Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

But Ping'er came straight to the garden and went to Qiushuangzhai to convey Jia Cong's message.

Tan Chunsu finished listening and said, "Sister, please tell Third Brother. I will take care of this matter tomorrow."

Ping'er smiled and said, "Then I'll go first, and I'll also go to see the second girl."

Just as he was about to leave, he heard the waiter come in and reply: "Girl, just now Aunt Lin came back and said that the rose water and poria frost stolen from the wife's room were found in the small kitchen and were stolen by Liu Wu'er."

Tanchun said: "I have to do what third brother asked me to do, and I don't have time to care about this. But have you returned to Sister-in-law Zhu?"

The waiter said: "Grandma Zhu has suffered from cold and is not feeling well. She is unable to take charge of the affairs. Let the third girl make the decision."

Tanchun said: "Then go back to Grandma Zhen and ask her to decide."

"Yes." The servant took the order and went out.

Ping'er's heart moved and she said with a smile: "Third Miss, I'll go take a look."

Tanchun said with a smile: "It would be great if sister is willing to help deal with it." Who doesn't know the status of Ping'er in Jia Cong's heart? Although she is a girl now, she is more noble than a girl.

When Lin Zhixiao's family members came out, they hurriedly paid their respects to him.

Ping'er said: "What's going on?"

Lin Zhixiao also told how he saw Liu Wuer sneaking around to find someone with something, how he was reported by Lianhuaer, and how he found rose dew and poria frost in the small kitchen cabinet.

"Miss Ping, you see that everyone has gained the stolen goods, how to deal with it?"

Liu Wuer'er was so frightened that he cried and hurriedly knelt down to Ping'er and said: "Because I am weak, the rose dew was given to me by Fangguan begging Master Bao, and the poria cream was given by my uncle. Together with my wife, The things in the room are irrelevant.”

Lin Zhixiao's family sneered: "That's a good excuse. There were two things missing from my wife's room, but I found them here. You said it had nothing to do with the things in my wife's room. Who would believe this?"

Ping'er said: "In this way, you are actually an innocent person, and you are the one who is used to top the vat. It is not difficult to distinguish, just ask Fangguan to ask."

She always knew that Liu Wuer was frail, beautiful, and had a pure and kind character. Because his family was poor and could not afford medicine, he always wanted to serve in Baoyu's room and make money every month. He followed the path of Fangguan. I dared to report it to Mrs. Wang, so I delayed it.

Now after listening to her words, I am convinced.

Just as he was about to ask someone to ask, he suddenly saw a girl from Mrs. Wang's side coming over and said, "Ms. Lin, Madam knows about Liu Wu'er.

The wife said she was a dirty girl, but she lied and got Mr. Bao involved. Beat her and her mother forty times each and drive them out of the house. "

"Yes, please go back to my wife, I will do it right away." Lin Zhixiao's family bowed and agreed, then turned around and ordered several women to pull Liu Wu'er out.

Liu Wuer heard that his wife had said that she wanted to drive away both mother and daughter. He was so frightened that he struggled and cried: "I am wronged, sister Ping'er, I am wronged!"

Lin Zhixiao's family said angrily: "What's the name of the ghost! Stop her mouth! Regardless of whether you are wronged or not, didn't you hear what my wife said? This is the place for you to redress your grievances? Why don't you take her away yet?"

Seeing that Liu Wu'er was innocent of his grievances, Ping'er hesitated and said: "Ms. Lin, this matter is not innocent. It's not good to settle the case like this. It's better to investigate clearly and then deal with it."

Lin Zhixiao's family said: "Miss Ping, it's my wife who is the main culprit in this matter, and everyone gets the stolen goods. My wife has said something again, so don't worry about it. It's not worth it for these little girls.

You don't know, there are many little girls with unclean hands and feet in the house. It's not surprising. "As he said that, he was about to pull the person away.

Seeing Liu Wuer's frightened and sad look, Ping'er couldn't bear it and insisted: "Aunt Lin, the Duke of the country has appointed me to be in charge of the lives of the girls in the two houses. Although this matter is not a marriage, it is related to the integrity of the girls' names. If I have wronged her and will teach her how to get married in the future?”

When Lin Zhixiao's family heard that she was moving out Jia Cong, they felt a little scared. After thinking for a moment, they smiled and said, "Miss Ping, I know it's a matter of honor, but my wife has given me instructions. Please teach me how to do it." Is good?"

Ping'er said: "Let her be guarded by the people at night first, and then I can reason with her after I return to the country."

"Yes, yes." Lin Zhixiao's family did not dare to disobey and ordered people to take Liu Wu'er to the gatehouse of the garden and hand him over to his wife who was staying late to guard him.

Ping'er hurriedly returned to Dongfu and saw Jia Cong and others eating. He didn't dare to disturb them and just stood aside to serve.

Jia Cong, who had a sharp ear and eyesight, had already realized something was wrong, so he put down his bowl and chopsticks and said with a smile, "I heard that Sister Ping'er was walking hastily, does it sound like there is something important?"

Seeing everyone looking over, Ping'er smiled and said: "It's nothing serious. I just went to the garden and encountered a theft case. There seems to be something fishy. I want to come back and ask for my advice."

Jia Cong smiled and said: "This is my old profession, let's talk about it. I want you to see what it means to solve cases like a god."

"Wang Po sells melons and boasts about herself." All the girls laughed.

Ping'er hurriedly explained the matter and added his usual understanding of Liu Wu'er.

Seeing Jia Cong's silence, everyone thought he was thinking, so they stayed silent and waited for him to conclude the case.

Unexpectedly, Jia Cong was not thinking about the "case", but he was thinking about Liu Wu'er, who seemed familiar.

"What is the relationship between Liu Wu'er and the Liu family?" Jia Cong asked.

"It's mother and daughter." Ping'er hurriedly replied.

"Isn't Liu Wu'er quite delicate and pretty, but fragile?" Jia Cong asked.

Ping'er glanced at the many mistresses and nodded awkwardly.

All the girls glared at Jia Cong angrily, he was so good at solving the case, it was not the thief who was judged, but the beauty.

Jia Cong already knew this in his mind. When he saw all the women staring at him with different expressions, he smiled and said, "Where are you thinking? I have never seen this Liu Wu'er."

Daiyu smiled lightly and said: "It turns out that I have been admiring her for a long time."

Ruyi also said in a strange manner: "Perhaps they have been in close contact with each other for a long time."

The girls couldn't hold their hands and all burst into laughter.

Jia Cong was a little embarrassed and said: "You two are the only ones who are jealous, have you never seen a beauty?
What girl is better than Sister Ping'er? I don't even eat Ping'er, so I can take care of her? You won't be able to conclude the case at first glance, and you don't even have basic logic. "

"Master! Okay, tell me what I will do." Ping'er blushed, stamped his feet and spat.

Ruyi also spat: "Look at you jumping over the wall in a hurry, what kind of logic, Zhouji, nonsense."

Daiyu sneered: "Although we won't solve the case, we know that someone wants a hero to save the beauty again."

Jia Cong smiled dryly and said: "It's a wrong choice of words. It's called upholding justice, redressing the injustice, and knowing everything clearly.

Sister Ping'er, please go and tell me that Liu Wu'er has nothing to do with the theft case. I will give Sister Liu a hundred taels of silver to help her with medical treatment and medicine.

Well, you said that her family is in a tight situation and she wants to find a job in the garden, but Baoyu is unreliable, so tell her to come to Dongfu, and you can tell her to do whatever you want. "

Daiyu smiled and said: "Yes, Sister Ping'er, go tell Liu Wu'er that Brother Cong is the only one in the two houses who is reliable and ask her to come over and serve. This is called teaching a man to fish rather than giving him a fish."

Ping'er laughed along with him.

Jia Cong was ridiculed by Dai Yu. He couldn't understand that he was just trying to save an innocent girl. He could only point at Ru Yi and Dai Yu and said, "After dinner, you two are not allowed to run away. I want to have an in-depth discussion with you." "

The two women were so ashamed that they spat at him in unison.

Ping'er went back with Jia Congjun's decree, released Liu Wu'er, comforted her, and sent her back to Liu's sister-in-law, telling her what Jia Cong had warned her. When Sister-in-law Liu saw that Jia Cong had been disturbed, she was so frightened that she urinated and kowtowed to apologize.

Ping'er smiled and called her up, saying: "The Duke has no intention of severe punishment, so there is no need to panic. From now on, just follow the wishes of the Duke.

In addition, the Duke knew that Wu'er was in poor health and your family had no money to pay for a good doctor, so he gave her a hundred taels of silver to treat her and take medicine. "

Sister-in-law Liu was happy and ashamed. She took the bank note tremblingly and cried: "The grace of the Duke is so great that I will never repay it with death." After saying this, she pulled Wu'er and kowtowed three times in the direction of Dongfu.

Ping'er smiled and said: "There are good things. The Duke of the state has always shown pity to the poor and the weak. Hearing that Wu'er wanted to find a job in the mansion to supplement the family's income, he specially ordered Wu'er to serve in the East Mansion. Sister-in-law Liu will give him some help someday. She'll pack it up and send it over to me."

Sister-in-law Liu was overjoyed and eager to say a word, so she pulled Wu'er to kowtow to thank God again.

Wu'er didn't expect that Fu Ji would be so happy. She was so excited that her face flushed red and her eyes filled with tears. She held the handkerchief tightly and covered her chest, speechless.

Ping'er smiled and said, "I'll just take it back with you if you want to thank me." After saying that, he turned around and went back to Lotus Champs.

"Thank you, Miss Ping, for your support. Let's go slowly. Come back another day to say thank you to the girl."

Sister-in-law Liu nodded and bowed to send Ping'er away. She went back to the room and took Wu'er with her. , sister, all have to show some respect.

When the Duke favors you, you will be able to pay ten taels of silver a month, and your mother will not have to worry. "

Wu'er blushed and said coyly: "What did you say, mother? The Duke asked me to be a girl. What kind of favor... I am not afraid of people's ridicule."

Sister-in-law Liu said with a smile: "We two are talking about each other, who is laughing?
After all, you are the third girl requested by the government. The first two, Qingwen and Yuanyang, both received ten taels of silver per month. How can you be worse than them?

What's more, people often say that you have a bit of Mrs. Lin's character, and you also have the love of the country. "

When Wu'er heard this, he stamped his feet and said angrily: "Mother... the more she talks about it, the more unlikeable it is. How can I, an innocent person, be a coward?"

Sister-in-law Liu said: "Don't leave. Which of the ladies and aunts over there is easy to mess with? Carefully ride the donkey and carry the bag. As long as you serve the Duke of the country honestly, what is yours will be yours."

Wu'er shyly whispered: "I know."

"By the way, don't interact with Fangguan and the others in the future."

"Sister Fangguan treats me very well on weekdays. She even begged me for rose dew. Why don't we interact with her?" Wu'er asked curiously.

"Don't you know that Fang Guan and the others bumped into Mrs. Zhao and Mr. Huan the day before yesterday, and they happened to be met by Mr. Guo, who really insulted them.

If you interact with them, isn't it like sticking plaster on your flesh? "Sister-in-law Liu warned.

Wu'er pursed her lips slightly and reluctantly agreed.

"Mom, I know you value friendship, but don't let these small favors fool you.

My mother has reimbursed a lot of the kindness that Fang Guan has shown us. Think about it for yourself, which is more important, your future, our family’s livelihood, or your career? Don't let the Duke think that you and her are the same person. "

"Mom, I understand." Wu'er also knew what his mother meant so earnestly and nodded in agreement.

"This is it."
-
After attending the morning court the next day, Jia Cong was about to go back when he saw Fatty Feng coming over and pulling him to complain: "Brother, I was scolded miserably by the emperor."

Jia Cong knew it well and pretended to be puzzled, saying, "Brother Zhengfang, what does this mean?"

Feng Yuan rolled his eyes and said, "Isn't it about the batch of short-term money you paid?"

Jia Cong said: "Is your Majesty too little?"

"Shit! Why are you pretending to be confused with me?" Feng Yuan glared at him and said, "The Holy One thinks you are too reckless and have aroused 'public outrage'"

Jia Cong spread his hands and said: "Brother Zhengfang, you have read the Holy Mandate with your own eyes. Oh, you want me to be a good boy, you want me to handle cases, and you want me to make money. I am not a god, what can I do? "

Feng Yuan sighed and said: "This matter is indeed difficult. The money is also a hot potato when it is handed over to me."

Jia Cong said "surprisingly": "Brother, what do you mean by this? I have already done the most offensive things, so what difficulties do you still have?"

Feng Yuan rolled his eyes: "Don't I offend anyone? You have offended dozens of families, but I also offended one person."

"Who?"

"Who are you talking about?" Feng Yuan pointed to the sky with a look of displeasure.

"emperor?"

"No."

"What did the Emperor say?"

"The emperor asked me to withdraw half of it and return it to each family to calm the public's anger."

"You quit?"

"Can this be withdrawn? More than 10 million silver can be withdrawn at the request of you? Don't you want to lose face when you treat me as the Ministry of Accounts?
I really don’t need face, but I have to keep it. I can kowtow to them and apologize, but the money really cannot be returned. "Feng Yuan said, scratching his neck.

Jia Cong held back his laughter and said, "Is this what you told the emperor?"

Feng Yuan nodded, looked around, and said in a low voice: "The winks given to me by several members of the main hall at that time also meant hard.

Damn it, everyone knows that money is good, but they don’t want to do the dirty work, teach me to be an honest person. "

"The emperor didn't scold you?"

"I was so scolded that I was so embarrassed that I was almost demoted from Shenjing."

Feng Yuan said angrily: "Then I will burn high incense. The several main halls also know that they can't live without honest people, so they pulled me up again."

"and after?"

"Later, the Empress also came to help with the matter. You know I am clumsy and clumsy. I couldn't convince her, and she defrauded me of five million silver." Feng Yuan stretched out a fat hand and sighed with a look of pain on his face.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "What happened?"

"The queen has made an agreement with the wives of the clan members to return the five million silver and waive 30% of the total amount owed. There will be no calls for payment within five years, and the repayment will be done slowly after five years, so that this matter can be wiped out. "Feng Yuandao.

Jia Cong smiled and said: "It's a blessing in disguise. At least the burden on your and my brothers' shoulders has been lifted."

"If this were not the case, Old Feng, I would rather die than surrender, and would not retreat even a penny. After all, we have also suffered a loss. Thirty percent of the debt owed by the clan and nobles, which is tens of millions of silver, is just gone." Feng Yuan beat his chest and sighed. road.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Just be content. If it weren't for the great prestige now, could these shortfalls be recovered?"

"That makes sense." Feng Yuan squinted his eyes and smiled.

Just as he was talking, he suddenly saw a little Huangmen coming over and said in a low voice: "Mr. Dingguo, Mr. Dai, please say a few words."

"Lead the way." Jia Cong's heart moved, he said goodbye to Feng Yuan, and followed the little eunuch into a small room outside Yangxin Gate. (End of chapter)