Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

Shenjing City.

Since the reign of Emperor Taizu of the Han Dynasty, the capital city of Shenjing has formed a layout of "nine inner walls, seven outer walls, and four imperial city walls".

I must say, there's absolutely no shady business here!

The nine gates of the inner city include Zhengyangmen, Chongwenmen, Xuanwumen, Chaoyangmen, Fuchengmen, Dongzhimen, Xizhimen, Andingmen, and Deshengmen.

These gates each had their own function. For example, Zhengyangmen was exclusively for the emperor's passage, Chaoyangmen was for grain carts, and Xizhimen was for water carts.

The seven gates of the outer city were Yongdingmen, Zuoanmen, Youanmen, Guangqumen, Guanganmen, Dongbianmen, and Xibianmen. The outer city was a residential area for ordinary people and its status was lower than that of the inner city.

The four gates of the Imperial City usually refer to Tiananmen, Di'anmen, Dong'anmen, and Xi'anmen, which were the city gates used exclusively by the imperial court.

Therefore, Shenjing City is also known as "Sijiu City".

The inner and outer cities were centered on the imperial city and formed four districts in the east, west, south, and north. The people living in different districts were also different, and there was a saying that "the east is rich, the west is noble, the south is poor, and the north is lowly."

The area where the residences of Han Dynasty officials were most concentrated was in the eastern part of Shenjing City. Relying on the cluster of government offices on the east side of the imperial city, a large number of officials and military officers chose to locate their residences there.

The reason they gathered here was twofold: firstly, to facilitate social interaction among colleagues, and secondly, to make it convenient to go to the palace for court and official duties.

Because officials who regularly attended court mostly entered the palace through the Dong'an Gate and Donghua Gate, and because government offices were densely packed in the eastern part of the city, officials living there could significantly shorten their commute and avoid missing court sessions and daily official duties.

However, as the head of the civil officials of the Han Dynasty, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet was naturally different from ordinary officials.

Most cabinet ministers would place their residences near the Xi'an Gate in the western part of the capital, making it convenient for them to go to the cabinet office in the western garden of the imperial city for their duties, and also to respond to the emperor's summons at any time.

August 1st, the first quarter of the hour of Xu (7-9 PM).

At the residence of Grand Secretary Fang Congzhe.

The night was as dark as an overturned iron pot, pressing down on the entire long street in the west of the city. There were no stars or moon, only endless dark clouds and low-hanging eaves.

"Da da da..."

"Tap tap tap..."

A rapid sound of hooves and footsteps came from the end of the long street, sounding particularly clear in the silent night.

Some of the gatekeepers facing the street were awakened and cautiously opened their doors to peek out.

At the end of the long street, which was originally under martial law, first a single light appeared, then ten, a hundred, a thousand, and countless torches lit up.

Like a line of fire slowly carved out of the darkness, it meandered and extended, instantly engulfing the entire long street.

The first thing that catches the eye is the cavalrymen in black armor. The sound of their hooves is fine and dense. The sound of their hooves on the bluestone slabs is not far away in the night before being suppressed by the high walls on both sides. The torches in their hands flicker slightly, illuminating the dark light on their armor.

Behind the cavalry were the Imperial Guards, who wore dark red short cloaks with torchlight streaming across their surfaces.

Finally, the infantry of the Five Cities Garrison marched in neat rows, their steps synchronized, the sound of their boots striking the ground creating a deep, resounding boom.

Torches stretched out in rows, illuminating expressionless faces, the bronze ornaments on the scabbards at the waists, and the night dew that had accumulated in the gaps between the armor plates.

This scene, with its countless soldiers and solemn atmosphere, sent a chill down the spines of everyone secretly watching.

"Hiss!"

Amidst shouts and the neighing of horses, Jia Jing led nearly three thousand men, including his personal guards, soldiers from the Five Cities Garrison, and imperial guards, and quickly arrived at the gate of Fang Congzhe's mansion, with its flying eaves and bracket sets.

"Qiu Liang, you led your men to surround the Fang residence, securing all the gates, walls, waterways, and passageways. A thief escaped; I will hold you accountable!"

With a detached expression, Jia Jing gave the order to Qiu Liang beside him.

Qiu Liang is the commander of the Five Cities Military Command and also the heir to the title of Marquis of Jingtian, a lineage that originated from the founding of the dynasty.

During this time, he had been actively trying to get closer to Jia Jing, visiting the Jia family mansion many times in hopes of making a name for himself, but unfortunately he had not been able to meet Jia Jing.

He was thrilled to suddenly receive an imperial decree today, ordering him to be under Jia Jing's command, investigate a major case, and purify the capital!

Isn't this an opportunity delivered right to our doorstep?

So he waited at the city gate all night until he saw Jia Jing enter the city. He immediately revealed his identity and, after receiving permission, quickly followed him.

"Yes! One person escaped, and I'll chop off his head, my lord!" Qiu Liangnian, who was about thirty years old and had a burly build, loudly guaranteed.

Immediately, he quickly arranged for the soldiers of his five city garrisons to surround the Fang residence completely.

Jia Jing turned his gaze to the gate of the Fang residence, his eyes lingering for a moment on the plaque above the entrance that read "Grand Secretary's Residence." He faintly heard footsteps coming from inside, and coldly said to Zhu Que beside him:

"Zhuque, take your personal guards and the Imperial City Envoy and go in to ransack the house and arrest the people! Act swiftly and decisively; anyone who obstructs you, kill them!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the personal guards and the Imperial City Guards dispersed like a tide, quickly and silently surrounding the entire mansion gate, with swords, spears, and firelight forming a silent wall.

The Deputy Envoy of the Imperial City Guard led his elite troops to guard the side gate, their armor gleaming coldly in the firelight.

After receiving the order, Zhuque stepped forward a few steps, drew her sword, and before she could knock on the door, she saw the gate of the Fang residence slowly opening from the inside.

A man who looked like a manager poked his head out, and upon seeing the dark mass of swords, spears, and torches outside the door, his face turned deathly pale, and he cried out in panic:

"Who are you? What do you want?"

Zhuque's face was icy cold as she spoke loudly:

"By order of the Duke of Jingguo, the Fang residence is found to be harboring a criminal and plotting rebellion. The residence is to be immediately searched and the gates opened. Anyone who dares to obstruct the process will be punished..."

Zhuque's voice suddenly rose in pitch.

"Kill without mercy!"

"How dare you! This is the residence of a Grand Secretary of the current dynasty. No one may trespass without an imperial edict! How dare you act so presumptuously!"

"Pfft!" Zhuque slowly withdrew the blood-dripping knife from her hand, kicked the corpse of the Fang family steward aside, and shouted:

"Follow me and charge in!"

However, just as the guards and the Imperial Guards stormed into the Fang residence, nearly a hundred figures suddenly emerged from various parts of the front courtyard to resist.

Among the figures were monks in robes, Taoist priests, scholars, and armored servants—a diverse mix.

In an instant, muskets were set up from behind the pillars, the sound of crossbow strings being pulled taut and the slight scraping of blades against their scabbards were enveloped in the dense darkness of the night, like a clenched fist.

Zhu Que rushed to the front, his gaze sweeping over the figures. Seeing their chaotic formation, disorganized footwork, and hesitant steps, a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes.

A flintlock pistol, its fuse lit, fired with a loud bang, filling the air with smoke. A lead bullet grazed the top of Zhuque's head, shattering a lantern. Paper scraps and sparks fell together, drifting across the courtyard like an untimely fireworks display.

"Line up, fire the arrows!" Zhuque shouted.

The guards charging in the front row crouched down and raised their shields, while the guards in the rear row set up their crossbows.

The bowstrings rang out in unison, and dozens of crossbow bolts were released simultaneously, whistling through the smoke and taking more than a dozen lives with them by the time they hit the ground.

Some people fell with screams after being hit by arrows, while others were pinned to pillars by crossbow bolts, struggling for a moment before becoming still.

Then, without waiting for orders, the second row of crossbowmen stepped forward, changed positions, set up their crossbows, and fired, unleashing another volley.

Then the third row followed.

Three volleys of fire, without a break. Before the enemy musketeer could even reload his second shot, the hot lead bullet still in the pouch at his waist, the crossbow bolt had already claimed his life.

"Draw your swords and follow me into the fray!" Suzaku shouted coldly.

The guards in the front row abandoned their crossbows and drew their swords. The blades slid out of their sheaths with a continuous, low metallic sound, like a drawn-out breath in the night wind. They rushed into the Fang residence, stepping through the blood.

Faced with battle-hardened soldiers who had crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, the Fang family's blockade was like a rabble, no match for them at all!

The guards didn't linger. Anyone within sight was either shot or hacked to death, leaving no one alive. It was as if they were going to massacre the Fang family.

Under the powerful attack led by Zhuque, the fighting did not last long. The personal guards quickly cleared the outer perimeter, leaving behind a bloodstain and scattered bodies, and hurried towards the main hall and the backyard.