Chapter 614 Xia Jingui's Jealousy
Just as Jia Cong led his troops out of Longyou and headed towards Fuwen Town, with the arrival of the Dragon Boat Festival in May, the city of Shenjing was once again plunged into celebration.
The Jia family and other families were naturally even more excited, but it was not just because of the festival. The most important thing was the happy events that happened in the families.
The first happy event was the return of the betrothal letter, which had been enshrined in the Jia family ancestral hall for over a month, along with the auspicious and unlucky divinations from the Great Illusionary and the Imperial Astronomical Observatory. This finally arrived at the Lin and Xue families before the end of the month, signaling the successful conclusion of the marriage. Furthermore, the Emperor and Empress had already calculated the date for the betrothal gift, which fell on the ninth day of the fifth lunar month.
Even though preparations have already begun, there will still be chaos when the time comes.
The same is true for the Lin and Xue families.
The Wang family was still busy. Firstly, their daughter's wedding was going on, and secondly, Wang Ziteng also had to help the Xue family.
Xue Pan and the Xia family's exchange of gifts required his uncle to personally attend, and Baochai couldn't be disrespectful in the slightest. After all, after several previous exchanges of gifts, Wang Ziteng was mentally prepared.
Xue Pan was just a commoner, so although he was not the first to pay his respects, he was the fastest one.
A few days ago, Wang Ziteng had gone to the Xia family to ask for a date. In order to avoid the betrothal ceremony of Baochai, Daiyu and Jia Cong, he chose May 16th as the day for the wedding.
Xia Jingui's mother had no objection to this matter. After all, the Xue family was now more powerful than her own. Moreover, it also involved the marquis and even the royal family. How bold would the Xia family be to steal his limelight? However, Xia Jingui was extremely dissatisfied with this.
I've mentioned before that Xia Jingui lost her father at a young age and was spoiled by her mother, who couldn't control her. Therefore, she's always been self-centered. Yet, when it comes to marriage, she repeatedly avoids her sister-in-law. Why? The betrothal ceremony was rushed because of her sister-in-law's gift, and the subsequent ones were even more rushed. Furthermore, the Xue family always prioritizes their daughter's gift. How can a younger sister ever trump her older brother? What kind of logic is this?
There is another point, although she never said it, but Xia Jingui knew it herself, and she was envious.
The exchange of gifts between me and my sister-in-law was a matter of precedence, so I wasn't being neglected. After all, with the personal presence of the Minister Wang Ziteng and the support of other officials, I was already giving my family enough face. However, compared to my sister-in-law, what was my position?
On their side , the gifts were given by the emperor and empress in person, and the marriage envoys, the book recipients, etc., who among them was not a more noble person than Wang Ziteng?
Some things are afraid of comparison.
Wang Xifeng had jokingly remarked that Daiyu and Baochai's gifts would shame all the girls in the capital. This was perfectly natural; what woman didn't have hopes and dreams? However, while most women envied, they weren't jealous or resentful. After all, they were marrying a first-class champion marquis, a close minister to the emperor and the empress. How many in the entire capital could compare?
But people like Xia Jingui don't think so. In her opinion, that is a blatant act of stealing her limelight and bringing shame to her.
Therefore, Xia Jingui has not yet married into the family, but she has already become a mortal enemy with Baochai, her sister-in-law . Who do you think she can go to for justice in this matter?
Inside the Daming Palace of the imperial palace, the retired emperor and Emperor Longxing sat opposite each other.
The retired emperor was holding the military report just sent from Chengdu Prefecture and reading it carefully. Emperor Longxing stood beside him with his neck tilted back, like a fighting cock that had just returned from victory.
Normally, Jia Cong's military report is submitted once a month, but if a war breaks out, the news will be sent to the court in a timely manner.
Therefore, although he was thousands of miles away, Emperor Longxing was always aware of the situation in Chengdu Prefecture.
Some time ago, upon learning that the two armies were surrounded by the Southern Xinjiang tribes, Emperor Longxing was deeply worried. Fortunately, the retired emperor was able to remain calm. Emperor Longxing had intended to discuss the matter in court, but was directly reprimanded by the retired emperor.
Some things aren't about numbers, nor are they about three cobblers equaling a single Zhuge Liang. The situation in Chengdu is constantly changing. Even if this battle report were sent expedited over 800 miles, it would still take at least two weeks to get there and back. In two weeks, who knows what changes have taken place on the battlefield?
Furthermore, since the Chengdu campaign had been handed over to Jia Cong, it was reasonable to trust him. Not only was Jia Cong in Chengdu, but most of the other honored military officers had also gone there. What suitable suggestions could the few remaining officials at court offer? Furthermore, even if the court issued an order to send someone there, if the situation changed by then and the order was no longer appropriate, would Jia Cong obey or disobey it?
Just like the Song Dynasty back then, why did it often lose battles? In fact, it was not just because the generals were suppressed, nor was it just because those generals were idiots. The biggest reason was that amateurs were commanding experts.
It would be fine if they just sent military supervisors, but the restrictions placed on military generals by the Song Dynasty were more than that.
Take the reign of Emperor Taizong of Song as an example. Every time a military general went on an expedition, the emperor would give him a battle map. This battle map not only marked the general's marching route, but also directly defined how to deploy troops and how to use them on the battlefield.
Honestly, this isn't really Song Taizong's fault. It was originally invented by Zhao Kuangyin, the "Big Brother Zhao." But who was Zhao Kuangyin? He rose from the bottom through military exploits. Even the Song Dynasty's top generals weren't necessarily better at using troops or making strategic plans than Zhao Kuangyin. Furthermore, Zhao Kuangyin's so-called "Diagrams of Formation" essentially limited his generals' reckless behavior, leaving them room for maneuver.
But what about Zhao Lao Er? Zhao Lao Er had never been to the battlefield since he was a child. When it came to playing tricks, he was naturally top-notch, but when it came to marching and fighting, let alone comparing with his elder brother, he was far behind even the generals and officers in the army.
Such an amateur, insisting on playing the game of strategizing and winning battles from afar, is this a joke? Forget the Song Dynasty generals; even if Bai Qi and Huo Qubing were reborn, they would still be defeated. Look at the early Southern Song Dynasty, when the Song Dynasty was under pressure and military power was moderately relaxed, how could Yue Fei, Han Shichong, and others not be renowned generals?
Although the emperor emeritus is the third generation, he is also a genuine emperor. How could he not understand such things?
He told Emperor Longxing that the imperial court did not need to have any opinions on the war in Shu. As the saying goes, a general is not subject to the emperor's orders when he is away from home! Jia Cong's approach must be more comprehensive than what they thought from thousands of miles away.
It would be a lie to say that he was not worried. However, Emperor Longxing knew that he was not only inferior to his own father in this regard, but he was probably not even as good as his own son. He could only let Jia Cong make his own decisions in Shu.
