Red Mansion Huacai

Chapter 378: Trouble and Old Case

Looking at Yang Si Niang, Li Weijian couldn't help but think of the women who supported the mountain as recorded in history books. Looking at the appearance of this woman, with a goose-feather knife on her waist, isn't she a typical woman who supported the mountain?
At that moment, Li Weijian bowed slightly and said with a smile: "I have heard of Fourth Lady's great name for a long time. There is trouble in this relative's family. I hope Fourth Lady can help me to settle it."

"No problem." Yang Si Niang was very straightforward. After listening to Li Weijian's account of the case, she frowned and said, "There is only one object and no other clues. I'm afraid it will be difficult to investigate this case." She then looked at Feng Jieer and said, "Does the Second Madam have any suspicions?"

"How could I have any suspicions--" At this point, Wang Xifeng was suddenly stunned, and remembered the flustered little maid she had seen before, so she frowned and said, "Come to think of it, there really is one. I saw a little maid before, and the little maid ran away in a panic when she saw me. It seems to be the little maid in Aunt Zhao's room?"

Ping'er remembered it clearly and said, "Yes, her name is Jinyun."

Feng Jieer said angrily, "Maybe it was that thief Jinyun who lost it. I'll beat her to death! Come on, go and call Jinyun over!"

"Wait a minute!" Yang Si Niang said calmly, "It's hard to say now. Since Master Li has asked me to come and investigate, please let me handle this Second Madam."

Feng Jieer was unhappy, but looking at Li Weijian's face, she could only say, "Then let Fourth Lady handle it."

Yang Si Niang said, "The garden is still sealed. I will divide the servants and maids in each room and bring them in for questioning. Then I will look for other servants in the house."

Li Weijian and Feng Jieer agreed, and Yang Si Niang led people to set up a court in the meeting room. One person asked questions while another took up the pen to write. Yang Si Niang had a dark face and frightened everyone, and the maids and servants who were brought in were frightened into silence.

Although Feng Jieer had been in charge since early on, she only replaced the managers of various checkpoints. Although the other rules were also rectified, they were not very strict.

The servants of the Jia family were used to being sneaky and cunning, so they were naturally nervous when they met the officials. Some of them were impatient and were afraid that their secrets would be revealed, so they hurriedly told other people's secrets.

Li Weijian saw that Yang Si Niang had a solution, so he was relieved and turned back to the Bo's house from the east corner gate. Feng Jieer was worried about the second sister, so she looked for a while and then returned to Yihong Courtyard. Unexpectedly, just after she rested for a while, a little maid came to find her: "Second Madam, our young lady is angry and wants to send Sister Ruhua out of the house!"

Sister Feng had just coaxed Sister Er, and upon hearing this, she frowned, "What are you talking about?"

It turned out that when they heard that Feng Jieer had led people to search Qiu Shuang Zhai, the people in nearby Nuan Xiang Wu were naturally panicked. Those who had a clear conscience just put their things in order, while those who had a guilty conscience became uneasy.

Although the fourth girl Xichun was young, she was a person who would not tolerate any injustice. Seeing Ruhua at a loss, she wanted to go back to her room to clean up the mess immediately, which made her suspicious. She immediately helped Ruhua and quietly put the things in place. Then, through the window, she saw Ruhua take out a lot of gold and silver grains from the bottom of the box, as well as a pair of men's shoes.

Xichun's face suddenly turned pale. She quickly stepped inside and asked, pulling something out, "Where did this come from?"

Ruhua hesitated for a long time, and finally told the truth: "It was given to my brother by Second Master Qiang. Because my parents are in the south, I live with my uncle now. My uncle and aunt only like to drink and gamble, and my brother is afraid that he will spend it if he gives it to them, so every time he gets it, he secretly asks old mother to bring it in and asks me to keep it."

Just at this moment, Tanchun arrived.

Xichun was so angry that she trembled and said, "I didn't know. How can this be tolerated! Third sister has come at the right time. You should quickly drive her out. I can't keep someone with such ulterior motives here."

Tanchun said, "Your brother follows Qiang'er, and Qiang'er has no job, so where does he get so many rewards?"

Ruhua stammered and could not speak. Most of the accumulated gold and silver were given by Youshi when Ning Mansion was in power. Later, Ning Mansion was gone, and there was a lot of peace in between. This year, Jia Qiang suddenly became rich, and no one knew what he did. Ruhua's brother followed Jia Qiang and received rewards from time to time. Because he was afraid that he would spend it recklessly, he sent it to Ruhua.

So although what Ruhua said was true, it was not entirely untrue.

Seeing that Tanchun could not get the answer, Xichun shouted, "Go and call Sister Feng. I don't want this maid anymore!"

Ruhua was so frightened that she knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly.

Tanchun couldn't bear it, so she pulled Xichun aside and said, "This is just one mistake, if it's not good enough, just kick her out."

Xichun said, "How can this be just this time? Third sister, you don't know that Ruhua has been secretly communicating with Sister Zhen behind my back. I don't know if she is planning to sell me out!"

Xichun's life experience had always been a source of worry for her, so she had not been very close to the Ning Mansion for the past ten years. After the Ning Mansion was gone, Xichun felt relieved and became much happier. But Yu Shi, for some unknown reason, would come to win over Ruhua, her maidservant.

Tanchun quickly covered Xichun's mouth and said angrily, "You can't say that."

At that moment, she glanced at Ruhua and saw that although she cried pitifully, she did not argue, so she knew what was going on. So she sent a little maid to invite Fengjie, and when Fengjie arrived at Nuanxiangwu, she saw Ruhua kneeling in the middle and Xichun with a cold face and a look of displeasure.

After Feng Jieer asked about the reason, she couldn't help laughing and said, "Brother Jian just invited Yang Si Niang to come, but Yang Si Niang hasn't found out anything yet, but it was Jia Si Miss who found out."

Ruhua pleaded, "Second Madam, I dare not lie. Just ask our grandmother and Second Master Qiang tomorrow. If they say it was not a reward, then you can kill me and my brother together without complaint."

Feng Jieer glanced at him and said, "Of course I have to ask this, but even if it was a reward, you are still wrong. Who allowed you to send things privately? Just tell me who helped you, and I will forgive you. Don't do it next time!"

Xichun was extremely disgusted. When she thought of her personal maid Ruhua listening to Youshi's words, she felt very uncomfortable, so she said coldly: "Sister-in-law, please don't let her go this time. There are many people here. If we don't punish one person, who knows what the elders will do if they hear it. Sister-in-law, even if you let her go, I won't agree."

There had been a scene in Qiu Shuang Zhai before, and now Yang Si Niang had come. Feng Jieer had already gotten herself out of the situation, and she had explained to Lady Xing and Lady Wang afterwards. In this case, she wanted to make a big deal out of a small matter. So she said, "I think she's fine. Everyone made a mistake, it was just this one time. If she makes the same mistake twice, she will be punished for both crimes."

After a pause, he asked again, "But I don't know who passed it on?"

Xichun was filled with hatred and said, "If there is anyone who can pass on the message, it must be Aunt Zhang at the back door. She is always willing to sneak around with these maids, and these maids are willing to take care of her."

Sister Feng took note of it and said, "In that case, I will dismiss her tomorrow. Fourth sister, please stop being angry."

When Xichun heard her say this, she could not say anything else and could only agree angrily.

The next day, Feng Jieer went to Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Xing early in the morning to tell them that she had invited Yang Si Niang to investigate the case. Mrs. Wang said nothing, but Mrs. Xing said, "You can investigate the family affairs yourself, why bother outsiders?"

Feng Jieer said, "If I don't investigate it thoroughly, I won't be able to get rid of the injustice in my heart. Madam, don't worry. Yang Si Niang is an old woman who will definitely not spread the family secrets."

Mrs. Xing was speechless, so Mrs. Wang said, "You are the head of the household after all, so you can make your own decisions. But there is one thing you must do: don't let this happen again in the future, or I will go and talk to the old lady about it."

Feng Jieer smiled and agreed, but her face turned cold and frosty when she came out. She said to Ping Er, "We have known each other for many years, so who doesn't know who? Why are you pretending to be so disgusting?"

Ping Erh said, "If you ask me, it's because Madam is too indulgent to her subordinates. If you are more strict in the future, it will not be good for Madam to find fault with you again."

Sister Feng snorted coldly and said, "Of course I know."

Just as they turned to the gate of the Grand View Garden, a maid came in hastily. She caught sight of Sister Feng and hurried over to say, "Second Madam, the case has been solved. Jinyun has confessed everything!"

"It's this bitch indeed!"

Feng Jieer led Ping'er to the meeting room in a hurry. When they got inside, they saw Yang Si Niang drinking tea leisurely, while Jin Yun, who was standing below her, had a pale face.

Seeing Sister Feng, Jinyun was so frightened that she fell to her knees with a plop: "Please spare my life, Second Madam, spare my life!"

"Ping'er, slap her!"

Ping'er stepped forward and slapped Jinyun, saying, "What a despicable person, bringing such things into the garden! At least I got the answer this time. If I didn't, wouldn't the girls be implicated?" Jinyun secretly hated her. She was originally a maidservant of Jia Huan, and because Jia Huan always interacted with his stupid uncle Xing Dequan, she got to know Xing Dequan. She was born ordinary and didn't like Jia Huan, so shouldn't she think more about herself?

Because Xing Dequan promised her a huge profit, Jinyun was tempted. She didn't expect that she could do it without anyone noticing. Unexpectedly, she ran into Feng Jieer who had returned in a panic, and then was discovered by Xiao Que. Just now, in the meeting room, Jinyun was speechless. Seeing that she was about to be tortured, she admitted that she had lost the embroidered sachet.

At this time, Yang Si Niang handed over the case file and said, "Second Madam, this is the case file, please take a look. This is the end of the investigation of the case. Should we investigate further? Please make your decision, Second Madam."

Feng Jieer took the case file and read it for a few seconds. It recorded Jinyun's confession. It said that the embroidered spring bag was given by Xing Dequan. She went into the garden to look for Jia Huan, but she happened to lose it. She was anxious and ran around, and ran into Feng Jieer again, so she ran away in a panic.

Feng Jieer was also smart. Thinking back to what Yang Si Niang said, she was afraid that Jin Yun's words were not entirely true. However, she did not think too much about it. She just wanted to deal with it. After all, she had explained it to the Madam. She was too lazy to make a big fuss, so she closed the case file and said, "That's it. The family will deal with it later. I'm sorry to bother Si Niang. Ping'er, quickly give Si Niang some tea and money."

Ping Er agreed, and returned after leaving the meeting room, carrying a tea tray with two hundred silver dollars inside. Feng Jieer was not a sucker, and had privately asked Li Weijian about the price. Two hundred silver dollars was not too much, nor too little, and it was just the right amount.

After receiving the tea and money, Yang Si Niang led her people back without saying anything else.

Sister Feng took Jinyun and went to Lady Wang's courtyard again. Lady Xing happened to be there at that moment, so Sister Feng said proudly, "Thank goodness we hired Yang Si Niang, otherwise we would not have been able to find this thief in the house."

The case file was presented immediately. Mrs. Wang read it first and remained silent. Mrs. Xing read it again and immediately blushed with shame. She scolded, "I thought that scoundrel was stupid, but now he has learned from outsiders to seduce maids! He is really out of his mind. Don't worry, Sister Feng, I will send him back tomorrow. Don't come to our house to make trouble in the future!"

Feng Jieer snorted twice without answering, and then took Ping Er away with a greeting. Mrs. Xing sighed in her heart, she didn't expect that the embroidered sachet would hit her when it turned around... How could she complain?

I wanted to give Fengjie a chance to save her face, so that she could at least respect me, my cheap mother-in-law, in the future. But after this incident, I was afraid that Fengjie would not take me seriously anymore.

Feeling ashamed and angry, Mrs. Xing hurriedly left Mrs. Wang's place, returned to her own courtyard, and hurriedly sent a servant to look for Xing Dequan.

Xing Dequan was a fool with a stupid mind. He couldn't find Jinyun yesterday, and after some eavesdropping, he learned that she had been taken to the meeting room. He also heard that Feng Jieer had invited Yang Si Niang from the Ministry of Punishment to interrogate her. Xing Dequan thought that Jinyun would definitely not be able to bear it and would definitely confess. Wouldn't that make him the one to blame?

He felt ashamed to see Madam Xing, so he packed his bags and went out of the city last night. It just so happened that he met a lot of good friends with Jia Qiang, Jia Huan and others in Tiekan Temple, so Xing Dequan decided to go all out and hang out with those good friends.

Such a big thing happened in the family, so it could not be hidden from Grandmother Jia.

Yuanyang was well-informed, and she immediately told Lady Jia the reason. But Lady Jia was old now, and her health had not been good since the beginning of this year. She would fall ill from time to time, and became increasingly weak. When she heard the reason, she knew that it was Lady Wang who was using the embroidered sachet as an excuse to find fault with Sister Feng.

Grandmother Jia secretly hated being deceived by Lady Wang for more than ten years, and after hearing that Sister Feng had been dealt with, she pretended not to know. She was still cheerful every day when she saw Sister Feng.

When Li Weijian returned from the court that day, he came to Rong Mansion to ask about it. After Feng Jieer finished speaking, Li Weijian frowned and asked, "What do you plan to do with the second sister-in-law?"

"It has already been dealt with. Jinyun should be driven out of the house and left to fend for herself. As for Xing Dequan, the eldest wife said he ran away, but he is still nowhere to be found. Let him run away, and don't even think about coming back to the Jia family in the future."

Li Weijian looked through the case file again and thought about it for a while. He felt that the matter was not entirely true. So he said, "I'm afraid Jinyun didn't tell the truth."

Since the embroidered sachet was given by Xing Dequan, most people would want to hide it first, so why would they carry it around in their arms?
Sister Feng didn't care at all and said, "Who cares? Just chase her out."

Li Weijian thought about it and realized that since Jinyun had been chased away and Xing Dequan had escaped, it would be useless to have any intentions to harm others. He chatted with her for a few minutes and was about to get up and return home.

Sister Feng said angrily, "You are so proud now that you have married a new bride and forgotten the old one!"

Li Weijian said with a smile: "What you said, I dare to marry, but do you dare to marry?"

This remark choked Feng Jieer speechless. She scolded him for a long time before letting him go.

............................................................

Suddenly the day has arrived.

On this day, the Jinglingbo Mansion was renovated from top to bottom. Although there was no big fanfare, the interior was decorated with lights and colorful decorations. Daiyu felt sorry for Xing Xiuyan's character, and seeing that the east and west courtyards were already full, she ordered people to clean up the Zhijue Studio in the Jingfang Garden for Xing Xiuyan to live in.

At the auspicious time, the sedan chair carried by four people entered from the corner gate and stopped near the ceremonial gate. Xing Xiuyan, wearing a pink wedding dress, was supported by two maids as she entered the ceremonial gate. She first went to the main room in the middle to greet Daiyu, and after serving tea, she went to the Zhijue Studio in the back to settle down.

Afterwards, a banquet was served. Daiyu entertained the Jia sisters in Huifang Garden, while Li Weijian entertained relatives and friends in the front.

Nowadays, the Jingling Marquis's Mansion is full of great scholars and common people. The visitors are either important officials in the inner court or newly promoted scholars of practical learning in recent years. Xing Zhong used to act like a father-in-law in front of outsiders, but when he heard that the visitors were more powerful than each other, he immediately shrank his neck and kept silent.

Li Weijian smiled widely and drank only three cups of wine before stopping. To this day, given Li Weijian's position, very few people in the court can force him to drink.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Li Weijian finally approached Xing Zhong's parents with a wine glass.

Xing Zhong and his wife hurriedly stood up to greet them. Li Weijian raised his glass and said, "I'll toast to you two."

Xing Zhonglian said he didn't dare, and drank it all in one gulp. Then he saw Li Weijian slowly taking a small sip.

Putting down the wine glass, Li Weijian said, "You two should leave as soon as possible tomorrow. I am really worried about you over there. If you do well, there may be dividends in the future."

Xing Zhong agreed without hesitation, and his wife could not help but criticize him, "Master, I know you are afraid that we will cause trouble, so you sent us away. I have nothing else to say, except to ask you to treat Xiuyan better in the future."

Li Weijian was startled and couldn't help but said seriously: "Madam, don't worry, I will treat Xiuyan well."

He raised his cup again and drank the remaining wine. Without any other considerations, just this sentence alone made Li Weijian want to drink a glass.

The banquet started at noon and ended at the end of the afternoon. Li Weijian asked Hongyu to clean up carefully and was about to go to the back to meet Tanchun and others when Wu Haiping came hurriedly and said, "Master, Miss Xue wants to see you."

"Who?" Li Weijian thought he had heard wrongly.

"That's Miss Xue."

Baochai? Li Weijian was very surprised and wondered why she came at this time.
He then ordered Wu Haiping to lead the people to the front side hall, and he tidied himself up a little before going out of the ceremonial gate to meet him.

When she arrived at the side hall, she saw Baochai's face was anxious, her brows were deeply furrowed, and she didn't know what had happened. Seeing Li Weijian, Sister Bao stood up and bowed, and hurriedly said, "Fourth Brother Jian!"

"Why is Sister Xue here?"

Baochai said dejectedly, "I have nowhere else to turn to, so I have no choice but to ask for help from Fourth Brother Jian."

"Don't panic, and tell me what's going on."

Baochai didn't even sit down, she wrung her hands together and said, "My...my brother killed someone today!"

(End of this chapter)