Chapter 239

Great Zhou Imperial City, Qanyang Palace.

Ever since Prince Zhongshun submitted his second memorial, impeaching Jia Zhen and his son for disregarding national law and having numerous crimes, and earnestly requesting the Emperor to strip the Ningguo title.

It caused a huge disturbance in the imperial court; the Three Judicial Offices and the Ministry of Rites and other civil official groups had always been dissatisfied with the military nobility for relying on the merits of their ancestors, being arrogant and extravagant, and eating the court's salary for nothing.

The estrangement and opposition between civil and military officials were the norm in every dynasty, and it was not strange for civil officials to have such thoughts.

Now that they had encountered a special case like Jia Zhen and his son of the Ningguo Prefecture, the civil officials naturally wanted to get rid of them quickly, and use this as a sign of victory to suppress the arrogant and overbearing spirit of the military nobility group.

And the military nobility group headed by the Four Kings and Eight Dukes, because Jia Zhen and his son committed evil and the court and public were in an uproar, lost their moral high ground and right to speak, and were in a dire and passive situation.

But if they watched helplessly as the Ningguo line, one of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes, had its title stripped, that would be a heavy blow to the military nobility group.

Because from then on, stripping a title due to crime would set a precedent and would become a common practice.

The Four Kings and Eight Dukes had been operating for several generations and had deep roots in the military; the Retired Emperor had been tempered in the military since he was a youth, and his military strategy was unparalleled in the world, so he could naturally suppress and control them steadily.

But the Prince of Beijing, Shui Rong, who was standing to the side, was a wise and heroic person among the nobles; after hearing these words from Gu Yongnian, he couldn't help but gasp in his heart; these civil officials really had vicious hearts.

There were also two nobles; one of them had a burly figure and a military aura, and was none other than the grandson of Duke Niu Qing of Zhenguo, currently inheriting the title of First-Rank Count Niu Jizong;

The other wore a white hairpin and silver-winged king's hat, wore a four-clawed sitting dragon white python robe, his face was like beautiful jade, and his eyes were like stars; he was none other than one of the Four Kings, the Prince of Beijing, Shui Rong.

The civil officials included Grand Secretary of the Cabinet Cai Xiang, Minister of Rites Guo Youchang, and Junior Vice Minister of the Grand Court of Justice Gu Yongnian.

It wasn't that they had a deep friendship with the Ningguo Prefecture, it was just that they were in the same camp, and if this precedent was set, if one was damaged, all were damaged.

Niu Jizong was one of the few descendants of the Eight Dukes who was still serving in the military; he was brave and rough, and he knew that this group of civil officials was always insidious; he only heard that they wanted to strip the title, but didn't hear the other meanings.

At this moment, the leading figures among the civil officials and nobles in the imperial court were gathered in Qanyang Palace.

Although the military nobility group had lost the initiative, they still had to struggle with all their might; even if there was still a glimmer of hope to preserve the Ningguo noble title, they would not let it go.

Junior Vice Minister of the Grand Court of Justice Gu Yongnian was the chief official of the office that tried the case of Jia Zhen and his son; he was proficient in law and had rigorous thinking, so his advice naturally carried a lot of weight.

……

But the current Emperor rose from a humble prince and had no roots in the military; although he had ascended the throne for more than ten years, his control over the military power of the world was still stretched thin, and one could imagine his wariness of these old-school military nobles.

Now that the precedent of stripping the Ningguo title had been set, would the Emperor be able to follow suit in the future if he caught the weak point of any noble family? The consequences for these hereditary nobles would be unimaginable.

"I humbly request to strip the Ningguo title and salary, in exchange for the death penalty of Jia Zhen and his son, but their living crimes cannot be forgiven; according to the law, they should be exiled to the border and never return even if pardoned!"

Junior Vice Minister of the Grand Court of Justice Gu Yongnian also submitted a memorial: "Your Majesty, Jia Zhen and his son not only colluded with corrupt officials to harm the people in the Xiuniang incense shop case, but recently a large number of victims poisoned by them have come to the Grand Court of Justice to accuse them of their crimes.

Prince Zhongshun, who was the first to propose stripping the Ningguo title, first submitted a memorial: "Your Majesty, Jia Zhen and his son of Ningguo have numerous crimes, and now public anger is boiling; to show justice to the world, I request Your Majesty to strip the Ningguo title."

Because the Ningguo line was a noble title granted by the founding of the Great Zhou, stripping the title was a major matter; Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao, in order to show fairness, even if it was just going through the motions, still had to summon civil and military officials to discuss it.

……

All the evidence and witnesses for the matter are complete, and their crimes are clear; according to the law, they should be sentenced to death, but considering that the Ningguo ancestors had great merits in establishing and stabilizing the country, and imperial grace is vast, they can be granted some shelter.

Which hereditary noble family hadn't committed a few similar ugly deeds to those done by Jia Zhen and his son? The difference was just that it didn't cause a stir, or the beginning and end were cleaned up.

There was also a person in the hall wearing a black four-clawed dragon robe, who was none other than the Grand Clan Elder of the Imperial Clan Court, Prince Zhongshun.

As soon as Gu Yongnian finished speaking, the Minister of Rites Guo Youchang stepped forward to second the motion; it could be seen that Gu Yongnian's words should have been the consensus of the civil officials beforehand.

What Gu Yongnian said about stripping the title in exchange for the lives of Jia Zhen and his son sounded like extra grace, but in fact, the title was to be stripped, and the lives were also to be bought.

What was the difference between exile to the border and never returning, and being beheaded?

Any place of exile was in a bitter and cold border area; for waste like Jia Zhen and his son, whose bodies had been hollowed out by wealth, I'm afraid they would lose their lives before they even reached the place.

Moreover, using these two pieces of waste to exchange for a hereditary Ningguo title was really too worthless, and he already had a plan in his heart.

"I humbly report to Your Majesty, the Ningguo ancestors had the merit of supporting the Great Zhou state, and their former virtues and reputations have been passed down to this day; now, because of one or two unworthy descendants, stripping their title and salary is too harsh, and their situation is pitiable.

I request to strip Jia Zhen of his title, and let the father and son be punished for the same crime! And select a virtuous talent from the bloodline of the Jia clan to inherit the Ningguo title, so that the merits of the Ningguo ancestors can be continued."

In Shui Rong's view, Jia Zhen and his son had already ruined their reputation, and they were greedy, despicable, and incompetent; such people occupying the title was of no use to the military nobility group.

It would be better to take the opportunity to abandon them, persuade the Emperor to strip the title and re-inherit it, and preserve the Ningguo title, so that the power of the noble group would not decline.

He even had a draft in his heart for the candidate from the Jia clan to inherit the Ningguo title.

If this person could inherit the Ningguo title, with his astonishing talent and demeanor, he would surely be able to add a barrier for the military nobility group, and his own help at this juncture would also be a great favor to that person.

……

Although the civil and military officials were fighting in the hall, Grand Secretary of the Cabinet Cai Xiang, who was present, did not say a word; he had always been known as a shrewd official in the imperial court and would never easily reveal himself; he just stood on the Emperor's side.

In fact, the opinions of the two groups of civil and military officials present were nothing more than two types.

The opinion of the civil officials was to strip the title in exchange for the death penalty of Jia Zhen and his son, but from then on, the Ningguo title would be cut off.

The opinion of the nobles was to strip the title and let Jia Zhen and his son be punished according to the law, and select a successor from the Jia clan descendants to inherit the title.

Stripping the title and removing the title were just a difference of one word, but their implications were worlds apart.

The civil officials wanted to take the opportunity to weaken the power of the nobles, while the nobles wanted to protect their power from declining; although there was no smoke or roaring, it was no less than a life-and-death struggle.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao behind the throne looked at the group of civil and military ministers below, scheming and racking their brains for the Ningguo title, and a trace of mockery slightly rippled from the corner of his mouth.

……

Rongguo Prefecture, Rongqing Hall.

Jia Mu's face was gray and white, her eyes carried deep exhaustion; returning empty-handed from the Empress Dowager's Ninghe Palace today made Jia Mu very frustrated.

Also sitting in the hall were Jia Zheng, Jia She, Lady Wang, Wang Xifeng, Jia Lian, and other people in charge of the Rongguo Prefecture.

There was also an old man over sixty years old, who was none other than Jia Jing, who had always been cultivating in Xuanzhen Temple.

Although Jia Jing had been cultivating in the Daoist temple for more than ten years, he still couldn't achieve the state of forgetting feelings like the Retired Emperor.

Learning that the Ningguo title was about to be lost, he came uninvited and rushed to the Rongguo Prefecture.

Because he had left the officialdom for more than ten years, those connections had long since withered away, and now the only person he could rely on was Jia Mu.

Jia Mu was the super-rank noblewoman of the Jia family and had known the current Empress Dowager for decades, and their relationship was extraordinary, so Jia Jing begged Jia Mu to enter the palace to mediate.

But the result of the planning in the palace was bleak; Empress Dowager Yizhang was still very warm, but when mentioning the stripping of the Ningguo title, she pushed it away very simply, leaving no loopholes.

It was only on the way back that Jia Mu thought of the dispute over the etiquette of the Empress Dowager that occurred in the imperial court last year.

And that remark the Empress Dowager made: capable children are all mischievous.

At this moment, Jia Mu suddenly understood the deep meaning of the Empress Dowager's remark; I'm afraid the Empress Dowager also harbored some wariness toward this capable Emperor and was unwilling to easily interfere in politics.

Everyone had an account in their heart, and everyone was weighing the pros and cons for themselves.

And the Jia family had been away from the core of power for too long; once something happened, they became isolated and helpless, and even at the mercy of others.

Capable children love to be mischievous; Jia Mu suddenly thought of the grandson she had always disliked.

Originally, Jia Mu also blamed Jia Cong for saving the shopkeeper and clerk of that incense shop and making a big deal out of it, which implicated Rong Ge'er and his father.

But after the events of these few days, she discovered that it was no longer the case.

That matter of the Xiuniang incense shop was at most colluding with the government, and in the end, it didn't cause any human lives; even if they were convicted, it wouldn't reach the point of stripping the title.

Reaching this point today was entirely because of the evidence provided by Prince Zhongshun; now that Jia Mu wanted to blame it entirely on Jia Cong, she herself felt it was too far-fetched.

Jia Mu also thought that this kid often entered and exited the palace and knew many high officials; perhaps he would have some ideas.

Since there was no other way, it would be better to find him and ask him to see what he had to say.

Jia Mu looked at Jia Jing with gray hair beside her, and suddenly felt some disgust in her heart.

A perfectly good Jinshi official, not carefully serving as an official, but wasting himself away; now that something happened to the Ningguo Prefecture, he didn't even have a bit of a method, really lived a life in vain!

Jia Mu sighed frustratedly and asked Yuanyang to call Jia Cong over for questioning.

(End of chapter)