The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 215 Anger
At Shou Kang Palace, the retired emperor met the emperor who had returned.

He was paralyzed, but his hearing still worked.

A eunuch just said that the princes' residences are all on fire.

This was definitely not done by the Prince of Jin.

He didn't have that much courage or boldness.

If he truly had such courage and determination, he would have dared to act on it during the first year after he abdicated in favor of the emperor, when he was already harboring some regret.

I didn't have the guts to do it back then, so it's even less likely now.

The retired emperor wanted to tell the emperor, but he drooled, opened his mouth, and when he saw the emperor's expression, he didn't utter a sound.

"Father!"

The emperor stood before the once high and mighty throne of the retired emperor, seemingly looking down at him calmly, "You've given all the people you had in your hands to the Prince of Jin, haven't you?"

The Emperor Emeritus: "..."

His throat moved, and his face grew even more ashen.

He issued several secret orders!
Those men all command large armies; if the Prince of Jin were to use them…

The retired emperor was too ashamed to look at his son, the emperor.

But the deed is done, and the key now is not to pursue the matter, but to come up with a solution!

Prince Jin is capricious, stubborn, foolish, and incompetent. Judging from his handling of the Jia family, even if he wins, it won't last long.

The Great Zhao Dynasty will be destroyed in his hands.

"Uh~~~"

The retired emperor opened his mouth, wanting to tell the emperor, "Go and deal with him quickly, keeping an eye on me is useless!"

But the sound produced was not what he wanted.

"Ho~"

The emperor was heartbroken. "Haven't I done enough for you, son? You tell me to go east, and I never go west. You say you've abdicated, but how is that any different from when you were still in power? Oh, there are some differences. I've done all the tedious political affairs for you."

You put your son on this throne, do you think you've done right by me? You don't give your son a single penny of the royal estates and all the royal profits. During the holidays, when your son wants to reward someone... no, no, no, your son doesn't ask for rewards. Your son can't even think about living the peaceful life he used to have.

The princes all mock their son, and the ministers don't take him seriously. They each have their own factions and their own relatives. If they're unhappy, they'll directly spew insults at his son in court, and he'll have to smile and appease them. If they come to you with a wronged expression, you might summon him and give him a good scolding.

He's managed to hold on until now, but what's the result?
The Prince of Jin still rebelled.

News has come from the Imperial Guards that Sang Qingyu has rebelled.

If it weren't for Jia Zhen's quick thinking in letting him take precautions in advance, who knows what would have happened by now.

"These sons all endured it. They thought that becoming emperor would indeed give them an advantage over their elder brothers. So, even though they were poor, they were still happy in their poverty. The empress accompanied them and gave away all their dowry..."

He was fine when talking about himself, but when he spoke of the Empress, his voice choked with emotion.

"The capital is the face of the Great Zhao Dynasty, yet the elderly and children in the orphanage are starving and freezing. The son is the emperor, and the son has responsibilities. The empress has given everything for her son's reputation, but she herself is reluctant to eat or drink. If that were all, it would be fine, but what kind of empress is she? She is targeted by her sisters-in-law and bullied by Consort Zhen..."

The emperor wiped away a tear, "Over the years, I've almost given my life, just like the crown prince, to you all. But what have you done?"

He roared and questioned, "I've given you face, I've tried my best to protect you, but have you given me any face in return?"

He and his family were just one step away from following a similar path to the Crown Prince.

“Your brother, the Crown Prince, is dedicated to his work, but you, for the sake of your own power, favor this son today and pamper that son tomorrow, gradually nurturing their hearts.”

The Prince of Jin's ambition was nurtured; otherwise, how could he have dared to do such a thing?

"Fine, the Crown Prince isn't playing with you anymore. He took his whole family and left cleanly. Are you panicking? Are you scared? You don't trust anyone. You just casually dumped the throne on me, someone with no foundation who can be molded and manipulated at will, isn't that right?"

The emperor asked himself if he had ever wronged anyone, but...

At that moment, his heart turned cold, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. "You can't bear to give up your throne, so get up! Why are you playing with us? Are we your enemies? What do you take the Great Zhao for?"

He was a ruler, and he looked down on people like his father.

"What do you take Emperor Taizu for? Do you have the face to see him in the afterlife? Do you have the face to see your elder brother, the Crown Prince?"

Dai Quan and the others huddled in the side hall, not daring to utter a sound.

They all knew that although it was Prince Jin who rebelled, it was the Emperor Emeritus who had indulged him.

Your Majesty today...

She's furious!

The retired emperor, lying on the bed, felt a buzzing in his ears and his vision blurred.

He heard the emperor's scathing rebuke.

He was blaming him, but... but he had taken precautions!

How many retired emperors in history had a miserable old age?

He has the ability to defend himself, so why wouldn't he?

He just didn't expect the Prince of Jin to be so stupid.

Even though he was falsely accused of filial impiety and imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court, he wouldn't settle down and even took dangerous risks...

All of this was beyond the Emperor Emeritus's foresight.

But now the emperor is blaming him.

he……

The retired emperor felt utterly speechless.

He certainly knew that the emperor's life was not easy.

But he's still alive. If all the profits from the imperial estates and other places go to the emperor, what will he, the retired emperor emeritus, have left? Who will listen to him then?

He's getting old; the emperor just needs to be patient for a few more years...

No, no, no, what if I have to endure it for another ten or twenty years?
This world originally belonged to him.

he……

The retired emperor was born into wealth and privilege, and now he has suffered countless injustices, but the emperor is blind to this and still holds him accountable for his mistakes.

The old man's cloudy eyes were fixed intently on the emperor.

Isn't it supposed to be about filial piety?
Didn't you say you could tolerate it?

Those who dare to roar at him now are only taking advantage of his old age and weakness.

Without his father, where would they be in this world?
They all deserve to die.

The retired emperor was gurgling in his throat, seemingly about to curse, but the emperor saw this and laughed.

The historical records, one case after another, were telling him that there were no fathers and sons in the royal family.

But after the crown prince's death, he thought his father regretted it. He thought that by working hard and making up for his father's grief over losing his son, he could at least let his father see some of his good qualities. Now...

"Haha~"

The emperor laughed, "Hahaha~~~~"

The emperor laughed loudly, "I really shouldn't have had any expectations of someone like you."

He wiped away all the tears on his face. "My good father, stay here and wait. The crown prince is gone. Those heartless bastards don't deserve to live in this world."

what?
The retired emperor saw him turn around and leave, and he knew exactly what he was up to.
He tried hard to move, but he couldn't!

My body simply wouldn't obey my commands.

"Ugh~ Ughhhh~~~"

Dai Quan and the others all heard the Emperor Emeritus's unusual call, but after exchanging glances, they didn't move.

The Emperor and the Emperor Emeritus have fallen out. They... served him too meticulously, which might be considered a crime by the Emperor.

As for the Prince of Jin raising an army...

The Emperor has taken precautions; even if all the princes help Prince Jin, it's impossible for him to succeed.

Dai Quan sighed softly.

Meanwhile, Consort Zhen, who was imprisoned, finally learned that her son had done something big.

This morning, while chanting scriptures, she had a terrible feeling that something bad was going to happen, and sure enough…

Looking at the compassionate face of the Bodhisattva, Consort Zhen remained silent for a long time.

Her son is stupid, but he shouldn't be this stupid.

Something's definitely not right here.

It couldn't have been her son who did it. If he really wanted to do something this big, he would have told her first.

But not a single word was spoken.

Even though it's inconvenient for them now, if he can raise an army, why can't he send a message?

Although the servants in her palace had been replaced, how could he not know about the spies in the other palaces?
Was it orchestrated by the emperor himself, or was someone else involved who shifted the blame onto her son?

It must be so.

Her son isn't actually that brave.

The reason they were so relentless in their pursuit of the Jia family was simply because the Jia family were servants who were two-faced, appearing to be the Emperor Emeritus's men but having long since sided with the Emperor.

If the Jia family hadn't been helping the emperor all along, her son would never have gotten to where he is today.

Moreover, given his temperament, if he really makes trouble for the various princely mansions, he will definitely also make trouble for the Jia family.

But the eunuch I just asked said there was no smoke or fire in the direction of Ningrong Street.

This wasn't done by her son.

Her son must have been kidnapped.

Consort Zhen tried hard to think: which of those princes, who were all smiles hiding daggers, would have such courage?

No, no, no, they don't have any.

After much deliberation, Consort Zhen felt that something was still not right.

With the Emperor Emeritus gone, there's no one left to protect them. Even if they're shrewd and daring, it would be unwise for them to act now.

There must be something she hasn't figured out yet.

Consort Zhen knelt before the Bodhisattva, pleading with the Bodhisattva to show her the way.

If the son's crime is proven true, not only will the son and she be ruined, but the Zhen family will also be finished.

"By the Bodhisattva above, I, a believer, am willing to shorten my lifespan by ten years in exchange for the safety of my son and the Zhen family."

She did want to say twenty years, but she felt she wouldn't live that long.

Her hair was getting increasingly gray.

Consort Zhen sometimes regretted not dying sooner.

If she had died sooner, she wouldn't have had to face all the trouble her son caused. Perhaps the Emperor Emeritus would have given her son and family some more care out of consideration for her.

As for the Emperor... once a person dies, the debt is settled, and he won't hold a grudge against them for past events.

But she didn't die. Why didn't she die?
"By the Bodhisattva above, I, your faithful servant, am willing to give my life in exchange for the Emperor Emeritus to speak."

Now only the retired emperor can save her son and the Zhen family.

Consort Zhen slammed her head heavily onto the ground.

……

Ningguo Mansion, Tianxiang Tower!
Jia She was staring in the direction of the palace. Since Grandmother Jia was old, Shen Ning led her inside to have tea and chat with her.

"Madam, someone is coming from the back street."

Wen Peilan's slightly anxious voice came from outside.

Shen Ning's heart skipped a beat. She grabbed her musket and went to check. Sure enough, a squad dressed in the armor of the Five Cities Army had just arrived at the back door and was banging on it loudly.

"Madam, people have arrived at the main gate as well."

Just as Jia She turned around, Xiao Dong also shouted.

Those coming from the front gate were clearly a large group, about sixty people, plus those from the back gate, making a total of seventy people.

"Sister-in-law~"

Jia She, holding the telescope, sensed that those people looked fierce and menacing, clearly indicating they had no good intentions.

"Don't worry about it. After you arrived, Jiao Da signaled with flags that the gate was sealed."

what?
Jia She looked again and, sure enough, no one opened the door for him on either side.

"Xiaodong, use flag signals to tie up everyone at the back gate."

If they want to break in, they'll have to see if these people have the ability.

As soon as Shen Ning finished speaking, Xiao Dong took the small blue flag that Jiao Da had given him and started waving it around.

However, the people in the backstreet were clearly impatient.

Wen Peilan saw two of them leap onto the back wall; they were about to force their way in.

"How are things at home?"

Grandmother Jia asked her son in a deep voice.

"Everything's fine at home!" Jia She had also checked the area using his telescope. "The people who came... were only heading this way."

really!

Grandmother Jia was surprised to learn that Jia had guessed correctly: "Don't open the door under any circumstances. It's either Japanese pirates or thieves."

They were definitely not officers or soldiers.

That's what she considered, which is why she brought her eldest son along.

In the East Mansion, Jia Zhen was not at home, and Rong-ge'er was still young.

"Madam, Rong-ge'er has also gone."

Shen Ning looked anxiously towards the back street, and sure enough, Rong-ge'er was there with a dozen or so servants, holding stones to protect their side.

"Signal with flags, and tell everyone coming from the back street to break their legs before tying them up."

"Mrs!"

Xiao Bei, who was gesturing with flags, said, "The people below replied with flags that they are not government soldiers, and their swords are Japanese swords."

Shen Ning: "..."

Who is this idiot who would use the Japanese at this time?

Even if you're going to use the Japanese, you should at least hide them properly!
"Kill eight people, leave two alive."

Xiaobei quickly signaled with flags.

Taking advantage of the large number of people on this side, they quickly killed or tied up the dozen or so so-called "soldiers" at the back gate.

Shen Ning saw it and couldn't help but look towards the West Mansion.

Fortunately, everything is fine in the western part of the city, just as before.

She turned towards the front yard where she could see.

Unexpectedly, two more teams, one composed of troops from Shuntian Prefecture and the other from the Five Cities Military Command, arrived from both sides of Ningrong Street.

The group that had been ramming the door noticed something was wrong. The leader went to meet the group, but before he could say anything, his weapon was quickly disarmed.

Shen Ning saw that the person was trying to resist, but was hit hard a few more times.

"Is that the one leading the group Chief Constable Lu of Shuntian Prefecture?"

Shen Ning thought it looked like him. She had seen him at Tai Xuan Temple, but now she was too far away to see him clearly.

"It's Chief Constable Lu."

Jia She was relieved. "Now that he's arrived, everything's fine."

Dong Xiaoquan is quite capable.

It seems he has already taken control of the Five Cities Military Command.

Before the words were even finished, the two groups of men surrounded the group that was trying to forcefully break through the gate of Ningguo Mansion. After killing a few of them, the rest of them became obedient.

"Jiao Da has gone out."

Jia She watched Jiao Da leave, "He and Chief Constable Lu should still have some connection."

The old man is still very capable.

At this moment, he felt a little envious that the East Mansion had such an old man.

If his father had left him someone like that, perhaps he wouldn't have been bullied so badly by his second brother all those years.

On Ningrong Street, Chief Constable Lu greeted Jiao Da, who came out immediately after finishing his business, with a polite bow, "Master Jiao, how have you been!"

"Thank you, Chief Constable."

"Our Lord Dong said that the Ningguo Mansion need not open its doors to anyone who comes today."