King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 684 To kill or not
"As long as I can keep you safe, let alone getting tanned... I would not hesitate even if it means sacrificing my life!" Zhu Jinghong replied with a smile.

"The Thirteenth Master is a great hero and a great man, but I am worrying too much... I am thinking of the wrong person!" After saying this, Daiyu turned around, leaving only her back to Zhu Jinghong.

There is a weeping willow tree in the courtyard. At this moment, the wind blows, and the willow branches sway, full of spring.

Zhu Jinghong took two steps forward and stood side by side with Daiyu under the tree, saying softly: "I know you miss me. When I was at sea... I was also thinking about you all the time!"

Daiyu lowered her head, her face flushed, obviously embarrassed by these words.

The next moment, Zhu Jinghong praised: "I really admire you for handling your family's affairs so thoroughly this time!"

Daiyu immediately became serious and replied, "I am my father's only daughter. I must let him go in peace!"

After Lin Ruhai passed away, she went through a lot of hardships, which made her grow greatly and she was completely different from before.

"Let's go, take me to see your father!" Zhu Jinghong said calmly.

"Please come in, Thirteenth Master!" Daiyu stepped aside and made a gesture of invitation.

Paying tribute to Lin Ruhai was a very serious matter, so the two of them stopped joking and walked through the gate one after the other, heading towards the bamboo forest where Lin Ruhai was buried.

Zhu Jinghong was a prince, so he naturally did not need to perform any formalities, or even burn incense. The fact that he could personally visit Lin Ruhai's tomb was already a great honor for him.

A few minutes later, the two left the bamboo forest and entered the yard again.

"I'm thirsty, do you have any tea?"

Hearing this, Daiyu glanced in the direction where Zijuan disappeared, and then complained: "Zijuan is too slow to do things. Why doesn't she come at this time!"

"Is it possible that without Zijuan, I won't be able to drink a sip of tea?" Zhu Jinghong asked with a smile.

Giving Zhu Jinghong a cold look, Daiyu turned and went to the side room, saying, "If you talk less, you won't be thirsty anymore. If you want some tea, come with me!"

"Sure enough... you, the head of the family, have a way!" Zhu Jinghong smiled even more.

After saying that, Zhu Jinghong followed him into the house. At this time, Daiyu had already picked up the pot and poured tea herself.

Zhu Jinghong found a chair and sat down at random, crossed his legs, and looked at the busy Daiyu with interest.

"Please have some tea, Master Thirteen!" Daiyu handed the tea to Zhu Jinghong.

"I see there are some pastries over there!" Zhu Jinghong looked at the coffee table not far away.

But Daiyu asked, "Is the Thirteenth Master thirsty or hungry?"

"What? You get impatient when I ask you a few more questions?"

"Master Thirteen is a descendant of the royal family. I am a humble girl with low status and my words do not count. How dare I offend Master Thirteen!"

These words sounded like an apology, but in fact Daiyu turned around and looked out the window, not even looking at Zhu Jinghong, and looked extremely arrogant.

It's not that she doesn't know etiquette, but she and Zhu Jinghong have a close relationship and deep friendship, so they can transcend etiquette and get along casually, so Daiyu can release her nature.

"Okay, okay...you are right!" Zhu Jinghong took the teacup.

After drinking tea, Zhu Jinghong glanced at the painting on the wall and asked, "Did you draw this?"

"Ok!"

Daiyu responded and walked to the coffee table opposite and brought the pastries on it to Zhu Jinghong.

After taking a closer look, Zhu Jinghong praised: "It's a great painting!"

Hearing this, Daiyu burst out laughing, because Zhu Jinghong's praise was too dry.

Feeling like teasing her, Daiyu asked, "What's good about it?"

"Good calligraphy, good painting, and a good person!" When saying the last two words, Zhu Jinghong looked at Daiyu.

Daiyu turned around and snorted coldly, "Is there still anything you need to say?"

Just as the two of them were talking about love, Jia Baoyu climbed up a big tree in the woods northeast of the Lin family's thatched cottage.

Just now he had thrown a tantrum and was taken away by the servants, but he still couldn't let go of Daiyu, so he strictly ordered the servants to bring him back.

But before they got close to the Lin family's thatched cottage, they were stopped two miles away and told that they were not allowed to pass through the Lin family's house today.

Jia Baoyu had no choice but to abandon the main road and climb over mountains and through forests to find the Lin family.

He was about forty feet away from the Lin family's thatched cottage, which was outside the guards' curfew, so Jia Baoyu was able to climb up the tree.

Although Zhu Jinghong did not bring any ceremonial guards, the scene of the neighbors still allowed Jia Baoyu to guess his identity.

He was just rejected by Daiyu today, and she used Zhu Jinghong as an excuse. Now Zhu Jinghong came to him. Jia Baoyu was really hit hard.

Looking at the closed courtyard at this moment, Jia Baoyu could already imagine that the two people in the room were talking happily, and Zhu Jinghong might even go beyond etiquette and take action...

For a moment, Jia Baoyu burst into tears and felt like beating his chest and stamping his feet.

Just when Jia Baoyu was feeling distressed, the servant below reminded him: "Second Master, someone is coming, hide well!"

Then, these guys ran away.

The ones who came were patrolling guards. They were sneaky and might be discovered and killed on the spot by the guards, so it was natural for them to stay as far away as possible.

As for what to do with Jia Baoyu, the servants didn't care too much. After all, their own lives were more important. Besides, as long as Jia Baoyu hid well and was not discovered, he would be fine.

However, what the servants did not expect was that when they stepped on and broke the dead branches, the patrolling guards heard the noise and attracted the guards over.

The guards were all on horseback. When they got close, they dismounted, drew their swords at a very fast speed, and then advanced in the direction where the servants were fleeing.

"who?"

There were five guards in total, all armed to the teeth, and they finally stopped under the big tree where Jia Baoyu was hiding.

Not finding anyone, one of the guards said, "I'm afraid I heard it wrong. There shouldn't be anyone!"

Just as they were about to sheath their swords, one of them shouted, "Wait, there's someone!"

The man discovered traces of trampled grass, which were left by a few servants just now. They all squatted here after Jia Baoyu climbed the tree.

Although Jia Baoyu hid very well, when the guards raised their heads, they still found him easily.

"assassin!"

The guards cried out, some raised their swords and picked up their shields, and some directly pulled out crossbows from their backs. This scene scared Jia Baoyu so much that he almost fainted.

"I'm not an assassin, I'm the son of the Jia family in Rongguo Mansion, and the younger brother of the current Crown Princess!"

He was not stupid at all and knew how to save his life, so he revealed his identity directly.

His words really worked, so the guards suppressed their murderous intent and shouted at Jia Baoyu to come down from the tree immediately.

Jia Baoyu did not dare to delay and slid down the tree trunk. As soon as he landed, he was held down by the guards and then taken to the direction of the Lin family's thatched cottage.

Several servants hid in the distance and watched Jia Baoyu being taken away. They were all very panicked and began to think of various ways to rescue him.

Unfortunately, due to their limited knowledge and abilities, they could not think of any solution, so they could only leave two people to observe the situation while the others rushed to Yingtian to report the news.

The flag bearer guards were responsible for the outer perimeter security, and Jia Baoyu was captured by these people. However, when he was brought to the vicinity of the thatched cottage, he was quickly recognized.

"Who is this person?"

The person asking the questions was a guard named Minglong Imperial Guard, who was responsible for Zhu Jinghong's close protection.

"Replying to Master Hu, we found this person during our inspection. He claimed to be the son of the Jia family of Rongguo Mansion, and the younger brother of the Crown Princess..."

The guard called Master Hu was only fifteen or sixteen years old, but his family background was not ordinary. His name was Hu Hong, and his ancestor was the Earl of Jie'an, a powerful figure among the nobles. He was now the deputy governor of the Front Army Governor's Office.

"Bullshit, why don't I know about this person!" Hu Hong asked coldly.

Then, Hu Hong took off his whip, walked towards Jia Baoyu and said, "Since he is an assassin, he must have accomplices. He should be tortured to make him confess!"

While Jia Baoyu was still thinking about what this guy in front of him was going to do, Hu Hong's whip had already landed on his face.

Yes, on the face.

With just one whip, a blood groove appeared on Jia Baoyu's face, and it is very likely that he will have a scar for the rest of his life.

"Tell me... who ordered you to carry out the assassination?"

Enduring the severe pain, Jia Baoyu defended himself by saying, "I am not an assassin, I am the brother of the Crown Princess. You dare to hit me..."

But his words were of no use, and he only got whipped again on the face, the burning pain almost made him cry out.

This guy probably wants to kill me... Jia Baoyu realized the seriousness of the problem.

At this time, his mind worked quickly and he thought of the only possibility to survive.

"I'm not an assassin. I want to see King Xiang. I want to see King Xiang!"

Pa pa...Jia Baoyu was whipped twice more.

While Hu Hong was beating, several sons of noble families came over. After understanding the situation, they did not try to stop it. Some of them even wanted to play mixed doubles.

There was quite a commotion here, and the Lin family members who were excluded from the Lin family witnessed the whole process.

Lin Yao knew that Jia Baoyu was not lying. Seeing that the man was beaten so badly, he approached and reminded him, "Sir, this man is really a member of the Jia family of Rongguo Mansion..."

"How do you know?" Hu Hong turned around and asked, with a very unfriendly look.

Lin Yao was frightened by his glare. After all, he was just a boy and it was very brave of him to stand up.

"me……"

At this time, another guard reminded: "If you don't know, don't talk nonsense, go back and stay!"

So Lin Yao retreated back to his clansmen and watched Hu Hong whipping Jia Baoyu again and again, until Jia Baoyu started screaming, then became hoarse and covered in blood.

"What are you doing?"

A questioning voice was heard, causing Hu Hong to stop what he was doing. He bent his waist and turned to look at the person who came.

"Master, this is the assassin that the flag bearer brother captured during his patrol. I am interrogating him now!"

The captain mentioned by Hu Hong is Lu Yuxin. Although the latter was born into an ordinary military family, he was particularly trusted by Zhu Jinghong, so Hu Hong did not dare to put on airs as a child of a wealthy family.

"Why didn't you report the assassin?" Lu Yuxin asked with dissatisfaction.

This is indeed wrong. Hu Hong quickly explained: "I am in a hurry, so I want to ask clearly and then report to you!"

"What did you find out?" Lu Yuxin's face looked better.

"This man is stubborn and refuses to confess. I am torturing him!"

When Hu Hong was replying, Lu Yuxin saw Jia Baoyu's face clearly and his expression suddenly changed.

"Baoyu?" Lu Yuxin hurried forward.

He had helped Jia Lian out of trouble a few years ago, so he was entertained by Jia Lian many times after arriving in Beijing. During this process, he met Jia Baoyu, and the two of them had a good chat at that time.

But later, for various reasons, Lu Yuxin rarely interacted with Jia Lian, and he rarely saw Jia Baoyu, but he always remembered his appearance.

"Lu...Brother Lu!"

After seeing who was coming, Jia Baoyu lifted his little spirit and said quickly: "Brother Lu, I'm not an assassin, save me!"

Lu Yuxin did not answer, but looked at Hu Hong and the others and asked, "Do you know who he is?"

"A suspicious assassin!" Hu Hong answered frankly.

Hu Hong's family was one of the top nobles, and Lu Yuxin didn't believe him at all when he said that he couldn't recognize Jia Baoyu.

Since this guy recognized Jia Baoyu, he still suspected that he was an assassin and tortured him to extract a confession...what was his intention?
Lu Yuxin was thinking. He always paid attention to thinking, so he was able to do very well and become a centurion in the Dragon Guard.

No matter what Hu Hong and others thought, Lu Yuxin believed that the matter was of great importance and had to report it to Zhu Jinghong first.

"Everyone stop, I will report to Master Thirteen first, and then we will discuss how to deal with this matter!"

Hu Hong immediately responded: "I'm afraid that the captain can't explain it clearly. I am willing to go with you!"

Hu Hong wanted to go with them, and it was obvious that he also had something to say, so there was no need for Lu Yuxin to stop him.

He just needs to do his job well and won't offend anyone for no reason.

"Go if you want!"

After saying that, Lu Yuxin turned and left, and Hu Hong followed him.

A minute later, the two of them stood in the courtyard with their arms hunched over each other, and in front of them stood Zhu Jinghong with an unhappy look on his face.

"What's going on? Tell me!"

Lu Yuxin was the superior, so it was natural for him to make the first move in reporting.

"Reporting to the Thirteenth Master, Baoyu from the Jia family of Rongguo Mansion sneaked into the Lin family thatched cottage for some reason and was captured by the patrolling guards. He was tortured by Brother Hu and several others and was seriously injured!"

Zhu Jinghong was surprised to hear that Jia Baoyu was also there.

But after thinking about it for a moment, he understood what was going on, so he looked at the side room. At this time, Daiyu was also looking at Zhu Jinghong with a worried look on her face.

At this time, Hu Hong said, "Thirteenth Master, the Crown Princess does not have a brother at all. That man is the assassin... I think this man should be sentenced to death to serve as a warning to others!"

Except for the death penalty, that is, to kill Jia Baoyu. Zhu Jinghong was not surprised when Hu Hong said this at this moment.

The current situation reminded him of an incident three years ago, when Zhang Ping'an brought guards to the Jia family to summon Jia Zhen, and Hou Jing and others directly forced Jia Zhen back.

Hou Jing's abnormal behavior that time was due to his desire to suppress and exclude the Jia family and to protect the interests of the heroes of Donghua Gate, which was why he was so active.

The situation this time is exactly the same as that time.

Moreover, Hu Hong was much more radical this time, perhaps representing the hostility of the powerful nobles towards the Jia family, or these old nobles.

Of course, from another perspective, it can also be said that these people are willing to fight against the Eastern Palace in order to protect Zhu Jinghong.

Neither of these points is a bad thing for Zhu Jinghong, but Hu Hong himself needs to be disciplined.

Now, Hu Hong suggested that the Crown Princess had no younger brother, and that the assassin who falsely reported his identity should be killed. From the perspective of interests, Zhu Jinghong should agree.

The general trend now is that he wants to cut ties with the Eastern Palace, and killing Jia Baoyu on legitimate grounds is a very appropriate and safe way.

Should he kill him or not? Zhu Jinghong hesitated for a moment.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that this seemed too radical and that he might completely break off relations with the Eastern Palace. It would then be difficult to predict what the emperor and empress would think.

Throughout the whole process, Zhu Jinghong never considered that Jia Baoyu's crime did not deserve the death penalty.

While he was hesitating, a rapid cough was heard from the room on the other side, and Zhu Jinghong knew that Daiyu had something to say.

He found that he was not hard-hearted enough, so he ordered Lu Yuxin and the other man to leave first. He still needed to think about how to deal with him.

(End of this chapter)