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

"bite--!!!"

The clang of metal rang out, and sparks flew everywhere!

The knife snapped in two, one half flying out and embedding itself in the tree trunk.

Zhang Huai's wrist was severed at the root, blood spurting out, and he screamed in agony as his throat was torn apart.

Jia Yi remained motionless, his body shimmering with golden light—his body was protected by an invincible shield, and the mere blade was nothing more than a tickle.

"goodbye."

He said softly.

A flash of light, like the moon falling to earth.

Zhang Huai's head was thrown high into the air, and the last thing he saw before he died was that smiling face.

Having pried the words Zhang Huai wanted to hear out of his mouth, Jia Yi didn't even blink. With a swift turn of his blade, blood splattered—a head fell to the ground, clean and swift.

He flicked the blood off his knife and strode toward the private army camp.

The battle had ended. Corpses littered the fields, tattered flags lay upside down in the mud, and the smoke from the burning still lingered. Eight thousand surviving soldiers knelt and surrendered, while the rest were all executed, their cries of agony fading before they became lonely souls on the road to the underworld.

As soon as he stepped into the camp gate, Wu Sheng rushed over like a mad dog, his face flushed and his eyes gleaming with a cunning light.

"My lord! My lord!" He panted like a horse that had just run a hundred miles, "There's... there's two hundred thousand taels of silver hidden behind! A full two hundred thousand taels!"

"What? Fifty thousand taels?" Jia Yi suddenly raised his voice, his eyebrows shot up, and he was so shocked that it was as if the sky had collapsed.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards following behind him all rolled their eyes.

My goodness, this acting is so over-the-top! It's like they're not even putting their heart into it!

"Yes, yes, Your Excellency is wise; it is indeed fifty thousand taels." Wu Sheng grinned and winked.

Jia Yi pondered for a moment, then stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping lightly over the group of Embroidered-Clad Guards: "Hand over this batch of silver to them and escort it back to the capital."

After he finished speaking, he gave them a meaningful look.

Those who understand, will understand.

Where did the extra silver go? The wind knows, the clouds know, but it won't be written in the ledger.

"Thank you, Your Excellency!" The leader of the Embroidered Uniform Guard bowed and lowered his head to hide the smile on his lips.

Those who could rise through the ranks of the Embroidered Uniform Guard were all shrewd and calculating. He immediately pulled out his little notebook, pen scratching away:

In this battle, the Marquis of Zhongyong captured 30,000 taels of silver.

As for the remaining 170,000... only heaven and earth know, you and I know, it's a secret we keep to ourselves.

Jia Yi led the Loyal and Brave Camp to clean up the battlefield, where corpses were piled up like mountains and blood soaked the ground three feet deep. Meanwhile, the Embroidered Uniform Guards escorted several fully loaded iron carts, making a grand procession towards the capital, their wheels leaving deep ruts as they rolled over the blood and mud.

Meanwhile, in the capital city, the Censorate was practically turning into a venue for impeachment rallies.

The two dukes, Luo Hong and Su Xing, secretly fueled the flames, and a flurry of memorials flew into the palace, all accusing Jia Yi of "ineffective bandit suppression and delaying military operations."

Emperor Yuankang sat on the dragon throne in the Qianqing Palace, dozens of commemorative documents piled up in front of him. He was so angry that his chest heaved and his face turned pale.

"A bunch of idiots! Are their heads just for decoration?" He slammed his fist on the table, making teacups jump. "Jia Yi was only gone for two days, and now they want him to wipe out all the bandits? Do they want me to believe in the myth of 'traveling a thousand miles a day and slaying ten thousand men at night'?"

Xia Shouzhong quickly stepped forward to support him and gently advised, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Why bother arguing with these clowns? They're just jealous of the Marquis of Zhongyong's merits."

"Envious?" Emperor Yuankang sneered. "If they're so capable, why don't they go to the front lines and start hacking and slashing? All they do all day is bite their pens and spit; they're utterly useless!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Shouzhong's eyes flickered, as if he had suddenly thought of something.

He whispered, "This servant dares to guess... this matter is probably not just instigated by the censors. Behind it all... it's likely that Luo Hong and Su Xing are stirring up trouble."

Emperor Yuankang's gaze suddenly turned cold.

Upon closer examination, it was indeed suspicious at every turn.

With Jia Yi's arrival, the investigation into ghost employees and the crackdown on military discipline plunged the two powerful cliques from a honey pot into an ice cave. Without ghost employees, where would they get their ill-gotten gains?

This isn't aimed at Jia Yi, it's aimed at the imperial power!

Even more terrifying is that the corpses of those massacred civilians might have been deliberately left behind as evidence to frame Jia Yi and force the emperor to strip him of his military power!

"Very well...very well indeed!" Emperor Yuankang gritted his teeth, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked. "These nobles, each one of them is audacious enough to use the lives of ordinary people as pawns! I've remembered this; none of them will escape unscathed!"

Outside the palace walls, another conspiracy is unfolding.

"Old Luo! News has come from the palace that the Emperor almost fainted from anger!" Su Xing rubbed his hands, sweat beading on his forehead. "Did we... go a little too far? Should we tell the censors to shut up?"

Luo Hong squinted, remained silent for a moment, and slowly nodded: "Very well. The lesson has been taught, and the time is ripe."

He paused, then gave a sinister smile: "Find an opportunity later to have Niu Jizong 'have a chat' with Jia Yi."

"What are you going to talk about?"

"Let him reduce the army and start drawing salaries without actually working." Luo Hong's tone was casual, yet it revealed a greasy calculation. "As long as he gets involved in this mess, even if the Emperor finds out, he can't say anything."

Su Xing's eyes lit up: "Brilliant! As long as everyone is dirty, no one can say that anyone else is clean."

"But whatever you do, don't go to Jia Yi yourself!" Luo Hong suddenly glared. "He's a hothead, single-minded! If you go up there and say that, wouldn't that be like revealing your own secrets?"

"Ouch!" Su Xing slapped his forehead. "Look at my memory, I forgot he really is a complete idiot."

The two looked at each other and chuckled.

"Don't worry," Luo Hong said slowly, "Niu Jizong is close to him. It's most appropriate for him to deliver the message."

After all, these past few days, the entire elite circle has come to understand—

The Ning and Rong mansions ignored Jia Yi, but Niu Jizong treated him to meals and drinks every few days, their relationship was so close they could share a pair of pants.

It would be safer to have Niu Jizong connect with Jia Yi.

The two walked with their hands behind their backs, their steps steady as they headed towards the Zhenguo Mansion.

Just then, the Embroidered Uniform Guards, escorting 30,000 taels of silver, galloped back to the capital, their hooves kicking up dust from the cobblestones. The news they brought back struck the depths of the palace like a thunderbolt—

Jia Yi not only wiped out the bandits who were causing trouble, but also uncovered a private army stronghold of 40,000 men hidden outside the capital city!

This news reached the ears of Emperor Yuankang and the retired emperor directly.

"Forty thousand private soldiers?"

Emperor Yuankang suddenly stood up from his dragon throne, his pupils shrinking as if he had heard the horns of rebellion.

He rushed into the Emperor Emeritus's bedroom, his voice trembling: "Father! These 40,000 men... are they your hidden agents?"

The retired emperor was holding a teacup when he heard this. He looked up and stared at him with a sharp gaze, as if he were looking at a silly baby who had just been weaned.

Would someone so close to them really hide their own people like this?

"What's the panic?" the retired emperor sneered. "Jia Yi has already killed them all. The sky isn't going to fall."

He paused, then added, "Summon him back."

"I want to ask you personally and get to the bottom of this."

He tapped his fingertips on the table, his brow furrowed slightly. But his mind was in turmoil—that private army…it was most likely raised by that scoundrel Prince Zhongshun!

"Good!" Emperor Yuankang immediately ordered a fast horse to chase after the man and recall Jia Yi at once.