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

Looking at the 40,000 applicants surging towards him, his lips twitched: "What the hell? Completely booked on the first day???"

The same thing happened a few days ago; 20,000 people signed up in the blink of an eye. The remaining 10,000 people who filled the vacancies in the next three days were also fiercely contested.

Left with no other choice, Jia Yi plunged headlong into a month-long grueling training program.

There's no way around it; the Qi Family Army, the Tang Dynasty's Mo Dao Brigade, the Xuanjia Cavalry... which one of them wouldn't be a force to be reckoned with, capable of sweeping through thousands of troops?

The problem now is that these teams don't get along, and their cooperation depends entirely on luck.

So he personally took charge, leading the various departments through repeated adjustments, dismantling and rebuilding, fighting until they were bruised and battered but never stopping.

Niu Jizong wasn't idle either; he led 10,000 new recruits into training.

They were dumbfounded on the very first day.

"Good heavens, did Yi'er's soldiers crawl out of hell? They're all like reincarnated ferocious beasts!"

He copied Jia Yi's high-intensity training method. The next morning, during roll call, less than one-tenth of the students were able to stand up. The rest were all lying in bed groaning and struggling to even turn over.

"Never mind, never mind." Niu Jizong decisively gave up and switched to the old method of slowly disciplining him.

A month later, the camp was finally on the right track.

"Uncle, I'm entrusting the camp to you."

"I'm leaving now, or my bones will rust if I stay any longer."

Jia Yi stretched and turned to leave.

"Go and rest, Yi-ge'er," Niu Jizong nodded with a smile.

But as soon as he stepped back onto Ningrong Street, before he even entered the mansion gate, someone blocked his way.

"Shen Wansan? What are you doing here?"

Jia Yi raised an eyebrow.

Shen Wansan's expression was grave, and he said in a low voice, "My lord, something has happened."

"Last month, I noticed that someone was secretly contacting caravans at the Gyeonggi market to inquire about the route to the Later Jin, so I took note of it."

"The investigation revealed that it was Duke Hu and Duke Zhao who were behind this! They were trying to leak all the information about your upcoming campaign against the Later Jin, along with the military maps, to the enemy!"

At this point, he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

Jia Yi's eyes suddenly turned cold, and a chilling light flashed in his eyes.

I originally thought that after being taught a lesson, those two old geezers would behave themselves.

I never expected they were playing dirty tricks behind my back, digging pits and planting mines for me little by little.

"You don't need to pass the message to me; just give it to the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

He paused, a slight smile playing on his lips: "This kind of thing shouldn't be something that a 'foolish' marquis like me should personally bring up."

"Yes, Lord Marquis!" Shen Wansan understood and turned to leave.

Just as Jia Yi had instructed the kitchen to prepare the meal, hoping to enjoy a peaceful meal, he suddenly saw his second brother, Jia Lian, rushing over with a gloating expression on his face.

"Third brother! Quick! Get to Rongqing Hall! Our second uncle has been arrested by the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"

"Oh?" Jia Yi said calmly, "What trouble has he gotten into this time? Is the warehouse still under repair?"

He still remembered that Jia Zheng had been sent by the Ministry of Works to repair the warehouses in the capital.

Now that more than a month has passed, it should be coming to an end by now. The fact that he was arrested at this time is most likely due to the project being left unfinished.

"It's not that it wasn't finished," Jia Lian grinned, his tone sarcastic. "It's that only one was repaired before the money allocated by the Ministry of Revenue was all spent."

"The old lady was even willing to pay out of her own pocket to cover the loss..."

Several embroidered guards burst through the door, their iron armor clanging, exuding a murderous aura, and in the blink of an eye, they had taken the person away.

Take them away on the spot!

The household was thrown into chaos, completely at a loss. The family members were frantic and anxious, like ants on a hot plate, and quickly summoned Jia Yi to come and make a decision.

"Ugh—!!!"

As soon as I stepped through the hanging flower gate, I heard heart-wrenching cries.

Lady Wang clung tightly to Grandmother Jia, her face streaked with tears and snot, her voice hoarse from crying: "Grandmother, what are we going to do? If anything happens to Master, I... I won't live anymore!"

Seeing Jia Yi enter, she looked up abruptly, her eyes lighting up. She rushed over and grabbed his sleeve, exclaiming, "Yi-ge'er! Hurry! Go to the Embroidered Uniform Guard and rescue Second Uncle! You're a Marquis; they should at least give you some face!"

Jia She suddenly stepped forward, his voice not loud, but like a bucket of ice water poured over someone's head: "No."

The room fell silent.

"Eldest son! What do you mean?" Grandmother Jia slowly raised her eyes, her gaze sharp as a knife as she stared at Jia She. "Zheng'er is your own brother! You just watched him being dragged away without even uttering a single human word?"

The cane struck the blue brick floor with a dull thud, as if it were about to smash down at any moment.

Jia She remained calm and cupped his hands, saying, "Mother, please calm down. But think about it, Yi-ge'er is about to lead the army to fight against the Later Jin. If he wins this battle, being granted the title of Duke is a sure thing! If we rashly interfere in the Embroidered Uniform Guard's investigation now, wouldn't that be handing them a handle? If someone with ulterior motives were to impeach him for 'forming cliques and interfering with the court,' then his title... would be in jeopardy."

These words shocked everyone present.

Yup!

Jia Yi is currently a first-class marquis; if he wins this battle, it wouldn't be surprising if he were granted the title of third-class duke. Who would dare to ruin his future at this time?

"Master She is right!" Jia Zhen immediately chimed in, his face beaming. "We should discuss this further and find another way to save them!"

He was overjoyed—once Jia Yi became a Duke, he, as the clan head, would have an even stronger backbone! Three Dukes from one family? Just hearing about it made him feel incredibly prestigious!

Grandmother Jia's expression shifted between light and dark, and her cane trembled slightly as she gripped it.

On one side is the life of his beloved youngest son, Jia Zheng; on the other is the dukedom that his grandson could easily obtain…

The scales of this balance swayed back and forth in her heart, weighing her down so much that she could hardly breathe.

"Baoyu..." Upon seeing this, Madam Wang immediately hugged Jia Baoyu, who was standing beside her, and covered her face, sobbing, "Why are we, mother and son, so unlucky! We don't even have anyone to support us..."

Jia Baoyu shuddered at the embrace, but a hint of undisguised joy flashed in his eyes.

He couldn't be happier that Jia Zheng locked him up for a few more days—without his father keeping an eye on him, he could escape the clan school for a while longer!

If we were to name the person in this house who least wanted Jia Zheng to return, Jia She would be number one, and he would definitely be number two.

Grandmother Jia's heart softened, and she finally relented: "Yi-ge'er... why don't you go to the Embroidered Uniform Guard? Even if you just inquire quietly..."

Jia Yi sneered and turned to walk out the door.

"I'm not going."

"I'm going home for dinner."

He couldn't be bothered with these clueless idiots.

He can move into his brand-new mansion tomorrow, where he can live a peaceful and carefree life, and let whoever wants to cause trouble do as they please.

[Ding! The host decisively turned and left, infuriating Grandmother Jia, who turned ashen-faced. A mysterious reward has been obtained—a case of cola!]

As soon as the system notification sounded, Jia Yi strode out the door without looking back, his bodyguards following closely behind, exuding an imposing aura.

The people in the room stared at each other, so embarrassed they were digging their toes into the ground.

"Jia Yi!" Madam Wang finally couldn't help but scream, "Don't you even care about your second uncle's life or death? Are you even human?"

Before the words were finished—

"Smack!!!"

A slap resounded throughout the hall, crisp and clean.

Madam Wang was stunned by the blow, staggered to the ground, and half of her face swelled up instantly.

"How dare you address the Marquis by his name so casually?"

The familiar voice rang out again, cold as frost.

Everyone silently lowered their heads, rolling their eyes inwardly: It's that line again... You haven't learned your lesson after being beaten once? Do you have to go through it all again to be at peace?

Without even stopping, Jia Yi flicked the hem of his robe and disappeared outside the door.