[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber":3,"chapter-my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-18":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","My Life as a Rising Force in the Red Chamber",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2310816,4515,"Chapter 18: Encounter with the Yama Lord","my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-18",18,"\u003Cp>Outside, Jia She heard commotion inside and hurriedly sent his personal servant to find out what was going on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He learned that the Jia Shun Prince had sent New Year’s gifts to Jia Cong, yet he himself had despised that brat like a dog—yet the Jia Shun Prince kept lavishing him with attention. This was a slap in his own face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia She’s fury surged; had there been other men of noble families at the banquet, he might have overturned the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So this brat has people praising him—what of it? Even if he went to the ends of the earth, I am still his true father. A father rules over his son; whether he lives or dies, it’s all up to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia She’s anger flared; he picked up the wine on the table and drained it in one gulp. He had already drunk quite a bit today, and just then, a waft of perfume stirred beside him—it was a maid approaching to serve dishes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia She, half-drunk, suddenly recalled Jia Cong’s beautiful maid. His eyes blurred, and he mumbled: “That brat doesn’t deserve someone like her!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhi Shao’s slender, elegant figure flashed before Jia She’s eyes, stirring his restlessness and mingling with a churning tide of foul rage…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After New Year’s Eve, close relatives and noble families allied with the Jia household—the Four Princes and Eight Dukes—either came in person or sent trusted nephews and sons to pay New Year’s visits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ningguo and Rongguo mansions were busy every day receiving and seeing off guests; Jia Lian, Baoyu, and other younger generations joined their elders in entertaining visitors, rushing about in a frenzy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He and Jia Cong had always been estranged, ever since childhood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Lian’s nature was somewhat kind, but his lust and recklessness mirrored his father’s; yet he could charm women with honeyed words, unlike Jia She, who relied on brute force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he was young and his manners were crude, he often made fools of himself before guests and had been scolded by Jia Zheng until he wept bitterly on several occasions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baoyu barely endured two days before he grew nauseated by these vulgar people and their forced socializing; he ran to Jia Mu, pouted, and claimed he had caught a chill and needed several days of rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Huan, who usually chased dogs and scared chickens, was unlucky and forced to accompany Jia Zheng in entertaining guests in Baoyu’s stead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the noisy, festive New Year atmosphere elsewhere, the storage shed where Jia Cong lived remained as cold and quiet as ever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Mu realized that the grandson she disliked most was a troublemaker—annoying to watch, yet somehow capable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia She still despised him down to his bones, but the brat’s fate was too stubborn; he dared not be too ruthless, lest he harm himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until the third day of the first lunar month, Xiao Jindong invited him to a spring banquet on the fourth day, with attendees all people who had entrusted their calligraphy and paintings to his shop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those meant to be ignored remained ignored; at this critical juncture of New Year’s visits with relatives and colleagues, no one thought to bring him out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t merely due to their legitimate-branch distinction—it seemed there was no clear reason; perhaps in Jia Lian’s mind, this brother simply didn’t exist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To the sisters in the inner quarters, they now had a younger brother whose conduct was proper and who excelled in calligraphy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Zheng, seeing the miserable Jia Huan, had considered having the refined nephew accompany him to entertain guests, but Jia Cong was from the main branch—he dared not be too abrupt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to before, Jia Cong had merely deepened his impression among the Jia household; overall, he still hadn’t broken free of his previous insignificance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he had shone a bit in recent days, nothing had truly changed—his status in the Jia household remained as before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first few days of the New Year passed without much disturbance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Jia Zheng, the Jia family had produced a young man endowed with literary grace and earnest ambition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Cong thought: this was just the same old routine of clients paying New Year visits—he’d been cooped up in the storage shed and longed to see the outside world, so he agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the morning of the fourth day, Xiao Jindong drove his cart to the Eastern Courtyard to pick him up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The uncle in the shop had said Jia Cong was a grandson of the Rongguo Mansion; after checking, Xiao Jindong confirmed it was true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He asked the uncle how he’d guessed so accurately, but the old man just kept sweeping and ignored him—he didn’t press further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing Jia Cong not only excelled in calligraphy but also came from an illustrious family, Xiao Jindong grew even more respectful toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The people who entrusted their calligraphy and paintings to Xiao Jindong’s shop were all learned scholars; they often met to drink and chat, but they’d never thought to include the boy Jia Cong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet when they saw Jia Cong’s calligraphy displayed in the shop, each regarded it as a divine stroke and urged Xiao Jindong to invite him out for a meeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Jindong had reserved a private room at the famous Chunhua Pavilion in the western city; as the cart passed Dongsheng Street, five large carriages approached head-on, accompanied by over a dozen rugged men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lead carriage bore the insignia of a Deputy Commander of Dezhou—it was clearly an official convoy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the carriage, Xiao Jindong frowned: “I heard Zhou the Yama Lord was returning to the capital for his posting—never thought I’d run into him right now. What bad luck, during the New Year.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Cong heard the nickname and sensed a story behind it: “Zhou the Yama Lord? Who is that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Jindong gazed through the carriage window at the approaching convoy and said: “Brother Cong, raised in a grand mansion, you likely haven’t heard of this man.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou the Yama Lord’s real name is Zhou Jun. He was formerly Deputy Commander of Dezhou, but recently summoned by the Emperor to the capital, promoted to Assistant Director of the Imperial Horse Bureau, and put in charge of the Investigative Court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumor says he was once a thug from Yongzhou’s streets, imprisoned for a crime, then freed by betraying his fellow prisoners and earning merit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterwards, he became a low-ranking clerk in the Yongzhou prefectural office. He was educated, sharp, ruthless, skilled in investigating cases and interrogations, and cunning in strategy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to his successes in solving crimes and capturing criminals, he rose steadily over several years in Yongzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of his cruel nature, he spared no means in investigations and arrests, leaving countless deaths on his hands—hence the nickname Zhou the Yama Lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the year the current Emperor ascended the throne, he followed his superior, who was promoted to Vice Censor-in-Chief, into the capital and became an ordinary censor in the Censorate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just one year after arriving in the capital, he denounced the very censor who had brought him to the capital, resulting in the man’s execution for corruption and dereliction of duty; he then seized the man’s property and concubines—his conduct was utterly despicable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the Emperor first ascended, the court was in turmoil, with hidden dangers everywhere; the Emperor devoted great effort to stabilizing the situation, and it’s said Zhou Jun played a major role in it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, despite his abysmal moral reputation, the Emperor tolerated him—but Zhou the Yama Lord had offended so many people that he was repeatedly impeached.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eventually, even the Emperor could no longer protect him and exiled him to Dezhou as a Deputy Commander. Now, the Emperor intends to revive the Investigative Court, established during the late Emperor’s reign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s said Zhou Jun didn’t idle in Dezhou—he hunted bandits, dismantled a branch of the Hidden Sect there, and killed three or four hundred people, shaking the entire Jianghuai region across four states and eight counties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did the Emperor recall this former minister: though brutal in method, he was astute and capable. After five years of exile in Dezhou, he was finally recalled to service.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Jindong sighed in dread: “The capital is about to enter a turbulent season—no one knows how many will fall into Zhou the Yama Lord’s hands.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Cong watched the five carriages pass by; the lead carriage was surrounded by the dozen rugged men, each hand resting on a long saber, eyes alert.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man inside must be Zhou the Yama Lord, as Xiao Jindong said—but a mere Deputy Commander of a prefecture? What an extravagant display.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He betrayed others to save himself, framed his benefactor to advance, seized property and concubines—he’s a cruel official with zero moral bottom line. In short, not a good man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The current Emperor employs such a man—he clearly believes in pragmatism, not an easy ruler. But all this is far removed from me; I’ll just watch it as entertainment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1504,"2026-06-20T12:19:54.434Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","2614cd75419c7a3849e81c3e909af8f98a8de88f130e2314a0af660fb62abd18","my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-19","my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-17",920,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmy-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-cover.jpg"]