The head of the Red Mansion

congratulate?

What's there to celebrate?

As Jia Min emerged from her mother's courtyard, she looked up at the sky and swallowed a sigh.

Becoming a royal princess brings her a noble status, but from then on... she will lose even more freedom.

As Jia Min dragged her heavy steps toward the East Mansion, Jia Zhu was kneeling in the ancestral hall, secretly wiping away tears in front of the ancestral tablets.

Although everything is going according to Grandpa's original plan, how much suffering has Second Aunt endured?
He has found out why his grandfather gave his two aunts similar names: he hoped that if one of them had a bad fate, the other could borrow some of her good fortune.

But my third aunt is also very pitiful.

After the Crown Prince left, my grandfather, who was distrusted by the Emperor Emeritus, aged so quickly and died of illness in the same year as my great-uncle...

Jia Zhu wiped away another tear.

He dared not tell anyone in the family about his grandfather's secret report.

Neither my second aunt nor my third aunt could stand it.

After a while, Jia Zhu straightened up and opened the ancestral hall door, but unexpectedly, his uncle was sitting on the threshold.

Not far away, Jia Lian, who was a few months younger than him, was also hurrying over.

"Eldest...eldest uncle, second brother Lian, you..."

"My aunt said she didn't have time to use her hands yesterday."

Jia Lian was very cowardly, "But today she has to settle accounts with us on behalf of Second Aunt. We didn't let her into the house. Since you, Big Brother, have realized your mistake and entered the ancestral hall yourself, then we have to follow suit."

Jia Zhu: "..."

"Let's go!"

Jia She sighed and patted his nephew on the shoulder, "No matter why you're in the ancestral hall, you have to come in and kneel with us now."

Unfortunately, Jia Zhen was not at home.

"There's no need to tell the old lady about this, otherwise she'll definitely stay angry."

Jia She stepped forward, first offering incense to the ancestors, including his elder brother, before kneeling down and saying, "Brother, if only you were still here."

Even if they were at the Taoist temple, with their eldest sister-in-law at home, they wouldn't panic if something happened. They would scare themselves for so long, and let their second sister suffer pitifully outside.

"I'm useless!"

He wept in front of his nephew and son, saying, "I'm so sorry, I can't even hit a person properly."

Jia Zhu: "..."

Jia Lian: "..."

Seeing their uncle (father) crying uncontrollably, the helplessness, frustration, regret, and pain they felt made them all bow their heads before the coffin.

Shen Ning didn't hide the fact that the three people had entered the ancestral hall. The clansmen who came to offer their congratulations moved to the ancestral hall on their own, and then they heard Jia She crying inside...

One by one, they all obediently went inside and knelt down.

It was only then that the girls studying at Ningcuixuan realized why the atmosphere at home had been so gloomy lately.

The housekeepers in the East Mansion only vaguely knew what troubled the adults in the family, but no matter who asked, no one could answer them. In order to avoid being asked, the adults even assigned them tasks such as making sachets and pouches.

now……

Daiyu and Qin Keqing sighed softly in their hearts.

When Minmei, Yingchun, and Tanchun were doing needlework, they wished they could use Wohe as a sachet or a pouch to tie their needlework.

Only Baochai, because she was managing her brother's family business, knew about Jia Wen's affair three days earlier than everyone else.

But even knowing this, she couldn't break the deadlock.

Her mother had told her that the Jia family was likely to be implicated and killed by this resurrected second aunt. Fortunately, the Xue family was only staying there temporarily. However, she never expected that things would change so quickly once Madam Shen returned.

It would be a lie to say I don't admire him.

But in addition to admiration, she felt even more respect and awe for Madam Shen.

The kind of women who lived in the inner quarters that she knew were not like Madam Shen.

This inner courtyard seemed unable to conceal her brilliance.

Moreover, she went to the palace as soon as she returned, and stormed the Huitong Hall as soon as she left the palace. When the Jia family couldn't defeat her, she immediately used guns...

Xue Baochai felt that the Xue family should also get a gun.

Although her brother has a short temper and can't handle a gun, she can!

While Xue Baochai was pondering how to persuade her mother to get a missionary gun from the shopkeeper outside, several master craftsmen from the Bureau of Weaponry, following the blueprints drawn by Shen Judao, worked together to forge a gun capable of firing six shots in succession, which was then presented to the emperor.

Every part of this gun is the same size, so if any one of them breaks, it can be replaced with a new one.

To prevent the barrel from exploding, experienced gunners who had tested the gun even said that after firing six shots, if time allowed, the barrel and the cylinder for rotating the gunpowder could be replaced.

Although this is a bit troublesome, it can greatly extend their lifespan.

Moreover, this kind of trouble is nothing compared to what happened before.

"Have you tried it yet? How powerful is it?"

"I tried it myself."

An Yi said, "The range and power are comparable to the muskets we are currently using. With large-scale production, the losses will be even less."

"Good good!"

The emperor touched the revolver musket with excitement and affection. "Order the Bureau of Arsenal to manufacture it at all costs. I will use it to wipe away the shame of my Han dynasty!"

"Yes!"

"Liu An!"

"The slave is here!"

"Tell Jia Lian to open the armory and send all the best materials to the Bureau of Warehouses."

His father has a collecting habit.

Over the years, the fine iron and copper mined from Japan and various mines have been refined and stored in the Koku.

If you don’t need it now, when will you wait?
In the past, the emperor dared not touch the treasured possessions of the retired emperor, but now... things are different!
"Yes!"

Liu An hurriedly went to deliver the imperial decree.

With war against the Russians imminent, having an extra musket might give them a better chance of winning.

So, not long after, Jia Lian, who was kneeling in the ancestral hall, was called to work overtime.

As night deepened, the men of the Jia family, young and old, were still kneeling.

Many new members have joined them, including Baoyu, who had left school. Hearing that everyone was kneeling there, they came over on their own initiative.

They could eat the "bitter memories and sweet tastes" meal without batting an eye, but for the elders and older uncles and brothers who had never experienced hardship, eating it was an incredibly painful experience.

But Jia She also ate here.

The steamed buns with added bran were freshly steamed and smelled quite fragrant, but eating them... really made my throat ache.

Jia She ate a steamed bun and a mouthful of slightly bitter wild vegetable porridge, not wasting a single bite, and even told everyone what Jiao Da often said, such as how he carried the old master out of a pile of dead bodies, had nothing to eat or drink, and even drank horse urine to survive.

"...This wild vegetable porridge is pretty awful, but it's still better than horse piss, right?"

Jia She stared at the group of pampered people and said, "Anyone who dares to waste their time here with our ancestors will be punished without mercy. I, Jia She, will teach them a lesson with a big stick."

He eats here, so why shouldn't these other people eat here?
There are benefits, so everyone flocks to them.

There are downsides...

Thinking of how some guys had been crying to the old lady and making a scene at him these past few days, denying everything and even demanding the death of his second sister, a ruthless glint flashed in Jia She's eyes.

Jia, Jia Qin, and the others quickly stuffed the wild vegetable porridge and bran bread they had just wanted to eat into their mouths.

Honestly, it tastes awful!
Jia almost vomited on the spot because he pressed so hard.

He stretched his neck, swallowed hard, and then pressed his mouth shut, afraid that it would come back up.

Jia She glanced at him, then slowly turned his head and took a leisurely bite of the bran bun.

He knew that, apart from the schoolboys, the older folks would have to kneel for at least three days to complete this ritual.

Fortunately, it was winter, so they were dressed warmly.

But everyone felt uncomfortable staying there that night.

The children, including Baoyu, were very sleepy and could fall asleep even lying on the prayer mat, but the adults really couldn't stretch their legs out, and the next morning, they all looked ashen-faced.

Shen Ning, on the other hand, slept soundly.

Her little girl is always glued to her side; she even comes to check on her when she goes to the outhouse.

Shen Ning was both angry and heartbroken, so she could only let her be.

"Madam, Master and Rong-ge'er are back."

When Xiaodong rushed over to report, familiar footsteps could already be heard outside.

"Grandmother, Auntie~" Rong-ge'er ran in.

Jia Yue was waiting for her mother to feed her porridge, but when she heard the voice and saw her nephew, she pouted and burst into tears.

She was heartbroken; her mother was gone, her brother was gone, and her nephew was gone too.

She used to see him every day.

"Don't cry, don't cry~"

Rong-ge'er was heartbroken, especially when his aunt reached out to hug him. He quickly picked her up and soothed her, saying, "It was your fault, nephew. We'll definitely take you next time."

He also missed his aunt very much.

"Grandma, does your hand still hurt?"

While comforting his aunt, he glanced at Shen Ning's hand.

They heard about it as soon as they arrived in Beijing.

"It hurts~"

As Jia Zhen strode in, Shen Ning said, "It still hurts throbbing!"

"Son, go to the reception hall now!"

Seeing his mother's hands wrapped tightly, Jia Zhen gritted his teeth and said, "Mother, wait for me, I'll avenge you!"

"Go!"

Shen Ning nodded, "Take Jiao Da with you. Be careful when fighting. You might have to ride a horse and draw a bow with Wohe later. The Emperor will most likely help him win a banner lord position there."

What?
Jia Zhen's legs went weak.

"Don't worry, we'll fight when it's time."

It would be foolish not to fight.

Shen Ning said, "Wohe and his ilk are all afraid of power but not morality. Go over and beat him up whenever you have time. As long as you can always be stronger than him, he will treat you like an ancestor for the rest of his life."

In her opinion, it would be better to kill them all.

The Manchu Qing dynasty ushered in a new era.

This proves that massacres can effectively conquer the Han people.

Before the Qing Dynasty, there was a consistent pattern among the Han Chinese: regimes and ethnic groups that were brutal and murderous never had a good end.

Many people even firmly believe that killing prisoners of war is an ominous sign.

Before the Qing Dynasty, any regime that carried out large-scale massacres of civilians would almost always collapse and face widespread betrayal and alienation.

Therefore, rulers of all dynasties, as long as they had even a little ambition, paid great attention to military discipline and treated the people well.

But the Manchu Qing dynasty was different.

They established their nation through massacres.

Anyone who disagreed was killed.

One kill, one city.

The Han Chinese in Liaodong refused to submit, so they were all killed.

In Datong, Shanxi, the city was ravaged by the massacre of Dorgon, with only five serious criminals escaping from prison.

Later, the prefect of Datong, sent by the Manchu Qing dynasty, wrote to Emperor Shunzhi, stating that since there were no more aggrieved parties, the five people could be released. This memorial is still preserved in the First Historical Archives.

Kill, kill, kill all the way.

The Yangzhou Massacre, the Jiading Massacre, the Jiangyin Massacre, the Guangzhou Massacre...

This provides ideas for those who come after.

Why did Shen Ning make Jia She kneel in the ancestral hall?

She simply felt that this person was utterly useless.

You've already knelt in the ancestral hall, can't you hold your breath and go give Woh a good beating?
She promised that if they dared to go and fix it, she would never make them kneel again.

"Then the son... went."

Encouraged and certain that his mother was serious, Jia Zhen strode away.

Rong-ge'er, who was holding Jia Yue, became anxious and said, "Grandmother, I want to go too."

"Go if you want to!"

Shen Ning glanced at him.

Anyway, she would never stop it.

but……

It's obvious that Jia Yue won't let go.

The little girl clung tightly to her nephew's sleeve.

"But Auntie~"

Rong-ge wanted to let go, but he really couldn't.

The little girl cried even louder.

"Take her with you!"

They're still young anyway.

Although she can't remember now, others can remember for her.

Shen Ning said nonchalantly, "Tell your father that your second great-aunt's hands are covered with blue and purple whip marks."

"...Grandson understands."

Rong-ge took the thick cloak given to him by the maid, wrapped his little aunt up tightly, and immediately rushed out.

Shen Ning gently exhaled a breath of stale air and resumed eating her own food.

The men of the Jia family couldn't stand up for themselves, and the women...

With Grandmother Jia in front of them, they couldn't do anything they wanted.

She can only nurture it slowly now.

In short, you should never let an opportunity slip by.

Woch...

Just accept your bad luck!
"Madam~"

Shen Ning hadn't finished her bowl of porridge when Qing Ping rushed in, "At the Huitong Hall, just like yesterday, a group of people came with music and gifts. They... they've clashed with the old men."

"The results of it?"

"They've been kicked out of Ningrong Street again."

Qingping felt that their wives were usually fine, but as soon as they heard about the Jin people at the Huitong Hall, they would exude a murderous aura.

"Send men to chase after them and tell Zhen'er to break all their legs."

If you dare to work for Woch, then be prepared to be laid off!
"No, knock with both legs at the same time!"

The Duke's mansion is not one to be bullied by anyone.

Those people who knew who Woch was still willing to take his jobs deserved to die.

Shen Ning put down her chopsticks and bowl. "Someone, prepare the car. I'm going to take a look too."

This time, she was in the audience.

She wanted to see if Jia Zhen and his men actually knew how to fight.

A short while later, her carriage emerged from the back street.

She happened to witness the spectacle of someone having their leg broken.

The large group of people, accompanied by music and fanfare, rushed to deliver gifts to this side because of the large sum of money that Woch had provided.

They thought that at worst they would be kicked out of Ningrong Street again, but they never expected that as soon as they were kicked out, the other party would come back and break all their legs.

Suddenly, the streets were filled with the sounds of ghosts wailing and howling.

However, surprisingly few of the onlookers spoke up for them.

Everyone could see that the Jia family members were all holding sticks and looked menacing.

Some of the older men quietly took a similar stick or carrying pole and joined their group.

When the Jurchens entered the pass, which family didn't have relatives killed?

Many families were wiped out.

now……

If the opportunity arises, we should naturally seize it and give them a taste of their own medicine. (End of Chapter)