The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 706 Image Collapse
Watching Ayina and Shanba descend from the city wall, Dong Dao and Fan Jian returned to the campfire and squatted down. The latter winked mischievously and said, "The young lady is really nice. She's pretty, pretty, and brave. She spends all day watching the battle from the city wall and even helps treat the wounded brothers. You can tell she genuinely hopes we win the battle. Why don't you, Governor, take her as your concubine?"

Jia Huan retorted, "Nonsense!"

Fan Jian said in a serious tone, "I am not talking nonsense, there is a reason for this. The court has appointed Chu Sheng as the temporary commander of Hami Guard. You should know that in the past, the commander of Hami Guard was always the king of Hami. It can be seen that the emperor does not intend to allow the Hami Kingdom to exist anymore. In the future, there will naturally be no more kings of Hami, let alone Princess Ayina as the queen of Hami."

But the governor had promised Amulang that he would petition the court at the appropriate time to grant Princess Ayina the title of King of Hami. Although he hadn't made a definitive statement at the time, leaving room for maneuver, Amulang wouldn't let it go, and trouble was bound to arise in the future. If the governor were to take Ayina as his concubine, things would be much easier. State affairs would become family matters, and family matters would become no problems. Even if trouble did arise, the couple could simply close their bedroom door and resolve it, hehe!

"Damn!" Dong Dao couldn't help but give a thumbs up in praise: "You're a real talent, I'll have to call you Master Fan from now on!"

Jia Huan couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. However, upon closer reflection, although Fan Jian's words were lewd, they weren't entirely without merit. The largest ethnic group in Hami is the Hui, who make up about 50-60% of the population. The Hami royal family, represented by Ayina, is of Hui descent. This was why he had pushed Ayina and Amulang to the forefront in the first place—to use their identities to appease the people.

However, this is undoubtedly a double-edged sword. If Amurang and Ayina are unwilling to "lose their country" and lead a rebellion, it will undoubtedly be a powerful time bomb.

Although Emperor Qiansheng has not yet issued an edict to abolish the name of Hami Kingdom, signs have already appeared. This can be seen from the appointment of Chu Sheng as the temporary commander of Hami Guard. It is believed that the abolition of the name of Hami Kingdom is only a matter of time. Moreover, the previous Hami King's entire family was almost wiped out, leaving no heirs, which also provides Emperor Qiansheng with a once-in-a-lifetime excuse to abolish the name of Hami Kingdom.

Suddenly, the north wind picked up and began to blow fiercely. Tiny white objects fell from the sky, feeling cool on their faces. When everyone looked up, they realized it was snowing!
The poet Li Bai once wrote: "Snow in the Tianshan Mountains in May, no flowers, only cold." Snow in Hami in the ninth lunar month is not uncommon, but this year's early snowfall is indeed a bit early.

As Jia Huan watched the snowflakes swirling above the campfire, his heart sank slightly. This first snow had come at an inopportune time. He hoped that Man Gui and Tie Niu wouldn't run into any trouble, otherwise Hami City would be in a difficult situation.

Meanwhile, Ayina and Shanba descended the city wall one after the other, took their mounts, and prepared to leave. Shanba finally couldn't help but ask, "Ayina, what were you talking about with Jia Huan just now?"

Ayina didn't notice the jealousy flashing in Shanba's eyes. With a push of her long and sturdy legs, she lightly flipped onto the horse's back, saying casually, "We didn't talk about anything, just a few random words."

Shanba also mounted his horse and sneered, "Really? I saw you two chatting quite congenially. If I hadn't come looking for you, who knows how long you would have been talking."

Ayina then noticed that Shanba's tone was off, and turned to look at him curiously: "Shanba, what's wrong with you today?"

"Ayina, you'd better not go up to the city wall tomorrow!" Shaba said with a gloomy face.

"why?"

"For your safety, the city wall is too dangerous. If something happens to you, I won't be able to explain it to my godfather."

"Don't worry, I'll be careful. This is a rare opportunity to observe and learn, we can't miss it. Shaanba, you should also take a look." Ayina said as she spurred her horse forward.

Shanba was already seething with jealousy, and seeing that Ayina wouldn't listen to his advice, he became even more annoyed. He spurred his horse and chased after her, and the two of them returned to the outside of their residence one after the other.

Ayina led her horse to the stable and tied it up. Shanba followed her in without a word, his face dark as he questioned, "Ayina, have you fallen for that pretty boy Jia Huan?"

Ayina was taken aback for a moment, then blushed and said, "Shaanba, what nonsense are you talking about?"

Seeing this, Shanba became even more jealous and sneered, "Ever since you came up from under the ice cave that day, I've noticed something's wrong with you. Today, not only did you speak up for that brat Jia Huan, but you also risked your life to stay on the city wall. Even after dark, you refused to come down and went to be all lovey-dovey with Jia Huan. If I hadn't used the excuse that my godfather was looking for you, would you two have slept together tonight?"

Ayina was shocked, clearly not expecting that Shanba, whom she had always respected like an older brother, would say such despicable things. She trembled with anger and retorted, "Shanba, what... what nonsense are you talking about?"

Shaba was Amulang's adopted son, five or six years older than Ayina. Ayina practically grew up following Shaba around. The two played, rode, shot, hunted, and herded together from a young age, so they had a very good relationship. Ayina always regarded Shaba as her older brother.

However, Shanba clearly did not think so. Especially after receiving multiple hints from his adoptive father, Amulang, he regarded Ayina as his own possession and would not allow anyone else to touch her. Today, seeing Ayina showing a hint of affection towards Jia Huan, he could not bear it and, burning with desire, lost his composure.

He scoffed, "Where did I talk nonsense? A hero saves a beauty, and the beauty repays him with her body. Isn't that something that's often performed in Han Chinese plays and written in books? If you read it, you can learn it."

By the way, Jia Huan is now the governor of Gansu, holding a high position and great power, so you're thinking of currying favor with him. Unfortunately, he's not the emperor of Jin, so even if you gave yourself to him, he couldn't possibly bestow upon you the title of Queen of Hami.

Seeing that his words were becoming increasingly outrageous, Ayina finally lost her temper and slapped Shanba across the face. Her almond-shaped eyes widened as she yelled, "Shut up, Shanba! I've always respected you like an older brother, but I never expected you to see me like this! Get out! Stay away from me from now on!" Shanba covered his burning cheek, anger, jealousy, and humiliation causing him to lose his temper. He pounced on Ayina, pinning her to the hay, and forcefully tore at her clothes, growling like a wild beast, "Ayina, you and Hami City are mine. No one can take them away. I'm going to take your body now and see if that brat Jia Huan still looks down on you."

Ayina was shocked and ashamed, and then angry. In her mind, Shanba had always been a brave and responsible older brother, but this image collapsed instantly. All that remained in her heart was disgust. In her struggle, she pulled a dagger from her boot and slammed the handle into Shanba's ribs.

This part of the human body is the most vulnerable. Even with just a stab from the hilt of a knife, Shanba still groaned in pain. Ayina took the opportunity to break free and fled the stable in tears.

Fortunately, she still had some old feelings for him and didn't kill him; otherwise, if she had stabbed him, Shaanxi would have been completely finished.

After a while, Shanba finally recovered. Clutching his ribs, he scrambled to his feet, covered in bits of grass. His face, covered in a thick beard, was twisted and contorted in a ferocious grimace. He slammed his fist into a wooden pillar and squeezed out two words through gritted teeth: "Jia—Huan!"

On the city wall, the snow seemed to be falling harder, and the north wind was blowing in his face. Jia Huan couldn't help but shiver and subconsciously tightened his cloak.

"Third Master, it's getting late, let's go back. The Turpan people shouldn't attack tonight," Jinbao said, stamping his foot.

Lu Xiangjin nodded and said, "Governor, you may go back and rest. I, your humble servant, will be on duty on the city wall."

Jia Huan didn't stand on ceremony. Under the protection of his personal guards, he left the city wall and rode back to the governor's office. Xueyan, who had been waiting anxiously, saw that the Third Master had finally returned home. She quickly took off his cloak, brushed the snow off his body, and helped him put on his cotton shoes. She complained, "It's windy and snowy outside, and the Third Master is still not back. The food has gone cold several times."

Jia Huan said apologetically, "I forgot to send someone back to tell you that I've already had dinner on the city wall. You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

Xueyan pouted her little mouth in grievance. When Jia Huan saw this, he knew that she hadn't eaten dinner yet. He found it both funny and pitiful, and urged her, "Go eat quickly. In the future, if I haven't come back by dinner time, you can eat by yourself. You don't have to wait."

Xueyan laughed and said, "This servant is not that stupid. I've eaten two pastries, so I'm not hungry yet." She then stoked the fire in the stove and poured Jia Huan a cup of hot wine to ward off the cold.

Jia Huan took the wine glass and smelled it; it was that snow lotus wine again. He couldn't help but smile wryly and said, "Don't you have any other wines?"

Xueyan said with a smile, "Yes, there is, but drinking more of this is good for Third Master's health, so please drink more."

Jia Huan had no choice but to drink it all in one gulp. After serving Jia Huan, Xueyan heated up the food, ate a few bites quickly, then fetched hot water to help Jia Huan wash his feet before warming the bed. She was truly a diligent little bee.

After Jia Huan finished reviewing the official documents, the northwest wind was still howling outside, which made the room seem even more tranquil.

Jia Huan stood up and stretched, a prelude to going to sleep. Xue Yan skillfully crawled out of the warm quilt, preparing to return to her small couch to sleep. Jia Huan coughed lightly and said, "It's rather cold tonight, no need to move around. Why don't we sleep together in bed so we don't catch a cold?"

Xueyan blushed and shyly burrowed back into bed, her arms thumping wildly as if she were holding a rabbit.

Jia Huan blew out the candles, took off his outer clothes, and went to bed. It was dark and quiet all around, and the northwest wind was still howling outside.

After a long while, Xueyan's soft, slightly trembling voice called out from the darkness: "Third Master!"

"Cough cough, don't move around. It's normal to feel this way after drinking too much of that kind of alcohol!"

"Oh!"

"Third Master!"

"Cough cough, I can't sleep, I'm just stretching around, don't worry about me!"

"Oh!"

(End of this chapter)