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

"Your Majesty... the Emperor Emeritus..." Su Xing knelt down, his voice trembling, despite the pain from his broken bones, "It was this humble subject who misremembered the number..."

"Mistaken?" Niu Jizong, clinging to Jia Yi's arm, grinned like a cunning old fox. "Is Duke Hu trying to extort a large sum of money from our Marquis of Zhongyong without any investment?"

"This sinner deserves to die!" Su Xing retorted, his forehead slamming heavily onto the ground with a resounding thud that echoed throughout the hall.

"Hmph!" The retired emperor flung his sleeves and stood up. "Jia Yi doesn't need to pay! They're incredibly capable; they'll be back on their feet in no time!"

"Get out—get out of here right now!"

Two eunuchs supported the limp Su Xing and Luo Hong, practically dragging them out of the main hall. The two were disheveled and utterly wretched; they bore no resemblance whatsoever to the dignity of a duke.

The retired emperor squinted as he watched the two hunched figures disappear outside the palace gates.

Suspicion had already taken root in his heart.

Emperor Yuankang watched the hunched figure disappear into the distance, a cold smile slowly creeping onto his lips.

How many innocent people have been harmed? Now that retribution has come knocking, it's truly satisfying!

pity……

His eyes darkened.

Without a license, one cannot use a knife.

Otherwise, those two would have been beheaded long ago!

"Alright," Emperor Yuankang turned to Jia Yi, his tone softening, "You should go back and rest too. You've had a hard day."

"Yes, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I take my leave."

Jia Yi cupped his hands in greeting, then turned and left.

Niu Jizong followed closely behind, shaking his head as he walked: "Yi-ge, can you please not be so impulsive in the future? This old man of mine can't take a jolt! I almost developed a heart condition from kneeling so hard today!"

Inside the hall, the retired emperor stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze unfathomable.

"You orchestrated this whole thing behind the scenes, didn't you?" he asked casually.

Emperor Yuankang remained silent for a moment, without denying it.

"No need for explanation, I know what I'm doing," the Emperor Emeritus said slowly. "But now, we must not act rashly."

"The Later Jin are eyeing Liaodong, the northern border is uneasy, and there are also rebels lurking in the south. If we were to purge the nobles of the Taikang lineage now, it might lead to internal strife."

"Stay calm and wait for the wind to pick up."

"Yes, Father." Emperor Yuankang nodded, but a flame of resentment burned in his eyes.

"Once Jia Yi has trained his troops, we will make our move." The retired emperor lowered his voice, each word dripping with coldness, "We will utterly crush the Later Jin."

"But Father," Emperor Yuankang frowned slightly, "Jia Yi currently only has 50,000 troops available."

"Although Liaodong has been defeated, we still have 200,000 troops available. But if we launch a rash attack, we fear we may suffer losses."

The retired emperor paced back and forth in the hall, the sound of his boots grinding against the gold bricks echoing clearly in the quiet palace. Suddenly, he stopped abruptly: "Then expand the army—the Loyal and Brave Camp, directly upgrade it to 100,000!"

"Appoint Niu Jizong as his deputy general."

Although Niu Jizong was of mediocre talent, he was unwaveringly loyal. Having him keep an eye on Jia Yi would not only protect him on the battlefield but also prevent him from causing trouble in the court.

"Your subject obeys."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yuankang smiled, his eyes and brows radiating a relaxed spring breeze.

The scene shifts to outside the palace.

Niu Jizong glanced sideways at Jia Yi beside him, speechless, as if looking at a troublesome brat.

"Don't worry, Uncle, I really won't be impulsive next time."

Jia Yi grinned, his face clearly saying, "Believe it or not."

He looked up at the sky; dusk was falling, and even the noisy crows had folded their wings and returned to their nests.

Well, forget about going to the Qin residence today; it's too late now.

"Third brother! You've finally come out!"

Jia Lian, who had been waiting at the palace gate for a long time, rushed over like a dog that had just smelled a bone, his shoes almost sparking.

His eyes darted furtively over Jia Yi's backside—

Huh? No blood? No swelling? And he's not even limping?

Then why were Duke Hu and Duke Zhao carried out, groaning in pain?

"Second brother, why are you staring at my butt?"

Jia Yi immediately tensed up, his eyes wary as if he were guarding against a wolf.

Is this guy... bisexual?

Holy crap, I'll stay three feet away from him from now on!

"Yi-ge'er, go back to the manor with your second brother first."

Niu Jizong spoke calmly, his voice so cold it could freeze.

My family is extremely worried.

"Uncle Niu!"

Jia Lian then realized that the person was still there, and greeted them with a forced smile and a bow.

Niu Jizong didn't even lift his eyelids, just grunted in response, turned around and left, his back view crisp and decisive, showing no mercy whatsoever.

Jia Lian grabbed Jia Yi, shoved him into the carriage, cracked the whip, and urged the horse on. The wheels rolled like lightning, heading straight for the Rongguo Mansion.

Night had fallen, and lights twinkled in the night.

The women had long been persuaded to go back and rest, and even Jia Baoyu was sent to sleep by Grandmother Jia.

Only Jia She and his group remained in Rongqing Hall, restless and uneasy, their tea practically boiling over.

The curtain was lifted, and Jia Yi stepped in—

Two piercing gazes instantly fixed on his face.

Madam Wang stared at him, her eyes burning with resentment.

Jia Yi thought to himself: I can understand why she hates me, after all, I hurt her son.

But what's with Jia Zhen's expression? Gritting his teeth like he wants to devour me alive? ???

Before he could figure it out, Grandmother Jia spoke first, her tone light and cheerful as if she were talking about the weather:

"Yi-ge'er, this time you burned down two Duke's mansions. How much silver will His Majesty fine you for paying in compensation?"

"We've scraped together over 600,000 taels. Is that enough?"

He smiled kindly as he spoke, his wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deep enough to trap a mosquito.

Jia Yi looked down at his clothes—

Everything was fine, not a single hair was missing.

My mind immediately became crystal clear:

The Emperor Emeritus and Emperor Yuankang are treating me like a treasure, much more precious than those two dukes!

"That's enough, that's enough," he grinned. "Only a fool wouldn't take so much money."

I'll take the money, but as for any favors? Forget about it.

If any of you are unlucky in the future, don't expect me to lend a hand.

So what if I'm a little domineering? I'm happy to be.

"That's enough," Grandmother Jia replied, her smile even sweeter. "Your younger brother Baoyu also contributed some money, which is a token of his appreciation."

The entire room fell silent.

Who saw Baoyu take out money?

Wasn't that kid just happily munching on a roasted chestnut?

Everyone turned to look at them, their eyes filled with "They've completely lost face."

But due to Grandmother Jia's authority, no one dared to utter a word.

Only Jia She sat there, rolling his eyes like he was having a seizure, each roll aimed at Jia Zheng.

Aren't you supposed to be upright, incorruptible, and impartial?

Pretending to be mute at this point?

Jia Yi glanced at Jia She's expression and understood immediately:

Oh, I see. It's just another show.

Too lazy to expose him, he simply ordered his personal guards to carry all the silver back to his own courtyard and then turned and left.

At the same time, Luo Hong and Su Xing knelt in front of a boy.

The man was dressed in a brocade robe with dark patterns, and his eyes were deep and thoughtful—he was none other than the late Crown Prince's son, Prince Yizhong.

"The two dukes have been humiliated today. On behalf of the royal family, I apologize."

His voice was low and slow, but the last syllable held an barely suppressed excitement.

"In the future, I will personally present Jia Yi's head before you two."

The moment the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, it was as if he could already see the scene of blood-red flags sweeping across the capital city.

That fire was burned so well!

With two dukes in command of troops defecting, the strength of the capital garrison is about to increase from 40,000 to 120,000.

With just one order from him, the capital city would be within his grasp!

"If Your Highness has said this, then the humiliation we have suffered today has not been in vain!"

Su Xing gritted his teeth, his eyes practically spitting fire.

He hated Jia Yi to the core, wishing he could skin him alive.

"Yes..." Luo Hong pinched the wound on his leg hard, tears streaming down his face from the pain, but he still forced a smile. "From this day forward, we two swear to follow Your Highness to the death!"

Prince Yizhong nodded with a smile, offered a few words of comfort to the two, and then quietly left through the back door, like a shadow blending into the night.

In a short while, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard had presented the secret report to the Emperor Emeritus.