Chapter 503: Times and Trends Bring Special Grace

Da Zhou Imperial City, Qianyang Palace.

As the calendar turned to the twelfth lunar month, the gentle early winter of the Divine Capital had vanished completely, and the weather grew colder with each passing day.

The extreme weather that had plagued the region for years made another appearance in the winter of the fourteenth year of Emperor Jia Zhao.

The place where Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao routinely reviewed memorials was moved from the main hall of Qianyang Palace to the East Warm Pavilion in the rear palace.

Because the front hall lacked underfloor heating, sitting trapped there for long periods during the harsh winter was unbearable, even with several braziers lit.

Not to mention that since his ascension, Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao had been preoccupied with state affairs, sleeping only two-plus hours a day; over time, his health had never been particularly robust.

The East Warm Pavilion behind the hall was built with fire walls and underfloor heating; every day, halfway through the morning court, eunuchs would burn premium red charcoal in the furnace outside the pavilion.

The heat from the charcoal would circulate through the underfloor flues and the hollows of the fire walls, so that even in the bitterest cold of midwinter, the East Warm Pavilion remained as warm as spring.

On Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's imperial desk lay several reports on the development of the breech-loading rifle at the firearms workshop, all of which Jia Cong had ordered the workshop manager, Qian Huai, to deliver to the palace regularly.

These reports remained on the Emperor's desk, and he would flip through them whenever he had a moment of leisure.

From these reports, he could see the progress of the breech-loading rifle's development; while not rapid, it was steady and methodical, with every step appearing orderly, neither arrogant nor rash.

Some time ago, when Jia Cong was in mourning and away from his post, he had not intervened in the workshop's affairs; the workshop had fumbled with the breech-loading rifle based on blueprints, showing a chaotic, blind-men-feeling-an-elephant approach.

Since Jia Cong returned to the workshop to take charge, the atmosphere of the breech-loading rifle's development had taken on a brand-new look. Comparing the two periods, the difference was immediately apparent, which left Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao very satisfied with him.

It also made the Emperor realize once again that in the field of firearms development and supervision, Jia Cong possessed such exceptional talent that, looking across the entire Da Zhou, it was estimated no one could replace him.

……

And after the morning court on this day, Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's joyful anticipation for the breech-loading rifle's development soon faded in his heart, his focus shifting to the reply submitted by the Ministry of War regarding the mission to the Tu Man tribe.

Upon receiving the memorial, he immediately summoned the Minister of War, Gu Yankui, the Minister of Rites, Guo Youchang, the Commander of the Central Army of the Five Military Camps, Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding, and the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Xu Kun, to the hall to discuss the matter.

After they entered the East Warm Pavilion a few days later, Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao had the attendants grant them seats.

Gu Yankui spoke first: "Reporting to Your Majesty, following the imperial decree, a month ago, the Minister and the Minister of Rites, Guo, selected the Vice Minister of War, Peng Runan, and the Director of the Ministry of Rites, Zhang Youzhi, as the primary and secondary envoys to the Mongol Tu Man tribe.

Thirteen days ago, the Da Zhou envoys arrived at the northern court royal tent of the Tu Man tribe's Anda Khan, met with Anda Khan to negotiate the various matters, and demanded the handover of the traitorous Datong Army commander Sun Zhanying, his son, and others.

However, Anda Khan and his subordinate generals flatly denied that Sun Zhanying and the others had defected and fled to the Tu Man tribe.

The dispute between the two sides was not small, but our mission consisted of only a hundred or so men, making it impossible to search for the traces of Sun Zhanying and his son nearby.

According to the scouts of the Da Zhou border army and the Datong Embroidered Uniform Guard who searched outside the pass, the traces of Sun Zhanying and his party's northward route indeed led into the Gulun Grassland controlled by the Tu Man tribe.

According to the Sun family's documents and accounts seized by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the places where the Sun family's merchant firm traded outside the pass over these years were all within the Tu Man tribe's sphere of influence.

We firmly believe that Sun Zhanying and his son must have long been in collusion with the Tu Man, and this escape outside the pass must have been to defect to Anda Khan. The Tu Man tribe's deliberate evasion must have hidden motives."

Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding said: "Reporting to Your Majesty, Anda Khan is a hero of the grasslands, a man of courage and decisiveness with long-term vision. Without sufficient preparation for an invasion of the south, he would never easily antagonize our Da Zhou.

Even if Sun Zhanying smuggled contraband salt and iron to the Tu Man tribe for exorbitant profits, to Anda Khan, he is merely a merchant driven by greed.

Under normal circumstances, Anda Khan would never cause our Da Zhou to harbor suspicion and prepare defenses prematurely because of such a person; this would bring Anda Khan a hundred harms and not a single benefit.

I believe that Anda Khan's protection of Sun Zhanying must not be because the Sun family once sold salt and iron to the Tu Man tribe, but for other reasons."

The Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Xu Kun, said: "I second the Marquis's opinion. According to the investigation report from the Liaoyang Battalion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Sun Zhanying's second son, Sun Shaowu, opened a fur shop in Liaoyang City two years ago.

Sun Shaowu's fur shop dealt in the acquisition of Liaodong medicinal herbs and furs. According to the Guard's investigation, three days before Sun Zhanying fled outside the pass, Sun Shaowu suddenly left Liaoyang City and his whereabouts became unknown.

The assets in his shop were also completely cleared out, and the shopkeeper and clerks were nowhere to be found.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard concludes from this that Sun Zhanying must have notified Sun Shaowu before the incident, allowing him to tidy up loose ends in time and follow his father outside the pass to defect to the enemy.

Several merchants in Liaoyang City who had close business dealings with Sun Shaowu have also disappeared without cause, their whereabouts unknown.

I believe that the Sun family, having experienced three generations in Datong, has deep roots in the Nine Borders. Years ago, Sun Zhanying had his second son stationed in Liaoyang, and he also set up assistants beneath him; his foresight is evident.

These planted eyes and ears, moving at the first sign of trouble and escaping unscathed, cannot help but make one ponder deeply.

This time, Sun Zhanying took his family north to defect to the enemy; it is hard to guarantee that he did not leave behind such eyes and ears inside the pass.

Therefore, I privately speculate that Anda Khan, who has always been wild and untamable, aggressive and militaristic, might be protecting Sun Zhanying precisely because he values the Sun family's foundation inside the pass.

Once the Sun family's eyes and ears inside the pass are used by Anda Khan of the Tu Man tribe, the hidden danger will not be small."

Once Xu Kun said this, Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao, Gu Yankui, Shi Ding, and the others felt a chill in their hearts.

Originally, they thought Sun Zhanying had merely been caught smuggling salt and iron, which was why he had brazenly fled outside the pass to defect. But if the facts were truly as the Embroidered Uniform Guard's investigation inferred, the Sun family had operated in the Nine Borders for several generations. Even if Sun Zhanying took his immediate family outside the pass to defect, the possibility that he left behind hidden forces inside the pass was almost certain.

If this were the case, then the Sun Zhanying affair would not end with his flight outside the pass; the poison of this matter would leave behind no small harm.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's expression was cold and stern as he said: "Xu Kun, I order you to coordinate the Embroidered Uniform Guard battalions in Datong and Liaodong, select capable captains, and strictly investigate the shops, personnel, and hidden forces left behind by the Sun family.

Once discovered, punish them strictly without leniency. Go and handle this immediately!"

……

After Xu Kun exited the East Warm Pavilion, Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao said: "In recent years, winters across the north and south of Da Zhou have been bitterly cold. A few days ago, scouts from the Nine Borders reported that snow disasters have broken out across the Mobei grasslands.

The various northern barbarian tribes will likely face difficult livelihoods. Harassing the borders by moving south is an old story; I fear the Nine Borders will no longer be peaceful."

"Jia Cong's battle to pacify the Jurchens is something all you ministers are familiar with. Against the fast horses and sharp blades of the grassland tribes, only the power of firearms is the way to settle the matter.

Jia Cong is currently developing a new type of breech-loading firearm. He has set a five-month deadline for me. Once this gun is successfully built, it will surely add another weapon to protect the country for Da Zhou!"

Gu Yankui, Shi Ding, and other ministers of military affairs heard the stirring intent in Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's words and were slightly startled.

The firearms workshop had always been a vital military site, and daily security was extremely strict. Jia Cong's development of the breech-loading gun, apart from Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao, was only known to a group of craftsmen like Liu Shizhen at the workshop.

Even trusted ministers like Gu Yankui and Shi Ding were completely unaware.

Seeing Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's usual composure and rigor, his fervent certainty when mentioning the newly made firearm was extraordinary.

From this, it could be seen that the power of this new firearm must be outstanding; otherwise, it would not lead the Emperor to place such high hopes on it.

Moreover, they would not doubt Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's reaction, because they had witnessed Jia Cong's miraculous feats in firearms development time and again.

From the earliest three-stage firing method to the improved Lu Mi musket, from the highly powerful porcelain grenades to the new-style Red Barbarian cannons that could be called national treasures.

Therefore, they had not the slightest doubt or surprise that Jia Cong could develop an even more powerful firearm.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao looked at Shi Ding below and said: "Minister Shi, I want you to expand the Shenji Camp by five thousand troops before the end of next spring.

All recruits are not to be screened or drawn from the various guard armies; they are to be selected from the young and strong among the common people according to the Ministry of War's notices, to prepare in advance for the northern barbarian threat at the Nine Borders.

I anticipate that by the end of next spring, Jia Cong's new-style firearm will surely be successfully test-fired. By then, with sufficient troops in the Five Military Shenji Camp, we can train a strong army again!"

He then said to Gu Yankui: "I want to expand the firearms manufacturing workshop in the eastern suburbs of the city to ensure that after next spring, the workshop's firearms manufacturing capacity can be significantly improved.

Minister Gu, handle this matter in coordination with Li Dekang of the Ministry of Works. It must be completed before the end of next spring."

……

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao took the report from the firearms workshop on his desk, flipped through a few pages, and said: "A few days ago, the Dowager Lady Rongguo submitted a memorial to the court requesting the inheritance of the Rongguo title for her second son, Jia Zheng.

That day, I discussed the matter of the Rongguo title with you ministers. Although the Grand Ancestor and Minister Guo each held their own views, I felt there was merit in both.

At that time, we encountered the incident of Sun Zhanying's defection in Datong, and this matter was delayed. Now, to set the record straight, this matter needs to be settled as soon as possible.

The position of noble rank is a vital instrument of the state; granting it must be reasonable, rational, and compliant with regulations. It must never be granted to the wrong person, lest we see a recurrence of the absurd situations like those of Xie Jing, Qi Jianhui, or Qiu Liang."

…… Upon hearing the Emperor's words, the Minister of Rites, Guo Youchang, recalled the day Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao and the Grand Ancestor, Prince Zhongshun, intended to abolish the Rongguo title.

Out of respect for ritual and law, he was unwilling to agree and had raised the objection that the eldest branch of the Rongguo family still had living bloodlines.

Could it be that his act of desperation was truly to be adopted by His Majesty……

Upon hearing Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's tone, Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding's heart jumped. He recalled the argument of "one body, two titles" raised by the Minister of Rites, Guo Youchang, when he was cornered in the Qianyang Hall that day.

The Dowager Lady of the Rongguo Prefecture was his aunt; the Jia and Shi families were linked by blood. Publicly and privately, Shi Ding hoped for the smooth inheritance of the Rongguo title.

But that day in the Qianyang Hall, the words of the Grand Ancestor, Prince Zhongshun, were aggressive, disparaging the Jia Zheng branch of the Rongguo Prefecture's second house as worthless.

And the current Emperor was almost in a state of tacit agreement with the Grand Ancestor's words. Shi Ding was also well-versed in the treacherous waves of the court; how could he not realize where the Emperor's heart lay? The Rongguo Prefecture was truly on the verge of having its title removed.

The "one body, two titles" theory temporarily proposed by the Minister of Rites, Guo Youchang, was like splashing a basin of water when the fire was burning his eyebrows, making Shi Ding feel it was a perfect solution for both sides.

For Shi Ding, who inherited the Rongguo title was not the issue; as long as the Rongguo title could be passed down and the Rongguo Prefecture did not fall because of it, the Jia and Shi families could continue to watch over and help each other.

Moreover, Shi Ding had a close personal friendship with Jia Cong. He highly esteemed and admired this exceptionally talented junior. Furthermore, because of Shi Xiangyun, the other party had almost become his nephew-in-law.

Publicly and privately, Shi Ding was happy to see Jia Cong inherit the Rongguo title.

At the time, Shi Ding returned to his residence and had mentioned this to his wife, Lady Li. Lady Li was greatly moved when she heard that Jia Cong had such good fortune.

It was not a day or two that the two sisters-in-law of the Shi family had wanted to arrange a marriage between Jia Cong and Shi Xiangyun.

But Shi Ding did not hold much hope for this matter. After all, "one body, two titles" was a rare honor throughout the ages; it would not easily appear unless it was an extraordinary time and an extraordinary situation.

However, today, Shi Ding sensed the signs of shifting winds and clouds.

When Sun Zhanying first fled outside the pass to defect, he originally thought that Da Zhou would send envoys, with the imposing manner of a great nation, to demand the traitor, and that the words would be followed by action, capturing him easily.

No one expected that Anda Khan of the Tu Man tribe would flatly deny the matter and evade it in every way, to the point where the Embroidered Uniform Guard spoke of the hidden risks in this matter.

Since his crushing defeat by the Marquis of Pingyuan, Liang Chengzong, Anda Khan had been sharpening his weapons and accumulating strength. Added to the Sun Zhanying factor, the danger of the Tu Man tribe had suddenly surfaced.

The current Emperor was far-sighted and naturally sensed the crisis of the northern barbarians, which was why he had him immediately recruit five thousand troops for the Shenji Camp to prevent trouble before it happened.

And this decision to increase troops was closely related to Jia Cong's development of the new-style firearm. The Emperor wanted to use Da Zhou's latest firearms to expand and arm the Shenji Camp's personnel to deal with the future threat of the Tu Man tribe.

In this situation of shifting military winds, Jia Cong possessed unparalleled firearms manufacturing ability, was also a young military talent with amazing natural gifts, and had once achieved the proud record of pacifying the Jurchens outside the pass.

Such a person, under these surging trends, would surely have his weight in the Emperor's heart infinitely increased.

The way of an emperor in employing people is to drive them with power and use them with merit, but he must first show them grace.

Shi Ding sighed in his heart, perhaps it was truly fate. The destiny of that young man of the Jia family was truly incredible. Some words might be presumptuous, but he truly had the appearance of being too noble to speak of……

He suddenly thought that the day before, his wife and sister-in-law had sent his niece Xiangyun to the Jia residence to visit her aunt. The two sisters-in-law had even taken it upon themselves to go to the Jia family's East Prefecture to socialize and build ties.

At the time, Shi Ding felt that women had long hair and short knowledge, doing only shallow and ridiculous things. Now, however, he felt that his wife and sister-in-law truly had foresight.

Just as Shi Ding was lost in thought, he heard Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao above say: "Guo Lin, immediately summon the Grand Ancestor to the palace for discussion. Also, summon the Hanlin Academy's scribe to draft an edict for me!"

……

Rongguo Prefecture, Rongqing Hall.

Ever since Baoyu recovered from his injuries and could walk freely, Jia Mu and Lady Wang had been joyful in their hearts, each thinking that the second house was about to inherit the title, and they felt even more pity and love for Baoyu.

Today, Jia Mu sat in the main seat as usual, pulling Baoyu to sit beside her. Seeing Baoyu's somewhat plump, fair, and round face, she felt it was increasingly pleasing to the eye.

It was just that Baoyu's face had a look of loneliness. Because he had been recuperating in his room for two months, his daily routine had become somewhat lazy, and he got up much later than before.

Dressed completely, he hurried to the Rongqing Hall to pay his respects to Jia Mu. The reason he was so active was not because his filial piety toward Jia Mu was particularly deep.

A large part of the reason was that he knew every morning, as long as the weather was not rainy or snowy, the sisters from the East Prefecture would come to pay their respects to the Old Ancestor.

Baoyu could also take the opportunity to say some intimate words to Cousin Lin and Cousin Bao.

But he did not expect that he had still arrived late; the sisters from the East Prefecture had come to pay their respects to the Old Ancestor a quarter of an hour ago.

Originally, the sisters were going to sit and chat for a while longer, but Xiangyun was clamoring to play Go with Yingchun because she had lost two games yesterday and was unconvinced, wanting to win back the field today.

Xiangyun was a guest at the residence, and Yingchun and the others naturally had no objections. Jia Mu had always doted on this niece from her maiden family, so she naturally told them to go back and play.

Baoyu had hurried over, just missing them. He was willing to follow them to the East Prefecture and cling to the sisters to talk and laugh, but in his heart, he was a little afraid.

Not to mention that the threshold of the East Prefecture was too refined, and the gatekeeper woman always used the same line that men from outside were not allowed to enter the inner courtyard.

A more important point was that everyone in the two prefectures knew that Jia Cong was currently reading and studying day and night in the East Prefecture, preparing for the spring examinations next year.

Such a thing as the imperial spring examinations had a tremendous crushing power on Baoyu. Whether one called it disdain or feeling ashamed of his own inferiority, it didn't matter.

In short, he wished he could stay eight hundred feet away from such matters of official career and imperial examinations. Even though Cousin Lin and many beautiful maids were in the East Prefecture, he still had to keep his distance.

Ever since he was bedridden with injuries, Yingchun and Seeing Tan Chun had often come to visit, but Cousin Lin and Cousin Bao had come very rarely, and each time they came with the sisters, their words were also very distant.

Baoyu really couldn't understand; even if they were cousins from outside, they had grown up together in the same residence, why did they have to be so distant and avoidant?

Thinking of these two fairy-like people being so distant and cold to him, could it be that he, this muddy thing of a man, was truly unworthy of the slight favor of these heaven-blessed beauties?

Thinking of this, Baoyu couldn't help but sigh and lament the spring and autumn, his heart aching, truly aching……

……

Jia Mu and Lady Wang on the side were chatting with Xue Yima. They were already somewhat used to Baoyu's strange expressions of sorrow and resentment, so they didn't take it too much to heart.

Ever since she knew that the Jia family's title was going to fall to the second house, and the title of Lady on her sister would soon rise by a large margin, Xue Yima's visits to the Rongqing Hall became frequent.

It was just that Xue Yima was depressed in her heart; her daughter Baochai was ultimately not enlightened. She had hinted to her to show her face more often in front of the Old Ancestor and say more pleasing and good words.

Her daughter treated everything as wind in her ears, and even her usual cleverness and intelligence had diminished by more than half. Every time she entered the Rongqing Hall, she was like a piece of wood, making Xue Yima frown in anger.

Just now, the Shi family girl said she was going to play Go, so she let the sisters go. Her daughter also foolishly followed them; she truly had no sense of priority or discernment.

Her daughter, who used to be clever and transparent, had now become so clumsy.

Not to mention that Xue Yima was somewhat unhappy because Baochai wouldn't listen, and she wasn't in the state of mind for chatting.

In fact, Jia Mu and Lady Wang were also somewhat absent-minded when they spoke, because Jia Mu's memorial had been in the palace for several days, and there had been no response or news, so this major matter was still hanging there.

Just as they were each hesitant and confused in their hearts, they heard Lin Zhixiao's wife lift the curtain and enter, saying: "Old Ancestor, just now a secretary from the Ministry of Rites came to the residence to pass on a message.

He said that an oral decree from the palace had been received, and at the first quarter of the Si hour (9:15 AM), officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Clan Court would come to the residence to proclaim the edict. They asked the residence to prepare the rituals, and all the ladies with titles and the disciples of the residence should go to the Rongxi Hall to receive the decree."

Upon hearing this, Jia Mu was overjoyed, and Lady Wang on the side laughed: "Ultimately, the Old Ancestor's status as a State Lady is noble. With one memorial entering the palace, the Emperor truly bestowed the grace of inheriting the title."

Xue Yima on the side heard this and knew that the matter of inheriting the title that her sister had been thinking about day and night had finally come true. She thought of Baoyu and her daughter Baochai, and a red glow appeared on her face.

She hurriedly smiled and congratulated Jia Mu, the celebratory words not repeating themselves, and in an instant, she had said half a cartload.

Seeing that the matter she had been worrying about had finally landed, Jia Mu couldn't help but feel deeply comforted.

She looked at Baoyu beside her, imagining him inheriting the family business, and felt that her life's wishes were fulfilled.

Jia Mu also had Lin Zhixiao's wife immediately send someone to the Ministry of Works to call Jia Zheng home to prepare to receive the decree and inherit the title, and also ordered the Rongguo Prefecture to be decorated with lanterns and colored hangings to celebrate the inheritance of the Rongguo hereditary title.

The entire Rongguo Prefecture was soon filled with a full festive atmosphere…… (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 504 =====