The Second Master of the Red Chamber

"How is my elder sister?"

In the imperial city of Great Wei, at the residence of the Eldest Princess, the Fourth Prince arrived once again.

"Your Highness, please return. The Princess has said she does not wish to see you."

"But……"

The fourth prince stepped forward. The dozens of sword attendants who had been lined up in front of the palace immediately folded up and formed a human wall with their bodies.

It clearly means that no one is allowed to trespass.

The fourth prince stopped, sighed, gave a few instructions to the leading swordsman, and turned away dejectedly.

Wei Yan, who was standing beside him, bowed and stepped forward: "Fourth brother, there is no need to worry. Since Second Sister can still give instructions, it means that she should be fine."

She misunderstood me too much, so she took her anger out on you.

"It's also my fault. I was blinded by power and did the wrong thing, so it's understandable that my second sister hates me."

The fourth prince ignored him and turned to ask his attendant, "Has the culprit been identified?"

"I heard it was a maid who had served the princess for two years. However, she was immediately killed by the princess's people after the assassination attempt, so the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review are also clueless and don't know if there is a mastermind behind it..."

"Damn it, these useless people can't even figure out this simple thing. What's the point of keeping them around?"

If officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review were here, they would feel very aggrieved.

You two siblings are having a falling out. One of you is demanding an investigation, while the other refuses to cooperate. The entire Princess's residence knows nothing about the case. Even if we had the greatest abilities, we still couldn't find out anything.

Taking advantage of the situation, Wei Yan said, "If Fourth Brother trusts his elder brother, why not entrust this matter to him?"

"I as your brother promise that within three days I will thoroughly investigate this matter and find the murderer who killed my second sister!"

The fourth prince suddenly turned around and glared at him fiercely.

Wei Yan subconsciously took a step back.

"Is it really you?"

Faced with the Fourth Prince's renewed questioning, Wei Yan showed no sign of panic.

He knelt down with a thud, swearing, "It really wasn't me. I've been by my fourth brother's side every day these past few days. If I had done it, how could he not have noticed?"
I can understand my fourth brother's doubts, but as his elder brother, I still have to say that you have really misunderstood me.

If I did this, may I, along with my wife and children exiled to Lingnan, suffer a terrible death and never be reincarnated!

Upon hearing Wei Yan swear such a solemn oath, the doubts in the Fourth Prince's eyes dissipated slightly.

But he knew his elder sister was absolutely certain that he was responsible, and to avoid upsetting her, he slowly said:

"There's no need to trouble Third Brother with the investigation of the murderer."

So much has happened lately, and I'm feeling very confused.

Therefore, the third prince should refrain from keeping vigil for his grandfather for the time being.

Let's go back to the Imperial Clan Court and rest for a while.

"Let's wait until we've investigated the matter of the Prince of Pingliao's residence and my elder sister before making any further decisions."

Upon hearing this, Wei Yan wanted to say something.

But the fourth prince waved his hand, mounted his horse, and clearly made up his mind.

Knowing that the other party had become suspicious, he immediately changed his approach, knelt down and begged, "I dare not disobey my fourth brother's orders."

"Please, please don't send me back to the dark prison. If that happens, I'd rather die!"

His face was filled with fear and terror, one could imagine the immense psychological trauma those months of dark and dreary imprisonment had inflicted on him.

"Send him back to the outer courtyard for custody. Tell the people of the Imperial Clan Court not to mistreat him."

The fourth prince gave instructions to his men and led the rest of the entourage away on horseback.

The outer courtyard of the Imperial Clan Court prison consisted of small courtyards resembling commoners' houses, except that the walls of the houses were much stronger and more solid.

"go in!"

The guards of the Crown Prince's residence roughly pushed Wei Yan into a small courtyard that was only two zhang square.

For these close attendants of the Fourth Prince, a loser who competed with their master was not worth giving a kind look.

Moreover, he also caused discord between his master and the eldest princess.

Wei Yan was completely unfazed by the soldiers' rudeness and even gave them a fawning smile.

Only after the other party closed the courtyard gate, and he faced the familiar, desolate, and quiet courtyard, did his expression turn gloomy.

But then he smiled with relief.

Although he has returned here, he has done what he wanted to do.

The only regret is that the bitch was so lucky that even this couldn't kill her.

Sitting down at the only stone table in the courtyard, he began to ponder what else he could do to take revenge on those who had wronged him to the greatest extent possible!

That's right, his only thought right now is revenge.

As of today, he has no chance to turn the tables with his trump card.

His father, the emperor, completely abandoned him.

Therefore, even though he used a self-inflicted injury to trick the fourth prince into releasing him, he did not take action against the fourth prince who had taken his position.

Because he knew it was pointless.

Moreover, compared to the Fourth Prince, whom he considered a fool, he hated his father, the Emperor, as well as Jia Lian and Princess Zhaoyang even more.

Of course, the retired emperor who fooled him must also be included, if the retired emperor were still alive.

These are the people who have brought him to this point!
He desperately wanted to kill these enemies with his own hands.

However, he couldn't do it.

His foundation has been completely destroyed by these people. Even if there are still some who haven't been found in the shadows, they are nothing more than a few cats and dogs.

Even if these cats and dogs went back to the past, they might not be able to accomplish anything, not to mention that he is now being watched by a large number of people wherever he goes.

Therefore, the best he can do now is to poison Jia Lian's residence and, at great risk, assassinate Princess Zhaoyang, who holds the power of the Imperial Guards.

Of these, the latter is the only killing move he can use.

That was originally just a side move he made after he realized his younger sister had ambitions.

Unexpectedly, it became his most powerful tool one day.

In order to kill the enemy with this move, he didn't hesitate to alert them by doing something as childish as poisoning the well.

The main purpose was to lower Princess Zhaoyang's guard and make her think that he had run out of options.

Of course, it would be even better if Jia Lian's wife and children could be poisoned.

The reason he took such a desperate gamble was because he understood that now was his best and only opportunity.

With Jia Lian leading troops in the field and Emperor Ningkang bedridden, only Princess Zhaoyang remained.

If he could eliminate it, perhaps his actions would go beyond mere revenge.

As long as Princess Zhaoyang is gone, as long as Jia Lian is trapped in the battle.

There's one fool left, and he's absolutely confident he can outsmart him.

In that case, when Jia Lian returns in the future, it is still uncertain who will emerge victorious!

With these thoughts in mind, he stood up and walked to the backyard. In the corner of the wall, he picked up a stone and tapped it three times on the stone wall.

After waiting for a long time without any response, he gave up.

That fool, how could he know that I had already planted people in his mansion?

They even wanted to spy on me!

Compared to a family that has been passed down for centuries like the Jia family, it's not too difficult to place people in newly established mansions like the Princess's Mansion and the Prince Xiao's Mansion.

……

After leaving the princess's residence, the fourth prince first went to the Dali Temple and berated the officials who couldn't find any clues. He was then immediately invited by the minister of the Ministry of Rites to preside over the funeral of the retired emperor.

After finishing all these matters, he finally had time to go to the Daming Palace to request an audience with Emperor Ningkang.

"I have something very important to discuss with my father, the Emperor."

"His Majesty has decreed that the Crown Prince shall oversee the state affairs, and if there are any unclear matters concerning the court or other matters, he shall consult the three prime ministers."

The three ministers, whose opinions differed, decided for themselves.

The fourth prince looked at Dai Quan with a puzzled expression and asked, "Why won't Father see me?"

Dai Quan smiled slightly: "Your Highness, please return."

The fourth prince stood there, stunned for a long time, before turning and leaving.

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Empress was serving Emperor Ningkang medicine when she heard Dai Quan's report. She asked Emperor Ningkang, "Does Your Majesty really not care?"

Emperor Ningkang pursed his lips, raised his hand by the bedside, and gestured for Dai Quan to leave. "He is still young, after all, it's normal that he doesn't understand many things."

Lian'er is not in the capital, and Zhaoyang is...

These are turbulent times; is Your Majesty not afraid that he will cause trouble?

Emperor Ningkang shook his head, gesturing for the Empress to help him up.

After a long while, he said, "I can't control it, and I don't want to."

If he can't even handle this small problem, he doesn't deserve to be in that position.

Emperor Ningkang was naturally aware of the recent events.

He did not interfere with the fourth prince.

Why should we interfere with him?

In principle, the fourth prince did nothing wrong.

Should we summon him to the palace and reprimand him for showing pity and compassion for his brothers?
Wasn't that the very reason he chose him as his successor?

As for the consequences of his pity and compassion, that is something he must bear himself.

If the two siblings can't even handle a prince he deposed, how will they deal with the ministers and control the world in the future?
Furthermore, he had hoped that his father, the emperor, would not interfere in his affairs.

Now that he has decided to relinquish power, why would he repeat the same mistake?

So what if you make a mistake?

He is still alive, so he has the right to make mistakes.

As long as you don't get lost in mistakes, that's progress.

The Empress seemed to see through Emperor Ningkang's intention to temper the Fourth Prince, and sighed, "But this is a bit too cruel to him."

……

The voyage on the high seas is long and tedious.

However, the more than 30,000 returning soldiers did not feel that way.

For the soldiers who were going to sea with Jia Lian for the first time, everything on the high seas was full of interest.

Not to mention, they won a great victory in this battle and returned home with a full haul.

For the soldiers who accompanied Jia Lian on his second voyage, it was even simpler.

All he had to do was count the silver in his pocket and wait to return to the capital to receive everyone's cheers.

The soldiers were overjoyed and did not care about the tedious journey home.

For Jia Lian, there was nothing boring about it.

A pot of tea every day, accompanied by beautiful women of all kinds, he lived a life that could be described as poetic and picturesque.

After more than half a month, the familiar and magnificent shape of the Tianjin naval port came into view.

With such a large fleet docked, there are countless things to be done to reorganize.

But for Jia Lian, who had experience before, everything seemed to proceed smoothly.

First, he sent several urgent reports to the imperial court, reporting the situation and the results of the battle.

They then arranged for personnel to unload the more than ten million taels of silver, grain, goods, women, and ten thousand Japanese slaves from the ship.

Until, the trusted confidants of the Prince of Pingliao who remained in Tianjin took the initiative to request an audience.

The next morning, on the tall and magnificent city walls of the capital, the soldiers stationed there changed shifts as usual.

Suddenly, a rumbling sound came from afar, accompanied by the sensation of a great earthquake.

When the unsuspecting soldiers stood on the watchtower and looked ahead, they were immediately terrified.

In the distance, on the wide road, a dark mass of cavalry had appeared out of nowhere.

The number of cavalrymen surged in like waves, stretching as far as the eye could see.

"alert!"

"Close the city gate quickly!!"

"Enemy attack..."

Inside the city gate, the soldiers, unaware of the situation, quickly got up and worked together to close the city gate, which had only been opened a short time ago.

But before they could completely close the heavy city gate, they heard the generals shouting and cursing.

"What's the panic? Didn't you see that's the banner of our Great Wei? Where did this enemy attack come from?"

"See that swarm of white cavalry? That's the personal guard of the Prince of Pingliao. The Prince of Pingliao is returning to the capital in triumph!"

So the general guarding the city hurriedly ordered the city gates to be opened.

What a joke.

Yesterday, news of the King of Pingliao's triumphant return and the arrival of his army in Tianjin reached the capital, causing a nationwide uproar.

Because everyone said that King Pyongyang's rescue of Korea was not only a victory, but a great and resounding one.

If this is true, then the title of King Pingliao, the God of War of the Great Wei Dynasty, is well-deserved.

Moreover, Jia Lian was a prince, and also his direct superior.

If, on this joyous occasion, they were to block him from entering the city gates, he would be out of a job as a gatekeeper.

What? What if the Prince of Pingliao is plotting a rebellion?
Don't be ridiculous, how could the Prince of Pingliao possibly rebel?

If the Prince of Pingliao is plotting a rebellion, then the city gates must be opened even more...

Sure enough, in no time, the cavalry outside the city could see it more clearly, especially those standing on the city gate.

The main color scheme is pitch black, exuding a somber and imposing aura that inspires fear.

No wonder the King of Pingliao was able to win every battle.

You can tell just by looking at the military formations under his command.

Before the main army could get close, several dozen riders charged ahead.

"King Pingliao returns to the capital in triumph; all idlers should retreat!"

"King Pingliao returns to the capital in triumph; all idlers should retreat!"

"King Pingliao returns to the capital in triumph; all idlers should retreat!"

The sounds rising and falling caused all the people who were about to queue to enter the city to disperse and turn their curiosity to look at the surging waves approaching from behind.

"Xu~"

Jia Lian reined in his horse a few hundred paces from the city gate, looked at the wide-open gate, and turned to order: "The entire army should retract into formation, slow down, and not harm anyone."

Having said that, he ignored the city gate official who was riding towards him, spurred his horse, and galloped into the city.

"What? You're saying my brother has returned to the capital?"
Didn't they say they'd only just arrived in Tianjin and wouldn't be back for at least a few more days?

Upon hearing the news of Jia Lian's arrival in the capital, the Fourth Prince stood up excitedly at the Crown Prince's residence.

Zhang Bao said somewhat awkwardly, "I heard that the King of Pingliao led his cavalry into the city lightly armed."

After entering the city, he went straight to the Princess's residence... Clearly, he had heard the news of the Princess's assassination attempt and had rushed back ahead of schedule.

Upon hearing this, the fourth prince involuntarily shrank back.

He had clearly thought of this as well.

Although the assassination attempt on the eldest princess had nothing to do with him, he suddenly became very afraid of Jia Lian, afraid that Jia Lian would hold him accountable.

Seeing this, Zhang Bao quickly said, "Master, I advise you to send that jinx away."

Although there is currently no evidence to prove that he was the one who assassinated the princess, the princess clearly believes that he is the murderer.

"If Prince Pingliao listens to the Eldest Princess's words, I'm afraid I'll be in a difficult position to explain myself."

As the close companion who watched the Fourth Prince grow up, Zhang Bao was arguably the one most concerned about the Fourth Prince's vital interests.

He simply couldn't understand why his master insisted on protecting that jinx who had killed his brother and father.

So what if he was locked up for a few months and lived with his own excrement for a few months? Does that wash away his past sins?

In his opinion, it would be best to just kill him.

This would also prevent any rift with the eldest princess.

"This……"

The fourth prince was in a dilemma, but ultimately could not go back on his word, and said, "My brother is a reasonable person, he shouldn't be angry with others without distinguishing right from wrong, right?"

Let's go, let's go to the Imperial Sister's residence first.

I heard he won another brilliant battle this time. During yesterday's meeting, those old fogies in the Ministry of War were practically grinning from ear to ear. (End of Chapter)