diymy Chapter 35 The Jia Family's Reaction
Chapter 35 The Jia Family's Reaction
The capital city is large, but it seems too small to spread news. When Liu Feng entered the palace at dawn, the emperor ordered the Directorate of Ceremonial to convene the Northern and Southern Garrison Offices to confiscate property and conduct trials. Everyone from the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers to teahouses, taverns, and even peddlers knew about it.
The speed and ruthlessness of the Directorate of Ceremonial's actions completely exceeded Liu Feng's expectations.
He at least wanted to use the Left Vice Minister's corpse to trick the civil officials, but the old eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial took the "unforgiving" approach to the extreme. Anyone who had ever interacted with the Left Vice Minister, even if it was just ordinary official correspondence, was thrown into the imperial prison.
The case snowballed, spreading from the Ministry of War and engulfing the offices of the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers in just half a day.
No one expected that a bowl of rice would cause the entire Ministry of War to be overturned.
After reporting to the emperor, Liu Feng did not go home to rest immediately. Instead, he went to the imperial prison with Dai Quan's godson to witness firsthand their interrogation methods, which were incredibly brutal!
No wonder the civil and military officials turned pale at the mention of it. The so-called "Great Memory Restoration Technique" was nothing compared to this; it was simply not up to par.
In another month or so it will be the hottest time of summer, but the streets and alleys around the Imperial Prison are surprisingly cool.
Liu Feng yawned as he walked forward, muttering, "This is really weird!"
Stepping out of the alley, Liu Feng felt more comfortable as the sunlight shone on him. He turned to look at the imperial city and sighed.
The emperor was too impatient. While this might yield significant results in the short term, it would also alert the civil officials. Once they were on guard, things would become much more difficult.
I wonder what the emperor meant by "generous reward"? Oh well, never mind, I'm going home to sleep...
......................
While Liu Feng was fast asleep, the civil servants obtained his file.
When these powerful officials finally saw the words on the file, they fell silent. Who could have imagined that so many successful candidates in the imperial examinations would be defeated by a lowly commoner from a humble background?
The atmosphere in the second hall of the Ministry of Personnel was very somber, even somewhat oppressive.
Finally, the Minister of Personnel, seated at the head of the table, sighed slowly, "Truly, one cannot judge a book by its cover!"
The Minister of Rites standing nearby sneered, "Nothing more than a ruthless scoundrel! Using his wife and children as leverage, how despicable!"
If Liu Feng heard this, he would definitely break out in a cold sweat.
The Minister of Justice lowered his head, took a sip of tea, and raised his eyelids, sneering inwardly: You're no better. A descendant of Confucius, you read the classics but do despicable things. Bah, vile!
The Minister of Personnel waved his hand: "There's no point in talking about this now. The fact that the Grand Secretaries are summoned to the Qianqing Palace for a meeting shows that they can discuss things—that's a good thing..."
The Minister of Rites nodded.
"But it also serves as a reminder to us." The Minister of Personnel picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, "Keep a close eye on your subordinates, and don't make the same kind of foolish mistakes again. A bowl of rice... ruined more than a dozen candidates who passed the imperial examinations twice, along with a bunch of officials."
The Minister of Justice, who had remained silent until now, put down his teacup and slowly said, "I think this was not an accident, but a long-planned scheme that just happened to be unfortunate. Even without this bowl of rice, there would have been another excuse."
Upon hearing this, everyone's expression darkened.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the second courtyard gate; the person who had been gathering information had returned.
The clerk hurried in, cupped his hands, and reported: "His Majesty and the Grand Secretaries have agreed on two things: one is to send several princes to the Six Ministries for training, and the other is to reinstate former officials."
The room fell silent for a moment, then erupted into chaos.
The ten-year period is almost up. Sending several princes to the Six Ministries for training at this time is tantamount to preparing for the struggle for the throne. This is a meritorious deed that will help the emperor rise to power!
The Minister of Personnel put down his teacup, looked at the group of people in front of him who were excited to the point of being red-eyed, and sneered inwardly.
He didn't believe these people couldn't see through the schemes involved; it's just that the temptation was too great, so great that no one wanted to think about what would happen if they lost. The officialdom is a casino—winner takes all, loser loses everything.
The emperor has a clever way of doing things. From this moment on, cracks have appeared within the civil service. It remains to be seen how deep these cracks will become.
The Minister of Personnel, too lazy to bother with the group anymore, picked up Liu Feng's file and looked at it carefully again. His gaze finally fell on Lin Ruhai's name, and he was filled with emotion.
A lowly person, who has only been by his side for half a year, has been trained to be so capable. You have to admire him!
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It wasn't just civil officials who were interested in Liu Feng.
The Zhen family and the Jia family were old friends and relatives. Since they had finally made it to the capital, they naturally had to visit the Jia family.
On his first day in the capital, Zhen Yingjia sent his steward with gifts to pay his respects to Grandmother Jia. Today, he went in person to greet her.
Outside, the sun blazed fiercely, and the heat was intense, but inside, it was cool and pleasant.
The ice in the copper basin melted quietly, and wisps of white steam rose gently, refreshing the soul.
The women of the Zhen family were ordered to serve the Dowager Empress and could not leave. Only Zhen Yingjia, along with his eldest son, came to visit.
As everyone enjoyed the fruits and snacks, chatting about everyday matters and local news, the conversation naturally turned to the earth-shattering case that had been sparked by a bowl of rice.
Zhen Yingjia put down his teacup and glanced at the Jia family members with some surprise.
Grandmother Jia, who was seated at the head of the table, was the first to notice and asked with a smile, "Is there perhaps something I haven't done to entertain you properly?"
Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Zhen Yingjia.
Zhen Yingjia quickly bowed and smiled apologetically: "Madam, you flatter me. I was quite surprised to learn from my second brother that we were unaware of Liu Feng's background."
Grandmother Jia paused slightly in her tea-serving hand, then smiled and asked, "This Liu Feng, could he perhaps have some connection with my Jia family?"
Zhen Yingjia nodded: "That's right. This Liu Feng is a disciple of your esteemed son-in-law, Lin Ruhai."
As soon as he finished speaking, Jia She, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them and looked at Grandmother Jia.
Grandmother Jia was also looking over, and their eyes met, filled with doubt and a hint of worry.
Lin Ruhai's disciples went to the capital, yet the Jia family received no news whatsoever. Was this the palace's doing, or did Lin Ruhai harbor resentment towards the Jia family because of that letter?
Jia She glanced at Jia Zheng, who was stroking his beard and frowning, and sneered inwardly: You raised a good son, and his "good reputation" has spread all the way to Jiangnan!
Seeing the somewhat awkward atmosphere, Zhen Yingjia couldn't help but feel a little regretful. He had come today for two reasons: first, to pay his respects to Grandmother Jia, and second, because he genuinely wanted to ask the Jia family for help with something.
Although the Jia family's power has diminished considerably, even a broken ship has some nails; they know more about the young men of various families in the capital than the young men themselves do. Even though the marriage is bestowed by the emperor, they still need to thoroughly investigate the character of those young men beforehand. If they end up marrying a hypocrite, it would be disastrous.
Grandmother Jia quickly composed herself, smiled, and spoke for a while before saying, "Our two families are old friends and relatives, even closer than other families. If there's anything we can do to help, we will certainly do our best."
"Thank you, Madam." Zhen Yingjia hurriedly stood up and bowed, then, without further formalities, explained in detail that the Emperor intended to select one of the noble sons to be married to the second daughter of the Zhen family.
It wasn't a big deal, so Grandmother Jia agreed on the spot. She then reminded Zhen Yingjia that according to the old custom, the emperor would hold a dragon boat race in the West Garden on the Dragon Boat Festival. Most of the noble sons of various families would participate with their fathers, which would be a good opportunity to see them.
The last time Zhen Yingjia went to the capital was ten years ago, when the new emperor ascended the throne. He had long forgotten these old customs and hurriedly thanked Grandmother Jia.
After the meal, Zhen Yingjia took his leave with his eldest son.
After seeing Zhen Yingjia off, Jia She, reeking of alcohol, staggered into Grandmother Jia's main room.
Grandmother Jia, who had been waiting, frowned and said, "Wine isn't a good thing; you should drink less!"
"What can dispel sorrow? Only wine." Jia She sat down sideways and let out a burp.
Grandmother Jia sighed: "What do you think?"
Jia She understood what she meant and sat up straight: "Don't mention the marriage between relatives again. Just pretend it never happened. Mother, send someone to deliver some specialties from the capital over there. Don't say anything else."
He paused for a moment, then said, "Don't go looking for Liu Feng. He's an official in the Northern Garrison Command, serving the emperor exclusively. You need to avoid any appearance of impropriety."
Grandmother Jia nodded, and was about to speak when Jia She added, "Especially your precious old son, don't let him get carried away and be used as a pawn, running off to act like some kind of elder and spouting all that nonsense about sages..."
Grandmother Jia felt a tightness in her chest and said irritably, "Go tell me yourself!"
"I'm not telling," Jia She yawned. "I'm going back to my room to sleep if there's nothing else."
"Go away, go away, don't make me angry!"
Grandmother Jia waved her hand, sighing inwardly. She somewhat regretted mentioning "strengthening family ties" in her letter; the Jia family now had few external supporters left. After thinking for a moment, she decided to write a letter to Jia Min...