Chapter 253

Inside the commander's large tent, Jia Jing, upon receiving a letter from Nian Gengyao, thought of his own marriage.

Actually, his options are not many, nothing more than the daughters of top civil officials, military nobles, and the close imperial clan.

No matter which side he chooses, there are both advantages and disadvantages.

If he marries a daughter of a civil-official family, the benefit is that it helps ease the hostility and vigilance of civil officials toward him, and win support from part of the civil-official faction.

The drawback is that a civil-military marriage easily creates the image of a powerful minister, thereby provoking broader suspicion throughout the court and society.

If he marries a daughter of a military-noble family, the advantage is small political risk, and intermarriage among generals is also common practice.

The disadvantage is that it is not conducive to the long-term development of his official career, limiting his own scope.

He is already the top military noble of the court, and can even be said to be the foremost among military nobles.

Marrying again into another military family would be tantamount to locking himself within the military circle, which is not conducive to exerting influence over the civil-official group and the imperial clan.

If he marries a daughter of the close imperial clan, the benefit is to dispel the suspicion caused by his overwhelming merit and become a true insider of the royal house.

However, the drawback is that, in the Han Dynasty, a prince consort cannot hold real power; even if Jing Sheng Di could make an exception for him, this would undoubtedly give ministers a pretext to attack him using the 'ancestral laws'.

So, no matter how he chooses, there are equal benefits and drawbacks; it all depends on what he wants and how he weighs them!

Jia Jing's current idea is to first return to the capital to gauge Jing Sheng Di's intentions, then make plans.

Best would be for Jing Sheng Di to grant the marriage; that would most greatly reduce negative repercussions, and nobody could find fault with it!

And Zhu Que, hearing Jia Jing's question inside the tent, was slightly startled, then tentatively replied:

"Speaking of the Nian family's status, it is barely a match for you, Sir."

"Furthermore, I have inquired: the Nian lady is beautiful and wise, well-read and reasonable, and in both character and talent she is quite suitable as a principal wife."

"However... the Nian family also has some improprieties, and these improprieties lie with Nian Gengyao."

"According to a report from the Liaodong Embroidered Uniform Guard, Nian Gengyao lives extravagantly in Liaodong, makes arbitrary personnel decisions, opposes the New Policies, and often behaves arrogantly and rudely."

"In Liaodong, his daily banquets are attended by hundreds of servants, with delicacies and fine wines flowing every day; his mansion is more luxurious than an ordinary prince's residence, and his daily travel expenses alone exceed twenty thousand taels of silver."

"Within the two garrisons under his command, the appointment and dismissal of civil and military officials are decided solely by him, a practice called 'Nian Selection'; officials sent by the court who do not please him are subjected to myriad obstacles or even driven away."

"Sir, you yourself once served in Liaodong, so you should certainly be aware of Nian Gengyao's character!"

"I believe his urgency to ally with you through marriage is not without the intention of borrowing your strength to oppose the court."

"According to reports, since he failed to be made a duke last year, he has harbored resentment and frequently spoken overreaching words."

"Therefore, I think that with Nian Gengyao in the Nian family, trouble will inevitably arise, making it a poor choice for marriage."

Zhu Que gave his opinion directly; being loyal and devoted to Jia Jing, he had no reason to hide it.

Upon hearing this, Jia Jing's expression grew slightly solemn; he tapped his fingers repeatedly on the case before him, saying nothing.

The several points Zhu Que made were based on objective circumstances, hit the crux, and were not idle talk.

In terms of the Nian family's status, it is barely a match for him.

Furthermore, although he has never personally seen Nian Shilan, he knows what kind of figure the historical Consort Nian was!

Historically, Nian Shilan, as the Yongzheng Emperor's white moonlight, was certainly not the arrogant, domineering sort who would say 'a lowly person is just pretentious' as depicted in *The Story of Yanxi Palace*.

Nor was she the low-born servant in the Yongzheng court whom the emperor demanded to 'take off her armor' as a punching bag.

Quite the opposite, the real historical Nian Shilan possessed a dignified nature and extraordinary talent; not only was her appearance remarkable, she also excelled at music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and conducted herself with caution and courtesy.

She was the only one in the nearly hundred years from the Shunzhi reign onward in the Qing dynasty to be made an Imperial Noble Consort while the empress was still alive.

Even later, when Nian Gengyao incurred guilt, the Nian family should have been implicated, but the Yongzheng Emperor, out of regard for Nian Shilan's face, did not vent his anger on the Nian family, showing how highly favored she was.

Thus, considering both status and character, Nian Shilan is actually a relatively suitable choice for a principal wife.

But unfortunately, she has as an older brother the arrogant and overbearing Nian Gengyao, who knows no restraint.

In this world, Nian Gengyao may not have the same weight as in history, but as the commander of Liaodong, holding the military authority over a hundred thousand troops, his nature of taking credit for himself and behaving improperly remains unchanged.

Perhaps because Jia Jing is present, Nian Gengyao has not achieved the feat of pacifying Qinghai, nor has he been granted the rank of a first-degree duke; his conduct is somewhat more restrained than in history.

At the very least, he has not mistakenly written 'morning diligence, evening vigilance' as 'evening vigilance, morning diligence' in his memorials, nor has he committed the 'Ninety-Two Great Crimes' that include grand treason and arbitrary excess.

However, in forming cliques for personal gain and in extravagant, licentious indulgence, he remains unchanged; his political vision and wisdom are truly worrisome!

Given Jia Jing's understanding of Jing Sheng Di, Nian Gengyao's final fate will probably not be any better than in history.

If he chooses to marry into the Nian family, he will then have to clean up Nian Gengyao's mess, which he is unwilling to do!

Thinking of this, Jia Jing tapped the case and ordered Zhu Que:

"As for Liaodong, you need not concern yourself with him for now; wait until I return to the capital to make arrangements! Just let the Embroidered Uniform Guard keep watch."

Jia Jing's plan is to wait until he returns to the capital, then find an opportunity to transfer Nian Gengyao away from Liaodong.

First, to see how much favor Nian Gengyao bears toward him, transferring him away from Liaodong would also be a helping hand, lest he rely on his military power to make mistakes and repeat past errors.

Second, after Qin Qiong's defeat of the False Qing's Chuerdan, he will certainly be enfeoffed as a marquis; then, by transferring Nian Gengyao away and placing Qin Qiong as the Liaodong commander, it will be advantageous for him to control and reorganize the Liaodong forces.

"Yes, Sir!" Zhu Que replied with clasped hands.

After arranging this, seeing Zhu Que hesitant to speak, Jia Jing furrowed his brow and asked:

"What else is there, spoken haltingly?"

Zhu Que lowered his voice and said:

"Sir, today there is also intelligence arriving from the Xuanwu division in Shenjing City!"

"What important matter is it?" Jia Jing asked.

In Shenjing City, Xuanwu oversees the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and basically every three to five days news arrives.

Although Jia Jing is in the northwest, he is quite clear about all movements in Shenjing City, especially the court and the Jia Family, which he knows almost like the back of his hand.

"He mainly reported two matters. First, the situation of the capital garrison's reorganization: Wang Ziteng is eager for quick profit and immediate benefit; since you, Sir, were made a first-degree duke, his reorganization of the capital garrison has become increasingly harsh."

"Moreover, Jia Zhen and others have been extorting money there wantonly, behaving lawlessly, causing great resentment among many officers of the capital garrison."

"Nowadays, quite a few officers of the capital garrison have secretly colluded, preparing to incite the garrison soldiers to mutiny and cause trouble."

"Xuanwu says the time has come; should we activate the covert agents to add fuel to the fire of the capital garrison?"