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

Jia Zheng was completely dumbfounded, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

A dignified fifth-rank official, actually outmaneuvered by his own nephew? What kind of nonsense is this!

"What?!"

Grandmother Jia suddenly sprang up from the couch, her aged hands supporting her on the armrests as she straightened up, her voice cracking.

Madam Wang was reciting scriptures while holding her prayer beads when she heard this. Her fingertips trembled, and the string of sandalwood prayer beads snapped with a "crack." The shiny black beads tumbled and rolled all over the ground like a scattering of black rain.

Her lips trembled slightly—how hateful! A third-class baron…why wasn't it Baoyu's? Why did it have to be given to that stupid and dull-witted Jia Yi!

Madam Xing's mouth was so wide open it could fit an egg; her mouth shape was completely out of control, and she lost all composure. Her face was full of resentment, as if "heaven has been unfair."

"Sister Yingchun, who is this Yi-ge'er?" Lin Daiyu asked softly, tilting her head, her eyes full of curiosity.

She had been in the household for less than two years and had never heard anyone mention this name before. Even six-year-old Xichun opened her almond-shaped eyes wide, nodding her little head like a rattle drum, murmuring, "Yi-ge'er... sounds so familiar..."

Upon hearing these three words, Yingchun's eyes suddenly reddened.

Others laughed at Jia Yi for being foolish, but to her, he was the only person who was ever willing to patiently listen to her finish speaking.

When he was little, he would always sneak into her room to eat snacks, his mouth covered in sesame seeds, grinning foolishly, saying, "My sister's peach blossom pastries are the most fragrant."

But in her heart, he was the only light shining in the long night.

Seeing this, Tan Chun immediately chimed in, "Sister Lin, Yi-ge'er is the master's third son."

He paused, his tone slightly somber, "Three years ago, I went to Liaodong to join the army."

When she mentioned the word "soldier," she glanced at Madam Wang without batting an eye—it was this very stepmother who had once coldly suggested, "Send her to the border; at least she'll die cleanly."

With her keen mind, Daiyu immediately saw through the situation and stopped asking further questions.

But the curiosity in my heart burned even brighter: what kind of person was this cousin I had never met?

"Zheng'er, you must have misheard?" Grandmother Jia frowned, her eyes filled with suspicion. "Has His Majesty lost his mind? That idiot Jia Yi, he can be granted a title?!"

"Mother, you are wise enough to know that this is absolutely true." Jia Zheng suppressed the bitterness in his heart and forced a smile. "The Prince of Bei Jing said it himself. His Majesty has already issued an imperial edict, ordering the imperial envoy to go to Liaodong immediately to deliver the edict."

He smiled, but a hint of disappointment flickered in the corner of his eye—if only this child were my own…

"Good! Good!" Grandmother Jia suddenly grinned, sat back in her armchair, and a glint of light flashed in her cloudy eyes.

If even a fool can become a third-class man, then wouldn't I, Baoyu, be destined to be granted land and made a king in the future?

Emperor Yuankang sneezed from a thousand miles away: Eat shit!

"Go and call Xifeng here," Grandmother Jia decided. "When Yi-ge'er is granted a title, the clan will set up a table to celebrate in a lively and joyous manner."

Madam Xing rolled her eyes on the spot and almost fainted.

Inviting only relatives? So stingy! If it were Baoyu, the old lady would probably invite all the relatives in the capital and hold a seven-day banquet on Ningrong Street, with gongs and drums and fireworks for ten days!

Sure enough, they still found the eldest son's wife an eyesore.

"Mother," Jia Zheng tentatively began, "wouldn't it seem a bit too shabby of us not to invite our elders? Prince Bei Jing has said he's waiting to drink our wedding wine."

"A mere third-class man dares to alarm the founding lineage?" Grandmother Jia coldly interrupted. "Inviting too many will only encourage people to try and curry favor."

She knew perfectly well that none of those noble relatives should be given to Jia Yi.

All these favors and blessings will be passed down to her lifeblood—Baoyu!

Lady Wang, who was originally burning with jealousy, actually smiled when she saw Grandmother Jia's attitude.

So what if your eldest son gets a noble title? The old lady's heart truly aches for my son, Baoyu!

Family fortune, connections, powerful backers... in the end, won't they all end up in my hands?

However—her eyes flickered slightly, and her nails dug lightly into her palms.

I thought Jia Yi had died long ago in the snow-covered Liaodong region, but since he's back alive... then don't blame me for being ruthless.

Inside the east courtyard.

Upon hearing the report, Jia She was first taken aback, then threw his head back and burst into laughter: "Hahaha! I never expected this silly boy to actually accomplish something!"

He embraced his newly acquired concubine, Madam Gao, raising a cup in one hand, his eyes glazed with drunkenness: "Before, I worried that my parents would favor the second wife and try to take away my inheritance as the eldest son's heir... But now—"

He sneered, "With my son Jia Yi here, who dares to make a move?"

The laughter was maniacal, mixed with the scent of perfume, and carried far on the night breeze.

Meanwhile, the founding nobles in the capital city were already eagerly awaiting their arrival.

Everyone knows that when a member of a family is granted a title, a banquet is held to invite old friends and reminisce about their blood ties. But no matter how long they waited, no invitation came from the Jia family.

Upon inquiring, it was discovered that Jia Yi had been granted the title of Third-Class Baron, yet the Jia family had only hosted a simple meal for their own family members, without even setting off many firecrackers.

Upon hearing the news, Niu Jizong, a descendant of the Duke of Zhenguo, smashed his teacup: "Bah! If the Duke of Ningguo knew this in the afterlife, he would be so angry he'd wake up!"

"To bestow a title without informing one's parents? This is utterly disgracing one's ancestors!"

No wonder among the four kings and eight kilometer leaders, the Ning and Rong families are the most pathetic.

None of the masters are thinking straight; they're all just causing trouble.

The rest of the founding nobles were so angry that their beards almost flew off.

At this moment, the kitchen staff of Rongguo Mansion were trembling like leaves when they heard that Jia Yi had been granted a title.

The servants of Rongguo Mansion have always been opportunistic, flattering whoever is favored and trampling on whoever is out of favor.

Especially for those unpopular young masters, they would serve them not only hot meals, but also stale soup and leftovers.

But ironically, these unruly servants dared not provoke Jia Yi.

Why?

In the past, if Jia Yi didn't have enough to eat or didn't eat well, he would grab a stool and rush into the kitchen, punching and kicking them until they were left with their teeth knocked out!

Because of his reputation for being "foolish," Grandmother Jia and the others did not punish him much.

Over time, the people in the kitchen were traumatized by him—their legs would go weak at the mere mention of "Jia Yi's" name.

Just then, Xueyan came over to get some pastries and heard everything they said clearly.

She froze on the spot, almost dropping the tray in her hands.

What?

That cook, who usually looks down on people and even has to bribe his young mistress to make a decent snack, is actually so afraid of one person.

She carried the snacks and ran back to her house, her face flushed.

"Miss! Miss! I've just heard something incredibly amazing!"

"Guess what? Those guys in the kitchen were trembling with fear when they mentioned Yi-ge'er!"

Xueyan smiled so hard her eyes curved into crescent moons.

Upon hearing this, Lin Daiyu gently raised her eyes.

She knew all too well the true colors of these servants—if you wanted a decent meal, you had to secretly slip them money to bribe them.

Now there is someone who can make them tremble with fear?

Her fingertips paused slightly, her eyes flickered, and her curiosity was instantly piqued.

This cousin Jia Yi... is quite interesting.

-

At this moment, Jia Yi was kneeling in front of Zhen'an Fort to receive the imperial decree.

Wu Sheng and the others were on tenterhooks, fearing that this "brute" might refuse to kneel and cause a major incident if he got upset.

To everyone's surprise, Jia Yi knelt more upright than anyone else, his expression calm, but a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes.

Ha, I'm not the same fool I used to be, with no sense of propriety at all.

Wearing the dragon robe is fate, bowing to receive the imperial decree is also fate—when it's time to accept it, never resist.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Jia Yi, grandson of the Duke of Rong, is brave and skilled in battle, repeatedly breaking through enemy lines and achieving outstanding merits... He is hereby granted the title of Third-Class Baron and concurrently appointed as a Guerrilla General!"

The moment the imperial edict was issued, the entire hall fell silent.