[{"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-54":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},2310852,4515,"Chapter 54: Hongxiu","my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-54",54,"\u003Cp>Jia Cong asked in surprise, “How is it you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The person’s voice was melodious and cold: “I told you, no matter how high your Rongguo Mansion walls are, they can’t keep me out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Qu Hongxiu, the woman who had parted from Jia Cong outside the city that day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I returned to the city on business and heard you were punished by family discipline—badly injured.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Cong didn’t ask how she knew; people of the Hidden Gate were mysterious, and gathering information was no great feat to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She began unbuttoning his clothes, and upon seeing the whip wounds on his back, she drew in a sharp breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heartless bastards, to strike so cruelly!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re a crafty devil—how could you let them beat you like this? Did you provoke them on purpose?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Cong’s face showed astonishment; after all, they had killed together, yet Qu Hongxiu had seen through his thoughts at a glance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qu Hongxiu glanced at his expression and rolled her eyes: “Back in the grove, when you met those two, didn’t you turn and run to lure them in? Same trick again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind a bookstore on Wenhanshan Street stood two rooms; the larger one held a stock of newly published books.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your maid is fine—I used a few tricks to make her sleep deeply; she won’t wake for three hours.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He drove my maid to her death; I couldn’t stay in the Eastern Courtyard anymore—I had no choice but this method.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he took that path, once exposed, the entire world would offer him no place to stand. It may be helpless, but such is the world we live in now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lie still—I’ll apply your medicine.” She pulled out a black bottle with a long neck and round belly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My wound ointment heals fast and leaves no scars. I’ll apply it to you once—repaying your favor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you have nowhere to stay, I’ve rented a house on Xinchun Street in the West City—the first house at the street’s end, always empty. I’ll come see you once I’ve recovered.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without giving Jia Cong time to refuse, she unwound the bandages from his back, cleaned off the old ointment, went outside for water, and carefully washed his wounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He found it strange—such commotion had just occurred, yet Qingwen still slept sprawled on the table, unawakened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He dared not let Qu Hongxiu help; he knew her methods would be simple—nothing but buying lives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qu Hongxiu smiled faintly, her eyes mocking, her expression oddly alluring: “You’re not afraid of pain, are you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Cong shook his head: “I can handle this myself. I won’t let my maid die in vain—I’ll collect every debt owed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Cong grimaced: “Your medicine is too precious—no need to waste it. The physician already applied some.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he hated Jia She with every fiber of his being and felt no filial bond, he had returned to life in this body; by ancestral law and worldly custom, Jia She was his biological father—he had to exercise restraint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After applying the ointment, Qu Hongxiu shoved the black bottle into his hands: “Have your maid apply it once daily—you’ll be mostly healed in two or three days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qu Hongxiu looked at him with a complex expression and sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you want me to help?” Her voice had turned cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, she coated his back with her ointment; in the lamplight, Jia Cong felt a piercing, searing pain that broke out in cold sweat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qu Hongxiu glanced at him, nodded, and walked out of the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One day he would leave the Jia family—but not by that method.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The smaller room held years of old books and unused clutter; even Xiao Jingdong rarely entered it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Old Qin, the man in charge of cleaning, occasionally went in to pull out old books and sell them as scrap paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A slender shadow leapt over the courtyard wall, walked to the door, sensed something amiss, quietly drew her curved blade, and gently pushed the door open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qu Hongxiu saw an old man in a coarse short jacket sitting inside; his dark silhouette stood rigid, radiating an inexplicable tension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uncle Qin, why are you here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man asked: “Why so late? Where did you go?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qu Hongxiu remained silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You went to Rongguo Mansion to see that Jia Cong, didn’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qu Hongxiu stared at Uncle Qin in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Qin said softly: “What’s hard to guess? We have eyes planted in Zhen’an Prefecture.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They reported Jia Cong was ambushed on his way back from the Nanxi Literary Gathering—the same bandits who killed at the gathering—and he was stabbed in the back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Uncle Qin glanced at Qu Hongxiu, who looked uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhen’an Prefecture sent out dozens of men to search outside the city—no trace. Yet when you returned, you said nothing about it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qu Hongxiu defended: “He’s just a boy—I used him to escape. Not worth a second thought.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Qin’s expression turned icy: “Is that truly so?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You always act decisively—yet you let him live and return. You saw his face and realized he resembles someone. Am I right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qu Hongxiu’s face paled: “Uncle Qin, you… how could you know?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Qin said: “Two months ago, he came to the shop to sell calligraphy—I saw him then.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Qin glanced at Qu Hongxiu, who struggled to maintain composure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Today, that Liu scholar came to the shop and told the shopkeeper Jia Cong was punished by family discipline and badly injured.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You were hiding in the back courtyard and heard it—your expression darkened. I don’t know what happened between you those days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But his face resembles that person so closely—it must mean something.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Back then, that man lived in seclusion; few knew him. Otherwise, this boy would have been exposed long ago!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He fixed his gaze on Qu Hongxiu’s shifting expression and said gravely:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If this leaks, not only will people from the Hidden Gate come for him—there are many others who want him dead!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Qin rose and walked out, then turned back: “Find another place to stay tomorrow—you can’t stay here. The shopkeeper knows Jia Cong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stay away from that boy—it won’t benefit you…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dawn tinged the horizon; Qingwen woke on the table, rubbing her aching neck, her lovely eyes clouded with confusion—how had she fallen asleep like this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Jia Cong still asleep in bed, she sighed in relief, then suddenly sniffed the air, as if sensing something, and walked toward his bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Cong always slept lightly; sensing movement before him, he woke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw Qingwen leaning over his bed, acting strangely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Qingwen, what are you doing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Third Master, why does your bed smell like perfume?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What perfume? Maybe it’s the Calming Incense you lit yesterday.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Calming Incense faded long ago—it’s another scent. A woman’s perfume. Right on your bed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qingwen narrowed her beautiful eyes, suspiciously studying Jia Cong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Cong’s heart skipped—he wondered if this girl was some kind of hound, to smell it out so easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What woman’s perfume? Aren’t you a woman? Besides you, who else is in this room?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qingwen scratched her head, thought for a moment—it was true, who else could be here besides her?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that woman’s scent wasn’t hers—and it was strangely pleasant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She went outside to fetch water to help him wash and dress, then went to arrange his breakfast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the courtyard gate, she met a middle-aged woman entering, followed by a maid in a red satin jacket with a blue damask vest edged in trim—she looked unfamiliar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>New book stage—please follow and collect, thank you very much!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1269,"2026-06-20T12:19:54.434Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","d9e000b80b275f87371eb2ae38387cd307612ac8db36a283a914c64da73d83e7","my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-55","my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-53",920,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmy-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-cover.jpg"]