Chapter 144

Standing to the side, Tan Chun asked curiously, "Master, what is meant by the 'right of direct memorial'?"

Jia Zheng laughed, "According to our dynasty's regulations, officials of Grade 5 and below, if they have matters to memorialize, must have them reviewed and forwarded by their ministry or superior.

Only officials of Grade 4B and above have the right to memorialize the Emperor directly; this is what is called the right of direct memorial.

Even if Cong-ge'er is promoted to a Grade 7A civil honorary post, by common logic, he is far from having the right of direct memorial. It is because Cong-ge'er presented the three-stage firing method this time, making His Majesty highly value his knowledge, that he received this exceptional grace."

Ladies of the inner chambers like Daiyu and Tan Chun had never heard of such officialdom precedents. Hearing the Master explain it this way, they simply concluded that Third Brother must be extremely formidable.

And calculating it this way, even a Grade 5 ministry official like the Master does not yet have the right of direct memorial, yet Third Brother Cong, a Grade 7 honorary official, already has it.

Jia Mu and Lady Wang were both raised in official families; although they did not understand the tricks and risks within officialdom, they had heard enough about surface-level matters.

A half-grown child being promoted to a Grade 7 official was somewhat shocking, but that became secondary; this right of direct memorial was the truly precious thing. In other words, Jia Cong, this Grade 7 official, already possessed the stature of a high-ranking Grade 4 official.

On ordinary days, their thoughts mostly revolved within the great mansion, and they did not know much about things outside.

After this, the Master would surely supervise his studies strictly, and his face turned deathly pale. Thinking of those Four Books and Five Classics, he felt half-paralyzed.

Upon arriving at Prince Ning's temporary residence, a Sacred Proclamation Captain was already waiting there. After a cadence-filled reading, he learned that he had been promoted from Grade 8 to Grade 7, and had also been given the post of Advisor to Prince Ning.

Seeing the Master's face full of joy as he spoke of Jia Cong's affairs, he couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart. Every time Jia Cong was triumphant, it was a time of suffering for him.

Even Lin Meimei took Jia Cong's affairs of currying favor and rising in rank to heart.

Because the journey was long and the Imperial Edict involved important matters in Jin Ling, it could not be delayed and needed to be delivered within five days. Ordinary Ministry of Personnel officials could not handle this task.

Now, these sisters had all been corrupted by Jia Cong's aura of a national traitor and salary-grubbing worm, their spiritual roots ruined. How could it not be heartbreaking to see?

Seeing Lin Meimei, Second Sister, and Third Sister all beaming with joy, Baoyu guessed they were all proud of this filthy male, Jia Cong.

……

This day was the fourth day since the Rongguo Prefecture received the Imperial Edict. The sun had just passed noon when several fast horses passed through Jin Ling's Zhaoyang Gate and headed straight for Prince Ning's temporary residence.

When Prince Ning's personal guards arrived at Ding'an Temple to invite Jia Cong to the temporary residence to receive the edict, Jia Cong was still completely confused, having no idea what had happened.

The other sisters were one thing, but he only thought about how to save Lin Meimei, restore her original self, and have her be as harmonious with him as she was in childhood.

Jin Ling, Prince Ning's temporary residence.

How could it not make his heart feel bleak and sorrowful? But after the events of that year, he dared not act recklessly in front of Daiyu.

However, he had heard many plays. These strange things about this kid, to use a common phrase from plays, wasn't it just "carved into the Emperor's heart"? And how old is he?

Therefore, they specially selected five elites from the Five Armies Camp to relay the message by fast horse, day and night, barely delivering the Imperial Edict to Jin Ling on the fourth day.

Promotion is of course a good thing, but it came too suddenly. How did the Emperor know that he had proposed the three-stage firing method?

It wasn't until Yang Hongbin explained the reason with a smile that he learned Prince Ning had not only recorded his deduction of the Longtan Port case in the memorial but also written about his proposal of the three-stage firing method.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao was very concerned about the three-stage firing method, not only summoning Minister of War Gu Yankui and Marquis Shi Ding to inquire.

Finally, he also selected personnel from the Five Armies Camp to conduct practical drills of the three-stage firing. The final effect was astonishing, and the Emperor was greatly pleased, having already ordered the Ministry of War to build an independent firearm battalion according to the three-stage firing method.

Because of his meritorious advice, Jia Cong was promoted from Grade 8 to Grade 7, and was additionally granted the right of direct memorial.

As for temporarily acting as Advisor to Prince Ning, that was not Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's idea, but Prince Ning's suggestion in the memorial.

He valued Jia Cong's agility and wisdom, and his frequent flashes of insight, which had helped him open a breakthrough in the Longtan Port case.

Currently, the various situations in Jin Ling are confusing. To distinguish truth from falsehood as quickly as possible and clear the clouds to see the sun, Jia Cong's unique, sensitive, and wise qualities might be of great help to him.

Moreover, Jia Cong's position as Advisor is not a full-time duty; he only needs to go to Prince Ning's temporary residence every few days to discuss matters. If there is an urgent matter, Prince Ning's personal guards will go to Qixia Mountain to notify him.

The group combed through the various clues of the Longtan Port case again but could not find any new leads.

Originally, they had investigated Zhou Suqing, getting one step closer to the truth of the Longtan Port case, but in the end, Zhou Suqing was not caught, and even an important suspect like Wang En was killed.

The whole matter took one step forward and two steps back, becoming even more troublesome. Now they can only return to the starting point and must find Zhou Suqing as soon as possible, as well as that middleman, Dong Laoer.

Wang En was killed in the Embroidered Uniform Guard prison, which made Prince Ning suspicious and wary of the Jin Ling Embroidered Uniform Guard Battalion.

He pinned more hope on the Ying Tian Prefecture Yamen for arresting suspects and had arranged for subordinates to go to Ying Tian Prefecture to inquire every day.

……

Ying Tian Prefecture Yamen.

Jia Yuancun was discussing various recent government affairs in the yamen with his advisor, Yan Yuanliang.

Although Jia Yuancun's nature was cruel and ungrateful, and he was blinded by greed, he did have talent. He had not been the Prefect of Ying Tian for long, but he had managed the various public affairs under his jurisdiction in an orderly manner.

If he didn't have some ability, even with the support of the Jia and Wang families, he wouldn't have had the opportunity to be promoted to the capital and appointed as Minister of War within a few years.

Yan Yuanliang said, "Master, for the past few days, Prince Ning's temporary residence has been sending people to the yamen to inquire about the arrest of the suspects in the Longtan Port case.

But Jin Ling City is so large, with a population of hundreds of thousands. Zhou Suqing and that Dong Laoer are people who wander the streets. For such people to deliberately hide, finding them is not a matter of a day or two."

Jia Yuancun said, "Prince Ning is under imperial order to investigate the Longtan Port case, but now he has gained nothing. At present, he can only pin his hopes on these two suspects. Naturally, he urges us every day. Just let the people below search with all their might."

Yan Yuanliang added, "In addition, Platoon Leader Liu led people to escort dozens of prisoners to the Great Mercy Temple construction site for hard labor. It has been over a month now, and in a few days, it will be time for the shift change.

But the yamen's manpower is all scattered to search for suspects, and now we cannot draw out manpower to replace them. Should we go to the Liuhe County Yamen to borrow manpower to fill the vacancy? Please instruct, Master."

Jia Yuancun said, "The yamen's manpower is more skilled in arrest matters. Now they are needed, so we cannot waste manpower. Go."

"Also, there has been a lot of rain in Jin Ling recently. We must pay attention to the river floods to avoid accidents. Also, help me prepare a gift to be sent to the old Jia residence in Xinglong Fang to congratulate Young Master Cong on his promotion."

"He has been appointed by the Emperor as an Advisor to Prince Ning's temporary residence. In the future, I estimate there will be many dealings with my yamen."

(End of chapter)