The Overlord of the Red Mansion

Chapter 282 Free Man

On that day, the Crown Prince was sitting on the dragon throne and the two Empress Dowagers were ruling the country from behind the curtain when a palace maid walked into the court.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor has sent the imperial edict to have Empress Shengren and Empress Shenggong read it, and then pass it on to the nine people in the cabinet. After that, they can decide whether to announce it to the world."

After hearing this, Empress Shengren looked at the female official standing in the middle, who was Zhen Yinglian, Jia Rong's trusted maid.

"Submit."

Empress Shengren looked at Zhen Yinglian who was walking up to her. Since she was one of her own, she did not let anyone else present it on her behalf.

Zhen Yinglian walked to the main hall, passed the dragon throne, and entered the single room where the two Empress Dowagers were sitting.

There were curtains hanging all around. Jia Yuanchun, who was in her thirties, and the former queen, who was in her twenties, were sitting on chairs and looking at this side.

Both queens wore white court robes embroidered with golden phoenixes. Their faces were dignified and solemn, without a single strand of hair out of place.

Her posture is upright, her spine is straight, her hands are naturally folded in front of her, and she looks dignified and majestic, matching the phoenix crown and shawl she wears.

Zhen Yinglian handed the letter to Empress Shengren.

This former queen was more suitable to be the queen than Jia Yuanchun, and Jia Rong's previous arrangement was for Empress Shengren to handle foreign affairs.

The prince's biological mother, the Queen of Shenggong, handles the internal affairs of the Shenggong and disciplines the prince.

After receiving the letter, Empress Shengren read it for three or four minutes without saying anything.

Soon, Empress Shengren handed the letter to Empress Shenggong Jia Yuanchun.

After Jia Yuanchun took the letter and read it, she was more and more shocked!
"Adjourn the court. Keep nine people in the cabinet. The rest of you can leave."

Empress Shengren issued an order, and it was mandatory, ignoring Zhen Yinglian's proposal for democratic decision making.

The ministers didn't know what was going on. The emperor's behavior had been obviously strange recently. He was clearly in good health, but he allowed the two empresses to rule the country from behind the scenes, and he let the crown prince take over to handle official business so early.

At this time, many people regretted appointing a crown prince too early.

After the others left, Jia Yuanchun sighed and handed the letter to the eunuch beside her.

"Pass it to the nine ministers of the cabinet. This is the emperor's order."

"According to the order."

The eunuch quickly went down and handed the letter to the Left Prime Minister, who looked panicked when he saw it.

The others also looked at it one after another, and were all speechless.

Soon the letter returned to the prince, and for the first time the prince saw what kind of person his father was.

[When you see this paper, I will have already traveled around the world.

I started learning literature at the age of three, and arithmetic at the age of five, and I was full of interest in mathematics. At the age of eight, I used a compass and a ruler to prove a regular 17-gon by myself. At the age of nine, I began to study gravity after watching rain falling from the sky. At the age of ten, I created calculus by myself and I was full of interest in natural sciences.

I lost my mother at a young age and my father when I was a teenager. The burden of the family forced me to focus on the family business. For this reason, I began to read the articles of saints that I didn't like, just to support the gradually declining Jia family.

The Rongguo Mansion next door wanted to send their daughter to the palace. When I was ten years old, I knew that doing so would only harm everyone, so I tried my best to stop it. Later, it was proved that I was right. Jia Yuanchun would only die if she entered the palace, and the whole family would be implicated.

The heavy housework makes me exhausted. Studying the articles of saints that I don’t like and working with people I don’t like and chatting about careers and economy make me even more exhausted.

My family didn't understand me, and my early marriage forced me to work hard for my small family and the public. Passing the imperial examination saved the Jia family. I still remember that day when everyone was laughing, and I had to laugh with them. After all, I had become the backbone of the Jia family.

During his tenure as an official, his colleagues died one after another. In a single year, more than a hundred friends, known or unknown, died. Many others had their property confiscated and their titles stripped.

While serving as an official outside, he taught himself medicine. Although he was highly regarded by the emperor because of this, he also became busier. He had to be very cautious every day and walk according to his previous steps, not daring to make the slightest mistake.

Serving the emperor outside is like serving a tiger, and at home his family members don't understand him. He became the regent in a daze, and was then elected as the emperor.

If I don't become the emperor, my family will definitely be killed by others, so I have to continue to shoulder the heavy responsibility.

During this period, I also did as much as I could, some small things that were useful to the nation and the country, and benefited future generations.

From the age of ten to thirty, I had no freedom at all.

I have done many things that I don’t like for my family, friends and country.

As long as a woman in the family marries a man, if she is happy in the future it is because she is lucky. If she is unhappy it is because she was blind and was deceived by the heartless man.

Once they get married, they will live a life of luxury, with no worries about food and clothing. They can do whatever they want and act capriciously all day long. They can't even take care of their own children and can only blame me for not caring about them and their children.

Being controlled by parents when I was a child
When you are a little older, you can contribute to your family.
After starting a family, he was burdened by his wife and children.

I have struggled hard for fame over the years and have been trapped in a small place for more than four years. Every day I am like a tiger in a zoo, without freedom and being visited by people in turn.

I'm tired, really tired. I don't know when this day will end. I want to go out and take a look. From now on, I'll leave this country to you.

Signed: A free man
***
"Baozi, buns for sale, freshly baked big buns with meat and vegetables."

"Selling newspapers! The chieftains of Yunnan and Guizhou are in turmoil, and the imperial court is furious!"

Following the shouting of "newspaper for sale", many people soon went to the newsstand to buy newspapers.

Outside the bustling crowd, a man in a white gown passed by curiously.

The man looked to be in his early twenties, with short hair and no beard, looking like the son of a wealthy noble family.

Even wearing a simple and common white cloth gown, it gives people a special and unique feeling.

This person is Jia Rong who ran away from home.

As Jia Rong was walking, he was stopped by two men carrying rifles.

"This gentleman looks unfamiliar, is he not a local?"

The street soldier looked at Jia Rong and felt it necessary to interrogate him.

Jia Rong took out an ID from his pocket and handed it over, saying with a smile, "I'm not from here. This is my ID card."

The street soldier took it, looked at it, and soon showed a strange expression.

The other street soldier also looked at it blankly.

Soon the street soldier shouted to the distance: "Mr. He, please help me see what is written on it?"

The man called Mr. He had just bought a newspaper. After hearing this, he walked over to look at Jia Rong, and then took the ID from the street soldier.

"Huang Yaoshi, 23 years old, native of Taohua Island, Ningbo Province, failed the medical examination to enter Beijing, can take it again after three years, seal of the Imperial Hospital of Beijing."

Jia Rong smiled and said, "I failed the imperial physician examination in Beijing. I will go home and prepare for it. I will take the exam again in a few years. Please give me my pass."

Master He returned the certificate and asked curiously, "Why is Master Huang alone? No followers? No horse either."

Jia Rong put away the documents and said with a smile, "My family is poor."

After hearing this, Master He said quickly, "I just read in the newspaper that the imperial court is planning to send troops to the southwest. It is said that it is easy to gather soldiers and generals, but there are not many doctors willing to go with them. If you don't mind, why don't we join the army together? I will be the general and you will be the military doctor!"

Jia Rong smiled and said, "No, no, I still have to go home. I won't be tricked by you into becoming a military doctor. Goodbye." After saying this, Jia Rong left with his bag on his back.

Mr. He just said it casually, and seeing that Jia Rong was not easy to talk to, he ignored him.

Jia Rong didn't need to worry about making a living, so this time he brought one hundred taels of silver, which was enough for his travel expenses.

Even if it’s not enough, you can still steal or rob!
Just when Jia Rong was thinking about going to Jiangnan, Jiangdong or Jiangxi, hundreds of people quickly ran over from the front.

The leading group of men had extremely happy expressions on their faces.

"Run! The bride is being kidnapped!"

Jia Rong looked puzzled. Why are you so happy about stealing the bride?

Jia Rong thought there was a beautiful wife behind him, so he looked back, but apart from some passers-by and vendors, he didn't see any beautiful girls.

What are you robbing? Your mother?

Jia Rong frowned as he looked at the man running towards him.

At this time, an old man writing nearby shouted to Jia Rong:

"Young man, come here quickly, these people are trying to steal men, are you married?"

Jia Rong was even more puzzled, but he still walked over.

"There are already several children, why are they fighting for marriage?"

At this time, the hundreds of people had already run out from the road. When Jia Rong was asking questions, he also saw several women on horseback chasing after them.

The old man quickly warned, "Stop looking at them, or you'll be caught."

Jia Rong quickly turned his back to the street and walked towards the old man to look at the calligraphy and paintings he was selling.

Soon a female knight came behind Jia Rong and looked up and down at his butt and head.

"Hey, turn around."

Jia Rong turned around and saw the young lady riding on the horse.

She was probably about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a forehead protector on her head, her long hair tied into a braid and hanging behind her, a horse whip in her hand, and leather pants that tightly wrapped her legs. She looked somewhat masculine, but obviously feminine, with a heroic air.

The woman also saw Jia Rong, and when she saw him, she immediately opened her mouth and wanted to say something.

After a second or two, the woman asked, "Sir, are you married?"

"I have several children." Jia Rong also talked about his marriage situation, and added: "I have both wives and concubines."

The woman showed a disappointed expression, "No wonder, men should get married when they are old enough, and women should get married when they are old enough."

While the woman was speaking, several maids and nannies came running up from behind.

"Miss! You are finally willing to wait for us!" the maid shouted breathlessly.

The young lady looked at Jia Rong and said with a smile, "Excuse me, sir. Nowadays, the court values martial arts. Jizhou Prefecture has no shortage of money and rice, but it lacks some brave men. So in the past two years, I don't know who took the lead in organizing martial arts competitions to recruit husbands. The wealthy families in the city all want to find a man who knows martial arts."

"I see that you have a handsome appearance, so you should be a scholar, right?"

Jia Rong said casually, "I'm studying medicine."

"Ah?" The lady on the horse looked at Jia Rong in surprise, "Studying medicine?"

Jia Rong didn't seem to be in a hurry. "Yes, I failed the imperial physician examination in Beijing. I plan to go home and take the exam again in a few years."

The young lady quickly got off the horse and asked curiously, "This is the first time I've seen a young man who studies medicine. He looks very handsome and dignified. Why is he here alone? And not riding a horse?"

"My family is poor." Jia Rong felt that he should buy a horse, otherwise he would always be asked.

The maid laughed and said, "Miss, don't be fooled. Recently, girls in many places are fooled by men passing by. You said you are a doctor, so let me ask you, what kind of medicine is used to treat typhoid fever? Don't lie to me, I just drank it a few days ago!"

Jia Rong smiled and said, "Half a pound of bupleurum, three ounces of ginseng, half a liter of pinellia, three ounces of liquorice, three ounces of ginger, twelve jujubes, and three ounces of scutellaria."

The maid showed a surprised expression, "You really guessed it right, are you really a doctor?"

Jia Rong smiled and said, "He should be a doctor. He can only be a doctor if he has an official position. Why is he trying to rob a bride here?"

The young lady was too embarrassed to speak, but the maid started talking incessantly.

"Isn't it because there are too few good men? Those young men in the city nowadays are useless. They look like they are not good at literature or martial arts, and their brains are full of idiots!"

"Our Jizhou Prefecture is a big place. Young Master, you are tall and good-looking. Are you married? Our young lady's family is very rich, and she is also very beautiful!"

Jia Rong smiled and said, "I'm married now, I have many concubines, and I have many sons and daughters. I have things to do, so I'll take my leave."

The young lady asked, "Sir, wait a minute. I see that you are handsome and talk naturally. I can tell at a glance that you are not an ordinary person. May I know your name?"

Jia Rong was dressed in ordinary clothes, but he was neither humble nor arrogant when speaking to others. It was obvious that he was not someone that could be raised in an ordinary family.

Especially because of his height, which was much taller than many men around him. He also looked like someone who had practiced martial arts, with a solid and strong body.

Another thing is that they have good looks and outstanding temperament, and it is very easy for such people to get ahead.

The young lady planned to give horses and silver as gifts to make them stronger.

Jia Rong took out his ID and handed it over.

The young lady took it and looked at it, and the little girl next to her also leaned over to look at it together.

Soon the girl asked curiously, "So it's Mr. Huang. You didn't pass the exam? Did you fail because you remembered the prescription wrong?"

Jia Rong explained: "There is no problem with my medical skills. I was told to take the exam again in three years, but in fact I will definitely not pass it in three years."

The lady asked curiously, "Why?"

Jia Rong replied, "My name is the same as the emperor's, which is a taboo. Although the emperor does not mind people with the same name and surname, and has not required people with the same name and surname to change their names since he ascended the throne, the officials below will still eliminate me to avoid trouble. In this case, I will never be an official in my life."

After hearing this, the master and servant suddenly realized, "So that's it..."

Jia Rong smiled and said, "Goodbye."

The young lady nodded, "Take care, young master!"

Jia Rong left with a smile.

The master and servant also went out to continue participating in activities and meet promising men at the academy.

Because the court had a strong martial spirit, and the emperor bought official titles for many women and allowed widows to move around freely, many women began to show their faces in public.

Not long after, Jia Rong stole a horse with the smell of rouge and rode on his journey to freedom.

(End of this chapter)