Chapter 186: Royal statement, unrest in the southwest
“Minister Dai is polite.”

“But has the Emperor issued an order?”

Lin Ruhai bowed in return, and Dai Quan was so frightened that he quickly moved away.

“Oh, Master Lin, no, no, you are really embarrassing me.”

If it were before, even if Lin Ruhai was a confidant of Emperor Shunde, he would not be able to escape the position of Vice Minister when he returned to Beijing this time.

Nor would Dai Quan take him too seriously.

After all, once Emperor Kaiyuan died, Dai Quan would enter the Ziwei Division and become a royal worshiper.

Even the elders in the cabinet cannot interfere in the affairs of the Ziwei Division.

But now it’s different. The news of Jia Cong and Daiyu’s engagement has spread throughout the capital.

This person is the father-in-law of Marquis Jing’an.

What virtue does Dai Quan have to receive this gift?
Our innate gods are sometimes known for their vindictiveness.

“The Emperor knows that Lord Lin will enter the palace.”

“I was specially ordered to welcome the three of you here.”

“Thank you, Prime Minister.”

As they spoke, the four of them walked into the palace and came to the Huangji Palace.

“Ru Hai is here!”

“And there are two geniuses from our Daqian.”

“Dai Quan, please take a seat!”

Walking into the hall, Emperor Kaiyuan was in low spirits.

His hair has turned completely white, and he looks as if he has aged ten years in an instant.

Seeing Jia Cong and the other two come in, he forced himself to smile and asked Dai Quan to bring a chair.

“Your Majesty, please take care of yourself. The people of the world still need your protection.”

Seeing this scene, Lin Ruhai couldn’t help but be slightly moved.

Although he was the confidant of Emperor Shunde, it was the retired emperor who selected Lin Ruhai as the third place in the imperial examination.

“Hahaha, Ruhai, I know you are a loyal subject.”

“It would be great if all the civil and military officials in the court could work as hard as you do.”

“The old concubine was eighty-two years old this year. Now that she has passed away, this can be considered a happy funeral.”

“From dust to dust, from ashes to ashes, sooner or later it will happen.”

“There’s nothing I can’t see.”

“Privately, I was raised by the old concubine, but publicly, I am still the emperor.”

“There are so many things in this world that I need to worry about.”

Emperor Shunde said lightly.

When smart people communicate with each other, there is no need to make things too clear.

It seemed like he was reminiscing about the past with Lin Ruhai.

In fact, he was expressing his attitude to Jia Cong.

As an emperor, you cannot do things based on selfish desires or personal preferences.

The Zhen family had already become too powerful to be eliminated.

It will be eradicated sooner or later.

This is one of the more important things.

The strength and influence displayed by Jia Cong at this time.

Even the royal family needs to take it seriously.

……

Emperor Kaiyuan was in poor spirits and did not stay in the Huangji Hall for long.

After leaving the Huangji Hall, two young eunuchs were leading three people out of the palace.

From a distance, Xia Shouzhong could be seen guarding the road leading out of the palace.

He first ordered the two young eunuchs to leave, and then Xia Shouzhong stepped forward to pay his respects.

“I pay my respects to the Marquis and the Princess.”

“Greetings, Master Lin!”

“Manager Xia, you are too polite.”

Jia Cong smiled faintly and nodded.

“My Lord, His Majesty was delayed by something, so he asked me to deliver a message.”

“Your Majesty, feel free to do what you want with the Kong family. At this critical moment, His Majesty will not stand idly by.”

“Your Majesty also wants to know what the Kong family masters have been doing in Konglin for so many years.”

After saying that, Xia Shouzhong looked around and saw that there was no one nearby.

Then he whispered, “Recently, the Fujian Navy discovered a Western fleet in the coastal waters.”

“According to the intelligence from the south, Siam and Burma are not at peace either. I heard that a group of Westerners are causing chaos and it’s pretty violent.”

“His Majesty then summoned the envoys from Siam and Burma to meet him overnight.”

“If the situation continues to develop, I’m afraid the Marquis will have to take action.”

……

“Thank you, General Manager Xia, for reminding me. I can save myself from that!”

Jia Cong nodded lightly.

“Well, then, my Lord, I will take my leave and return to report to His Majesty.”

Seeing that Jia Cong understood what he meant, Xia Shouzhong bowed and took his leave.

Lin Ruhai behind him was stunned.

If what was mentioned above was the official business ordered by Emperor Shunde.

What happened afterwards was purely the “personal relationship” between Xia Shouzhong and Jia Cong.

It may seem like a small matter, but it represents the personal attitude of Xia Shouzhong, a close attendant of Emperor Shunde.

……

After leaving the palace, the three of them took a carriage back to the marquis’s mansion.

It was already past noon.

But the grand formation of Marquis Jing’an’s Mansion also shines brightly in the daytime.

The broken semi-saint cultural relic Zhou Gong Jian was suspended in the air, in the Confucian and Taoist Five Virtues Formation established with the help of hundreds of cultural relic treasures of great Confucian scholars.

“Brother Cong, I heard about your mansion on the way.”

“It really lives up to its reputation!”

As soon as Lin Ruhai stepped into the gate of the Marquis’ Mansion, he felt refreshed.

Not only is the palace filled with rich spiritual energy and surging literary atmosphere, but there are also hundreds of great scholars in the void constantly reciting classics.

Among them, the sound of etiquette is profound and magnificent.

For great scholars, it is also a place for spiritual practice that is of great help.

Practicing Confucianism and Taoism here will definitely achieve twice the result with half the effort.

“I have had a courtyard cleaned up. Uncle Lin may live here.”

“It just so happens that Sister Lin’s cultivation also depends on the spiritual gathering effect of this formation.”

Jia Cong smiled and took Lin Ruhai around the mansion.

He was awarded a title of nobility for his military merits, and every pass and entrance to his mansion was guarded by Blood-Clothed Guards.

The servants in the mansion were also trained by Yuanyang, and the rules are very strict.

The servants passing by would stop by the roadside and bow to Jia Cong from afar, and would not continue with their own business until the two men left.

This alone makes it much better than the Rongguo Mansion in Lin Ruhai’s impression.

Not to mention that there are fourteen ghosts and gods at the peak of the third realm, guarding various parts of the mansion either openly or secretly.

Along the way, even if no one was deliberately targeting Lin Ruhai, that faint sense of deterrence had never weakened.

This made Lin Ruhai extremely impressed.

……

“Oh, Third Master, you’re back!”

When I returned to Tongxi Hall, before I even entered the courtyard, I saw Xiaodong’er running out in a hurry with four little maids.

When Xiao Dong’er saw Jia Cong, she was so surprised that she almost fell down.

Fortunately, Jia Cong hugged him in time.

“How can you be so reckless? Didn’t you see that there are guests in your house?”

“Grandmother Xiaorong of the East Mansion just sent a message saying that the Impatiens flowers that were specially transplanted from there to Huifang Garden have bloomed, and she invited me to go and enjoy the flowers.”

“You, girl, have a wide range of friends now.”

Jia Cong tapped the girl’s forehead lightly, then took Xiao Dong’er’s hand and introduced her.

“This is Uncle Lin who came back from Yangzhou.”

“But Miss Lin’s father? Xiao Dong’er greets Master Lin!”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Dong’er quickly bowed.

Although Xiaodong’er has an innocent character, she is very well-mannered.

Jia Cong followed up with an explanation.

“I’m sorry to have made you laugh, Uncle Lin. Xiao Dong’er is my personal maid. She has been with me since she was a child. I have always treated her as my younger sister.”

“Other people know that I love this little girl, and they usually give in to her. But now she has been spoiled to the point of being lawless.”

There is one more chapter, in the evening!

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(End of this chapter)