The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 182 Kill
Skinny Monkey listened carefully to everything around him, avoiding the maids and old women along the way, and finally found his way to the back gate of the target courtyard.

The most shrewish woman in the Great Zhao Dynasty, a first-rank imperial consort!

Skinny Monkey pressed himself against the wall. From the stomping and breathing sounds coming from inside, he could clearly sense that there were two old women guarding the gate. Therefore, it was impossible for him to sneak in unnoticed.

Moreover, it was widely rumored that Madam Shen had eight powerful female attendants, each carrying a feather duster at all times. Whenever Madam Shen fell out with someone, these female attendants would swarm her.

It was precisely because of this that the old lady and the ladies of the Rongguo Mansion, who cared about their reputation, had no choice but to bow their heads before her.

hum~
When he was a child, the skinny monkey was often beaten by his mother with a feather duster, and he was born with a fear of that thing.

He slowly followed the thin bamboo along the wall to other places, looking for a breakthrough.

Along the way, he gradually figured out the layout of the courtyard and the sounds of talking and breathing inside the house, thus discovering the tea room, master bedroom, storeroom, and other rooms.

The study was located in the southeast corner of the main entrance, but since the owner was not there, no one was there.

To get in, you have to climb up to the roof.

But...

He didn't know why, but the longer he wandered around here, the more he felt like he was being watched.

But even though I wanted to find it, I really had no clue.

This is so cold, it shouldn't be like this!
Even at Prince Jin's residence, the guards were all slacking off.

Surely the Ningguo Mansion, with its deep and secluded courtyard, couldn't be more heavily guarded than the Prince of Jin's Mansion.

Although the skinny monkey had learned his lesson once, he still subconsciously belittled this place compared to the Prince of Jin's residence.

Wearing a white cloak, he tried to remain hidden in the snow while observing his surroundings and listening intently to all the sounds coming from the courtyard.

Time passed slowly, and the skinny monkey did notice Tianxiang Tower, but such viewing towers in the inner garden were not usually visited by anyone.

Take the Moon-Viewing Tower in the Prince of Jin's Mansion, for example. It's only lively in the summer. In the winter, no one goes there at all.

What's more, it's snowing today.

The skinny monkey, lying in the snow, peeked out from afar. Because of the obstruction of trees, bamboo, and houses, he couldn't see the whole picture. He was soon attracted by the fragrance in the yard and couldn't help but take a deep sniff.

Hmm, it looks like chestnuts or some kind of snack.

The skinny monkey sighed.

He pulled a piece of jerky from his pocket, put it in his mouth, and chewed it vigorously.

No, next time I go back, I'll have to sew an extra piece of leather onto the clothes around my stomach.

It's fucking freezing cold.

"Oh dear ladies, even though the madam is not here, you can't eat this and then bake that too!"

In the courtyard, Granny Wang kept glancing at the red bean cakes.

"Don't worry, Mom. If Madam asks, we'll handle it ourselves!"

Xiaodong chuckled and stuffed the hot red bean cake into Granny Wang's hand.

"That's right, Mom, don't worry, Madam would never scold us for such trivial matters."

"My wife said the other day that it's getting cold and roasted sweet potatoes are delicious, and asked us to come to the storeroom and get some."

"Did you receive them?"

It seems that Granny Xin at the back gate has been taken.

Granny Wang could smell the fragrance yesterday.

"You've received it. It's placed by the back door."

"That's no wonder."

Hearing them talking and warming themselves by the fire, the skinny monkey swallowed the jerky in his mouth, and with a burst of strength from both hands and feet, leaped onto the roof.

The sound of snow being pressed down rang out, but fortunately the snow was not thick at the moment, and the maids and old women in the courtyard were still chatting happily, so no one paid any attention.

The skinny monkey glanced around, seized the moment, and with another somersault, silently tumbled down and hid behind a pillar.

Once he was sure no one was around, he let out a soft breath, glancing first at the study door and then at the study window.

He couldn't quite control the sound of the door opening, but the window...

As a habitual thief, he had pushed open countless windows and naturally knew how to do it without making a sound.

The skinny monkey quickly sidestepped, gave it a light test, then pushed it aside and darted inside.

At the same time, he quickly closed the window.

My hands were too fast; by the time I realized something was wrong, it was too late. Ta-da!
A small bell hung on each side of the window, the thread connecting them was very complicated. Damn it, it didn't ring when he came in, but it rang now.

The skinny monkey knew something was wrong. Without thinking, he yanked open the window and tried to escape quickly.

However, since the bell rang, everyone in the four directions heard it. Xiaonan grabbed the fire tongs and rushed out with everyone else.

But they were quite a distance from the study, and when they ran out, they saw Skinny Monkey leaping up to jump onto the roof.

Without the slightest hesitation, Xiaonan threw the fire tongs up.

At the same time, Xiaodong and the others rushed to the gate without delay.

bang~
The skinny monkey on the upper roof was hit by the fire tongs. He stumbled, and because of the slippery snow, he fell down with a 'whoosh'.

The sound of hurried footsteps was coming towards him.

Skinny Monkey knew that if he got caught, he was finished.

Ignoring the pain in his legs, he used all his strength to leap forward.

But Xiaodong, who was the first to rush out, had already seen him.

The four of them had no other advantages, but their strength far surpassed that of others.

When Jiao Da was teaching them, he took into account that they were on duty in the inner quarters, so he specially trained their throwing accuracy.

In their purses, each of them had ten heavier coins, one of which had been specially polished.

As he ran out, Xiaodong had already pocketed three coins in his hand, so of course he wouldn't let his opponent go.

Boo hoo hoo~~~~
Three coins, one for the head, two for the legs.

Xiaoxi and Xiaobei followed closely behind.

Although they were young, they were very agile. When they moved through the bamboo forest, Xiaobei, in particular, was like a monkey.

shhh~~
shhhhh~~~
Several people spent all their money on the skinny monkey.

Skinny Monkey was completely stunned by the beating from these little maids.

Fortunately, he was agile. Although he had been hit by several money-shaped objects, his thick winter clothes allowed him to avoid the ones hitting his head. Although he was in a sorry state, if he could just have a few more breaths…

The four guards lying in ambush nearby knew that the little girls couldn't keep up with the skinny monkey. One of them drew his bow and shot an arrow just as the monkey ran out of the bamboo forest.

The skinny monkey sensed something was wrong and quickly turned to the side.

Xiaobei had also chased after them, but being young, she didn't dare to pounce on them all at once. Instead, she used her strength to snap a thin bamboo stalk in half with a snap.

She originally intended to hit the person with bamboo, but the person leaped more than ten feet away, and with her speed and strength, it would be difficult for her to catch up.

Xiao Bei made a quick decision, and with a "whoosh," the bamboo shot out diagonally from below.

Her goal was to trip the other person up.

The skinny monkey guarded against everything else, but not his own feet.

bang~
Because he was going too fast, when he tripped, although he was agile and managed to absorb most of the force, he still fell quite a bit. In addition, the time he wasted was enough for the two guards who rushed over to put their knives to his neck.

"You did a great job!"

Zhou Bo praised the panting young girls who had chased after him, saying, "You deserve the most credit for capturing this person."

They couldn't catch up with this person back then.

"Uncle Zhou, he..."

“We’ve taken this person, you can leave him alone. But you still need to practice martial arts diligently from now on.”

They are all promising talents; it would be a shame to waste them.

Zhou Bo has been confirmed to be a junior officer in Tianjin, and this month will be his last month in Ningguo Prefecture.

He was particularly pleased that he had managed to get this guy who had come to Ningguo Mansion twice for his wife and master before leaving. "Here you go," he said, taking off the bag containing the iron pellets and tossing it to Xiaobei. "Use this to practice later!"

The money spent was too little.

It's good at dealing with people inside the house, but it's much less effective at dealing with people outside.

"Thank you, Uncle Zhou."

From afar, Shen Ning, who had witnessed a blurry chase, was quite satisfied.

Jiao Da glanced at her expression and couldn't help but proudly stroke his beard.

If he can satisfy his wife, then all the effort he put into raising his four children will have been worthwhile.

"Madam, the four of us from the east, west, south, and north are at a disadvantage mainly because we are still young and don't have any suitable weapons."

The main reason was that I didn't expect that person to actually get into my wife's yard.

"I know."

Shen Ning nodded, "You'll have to take care of their weapons in the future."

Her biggest concern right now is the thief, "but that person..."

Sending it to the government would be too good for them.

But if we don't send him away and instead dispose of him privately, what about Prince Jin...? Shen Ning thought for a moment, "Break his arms and legs, then send him to Shuntian Prefecture."

"...He is a man of the Prince of Jin."

Jiao Da was unwilling to let him go.

"I know."

Shen Ning said, "I want Prince Jin to know that I already know he's eyeing my family. If he wants to save us, he can go to Shuntian Prefecture! If he doesn't want to save us... then let him be crippled forever."

"……Yes!"

Jiao Da hesitated for a moment, thinking that it would be better to kill him right here in Shuntian Prefecture.

But when the words were about to come out, he remembered Lord Dong of Shuntian Prefecture and ultimately held back.

"This old servant will take care of it immediately."

"……Wait a moment."

Shen Ning suddenly realized something, "This person moved so fast, he must be a habitual thief, right?"

"Yes!"

Jiao Da nodded, "He must be handling special matters on behalf of the Prince of Jin."

"A person like that should not be short of money."

Shen Ning said, "Tell Zhou Bo and the others to spend more money, so they can buy some hair accessories for their kids back home."

"……Yes!"

Jiao strode past.

……

Jin Palace.

The heavy snow for the Prince of Jin and others did not arrive.

As darkness fell, and the person he was waiting for still hadn't returned, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Will the skinny monkey get arrested?
He ran so fast, it shouldn't be like that!
He managed to escape from the Jia family last time, so this time... logically, nothing unexpected should happen.

Why haven't they come back yet?

The Prince of Jin paced back and forth anxiously.

Time flies by.

At this time, he was unaware that Zhou Bo and his group had visited all three of the skinny monkey's "homes" scattered throughout the capital.

As a capable henchman who did secret things for Prince Jin, Thin Monkey not only received offerings from Prince Jin's mansion, but also often received rewards from Prince Jin.

He earned this money openly and honestly.

But when someone is 'stealing,' it's perfectly normal for them to take something good without hesitation.

Therefore, each of his three "homes" contains many treasures!
The horse-drawn carriages, laden with boxes, clattered back to the mansion one after another.

To Shen Ning's surprise, she, the first person to see the skinny monkey, was also able to share in the spoils!

"Mother~"

Jia Zhen was extremely frightened afterward.

The Prince of Jin's repeated actions clearly indicate that he will not let their family off the hook.

If it weren't for my mother's sudden decision to go to Tianxiang Tower this time, even if that bastard still couldn't steal anything, he would definitely have been able to escape with his speed.

"If something like this happens again, talk to your son first."

Without saying a word, she did it all by herself.

In case something goes wrong...

"I'm telling you, aren't you supposed to get a share of the profits?"

what?
Jia Zhen was dumbfounded.

He looked at the box of pearls in his mother's hand and couldn't help feeling depressed again.

Cunning Rabbit Three Caves.

Zhou Bo and his team split up and brought back a total of four large boxes.

Gold, silver, beads, jade...

With over two thousand taels of silver notes added to the mix, this thief was quite the fat one.

It's pitiful; they all received their share of the silver, while he, the head of the family, could only watch helplessly.

"Besides finding out about his money, what else did you find out?"

"We uncovered several corrupt officials."

Jia Zhen said, "However, this matter is not under our jurisdiction. We'll send it to the Shuntian Prefecture and let Lord Dong investigate it!"

"You didn't get anything out of the Prince of Jin's residence?"

Shen Ning most wanted to know some things about the Prince of Jin.

"I asked, but his mission was rather special: to steal and deliver letters."

Jia Zhen said, "The only person he had dealings with was the servant of the Prince of Jin's mansion, who was particularly skilled at forging letters. According to his confession, after he stole a letter and took it back, he would send back an almost indistinguishable fake letter to prevent others from discovering it."

"..."

Shen Ning frowned slightly.

If one can fabricate false information, then one can also use it to frame others.

hiss~
She couldn't help but think of the years when the Crown Prince was still alive...

"No need to wait any longer."

Shen Ning let out a long sigh of relief. "Have someone send him to Shuntian Prefecture immediately."

"Now?"

Jia Zhen wanted to take advantage of the night to get something else.

"Now!"

Shen Ning said, "Let Lord Dong investigate matters of officialdom!"

I left it at her house... If I want to deliver it tomorrow, it might be too late.

If the Prince of Jin were to realize this, there might be several groups of assassins lurking along the road from Ningguo Prefecture to Shuntian Prefecture.

At that time, officials who are related to Prince Jin will probably only join him in dealing with the Ningguo Mansion.

"Have Zhou Bo and the others bring a few more people, just in case something unexpected happens."

"……Yes!"

Jia Zhen understood somewhat and hurriedly ran out to see them off.

A moment later, a carriage discreetly exited through the back door and sped off towards Shuntian Prefecture.

At this moment, the King of Jin could no longer wait and shouted, "Someone come here!"

He shouted for help.

The steward rushed over, "Your Highness!"

"Skinny Monkey went to Ningguo Mansion and hasn't returned yet. It's possible something happened to him."

what?
The butler was stunned.

He certainly knew the consequences of the skinny monkey's accident.

but……

"Your Highness, are we going to kill him?"

"Kill!"

Kill them all.

If we kill him, everything the skinny monkey confessed will be rendered meaningless without any evidence.

Although the Prince of Jin felt that the skinny monkey wouldn't dare to speak recklessly, if he didn't speak today, what about tomorrow?

If you can't withstand the torture...

"Send more people."

Prince Jin said, "We need to keep an eye on Ningguo Prefecture, and we also need to keep an eye on Shuntian Prefecture."

The Jia family might even beat him to death.

However, there is also the possibility of using torture to extract a confession before killing the victim.

"In short, I want to hear news of his death within three days."

"Yes!"

The butler hurriedly left.

But the Prince of Jin was still uneasy.

This guy who did so much for him really can't fall into Dong Xiaoquan's hands!