The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 394 Be Prepared
In recent days, there has been an endless stream of guests coming to pay their respects. In addition to local officials and gentry in Yangzhou, guests from other places have also come, such as Huai'an Prefecture, Yingtian Prefecture, Suzhou Prefecture, etc. Even the six ministries in Nanjing have specially sent officials to pay their respects. After all, Lin Ruhai was the governor of Yingtian during his lifetime. His rank was there, and he should have all the honors he deserves after his death. It is estimated that Emperor Qiansheng will issue an edict to posthumously confer him a posthumous title.

On the seventh day of the funeral, Jinyiwei commander Yi Hong also came in person to pay his respects. Upon receiving the news, Jia Huan hurried out to greet him.

"Look everyone, Jia Jieyuan really is worthy of being the model of filial piety praised by the emperor. Although Lord Lin has no children, he has no regrets in this life to have such an outstanding disciple to fulfill his filial piety!" When Yi Hong saw Jia Huan in mourning, he turned his head and exclaimed in admiration to his subordinates around him, but he didn't know whether it was a sincere compliment or an intentional teasing.

Jia Huan said calmly, "Master Yi, thank you very much. As the saying goes, a teacher is a father for life. Being filial to Master Lin is what Jia Huan should do. Master Yi, please come in!"

Yi Hong nodded, walked into the mourning hall, lit three incense sticks in front of Lin Ruhai's coffin, bowed and said, "Rest in peace, Master Lin."

Lin Daiyu was wearing a white cloak and mourning clothes. She bowed to Yi Hong to express her gratitude. Yi Hong gave her a helping hand and said, "Miss Lin, I am so sad. Your father served as an official loyally and devotedly. His achievements are outstanding. The emperor and the court will never forget his contributions. I also wrote a letter to request merit for Lord Lin a few days ago. The emperor will definitely posthumously confer a title on him."

"I am the orphan of the Lin family. Thank you, Lord Yi." Lin Daiyu bowed slightly again to express her gratitude.

As the saying goes, a woman should look pretty in mourning clothes. Lin Daiyu was already a stunning beauty in the world. At this moment, she was dressed in snow-white mourning clothes without any makeup, which instead added a bit of pitiful haggard and charming beauty. She had a slender and elegant figure. When she opened her mouth with her soft Wu accent, she immediately captivated the several guards in brocade clothes behind Yi Hong.

"This girl is truly a rare beauty in the world. No wonder Jia Huan is so obsessed with her. Compared with the young lady from the Lin family and the young lady from the Xue family, each has her own merits. And both of them are ambiguous with Jia Huan. Hey, I just don't know what will happen in the end." Yi Hong pondered in his heart as he walked out of the mourning hall.

Jia Huan escorted him to the gate of the mansion. Yi Hong mounted his horse and said, "Jia Jieyuan, there is no need to see you off. We will meet again in the capital after today."

Jia Huan's heart moved, and he asked, "Is Lord Yi going back to the capital?"

Yi Hong's eyes flashed coldly, and he laughed, "It's over here. I am here on the orders of the Emperor to escort all the criminals involved in the case back to the capital. They will then be tried jointly by the three judicial departments."

So that's how it is. It turns out that the case has not yet been finally settled. However, this is also normal. Although the power of the retired emperor is now at a disadvantage, it should not be underestimated. It is estimated that the joint trial of the three judicial departments is also the result of the struggle between the two sides.

However, Prince Yi Zhong will certainly not be able to be saved, and it is estimated that the retired emperor's faction will suffer many casualties. After all, Yi Hong has already completed the investigation of the case and obtained all the necessary evidence. The joint trial by the three judicial departments is just a formality. It depends on how the retired emperor Kang Ping will handle the situation to minimize the losses.

Also, this salt smuggling case involves the current crown prince. I wonder how Yi Hong will handle it. Will he report it to Emperor Qiansheng? Or will he conceal it and do a favor for the future monarch of the Great Jin? This is a big investment in the future, and the future returns are immeasurable.

Just as Jia Huan was lost in thought, he suddenly caught a glimpse of coldness in Yi Hong's eyes. He was startled and waved his hand, saying, "Then I wish you a safe journey, and hope you will achieve great success and rise to prominence after returning to the capital."

Yi Hong laughed and said, "Brother Chenghuan, good luck. Brother Yi also wishes you great success in the imperial examination next spring, and hope you will have a good name on the list. You will have a bright future. Then we can have a drink together to celebrate." After that, he rode away.

Jia Huan watched Yi Hong and his group walk away, and after a long while he turned back to the house, his expression obviously solemn. Yi Hong was a ruthless man, sweet-mouthed but vicious, and he didn't know who the cold light in his eyes that he unconsciously revealed just now was directed at. If it was directed at him, it would be troublesome.

Jia Huan thought about it carefully several times and felt that he did not seem to have offended him in any way. Moreover, Yi Hong's words seemed to be trying to win him over. Then who was the cold light in his eyes directed at?

The only thing that worries Jia Huan now is the account book. The account book contains evidence of the current crown prince's involvement in private salt profiteering. Although he and Master Lin had denied having seen the account book at the beginning, Yi Hong was not stupid and would definitely not believe it. Now that Master Lin has passed away, he is the only one who has seen the account book...

Thinking of this, Jia Huan couldn't help but gasp. If Yi Hong wanted to do the prince a favor and conceal the fact that the prince was involved in smuggling salt for profit, then for the sake of safety, should he kill himself to silence him?
For a moment, Jia Huan's heart was covered with a layer of haze, and it felt as heavy as if a stone was pressing on it.

"Ziming, what's wrong?" Lu Xiangsheng asked with concern when he saw that Jia Huan looked unwell after sending Yi Hong away.

Jia Huan didn't want to implicate Lu Xiangsheng, so he shook his head and said, "It's okay, I'm just a little tired."

Lu Xiangsheng heard this and said, "Ziming, you have been working non-stop for the past few days, and you have to keep watch at night. How can you handle this? You should go and rest quickly. I will take care of the rest."

Jia Huan nodded: "Thank you for your hard work, I'll go in and take a nap."

Today is the seventh day of the funeral. It is also the last day. Tomorrow, Lin Ruhai's coffin will be moved to a temple outside the city for temporary storage. After the Lin family's property in Yangzhou is dealt with, Jia Huan will escort Lin Daiyu's coffin back to Suzhou for burial, and will also take the opportunity to send Xiao Yuanyuan home.

Jia Huan said goodbye to Lu Xiangsheng and went straight back to his room. At this time, only Mandarin was there. Ping'er and Xiao Yuanyuan were both out, probably helping out.

The foreign maid was very happy to see Jia Huan coming back. She immediately poured him a cup of hot tea and said, "Jia, have a cup of tea first. Are you tired? Or I can give you a leg massage!"

Since that night, even though the plan failed in the end, Mandarin became obviously bolder and served Jia Huan more attentively, especially when there was no one else around, she even dared to make some intimate gestures.

"No thanks." Jia Huan rejected the foreign maid's kindness, drank a sip of tea, and then took out the double-barreled musket from the drawer and started to fiddle with it. As the saying goes, it is better to be prepared than to be caught unprepared. Although he was not sure whether Yi Hong would attack him, it was better to be prepared early. After all, he only had one life, so how could he just sit and wait for death?

Seeing Jia Huan loading ammunition into his musket, Mandarin tilted her head and asked, "Jia, are we going to fight again?"

Jia Huan shook his head and uttered two words: "Self-defense!"

Mandalinba blinked her beautiful sapphire eyes and asked, "Is there someone trying to harm you?"

Jia Huan did not answer, but asked: "Mandalin, if you have the materials and tools, how long will it take you to make a flintlock pistol like this?"

Mandarin frowned and said, "It depends on what kind of materials and tools we use. If it's just a simple assembly, it won't take even a quarter of an hour. If we have to make all the parts ourselves, it could take a month or even a year."

"No, it's too long, at most half a month!"

Mandarin shook her head and said, "Half a month is impossible. Firearms must be repeatedly tested for practicality and safety. It is impossible to test them overnight. What's more, it's you who are using it. What if something goes wrong?"

Jia Huan frowned and said, "One month, one month should be fine. I will escort Master Lin's coffin back to Suzhou in the next few days. After I have dealt with all the matters at the meeting, I will set off for the capital. By then, the time should be about the same. Before you leave for the capital, you have to make the flintlock rifle."

Mandarin shrugged and said, "Okay, I'll do my best, but I need materials and tools, as well as a venue."

Jia Huan nodded: "That's no problem. Hu Zi is now a captain of the Yangzhou Guard. It's easy to borrow the site of the guard. The materials and tools for making firearms are ready. If you need other assistance, just look for Hu Zi."

"Okay, but Jia, can you tell me what happened? Why are you so anxious suddenly?" Mandarin looked at Jia Huan with a little concern.

"Don't make blind guesses, just be prepared." Jia Huan said as he stuffed the loaded pistol into the holster tied to the inside of his calf and covered it with the hem of his long gown.

"NO, Jia, you must be hiding something from me. I think you'd better tell me clearly." Mandarin spread her hands unhappily.

Jia Huan suddenly hugged her slender waist and held her tightly in his arms, kissed her pink lips, and said softly, "Do you have any more questions?"

"Oh, okay, I won't ask anymore!" The foreign maid's face instantly turned red with shyness and she nodded obediently.

Just at this moment, Ping'er came in from outside, lifting the curtain. Mandalin was immediately ashamed and hurriedly broke away from Jia Huan's embrace, muttering to herself, "Oh, I have to finish drawing the blueprint first." Then she went to find paper and pen.

Ping Er just smiled, as if she saw nothing, and walked over to ask, "What is Sister Man drawing?"

"Oh, a flintlock rifle, that's what the Third Master wanted!"

When Ping'er saw that it was a painting of firearms, she lost interest.

Jia Huan was sweating inwardly. Fortunately, it was only Ping'er. It would be awkward if Yuanyuan, the little maid, saw them. He asked, "Where are you from, Sister Ping'er?"

Ping'er replied, "From the concubine. By the way, today is the seventh day after Mr. Lin's death. The concubine and Miss Bao plan to leave for Nanjing tomorrow after today. I am grateful to the concubine and Miss Bao for helping me take care of things these days. Otherwise, I really can't handle it."

Jia Huan nodded in agreement. Many of the officials who came to pay their respects these days brought their female relatives with them, so naturally they had to be received by the back house. If Aunt Xue was not there, he would not know how to arrange things.

"I'll go see my aunt and Bao-jie." Jia Huan was about to go out, Ping'er said hurriedly, "Good ancestor, please take a rest for a while. What are you busy with? They are packing their luggage over there. It's not a good time for you to disturb them now."

Jia Huan said, "I'll go later then." He then took Ping'er's hand, kissed her pretty face, and said softly, "Sister Ping'er, you've worked hard these days!"

Ping'er took a quick look and saw that Mandalin was drawing the blueprint seriously. She breathed a sigh of relief and said in a low voice, "Third Master, stop messing around."

(End of this chapter)