Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

"Brother, why did you send someone to assassinate me?" Jia Cong smiled faintly.

Shui Rong was silent for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty is more skilled than me. I have nothing to say. I only wish to die quickly."

Jia Cong seemed to have heard the best joke and laughed, "Brother, how can you be so naive?"

His expression turned cold immediately, he stood up and walked to Shui Rong, pinched his jade-white cheek fiercely, and grinned word by word, "Shui Rong, I have been waiting for this day for a long time.

I will make you experience the most painful punishment in the world, and let you live in purgatory every day and every hour from now on, so that I can comfort Jinse's soul in heaven."

When Shui Rong saw the hatred in Jia Cong's eyes that could not be washed away even with all the water in the sea, he felt a chill in his heart. He knew that it was useless to say more, so he simply closed his eyes and said nothing. He secretly made up his mind to commit suicide to avoid torture.

Jia Cong released his hand, pushed his face aside, and sneered, "Want to chew your tongue to commit suicide? Try chewing it. Do you see the medicine jars under the corner? They are all filled with life-saving medicine. Captain Zhuang, tell Prince Beijing about it."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Zhuang Qing came over and bowed, "The medicines in these medicine jars can stop bleeding, replenish qi, protect the heart, or prolong life. Each has its own function.

In addition, I have specially prepared three of the best doctors in the guards to serve Prince Beijing at any time to ensure that minor injuries such as gossip and castration will not endanger the life of the prince. "

Jia Cong nodded with satisfaction and said with a smile: "Brother Shui, did you hear it clearly?"

Shui Rong not only heard it clearly, but his whole body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Although the torture had not started yet, he already knew that the man in front of him was a devil, a demon a hundred times more evil than himself. He was already trembling with fear at the thought of enduring a punishment more painful than Jinse's.

"Please spare my life, Your Highness...Your Highness knows that I have some wisdom and I am willing to die for you so that you can rule the world." Shui Rong finally couldn't help but beg. Like Dai Quan, he naturally thought that Jia Cong must want to be the emperor.

Jia Cong sneered, "I thought you were some perverted killer who wasn't afraid of death, but you went soft before I even started to torture you. How boring."

Zhuang Qing said: "There is a great terror between life and death. Prince Beijing was born into a wealthy family, with fine clothes and delicious food. He only feels pleasure when abusing others. When it comes to himself, his true colors will naturally be revealed."

"That makes sense. Whatever tricks you arrange for Brother Shui, please don't embarrass me." Jia Cong said.

Zhuang Qing bowed and said, "I have considered that long-term torture would not be convenient for excessive damage to the prisoner's body and would not last long, so I have chosen some non-bloody punishments. Please instruct me, Your Majesty, to carry them out."

Jia Cong was a little skeptical and asked, "No bleeding? How will it work?"

Zhuang Qing hurriedly said, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty. Although there will be no bloodshed, the severity of the punishment is even worse than that suffered by Miss Jinse."

"Okay! Tell me about it." Jia Cong clapped his hands.

"One is the standing cage. A cage is used to clamp the prisoner's lower jaw between the horizontal bars, and the prisoner is suspended in mid-air with bricks underneath. When the cage is needed, the bricks are removed layer by layer, and the prisoner's full body weight is gradually added to his lower jaw, causing him unbearable pain and unable to die."

"Good." Jia Cong thought about it briefly and praised.

"The second is the Tightening Curse. An iron ring is put on the prisoner's head, and wooden wedges are driven in from the gap on the edge. Generally speaking, two or three wedges are used to make the prisoner have a splitting headache and feel excruciating pain, just like Sun Wukong being chanted the Tightening Curse." Zhuang Qing picked up an iron hoop and handed it to Jia Cong for inspection.

Jia Cong held it over Shui Rong's head and said with a smile, "Well, even Sun Dasheng can't bear it. I wonder if Brother Shui can give me some surprises?"

Zhuang Qing continued, "The third one is the trap that Your Majesty has seen, so I will not elaborate on it.

These three punishments are just appetizers. After the prisoners have passed through, I will make other arrangements to ensure that the punishments in the prison will not be less than those in the Netherworld."

Jia Cong glanced at Shui Rong and said with a smile, "Okay, but before the execution, I think it's better to let Brother Shui have some fun first."

Zhuang Qing was stunned and said, "Your Majesty means..."

Jia Cong sneered and said, "Since you have come here, why don't you show your hospitality as a host?"

Everyone laughed and said, "Your Highness is blaming us for our negligence. We are willing to serve the Prince of Beijing."

"Yes."

"Jia Cong! You are despicable and shameless! If you want to kill me, then kill me. Why do you humiliate me?" Shui Rong roared in grief and anger.

Jia Cong sneered: "We are just getting started, why are you in such a hurry?"

Zhuang Qing said hurriedly: "I know a thing or two."

"That's good." Jia Cong said with a smile.

"Jia Cong, you will die a horrible death!" Shui Rong knew that he was not bluffing, and he was already scared to death, and roared in fear.

Jia Cong smiled coldly and said, "Come here, invite all his wives and concubines, and let them see how the gentle, handsome and romantic Prince Beijing is different from them."

"Understood, sir." Zhuang Qing bowed and expressed admiration. Shui Rong could have offended anyone else, but he actually offended the prince. Wasn't this courting death?

"Ah! Jia Cong! I will not let you go even if I become a ghost!" Shui Rong's eyes were bloodshot and he screamed hysterically. Jia Cong's move made him more humiliated and painful than any torture.

The captain who was watching him closely grabbed his chin.
"Your Highness..." A cry was heard, and more than a dozen beauties dressed in silk were pulled in sobbing and surrounded Shui Rong.

Jia Cong said with a smile: "Why are you crying? You are all miserable people. I will not kill you. I invited you here to show you.
After saying this, all the captains burst into laughter, their eyes roaming all over Prince Beijing with ill intent.

"See you, Your Majesty."

"Please stand up. I'm going to give you a treat today. See? Prince Beijing, the most handsome young man in the capital. You don't see him often." Jia Cong said with a smile.

The captains hurriedly said, "We obey your orders and thank you for your reward, Your Majesty." Four or five strong men had already taken off their shirts and walked over to put Shui Rong down from the rack.

"Get away from me! Don't touch me! Get away!" Shui Rong screamed.

With a ripping sound, Shui Rong became clean in an instant, and her skin became dazzlingly white.

The girls were both shy and afraid, and had huddled together, glancing at Shui Rong from the corner of their eyes from time to time. They did not have many feelings for Shui Rong, and were just afraid of being implicated before, but now that they had received Jia Cong's assurance, they had already put their minds at ease.

"Your Highness, I am sorry to show my disgrace." A captain bowed.

"You guys have fun. It's too eye-catching. I won't watch it anymore. Hahaha." Jia Cong laughed and left.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty."

Walking out of the dark prison, Jia Cong took a deep breath in the bright sunshine and said, "The Empress Dowager has issued an order to execute all nine generations of the rebel clan.

"My opinion is that the execution should not be too extensive, only the clan members and related people should be executed, and the rest of the relatives, concubines, and servants should not be killed, to show the new emperor's benevolence. I will write a memorial to report this."

"Yes, Your Highness is kind-hearted, and it is a blessing for our country." Wen Zhen and others hurriedly bowed.

Jia Cong waved his hand and said, "It's not that I'm stingy about killing people, it's just that I don't want to kill people in vain."

"Yes, Your Majesty is wise."

Jinse, you can rest in peace now. Jia Cong looked up at the sky, mourned for a moment, and went back to the house. He had just sat down in the inner house and was about to share the pleasure of torturing Shui Rong with his wives and concubines when he heard Liu Wuer come to report that Jiang Zhongtang had come to visit.

Jia Cong asked, "What is he doing here?"

Liu Wuer smiled and said, "She said she had some happy event to discuss with you."

Jia Cong was stunned, pretending to be mysterious, what good news? He had to change his clothes and come out. Pang Chao was talking to Jiang Feng in the main hall.

"Tang Jiang, I am honored to be here. What advice do you have for me?" Jia Cong said with a smile.

Jiang Feng bowed and smiled, "I came here to tell you the good news."

"Why is Cong happy?"

"It's not the prince's happy event, but your brother's happy event."

Jiang Feng smiled and told Li Meng about the marriage proposal, and then said, "Now the prince and the Duke of Anguo are the two pillars of the national army. Peace will benefit both sides, but fighting will hurt both sides.

Although there were some conflicts in the past, Duke Anguo has let go of the past grudges and hopes to make peace with the prince.

I believe that a gentleman values ​​harmony, and this is a move that benefits both sides. I hope Your Majesty will forgive the past and agree to this marriage, which will be a blessing for the country and the court."

Jia Cong hesitated for a moment and looked at Pang Chao.

Pang Chao nodded slightly.

"Forget it, since Prime Minister Jiang is the matchmaker, I agree to the marriage. But as for the Empress Dowager..." Jia Cong said.

Jiang Feng smiled and said, "This is a matter between your residence and Anguo Mansion. What does it have to do with the Empress Dowager?"

Jia Cong and Pang Chao both laughed. Jiang Feng's meaning was obviously that no one could control Jia Cong now.

After seeing Jiang Feng off, Jia Cong asked someone to inquire about the appearance of Li Meng's youngest daughter, and told Baochai, Daiyu, Fengjie, Xiangyun and others, and everyone laughed.

After dinner, the girls, fearing that the world would not be in turmoil, urged Jia Cong to go to the West Mansion to consult with Lady Jia.

In Rongqing Hall, when Lady Jia heard that Duke Anguo wanted to marry his youngest daughter to Baoyu, she was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling. This kind of marriage was absolutely unimaginable in the past.

With Jia Baoyu's background, without any title or fame, just relying on the word "Jia" in his name, he could marry the daughter of an official or noble family in the capital.

Now that I’ve been able to marry the legitimate daughter of Duke Anguo, do I still have to worry about the rest of my life?

He said hurriedly, "Well, this marriage is good, well. Promise it quickly and ask someone to propose marriage. I think we should ask Mr. Wang to do it. He is Baoyu's uncle, so he is important enough."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Cong and the old lady have the same idea and have already agreed to Prime Minister Jiang. This marriage has three advantages."

Grandmother Jia hurriedly asked, "What are the three benefits?"

"First, Baoyu's lifelong event has been settled, and it is an excellent marriage. The next step up he can take is to become a prince consort or a groom." Jia Cong said with a smile.

Grandmother Jia was delighted, laughed out loud and said yes repeatedly.

Jia Zheng, who had just returned from Fujian, also smiled and twirled his beard. He was relieved that Baoyu could find a good wife.

"Secondly, there is someone who can legitimately manage the West Mansion, so the old lady doesn't have to worry so much."

"That's right. The young lady from the Duke of Anguo's Mansion is naturally an expert." Grandmother Jia said with a smile.

"Thirdly, our family and the Li family can also make peace. A gentleman values ​​peace, which is good for both families."

Jia Zheng praised: "That's right. Now that you are in power, you still need help from below. The Duke of Anguo is an excellent helper. It's not advisable to make enemies with him. It's best to get along with him in harmony."

"That's right, master." Jia Cong smiled.

"By the way, what does the Miss Li look like and what is her personality like?" Grandmother Jia suddenly remembered this.

Baochai and Daiyu tried hard to hold back their laughter, Yingchun, Tanchun and the others pricked up their ears, and Baoyu nervously grasped the hem of his clothes. If there was no room for him to interrupt, he would have asked a question long ago.

Jia Cong laughed and said, "As the ancients said, one should marry a wife for her virtue and a concubine for her beauty. Why does the old lady care about these details? Cong has never seen such a thing."

Jia Zheng nodded and said, "That's right. As long as one's conduct is good, the rest is not worth mentioning."

Grandmother Jia glared at her stupid son and spat, "Brother Cong, don't play dumb with me. The girls in your family are all very pretty, but when it comes to others, they are just trivial matters.

Bah, why don't you tell me the truth, is it possible that you are ugly?"

Everyone laughed, except Baoyu, who was embarrassed and nervous, and sweated profusely.

Jia Cong hurriedly said, "Please calm down, old lady. That is absolutely not the case. You know Li Meng well. Although he is not handsome, he is handsome and has regular features, right?"

Grandmother Jia thought about it and nodded slightly. Li Meng had a square face, a straight nose and a square mouth. He looked quite dignified and was definitely not ugly.

"You also know his wife. She is quite pretty, isn't she?" Jia Cong said with a smile.

Grandmother Jia rolled her eyes at him and said, "Do you need me to tell you that?"

"It's a done deal. Both her parents gave birth to a good girl. How bad can her daughter be?"

"That makes sense." Grandmother Jia was slightly relieved and regained some of her smile. She took Baoyu's hand and patted it a few times to comfort him.

Baoyu was still worried, and said in a trembling voice: "Brother Cong, just tell me, what does she look like?"

Before Jia Cong could speak, Jia Zheng had already scolded him, "You useless beast, do you have the right to speak here?"

Baoyu was startled and quickly stood up with his hands hanging, not daring to say a word.

Grandmother Jia glared at Jia Zheng and said, "What's wrong with Baoyu asking a question? Is it bad for a husband to care about his wife? Is it worth you yelling and making a fuss?" Then she pulled Baoyu into her arms.

Jia Zheng stood up and said with a smile: "Please calm down, old lady. My son is teaching Baoyu a lesson for his own good. If it weren't for Cong's respectability, would a legitimate daughter of the Duke of Anguo be interested in him? How could he be so picky?"

Grandmother Jia spat, "My Baoyu is no worse than others."

Jia Zheng just nodded and dared not say anything more.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Old lady, calm down. Please take a seat, Master. This Miss Li has a generous personality and a strong body. She looks good at giving birth and will definitely give birth to many children for our family."

Baochai, Daiyu, Fengjie, Xiangyun and others could no longer hold back and burst out laughing. (End of this chapter)