The Overlord of the Red Mansion

Chapter 200: The clarion call

Jia Rong quickly put on his clothes and took his men to the alley between the Ning and Rong mansions.

Because the two mansions were connected to build a garden, a section of the alley in the middle was blocked by a high wall and no one could pass through, so gradually not many people came here.

Usually the main focus is to prevent people from defecating or peeing in this alley, and the protection work is not strict.

After Jia Rong arrived, a group of thugs and housekeepers quickly made way.

Jia Rong looked at the dead dog on the ground, then at the dog paw prints on the wall, and the bloody words "corrupt official".

"Whose dog is this?"

Jia Rong first asked the question that had been bothering him in the middle of the night.

Lin Zhixiao quickly replied, "It's the dog that the eldest son keeps in the west yard. His name is General."

Jia Rong said angrily, "Nonsense! I told you not to keep big dogs, but this bastard just wouldn't listen and now he's in trouble!"

"Tell the maid to tell the princess to spank that bastard twenty times!"

Lin Zhixiao quickly responded: "Yes!"

Jia Rong looked up at the words on the wall again. The blood words had dried, but he could roughly make out the font.

In addition to the writing and seals, the wall was also knocked down for a length of five or six meters.

"This thief is extremely strong, and it is obvious that he is not an ordinary person. I will go to the palace. You protect this place and don't let any strangers get close. From now on, this alley will be sealed!"

Jia Rong quickly arranged for people to protect the scene, and even if people from the yamen came, they would not be allowed to see it.

Not long after, Jia Rong went to the palace.

The emperor and others were discussing matters in court when suddenly Jia Rong came in with a knife.

"Your Majesty! I have something to ask!"

When the emperor saw Jia Rong coming in, he knew that something big must have happened.

"What's the matter, my brother?"

All the civil and military officials in the court were looking at Jia Rong, feeling that whenever this guy showed up, nothing good would happen.

As for Jia Rong coming in with a knife, no one cared.

No one cares whether you kneel or not.

No one cares about not having a beard and having short hair.

He breaks the rules in so many ways that few people talk to him about them.

Those attending court today included not only the first, second, and third rank officials of the imperial court, but also royal relatives who came as substitutes, military generals who were lucky enough to have escaped several disasters, and several princes who had just arrived in Beijing.

The princes did not dare to come for the time being, but after nothing happened recently, and the court had a particularly large gap in the number of princes from the royal family, with the continuous efforts and persuasion of several old ministers, several princes finally decided to come and take a gamble in order to upgrade to become princes.

Jia Rong quickly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty!"

When the emperor saw Jia Rong kneeling down, he hurriedly said, "Hurry up and talk. Is this something bad?"

Kneel down! Jia Rong did not listen to the emperor.

"Your Majesty! I heard my servants crying early this morning. When I went out, I found that an assassin had overturned the wall of my house and wrote in blood on the remaining space, accusing me of being a corrupt official!"

"Your Majesty is wise! I have more money than I can spend at home. I have never thought of being greedy for money. The gold, silver and jewelry I have received from the Emperor and His Majesty are enough to last me a lifetime. Besides, the Imperial Hospital and several jobs I have held are all earned legally. I have never thought of me as a corrupt official!"

The emperor has no time to care about whether officials are corrupt or not. No one has ever cared whether Jia Rong is corrupt or not.

Even among those who reported Jia Rong, none of them took corruption seriously.

"My brother, please get up! That assassin must be slandering me and deliberately framing my uncle! He did this kind of thing before, accusing my uncle Zhongshun and his family of rebellion and alienating the relationship between my father and my brother."

Even the Prince's teacher and others who had great dissatisfaction with Jia Rong and wished to get rid of him, came to speak up to help.

"Prince Zhongshun is devoted to the country. That villain is slandering people. Your Majesty, you don't need to pay attention to him."

"Yes, everyone in the capital knows that the prince is honest, frugal and lives a simple life."

"He said that the prince was a corrupt official. That villain must be a villain. The prince is a prince, and that villain does not understand the difference between the prince and an official."

"That makes sense, Your Majesty, just rest assured."

"The most important thing now is to quickly capture the thief!"

As soon as these words were spoken, all the civil and military officials in the court looked at the person who spoke, and even a few princes looked at him with frowns.

"Who is this?" Jia Rong asked in a low voice.

His voice was very soft, yet very loud, and even the emperor could hear it.

The man blushed and quickly stood up and said, "I used to be the commander of Lingnan Prefecture. Fortunately, the emperor values me now and I am appointed as the deputy governor of the Beijing Guard Command."

A third-rank official.

But what I say here doesn't carry enough weight.

Jia Rong said directly: "Your Majesty, in addition to the bloody words "corrupt official", that person also left twenty bloody dog paw prints on my wall. I would like to ask for twenty days' leave to prevent that thief from coming again. Please take care of your health, Your Majesty!!"

The emperor was afraid.

Really scared.

It’s not a matter of being prepared or not. His father was fully prepared, so he will die anyway if he deserves to die.

The assassin was so powerful that his father tried every possible means, but in the end he found that his so-called defense was like paper and was easily penetrated by the assassin.

When he was still the crown prince, he would often go to the emperor to seek comfort and inquiries after he was beaten.

Now that I have become the emperor, am I finally going to meet him...

"Damn it!" The emperor was panicked and afraid, and stood up directly, "Dismiss the court! My brother, call those who can protect you to go to the Cining Palace to discuss matters!"

The emperor had no idea who could be of use, and the experience of the emperor emeritus was of no use at all.

The only useful one is Jia Rong. All other means and techniques to prevent assassins are of no reference value at all.

This resulted in the emperor being completely helpless when faced with this ancestral test.

The emperor quickly left the court under the protection of eunuchs and guards to make preparations.

Everyone knows that the assassin only appears at night, so protecting the emperor tonight becomes the top priority.

Jia Rong quickly shouted, "The Minister of War, the Commander-in-Chief of the Management Department, the Five Armies Inspectorate, the Ceremonial Guards, the Thousand Households, the Commander-in-Chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, and the Grand Secretary, all follow me. The rest of the first, second, and third rank officials, whoever wants to come, can come too. It will be easier to get things done with more people."

Jia Rong quickly named a few people and gave the rest the opportunity to volunteer.

After looking at each other, several princes decided not to participate in such dangerous activities.

In the past, whenever princes participated in such collective activities, the death rate was alarmingly high!

Several princes hesitated for a long time even to come to the capital to become princes, let alone actually going to the battlefield to face the test of life and death.

Jia Rong quickly led his men to deploy defenses for the emperor and coordinated several soldiers from different positions to come and stand guard, protecting the wise and mighty emperor.

"Your Majesty, it is time for me to go back. The rest of the matters can be left to you gentlemen."

Jia Rong was about to go back.

The emperor was about to cry, "Brother! You stay with me, don't go back!"

Jia Rong stood with his hands folded, and said passionately: "As a king, I shall be the forerunner of the emperor! If the thief wants my life, then take it. I will fight to the death and live up to the emperor and the sword on my waist!"

Not only was the emperor moved, but even the dozens of ministers and guards in the room felt the loyalty of the King of Loyalty and Filial Piety!!
One of the few remaining military commanders from the royal family, the first-rank commander of the five armies, said to Jia Rong, "Your Highness, you'd better stay. If you go back, the capital is not well guarded and you might encounter an accident." Jia Rong clenched the hilt of the sword in his hand and quickly turned and walked away.

"Singing in Yanjing with great enthusiasm, going to death calmly. Drawing the sword into one piece, not letting down the youth!"

Jia Rong sang a song, and when he was at the door, he turned his head and said, "No need to send anyone to protect me. I must meet that thief today!"

The extremely loyal Jia Rong returned home soon.

At night, several princes who were afraid to sleep gathered together. Suddenly, someone broke into the house through the wall and killed twenty people, including dogs.

Jia Rong quickly ran back home, jumped into the yard and shouted, "Oh no! It's not our family, it's someone else's family that has an accident!"

Xiaohong and others who were keeping watch in the yard breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.

"Master is back! Are you okay, Master?"

Jia Rong was so tired that he swore that he would never paint the wall again. He said to the people who ran out, "It's okay. Just go and reassure the people in the garden. I have to go to the palace quickly!"

Jia Rong quickly rode to the palace.

"Your Majesty! I stayed at home alone for half the night but no one showed up. Later, I was worried that the tiger was lured away from the mountain. I quickly came to protect Your Majesty. On the way, I saw that something seemed to have happened in the north of the city!"

The emperor hadn't slept all night and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad my brother is okay."

Jia Rong said directly: "Your Majesty's health is the most important thing. It is almost dawn now, so Your Majesty should rest. I will go and find out the situation immediately!"

The emperor looked at the still dark sky outside and said quickly, "Brother, don't leave. Stay here with me. Someone will report the news later."

Jia Rong wiped the sweat off his head and said, "Yes, I am exhausted from running around."

The emperor quickly asked Jia Rong to sit down and rest, while he himself paced back and forth in the room, his heart pounding with fear.

Just when he was worried, the eunuch suddenly whispered, "Your Majesty, Prince Zhongxiao has fallen asleep."

The emperor suddenly felt warm in his heart, and then he felt relieved.

"Well, cover yourself with the quilt, don't catch a cold."

The emperor asked someone to take good care of Jia Rong, and he went out to look at the night sky at five or six o'clock in the morning in late autumn.

Half an hour later, as the sky gradually brightened, someone came over with a torch.

"Your Majesty! The resting place of the Prince of Nanzheng was attacked by an assassin at night. The assassin broke into the house through the wall, causing the house to collapse. The seven princes were killed on the spot, more than 20 people died, and more than 200 people were seriously injured."

The emperor closed his eyes and quickly asked, "How many princes and dukes are there in the capital?"

The commander of the five armies said in a deep voice: "There is only one prince, the Prince of Loyalty and Filial Piety. There were eleven princes before him, including the descendants of the Prince of Beijing and the Prince of Gongshun. The seven princes who died this time should be the princes from other places who came in the past few months."

The emperor sighed, "Let the new princes leave and don't stay in the capital."

"Yes." The commander-in-chief of the Five Armies felt that those people didn't want to stay either.

Just as he was about to go out to pass on the message, someone quickly came running over.

Jia Rong was the only one who could ride a horse in front of the emperor, the rest all ran away.

"Your Majesty! The Princes of Jiangcheng, Lishan, and Yanhai attacked the city gate guards, opened the city gates, and fled the capital!"

The emperor gnashed his teeth and shouted angrily: "Catch him back! Chop him up!!"

As a member of the imperial family, the commander of the five armies could only try to persuade the emperor, "Your Majesty, calm down! There are not many princes and dukes left in the imperial family. You must not continue to kill them!"

The emperor said angrily: "Kill! Kill those three! Tell my uncles that if anyone wants to be the emperor in the future, they don't need to rebel! I will give him the throne directly!"

The emperor really doesn't want to be the emperor anymore.

The commander-in-chief of the five armies had no choice but to have people capture the escaped princes first, and then ask Jia Rong to help plead for them.

***
Jia Rong woke up quickly, and after waking up he thought he was at home, yawning out of boredom.

Soon, a eunuch with a duck voice said, "Your Highness, you are awake! I will help you change your clothes."

"No need!" Jia Rong quickly rejected this kind of imperial service and said directly: "I can do it myself!"

After she put on her clothes and shoes, washed her face, wiped her hands and rinsed her mouth, she saw the emperor sitting in the main hall eating, with the concubine standing beside him serving him.

Jia Rong walked over and sat down to eat, and asked curiously, "What's wrong with the emperor? He doesn't say a word."

Concubine Shu looked at herself and sat down, and Jia Rong, who was sitting on the dragon couch, and then looked at the emperor carefully.

The emperor was in a bad mood. "It's all about those idiots. Let's not talk about it. Let's eat. I will go back to rest after dinner. You can continue to rest here."

Jia Rong said, "This is the main hall. It's not appropriate for me to be here. Besides, it's more comfortable at home. I'll go back to sleep after dinner. The assassin is in poor health and won't come out again in a few months. Your Majesty, just spend the New Year in peace."

The emperor was eating with sorrow in his eyes.

"Alas! Those people are of no use at all. Why doesn't my brother want to stay in the palace?"

Jia Rong said directly: "The palace is where the emperor lives. It's okay for me to stay in the palace occasionally, but it's not appropriate to stay there all the time."

The emperor didn't like these rules, but he also knew that Jia Rong didn't like living in the palace.

"In that case, why don't you live closer? I'll have someone clean up the Zhongxiao Palace. You can have the craftsmen repair it in any way you think it should be repaired, and I'll pay for it."

Jia Rong wanted a basement and a laboratory, but building them secretly was certainly not as convenient as using the imperial craftsmen openly.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will continue to live in my original place and move there when the Zhongxiao Palace is completed."

When the emperor saw that Jia Rong finally agreed to live close to the north side of the palace, he smiled.

"Don't worry, my brother. I will arrange for someone to repair the palace as soon as possible!"

Jia Rong was not in a hurry, but he didn't say anything either.

The two continued to eat, and Concubine Shu quickly brought porridge to the emperor.

"Your Majesty, the sweet porridge you like."

The emperor smiled at the eunuch and said, "I remember that my brother also likes to drink sweet porridge. Give him a bowl as well."

Jia Rong said directly: "Don't bother your Majesty, I can do it myself."

Shufei felt offended.

But the emperor sighed after hearing this and said, "Does my brother also get up and serve himself at home?"

Jia Rong replied, "No, there are three or four maids serving in the room."

The emperor felt even more uncomfortable after hearing this, "What kind of woman does my brother like?"

Jia Rong replied, "It's hard to say. I have many wives and concubines now. I am interested in foreign beauties, but I have been in the capital for a long time and cannot go out, so I have to give up."

The emperor was very surprised by this, but he quickly said, "This is easy. I will ask those foreign nations to offer us their beauties! If they refuse, I will attack them!"

Jia Rong felt that it was unnecessary. If he wanted beautiful women, he could just do business with them. Those wealthy foreign businessmen had plenty of ways to get beautiful women. There was no need to fight a war.

But the emperor has been bullied so badly that he just wants to find a way to vent his anger. It happens that the treasury has money, and the emperor also thinks that the warriors are too incompetent and must practice before they can protect themselves.

The emperor is a conceited person who likes to micro-manage, show off his military talents, and teach his generals how to fight.

The emperor is different. He just wants to vent and look at the results of the battle reports. He doesn't want to command people or go to the battlefield in person.

Jia Rong quickly went home to sleep, and the emperor also hugged Concubine Shu and vented his anger for a while before falling asleep.

However, the clarion call for foreign war was soon sounded inexplicably.

(End of this chapter)