Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

On March 21st, Jia Cong took a special leave and took the women of the two mansions out of the city for an outing.

Because Lady Jia was unwell and could not go, Lady Xing, Lady Wang, Yuanyang, Baoyu and others stayed at home to take care of her.

Although the other girls did not dare to clamor to go, Jia Cong did not care. He thought that he could not leave the whole family unable to move just because the old lady was unwell. He just gave an order and had everyone pulled out.

After receiving Jia Cong's military order, the women "reluctantly" packed up quickly, assigned their own vehicles, and got ready to go.

Daiyu smiled and said, "Bao and I have already sent out invitations to invite Miaoyu to come. Let her ride in one carriage with me, and let the nun who serves her ride in another."

Jia Cong said, "Okay, you can arrange it."

"Sister Xichun... haven't been invited yet." Daiyu said hesitantly.

Jia Cong sneered, "What Xichun? There is only one Master Miaoxing in the garden now. She is a person from the outside world and does not touch the worldly affairs."

"Miaoyu is the host, why did you invite her here?" Daiyu spat.

Jia Cong coughed dryly and said, "Miaoyu is different from her. She is in the stage of ascetic practice now and should not interrupt."

Daiyu rolled her eyes at him, Sima Zhao's intention was clear.

Baochai felt a little reluctant and advised, "Fourth sister has been carrying water every day these days, and her shoulders are worn out. She also washes clothes by the Qinfang Stream every day. The spring water is still cold, and her ten fingers are frozen like little radishes, red, swollen, and cracked. How can you bear it?"

After hearing this, Jia Cong laughed and said, "Well, well, well, does this count as the swallows that used to fly from the halls of the wealthy and the wealthy to the homes of ordinary people?"

Daiyu said angrily, "You are such a cruel person. Do you still care about the sisterly love?"

Jia Cong shook his head and smiled, "This is Xichun's own choice. Do you blame me? If she goes out to be a nun, her life will be ten times harder than it is now.

After we come back from playing at the manor, we will ask her if she still wants to be a "self-enlightened person". If she wakes up, that's fine. If she refuses to wake up..."

Baochai asked hurriedly, "How?"

Jia Cong said calmly, "Then I can do nothing to help her. I can only fulfill her wish to become a Buddhist. Anyway, there are many sisters in the family, so losing one or two sisters is nothing."

Daiyu's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she said, "Brother Cong, you mean..."

"Send her outside to shave her head and become a nun, so that she can have fun and you won't be upset when you see her." Jia Cong said.

Baochai advised softly, "Why don't I go back with Pin'er to comfort her? She is a little girl who will respond to soft words rather than harsh ones. There is no need to be so decisive."

Jia Cong shook his head and said, "She is the one who is resolute, not me. I sent her away to be a nun. As long as she is willing to come back, I will still recognize her as my sister. I am just afraid that she will not recognize me as her brother.

You guys are willing to try to persuade her, but I'm afraid it's hard to change a person's nature. Her paranoid nature has already been formed. If she doesn't suffer a lot, I'm afraid she won't change. "

Daiyu said, "You are always fighting head-on. You know that Fourth Sister is stubborn, but you still force her. How can she obey you?"

Jia Cong disagreed and sneered, "How can I be her confidant? It's good for her to suffer a little. How many children did her father kill in order to make the elixir? She has only just started now. It's too early. Just consider it as atonement for Jia Jing's murder."

When Baoyu and Daiyu heard him mention the case of Jia Jing, they shuddered and stopped trying to persuade her. They both felt that it would be of great benefit to let Xichun suffer a little more and study more scriptures.

"Brother, when do we set off? Let's have a horse race!" Wanyan Shan, dressed in tight clothes and carrying a short bow on his back, rode over and said with a smile.

Jia Cong said with a smile: "Let's go immediately. You are not allowed to ride fast in the city. Be careful not to bump into anyone. I will challenge you again after we leave the city."

"Okay!" Wanyan Shan giggled and went to discuss it with her sister.

At this time, Ruyi came out after changing her clothes and saw Jia Cong and others talking beside the carriage. Bao Dai looked a little strange and asked with a smile, "What's wrong?"

Jia Cong smiled and said, "It's okay, we just talked about Xichun."

Ruyi also understood the situation and said, "No wonder Sister Bao and Sister Pin'er look so sad. I think Brother Cong is right. Since you have had enough of the good life, you should go and experience some hardship. As the saying goes, every failure makes you wiser.

If she still doesn't understand, it means she doesn't have the fate of a lady from a noble family. It can't be forced, so why worry about it. "

Jia Cong helped her get into the car and said with a smile, "Yan'er is really smart and hit the nail on the head."

Ruyi smiled and glanced at him, be careful or your two wives will get jealous.

Baochai smiled and said, "Ruyi is right. Everyone's fate is predetermined. Why should we worry about it?"

Daiyu also nodded and said no more.

"Okay, let's go!"

Jia Cong waved his hand, and all the wives, girls, maids, and old women hurriedly got on the cars. Dozens of cars, big and small, blocked half of the street.

This time he not only invited people from the mansion, but also Zhen Yuan, Zhen Chan, Yang Si Niang, Bai Qiuwei, Lan Wei, Li Wen, Li Qi and others. It can be said that it was a grand gathering of beauties in the world.

Although many of them are just relatives, they are still pleasing to the eyes. Jia Cong is very proud. He thinks that the emperor cannot bring so many beauties out for a trip, right?
Zhang Yuanba held a copper hammer and rode a tall and strong Sharma imported from the Western Regions. He led dozens of riders to lead the way, with Du Dapeng following behind.

In the middle was the carriage of Jia Cong and his female relatives, surrounded by personal soldiers and royal uniform officers who guarded them tightly, making them impervious to wind and rain.

Soldiers from the Five Cities Military Department escorted and cleared the streets along the way. When pedestrians and vendors saw this scene, they avoided it and talked about it endlessly.

Soon they were out of Fucheng Gate. Jia Cong was impatient and rushed out on his horse, laughing: "Shan'er, Si'er, let's see who gets there first!"

Before he finished speaking, the white horse had spread out its four hooves and rushed out on the official road like an arrow.

"Ah! Big brother, you are cheating!" The Wanyan sisters exclaimed and urged their horses to catch up.

"Master!"

Zhang Yuanba was caught off guard. He watched Jia Cong and his two concubines run away. He was extremely anxious and shouted, "What are you looking at? Send a team to catch up! Quick!"

His Shire horse could carry loads but could not gallop, so he could only watch in despair.

"Yes!" the captain agreed and rode his horse hard to catch up.

Ever since they lost Jia Cong last time and were scolded by Ruyi, they would rather die than let Jia Cong fly alone. Fortunately, there is only one official road, so they don't have to worry about losing him.

Jia Cong took the lead and galloped for more than twenty miles in a short time. He turned off the official road and followed a wide stone road to the vicinity of Baihe Village.

Jia Cong reined in his horse and looked at the lake in front of him, which was several miles long and wide. The water was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the blue sky, red sun and white clouds. It looked like a huge gem inlaid on a green carpet. The lakeside and the mountain in front were planted with peach trees. Now the peach blossoms were in full bloom, and from a distance it looked like a white and pink sea of ​​flowers.

Occasionally, the wind blows and the water ripples, birds fly and catch fish, causing ripples and the faint fragrance of flowers wafting over, making people forget their worries and feel relaxed and happy.

"Brother, you are cheating. We won't surrender!" The Wanyan sisters arrived and said coquettishly.

Jia Cong laughed and said, "This is strange. I have been outnumbered every time and I have never refused to surrender. Occasionally, you will not allow me to take the initiative? You are too domineering."

Wanyan Xi sneered and said, "There are so many sisters coming out this time, let's see what you will do?"

She was not clear about the relationship between Li Wen and others and the Jia family, and thought that all good-looking girls were Jia Cong's mistresses.

Jia Cong waved his hands and said, "Be careful what you say. There are quite a few people who have nothing to do with me. They are just ordinary relatives. Don't make blind guesses. If you don't understand, go ask Sister Feng."

Wan Yan Shan smiled and said, "What are you asking? I think they are all good. Why don't I just take them all at once?"

Jia Cong pinched her cheek and scolded her with a smile: "What the hell, have I never seen a woman? Now I am tired and don't have the mood to find a woman."

Wanyan nodded seriously, counted on her fingers, and said, "That's good, otherwise we will have to take turns for two more days to accompany Big Brother."

Jia Cong's face turned red, and he said apologetically, "I am sorry for you." The two girls laughed and said, "Brother, you are talking childishly again. We don't blame you. All capable men are like this. We don't want to marry a loser. It's meaningless to wait for him every day."

"That's true." Jia Cong smiled shamelessly.

“Look, big brother, there are two villages on the left and right at the foot of the mountain. On the left are more than a thousand women captured from Liaodong, who are responsible for herding sheep and feeding horses every day.
The farm on the right is vacated for the group of people from Japan to live in. No one knows what they do every day, and no one is allowed to enter.

Our newly built manor is on the hillside, and that area is full of them." Wanyan pointed with his whip and said with a smile.

Jia Cong put his hands on the awning and saw a large building complex on the hillside in front of him. It was divided into three floors, with pavilions, dance halls, singing stages, and pavilions. He smiled and said, "Good, thank you for your hard work."

Wanyan Shan smiled and said, "We specially asked two old gentlemen, Zhushisou and Quanlinke, to design and survey the place. They built it together, and also mobilized thousands of strong men from Baihe and Shuiya villages to complete it so quickly."

Wanyan Xi laughed and said, "When everyone heard that we were building a house for you, they all worked together and saved a lot of effort."

Jia Cong smiled and nodded: "Have you finished decorating the interior?"

"Everything is ready. I asked Sister Chan and Sister Feng to come and see it in person. All the antiques, tables and chairs, porcelain, toys, curtains, draperies, birds, flowers and trees are of the best quality and are not inferior to those in our garden in any way." Wanyan Shan said, listing all the treasures in the garden.

"Well, okay. This will be our resort from now on. Come here and play more when you have nothing to do, so as not to waste it." Jia Cong said.

The Wanyan sisters' eyes lit up and they said yes repeatedly.

"Master, it's a rare opportunity for you to come here. Do you want to go to the farm and take a look?" Cheng Lingsu, Jiusi and Nu Shi finally arrived on horseback and asked.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Ninja Village? I have heard of your name for a long time, so I naturally want to go and take a look." After saying that, he pulled the reins and headed for the "Ninja Village".

Jiu Si, Nu Shi, was busy leading the way.

Seeing Jia Cong and his party coming, the gate of the manor slowly opened, and Elder Zhi and Elder Yong led the three Chuunin, Huasheng, Zhilian, and Unzhan, and a group of Genin to greet them.

"Subordinate, please see your master."

"Everyone, get up." Jia Cong sat high on his horse and raised his hand, saying, "I have time to come and see you today."

"Master, please go and train on yourselves." The two elders led the way, and Huasheng hurried to lead Jia Cong's horse.

Jia Cong looked around and saw that many open spaces in the village had been used to set up training facilities. A dozen or so teenage students were clinging to a horizontal bar with their hands, their feet dangling in the air, with sandbags hanging below. Their faces were flushed with suffocation, and they held on tightly.

Finally, someone couldn't hold on anymore and fell to the ground. The instructor next to him came over and gave him two whips, then ordered him to be taken away for punishment.

Seeing Jia Cong's attention, Elder Zhi hurriedly explained, "This is to train their endurance."

Jia Cong nodded and said, "It is indeed very strict."

Elder Zhi said, "Because ninjas are born to carry out the most difficult and dangerous missions, if they are not strict, it will be meaningless."

Jia Cong nodded. After all, he was a kid from Japan, so he wouldn't feel sorry even if he beat him to death.

After a tour around the village, I was really eye-opening.

In some places, large mud pits were dug, and students lurked in the mud, breathing only through a reed pipe;
In some places, many wooden racks were set up, and dozens of young men were nimble as monkeys, flying up and down between the racks. If they touched the bells on the racks, they would be expelled as punishment.

Some young men would compete against each other in competition, using wooden or bamboo swords to attack their opponents, each strike hitting the flesh with absolute sincerity. All of them had bruises all over their bodies, but they still practiced hard with gritted teeth.

Most people who learn to be ninjas either run with weights or work hard on strength training, which is the easiest training.

"Not bad, not bad, quite interesting." Jia Cong said with a smile, "No wonder you have such a long-standing reputation, it's really not a stroke of luck that you came here."

Elder Zhi said, "Thank you for the compliment, Master. I am ashamed to accept it."

"By the way, have they learned Mandarin?" Jia Cong asked. He mainly used this group of people domestically, so language was the first hurdle.

"Master, they have all learned it. I have already set the rules that everyone in the manor must speak Chinese and use Chinese characters. They have all learned very quickly. Every day there are also scholars from the manor who come to teach them."

"Yes." Jia Cong nodded and turned around and said, "Lingsu, I have always been generous to my soldiers. You can arrange for them to have whatever they need."

Cheng Lingsu smiled and said, "Don't worry, Master. They have everything they need. They just want to serve you as soon as possible."

Elder Yong said, "What the great elder said is true. Now we have white rice, meat and vegetables every day in the manor. We can eat as much as we want. It is a hundred times better than when we were in Japan. I have gained weight. If there is anything we lack, it is only missions. Master, please don't forget that the Kii-ryu ninjas are waiting for us day and night."

This was the truth. Ever since the last Tu Fei rebellion, when the ninjas made a contribution and dozens of people died, Jia Cong had not issued any more missions. This made Zhi and Yong feel uneasy, thinking that Jia Cong was greatly disappointed with the fighting power of the ninjas and no longer took them seriously.

Therefore, he trained even harder and asked Cheng Lingsu to find out what Jia Cong meant.

Although Cheng Lingsu comforted them that Jia Cong had no intention of blaming them, she could not let them rest assured. For a ninja, losing the mission meant losing the value of their existence, which was the most unbearable thing.

Jia Cong laughed and said, "Last time, those dozens of ninjas who were guarding the mansion would rather die than retreat. Their fighting spirit was strong, which comforted me. As for the mission, of course there is one."

"Master, please give us your orders." Zhi and Yong said hurriedly. Huasheng, Zhilian and others also looked happy and were eager to try.

"Let's talk inside." Jia Cong pointed to the meeting hall.

"Yes."

The Wanyan sisters were very sensible and said with a smile: "Let's look around."

"Okay." Jia Cong nodded with a smile.

"Zhi Lian will lead the way for the two mistresses." Elder Zhi said hurriedly.

After entering the hall, Jia Cong sat down in the main seat in the middle, Cheng Lingsu stood behind him, and Zhi, Yong and others knelt below him.

"The first thing is to select some experts who are literate and fluent in Mandarin, sneak into the capital, monitor important people in the capital, and gather intelligence. As for who to monitor, you can decide for yourself. I just want intelligence. Lingsu told them the latest situation in the capital."

"Yes." Everyone nodded heavily.

"The second thing is that Prince Beijing likes to make friends with strange people. Send someone who is skilled and smart to pretend to be a Japanese warrior who accidentally wanders here, win his favor, infiltrate Prince Beijing's mansion, and lie in wait." Jia Cong murmured.

"Yes." Elder Zhi said, "Why not send Huasheng? He is highly skilled in ninjutsu and is good at seizing women's bodies and minds. There should be many women alone in the prince's mansion. If something unexpected happens, we can start with them."

"I am willing to go, even if it means death!" Huasheng was overjoyed and quickly knelt down to volunteer.

Jia Cong glanced at him. He was about 27 or 28 years old, handsome, strong, and alert. When he heard that there was a mission, a hint of coldness suddenly appeared in his eyes.

"Well, let's just pick him. If he is exposed..." Jia Cong looked at him.

Huasheng hurriedly said, "Master, rest assured. If I don't succeed, I will die. There is absolutely no third possibility."

Jia Cong nodded. He was quite relieved about this. After all, Ji Yinliu had a good reputation and was a trustworthy big brand.

"The third thing is, I'm going out with my family today, so please pay more attention to the defense."

"Don't worry, master. Everything will be safe." Everyone said hurriedly.

After Jia Cong finished giving orders, he came out and told the Wanyan sisters to leave.

"Master, I guess you must have ordered them to guard the surroundings and not allow outsiders to approach." Wanyan Xi said with a smile.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "You are indeed smart, that's exactly what you are doing." (End of this chapter)