Chapter 495

The Great Zhou Imperial Palace, Qianyang Palace.

Although Minister of Rites Guo Youchang knew deeply that the Emperor harbored hidden disdain and estrangement for the nobility such as the Four Kings and Eight Dukes, and had quite a calculation to get rid of them quickly.

But as the Grand Minister of the Ministry of Rites, he had the responsibility of upholding the legal system and rituals of the state. If he let the Prince of Zhongshun's arrogant words trample on the orthodoxy and rituals, what face would he have to be the head of the Ministry of Rites?

Although Guo Youchang, this Minister of Rites, was pushed into the position by Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao two years ago, taking advantage of the Great Rites Controversy sparked by Jia Cong's false accusation.

But Guo Youchang had been a hall official of the Ministry of Rites for a lifetime. When Liu Jing'an served as the Grand Minister of the Ministry of Rites, he had long been cultivated under Liu Wenzong's command and had always regarded orthodoxy and legal standards as extremely important.

For a person like him, who had studied for ten years and served as a civil official in the Ministry of Rites for decades, he would never dare to abandon a little bit of ritual and integrity.

Even though he knew deeply that Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao had deep thoughts, he could never turn a deaf ear to such wild and perverse words from the Prince of Zhongshun.

Moreover, Jia Lian was just a descendant of Rongguo who had not inherited the title. If the hereditary title of Rongguo was revoked because of his crime, and even his family was confiscated and his clan demoted, it would be no different from practicing tyranny.

If everything were measured by this standard, all the hereditary nobility in the Love Shenjing would have to be stripped of their titles and confiscated, because in every large family, who doesn't have a few unworthy descendants like Jia Lian?

If it reached that point, wouldn't it be a great practice of collective punishment? Where would the legal system and rituals of the state be?

Guo Youchang held his head high and said: "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Grand Patriarch's words violate the justice of criminal law and go against the orthodoxy and rituals; this must never be done!

Xie Jing, Qi Jianhui, and Qiu Liang are hereditary nobles who committed serious crimes; stripping their titles and confiscating their property according to the laws of the Imperial Clan is still a matter for discussion.

Jia Lian of the Rongguo Prefecture is not the heir to the Rongguo title, but merely a descendant of the Jia family. Since he committed a crime, he should be punished according to the criminal law of the people, not involving the laws of the Imperial Clan.

If the Rongguo Prefecture is stripped of its title and confiscated because of one unworthy descendant, it goes against common sense and violates the law. Once done, it will surely disturb people's hearts, invite criticism, and make the world look askance!"

The Prince of Zhongshun on the side saw that Guo Youchang's words were sharp, refuting his own words as worthless and showing him no mercy, and he was so angry that his face turned purple.

He said: "Your Majesty, the reason I proposed to remove the Rongguo title is truly because the descendants of Rongguo are dissolute and devoid of virtue, and are simply not worthy of the glory of a noble title.

Jia She, the First-Class General of Rongguo, has already passed away, and the heir, Jia Lian, has committed a major crime and no longer has the qualifications to inherit the title. According to the laws of the Imperial Clan, if the eldest branch has no one to inherit the title, it must pass from elder brother to younger brother, and the second branch should continue to inherit the title.

However, Jia Zheng of the Rongguo second branch is mediocre in talent and strategy, having sat in the official hall for more than ten years without any virtuous achievements; it would be a struggle for him to bear the noble title.

For the nobility to inherit titles, there is the passing from elder brother to younger brother, and even more emphasis on the son inheriting the father's title, with a distinction between the legitimate and the illegitimate.

Jia Baoyu, the legitimate son of Jia Zheng, is incompetent in both literature and martial arts, idle and dissolute, with ruined virtue, and even spoke wildly to insult the late Emperor; the Imperial Clan Court once issued a document to severely reprimand him.

Such a person who is devoid of virtue and rebellious against the monarch must never be allowed to inherit the noble title, otherwise, where will Your Majesty and the filial piety and dignity of the ministers and brothers be placed!"

Guo Youchang felt a slight chill in his heart after hearing this. He did not know if this Grand Patriarch had received the Emperor's instructions or if he held a deep prejudice against the Jia family of Rongguo, but he was truly in a hurry to get rid of them.

With just these few sentences, he had framed the matter to the filial piety and dignity of the Emperor and the royal family, which was a threshold that could never be crossed.

Jia Baoyu, the one with the jade in his mouth, would definitely lose his qualifications to inherit the title; for a descendant of a noble family, this was equivalent to being deposed for life.

Jia Cunzhou of Rongguo, although mediocre in talent, was considered quite upright in virtue, but since the father is to blame for the son's lack of education, it would be difficult for him to avoid leaving a handle for the rest of his life regarding the upbringing of his descendants.

On the contrary, Jia Yuzhang of the Jia family's eldest branch, who had been abused and discriminated against by his biological father and legitimate mother since childhood, grew up like a dragon colt or a phoenix chick despite being raised by heaven and earth.

Within the same household, the difference in warmth and coldness had produced two people who were worlds apart, which was also a strange thing.

The Prince of Zhongshun continued: "Therefore, even if Jia Zheng could continue to inherit his brother's title, he no longer has a legitimate son to pass it on to in the future; how can this be proper?"

Jia Zheng does have an illegitimate son, Jia Huan, who is only nine years old. Born to a maidservant, he has been instigated and cultivated by his mother since childhood, his words and deeds are evil and narrow, and he is hated by everyone in the Jia mansion; he is a bird of a feather with that Baoyu.

Although the Jia family's second branch has a third-generation Jia Lan, he lost his father in childhood. According to the laws of the Imperial Clan of the state, the father's title is inherited by the son, and inheritance across generations is prohibited; furthermore, those who have lost their fathers cannot inherit titles. Therefore, although Jia Lan is legitimate, he has no qualifications to inherit the title.

From this, it can be seen that the Jia family of Rongguo has had sparse descendants since Jia Zheng, and there are no good talents to inherit the title. That is why I proposed to remove the Rongguo title, so as to avoid the noble title being precious but passed to the wrong person, which would damage the dignity of the state."

Guo Youchang on the side could not help but look sideways at the Prince of Zhongshun after hearing these words.

This Grand Patriarch was indeed calculating carefully in order to remove the Rongguo title; although his words were harsh, what he said just now was actually reasonable and well-founded, and he had exhausted his efforts.

This Grand Patriarch squeezing the Jia family of Rongguo like this might not be just out of personal resentment, but because he had fathomed the Emperor's thoughts...

Fifteen years ago, the Rebellion of the Prince of Wu occurred in the Love Shenjing, and the current Emperor took advantage of the situation to ascend the throne.

The two Dukes of Ning and Rong, who were the backbone of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes, stood on the sidelines, not helping either side, due to their origins with the Retired Emperor and the Prince of Wu.

This move had once made the current Emperor, as well as the Prince of Zhongshun who supported the Emperor's ascension, unable to resolve their estrangement; this old matter seemed to have left a legacy until now...

Otherwise, the Emperor would not have let the Prince of Zhongshun speak freely about removing the Rongguo title just now without adding any obstruction.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao, behind the imperial desk, listened to the Prince of Zhongshun's words, pondered in silence, his eyes flickering, making it impossible to tell whether he was pleased, angry, or in agreement.

However, Guo Youchang's words that Jia Lian was just a descendant of Rongguo who committed a crime and should be punished according to the criminal law of the people, not involving the laws of the Imperial Clan, were also reasonable and fair arguments. This matter is quite difficult."

After Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao finished speaking, Guo Youchang noticed that Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao looked at him, his gaze cold and solemn, with an unclear meaning.

At this time, the Prince of Zhongshun standing on the side suddenly glanced at him intentionally or unintentionally.

Guo Youchang sensed that the scene was a bit strange, and he couldn't help but feel a thump in his heart, giving rise to a bad premonition.

Hearing the voice of Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao from above, slow and leisurely, obscure and unpredictable, he said: "Guo Guo Aiqing, your words and those of the Grand Patriarch both have some truth. In your opinion, how should this matter be handled?"

Guo Youchang suddenly remembered the past, when Jia Cong won the first place in the college examination and was falsely accused by a fellow scholar, how Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao hid his sharpness in his words, leading him astray step by step, and finally forcing him to stand on the Emperor's side.

At this time, Guo Youchang, who was the Grand Minister of the Ministry of Rites, felt a sense of déjà vu, as if he had fallen into a trap again...

However, Guo Youchang was absolutely unwilling to follow the Prince of Zhongshun's line of reasoning and agree that no descendant of Rongguo had the qualifications to inherit the title, and thus agree to remove the Rongguo title.

Not only did his inner sense of ritual and orthodoxy not allow him to say words against his will, but as a first-rank official of the Ministry, being fooled and set up always made people feel very uncomfortable.

Guo Youchang was racking his brains, thinking about how to respond, even if it meant staying out of it, so that Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao would no longer force words out of his mouth as the Minister of Rites, to serve as a footnote to the Emperor's success.

After all, any scholar who is a civil official, or a civil official who is climbing to the position of a high official, regards his clean reputation as more important than his life, and never wants to be stained with the infamy of flattering the Emperor's heart and recklessly advocating for extermination.

Just as Guo Youchang was hesitant and unable to decide, suddenly a eunuch from outside the hall entered and reported: "Reporting to Your Majesty, Xu Kun, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, requests to see Your Majesty, saying that there is urgent military intelligence from Datong to report."

When Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao heard this, his gaze froze slightly. A few days ago, he had Xu Kun mobilize the elite of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, in coordination with officials from the Five Military Commissions, to go to Datong to issue an edict and make arrests.

Qian Shaoyang and Sun Zhanying had not yet been escorted back to the Love Shenjing, so why did the Embroidered Uniform Guard bring back urgent military intelligence from Datong first? Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao felt a slight tension in his heart and said: "Proclaim him into the hall!"

Guo Youchang was temporarily spared from the Emperor's sharpness due to this interruption.

Xu Kun walked quickly into the hall, his face showing quite a bit of worry.

He arrived before the imperial desk, saluted, and said: "Reporting to Your Majesty, an urgent report has come from the Embroidered Uniform Guard in Datong: Sun Zhanying, Commander of the Armory, fled in fear of crime six days ago before the imperial edict arrived!"

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's face was solemn, his eyes flashing with sharp light, and he demanded: "Sun Zhanying was already a person of suspicion. Before the edict from the capital arrived, did the Embroidered Uniform Guard station in Datong not take precautions in advance!"

A layer of cold sweat seeped from Xu Kun's forehead, and he said: "The Embroidered Uniform Guard from the Love Shenjing went to Datong to investigate Sun Shaozu, and on their return journey, they handed over to the Datong Embroidered Uniform Guard battalion. They had eyes and ears deployed near the Sun mansion. According to their report, Sun Zhanying and his son went to the office and entered the camp as usual, with no difference from normal times. Later, two thousand musketeers from Liaodong were about to enter the city to change guards, and the hearts of the people in Datong were agitated.

The Datong Embroidered Uniform Guard battalion withdrew some manpower from near the Sun mansion for patrols and suppression within the city, but still left necessary eyes and ears near the Sun mansion.

Six days ago, everything near the Sun mansion was normal. When the shift changed in the evening, the Embroidered Uniform Guard discovered that all the eyes and ears originally deployed had been killed silently.

When they entered the Sun mansion again to check, except for some servants who knew nothing, Sun Zhanying, his eldest son Sun Shaorong, and the descendants of the clan were all nowhere to be found.

That night, the Embroidered Uniform Guard strictly checked the four gates facing south in Datong, but found no trace of Sun Zhanying and the others.

Later, they strictly checked the road to the northern pass. According to the records at the pass, at sunset that day, a batch of cloth, rice, and grain from the Huiyuan shop in Datong city went out of the pass for sale.

And the Huiyuan shop was an industry under the Sun family's name. According to the testimony of the soldiers guarding the pass, the number of people in the shop's caravan at that time was three layers more than usual, and the goods and vehicles carried were also half more.

The squad leader guarding the pass had wanted to check, but the Assistant Regional Commander guarding the pass, Zhang Tianlin, obstructed him and ordered them to be released.

Afterwards, the Embroidered Uniform Guard urgently sealed the city and captured a descendant of a side branch of the Sun family who had not managed to escape. According to his confession, he delayed the time to leave the pass because his old mother was ill at home.

This batch of goods from the Huiyuan shop going out of the pass had been bribed by the Sun family with a large amount of money to the Assistant Regional Commander guarding the pass, Zhang Tianlin, ten days before going out of the pass, and it was handled by him.

According to his confession, the children of the Sun family's direct line had secretly left Datong ten days ago under Sun Zhanying's arrangement, and their whereabouts were unknown.

Sun Zhanying led the descendants of the Sun family and mixed into the caravan to sneak out of the pass. According to the Sun family descendant, Sun Zhanying had been operating for many years and had long ago left a way out outside the pass.

This time, he sensed that the wind was not right in advance, so he simply went out of the pass and defected to the Anta Khan of the Remnant Mongol Tu Man tribe!"

After Xu Kun said this, the Prince of Zhongshun and Guo Youchang, who were present, both gasped.

Since the Great Zhou was founded by Taizu Li Tianling, and until the Retired Emperor Yong'an, the monarchs of all generations had extraordinary martial strategies and used the power of the whole country to pursue and encircle the Mongol cavalry that had once swept the world.

Not only did they pursue and kill the Mongol strong army that had once run rampant in the world, chasing them north and driving them out of the Central Plains.

Moreover, famous generals of all generations constantly cut and divided the various Mongol tribes, causing the once-unparalleled Great Mongol Empire to disintegrate from then on, fleeing to the northern desert grasslands, lingering on, and barely maintaining itself.

By the time Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao ascended the throne, the Mongol Tu Man tribe on the grassland began to gradually become strong and gradually invaded the border towns repeatedly.

Although Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao was not good at military affairs, he was a monarch who was good at employing people. In those years, he had a discerning eye and promoted the Assistant Regional Commander Liang Chengzong from the Liaodong army as the main general to fight against the Tu Man tribe.

Liang Chengzong was resourceful and brave in battle, and finally lived up to Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's expectations, defeating the Mongol Tu Man tribe five times, greatly weakening the strength of the Tu Man tribe's Anta Khan.

Liang Chengzong was also specially granted the title of Marquis of Pingyuan by Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao for his five consecutive victories and stabilizing the border, and he was also the first general in the Emperor Jia Zhao dynasty to be granted a title for military merit.

Throughout the generations of the Great Zhou, the people knew that the men of the Han family had long changed the weak state of the old Song dynasty, and the power of the Great Zhou and the Remnant Mongols was vastly different, not what it used to be.

Therefore, for several generations of the Great Zhou, the number of court generals defecting to the Remnant Mongols could be counted on one's fingers; after all, the trend of strength and weakness was obvious, and it was impossible to do so unless one was at the end of one's rope.

And since Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao ascended the throne fifteen years ago, Sun Zhanying's defection to the Remnant Mongols was also the first time in history, which was truly a matter that lost the dignity of the monarch.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao was furious: "Sun Zhanying committed a major crime, did not think of repentance and submitting to the law, but actually betrayed the country and defected to the enemy; he is truly unforgivable! Xu Kun, I order the Embroidered Uniform Guard to strictly handle this matter. Anyone in the army who colluded with Sun Zhanying and secretly communicated with the enemy must be strictly investigated and handled, and never be lenient!"

Xu Kun hurriedly replied: "After receiving the news, I have already sent He Honghui, the Assistant Regional Commander, to mobilize the elite under his command and personally rush to Datong to investigate and handle this matter.

The Assistant Regional Commander guarding the pass in Datong, Zhang Tianlin, has been found to have accepted a huge amount of gold and silver bribes from Sun Zhanying, neglected his duties, and allowed Sun Zhanying to take advantage of the opportunity to sneak out of the pass and defect to the enemy. He has already been detained by the Datong Embroidered Uniform Guard!"

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao asked coldly again: "What about the Datong Regional Commander Qian Shaoyang?"

Xu Kun said: "After Qian Shaoyang received the edict, the news spread, and the trusted generals under his command became agitated. Thanks to Your Majesty's planning from ten thousand miles away, you mobilized two thousand elite musketeers from Liaodong in advance to enter the city for suppression.

Although there were petty people making noise in the Datong army, they did not dare to act rashly. Assistant Regional Commander Deng Hui of the Liaodong army is temporarily in charge of Datong military affairs, waiting for the court to send a high official to hand over.

Qian Shaoyang has already received the edict to be escorted to the Love Shenjing to report on his duties. To prevent accidents, the Datong Embroidered Uniform Guard battalion has mobilized one hundred elite Embroidered Uniform Guards to escort him along the way, which will surely ensure safety."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao said solemnly: "Qian Shaoyang, as a border regional commander, sheltered corruption, did not manage the army strictly, and failed to supervise effectively, causing his subordinates to defect and betray the country. After arriving in the capital, strip him of his military position and handle him strictly!"

Guo Youchang, the Prince of Zhongshun, and Xu Kun, who were present, were all people who had experienced the storms of the court for a long time. After hearing Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's verdict on Qian Shaoyang, they all felt a sense of awe in their hearts.

A general who once held tens of thousands of elite border troops, a high-ranking official of the second rank in the military, would definitely fall after this entanglement and would never be able to turn over again.

Datong is the core border town of the Nine Frontiers. With the fall of the head official of the Datong army, there will definitely be constant disturbances, and the middle and lower-level generals of the Datong border army will face a major reshuffle.

And the ripples caused by this in the military will definitely not be limited to the Datong army; it will expand into a fluctuation of the entire Great Zhou military.

A head official of the Embroidered Uniform Guard like Xu Kun, who rolls in gloomy schemes, vaguely realized in his heart that the fluctuation of dead water in the military might be exactly what the Emperor wanted to see...

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao gave a few concise and comprehensive instructions on the Datong matter, and then Xu Kun respectfully left the hall to handle the matter.

Perhaps it was the impact caused by Sun Zhanying's defection and betrayal, or perhaps it was the lingering fear of Guo Youchang and the Prince of Zhongshun regarding the fall of a regional commander.

The Qianyang Hall fell into a brief silence.

It was not until a eunuch from outside the hall entered the hall again and said: "Reporting to Your Majesty, Count Weiyuan Jia Cong has a direct memorial to submit, please preview it, Your Majesty."

According to the regulations of the Great Zhou dynasty, only officials above the fourth rank have the right to submit memorials directly to the Emperor.

Before Jia Cong was in mourning, he was only a full-time official of the fifth rank in the Firearm Bureau. According to common sense, he did not have the right to submit memorials directly.

But two years ago, Jia Cong cracked a major case in Jinling and presented the method of three-stage shooting with muskets to the court, pioneering the method of strengthening the army with firearms.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao was overjoyed and specially granted Jia Cong, who was only a seventh-rank official at the time, the right to submit memorials directly, which only fourth-rank officials had.

According to common practice, memorials submitted directly by officials are sent as soon as they are reported, which can be sent to the imperial presence earlier than the daily reports of the government offices.

When the eunuch entered the hall holding Jia Cong's memorial, Guo Lin stepped forward to take it and then sent it to Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's imperial desk.

And Guo Youchang on the side heard Jia Cong's name, thought of the obscure and unclear gazes of Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao and the Prince of Zhongshun, and suddenly felt inspired, his gaze flickering...

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao opened Jia Cong's memorial, and what came to his face was that clear, handsome, and ancient, peerless calligraphy style, with flowing ink and vivid spirit, which made his spirit slightly refreshed.

He carefully browsed the memorial and saw that the wording was earnest, writing:...

My elder brother has the appearance of a dissolute person, but no evil thoughts; he has rebellious actions, but no heart to harm the country.

Now he hates that he has violated the state law, the confession has already been made clear to the office, the glory of the family has been cut off, and the qualifications for inheriting the title have been stripped. His life is worse than death, which is enough to warn the nobility and manifest the strictness of the criminal law.

As an official of the country, I know deeply that the state law is like a mountain, and I am willing to serve the Emperor's great wish for the world, willing to go through fire and water, and serve the sage monarch, having already exhausted the great cause of the country.

However, the heart of reporting to the country is difficult to refuse the family's kindness, and the feelings of brothers are unbearable to be punished.

I pray to be demoted to the border area, to experience the hardships of wind and snow, to serve the country and be loyal, to redeem his guilt, which can manifest Your Majesty's heart of education.

I request to remove the grace of mourning, thank the relatives and go to the country, re-enter the Firearm Bureau to serve, and research heavy weapons for the country again, to repay Your Majesty's wise and lenient grace... (End of chapter)