flstandardbreds Chapter 181 The Southern Inspection Tour Begins
Chapter 181 The Southern Inspection Tour Begins
The consequence of staying up late last night was that Jia Hu and Jia Zhen, half asleep, said goodbye to Jia Zhu and then, in a daze, got into the carriage and went back to sleep.
Since Jia Daihua was the commander in charge of the escort work for the southern tour, he went to the patrol camp last night after dinner to make the final arrangements for today's tour.
Jia Daishan also needed to get there early, so he arranged for a guard to carry his two grandsons onto the carriage and let the two children continue sleeping.
Jia Hu and Jia Zhen got into the carriage, and after being put down, they turned over and went to sleep.
The imperial family had specific requirements regarding the size and specifications of the carriages used for the southern tour. The Jia family was allowed to use two carriages for this trip.
Jia Daishan, seeing that his two grandsons were unwilling to be separated, had his servants ride in one of the carriages, put their belongings there, and then had his guards drive the carriage.
Grandmother Jia, along with the Jia family members, saw them off at the door. Because there were so many people this time, it was stipulated that family members were not allowed to leave the city to see them off in order to maintain order.
Both Zhang and Li were reluctant to part with their son, their child, who had never left them since birth, for so long.
Grandmother Jia was reluctant to part with her grandson, and so were Jia Jing and the others. They had gotten used to the lively atmosphere these past few days, and suddenly it all felt strange.
Jia Daishan looked at the women and was reluctant to part with them; even his sons became hesitant and fussy.
"Alright, we're leaving now. We'll have them write to you. Take care at home, and send us a message if you need anything."
After Jia Daishan finished speaking, he mounted his horse and rode away.
Grandmother Jia and the others waited until they could no longer see anyone. Jia Jing looked at everyone and realized they were all in a bad mood.
Open your mouth and advise:
"Aunt, sister-in-law, Min, everyone go back and get some rest. It's still early."
When they arrived at the city gate, many ministers were already there. They all came over to greet Jia Daishan.
Jia Daishan returned the greetings one by one, and after arranging the carriages, he went to the carriage in front, which was the Prime Minister's carriage.
Prime Minister Ji is quite old. Originally, the list of those on this southern tour did not include the old prime minister. It was the old prime minister who went to the emperor himself and asked to go together.
The Emperor was worried about his health, but Prime Minister Ji was very easygoing and said that he was getting old and didn't have many years left. Now that he was still able to move, he wanted to go with the Emperor to see the world and fulfill his wish.
As for government affairs, the newcomers being trained are here to get some experience, which also helps the Crown Prince to get used to the system.
The grandson of Prime Minister Ji, who is about to get engaged, has also been brought out along.
Ji Mingxu was quite helpless. When he arrived, he saw that all the grandchildren were children, while he was the only one his age.
When Ji Mingxu saw Jia Daishan approaching, he immediately bowed and greeted him. Jia Daishan looked at the talented young man in front of him and liked him very much. He had watched this boy grow up.
Where is your grandfather?
Ji Mingxu smiled and said:
"Grandfather is in the carriage."
Jia Daishan was a little worried. Prime Minister Ji was getting old; perhaps he wasn't feeling well.
Jia Daishan opened the carriage curtain and saw the old prime minister leaning against a soft pillow, reading a book.
"Prime Minister, how are you?"
When Prime Minister Ji saw Jia Daishan approaching, he put down his book and smiled, saying:
“Daishan is here. I’m fine. Don’t always think I’m old. You’re getting old too.”
I thought he was some naive kid from decades ago!
Jia Daishan laughed after hearing this, saying, "They're all getting old, they're all old men."
Thinking back to when I first met Prime Minister Ji, I was incredibly arrogant back then.
He was just playing around with the Emperor, but he was dealt with by Brother Ji, who wasn't the Prime Minister at the time.
"Haha, I am indeed a bit younger than you, Brother Ji."
Jia Daishan smiled.
Ji Ying looked at Jia Daishan, who was smug, and pointed with her finger, saying:
"Everyone should come and see how old he is, with only a few children with smallpox. He's getting more and more shameless as he gets older."
As Prime Minister Ji spoke, he couldn't help but laugh.
Jia Daishan laughed, which attracted the attention of Prime Minister Ji's grandson, who looked over curiously.
Jia Daishan lifted the curtain,
"Let's get down and walk around. His Majesty will be gone for a while."
Why are you in the carriage and reading a book as soon as you arrive?
"Now that we've started, why worry about not having a carriage to ride in?"
Prime Minister Ji got up and dismounted from the carriage.
"I'm getting impatient. There are too many people. If I walk around down there, I'm afraid I'll run out of steam talking."
When Ji Mingxu saw his grandfather getting out of the car, he went over to help him, since his family had repeatedly told him to take good care of his grandfather before they left.
Jia Daishan saw him coming and smiled:
"Go have fun, it's still early. Just remember to come back, otherwise you won't be able to park anywhere you want once you're on the road."
Ji Mingxu was exasperated. They were treating him like a child. How old was he?
Prime Minister Ji helped Jia Daishan down from the carriage and waved to his grandson, saying:
"Go away, go away. What's the point of hanging out with us old geezers?"
Ji Mingxu reluctantly bowed and went to walk around to the side.
Jia Daishan and Prime Minister Ji also arrived at the city wall. Some officials greeted them as they passed by, but they did not go up to them.
The two strolled along, and Prime Minister Ji smiled and said:
“You and Jia Daihua, those two old bastards, you’re really going all out.”
Jia Daishan asked in confusion:
"Brother Ji, what makes you say that?"
Prime Minister Ji walked with his hands behind his back.
"Hmph, pretending with me? How long have I known you? What do you mean I don't know? I only kept quiet because I couldn't stand it."
Jia Daishan was helpless; he knew he couldn't hide it from Brother Ji's eyes.
"I had no other choice, but they've gone too far!"
Prime Minister Ji sighed.
"That's how it is when you get older; you all want to earn some money."
Jia Daishan turned around,
"Brother Ji, after all these years, do you still hold the same opinion?"
Prime Minister Ji nodded.
"This is what I promised the late emperor."
Prime Minister Ji recalled those distant stories, when he thought himself highly learned and only wanted to enter the court and make a name for himself.
Who knew that he would be targeted by a villain with great power and influence, who would kill his entire family. He was away and luckily escaped the calamity, but when he returned, there was only a raging fire. He went to the authorities to report it, but was told that the fire was an accident.
They went up to complain, but were beaten half to death.
His classmate secretly rescued him and told them about the collusion between government officials, saying that if they wanted revenge, they could only appeal to the emperor.
However, the Emperor has been leading the expedition in person for over a year now, and it is because of this that these officials dare to act recklessly!
If Prime Minister Ji wants to file a complaint with the Emperor, he has to go to the front lines. It's so chaotic there; he might lose his life and never see the Emperor.
His classmates advised him to focus on recovering his health first, and then look for an opportunity, as the emperor would surely return one day.
The fire of hatred burned within him constantly, and as soon as he was able to get out of bed, he went to the front lines.
He experienced things he could never have imagined along the way, but in the end, fate smiled upon him. He fainted, thinking he was going to die and that he hadn't yet avenged himself.
Who knew that he would be saved by the old Duke Rongguo, Jia Yuan, because even when he fainted, he was still talking about taking revenge and filing a complaint with the emperor.
The old Duke Rong thought that if it weren't for a deep-seated hatred, he would never have come here to file a complaint with the emperor, so he reported it to the late emperor.
Upon waking up, he complained to the emperor, who was furious and promised to give him an explanation.
With the war at the front lines in full swing and scholars at risk of losing their lives, there was a shortage of people. Since he was literate, the emperor assigned him to be in charge of the provisions.
Later, he fought a brilliant battle and received a reward, which caught the emperor's eye.
After returning to the capital in triumph, the emperor investigated the truth and avenged his family.
At that time, there were constant wars outside, so he followed the emperor to fight in various places, and his official rank rose higher and higher.
After surrendering his life on the battlefield, he became the emperor's trusted minister. Once the situation calmed down and he returned to the capital, the emperor realized something was wrong. He had been personally leading the campaign, and the palace had long been in chaos.
The princes fought amongst themselves, resulting in bloodshed, deaths, and even maiming of their sons, leaving very few suitable candidates.
The most terrifying thing was that the emperor was seriously ill and had not yet established a crown prince. Later, the Jia family protected him, and the current emperor ascended the throne.
Indeed, there was no other way at that time. Before his death, the emperor appointed him as prime minister to protect the country and his bloodline.
He only recognizes the bloodline of the late emperor, and as long as the person is not extremely wicked, he will wholeheartedly assist him.
He can't see the current princes fighting for power, as long as in the end they are still descendants of the late emperor and he is a good emperor.
Jia Daishan was helpless. Brother Ji was good in every way, but he was just too stubborn at times. But that was also Brother Ji's belief: "A scholar will die for one who understands him."
"If the late emperor saw this, he would be happy."
Prime Minister Ji smiled and said:
"I'm practically halfway to the grave, why should I have so many other thoughts? If I can do this one thing well in my life, I'll have no regrets."
Having witnessed this for so many years, Jia Daishan understood why the Emperor continued to heavily rely on Brother Ji: he was a staunch royalist.
Jia Daishan couldn't even remember what the late emperor looked like, after all, so many years had passed, and there were some things he couldn't recall.
Prime Minister Ji, recalling the past, shook his head and smiled:
"He must be really nearing his end; he keeps thinking about what happened before."
Jia Daishan, ignoring the danger, patted him on the shoulder.
"Quickly spit three times! Why are you saying such unlucky things!"
Prime Minister Ji laughed heartily.
"You still believe this? How stupid."
"hurry up!"
Jia Daishan persisted, arguing that such words could not be mere idle talk, and that he did not want his elder brother to leave so soon.
Prime Minister Ji, feeling helpless, spat three times.
"You're actually starting to look younger now, just like before. You're not putting on a brave face anymore."
Jia Daishan felt that it was Brother Ji who was going back to the old ways.
He used to be a very elegant man, but no one dared to regard him as just a scholar. After all, he was someone who had come from the battlefield and was entrusted with the care of the young emperor at a young age.
Looking at him now, he's lost all his strategic acumen; he's just an old child.
"Hahaha, it's because of your grandson, isn't it? You two were making such a fuss before that I couldn't even go see your eldest grandson."
Prime Minister Ji thought that this method was probably because of the child. He was also very curious about him and had never seen him before, but now he could finally see him.
Jia Daishan was somewhat smug, and he seemed to be showing off to Brother Ji.
"My grandson is really something!"
Prime Minister Ji looked at the smug Jia Daishan and really wanted to kick him twice. What was he showing off for? What did his grandson's prowess have to do with his grandfather?