The head of the Red Mansion

The emperor certainly wouldn't trust the Prince of Nan'an just because he heard a few words from him.

There are plenty of people in this world who pretend to be weak to actually do something big.

His brothers were once well-versed in this art. The Prince of Nan'an was incompetent, but not so stupid as to be beyond redemption.

So, after having dinner with the Empress, Liu An handed over the secret report from his spies.

Sure enough, besides women, there was also money.

The King of Annam has been incredibly generous this time!
slap~
Upon seeing the cargo on several ships, which would be transported to the capital in batches, the emperor, enraged, threw down the secret report, exclaiming, "Shameless!"

He knew some people would stop at nothing for money, but to be so audacious...

"Anger is bad for your health!"

The Empress picked up the things. "When officials make mistakes, arrest them if there is evidence, and let them go if there isn't. As long as we keep a close eye on them, we'll catch them eventually. Is it worth getting angry about this?"

"You'll see, you'll understand once you see it."

The emperor really wanted to kill him, but the Prince of Nan'an had returned military power, and now was a time of great turmoil with wars raging everywhere. If he really had to be dealt with...

"That bastard probably thinks he can't do anything to me."

The emperor really wanted to forgive him, but this man had truly done nothing right!
He paced around the hall, holding his breath.

The Empress quickly finished reading the secret report and silently put it down, saying, "How about we think of it this way: since the goods have entered our Great Zhao, they belong to our Great Zhao. You didn't actually accept their surrender document, so our Great Zhao has actually gained this batch of wealth from them for free."

emperor:"……"

What kind of self-comforting talk is this?!

They were once helpless, destitute and surrounded by men who coveted their territory. They could only console themselves with the thought that he was the emperor and she was the empress. But now…

"If you're still not satisfied, these things of his are all shady, just have someone investigate them."

Ok?
The emperor was also considering taking this 'crooked' path.

Some nobles shouldn't be too rich, because if they have too much money, their ambitions will grow too.

He needs to find a way to make them all poor.

……

March 28th, rain.

The further south you go, the more rain there is.

We stopped in Weishan for a day the day before yesterday, and it looks like we'll have to rest for another day today.

And it's noticeably colder today.

Shen Ning caught a chill on the deck yesterday and felt a bit unwell today. The accompanying physician immediately gave her a bowl of bitter medicine, which she still feels bitter in her throat.

It had been twelve days since she left the capital, and this was already the third time she had been on an unlucky day that the imperial physician had to bring her medicine early in the morning.

"Grandmother, would you like to go for a walk?"

Is not this nonsensical?

Shen Ning glanced at Rong-ge'er, who had rarely put down his studies, with an annoyed look. "Can I take a walk now?"

"Wear warm clothes and bring a hand warmer. We'll only be in the car, so it should be fine."

Rong-ge laughed, "It's not my fault that the physician is bringing the medicine." The morning pulse check was something they discussed together, and Grandmother agreed, "Grandson heard that there are especially delicious honey cakes here. If your mouth is sweetened, you certainly won't feel bitter."

"Then what are you waiting for? Let's go!"

Shen Ning got up, put on her cloak, and Jia Yue made a fuss beside her. Wen Peilan hugged her tightly and wrapped her up.

"Where's your dad?"

As Shen Ning went downstairs, she asked Rong-ge'er.

“When the Quanzhou garrison commander, who was on his way to the capital to report on his duties, checked in yesterday, he recognized you, Father. Knowing that you were asleep, he didn’t disturb you. But he was in a hurry, and this morning he took you to the boat to pay respects to Grandfather. You should be seeing him off now…”

"...What's your name?"

"His name seems to be Jin Muchuan."

The name sounds somewhat familiar.

Shen Ning searched through the original owner's memories and found that he had been a personal guard of her father-in-law. When Jia Jing went to the Beijing garrison, he even taught those people to read. This Jin Muchuan was said to be the smartest one among them, and he learned to read very quickly.

This man also made a contribution when investigating the Jin dynasty's embezzlement of several million taels of silver, and was subsequently recommended by Jia Jing.

did not expect……

Shen Ning sighed inwardly, "You should have come along too."

“Originally, my grandson was going to come with his father. But that Lord Jin said that there will be plenty of opportunities when we return to the capital, and that you and your aunt can’t be left alone here.”

Rongge was deeply moved. He could sense the man's closeness to his family. "I heard that he might stay at the Beijing Garrison this time."

"pretty good."

The carriage wheels moved slowly forward.

Charcoal was also kept in the car, and although it was drizzling outside, there was no cold or dampness inside the car.

Soon, they arrived at a pastry shop that sold honey-glazed cakes. The hot honey-glazed cakes were fluffy, soft, and very sweet.

Jia Yue, who was standing next to her, was obviously a sweet tooth as well. Every time she was fed, her little mouth would be wide open.

The little girl's eyes were full of joy and happiness.

Eating these pastries and looking at her daughter, Shen Ning's mood immediately improved.

"Grandmother, there's a teahouse over there. Would you like to go and rest for a while?"

Rong-ge pointed to the teahouse in front of him.

"The new tea here should be ready by now, let's go and try it out."

To their surprise, the teahouse was bustling with activity, and there was even a storyteller reciting "The Legend of the Condor Heroes".

Private rooms were extremely scarce, and Jia Rong had to spend several times more money to get one.

As Shen Ning and her companions walked up to the second floor, they found that the doors of many private rooms were open, and everyone was listening intently to storytelling.

Ouyang Feng burst into loud laughter, saying, "I initially wanted to erase this tiny 'cross' on the coffin lid, but Kang'er was quick-witted. He said, 'Isn't this the starting stroke of the character "Huang"?' I thought it was correct, so I left the blood-stained character. Haha! No wonder that brat Guo Jing was so eager to fight your father in front of the Misty Rain Pavilion."

Huang Rong sighed, "Your plan was brilliant, but that fool was too angry and grief-stricken to understand right from wrong. I thought you had forced the mute servant on the island to lead the way, but it turns out it was the silly girl who led you inside..."

To Shen Ning's surprise, the storyteller was a ventriloquist, and when he switched to Huang Rong's female voice, it was surprisingly charming.

Just now, when he spoke in Ouyang Feng's tone, his voice was loud and clear, even though he was old.

Shen Ning couldn't help but take another look.

No wonder the teahouse was packed despite the weather.

However, we are almost at the end of the 'Iron Spear Temple'.

Sure enough, they had barely sat down when the storyteller struck his gavel and announced, "To find out what happens next, stay tuned for the next episode."

A collective sigh rippled through the arena.

But everyone seems to know that today's 'book' is truly gone.

Many people immediately stood up, and even though there were private rooms, two of them were immediately vacated.

Jia Rong was dumbfounded.

They arrived just a little early...

No wonder the shopkeeper and the waiter looked hesitant when the extra money was mentioned.

"Alright, even though I only heard a short part, it was still quite exciting."

Shen Ning smiled and took a sip of the tea that the waiter had just brought over. "Hmm, this Lu'an Melon Seed tea is quite good. Rong-ge, you should try some too."

"Grandma likes it, so I'll buy a few more boxes to take with me later."

Rong-ge knew that his grandmother liked to drink Lu'an melon seed tea.

"Let's buy two boxes first!"

Shen Ning smiled and said, "We'll bring more when we go back. This melon seed tea is different from others; the second batch is even more potent and tastier."

"Listen to Grandma."

As long as Grandma is happy, nothing else matters.

Just then, a loud 'bang' came from outside, and a loud-voiced man said, "The Japanese delegation is coming to the capital? And with the Russians?"

"Shh~"

Someone immediately pulled them aside, saying, "This might not be true; I just heard it."

"Hmph~" the loud-voiced man said, "Neither side is any good."

"Although they're not exactly good people, if they were to unite, it would be detrimental to our Great Zhao." "Sigh~"

Just as the sighing old man was about to say something, the waiter ran over and bowed, saying, "Gentlemen, our teahouse has rules; we do not discuss state affairs."

As he spoke, he pointed to the words on the pillar.

Are we talking about state affairs?

The loud-voiced man glared and said, "We're talking about Rakshasa demons and Japanese."

"That's right, that's right, shopkeeper, don't overthink it."

Someone nearby laughed, "Now the emperor is in charge."

The retired emperor has fallen, and the princes have all gone to the prison for criminals. The struggle for imperial power is over, and there is no need to be so sensitive about it now.

"Hehe, everyone, don't forget that we are already close to Jiangnan."

The shopkeeper bowed to them, saying, "Although we rarely hear of Japanese pirates in Jiangnan anymore, it doesn't mean they don't exist!"

"That's right, I heard that the coffin was being carried back to its hometown from Ningguo Prefecture."

The story of Japanese pirates being among those who assassinated Jia Jing is widely known.

After all, it was because he died in the same way as the former crown prince that the retired emperor couldn't bear it and suffered a stroke on the spot.

"Don't talk about state affairs, don't talk about state affairs!"

The shopkeeper repeatedly cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "If you really want to talk, there are private rooms upstairs."

Several of the private rooms upstairs have been soundproofed.

If you close the door and windows, as long as you don't shout too loudly, people outside won't be able to hear you clearly.

Shen Ning and the others, who hadn't closed their doors either, felt a slight heaviness in their hearts upon hearing about the Japanese pirates.

"grandmother!"

Shh, we'll be back in a bit.

Shen Ning hurried to finish her cup of tea.

After a while, when they returned to the inn, Jia Zhen had already gone back.

"Mother!"

Jia Zhen was in a good mood. Jin Muchuan's return to Beijing for his new job was beneficial to his family in every way. "Uncle Jin, who used to often go home with my grandfather and father, is going to be transferred to Beijing."

"Hmm, I've already heard Rong-ge'er mention it."

Shen Ning nodded. "He's gone?"

"Yes!"

Jia Zhen said, "On the surface, he is going to the capital to report on his duties, but in reality, he is going to the capital camp."

Because of the Russians, many people were transferred from the Beijing garrison.

The emperor probably also intends to change the bloodline.

"This is something we should keep to ourselves; don't spread it around."

"My son knows."

Jia Zhen nodded, "Uncle Xiao Jin also gave my son two muskets, saying he had seized them from the missionaries."

As he spoke, he took it out, saying, "Look, it's about the same as yours."

Having a gun is useless without gunpowder. "Mother, why don't you share some gunpowder with your son?"

"Xiaodong, bring out ten portions of the prepared gunpowder."

Feng Ziying brought quite a lot last time, and Shen Ning had it all prepared and taken along. "There should still be hidden Japanese pirates in Jiangnan. Tell everyone to be careful lately."

"...My son knows."

Jia Zhen nodded hurriedly.

He thought of this when they returned to Jiangnan; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to hire bodyguards even with so many guards with him.

The boat didn't travel fast, and going ashore every day was one of the precautions he took.

"Father, the Russians and the Japanese may be joining forces."

During the previous dynasty, the Japanese had also ambitiously attacked Korea.

They have also been causing chaos in Jiangnan.

Although some large businesses may have used their names to commit wrongdoings, they must also be coveting this land.

However, their strength has always been insufficient, so they only dare to cautiously test the waters.

Jia Rong said, "We just overheard this at the teahouse. Wasn't Uncle Lian from the capital going to give us some news? Do you think we should go and check on the garrison here?"

It was agreed that all his messages would be sent to the garrison; if they wanted to see them, they could go to the garrison to look for them.

"to make!"

Jia Zhen stood up. "Mother, I will go to the garrison right now."

"Go ahead, take a few more people with you."

Shen Ning nodded, "Bring the musket and gunpowder."

However, if the Russian delegation and the Japanese delegation had actually traveled to the capital together, they probably wouldn't have encountered any danger on their journey.

After all, although the Japanese assassins who attempted to kill Jia Jing were not captured alive, the whole world knew that they were involved.

If something else happens to his family...

The Japanese delegation was probably also worried about their own safety.

Jia Zhen left quickly and returned quickly.

Jia Lian sent numerous messages to various military units.

It even contains the name of Wang Ziteng, the butcher.

"I never expected that the Russians and the Japanese would actually unite."

Jia Zhen found it all troublesome. "Mother, they've probably already made their assignments in the Outer Northeast."

Japan is close to Korea, and of course it is also close to Sakhalin Island.

But the previous dynasty had stationed troops there, and Jia Zhen still remembered that the garrison there was called Nanghaerwei.

After the previous dynasty was defeated, Sakhalin Island was taken over by the Jurchens.

Now, the families of those people like Suojin are all heading to the capital, and Sakhalin Island is naturally theirs under the Great Zhao.

“Sakhalin Island was probably given to them by the Russians.”

"Can they just break up like that?"

Shen Ning tossed aside the small notebook in her hand. "It depends on whether the Emperor agrees."

The emperor, of course, could not agree to that.

Using the gyrfalcon, the emperor issued a strict order to infiltrate the army of the Nurgan Regional Military Commission, sparing no effort to kill as many Russians as possible.

Anyone who dares to collude with them will be dealt with severely.

In short, he wanted that land to belong entirely to the Great Zhao.

Anyway, it will take them some time to arrive, and even when they do, whether or not to meet with them, and when to meet them, is still up to him.

At this time, the emperor was drawing troops from various garrisons in the interior.

There are a few people here and a few people there; in short, they are all skilled warriors.

He wanted them to be able to go to the front lines at any time.

Of course, the safety of the capital city is also of paramount importance.

The emperor was extremely vigilant about the safety of himself, the empress, and the princes.

Several emperors of the previous dynasty died under mysterious circumstances.

Emperors who were especially skilled in military affairs.

Civil officials are needed, but they must also be guarded against.

He didn't want to be killed for no reason before he could even realize his ambitions.

Especially last time, their family had some problems.

Someone really is after his child.

The current emperor not only strictly guards his own harem, but also keeps a close watch on the estate of convicts. (End of Chapter)