The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 70 Assassination
The afterglow of the setting sun spilled across the earth, as if the houses, trees, streets, and pedestrians were draped in a warm orange veil. The guests staying on the third floor of the Liansheng Inn couldn't help but smile as they looked at all this.

The sunset is infinitely good, but it is only near dusk!
Li Shangyin's poem "Climbing Leyouyuan" is truly wonderful!
The once mighty Ningguo Mansion is now like the setting sun, about to disappear into the distance.

haha~
hahaha~~~
It turns out that even the noble families of the capital are nothing special.

If they had known this would happen, they wouldn't have been afraid of anything.

The man was about to pour himself a drink to celebrate when he heard many hurried and orderly footsteps, and soon the door opened.

He put down the wine jug and was about to open the door when it was suddenly kicked open. "The Five Cities Military Command is handling a case. All bystanders, please step aside." The squad leader in charge came out and smiled at the man. "Li Haizhong, you've committed a crime."

Li Haizhong was shocked. "M-Sir, is there a mistake? I've only been in the capital a few days visiting a friend. What could I possibly have done?"

This time when he went to the capital, he didn't even go to brothels. He honestly paid his money and waited for news. How did he get into trouble?

Even if something happens, it has nothing to do with him!
He only had brief contact with Chen Chong and gave him some silver.

Chen Chong was a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Works. Even if the government wanted to arrest him, they would need sufficient evidence.

But the people he sent to keep an eye on Chen Chong reported back at noon that everything was normal.

The same applies to Ningguo Prefecture.

How come everyone else is normal, but things have gotten to him?
"Haha~"

The squad leader gave a forced smile. "Whether you've committed a crime or not, you know perfectly well, I know perfectly well." He suddenly waved his hand. "Take him down!"

"Slowly!"

Li Haizhong hurriedly pulled out several silver notes from his pocket. "Sir, I am truly innocent. Please show me the way."

"Show me the way?"

The squad leader looked at the silver note stuffed into his hand, then turned to Lin Zhixiao, who was walking slowly up, and said, "Steward Lin, how about... we talk about it?"

"Whether or not to tell is an adult's business."

Lin Zhixiao cupped his hands in greeting and surveyed the room. “I was just here on behalf of my master to see who dares to scheme against the Jia family like this. Now that you see it, you understand.”

Is it really the Jia family?

Li Haizhong's legs went weak, and he almost knelt down on the spot.

"heard it?"

The squad leader laughed, "Li Haizhong, you've really gotten yourself into big trouble for the Li family."

He stuffed the silver notes into his pocket, waved his hand, and said sternly, "Search them. From now on, everything in room A is evidence. Take it away."

The fierce-looking yamen runners rushed forward and quickly pinned Li Haizhong to the ground. Lin Zhixiao stepped forward and said, "Jiangnan is so big, isn't it enough for you to cause trouble?"

"..."

Li Haizhong stared at the boots that seemed ready to step on him at any moment, his lips trembling, his eyes filled with terror.

If he wanted to deal with the Jia family, he naturally inquired about everyone in the Jia family.

Lin Zhixiao is the chief steward of the Rongguo Mansion.

Ah, he was wrong. The Ning and Rong mansions are one entity. He should have kept a close eye on the people in both mansions.

"Dare to go to the capital?" Lin Zhixiao leaned down and whispered, "The Li family... just wait to have their property confiscated and their clan exterminated!"

He's been feeling incredibly frustrated lately.

Now it's all good, I finally don't have to be scolded by the master anymore.

Lin Zhixiao flicked his sleeves, turned around, and went downstairs.

From afar, Anwu, who was also watching this side, was quite satisfied.

The emperor was short of money, and the Li family just happened to come along.

I never expected that this matter would be related to Jiangnan.

Fortunately, they followed the Jia family closely in their actions; otherwise, they might have suspected that the Jia family was too arrogant and lawless to dare to kill people in the street.

it's good now.

Anwu secretly sized up Lin Zhixiao.

I thought it would be Jia Zhen's men who would discover this place first, but I didn't expect it to be Jia She's men.

Does Jia She, that muddle-headed guy who only stays at home, plays with his concubines, and collects antiques, have another side to him?
He stroked his chin, still trying to figure it out, when he heard a horse's mournful neighing in the distance, followed by a loud thud. If nothing unexpected happened, the carriage must have crashed.

hum~
Live it!

What place in Beijing?
How can you charge around like that?
If we had been a little slower, nothing would have happened.

Anwu ignored what was happening there; he had to protect Li Haizhong for the Emperor. Protecting Li Haizhong meant protecting the Emperor's money.

Lin Zhixiao didn't care. After mounting his horse, he led two servants steadily towards Ning and Rong Streets.

At that moment, no one knew that Jia Zhen, who was only a few streets away, was facing a life-or-death situation.

His horse and carriage are now inspected several times a day. Who would have thought that with such careful attention, something would still happen?

"Quick! Take down that man!"

The guards who followed Jia Zhen hated him to no end.

The child suddenly rushed over. They had already made way for him, and some of the brothers were ready to reach out and pick him up, when a man rushed over as if he wanted to save him.

If you're going to save someone, you could just jump to the left with the child in your arms or roll over. But this person actually swung a big stick and smashed it into the horse's head.

Xing'er tried his best to control the horse, but the horse was already trotting. Although it was pulled when it was trying to avoid the child, the impact caused it to run wildly for several steps in pain, crashing straight into the rice shop's gate before the carriage crashed to the ground.

The incident happened so suddenly that the guards' first reaction was to avoid and save the child. No one expected this series of unexpected events. Even more unexpectedly, the child pulled out a dagger from his pocket with unimaginable speed and rushed towards the carriage.

hiss~
In an instant, everyone guessed who he might be.

Grandpa Jiao has been talking about those famous assassins in the underworld every day lately, describing the characteristics of each of them. This person... is clearly Xie Zhenghu, the dwarf assassin!
bang~
The two guards, ignoring the fact that Xing'er had already fainted, kicked the carriage together without thinking. As long as Xie Zhenghu didn't rush in, their master would be safe.

At the same time, two other guards also leaped forward, blocking Xie Zhenghu's path.

This man had committed numerous murders in Ping'an Prefecture. The government offered a reward of five hundred taels of silver, and some of the victims' families even pooled together three thousand taels of silver to offer him a reward.

However, the guards' overconfident skills were nothing compared to Xie Zhenghu's superior martial arts.

Before the two men could even get close, Xie Zhenghu nimbly slipped between one of their legs and rushed into the carriage.

Jia Zhen knew something was wrong. Although he was dazed and confused from the fall, he kicked the pillows and grabbed them to protect himself the moment Jia Zhen rushed in.

"Ah~, help me."

A scream rang out. He didn't know if his kick had hit Xie Zhenghu, but he did feel the dagger pierce into him.

Jia Zhen was so frightened that he was about to cry.

But he didn't have time to waste. Just as the other person jumped up with a dagger and was about to stab him again, he desperately used the cushion to protect himself.

After a muffled 'hiss,' Jia Zhen cried out in pain again.

Fortunately, the guards protecting him also rushed in.

However, the cramped space was too advantageous for Xie Zhenghu, and in just a few breaths, they were all injured.

The old man's screams and his brothers' screams were heart-wrenching. The guards who had just kicked the carriage didn't care about anything else. The two of them worked together with all their might, pulling on the broken tenon and mortise, and quickly lifted one side of the carriage.

Knowing that things were hopeless, Xie Zhenghu made a feint, gave a whistle, and rushed out first.

"Uncle~"

"Grandpa~~"

The situation on the carriage side also distracted the guards who were intercepting the big man. Compared to catching the murderer, their master's life was of course more important. Jiao Da had said long ago that in this kind of situation, the first priority was to save their master's life.

Ignoring the burly man who also wanted to escape, the two rushed toward the carriage.

At this moment, Jia Zhen was as pitiful as could be. His legs were bleeding from several places, and the pillow protecting his upper body was riddled with holes. Fortunately, Xie Zhenghu's dagger was shorter than a normal dagger, otherwise he might have been dead long ago.

But this was still quite frightening; his chest and abdomen had several bloody marks from being stabbed.
The blood had gradually stained the front of his clothes red.

"Quick, send to the hospital."

Jia Zhen had too many wounds. The guards quickly bandaged the largest bleeding point on his leg, then pulled over the door panel of the rice shop, put him on it, and each grabbed a corner before rushing towards Huichun Hall.

The rice shop owner was terrified. He looked at Xing'er, who had fainted in front of his door, and then at the two guards who were also covered in injuries. He asked tremblingly, "Gentlemen, shall we go to the clinic?"

……

Upon hearing that Shen Ning was about to give birth, Grandmother Jia couldn't help but sigh.

This child may be destined for misfortune. Otherwise, how could the Jia family have been peaceful for so many years, and she caused so much trouble as soon as she arrived?
"Let's wait a bit!"

When her elderly niece-in-law was about to give birth, her aunt should have gone to oversee things. However, Grandmother Jia felt uneasy about it and didn't want to go for the time being, saying, "From the onset of labor to delivery, it will take several hours."

She's too old to handle it.

"By the way, has the matter of the deaths in the Chen and Wang families outside been investigated?"

She actually believed that Jia Zhen did it.

That child was only raised under strict discipline; otherwise, he really would have been able to climb onto the roof and tear off the tiles.

Now that he's grown up and inherited the title, when he gets angry, he can easily overturn a whole group, can't he?

"What did She'er say?"

Grandmother Jia looked at Madam Xing.

From that day on, her eldest son would come to pay his respects before she got out of bed every time. When he wanted to see Yingchun, he would take her home and never even acknowledge her.

I heard about the deaths in the Chen and Wang families from the Wang family.

The second son only found out after investigating that Jia Zhen had caused a huge mess outside.

With Jing'er not home, it seems Madam Shen has failed to properly discipline her son.

"The master has already sent people to investigate."

Xing looked helpless. "But since they've targeted our Jia family, it won't be easy to investigate."

Jia She never told her about the outside world in detail, so Xing Shi could only keep putting it off day by day in order to appease her mother-in-law.

"Go back now and tell them what I said," Grandmother Jia said sternly. "This matter needs to be handled quickly, or it will implicate our family."

"Yes!"

Xing curtsied and obediently left Jia Mu's courtyard, but before she could finish, Jia She strode over and said, "The eldest sister-in-law of the East Mansion is about to give birth. Go and see her."

He's a man, so it's not appropriate for him to go, but his wife can. "Let's invite Lian'er's wife too."

Especially in times like these, the two families need to work together more closely.

"If there's anything you need to do, just take the initiative."

"Yes!"

There was nothing Xing couldn't agree to, "The old lady just asked..."

Just as she was about to say what Grandmother Jia had said, a servant came running from afar. Seeing his joyful expression, Jia She felt relieved.

"Master, Steward Lin is back. He says the person behind this has been found."

"here you go."

Jia She was overjoyed. "Tell Lin Zhixiao that we'll go to the East Mansion together to share the good news."

Jia Zhen must be extremely anxious these past two days.

He looked at Xing Shi and said, "What are you all standing there for? Let's go."

When the couple went to the East Mansion together, they were unaware that the outer courtyard of the East Mansion was already in chaos.

Upon hearing the servant's urgent report that Jia Zhen had been attacked, but fortunately not seriously injured, Jiao Da finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Nobody in this world is a fool.

If you want others to believe you're truly miserable, then you have to be genuine in some situations.

Therefore, they themselves cannot do things that harm the old man.

Fortunately, the Jia family had been in charge of the Beijing Garrison for many years and had offended countless people.

Jiao Da used the name of a servant to act as an inside man for someone else.

He was also uneasy about doing this.

What if the guards can't treat him in time and he really gets hurt?
Because of this, he has been working tirelessly to train everyone's adaptability these past few days.

now……

Jiao Da plopped down on the ground, pressed his chest, caught his breath, and said urgently, "Quick! Quickly, bring Rong-ge'er back."

The lady said that since the master had fallen ill, the inner courtyard would be handed over to the eldest mistress, and the outer courtyard to Rong-ge'er. They would do whatever he asked them to do.

In short, from now on, they will be under Rong-ge'er's command. If he continues to act like a child and insists on waiting for her to give birth in the inner courtyard, then the matter of the master's attack will be left to the government to investigate. They just need to guard the gates of Ningguo Mansion.

Having just escaped the danger to his grandfather's life, Jiao Da is now worried about his son's choices.

At this time, it was also the time when Rong-ge'er was released from school. He was thinking of his grandmother, so he returned home without delay as soon as school was over.

“Rong-ge’er, you’re back just in time. Madam has gone into labor, and Master was attacked on his way to fetch Manager Chen. He’s currently being treated at Huichuntang.”

what?
Jia Rong's expression changed drastically. "Are Midwife Zhong and Midwife Liu with Grandmother? How is Father now? Has anyone reported it to the authorities?"

“Midwife Liu and Midwife Zhong are ready at Madam’s place, and the eldest mistress is there as well.”

Jiao Da said anxiously, "We just received the news from the old man. We only know that he was not seriously injured and his life is not in danger for the time being."

That's good.

Jia Rong glanced in the direction of the inner courtyard. "Don't tell Grandmother and Mother about Father's matter for now. Grandpa Jiao, bring some people and come with me to Huichun Hall."

"Yes!"

Jiao Da's reply of "Yes" was incredibly loud.

The old man is no good, but his son Rong is very much in line with his great-grandfather's style.

With a wave of his hand, the old man roused the panicked and bewildered guards and servants into action.

At the same time, news of Jia Zhen's attack and his blood-soaked state spread at lightning speed.

All the families who heard this immediately strengthened their own security.

But what about the Jia family...?

Who did it?
The cause of Wang Ziteng's runaway horse has not been identified. Although some people have guessed who it was, there is no evidence, and they are most likely wrong.

Now, Jia Zhen has been assassinated in the street...

Who has so much free time?

Or is it... that you want to create chaos in the capital?