The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 198 Fire (6,000-word chapter, please vote!)

Jia She's heart trembled.

Holding a large knife, he also slashed a man in black.

Although the opponent had already been wounded by his teammates, and he had gotten a good deal, this was a battlefield!

He was on the battlefield.

Ahhhh~~~
Jia She wanted to scream, wanted to yell, wanted to... call him "Dad!"
But I don't have time.

There's not a moment to spare.

Lan Zhi and his men had already turned their horses around and were charging back.

Being protected in the rear, he certainly couldn't be too cowardly.

His niece doesn't want to acknowledge him.

If he hadn't mentioned that the eldest sister-in-law of the East Mansion was in danger, he probably wouldn't have paid any attention to him.

He was sorry to her, sorry to his father, sorry to... her whole family.

Jia She swiftly turned his horse around and roared, "Kill!"

With a single, powerful shout, he seemed to possess extraordinary strength, his body surging with boundless power. With a swift stroke, he severed a head.

However, at the same time, he also felt a pain in his shoulder.

Just when Jia She thought his life was over, Lan Zhi's broadsword suddenly appeared from the side, managing to block the opponent's slash.

She was quite angry.

There are techniques to killing enemies.

Reckless actions will only injure the enemy a thousand times while injuring yourself eight hundred times.

This is a major taboo on the battlefield.

No soldier would want to serve under a general like that.

This means they won't live long.

When Lanzhi blocked a sword for her uncle with her broadsword, she was so angry that she wanted to curse his mother.

But there was no time to curse. With lightning speed, she reversed her parry and pressed her broadsword against her opponent, followed by a fierce swing.

Bu~
A large amount of blood mixed with scalding white brain matter fell from half of the man in black's head.

"にげさる."

When one of the men in black realized something was wrong, he turned his horse and fled without regard for anything else, muttering something in a language that none of them could understand.

Just because you don't understand it doesn't mean you haven't heard of it.

"Japanese pirates! They're Japanese pirates!"

Jia She's eyes were bloodshot.

How did their family get involved with the Japanese pirates again?
And these people...

"Kill!"

Upon hearing that they were Japanese pirates, how could the thirteen guards of Ningxia let them escape?

Lan Zhi couldn't bear to part with her broadsword. As she rode her horse, she leaned forward, grabbed a longsword that some man in black had dropped, and threw it violently...

Bu~
It hit the target squarely in the back of the heart.

With her success, the other twelve certainly wouldn't be idle either.

Although everyone was riding the same horses, it was clear that the Thirteen Guards were superior in horsemanship.

"Leave two alive."

Seeing that they were about to kill everyone in no time, Jia She hurriedly shouted to leave two alive.

We really have no choice but to keep it.

It's impossible for the Japanese pirates to have traveled that far and had such a clear objective of killing the elder brother and sister-in-law's family.

The person behind it all has to be revealed.

"Don't worry, it's been kept."

At the feet of the man who was speaking, a man in black had hurriedly and frantically fallen off his horse.

The work here is finished, now it's time to get to the other side...

The men in black in front of the carriage had been planning their escape ever since they realized something was wrong.

But even the old doctor in the carriage could see through their little scheme, let alone Shen Ning and the guards.

"The wind's getting strong, let's get out of here!"

Just as the man in black was about to ride away, Wen Peilan's long whip lashed out and wrapped around his waist.

But his horse had already sensed its master's intentions, after all, it had been slapped on the rump.

It darted away in a flash.

The man in black, whose body was being pulled, fell to the ground with a 'thud' as expected.

Before he could get up to resist, Fan Daming's broadsword was already at his neck.

This?
The veins on his forehead throbbed uncontrollably. He finally gave up resisting, instead carefully turning his head to look at Shen Ning, avoiding the knife. "Are you Madam Shen of the Ningguo Mansion?"

Shen Ning: "..."

"...Ha!"

Seeing that she didn't speak, the man in black smiled and said, "I didn't expect you to be so lucky."

With her here, the boss's mission has failed.

He...failed too.

It's infuriating that Jia Zhen didn't even have a gun, while this woman, a woman confined to the inner quarters, actually carried a missionary's musket with her and was quite skilled at it.

hum~
"However, you are lucky to be alive, but your husband Jia Jing is not."

He laughed and said, "And Jia Zhen, if you had been any later, you would have been collecting his corpse."

This woman ruined them, so they shouldn't expect anything good from her.

"Congratulations, Jia Jing died because of you, and you've become a widow."

As he spoke, he suddenly pressed down on Fan Daming's knife and slit it across his neck.

Bu~
Blood splattered on the snow, a horrifying sight.

"..."

Shen Ning's heart trembled as she looked at the blood that was just beginning to steam.

She ignored the man, picked up the musket loaded with the last of its ammunition, and turned to Wen Peilan, "To Taixuan Temple, quick!"

Even though it may be too late, I still have to go and see.

In *Dream of the Red Chamber*, Jia Jing died from some dubious so-called elixirs; here…

Although she had only met him once after transmigrating, Shen Ning knew that he was the pillar of the Jia family.

That's why Grandmother Jia cried so bitterly after his death in Dream of the Red Chamber.

Despite the emperor's disdain for the Jia family, after Jia's death, the emperor bestowed upon him the posthumous title of fifth-rank official. His descendants were allowed to complete the funeral rites and escort the coffin back to his hometown, and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices was ordered to provide sacrificial rites according to precedent.

now……

Although the Jia family is completely different from the Jia family in the book, Shen Ning's heart is at ease as long as Jia Jing is around.

She knew he was still secretly keeping an eye on the Jia family, and if she did anything out of line, he would cover for her.

The horse ran very fast, and the Twelve Guards of Ningxia followed Lan Zhi in pursuit.

Jia Zhen, however, was injured and could only follow slowly by carriage.

He prayed silently that his father would be alright.

My father is so capable; he managed to escape death. My father couldn't possibly deny him even one last look.

Jia Zhen was praying in his heart, but the fear on his face was so obvious.

Dr. Bai glanced at him, sighed inwardly, and said nothing.

Having practiced medicine for many years, the old man had witnessed countless deaths and injuries.

However, this world is especially harsh on women.

The black-clad man's dying words were clearly directed at Madam Yin Shen.

I wonder if this Mr. Zhen understands.

The old man was somewhat worried.

In the secluded courtyards of mansions, too many women died silently.

Often, even when it's clearly the man's fault, he ends up blaming the woman.

Women will bear the consequences for them.

After the woman has borne the consequences, their hearts... are at peace.

Hey~
Dr. Bai closed his eyes slightly.

There was more than just Jia Jing at Tai Xuan Temple.

Hopefully, all those people are alright. If something happens to them... Madam Shen will probably have to carry some more burdens on her shoulders.

Time seemed to stretch on endlessly, yet also to fly by.

Shen Ning's mind was a mess.

She seemed to have thought about a lot of things, yet she also seemed to have thought about nothing at all.

Getting closer and closer.

It wasn't the Taixuan Temple that caught fire, but... there were still several places in the villa where she and Jia Jing used to live that were still smoking.

The Tai Xuan Temple members who were carrying water to put out the fire quickly stepped back when they saw them coming, their eyes flashing with fear.

"Master, where is my elder brother?"

Clinging to his last shred of hope, Jia She stared intently at the disheveled abbot.

"Dead...dead."

The abbot swayed and knelt on the snow. "Those people came over and threatened us all with our lives, demanding that Mr. Jia show himself..."

His tears fell.

They had all hidden themselves well, but then his master and uncle were killed one after another, followed by his two junior brothers, and then his disciple...

"Mr. Jia then showed up."

Just as he was about to reveal his hiding place, he revealed himself.

The abbot has always known that Mr. Jia is a formidable person.

Otherwise, so many people wouldn't have been able to bribe him to keep an eye on him.

But those people only told us to keep a close watch, they didn't say anything about killing!
But the man in black...

"Mr. Jia said he was a star in the sky, and that his death would be a spectacular one!"

The abbot looked at the burned-down courtyard and said, "Those people tied him up and put him in the room where he wanted to die."

With trembling hands, he pointed to the place that was burned the most severely, where even the walls had collapsed.

Shen Ning's heart had sunk to the bottom, but...

As she looked at the master bedroom where the original owner of this body had once lived, memories flooded back like water.

Unlike other places, this house has a tunnel.

That year, they lived in a Taoist temple and built a separate courtyard, and Jiao Da followed them there.

The tunnel was designed by Jia Jing, but Jiao Da secretly dug it.

exit……

Shen Ning's eyes unconsciously glanced at the dog hole in the courtyard wall.

I originally wanted to buy a few dogs to guard the house.

If you want someone to be loyal, you have to raise them from a young age.

So the original owner and Jia Jing bought one to try raising, but it was poisoned to death just as they had gotten used to it.

The two tossed and turned for several nights before finally giving up their plan to get a dog.

"Big brother, big brother~~~"

Jia She knelt on the ground, crying and pounding the earth, "We're too late! Ah, my elder brother, you died so tragically~~~~~"

He cried so hard that tears and snot streamed down his face.

Lanzhi glanced at her and couldn't help but walk towards her aunt, who seemed stunned. "Aunt, if you want to cry, just cry!"

She wasn't worried about people who cried, but this person who didn't cry...

It's easy to develop health problems from holding it in.

When she was little, her mother once told her with envy that her eldest uncle and aunt from the Ningguo Mansion had a particularly good relationship.

Although my aunt returned home that year to give birth to my little cousin and never came back, my uncle really handed over all the money he had on hand to pay for raising my little cousin.

Others say that my aunt is the most shrewish woman in the Great Zhao Dynasty, but if you ask her, it's a case of one willing to hit and the other willing to be hit.

Moreover, my aunt, who had returned home, was also busy.

Under her reforms, the Jia family is indeed better off than before.

In Lan Zhi's opinion, this was also what her eldest uncle from the East Mansion most wanted to see.

General Jiang said that the eldest uncle and aunt of the East Mansion were quite formidable.

My aunt is like this now...

"You all go out, I want to be alone for a while."

Shen Ning dropped the gun and slowly walked towards the burned-down house. "Everyone, leave, leave. He doesn't like crowds."

"..."

"..."

Jia She, who was crying, was terrified when he saw his sister-in-law like this. "Sister-in-law!" he cried out in a pitiful voice, "Don't scare me!"

"Go! I'll let you go!"

Shen Ning turned around, her eyes gleaming with a compelling light. "Go and bring Zhen'er, Yue'er, and Rong-ge'er here."

So it was to call the children. Jia She nodded hurriedly, "I'll go find them, I'll go right now."

He hastily wiped away his tears, got up, and was about to leave.

"Slow down!"

Fang Dayou quickly grabbed him, "Lord Jia, if we don't help with Mr. Jia's body..."

"This is a family matter."

Shen Ning sniffed. "Let's not trouble outsiders."

At this point, she looked at Lanzhi, "Lanzhi, it's good that you're back. Help us investigate the men in black, and help your uncle... get revenge!"

"Ok!"

Lan Zhi nodded vigorously, "Auntie, don't worry, I won't let those people get away with it."

The two men in gray who had rushed over from afar sighed softly upon seeing the situation.

Fortunately, amidst the misfortune, Madam Shen and Jia Zhen are still alive.

As for Jia Jing...

The fact that the retired emperor was difficult to kill did not mean that he did not want him to die.

Even the emperor would certainly prefer to see the current situation.

They didn't think Jia Jing could survive in a place burned like that.

If we're a step late, so be it!

From reporting to the authorities to entering the palace, and then explaining things to the Emperor Emeritus, Old Madam Shi wasted too much time.

They arrived even faster than Chief Constable Lu of Shuntian Prefecture and Zhu Si of the Five Cities Garrison.

The retired emperor probably won't punish him.

The two people came quietly and left quietly.

On their way down the mountain, they saw Constable Lu and Zhu Si meet up with Jia Zhen's carriage.

Needless to say, these two people must have been asking questions the whole way.

The corpses down the mountain...

After descending the mountain, they saw the large group of people from the Jia family.

Fortunately, the bodies and such were all moved aside.

They found the captain, who was dressed in the official uniform of the Five Cities Garrison, and showed him his identification badge, saying, "Tell me what you found."

"……Yes!"

Dragon Pattern Token!
From the other person's slightly high-pitched voice, how could the captain not know that the other person was the Emperor Emeritus's man?
When the crown prince got into trouble, the eunuch holding the dragon-patterned token was unlucky wherever he went.

The captain dared not conceal anything and recounted everything that the wounded guards left behind by the Jia family had said, as well as what his colleagues who were guarding the bodies in the front team had said.

"...Of the forty-three corpses here, about thirty were Japanese."

How can you be so sure?

“They are generally shorter than us. In addition, the way they hold a knife is different, and the calluses on their hands are different from ours.”

"..."

"..."

The two men in gray glanced at the corpse and asked, "Didn't you say there was one survivor? Where is he?"

"He's dead. He took poison."

Their staff who remained behind were also frustrated by this.

"Before Lord Jia She left, he gave us a warning. Our men dislocated his jaw and removed his fangs, but who knew they also had poison on their collars? He... is not a Japanese pirate, but one of our Great Zhao people, probably a suicide squad."

This was a deadly attack carried out by someone in Dazhao who colluded with Japanese pirates against the Ningguo family.

The Wucheng Military Command initially suspected certain large salt merchants in the south.

After all, the Li family had colluded with Japanese pirates before.

Of course, they still had some doubts, but the objects of their doubts were not matters for the Five Cities Garrison to concern themselves with.

For everyone's sake, we must suppress our doubts for now.

The salt merchants in Jiangnan, on the other hand, are all very wealthy.

If we have some doubts about them, maybe everyone can make a little money to spend.

As they talked, Jia Zhu, Jia Lian, and Rong Ge'er had already seen several corpses ahead, but there were just too many here...

Looking towards the direction of Tai Xuan Temple, the eyes of the three of them couldn't help but turn red.

Especially Rong-ge'er.

Grandmother and father are alright, but grandfather...

Although my grandfather never gave me a kind look, he was still my grandfather!
If my grandfather has an accident, will my grandmother be able to bear it?
Rong-ge'er was extremely worried.

They went up the mountain even faster.

It was almost dark at this time.

When Rong-ge'er met Jia She on the way, he suddenly burst into tears, "Uncle, my grandfather..."

"...My elder brother has passed away."

Jia She wiped away another tear. "Your father is injured. Go up and comfort your grandmother. I'll go back now and bring Xiao Yue'er over."

At least see your elder brother off.

"Zhu'er, Lian'er, go upstairs and persuade your aunt to do whatever she asks you to do."

"Yes!"

"……Yes!"

The two brothers exchanged a glance and agreed in unison.

The eldest uncle of the East Mansion is gone, and they...

Both Jia Zhu and Jia Lian couldn't help but shed tears.

Their fathers were all unreliable. They were alright when their grandfather was alive, but after he passed away, even though Uncle Jing lived in a Taoist temple, they would still give them earnest advice whenever they came over.

When I go home for holidays, I also talk to them separately.

When Jia Lian entered the court, he came to consult his uncle, who then analyzed many of the adults' preferences for him.

He taught him to be diligent, to memorize all sorts of data, so that when adults asked, he could answer immediately. He…

Jia Lian couldn't help but burst into tears.

……

Rongguo Mansion, Lixiangyuan.

Because of the remote location, Jia Zheng was the last to know about the family's situation.

he……

He walked around the room.

His mind was churning with many things he dared not think about.

If something were to happen to the eldest sister-in-law of the East Mansion and Zhen'er, and Rong-ge'er is still too young to support the family, then...

"Sir, have a cup of tea!"

Aunt Zhou didn't understand why good people in this world don't live long.

The eldest wife and eldest son of the East Mansion have done nothing to wrong the master and mistress.

But these two people...

"Open the door to the small Buddhist shrine."

Jia Zheng ignored the cup of tea and said, "I'll go in and pray to the Bodhisattva to bless my elder brother's family with peace and safety."

really?
No wonder!
Aunt Zhou suspected that he wanted to tell the Madam about the situation in the East Mansion.

Having grown up with the master, she knew him all too well.

In the past, whenever he wanted to do something, he would just put on a wronged face or sigh a few times, and the old lady and his wife would get it done for him.

He was completely innocent and knew nothing.

But all the benefits... are with him.

What do you want a wife for now?
Will the whole family go there to manage the household for Rong-ge'er?

The eldest daughter-in-law of the East Mansion, Madam You, had no children. They were the elders, and as long as they had the old lady's support…

Aunt Zhou's mind raced, but she quickly took out the key to the Buddhist hall. "Master, the snow outside is slippery. Let me help you."

Jia Zheng didn't appreciate her thoughtfulness. When he went to the small Buddhist hall, Wang Shi was already in bed.

It's cold, and the charcoal fire here is barely enough to keep things going during the day.

To save on charcoal, Wang would go to bed early every day.

There was a knock at the door, and judging from the footsteps... it seemed one of them was the master.

Wang frowned; she was too lazy to argue with him.

Arguing takes effort too.

Especially after Baoyu stopped coming, whenever the master was even slightly unhappy, he would come over and scold him.

What a poisonous woman, what a stupid woman...

hum~
You can only say a few things when you're cursing.

He said he wasn't annoyed, but she was already tired of hearing it.

Wang rolled around in the quilt, trying to press both sides tightly to avoid the man getting angry and trying to pull the quilt off her again.

"May the Bodhisattva bless my elder brother and sister-in-law, and bless my nephew Jia Zhen so that he may have a good turn of fortune and return home safely!"

Jia Zheng seemed to have genuinely come to pray to the Bodhisattva for protection, rambling on about things that everyone now knows.

The more Wang listened, the brighter her eyes became.

Upon receiving the same news, Wang Zisheng specially ordered wine to be served to celebrate the misfortune of the Jia family's eldest branch.

hum~
So what if they don't acknowledge the Wang family?
His elder brother is the General Who Guards the South, and the Prince of Nan'an might very well be replaced by his elder brother.

Wang Zisheng is very satisfied with the current situation.

Although Jia Lian was a member of the Jia family, he was also his nephew-in-law. On the surface, they had severed ties, but the supplies that the Armory Administration was supposed to provide to his elder brother could not be reduced by a single penny.

To deduct even a fraction would be tantamount to settling a personal score!
"My lord, something must have happened in the palace as well. I heard that the princes from various princely mansions have all submitted their petitions, requesting to enter the palace."

"Oh?"

Prince Sheng took a sip of his wine and said, "Then let's go check it out."

The fact that princes are flocking to the palace must be related to the retired emperor.

His elder brother sided with the emperor, so he didn't care about the retired emperor.

"While you're at it, go to the west gate and inquire. If the Jia family returns with the coffin, report back immediately. I'll go and join in the fun."

Hmph, bullying the Wang family?

They got their comeuppance, didn't they?
The Wang family can't do anything to the Jia family for the time being, but someone can deal with them for them.

"Yes!"

The butler hurried off to inquire about the news.

Having received the same news, Marquis Cheng Luo of Xinping and Yuan Chun split up into two groups: one went to Tai Xuan Temple, and the other returned to her parents' home.

Cheng Luo, who was heading to Tai Xuan Temple, couldn't help but sigh when he saw the charcoal fire and clay stove that his wife had prepared for him.

In the back car, Yuan Chun had also prepared a lot of snacks for them.

They even brought two women to tend the fire.

He knew she was worried that her aunt and uncle wouldn't be able to return to Beijing tonight and wouldn't even have a hot cup of tea.

The more Cheng Luo liked Yuan Chun, the closer she became to the Jia family. Now that the Jia family is in trouble...

"faster!"

He urged the driver on.

The convoy quickly sped up a bit.

When Yuan Chun, who had rushed back to her parents' home, held her little cousin at her third aunt Jia Wen's place, the little cousin was still crying because it was late and she was looking for her mother.

"Don't cry!"

Jia Wen was an elder, and although she was also worried and wanted to cry, she had to hold back because her nieces were crying. "That's when I chased Yingchun and Mei'er away."

Little Yue'er was already difficult to coax when she was looking for her mother, and as they tried to comfort her, she actually started crying.

This isn't about comforting the child; it's about causing trouble.

"Don't worry, Auntie, I won't cry!"

Yuan Chun wiped away her little sister's tears, "Auntie will be alright, she's probably on her way back soon."

She took out a coral bracelet for her little sister to play with, saying, "Last time I came back, you wouldn't let go of it. This time, I'm giving it to you, so you can't cry again."

"..."

The little girl, Jia Yue, didn't understand what she was saying; she liked red things.

She loved everything about this coral bracelet; she wanted to nibble on it as soon as she got it.

"Oh dear, this isn't for eating."

Yuan Chun quickly took her little hand, "Auntie, has she eaten today?"

"Don't worry, I've already eaten."

Jia Wen tapped her little niece's forehead. "She's just reached this stage; she wants to taste everything she sees."

As she spoke, she handed over a teething stick that Aunt Li had specially baked, made from a mixture of eggs and flour. "Eat this. Your mother asked Aunt Li to make it especially for you."

When Madam You brought her niece over, she also brought everything the niece needed.

"Ahh~~"

Jia Yue also wanted to try the red coral string.

Yuan Chun had no choice but to hide it again. "When I returned, there was news from the palace that the old lady had fainted in Shou Kang Palace. They'll probably be gone for a while before they get back, and this house..."

Just then, a maid's joyful voice came from outside, "The old lady is back."