In Dream Of The Red Chamber, Jia She Acquires A Plant-Based Superpower. - Chapter 9

Liu Hongyun did not know what Jia Zhen was planning, but he knew the national treasury was empty, and Jia Zhen’s repayment was a great stroke of luck. That morning, Liu Hongyun went to the palace and reported the repayment to Situ Xuan.

Situ Xuan looked baffled. “The Jia family, one by one, they have started to become incomprehensible to me.”

Liu Hongyun made a bold guess and replied respectfully, “Your Majesty, Jia She has repaid the arrears, and Jia Lian has assumed his post at the Ministry of Revenue. Could it be that Jia Zhen wishes to secure a future for his son, and thus followed Jia She’s example in repaying the debt?”

Situ Xuan fell silent for a moment. He found it increasingly difficult to understand what the wastrels of the Jia family were thinking. He summoned a eunuch to convey his decree, ordering Jia Rong to report to the Ministry of Rites, holding a position as a fifth-rank assistant secretary, just like Jia Lian. While amused, Situ Xuan could not help but marvel. He wished the other great families would go just as “mad” as the Jia family. A fifth-rank minor official in exchange for over a million taels—who could say that was not a brilliant deal?

When the eunuch arrived at the Ningguo Mansion to proclaim the decree, Jia Zhen knelt tremblingly to receive it. Upon hearing that the Emperor had ordered Jia Rong to report to the Ministry of Rites, his back was already soaked with cold sweat. With so many vacancies across the six ministries, sending Jia Rong specifically to the Ministry of Rites was a warning that the Ningguo Mansion needed to learn propriety.

Jia Zhen’s wild imagination terrified him half to death. The eunuch who delivered the decree dared not speak loudly to him, fearing Jia Zhen might suddenly have a fit. After cautiously seeing the eunuch off, Jia Zhen waited until evening, brimming with apprehension, to see Jia She.

As soon as Jia Zhen saw Jia She, he knelt down immediately. “Thank you, Uncle She, for saving my life this time. The Emperor ordered Rong’er to report to the Ministry of Rites; this is a warning that our Ningguo Mansion does not know propriety. Uncle, has this crisis passed?”

Jia She wanted to laugh but managed to hold it back. He stepped forward and helped Jia Zhen up. “I believe it has passed, as long as you do not act foolishly again.”

Jia Zhen felt as if he had been drained of all energy. He tremblingly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and shook his head vigorously. “This time, I was scared out of half my wits; I would never dare to act foolishly again.”

No matter how beautiful Qin Keqing was, he would never dare to glance at her twice. Qin Keqing was no daughter-in-law; she was a grim reaper sent to claim his life. Jia Zhen decided that as soon as he returned home, he would have You Shi hand over the management of the household to Qin Keqing. He would follow Jia She’s example: stop socializing and spend his days at home admiring flowers and scenery. Though the days might be dull, at least he would remain alive.

After Jia Zhen left, Jia She lounged on his chair, idly flipping through a miscellaneous book, and could not help but laugh out loud. Jia Zhen was far too easily frightened. Things were progressing more smoothly than he had imagined; Jia Zhen had relinquished over a million taels of family wealth without a moment’s hesitation. He wondered how furious Mother Jia would be.

Jia She understood that the nature of noble offspring was extremely selfish. Jia Zhen had mistakenly believed the Retired Emperor wanted to kill him; let alone discarding silver confiscated from servants, he would have parted with the wealth in his private treasury without hesitation to save his own skin.

As the end of the year approached, Situ Ruo sent a card inviting Jia She to admire the plum blossoms at a royal temple outside the city. The weather had grown colder, and many of the plants in the courtyard had died, with the rest lingering in a half-dead state. The wood-element spiritual energy in the world was waning; what used to take one day of practice to achieve now required five. Plants also hibernated, and hibernating plants produced very little spiritual energy. If he wanted to reach Level 2 sooner, he needed to absorb a massive amount of wood-element energy. Since plum blossoms bloomed in the bitter winter, their plants might not have entered full dormancy, allowing him to absorb energy from them.

Jia She accepted Situ Ruo’s invitation. The next morning, Situ Ruo sent a carriage to pick him up. Jia She had Lin Zhixiao pack a few sets of clothes, and he boarded the carriage with a young servant. The carriage headed straight out of the city toward the royal temple. As they reached the foot of the mountain, Jia She clearly felt the wood-element spiritual energy intensifying.

Red plum blossoms were blooming across the mountainside. Jia She, who had lived in the modern world, had never seen such breathtaking beauty; he tilted his head and was momentarily mesmerized. He only snapped out of it when someone dropped a hand-warmer, which struck a foot, followed by a cry of pain.

Jia She glanced toward the bustle and saw several young men in fine silk robes, who were acting like shy young girls, scuffling with one another. Not wanting to get involved, Jia She signaled for Lin Zhixiao to prepare to leave. A seven- or eight-year-old girl in the crowd suddenly broke free from the person holding her and bolted toward Jia She.

Situ Yi grabbed Jia She’s leg tightly, eyes red and swollen as he looked up. “Brother, save me! They want to kidnap and sell me.”

Jia She did not care if the child was telling the truth; he reached out and picked the boy up. Situ Yi cooperated by clutching Jia She’s neck, his body still trembling slightly. He had listened to his head maid and slipped out of the palace to pray for his father, but feeling stifled, he had dismissed his attendants to wander the temple’s back mountain alone. He never expected thieves to ambush him from the shadows, gag him with a smoke-tainted handkerchief, and skillfully dress him in girl’s clothes. He had been waiting for the right moment to act, and when the thieves were distracted by Jia She’s appearance, he seized his chance to save himself.

Situ Yi did not know Jia She’s identity and dared not reveal he was a prince. He had already decided that if Jia She ignored him, he would claim to be from the Prince of Virtue’s mansion; he would surely be safe once he met his uncle. Before he could even state his identity, Jia She had picked him up, indifferent to whether he was inviting trouble.

Two burly men walked toward Jia She. Their expressions were vicious, yet they spoke with a feigned respect. “Esteemed guest, please return the young lady to us. If our mistress finds out you have abducted her so casually, she will surely have us beaten to death.”

Another man lowered his voice to threaten Jia She. “This is a matter of the imperial family; if you want to live, put the person down immediately.”

Situ Yi was horrified. These people knew his identity—who was trying to harm him?

Jia She nearly laughed out loud and deliberately shouted, “You damned human traffickers are truly arrogant to the extreme! Not only did you kidnap my nephew, but you are also using the name of the imperial family to cover it up.”

“Tell me, who exactly are you serving? Who sent you to kidnap him?”

Jia She’s grip on Situ Yi tightened slightly. If that threat were true, the child’s identity was not simple. This was likely not a matter of mere child abduction, but rather dirty business from the inner chambers.

When the two men heard Jia She’s words, their faces turned ghostly pale, their eyes filled with terror. They never expected Jia She not only to be unafraid of trouble but to actively escalate it.

Hu Bing, the guard driving the carriage, gave a signal that brought the other guards to surround them, followed by a cold sneer. “What a coincidence; my master is also of the imperial family. Why don’t you tell me who your master is? Perhaps my master knows yours.”

When the two men saw they were surrounded and noted the imperial patterns carved on Jia She’s carriage, they realized the severity of the situation. In the span of a single breath, they both convulsed in agony, spat black blood, and collapsed.

Jia She instinctively covered Situ Yi’s eyes. He stared at the two corpses, his brows knitting tightly. Hu Bing went to examine them and reported, “Master, these men had poison hidden in their teeth. They bit down on it to commit suicide; they were likely assassins trained by some powerful family.”

Jia She nodded. “When we see your master, give him the details. Collect the bodies first.”

Jia She did not put Situ Yi down. Seeing the boy still staring at the bodies, he asked curiously, “Little one, are you hurt anywhere?”

Situ Yi looked up and met the concern in Jia She’s eyes—an emotion he had never experienced before. Someone in this world actually cared about him! After such an event, Jia She’s first question was not about his identity, but about his well-being. Situ Yi opened his mouth but found nothing to say. He had never been cared for and did not know how to respond to such kindness.

Jia She assumed the boy was too terrified by the thieves to speak and patted his back gently. “It is all right. You are safe now; your uncle will see you home.” Situ Yi suddenly felt exhausted. He leaned his head against Jia She’s shoulder and slowly closed his eyes. He had bitten his wrist to maintain consciousness, but now that he was safe, the adrenaline had faded, and the lingering effects of the smoke returned.

Seeing Situ Yi fall into an immediate, heavy sleep, Jia She found it abnormal and asked Lin Zhixiao, “Is there a doctor in the temple?”

Having followed Jia She for half a year, Lin Zhixiao understood his intent. “There is a doctor in the temple. I shall go ahead to prepare a room.”

Satisfied with Lin Zhixiao’s efficiency, Jia She nodded and sent him off. Hu Bing kept staring at Situ Yi’s face and suddenly realized where he had seen him before. He hurried to Jia She’s side. “Lord Jia, the child you rescued is the Fifth Prince.”

Jia She’s eyes widened in horror, and he gasped. “What the hell? A proper prince kidnapped at a royal temple?” Damn it, not even a television drama would dare to write this.

Hu Bing also found it unbelievable. He wiped the sweat from his brow and sent a guard to notify Situ Ruo.

After his shock subsided, Jia She looked at Situ Yi differently. The little cutie must have blocked someone’s path, which was why he was being targeted.

Seeing Jia She’s slight frame, Hu Bing suggested in a low voice, “Master, let me carry the Prince.”

Jia She noticed Situ Yi was sleeping soundly, one small hand still clutching his clothing, and shook his head at Hu Bing. “How heavy can a child be? I can carry him.”

For the past half-year, the spiritual energy had been reshaping his body. He had not done any heavy physical labor and did not know his current physical state, but he knew he had carried Situ Yi for a long time without his hands aching, his legs tiring, or even his breathing rhythm changing.

Jia She carried Situ Yi to the back courtyard of the temple. The doctor and Situ Ruo arrived almost simultaneously. Upon entering, Situ Ruo saw Jia She still carrying Situ Yi. He walked over, glanced at the boy in Jia She’s arms, and shook his head in surprise. “Hu Bing sent word that you had rescued Situ Yi, but I assumed he was mistaken. It really is Situ Yi.”

Jia She, now quite familiar with Situ Ruo, saw him blocking the doctor’s path and grabbed his sleeve, pulling him aside. “We can talk about other matters later. Let the doctor examine him first.”

“I discovered bite marks on his wrist. He has not woken up since falling asleep at the foot of the mountain, and he has twice broken into a heavy sweat, and his temperature is slightly elevated.”

Situ Ruo was not offended at being pulled aside; instead, he smiled and made room for the doctor. The doctor stepped forward to take Situ Yi’s pulse, while Jia She took out a handkerchief to gently wipe the sweat from the boy’s forehead.

“The young prince is fine. He will wake up once the effects of the drug have faded.”

“I shall bandage his wrist first. Remember not to let the wound come into contact with water.”

After the doctor treated the wound, Jia She laid Situ Yi gently on the bed. Situ Ruo asked, “Does Brother Jia like children?”

Jia She sat by the bedside, looked up, and glanced at Situ Ruo. “Do you not?”

Situ Ruo did not like them. He had never even held his own son. Yet, looking at Jia She’s gaze, he could not bring himself to say he disliked them. He laughed and said, “Children are all quite innocent and cute, simple and uncomplicated. Spending time with them is quite relaxing.”

Beside them, Hu Bing couldn’t help but glance at Situ Ruo several times. Doesn’t the Master despise children the most? He always says they lack awareness and cry loudly, making them truly annoying. Situ Ruo shot Hu Bing a warning glare. Hu Bing immediately returned a flattering smile, signaling he would never speak out of turn in front of Jia She.