The Second Master of the Red Chamber

In the south study room, Jia Lian knelt silently.

Before Princess Zhaoyang entered the palace, she had been called away by the Queen Mother.But this had no impact, because Jia Lian originally felt that he should come alone for this matter.

It's just that Princess Zhaoyang felt that it would be easier to persuade Emperor Ning Kang with her around, so it would be difficult for Jia Lian to refuse her.

Sure enough, Emperor Ningkang had known about his affair with Princess Zhaoyang for a long time. When he first asked to marry the princess, Emperor Ningkang stopped talking and pretended not to hear.

Jia Lian naturally knew that Emperor Ning Kang was expressing dissatisfaction, so he knelt down honestly.

After a long time, Emperor Ning Kang asked without emotion: "What did you just say?"

"Wei Chen implores Your Majesty to betroth the eldest princess to Wei Chen..."

The sound of "bang" was the sound of Emperor Ning Kang slapping the memorial on the dragon table.

I only heard Emperor Ning Kang's conspiratorial words: "If I remember correctly, the Queen Mother intended to arrange a marriage between you and Zhaoyang, but you, Jia Lian, care about honor and integrity, and would rather be dismissed from office and lose your title than follow?"
Why, now that you have figured it out, you come to me again?Do you think you can have my daughter if you don’t want to, and you can ask to marry her if you want?Or do you think I have a good temper and don't dare to kill you? "

The emperor's cold voice would have made any other minister break out in a cold sweat, even if he wasn't scared to the point of peeing.

But Jia Lian didn't, and still said sincerely: "Wei Chen is guilty. When I first met the eldest princess, I didn't know that the princess was such an outstanding woman, so she was unwilling to abandon the wife who was a loser in the family. People thought that Jia Lian was a man who climbed on the dragon and followed the phoenix. An ungrateful person.

The year before last, Wei Chen was ordered to send the princess out of the country, but encountered the conspiracy of the third prince of Wala.The minister witnessed that Her Royal Highness the Princess was not afraid in the face of danger and was willing to put herself in danger for the sake of the majesty of our superior state. She only led dozens of personal guards to divert the main force of the rebels away, buying precious time for our reinforcements.

Such a womanly demeanor deeply attracted Wei Chen.

Then the ministers escorted the princess all the way back to Han Dynasty.It was also from that time on that the minister and Her Royal Highness the Princess forged a deep friendship and became each other's confidants.

However, I know very well that Her Royal Highness the Princess has a distinguished status, and if this matter is spread, it will definitely harm the Princess' reputation. Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, I boldly came here to beg Your Majesty to grant my request.

As long as your majesty shows mercy, I am willing to accept any punishment from your majesty for my ignorance. "

"You are good at talking. Why worry about hindering the princess' reputation? If Zhaoyang is not pregnant, you know you can't hide it. I am afraid that your Jia Lian may not come to see me today.

I have to say, you are very capable, and you coaxed my daughter to dance around! "

Emperor Ningkang became more and more angry as he spoke. He walked out of the dragon case and walked step by step in front of Jia Lian. Jia Lian was ready to be kicked by the dragon at any time.

He lowered his head and said, "The humble minister is guilty."

Too many explanations are useless at this time because they simply don’t make sense.Sophistry is a recipe for death, and the only correct solution is to admit your mistakes honestly.

Emperor Ning Kang stood in front of Jia Lian. Seeing that even though the boy was kneeling on the ground, he still looked tall and graceful, and did not look bloated at all. He really had the urge to kick Jia Lian.

It's this kid who has such a smart daughter of his that he is obsessed with all kinds of things, and he can do whatever he wants!
Emperor Ningkang had naturally known about the affair between Princess Zhaoyang and Jia Lian for a long time. After all, the other party seemed to have never thought of hiding it from him.

He could even see that the reason why these two people succeeded was probably because his daughter was more proactive.After all, Zhaoyang's only request when agreeing to get married was to let Jia Lian be her messenger in order to take care of his father-in-law's worries.

Emperor Ning Kang knew very well that no man in the world could refuse the favor of such an outstanding princess as him!Even if this person is Jia Lian.

Fortunately, Jia Lian just faced his pressure and did not intend to put the blame on Zhaoyang, but he still had a conscience.

So in the end, he didn't kick him, and just asked lightly: "Let me ask you, what are you going to do with the Wang family in your family?"

"I dare not hide it from Your Majesty. Wang has been married to a minor minister for many years and has been silently serving his elders and taking care of the family business. He even helped organize my father's funeral.

I can't bear to abandon you like this.I have sincerely requested the eldest princess. The eldest princess is generous and has allowed the Wang family to continue to stay in the mansion and create a side room. "

Emperor Ning Kang frowned and said nothing in the end.

Although he looked like Long Yan was furious just now, he was just warning Jia Lian not to forget the dignity of the king and his ministers.

If he was really angry, how could he have ignored and said nothing about the two of them for so long?

After all, Emperor Ning Kang was also responsible for things developing like this.After all, if he had not agreed to Princess Zhaoyang's request, Jia Lian and his wife probably would not have had the chance to achieve this fate.

Of course, if someone else had been the messenger, there might not have been anything that could have been done about Prince Wala's rebellion.

Zhaoyang may not have the chance to return to Han Dynasty.

Although Emperor Ningkang had several daughters, Princess Zhaoyang was undoubtedly the best among them and the one who made him most at ease.He couldn't care less.

"Zhaoyang is young and ignorant, obsessed with love, and is willing to make sacrifices for you. You, Jia Lian, must keep this in mind.

You should know that Zhaoyang is easy to trick, but I am not easy to fool.And the Queen Mother, you should know that the Queen Mother has no children. She has regarded Zhaoyang as her own for so many years. If you dare to treat her badly in the future, I believe that the Queen Mother will not be able to get around you without me taking action.

You have to take care of yourself. "

"I understand, thank you for your grace."

Hearing that Jia Lian had already begun to express his gratitude, apparently tacitly agreeing, Emperor Ning Kang glanced at Jia Lian angrily.

Fortunately, it was not the first day I met Jia Lian, so I didn't pay too much attention to him. He just cursed: "Get out of here."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, hehe."

Jia Lian laughed in response, stood up and looked at Emperor Ning Kang as if to please him, without the solemn look that he had before, as if he was ready to die.

This change of attitude made Emperor Ningkang very displeased, and he scolded: "Children love each other long while heroes have short temper! A man should put his family and country first, how can he be limited to the love of his children all day long?

As everyone knows, so many heroes throughout the ages have been defeated at the hands of women!

With you looking like this, how can I safely entrust you with this important responsibility? "

Jia Lian didn't expect Emperor Ning Kang to say this. The general idea was that men should put their career first and talk about love all day long. This boss is very worried about you.

If other emperors had said this, Jia Lian would probably have smiled inwardly.But he knew that Emperor Ningkang might be serious, because the emperor in front of him seemed to be really lustful!
Apart from anything else, he didn't even take a look at such a gentle and virtuous beauty like Yuanchun, who had been by his biological mother's side for seven or eight years.

Even if she was later adopted as a concubine, she seemed to be indifferent...

So he smiled and replied: "Although what your Majesty said makes sense, I don't fully agree with it."

"Oh?" Emperor Ning Kang raised his eyebrows.

You know, as a ninety-five-year-old man, he rarely preaches.Once a word is spoken, who dares to disrespect it?
Not to mention those who dare to refute his words.

“I believe that a daughter’s long-term love may not necessarily mean that a hero’s short-tempered spirit.

Compared with this sentence, I believe in another sentence more. "

Emperor Ningkang did not go back after leaving the imperial court. At this time, he was standing in the same hall as Jia Lian, listening to Jia Lian's sophistry with interest.

This scene made Dai Quan, who was smiling at the side, very touched in his heart, with a hint of envy and jealousy.

You know, even a few princes must abide by the etiquette of monarchs and ministers and behave themselves in front of Emperor Ningkang.When did they dare to talk face to face with Emperor Ningkang like this?
Not to mention him as an eunuch.Although everyone compared him to others outside, he was just a slave after all. He never dared to go beyond even half an inch in front of Emperor Ningkang.

"Comparatively speaking, I believe more in the saying 'A ruthless man may not be a true hero, but a pity for a son is not a husband!'"

I believe that when a man establishes himself in the world, friendship comes first.If the so-called heroes are all heartless people who abandon their wives and children, then even becoming a hero will be in vain.

I always firmly believe that a person who doesn’t even love his wife, children, or family, how can he love his country and truly support his king? "

"Ruthless is not necessarily a hero, how can Lianzi not be a husband..."

Emperor Ning Kang recited something softly, then looked at Jia Lian and said, "I can often hear some fresh words from your mouth."

Emperor Ning Kang suddenly felt that Jia Lian's concept was not necessarily bad.

As an emperor, he has seen too many courtiers who expressed their loyalty in front of him.He didn't believe most of them.He prefers to confirm his loyalty and ability from his daily performance.

Obviously, Jia Lian has always been relatively loyal to the emperor and the country in his eyes.

He also knew that Jia Lian was more capable than most of the ministers in the court.Moreover, Jia Lian was promoted by him alone. He would definitely use such a person.

Kings see things differently than other people.Right and wrong often don't mean much to the king. Emperor Ning Kang just felt that it would be a good thing if Jia Lian really valued "friendship" and his "family" so much.

At least, it won't make him feel uncontrollable.

Some such thoughts flashed through his mind, but Emperor Ning Kang continued: "However, it is still the same as before, full of lies.

Since you said that a man should put friendship and righteousness first in his life, let me ask you, since ancient times, loyalty and righteousness cannot be both balanced. If it were you, what should you do between loyalty and righteousness? "

Emperor Ning Kang's eyes became playful.

This question of his can be regarded as having "sinister intentions".The dilemma of loyalty and righteousness, facing the emperor, is actually a multiple-choice question.

But just now Jia Lian said that men should put friendship first in the world, and now he changed his words. Wouldn't he be breaking his words and doing what he said?
Jia Lian did not panic at all, and said with a self-deprecating smile: "Maybe I am greedy. I feel that under normal circumstances, there is no conflict between being sentimental and righteous and being loyal to the emperor and patriotism. Maybe I will not have to make such a choice in my life.

Besides, Your Majesty is a benevolent and sage king. He is willing to honor his ministers and will not let them make such a choice easily..."

"You are slippery."

Emperor Ningkang replied noncommittally, and then the monarch and his minister seemed to have said that.Emperor Ningkang silently walked back to the imperial cabinet and said, "Seeing as the Queen Mother summoned Zhaoyang just now, I think the Queen Mother knows what happened to you.

You should do everything according to the requirements of the Queen Mother.

I only want to warn you, don't let my princess suffer any injustice in your family. "

"The minister obeys the order."

"Go down."

"Yes."

"return!"

Jia Lian turned around and looked at Emperor Ning Kang suspiciously.

But Emperor Ning Kang seemed to be contemplating for a while, then picked up a jade plaque from the case and threw it towards him.

"This piece of jade is something I often wore when I was hiding in my mansion. It comes in two pieces. This is one of them. I will give it to you."

"I thank you, Your Majesty."

……

People say that being with a king is like being with a tiger, making it difficult to sleep and eat well, but for Jia Lian, this does not seem to be the case.

He found that as long as there was a way, the emperor was actually very easy to coax.

Come to think of it, those ministers in history who were clearly loyal but had difficulty gaining the emperor's favor all failed to get their way.

Thinking about it this way, Jia Lian felt that he might be the same as An Lushan and his ilk.

Ahem, in fact, as long as you don't hide evil intentions and do things that harm the country and the people, being on the same level as An Lushan is not necessarily a bad thing.

only……

Jia Lian took out the jade plaque given to him by Emperor Ning Kang just now from his sleeve.

The material is not too special, but the big and conspicuous "chang" character in it is more eye-catching.

Jia Lian knew that before Emperor Ningkang ascended the throne, his title was "King Chang".

But he didn't know why Emperor Ning Kang suddenly gave him such a jade plaque.

While he was contemplating, he suddenly saw a palace maid hurriedly coming in front of him.Jia Lian vaguely remembered that he was someone close to Princess Zhaoyang.

So he hid the jade plaque back in his sleeve and stepped forward.

"Master Marquis, the princess is waiting for you in front..."

Although Jia Lian saw that the palace maid had a different expression, he didn't care much about it. He walked forward for a while and saw Princess Zhaoyang in a plain dress standing far away on the white jade stone steps.

The spring breeze blew and the silk ribbons flew all over her body.For some reason, Jia Lian suddenly felt a strong sense of loneliness in her.

It was very different from the brisk pace when entering the palace.

Perhaps when she heard Jia Lian's footsteps, Princess Zhaoyang turned around and looked at Jia Lian blankly. Suddenly, a hint of grievance emerged, and then she tried her best to cover it up and said with a smile: "Er Lang is here..."

Jia Lian felt uneasy in his heart and hurriedly stepped forward to grab her hands and asked, "What's wrong? Your Majesty has already agreed to our marriage, why do you look unhappy?"

"Has your father agreed to Erlang? Erlang is really capable. He convinced his father so quickly..."

Jia Lian felt even more uneasy. He could tell that Princess Zhaoyang's words were insincere.

"Tell me what's going on and don't make me worry, okay?"

Maybe Jia Lian's words were too gentle, and Princess Zhaoyang couldn't bear it anymore. She threw herself into his arms and cried: "Queen Mother, she just called me over and said... she wanted to cancel our marriage, and she wanted to Abort the child in my belly..."

Jia Lian was suddenly stunned.If he hadn't been familiar with Princess Zhaoyang's character, he would have almost thought that she was deliberately teasing him.

Taking a deep breath, Jia Lian said calmly: "Why is it that the Queen Mother didn't promise well yesterday, so why did she suddenly go back on her word?"

Princess Zhaoyang shook her head in Jia Lian's arms, "This is not what the Queen Mother meant. According to her old man, this is what my grandpa Huang meant.

After the Imperial Grandmother and the Imperial Grandpa talked about you and me this morning, who knew that the Imperial Grandpa was furious, and even the Imperial Grandmother was rarely scolded.

Grandpa Huang said that if this matter spreads, the Tian family will become the laughing stock of the whole world..."

Princess Zhaoyang, who had always been elegant and confident, and did not panic even when she was in danger in the desert, now fell into Jia Lian's arms, but she looked very helpless and confused!

She had waited so hard for so long, overcome so many obstacles, and was finally able to be with the one she loved justifiably.

Who knew that at this last moment, at the most unexpected link, something unexpected happened.

Moreover, judging from the reaction of the emperor's grandmother, the emperor's grandfather's attitude is probably quite firm, and there is little room for change.

If she hadn't begged hard and promised that she was just here to see Jia Lian, the Queen Mother would not have let her out of Weiyang Palace!

Jia Lian patted Princess Zhaoyang's back to comfort her, but her brows had already formed the character "Chuan".

Before that, he had thought that the Queen Mother would object, and that Emperor Ningkang would object, but he did not expect that the Supreme Emperor would object.

In other words, in his eyes, the possibility of the Emperor's opposition was no greater than that of the Queen Mother and Emperor Ningkang.

After all, the Supreme Emperor had been raised in honor a long time ago and did not care about state affairs. The possibility that he would care about the emotional entanglements of his grandchildren was very low.

Who knew that the most neglected place would become the final obstacle?
Taking a deep breath, Jia Lian helped Princess Zhaoyang up and said with a smile: "We have overcome many difficulties along the way, why are we afraid of this one more time?
The Supreme Emperor has ruled the world for so long, how have we ever seen him deliberately embarrass us juniors?
Let's go. Maybe if we beg him seriously, he will relent and agree? "

Princess Zhaoyang's eyes were red. She was born in the royal family. She knew better than Jia Lian what kind of person the Supreme Emperor was.

Although he knew that the possibility was very low, there was no other way at the moment. He could only nod his head and follow Jia Lian in the direction of Chonghua Palace. (End of chapter)