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

Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, yet Lin Daiyu beside her heard every single word.

Her eyes turned cold, and a mocking smile curled at the corner of her lips. She had only a fraction of her patience left with Jia Baoyu, and now it had plummeted to rock bottom. He looked down on him verbally, yet secretly basked in his power and enjoyed a life of luxury, living like a joke.

She ignored him, simply flicking her sleeve as if brushing away a speck of dust.

Meanwhile, military reports from the Zhongyong Camp heading south had already spread like wildfire throughout the capital.

Pigeons flitted across the sky, secret messages rained down, and countless feathers flew from Zhuque Street to Liuli Lane, heading towards the depths of Jiangnan.

Inside the Prince of Beijing's residence, Shui Rong stood with his hands behind his back in the courtyard, his brows furrowed.

"The emperor actually sent Jia Yi south? What kind of turmoil is brewing in Jiangnan?"

He narrowed his eyes, a thought flashing through his mind: "Could it be that the Zhen family is about to rebel?"

Once the thought crossed my mind, I felt it was almost certainly true. Now, nine out of ten cities in Jiangnan belong to the Zhen family; the Dowager Consort Zhen in the palace is frail and weak; the former wet nurse of the retired emperor is nearing death; and Emperor Yuankang has long been sharpening his knives. If the Zhen family doesn't act first, they will be uprooted sooner or later.

"What a pity..." Shui Rong sneered, "In today's Great Qian Dynasty, there is Jia Yi."

He's a madman, a scourge. The moment he sets foot in Jiangnan, all the sordid deeds will be exposed and bloodied.

"However—" he suddenly smirked, "I can stir this water up even more."

He summoned the steward of the Prince's mansion and handed him a jet-black token engraved with the words "Loyalty and Obedience," which faintly gleamed with a blood-rust-like luster.

"Send it to Jinling and bury it in the cellar of the Zhen family's old house. Hide it deep so that no one can find it easily."

This was a token he had tricked from Crown Prince Chen Ze of King Chungsun, and now he could use it to kill someone.

"Yes, Your Highness!" The steward acknowledged the order and withdrew, his figure quickly disappearing into the night.

Shui Rong gazed at the starry sky and chuckled softly, "Even Zhuge Liang's strategic brilliance back then couldn't have been this much?"

Little did he know, he had miscalculated—

The Zhen family had no intention of rebelling. They were merely providing support from behind the scenes, secretly preparing troops, armor, and provisions for Prince Zhongshun. Those shady deals had already been carried out countless times in secret alleys and hidden rooms.

Now he has gone to great lengths to frame the two for collusion, but in reality, he has simply nailed two thieves who were already in cahoots to the same execution platform.

The night the carrier pigeon arrived in Jiangnan, the entire Jiangnan officialdom suffered from collective insomnia.

Jia Yi's southward journey was ostensibly to reorganize the Jiangnan Grand Camp, but who wasn't afraid that he would casually expose their past misdeeds?

Overnight, the account books were burned, the witnesses disappeared, and the embezzled silver was transferred overnight. The major mansions strictly ordered their children to stay at home and study, and even visiting brothels required writing a letter of repentance beforehand.

The Zhen family urgently halted their shady "converting rice paddies to mulberry fields" project, fearing that Jia Yi might witness a "famine riot" and come knocking on their door with a knife to demand an explanation.

Inside the Xue residence, Aunt Xue grabbed Xue Pan by the ear, her eyes wide with anger: "Listen to me! From this day forward, you are not allowed to step out of the house! Stay home and quietly study the Analects!"

Xue Pan rubbed his ears and muttered, "Mother, I didn't cause any trouble, why bother..."

"Shut up!" Aunt Xue interrupted sharply. "Have you forgotten how that gentleman in the capital dealt with Jiang Yuhan? He had to break three of her legs before he was carried out! If you go out now, forget about fighting, you could be crippled just for looking at the lanterns!"

Xue Pan shrank back and finally behaved himself.

Before the wind blows, the grass bends down.

Before Jia Yi even crossed the Yangtze River, the Jiangnan region was already like a frightened bird, with everyone feeling insecure.

Before Xue Pan could speak, Xue Baochai, who was standing to the side, tilted her head, her eyes flashing slightly, and asked curiously.

"Yes, what's wrong with Mother? Why does she suddenly forbid us from going out?"

Xue Pan rolled his eyes inwardly—who would want to be cooped up in the mansion like a caged bird every day? It's so boring!

"The Duke of Qin has led a large army south." Aunt Xue said calmly, her tone as cold as ice.

She knew her son all too well. He was fearless and always seemed to walk right into the line of fire. If he really ran into that ruthless devil, he'd probably be smashed to pieces.

"The Duke of Qin?" Xue Baochai frowned slightly, quickly going through the genealogy of the nobles of the Great Qian Dynasty in her mind, but she couldn't find such a person.

"Hmm." Aunt Xue nodded, her voice lowering slightly. "Speaking of which... this Duke of Qin is actually related to us."

She paused, as if lifting a dusty old curtain: "His name is Jia Yi, the son of your aunt's eldest brother. According to seniority, you should call him—Third Brother."

With a "boom," sparks flew from Xue Pan's eyes!

The invincible Duke of Qin, Jia Yi, who swept across the northern frontier, was actually a relative? His third brother?!

Even the usually composed Xue Baochai slightly parted her lips, her eyes trembling slightly. This relationship was truly well hidden.

"Don't even think about it!" Aunt Xue saw through her son's thoughts at a glance and warned him coldly, "How many纨绔 (spoiled brats) in the capital had their legs broken by his own hands! Go and copy the Classic of Filial Piety, and don't eat until you've finished!"

Xue Pan lowered his eyes, but a subtle smile crept onto his lips—

You won't let me go, but I'm determined to meet this...ruthless Third Brother!

-

Lin Ruhai, far away in Yangzhou, was leaning against the window, coughing so hard it was heartbreaking.

A dark figure landed silently, and a guard in the Embroidered Uniform Guard reported in a low voice: "Jia Yi has headed south, with a clear objective."

Lin Ruhai closed his eyes, and a single tear slid down his cheek.

It's finally here... The Emperor Emeritus is finally going to take action against the Zhen family.

His Min'er, that intelligent and beautiful woman, died suddenly back then, and he had long suspected that the Zhen family was responsible. Ever since he came to Yangzhou to serve as the Salt Commissioner, his close friends and family members have died one after another... If he hadn't sent his daughter to the Rongguo Mansion early on, he probably wouldn't have been able to protect even the last bit of his bloodline.

"Lord Lin," the Embroidered Uniform Guard lowered his voice, "Jia Yi is no ordinary man. Some things are best avoided."

Lin Ruhai wiped the blood from the corner of his lips and smiled bitterly: "He's an idiot, why would I be afraid of him?"

He still remembered things from his childhood clearly—Jia Min always felt sorry for her mentally challenged nephew who was neglected by the family, and would secretly bring him food and medicine. After marrying him, she couldn't help him, but she would still talk about him every day.

"I am his uncle." Lin Ruhai straightened up, leaning on the table, his gaze firm. "He won't harm me."

The Embroidered-Clad Guard watched him silently, sighing inwardly: "When Jia Yi pins you to the ground and makes you call him 'father,' you'll know what it means to be cooked in an iron pot."

-

At this moment, the Jiangnan camp was already filled with panic.

The retired emperor and Emperor Yuankang marched south under the pretext of suppressing the White Lotus Sect, but everyone knew that their true target was the Zhen family.

Once you're labeled as "colluding with a cult," forget about your title, you'll lose your head!

Jiedushi Yongyi Hou Anze slumped in the central hall, his beard unshaven and his eyes dark, looking as if all his energy had been drained.

"Damn it! How did the White Lotus Sect manage to infiltrate my Jiangnan camp?!" he growled through gritted teeth. "What did I ever do to deserve this?!"

He personally led patrols every day, turning the military camp upside down with his personal guards, fearing that there might be a fuse to start a fire hidden in some corner.

"Jia Yi...when the hell are you getting here?!"