The Second Master of the Red Chamber

A few days later, at Rongguo Mansion.

East Cross Courtyard.

Sister Feng tidied up Jia Lian's battle robe while chattering. Her eyes glanced at the personal guards who had been waiting for a long time behind Jia Lian, ready to go into battle. She stopped talking and just looked up at her man with eyes full of worry and affection.

Jia Lian also raised his hand to touch her face, smoothing out the skin under her eyes that was tense with worry and reluctance, then he lowered his head and kissed her forehead lightly.

"Remember what I told you, wait for me to come back."

After saying this, Jia Lian didn't hesitate at all. He jumped on his horse, waved his hand, and rode away with his personal guards.

Tomorrow is the day when the two saints, members of the royal family, and princes and sons will go hunting in Tiewang Mountain.

Jia Lian finally received an order from Emperor Ning Kang, ordering him to lead some soldiers from the Firearms Battalion to set up defense lines in the east and south directions ten miles away from Tiewang Mountain to protect the safety of Tiewang Mountain.

This was both within Jia Lian's expectations and beyond his expectations.

As expected, based on the fact that Emperor Ning Kang left the troops of the Firearm Battalion outside the city and gave him such an order, Jia Lian became even more certain that Emperor Ning Kang was indeed going to cause trouble in Tiewang Mountain.

Unexpectedly, Emperor Ning Kang did not intend to use him.

As a general leading the army, Jia Lian could easily see from the arrangements made by Emperor Ning Kang that Emperor Ning Kang probably wanted him to serve as an outer line of defense to block the reinforcements that might come from the east and south from the retired emperor when he launched the rebellion.

Because the order he received was that during the hunting period in Tiewang Mountain, no suspicious person was allowed to enter the Tiewang Mountain area to threaten the safety of the two saints without an imperial decree.

It can be imagined that there should also be armed forces in the west and north, shouldering the same responsibilities.

Emperor Ning Kang's arrangement made Jia Lian feel worried but also relieved.

He couldn't be involved in such a major event and couldn't grasp the situation and direction at the first time, so he naturally felt uneasy.

He felt at ease because he knew that Emperor Ning Kang attached great importance to the firearms battalion in his hands and had sent Dai Quan to inspect it on his behalf two days ago, but he still let him only be responsible for the defense on the periphery, which showed Emperor Ning Kang's confidence.

If he did not have enough power in his hands, Emperor Ning Kang would never have let his thousands of soldiers, thousands of muskets and three hundred cannons be used only for guarding the gate.

Standing there, Sister Feng watched Jia Lian and the twenty or thirty riders behind him leave, worry evident in her eyes.

In fact, ever since Jia Lian took charge, it has become common for him to go out on business trips, and it is not uncommon for him to be away for a year or two.

Logically speaking, since she was only away for about half a month and still in the capital, she shouldn't be too worried.

It’s all because of this heartless person.

In the two days before leaving, he always talked to her about trivial things and made a lot of arrangements like "leaving things for the future".

He only took half of his personal guards with him, not even a single one of his personal followers, and asked her to take good care of the house.

Feng Jieer is not stupid.

Jia Lian's abnormal behavior naturally made her smell something unusual in the air.

Over the years, Jia Lian has always been able to foresee things, which has made her have great faith in Jia Lian's vision!

She knew that Jia Lian would never do this for no reason.

Thinking about what Jia Lian had said to her before, that Jia Lian controlled the military power in the central government, and if anything earth-shattering happened, Jia Lian would definitely not be left out, she felt extremely frightened.

But she was very smart. Since Jia Lian didn't tell her clearly, she pretended not to understand. She also scolded Jia Lian for being weird and seemed impatient with his instructions.

Now, watching Jia Lian leave, she could no longer hide her feelings.

  She raised her embroidered handkerchief to touch the corner of her eyes to wipe away the moisture, then Feng Jieer straightened her expression, looked at her and Jia Lian's confidants around her, and said in a deep voice:

"Just because the Marquis is not at home, don't think that no one is watching over you and start slacking off.

From now on, everyone, please be alert and follow the rules. If anyone is lazy or reckless and falls into my hands, don't blame me for not warning you in advance!

Lin Zhixiao's wife, go tell your husband to record all the people who come in and out of the main gate, back gate, and all the corner gates in the mansion from today onwards, and report to me at the beginning of the evening every day."

Before leaving, Jia Lian told her to leave any matters to the servants and not to go out unless it was absolutely necessary.

She knew that Jia Lian was worried about her safety and the safety of the family. She had made up her mind to take good care of the family during Jia Lian's absence.

……

Jia Lian didn't expect that Feng Jieer, who seemed naive in his eyes, had already noticed something.

He did make a number of preventive arrangements in the two governments.

Because he was worried that if the incident in Tiewang Mountain became a problem, it might cause a stir among various forces in the capital and threaten the safety of the two governments.

Of course, he also knew that if any major incident really happened in the capital that affected the Jia Mansion, the hundreds of servants in the Jia Mansion and some of the personal guards he left behind would not be enough to protect them.

So he informed the Military Affairs Department in advance, and hoped that they would take care of him when the time came, so there would be no worries.

That's all.

Before the incident happened, Jia Lian did not dare to make any overly obvious moves that would affect Emperor Ning Kang's major events.

The next morning, the palace people followed the two emperors out of the palace and left Beijing.

Accompanying them were almost all the descendants of the royal family, some princes, ministers and their children, as well as their respective large number of followers and guards.

Along the way, flags covered the sky and the road was full of mighty forces.

Jia Lian and his subordinates would only open the checkpoint to see them off when a large group of troops passed through their defense line.

As for how the large number of troops and horses would be accommodated, how they would set up camp, how they would set up defenses, and how they would arrange hunting after arriving at Tiewang Mountain, it is unknown.

Time passes quietly.

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye, and the hunting trip was about to end, but there was still no movement from Tiewang Mountain.

Just when Jia Lian almost thought that something had happened, causing Emperor Ning Kang to cancel the action.

A shocking news came:

The prince plotted rebellion and surrounded the Saint's Palace on Tiewang Mountain. ...

Iron Net Mountain.

As a mountain chosen by the royal family as a hunting ground, it has a superior geographical environment.

The mountains are high but gentle, and the forests are dense but not dangerous.

For decades, it has been run by the royal family like a paradise.

However, early this morning, the sound of swords and horses rang out in this paradise reserved for royal hunting. The strong murderous aura, along with the morning light, permeated the entire Tiewang Mountain and rushed into the hearts of all the nobles.

The entire quiet and peaceful royal hunting ground was suddenly filled with panic.

Emperor Ning Kang walked calmly to the palace of the retired emperor, but was stopped by a golden-armored general and his men.

"How dare you!" Dai Quan shouted.

The golden-armored general was naturally not afraid of Dai Quan, but when he saw Emperor Ning Kang's face darken and he looked at him coldly, he couldn't help but reveal a bitter smile on his face.

However, after taking a glance at the large number of armored and armed imperial guards following behind Emperor Ning Kang, he had to stand up again as they dispersed as soon as they arrived, obviously "protecting" the entire palace.

"I hope your majesty will forgive me. I was ordered to protect the safety of the palace. Without the order of the Grand Emperor, I dare not let anyone in."

"Marquis Zhongjing, how dare you! Do you dare to stop His Majesty?" Dai Quan rushed to the golden-armored general, puffing his beard and glaring at him. It seemed that if he had not been concerned about the other party's hand on the sword at his waist, he would have slapped him in the face.

Emperor Ning Kang waved his hand, then looked at Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding and said, "I have received news that there are rebels at the foot of the mountain, and now the entire Tiewang Mountain is no longer safe.

I came here to protect the retired emperor out of concern for his safety, but you stopped me for no reason.

If you delay the evacuation of the Emperor, you, Shi Ding, cannot afford it."

Facing Emperor Ning Kang, who spoke in a light tone but had a gloomy face, Shi Ding felt tremendous pressure.

However, as a general promoted by the retired emperor, he dared not disobey the retired emperor's will.

So he knelt on one knee in front of Emperor Ning Kang and said in a deep voice: "I dare not stop your majesty.

However, the current situation is unclear. The order I have received is to defend the palace and not let any soldiers enter the palace. Your Majesty, please don't make things difficult for me.

If Your Majesty wishes to see the Emperor, I will inform Your Majesty..."

Emperor Ning Kang did not speak again, but Shi Ding, who was kneeling on the ground and dared not look up, knew that Emperor Ning Kang's expression must be terribly gloomy.

I couldn't help but worry about my own and the historian's future.

As he thought about the possibilities, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, but he didn't dare to raise his head to wipe them.

"In that case, you should go and report it."

"Yes."

Shi Ding, who finally received the order from Emperor Ning Kang, breathed a sigh of relief. He stood up and quickly called a subordinate to report it.

As soon as he gave the order, he saw a large number of people walking out of the palace.

Then, the emperor's specially made four-wheeled dragon throne was pushed out by the four young eunuchs.

Shi Ding felt relieved and quickly ordered his soldiers to make way and opened the gate of the palace.

Emperor Ning Kang saw the retired emperor and stepped forward as if no one was around. He said in a deep voice, "Your son greets you, father. Due to an emergency, I had no choice but to enter the palace without permission. I beg your forgiveness."

"Oh, what happened to make you so panicked?"

The retired emperor seemed to know nothing. Sitting on the dragon throne, he fiddled with the dragon robe in front of him and spoke in a flat, nonchalant tone.

Emperor Ning Kang said: "I just received news that a large number of officers and soldiers from the Imperial Guards Infantry Camp and the Beijing Camp stationed at the foot of the mountain suddenly rioted and are now heading towards the mountain.

I am worried that the soldiers stationed on the mountain will not be able to resist the enemy. For the safety of my father, I want to escort my father away before the rebels attack."

"Riot? Rebellion?

In this bright and clear world, where did the rebels come from in the capital, and why did they riot? Have you found out all this?"

"It happened suddenly, and the truth has not yet been found out. But..."

Emperor Ning Kang paused for a moment, obviously hesitant, but still turned around and gestured.

Suddenly, a disheveled general in golden armor was pushed out.

He knelt down in front of the two saints with a plop, and said in a humble voice: "I, the deputy commander of the guard camp, Tian Qu, greet the emperor.

Your Majesty, I was originally ordered to guard the mountains. Yesterday evening, the Crown Prince suddenly came down the mountain with his personal guards, saying that he had prepared special gifts for the two saints.

I did not dare to stop you.

Who knew that in the early morning, the soldiers under my command suddenly heard that a large number of troops were mobilized at the foot of the mountain. They were all carrying the prince's banner and coming up the mountain aggressively. Any soldiers who blocked their way were attacked and killed by them.

I dare not delay, and I ordered my soldiers to set up layers of defense while I immediately went up the mountain to report the news to Your Majesty."

The Emperor looked at Tian Qu and said indifferently, "According to what you said, the Crown Prince has raised an army in rebellion and is planning a rebellion?

He was a good prince, why did he do such a treasonous thing? "

"I dare not say for sure. However... I heard from my soldiers, they said..."

"Speak!" the emperor suddenly shouted.

  Tian Qu shuddered all over and kowtowed quickly, saying, "Yes! The rebels are fighting in the name of rescuing the emperor!

They said that His Majesty was dissatisfied with the death of Concubine Li and the fact that the plan to clear the land was rejected by the Emperor Retired, and he harbored resentment towards the Emperor Retired, and intended to force the emperor to abdicate and seize power during the hunting season in Tiewang Mountain.

They also said that the prince came down the mountain to raise troops to defend the king at the order of the retired emperor..." (End of this chapter)