The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 491 Great Purge

The simultaneous arrest of Jia She, Jia Zhen and Jia Lian undoubtedly came as a huge shock to the entire Jia family. Everyone in the mansion fell into panic, fearing that they would follow in the footsteps of Prince Yi Zhong's mansion.

After leaving Lady Jia's house, Aunt Xue returned to the Lixiang Garden where she lived, accompanied by Baochai. She sat down inside the house and stared at the snow on the trees outside the window for a while. Then she sighed and said with a worried look, "I didn't expect such a scary thing to happen in the first month of the year. That Qiang has a good appearance, but his heart is too cruel. Master Zhen kindly adopted him and raised him up in luxury, but he turned around and sued his father. He is really an ungrateful person."

Xue Baochai remained silent. She had met Jia Qiang once or twice. He was indeed handsome, but too feminine, a bit like a masculine girl. She was afraid that there must be some reason behind this man's sudden reporting of her adoptive father.

Aunt Xue looked at her daughter who was becoming more and more dignified and graceful, and she became more and more worried. She had made a great decision to close the business in the south and move the family to Beijing. She thought that after moving to Beijing, she would go to the Jia family and lean on the big tree of the Jia family for shade. With the care of her eldest brother Wang Ziteng, even if the Xue family could not revive, they could at least live a stable life and continue to be rich.

Unexpectedly, just after arriving in Beijing, the eldest brother Wang Ziteng was officially dismissed from his post for renovating the ancestral tomb in violation of the rules. Now, just after the New Year, Jia She and Jia Zhen got into trouble again. It is really unpredictable. The Jia family, which seems to be rich and powerful, has signs of overthrowing. It really fits the saying: rely on the mountain and the mountain will fall; rely on the tree and the tree will wither!

Before New Year's Eve, Concubine Jia gave out New Year's gifts, but Baochai and Baoyu were exactly the same. The meaning was very obvious. Aunt Xue was surprised and made up her mind to let Baochai and Jia Baoyu get together, so that the two families could become close relatives and achieve a "golden marriage". From then on, the marriage between the Jia and Xue families would naturally make the relationship more solid.

However, the current situation makes Aunt Xue worried again. Jia She and Jia Zhen are suspected of reselling salt permits, and she doesn't know how serious this matter is. What if her brother-in-law Jia Zheng's family is implicated in the end?
After all, this is a continuation of the Yangzhou smuggling salt case. Because of the Yangzhou smuggling salt case, a prince and his entire family were executed, and thousands of others lost their heads. If this case of reselling salt permits becomes bloody again, I am afraid that the Jia family will be wiped out overnight. Marrying into the Jia family at this time is undoubtedly tantamount to pushing Bao Yatou into the fire pit!
Thinking of this, Aunt Xue's face was filled with sorrow. She took Xue Baochai's hand and said, "Bao girl, I really regret moving our family to Beijing. If the Jia family falls this time, who can we rely on in the future?"

Xue Baochai comforted her softly, "Mom, don't worry too much. This case shouldn't involve my uncle. Besides, isn't there the Imperial Concubine?"

"Even so, it's still frightening. Alas, I'm afraid that Master She and Master Zhen will not have a good ending this time." Aunt Xue sighed.

"These two are doomed!" Xue Baochai thought to herself.

Although she was a boudoir girl, she often read the court bulletins and paid attention to political changes because she was running the Xue family business, so she also knew something about the current disputes in the court. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, tens of thousands of scholars carried coffins and marched outside the Meridian Gate, forcing the cancellation of the grand court meeting. This was the first time since the founding of the Jin Dynasty. The matter was so serious that the emperor must appease the people. A thorough investigation of the Ministry of Revenue's false salt permits was imperative. However, given that the matter was too wide-ranging and all those who had the ability to obtain salt permits were powerful officials in the court, the resistance must be huge, and it was normal that the emperor did not dare to act rashly. But at this time, Jia Qiang actually reported Jia Zhen and Jia She. This act of sacrificing one's relatives for the sake of justice undoubtedly gave the emperor a breakthrough to act. In other words, Jia Zhen and Jia She were at the cusp of the storm, and how could their fate be good?
As the saying goes, some are happy while others are sad. When Jia She was arrested, the happiest people were naturally Jia Yingchun's personal maids Siqi and Xiu Ju, especially Xiu Ju, because since the eldest master was arrested, their daughter probably wouldn't have to marry the ugly Sun Shaozu, and naturally she wouldn't have to come with the dowry, and thus escaped a disaster.

Jia Yingchun was a timid person who accepted everything that happened to her. Ever since Sun Shaozu sent a matchmaker to propose marriage to her, she had accepted her fate and was just waiting to marry into the Sun family after the New Year. Unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better just after the New Year. She was naturally surprised and happy. However, Jia She was her biological father after all, and now that he had been arrested, she dared not show her happiness even if she did, but was secretly glad in her heart.

After Lin Daiyu left Jia's room, she planned to go back to the garden. Jia Baoyu caught up with her and said politely, "Sister Lin, let's go together. It's a good opportunity for us to sit at your place."

Lin Daiyu nodded, and Jia Baoyu was overjoyed to see that the former agreed, and had long forgotten about the arrest of Jia She and Jia Zhen. After all, Da Lianbao was just a darling who grew up in a greenhouse. As long as his comfortable and pleasant life was not affected and he could hang out with his sisters and a group of beautiful maids every day, he would not care whether there was a flood outside.

Lin Daiyu and Jia Baoyu left Rongguo Mansion and entered the garden from the west gate. Along the way, Jia Baoyu was in high spirits, talking non-stop, and even racked his brains to make up some jokes to try to make Lin Daiyu laugh, but unfortunately the latter seemed not very interested, and even if she asked questions, it was just out of courtesy, which made Big Face Bao quite depressed.

Passing through the quiet winding path, Xiaoxiang Pavilion came into sight. Jia Baoyu suddenly remembered something, took out a book from his bosom, and said mysteriously: "Sister Lin, I recently got a book, it's very interesting, do you want to read it?"

Lin Daiyu took it curiously and took a look. It turned out to be "Romance of the West Chamber" written by Wang Shifu of the Yuan Dynasty. It was an excerpt from a play about a talented scholar and a beautiful woman. Grandmother Jia hated this kind of love story that "poisoned" young girls in the boudoir the most, so similar books were banned in the rear house of the Jia family.

However, as the saying goes, which young man does not admire love, and which young girl does not have spring in her heart? The yearning for beautiful love is human nature. Regardless of gender, everyone will experience this stage of youth blossoming. The fifteen-year-old Jia Baoyu is obviously at this stage. It is normal for him to like to read love stories. It’s just that the feudal etiquette is particularly tolerant of men. It’s natural for him to read it himself, but it’s forbidden to show it to Lin Daiyu.

However, Lin Daiyu's character has always been unique. Compared with the feudal etiquette of the time, she can even be called "rebellious". She doesn't care about whether it is forbidden or not. As long as the book is interesting, she will read it. So after taking "Romance of the Western Chamber" and reading one chapter, she was immediately fascinated and said, "Second Brother Bao, lend me this book. I will return it to you after I finish reading it."

Jia Baoyu was secretly delighted and said with a smile: "Although I haven't finished reading it yet, but Sister Lin wants to read it, it's okay to lend it to you first."

Lin Daiyu thanked him, put the book into her sleeve, and walked towards Xiaoxiang Pavilion. Jia Baoyu followed her happily, but he stopped and asked, "Where are you going, Brother Bao?"

Jia Baoyu was surprised and said, "Didn't we agree to sit in my sister's room?"

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "I have a book to read now. You can go somewhere else or go home."

Jia Baoyu never expected that Lin Daiyu would actually "burn the bridge after crossing it", and said shamelessly: "Good sister, we can watch it together, I haven't finished it yet."

Lin Daiyu pointed behind him and said, "Look, Xiren is here to see you, why don't you go home?"

Jia Baoyu thought Lin Daiyu was deceiving him. He turned around and saw Xiren coming from Yihong Courtyard. He frowned and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Xiren obviously heard the dissatisfaction in Jia Baoyu's tone, and was startled for a moment, then smiled and said, "Madam asked the Second Master to go, it seems that he is going to go to his uncle's house."

Upon hearing this, Jia Baoyu couldn't help but frown. Although he was extremely reluctant, he turned around to say goodbye to Lin Daiyu. However, he found that the latter had already gone into the house. He could only follow Xiren disappointedly and go to Mrs. Wang.

Lin Daiyu read very quickly and finished the book before dusk. She felt that the book was delicious and she was still not satisfied. She was also very satisfied with the happy ending of the love between Zhang Sheng and Cui Yingying. She stood up and stretched. Seeing that the sun was still there, she walked out the door. "The sun is going down. Where are you going, young lady?" Zijuan asked.

"I'm tired of sitting. I'll go out for a walk and be back soon. You don't have to follow me." Lin Daiyu replied as she walked out the door.

Zijuan quickly took her cloak and lantern and chased after her. Seeing this, Lin Daiyu blurted out, "Another matchmaker."

Lin Daiyu couldn't help but feel a little hot on her face after she finished speaking. Hongniang was the personal maid of Cui Yingying, the heroine in "The Romance of the West Chamber". Although she was of low status, she was a key figure in the play. It was Hongniang who acted as a matchmaker and delivered letters, which made Cui Yingying and Zhang Sheng's happy marriage come true. Lin Daiyu had just finished reading "The Romance of the West Chamber". Seeing that Zijuan was so considerate and thoughtful, just like the maid Hongniang in the play, she couldn't help but tease her. But after teasing, she realized that if Zijuan was Hongniang, then wouldn't she be Cui Yingying?
Fortunately, Zijuan had never read The Romance of the West Chamber, so she naturally didn't recognize Hongniang. She just put the cloak on her and asked curiously, "What did the girl say?"

Lin Daiyu hurriedly said, "Nothing, let's go!" and walked forward.

Perhaps she was thinking about something, and before she knew it, Lin Daiyu had walked to the fish-watching pavilion outside Yuewei Residence. Her pretty face couldn't help but feel a little hot again. She thought to herself, "Shuangwen (Cui Yingying's courtesy name) needs a matchmaker to pass letters to Zhang Sheng, but I don't need one. If I want to see Huandi, I can just come to him directly. This is much better than Shuangwen."

As Lin Daiyu thought this in her heart, her cheeks became even hotter and she spat at herself secretly.

Seeing Lin Daiyu standing at the entrance of Yuewei Residence in a trance, Zijuan was moved and asked, "Miss, do you want to go in?"

Lin Daiyu glanced at the setting sun and thought, if she went in now, it would be dark later and Brother Huan might have to personally take her back to Xiaoxiang Pavilion, so it would be better not to disturb him. So she turned around and said, "I won't go in, let's go home."

Zijuan was secretly surprised, but did not ask much. The master and servant turned around and went back home in the setting sun and lingering snow, which was somewhat similar to the story of Wang Ziyou of the Eastern Jin Dynasty who visited Dai on a snowy night.

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Imperial City, afternoon.

Yi Hong, the commander of the Jinyiwei, took the confession he had just recorded and excitedly entered the southern study room. He knelt down in front of Emperor Qiansheng and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, Jia She and Jia Zhen have both confessed. They both admitted to reselling salt permits. Jia She has resold more than 6,000 salt permits in total, making a profit of more than 20,000 taels, and Jia Zhen has resold more than 3,000 salt permits in total, making a profit of more than 10,000 taels. In addition, Jia She also confessed the Shi family of Baoling Hou, the Niu family of Zhenguo, the Liu family of Liguo Gong, the Chen family of Qiguo Gong, the Ma family of Zhiguo Gong, the Hou family of Xiuguo Gong, etc."

Emperor Qiansheng was stunned for a moment, then smiled faintly and said, "These two people are quite quick to recruit. It really brings shame to their ancestors."

Yi Hong laughed and said, "The uncle and nephew of the Jia family are both greedy and lustful. They are very afraid of death. I just pretended to torture them, and they confessed everything. In order to win leniency, they even betrayed other people."

Emperor Qiansheng sneered, "I'm afraid it's not just to seek leniency, but also to have a fluke mentality that the law doesn't punish everyone."

Yi Hong laughed and said, "Your Majesty is wise. Jia She and Jia Zhen are nothing but good-for-nothings. How can such a little cleverness be hidden from Your Majesty's discerning eyes? Hehe, next, shall I arrest the people according to the list?"

Emperor Qiansheng pondered for a moment and said calmly: "For the time being, let's arrest the Shi family, the Niu family, and the Liu family, and then make a decision on the others."

Yi Hong understood immediately that these people were descendants of founding heroes. If they were all arrested at once, the impact would be too great. It might cause panic and shock the government and the opposition. He should arrest a few of them first to warn them, and the rest would depend on whether they would take sides.

The main target of Emperor Qiansheng this time is the Ministry of Revenue. As for the old noble group, it is not advisable to destroy them all. It is only necessary to strike one group, and then take the opportunity to win over another group. By then, the Grand Emperor Kangping will no longer be able to cause trouble. The best result is that he will stay in the West Garden to retire and no longer interfere in state affairs.

At that moment, Yi Hong received the order and left the Southern Study, taking his Jinyiwei with him to arrest the man.

Emperor Qiansheng casually threw the piles of memorials on the imperial desk into the bamboo basket at his feet. These were the memorials submitted by the nobles in recent days to impeach Hanlin scholar Zhao Mingcheng. They could now be thrown away as garbage.

It turned out that the noble group had suddenly launched a counterattack in the past few days. They complained to the emperor and impeached the Donglin civil officials headed by Zhao Mingcheng. Their momentum was quite strong, which forced Emperor Qiansheng to temporarily not dare to take action. But at this time, a traitor named Jia Qiang appeared in the Jia family. He reported Jia Zhen and Jia She for reselling salt permits in the capacity of an adopted son, which undoubtedly gave him a rare breakthrough.

Now, Emperor Qiansheng can finally arrest people with justification.

In the next few days, the Jinyiwei went out everywhere. First, the Shi family of Baolinghou, the Niu family of Zhenbaogong, and the Liu family of Liguogong got into trouble. Then, the Dongping County Prince, one of the four great county princes, was also reprimanded by the emperor. Then, the Minister of Revenue Shi Yuqi was thrown into prison. Then, the left and right assistant ministers of the Ministry of Revenue resigned one after another, and the Minister of Punishment took the initiative to resign...

Before the Spring Festival of the eighth year of Qiansheng was over, a purge storm sweeping the court began.

(End of this chapter)