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

"Your Majesty!" A young eunuch stumbled in, "Lord Niu of the Zhenguo Mansion and Prince Shui Rong of Beijing request an audience!"

The retired emperor raised a cold eyebrow and sat back on the dragon throne.

He had expected Niu Jizong to come—after all, they had fought side by side in Liaodong and shared a deep bond.

Water-soluble? When did this cold-noodle prince get involved in this mess?

"Come in."

Before the words were finished, the two entered the hall and immediately saw Prince Chungshun and his son kneeling on the ground, looking utterly disheveled.

In that instant, Niu Jizong's pupils dilated, and Shui Rong's throat tightened.

Is this some kind of ghost story? Even the Prince Zhongshun would kneel?

"Your humble servants Niu Jizong and Shui Rong pay their respects to the Emperor Emeritus." The two bowed, their voices trembling slightly.

The retired emperor waved his hand: "No need."

Niu Jizong looked up and saw Jia Yi standing unharmed to the side of the hall. Relieved, he quickly stepped forward to smooth things over:

"Your Majesty, please understand that Lord Jia is young and impetuous. This time, he acted... and struck Prince Zhongshun and his heir... I hope you will forgive him..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Emperor Emeritus waved his hand to interrupt him.

"No need to say anything more." He sneered. "I know everything."

"Wrong? Not Marquis Zhongyong."

"I should thank him." He glanced at the Crown Prince Chungshun's face, which was so swollen that he was unrecognizable, and said calmly, "He disciplined this 'good-for-nothing' prince for me."

Niu Jizong and Shui Rong followed his gaze—

"hiss--!"

Niu Jizong gasped, his scalp tingling.

That face... even a pig reincarnated wouldn't look this bad, right?

He looked at Jia Yi with suspicion and uncertainty.

Jia Yi nodded slightly, his eyes calm: Yes, it's him.

Niu Jizong's throat tightened, and he finally understood why Prince Zhongshun dared to lead hundreds of armored soldiers to surround and kill Jia Yi in the street.

This isn't just making an enemy, this is offending them to the death!

But the next second, he suddenly grinned, clasped his hands in a fist and said loudly:

"Rest assured, Your Majesty!"

"From now on, whenever I encounter such a clueless spoiled brat—"

"I, Jia Yi, will definitely learn from today!"

"Beat them until they shit themselves!"

Jia Yi didn't even blink before he started talking.

The retired emperor nearly slipped off his throne, alarm bells blaring in his head, wishing he could have the words "Shut up" etched onto his face.

Absolutely not! Really, not at all!!!

[Ding! The host has successfully tricked the Emperor Emeritus and won the Red Hare horse!]

Jia Yi's lips curled into a smile, a secret sense of satisfaction creeping into his heart:

"Finally, you're worthy of my fighting prowess, Red Hare! We'll meet again in the martial world!"

Chen Ze stared at Jia Yi's self-righteous appearance, and was almost scared out of his wits.

I swear in my heart:

If I ever dare to go out on the street again, I'll be a dog!

Seeing Jia Yi's "I'm so righteous" expression, the Emperor Emeritus felt a chill run down his spine.

If this kid really does act on behalf of Heaven every day, the memorials from the Censorate would probably pile up like a mountain, and the people crying out for justice would line up outside the Meridian Gate!

His gaze shifted swiftly to Niu Jizong, his eyes filled with pleading for help:

Quick! Push up! I can't hold on any longer!

Niu Jizong understood immediately, stepped forward, and spoke in a deep voice:

"Yi-ge'er, I appreciate the Emperor Emeritus's kind intentions."

"But what you did today... was really excessive."

"Look at Crown Prince Chungsun! You've beaten him so badly he doesn't even recognize his own father!"

His tone was sincere, and he presented the facts and reasoned with the people, making him a model of a veteran official.

Jia Yi's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed in sudden realization, "Oh—I understand!"

The retired emperor and Niu Jizong both breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to themselves:

Good boy, you're finally listening to advice!

Who knew what would happen next—

"I won't lay a hand on those spoiled brats who do evil deeds again."

"Tie them up and send them to the yamen immediately, leave no one alive."

Jia Yi smiled brightly, as if he were talking about something perfectly normal.

"I……"

Niu Jizong broke down on the spot, choked on his breath, and turned green.

He slowly turned to the retired emperor, his eyes filled with a sorrow deeper than despair:

I really can't do this job anymore...

The retired emperor rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes, feeling a throbbing sensation in his temples.

Why does this little brat insist on going against the sons of the powerful and wealthy?

He suddenly opened his eyes, his piercing gaze shooting towards Chen Ze—

It's all your fault!

If you hadn't provoked Jia Yi, none of this mess would have happened!

Chen Ze felt a chill run down his spine from the gaze, and his eyes welled up with tears.

I'm the one who got hurt... Why are you looking at me like that?

The retired emperor was utterly speechless and simply shifted the blame:

We'll just push everything onto the emperor's younger brother and let whoever wants to manage it do what he wants!

He raised his hand and said coldly:

"Dai Quan, draft the imperial edict."

"King Chungsun and his son were confined to their quarters for a year for assaulting civilians in the street."

"Fortunately, the Marquis of Zhongyong stepped forward and turned the danger into safety. He rewarded the Marquis with thirty bolts of silk and ten pairs of jade ruyi scepters."

"Dismiss the court."

Before the words were even finished, the person had already stood up and walked away swiftly and decisively, as if a ghost were chasing after them.

The group filed out.

As he approached the door, Prince Zhongshun stopped, turned around, and stared at Jia Yi, his eyes flashing with cold light:

"Jia Yi, I will remember this humiliation."

A murderous intent surged within him:

Once the rebellion succeeds, the first family to be destroyed will be the Jia family!

The men were executed by slow slicing and torn apart by five horses, and the women were all sold into brothels. Even that old hag, Grandmother Jia, wouldn't have a peaceful end!

After uttering those harsh words, he helped his son, whose face was bruised and swollen, and rushed towards the Imperial Hospital without looking back.

He had only taken a couple of steps when Shui Rong stepped forward, a warm smile on his face, but his eyes were deep and unfathomable.

"Lord Jia, my name is Shui Rong."

"I was too impulsive today."

He didn't say much, but every word he uttered was barbed.

Niu Jizong also came over, patted Jia Yi on the shoulder and sighed:

"My little darling, my heart was in my throat when I heard the news!"

"Thank goodness the Emperor Emeritus showed mercy; anyone else would have been beheaded eight hundred times over!"

"You're just lucky despite being a fool!"

Just then, Xia Shouzhong hurried over and whispered an announcement:

"My lord, His Majesty summons you."

Niu Jizong immediately gave Jia Yi a push:

"Hurry! An audience with the Emperor is the most important thing!"

"I'll go to your place first to let some fresh air in, in case they pull any more crazy tricks!"

After saying that, he grabbed Shui Rong and hurriedly left the palace.

It's not that he doesn't trust the Jia family; he simply doesn't dare to trust them!

As he galloped his horse all the way to Ningrong Street, the scene before him almost made him fall off his horse—

The road in front of Ningguo Mansion was jammed with carriages and horses; the entire Jia family had arrived!

Niu Jizong's expression changed drastically. He lashed out with his whip and charged straight toward the ancestral hall.

Oh no! I'm too late!!!

"It's terrible! Lord Niu from the Zhenguo Mansion has ridden in on horseback and is heading straight for the ancestral hall!"

A servant boy scrambled in to deliver the news, his belt undone in the process.

"What?!"

Grandmother Jia slammed her hand on the table and stood up abruptly, trembling with anger:

"Who does Niu Jizong think he is! Daring to trespass into my Jia family ancestral hall? Does he think the Jia family has no one left?!"

The mandarin duck was so frightened that she immediately rushed over to soothe her and massage her back.

"Jia She! Jia Zheng! What are you doing?"

Niu Jizong roared as he stormed into the hall, his eyes sweeping over the family genealogy table—

The pupils suddenly contracted.

Did they... really alter the family genealogy?

"If you don't give me an explanation today, I will—"

Before Grandmother Jia could finish speaking, a figure flashed before her eyes, and Niu Jizong coldly pushed her away!

If it weren't for the fact that Jia Daishan still had some affection for him from back then, he would have slapped him long ago.

"How dare you remove Jia Yi's name from the family genealogy?"