharp rebuke, her gaze towards Jia Huan filled with displeasure.

Jia Huan was displeased, but said calmly, "Then I'll be frank, this matter was caused by Brother Bao!"

"How dare you! You caused all this trouble yourself. What does it have to do with Baoyu?"

Madam Wang suddenly spoke up, her gaze towards Jia Huan filled with hostility, and she sneered, "Don't think that just because Baoyu has a gentle temper he's easy to bully, that you can't just throw all sorts of accusations at him?"

Damn it, you two, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, are you trying to be unreasonable?