Dream of the Red Chamber: From a Border Ruffian to a Capital Tyrant

As dusk fell, the setting sun, like blood, slowly sank below the horizon, dyeing the sky with a poignant, fiery glow. Its afterglow spilled across the vast land, draping Yanmen Pass in a somber, golden-red hue.

Inside the military tent, Lieutenant General Wang slowly awoke.

He opened his eyes groggily, feeling a splitting headache. When his vision focused, he found himself lying in a military tent.

He instinctively tried to sit up, but the movement caused a sharp, piercing pain in his right shoulder, as if his bones were being crushed. He couldn't help but cry out in pain, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his inner shirt.

The pain brought back a flood of memories—in front of everyone, that damned Jia Lang had actually squeezed him unconscious like a chick!

What a shame!

This is an utter disgrace!

Thinking of this, Wang Canjiang was filled with boundless hatred. His features twisted in anger, and he growled through gritted teeth:

"Jia Lang! You damned brat, how dare you humiliate me like this! I, Wang, swear I will not rest until I avenge this!"

"Guards! Where have you been?!"

Lieutenant Wang clutched his shoulder and roared fiercely.

A moment later, the curtain was lifted, and a trusted personal guard walked in tremblingly. He was a loyal follower whom the guard had brought from the capital.

"General, you...you're finally awake." The guard rushed forward, his face full of flattery and concern.

"Hmph!" General Wang stared intently at him with a sinister gaze. "Tell me! What happened after I fainted?"

"What about those five good-for-nothings? Were they also bullied by that brat Jia Lang?"

Having suffered such a huge loss, General Wang never dreamed that Jia Lang, despite his youth, possessed the strength of a bull, causing him to lose face in front of tens of thousands of troops!

The guard cautiously glanced at General Wang's expression and whispered:

"General, those five lieutenants... should all be at Jia Lang's residence right now."

"After you fell into a coma, Jia Lang forced five generals to pull out that heavy hammer, but... none of them could move it. Later, Jia Lang punished them with twenty strokes of the military rod. After being beaten, these men not only did not cause trouble, but went directly to Jia Lang's residence. I really couldn't find out what they did."

"What?!"

"You mean those five spineless cowards sided with Jia Lang? They surrendered just like that?!"

Upon hearing this, Wang, the military officer, nearly fainted again from anger. His face turned a deep purplish-red, and he furiously pounded the bed, shouting:

"They've rebelled! They've all rebelled! A bunch of opportunists!"

"Let me write a letter and let that brat Jia Lang be smug for a while!"

General Wang's eyes were as sinister as a venomous snake as he stared intently in the direction of Jia Lang's residence, already plotting how to use his connections in the capital to put Jia Lang to death.

It must be said that people like Wang Canjiang never reflect on their mistakes. In his eyes, the world should revolve around him, and everyone should follow his wishes. If anything is slightly displeasing, it is considered a huge sin.

........

On the other side, Jia Lang had just seen off the five subordinate generals who had been beaten bloody but were grateful to him, and he immediately felt that he had to write a letter to Emperor Qian Yuan.

General Wang is a cancer that will not be satisfied until it is completely eradicated.

The reason Jia Lang spared his life today was because he had some reservations.

After all, this man surnamed Wang held an official position in the imperial court. Arbitrarily killing an official would not only have a negative impact, but would also leave an impression of "arrogance" in Emperor Qianyuan's mind.

Moreover, this old fellow is the cousin of Wang Ziteng, the commander of the Beijing garrison. To mess with him is tantamount to slapping Wang Ziteng in the face.

Jia Lang dismissed his attendants, ordered a servant to bring him paper and pen, sat down at the desk, his brows furrowed, and fell into deep thought.

This letter had to state its position, strike a balance, and also please the emperor.

Suddenly, Jia Lang had a flash of inspiration and remembered the historical dramas and novels he had read in his previous life—for border generals who held heavy troops, the emperor's favorite was often not the shrewd and capable type, but rather the kind who were a bit "reckless" and "straightforward," and who were "pure ministers" who were devoted to the royal family!

Look at the ancestors of the Ningguo Mansion, Jia Yan, Jia Daihua, which one of them didn't rise to power by relying on "recklessness" and "loyalty"?

If it weren't for this unwavering loyalty to the royal family, the important position of the Military Governor of the Capital Garrison wouldn't have been held by the Jia family for so many years.

"In that case, I'll follow the family's fine tradition!"

Jia Lang made up his mind and decided to carefully beautify his image in the letter—a crude and vulgar warrior who only knew how to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country, but did not know any political intrigue.

So he took a deep breath, picked up the heavy wolf-hair brush, and solemnly wrote:

"Your subject, Jia Lang, kowtows to express his gratitude for His Majesty's great favor in bestowing upon him the title of First-Class Earl and granting him command of all the soldiers of Yanmen Pass. He is filled with trepidation and awe..."

"Recently, General Wang in the army openly defied orders, disrupted morale, and attempted to undermine the foundation of the border. I originally intended to execute him, but considering that he is an official appointed by the court, I dared not act on my own initiative, lest it cause turmoil in the court..."

"The Xiongnu have invaded our borders, and the frontier is in grave danger. I am keenly aware of the heavy responsibility on my shoulders and will certainly exert all my strength to serve my country to the death..."

"...Your Majesty, I will follow the example of my ancestors and remain utterly loyal!"

"Though I lack the wisdom of Zhang Liang and the talent of Guan Zhong, I possess a heart full of passion and am willing to be a vanguard charging into battle!"

"With our own flesh and blood, we will protect the land of our Great Qian Dynasty, and we will never fail His Majesty's trust..."

As Jia Lang wrote furiously, he carefully considered every word, striving to make the letter sincere and heartfelt while fully demonstrating his "blind loyalty."

After writing a paragraph, he stopped to check it, but then shook his head, grabbed the letter, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it hard on the ground.

At this moment, more than a dozen identical crumpled pieces of paper were scattered on the ground, like a pile of discarded snowballs.

"Why..."

Jia Lang stared at the crumpled papers scattered on the ground, sighed helplessly, and looked at his palms stained black with ink. He frowned and muttered to himself in distress:

"How come this calligraphy brush is harder to write with than a hammer?"

Although the characters in this world are almost identical to the traditional characters from his previous life, there are some characters that Jia Lang recognizes completely, but when he writes them, they look like scribbles. In addition, having lived two lives, he has never properly touched a calligraphy brush, and he is completely clueless about controlling the brushstrokes.

I had a thousand ideas in my mind, but when I put them down, it was a disaster.

Some characters, when written, look like ink dots from afar, but up close... they're practically a tangled lump of black mud, crooked and twisted, a truly horrible sight. Not to mention bystanders, even Jia Lang himself, if he hadn't just finished writing and remembered the content, probably wouldn't have been able to recognize what it was even if he were beaten to death.

"Dry!"

Jia Lang gritted his teeth and became fierce:

"If the characters are too small to write well, I'll write them big!"

"Let's see who doesn't recognize me now!"

Looking at the few remaining letters on the table, Jia Lang took a deep breath and once again picked up his brush and wrote.

In the end, Jia Lang still managed to "draw" out this memorial.

However, although the letter was short, it took more than a dozen pages because of the large and messy handwriting.

As for those complicated words, he would replace them with simpler ones if possible.

If he really couldn't find a replacement, Jia Lang would simply draw a circle or write a homophone as a substitute, as long as the general meaning was understandable to the emperor.

Thus, Jia Lang's first handwritten letter to Emperor Qian Yuan in this life, carrying a strong sense of "roughness," embarked on the long journey to the capital.

......

Fifteen days later, in the capital city, at the Qianqing Hall of the Imperial Palace.

The Grand Eunuch Xia Shouzhong, carrying the urgent military report from Yanmen Pass in both hands, hurried into the hall with a brisk pace and respectfully knelt to report:

"Your Majesty, a personal letter from Earl Jia Lang has arrived."

Emperor Qianyuan was sitting upright at his desk, reviewing a mountain of memorials with a vermilion brush. Upon hearing this, he slightly raised his head, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes:

"Oh? Jia Lang's letter? Read it!"

After all, the eunuch who delivered the imperial decree had only been gone for a few days, and this kid was already writing a letter to express his gratitude?

Emperor Qianyuan's lips curled into a playful smile. You see, among all the civil and military officials, there were very few who specifically wrote letters to him to express their loyalty; this was quite a rare thing.

"Yes."

Xia Shouzhong responded and carefully removed the sealing wax.

However, the moment the letter was unfolded, the chief eunuch who had served the emperor for many years was dumbfounded. He felt a sudden darkness before his eyes and a terrible headache.

"Your Majesty, this...this..."

Xia Shouzhong held the letter, stammering, his forehead beaded with cold sweat, unsure how to describe the illegible handwriting.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

Emperor Qianyuan put down his vermilion brush and looked at Xia Shouzhong with suspicion. "Could it be that Jia Lang wrote something treasonous in the letter?"

If that's the case, then we need to reconsider Jia Lang's usefulness.

"Your Majesty, that's not it..." Xia Shouzhong hurriedly kowtowed, explaining with an embarrassed expression, "It's just that... Earl Jia's handwriting is really... too unique. This servant is too blind to recognize many of his characters."

"Oh? There are words you can't understand?"

Emperor Qian Yuan's curiosity was completely piqued, and he stood up and said:

"Let me see it! I want to see just how magnificent the calligraphy of this 'God of War Jia,' who is rumored to be a legend outside Yanmen Pass in my Great Qian Dynasty, truly is!"

Xia Shouzhong felt as if he had been granted a pardon and presented the thick stack of letters with both hands.

Emperor Qian Yuan took the letter and immediately felt its weight. Upon closer inspection, he was surprised to find that it contained more than a dozen sheets of paper!

"Is this kid writing a memorial to the throne or a storybook? It's so thick!"

When he patiently looked at the first piece of paper, he froze instantly.

On the paper, several large, dark characters were a jumbled mess, the strokes intertwined, resembling chicken claws or earthworms crawling across the surface, twisted beyond recognition.

"This...was really written by Jia Lang?"

Emperor Qianyuan looked at Xia Shouzhong with disbelief, seriously suspecting that someone had switched the bodies.

"Your Majesty, it was indeed sent by urgent dispatch from Yanmen Pass. Look at the signature at the end of the letter..." Xia Shouzhong said, pointing to the two large ink blots on the last sheet of paper.

Yes, it is indeed the name "Jia Lang".

The two characters were written extremely large, almost taking up half the paper. Although they were still crooked, they were barely legible.

As for the other characters, they are simply abstract paintings that make people dizzy just looking at them.

Emperor Qianyuan pressed his temples painfully, resisting the urge to throw the letter away, and began to study it word by word.

This reading lasted a full quarter of an hour.

Each letter contained no more than twenty characters, some even just a few. Emperor Qian Yuan felt as if he were not reading a memorial, but rather deciphering a celestial book.

"call..."

Finally, Emperor Qianyuan put down the last piece of paper, exhaled a long breath, as if he had just experienced a fierce national war, which was more tiring than reviewing memorials all day.

"emperor."

Xia Shouzhong handed over a cup of warm tea at the right moment, and said softly, "Have some tea to soothe your throat."

Emperor Qianyuan took the teacup, took a sip, but did not speak; instead, he fell into deep thought.

He was pondering the deeper meaning behind Jia Lang's letter, as well as the young general's true situation on the frontier.

Poor handwriting indicates that the person has not received much education and is a boorish person;

The fact that he wrote so many pages but only a few words shows that he is honest and doesn't understand those empty formalities.

The letter repeatedly emphasized "loyalty," "flesh and blood," and "lack of political acumen," which was clearly telling the emperor:

I'm just a reckless brute who only knows how to fight, but I've given you my heart!

"Your Majesty, it's time for dinner."

Seeing that the emperor was lost in thought, Xia Shouzhong gently reminded him not to mention the contents of the letter.

"Is it that late?"

Emperor Qianyuan stretched, and his gaze inadvertently fell upon the pile of "abstract" calligraphy on his desk, and a thought suddenly came to mind.

"Xia Shouzhong".

"Your servant is here."

"Send this letter to the Emperor Emeritus at the Daming Palace for his perusal."

Emperor Qianyuan casually picked up the stack of letters, waved at Xia Shouzhong, and a mysterious smile played on his lips.

Jia Lang, after all, came from the Jia family, which in turn had been part of the former residence of the retired emperor.

Emperor Qianyuan took this "strange letter" as an opportunity to probe the background of the retired emperor and see what the old man's attitude was towards this descendant of the Jia family.

Thinking of the subtle estrangement between himself and the retired emperor, Emperor Qianyuan gazed in the direction of the Daming Palace, slowly closed his eyes, and gently tapped his fingers on the imperial desk, making a soft, resonant sound that echoed in the empty hall.