“Jia Yu is indeed as straight-forward as the intel says, and his loyalty to His Majesty is obvious.”
In a certain underground chamber, a strikingly handsome young man said with a touch of melancholy: “After the Xuanfu campaign, the court suffered such heavy losses that they're unwilling to let this King return to the Northwest.”
“Your Highness, don't worry. There must be conflict between the Supreme Emperor and His Majesty.”
A voice, somewhat aged, said: “As long as the lineage of military merits continues to follow the Supreme Emperor, His Majesty will surely make a move.”
Prince Bei Jing, Shui Rong, kept his face grim. After a long pause, his expression returned to normal.
“Lin Ru Hai's daughter, has she arrived in the capital?”
The aged voice replied: “Lin Ru Hai submitted the tax revenue, signifying his allegiance to Emperor His Majesty. The Supreme Emperor will not let this go unpunished.”
“Lin Ru Hai is backed by the Jia family, maintaining the salt trade in the Jiangnan region.
Unfortunately, the Jia family has declined significantly in recent years. If not for an old relative, the Zhen family, and Shi Lao Tai Jun, their influence in Jiangnan would have vanished.”
“Now that Lin Ru Hai has lost the Supreme Emperor's protection, and Jia Yu can hardly offer him assistance.
The Zhen family is even less likely. They are the most relentless against Lin Ru Hai. They just didn't want to break their facade before.”
“Lin Ru Hai was afraid that his daughter would follow his wife and son into death. After the situation in the capital stabilized, he rushed to send his daughter here.”
The elder was well-informed about the affairs across the Great Zhou: “The Supreme Emperor's orders have put the Emperor in a very difficult position. Autumn taxes aren't coming in, and the treasury is relying on past reserves and his personal wealth to hold up.
The Cao Bang is also stalling, delaying the transportation of grain from Jiangnan to Tongzhou City.
The capital's food reserves will likely last another month.
If the Emperor fails to bring in the grain within a month, something major could happen.”
Shui Rong chuckled upon hearing this: “Let them fight. The fiercer the fight, the better.
Also, discreetly keep an eye on Lin Ru Hai's daughter.
Have the Princess casually invite the Jia family women to socialize. The Jia family needs to stop hiding.”
As Shui Rong spoke, he thought of Jia Yu: “At the grand court meeting, they will be rewarding the meritorious officials. Jia Yu already has a post, the next step should be a title.”
“The Jia family is truly thriving.”
The elder said: “This is good for us. The stronger Jia Yu becomes, the better. If we can bring him into our camp, Your Highness's return to the Northwest will be within reach.”
Since being summoned to the capital, the people of Bei Jing Wangfu have been trying every means possible to return to the Northwest.
Initially, the Great Zhou dynasty enfeoffed four non-imperial princes: Nan An Jun Wang, Bei Jing Jun Wang, Xi Ning Jun Wang, and Dong Ping Jun Wang.
Two ancestors of the Jia family were also eligible for princely titles, but they declined after petitioning the court.
The four non-imperial princes were meant to suppress the four corners of the empire.
Now, only Prince Bei Jing remains. The other three non-imperial princes have had their titles downgraded multiple times.
If Shui Rong fails to return to the Northwest in this generation, his son, inheriting the title, will be downgraded to a lower level.
There's no way to achieve glory and merit in the capital.
The best way to achieve glory and merit is to go to the Nine Frontiers.
With the Mongols breaking the Great Zhou's invincibility, the surrounding barbarian tribes will surely make their moves.
The importance of the Nine Frontiers will be elevated to a higher level during this time.
As long as Shui Rong returns to the Northwest, he and his advisors are certain that the Wangfu’s title will remain a princely one in the next generation.
“Let's test him out. It's best to find his weakness first.”
Jia Yu's rise has been too swift, and he has spent very little time outside. Almost no one has contacted or communicated with him.
The understanding of Jia Yu by various factions comes from within the Imperial Palace.
How much truth is there to the information from within the Imperial Palace?
So no one knows Jia Yu's weaknesses, hobbies. Of course, if killing enemies is considered a hobby, that's another matter.
A Jing Ying Jie Du Shi with such formidable combat strength, exceptional battlefield command, and a young age.
This is good news for the Great Zhou's military generals.
With the decline of the Great Zhou's generals, there are only a handful of commanders who can be deployed.
As long as Jia Yu lives, the position of Jing Ying Jie Du Shi will remain, giving the military lineage a voice in the court, a voice that can almost single-handedly decide the outcome.
The generals have been suppressed by the scholars for too long.
Take the current Ministry of War, for example. Only Niu Ji Zong remains as a military general. The rest are scholars who passed the civil service exams.
“Yes!”
The conversation between the old and the young concluded. The two of them flipped through the letters in front of them.
From the scattered pieces of paper, faint words and maps could be seen.
They wrote about salt, iron, tea, and Jurchen.
After reading these items, they would be thrown into the brazier to be burned.
...
Jia Yu, leaving the Jia residence, did not want to return to the inn so soon. Instead, he wandered about.
He had been in this world for a long time but hadn't had a chance to properly explore the streets.
The Great Zhou capital was lively even at night.
Stalls were everywhere, with a mixture of aromas from various foods filling the air.
As he walked down the street, people automatically stepped aside to make way for him.
He stood at six foot three, surrounded by a group of men all over six feet tall, with swords strapped to their waists.
With such a presence, how could anyone dare block their path?
A fragrant scent invigorated Jia Yu’s senses.
It smelled so good.
Following the aroma, Jia Yu arrived in front of a teahouse.
“Half-Veiled?”
Jia Yu looked at the name of the teahouse: “A strange scent, this name... why does it feel so familiar?”
He felt that the name "Half-Veiled" was very familiar, but he couldn't recall where he had heard it.
Since he couldn't remember, Jia Yu let it go.
He strode into the teahouse, followed by his twelve personal guards.
As a group of burly men entered the teahouse, the patrons inside looked up and immediately sat up straight...