The First Family of the Red Mansion

Chapter 35 Chu Ying's All-or-Nothing Gamble

It started snowing in Kyoto in the afternoon.

This winter seems to be colder than usual, with howling winds and heavy snow.

Even the soldiers guarding the city gates were wrapped in thick cotton-padded coats, huddled inside the city walls of the passageway, warming themselves by the fire.

"Hey, this awful weather! It gets colder every year, how are we supposed to live like this?"

Wang Wu was an ordinary soldier guarding the city. After dark, he and his colleagues braved the biting cold wind to close the city gates, and then he huddled up and jogged into the rest room in the passageway.

"Quickly close the door! It's just starting to get warm; if we open it, they'll all run away."

Xiao Qiguan was sitting by the fire, sipping his wine to warm himself, when Wang Wu brought in a blast of cold air, startling him and causing him to shiver.

"Hehe, sorry, I'll close the door right away."

To soldiers like Wang Wu, the flag officer was a figure of immense importance who could determine the livelihood of their entire family, so he hurriedly turned around to close the door.

Just then, a figure braved the wind and snow to arrive. Wang Wu, who was about to close the gate, hurriedly reminded him, "Who is it? The city gate is already closed at this time. Come back tomorrow in this freezing weather!"

"Is Commander Qi here?"

The figure did not stop, and a gentle and calm question came from the cold wind.

"Who is looking for Commander Qianhu?"

The junior officer saw that Wang Wu hadn't closed the door for a long time, and cold air kept rushing in. Just as he was about to get angry, he heard a sound coming from outside.

"I am the manager of Fuzhou Goods Store. My master saw that you were all diligently performing your duties in this cold weather, so he sent me to deliver a few jars of wine and some snacks to warm you up as a token of his respect."

"Just wait!"

The junior officer's expression softened somewhat after hearing what the other officer said, but he was still a little angry.

No one would be happy to be called out on such a cold day.

Upon hearing the words of the newcomer, the junior officer knew that the newcomer was the manager of the Liaodong Jurchen's warehouse in Shenjing. Otherwise, what kind of manager would call the boss "master"?

"A bunch of lowly barbarians!" the junior officer cursed inwardly before turning and heading to the city gate to find Commander Qi.

Qi Qianhu is the nephew of the Nine Gates Commander. Relying on the Commander's connection, he has no real skills and spends his days walking chickens and fighting dogs, yet he still became a commander. There's no way to explain this.

"Why are you here at this hour? I'm still on duty!"

After Commander Qi came down, he saw that the shopkeeper seemed a little guilty, but still forced himself to have the wine and meat that the shopkeeper had brought distributed. Then he pulled the shopkeeper aside and asked in a low voice.

"My master said that no matter what happens in the city tonight, as long as you strictly guard the city gates and do not leave, the gambling debts you owe will be wiped clean."

"And from now on, my master will definitely serve you your longevity pills on time."

The shopkeeper whispered a few words, then discreetly slipped something into Commander Qi's hand, before loudly saying, "Please accept this small gift, Commander. I will report back to my master immediately."

"What do you want?"

"Don't forget, this is the capital city. There are hundreds of thousands of Jingying troops outside. If anything goes wrong, your master won't be able to escape either."

Qi Qianhu felt the object in his hand, but felt no joy. He asked with trepidation.

"Don't worry, it's just dealing with a few rats!"

After saying that, the shopkeeper left.

"I hope these barbarians don't cause any big trouble, or I'll lose my livelihood."

As Qi Qianhu watched the shopkeeper walk away, he felt increasingly uneasy, but when he thought of his gambling debts of tens of thousands of taels and the ginseng in his hand, he hesitated.

"Fine, let's just pretend we know nothing tonight!"

Between his mind and pleasure, Qi Qianhu ultimately chose pleasure. After all, he never wanted to experience the excruciating feeling of taking ginseng again.

The soldiers of the Five Cities Garrison, the department responsible for the security of the entire capital, were all hiding indoors tonight, enjoying the wine and meat brought by their commander around the stove.

"Come on, let's keep drinking. Brothers, you've worked hard all year. In this awful weather, even the mice are hiding in their burrows. Nothing bad will happen."

"New Year's Day is just around the corner, don't let the commander down."

An officer raised his wine bowl and said happily.

"Yes, it's rare that the commander still thinks of his brothers. Let's drink until we drop tonight."

The others raised their glasses in agreement.

Although the Five Cities Military Command is responsible for the security of the entire capital, its power is actually not that great. It only has four hundred soldiers in total, and the commander is just a sixth-rank military officer, which is even less than a thousand-household commander, and the same rank as a hundred-household commander.

In this capital city teeming with powerful and wealthy people, these people usually clean up the messes of those high-ranking officials and nobles; they can't afford to offend anyone.

Tonight, a rare treat has come along, with both wine and meat being delivered. Shouldn't we indulge ourselves to the fullest?

Besides, with this awful weather tonight, even taking a piss will freeze you solid. Who would want to cause trouble?

"Has the location been decided?"

Chu Ying looked at his attendant lying on the ground, his eyes as cold as the weather outside.

Tonight, Chu Ying has made a desperate gamble. If he succeeds, his position can be extended for a few more years, and he may even have a chance to inherit the old servant's position, after all, the old servant is not young anymore.

We lost...

"Then let's go to the underworld together!" Chu Ying's eyes were particularly chilling at this moment, revealing a crazy determination.

If I fail, the Great Zhou will certainly not let the Jianzhou Jurchens off easily, but by then I should already be dead, right?

Chu Ying had already made up his mind. If he failed tonight, he didn't care whether he lived or died. He just wanted his father and his brothers to die together!

If it weren't for their constant pressure, how could I have ended up in this situation today?

"Those participating in tonight's operation, besides the forty Akha soldiers accompanying us, are also Lord Erdu!"

"What?"

Upon hearing Erdu's name, Chu Ying's crazed eyes revealed a hint of fear.

Erdon was none other than his father-in-law, one of the veterans who had followed his father in raising an army.

If he gets involved in this matter and it fails, his wife and children will completely lose their protection and will find it very difficult to survive in the tribe.

"No, Erdu cannot participate in this operation," Chu Ying quickly regained his composure and said decisively.

"Chu Ying, even at this point, you're still hesitating. If we fail this time, do you think the leader and your brothers will let me off the hook?"

Erdu, clad in armor and carrying a long sword, pushed open the door and entered, angrily rebuking Chu Ying.

"But……"

Chu Ying is indeed a madman, but he is still a human being after all. He can be cruel and ruthless to others, but he has deep feelings for his father-in-law, wife, and children.

"There are no 'buts'?" Erdu waved his hand. "Do you know the biggest difference between you and Huang Taiji?"

"Whether you're cruel or reckless in ordinary times, they're all just idiots. Once they're dead, they're dead."

"But you don't have Huang Taiji's decisiveness to risk everything when an opportunity arises."

"We have no way out. The chieftain has long been considering changing the successor. If the remnants of the Ula tribe expose our affairs in the Great Zhou court this time, the first one to die when we return will not be you, but me, the deputy envoy. After all, I am your father-in-law."

"If you don't get rid of me first, the leader and your brothers probably won't be able to sleep at night."

"Alright, then I'll leave it to you, Father-in-law, for today!"

Erdu said that since they had already said all that, Chu Ying struggled for a while, and finally gave Erdu a deep bow.

"Ha ha……"

Seeing Chu Ying like this, Erdu patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction: "This is the kind of spirit the leader expects in his successor. Tonight, I will make sure those scum from the Ula and Yehe tribes don't live to see tomorrow."

"father in law……"

Chu Ying knew that although he had made all the arrangements, this was still the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and Erdu's journey here would surely be a life-or-death situation. For a moment, a long-lost sense of vulnerability welled up in his heart.

"Alright, stop being so fussy! Now that you've arranged everything, leave the rest to your servant!"

Even though he was Chu Ying's father-in-law, he was still a servant of the Aisin Gioro family. This word "servant" fully expressed the difference in status between him and Chu Ying and his determination.

"If anything happens to my father-in-law tonight, I guarantee that the day we take control of the Central Plains will be the day the Great Zhou royal family is wiped out!"

Chu Ying watched Erdu walk out the door, her eyes filled with unwavering determination.

The heavy snow in the capital not only brought the chill of winter to the people, but also buried the filth hidden in the shadows.

Because of the heavy snow, most of the people in Shenjing went to bed early and fell asleep. The streets of Shenjing were quiet, except for the watchman's unchanging gong, and the only sound was the howling of the cold wind.

Both being Jurchen tribes in Liaodong, the Jianzhou Jurchen's post station and the Yehe tribe's were not too far apart.

In the pitch-black night, a string suddenly rang out, and the guards at the Yehe tribe's post station suddenly went limp and collapsed to the ground.

"superior!"

Erdu put down the heavy bow in his hand, his usually cloudy eyes now filled with a sharp glint.

Those who participated in tonight's operation were all Chu Ying's own soldiers, sharing both his fate and his glory.

At a command, the Aha soldiers leaped out, drew their long swords, and rushed toward the Yehe tribe's post station not far away.

At this moment, the guards on duty at the Yehe tribe's post station seemed unaware of the impending danger and were still hiding inside the post station, warming themselves around the stove.

"Your Majesty, there has been activity at the Jianzhou Jurchen post station."

Chu Ying and Erdu never imagined that their every move was under the surveillance of the Eastern Depot.

As soon as they left the post station, Dai Quan relayed the news to Emperor Anping.

At this moment, not only Emperor Anping and Dai Quan were in the palace, but even Liu Hu, who did not yet hold a specific position, was standing behind Emperor Anping in full armor with his hand on his sword.

In the center of the main hall, the Nine Gates Commander was prostrate on the ground, his face filled with fear and unease.

He never expected that while he and his lover were warming each other in their cozy bed, they would be dragged out by the people from the Eastern Depot.

At first, he thought that Dai Quan, that old scoundrel, wanted to murder him and seize the power in his hands, and was making a fuss about wanting to see the emperor.

Well, he got his wish and was brought before Emperor Anping.

But at this moment, he would rather be imprisoned than face Emperor Anping.

Who would have thought that his cousin would be so audacious?

He usually indulged in chicken-walking and dog-fighting, bullied men and women, and extorted money and goods. Who would have thought that he would dare to collude with the Jurchens and allow them to kill and burn people in the capital, right under the emperor's nose?

"It's over, that brat has really ruined me. I'm afraid I'm doomed to lose my title as the leader of the Six Yang Sect this time!"

Looking at the expressionless Emperor Anping, Chief Steward Qi felt a chill run through his body.

"Who else has been bribed by the Jurchens? I want to see who really calls the shots in this capital city!"

Although Emperor Anping's tone was very calm at this moment, everyone present could hear the suppressed anger beneath that calm.

"Your Majesty, in addition to the commander of the Nine Gates Qi Thousand Households, there are also seven other officials, including the commander of the Five City Garrison Si Le, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies Guo Qianxu, and the Chief Clerk Qian Jing, who all accepted bribes from the Jianzhou Jurchens."

"In addition, An Tong, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and Qi Fu, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, although they did not have the money from the Jianzhou Jurchens, they colluded with each other and secretly cooperated with the Jianzhou Jurchens' actions tonight."

"How dare you!"

Even though he had been prepared, Emperor Anping was still quite startled by the number of officials involved.

The entire capital, from eunuchs to the Five City Garrison Commanders, from the Vice Minister of War in the imperial court to officials of the Court of State Ceremonies, was implicated.

This is just an unappreciated eldest son of the Jianzhou Jurchen leader. If the Jianzhou Jurchen leader were to come, would these people plan to stage a coup and let that Jurchen sit on the dragon throne?

The fact that even the nephew of the Nine Gates Commander was involved made him even more horrified.

The deaths of those emperors of the Ming Dynasty, who died under mysterious circumstances, were caused by collusion between internal and external forces.

The Great Zhou Dynasty learned from this experience and basically eliminated the opportunity for eunuchs and court officials to collude.

Well, if we don't tell you not to collude with court officials, then you'll collude with foreign barbarians, right?

"Liu Hu!"

"Your subject is here!"

"You shall immediately take this imperial decree and accept command of the troops at the Nine Gates. Without my order, no one is permitted to enter or leave!"

"yes!"

Liu Hu accepted the gold medal from Emperor Anping and left to carry out his orders.

"Dai Quan, immediately arrest the officials involved and interrogate them severely. I want to see just how much the Jurchens have given these people that they would risk so much."

"This servant obeys the decree!"

"Also, take Qi Daban away and give him some face!"

"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!"

Eunuch Qi had thought he would be beaten to death, but to his surprise, His Majesty had spared him some dignity, so he hurriedly prostrated himself on the ground to express his gratitude.

If it were anything else, His Majesty might spare his name out of consideration for our past relationship.

But his own nephew was colluding with foreign barbarians—this was a grave taboo!

In any case, His Majesty would not spare my life. The fact that he has given me some dignity is already an act of great imperial grace.

"This servant has failed Your Majesty's grace and can no longer serve you. Your Majesty, this servant is leaving..."

Braving the biting wind and snow, Liu Hu rode his horse toward the city gate. Before he even reached the gate, he noticed that a fiery red color had suddenly appeared in the dark sky in the distance.

"Oh no, that's the Honglu Temple's post station!"