Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 240: Its Power is Unstoppable

Jia Cong went to great lengths to let Prince Zhongshun know about the scandal between Qi Guan and Jia Rong.

It was because he knew clearly that in the case of Xiuniang's incense shop, his design to incite public opinion might bring down Zhang Shouan, who came from a poor family, but might not necessarily bring down Jia Zhen and his son, who had hereditary titles.

Because he stopped the Xiuniang Incense Shop case in time, no one was killed and there were no dire consequences.

As an official appointed by the imperial court, Zhang Shouan could not escape the guilt of harming the people by using his power.

However, as hereditary nobles, Jia Zhen and his sons might end up being fined by the clan court or demoted as described below.

This is also the reason why Jia Cong wants to involve Prince Zhongshun, adding a weight to the scale that will bring down Jia Zhen and his son.

Regardless of what he heard from others in the Jia Mansion over the years or what he understood in his previous life, Prince Zhongshun always harbored resentment towards the Jia Mansion and was even a political enemy of the Jia Mansion.

And it turned out that he was right in this move. The role played by Prince Zhongshun in the whole incident far exceeded his expectations.

……

When Jia Cong walked into Rongqing Hall, in addition to seeing Jia Mu, Jia Zheng and other people in charge of the Rong Mansion, he also saw an old man with white hair and beard, wearing a blue silk Taoist robe and a Nanhua scarf on his head.

He had met this man once at the spring festival in Ningguo Mansion. He was Jia Jing, the father of Jia Zhen of Ningguo Mansion, who was obsessed with immortality.

When Jia Jing saw Jia Cong walk into Rongqing Hall, he saw that she was graceful, elegant, and had a profound bearing, and seemed to be able to illuminate the whole hall.

It is unbelievable that my cousin, with his character, could raise such a son...

Jia Jing recalled the day when the young man held his biological mother's spirit tablet in his arms, faced with the different looks of hundreds of clansmen, and walked into the Ningguo Ancestral Hall as if no one was there. No one in the Jia family could compare with his heroic demeanor.

He had also heard about the various anecdotes about Jia Cong in the past two years.

He sighed in his heart, if the Ningguo lineage could produce such a descendant, why would it have fallen to this point.

When Jia Zheng saw Jia Cong coming in, a gentle smile appeared on his face. He was deeply saddened by the fact that Jia Zhen and his son were so immoral and had brought the Ningguo family into danger.

Only when he saw Jia Cong did he feel a little comforted. After all, the Rongguo Mansion had not completely declined and there were still children like Cong'er.

"Brother Cong, such a big thing has happened in our family. Zhen'er and his son are now trapped in the Dali Temple. Their lives are uncertain. Among the Jia family's Yu generation, you are the only one who has served as an official.

Besides, you have been to the palace many times to make reports, so you have some knowledge. The old lady asked you to come here to ask you, in your opinion, is there any room for maneuver in the matter between Zhen'er and his son?"

Jia Cong replied, "Madam, Master, if it was just the matter of Xiuniang's perfume shop, since Cong saved the shopkeeper and the clerk in time, the matter did not get out of hand.

Even if Brother Zhen and his son were found to be the masterminds by the Dali Temple, they would not be guilty of the death penalty. Now that things have turned out to be so drastic, it has nothing to do with Xiuniang's incense shop.

In the final analysis, it was because the charges collected by Prince Zhongshun not only had complete evidence and witnesses, but also involved several lives. What was even more difficult was that the victim chose to file a complaint at this time.

This caused an uproar in the court and among the people, and Cong suspected that someone was behind the scenes fanning the flames….”

When Jia Jing heard this, his face showed anger, and he blurted out: "It must be that Prince Zhongshun who was behind the scenes, trying to kill Ningguo when the emperor ascended the throne..."

Jia Zheng suddenly shouted, "Brother, be careful with your words. Our family is in trouble now. How can you say such things? Otherwise, you will cause trouble!"

Jia Jing also realized it at once and quickly swallowed back the rest of his words, his old face filled with gloom and unwillingness.

Jia Cong was a little disappointed. He realized that Jia Jing blurted out something in anger, which must be some inside information that he didn't know, but Jia Zheng stopped him in time.

Grandmother Jia glanced at Jia Jing with dissatisfaction and asked, "Brother Cong, let me ask you, can you still keep the title of Ningguo?"

Jia Cong saw that Lady Jia seemed to have automatically ignored the life and death of Jia Zhen and his son, and only asked whether the title could be kept. The relatives of the rich and powerful were not very caring, and after all, wealth and power came first.

"Old lady, the situation is now hopeless. Even if His Majesty and the officials of the various ministries want to show some leniency to Ningguo, they must also take into account the overwhelming public sentiment inside and outside the court."

"According to Cong, I'm afraid that Ningguo's title will not be kept. If the title is stripped, I'm afraid that his property will be confiscated and sealed..."

When Jia's mother heard the words "confiscation of property", her old face suddenly lost color and she trembled all over. Fear seemed to make her lose her mind. She pointed at Jia Cong and said angrily:

"You evil creature, you are talking nonsense. The two Ningguo mansions are founding nobles and have made great contributions to the country. It's just that their descendants are unfilial. Why do you want to confiscate their property and seal off their houses?" Jia Zheng also had an extremely ugly expression. Ningguo was the head of the Jia family. If he was stripped of his title and his property was confiscated, the power of the Jia family would be greatly reduced, and the Rongguo Mansion would be in a precarious situation.

"Brother Cong, it doesn't have to come to this."

Jia Cong replied: "Master, the evidence provided by Prince Zhongshun has caused the situation to get out of control.

Your Majesty is wise and intelligent, and he governs the country with the overall situation in mind. He knows this well, and wants to show the world justice. I am afraid that removing the title is inevitable. "

Jia Cong recalled that when Zhi Shao had difficulty entering the palace, the emperor specially gave her a palace flower hairpin and skirt;
It was difficult for his biological mother's spirit to be enshrined in the ancestral temple, but Prince Ning and many officials spontaneously offered sacrifices, which was nothing more than a hint from the emperor.

Each of these incidents reveals Emperor Jia Zhao's contempt and disgust for the Jia family.

Jia Cong absolutely did not believe that Emperor Jia Zhao would be so lenient towards the Ningguo Jia family despite such a godsend opportunity.

……

After hearing what Jia Cong said, Jia Mu and others all turned pale. After all, they were all from prominent families and were not inferior to the small families. They had some knowledge.

Naturally, he could tell that what Jia Cong said was not nonsense. Although he still had some hope in his heart, his spirit had almost died, and Jia Jing was even more heartbroken.

Jia Cong added: "Sister You and Miss Qin are still living in the mansion. If the royal guards search the house, I am afraid that the women will be disturbed.

Second sister-in-law can remind them to pack their belongings early, and if something happens, they can move to the West Mansion for shelter."

In Jia Cong's mind, the most important person in the East Palace was Keqing, so he found an excuse to remind her.

When everyone heard that he had even thought of how to deal with the confiscation of property, they were all shocked and surprised. Grandmother Jia wanted to curse again, but after thinking for a while, she couldn't say anything.

If the family is really to be raided and those imperial guards lay a hand on the women, the Jia family will lose their only remaining reputation and dignity. This is just to be on the safe side.

I just hope that these are just scaremongering by this kid. If he gets away with it, I will spit on him.

When Wang Xifeng heard Jia Cong mention Miss Qin, she felt a little strange. Everyone in the mansion called her Grandma Rong, so why did Cong, the third brother, call her Miss Qin? It was so strange.

However, Wang Xifeng did not think much about it and just thought it was a slip of the tongue.

Wang Xifeng glanced at Jia Zheng again, and Jia Zheng sighed and said, "What Cong said makes sense. Women should not be allowed to deviate from the rules. Just in case, you should go and do it."

Seeing Wang Xifeng about to leave Rongqing Hall, Jia Cong suddenly said:

"Second sister-in-law, tell the women of the East Palace to only pack their dowries and valuables. Immediately seal the East Palace treasury and let Sister-in-law You take the key. Don't take a single cent!"

Wang Xifeng was startled when she heard this, because Jia Cong had just reminded her about the women in the East Palace, and the first thing she thought of was whether to transfer the silver in the East Palace's treasury.

There are at least tens of thousands of taels of surplus silver in there. If the property is confiscated, all of it will go to others.

Jia Cong said to Jia Zheng in a deep voice: "Master, the Jia family is facing a crisis now. Since someone has collected evidence of the Ningguo Mansion's crimes in advance, it is inevitable that they will cause trouble in other matters.

The silver vault is an important place for the flow of silver in a city and attracts the most attention from others.

If Cong's words come true, once the treasury is searched and the treasure is lost, it will be a serious crime for the family to secretly move the confiscated property. We must be very careful!"

Jia Jing, the person in charge of the East Palace, was already in a state of confusion at this time. His three souls were confused and his seven spirits were wandering. He could not come up with any ideas.

Jia Cong was the most sober person in the hall. Although Jia Zheng was also confused, he understood that what Jia Cong said made sense, so he just asked Feng Jieer to do as he was told.

Wang Xifeng secretly cursed Cong Lao San for being too sensitive. There was no need to move all of them. Just move a small part. No one would know.

Just as she was walking out of Rongqing Hall with some frustration, she suddenly bumped into a old woman in front of her. Wang Xifeng raised her eyebrows, thinking, what a blind servant! She was about to curse at her.

All I heard was the old woman panting and shouting, "Old lady, something terrible has happened. An imperial envoy has come from the East Palace with a decree and a large number of soldiers. They say they are coming to confiscate the property of the East Palace!"

(End of this chapter)