Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 132: Karma

Originally he was thinking about how to stay out of the matter, but was dragged into it again by her gentle and thoughtful words. After all, even if he didn't say some things, Xue Baochai would definitely think of them with her wisdom.

The Xue family might not be clear about the relationship between the Jia family and Jia Yucun for the time being, but with the Xue family's connections, even if they don't tell them, they will be able to find out with a little inquiry.

His casual words were also of great benefit.

"Aunt, Sister Bao, Jia Cong is still young after all. If we ask Jia Yucun to show mercy, I'm afraid it won't be enough. Instead, it will make things worse and make Brother Xue suffer more.

It would be better if Aunt wrote a letter to the master and mistress of the mansion and asked them to ask Jia Yucun for help. This man is very ambitious and has always relied on the Jia family. He will definitely not refuse. This is the most appropriate way."

When Aunt Xue heard this, she thought it made perfect sense and there was no better way. However, she did not realize that Jia Cong came up with this idea just to keep her out of the matter.

Jia Cong added, "If letters are sent back and forth to the capital by express horse, they will arrive in seven or eight days. It will be fine if Brother Xue stays in Yingtian Prefecture for a while."

Jia Cong thought that even if Xue the fool suffered for a few days, it was his own fault.

Aunt Xue said gratefully, "My brother is a scholar after all, and his mind is a hundred times smarter than yours. If you hadn't come up with such a good idea, I would have been so confused and didn't know what to do."

Actually, Aunt Xue is just a foolish person who spoils her son, otherwise she wouldn't have raised a lawless person like Xue Pan.

In the final analysis, she was just a kind and mediocre woman, much better than her sister who was both dull and secretive and vicious.

After all, Aunt Xue loved her son, so she thought about it over and over again.

He added: "We have been communicating with each other through letters for quite some time. I will ask my brother-in-law to mediate the matter. I am afraid that Pan'er will suffer in prison. After all, my brother and Jia Yucun have some friendship.

Can you please say hello to Jia Yucun nearby so that Pan'er can suffer less in prison? If it is done, aunt will definitely accept your kindness."

Jia Cong sighed in his heart, and after all, he still couldn't remove it completely, so he said, "Don't worry, aunt, I will do it when I get back."

When Jia Cong finished talking about the matter, he wanted to leave.

Aunt Xue insisted on inviting him to dinner out of shame, but Jia Cong said that Xue Pan's matter was urgent and a letter needed to be sent as soon as possible, so he didn't want to waste time here and would come to visit more often when he had time in the future.

Xue Baochai stared at Jia Cong's departing figure in a daze.

She is not as mediocre and confused as her mother. Although this Cong brother is young, he is very insightful and experienced, and is a person with strong ideas.

She had just been watching coldly, and she knew very well that he was extremely reluctant to get involved in his brother's affairs.

I heard that he was the last disciple of the contemporary literary master Liu Yanxiu. People with such an academic background attach great importance to a good reputation.

He must have been very disdainful of his brother's dandy and tyrannical behavior, which was why he tried to avoid him as much as possible.

Thinking that he would leave in a hurry after finishing his business, as if he didn't want to stay any longer, Baochai felt a little ashamed and sad.

What can I do? He is my own brother. If he can get through this difficult time, I will definitely give him good advice and make him behave himself and return to the right path.

Aunt Xue saw her daughter lost in thought and remained silent. She thought her daughter was bright and generous, with a far-sighted vision. If she had not been born a girl, she would have established herself as a rich woman.

This kind of childish behavior is rare in normal times, and I couldn't help but be moved.

"Over the years, I have heard that your aunt's son Baoyu, who was born with a jade in his mouth, is a very extraordinary person in the Jia family, but I never expected that there would be another person like Congge'er.

Not only is he talented, but he is also so good-looking. I have never seen anyone more proud of his appearance in these years. If he were to be born into his wife's belly, no one in the world would be able to compare to him.

But this child is unlucky. He is born out of wedlock. A big family like the Jia family is bound to move out of the house and live separately. It is hard to predict what his future will be like."

Xue Baochai blushed when she heard this and said, "Mother, why are you saying such nonsense? It's more important to write to uncle as soon as possible."

……

Jinling Yingtian Prefecture Yamen.

The guest Yan Yuanliang walked quickly into the back court.

"Dongweng, the Jia family in Xinglongfang sent a letter from Jia Cong." Jia Yucun opened the letter and looked at it. A meaningful look appeared in his eyes. He snorted and handed the letter to Yan Yuanliang.

"Yuanliang, take a look at this letter and see if you can figure out anything."

Yan Yuanliang read the letter and showed a confused expression on his face. Jia Cong's letter was concise and only had a dozen words.

Dayi said that his cousin was imprisoned in Yingtian Prefecture for some reason, and asked his cousin Yucun to take care of him.

The content of the letter seemed very clear, yet also tinged with strangeness.

Yan Yuanliang knew that yesterday the master sent the chief constable to Dazaimen to arrest the criminal who trafficked in little girls. As a result, they happened to see the young master of the Xue family in Nanjing killing someone, so they locked the man up and took him back to the government office.

The victim who was beaten to death by the eldest son of the Xue family was named Feng Yuan. He was the son of a local gentry in Jinling. His parents died when he was young, and his family had little assets. Apart from a few old servants, he had no other relatives.

After Feng Yuan was beaten to death, his old servant filed a complaint with the Yingtian government office. However, as the case involved the Xue family, one of the four major families in Jinling, and the prefect listened to other people's advice, the case was temporarily shelved.

Jia is not false, the hall is made of white jade and the horses are made of gold; in a good year there is heavy snow, pearls are as common as dirt and gold is as common as iron.

The Jia family and the Xue family are both among the four major families in Jinling. One is powerful and the other is wealthy. In addition, the two families have been intermarried for generations and have a close relationship. They prosper together and suffer together.

Normally, as a member of the Jia family, Jia Cong wrote to the prefect to ask for a reduction in the sentence of the young master of the Xue family.

But the content of the letter did not mean this. It only asked the adults to take care of Xue Pan who was imprisoned. It did not mean to ask the prefect to show favoritism at all.

Even if you want to ask the adults to take care of Xue Pan in prison, according to the unwritten rules of officialdom, you have to come in person with some formalities. It's not possible to just send a servant to deliver the letter and be done with it.

Jia Cong was selected as the top judge in the Yongzhou case at a young age, and was also granted an eighth-rank official title by the emperor. He was definitely an extraordinary person, but how come he didn't even understand simple worldly ways and was not afraid of offending the prefect?

"Dong Weng, it stands to reason that the Jia and Xue families have been relatives for generations, and they are of the same blood and support each other, which is common sense.

But Jia Cong's letter was very light and bland, and it was the same as if he hadn't written it. I really couldn't figure out what he meant."

Jia Yucun said with a sarcastic look on his face: "I welcomed him when he arrived in Jinling. Many people know about this. The Xue family must have thought that he and I were close friends, so they asked him for help.

The Jia and Xue families are closely related, so it would be difficult for him to refuse.

But he was a disciple of the master, and he must value his good reputation through words and deeds. Since Xue Pan was involved in a murder case, he didn't want to be involved at all.

That's why I wrote such a useless letter, just to deal with the Xue family.

At such a young age, he is so careful about his reputation, and his methods are so precise and precise that even a veteran official can be compared to him. "

Yan Yuanliang was surprised: "Dong Weng is worrying too much, how old is he, but he is so cunning, this letter is not written by him without worldly wisdom and without knowing the importance of it, right?"

Jia Yucun smiled and said, "Do you know why I suddenly sent people to Dazaimen yesterday to arrest the suspect who kidnapped and sold girl children?"

Yan Yuanliang's eyes flashed: "Could it be that Jia Cong!"

"Yes, it was because he wrote a letter to report it personally, but our people had just arrived when they saw Xue Pan killing someone. If it wasn't a coincidence, it would seem like he could predict the future.

Now he has written this letter to deal with the matter perfunctorily. From the beginning to the end, it seems that this guy is deliberately avoiding the consequences, protecting his reputation, and staying out of it.

This young man is really not a simple person because he doesn't leave any evidence for others to use. "

Yan Yuanliang's eyes flickered, and he asked again: "Dong Weng, how should we handle Xue Pan's case?"

Jia Yucun stroked his beard gently, looking as if he had mastered everything.

"Tell the prison not to mistreat Xue Pan and keep him in prison. As for the next step, just put it aside and wait."

He thought again and suddenly felt a little cowardly. He was the prefect of Yingtian, a fourth-rank official, but he had to accept a letter from an eighth-rank official and follow his orders. What was going on?

(End of this chapter)