Chapter 14: The Xue Family and Jia She

Jia Jing was very delighted with these rewards from the system.

The Xuanjia Army needs no introduction; it is the elite cavalry formed by Li Shimin, with both riders and horses armored. Once, a force of 3,500 shattered Dou Jiande's army of over a hundred thousand, fought Wang Shichong and the Turks, and played a decisive role.

Not to mention, his chief commander at this time was the early Tang famous generals Qin Qiong and Shubo.

One could say the combat power of this cavalry was the absolute ceiling of the entire world at that time.

With this 1,500-strong Xuanjia Army, plus his own martial strength, he finally began to establish a foothold in this Red Mansion world.

He no longer has to worry excessively, as before, about the Jia Mansion being seized and the terrifying consequences of being implicated after the Qing Army annihilated the Han Dynasty, where no egg would survive under a collapsed nest.

The five hundred Embroidered Uniform Guard are no simple lot; commander Zhu Que is not only highly skilled in martial arts but also adept at gathering intelligence.

These past two years, Jia Jing has repeatedly defeated the Qing Army, largely thanks to the Embroidered Uniform Guard's precise intelligence each time, allowing Jia Jing to anticipate the enemy.

Those formulas each are worth a fortune,

If any one can be sold nationwide through a trading house, it yields huge profits; this will be Jia Jing's future money bag.

The role of money is absolutely indisputable in any era.

One major reason the Da Han Empire's state affairs are stagnant is that the treasury lacks funds.

Therefore, the rewards from these three promotions left Jia Jing very satisfied and further solidified his principle of continuing to make promotion the core of his actions.

"Indeed, the system is the foundation of my existence in this world,"

Jia Jing consciously recognized this point.

"General, there is also intelligence from Shenjing City today!" As Jia Jing was pondering, Zhu Que spoke again, reporting to Jia Jing.

"Is there anything important?" Jia Jing asked.

Jia Jing divided the five hundred Embroidered Uniform Guard into two groups,

one part to develop in Liaodong, the other to infiltrate Shenjing City.

After all, Shenjing City is the political center of the Da Han Empire; its information cannot be left unchecked.

"It mainly concerns two matters about the mansion: one is that Lady Wang's sister's Xue family has entered the capital and is currently residing in the mansion's Li Xiang Courtyard,"

"Xue Pan, the son of the Xue family, killed a person while enslaving in Jinling. The Xue family's arrival in the capital serves three purposes: first, to seek protection from relatives and avoid lawsuits; second, to manage their business in Shenjing City, including settling old accounts; third, for the Xue family's selected maiden," Zhu Que said slowly.

Zhu Que said slowly.

Jia Jing nodded at the words, indicating he understood.

According to the original Red Mansion timeline, the Xue Family should have entered the capital long ago.

In the original Red Mansion, the Xue Family's arrival in the capital was about two years after Lin Daiyu's arrival, before Liu Laolao went to the Jia Mansion, roughly in late autumn.

But as Jia Jing knows, this year marks the fourth year since Lin Daiyu came to the Jia Mansion, and now it is early autumn, differing from the original.

These past two years, Jia Jing has realized that this world is not exactly the same as the original Red Mansion world, especially the setting, which is a blend of early Qing and Red Mansion.

Moreover, although the characters from Red Mansion largely exist, many details differ.

Therefore, he no longer blindly trusts the original work.

The Xue Family's arrival in the capital has no major impact on him,

At this moment he also has no time to think about Xue Baocai, the foremost of the Twelve Golden Hairpins who rivals Daiyu in fame. He simply said:

"Next time you send seasonal tributes to the mansion, remember to send one to the Xue Family as well; they are relatives, don't neglect them!"

"What is the other matter?"

Zhu Que first nodded to acknowledge, then said cautiously:

"The other matter concerns the mansion's great master..."

"What kind of great master is he, does he deserve the title?"

Jia Jing snorted coldly in rebuttal, and seeing Zhu Que's demeanor, he knew Jia She was up to mischief again,

In these two years, Jia She has not brought him any good news.

At first it was only a letter asking Jia Jing to send the spoils and rewards from the battlefield home, with no personal keeping.

In the Book of Rites, there is a saying that when parents are present, one must not appropriate their wealth.

But Da Han Empire law merely stipulates that when parents are alive, children may not arbitrarily use the family's public assets,

It does not require adult children to hand over all private property to their parents, let alone battlefield spoils.

Considering his own reputation, Jia Jing did not quarrel with Jia She and sent part of the goods to the Jia Mansion.

But Jia She, without restraint, escalated the situation,

Later he even sent his trusted aide Chang Sui to Liaodong, demanding Jia Jing open a backdoor for his smuggling business.

In other words, Jia Jing fights the Manchu forces on the front line,

while Jia She supplies the Manchu with smuggled iron weapons, grain, salt, and other strategic supplies from the rear, and even asks Jia Jing to cover him.

Jia Jing was so angry he almost led troops back to kill Jia She.

He never regarded Jia She, a scumbag, as a father,

but being far in Liaodong made it hard to act, and for the sake of his reputation he only sent seasonal tributes during festivals.

Yet Jia She has no bottom line, acting recklessly without restraint.

After that, whether Jia She wrote letters or sent aides, Jia Jing no longer paid him any heed.

Aside from normal ceremonial gifts, he gave Jia She no further goods.

But now another trouble has arisen.

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard reports that... Jia She has recently become close with Duke Cao and others, constantly feasting in private, frequently slandering the current regime and praising the Taishang Emperor, implying support for the Taishang Emperor's restoration..."

Zhu Que lowered his head after speaking, expecting Jia Jing to erupt in anger, for Jia Jing's rapid promotions these years were due to the current Jing Sheng Di's backing.

Before coming to Liaodong, Jing Sheng Di promoted Jia Jing two ranks, bestowed a set of treasured armor, and sent a verbal edict with many encouragements.

Later, Jia Jing repeatedly earned merit by killing enemies on the battlefield, and Jing Sheng Di was generous in promoting and rewarding him, even sending multiple verbal edicts of commendation.

Thus, at twenty years old, Jia Jing has risen to the fifth rank.

It should be known that at this time the head of the Jia Family, Jia Zheng, was only a fifth‑rank Assistant Director of the Ministry of Works.

Moreover, the Tiger Guard Colonel was originally the chief of the eight founding Colonels,

normally only a regular fifth‑rank military officer could hold the post, but Emperor Jing Sheng Di exceptionally conferred it on Jia Jing, which could be said to be an excessive favor.

Therefore, Jia Jing is an absolute personal protégé promoted single‑handedly by Emperor Jing Sheng Di.

But now, as the rivalry between the two emperors in the court intensifies, Jia Jing's father Jia She has gone to support the retired emperor.

Such behavior is practically a death sentence for Jia Jing.

With his head lowered, Zhu Que waited for Jia Jing's thunderous fury, yet found the hall terrifyingly quiet.

He glanced quietly at Jia Jing seated on the hall chair, and saw Jia Jing's face grim and terrifying, with a flash of blood‑red in his eyes.

Zhu Que knew this meant Jia Jing's anger had reached its limit and that he had already formed a murderous intent.

After a brief moment, Jia Jing's cold, austere voice rang out:

"I originally intended to return to the capital to deal with him, to endure again and again... never mind, kind words cannot persuade that damned ghost; since he does not wish to live properly, I cannot force him..."

In the original work, the reason for the Jia Mansion's eventual confiscation and decline is said to be because Jia She befriended the Military Governor of Ping'an Prefecture, leading to smuggling;

It is also said to be caused by the Jia Mansion's involvement in homicide cases, such as the Stone Stubborn case, the Iron Prison Temple power abuse, etc.

There are also claims that it was due to helping the Zhen family of Jinling transfer assets, among countless other reasons!

But after years of observation and research, Jia Jing found that these reasons might each have some merit,

yet the most crucial reason is that the Jia Family chose the wrong side politically, which is the fundamental cause.