The head of the Red Mansion

Wang Ziteng finally received a letter from home.

He was shot by an arrow on the battlefield, and after retaliating fiercely, he continued to command the battle while recovering from his injury.

When the letter arrived, his first reaction was to frown.

"Master, it's not a letter from the Second Master, it's a letter from Jinling."

Wang Jin knew that their master was annoyed by the second master's incompetence.

When the master left the capital, he told the second master to stay at home and live a secluded life. He did keep his doors closed, but the informants left behind said that the second master was indulging in debauchery with Master Ren and often brought women back to the mansion from outside.

That's not the main point. The main point is that his eldest aunt died such a tragic death, and instead of immediately speaking up for her, he was beaten up by Jia Zhen and brought to his home.

The master felt sorry for his eldest aunt; otherwise, she wouldn't have gotten hurt this time.

"Jinling?"

Wang Ziteng paused, his brows furrowing even deeper. "Judging by the time, Jia Zhen must have escorted the coffin back to his hometown by now?"

uh~
Wang Jin's expression changed.

He forgot about it.

This letter... I'm afraid it's not a good thing either.

"Never mind, Zipeng has always been sensible in his actions."

Wang Ziteng opened the letter, but he was shocked to find that his hands were shaking as soon as he read it.

Japanese?

Why are they Japanese?

Zipeng is so confused!
Although he was in Annam, he always kept Da Zhao in his heart.

Every so often, an informant from the capital would relay to him the latest major events.

When the Rakshasa delegation and the Japanese delegation were about to enter Dazhao together, Prince Teng sensed that Dazhao needed to be wary of the Japanese from Jiangnan.

If things go wrong, the Wokou (Japanese pirates) raids could reignite in this dynasty.

Fortunately, not long after, Shen Shi and Jia Zhen of Ningguo Mansion were assassinated in Xuzhou Prefecture.

It's a pity the two weren't killed, but it's also fortunate that these Japanese were foolish enough to provoke that tigress, Shen.

With her in Jiangnan, plus that scoundrel Jia Zhen, they would at least strike a blow against the Japanese first.

Regardless of whether there will be any Japanese invasions in the future, it's always right to strike a few blows and suppress the arrogance of the Japanese.

Unexpectedly, Zipeng also got involved in the affairs of the Japanese.

That's so foolish!

When Wang Ziteng saw his cousin's letter saying that Prefect Chen had imprisoned the Japanese before the Jia family arrived, and that he had tried every means to ask the ninth and tenth branches of the Jia family to intercede on his behalf, but Shen Shi didn't care that he was an elder, he was so angry that he wanted to rush into the letter and slap him a few times.

That's an idiot!

He didn't get involved in the Japanese affairs, letting those people stay quietly in prison until Shen and Jia Zhen returned to the capital and took up their posts.

But once he got involved...

Wang Ziteng couldn't help but suspect that he too was now in jail.

"Does Zipeng have a deep relationship with the Japanese?"

Wang Ziteng took a deep breath and asked Wang Jin with a hint of anticipation.

He wanted him to say that the relationship wasn't deep.

Seeing their master's state, Wang Jin knew things were bad; hiding it was definitely not an option.

He could only stammer, "Master, back then the manor was short of money, and Master Peng got an overseas connection through the Xue family. The person who introduced that connection was a Japanese. Master Peng originally wanted to get rid of those Japanese, but they were very shrewd, and Master Peng has not been able to do so all these years."

Although silver was sent to the capital every year, it was less than half of what they had originally planned.

Wang Jin suspected that this Master Peng had also embezzled a considerable amount of his own money.

Their master must have had this suspicion as well, but he didn't let him investigate, and he didn't dare to do anything rash.

"I heard that those people have also done some business in Jinling through Master Peng's connections. Has something gone wrong with those businesses?"

"...There's definitely something wrong with the business."

Wang Ziteng sighed and tossed the letter to Wang Jin, saying, "Go back immediately. The situation back home is probably in complete chaos."

what?
Wang Jin quickly read the letter.

After reading it, he didn't dare to say anything.

Mr. Peng is so foolish!
Several letters from home mentioned that the master and second master, and even the eldest aunt, had suffered losses at the hands of Madam Shen. Why doesn't he learn from this lesson and still jumps into her arms at this time?
Jia Jing's death was also related to the Japanese pirates, and his family was assassinated in Xuzhou...

At this point, anyone who pleads on behalf of the Japanese will be considered an enemy by Shen and Jia Zhen!
"What if... we get back late?"

Wang Jin was terrified!
Judging from Madam Shen's appearance, she was not someone who could tolerate being wronged.

If you hold back, there's bound to be an even bigger trick up your sleeve.

Old Master Peng was used to being a king in his hometown and didn't know how high the sky was or how thick the earth was.

He went and touched a nerve...

He'd probably be bleeding from his head by now.

"My lord, didn't you just say the other day that the Emperor would take great precautions against the Japanese?"

Wang Jin also didn't trust his master's side.

He's gone back, what will happen to the master here?
Besides, what could he possibly do if he went back?

It's too late for everything!

Even if it's not too late, Master Peng is already involved in the affairs of the Japanese. If they go in again... they will most likely get themselves into trouble.

"At this point, we must first clear our own names!"

Over the years, Master Peng has been managing the clan property in his hometown, but things have been getting worse year by year.

We obtained some from the Xue family and sent quite a lot to the capital, but that was something the old master had planned while he was still alive.

Besides, the matriarch of the Xue family is their second aunt.

"As long as you are well, the Wang family's other setbacks are nothing."

This?
Wang Ziteng remained silent.

His biggest weakness was that there was no one in his family who was capable of serving him.

The Jia family is in decline, but its foundation remains. It doesn't matter if it declines for one or two generations; we can look to the next generation.

Wang Family...

With his downfall, it will be extremely difficult for the Wang family to regain its former glory.

Among the four great families, even the Xue family possessed pearls as common as dirt and gold as precious as iron.

What does the Wang family have?
After receiving the emperor once, the Wang family was left with nothing but losses.

But even the retired emperor could not escape it.

My brother is also a disappointment.

He spends one tael of silver, while his second brother spends at least eight qian.

But he's doing something important!
Wang Ziteng closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "Never mind, prepare the brush and ink."

He was going to write a letter to the prefect of Nanjing, demanding that no member of the royal family who had any connection with the Japanese be tolerated.

"……Yes!"

Wang Jin was relieved.

He was afraid that his master might act impulsively and get himself into trouble as well.

In fact, after the master took action against the Japanese in the capital, if Master Peng had been even a little bit smarter, he should have reduced his dealings with the Japanese.

It should be noted that the title of General Zhennan was obtained by their master after he took action against the Japanese.

If the Japanese could assassinate people from the Ningguo Mansion, they could certainly assassinate their master as well.

The fact that the Ningguo Prefecture investigated the Japanese pirates and brought down Master Peng might have actually helped him avoid future risks.

Wang Jin convinced himself and then, with a sense of peace, personally ground the ink for Wang Ziteng.

……

In the capital, the emperor was already calculating when the Ningguo family would return.

It's really not an option; Prefect Yu has practically crippled the Japanese delegation.

The news had already spread with the arrival of the Russian delegation in the capital. The Japanese hiding in Dazhao now hated Madam Shen the most, besides Prefect Yu. Although they had already provided protection with a hundred soldiers, the journey back was long, and if the Japanese wanted to organize another assassination, they would definitely include those hundred soldiers in their count.

Moreover, there are so many things you can do on the water.

But the emperor couldn't openly issue an edict ordering them to return immediately.

Since it's a procession to carry the coffin back to the hometown, it's natural to stay with the ancestors for a while.

Hey~
The emperor wanted to sigh.

The weapons manufacturing bureau is mass-producing new types of hand grenades.

It won't be long before they are distributed to the front lines.

The emperor was confident that he could make those Russians cry for their parents, so he kept delaying and never summoned them.

But we must not forget those who dug the well when we drink the water.

This grenade was inspired by the poison smoke bottle thrown by the Japanese after Madam Shen was assassinated in Xuzhou.

"Your Majesty, the Russian delegation has gathered at the Ministry of Rites again."

Liu An sensed that the Ministry of Rites was about to collapse.

"Let's gather then!"

With hand grenades back in hand, the emperor paid even less attention to the Russians who were eager to negotiate.

In any case, no one can take away the land that belongs to Dazhao.

He's still waiting for Mongolia to ask for help.

Of course, some of the first batch of hand grenades had already been transported to General Jiang's headquarters in Ningxia.

He wanted those Mongols to see the new inventions of the Great Zhao.

He wanted to force them to actively seek help and voluntarily submit to the Great Zhao territory.

"The Ministry of Rites will handle their affairs for now. As for the memorials from Jiangnan, I will take a look at them first."

Compared to the Russians, the Japanese posed a greater threat to the Great Zhao Kingdom.

"Yes!"

Liu An quickly showed him the memorials from Jiangnan.

After a long while, the emperor looked at Prefect Chen's memorial and sat there for a long time without moving.

The four great families of Jinling were Jia, Wang, Shi, and Xue. Leaving aside the Jia family, the other three families had also made great contributions to the founding of the Great Zhao Dynasty.

I didn’t expect that…

Seeing that Jia Zhen could actually say that family rules do not exceed national laws and clan regulations do not exceed royal decrees, he felt an indescribable sense of comfort.

Indeed, those who read more of the Great Law and the Great Proclamation are more likely to abide by the law.

In the past...

The emperor knew that in many places and in the hearts of many people, clan law was greater than national law.

They handle things within their own clan.

If you encounter a good clan leader, that's fine; if you encounter a bad one...

Having been emperor for several years, what impressed him most was the massacre of a village that year.

In a village where everyone was surnamed Li, the clan chief was also the village chief. Not only did he embezzle the family property of an orphan girl, but his uncles from the next branch of the family also tried to sell the girl. As a result, the girl escaped and returned every night in the middle of the night to poison the well. In less than seven days, the entire village, young and old, including chickens, ducks and geese, were wiped out.

Finally, the retired emperor personally sentenced him to immediate execution.

Unlike others, the emperor was often bullied since childhood, so he actually felt quite sorry for the girl.

If those people knew anything about the law, if they were even human, they wouldn't have driven someone to such a desperate point, to a point where they would fight to the death.

In fact, that child didn't even make it to the day of his execution in the autumn.

She killed an entire village, was imprisoned, and enjoyed herself for three days before falling ill and dying.

The emperor was deeply saddened after he ordered an investigation.

He secretly dealt with the yamen runners who had withheld her food, but he couldn't calm down for a long time.

Then came the incident involving Baofeng's sister. If a princess of a country could have such a difficult life in her husband's family, one can imagine what it would be like to encounter such a heartless family.

In recent years, he has cracked down on the practice of favoring concubines over wives. If there is any impeachment, the official will be demoted or dismissed. However, he can only control the officials in the court.

The world is a vast place.

The biggest problem is that ordinary people don't understand the law, don't know how to protect themselves according to the law.

The Great Law and the Great Proclamation should still be implemented!
The emperor already knew from his secret guards that the entire Jia family was studying the Great Zhao Code and the Great Proclamation.

Even in the clan school, there is a class on interpreting the Great Zhao Code every two days.

This matter... might be feasible to implement.

"Summon officials of the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Justice, and above, to the palace immediately."

"Yes!"

The news spread so widely that Liu An hurriedly went out and instructed the eunuchs to split up and carry out their tasks.

At this time, Barzel Ackerman, Iris Roberts, and others, who had been surrounding the Ministry of Rites for a long time, hoping that the emperor would summon them as soon as possible, thought that there was finally hope here, so they simply kept waiting.

But this wait lasted from daytime until sunset.

Seeing that the yamen runners were about to leave work, they could only return to the meeting hall dejectedly.

Damn it, I've already said that the Japanese delegation has nothing to do with them, nothing to do with them, so why won't the Emperor of Da Zhao listen to me?
After a few days in Beijing, they also inquired about who the Japanese assassins were.

The founding duke and his family.

That's the Duke's family, comparable to theirs!

The Japanese are really courting death.

It's hateful that they not only brought death upon themselves, but also dragged others down with them.

"Sir, that Mizuno Tomohide is here again."

When the translator arrived, Iris Roberts flew into a rage, yanked out her belt, and stormed out.

……

Late at night at the Rongguo Mansion, Grandmother Jia saw her nephew, Shi Nai.

She was usually happy when her nephew came over, no matter what it was about, but what did she hear?
Shen and Jia Zhen actually extorted money from people in their hometown regardless of their relationship to them.

"...Aunt, you should really do something about it!"

Shi Nai was very troubled. "If we don't do anything, we'll offend all our relatives back home. It's one thing for them to offend us, but if we don't speak up for them, it will be difficult for us to go back to our hometown in the future."

"..."

Grandmother Jia immediately felt a headache coming on.

Is it that she doesn't want to care? She can't care!

Besides, who are the Wang family?

Does Prince Peng have the audacity to claim he colluded with Japanese pirates?

If something happens to Shen in Xuzhou, the Jia family's world will be in ruins.

The old lady rubbed her temples and said slowly, "Isn't this a case handled by the prefect of Jinling? Shen is your cousin-in-law, and Zhen'er and Yue'er are your nephews and nieces, as well as Rong'er, who is a very good child. Their whole family almost died at the hands of the Japanese pirates. Even the emperor knew to send people to protect them. What's wrong with them? They are relatives, yet they are speaking up for the Japanese pirates?"

At this point, the old lady also became angry.

"Who are the Wang family? Who is Wang Zipeng? You don't need to tell me about their family matters."

This nephew also wants her to keep an eye on Shen Shi and Zhen'er.

No wonder the emperor was unwilling to give him an important position even after he returned the silver.

He's really not as good as Ding'er.

Both are from the Shi family, but he earned his title through his own efforts and is now fighting the Russians on the front lines.

The Rakshasa delegation even colluded with the Japanese delegation.

"If you speak up for the Japanese, then you can't blame Zhen'er for retaliating against them."

Although the old lady was annoyed and felt that Shen Ning and Jia Zhen had gone too far, compared to those relatives whose faces she couldn't even remember, Shen Ning and Jia Zhen were certainly closer. "As long as they don't break the law and are honest, they'll all be fine, right?"

She looked at her nephew and said, "You still let this old woman manage you? You are the head of the Shi family. If a member of your family breaks the law, don't you know what you're going to do? You still want to protect your own? Is this how your father and brother taught you?"

Everything's settled now. Instead of hurrying to make it even more perfect and gain a good impression on the Emperor, what are you still doing, causing all this trouble? (End of Chapter)