Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

Chapter 749 Seek kindness and gain kindness
Jia Cong said calmly: "Father-in-law, don't blame Aunt Yue. After all, she is from the Jia family, and I am the head of the Jia family. Her parents, brothers, sisters, and nephews are all in my hands. How dare she not listen to me?

Even if my aunt were still alive today, I don’t think she would agree with my father-in-law’s actions.”

Lin Ruhai nodded and said, "Brother Cong, you have grown up. Seeing that you have such a plan, I am relieved. The officialdom is dangerous, you must be more careful."

Jia Cong said in a deep voice: "As long as my father-in-law orders the banquet to be cancelled, Cong will forgive the past."

Lin Ruhai sighed, looked at Daiyu, whose eyes were filled with tears and whose face was filled with grief, and said, "Yu'er, Junjie is now in your care.

As a father and a subject, I must abide by my loyalty. I hope you don't resent your father.

Stop, stop, Daddy will go and ask your mother for forgiveness." After saying this, he picked up the wine glass in front of him and drank it all.

"Daddy, don't..." Daiyu hurriedly stood up to stop him, but it was too late.

Although Jia Cong could have stopped him, he did not move. He watched Lin Ruhai drink the wine and sighed, "Father-in-law, why bother? Wouldn't it be better for you and me to join forces and rebuild the Great Wu?"

Lin Ruhai smiled and shook his head. He felt as if his stomach was being stabbed and twisted by thousands of knives. He endured the severe pain and said softly, "Cong'er, don't take your anger out on Yu'er because of me. She doesn't know anything."

Jia Cong said, "Don't worry, father-in-law. Pin'er would rather die than harm Yu Cong. I am confident of this."

Lin Ruhai's face was pale, sweat was pouring down his forehead, he panted slightly, and said with a smile: "Then I feel relieved. In this world, only you can protect Yu'er."

After saying that, he looked at Daiyu and said, "Yu'er, a man will die for his friend. This is Dad's own choice. You can't blame Cong'er. He didn't do anything wrong. It's just that the emperor doesn't tolerate him. Do you understand?"

"Daddy, daddy..." Daiyu nodded while crying and hurried over to support Lin Ruhai.

Jia Cong remained silent. He knew that after Lin Ruhai's plan to poison him failed, he could no longer live in shame.

First, he felt he had failed the emperor's trust; second, he felt guilty towards himself and Daiyu; third, he felt guilty towards Jia Min; and fourth, he was afraid that he would vent his anger on Daiyu and Junjie, so he chose to take all the responsibility alone and die to atone for his sins.

Judging from Lin Ruhai's personality and arrangements, even if he succeeded in poisoning himself, he would die bravely, because poisoning his son-in-law and nephew with his own hands and ruining his daughter's life was a guilt that Lin Ruhai could never face, and he could only atone for it with death.

Although he knew that he had long intended to die, Jia Cong still let him drink the poisoned wine. This was something he had discussed with Pang Chao before leaving.

Pang Chao said that if Lord Ruhai agreed to stand on his side right away, there must be something fishy going on and he could not trust him.

So Jia Cong tried to test him with words, and it turned out to be true. After repeated persuasion, Lin Ruhai finally decided to be loyal to the emperor.

Although Jia Cong respected him, he would never be merciful to his political enemies and leave them with future troubles, so he watched him die without stopping him.

Lin Ruhai got what he wanted, and the only thing Jia Cong could do was to fulfill his reputation as a loyal minister.

The poison was extremely strong. In a moment, Lin Ruhai's lips turned purple. He suddenly spat out a mouthful of dirty blood, and fell on the table with a thud, dying.

"Daddy, daddy..." Daiyu was horrified and burst into tears. She shook Lin Ruhai's shoulders repeatedly, but there was no way to wake him up.

"Brother Cong...my father...he..." Daiyu was overwhelmed with grief and anger over the sudden loss of her father. She was unable to breathe and fell down.

"Pin'er!" Jia Cong hurriedly reached out and hugged her, Shuiyue hurriedly took out some ginseng tea and gave it to her, then pinched her Ren Zhong point and stroked her chest to help her breathe smoothly.

After a long time, Daiyu woke up. She stared at the roof blankly, tears rolling down her cheeks silently.

Jia Cong sighed and said softly, "Pin'er, my father-in-law didn't really want to harm me. He was just a subject and the emperor forced him to do it. He had no choice but to do it. It was the emperor and the New Party who forced him to death."

Daiyu was heartbroken. She leaned in Jia Cong's arms, looking at Lin Ruhai's body, and just shed tears.

"Let's go back. I will definitely avenge my father-in-law." Jia Cong sighed and helped Daiyu up. He didn't expect that Daiyu would eventually experience the pain of losing her father, it was just delayed for a few years.

Suddenly he caught sight of the two glasses of wine left on the table, raised his hand to call Zhang Yuanba over, and whispered a few words to him.

Not long after, the personal soldiers brought two big yellow dogs from the neighbor's house and poured the wine into the dogs' mouths. After a while, both dogs foamed at the mouth, convulsed and died.

Daiyu was shocked, because she had just returned from the gates of hell.

Jia Cong sneered and said, "My father-in-law is indeed the kind-hearted man that Mr. Pang said he was. He even wants to take Pin'er with him."

Daiyu shed tears and said, "Daddy was forced to do this."

Jia Cong said: "Of course I understand. Pin'er, you have also seen that in this world, only our family can stick together for warmth.

My father-in-law got what he wanted, and I don't blame him. You don't have to be overly sad. Let's live our lives well, which will comfort the spirits of my father-in-law and mother-in-law in heaven."

Daiyu nodded gently and said, "Brother Cong, I'm so scared."

"What are you afraid of?"

"I'm afraid that one day you will become like Daddy, disregarding everything in order to serve the court."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "No, you can rest assured. I will only serve my wife, not the court."

Daiyu rolled her eyes at him, then felt relieved. She looked back at her father's body, sighed again, and said, "Aunt Yue, I'll leave the house to you."

"Don't worry, young lady. I will take care of it."

"Brother Cong, let's go." Daiyu sighed. She had been the housekeeper for several years now and her temperament had become much stronger. She was no longer the little girl who was sad about the passing of time and burying flowers and humming.

"Okay, let's go back and rest, and then ask Mr. Ye to come and see you." Jia Cong hurriedly helped her out.

In the afternoon, the obituary of Lin Ruhai's sudden death due to illness was delivered to the two mansions. The old lady was deeply saddened and hurriedly ordered Jia Lian and Baoyu to come to the mansion to pay tribute and help with the arrangements.

As the son-in-law, Jia Cong also took Daiyu and Baochai back with him to help entertain the guests.

Seeing the New Party members coming to his house to pay tribute, Jia Cong was too lazy to pretend, so he dealt with it indifferently and went back to Lin Ruhai's study to rest.

Huo Peng, Dong Yi and others were terrified. Seeing the murderous intent in Jia Cong's eyes, they knew that their plan had been exposed, so they said goodbye and left in a hurry.

"Master, this is what the master asked me to keep before he passed away. He said that he would give it to Aunt Fu after he passed away. Please give your instructions." Shuiyue took out the wooden box and sighed with guilt.

Jia Cong glanced at her and said, "Aunt Yue, don't feel guilty. You are right to be loyal to me. You are a girl raised by the Jia family, and I am the patriarch of the Jia family. You can't just watch me being poisoned to death by others, can you?
As for your father-in-law's death, it was the path he chose himself and has nothing to do with you."

Shuiyue forced a smile and said, "Master, I want to ask for a favor from you."

"Say it."

"After I finish my master's funeral, I want to send him back to Suzhou to be buried with my wife. I will stay there to guard the tomb. I beg for your permission, sir."

Jia Cong knew that she was uneasy, and said, "Aunt Yue, why do you have to do this? You have served your father-in-law and mother-in-law loyally for many years and have never married. How can Cong bear to see you spend the rest of your life alone?"

Shuiyue smiled with tears in her eyes, "Master is a man of great things, you don't have to worry about me. I just want to be with Master and his wife for the rest of my life."

Jia Cong sighed and said, "Okay, I will allow you to go back and guard the tomb, and I will give you 100 taels of silver every month, but you have to promise me one thing."

"What is it? Just give me your orders."

"Aunt Yue, please promise me that I will not live a lonely life. After returning to Suzhou, I will find a good man to marry and live a life of having children and raising children. If you can't find one, Cong can ask someone to find one for you." Jia Cong said. Shuiyue blushed and bowed her head and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Master. I will pay attention to the matter of marriage."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Then I am relieved. You don't have to worry about anything. There will be people to buy the house and land. I will also send your relatives back so that you can reunite with your family."

Shuiyue knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Thank you, Master, for your grace."

"Go ahead." Jia Cong sent her away, picked up Lin Ruhai's will, and read softly:
"I am a humble scholar, but I have been favored by the Holy Emperor. I have been repeatedly entrusted with important posts and have been entrusted with important tasks, such as managing the salt business and selecting officials. Even if I die nine times, I will not regret it!
Throughout my life, I have not sought support from any party, nor have I cultivated any production to encourage myself. I have nothing else to cling to. But the current situation is difficult and I have not been able to remedy it; I have not been able to repay the kindness of those who have recognized my kindness.

Now I have abandoned personal feelings and pursued justice, and have sacrificed my relatives for the greater good. If I succeed, it will be due to Your Majesty's blessing and the country's fortune. If I fail, it will be all due to my incompetence. I sincerely pray that Your Majesty will forgive me. I have no face to see you again.

I am afraid that I will fail and die, and my shallow views will be forgotten, so I dare not fail to express my ignorance and present it to the holy ruler with tears.

At a time when the court was in a tense situation, party struggles were intensifying, civil officials were on the sidelines, and military officials were watching covetously, the emperor worked diligently day and night, made many plans, reconciled yin and yang, and stabilized the world. He is truly a wise and enlightened monarch throughout the ages.

However, war is extremely dangerous and should not be taken lightly. If it is taken, it will deplete the vitality of the country and even cause tragedy and shake the foundation of the country. I believe that we should proceed slowly.

This son of Jia Cong has a generous temperament, is agile and brave, and can be conquered by kindness but not by force. He is a nobleman, greedy for money and power, and pursues fame and fortune, so he can be alienated but not suppressed by force.

If you can divide them by advantage, divide them and rule them, then even though Cong is as brave as a hegemon, he will not be a concern. If you are chosen by the wise emperor, then the day of my death will be like the year of my life.

Looking at the palace, my soul is flying, and I am deeply grateful for your protection. I humbly ask for your approval. I respectfully report. "

Jia Cong sighed, thinking that Lin Ruhai was indeed a loyal minister. After thinking about it, he decided to put the memorial back to preserve his reputation after his death.

He had no interest in reading the rest of the letters, so he called Shuiyue in and asked her to follow Lin Ruhai's last wishes.

Sitting in the mahogany armchair that Lin Ruhai usually sat on, Jia Cong closed his eyes and pondered for a long time. His expression gradually became stern. He suddenly opened his eyes, and there was a murderous intent in his eyes, and his brilliance shot out like lightning in an empty room.

I originally set my heart towards the bright moon, but the bright moon shines on the ditch!
After experiencing Tu Fei's rebellion, Jia Cong did not want to stir up bloodshed in the capital again. But now that the emperor was determined to kill him, there was no logic to it. It was just one word - kill.

Looking at the bright moon hanging high outside the window, Jia Cong smiled coldly and returned home with his two wives.

"You guys should not go out these days. Pin'er, you should stay at home too. Leave your father-in-law's funeral to Second Brother Lian and the others." Jia Cong said slowly in the carriage.

Seeing that he looked strange, Baochai nodded in agreement.

Daiyu pondered and said, "Brother Cong, is there something going on in the capital?"

Jia Cong nodded and said, "It will be fine soon. It won't be too late to arrange it for my father-in-law in a grand manner then."

"Okay." Daiyu didn't hesitate and agreed softly.

All the women in the family knew that when Jia Cong got serious, he would not allow anyone to object, otherwise no matter who it was, they would be in trouble.

This is also Jia Cong's philosophy of managing his family. A country has a leader, an army has a leader, and a family should also have a leader. If there is no backbone and everyone does their own thing, the family will become a mess and only regrets will be left behind.
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Yangxindian

Emperor Xifeng had seen Lin Ruhai's posthumous memorial. He closed the scroll and remained silent for a long time before saying, "Ruhai is gone. What else do you have to do, my dear ministers?"

Huo Peng, Dong Yi and others were all a little panicked. Given Jia Cong's temper, would he let them go? They hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please make a prompt decision and kill this beast!"

Emperor Xifeng looked at Duan Zhun and asked, "What do you think, Lord Zhun?"

Duan Zhun smiled calmly and said, "I think we can send General Xiao Feng to fight. On the grounds that he behaved improperly during the period of mourning, he should be demoted to the rank of first-class general. All his weapons and equipment should be taken away. He should be ordered to leave within three days to garrison in the Western Regions. His merits will atone for his crime."

Huo Peng's eyes lit up and he said with a smile, "What a good idea. When Jia Cong sees General Xiao Feng, his guard will surely be down. If he takes a chance and hands over his weapons and armor, he will be like a tiger with its teeth pulled out, and can be easily captured."

If he is not happy or hesitates to comply, please ask General Feng to bring him to the palace to defend himself before the emperor, and let him fall into the trap."

A bunch of old foxes! Gu Tao sighed and said, "What if Jia Cong neither obeys the order nor enters the palace?"

Duan Zhun said calmly: "In this case, you can order the Infantry Commander's Office to send troops to assist. I heard that when suppressing Tu Fei's rebellion, Jia Cong's Mo Dao Army played a great role. They were invincible and killed people like cutting grass. No one could resist.

After all, we have fewer people, and we confiscated 900 soldiers the other day. Now we only have 600 people left. What can we do? We can just bombard them with artillery fire, and even the most solid formation will be reduced to ashes."

Gu Tao was silent. Last time, Tu Fei didn't know that Jia Cong had a special force, and they were swept away by the Modao Army like fallen leaves in the autumn wind. This time, they were well prepared, and the Modao Army could only sigh helplessly in the face of absolute strength.

Emperor Xifeng said, "Send an order for Li Meng, Wang Ning, Yan Jie, and Feng Ziying to come to the audience."

Soon, all the generals gathered together, and Emperor Xifeng assigned tasks to them one by one. He also said to Duan Zhun and others: "There may be turmoil in the capital tonight, so you should stay in the palace to be on the safe side."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."

After everyone knelt down to pay their respects, Emperor Xifeng hesitated for a moment and said, "Dai Quan..."

"I'm here." Dai Quan bowed and responded.

"It's time to deal with the retired emperor and the empress." Emperor Xifeng said lightly.

Dai Quan shrank his neck, hunched his body even more, and said, "I understand. I will send someone to help the two saints ascend to heaven."

"Well, the capital is in turmoil tonight. The traitor Jia Cong has sent people into the palace to assassinate the retired emperor and the empress with the intention of rebellion. Order the Dragon Guards to be more careful." Emperor Xifeng said slowly with a gloomy expression.

"Yes, slaves follow the order."

Dai Quan bowed and came out, waving his hand, and two trusted eunuchs came over.

"Xiao Guizi, Xiao Shunzi, the emperor orders you to serve the retired emperor and the empress until they ascend to heaven. Do you understand?" Dai Quan smiled viciously.

"Yes." The two eunuchs responded quickly.

"Xiao Guizi goes to Ningshou Palace, Xiao Shunzi goes to Changchun Palace, go quickly and come back soon, the emperor is waiting to hear your news." Dai Quan took out two gold medals from his arms and gave them to the two.

"Yes."

The two eunuchs took orders and left. As soon as they turned the corner of the palace, Xiao Guizi hurriedly pulled Xiao Shunzi and said with a smile, "Brother Shun, how about we switch places? How about I go to Changchun Palace and you go to Ningshou Palace?"

Xiao Shunzi glared at him and said, "Since the steward has given the order for such an important matter, are you still allowed to pick and choose?"

Xiao Guizi's eyes showed deep hatred, and he gnashed his teeth and said, "Brother, please forgive me. It's not that I'm picky, but I can't stand the same fate with An Wenyao.

When I first entered the palace, I offended him over a trivial matter and was thrown into the Ministry of Punishment, where I was tortured to a point where my life was worse than death. If it weren't for the rescue of Chief Steward Dai, my bones would have melted.

Now that God has given me this opportunity, I must personally send that fellow off. Can you please help me, brother? I will definitely report back later."

Xiao Shunzi knew about this, and after a moment's hesitation, he thought about the fact that they would have to work together in the future, so he nodded and said, "Okay, I'll take the blame for you this time. Do it cleanly, because this is a matter that could cost you your life."

Xiao Guizi hurriedly bowed and said, "Don't worry, brother. I have never made any mistakes in my work."

Xiao Shunzi nodded, and was very impressed with his ability to handle affairs. He said, "Then let's split up and go call people."

"it is good."

(End of this chapter)