Chapter 455: Prince of Nanan's Residence

The Prince of Nanan's residence sits in the western city of Shenjing, about seven or eight alleys away from Ningrong Street where the Jia Mansion stands.

The three beast‑headed main gates at the front of the residence are mottled with red lacquer, yet they do not look dilapidated; instead they resemble coagulated blood, exuding an unspoken, solemn killing aura.

The council side hall is set at the western corner of the mansion, a bright room flanked by two dim ones, three adjoining chambers, with walls of water‑worn bricks on all sides, and the carved lattice doors are covered with emerald gauze.

Outside the window a few old locust trees are planted; their dense foliage hangs down, cutting the morning light into tiny speckled patches that fall on the blue bricks, bright yet flickering.

Inside the hall, at this moment, shadows of people drift about, several individuals with varied expressions gathered here.

Prince Huo Zhaoming of Nanan, wearing a dark‑colored, patterned ceremonial robe, sits high on the main seat, a jade belt at his waist, his temples lightly frosted, his straight nose under a pair of deep eyes scanning the hall at the visiting Third Rank Wei Zhen General Chen Ruiwen of the Qi Guogong Residence, the Third Rank Wei Yuan General Ma Shang of the Zhen Guogong Residence, and the Second Rank male Qi Jianhui of the Xiangyang Marquis Residence, among other founding‑lineage war heroes!

These are the founding‑lineage figures who have been close to him in recent years, unlike the faction of the North Tranquil Prince's Residence and the Zhen Guogong Residence that are close to the Jia Family.

Ah, right! The one seated at the far end of the hall is none other than Xie Qing of the Dingcheng Marquis Residence, who was dismissed from office by Jia Jing last month!

After attending the morning court, these people did not go to the government office to take their posts; instead they rushed straight to Prince Huo Zhaoming's residence to discuss how to respond to the many recent changes in the court!

At this moment, Third Rank Wei Zhen General Chen Ruiwen of the Qi Guogong Residence leans back in a Grand Preceptor chair, clutching a small purple‑clay teapot in his hand,

He directly pours a mouthful from the spout into his own mouth, then "spits" out a leaf of tea, and in a tone of discontent shouts loudly:

"I never expected the Zhen Guogong Residence and the Pingyuan Marquis Residence to meet such a tragic fate of whole‑family execution; we, who hold death‑exempt medals and are veterans who would die with the nation, now have no mercy left in the palace's eyes!"

"And that kid Jia Jing, after a few victories, has become boundlessly arrogant; he has no sense of the centuries‑long friendship of our founding lineage, and when he acts against us old comrades, it's downright ruthless!"

Chen Ruiwen is the grandson of the Qi Guogong; because both father and son never dared to go to the battlefield, they have no military merit, and like Jia Zhen, he only holds a nominal Third Rank General title.

Originally, a nominal general like him holds no official post, but because he is close to the Prince of Nanan, he has, under the Prince's recommendation, held a sinecure in the Five Military Governor's Office these years, and today he can attend the court meeting.

His obvious displeasure toward Jia Jing stems partly from his recent several petitions requesting Jia Jing's assistance, all of which failed.

Secondly, among the original Jingying officers are several of his former classmates from the Qi Guogong Residence, all of whom were either killed or dismissed by Jia Jing, meeting a grim fate!

When Chen Ruiwen said that, the faces of those in the hall all turned sour!

Their recent experiences differ little from Chen Ruiwen's!

Qi Jianhui of the Xiangyang Marquis Residence, a Second Rank male, shows visible displeasure, lets out a cold laugh, and in a sarcastic tone says:

"If he hadn't climbed up on the blood of our founding‑lineage elders, he could never have earned such imperial trust; today he is ennobled as the sole Second Rank Biao Qi Grand General of the court, even overseeing all military affairs!"

"Your Highness has served in the cavalry for decades, with great toil and merit, yet now a mere youngster surpasses you; this is simply absurd!"

One of Qi Jianhui's sons‑in‑law, an Imperial Censor, was placed under Zhao Yu by the Imperial City Office last night; according to Jing Sheng Di's edict today, he is likely to be skinned alive, so how could he not vent his anger at Jia Jing!

"The Second Rank Grand General, head of the military administration, in a dynasty over a hundred years old, yet still the top one—tsk tsk! I don't know how the Son of Heaven trusts him so much!"

Third Rank Wei Yuan General Ma Shang of the Zhen Guogong Residence, with a gaunt face stretched longer than a donkey's, his eyes somewhat cloudy, clicks his tongue and says.

"It's just being used as a knife, what's the grandiosity!" Chen Ruiwen slams the teapot onto the rosewood desk, the bottom striking the wood with a muffled clang:

"Jia Jing the youngster now basks in splendor, with fire and oil boiling, holding simultaneously the military administration office, twelve troop units, and the Ministry of War; these numerous titles are all critical posts, wielding command of the army, appearing as if he is beneath one yet above ten thousand, but is this the bearing of a minister?"

"Throughout history, no power‑holder like him meets a good end! He knows no gratitude, makes enemies everywhere, has a violent temperament and cruel methods; he will sooner or later meet a bad death!"

Qi Jianhui nods and says coldly:

"Brother Chen Shi, your words are very reasonable! Today the Son of Heaven merely sees his youthful vigor, using his knife to kill people."

"When someday his knife becomes useless or breaks, that is…"

"Indeed, without heroes, only a brat can become famous!"

"Just some petty bravery!"

"It was only because Your Highness didn't go to the Northwest that Jia Zi Jie wasn't involved!"

"Unfortunately, the Zhen Guogong Residence, the Pingyuan Marquis Residence, and those Jiangnan people were useless; yesterday they let Jia Jing the youngster escape a disaster!"

The crowd began to argue noisily.

……

"Enough!"

Prince Huo Zhaoming of Nanan lifts his tea cup, taps the lid against the rim of the bowl twice, sips slowly, raises his eyelids, scans each face in the hall, and loudly interrupts:

"Jia Zi Jie does have skill in warfare and troop management; this is something everyone in the world must acknowledge,"

"Moreover, his position as Second Rank Biao Qi Grand General was already merited after the conclusion of the Northwest battle."

"When the Qian Qing Gong discussed bestowals, I was present; the Emperor intended to ennoble him then, but due to differing opinions among the ministers, fearing civil‑military infighting would damage the court's overall situation, the decision was postponed."

Regarding Jing Sheng Di promoting Jia Jing to Second Rank Biao Qi Grand General, Prince Huo Zhaoming is not particularly surprised!

Because when the nine victories in the Northwest occurred, rumors already spread in the palace of a promotion to Second Rank Grand General.

He was also present at that bestowal discussion, clearly aware of the Emperor's intention to re‑ennoble.

However, at that time, aside from the Prince of North Tranquil, several senior ministers, openly or covertly, sought to curb Jia Jing's momentum,

causing the Emperor, considering the overall situation, to grant only a Second Rank title.

Prince Huo Zhaoming's face shows solemnity; after a moment of contemplation, he continues:

"What matters now is not what rank Jia Jing receives, but the upcoming military reorganization!"

"Did you not hear the imperial edict stating that the core will be the northern directly‑ruled area where the capital lies, to reopen the tuntian system?"

"His Majesty's first cut in this reorganization clearly targets the Guard Post system near the capital region, which inevitably requires a fresh survey of Guard Post lands."

"Once the land is examined, can we hide the deeds our families committed near the capital? If Jia Zi Jie catches us with evidence, we may meet the same fate as the Zhen Guogong Residence and Pingyuan Marquis Residence!"

Prince Huo Zhaoming knows well that none of the families present have refrained from encroaching on the tuntian lands near the capital; some take a few thousand mu, others over a hundred thousand mu, which has been their most important source of income in recent years besides smuggling.

Moreover, the process of seizing tuntian lands inevitably involves various bloody illegal acts that could not survive scrutiny!