Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 236: The Cold and Deep Family

Rongqing Hall.

As soon as Jia Cong entered the hall, Jia Zheng hurriedly asked, "Cong'er, why did the emperor urgently summon you to the palace?"

Seeing his concerned expression, Jia Cong felt warm in his heart and replied:

"The emperor summoned me and asked me about Xiuniang's incense shop. It was a bit troublesome at first, but now it's all right. Master, don't worry."

Jia Zheng breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Something happened to Rong'er, and the family is not at peace. The emperor summoned you to the palace at this critical juncture. I was really worried. I'm glad you're okay."

Jia Zhen looked at Grandmother Jia with an anxious face. Before Jia Cong entered the palace, he had refused to go to the Dali Temple to plead for Jia Rong. Now he can only rely on Grandmother Jia.

I hope that with her status as a grandmother, Jia's mother can ask Jia Cong to lend a helping hand. Otherwise, both father and son will be locked up and taken to the Dali Temple, and the consequences will be unpredictable.

When Lady Jia saw Jia Zhen looking at her eagerly, she naturally knew what he meant. In the afternoon, she heard that Jia Rong was fooling around with an actor and was caught by Prince Zhongshun.

Now I still feel disgusted and really don't want to pay any attention to these two shameless evildoers in the Dong Mansion. However, they are my descendants after all, and I still can't bear to do it.

"Brother Cong, since you have nothing to do in the palace, that's the best. I don't care what your relationship is with the woman in Xiuniang's perfume shop.

But Rong is a descendant of the Jia family after all, and he is your junior. Can you help him go to the Dali Temple to explain the whole story? Give me a definite answer if you can do it!"

Jia Cong replied respectfully, "Madam, I have said before that Xiuniang's perfume shop is not mine. What Rong'er did cannot be said to be a family affair. Cong really can't do anything about it."

When Grandmother Jia heard this, her face darkened and she said, "You are really so cruel that you can't write two Jia characters with one stroke. When the son of our family is in trouble, you just stand by and watch!"

"When you had a disagreement with your father in the East Courtyard, I stood by and watched, but I still brought you to the West Courtyard to raise you. I treated you badly in terms of food, clothing and other expenses. Now you repay your family like this."

Jia Cong said calmly, "Madam, this matter couldn't be done before, and it is even more impossible now. The emperor just summoned me to the palace and said that I was involved in business affairs and behaved improperly.

He originally wanted to punish me, but in order to atone for my sin, I have presented Xiuniang's incense shop and the secret method of making incense to the emperor.

Now that Xiuniang's perfume shop is registered with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it has nothing to do with the Jia family, so naturally, it can't do anything about Rong'er's affairs."

When these words were spoken, Lady Jia, Mrs. Wang and the others were stunned. How come the incense shop became royal property just after a visit to the palace?

Grandmother Jia said angrily, "Are you trying to evade the family? It's just a small incense shop. How can His Majesty take it seriously?"

Seeing that Grandmother Jia didn't ask about the emperor's punishment on him at all, and was still arguing about the ownership of the incense shop, Jia Cong sneered in his heart, obviously not caring about the safety of his grandson at all.

He replied, “Although Xiuniang’s perfume shop is not big, it has an annual profit of 50,000 taels of silver, otherwise Rong’er would not have the intention to rob it.

Now that I am under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the benefits will be several times greater, and I can add some to the national treasury. Your Majesty also pardoned me because I have a heart that benefits the country. Otherwise, I would not be able to escape the blame this time."

Grandmother Jia was surprised and said, "What are you talking about? That incense shop can earn 50,000 taels of silver a year!"

People in the hall, such as Mrs. Wang, Jia Zhen, etc., had greedy looks in their eyes, and even Grandmother Jia was not immune.

These people enjoy a life of luxury and happiness, and seem to be superior, but in fact their desire for money is greater than that of ordinary people, because only with more money can they maintain their current wealth for a long time.

It would be strange if they were not jealous of a shop that could earn 50,000 taels of silver a year, not to mention that the profit could be several times higher in the future!
Jia Mu and others looked at him as an idiot or a prodigal. He just gave such a profitable business to the royal family. He must have become corrupted by reading too much.

Wasn't it said that the incense shop belonged to that man named Qu? How could he just give it to the palace on his own initiative and say that the shop had nothing to do with him? It was obvious that he was keeping a mistress outside and was accumulating private property for him.

Now, Lady Jia, Mrs. Wang and others were thinking about the profitable incense shop. This kid was really a spendthrift. They all felt so painful in their hearts that they even forgot to talk about saving Jia Rong.

The friendship of the rich is cold, and the aristocratic families are indifferent and indifferent.

Grandmother Jia looked at Jia Cong with a depressed look on her face: "It's all your fault..."

But he was at a loss for words halfway through his words. Grandmother Jia was confused. She couldn't tell whether she blamed him for not being able to save Jia Rong or for giving away such a profitable shop. Jia Cong said calmly, "Madam, how can you blame me for this? If it wasn't for Rong'er seizing other people's property and putting the people in the incense shop in jail,

I would not have gone to Zhen'an Prefecture to save people, and I would not have been blamed by the emperor for being involved in merchants' affairs. I gave away my incense shop and secret recipe in order to avoid being punished, and I also caused Miss Qu to lose her property.

All this is due to Jia Rong's immoral behavior. Now Cong is trying to save him by going against the law. This will only bring disaster to the family!"

Jia Cong's words were soft but firm, which made Lady Jia so angry that her face turned blue, but she could not find any fault with him.

Jia Zheng, who was standing by, also frowned, fearing that Jia Cong would continue talking and make the old lady angry to death.

He quickly came out to smooth things over, saying, "Old lady, since the incense shop has been registered with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and is like royal property, it would be inappropriate to ask Congge'er to go to the Dali Temple to plead for it.

If we continue to dwell on this matter, and spread rumors that Cheng Rong is plotting to seize the royal property, wouldn’t that be even more troublesome?”

Everyone in the hall was shocked when they heard this, and felt that what Jia Zheng said made a lot of sense. It was better not to mess with anything related to the royal family.

As for what Jia Rong can do, the emperor will summon Jia Cong to the palace for questioning, which means that Jia Rong's affairs have alarmed the emperor. Who would be willing to take on such trouble if he asks other people for favors?

Grandmother Jia felt even colder in her heart. This kid had a very bad fate after all. Everyone said that he was not to be provoked, but Rong Ge'er just wanted to take over that perfume shop...

Seeing this, although Grandmother Jia looked unhappy, she did not dare to say anything. Then he looked at Jia Cong standing there with a calm expression, not even looking at him, and his heart went cold.

……

In the next few days, officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs contacted Jia Cong and Qu Hongxiu to discuss the details of registering Xiuniang's incense shop with the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

What Jia Cong and Emperor Jia Zhao said about promoting business were all common practices that had been refined through the ages in later generations. The officials from the Imperial Household Department were experts in this field, so they were naturally convinced and could not find any fault with them.

Besides, the emperor has already given an oral order to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to handle it. That means the emperor has already agreed to this matter in his heart. Who would be stupid enough to refute it?

On the fourth day after Jia Cong left the palace, the palace issued an imperial decree to set up an incense-making bureau in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Xiuniang's incense shop was included in the list. With its own unique incense-making method, it was responsible for the incense-making trade in various states in the south of the Yangtze River and the ports of the Maritime Customs.

Whether in the future or today, there are always some similar common rules. For example, if you master exclusive core technologies, you will have the greatest initiative and leading advantage.

……

The capital, the Dali Temple.

After Jia Rong was escorted to the Dali Temple by Prince Zhongshun, Yang Hongbin, the left chief of the Dali Temple who presided over the trial of Zhang Shouan, discovered clues from Jia Rong's confession.

At first, Jia Rong did not tell the truth, perhaps he did not dare to tell the truth.

One is that he has lived under the power of Jia Zhen for many years and is afraid of his father like a tiger.

Second, if Jia Zhen confessed, no one would come to save him.

Although the relationship between father and son is not good, he is the only blood prince of Ningguo Mansion. For the sake of Ningguo's succession, Jia Zhen will try his best to save him.

This is also Jia Rong's greatest strength. He would never easily betray his father.

However, Yang Hongbin, who was in charge of the interrogation, was a well-known talent in the Dali Temple and was well-versed in criminal matters. He could see that Jia Rong was hiding something.

The case of Zhang Shouan shocked the court and the public and attracted the attention of the emperor. Now it was a joint trial by the three judicial officials. Every time he interrogated a criminal, the head of the Ministry of Justice and the censor of Yongzhou Road of the Censorate were present to supervise the trial.

Under the watchful eyes of the public, as the chief judge of the Dali Temple, Yang Hongbin did not dare to slack off in the slightest, so as not to give the Dali Temple any chance to talk nonsense. Since the prisoner refused to tell the truth, he had no choice but to torture him.

If it weren't for the current situation, Yang Hongbin would have some concerns about rashly torturing the Prince of Ningguo Mansion, but now he can't afford to hesitate.

(End of this chapter)