2.29 Lin Daiyu: I never imagined the Empress came from such a background!

“The Empress actually deigned to summon us?” Hearing her words, Lin Rui could not help but sneer.

Back in Jiangnan, he had heard that Jia Min and the Empress were bosom friends—close confidantes who had maintained a deep friendship even before the ascension to the throne. Now, the Lin family had been in the capital for some time, and Jia Min had repeatedly submitted calling cards requesting an audience, yet there had been no response until now.

Unexpectedly, the moment his own official position was finalized, the “imperial decree” of summons arrived.

To claim that the Empress had been unaware of the Lin family's predicament previously would be an absolute insult to anyone's intelligence.

“The Empress really has it hard,” the beautiful matron remarked unexpectedly, showing no offense. “Because the ancestral precepts of the Great Zhou are deeply entrenched, her family background was, after all, somewhat humble. The Duke of Festering Grace (the customary hereditary title bestowed upon the Empress’s father) was merely a Five Classics Doctor in the Imperial Academy.

“She also has two elder brothers. The eldest is a legitimate imperial scholar of the second rank, currently waiting in the Imperial Academy for an opportunity to rise, while the second brother only ever attained the rank of a xiucai. Realizing the imperial examinations held no hope for him, he completely abandoned any aspirations for an official career and now manages the family estates.”

“The Empress actually comes from such a background?” Lin Daiyu blurted out in astonishment.

“Indeed!” Jia Min nodded with a bitter smile. “By comparison, the Noble Consort Wu boasts a father who is a Grand Secretary of the current reign and a pillar of classical learning. The Wu family's disciples fill the entire realm; they are simply not a lineage the Sun family can rival.

“Consequently, even though the Empress holds the righteous claim of paramount status, she still lives under immense suppression. Now that the two Imperial Princes are growing older, certain matters can no longer be swept aside, no matter how much one tries to avoid them. Originally, the First Imperial Prince held the advantage of being the legitimate eldest son, which should have granted him a distinct edge, yet—unexpectedly—there is also—”

At this point, she paused helplessly.

“With the cautionary tale of the Heir Prince Yizhong, being the ‘legitimate eldest’ has actually become a disadvantage,” Lin Rui observed, having grasped the situation entirely. “His Majesty was originally the Fourth Imperial Prince and theoretically had zero chance; the dragon throne was practically handed to him for free. If the Empress were to actively champion the claim of the ‘legitimate eldest,’ it would likely provoke misunderstandings.”

“It would make outsiders assume she is obliquely disparaging His Majesty,” Lin Daiyu said, a look of sheer disbelief on her face.

“Precisely!” Jia Min acknowledged naturally. “Truth be told, the Lin family cannot be said to have supported either the First or the Second Imperial Prince. However, due to my friendship with the Empress, we extended a degree of care to her side. Coupled with the fact that the Jia family belongs to the military aristocracy and stands apart from the Second Prince’s faction, we were naturally perceived as partisans of the First Prince.

“Especially since the Wu family originates from the great clans of Jiangnan, and Grand Secretary Wu holds a position at the pinnacle of officialdom, he has always been regarded by all factions in the imperial court as the leader of the Southern Party. Yet the Lin family in Yangzhou was deployed to suppress the salt merchants, and inevitably clashed with various prominent clans throughout Jiangnan, thereby dragging us into conflict with the entire Southern Party as well.”

“……” Lin Daiyu was enraged to the point of bewilderment. “Father recovered such vast sums of silver for the imperial court—don't they understand that? Furthermore, the whole world knows that every single one of those salt merchants has silver piled up like mountains! Do they not realize that all this silver belongs to the imperial court?”

“The silver is in the hands of the salt merchants, so they can share in the spoils,” Lin Rui noted, understanding well that many matters cannot be simplified down to mere concepts of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ when vested interests are involved. “But once that silver enters the imperial treasury, ordinary people can no longer get a share.”

Lin Daiyu was left speechless.

“And then there is your official post,” Jia Min sighed softly. “As things stand now, Xu Jin—or perhaps the figures standing behind him—had no benevolent intentions when arranging this for you. Originally, they had already lost control of the 'Military Storehouses Bureau of Qingli,' and according to the rules, a military aristocrat should have taken it over.

“As you well know, the eldest young master of the Niu family explicitly stated that a successor for this position had already been arranged. It was the Ministry of Personnel that broke the rules, bypassing the Ministry of War entirely to report directly to His Majesty, bestowing the post upon you under the banner of ‘not failing the descendant of a meritorious official.’”

“They can already be considered courteous for following the rules,” Lin Rui replied coldly. “At least they handed over the post.”

“True!” Jia Min nodded. “Regardless, an actual, lucrative fifth-rank vacancy within the Six Ministries has been placed in your hands. No one can accuse the imperial court of treating the descendant of a meritorious official shabbily. Should you lose this official post through the machinations of the military aristocracy, the opprobrium would never fall upon the civil officials.”

“If they could scheme to strip me of my life, that would make matters even more convenient,” Lin Rui sneered with palpable disdain. “Unfortunately, they completely underestimated your circle, Madam; they never expected that you could establish direct contact with the Niu family and even compel them to give you face.”

After all, Jia Min had left the capital for more than a decade. Nowadays, as her peers had all married and become the mistresses of their respective inner courtyards, who could still remember the once infinitely dazzling “eldest young lady of the Rongguo Mansion”?

“I do not possess such great influence,” she said, her expression turning into a bitter smile. “If a mere woman like me could foresee this, there is no reason Grand Secretary Niu could not. Yet if you fail to demonstrate sufficient value and capability, the outcome remains unpredictable.”

“That is precisely why I explained my plan to Niu Ben,” Lin Rui understood clearly, knowing this truth applied far beyond the feudal era. “As long as I can demonstrate sufficient utility, they certainly won't mind displaying a bit of magnanimity, especially since I am considered part of the outer circle of the military aristocracy.”

At first glance, these words might sound like a touch of false modesty, for while Lin Ruhai had held a high position before his death—being the Emperor's confidant and holding immense wealth, barely constituting a minor faction—measured against the peak days of the Rongguo Mansion, he truly only amounted to an “outer circle” figure.

Furthermore, he was now dead, and his former network had more or less dissipated.

“What does Brother Rui intend to do?” Lin Daiyu asked with a heart full of anguish.

“For the time being, we can only take it one step at a time,” Lin Rui had already pondered this on his way back from the Ningguo Mansion. “Given my current status, no one cares about talk of ‘dignity.’ Only by climbing step by step can I truly earn the qualifications to speak.”

“As long as you understand, that is enough!” Jia Min nodded with satisfaction.

“Very well, the hour is late; I won't disturb your rest any longer,” Lin Rui let out a breath and stood up.

“Brother Rui, I'll see you out!” Lin Daiyu hurriedly rose to her feet.

“Troubling you, little sister!” Lin Rui smiled and nodded, turning to walk outside.

The two of them exchanged no further words, walking one after the other out of the main room.

Not until they had left the inner courtyard and entered the main hallway did he turn around and pull her into an embrace.

“Brother Rui!” Lin Daiyu flushed and tapped him lightly on the chest.

“I haven't asked yet—how is it I haven't seen Younger Sister Qin?” Lin Rui asked with a smile.

“She received quite a few account books sent back, and between keeping busy with Xiangling, she was thoroughly exhausted. After finishing her evening meal, she went back to my quarters to rest,” Lin Daiyu explained softly. “She mentioned that the servants, accompanied by your personal guards, have already recovered several storefronts.”

“It has been hard on her!” Lin Rui relaxed, gently lifting his young sister's chin.

Realizing his intent, Lin Daiyu abruptly whipped her head to the side, though she failed to entirely escape a kiss on the cheek.

“Goodnight, Brother-elder!” She shoved him away forcefully and fled in a panic.

Lin Rui chuckled, watching his sister dart directly into the back garden before shaking his head and walking away.

Rongguo Mansion, Lady Feng’s Courtyard.

Jia Lian returned very late—or rather, he rarely came home “on time” after stepping out.

The result was much the same as usual: upon entering, he was greeted by the bright lamps of the main room and Wang Xifeng sitting directly in the primary seat, glaring at him with a pretty face blanketed in rage.

It was a visage he had known intimately since childhood, striking and magnificent, yet he found himself growing increasingly repulsed by it.

“Oh, so Er-ye Jia still remembers how to come home?” Especially when she opened her mouth to speak.

“There were some matters over at Brother Zhen's place,” he thought to himself, but nonetheless offered an explanation.

“Matters at Big Brother's place?” As always, Wang Xifeng's face bore undisguised sarcasm. “Which little whore needed attending to, or which jar of cheap swill has been left sitting too long that required Er-ye Jia to chug it down?”

“You—” Jia Lian was infuriated, pulled out a chair with a yank, and sat down. He rubbed his still-throbbing head and, suppressing his temper, continued to explain, “Today, the brothers of the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion happened to have some spare time, so we all sat together. Younger Brother Anping, who arrived yesterday, was also there.

“He just came to the capital, and as it happens, his luck was good... Anyway, a vacancy opened up, so the brothers took the opportunity to gather. After all, we are all family; how could we grow estranged? Besides, it's not like you didn't see—didn't he lodge in our courtyard last night?”

He recalled the conversation between Lin Rui and Niu Ben; whether it was merely good luck was hard to say.

Wang Xifeng's expression stiffened, recalling the awkwardness of being caught red-handed while cursing up a storm the previous night.

“Him? I must congratulate Er-ye Jia for acquiring yet another drinking buddy.” At this, her tone naturally could not improve. “That young master of the Niu family? Another good-for-nothing living off his father, no doubt. Who knows what sort of trouble you lot can cook up by gathering together.”

“A mere woman, what do you understand!” Jia Lian had been shaken early this morning by a conversation casually touching upon matters of life and death, and after being dragged by Jia Zhen to spend the day among a group of young ladies to “change his mood,” he had yet to recover. Finally, he erupted. “Niu Ben holds a lucrative and substantial post!

“As a Bureau Director in the Military Selection Office of the Ministry of War, he oversees the promotion of military officers across the entire realm. It's a genuine, powerful, and lucrative post—a prominent figure in the capital by any measure. Is that someone you can afford to look down upon? If you don't understand, don't run your mouth, lest outsiders think the Jia family lacks upbringing!”

“Jia Lian, has your courage grown?” Wang Xifeng snapped to her feet, her pretty face twisted with anger. “A mere bureau director, how big of an official is that? Is he bigger than my Second Uncle? My Second Uncle is about to be transferred to the position of Military Commissioner of the Nine Provinces, ranking at the lower second grade! How many in the capital can compare to that?”

“Your Second Uncle?” Jia Lian instantly wanted to laugh, but managed to control himself with great effort.

The Military Commissioner of the Nine Provinces was indeed lower second grade, second only to the Minister of a Board, but how should one put it?

True to its name, this position was a temporary imperial assignment dispatched outward to inspect and supervise various military garrisons across the Nine Borderlands. Established in response to specific circumstances and dissolved once the business concluded, normally one retained one's substantive post while dispatched, returning to face evaluation, rewards, or punishments based on performance.

Without a doubt, it was a nominal title—a gilded stepping stone before a truly great figure took up a real post. The so-called “inspection” was more akin to a debut appearance: *let everyone make your acquaintance, for hereafter he shall be formidable.*

Wang Ziteng was different. Before being “promoted” to Military Commissioner of the Nine Provinces, he had first been stripped of his command as Commander of the Capital Garrison.

The latter post nominally commanded the entire garrison of the imperial capital, but in reality, it was an “intermediate” control mechanism linking the Emperor with this “Grand Zhou Central Field Army,” typically held by an absolute confidant of the Emperor.

The predecessor to this office was Duke Jia Daihua of Ningguo, and it had actually been controlled by Duke Jia Daishan of Rongguo.

In those days, the Jia family truly commanded the military aristocracy and thereby held sway over the entire capital garrison, to the extent that the imperial family had to rely on favors and awards to win them over. Wang Ziteng was different; by the current generation, the ancestral glory of the Wang family had virtually evaporated, and his ability to secure that position relied entirely on the favors owed to the Jia family.

This was common knowledge, yet it seemed only the Wang family and Wang Ziteng remained oblivious to it.

Now, his “promotion” from Commander of the Capital Garrison to Military Commissioner of the Nine Provinces was in reality a shift from substance to shadow—a banishment from the imperial court to the frontier. The likelihood of him ever returning was virtually nil, marking his complete expulsion from the core of the Great Zhou.

Wang Xifeng did not understand this logic, but Jia Lian, as the heir to the Rongguo Mansion, understood it all too well.

Yet looking at his wife before him, he felt not the slightest inclination to explain further.

“Jia Lian, what do you mean by that?” Wang Xifeng saw from his expression that he was holding back something unpleasant.

“Younger Brother Anping has already reached an agreement with the Niu family today, firmly securing the post at the Military Storehouses Bureau,” seeing her ignorance, Jia Lian suddenly felt the situation wasn't entirely bad. “That's a lucrative post; the benefits will be boundless.”

“And what does that have to do with us?” Wang Xifeng remained bewildered.

“It has to do with your good aunt,” Jia Lian sneered. “Aunt has returned to the capital.”

Wang Xifeng instantly fell silent, for she was not blind.

How could she have missed the conflict between Jia Min and Lady Wang at Grandmother Jia’s place yesterday?

“Then what do you—” she couldn't help asking a moment later.

“What do I want? I'm going to sleep!”

Watching Jia Lian head straight for the study, Wang Xifeng slammed a teacup down in rage.