The head of the Red Mansion

March 29th, heavy rain.

The sound of drums striking the eaves created a dense flow of water that cascaded down between the roof tiles like countless tiny, transparent waterfalls. The bluestone slabs in the courtyard of the post station gleamed coldly from the washing, and the puddles reflected the dim candlelight filtering through the second-floor windows.

Looking at the rain, Shen Ning had a bad feeling for some reason.

The delegations from Russia and Japan are going to the capital together. Logically, the Japanese shouldn't be targeting her and the Jia family now, but what if they encounter some self-righteous fools?

Often, a bad person's elaborate schemes are no match for a fool's quick thinking.

Shen Ning isn't afraid of encountering clever bad people, but she is afraid of encountering those 'stubborn' fools.

"Someone is coming."

"Mrs!"

"Prepare the carriage!" Shen Ning didn't want to linger at the inn any longer. "Get on the boat."

Now?

Everyone was shocked.

"Madam, it's raining heavily outside."

While quickly pulling Jia Yue into her arms and tying her up, Wen Peilan was still trying to voice her objections.

"Mother!"

Hearing this, Jia Zhen, who was also watching the rain from the corridor, hurriedly objected, "I'm afraid we can't leave now. The rain is too heavy, and it would be dangerous to sail."

"Then let's go to an inn in the city."

Shen Ning was deeply worried. "Zhen'er, here... I always feel uneasy."

Jia Zhen was taken aback, and realizing that his mother's complexion was indeed very bad, he quickly said, "I will arrange it right away."

Since Mother doesn't like this place, let's go somewhere else and find peace of mind.

"Please don't rush, we'll leave once it's done."

Just as he was about to call out to everyone to pack up and move, he heard someone below shout urgently, "Who's there?"

huh~
Boo hoo hoo~~~~
Just as everyone was on guard, a dense barrage of crossbow bolts came from the front.

As the screams below rang out, there was also a commotion on the roof where Shen Ning was located.

Xiaodong and his three companions dared not delay and quickly moved forward, forming pairs to guard the two windows with their knives drawn. Suddenly, with two loud bangs, the windows were kicked open, and two men in black rushed in. They rolled on the spot, ready to kill anyone they encountered.

Xiaodong and his three companions, who were well-prepared, would never let them get up.

Four large swords slashed out simultaneously.

Bubbling~~~
Jiao Da had already practiced this kind of window-breaking and door-breaking battle with all of them.

Standing guard at the window at this moment is the most foolish thing to do. When enemies break through a window, they usually enter with their feet first. If you strike at this moment, it is easy for them to lean out and injure you. Let them enter with their whole body and then attack from behind. This is the best strategy.

Blood splattered everywhere, and the two men in black were cut down in an instant.

At the same time, numerous crossbow bolts, whistling through the air, also shot in through the broken window.

At this moment, Shen Ning had already been protected by Wen Peilan and moved to the corner. Xiao Dong and the others sensed that something was wrong, and without hesitation, they immediately lay down on the ground and quickly spun around to return to their original positions.

Sure enough, after a volley of arrows, two more men in black swung in through the rooftop window.

bang~
Jia Zhen, who had shrunk to the other corner, fired a shot without hesitation.

"Ah~~~"

The man in black who was hit screamed and fell down the stairs.

The other one was quickly hacked to death by Xiaodong and his three close associates.

Rong-ge'er next door heard something was wrong and quickly assigned the guards on the second floor to protect the mansion.

The stairs are a must-guard area.

They couldn't worry about the brothers on the first floor for the time being, but they absolutely couldn't let anything happen to their grandmother on the second floor.

When the four guards rushed in to protect him, Rong-ge'er also stuffed the musket he had just received yesterday into the hands of the guard Qi Youding.

bang~
Once he confirmed that his wife was alright for the time being, Qi Youding went downstairs to help without hesitation.

"Give Yue'er to me."

As Shen Ning handed her musket to one of the guards, she also shouted urgently to Wen Peilan.

The little girl initially thought Aunt Lan was playing with her and even giggled a few times, but she was immediately frightened by the screams of the man in black and the sound of her brother's gun. She pouted and was about to burst into tears.

Wen Peilan didn't dare to delay. She quickly pulled the clasp and sent Xiao Yue'er, along with the swaddle blanket, towards Shen Ning.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Mother is here."

The window next door was kicked open with a 'bang', and Qi Youding's musket was ready again. He aimed and fired with a 'bang'.

At the same time, the guards on the second floor quickly separated the two and slashed at the escaped fish.

But the newcomer in black wielded a strange weapon—a scythe—and swung it around in front of him with impenetrable force.

Several more people rushed in one after another behind him.

"Guard the gate!"

Qi Youding shouted.

At the same time, the guards who had taken Shen Ning's musket rushed to provide support without hesitation.

bang~
The men in black in front dodged quickly, but the one who had just jumped in was unlucky and fell down almost instantly.

Just as Shen Ning was about to send people over to help, several ceramic jars came crashing in with a few whooshing sounds.

Bang bang bang~~
Two earthenware jars were smashed in mid-air by Xiaobei and Xiaonan's broadswords, and two more fell to the ground and shattered as well, with acrid smoke spreading in an instant.

"retreat!"

Wen Peilan hurriedly protected Shen Ning and retreated towards the door.

Xiaodong and the others knew things were going badly, so they quickly held their breath and retreated.

Jia Zhen, unburdened, ran the fastest, but just as he withdrew, men in black broke through the encirclement from the next side.

The blade flashed like snow, and in the blink of an eye, two guards fell.

bang~
Qi Youding finally fired another shot.

As Shen Ning left the room, she heard the sounds of fighting getting closer and closer downstairs, and cold sweat beaded on her forehead.

At this point, she dared not take her daughter to any other rooms.

Without hesitation, she and Jia Zhen retreated to the stairwell.

Just then, three men in black burst through the roof tiles, their scythes whistling as they came flying.

huh~
The bodyguards guarding the stairwell dared not delay and slammed their scabbards down at the first person to rush down.

bang~
He hit it, but the man's swung sickle also suddenly rushed towards Jia Zhen.

卟~
Seeing that things were going badly, Shou'er, who was hiding at the doorway on the other side, rushed over to protect Jia Zhen.

The sickle was deeply embedded in his shoulder.

"Ah!" Shou'er cried out in pain. Wen Peilan, who had rushed out, suddenly took a step, grabbed the chain, and pulled it sharply, dragging the man in black towards herself. At the same time, Xiao Dong, who had rushed out, slashed down with his sword.

卟~
The man's head fell off on the spot.

Bang bang~~
As Wen Peilan succeeded in her first strike, she released the scythe still attached to Shou'er and lashed out with her whip at the second man in black.

bang~
In a fit of rage, Jia Zhen fired a shot, hitting the second man in black squarely in the face.

Just then, the man in black downstairs untied the bamboo tube from his waist and smashed it down onto the second floor.

Shen Ning, who was crouching down holding her daughter, saw it all clearly. When she suspected it was some kind of poison, she deeply regretted bringing her daughter with her.

At this point, Xiao Yue'er was crying uncontrollably.

No sooner said than done, one of the bodyguards leaped up and kicked the bamboo tube down again.

With a loud bang, a blinding flash of light erupted, illuminating the first floor as if it were daytime.

Downstairs, both the men in black and the guards went blind instantly.

As they screamed and covered their eyes, the bodyguard who had kicked down the bamboo tube, half-closing his eyes, charged down with his broadsword.

Bubbling~~~
Although his eyes were blurred by the light, he still remembered the location of his brothers clearly.

He squinted and slashed at the black-clad man who was crying out in pain.

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

A whistle came from afar. It turned out that the black-clad man who had been shooting crossbow bolts on the other side had been secretly captured by the four military officers who were staying at the post station.

The men in black upstairs, who still wanted to fight, realized they had no chance and fled to the roof and windows before Wen Peilan and the others could make another move.

bang~
The guard who had taken Shen Ning's musket fired at the last person, who fell out of the window with a 'thud'.

"Ah~~~~"

The screams were deafening.

Only then did Shen Ning's body go limp, and she sat down on the wooden board, holding her wailing daughter.

……

In the Xuzhou Prefectural Government Office, Prefect Qi Zixiu was reading a letter from his teacher in the capital.

Recently, although good news has been coming from both the north and south, it cannot be denied that the Great Zhao Dynasty faces the risk of war with several sides. In particular, the Russian Kingdom and the Japanese Kingdom have surprisingly joined forces.

If things go wrong, Japan might attack Korea again, just like the previous dynasty, or even directly attack the coastal towns of the Great Zhao Kingdom.

Da Zhao can defend against one, two, or three sides, but he may not be able to defend against a fourth.

Qi Zixiu knew his teacher was inclined to compromise, but the Emperor…

The emperor has been feeling resentful for the past few years. Now that he holds great power and has won a series of victories, it seems that it will not be so easy to get him to back down at this time.

Qi Zixiu couldn't help but sigh.

"My lord, my lord~"

The clerk rushed in, stumbling and scrambling, "My lord, something terrible has happened! An assassin is trying to kill Madam Shen of the Ningguo Mansion at the post station outside the city."

what?
Qi Zixiu thought he was hallucinating.

The Jia family is no longer what it used to be.

After Jia Daihua and Jia Daishan passed away, Jia Jing, the most capable member of the third generation, also died.

Although Qi Zixiu felt that his death was worthwhile, as it helped the emperor and the Great Zhao Dynasty, the third generation of the Jia family was essentially wiped out after his passing!
Jia She can have fun eating, drinking, and playing, but nothing else.

Jia Zheng was simply a laughing stock in officialdom. I heard that he died recently, and in a very dishonorable way.

Apart from Jia Lian, who was still in court, there was practically no one else in the fourth generation.

The Jia family is really not worth anyone's attention.

Even though Madam Shen of Ningguo Mansion is very capable, Jia Zhen, who inherited the title, is not very capable, and her grandchildren are still young.

unless……

Thinking of a possibility, he suddenly stood up. "How is Madam Shen?"

"Madam Shen inhaled poisonous smoke, so it's very likely that the one who attacked her was a Japanese pirate."

Toxic fumes?

That's most likely Japanese pirates.

"Quickly, gather the men and head to the post station."

When he arrived at the post station with a large entourage of yamen runners, three doctors had already been invited in.

Four members of the Jia family guarded the building below; three were seriously injured and three were slightly injured.

It's fair to say that none of the ten were unharmed.

Two people died upstairs, Shou'er was seriously injured, and Xiaodong and the others had inhaled some of the poisonous smoke, and now their eyes were watering and their throats were sore.

Even Shen Ning herself wasn't having an easy time.

She was splattered with a lot of blood during the assassination attempt.

Although he had killed people himself, he had no attachments before, but this time he had his daughter Jia Yue with him.

When Qi Zixiu arrived, the inn had already vacated two other superior rooms.

The military officers who rescued them were all very excited when they confirmed that the people they had saved were from the Ningguo Mansion.

The corpses of the men in black were laid out in a row. After searching them, it was confirmed from the crotch cloths on their lower bodies that they were Japanese.

These Japanese pirates are truly insane.

"Your humble servant has arrived late to provide assistance; please forgive me, sir!"

Qi Zixiu saw Jia Zhen and immediately bowed respectfully.

The eighteen corpses lined up in a row had all died in different ways, and judging from their appearance, it was clear that the Jia family and the generals who came to their aid had fought a bloody battle.

Fortunately, there were some officers who stayed behind, otherwise...

"Don't say that."

Jia Zhen's face was a little pale. He waved his hand and said, "They are Japanese pirates. It has nothing to do with you."

My mother and sister could no longer go south with them.

Father will surely understand.

"My mother and sister are not feeling well. They will be staying in Xuzhou for a while. I would appreciate it if Lord Qi could take care of them."

"...It should be."

Qi Zixiu paused slightly, knowing what Jia Zhen wanted to do. "This humble official will welcome Madam Shen into the government office immediately."

The journey home for Jia Jing's coffin was extremely difficult.

But it can only happen once, not twice.

Although Confucius said he did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits, there are still some things that people still revere.

Especially after Jia Jing's coffin returned, two more members of the Jia family died in succession.

"Wait a moment, let my mother catch her breath first."

Jia Zhen said, "Now, please write a letter to report the assassination attempt here to your superiors."

The Japanese envoy still wants to go to the capital?

Go to his maternal grandmother's house.

"Yes!"

How could Qi Zixiu dare to refuse?
The Japanese pirates are causing trouble in Xuzhou, which is under his jurisdiction. Regardless of whether Madam Shen and Jia Zhen are alright, the Emperor will probably blame them.

In the next three years, it would be good enough if I don't get demoted.

"In my family... there are six people gone too."

Jia Zhen's eyes were slightly red. "We need to stop at the post station here for a while, sir..." He gritted his teeth, "I would like to ask you, sir, to hang the corpses of those Japanese on the city wall for seven days as a warning."

Wasn't it supposed to be an assassination?
Come on, try again if you dare!

Having caught her breath, Shen Ning remained silent upon hearing Jia Zhen's handling of the Japanese pirates.

But stop, or return to the capital...

Shen Ning was unsure of what to do.

Whether she heads south, returns to Beijing, or stays in Xuzhou temporarily, none of these options are necessarily safe.

Since those Japanese pirates have their eyes on her, they'll try again once.

They also used poison.

If you're a family, you'll be in danger together.

separate……

This also means that the guards need to be dispersed.

Even if we hire more people...

“Mother, please go to the Xuzhou government office first. I will find a few more escort agencies and hire more people. As for Father… I can go alone. Rong’er will accompany you and sister. Father will understand if he is watching from heaven.”

My son's reaction was not bad today.

Since Jia Zhen himself could not protect his mother and younger sister, he could only leave his son behind.

"...Let's not talk about that for now."

Shen Ning rubbed her temples, "The officers who saved us..."

"My son has already thanked you."

Jia Zhen said, "My son will write a memorial to the Emperor later, requesting credit for them. If you wish to return to the capital with them..."

"No."

Shen Ning shook her head.

This time, we've already troubled them a lot.

"Please let me take it easy first."

"Mother, if you don't go back, what if the Japanese delegation gets to the capital before us? Wouldn't that be giving them an advantage?"

"..."

Shen Ning glanced at him.

Even if she returned to the capital, it was unlikely she could stop the delegation from entering.

If they dare to associate with the Rakshasa, then they must have new ambitions.

The chaos caused by Japanese pirates in the previous dynasty may very well be repeated in Da Zhao soon.

They don't need to win battles, just harass.

Over time... some people might start to resent their family.

Shen Ning said, "For now, don't think about anything regarding the people in the delegation. Just report what happened here to the Emperor and the Ministry of War truthfully."

The emperor and his ministers will demand an explanation from the delegation.

Their eagerness to seek revenge themselves is a sign of their inferiority. (End of Chapter)