Chapter 291: Entering the Palace

On the dragon carriage,

Facing Jing Sheng Di's slightly nervous question, Jia Jing never failed to understand what was on his mind,

It was nothing but an attempt to indirectly probe the matter of the dream‑appointed wise minister, to see whether he himself had had a similar dream!

But Jia Jing would never reveal or even be tainted by such a prophetic dream!

He had only ever heard of King Wen of Zhou dreaming of Jiang Ziya, and Emperor Taizong of Tang dreaming of Xue Rengui, and never of Jiang Ziya or Xue Rengui dreaming back of the king or emperor.

Then it would not be a dream‑appointed wise minister, but a dream‑appointed wise ruler!

Moreover, if a minister shares a similar dream with the emperor, it would only raise suspicion—advantageous without drawback!

Jia Jing smiled with his usual composure and said:

"Actually... I did have a dream yesterday; though it was brief, the dream was unique, and I still recall it clearly."

"It seemed I dreamed... I was standing on a treasure island, whose outline resembled a spindle or a flat boat, narrow north‑south and relatively narrow east‑west."

"Its overall shape was elongated, slightly curved, like a sweet potato or a leaf. In the dream I planted the Da Han Empire's banner on the island, with the characters 'Recapture' written on it."

"I also dreamed... I stood upon an island nation, an arc stretching from the northeast to the southwest."

"It resembled a coiled snake or a curved seahorse, narrow north‑south and narrow east‑west. I raised the Da Han Empire's banner on the island nation, with the characters 'Conquest' on it."

"The dream felt as if I were there; it remains vivid. I wonder, Your Majesty, could you interpret it for me?"

Jia Jing, with a questioning look, turned to Jing Sheng Di, presenting his inevitable future deeds as a dream in advance to the emperor, thereby laying groundwork for later military maneuvers.

Upon hearing this, Jing Sheng Di quietly exhaled a sigh of relief; at least it wasn't a dream about the founding emperor.

The matter of a dream‑appointed wise minister was too supernatural; it was his greatest secret, and he did not intend to share it with anyone for the time being.

After all, the founding emperor personally entrusted the dream; the matter was of great importance and could not be taken lightly!

Jing Sheng Di, meeting Jia Jing's probing gaze, thought for a moment and smiled:

"Could the treasure island Zi Jie dreamed of be our Da Han's Taiwan Island? Its shape is indeed strikingly similar to Zi Jie's described outline!"

"Taiwan Island is now occupied by the Red Barbarians; perhaps in the future we could dispatch a fleet to retake it!"

"As for the island nation resembling a seahorse, I cannot at the moment think of where it might be!"

The 'Red Barbarians' mentioned by Jing Sheng Di refer to the later Dutch!

"'Red Barbarians' is an abbreviation of 'Red‑haired Barbarians', also found in official records, such as the 'Han Dynasty Compendium' which notes 'He Lan, also called Red‑haired Fan'."

The term also gave rise to the name 'Red Barbarian Cannon', a heavy artillery piece of the Da Han.

And by this time, the Da Han already had a name for Taiwan!

Its appellation evolved: from ancient 'Island Barbarians', 'Barbarian Continent', 'Ryukyu' to 'Da Yuan', 'Tai Yuan', and finally during the reign of the Da Han's founding emperor it was officially named 'Taiwan'.

In other words, in this world, Taiwan is also an inseparable part of China's territory!

However, the earlier Da Han, plagued by internal and external troubles, had no time to look east and thus undervalued Taiwan's strategic importance.

Since the time of the Retired Emperor's rule, the Dutch first attempted to seize the Penghu Islands, were driven out by the Han Army, and then withdrew to Taiwan,

under the pretext of trade they established a base, subsequently gradually occupying southern Taiwan and eventually the whole island.

Only because the Dutch never made a grand proclamation of invasion, the Great Han Court turned a blind eye and did not organize a large‑scale military counterattack.

In the end, Taiwan was nominally part of the Da Han at this time, but in reality had been under Dutch occupation for many years!

Hence the emperor's remark about dispatching a fleet to retake it!

Yet, judging by Jing Sheng Di's attitude, he does not treat the matter as urgent.

Because at that time people's common perception still regarded coastal islands as barren frontier lands, their strategic value was not fully recognized.

Having heard the emperor's words, Jia Jing said nothing further.

Instead, he switched to a few lighthearted topics with Jing Sheng Di, chatting about amusing incidents in battle and the customs of the northwest.

【9】 The dragon carriage moved along the imperial city's royal road, with the imperial eldest son Zhu Yunbiao gripping the reins while seated on the carriage pole.

The dragon carriage moved forward along the imperial city's royal road, and the emperor's eldest son Zhu Yunbiao held the reins, sitting on the carriage pole.

His back remained as straight as ever, yet his ears were flushed red...

He could not hear the conversation inside the carriage, but he heard his father's laughter; he had never seen the emperor laugh so heartily and loudly.

Approaching lunchtime,

Several blue‑curtain horse‑drawn carriages entered Ningrong Street in a line, stopping at the west corner gate of Rong Guo Mansion.

The sun rose to the zenith, glaring white, heating the bluestone road to a slight warmth.

The maidservants and older women had long been waiting; when the carriage halted, they hurried forward to pull down the curtains and lower the footrests.

Feng Jie was the first to leap from the carriage.

Her bright red silk jacket flashed dazzlingly in the sunlight; the rouge on her face was dulled by sweat, yet her twin vermilion eyes still shone scorching.

Before her foot could steady, the words had already left her mouth:

"The matriarch must be getting impatient; I'll go deliver a message first!"

She said that while lifting her skirt and walking inside, her steps were quick and hurried.

Of course, she not only intended to report to Jia Mu, but also to flaunt the recent sight before Lady Wang, letting her witness her third brother's grandeur!

Mrs. Xing, supported by Xing Xiuyan, slowly descended from the carriage.

Her legs were a bit numb; she had indeed sat in the carriage too long today.

Not only because the journey was far, but also due to the many carriages and horses clogging the official road, causing the return trip to take longer than the morning departure.

She stood beside the carriage, craning her neck toward Feng Jie's direction, muttering something under her breath that no one could hear clearly.

Xing Xiuyan lowered her eyes, quietly supporting her arm, each movement still courteous and proper.

Her moon‑white shirt fluttered gently in the wind, like a white magnolia not yet fully blossomed.

In the next carriage, Tan Chun and Yingchun also alighted one after another, while Xichun carefully cradled a painting in her hands.

The painting depicted Jia Jing walking along the royal road, surrounded by countless people cheering.

The only thing that doesn't match the actual scene is that in the painting Jia Jing is still holding two little girls in her hands—herself and Xiao Jiaoer.

It was originally only Jia Jing herself, but Xiao Jiaoer discovered it and strongly demanded that Jia Jing add another person, otherwise Jia Jing wouldn't be told about any tasty food in the future!

Yuan Chun was the last to get off the carriage, wearing a pale teal gauze shirt and a white magnolia hairpin, quiet and calm,

Her steps were neither fast nor slow, like the gait of someone accustomed to walking in a palace; her hands were clasped in front of her, fingertips slightly pale.

From the last carriage, Baichai and Daiyu stepped down side by side.

Baichai's honey‑colored shirt remained smooth, and the jeweled hair ornament on her head was not a single strand out of place.

She held a round fan in her hand, shaking it at an unhurried pace, as if she had just returned from a stroll in the garden, not from the Lu Gou Bridge dozens of li away.

Her gaze returned from the direction where Feng Jie had vanished, landing on Daiyu's face for a brief moment.

The few slender bamboo stitches at the collar of Daiyu's moon‑white gauze shirt were exquisitely vivid, yet her complexion was somewhat pallid.

Although the ailment she had suffered from was cured, her body remained somewhat weak; the carriage ride's jolting made her inevitably a bit fatigued and haggard.