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

"Third Brother, this time... were you injured?"

Yingchun opened her mouth timidly, her voice as soft as willow catkins in the wind.

Her mind was filled with images of bloody battles at the border, with 300,000 enemy troops pressing in. How could her third brother possibly hold them off alone?

"Third Brother, is the amulet I sewed for you effective?"

Xichun stood on tiptoe, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"What kind of injury could I possibly suffer?"

Jia Yi smiled, his eyes gentle, and took out a small, exquisitely embroidered sachet from his pocket, the very one that Xi Chun had made herself.

"Look, I always keep it close to my body. Thanks to it, I'm invulnerable to swords and spears."

"Wow!!"

Xichun instantly exploded into a small firework, bouncing higher than a lantern.

This scene caught Jia Zhen's eye, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

The Ningguo Mansion and Jia Yi have always kept to themselves, their relationship so cold it could freeze over.

But right now... my younger sister Xichun is being so intimate with my younger brother Yi?!

Jia Zhen's eyes suddenly lit up, and a flash of inspiration struck him—he had found a breakthrough!

Grandmother Jia nodded with a smile, feeling at ease as she watched the children playing and laughing.

They're family after all; as long as there's affection, the family won't fall apart.

"Yi-ge'er," she suddenly noticed the old nanny, her brow furrowing slightly, "and who is this nanny?"

Granny Wu stood to the side, her head bowed and eyes lowered, yet she possessed a calm and dignified air that commanded respect.

The more Grandmother Jia looked at it, the more familiar it seemed, and a subtle ripple of emotion stirred within her.

"A gift from the Emperor," Jia Yi said calmly, "a governess specially arranged for Yingchun."

Everyone was taken aback, and then Lin Daiyu and the others cast envious glances at them—the Emperor himself bestowed a nanny upon her, how prestigious that was!

"Miss Yingchun, my surname is Wu. From now on, you may call me Granny Wu."

Granny Wu gave a slight curtsy, her gaze sweeping over Yingchun before she nodded to herself.

She has a pleasing appearance, a gentle nature, and a good foundation, but still needs further refinement.

"Granny Wu?" Grandmother Jia exclaimed suddenly, "Could it be... that you are the one who serves the Empress Dowager?"

The entire room fell silent.

Jia Yi also frowned and looked over, his face full of doubt.

Granny Wu simply smiled faintly and nodded: "That's right."

Grandmother Jia was deeply shocked, as if struck by lightning.

When the Empress Dowager entered the palace, she only brought one maidservant with her, who was this Granny Wu.

The two shared a bed and went through thick and thin together; their bond had long surpassed that of blood sisters.

Such a person should have been enjoying a peaceful and prosperous old age in the palace, living a life of unparalleled honor.

Why did she leave the palace to become a governess for young ladies?

The emperor bestows a woman upon him, but the crown prince has not yet established a consort.

In an instant, all the clues connected—

Emperor Yuankang is going to make Yingchun his Crown Princess!

Grandmother Jia felt a lump in her throat, and her chest felt so tight that she could hardly breathe.

Yuan Chun, whom she had painstakingly sent to the palace, had been out of favor for many years and had never even been served a cup of tea by the emperor.

Yingchun, on the other hand, was promoted to the rank of phoenix simply because she had been close to Jia Yi since childhood!

Jealousy clung to her heart like vines, but she bit her lip tightly, not daring to utter a sound.

after all--

The emperor's intentions were unclear, and the imperial edict had not yet been issued.

Moreover, she was afraid that her foolish and audacious son would overturn the table and rebel on the spot upon hearing that Yingchun was to be sent to the palace.

"Alright," she forced a smile and waved her hand, "Stop standing around, let's start eating!"

If something really happens, no one will escape unscathed.

"Miss Yingchun, what kind of manners are you to walk like that!"

The moment Yingchun's toes touched the ground, Granny Wu's shrill voice pierced her like a needle.

"Yingchun, ignore her, that old hag is out of her mind."

Jia Yi lifted his eyelids, coldly glanced at Granny Wu, and said in a tone as sharp as ice shards hitting the ground, "You can leave however you want. Anyone who dares to utter a sound, I'll break their legs."

He couldn't be bothered to look at those wooden figures made up of rules.

If anyone dared to transform Yingchun from a vibrant, laughing, and playful young girl into one of those empty-eyed puppets in the palace—

Jia Yi gritted his teeth. Then don't blame him for being ruthless.

"Mmm!" Yingchun nodded vigorously, gripped her sisters' hands tightly, and disappeared like a gust of wind.

Granny Wu stood there, her face ashen: "It's not too late to teach him slowly when the Duke of Qin is not in the manor."

The ten female guards exchanged glances, their eyes blazing with anger—were we just standing here like decorations?

*

The meal had just been cleared from Rongqing Hall, the leftovers still warm, when Jia She hurriedly went to Lixiang Courtyard.

"Brother Yi, I've already had a fortune teller calculate the auspicious date." He rubbed his hands together, his face beaming. "Your wedding with Miss Qin is set for fifteen days from now. What do you think?"

Logically speaking, it shouldn't be up to his son to approve such a thing, but Jia She was worried—this silly son was not someone to be trifled with now. If he took it upon himself to make a decision and ended up getting beaten to a pulp, he would lose face and bring shame upon his ancestors.

"Alright, I'll leave it all to you." Jia Yi leaned lazily against the couch, not wanting to worry about these complicated matters at all.

"Good, good, good!" Jia She beamed, turned around and dashed off to prepare for the wedding, his steps as light as a commoner who had just found a gold ingot.

Meanwhile, the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion next door—no, now called the Duke of Qin's mansion—was already brightly lit, with everyone in the mansion busy wielding brooms and buckets, creating a chaotic scene.

It was all because Yuanyang had previously spread a message: Third Master would be moving in after his marriage.

This one sentence immediately triggered a frenzied cleaning spree throughout the entire mansion.

The night was as dark as ink, and all was silent.

Jia Yi silently climbed over the wall of the Rongguo Mansion and landed in a deserted training ground in the city.

With a flick of his palm, a blood talisman ignited, and a thousand black figures stepped out from the void—a full thousand Imperial Guards, their armor imposing and their killing intent soaring to the heavens!

"The task is simple." Jia Yi stood with his hands behind his back, his voice deep and thunderous. "Keep a close eye on every official in the capital. Anyone who harbors ill intentions towards me..."

A smirk played on his lips, and a cold glint flashed within him:

"Break down the door and kill them."

Zhao Lu suffered a severe setback that time, and he holds a grudge.

Now that he has military achievements and the "idiocy" label as a get-out-of-jail-free card, as long as he doesn't openly rebel, the retired emperor and Emperor Yuankang can only turn a blind eye.

After finishing his military duties, Jia Yi nimbly leaped back over the courtyard wall, landing silently.

But just as I passed the entrance to the couple's room, I felt a heat under my nose—

*Splat!* Blood gushed out, splattering red all over the ground!

Inside, the sound of water dripping could be heard, and wisps of steam seeped out from the window cracks.

This girl... dares to bathe indoors?!

Jia Yi covered his nose, on the verge of tears: What if we get robbed? I'm just doing my duty as a gatekeeper!

He stood against the wall, desperately tilting his head back to stop the bleeding, while silently acting as a human doorkeeper.

Only when she heard the rustling of clothes being put on inside did she breathe a sigh of relief, wipe her face, and drag her weak body back to her room to lie down.

The next morning, Yuanyang came out carrying a copper basin to pour water, when she suddenly stopped in her tracks—

What's with that dark red patch outside the threshold?!

"Where did the blood come from?" She frowned and looked around, but there was no one there. She could only wet a handkerchief and silently wipe the ground clean.

As dawn broke, she lifted her skirt and went straight to Jia Yi's bedroom.

While he was still lazing in bed, she yanked back the covers and thoroughly examined his entire body—

No wounds, no bruises, everything is perfect.

"Hmph! You lecherous scoundrel!"

She glared at the person on the bed, turned and left, but the tips of her ears turned red.