The Overlord of the Red Mansion

Jia Rong has been in a much better mood recently and is particularly happy.

"No, everyone else is unhappy and sad these days, isn't it a bit bad for me to be so happy?"

Jia Rong held back his laughter and pretended to look sad.

The more this happens, the happier I am.

When you really laugh out loud, you lack that sense of joy and accomplishment.

Jia Rong quickly called all the women from the Third Division Case over, and made them stand on the playground of the Technical College in the hot weather. Those over the age of eighteen were not allowed to wear clothes.

Those under the age of eighteen are required to wear two thin underwear.

You are not allowed to wear hair accessories, earrings or other metal objects on your head, and your body must be checked.

Zeng Wan'er stood naked under the scorching sun in May, stepping on the sand shipped from Hainan and watching the women lining up to be examined.

"Kneel down! The emperor will come out to question us soon. This time there is another devil committing crimes outside. If we go out, we will definitely be tortured and beaten to death. We can only survive in the Holy Palace! Don't be ungrateful!"

"Open your legs! If anyone acts coyly and thinks he is a lady from a wealthy family, I will beat the slave to death, so that he won't bring trouble to all of us!"

"Your Majesty has been very kind to us. Not only did he save our lives and give us a place to stay, he also protected us when everyone in the world wanted to kill us. Not only did your child survive in His Majesty's hands, but he also managed to send him to school!"

"You must be grateful! You must protect His Majesty with your life! If someone does something unkind to His Majesty, we must be the first to stand up and protect Him with our bodies! Not to mention this body and this life! Even if you are asked to kill your mother and children, you must not hesitate for a moment. Our lives now belong to His Majesty! We are His Majesty's dogs!"

Zeng Wan'er had been promoted by Jia Rong from a girl in the Inner Teaching House to the leader of the Palace Slave Song and Dance Troupe.

The only person she can rely on now is the Holy Emperor Jia Rong. No matter who else becomes the emperor, she will die.

"You must remember! The emperor is dead! We must die! We must all be buried alive with him! No one can tolerate us! Only the emperor is willing to be our master!! We are slaves that no one wants. We don't even have the chance to go to a brothel. If we go out, we will be cut into pieces! Lingchi death!"

"I'm letting you work in the Jiaofang Bureau and the Song and Dance Troupe to protect you! Don't be ungrateful!"

What Zeng Wan'er said was not to scare people, it was the truth.

Nowadays, the imperial court will never give these women the opportunity to become prostitutes, and will not let go of any direct relatives of the Three Masters case.

No matter whether they are important or not, all the civil and military officials in the court now want to kill them all!
Even if Jia Rong's son became emperor, these women would still die.

Not only were many people from the old royal family killed by the main culprit in the Three Masters Case, but many people from the new royal family, the Jia family, were also killed.

The relatives of the imperial concubines and the grandfathers of the princes also died at the hands of the assassin.

Except for Jia Rong who was able to let go of his hatred, go against the majority and rely on his strong personal prestige to protect hundreds of them, the rest wanted them dead out of fear.

If the prince ascends the throne, even if Jia Yuanchun and others have no hatred, they will not keep these lowly slaves with sinful blood out of fear.

What drove all the civil and military officials in the court to kill these people was fear, rather than hatred.

If it is hatred, you can treat her as a sex slave and slowly resolve the hatred.

But fear is different.

Driven by fear, they would simply be burned alive or tortured to death. No matter how beautiful they were, they would inevitably die in front of a group of fearful people in power.

Zeng Wan'er is not the only one who understands her own situation, many other people also understand this truth.

Life was not easy before, and after that man named Zuo Luo claimed to be the Third Master and appeared in the sky, the pressure on them, the granddaughters, daughters-in-law, great-granddaughters and others of the Third Master's family, became even greater.

The women quickly knelt on the sand, and female guards with spears and swords were watching them vigilantly.

The female guards of the Holy Palace came not only from families with military merit in the capital, but also from the Jia family and some craftsmen's families.

Many of these people were direct victims. Their fathers or elder brothers died a few years ago, and they naturally had a strong hatred for these women they had never met.

Zeng Wan'er looked at the women kneeling on the ground with their legs spread out, and personally checked each row of the queue.

"Put your hands on both sides of your body. Do not make fists, but open your five fingers. Lift your head. Do not face His Majesty directly when kneeling. You should lean a little, but not too much. Look a little to the right of His Majesty, and do not look directly at Him!"

"Everyone, be careful! We are all slaves of the emperor now, and we must fulfill our duties as slaves! Yesterday, Feifei's son was beaten to death on the way to school. The emperor caught the murderer and sent guards to protect the sons and daughters of you slaves! Otherwise, you will be torn into pieces by five horses and cut into pieces if you go out!"

Zeng Wan'er was also afraid. Now she could only rely on Jia Rong to survive and avoid the hard life she had before.

"The Holy One has arrived!"

After hearing this, Zeng Wan'er hurriedly walked to the front and knelt on the sand.

Jia Rong quickly came over and sat down, looking at the four or five hundred women in front of him under the parasol.

At first glance, some of them look good, some are average, and some are a bit old, almost forty years old.

Most of the people are young, especially those in their teens.

"How long have you been here?" Jia Rong asked casually.

Zeng Wan'er quickly replied, "Your Majesty, we have been here for more than an hour."

Jia Rong looked at the light at about eleven o'clock and said, "Then I will make it short. You were all in the Holy Palace on the day when the Zuo Luo case happened. It is naturally none of your business. Besides, the boys were all children under seven years old. It is impossible for them to commit the crime."

"Someone attacked a child yesterday. I have already arrested the person and put him in jail. Now people inside and outside the capital are in a panic. You should not have too much contact with other palace maids in the palace on weekdays to avoid any trouble."

"I have already taken care of the children's schooling. There won't be any more accidents. You can rest assured."

Zeng Wan'er cried out, "Thank you, Your Majesty! Your Majesty's great kindness and virtue, I will never forget it!"

The other women followed suit and shouted, "Long live the emperor!"

Jia Rong smiled and said, "Just do your duty well. I am free tonight and will watch your singing and dancing performance. I am not afraid of anything. I will do my best to fulfill my promise to you. But you must also serve me wholeheartedly and be loyal to me without any complaints or excuses."

Zeng Wan'er said quickly: "Don't worry, Your Majesty! Even if Your Majesty wants me to die now, I won't hesitate for a moment. This life of mine was given by Your Majesty! You can use me however you want!"

Jia Rong said calmly, "I am not only protecting you, but also them. Get up, it's too hot, go take a shower. I have prepared some popsicles and ice cream as compensation for yesterday's accident. I have arranged an easy job for the mother of that child. She will help with things in the library. You can go see her when you are free."

Everyone said in unison: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Jia Rong left quickly without wasting any more time here.

After Jia Rong left, the group of women were treated like criminals and were supervised by armed guards as they returned to the palace slave building where they were housed.

The Palace Slave Building was worse than a prison, with four to five hundred people living in one building, and each person's residence was less than 1.8 meters long, 1.5 meters wide, and 1.7 meters high.

There were only bedding, no other clothes or jewelry, and no toilet or anything like that.

I sleep here every day, and it is only separated from the next door and the upper and lower rooms by a 30-centimeter-thick concrete wall.

Meals are delivered by special people, and the toilet is in the public toilet.

A squat toilet is a large room with more than 20 pits arranged in a circle. There are no partitions between them, and people can see each other's bodies when they face each other.

There are also special indoor shower rooms and outdoor faucets for washing face and taking a bath.

The group of people quickly returned to their own rooms, and Lily was one of them.

Lily is 25 years old and has an eight-year-old daughter, Feifei.

Her name definitely wasn’t Lily before, but after the Third Teacher case broke out, no one dared to use their original surname.

Even some people in the capital who had the same surname as those three were frightened and changed their ancestral surnames for fear of being implicated.

Almost all the villages with the same surname as the three people's hometowns were razed to the ground.

As long as they are involved in this case, the whole family is in danger.

Lily and her daughter returned to the room on the first floor, where there were hundreds of beds, all facing inwards.

The lighting depends on glass windows, but due to the layers of glass, the lighting is not good on cloudy days.

It's still okay in the summer, you can see clearly without candles.

Feifei quickly took off her shoes and sat on the bed, saying happily: "Mom, I saw the emperor!"

Lily put her arms around her only daughter, a happy smile on her face.

"You were delivered by His Majesty. His Majesty took you out of your mother's body with his own hands."

Feifei smiled and said, "I know! Mom, you've said it hundreds of times, maybe a thousand times!"

Lily smiled. When she was still a lady from a noble family, she went to the Kyoto Women's Academy and met Jia Rong, who was not a prince at that time.

Fortunately, my daughter was born there, so she was let off after the incident and did not have to do heavy work even in the Jiaofangsi.

Now the mother and daughter, as well as the female relatives in the family, are also blessed.

Although her husband and father are dead, they have survived all these years. They committed crimes that deserved the death penalty, and they, the women, were the ones who were implicated.

Fortunately, the Holy Emperor showed mercy and gave them a chance to atone their sins.

"Ice cream is out! Be careful when eating! Don't get your clothes and quilt dirty!"

Soon someone came over with a cart and took out sugar-sweetened banana-shaped milk ice cream from under the quilt boxes.

The banana shape must have been designed by Jia Rong.

Lily and Feifei got the ice cream quickly. It was a happy thing to eat the icy and sweet ice cream on such a hot day.

The mother and daughter licked the ice cream quickly and quietly. The temperature in the room was relatively high, and they had to eat up the melted ice water as soon as possible before the ice cream melted.

In less than ten minutes, the ice cream was finished.

I felt even hotter after eating...

At this time, a woman walked in from outside.

"Everyone, get out! Check the dormitories! The emperor has ordered that the quilts should be replaced with mats due to the recent hot weather! Only two thin blankets are needed for each person!"

The ladies quickly went downstairs and knelt down together, "Thank you, Your Majesty! Long live the emperor!"

There are special people in charge of changing the bed sheets, and they are also responsible for regular inspections of the dormitories. Not only the palace slaves need to be inspected, but also the Queen's.

Concubines in the harem are also prohibited from carrying guns and privately possessing certain dangerous items and medicines.

Jia Rong treats all women equally, with closed management and piece-rate wages, plus a guaranteed minimum wage.

Feifei, Lily and the others quickly went to the upstairs hall, where they usually practiced singing and dancing and their skills in serving the Holy Lord.

After arriving at the place, everyone went to rehearse and practice according to the arrangements. Feifei took Lily into a room.

There was a woman in the room drinking tea. She nodded when she saw someone come in.

Lily quickly said politely, "Sister Wu."

Feifei also shouted respectfully: "Teacher Wu!"

Teacher Wu had a very casual attitude and was used to seeing women wearing simple clothes.

This is the kind of place that this is. She is also a scapegoat, but she is only slightly better than those people involved in the Three Masters Case.

"Sit down, class is about to start."

Lily asked Feifei to come in and sit down and get ready for class. She glanced at the dozen or so girls who were already seated and talking happily, then smiled and left.

The sons of the palace slaves all went to school outside and usually lived outside, while their daughters studied in the palace and usually lived and ate together.

Apart from serving Jia Rong, she had to be separated from her daughters during rehearsals.

The women studied in the hall outside the classroom, and the daughters studied in the classroom. Both sides were much more obedient because of this concern.

Feifei grew up in the Jiaofangsi. In the past two years, when she was a little older, she followed her mother into the dance hall. She doesn't have to do any hard work or get scolded every day, and she has classmates to play with.

The food is better than before. Although I can't eat banana ice cream every day, I have enough steamed buns and rice to fill myself up. There are also four or five kinds of vegetables, as well as meat, eggs and milk.

Every time my mother and sisters came back from serving the emperor, the palace slaves in the dance hall would be given meat and desserts.

Teacher Wu quickly began the class and said slowly, "You have met His Majesty today and have felt His Majesty's magnanimity. Your father, grandfather, and grandpa have committed heinous crimes that are unforgivable!"

"My father is the same. He is not my father. The Holy Lord is our father-like existence!"

"There are still remnants of the Third Division out there who are killing people without mercy. Your loved ones have also died because of them!"

"Whoever is the Yu Du should die! If you find that your sister, mother, or grandmother is the Yu Du, you must report them! Only in this way can you live up to His Majesty's generosity!"

A group of children listened to their teacher's words, determined to be irreconcilable with the remaining poison, and swore to be loyal to the emperor until death!
There was nothing wrong with the teaching content. Whether it was the parents outside or the high-ranking officials in the court, even the moralists and Confucian scholars, and the concubines in the harem all thought it was right.

The remnants of the Three Masters case do not deserve any mercy! They are all a bunch of beasts with human faces and beastly hearts!

Lily has studied dancing for several years and is also very good at singing.

Most of the time every day I mainly exercise to keep in shape, which is not very difficult.

After rehearsing for an hour, everyone sat down to rest.

Lily's sister, Xiaoshuang, came closer.

"Sister, I heard that the emperor's summer resort in Chengde is about to be completed. Will we go there when the time comes?"

After hearing this, Lily smiled and said, "We must listen to His Majesty. It's useless for us to speculate here."

Xiaoshuang wiped the sweat from her forehead and fanned her neck with a fan to cool her body and face.

"It's getting hot again recently. I don't want to wear clothes, but I'm afraid my breasts will sag."

Xiao Shuang touched her bra herself. This kind of superficial behavior would definitely have earned her a reprimand in the past.

Things are different now. The two sisters and their stepmother have to perform various suggestive dances for Jia Rong and work hard to learn serving skills.

If she could get pregnant, she would naturally not have to suffer anymore. Everyone knew that Jia Rong was very good to his servants. Even maids and palace maids would be taken good care of if they became pregnant.

The palace slaves' dream was to give birth to a son for Jia Rong.

The person everyone considered the most was Qingwen.

Qingwen was a servant of a servant and had served three masters. If such a lowly servant could become an empress, then the others could certainly do it too.

Lily touched her belly and saw a pink tattoo on her abdomen.

All of them have two tattoos, one light and one dark.

Tattoos in visible areas cannot be covered up, but tattoos in hidden areas can be covered up.

In addition to the tattoo on her abdomen, Lily also has a rose tattoo on her chest, so she can't wear too much clothing even in winter.

Xiaoshuang has tattoos on her butt and the back of her hands.

Children under the age of sixteen were just dealt with casually. A straight line was drawn on Feifei's toes with a brush and a plum blossom was dotted on her forehead with a seal. Because it was easy to wash off when taking a bath, she had to stamp it again in the classroom every morning.

The same is true for the other children, now they will be deformed after getting tattoos. The merciful Holy Emperor is very easy to talk to in many places.

After a good rest, everyone started training again.

Jia Rong met with the family members and wives of those who had been executed for corruption in Baicao Palace.

There is no shortage of women in the Holy Palace, so only beautiful and docile ones are kept. Those with bad personalities and who insist on bullying others will be dealt with according to normal rules.

Compared to those women who were dealt with according to normal rules, being able to serve Jia Rong in the Holy Palace is definitely a good job.

After meeting with the wives of corrupt officials, Jia Rong met with the daughter of a meritorious official in the afternoon.

In fact, they are all about the same. The Minister of Revenue is also quite corrupt.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you! Long live the Majesty!"

The Minister of Revenue's wife, Niu, brought her two beautiful daughters to the palace to meet the emperor.

There are more than two daughters in their family, but only two of them are beautiful.

Jia Rong said casually, "Please sit down."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Niu stood up quickly, and her two daughters stood nervously behind her.

Jia Rong said, "I have counted your family's property and found that the total value of all the property is tens of millions, including the land, real estate, and shops of your ancestors in the capital and Jizhou, and several of your relatives, all of whom have assets worth millions."

Niu was shocked, her face turned pale, and she quickly stood up from the chair and knelt down.

"Your Majesty, please spare me! I was not aware of this, it was all done by the master. I really don't know about this! Your Majesty, please spare me!"

Niu's body was shaking. She had heard about the fate of those corrupt officials.

Anyone who embezzles more than one million will be put to death, regardless of gender, and their stomachs will be cut open and their bodies will not be intact!

The two daughters also knelt on the ground, their faces pale with fear.

Jia Rong casually said, "That Zuo Luo wants to enforce justice on behalf of heaven. I originally intended to use your family as an example of honest officials, but after checking, I found that you are just as corrupt as the others."

"But death is the greatest thing. Your master has also made contributions to me and has done a lot for me over the years. I can't bear to let him be insulted after his death."

"I will not pursue this matter. It has nothing to do with you. The money your master embezzled should be handed over. The positions and benefits of the rest of your family will remain unchanged, including your title of Consort of Imperial Concubine."

"When you return, sort out all the proceeds from corruption and illegal gains. In short, hand everything over to me."

"Your master has worked for me for eight years, and I will leave you his salary for eighty years to support you and your daughter. In the future, your children will be given extra points for being meritorious officials or entering the palace. Don't be ungrateful and try to scheme with this kind of relationship for the rest of your life, which will hurt both you and others."

Niu said quickly: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Jia Rong looked at the two ladies kneeling on the ground. He had seen too many beauties today and felt a little aesthetically fatigued. He thought they were very ordinary.

"Go to the Queen and pay your respects. Don't tell anyone about this. I won't tell anyone about this either. Protect the reputation of your master and father. This will make your life easier in the future."

The three of them knew that their master was a corrupt official. When they heard that the Holy Emperor had pardoned their entire family, they quickly kowtowed and expressed their gratitude with tears in their eyes.

However, within a few days, the news leaked out.

A few days later, the three sons of the former Minister of Revenue were shot in the forehead by the sharpshooter Zuo Luo!
The bodies of the three people were hung under the plaque of Lianzhen Street.

That day, people realized that the ghost of the Forbidden City had returned.

The high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital also recalled the fear of being dominated by assassins.

If the remaining poison is not eliminated, there will never be peace in the capital! !

Anyone who dares to speak for Yu Du at this time, anyone who dares to sympathize with those fellow villagers and party members and irrelevant relatives who are implicated, is Yu Du!

“Don’t blindly expand.”

Jia Rong spoke for everyone, "Just do your work and do your work. Since he is acting on behalf of heaven, I think I am an upright person with no regrets in my heart and in front of heaven and earth. How could I be afraid of such a villain?"

Jia Rong showed no fear. "Reduce the number of guards in the Holy Palace by half. Those who are free will go to inspect the capital, or go home to visit their parents on paid leave to show filial piety."

"I have never had smooth sailing, and I have encountered many things over the years."

Jia Rong stood up and faced the ministers, "It's just that everything has been resolved."

"Back then, I was able to protect Emperor Sejong and the late emperor from assassins. Even though I have become the Holy Emperor now, I have never lost my courage because of wealth and power."

The left prime minister said quickly: "Your Majesty, please don't take risks! Don't be reckless!"

Jia Rong snorted coldly, "I killed the assassin. If you want revenge, come to me. A mighty army is no match for an upright man who stands tall and proud!"

"Pass the order down. My Imperial Palace Guards will send a thousand men to patrol the official districts. All officials appointed by the court are not allowed to delay their work under the pretext of guarding against assassins. Those who disobey will be dismissed and expelled from the capital!"

Jia Rong set an example by standing up again to eliminate the influence of blind expansion and turn the tide! !
This fearless act will surely be recorded in history books! (End of this chapter)