Dream of the Red Chamber: After being exiled, I went on a killing spree in Liaodong.

Xia Shouzhong unfolded the imperial edict, his voice booming, each word ringing out like thunder:

"Prince Zhongshun has colluded with the Zhen family, plotting treason and harboring rebellious intentions. The evidence against him is irrefutable! Effective immediately, he is stripped of his princely title and demoted to a commoner! His entire clan is to be imprisoned in the Prince's residence for eternity, never to step out! So be it!"

silence.

A deathly silence.

King Chungshun stared wide-eyed, his lips trembling, as if he couldn't understand the meaning of the words.

What?

The King... is gone?

Eternal imprisonment?!

"Your Highness, please accept the imperial decree." Xia Shouzhong slowly put away the decree, his smile cold. "Oh, right—I shouldn't call you 'Your Highness' anymore."

"You are no longer a prince."

Xia Shouzhong's casual remark was like a knife chilled to the bone, piercing deeply into the heart of Prince Zhongshun.

"This is impossible! You dare to forge an imperial edict?!"

King Chungshun's eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was hoarse, like the roar of a trapped beast.

"Imperial Guards! Seize him!"

But before he could finish speaking, Xia Shouzhong merely sneered, his sleeves fluttering slightly as if brushing away a speck of dust.

The black-armored imperial guards surged in like a tide, their iron boots pounding the ground, making the beams and pillars of the palace hum. The glint of blades reflected on their cold faces; no one dared to move.

"From this day forward—" Xia Shouzhong slowly shook his head, his tone as indifferent as if he were saying that the weather was bad today, "The three words 'Loyal and Obedient King' will no longer exist in this world."

After speaking, he turned around, his python robe fluttering, and even his back view exuded a chilling aura.

Before the person even left the capital, the news had spread like wildfire throughout the entire imperial city.

Before Jia Yi even stepped into his house, the streets and alleys were already buzzing with excitement—

King Zhongshun has been deposed! He has been reduced to a commoner and placed under house arrest on the spot!

The whole city was in an uproar.

At this moment, inside the Prince Yizhong's residence, candlelight flickered.

Prince Yizhong sat at his desk, his fingertips lightly tapping the surface, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

"The Zhen family was destroyed, and my useless uncle also fell from grace..." He suddenly chuckled, "So they were betting on him, not me."

No wonder the Zhen family ignored him back then and didn't even give him any face.

"Household sack? Ha... I'm afraid it was my grandfather who secretly pleaded for him." He narrowed his eyes, his smile turning cold. "In that case, I will act on behalf of Heaven and send him on his way."

The moment the words were spoken, the secret order was issued.

A group of assassins stealthily infiltrated the night, their target the Prince Zhongshun's residence—

It wasn't visiting the sick, it was taking their lives.

On the other side, at the Prince of Beijing's residence.

Shui Rong sat upright in the hall, and upon hearing the news, he suddenly threw his head back and burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Brilliant! My token truly has the power to turn the tide!"

He stroked the jade talisman in his hand, his eyes gleaming: "A single move, using the opponent's force against them, actually knocked Prince Zhongshun off his horse?! Exhilarating! Truly exhilarating!"

Little did he know that what truly crushed Prince Zhongshun was not a token, but Jia Yi's ruthless methods in his bloody massacre of Jiangnan.

At this moment, people on the streets and in the alleys were talking about it.

Jia Yi, who had not yet returned home, overheard passersby chatting in his carriage. A smile crept onto his lips, and he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Is it really because of me that Prince Zhongshun is so unlucky?"

He leaned against the car wall, a playful look in his eyes: "Why is it that every time I make a move, the people I kill are the ones who have allied with him? Is it that even the heavens are helping me to crush him?"

Just then, the carriage stopped in front of the Duke of Qin's mansion.

Under the porch, Qin Keqing stood in the wind, her eyes slightly red, watching that familiar figure walk towards her, her heart almost stopping.

She only breathed a sigh of relief when Jia Yi stepped safely into the room, and tears almost welled up in her eyes.

"Third Master..."

Her voice trembled slightly, carrying a sense of reliance after surviving a disaster.

Jia Yi stepped forward and hugged her tightly, his warm breath brushing against her ear: "I'm sorry to have worried you."

Behind her, Yuanyang and her maids covered their mouths and chuckled, their eyes crinkling with laughter.

"So many people are watching..." Qin Keqing's cheeks flushed as she struggled to back away.

"Grandma is still waiting for us," she whispered, "I heard she was very angry this time, saying you shouldn't have... killed the entire Zhen family."

Jia Yi sneered, holding her waist tightly: "I'm not going."

His tone was resolute.

"Let's just stay home and have a proper celebration today. Let whoever wants to be angry be angry. I can't be bothered with that old vile woman."

After saying that, he put his arm around Qin Keqing and walked straight into the inner courtyard.

[Ding! The host angered Grandmother Jia, and with a stroke of good fortune, gained ten female guards!]

A crisp system notification sounded.

Meanwhile, a dark cloud hung over the Rongguo Mansion.

Grandmother Jia sat on the couch, her face ashen, the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand creaking as she gripped them tightly.

"Yi-ge'er has gone too far this time!" she shrilly. "The Zhen family and we are old friends and relatives. At least leave some bloodline! But he did it—he wiped out the entire family, leaving not a single chicken or dog alive!"

She gritted her teeth.

A few days ago, Consort Zhen summoned her to the palace and secretly promised that as long as Jia Yi married a daughter of the Zhen family as a concubine, she could arrange for Yuan Chun to enter the palace to serve the emperor.

Just when the opportunity to rise to the top was within reach, Jia Yi cut off all possibilities with a single sword strike!

"Yes!" Jia Zheng chimed in, his beard trembling with anger. "Yi-ge'er is utterly lawless! Back in Jiangnan, he locked Lady Wang in the Buddhist hall. If it weren't for Bao-yu's pity, she would have been imprisoned long ago! Now he's ruining Yuan-chun's future..."

"Shut up!" Jia She slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, his cold gaze sweeping over Jia Zheng. "My Yi'er is acting on imperial orders! Are you indulging in your babbling here because you're dissatisfied with His Majesty? Or are you tired of living?"

The room was completely silent, except for the tinkling sound of the wind chimes on the eaves.

When her attempt to sell her daughter for personal gain failed, she turned around and blamed her own son?

Where did you get the nerve!

"I……"

Jia Zheng's face turned bright red, as if he had been slapped in the face in public.

The girls present exchanged glances, a hint of undisguised contempt flashing in their eyes.

Who couldn't see through the schemes of Grandmother Jia and Jia Zheng?

It's both laughable and pathetic, especially for that Jia Yuanchun sister who's far away in the palace...

Thinking of her sent a chill down everyone's spine.

Jia Yuanchun: No, no, no, I'm not sad! I'm really looking forward to serving the emperor!

"Lai Da, you're here?" Jia Zheng quickly changed the subject, as if grasping at a straw. "How's Yi-ge'er doing?"

Lai Da lowered his head and rubbed his hands, looking embarrassed: "Reporting to Master... the Duke didn't come to our side at all, he went straight back to the manor with the Duchess."

One sentence, and the entire room fell silent.

Grandmother Jia and Jia Zheng had originally planned to take this opportunity to reprimand Jia Yi and deflate his arrogance—but he didn't even bother to enter the door and simply ignored them.

This isn't just not coming; it's a blatant slap in the face!

"Eldest son, go and call Yi-ge'er here," Grandmother Jia said in a deep voice, her tone laced with suppressed anger.

Jia She lazily shrugged and said, "Mother, please spare me. I don't have that ability."

He turned and left, flicking the hem of his robe, looking as dashing as a spoiled brat skipping class.

Before leaving, he didn't forget to give Jia Zheng a meaningful glance—

Those eyes were as sinister as a poisoned knife in the night.

Someone recently gave him some advice:

Find an imperial censor to submit a memorial accusing Jia Zheng of "usurping the Rongxi Hall as a commoner".

Who do you think you are? You have no official rank or title, yet you dare to occupy the main courtyard?