Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Jia Rong finally managed to sneak back to Ningguo Mansion before dusk.

The servants in the mansion secretly sneered and mocked, waiting to see what would happen.

Some busybodies even placed bets, speculating on how badly Jia Rong would be punished by Jia Zhen.

But the reality was unexpected.

Although everyone watched as Jia Rong shrank back and went to Jia Zhen's study, and Jia Zhen's angry shouts could be heard across the courtyard, Jia Rong came out in just a moment.

That's right, it came out intact.

Not a single hair was lost!

All the servants found it strange.

But Jia Rong, who had narrowly escaped death, had other ideas in his mind.

When Jia Rong returned to his own courtyard and learned that Qin Shi had indeed gone to plead for him that afternoon, he immediately understood everything.

His face looked very pale.

Although he had anticipated this outcome when he asked Qin to plead for him, the fact that it actually happened still made him angry, as a man's dignity prevailed.

This shameless woman, who won't even let herself be touched, has indeed gotten together with that old bastard.

She still doesn't know what disgusting things the two of them did when she went to see the old man that afternoon, which made him so happy and tolerant of her!

Jia Rong was a simple-minded person, and his thoughts were basically written all over his face, which made Qin Shi, who was facing him, both sad and extremely wronged.

"Why are you staring at me like that, sir? Didn't you send someone to ask me to plead for you...?"

Jia Rong didn't reply, but just glared at her with a vicious and disgusted look, then snorted and turned away.

We can't afford to offend her now, otherwise, if she whispers something in the old man's ear, we'll be in for a world of hurt.

Jia Rong's attitude left Qin Shi feeling utterly exhausted, and she slumped back in her chair.

After a long while, she instructed a maid to come in and help her change her clothes.

On the other hand, Jia Zhen, who had forgiven Jia Rong's crimes, remained in a state of agitation.

He washed himself and tidied his face beforehand, and as soon as it got dark, he couldn't wait to rush out of his room and sneak towards Tianxiang Tower.

He was naturally very familiar with his own residence.

By taking a detour along a secluded path where it was unlikely to encounter anyone, and with the help of lanterns hanging along the way, we quickly arrived at Tianxiang Tower.

Because he was thinking about wonderful things, Jia Zhen felt light and healthy, and he climbed up to the third floor in one go without stopping.

The Tianxiang Tower was eerily quiet under the cover of night.

Jia Zhen ignored all of this and went straight to the room where he kept his treasures, taking out his key to unlock it.

Perhaps due to insufficient light, the long-unused copper lock was difficult to open. Just as Jia Zhen was struggling, he suddenly heard light footsteps.

Jia Zhen was overjoyed, thinking that Qin Shi had arrived as promised, and immediately looked up.

Sure enough, a slender and tall woman quietly approached from the shadows, and was less than five steps away from him. The sudden sight of her startled him.

Because this woman is not from the Qin family.

"Who are you?"

The woman wore a gray long dress with a cinched waist and long sleeves, typical of a maidservant in the Jia family.

Jia Zhen couldn't tell whose maid she was, because she had her head down and seemed very scared.

"Which room are you from? What are you doing here?"

Jia Zhen questioned her, assuming she was a maid who had come upstairs to steal things without permission!

The maid was even more afraid of being restrained and dared not move.

Jia Zhen had important business to attend to and was not interested in causing trouble. He only planned to force out the maid's identity and then let her leave, dealing with her later.

Tonight, I can't let irrelevant people ruin my plans.

However, upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the maid's figure was unusually graceful, bearing a striking resemblance to her daughter-in-law, Qin Shi.

A thought struck him, and he couldn't help but walk over and order, "Raise your head!"

Without the maid making a sound, he simply reached out and lifted her chin.

This was perfectly normal for him. As long as she was a maid in the Ningguo Mansion, if he took a fancy to her, he could get her!

By the faint light from the lanterns hanging high on the other corner tower, Jia Zhen finally saw a handsome face, and he was quietly moved.

He thought to himself that he had failed to notice such a beauty before, which was truly a sin.

However, he felt that the girl looked somewhat familiar, but he didn't care and deliberately said in a cold voice: "Don't you know that servants are not allowed to come up here in Tianxiang Tower without permission?"

Siluke

For that alone, you deserve to die.

However… if you come with me, I will naturally forgive your crimes and from now on, I will let you enjoy wealth and luxury. How about it… hehehe…”

Jia Zhen laughed triumphantly. This was his usual tactic, which was almost always effective against the maids.

Although this maid seems strange, he has a way of getting rid of any maid; it just takes a little more effort and money.

The beauty remained silent, only staring intently at him. Just as Jia Zhen was wondering if she was mute and was about to make his move, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest and couldn't help but cry out, "Ah!"

With difficulty, he looked down and, sure enough, a gleaming dagger had been plunged deep into his chest, while the other end of the dagger was firmly held in the beauty's right hand.

Perhaps, this dagger had been hidden in the beauty's sleeve all along.

"you……"

Jia Zhen looked at the beautiful woman in front of him in disbelief. Only then did he see a hint of coldness, mockery and contempt in the eyes of this frail maid.

And so, he finally remembered something.

There seemed to be two female guards beside Jia Lian, dressed in tight-fitting clothes and riding on horseback, looking dashing and heroic. He had once fantasized about them...

Despite the excruciating physical pain, Jia Zhen's mind was racing.

Unfortunately, the beautiful assassin in front of him didn't seem to be giving him any extra time. In his struggle, she moved her other hand with lightning speed, grabbed his neck, pushed him against the railing, and then pressed him down hard!

How could the weakened Jia Zhen be a match for a female assassin who had practiced martial arts since childhood, especially since he had been stabbed in the chest?

Therefore, the assassin easily pushed him over the fence and, in his desperate fall, suddenly withdrew his dagger.

In an instant, gushing blood splattered everywhere, staining the ancient and elegant Tianxiang Tower with a pungent, bloody odor.

A loud bang came from downstairs. Knowing her mission was complete, the female assassin immediately turned and disappeared into the darkness.

After an unknown amount of time, accompanied by a terrified scream, the night sky over Ningguo Prefecture was completely ignited.

Chaos ensued.

……

Soldiers from the Military Command patrolled back and forth on the quiet streets of the western city.

Under the strict curfew, apart from the market area, no extra people can be seen on the main streets outside.

Therefore, patrolling the city can be quite boring.

However, no one slacked off. Everyone knew that the Commander was personally in charge of the patrols tonight, and it would be bad if he caught them neglecting their duties.

"My lord, the task of patrolling the city can be left to us subordinates. Your status is so noble, why bother with this? You should go back to the yamen and rest."

Because he surrendered the earliest and most decisively, Xie Jun, who is now the de facto leader of the four commanders, spurred his horse forward and said to Jia Lian with a smile.

Jia Lian glanced at him and asked with a smile, "What, even you think that my reputation as a general is just for show, that I can't even handle this little bit of hard work, and can only stay in the government office like a civil official, dealing with official documents?"

"Not at all, Your Excellency is brave and martial, skilled in both literature and martial arts. How can those weak and frail civil officials, who are like little chicks, compare to you?"

"I simply feel that having someone as capable as you do such a trivial task as patrolling the city is like using a horn to cook a chicken—it's far too much of a waste of your talents," he chuckled.

Jie Jun made no attempt to conceal his sycophantic behavior. Behind Jia Lian, Fan Jingli, who was barely able to ride a horse, rolled his eyes, feeling offended.

Jia Lian smiled, ignored Jie Jun, and looked up ahead.

Not far away is Ningrong Street.

Ningrong Street is the most famous street for nobles and marquises. Such places have always had the best public security, which makes the Military Command, which is mainly responsible for public security, feel at ease.

However, Ningrong Street seems a little different tonight.

As they quieted down, they could hear faint noises coming from ahead, which was somewhat unusual.

"My lord, something seems to have happened at the Ningguo Mansion ahead. Someone is shouting loudly to catch the assassin."

One of the soldiers who had led the way ran back to report.

Almost simultaneously, two riders rode up through the street; they were Jia Lian's personal guards.

They arrived before Jia Lian and the others, and before even dismounting, they reported: "Second Master, something terrible has happened! Master Zhen has been assassinated!"

Jia Lian's expression changed. Although others might not understand who "Master Zhen" was, just by looking at Jia Lian's expression, they knew that this person's identity was definitely not simple.

Jia Lian asked a couple of questions in surprise, then turned around with a solemn and sorrowful expression and instructed, "Jie Jun and Fan Jin, each of you gather a squad of patrolling soldiers to help me go to Ningguo Prefecture to investigate the case. We must not let such audacious assassins escape!"

"Yes, sir!"

... (To be continued)