The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 102 is all ours.

Upon hearing that his sister-in-law had come to his house from the restaurant, Jia Zheng disregarded his impoliteness and apologized to the officials he had painstakingly invited, then hurriedly rushed home.

I really can't stay away from home.

He fears!
For no reason at all, this woman wouldn't come to his house.

Jia Zheng was afraid that Wang Shi had done something wrong again and would implicate him.

He had already been implicated and moved out of Rongxi Hall, and even his family had to be divided. Now he was being implicated again...

Jia Zheng's legs trembled; he was truly terrified.

So the first thing he did upon returning home was to secretly have his trusted confidant ask Aunt Zhao for information.

"Have a meal?"

Jia Zheng couldn't understand it at all.

Why would that woman who's always cursing and complaining come to his house for a free meal?

Besides, it was just a free meal, so why did Wang want him to come back immediately?

"I'm just getting a free meal."

Aunt Zhao also really wanted to freeload a meal at the old lady's place, but unfortunately she didn't even have the right to go to her courtyard. "However, before she could freeload, it seems that the eldest madam of the East Mansion spoke to the madam, and then the old lady let our madam come back."

She hasn't found out the specifics yet.

"...Do you know what it is?"

"It seems to be about impeachment or not."

Aunt Zhao said, "As for anything related to Second Master Lian, the First Madam of the East Mansion has asked Rong-ge to find out who dares to impeach Second Master Lian. If anyone does, she will have Rong-ge write a memorial on behalf of Master Zhen, impeaching the other party for colluding with Japanese pirates."

what?
Jia Zheng's heart skipped a beat.

Although he was a bookworm, he still knew how serious the crime of colluding with Japanese pirates was.

Lian'er...

A tremendous storm raged within Jia Zheng's heart.

"The old lady also said that she wanted to see who had such audacity."

Jia Zheng: "..."

A layer of white sweat seeped from his back.

It turned out to be the case.

Thankfully, he came back.

Fortunately, the officials they invited were all cautious, poor, and unsuccessful.

No, he didn't have a chance to say it yet.

Don't be afraid!
Jia Zheng patted his chest and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

His legs were still a little weak, and he couldn't stand up for the time being. "Go and see where my wife is again?"

Jia Zheng tried hard not to grit his teeth.

My daughter is getting married.

She will be the Lady of the Marquis.

My son will participate in the autumn imperial examination this year, and he will most likely pass.

Even if Baoyu is not considered useless, with his son and daughter, he cannot do anything to Wang Shi.

Besides, the Wang family also has Wang Ziteng.

Jia Zheng swallowed his anger and vowed in his heart that he would never believe Wang Shi's words again in this life.

He also refused to sleep with her again.

too disgusting.

Jia Zheng suddenly found Wang Shi even more repulsive.

So disgusting that just thinking about it makes me nauseous and want to vomit.

"Sir, you don't look well..."

Aunt Zhao still felt sorry for her husband.

After all, this was someone she had served since childhood.

Although she was just a maid who did sweeping and cleaning when she was transferred to his side, back then, everyone said that their second master was naturally gifted and had the bearing of a dragon and the grace of a phoenix.
Back then, which of the maids in the courtyard didn't like him?

Although the wife kept a close eye on things, she couldn't be so jealous as to not even give him a maidservant.

Aunt Zhao always felt that she was very lucky.

As she grew up and became more and more beautiful, Aunt Zhou had an accident.

Everyone knows that Aunt Zhou's child was aborted by the Madam, and as the most beautiful woman, she was naturally given to the Master by the Madam.

"Should we call a royal physician?"

"nothing!"

Seeing the worry in Aunt Zhao's eyes, Jia Zheng felt a little warm inside. "Go and see if the eldest daughter is with Madam."

Whenever Wang couldn't win against him, she would bring in her son and daughter.

If her daughter were in the Pear Fragrance Courtyard, then the impeachment matter must have been something Wang herself came up with to scare the whole family.

"Is it really okay?"

"It's really nothing!" Jia Zheng waved his hand. "Go on!"

"Then, sir, I'll be right back."

Aunt Zhao left in a hurry.

Jia Zheng sat blankly in the chair, and it took him a while to recover before he drank some tea to calm himself down.

He hasn't done anything yet, so even if his sister-in-law has some suspicions, there's nothing she can do to him.

Right, that is it.

After Jia Zheng had mentally prepared himself and calmed down completely, Aunt Zhao returned. "Master, you guessed it right, the eldest daughter has been in Madam's room the whole time."

Seeing that her husband's complexion had returned to normal, she was relieved. "I heard that Madam also gave him another set of ruby ​​jewelry."

Poor Tan Chun didn't have one.

She didn't have a ring either.

Although her son and daughter both received dowry money from the public funds, the money didn't reach her hands immediately.

Aunt Zhao really wanted to take control of her son and daughter's current businesses and have her brothers help manage them.

After all, if they let them run the business, the Zhao family can still benefit from it.

Working for the steward in the mansion... they still get their share of the profits.

"Hmm~"

Jia Zheng didn't want to hear any of this. "This courtyard is quite close to Pear Fragrance Courtyard. How about I take it and let you live there?"

what?
Aunt Zhao exclaimed with delight, "Great!"

She had her eye on this courtyard for a long time.

Although there are only eight rooms including the main house and the right and left wing rooms, this place is close to the master, so it will definitely be a good place for Huan'er in the future.

Aunt Zhao knew that her Huan'er couldn't compare to Baoyu and the others, so she always looked for small and remote courtyards.

The master here doesn't care, and neither do the second master and mistress.

"Sir, when do you need it?"

As she spoke, she even gave Jia Zheng a flirtatious wink.

Jia Zheng squeezed her hand. "Now!"

After saying this, he strode towards Grandmother Jia's courtyard.

……

At Ningguo Mansion, Jia Rong was quite interested in his grandmother's suggestion.

"Grandmother, I'll go find someone tomorrow."

"No hurries?"

Shen Ning led him slowly towards the courtyard. "He's been acting like a fool for a long time now. No matter what, he's still your Aunt Yuan Chun's biological father. Your Aunt Yuan Chun is about to get married. If things get too ugly, the old lady of the Xinping Marquis's mansion will probably cause trouble."

"Then let's wait until Aunt Yuanchun gets married?"

"Hmm~"

Shen Ning nodded, "Your Aunt Yuan Chun is quite pitiful. Let's make sure she gets married safely first."

Marquis Cheng Luo of Xinping is also a pitiful person. Hopefully, the two pitiful people can turn a negative into a positive when they are together!

"..."

Jia Rong couldn't help but lean closer to his grandmother, saying, "Aunt Yuan Chun isn't pitiful; she has you helping her with her plans."

Shen Ning was taken aback, then couldn't help but laugh, "You still haven't told me what those officials said besides calling your second grandfather a fool."

"...The officials that my second grandfather could get involved with were all incompetent."

Those people have foul mouths, and Jia Rong didn't want to offend his grandmother's ears. "I've inquired about them. Although two of them hold official positions in the Censorate, they are marginal figures, doing filing work. They have absolutely no skills."

It's laughable that such a person would dare to comment on Lord Fu Xian, who is known for his impartiality and uprightness.

"Oh?"

Seeing Jia Rong's indignant expression, Shen Ning couldn't help but ask curiously, "What are they all saying about Lord Fu?"

"They cursed him for relying on his wife and calling him a gigolo."

Shen Ning: "..."

"Madam Fu's wife is Madam Lu, who runs the Five Fragrances House. Her osmanthus cake and ox-tongue pastry are the best. Didn't I tell you last time that when I bought the ox-tongue pastry, Madam Fu was there helping to start the oven?"

"I remembered."

Shen Ning smiled, "Since Lord Fu is personally going to work at Wuxiangju, he probably doesn't care what others say."

Why is my grandson so angry?
If a child gets angry about everything at such a young age, they're doomed.

"But they are still discussing impeaching Lord Fu together."

"They're so cowardly, how dare they impeach Lord Fu? What are they impeaching him for?"

"They want to impeach him for treason."

Collaborate with the enemy?

Shen Ning frowned. "What enemy has Lord Fu colluded with?"

"Isn't the Russian Kingdom fighting against the Qing Dynasty, which has withdrawn from the Central Plains? They say that Lord Fu is privately very sympathetic to them and has been in contact with a Qing official who once came to ask for help. He even said that we should go and lend a hand."

Shen Ning: "..."

Her heart suddenly started pounding.

Yes, during the Qing Dynasty, they attacked from there.

Shen Ning pressed her hand to her chest, "How long has the Qing Dynasty been fighting the Russian Empire?"

"It's been on and off for a long time."

Jia Rong turned around and saw that his grandmother's expression was off. "Grandmother, what's wrong?"

"nothing."

Shen Ning took a long breath and then exhaled, "They use firearms in the Rakshasa Kingdom, right?"

"Yes!"

Jia Rong nodded, "The arrows of those Qing soldiers and Mongols were also very powerful."

Do you still have any maps at home?

Shen Ning suddenly looked at her grandson.

Ningguo Prefecture existed before.

I think I saw it in the original owner's memories.

However, in the year my father-in-law passed away, many things that were supposed to be handed over were handed over.

"...There is no map."

As expected, Jia Rong shook his head, "However, my grandson has a rough map of the Qing Dynasty drawn by his grandfather."

"Bring it over and let me see!"

Shen Ning was very anxious.

"Go!"

Shen Ning waved her hand, "Grandma is waiting for you in the yard."

Although she knew it might not be of any use to her, she still wanted to take a look.

Where is the current timeline?

Does the timeline here overlap with the historical timeline of the Qing Dynasty?

Shen Ning hurriedly returned to the hospital, washed her face, and stood in front of the dressing mirror, remaining silent for a long time. *Ding-dong*
As the chiming clock rang, Shen Ning turned back to look at it, as if she wanted to stare it until it blossomed.

"Mrs!"

Qingzhu didn't know what was wrong with their mistress. Although her face was still calm, her eyes...

For some reason, she always seemed to have a sense that the lady was about to overturn or smash something.

"I'm fine, bring me a cup of strong tea."

Shen Ning let out a long sigh of relief. "Please ask Jiao Da to come over again."

"Yes!"

The maids exchanged worried glances and hurriedly called for help, some pouring tea.

When Jiao Da arrived, Jia Rong had already brought over Jia Jing's seemingly casually drawn line drawing.

Shen Ning stood in front of the long table, slowly tracing the lines and the few words on it.

"Mrs!"

"Jiao Da, come here for a moment."

Shen Ning didn't even look up, just waved her hand to say no to formalities, "Where did you and the old master fight to back then?"

what?
Jiao Da looked ahead and wondered, "What kind of picture is this...?"

"We fought all the way to this place, the Ussuri River."

Jiao Da sighed with regret, "It's a pity that the Qing and the Mongols joined forces, and in the end we had no choice but to retreat."

Shen Ning: "..."

She looked at the Ussuri River and couldn't help but clench her fists.

"The Qing emperors and the Mongols had always been intermarrying."

Jiao Da said dismissively, "They've even made contact with the Junggar region now." At this point, the old man's eyes also showed a lot of helplessness. "Fortunately, there's some friction between the two sides."

Otherwise, the garrison at the nine borders would be in trouble.

bang~
Shen Ning slammed her fist on the map. "They're all ours."

"..."

"..."

“During the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, this area belonged to us.”

What Qing people?
Those are their people too.

When they retreated from the Central Plains, they also abducted a large number of Han people to be enslaved.

Searching through the original body's memories, it seems that after so many years of development, the Qing people have gradually become Sinicized; otherwise, they wouldn't have sent someone to ask for help.

"Rong-ge'er, please ask your Uncle Jiao to keep a close eye on those people, try to find out their mistakes, and send the evidence to Lord Fu."

what?
Grandmother also agreed to support the Qing people, right?

Jia Rong's lips twitched, but she held back the question she wanted to ask.

The retired emperor did not want to fight.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have drifted so far apart from the Crown Prince.

"By the way, Jiao Da, do we have a musket at home?"

"……Have!"

Jiao Da's expression was slightly complicated. "The old master left behind three muskets, one three-eyed musket, and one Five Thunder Divine Machine."

He takes incredibly good care of himself.

It was also used to impress the head of the guards.

After all, the military sometimes uses firearms.

It's just not as fine as the one left by the old man.

"So, which do you think is more powerful, firearms or arrows?"

"Each one has his own merits!"

Without hesitation, the old man said, "The Ming Dynasty perished because of firearms. They were poorly made, no different from fire pokers. Combined with other factors, they suffered a crushing defeat. The Qing Dynasty's arrows were formidable because they relied on them for their livelihood."

But no matter how powerful the arrow, it will only lead to death when faced with sophisticated firearms.

This was also the main reason why they eventually drove the other party away.

Unfortunately, it is too difficult to make high-quality firearms.

Even a finely crafted firearm can, over time, become a weapon that can harm oneself.

Therefore, firearms and arrows are used simultaneously in the military today.

The same applies to the Qing dynasty.

The Han Chinese they abducted were often trained as artisans.

The problem is that many materials are not readily available.

"So our main reason is poor manufacturing quality?"

"……Yes!"

The old man nodded helplessly.

"Could you bring one over so I can take a look?"

"..."

"..."

Jia Rong and Jiao Da were both taken aback by her request.

"What? Can't I touch it?"

Shen Ning looked at Jiao Da, who remained motionless.

"can!"

Since there's no gunpowder, let's just watch!

Just as Jiao Da was about to turn around, Shen Ning quickly called out to him, "Let me go with you to see!"

"to make!"

The Madam is in charge of the entire Ningguo Mansion; she can look whenever she wants!

Jiao Da seemed to remember that when she first married into the family, her husband took her to fire a shot at the drill ground.

now……

That picture was obviously drawn by the master.

Jiao Da led the way while sighing inwardly.

Jia Rong followed his grandmother all the way to Ning'an Hall.

When Shen Ning entered, Jiao Da had already cleared the area, and both the guards and servants undergoing training had left.

As she stepped into the room where the old man stored his weapons, she paused involuntarily.

On the wooden shelf, there were many swords, knives, spears, and arrows, each one wiped clean. They looked both historically weighty and as if they were waiting for their owner to use them at any time.

After Jia Rong learned martial arts from Jiao Da, he came in many times. He even used talcum powder and special oils to maintain the animals.

"Grandmother, haven't you seen this before?"

"Well, when I was young, I came in here a few times with your grandfather."

Shen Ning was quite emotional.

Jia Jing undoubtedly liked these things.

However, he eventually focused all his attention on the imperial examinations.

Following the original owner's memories, Shen Ning turned to a box in the southeast corner, opened it and found a dagger about twenty centimeters long.

She casually took it down. "Qingzhu, keep this for me."

Qingzhu quickly accepted it with both hands.

Jiao Da brought over a musket, pretending not to see it, and said, "Madam, look, this is the one that Master taught you to shoot when he was young."

Shen Ning took it.

The musket was about three feet long, with an iron tube containing gunpowder, which was embedded in a wooden stick for easy grip.

In fact, it already looks very similar to rifles of later generations.

It has a rear sight, a reticle, a gunstock, and a firing mechanism.

She held it, her brow furrowed.

When she was a child, she played with those all-metal revolver-style firecracker pistols. She lost them later, and when she grew up, she bought one on Taobao as a souvenir.

this thing……

Shen Ning wanted to scratch her head.

She didn't know how to improve it.

It seems she can only share the idea of ​​the smash-cannon pistol with the gun-making master.

"Grandma~"

It seemed like his grandmother was facing a huge problem, and Rong-ge could only tug at her clothes.

"Hmm~"

Shen Ning ignored Rong Ge'er and looked at Jiao Da, "Jiao Da, do you know any masters who make this kind of firearm?"

"do not know!"

Jiao Da shook his head.

When I was young, I met one through my grandfather, but that gun-making master was already very old at the time and has long since passed away.

"Grandpa Zheng should know him."

Rong Ge'er said from the side, "However, the masters who make firearms usually only work in the workshop."

Unless they are very old or injured and unable to work, they will leave the workshop of the Ministry of Works.

"Hmm, who in the manor is the best carpenter?"

what?
Jiao Da and Rong Ge'er were both a little stunned.

My grandmother's questions jumped around so quickly today.

"Shen Judao!"

Jiao Dadao: "He is fifteen years old this year. His grandfather is a carpenter, and he learned a little from him."

"Bring them in."

Jiao Da went out to call for help.

Not long after, Shen Judao arrived.

"Mrs!"

"I have something I'd like you to make for me."

Shen Ning turned to Jia Rong, "Bring me paper and pen."

"I...I can only do simple things."

"It's nothing, it's very simple."

Let's draw it first.

Shen Ning believed in the wisdom of the master gun maker who had been making guns for many years.

After all, during the Qing Dynasty, there were people who were able to manufacture machine guns, but unfortunately, they were abandoned by the emperor at the time, and he was even exiled.

Shen Ning still remembers the regret and shock she felt when she saw it.

A machine gun that fired 28 rounds in a row!
Judging by the timeline, that person...

Shen Ning scratched her head again, wondering what that person's name was again.

Dai... Dai Zi.

That's right, that's the name.

Her heart suddenly stirred with excitement again.

The Great Zhao of today is different from the Qing Dynasty of that era. If there were machine guns, neither the retired emperor nor the emperor would abandon them.

We need to find it.

Jia Rong quickly brought over the paper and pen.

Shen Ning drew her firecracker pistol based on her memory.

Fortunately, the original owner of this body had some drawing skills, and soon, she drew a complete pistol. Then, she began to draw what it looked like when it was opened and fired...

Jiao Da was initially speechless, but as he watched, he couldn't help but move closer and closer.

Here comes a long chapter of 5,000 words, please vote!

I also recommend my friend Jiu Shi Liu's new book, *Drunken Golden Cup*. Lu Nian, the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Dingxi, who has been married off to Shu for nearly twenty years, returns to the capital, bringing with her her only daughter, Yu Ruwei, who has just come of age. The story unfolds from here.
(End of this chapter)