The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 166 Busy Jia Zhu (First Update)
The Emperor's favoritism towards the Marquis of Xinping's residence was obvious, and the Empress's rewards came in a continuous stream.

Since they made their move, the other princes naturally couldn't refuse them any way out. Even the Prince of Jin went over and sat down for a while.

It's better not to sit down, because once he sits down, he can't help but think of the plans his mother had originally made for him.

Yuan Chun was one of his alternative tools for seizing the throne.

He missed out on the throne; if his son becomes a prince, then he can fight for it again.

The Prince of Jin downed a cup of wine in one gulp, his anger only intensifying.

The plan is about to be implemented. As long as Yuan Chun is in the palace, the Rongguo Mansion will have no choice but to place its bets on her.

The Rongguo Mansion is controlled by Yuan Chun, so how far can the Ningguo Mansion run?
Yuan Chun will inevitably be controlled by her mother, the concubine...

It's hateful that the Shen family ruined everything.

The Prince of Jin gritted his teeth and poured himself another cup of wine.

"Uncle King of Jin, you seem to be in high spirits today!"

Upon receiving the news from home, Prince Zhongshun rushed back on horseback.

Prince Zhongshun doted on his only daughter, cherishing her dearly.

But on the Emperor's birthday, his beloved daughter almost died.

His mother and the princess were so frightened that they fell seriously ill and have not yet recovered.

So today, Prince Zhongshun not only went to the Jia family for drinks and gave gifts to the Ningguo Mansion, but also rushed here to have his face done.

"Come, come, let your nephew have a good drink with you."

Although he was the nephew, he was the same age as the Prince of Jin.

How ambitious the Prince of Jin was, others might not know, but did he not know it?
Prince Zhongshun toasted with Prince Jin and said in a loud voice, "I heard that you suffered a great calamity at the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth of August."

Prince Jin: “…”

He vaguely understood that his nephew hadn't come to ask him for a drink.

This is just looking for trouble!

On the surface, he was still the victim of the assassination attempt on August 15th, but some old foxes had already become suspicious of him based on the Emperor's attitude.

But no matter how much they doubted it, they would not interfere in royal affairs; they would simply pretend not to know.

But this nephew...

"drink wine!"

The Prince of Jin felt guilty and dared not let his nephew continue on this matter. "Today is Luo'er's big day. Let's not talk about things that will spoil the mood."

"Haha, that's true!"

King Zhongshun smiled, but he already knew in his heart that the so-called assassination that day was most likely orchestrated by his uncle.

The purpose was still to reach Madam Shen, the savior of her daughter.

After all, none of the princes present cared about Princess Baofeng when she was alive, so why would they be afraid of spoiling Cheng Luo's wedding banquet?

ho~
King Chungshun sneered inwardly.

"It's rare that all of you uncles have come together. Come, let me toast you all."

Are they all vying for the throne?

Stop being funny.

However, it was the Emperor's attitude towards Cheng Luo that forced them to come and express their nephew-uncle relationship.

From this point of view alone, they have already lost.

"cheers!"

Prince Cheng chuckled and worked with his nephew. "Zi'an!" he called him by his courtesy name. "I heard you did a great job in Jiangnan. The smooth progress of this border war is also largely due to your efforts."

He was at odds with the Prince of Jin.

When Lu Kun, that "God of Wealth" from the West, joined the Prince of Jin's faction, he was truly unhappy.

But unexpectedly, before the Western God of Wealth could even get comfortable in Prince Jin's hands, he was wiped out by the emperor because of Jia Zhen.

Now that the national treasury is full and the border wars can proceed smoothly, as long as we can win back the Hetao region that my father lost, the emperor's throne will be as secure as Mount Tai.

Prince Cheng couldn't fight for it anymore.

At this moment, it was only natural that he would both disgust the Prince of Jin and, in full view of everyone, subtly pledge allegiance to the Emperor.

After all, with so many princes gathered together, and his beloved younger brother unable to attend, he would definitely have to send someone to keep an eye on him.

Prince Cheng is not afraid that what is said here will not reach the other side.

"Don't dare!"

Prince Zhongshun smiled and said, "That's all thanks to His Majesty's brilliant planning."

Just give the credit to the emperor.

The two foxes looked at each other and smiled, then downed another drink.

"Zi'an!"

Another prince approached Prince Zhongshun and asked, "I heard you raided several Japanese pirate hideouts over there?"

"Yes, I made three."

King Chungsun laughed heartily, “I must say, their ships are really good.”

Those ships were docked at Tongzhou Wharf, where their men were inspecting and studying them. "One of them was even bought from the Portuguese. Oh dear, that ship was equipped with several cannons. It's only because our men sneaked over at night and moved quickly that it was able to avoid trouble..."

He shook his head with a smile, "That's really tough."

"Were there any casualties that day?"

An official from the Ministry of War couldn't help but ask him.

"No ah!"

King Chungshun's eyebrows shot up. "More than a dozen of our best soldiers crept up silently, and the Japanese pirates guarding the ship were killed before they could even make a sound."

Those people were the real Japanese pirates.

Although the strategy for dealing with the Japanese pirates, secretly proposed by Lord Dong, has not yet been officially issued, it has already been secretly implemented in the army.

The results are already visible.

King Zhongshun felt that he should have a drink with Old Dong someday.

After all, those people are now considered his soldiers.

Even if he will not be involved in military affairs in the future, there will always be a sense of kinship.

"Come, come, tell us quickly, where are those pirates hiding? I've heard they're quite wealthy..."

"Where is the money? Didn't we already say we bought the large ship of the Portuguese?"

King Chungshun looked around to make sure that many people were indeed listening intently before speaking in a slightly lower voice: "I've heard that those Japanese pirates take all the really good stuff they loot back to Japan. So, my next step is to visit them."

He would never actually go for a spin, but he believed that once he said that, many people would want to go for a spin.

If you win the bid, the Zhao dynasty will grant you a noble title.

Unable to turn a profit...

Da Zhao suffered no losses either.

You should tell Lord Dong that his strategy for dealing with the Japanese pirates is applicable to many places.

The drinking session lasted until it was completely dark, and many people were still not satisfied.

But the emperor was already quite satisfied upon receiving the secret report.

The nephew of King Chungshun is truly remarkable.

Although he sometimes slacked off, his ability to get things done is top-notch.

Actually, it's not that the war in the north is so intense that the emperor wants to immediately implement policies to control the Japanese pirates.

However, this night was destined to be anything but peaceful.

In the middle of the night, a fire suddenly broke out in the direction of Shuntian Prefecture. While the fire brigade was quickly dispatched to put out the fire, news came that Lord Dong had been assassinated and had almost died.

Early in the morning, martial law was once again imposed in all parts of the capital.

As Shen Ning sat in a soft chair, holding her daughter, and was being carried around the garden by several old women, the yamen runners from the Five Cities Garrison and Shuntian Prefecture were checking people with Japanese accents.

"Mother!"

Jia Zhen rushed over, waved for the maids and servants to step back, then took his sister, who was babbling and reaching out to him, and said, "Lord Dong has been assassinated."

what?
Shen Ning was slightly taken aback. "Lord Dong of Shuntian Prefecture?"

"Yes!"

Jia Zhen nodded, "I heard it's because of the strategy to deal with the Japanese pirates."

Shen Ning: "..."

"After those Japanese set fires to attract everyone's attention, they then made their move against Lord Dong."

"How is Lord Dong?" "I heard he is seriously injured."

Jia Zhen was so frightened that his face turned pale.

The strategy for dealing with the Japanese pirates was actually suggested by his mother.

"Mother……"

"Shh~, what does this have to do with us?"

Although Shen Ning was quite worried about Lord Dong's injury, this matter... really had nothing to do with her anymore.

"Just keep an eye on things. When someone goes to visit Lord Dong, bring some medicine with you and go see him."

"no!"

Jia Zhen would naturally pay attention to this.

“My son heard from Rong’er that when you were telling Lord Dong about the strategy to deal with the Japanese pirates that day, Uncle Zheng from the West Mansion was also there.”

Shen Ning: "..."

Her expression gradually changed.

Would Zheng Ershazi tell anyone about this?
If word gets out...

"Uncle Zheng's mind isn't quite right!"

Jia Zhen was afraid that his good second uncle would sell his mother.

"Son, go and ask him if he has discussed the strategy for dealing with the Japanese pirates with anyone else."

Jia Zhen is now afraid that his good second uncle would not have connected Lord Dong's assassination with his mother's strategy to suppress the Japanese pirates, but after he leaves, he will remember it and use it as an excuse to take revenge on them.

It's not impossible!
Uncle Zheng's brain is different from theirs.

If he were even a little smarter, he wouldn't have anything to worry about.

But he was stupid and clumsy without realizing it.

Shen Ning was worried about her son's worries.

Seriously, sometimes it's not the smart people you should fear, but the fools who think they're smart.

"...Wait a minute!"

Shen Ning sighed, "Go and find out again whether Lord Dong's assassination was really related to the Japanese pirates, or whether the policy of suppressing the Japanese pirates has already been secretly implemented and the Japanese have suffered some losses as a result?"

She was filled with anxiety and was determined to hear some good news.

Otherwise, it would be a huge loss.

"...No need to ask anymore."

Jia Zhen's expression was slightly strange. "It was Prince Zhongshun who mentioned it while drinking at the Marquis of Xinping's residence..."

He repeated everything that King Chungsun had said.

"My son heard that the Portuguese ships are very good, and they are currently docked at Tongzhou Wharf."

If he weren't worried about his mother, he would have ridden over to check on her.

"There must have been quite a few people who went to see the excitement today."

"...Okay then!"

Shen Ning finally felt a little comforted, "I'll go to your Uncle Zheng's place myself. He's injured and at home right now, so he's not very well informed. I'll just try to ask him myself."

We shouldn't have been in such a rush.

However, if she waits for her eldest son and the others to return, she might not be so impulsive as to go to Lord Dong to discuss the strategy for dealing with the Japanese pirates.

Shen Ning sighed inwardly, "However, even if he has suffered, he may not tell us the truth."

This is the most worrying thing.

"In that case, check with his servants and ask them if he went anywhere or wrote any letters in the last two days."

"Eh!"

Just as Jia Zhen was about to leave with his younger sister in his arms, he suddenly felt something was wrong and turned back. Just as he was about to return his sister to his mother, Jia Zhu, who had gone to the Imperial Academy early that morning to prepare for school, arrived.

He had heard the news from outside, of course, so he looked very unwell.

"Pearl, didn't you go to school?"

Seeing Jia Zhu's appearance, Shen Ning's heart skipped a beat.

"My nephew went to school, but he came back."

Jia Zhu had no choice; Lord Dong had already been assassinated.

"It would be even better if you were here too, big brother."

He looked around and saw that the maid who had led him there had retreated to a distance before he said, "Aunt, Lord Dong has been assassinated. He was targeted by the Japanese because of his strategy to suppress them."

He didn't have time to hesitate.

It's not easy dealing with my maternal uncle's family.

Especially given that the Jia and Wang families have already fallen out.

His uncle's leg has healed, but he has yet to return to the Beijing garrison.

"After my father accompanied you to see Lord Dong that night, he went to see my eldest uncle the next day."

Jia Zhu had no idea what was going on with her.

As a son, he kept cleaning up after his father. "That day, he felt that it was wrong for Lord Dong to be interested in the policy of suppressing the Japanese pirates, so he went to talk to his uncle Wang. Then his uncle was probably also interested in the policy of suppressing the Japanese pirates. He was not convinced and wanted to talk to my father-in-law."

Jia Zhen: "..."

Shen Ning: "..."

Both of their expressions changed.

"They called me too, but I went before my father-in-law."

Jia Zhu initially felt sorry for his father, whose buttocks were truly bruised and battered, but now, talking about the stupid things his father had done, he really regretted not having punished him sooner. "I stopped him," he said, having scolded his father quite harshly at the time.

"Afterwards, I asked the servant, and he said he hadn't gone to anyone else. I also went to my uncle's house and asked him to forget about it."

But before, his uncle was willing to keep this secret, but now?

Jia Zhu was worried that his uncle would spread the news through back channels.

To the Japanese, the Jia family was also considered an enemy.

They don't care whether the news is true or not, but since the eldest aunt was mentioned, they must have seen her and wouldn't let it go.

"But now, I'm afraid my uncle has remembered this matter again."

So he rushed back in a hurry, "Auntie, brother, please be careful, I'm going to my uncle's place again now."

If all else fails, call on Yuan Chun to act as a persuader.

In short, there are some rumors circulating that the Jia and Wang families are locked in a life-or-death struggle.

If you want to maintain contact, you need to clarify the possibility of a life-or-death struggle.

His uncle couldn't let the Wang and Jia families reach that point, "but he might make some demands."

My eldest uncle is also trying to get a government position.

He wanted to return to the Beijing garrison.

That's the biggest problem.

But everyone knows that the Jia family and the Wang family have fallen out.

If they reconcile...

The Emperor will likely be displeased.

"I……"

"You cannot agree to any request, no matter what it is."

Shen Ning had thought of everything Jia Zhu could think of: "He can only keep his mouth shut and tell him that there are rumors circulating outside, and the Jia family will only suspect him. In that case, the two families will become complete enemies."

Although they've fallen out, they're keeping to themselves and not interfering with each other.

"Pearl, don't be afraid!"

She had no idea that Jia Zhu had done so much behind the scenes. "It's not so easy for an assassin to infiltrate the Jia family."

Shen Ning touched her leg. "Not just anyone can get close to me."

She then went to the missionaries in the capital and asked them to buy her a musket.

"The Emperor is watching your uncle's case, and so are all the officials in the court. Our Jia family can no longer compromise."

If a compromise is made, it will affect everyone in the Jia family.

Jia Lian's position as Director of the Military Treasury is unlikely to last long, and even if Jia Zhu passes the exam next year, the emperor will only push him down.

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