The Overlord of the Red Mansion

Chapter 157: Courage

It was already one or two o'clock in the morning when Jia Rong returned from the palace.

After entering, he sat down in the main hall without changing his clothes.

The men of the Jia family had already eaten and were gathered here waiting. Jia Rong also chatted casually with Jia Zheng, Jia Baoyu and others.

Ping'er had been on duty in the front yard and came here quickly.

"Master, aren't you going to change your clothes?"

Jia Rong sat with his legs crossed, drinking hot tea and said, "No need to change. Wearing official uniforms is also a way to bring honor to our ancestors."

Jia Baoyu asked curiously, "I heard that the Duke's title was demoted? This dress..."

The others also looked at Jia Rong's clothes. Those without discerning eyes would think it was an official uniform, while those with discerning eyes would understand that it was a duke's uniform.

Jia Rong explained, "Today I am wearing the uniform of a duke. When the emperor demoted my rank, he did not take back my clothes and previous rewards. Yesterday before the ancestor worship, he sent a message for me to put on the clothes and accompany them. After all, the rest of the people are princes and first-rank civil and military officials. It would be too abrupt for me, a fifth-rank official, to go in."

Jia Rong and Jia Baoyu were very easy to talk to and explained their current official ranks.

Jia Rong is now the director of the Imperial Medical Bureau.

The chief physician of the Imperial Hospital (the chief physician of the Imperial Hospital) is a fifth-rank official.
The chief imperial physician's deputy (court judge) is a sixth-rank official.

Imperial Physician, Rank 6
The rest are second-class doctors, eighth-rank and ninth-rank doctors, collectively known as imperial physicians.

There are also some third and fourth grade interns who are responsible for assisting the others.

There are not many people in the Imperial Medical Service, only about twenty people in total.

If the emperor killed all these people, it would be stupid if no one treated the disease.

Jia Zheng nodded and said, "Since the emperor is so gracious and has allowed me to wear this dress to accompany him in the ancestral worship, I will be able to restore my title of Duke of Ningguo next year."

Jia Rong smiled and said, "I don't care about these things, but Yuanchun and the others are still attending banquets in the palace as the wives of dukes. Women just like to save face. It's enough for them to be happy, so they don't have to nag me about making progress and working hard in their official careers."

"These women just completely ignore my actual situation. At my age, I should relax a little and wait until I'm 30 or 40 before getting promoted."

Jia Zheng stroked his beard and smiled, "The Jia family is lucky to have someone like the Duke! Unlike a useless son like me, I am ashamed to talk about it."

Jia Rong looked at Jia Baoyu, who was very embarrassed at this time.

Jia Rong smiled and said, "I have watched Baoyu grow up. He doesn't understand me, but I understand him. He wants to be clean, so we can't always blame him. For example, Master Zheng and Master She also taught by example. The books he read are books of sages, but what he saw were all nonsense that had nothing to do with reading."

"Forget it, this is a good thing. Being an official is not a good thing in today's world, but it's not a bad thing either. You will study for yourself in the future. Baoyu, just be happy."

Jia Rong didn't want to care about Jia Baoyu. He said that Jia Baoyu could have fun however he wanted when he returned to the Qinhuai River. It didn't matter.

Jia Zheng sighed and said, "So that's how it is. It's really my family's misfortune. My brother and I didn't do it well."

Only then did Jia Zheng understand everything. Things in the officialdom were never clean, and Jia Baoyu had actually known about those things for a long time.

At this time, Jia Baoyu bowed to Jia Rong and thanked him, "Thank you, brother-in-law!"

Jia Rong smiled and said, "Your sister has had a hard time these years. She has always used her own money to help you. I have a house in Yangzhou, where Mr. Lin Ruhai once lived. It just so happens that you are tired of staying in Jinling. Why don't you go to Yangzhou to have some fun after the New Year? You are talented and you can make better use of your strengths if you don't take the imperial examination."

Jia Zheng said quickly, "I'm afraid Baoyu won't know anyone there. I'm afraid he'll get into trouble."

Jia Rong said, "I know a lot of people in Yangzhou. Many wealthy businessmen and officials from Yangzhou come to visit me during festivals. I also met a lot of people in Yangzhou when I was studying. Baoyu's surname is Jia, and he is my wife's younger brother. It won't be worse if he goes there than here."

"Master Zheng, don't worry. He is no longer a child. It is time for him to leave you and go out to explore the world on his own. Besides, Jia Lian is also in the south. Our Jia family also has a lot of businesses in Yangzhou. We have already expanded our business over the years."

After Jia Rong finished speaking, several men nearby came over and echoed him.

"Your Majesty is right. I remember Jia Yun is in the south, I think it's Yangzhou."

“There is business in Hangzhou.”

"My son and nephew are both in Suzhou, and they even escorted Miss Lin's maid over this year."

"My son-in-law is in the same place as Mr. Lian, but he runs his own business."

Jia Zheng then realized that the Jia family had already moved south, so he said to Jia Baoyu, "If that's the case, you can go out for a walk if you want to."

Jia Baoyu nodded and said, "Yes!"

Jia Rong quickly stood up and began to preside over the New Year's sacrificial activities.

On the male side, Jia Rong is still the main one. As the patriarch, Jia Rong has always been very responsible.

However, it is just like a mission. Jia Rong has no feelings for the Jia family and lacks a sense of identity with his clansmen. His attitude has always been to use them if they can be used, and replace them if they cannot.

It just so happened that he had a group of family members with blood ties as the core, so he naturally gave money to organize this group of people to help him work, and collected all kinds of materials from all over the world to support his work.

Whether it was the glass syringe for injection, or the telescope, gunpowder and poison, it would be too slow for Jia Rong to collect them by himself, and he needed a group of subordinates.

After leading the men to preside over the sacrificial ceremonies, the men began to go home, and those who had wives waited for their wives.

Jia Rong took the women into the house to worship their ancestors.

Jia Rong, wearing the uniform of a duke, entered with a group of old ladies, wives, grandmothers, young girls and little servants.

Others kowtowed, but Jia Rong simply bowed and toasted.

After all, there was no case of a descendant becoming a Duke and offering sacrifices to his ancestors, and no one knew what the procedure was for this situation, so they just ignored Jia Rong.

Soon everyone went back to their homes, and Jia Rong took the opportunity when the maids went home to see the guests off and disappeared into the darkness.

The last time I went out for exercise was last year, so it’s time to exercise this year.

An hour later, Jia Rong returned and shouted at the gate, "Bring the horses out! Something happened outside, I need to go to the palace immediately!"

The servants quickly brought out the horses, and Jia Rong quickly rode to the palace.

On the way, Jia Rong met a fast horse.

"I am Jia Rong, Duke of Ningguo. Who are you?"

The cavalry quickly shouted, "Duke Ning! The emperor urgently summons the Duke to the palace to protect him!"

Jia Rong went over quickly, "I heard an explosion and saw on the wall that something happened in the north. Was it a fireworks explosion or something else?"

The cavalry quickly said, "It is said that something happened in Prince Xiao's mansion, but I don't know the details!"

Jia Rong quickly went to the palace, and was arranged by the emperor to go to Prince Xiaoqin's mansion to check the situation. When he returned to the palace, he found that more than a dozen princes and more than a dozen ministers were there.

There are not only princes from the capital, but also princes from all over the country.

After Jia Rong entered, he pretended to kneel down and kowtow.

The emperor quickly said, "Stand up! Next time you come in and ask me something, just tell me, how is the emperor doing?"

Jia Rong said in a sad voice: "The old Prince Xiao, the princess, and the five princes all died in the sea of fire caused by the explosion, as well as the housekeeper, personal guards, and several people whose identities are unknown."

"I followed the footprints along the courtyard wall for a hundred meters and found that the man's foot was about one foot long."

"I searched the roof carefully and found that the man must have jumped from the wall into the yard, leaving a footprint on the ground as if he had thrown something hard. He threw something into the house, which was not closed. It happened that it fell into the house like a firecracker explosion. Prince Xiao and others who were drinking in the house during the New Year's celebration met with an accident."

"I searched everywhere and found a white thread on a nearby wall. That person should be an old man with long hair!"

Jia Rong took out a golden handkerchief with both hands, pinched out a thirty-centimeter-long white hair from it, bowed and said:

"When I left, Prince Xiao's family had already died. I was powerless to save them. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"

After hearing Jia Rong's long speech, the emperor immediately stood up from the throne, walked over quickly and said, "My dear minister, there is no need to blame yourself. I should have asked you to take charge of this matter a long time ago. I have replaced countless useless people in the past fifteen years, but I can't even find a single hair!!"

The other princes also felt deeply touched. The assassin who killed the emperor was like a sharp thorn hanging over the heads of the royal princes, making the princes in the capital unable to sleep or eat, and they didn't want to come to the capital to enjoy themselves at all.

Jia Rong raised his head and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The emperor patted Jia Rong on the shoulder and took the white hair from Jia Rong's hand.

"Good!" The emperor sneered, "Finally I know whether it is a human or a ghost!"

Prince Gong asked, "Your Majesty, will you investigate this matter thoroughly?"

Jia Rong said, "I don't think it's right. Now that all the princes are in the capital, if we investigate, I'm afraid that man will do something desperate. According to the footprints I found on the ground, he should have run to the vicinity of Prince Beijing and Prince Gong's mansion. I seldom go there and am not familiar with it."

"Besides, that man is very skilled in martial arts. Even if I and the hundred men in the palace were to defeat him, we would not be his match. If we meet him, I'm afraid we will sacrifice our lives for our country."

Everyone was shocked when they heard it.

The emperor quickly said, "My dear, please don't worry about this matter. Since the villain is old, let's wait and see, lest he harm the uncles. My dear, you should be careful and don't take risks."

Jia Rong said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The other princes also breathed a sigh of relief, fearing that the emperor would continue the investigation and they would be beheaded before they even left the capital.

It's not that I'm suspicious, it's just that the thief has killed at least five princes.

Prince Fu asked curiously, "What hatred does that villain have against us that he must kill us princes?"

Jia Rong said honestly, "I really don't know. Judging from his actions, it seems that he wants to prove how powerful he is, rather than having a grudge against the emperor, the prince and others."

The emperor pondered for a moment and quickly said, "I have been thinking about this for the past fifteen years, especially in recent years, and I have been tossing and turning, but I still can't figure it out. What you said is indeed the most likely scenario."

Prince Fu said nervously, "What should we do? He has no grudge against us but he insists on causing trouble for us. Even if we stay in the mansion every day, we can't avoid encountering this killer!"

Jia Rong said, "The palace is heavily guarded now. The assassin only targeted Prince Xiao, who is at the outermost part. He sneaked in instead of attacking directly. I think his skills must have declined."

These words made the emperor and others feel much more at ease.

Rather than arresting someone, everyone hoped that the assassin would not come looking for them.

It might make you angry once or twice, but if it happens too many times, you will get really scared.

The emperor looked at Jia Rong and asked, "Do you have any good ideas?"

Jia Rong said: "There is no good strategy for the assassin, but the assassin always kills other people's fathers and ruins other people's funerals. He has no father, no mother, and no monarchy. He is only happy to see other people's entire family die."

"Since you want to see a joke, I will be responsible for Prince Xiao's funeral and show my filial piety. Let the assassin laugh at me. This way, I can vent my anger and he will behave himself for a while. Then, the princes can leave the city smoothly and return to their fiefdoms."

When the princes heard this, they all looked like women seeing a handsome man. They wanted to express their willingness but didn't know how to speak.

I really want to agree on behalf of the Emperor...

Prince Xiao had little relationship with them, and now they just wanted to leave this troubled place safely. The local princes who could not leave also hoped that Jia Rong could attract firepower so that they would not be noticed by the assassins.

The emperor was moved and said, "I am very pleased with your loyalty!"

Jia Rong held his head high and puffed out his chest, "I am a brave man!"

The emperor smiled and nodded, then quickly returned to his desk and stood looking at Jia Rong.

"Ningguo Duke Jia Rong!"

Jia Rong knew that he had been restored to the title of Duke, and he said, "I am here!"

The emperor not only restored Jia Rong's title, but also gave him more rewards.

"I order you to supervise the East and West Battalions of the Jinyi Army's six battalions. You can command the commanders of the East and West Battalions to lead troops in the capital at any time. You are allowed to carry a sword into the palace and to walk in front of the emperor!"

Jia Rong said: "Yes!"

It's more about honor and power, but no real responsibilities. The emperor does not want to give Jia Rong too much miscellaneous work, but wants Jia Rong to be in the palace to protect him at all times.

The emperor added: "Prince Xiao's funeral will be in charge of you, my dear minister. Make it grand and solemn. You can just go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to collect the money."

Jia Rong said: "Yes! But I hope to wait until after the first month of the lunar year. Last year's funeral might have disturbed the thief's peaceful New Year celebration, so that..."

He didn't say it, but everyone knew it, especially the emperor who lost both his balls because of that incident.

It wasn't just the emperor who was beaten at that time. The princes standing nearby all felt the pain deeply.

The emperor said directly: "Everything is left to you, my dear minister. I trust you, and you don't need to report to me."

Jia Rong said in embarrassment: "But I have no contact with Prince Xiao, and I don't know who else is in Prince Xiao's family. If the relatives of the prince's mansion disagree with my arrangement..."

The emperor frowned and said, "Don't worry. My brother only has five sons, but he also has a sixteen-year-old daughter. Go and see her. If she is still alive, take her to your house to recuperate. If she is dead, take care of her funeral."

Jia Rong already has a wife, otherwise the emperor would have granted him a marriage directly.

Jia Rong said, "It should be fine. When I went there to check, I did meet many women who were crying. But at that time, I was anxious to track down the murderer. I also thought that if I really met the murderer, I would die for my country. I really didn't have the heart to care about those women."

The emperor was even more moved after hearing this. "I will confer the title of Princess Jinling on the daughter of Prince Xiao. I am concerned about our brotherly love and cannot bear to see the Princess Jinling left out."

"Lord Jia, you will handle the funeral with Princess Jinling and take her to your house to recuperate temporarily. Then we can find a place nearby to build a Princess's mansion."

Although it is a bit strange to let the princess live in another married man's house and it is not in line with ancestral etiquette.

But the emperor and the princes have no objection anyway.

They all had no objections, so Jia Rong naturally had no objection either.

The emperor then looked at the Minister in Charge of the Imperial Guard and the Minister in Charge of the Imperial Guard.

"Have the palace guards been deployed?"

Both of them are first-rank officials and first-rank military officers.

The minister in charge of the imperial guards replied, "We have sent elite soldiers to guard the palace. It will be absolutely safe!"

The Minister of the Imperial Guards replied, "We have put martial law outside the palace, and there is a guard every three steps near the Qianqing Palace. We will ensure that the thief will not be able to escape if he gets here!"

Under normal circumstances, Jia Rong would really go against him.

But now Jia Rong felt very tired and stood in the imperial study thinking over and over again.

"What the hell am I doing?"

Jia Rong had no idea why he had been busy for a whole day, a whole night, and even half a day.

For what?

The reason for throwing the bombs was that the gunpowder bombs were about to expire. It would be a shame if they were not used, and it would be an insult to the hard work of so many people.

I go out for exercise because I feel like I haven't done any exercise for a long time and it would be boring if I don't do any exercise.

The reason for choosing Prince Xiaoqin's Palace is that the name of this prince's title makes people feel uncomfortable.

I'm helping with funeral arrangements because I don't want to go to work, so I'll take on some business and earn some money.

Although there was a reason for each step, each reason made Jia Rong feel more bored when he recalled it.

I should have slept at home.

Jia Rong denied himself.

It also denied the death of Prince Xiao.

The death of Prince Xiao's family was even more clownish...

At this time, the emperor asked the two first-rank officials: "If an assassin comes, how will you respond?"

The two first-rank officials quickly responded: "We will fight to the death and sacrifice our lives for our country!"

Jia Rong, who was dozing off, narrowed his eyes.

Not long after, Jia Rong went to Prince Xiao's mansion and took a nap.

He ignored everyone and went straight into the prince's bedroom and fell asleep.

That night, the moon was dark and the wind was howling.

A muscular man wearing a helmet broke into the palace.

Two first-rank military officers were drinking tea in the boiler room to ward off the cold. When they arrived, there were two princes who had died for their country and a group of injured princes lying on the ground.

The emperor was not injured, but was extremely frightened.

When Jia Rong was ten years old, he had the strength of an adult elephant, the endurance of a bull, the reaction speed of a tiger, the eyesight of an eagle, and the thinking of a normal man.

Now his thinking has become increasingly abnormal, but his strength, endurance, reaction speed, vision and recovery ability have increased several times.

Jia Rong runs extremely fast, and normal people cannot see him at night when he runs at full speed. In short, he is ridiculously strong, at least at the level of a first-rate martial arts master.

Not long after, Jia Rong received a message from the eunuch at Prince Xiaoqin's mansion and quickly rode to the palace on horseback.

Outside the hall, two first-rank ministers knelt at the door, their prostrate bodies trembling in the cold wind.

Jia Rong ignored them and went straight into the Golden Palace.

The emperor was sitting calmly on the supreme throne at this time, maintaining the last bit of his dignity.

The assassin just broke into his bedroom and pressed a bloody knife against his face and neck for several seconds.

The emperor's pants were wet, damp and cold.

He no longer dared to stay in the small bedroom, nor did he dare to walk outside. Unknowingly, he and his guards and imperial guards crowded into the Golden Palace, maintaining his last dignity like a king of a fallen country.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you!" Jia Rong bowed politely.

When the emperor saw Jia Rong, it was as if someone in the cold winter had found a glimmer of warmth.

"Please stand up, my dear. How come you are here so quickly?"

Jia Rong stood up and said, "I was praying for the prince in Prince Xiao's mansion, and had not yet undressed to sleep. When I heard the summons, I rode over quickly. Prince Xiao's mansion is closer to the palace, so I came much faster than usual."

The emperor nodded, "That's right, Ningguo Mansion is too far away from me."

Jia Rong still wanted to go home and sleep, and seeing that the man seemed to be losing his mind, he consoled him by saying, "Your Majesty, your health is the most important thing. Go to sleep!"

The emperor shook his head and said with a smile, "I can't sleep."

Jia Rong discovered that the emperor's mental state was indeed problematic and he had been frightened to the point of having problems.

"Your Majesty, there is no need to think too much. I have no grudge against the two ministers outside. It's just that the words of the two ministers this morning were exaggerated by the prince and other ministers, including the words that I didn't have the guts to say."

"Now that the assassin has been beaten and killed, Your Majesty, please go to sleep peacefully. I will go home and sleep as well. Because of the New Year, I have not slept for three days and three nights. I really can't stand it any longer."

After hearing this, the emperor quickly stood up.

"Drag those two dogs outside the door out of the Meridian Gate and behead them!"

After hearing this, the guard quickly said, "As ordered!"

The emperor stepped down from the dragon throne and said to Jia Rong, "My dear minister, go back and have a rest. I am fine now."

Jia Rong offered, "I will escort the emperor back home. It will disturb the peace of others at night. I will rest in the emperor's room for one night."

The emperor felt very warm and said, "Okay."

The emperor soon returned in a sedan chair, and Jia Rong rode a horse and followed the guards.

After arriving at the emperor's bedroom, Jia Rong watched the emperor lie down in the bedroom, and he sat on the couch where the emperor usually met with the empress and fell asleep.

The eunuch brought a quilt, and although Jia Rong had slept during the day, he fell asleep quickly.

The emperor couldn't sleep, so he lay down for a few minutes and then sat up again, "Lord Jia, you should stay here for a few days."

After the emperor finished speaking, he found that there was no response.

After a few seconds, the eunuch beside the bed said quickly: "Your Majesty, Duke Ning seems to have fallen asleep. I will wake him up."

"No need." The emperor waved his hand quickly, "That's good. I don't know why, but I feel much more at ease."

The emperor suddenly felt much more relaxed, no longer having the calm fear and panic he had before.

Soon the emperor lay down again.

The eunuch helped him cover himself with the quilt.

The emperor fell asleep quickly, and the old eunuch nearby also breathed a sigh of relief.

However, several princes in the capital couldn't stand it anymore.

In particular, several princes fled the capital overnight after learning that two more princes who were guarding the emperor had died.

Even if the emperor died, they would not come back to inherit the throne.

(End of this chapter)