Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

Chapter 776: Marrying Others
Prince Beijing nodded and said, "Jia Cong submitted a petition the day before yesterday, intending to send the Tenth Prince to lead troops on a western tour. Tomorrow, the Empress Dowager will summon him and other ministers to the palace to make a report. Chang'an Street is a place he must pass through. By then..."

Cha Wu clasped his hands and said, "I understand. No matter how much it costs, I will kill him!"

"Go ahead, tell everyone the news tomorrow morning, and don't let it leak out."

"Don't worry, Your Highness. The brothers in the mansion and the personal soldiers of the East and West mansions are cross-arranged to monitor each other. No one can try to make trouble at the last minute." Cha Wudao.

"Well, then I am relieved. Pass the order, for the soldiers who died in battle, each will receive a pension of 1,000 taels, and the parents, wives and children at home will be supported by me, and the disabled will be rewarded with 500 taels."

Cha Wu said, "Yes. Please rest assured, Your Majesty. We have received great favors from the palace for generations, and we should repay them with our own death."

Prince Beijing stood up and patted him on the shoulder, saying in a deep voice: "Tell the brothers that you killed the enemy for the country. I hope you all come back safely and drink a celebratory wine together!"

Cha Wu's eyes turned slightly red. He bowed heavily and turned to leave.

That night, Jia Cong had not slept yet and was discussing something with Pang Chao in the study.

Looking at the two letters with the same contents on the table, which were respectively stamped with the seals of the Prince of Xining and the Prince of Dongping, Jia Cong sneered, "These two are really smart. They fooled Shui Rong and only turned against him when the time came. They were afraid that they could not put Shui Rong to death."

Pang Chao laughed and said, "There are no such things as eternal friendships in the court. They all come together for profit and become distant when the profit is gone. I guess Prince Beijing didn't expect that the two princes would use him as a token of loyalty, right?"

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Of course he can't think of that, because I have already told Uncle Chen to spare the East and West Palaces and only get rid of Beijing.

I think these two people didn't tell him the truth, which made King Beijing mistakenly believe that they were on the same boat, so they were able to conspire for something big."

Pang Chao said: "Not only the two kings, but even Uncle Chen deceived King Beijing. At least he didn't tell the whole truth. Otherwise, if King Beijing knew that you had asked to let King Dong and King Xi go, would he still be fooled?"

Jia Cong nodded and said, "Sir, what you mean is that Uncle Chen wants to hint that if Prince Beijing doesn't risk everything, he will surely die?"

Pang Chao laughed and said, "Isn't this plan of using a sword to kill someone obvious? Just tell King Beijing that you are determined to kill him, and he will take the initiative.

If he succeeds by chance, wouldn't Chen Guojiu be able to take advantage of the situation and unite the three kings of different surnames to rise up?"

Jia Cong smiled coldly and said, "It is such a coincidence that the Empress Dowager summoned me to the palace tomorrow. Could it be that she is also involved in this?"

Pang Chao said: "Prince Beijing is very alert. Except for the two princes, no one else knows his plan. As long as he gives a hint to Uncle Chen, he will make the connection. Even if the Empress Dowager doesn't know, it won't stop her from going along with it.

The world is peaceful now, and it will be beneficial for everyone if you are gone. Even if Wang Ziteng, Niu Jizong and others start making trouble, we can just kill Prince Beijing to keep the world peaceful."

Jia Cong said: "Uncle Chen could never have imagined that the two kings, the East and the West, had been frightened by me and actually instigated the King of Beijing to assassinate me, and then reported him to gain my trust in order to save the family."

"That's right." Pang Chao said with a smile, "Do you want to ask the stewards of the two palaces who sent the letter?"

"Okay, pass it on."

Soon, two middle-aged butlers were brought in by their personal guards.

"Your servant greets His Majesty."

"Get up." Jia Cong tapped the letter twice with his finger and said, "Tell me, what does your prince mean by sending me this letter?"

"My Lord, my Lord said that Prince Beijing has always hated you and he knows that you will not let him go, so he will definitely attack you first.

My prince was afraid of alerting the enemy and not being able to obtain evidence of Prince Beijing's rebellion and assassination, so he has been pretending to be in collusion for days. Now that the evidence is conclusive and the rebellion has been exposed, I would like to report this to your Highness.

Tomorrow we will capture and kill the assassin and present him to His Majesty. My family is loyal to the court and His Majesty and will never be in cahoots with the Prince of Beijing's Mansion. Please be clear about this, Your Majesty."

"Yes, Your Highness, please look into it. Our prince also said that because Prince Beijing was suspicious and cautious, they did not dare to come in person to report the news, fearing that he would find out and fail. Therefore, he sent the two of us to report, and it was not meant to be disrespectful to Your Highness. Please forgive me."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "I understand. Thank you two princes for your care. You can stay in the mansion tonight to avoid attracting attention. Go down and rest, and watch the show."

"Thank you for the reward, Your Highness." The two men kowtowed happily and retreated with the guards.

"Sir, based on these two letters and the information sent by Huasheng, this matter should be true. What do you think?" Jia Cong said.

Pang Chao said: "This is true, we can make preparations in advance."

Jia Cong's expression turned cold, and he shouted, "Okay! Come on, send the two eagles over!"

"Yes."
-
The next day was a sunny day, and Chang'an Avenue was still bustling and lively. Before dawn, shops on the street opened one after another, and smoke was rising from many breakfast shops. Small vendors carrying loads or carts also occupied the best spots on the street early, set up stalls, and chatted with each other.

As the sun gradually rose, more people appeared on the streets. The sounds of shouting, hawking, waiters, carriages, calls to friends, and loud conversation mixed together, and the streets were as lively as usual, filled with the style of an ancient metropolis.

On the upper floors of the buildings on both sides of the road, people were quietly peering in from many windows, as if they were waiting for someone.

"Fifth brother, do you think we can succeed this time?" a young man asked anxiously.

Cha Wu glanced at the two already assembled magic arm bows on the table and said calmly: "With our thirty-six magic arm bows, we can shoot from all directions. Even if Jia Cong is a reincarnated monkey, he will become a hedgehog.

Moreover, there are hundreds of sharp soldiers rushing to kill him, so he can’t escape even if he has three heads and six arms.”

The young man smiled and said, "Fifth brother is right. We have been training for a month or two in the village for this day. We will be able to shoot both people and horses. In addition, we have already laid a net, so he will not be able to escape even if he has wings."

Cha Wu nodded and said, "I don't think those will be of any use. Even if our archery skills are not good, we can still shoot a living person within a few dozen steps. Just wait for the reward when we return."

"Well, after receiving the reward, I will also ask the manager to find a wife for me." The young man said with a smile.

Cha Wu smiled and said, "Which girl do you like?"

The young man said somewhat embarrassedly: "The little girl beside the princess, Xiao Rui."

"You have a good eye, kid. No wonder you are such an extraordinary archer." Cha Wu smiled and said, "Don't worry. I will tell you later. The prince will approve it."

"Thank you, fifth brother." The young man was overjoyed.

"Here I come!" someone suddenly said outside the door.

The two men hurriedly picked up their divine arm bows and stood in front of the window waiting for orders, but they saw a group of knights in distinctive armor, about fifty or sixty people, slowly approaching the street corner with the flags of Prince Jing's Mansion.

In the middle was a guard, wearing a golden crown, a bright red dragon robe, a jade belt around his waist, and riding a snow-white BMW. It was Jia Cong.

The people on the road quickly moved to the sides and cleared the middle road for people to pass.

Seeing the target getting closer and closer and about to reach the ambush circle, he suddenly stopped his horse, got off the horse, and sat at a stall selling wontons on the street to eat them.

"Fifth brother, what should we do?" The young man tightened the crossbow in his hand. If he shot at a distance of 150 steps, he would not be sure of his target. Moreover, Jia Cong was surrounded by guards, so even if he shot correctly, it would be blocked.

"Wait." Cha Wu said in a deep voice. Suddenly, there was a bang, the door was pushed open, and four or five people rushed in.

"What are you doing! Why don't you go down and prepare? The target is coming!" Seeing that it was the accomplices from the East and West Palaces, Cha Wu shouted angrily.

Several people grinned and said, "You don't even know your death is coming." Then they rushed over and beat and kicked the two men, then tied them up.

"You! You are treacherous and you shall not die a horrible death!" Cha Wu, who didn't know he was being betrayed, cursed angrily.

"Bah, how can we, the patriots, associate with you traitors and villains?" Several people laughed. It is the most satisfying way to sell out your accomplices and gain merit. It is easy and risk-free, and the credit is great.

"Shame on you!" "Shame on your mother!" The crowd grabbed a piece of rag and covered the mouths of Cha Wu and the other man.

Here, Zhang Yuanba, Du Dapeng and others each held an iron shield and stood guard around, waiting for Jia Cong to leisurely finish a bowl of wontons.

"The soup tastes great and the cooking skills are excellent." Jia Cong smiled as he looked at the girl selling wontons.

Children of poor families grow up early. The girl didn't know Jia Cong, but only knew that he was a high-ranking official. She was not afraid of him. Instead, she wiped the sweat from her forehead, smiled proudly, and said, "Of course, I got up at four o'clock in the morning to cook the bone soup. My wontons are the best on this street."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Not bad, not bad. Here's your reward."

The guards hurried forward and put an ingot of gold on her cart.

Seeing the five taels of silver ingot, the girl hurriedly returned it to the soldier and said, "I can't make change here. Ten coins are enough for a bowl of wontons."

Jia Cong laughed and asked, "I don't have any copper coins. Do you have any copper coins with you?"

All the personal soldiers shook their heads in embarrassment. They knew that there might be a fierce battle today, and apart from the one who was responsible for paying for Jia Cong, who would carry money with them and cause trouble?

The girl smiled heartily and said, "Then I'll be the host. You can just take care of my business in the future."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Of course I will take care of you, but you are a small business, so how can I eat for free? You don't even have a sign for your stall, how about I give you one? You can be more impressive in the future."

The girl smiled and said, "Okay, I wanted to ask a scholar to write for me, but their writing fee is too expensive, I can't bear it."

"Don't worry, I don't want any money." Jia Cong smiled and glanced around. He saw a fortune-telling stall next to him and gently hooked his finger.

The fortune teller was very perceptive. He hurried over with paper and pen and placed them respectfully on the table.

Jia Cong thought about it, picked up the pen and wrote six words on the paper.

"What great handwriting! The strokes are powerful and majestic." The old man was busy flattering.

Jia Cong laughed and scolded, "Stop talking nonsense. I know what's going on. No matter what you say, I won't give you a single ounce of silver."

The old man smiled and walked away.

The girl leaned forward to take a look and said with a smile, "I only know this character '一'."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Let me read it to you, 'The Best Wonton in the Capital'. How about it? Isn't it impressive?"

The girl covered her mouth and laughed, "I don't deserve it."

"If I say you are you, then you are you." Jia Cong said with a smile.

"Master, all the assassins have been captured." Suddenly a personal soldier reported.

"Let's go and take a look." Jia Cong threw down his pen and stood up and left.

The girl watched him lead his men away, picked up the paper, and read it over and over again with a smile. The best wonton in Shenjing was indeed very impressive.

The fortune-teller next to them saw Jia Cong and the others walking away, and then he said enviously: "Tiger Girl, what are you still looking at? Why don't you take it back and have someone carve a sign for it! You will become rich if you hang it on your car in the future."

Hu Niu laughed and said, "I dare not. If I put this up, my colleagues all over Shenjing will come to trouble me."

"Bah, give them a hundred guts! Put up this sign, and from now on, not to mention them, you can walk freely on this street, no, in the entire Shenjing City. You can set up your sign wherever you like, and no tax collectors or hooligans will dare to mess with you."

Hu Niu was so shocked that she was stunned. After a while, she said, "Is it so useful?"

The old man smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Silly girl, do you know who that young man was just now?"

"I don't know, but he is the young master of a wealthy family."

"What young master? That's the current Prince Jing. You are so lucky. Your ancestors' graves are smoking. You exchanged a bowl of wontons for a piece of calligraphy by the prince.

Look at the few small words at the back, written by Jia Cong. "When you become rich, you can sell your wontons for only one tael of silver per bowl and there will be many people eating them."

Hu Niu opened her mouth wide enough to hold an egg and asked in surprise, "He is Jia Cong?"

"Of course it's true. It's clearly written on the banners carried by his personal soldiers. Oh, you can't read."

"Then I'll ask someone to carve a signboard right away, but I won't raise the price. My father said that we should be honest in doing business. Ten cents is ten cents. Please keep an eye on the stall for me."

"Silly girl." The old man shook his head in disappointment. What else did he need a stall for with this sign?

Jia Cong looked at the more than one hundred guards from Prince Beijing's mansion who were brought in and sneered, "How courageous!"

"Master, a total of 36 military Shenbi bows were seized, and the numbers on the bows were all worn out." Yan Shuangying said.

Jia Cong nodded. Prince Beijing was indeed vicious. In this terrain, if one was not on guard, he would probably succeed. It would be impossible to avoid the first wave of bow and crossbow fire alone.

He was too lazy to check the source of the divine arm bow. With the background of Prince Beijing's Mansion, it would be easy to get a few bows from the army, so he shouted: "Come here, seal off Prince Beijing's Mansion immediately and arrest all the people involved!"

"Yes." Jing Can and others who had been waiting for orders hurriedly led the Ti cavalry away.

Jia Cong glanced at Huasheng who had come over and said, "Well done, what do you want?"

Huasheng bowed and said, "It is the greatest honor and reward for me to serve the prince."

Jia Cong smiled up at the sky and said, "I am clear about rewards and punishments. How can I not reward someone for his merits? Princess Beijing will give it to you."

Huasheng hurriedly said, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty. I am only willing to serve you, Your Majesty, and I don't want women."

Jia Cong waved his hand and smiled, "Keep it. After all, she helped you."

"Yes."

"Zhuang Qing." Jia Cong tilted his head slightly.

"I'm here." Zhuang Qing quickly stepped out and bowed.

"You know what Jinse looked like that day. I will leave Shuirong to you. I want you to repay him with a thousand times the pain. If he dies easily, you will also lose your head." Jia Cong said coldly.

Zhuang Qing said solemnly, "I will obey the prince's order and promise to serve Prince Beijing well. If there is any mistake, I am willing to die to apologize."

"Okay! I'll wait and see."

Seeing the two kings from the east and west approaching from a distance, he bowed and kowtowed to them with a flattering look on his face, fearing that Jia Cong would misunderstand him.

Jia Cong raised his voice and said, "My two princes, how about following me into the palace to see the emperor?"

"Yes."

(End of this chapter)