Chapter 254

Jia Jing frowned upon hearing that; he has been paying attention to the matter of Jingying's troop reorganization.

Since Wang Ziteng schemed the personal connections of Rong Guo Mansion, he had already had Zhu Que make preparations in advance, planting a hidden operative, waiting patiently for the opportunity.

He had long anticipated that the reorganization of Jingying would not go smoothly.

Wang Ziteng, a mere civil official, lacking both military merit and prestige and having no trusted troops of his own, could hardly hope to successfully reorganize Jingying.

Even though he enjoys the support of Emperor Jing Sheng Di and the favor of the Jia Family, the reorganization of Jingying touches on the vital interests of many officers and a tangled web of relationships.

Reforms and rectifications are never solved merely by a few words or a banquet; they inevitably must be accompanied by bloody conflict to break the resistance of entrenched vested‑interest groups!

Therefore, Jia Jing planted the hidden operative in advance so that it could act at this moment.

On one hand, it is to give Wang Ziteng a lesson, to let him know that the Jia Family's personal favors are not easily taken.

On the other hand, it is also so that when chaos erupts in Jingying, we can learn of it early, modestly control the situation, and prevent it from spreading too widely and harming many innocent civilians and soldiers.

Of course, if possible, it would be best to guide the Jingying soldiers to vent their grievances in a suitable place.

Jia Jing thought for a moment, did not rush to decide, and asked:

"What about the second matter?"

Zhu Que's voice lowered a few more degrees, and he said softly:

"The other matter concerns Ning Guo Fu; Jia Zhen, lecherous and audacious, recently used his son Jia Rong to try to lure Qin Shi out of Rong Guo Mansion and forcibly defile her."

"According to reports, Jia Rong went to Wang Xifeng's small courtyard a few days ago, tearfully claiming to have suddenly repented, and said he had set up another small courtyard outside the mansion."

"He said that from then on he and Qin Shi would live their own small life outside the mansion, no longer concerning Jia Zhen, speaking earnestly, which almost convinced Qin Shi to believe him."

"Fortunately, Wang Xifeng was quick-witted, knowing that he lacked the courage to defy Jia Zhen, instantly seeing his lie; under her harsh scolding, Jia Rong finally revealed the truth."

"It turned out all this was Jia Zhen's secret scheme, aiming to lure Qin Shi out of Rong Guo Mansion, turning the rice into cooked rice, and forcing her to comply completely."

Zhu Que said this, and a trace of contempt flashed in his eyes.

Jia Zhen is truly lecherous, greedy, and dim‑witted; he clearly guessed that Qin Shi was hiding in Rong Guo Mansion and might seek help from the Lord.

Yet he still acted recklessly, plotting repeatedly, risking everything just to seize this prize.

What exactly is it about Qin Shi that makes him so obsessively infatuated, disregarding status?

Jia Jing listened, his gaze deep and lingering, and said slowly:

"Promiscuous without restraint, with no bottom line! Jia Zhen has indeed exhausted his scheming to obtain Qin Shi! Last time I asked you to investigate Qin Shi's lineage, did you find any clues?"

The reason Jia Jing was willing to covertly help Qin Keqing back then was, first, to consider the Jia Family's reputation.

More importantly, he inferred from the original text that Qin Keqing's background might not be that simple, and did not want the sordid affairs of Ning Guo Fu to affect the stability of Rong Guo Mansion!

Zhu Que heard this, his expression straightened, and he said in a deep voice:

"I have already ordered multiple inquiries on this matter; Qin Shi's lineage indeed has many suspicious aspects, and it even seems to involve secret matters of the imperial palace."

"However, many things are so far in the past and have had their clues deliberately cut off, so we have not yet gathered much useful information."

"The only thing currently certain is that the former Rong Guo Duke Jia Daishan and Jia Jing are not simple; the previous head of the Jia Mansion seems to have been entangled in some disputes between Emperor Jianwen, a grandson of the founding ancestor, and Emperor Chengzu."

"Now that the former Rong Guo Duke and Jia Jing have both passed away, uncovering this matter will likely not be achievable in a short time."

Jia Jing's expression hardened at the words, his brows slightly furrowed.

He did not expect the Qin Keqing affair to be so deep, actually concerning the secrets of the Jianwen and Chengzu generations.

It seems her verdict, "Careless words bring disgrace, the origin of strife truly lies in Ning," was not baseless.

Fortunately, he had not been careless about this matter last time; otherwise, if Qin Keqing had died again at Ning Guo Fu, it would have truly caused unnecessary trouble.

Jia Jing pondered for a moment and, in a solemn voice, ordered:

"The Qin Keqing matter must continue to be investigated deeply, increase manpower, and report any situation immediately."

"As for Jia Zhen, I originally planned to return to the capital to deal with him, but since he is now scrambling to find a way out, I cannot stop him."

Saying this, Jia Jing paused, his voice growing a few degrees colder, and said:

"The Jia Mansion having three Dukes of Rong Guo is indeed excessive; Ning Guo Fu no longer needs to exist!"

"Since he is happily scooping silver in Jingying, we can use this Jingying affair to deal with him and Wang Ziteng together!"

"Then I will issue the command to Xuanwu for action..." Zhu Que understood Jia Jing's meaning, his expression heavy, and replied.

"No! This matter is of great significance and far‑reaching! You must handle it yourself!"

"If Jingying erupts into chaos, you must promptly mobilize Bashang Daying to suppress it, lest the situation deteriorate beyond repair!"

Jia Jing thought for a moment and said.

An army's upheaval is never a trivial matter; he must make thorough preparations.

"I will submit a memorial to His Majesty, ordering you to first return to the capital and take charge of Bashang Daying."

"Conveniently, didn't we capture Ji An Marquis in the Qinghai Left Wing last time? You should also escort him back to the capital, impose the proper punishment, and set an example for future offenders," Jia Jing said.

Zhu Que clasped his fists and said:

"Lord, rest assured! I will definitely see the matter handled well!"

"Hmm! Go down and prepare!"

…………

Many days later.

It was June, at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains, where grass grew and warblers sang.

The wind blew from the west, carrying Gobi sand and gravel, stinging faces.

At this moment, at the foot of the Tianshan, two great armies stood silently, warhorses neighing, golden spears whistling, each gazing at the other with a weighty stare.

Twenty thousand Han Army cavalry formed a line before the mountain.

Black‑armored Xuan banners stood silent as a mountain.

Jia Jing led five thousand cavalry in front of the standing formation, his western Sichuan red brocade flowered robe rustling in the wind.

Behind him, Ma Guocheng and You Shiyong each commanded five thousand cavalry on the left and right, while Zhou Yingyuan led five thousand cavalry in the rear.

War horses exhaled white vapor, the Han Army soldiers straightened their backs, their eyes blazing like torches.

Their faces showed no fear, no hesitation, only a pent-up excitement… because they had followed Jia Jing and never suffered a defeat.

Meanwhile, opposite the Han Army, the sixty-thousand-strong Hunye Army took up positions along the mountain.

They occupied all advantageous terrain on the southern foothills of Heavenly Mountain.

Cavalry and infantry were stacked in layers from the mountain base up to the mountainside, banners dense as forests, swords and spears flashing coldly in the sunlight.

Yet within the Hunye Army's ranks at this moment there was an eerie stillness, unusually quiet.

No war drums, no bugles, no taunts before battle.

The sixty thousand stood there, like a silent iron curtain.

Jia Jing narrowed his eyes, gazing at the oppressive dark formation opposite.