The Good Grandson of the Red Chamber

Chapter 79: The Jia Family Banquet

After the selection of one thousand new recruits was completed, Wang Ziteng promised that within two days, he would definitely select one hundred and twenty qualified elites to send over.

Next, Wang Ziteng ordered a squad of soldiers under his command to prepare various supplies.

He personally led the team, sending a thousand new recruits to their respective garrison.

He then put all the necessary supplies into storage before taking his leave.

After Wang Ziteng left, Xia Chengzong suddenly realized a problem.

Of these thousand new recruits, not a single one is an officer.

If he were a general, he could eat, live, and train with the soldiers, taking the opportunity to build a closer relationship with the new recruits.

But he is a prince, and he neither needs to nor can he do that.

These new recruits need to be managed by a temporary leader, otherwise they will definitely fall into chaos.

Coincidentally, among these thousand new recruits, he knew only one person: Wang Erxiao, who had come in first during the selection process.

So, in front of a thousand new recruits, he called out Wang Erxiao.

"Wang Erxiao, you will temporarily lead the entire army for the next two days. Someone will take over after that."

"Can you guarantee that nothing will go wrong in the next two days?"

If he is incompetent, Xia Chengzong will find someone else.

Upon hearing these words, Wang Erxiao's face flushed red, and he was overjoyed.

He pounded his chest and shouted, "Your Highness, rest assured, I guarantee there will be no trouble. If there is, I'll gladly offer my head to Your Highness!"

Xia Chengzong nodded, but was still not entirely at ease, so he kept Xia Dong behind.

Tell him to keep an eye on the situation in the military and to report any changes to him immediately.

……

Meanwhile, in the Jia family mansion, Grandmother Jia received a message from the palace.

It is said that Yuan Chun was bullied by an old palace maid in Kunning Palace, and was caught by Prince Ping'an.

Prince Ping'an intervened on Yuan Chun's behalf, and the Empress later learned of this.

The Empress summoned Yuan Chun, and after seeing her once, she was delighted and kept her by her side to serve her.

All of this is because of Prince Ping'an.

Therefore, the Jia family should express their gratitude to Prince Ping'an in order to secure Yuan Chun's position in the palace.

This news was sent by Dai Quan from the palace.

Upon hearing this news, Grandmother Jia's fear and unease vanished, replaced by surprise and joy.

This period of time has been an immense ordeal for her and the Jia family.

Because they were implicated in the treason case, Jia She, the eldest son of the Rongguo Mansion, was forced to move into the east wing.

The situation was even worse in the East Prefecture, where Jingge'er had no choice but to leave the city and become a Taoist priest.

The two dukes committed suicide by poisoning themselves, leaving the Jia family with a bleak future and no hope for the future.

Under these circumstances, Grandmother Jia had no choice but to send her eldest daughter, Yuan Chun, to the palace.

This will pave the way for Jia Jiabo's future!

Unexpectedly, Yuan Chun, whose birthday is on the first day of the Lunar New Year, is indeed a blessed person.

She's only been in the palace for a few days, yet she's already won the favor of Prince Ping'an, and now she's even been taken by the Empress and kept by her side.

Who knows, she might have even greater opportunities in the future?

This made Grandmother Jia's heart flutter.

All of this was brought to them by Prince Ping'an.

We must maintain a good relationship with Prince Ping'an!

Thinking of this, Grandmother Jia summoned Jia Lian and asked him to prepare a generous gift to send to the Prince of Ping'an's residence.

He also sent an invitation to host a banquet for Prince Ping'an three days later.

If Prince Ping'an accepts their gifts and attends the banquet, then the two families will be officially on the same page.

Jia Lian obeyed and left.

……

The next day, Xia Chengzong went to the palace and asked Emperor Yonglong for leave.

Next, Xia Chengzong prepared to personally participate in the training of new recruits.

Another crucial reason was that he was no longer prepared to continue studying at the main hall.

The previous steps have already been completed; continuing to study in the main hall would be a waste of time.

Emperor Yonglong also seemed to want to see if Xia Chengzong had any talent in military affairs, and how well he could train new recruits.

Therefore, Emperor Yonglong gladly granted his request.

Emperor Yonglong said, "From today onwards, you will no longer live in the palace. Your grandmother will be heartbroken if she finds out. Go and see her."

"Yes, Grandfather."

Xia Chengzong went to Kunning Palace.

After entering Kunning Palace, he did not see the Empress, but he did see Yuan Chun in the room.

He asked, "What are you doing here?"

Upon seeing Xia Chengzong again, Yuan Chun was overjoyed. She smiled and said:

"Yesterday, Your Highness helped me out of a predicament. Later, when the Empress heard about it, she summoned me and asked me to stay and serve her."

Upon hearing this, Xia Chengzong's face showed a thoughtful expression.

The Emperor had a past affection for the Jia family, and Dai Quan also had a private relationship with the Jia family.

However, perhaps because both Jia She and Jia Jing had served as officials in the Eastern Palace, his adoptive father did not have a good impression of the Jia family.

Therefore, although the Emperor forced Yuan Chun to become an imperial concubine, he wanted his adoptive father to take better care of the Jia family.

But in the end, after the death of his grandfather, the cheap father directly confiscated the Jia family's property.

Now that Jia Yuanchun has been kept by the Empress's side, there are certainly reasons for this, but more importantly, it is probably due to the familial bond within the Jia family.

Seeing Yuan Chun's tearful gratitude towards him, she probably thought it was all because of him.

He asked, "Sister Yuanchun, where is the Empress? Why isn't she in her room?"

Yuan Chun hurriedly replied, "I dare not accept the title of 'elder sister,' Your Highness, please just call me by my name."

"The Empress has gone to the Buddhist hall to pray and doesn't allow us to follow. She should be coming out by now."

Xia Chengzong said, "Now that you have followed the Empress and are serving her as her son and grandson, we should naturally respect you and call you 'elder sister' as it is our duty."

Just as Yuan Chun was about to speak, she suddenly heard the Empress say, "Zong Ge'er is indeed a sensible and good child. From now on, you can call him that."

It turned out that the Empress had come out of the Buddhist hall, and Yuan Chun hurriedly went forward to serve her.

When the Empress heard that Xia Chengzong would be moving out of the palace that day, she was indeed saddened.

Her eyes reddened, and she almost burst into tears.

Xia Chengzong spent a long time coaxing the Empress before finally managing to appease her.

The Empress also asked Xia Chengzong to visit her in the palace often, and Xia Chengzong agreed to all of them.

After leaving Kunning Palace, Xia Chengzong led his men to his own courtyard in the palace and moved all his belongings out.

Upon returning to the Prince's residence, Xia Chengzong received a report.

It was said that the Jia family had sent a generous gift and left an invitation, and would be hosting a family banquet for the prince three days later.

Next, Xia Chengzong looked at the gift list and found that the gifts sent by the Jia family were indeed substantial.

If converted into silver, it would amount to approximately ten thousand taels of silver.

Now, he is considering whether or not to keep the appointment with the Jia family.

The four kings and eight dukes were direct descendants of the emperor's grandfather, but were disliked by the emperor's father.

Therefore, after his father ascended the throne, he began to purge the factions of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes.

From this perspective, he should stay away from the Four Kings and Eight Dukes faction.

However, things didn't turn out that way.

His father's ascension to the throne was almost a certainty, but he might not actually become emperor; there were many uncertainties.