Dream of the Red Chamber: Rising from Refugees to Sweep Across the Land

Chapter 103 A Fire in Winter

Since the reign of the Empress Dowager, a peculiar trend has emerged in the court where "being flogged in court is considered an honor." It's not that civil officials are fond of being tortured, but rather that they have already calculated the benefits: with each flogging, they gain both a good reputation and real wealth, achieving both fame and fortune.

On that day, although Mei Hanlin was beaten until his skin was torn and his flesh was bloody, he became a hero among the upright officials and his reputation soared. The threshold of the Mei family was almost worn down by civil officials.

"Uncle, take care!" Young Master Mei watched the sedan chair disappear at the alley entrance before turning back to his residence.

As soon as he entered the backyard, he saw Madam Mei standing at the entrance of the main house with a medicine bowl in her hand, clearly waiting for him.

"Mother." Young Master Mei strode forward, took the medicine bowl, and said, "I'll go and apply the medicine to Father right away."

Madam Mei grabbed him and said, "No one came yesterday. Rumors were just starting to circulate outside, and then people came with so many letters. It can't be anything good. You should advise your father."

Young Master Mei nodded and carried the medicine bowl into the house.

In the bedroom, Mei Hanlin lay on the bed, flipping through the letters in his hands. These were all handwritten letters from fellow successful candidates in the imperial examinations, each word expressing their willingness to stand with him through thick and thin and to defend the integrity of scholars to the death.

This means that from now on, he has his own power and is no longer an insignificant figure.

Young Master Mei walked quietly to the bedside, lifted the covers, and carefully applied the medicine, saying, "Father, you should also think about Mother. This time it was so dangerous; if anything were to happen to you, how could Mother bear it?"

"This is a matter of righteousness!"

Without turning his head, Mei Hanlin opened another letter. "If I had to choose again, I would still stand up. A scholar's backbone cannot be broken—ouch! Be gentle!"

Young Master Mei wanted to persuade him further, but when he glanced at the words on the letter, he was stunned.

Mei Hanlin, however, became excited, his eyes shining and his beard trembling slightly: "If we can bring down Lin Ruhai, this third-ranked scholar, we will not only become famous throughout the court and renowned among scholars, but we can also avenge the humiliation of the day before yesterday!"

Young Master Mei snapped out of his daze and whispered, "Father, Lin Ruhai is the Emperor's confidant..."

2

"Even the emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners!"

Mei Hanlin shouted, suddenly propping himself up halfway. "Besides, this is a warning from heaven. How can we let personal matters interfere with public duty?" Before he finished speaking, he was already wincing in pain and hurriedly lay back down on the bed.

Young Master Mei hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "But Father... we've already accepted the Xue family's gift, so shouldn't we give them a substantial one..."

""

Mei Hanlin was immediately enraged, his face flushed red, and he slammed his hand on the edge of the bed: "You're engaged to that girl from the second branch of the Xue family, they're in-laws! I was injured in the line of duty and bedridden, shouldn't they come to visit me? What does this have to do with impeaching Lin Ruhai?! As for the Xue family's small gift, that's a favor, a personal gesture, not a bribe..."

""

He became increasingly agitated, his voice rising: "Besides, if it weren't for my sake, would the Hanlin Academy and the Censorate have so easily let them send that person to Shuntian Prefecture..."

'

At this point, he seemed a little guilty, paused, and lowered his voice, "As a disciple of a sage, I have always distinguished between public and private matters. Impeaching Lin Ruhai is righteous, it's about seeking justice for all the people..."

'

"But....

""

Before Young Master Mei could say anything more, Hanlin Mei interrupted him sharply, "Enough! Who do you think that guy surnamed Li is here for? He's here for Grand Secretary Qian!" With that, he grabbed the letters. "Unless Lin Ruhai is impeached, these letters are just worthless paper! Understand?"

Seeing that Mei Hanlin was truly angry, the eldest son of Mei swallowed back the words he was about to say, lowered his eyes, and remained silent, only silently applying the medicine.

After applying the medicine, Mei Hanlin felt much better. He picked out a few letters from the stack and handed them to the eldest son of the Mei family: "Go and invite your uncles over. Tell them there is a great fortune to be made, and let's see if they dare to take it."

"Yes." Young Master Mei accepted it with both hands. Just as he was about to leave, he heard Hanlin Mei say again, "Help me up."

Young Master Mei: "Father, your injury..."

'

Mei Hanlin waved his hand: "If you can't even bear this little injury, what kind of scholarly integrity are you talking about? Help me up."

'

..yes."

"Ouch, slower, slower! It hurts, it hurts... You little beast, are you trying to kill me with pain?!"

While infighting continues in the capital, the grain and winter clothing purchased at high prices from merchants by the Shanhaiguan General's Office have already been sent to the front-line camp at Dalinghe.

The speed of the transport greatly surprised the generals at the front. With such heavy snow, it would normally take at least ten days to reach the destination, but this caravan arrived in less than eight days.

The camp commander was overjoyed to see the caravan's urgent situation and, since it was getting dark, agreed to their request to let them spend the night in the camp after unloading their goods.

In the twelfth lunar month, western Liaoning is already deep winter. The Daling River is frozen solid, and the ice surface is large enough to support people, horses, and vehicles.

The government troops set up dozens of watchtowers along the south bank, with people on duty day and night, keeping a close eye on every move on the river.

But the snowstorm these past few nights has been so severe that everything is covered in white. After walking just a few feet, you can't see anything at all.

On the watchtower, a flickering lantern swayed back and forth in the snow and wind.

The two soldiers, carrying long spears, stamped their feet to keep warm while looking out over the river, occasionally greeting their commander's entire family.

The shorter man tucked his hands deeper into his sleeves and nudged the taller man beside him: "Stop looking! The snow's so heavy, you can't see anything. Crouch down and get some shelter from the wind, it's too cold!"

The tall man shook his head: "Have you forgotten what Chief Li instructed? During the day, the scouts spotted Tartar scouts on the other side of the river and told us to be careful."

"Making a fuss over nothing," the short man said dismissively. "When are the Tartar scouts not on the other side?" He shrank back and squatted down. "Even if they come, so what? There are three lines of defense behind us, and the main camp is already prepared..."

'

Just then, the sound of an arrow whistling through the wind.

"Where did this arrow come from..." He had just stood up when the tall man collapsed, clutching his neck.

Before the short man could react, there was another "whoosh." He felt a chill in his throat, clutched it tightly with both hands, made a few "hoarse" sounds, and then collapsed to the ground.

This scene unfolded silently along the entire defensive line almost simultaneously. Some government troops realized something was wrong and tried their best to ring the alarm bells, but before the one or two rings could reach the next defensive line, they were torn to pieces by the strong wind and could not be heard at all.

On the south bank of the Daling River, the dim, flickering lanterns still swayed in the wind. Originally the eyes of the garrison, they had now become the guides for the Tartars, who followed their lights all the way to the south bank.

With his eyebrows and beard whitened by snowflakes, A-Gui struggled to reach the south bank with the help of his personal guards. He took the telescope and glanced at the dark distance ahead.

In recent years, with the help of Shanxi merchants, the imperial court had become thoroughly familiar with the three lines of defense against the Han people. All that remained was for a towering fire to ignite the main camp, illuminating the darkness, before they charged in.

The wind was biting cold, and even though A-Gui was wrapped in a thick fur coat, she was still shivering.

After an unknown amount of time, a fire suddenly appeared in the darkness, followed by another, and in an instant they merged into one, a raging inferno that soared into the sky...