The Red Mansion: From a Small Pawn to a Leader

The cups and plates were in a mess.

Wang Ren, whose face was already red from drinking, was still pouring wine into his glass.

Wang Li frowned: "Okay, alcohol is very harmful to your health."

"Injury?"

Wang Ren picked up the wine glass and drank it in one gulp. Then he looked at his empty left arm and said, "I am no different from a useless person in my current state!!" He then gritted his teeth and cursed, "Shui Rong, that bastard! If it weren't for him, how could I end up like this today. I wish I could eat his flesh alive, drink his blood, pull out his tendons, grind his bones and scatter them into ashes, only then can I relieve the hatred in my heart!"

Looking at the somewhat crazy Wang Ren, Wang Li sighed silently.

Wang Ren suddenly remembered something and put his wine glass heavily on the table. "And that bastard Xue Pan almost killed me. If I can't find that bastard Shui Rong, can I still find you?" Then he looked at Wang Li and said, "Has that bastard Xue Pan come back?"

Wang Li frowned: "You've drunk too much."

"I didn't drink too much!"

Wang Ren slammed his palm on the table. "He thinks I can't do anything to him just because he has Li Hu's support?! I am useless, but I have made contributions to the court. I will be transferred to the Southern Pacification Division to recuperate. As usual, I will be promoted to the fourth rank Southern Pacification Division Commander. He is just a small seventh rank general flag. I can crush him to death just like crushing an ant!"

Hearing this, Wang Li's eyes sparkled. He was a fifth-rank officer in the Southern Pacification Division, and also Wang Ren's subordinate, the ant in his mouth. This tone was a bit like taking over the host, which made Wang Li very unhappy!

Wang Ren poured himself another large glass of wine and said, "Just wait. I will transfer him to my side and slowly torture him, making him wish he could neither live nor die. And his sister."

Suddenly thinking of Xue Baochai's naturally beautiful face, Wang Ren's heart was burning with excitement and he couldn't help swallowing his saliva.

Wang Li saw that he was going too far, so he quickly changed the subject: "When are you going to see your sister?"

Wang Ren gritted his teeth and said, "I want to take her as my concubine!"

Wang Li was stunned at first, then he reacted, his eyes flashed, and he slapped Wang Ren with a "slap", causing him to fall to the ground with the stool.

Wang Li stood up suddenly and said, "You bastard! You got drunk and didn't tell me to go back and lie down. What nonsense are you talking about! That's your sister, your biological sister!"

Wang Ren was almost sober now. He lay on the ground, covering his face, and looked at Wang Li blankly: "Why did you hit me?!"

Wang Li shouted: "I will beat you, you little bastard who spews shit all over your mouth! You even insult your own sister!"

Wang Ren: "I, when will I"

Wang Li: "What did you just say?"

Wang Ren: "I want to take Xue Pan's sister as my concubine."

Wang Li secretly thought it was a pity, he thought he could slap him again.

"Hum," Wang Li said, "You are beautiful."

Wang Ren jumped up and shouted, "She is just the daughter of a poor merchant in Jinling. I am a fourth-rank guerrilla general in the imperial court, and will soon be promoted to the fourth-rank commander of the Southern Pacification Division. If she becomes my concubine, it would be a great honor for her!"

Wang Li said with disdain: "We are both concubines, why should I be your concubine?!" As he said that, he subconsciously glanced at his empty left arm.

Wang Ren was so ashamed and angry that he was about to say something.

At this moment, the door was pushed open with a "bang".

Wang Li and Wang Ren looked up in surprise.

Wang Li's servant came in hurriedly and reported to Wang Li: "Master, there is an urgent matter at the government office. Please go immediately."

"What urgent matter?" Wang Li stood up.

The servant said, "The person who reported the news didn't know much. He said that the Duke of Lu's mansion sent a nun there." Nun? Buddhism? Wang Li's eyes lit up. The Li family fought back!
Wang Li: "I'll go right away!" He walked forward a few steps, stopped, then walked back and said to Wang Ren: "You can deal with Xue Pan, but don't mess with Xue's cousin. She will never be your concubine." After that, he strode out.

Wang Ren was stunned for a moment, and when he came to his senses, Wang Li was no longer there. His face darkened: "Can't she be my concubine? Do you want to take her as a concubine?! Dream on!" He swept the wine pot on the table to the ground, and the fragments flew, splashing the wine everywhere!

In the western warm room of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Wang Ziteng knelt there quietly, his eyes quietly following the footsteps of Emperor Yongchang.

After walking around the warm room, Emperor Yongchang walked back to the imperial desk, looked at Wang Ziteng, and finally spoke: "I don't need you to do great things, just keep an eye on it for me and report everything to me. Do you understand?"

Wang Ziteng: “Yes.”

Emperor Yongchang walked to the dragon throne and sat down, then asked, "What do you think about Shui Rong's matter?"

Wang Ziteng thought for a moment and replied, "General Huang has surrounded the entire mountain. As long as we close the bag little by little, we will naturally find Shui Rong."

Emperor Yongchang shook his head and said, "You haven't been home for a long time. Go back home and reunite with your family as soon as possible. We will go north the day after tomorrow."

"I thank the emperor for his grace!"

Wang Ziteng kowtowed three times respectfully, then stood up, bowed and walked out.

Emperor Yongchang sighed. Shui Rong had most likely escaped. Where did this traitor go?
Thinking of this, he suddenly snorted coldly. Li Hu was such a cunning guy. He must have known that he couldn't catch Shui Rong, so he pushed Huang Jinzhong and Wang Ziteng out to take the blame.

With a "humph", Emperor Yongchang spread out the memorials and official documents on the imperial desk, ready to review them.

Just then, Dai Quan walked in holding the box and said softly, "Your Majesty, the time is ripe." Then he placed the box on the imperial desk.

Emperor Yongchang opened the box, took out the contents and began to read them, while listening to Dai Quan's narration.

Dai Quan: "This daughter of the Lin family is no ordinary woman!"

After reading it, Emperor Yongchang nodded: "It is rare for someone to be so scheming at such a young age." Then he shook his head, "He is still too young and too impulsive. In this way, the Li family will offend even more people. However, this is a good thing for me. The Li family has offended so many people, and can only rely on the royal family."

Dai Quan smiled.

Emperor Yongchang took out a piece of imperial paper from the case file and handed it to Dai Quan, saying, "This is the list compiled by the Northern Pacification Office. Add it to the confession of Ma Dao Po. Tell Zhen Fu that I only want evidence."

Dai Quan: “Yes.”

Emperor Yongchang: "As soon as the evidence of Zhen Fu arrives, a notice will be issued to all provinces to cancel the privileges of Buddhism, to count and register the land and property of all temples, and to collect taxes for the first half of the year."

Dai Quan: “Yes.”

Emperor Yongchang glanced at Ma Dao Po's confession again and said, "This Ma Dao Po was tortured to death, and all those vicious women she confessed were sentenced to death!" At this point, he snorted coldly, "Cultivate oneself, manage the family, govern the country and bring peace to the world, but you can't even control the women in the harem, how can you talk about governing the country? It's ridiculous! Let them all go back and wait for election."

"Yes." Dai Quan smiled bitterly. This was bringing hatred to the Li family!

Emperor Yongchang suddenly remembered: "Oh, right, send the memorial of Prince Zhongshun to all provinces. I want to reopen the military examination and martial arts. The first military examination will be held in September this year. Those who can carry a 100-jin sword can come to Beijing to participate in the military examination. This year's examination will only test martial arts."

Dai Quan replied, "As you wish."

Emperor Yongchang was silent for a moment, then said, "Tell Li Hu that he will be the chief examiner of the first martial arts examination."

"Yes."

Dai Quan smiled secretly, this is a slap in the face followed by a sweet date!

Emperor Yongchang handed Ma Dao Po's confession to Dai Quan, "This daughter of the Lin family looks a bit like the empress when she was young. It would be great if she was my daughter-in-law." Then he shook his head, "Li Hu is lucky." (End of this chapter)