The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 330 Adding Joy
At the city gate, Uncle Liu was queuing to enter the city when suddenly a commotion arose ahead. Jiao Da, leading a group of Jia family servants, was riding a dozen or so tall, fine horses and was speeding towards them.

"Whose house is this? Why are they barging in like this?"

Even the city gate officials, upon seeing them, busied themselves clearing the road at the city gate.

As Uncle Liu moved aside, he couldn't help but ask the man next to him a question.

"do not know."

The man didn't know, but someone nearby did: "The Jia family, the Ningguo Mansion, the one leading them is Jiao Da from the Ningguo Mansion."

what?
Uncle Liu couldn't help but look at Shen Ning.

"Madam Shen, is he your uncle-in-law?"

Grandma Liu asked in a low voice.

Until this point, she still thought that "Shen" referred to her husband's family.

"Yes!"

Now that we're home, there's nothing left to hide.

Shen Ning nodded.

Although being kidnapped was embarrassing, she managed to escape using her intelligence!
What's more, she also killed another Japanese person on this trip.

Just as Jiao Da was about to rush out of the city gate, Shen Ning, taking advantage of Granny Liu, stood up with a grimacing expression and shouted, "Jiao Da!"

At that moment, Jiao Da's whip had just struck the horse's rump.

He was very anxious.

The wife fled into the mountains for a day and a night.

How much panic and fear was there in that day and night?

There are many snakes and insects in the mountains.

Let alone a wealthy lady like Madam, even a martial arts expert like Xiaodong would find it difficult to withstand.

At this moment, the horse was whipped and was speeding up. Although Jiao Da felt someone calling him, and the voice sounded like his wife, the people at the city gate, while making way, were still talking and making a lot of noise.

He thought he was hallucinating, and as he turned to the side, he only glanced at it casually.

Shen Ning quickly waved her hand.

"Xu~~"

Jiao Da saw it clearly, pulled the reins sharply, and at the same time raised his hand to make a stopping gesture.

Even so, his horse lurched forward three or four steps before stopping.

However, the old man was in good health, and before the horse had even come to a complete stop, he jumped off.

"Madam~"

As he rushed towards Shen Ning, the old man's voice trembled with excitement.

He is old.

I cherish my family even more.

The girl is still so young.

Grandfather and Grandmother longed for a sweet and lovely little girl in their family, but they never got to see her.

The old man had to leave home again, unable to watch her grow up.

If the wife can't be with him either...

How pitiful their girl must be.

When Jiao Da was transferring people from the manor, he heard Jia Yue crying.

My heart was breaking.

"Madam, you're back?"

"Yes!" Shen Ning nodded. "I'm back."

"Good good!"

Thank God, they've finally opened their eyes.

Jiao Da wiped away the tears that were about to fall from his eyes and said to the many servants who were also hurriedly reining in their horses, "Quickly! Call a carriage and bring Madam home."

"No rush," Shen Ning said in a good mood. "It's always a happy thing to escape death. Let's go and bring three baskets of copper coins to add to the joy."

what?
The crowd at the city gate, who were still guessing and surprised by her identity, did not expect that they could not only see the important person, but also get to share in the joy. In an instant, they all cheered.

At the same time, the emperor, who was reviewing memorials, also received the message sent back by Jin Muchuan.

It's a relief that the Shen family escaped, but after a day and a night, they still haven't returned to the capital...

The emperor sighed softly.

"In any case, it's good news. Let's report it to the Empress!"

It's better to escape from the Japanese than to suffer their torment.

The emperor strongly suspected that the Japanese were not asking for money, but rather wanted to exchange Shen for him.

"Yes!"

Liu An waved to Xiao Sanzi.

The youngest son hurriedly went to the inner palace.

"Anichi!"

"Chen is here!"

“You should go there yourself. Madam Shen often thinks things that ordinary people cannot. Her hiding place may also be in a place that ordinary people cannot imagine.”

The emperor looked at An Yi and said, "I hope she returns safely."

"Yes!"

An Yi quickly exited.

The emperor picked up his pen, intending to continue reviewing the memorials, but then he remembered something and quickly ordered, "Have someone from the Imperial Medical Academy send a large quantity of necessary medicines to Jin Muchuan's side to be on standby at any time."

"Yes!"

Liu An bowed and went to deliver the order himself.

Only then did the emperor feel at ease approving the memorial that he had just interrupted.

He's been in a bad mood these past two days.

Especially after learning that it was the Japanese who did it, the emperor could hardly wait until autumn and wanted to issue an edict to all the prefectures to execute all the Japanese who were imprisoned immediately.

It's infuriating; the Ministry of Justice will definitely not support it.

But the emperor had already decided to send a mission to punish the guilty.

Since the Japanese monarch and his ministers don't want to do a good job, let's just replace them all.

While the emperor was reviewing memorials and thinking about how to address everyone in court the next day, as well as who would be suitable to be sent as an envoy to Japan, Liu An hurriedly rushed back.

"Your Majesty~"

Liu An's joy was palpable. "Madam Shen is back! She's back on her own. Now she's at the city gate, celebrating her narrow escape from death."

"Good good!"

The emperor's gloom vanished. "Those who survive a great calamity are bound to have good fortune in the future. It is time to add joy and blessings to our lives."

Mrs. Shen seems to be particularly fascinated by this.

When she was giving birth to Xiao Yue'er, she forced everyone in the Rongguo Mansion to give her money.

"Liu An, go and share in her joy on behalf of the Empress and me."

He doesn't need to worry about exchanging hostages anymore.

The emperor was still worried that even if he agreed to the exchange, the Japanese would not spare Lady Shen's life.

Even if she had stayed, Madam Shen's health would have collapsed.

Now that he doesn't have to worry about anything, wouldn't it be even better if he and the Empress also had a happy occasion?
"Yes! I'll go right away."

Liu An laughed, and then had nine baskets of copper coins carried over with great fanfare, accompanied by gongs and drums.

With the Emperor and Empress making this move, even those who were previously not well-informed almost all knew about it in a short time.

Those who had connections with the Jia family quickly ordered someone to bring some copper coins.

After all, how many copper coins could there be in a basket?
And this basket, it can be big or small!

Those with whom you have a good relationship will send money; those without will simply let others watch the spectacle and pick up some coins to take home.

After all, this Madam Shen really did survive a great calamity!
So, Granny Liu and her family collected a lot of money just by picking it up at the city gate. Especially the money given by the Emperor and Empress.

Many of them spend their money in ways that are different from what they usually do.

Grandma Liu picked up everything.

She recognized two types: Five Bats and Big Flower, and Fortune, Prosperity, Longevity and Happiness. The other two, according to Lao Liu, were Longevity, Wealth and Prosperity, and Abundant Wealth and Gold and Jade.

This is the Emperor and Empress, the most honored couple in the land, celebrating the joy of Lady Shen.

Oops!

They not only received good fortune, but also benefited from it.

This kind of joy is the most tangible joy for ordinary people.

Although they couldn't linger at the city gate for too long, seeing a steady stream of people, including wealthy and powerful families, carrying money towards them, they hurried off to inform their relatives and friends.

To prevent stampedes, the Five Cities Garrison Command stipulated that, apart from the donkey cart specially arranged by the Jia family, no one else was allowed to linger for too long.

Shen Ning was worried that Granny Liu and the others wouldn't have enough fun picking things up, so she specially had six small boxes delivered.

Now that she was home, she certainly couldn't keep waiting at the city gate.

The imperial physician chased after her to Ningguo Mansion and took her pulse. Fortunately, apart from the injuries on her face and feet, she was in good health. Although she was slightly tired, she would be fine after a couple of days of rest.

However, Jia Zhen and Rong-ge'er, who rushed back upon hearing the news, appeared to be extremely worried just by looking at their faces. The imperial physician sensed that they might fall ill if they were not in good health.

"Mother~"

Jia Zhen's legs went weak. When he saw his mother, he knelt on the ground and burst into tears, "Waaah, I was so scared!"

If his mother is not well, he certainly won't have time to cry, nor will he dare to cry. But if his mother is fine, he simply can't hold back and releases all the emotions he has been suppressing during this period.

"Please, Physician Liu, examine him and my grandson together in a moment, and prescribe some calming medicine."

When Jia Zhen cried, Shen Ning's eyes also became hot. She patted Rong Ge'er's hand to comfort him silently, "It's alright, it's alright. Grandmother is fine. Grandmother even killed another Japanese soldier, climbed out of the cellar by stepping on his corpse, and hid to watch them run around looking for me like madmen."

Although she was a little worried during this process, she was much more comfortable than the Japanese, with food, drink, and shade.

In this world, comparison is the worst thing.

Because she was better off than those Japanese, apart from the night she was running around and her feet were in a lot of pain, she was really fine.

"Grandma~~"

Rong-ge'er wanted to cry, but his father burst into tears, and he felt it was too embarrassing, so he didn't cry.

He buried his head near Shen Ning's hand, saying, "My grandson is scared too!"

He would rather have been tied up.

He never wanted to experience that feeling of not being able to find something, of worry and despair, of desperately searching while holding his breath, only to become more and more frightened and suffocated the more he searched.

Shen Ning felt a warmth on the back of her hand and knew that Rong Ge'er was also crying. "It's Grandmother's fault. Grandmother will be more careful in the future."

"No, it's my fault, I failed to protect my grandmother."

Although he was out searching, he already knew everything about the Lai family, "It's all that old hag, Granny Lai."

When Rong-ge'er first found out, he was so angry that he wanted to come back and grind that family to dust.

But he didn't have time, and he dared not stop searching for his grandmother.

"Don't be angry, don't be angry, it's all in the past."

Shen Ning was comforting Rong Ge'er when Madam You, seeing her husband's pitiful state, tried to drag him over, but he grabbed one of her legs and continued to wail with his eyes closed.

Fine!

Madam You couldn't bear to look at him, but she also felt sorry for him, so she could only bend down and pat his back to comfort him.

Physician Liu looked at this one, then at that one, and surprisingly let out a sigh.

This family is really having a tough time!

If Madam Shen doesn't come back, half the sky will have fallen over the Ningguo Mansion.

That's what he thought, and that's what he reported back.

After listening to everything, the emperor silently waved his hand.

The child wishes to care for his parents, but they are no longer there!

If his mother were still alive...

"Give Jia Zhen a half-month leave and let him stay home and keep Madam Shen company."

"Yes!"

"Any news from Jin Muchuan? How's the capture of the Japanese going?"

"Three have been apprehended so far."

Liu An hesitated for a moment and said, "One of them said he had four accomplices, another said he had five, and yet another said he had six."

"What did Madam Shen say?"

"Madam Shen said that when she woke up that day, she was in the cellar. She managed to get the Japanese guard to go down and kill him. Then she went up to pick up some food and drink and ran away. Later, she realized that she might not be able to outrun the pursuers, so she chose a big tree with lush branches and leaves and climbed up it."

When Liu An arrived at the city gate to add blessings and joy, Lord Dong also arrived. He followed him up to the city gate tower and heard him asking questions. "Madam Shen said that it was fortunate that she climbed quickly. Sure enough, not long after, Japanese soldiers came chasing after her. Because they couldn't find her, they ran back and forth countless times."

As night fell, they probably found her clothes conspicuous, and since she was barefoot and couldn't run far, they dressed up as ghosts, sometimes crying and sometimes laughing in the woods..."

The emperor was dumbfounded.

He never imagined that he could pretend to be a ghost when looking for someone.

Oh dear, if it were him...

Imagine a cry or a laugh suddenly coming from the woods late at night...

Ugh, just thinking about it gives me goosebumps.

"Isn't Madam Shen afraid?"

"Madam Shen said she was a little scared, but there were still Japanese people looking for her in that forest. She said she was thinking that if it was a ghost from her own family, she might be able to discuss fighting the Japanese together."

Liu An couldn't help but laugh as he said this. "In the end, when she saw the ghost, it was probing in the grass with a stick, trying to scare her. Plus, it had a shadow in the moonlight, so she knew it was a Japanese man pretending to be a ghost to scare her."

Then she listened to ghostly wails and laughter for half the night. Some were far away, some were close by, and there were two people in total, a man and a woman…”

Liu An recounted everything Shen Ning and Dong Xiaoquan had said.

"Madam Shen's foot was badly injured. I heard there were many blisters on it. She had to walk through village after village to get them."

Liu An said, "Lord Dong said that it was only because of her that anyone else would have been arrested long ago. The villages at the foot of the mountain all have dogs."

"...Even someone else shouldn't become a thorn in the side of the Japanese pirates!"

The emperor was deeply moved.

……

In the Rongguo Mansion, Grandmother Jia woke up.

The room was quiet.

"Mandarin ducks~"

"Grandma, you're awake?"

Yuanyang, who was standing at the door, heard the old lady calling and rushed in, happily helping her up. "Grandma, don't worry, everything's alright. The eldest madam of the East Mansion has returned."

came back?
Grandmother Jia grabbed her tightly, "You're really back?"

"Yes!"

Yuanyang nodded vigorously, "Madam, the two aunts, the eldest mistress, and the second mistress have all passed by now."

"Good, good, it's good that you're back."

She was truly restless even in her dreams.

Now that Grandmother Jia was relieved, she asked, "How is she? Has she suffered? Have we called the imperial physician? What did he say?"

"...I heard he's alright!"

Yuanyang hesitated for a moment, but seeing the old lady staring at her, she could only say, "Those who have seen it say that the eldest wife of the East Mansion has a swollen left cheek with a handprint on it, and many blisters on her feet, all of which she got while running for her life."

Jia Mu: "..."

She couldn't help but pat her chest.

“Some villagers brought her back; that family was related to our second grandmother.”

"Yes, yes, yes, we'll treat you well!"

Grandmother Jia was overjoyed. "Open the storeroom and send over more medicinal herbs."