Chapter 479: The Emperor

Great Zhou Palace, Ganyang Palace.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao is sitting behind the imperial desk, flipping through the case files submitted by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Xu Kun, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, knelt halfway before the imperial desk and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has conducted multiple interrogations of the shopkeeper and clerks of the Deng Hongchun Fur Shop.

And after checking the shop's account books, it has been verified that the fur shop opened by Jia She has been hoarding tea, coarse salt, iron pots, and other items since the end of spring this year, and then selling them to Ping'an Prefecture for profit.

Tea, coarse salt, and ironware are strictly controlled in the Nine Border Garrisons to prevent these items from flowing outside the pass to the Southern Desert Mongols, the Kharchit tribe, and the Tumed tribe, becoming materials to aid the enemy."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao listened to Xu Kun's report while carefully reading the case files in his hand, his face becoming increasingly gloomy and ugly.

After finishing the files, he flew into a rage and said, "This Jia She has such great courage! As a noble of the imperial court, he does not think of the imperial grace, but actually sells prohibited items like tea, salt, and iron to the Nine Border regions! Lawless!

Has it been investigated who contacted him for business in Ping'an Prefecture?"

Xu Kun replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, in the border towns, the backgrounds of all merchants who sell these prohibited items are extremely complex, and many even collude with the Mongols outside the pass.

This subordinate conducted severe interrogations of the shopkeeper and clerks of the fur shop.

Finally, they confessed that Jia She had multiple dealings with a man named Sun Sun Shaozu from Datong, and most of the prohibited items sold to Ping'an Prefecture were traded with this person."

When Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao heard this name, his brows furrowed slightly, and he said, "It seems I have heard this name somewhere?"

Guo Lin, who was beside him, said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this Sun Sun Shaozu is the son of Datong Commander Sun Sun Zhanying and once sought to betroth Jia Seeing Yingchun, daughter of Jia She of the Lady Rongguo Prefecture.

But the Count of Majestic Might, Jia Cong, was extremely disgusted with this person and took action to break off the engagement."

Reminded by Guo Lin, Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao suddenly remembered this matter; half a year ago, he had seen this person in a secret memorial from the Central Vehicle Office and had asked Guo Lin to deploy personnel from the Central Vehicle Office to investigate Sun Sun Shaozu's background.

But because Sun Sun Shaozu suddenly disappeared, and even the Central Vehicle Office could not find his whereabouts in the Love Shenjing, the matter was temporarily shelved.

Xu Kun, who was beside him, heard that Sun Sun Shaozu was the son of the Datong Commander, and a fierce light flashed in his eyes, saying, "Your Majesty, last year there was a major fraud case in the Datong border army involving the sale of prohibited items outside the pass.

At that time, a group of Datong border army officers were convicted, but the Datong Commander Sun Sun Zhanying was not among them. Now that his son is privately selling prohibited items with Jia She, whether Sun Sun Zhanying is involved remains unknown.

The Sun family has held the hereditary position of Datong Commander for generations, with deep-rooted influence in Datong. If the Sun family is involved in the sale of prohibited items for profit, it would pose a great danger to the border towns and might even lead to the disaster of colluding with the Mongols."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's face changed slightly; the Nine Border Garrisons are related to the stability of the country, and border army generals colluding with those outside the pass is a great taboo for an emperor! He said with a solemn expression, "Xu Kun, I want you to immediately deploy capable men from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, go to Ping'an Prefecture immediately, and thoroughly investigate the Sun family of Datong. Once you have any findings, report back immediately!"

Xu Kun replied solemnly, "This subordinate obeys the decree!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he bowed deeply to Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao and then hurried out of the Ganyang Palace, anxious to return and arrange for men to go to Ping'an Prefecture to investigate the Sun family.

Over the past year, Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao had suddenly reactivated the Investigation Court to punish officials of the old party who resisted the new policies and to investigate the Zhou Zhou Zhengyang leak case, stirring up a bloody storm in the officialdom of the Love Shenjing.

This allowed the long-silent Tui Shi Yuan to restore its former fierce reputation and once again enter the vision of the officials and people of the Great Zhou.

According to past practice, these matters should have been the exclusive show of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but now a Tui Shi Yuan has emerged, stealing all the limelight.

As the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Xu Kun could not help but feel vigilant and pressured.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard is the eagle and dog of the emperor; once its power and influence are diluted, its value decreases.

When that time comes, his position as the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard will also become precarious.

Xu Kun has served as the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard for many years, handling countless major cases, important cases, and bloody cases, and has offended no small number of people in the court and the public.

Once he loses his position as Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he will be like a hunting dog with its teeth and steel claws pulled out, and he will certainly not have a good end; this is almost the fate of every Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Therefore, he urgently needs to demonstrate the importance of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to the emperor through dazzling meritorious service.

And this border army major case involving Jia She of the Lady Rongguo Prefecture is the perfect opportunity for Xu Kun.

Although Xu Kun forced the name Sun Sun Shaozu out of the fur shopkeeper, he did not know Sun Sun Shaozu's background.

That is because Jia She knew that selling prohibited items to the border towns was highly risky, so every time he traded with Sun Sun Shaozu, he never mentioned Sun Sun Shaozu's background in front of the shopkeeper and clerks.

It was not until just now in the hall that Xu Kun heard Guo Lin mention that Sun Sun Shaozu was the son of the hereditary Datong Commander Sun Sun Zhanying, which made him like a shark smelling blood, suddenly grasping the key to the matter.

He wants to use the clues from the Deng Hongchun Fur Shop and Sun Sun Shaozu to dig out shocking clues of great value from the border army of Ping'an Prefecture, adding weight to the Embroidered Uniform Guard in Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's heart.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao looked at Xu Kun's departing back, and the high spirits and excitement revealed in his demeanor, and a cold smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Perhaps this reaction from Xu Kun is also the situation Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao hopes to see; an emperor must be well-versed in the art of balance and control.

Rather than letting the Embroidered Uniform Guard dominate, it is better to support a more ruthless Tui Shi Yuan, letting the two dogs compete for profit and raising them like poisonous insects.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao flipped through the case files submitted by the Embroidered Uniform Guard again and asked Guo Lin, "During Jia She's funeral, did the various noble families of the East and West Jia Prefectures have any movements?"

Guo Lin took out a gray-white secret memorial and replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Central Vehicle Office file in the Love Shenjing has already submitted the relevant secret memorial, please Your Majesty to review it."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao waved his hand behind him, and all the attendants serving beside him withdrew from the hall.

He said in a deep voice, "Read the important parts!"

Guo Lin unfolded the secret memorial in his hand and read in his unique, sharp, and clear voice: "On the 8th of the tenth month, Jia Lady Lian went to the Imperial Clan Court to cancel his name and inherit the title, chatting happily with the clerk Zheng Yushu, with words of entrustment, and afterward the two drank at the Dongyan Tower, with Jia Lady Lian drinking heavily during the period of deep mourning."

"On the 11th of the tenth month, the Daoist Zhang of the Qingxu Temple visited the Lady Jia at Rongqing Hall to propose marriage for Jia Zheng's direct son Jia Jia Baoyu, the person for the marriage being the third daughter of the Marquis of Cheng Yang and the only daughter of the imperial merchant Xue family."

"Afterward, Jia Jia Baoyu was very dissatisfied with the marriage proposal, making inappropriate remarks, saying that the act of imperial marriage and matchmaking was all the work of foolish men and women, and was an evil thing in the world."

"On the 13th of the tenth month, Zhen Zhen Fangqing sent a manager from the inner courtyard of the Zhen family, carrying silver foil, incense, and candles, to the Lady Rongguo Prefecture to mourn Jia She."

"On the 20th of the tenth month, the day Jia She's spirit was invited and the funeral was sent off, the Eight Dukes of the old nobility either came in person or sent their sons or nephews to escort the spirit, and the three princes had sons or nephews escorting the spirit, only the Prince of Beijing, Shui Rong, came in person to show the closeness of the two families."

"On the day Jia She's spirit was invited and the funeral was sent off, Jia Lady Lian, because the nobles of the four princes and eight dukes were all present, thought it was a glory, his face showing arrogance and domineering, while Jia Cong's face showed sorrow, self-restraint, and etiquette, with no abnormalities."

"On the 24th of the tenth month, the late Imperial Consort Zhen's spirit coffin entered the Imperial Mausoleum. On the return journey, Jia Cong met Zhen Zhen Fangqing privately in the carriage, and on the same day, Zhen Zhen Fangqing returned to the palace to seek an audience with the Retired Emperor..."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao listened to Guo Lin reading the contents of the secret memorial, his face gloomy and uncertain.

When he heard Jia Baoyu's wild words about the imperial marriage, anger erupted on Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's face, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

Hearing that Jia Cong and Zhen Zhen Fangqing met in the carriage and that Zhen Zhen Fangqing sought an audience with the Retired Emperor afterward, he could not help but furrow his brows tightly.

He suddenly asked, "Is that Jia Jia Baoyu the one rumored in the Love Shenjing to be the boy born with jade in his mouth?"

Guo Lin hurriedly replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, it is indeed this person. As for being born with jade in his mouth, in this subordinate's view, it is mostly hearsay."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao said coldly, "This boy has great courage, actually daring to say that the Retired Emperor's imperial marriage is the work of foolish men, truly lawless!"

Guo Lin trembled all over when he heard this; that Jia Baoyu, saying such crazy things, was truly seeking death. Hearing the Emperor's angry words, he did not know how he would deal with this person.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao asked again, "Is Jia Lady Lian the eldest son of Jia She?"

Guo Lin replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, Jia Lady Lian is indeed the eldest son of Jia She and also the heir to the Lady Rongguo title."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao sneered slightly, "The Lady Rongguo Jia family has fallen to this point; the heir to the title drinks heavily during the period of deep mourning, and the others are people of wild words and arrogance, shallow and vulgar!

Let the Imperial Clan Court issue a document to strictly reprimand Jia Jia Baoyu of the Lady Rongguo Prefecture for presumptuously discussing the Emperor, using filthy language, and behaving wildly, ordering his family to strictly discipline him; if there is a repeat offense, he will be punished without pardon!"

Guo Lin agreed to obey the decree and had Yuan Jing, the sixth-rank guard on duty at Ganyang Palace, immediately go to the Imperial Clan Court to convey the Emperor's oral decree to the Grand Ancestor, the Prince of Prince Zhongshun.

At this moment, the attendant on duty outside the door reported that the Eunuch Old Ouyang of the Chonghua Palace requested an audience with the Emperor.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's expression moved when he heard this; the Inner Palace Superintendent Old Ouyang Bin, as the Retired Emperor's trusted attendant, had rarely appeared in the palace since the Retired Emperor retired.

But since the matter of Jia Cong's marriage, this was the second time Old Ouyang Bin had requested an audience with him, which was also a rare phenomenon in more than ten years.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao said in a deep voice, "Let him enter."

At this time, light and shadow flickered at the palace gate, and the Inner Palace Superintendent Old Ouyang Bin, with gray hair but no signs of old age, walked into the hall with steady steps. He walked to Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's imperial desk, knelt and bowed, saying, "This servant Old Ouyang Bin pays respects to Your Majesty. This servant has brought an oral decree from the Retired Emperor for Your Majesty to decide at your discretion."

"What oral decree does the Imperial Father have?"

Old Ouyang Bin replied, "Yesterday, Zhen Zhen Fangqing entered the Chonghua Palace, saying that Jia Cong is brilliant and prosperous, a Yongzhou Jieyuan of the Yongzhou provincial examination, and begged the Retired Emperor to grant grace, allowing Jia Cong to enter the Spring Examination next year.

The Retired Emperor was moved by Zhen Zhen Fangqing's sincerity and pitied Jia Cong for having his marriage revoked due to his father's death; his filial piety is clear to all, and he could not bear to hurt the sentiments of the young couple, so he has already granted it.

Now he has asked this servant to convey the decree to Your Majesty, asking Your Majesty to decide at your discretion."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's gaze flickered slightly, and he pulled out a scroll from the pile of memorials on the imperial desk, opening it with both hands; it was the memorial for mourning his father that Jia Cong had submitted a few days ago.

This time, Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao used Jia She's death to sever the marriage between Jia Cong and the Jin Ling Zhen family, although filial piety was involved, it was excusable.

But letting the Retired Emperor lose faith in the late Imperial Consort Zhen's dying wish, the disrespect involved was inevitable.

Now that the Retired Emperor has proposed granting grace for Jia Cong to be revoked from the imperial examination, can Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao refuse? In the royal court, the game between father and son, the balance between monarch and minister, are all the same principle.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao cannot refuse this request from the Retired Emperor; this kind of balanced concession is what he must do, and besides, he is facing his own father, whose hidden power has not diminished! Moreover, Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao does not want to refuse this request from the Retired Emperor; Jia Cong is the sharp blade he has painstakingly cultivated.

He will not let Jia Cong be idle and sink into obscurity for three years of mourning because of a father who is a dissolute criminal, causing him to lose his greatest value.

If the final result were such, wouldn't all the effort he spent crushing the glory of Jia Cong's marriage be in vain?

And there is that breech-loading gun blueprint of his, strange and ingenious, which can be called a weapon of the country; it is full of temptation for Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao, and he is eager to have it built successfully as soon as possible...

Regardless of the reason, his attitude toward Jia Cong's placement coincides with the Retired Emperor's.

At this moment, Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao suddenly thought of Zhen Zhen Fangqing; he was not unfamiliar with this woman who had been raised in the palace since childhood, and he often saw her when he went to pay his respects at the Qinghe Palace in the past.

In the past, it was rumored in the palace that this great-granddaughter of the late Imperial Consort Zhen was not only outstanding in appearance but also intelligent and enlightened, different from ordinary people.

She seized the opportunity of the late Imperial Consort Zhen's funeral to propose granting grace for Jia Cong to take the Spring Examination; could it be that she saw through the tug-of-war between father and son, and thus took advantage of the situation to make this request...

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao sighed in his heart; if his guess was true, this woman was not simple.

But no matter how not simple she was, she was only a woman after all; a marriage decree that was aborted halfway could make her trapped in private feelings, with deep intentions, but in the end, her heart was limited.

"Tell the Imperial Father that Jia Cong has twice taken the examinations, a pride of the scholarly world, a pillar of the imperial court; my expectations are the same as the Imperial Father's, and I will certainly make the Imperial Father satisfied."

Ning-Rong Street, Count's Prefecture.

A little girl of eight or nine years old, with her hair combed into double buns, fine eyebrows and big eyes, moist and moving eyes, looking quite clever, stood alone in front of the West Corner Gate, somewhat dazed.

She wore a white-bottomed blue-flowered vest on her upper body, thin cotton lantern pants on her lower body, and a washed-out blue waist sash around her waist, looking crisp and pleasing.

She had been lingering in front of the West Corner Gate for some time, her little hand in her tender little mouth, gnawing unconsciously, staring at the dark gate, somewhat hesitant.

Finally, she made up her mind, walked to the gate, stood on tiptoe, grabbed the polished copper door ring with her little hand, and knocked.

After a while, a gatekeeper boy came to open the door and was surprised to see a little girl knocking.

The boy asked, "Little girl, who are you looking for?"

The little girl said, "I'm looking for Lingguan, take me to see her, I have something urgent to find her for."

The boy looked suspicious, "I've never seen you before, whose child are you? Don't make trouble, Lingguan in the inner courtyard is not someone you can see just because you want to."

The little girl glared and said, "I really know Lingguan, I also know the Cong Sanye of the prefecture, that is the Count of Majestic, the Count of Majestic..."

The gatekeeper boy heard the girl struggling to speak and couldn't help but blurt out, "It's the Count of Majestic Might!"

The little girl's voice was clear and moving, ringing out, "Right, that's the Count of Majestic Might, he even saved me in Gusu, we are very familiar."

The gatekeeper boy was half-believing, but he had heard some rumors about the Count, who had indeed gone to Gusu last month and done something big.

The little girl saw the boy's hesitant expression and knew she had bluffed him, blinked her eyes, and said, "Lingguan is my sister, I am her own younger sister. If you stop me from seeing her, next time she will tell the Cong Sanye to beat your butt hard!"

The little girl practiced martial arts or learned new songs every day, and whenever she was lazy, she would be beaten on the butt by her female master, which she considered the most terrifying thing in the world.

That's why she blurted it out, using "beat your butt" to threaten the gatekeeper boy, and the boy was indeed startled by her words.

The little girl was secretly proud; this trick of beating the butt was indeed scary.

However, the gatekeeper boy was startled not because of any butt-beating, but because the little girl said she was Lingguan's own younger sister.

Now everyone in the Count's Prefecture knows that this time the Count went to the south and brought back a girl named Lingguan, who is said to be very beautiful and has a golden voice, singing songs better than the famous actors in the city.

This Lingguan is very favored by the Count, and the eldest young lady and young ladies of the prefecture all like her very much.

If this little girl is really Lingguan's sister, and he stops her from seeing her, and the Count and the eldest young lady find out, he will certainly be punished by family law.

Moreover, this little girl is eloquent and righteous, and she doesn't look like she's lying.

The gatekeeper boy, holding the idea that it is better to believe it than not, decided to report to the inner courtyard first and let Lingguan come out to see her, and then he would know everything.

Count's Prefecture, Jia Cong's courtyard.

The courtyard where Jia Cong lives is the single courtyard with the greatest depth in the East Prefecture; besides the main house where Jia Cong lives, there are eight or nine side rooms on both sides.

After Lingguan arrived at the prefecture, she was settled by Jia Cong in the fourth side room on the left.

Her room was decorated simply and elegantly, quite different from others.

On one side of the room stood a large yellow pear wood carved cloud-pattern clothes rack, on which hung many colorful opera costumes, and beside it in a cabinet were several sparkling headpieces and flower crowns.

At the round table in the room, Lingguan was sitting and flipping through the set of "The Story of the Western Wing" that Jia Cong had given her.

She was wearing a pale green cross-collared long vest with embroidery, a pink-white under-robe, and a pale purple-red long skirt, her brows furrowed like spring mountains, her eyes frowning like autumn water, indescribably pretty and cute.

She would occasionally recite and memorize, her jade fingers slender, occasionally with the orchid gestures of opera, but there was no sound, and she did not sing out loud.

Now is the period of national mourning, and folk music and opera are isolated, so in her spare time, she just ponders in her room.

Since she followed Jia Cong into the prefecture, because she was born in poverty, she was crisp, pure, and innocent, diligent with her hands and feet, and had none of the weakness and coquettishness of young girls of the same age.

She was also very pretty and had a rare golden voice, not only valued by Jia Cong but also close and loved by sisters like Seeing Yingchun, and Lin Daiyu was exceptionally close to her.

In Jia Cong's courtyard, his daily life was already set; Hearing Zhi Shao managed daily life, Wu'er managed clothing and food, Qingwen managed needlework, and Xiang Ling managed the study.

So after Lingguan entered the courtyard, she didn't have any set tasks to do, and Jia Cong didn't want to restrain her too much, fearing she would be bored, so he bought many opera costumes and flower crowns to give her to pass the time.

Because Lingguan didn't have any set tasks to do, she often did some pruning of flowers and trees and sweeping of the courtyard, quite content with herself, and every few days, she would go to the kitchen to find Sister-in-law Liu and personally cook some dishes for Jia Cong, which she was used to doing at the old house in Xinglong Square in Jin Ling.

She grew to thirteen, and only after meeting Jia Cong did her life become smooth and peaceful; as long as she could stay by Jia Cong's side, she felt everything was good, only she would often miss Zou Min'er, who was living in seclusion in Gusu.

She was concentrating on reading the opera script in her room when she suddenly heard Juan'er calling from outside, "Sister Lingguan, a message from the outer courtyard, saying a little girl came to find you, claiming to be your sister Douguan."

When Lingguan heard that Douguan came to find her, she was happy in her heart and threw down the book, saying, "That is my sister, please invite her in."

The day Jia Cong returned to the Love Shenjing, he went to the Ministry of Rites in the auxiliary capital to speak for people and brought Lingguan along.

Douguan, Fangguan, Ouguan, Aiguan, Kuiguan, and others were originally Jiangnan opera girls purchased by Zou Min'er in the name of the Love Shenjing's Teaching Workshop.

If they all traveled with Jia Cong, it would leave some gossip, so they were finally sent by the Ministry of Rites in the auxiliary capital to the Teaching Workshop of the Ministry of Rites in the Love Shenjing to be settled.

Lingguan entered the inner courtyard of the Count's Prefecture and usually couldn't easily go out of the second gate, so she waited for a while in the courtyard, and then a nanny from outside the second gate led Douguan in.

When Douguan saw Lingguan, she first smiled, very cute, and then pouted, saying, "Lingguan, I came to find you to save my life, you must let the Cong Sanye save us." (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 480 =====

When Dou Qi Guan saw Ling Qi Guan, she first beamed, looking quite adorable, but then she pursed her little lips and said, "Ling Qi Guan, I've come to you to save our lives; you must ask the Cong Sanye to save us." (End of chapter)