Red Mansion: Incense and God Road, starting from the City God of Shenjing

Chapter 63: Assassinated on the Sailing Journey
The next day
After the morning
imperial study room

"My dear, are you going to Jiangnan?"

Emperor Shunde was surprised after hearing what Jia Cong said.

"Your Majesty, Uncle Lin from Jiangnan wrote to me, saying he is ill and wants to meet with cousin Daiyu."

"Uncle Lin was just one step away from becoming a great scholar, but he was also schemed against. I think the situation in Jiangnan has become quite bad."

"I was worried, so I thought of escorting you there."

"I want to see who is plotting against Uncle Lin."

Going to the south of the Yangtze River is not as simple as it seems.

Escorting Daiyu is just one of them.

The second reason is that Shenjing is the center of Daqian after all, and any slight disturbance can attract the attention of countless powerful people.

The City God’s Palace occupying an entire county is already the limit.

If it expands further, it will be impossible to conceal it.

Therefore, Jia Cong had already planned to look for some more places.

Eggs cannot be put in one basket.

This just happened to happen.

Jiangnan has a large population and the forces involved are complex and intertwined.

Being far away from the capital city, in a sense, it means that the emperor is far away.

Perfect for developing believers.

"Like the sea!"

"During the Kaiyuan period, Jiangnan was an important tax-collecting region for the imperial court. My father launched many northern expeditions, all supported by Jiangnan."

"I have promised many benefits for this, but after I ascended the throne, the taxes in Jiangnan have been decreasing year by year."

"The noble families, salt merchants, academies, and many sea merchants, the situation in Jiangnan has always been treacherous, and one move could affect the entire body, so the court dare not act rashly."

"Ru Hai supervises the salt business in Yangzhou, paying 5 million in salt tax to the national treasury every year, and he can also send me 3 million in private."

"Don't be afraid of your mockery, my dear minister. The fact that my Imperial City Bureau can maintain its operation is thanks to Ru Hai."

There was also anger in Emperor Shunde's eyes.

Lin Ruhai was one of the few trusted ministers of Emperor Shunde.

"I originally wanted him to serve one more term before returning to Beijing to be transferred to the Ministry of Revenue."

"I didn't expect these people couldn't even wait three years!"

"Yesterday's incident was quite a big deal, and I also thought about asking you to stay away."

"But Jiangnan is where the White Deer Academy is located after all..."

"Your Majesty, rest assured. Although the White Deer Academy has a deep foundation, I also have a trump card. At least I can get out of this unscathed."

"Since those people dared to lay hands on me, let them pay with blood."

"Furthermore, I have been investigating in the Beijing camp for more than a month, and all the clues about the White Lotus Rebellion point to Jiangnan."

"I want to go and see it myself."

Jia Cong bowed.

"Your temper..."

"I know you are sentimental."

Seeing Jia Cong's firm attitude, Emperor Shunde was helpless.

"That's all."

"My dear, you can go south to Jiangnan. I agree."

"There is just one thing. I don't ask you to do anything in Jiangnan. I will settle accounts with those people in Jiangnan sooner or later."

"The White Lotus Sect has been wreaking havoc for a thousand years, and it will take time to wipe it out."

"My dear, please put your own safety first when you go. If it is impossible, come back after visiting."

"I want you to understand, my dear."

"Nine-year-old spiritual cultivation is more important to the country than Jiangnan, a tax-intensive area!"

After thinking for a moment, Emperor Shunde still felt that it was inappropriate, so he added.

"In this way, I will appoint you as the Imperial Envoy, grant you the Imperial Sword, and give you the power to execute those below the fourth rank first and report later."

"Choose a thousand elite soldiers from the Beijing camp to escort you south."

"Hu Sihai, the deputy commander of the Jiangnan Camp, is my man. I will write you a handwritten letter."

"If necessary, you can go to the Jiangnan camp to mobilize troops."

"It's just the situation in Jiangnan. My dear, you can adapt to the situation as it happens."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The imperial envoys of Daqian can be roughly divided into two categories.

One is the inspection system of special envoys.

Similar to Lin Ruhai, the Salt Inspector, he was in charge of salt affairs and his rank was the seventh grade.

But he was one of the most famous officials in the Jiangnan area.

Low position but great power.

The other category is temporary officials who are ordered by the emperor to go out of the capital to do official business.

This kind of authority is greater than the first kind.

It can be said that it is not an exaggeration to meet an official one level higher than you.

Especially when Emperor Shunde deliberately blurred the mission of Jia Cong, the imperial envoy.

in other words……

When we arrived in Jiangnan, we still did things according to our convenience.

What is right or wrong, Jia Cong has the final say.

With the official title of imperial envoy, those people in Jiangnan would no longer be bothered by Jia Cong even if they disliked him.

I didn't dare to come openly.

……

"Your Majesty, the Emperor just sent someone to invite Marquis Ziyi to come over."

The two had just finished their discussion.

Xia Shouzhong went inside to report.

After saying that, he whispered another reminder.

"After the morning court session, I saw Prince Yi Zhong go to the Huangji Palace."

"Humph, my nephew..."

Emperor Shunde snorted.

"Come on, Lord Jia, I will accompany you to the Huangji Palace to see what this nephew wants to do."

"Father favors Yi Zhong, so please be patient for a while. I will definitely not let you suffer any loss as long as I am here."

……

Emperor Palace

The dancer is dressed in gorgeous colorful clothes with long fluttering sleeves. Her figure is graceful and her light dance steps are like a fairy descending to earth.

Dancing to the music, twisting her waist and fluttering her skirt, every movement is full of agility and grace.

The emperor narrowed his eyes and tapped the beat gently.

Emperor Shunde led Jia Cong into the palace.

He walked up the imperial steps alone and saluted the emperor.

He leaned over and whispered something.

His Highness, Prince Yi Zhong, cast a resentful look at him and threatened in a low voice.

"Jia Cong, you dare to bring people to smash my palace. Let's see how arrogant you can be today!"

"If you don't die today, I will make you shed a layer of skin."

"Your Highness, are you talking to me?"

"It seems that I still haven't taught Your Highness how to talk to others."

Jia Cong raised his head and glanced at Prince Yi Zhong indifferently.

After saying that, he pointed.

A little divine power burns.

Prince Yi Zhong only felt a strong force coming.

He was blasted straight out, knocking down four or five musicians along the way, and tumbled several times before he stopped on a Panlong pillar.

"what!"

A sudden change.

The elegant music in the Huangji Palace suddenly became chaotic.

As soon as the music stopped, the dancers stood there in panic, not knowing what to do.

"Jia Cong, little boy!"

"You dare to fight me in front of the emperor?"

Prince Yi Zhong struggled to push away a musician who was pressing on him.

There was a big cut on his head, and it was bleeding.

It looks extremely miserable.

"Your Highness is ready to kill me, why shouldn't I dare to do it?"

Jia Cong's expression did not change at all.

Seeing that Prince Yi Zhong was about to rush forward and fight to the death, he raised his hand.

Prince Yi Zhong was so frightened that he subconsciously crawled back a little further.

Emperor Shunde on the imperial steps was originally reporting to the retired emperor about Jia Cong's plan to go south to the south of the Yangtze River.

Want to gain more convenience for Jia Cong.

When I heard the noise, I turned around and looked.

I was a little confused.

Good guy.

I asked you to be patient, you are really...

I can't stand it at all!
"That's enough. It's disgraceful to make so much noise."

The retired emperor frowned and stopped the two men.

"Grandpa Emperor, Jia Cong has no respect for the royal family."

"The day before yesterday and yesterday, I smashed my grandson's palace twice."

"Today he attacked my grandson in public in the Imperial Palace again."

"Please ask Grandpa Huang to make the decision for your grandson!"

Prince Yi Zhong realized that he was no match for Jia Cong.

He knelt on the ground, crying and begging, and complained to the emperor.

Being favored the most among all the kings is not just talk.

Everyone in the capital knew that the retired emperor had transferred all his guilt and longing for the late crown prince onto Prince Yi Zhong.

This is what created his lawless character.

He even ignored Emperor Shunde.

But this time, the emperor simply spoke.

"Okay, you're a grown man now, and you can't even handle a child."

"You still have the nerve to complain to me."

"If you've been wronged, find a way to retaliate if you have the ability. If you don't have the ability, just bear with it!"

"I have nothing to do all day and I am responsible for watching you youngsters, right?"

"Grandpa Huang!"

For a moment, Prince Yi Zhong even suspected that he had heard it wrongly.

"It's just a small matter, don't bother me."

"Dai Quan, have someone take Yi Zhong to see the imperial physician."

Before Prince Yi Zhong could finish his words, he was interrupted impatiently by the retired emperor.

"Your Highness, the Emperor has ordered..."

Dai Quan led two young eunuchs and came to Prince Yi Zhong with a smile.

Prince Yi Zhong had no choice but to be helped up by two young eunuchs.

When passing by Jia Cong, he wanted to say something.

Look at Jia Cong raising his hand.

Suddenly he was like a frightened rabbit and no longer needed any support.

Ran directly out of the Huangji Palace.

……

"Are you Jia Cong?"

"Like, very similar."

After Prince Yi Zhong left, the emperor stared at Jia Cong for a few seconds.

"Jia Cong pays respect to the Emperor."

"No need to be polite."

The Emperor raised his hand, a look of reminiscence on his face.

"When I see you, I think of Daishan..."

"Back then, Daishan and I were just like you, fighting all over the city of Shenjing."

"Every time someone complained, Father would get so angry that he would beat us with a stick, and then we would beat him back."

"You are much stronger than us. We just beat some second-generation nobles." "What you did yesterday, we didn't dare to do it at the beginning."

"Jia Cong was only trying to protect himself. Bailu Academy wanted to kill me, so he had no choice but to fight back."

"Okay, I don't mean to blame you." The emperor smiled and shook his head: "You know the importance of this matter."

"When you get older, you always miss the past."

"The Emperor just told me that you are going to Jiangnan?"

"Young people are energetic and courageous, and Daqian has a promising future."

"It's just that the situation in Jiangnan is complicated, and I can't give you too much power anymore."

"Dai Quan, go get me the sword I wore when I was young."

When Dai Quan heard this, a look of astonishment appeared on his face.

"Yes!"

After a while, he came back holding a tray.

There was a sword on the tray.

There are nine dragons entwined on the scabbard, which looks extremely luxurious.

"This Qianyuan Sword was given to me by my father when I was named Crown Prince."

"It's been decades in the blink of an eye."

"All the old officials in the court recognize it. You can take this sword and go to Jiangnan."

Qian means heaven!

Qian Yuan means dominating everything.

Only the royal family dared to give such a name.

Compared to the Shangfang sword bestowed by Emperor Shunde, this is the personal sword of the retired emperor.

It undoubtedly better represents the royal meaning.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Go ahead. The emperor is right. Your safety is the most important thing."

"No matter how important Jiangnan is, it is not as important as the nine-year-old soul refiner of the Guochao."

"I feel deeply moved..."

Jia Cong showed a look of gratitude.

……

outside the palace

"It's true that those who can hold that position for decades are not simple characters."

"It's ridiculous that people inside and outside the government are saying that this person is old and has become incompetent..."

Jia Cong rode the tiger back home.

Hanging around his waist was the Qianyuan Sword bestowed by the retired emperor.

Today’s experience in the palace kept flashing through my mind.

Stay awake and calm!
This is Jia Cong's greatest advantage.

Jia Daishan of Rongguo Mansion and Emperor Kaiyuan's tutor were playmates since childhood.

The friendship between the emperor and his subjects over the years is indeed deep and profound.

But how much personal favor can one expect from someone sitting in that position?

Jia Daishan has been dead for many years.

No matter how deep this friendship is, can it compare to watching a grandson grow up in front of your own eyes?
When he entered the Huangji Palace just now, Jia Cong clearly felt a sense of threat coming from under the palace.

This feeling is so secretive that ordinary spiritual practitioners may not be able to detect it.

But how to hide from the gods' keen perception.

The royal family must have the foundation of the fourth realm.

And it is hidden deep underground in the Huangji Hall where Emperor Kaiyuan resides.

A guess came to Jia Cong's mind.

If someone really thinks that Emperor Kaiyuan is old and incompetent, then that would be fun to watch.

"In the final analysis, strength is what matters."

"You want to use me as a knife to find out Jiangnan's details..."

"Isn't that what I want?"

He shook his head and put the irrelevant speculation behind him for the time being.

The most urgent task is to take advantage of this opportunity to open up new Shinto soil in Jiangnan.

……

Rongguo Mansion
Daiyu and her maid had already packed their belongings.

After Jia Cong came back, he went to Rongqing Hall to say goodbye to Lady Jia.

Then head directly to the pier.

The weather is getting colder day by day.

Time is running out, and we must reach Jiangnan before the canal freezes.

Otherwise you can only go by land.

The travel time would be more than twice as long.

When we arrived at the pier.

The entire dock had been cleared and eight large ships were docked by the river.

A thousand officers and soldiers from the Beijing camp had been waiting here in compliance with orders.

The leaders were Jia Cong's two personal guards.

Ma Ruyue and Hou Jingyun.

"This subordinate greets the general!"

"Get up, time is running out, stop talking and get on board!"

Jia Cong did not bring many people with him on this trip south.

The Black and White Impermanence hid in the Shinto Seal, and were accompanied only by two efficient personal guards, Ma Ruyue and Hou Jingyun.

"promise!"

"The general has ordered, get on board!"

The military's habit is to be quick and efficient.

With one order, half an hour passed.

The soldiers of the Beijing camp had already boarded the ship and set sail.

"Commander, the fleet has already set out. This time, I have selected soldiers who are proficient in water."

After Ma Ruyue arranged everything, he came to report to Jia Cong.

"I see."

"Pass the order down, raise the flag with the word Jia on it!"

"This... General, why don't we keep a low profile and head south?"

Ma Ruyue hesitated and asked in a low voice.

It is well known in the capital that Jia Cong and the White Deer Academy in Jiangnan have a blood feud.

"The more high-profile we are, the safer Uncle Lin will be, either to attract the other party's attention or to make them afraid to act rashly."

Jia Cong did not blame the commander of his personal guards for his hesitation in following his orders.

In the final analysis, it's just out of concern and love.

"Yes, I will have someone raise the flag right away."

When Ma Ruyue heard this, he showed admiration on his face.

Left the cabin to carry out orders.

After a while, two flags were hoisted high on the leading ship.

"The Emperor bestowed upon Jia the second-class purple-robed marquisate!"

"Jingying Commander Jia!"

……

"Brother Cong!"

Daiyu was listening to the conversation behind the screen.

I walked out at this moment with tears in my eyes.

"It's okay, Sister Lin. We can take a boat south along the canal and reach Yangzhou in half a month at most."

"As long as we get to Yangzhou, I will find a way to cure Uncle Lin."

Jia Cong stood up and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of Daiyu's eyes.

"In the end, it's all my fault. I didn't expect these people to be so bold. When we get to Jiangnan, I'll slaughter three thousand people in blood and build a Jingguan for Sister Lin."

"Pfft!"

After some comfort, Lin Daiyu burst into laughter.

Most of the fear in my heart was dispelled.

"How can there be someone as comforting as Brother Cong? You are just being weird."

"People would think I was a female devil if they heard it."

"Brother Cong can't be blamed for this. Those people were at odds with father to begin with."

"My mother suddenly became seriously ill..."

"If one Jingguan is not enough, then build three. If three are not enough, then build five."

"Killing a lot of people will always teach them what fear is."

When talking about Jia Min, Jia Cong's mind flashed back to the figure who loved him in his childhood.

He said calmly with murderous intent in his eyes.

……

After the beginning of winter, the number of merchant ships traveling on the canal has become even rarer than before.

In addition, a large flag was hoisted on the leading ship.

Passing merchants knew who the owner of the ship was.

We gave way when we were far away.

Another benefit of leaving the capital on this journey ordered by the emperor is that you can get government supplies in cities and towns along the way.

It saves a lot of shopping effort.

Heading south, Jia Cong would occasionally use his divine power to stimulate the wind or water flow at night.

The speed was much faster than usual.

As time went by, I had a completely different understanding of the application of divine power.

The divine power is mysterious, encompassing everything and evolving everything.

But if we can follow the will of heaven and earth and make use of the power of heaven and earth.

That three points of strength can produce seven points of effect.

He has the ability to achieve great results with just a little effort.

It was an unexpected surprise.

After traveling day and night for half a month with calm weather, they finally arrived in the Jiangnan area.

Lin Daiyu was overly worried, even though Jia Cong comforted her from time to time.

It is inevitable to have a sad face.

Jia Cong had no choice but to infuse a little divine power into Daiyu's body every day.

To prevent external evil from invading and catching a cold.

It wasn't until I saw some familiar scenes on both sides of the river that I felt a little more refreshed.

……

It rained heavily that night.

Jia Cong had just used his magical powers to put Daiyu into a deep sleep.

As soon as I got out of the cabin, I saw Ma Ruyue coming over to report with a serious expression.

"General, something is wrong!"

"A brother reported that there are several merchant ships following us. They have been following us for two days."

"It seems that someone has been spying on our fleet at the ferry we passed during the day."

"I think those people might take action tonight."

"It's not a possibility, it's already happening..." A dark light flashed in Jia Cong's eyes.

Looking forward and backward toward the canal.

Under the cover of wind, rain and night, five large ships and more than twenty small boats were heading towards their fleet.

The ship was full of soldiers, just waiting for the two ships to connect and then board to attack.

Several merchant ships that had been following behind for two days also had armored soldiers appearing on them.

"Pass the order down, let the brothers prepare for battle."

"Since someone is looking for death, let's send them off!"

"promise!"

Ma Ruyue did not dare to delay and hurried down.

A moment later, a lit signal arrow rose into the sky.

Make a sharp sound.

……

I’m sending you a 5,000-word chapter to save you from saying it’s short and small…

Today's 10,000-word update has been completed. There will be an update tomorrow in the early morning, but it will be very late. Everyone should go to bed early. You will be able to see a long and big update tomorrow morning.

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(End of this chapter)