Chapter 256: Establishing the Nine Garrisons

Jia Cong was born into a noble family, inheriting natural advantages, and Qin Ye saw this as the root of injustice.

So he could only rely on his own methods to eliminate this injustice, never letting such a divine opportunity slip away—after all, selling his daughter was not his first time.

Qin Ye told his daughter about it; Qin Qin Keqing wept and raged several times, refusing outright.

How could Qin Ye indulge her whims? Since she had been divorced and returned to her maiden home, she must still follow the usual rites: parental decree and matchmaker's word—where was her voice in this?

So he locked his daughter in her room and ordered the only two young, loyal servants in the household to guard her strictly.

He also summoned her two personal maids and commanded them not to show favor or release the young lady, or they would be sold together.

But at the time, he had only found Rui Zhu; his daughter's own purchased maid, Bao Zhu, had vanished somewhere, running wild.

Ignoring his wife's objections, he set the wedding date with the Chief Secretary of the Northern Peace Prince's mansion.

The prince's mansion even hosted a lavish banquet in greeting, and the Northern Peace Prince himself appeared to receive him—truly leaving him overwhelmed with honor.

After learning the truth, Qin Ye panicked—he had already agreed on the wedding date with the Northern Peace Prince's mansion; how could he now extricate himself?

…

He questioned the household steward, who was half-dead with fear; according to him, the young lady's maid Bao Zhu had suddenly returned home while the lady was at the temple offering incense and prayers, demanding to take the young lady away.

This proved that Jia Cong's decision to place Bao Zhu beside Qin Qin Keqing had been extremely wise.

The girl was highly decisive: she struck from behind, severed limbs in plain sight, retaliated fiercely, and fled home—all skills mastered.

His own daughter and her two personal maids had vanished without a trace.

The two household retainers guarding her room tried to stop her, but that seemingly frail little maid was so fierce she disabled both men in mere moments.

Moreover, it was said he had invented a miraculous firearm, greatly pleasing His Majesty, whose favor he now enjoyed.

The two loyal retainers guarding his daughter's room—one had his ribs kicked in, the other his leg broken—both lay in pitiful condition.

…

Then she took the young lady and Rui Zhu and left; outside the mansion, a carriage had already been waiting to receive them.

The imperial court is now urgently overseeing the production of these firearms, intending to equip the Liaodong frontier troops before next spring.

Thus, Qin Nian Prefecture dispatched numerous yamen runners to search within the capital.

For the man had just been appointed by His Majesty as the Director of the Firearm Office, Sixth Rank, and was now busy with firearm research and collection, recruiting Western experts in natural philosophy, and training firearm craftsmen.

He immediately reported the case to Qin Nian Prefecture: the daughter of a Ministry of Works Construction Officer, snatched in broad daylight—this was no minor matter.

Yet not a single clue could be found; the three living people had vanished as if into thin air.

It could not possibly be connected to his daughter's disappearance; even if it were, Qin Ye had no way to act against him—first, there was no evidence.

As for what kind of firearm this was, very few knew; the court had classified it as top secret.

Qin Nian Prefecture even received a note from the Northern Peace Prince's mansion demanding maximum attention to the matter.

Qin Ye had never once suspected Jia Cong in his daughter's disappearance.

But when Qin Ye finally returned home leisurely, he was stunned by the scene before him.

At the Liuyang River dock in western Cheng, numerous merchant vessels prepared for southern voyages lay anchored.

Among them, a brand-new two-deck single-sail merchant ship had been moored here for two days, its hull emblazoned with the fresh, gleaming characters "Xin Chun Hao."

Before the name was a crest: a fish-head, dragon-body emblem—any seasoned merchant could recognize it as the insignia of the Imperial Neiwu Prefecture.

Meaning this brand-new two-deck merchant vessel belonged to a royal merchant under the Neiwu Prefecture.

Amid the many civilian and merchant ships at the dock, it stood out distinctly.

Objects bearing imperial seals always inspired inexplicable awe in common folk; nearby merchant vessels deliberately kept their distance.

A few days ago, a daughter of a high official in the capital vanished; the yamen had searched the entire city, including this southern-bound dock.

The lead constable had indeed spotted a woman's silhouette aboard this ship.

But many knew that the head of Xin Chun Hao, Qu Qu Hongxiu, was a woman—the sole female royal merchant in the Neiwu Prefecture.

So what was strange about a woman appearing aboard Xin Chun Hao?

Moreover, Xin Chun Hao was backed by the top-ranking noble house of Lady Rongguo Jia; the Qin Nian Prefecture constables naturally dared not provoke them.

…

That day, as the sun sank westward, a slender, refined youth stepped down from Xin Chun Hao and stood quietly at the dock.

He watched as the brand-new two-deck merchant ship cast off its lines, raised anchor, cleaved the emerald waves, and sailed out of the dock.

On the bow stood a beautiful, spirited young woman, her crimson silk cloak fluttering in the river wind, strikingly radiant, waving farewell repeatedly.

Inside the cabin was another woman, but she could not show herself; for a long time to come, her name would vanish from all records.

Jia Cong recalled Qu Qu Hongxiu's acidic words: "Your beauty—I thought she was merely good-looking, but I never expected her to have a crystal heart and liver."

I saw how meticulous and competent she was; I was short of capable assistants, so I gave her the accounts for the past two months of Xin Chun Hao.

She merely flipped through them for the time it took to drink a cup of tea, pointed out three errors, all correct without fail—she is a top-class household manager, and you can trust her completely…."

In truth, Qin Qin Keqing's performance did not surprise Jia Cong; when Jia Zhen and his son were imprisoned and You Shi fell ill, Qin Qin Keqing had once managed the Ningguo Prefecture household.

She earned praise from all levels of Ningguo for her meticulous mind, competence, never missing a single flaw, showing compassion to the poor and humble, wielding both kindness and authority.

And though she had only married into the Jia family for a few months, Jia Mu had already deemed her the most favored among all her great-granddaughters-in-law—this woman's character was far more than merely a pleasing appearance.

Jia Cong even felt grateful to Qin Ye; had that old rascal not fawned on power and pushed her to the brink, Qin Qin Keqing would never have decisively broken free from the Qin family's bonds.

And Xin Chun Hao would never have gained such a trustworthy, capable talent.

…

Right now, what concerned Jia Cong most was another matter.

His Majesty had issued a secret decree ordering him to complete the manufacture of three thousand porcelain thunderbolts within three months, and to coordinate all other usable firearms by year's end.

Once the court confirms the selection of the Nine Provinces Inspector, who will be dispatched to inspect the Nine Frontier Garrisons, these firearms must accompany the Inspector to equip each frontier garrison, with primary emphasis on the Liaodong Garrison.

…

The Nine Provinces Inspector, dispatched by imperial decree to inspect the Nine Frontier Garrisons, holds supervisory and commanding authority over each garrison—a high military post of great power, long watched by all factions in court.

Formerly, Prince Wang Wang Ziteng, who held the post of Commander of the Capital Garrison, had sought to use the Jia family's military connections to secure the position of Nine Provinces Inspector.

But after Wang Wang Ziteng's wife orchestrated false accusations against Jia Cong, the plot was exposed; the Emperor seized the opportunity to sever all ties between Wang Wang Ziteng and the Jia family.

Since then, the position of Nine Provinces Inspector had remained vacant.

Now, the Grand Secretariat, the Ministry of War, and court nobles had proposed two candidates for the post.

One was Shui Rong, the Northern Peace Prince, from a family of military merit; the other was Gu Guo Yankui, Minister of War.

Shui Rong's name carried greater support; many in the Grand Secretariat and among the nobles had proposed he be appointed to inspect the frontier.

This situation was not surprising.

Shui Rong had long been famed for his deference to talent; though holding the rank of prince, he displayed no arrogance or extravagance, and enjoyed widespread reputation across court and realm.

Minister of War Gu Guo Yankui was an elderly veteran from the frontier, pragmatic, upright, stern, and rigid—his interpersonal relations suffered greatly.

Moreover, when Shui Rong heard he had been recommended for Nine Provinces Inspector, he submitted a memorial declining the honor, earning praise from many court officials.

In contrast, Gu Guo Yankui made no such gesture; instead, he repeatedly submitted memorials detailing the training and armament of the Nine Garrisons, exuding an air of unquestionable entitlement.

As a result, censors accused him of being an aged thief, clinging to power.

Strangely, Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao left the matter undecided; no one could fathom the Emperor's thoughts.

Most believed Shui Rong, though holding high rank, was humble and cautious, young and virtuous—a trustworthy candidate.

But Jia Cong did not think so.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao had reigned over a decade, his edicts governing the realm, his prestige growing daily, yet he had never fully controlled military power.

In recent years, Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao had promoted firearm-strengthened armies, vigorously establishing firearm units within the Five Armies.

Among these was the intent to use firearms to overhaul the entrenched, interwoven power structures within the military.

The importance of firearm-strengthened armies to Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao was self-evident.

Yet from the earliest three-stage volley drills, the founding of the firearm unit, to later modifications of the Lu Mi musket and test detonations of porcelain thunderbolts—all critical firearm secrets—

Jia Cong, as the originator, naturally participated in all; Minister of War Gu Guo Yankui attended every single one.

But Shui Rong had never attended a single one; now he did not even know what a porcelain thunderbolt was.

Perhaps many outside the circle had not realized this, but Jia Cong, as a participant, could feel it clearly.

Wasn't the Emperor's favor and disdain already obvious?

Shui Rong's every performance of virtue and humility, seen by others as noble and modest, might in the mind of Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao—ever calculating and suspicious—be interpreted as treacherous intent.

But a sovereign's heart is as deep as an abyss, unfathomable; even if a decision had already been made, the Emperor still needed a suitable opportunity to balance all factions.

(End of Chapter)