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

"The civil and military officials knelt before the palace gates, and the common people were a dense, dark mass, all shouting for you to issue an edict to suppress the bandits! They begged the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery to take action!"

Emperor Yuankang's eyes flashed, and he finally nodded: "Granted!"

"Issue the imperial decree—order Jia Yi to lead the Loyal and Brave Camp on an immediate expedition to quell the banditry!"

Before he could finish speaking, Dai Quan rushed over and bowed to report, "Your Majesty, the Emperor Emeritus has ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard to fully intervene!"

"Investigate! Investigate thoroughly! And coordinate with the Marquis of Zhongyong to find the mastermind behind this!"

"Very well!" Emperor Yuankang replied coldly, "Not a single one of them will escape!"

---

Meanwhile, in the Loyal and Brave Camp, Jia Yi was lying on a rattan chair, basking in the sun, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, a wine jug lying askew at his feet, looking quite content.

Suddenly, an imperial edict arrived.

"You want me to go and suppress bandits?"

He sat bolt upright, nearly falling off his chair: "Are you kidding me? You expect me to do this dirty and tiring work?"

If he hadn't seen with his own eyes that Xia Shouzhong personally delivered the imperial edict, he would have suspected that someone had forged the edict to frame him.

[Ding! The host openly questioned the emperor's intelligence, triggering a rebellious aura and rewarding the user with the ultimate skill—Lingbo Weibu (Full Version)!]

Jia Yi's pupils contracted sharply, and a surge of wild joy welled up inside him!

Finally, another martial arts manual has been discovered!

How long ago was it that I last obtained the Golden Bell Cover and Guan Yu's Thirty-Six Styles of Swordsmanship?

Xia Shouzhong, who was standing to the side, almost choked on his breath when he heard these words. His legs went weak and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

"Sigh..." He shook his head silently, looking at Jia Yi with a complicated expression. "Sometimes I really envy you, you hothead."

If anyone else dared to curse the Emperor like that, they would have been skinned alive, their entire family executed, and even that wouldn't have been enough to fill the hole!

"My lord," Xia Shouzhong lowered his voice, "we should set off quickly... those beasts have killed thousands of innocent people in a single day."

Upon hearing this, Jia Yi's smile instantly froze.

He slowly stood up, his eyes flashing with rage, and crushed the teacup in his hand into pieces with a "crack," shards of porcelain mixed with tea splashing all over the floor.

"Mr. Wu!"

A thunderous roar echoed throughout the military camp: "Beat the drums to assemble the generals! muster three thousand soldiers! Before tonight, I want to see all the soldiers in full armor and ready for battle!"

"I'll personally lead the team to raze this den of scum to the ground!"

The guards rode swiftly to the Rongguo Mansion to retrieve the armor.

As soon as the news reached the mansion, Grandmother Jia exclaimed in surprise, "They've gone to war?"

She walked briskly with her cane, leading Madam Xing, Madam Wang, and others straight to Pear Fragrance Courtyard.

My steps were unsteady, and my mind was in turmoil.

The people in the courtyard looked at each other, their expressions varied.

Some were dismissive, some were worried, but without exception—

Everyone knows one thing:

If Jia Yi falls, the Rongguo Mansion will surely collapse!

They wanted to continue indulging in their dream of wealth and luxury.

But what I fear most is that something will happen to Jia Yi.

After all, if he falls, the Rongguo Mansion, this great tree, will collapse.

Of course, there were also two people who wished he would die out there and be forgotten.

Lady Wang, and her beloved Jia Baoyu.

When they heard the news that Jia Yi was going to war, the mother and son could hardly contain their joy.

"Grandma, bandits are causing chaos outside the city and have slaughtered thousands of people. His Majesty has issued an edict ordering the Marquis to lead troops to suppress the bandits!"

The guards entered carrying their helmets, and before they finished speaking, they turned and left, the clanging of their armor as cold as knives.

"Fortunately, it's just bandit suppression."

Grandmother Jia patted her chest and let out a long sigh of relief.

In her eyes, this kind of job was not dangerous at all—once the army arrived, the rabble would collapse instantly, and it was purely a matter of picking up the credit.

His gaze shifted and landed on Jia Baoyu, who was jumping and playing in the courtyard.

Should we... let him go and experience it too?

The thought had barely formed when the little darling rushed towards Sanchun, Shi Xiangyun, and Lin Daiyu like a gust of wind, her laughter so clear and sweet it seemed to drip with moisture.

That's enough.

Her heart tightened, and she quickly changed her mind.

My grandson is a member of the imperial family, born to sit on a splendid platform. How can he be allowed to mingle with those peasant soldiers? Even if he just stands at the rear to watch the battle, being tainted by their murderous aura would bring bad luck!

Fifty thousand troops stood in formation, banners fluttering and armor gleaming in the sun.

The mighty torrent marched out of the city, heading straight for the location where the bandits, as secretly reported by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, were hiding.

Luo Hong and Su Xing stood on the city tower, watching the army march away into the distance, a sinister smile spreading across their lips.

"Next, let's see Jia Yi and Prince Zhongshun fight like dogs."

The two exchanged a glance, both brimming with self-satisfaction.

But they didn't expect—

King Zhongshun now avoids Jia Yi's name altogether.

Even if Jia Yi burned down his stronghold, let alone wiped out his private army, he would never dare to utter a sound.

The people of the capital city lined the streets to see him off, their cheers like a tidal wave.

"My lord! Avenge us!"

"Not a single one of them should be spared! Those beasts, they'd even harm children!"

Cries and roars mingled together, a scene of heart-wrenching grief and indignation.

Meanwhile, deep in the mountains a hundred miles away, the 40,000 private troops that King Zhongshun had ambushed were in complete chaos.

Commander Zhang Huai stared wide-eyed, his face turning ashen.

"Why is the imperial army heading this way?"

He kicked over the table and roared, shaking the forest: "Who leaked the news? Speak! Was it one of you who got drunk at the brothel and started spouting nonsense?"

The group of generals below hurriedly defended themselves.

"Boss, you know me. I don't go to brothels; I visit widows instead!"

"I prefer chubby girls; I don't even look at the skinny girls in brothels!"

"Boss... I really don't like women."

The air became still.

Zhang Huai rubbed his temples and suddenly felt that perhaps it really wasn't these people who leaked the secret.

At this moment, the scout rushed over, knelt down, and reported:

"General! It's been investigated! The imperial court sent a large army to suppress them because bandits were indeed massacring villages everywhere, causing widespread resentment among the people! They weren't targeting us!"

Zhang Huai felt a wave of relief wash over him, and he almost collapsed to the ground.

It was a false alarm.

He raised his hand to wipe away the cold sweat and said in a deep voice:

"Pass down the order: everyone stay put! Anyone who causes trouble during this period will be court-martialed!"

He paused, a glint of ambition flashing in his eyes:

"Just bear with it, and when the prince ascends the throne, all the wealth and glory, mountains of gold and seas of silver, will be ours!"

The crowd responded in unison and quietly withdrew.

……

Two days later.

"puff--"

"Pfft pfft pfft!"

The sound of sharp blades piercing flesh echoed repeatedly in the quiet mountain village.

Blood splattered, staining the thatched roof red, and the stream turned crimson in an instant.

Another village was slaughtered, leaving no one alive.

The leader of the assassins wore a black mask and had a ghostly, indifferent gaze.

He swept his gaze across the corpses scattered on the ground and coldly uttered a sentence:

"Next."

The figure had barely disappeared for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea when a rumbling sound suddenly rose from the earth.

Amidst billowing dust and smoke, Jia Yi's army pressed in like an iron torrent, reaching the village entrance.

The guards patrolled the village for a short while, and came out with ashen faces.

"My lord, not a single person in the entire village survived. The bodies are still warm; they died recently."

Jia Yi immediately drew his spear, his eyes as cold as frost.

Along the way, more than a dozen villages were massacred.

At first, the bandits would leave one or two survivors to report, but now—

Kill them all to silence them, and nip them in the bud.

"The cavalry, in three groups, give chase!" His voice was low and hoarse, yet every word was laced with blood. "Find him alive or dead!"

"The rest of you," he closed his eyes, then opened them again, his face contorted with pain, "bury the people on the spot, each with a foot of white cloth and three sticks of incense."

The wind whips up the remaining clouds, and the battle flags flutter in the wind.

Justice has not yet been served, and the wronged souls are already weeping.

But evil is still on the run.