Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 62: The King's Heart Has a Sharp Edge

Rongqing Hall.

Grandmother Jia was leaning on the couch, looking a little listless. After all, she was old and could not stand the anger.

Baoyu, Daiyu, Tanchun and other sisters were sitting nearby. They had just seen Lady Jia faint in the east courtyard, and they were worried about her, so they wanted to chat with her to help the old lady relax.

After a while, Wang Xifeng entered Rongqing Hall. Just now, after Jia Mu left the east courtyard, she asked her to keep an eye on the whole thing over there.

If there is a scandal of witchcraft in the family and it is not dealt with properly, it will cause great harm to the family.

There were officials from Zhen'an Prefecture present in the East Courtyard just now, so Lady Jia couldn't stay there for long and asked the gentlemen in the mansion to handle it, but she was still worried.

Seeing Sister Feng coming in, he asked, "Is the matter in the East Courtyard settled? Has that shrew been taken away by the officials according to the family law?"

Wang Xifeng said, “Originally, the Second Master wanted to give Wang Shanbao fifty strokes of the cane, but the official at Zhen’an Prefecture was afraid that Wang Shanbao would not be able to survive the fifty strokes and die, and he would not be able to report to the higher officials when he returned.

Later, the Cong brothers suggested breaking his legs, which would save his life and enforce strict family rules.

Why didn’t I realize before how cruel he was? Wang Shanbao’s wife scolded and begged him, but he didn’t even blink.

He waited to see Wang Shanbao's legs broken and then dragged away by the officials before he returned to his yard as if nothing had happened. The maids and old women in the East Courtyard were all frightened by him. "

Baoyu and his sisters were a little horrified when they heard about Jia Cong's behavior. They had been living in luxury since birth and lived in a garden surrounded by flowers at home.

The Jia family had been peaceful for many years, and these young men and women had never experienced such a shocking thing.

However, Jia Cong grew up in hardship and danger, and his temperament and behavior were very different from theirs.

Although Tanchun was a little scared when she heard this, her eyes were shining. She knew that Jia Cong did this to avenge Zhishao. It was admirable for a man to have such a spirit of loyalty and loyalty.

It’s a pity that I’m just a girl, otherwise I could learn from my third brother Cong to distinguish clearly between love and hatred, and be full of energy, so that my life will not be wasted.

Yingchun didn't think so deeply. She was simple and dull in character. As long as brother Cong didn't suffer any harm or beating, it didn't matter to her what he did.

When Daiyu heard that Jia Cong had someone break Wang Shanbao's legs, she was frightened.

Thinking about how this Third Brother Cong was initially detained in the East Courtyard and grew up in harsh conditions, I have heard that many things happened to him during this period, and that he was even beaten to the point of almost losing his life by his eldest uncle.

But in just a few days, not only did he escape from the East Courtyard, but the old woman who forced his maid to death also ended up like this. Daiyu always found it hard to believe that these were all coincidences.

She suddenly remembered the new poem she saw on Jia Cong's desk.

The killing spirit gathers at the beginning of winter, and the clear frost meets the morning.

The plains are cleansed and the thorns are burning fiercely.

An eagle is willing to serve when it is hungry; a horse becomes even more arrogant when it is cold.

Flags are flying across the forest, and horns are blowing in the wind.

No wonder there is such a chilling and fierce feeling in the poem. Could it be that Third Brother Cong had already predicted what would happen today?

Jia's mother snorted coldly, "Why did Zheng'er listen to that boy? That shrew should be beaten to death with fifty sticks!"

Wang Xifeng asked, "Madam, is there anything wrong?"

"She is a servant of my Jia family. She used witchcraft to harm her master. Even if she is beaten to death, what can she do? She will only have to pay some salary and silver.

If the Zhen'an Prefecture had anything to say, the worst that could happen would be that the old woman would dress up and go to the palace to apologize to the Queen Mother and save her face. It wouldn't be a big deal.

You all saw how that shrewish woman acted like a madwoman when she involved others in public just now. She still has some reservations in the mansion.

But when we get to Zhen'an Prefecture, what else can we worry about in order to survive? We can just talk nonsense and cause trouble. I'm afraid it will be hard to deal with it when the time comes."

Although people like Daiyu and Tanchun in the hall are smart, they are unmarried girls after all, with limited knowledge and cannot have the profound thinking of Grandmother Jia.

Although he was still frightened after hearing what Lady Jia said, he did not understand where the difficulty lay.

Grandmother Jia looked at the group of grandchildren around her and felt that some things should not be said in front of the young people, so she let them go, leaving only Lady Wang and Wang Xifeng in Rongqing Hall.

Wang Xifeng, however, is a hero among the women. Unlike her sisters Daiyu, Tanchun and others who are immature, she has been in charge of the Rongguo Mansion for several years and has broadened her horizons. As soon as she heard what Lady Jia said, she understood what she meant.

Today, people from Zhen'an Prefecture came to arrest Wang Shanbao's wife with certainty, and also found paper dolls and yellow talismans used for witchcraft and sorcery in her room. On the surface, the evidence seems solid and irrefutable.

But Lady Jia, Mrs. Wang, and Wang Xifeng were all experienced people, well versed in the ways of the world, and they all had doubts about this matter.

How could a servant of the first house be so bold as to harm the master and his wife of the second house? This is unreasonable and unbelievable.

Unless she was instructed by someone else, Wang Shanbao was Mrs. Xing's trusted concubine, and everyone in the Jia family knew that Mrs. Xing had always been resentful of the second wife.

She is the most likely person who instigated Wang Shanbao to do such a heinous act, simply to take back the power of the second house.

But even if this was true, Grandmother Jia was unwilling to expose it.

Because the fact that the first wife ordered the servants to use witchcraft to harm the second wife would be exposed, the clan office would definitely investigate.

You must know that Prince Zhongshun, the new chief of the clan affairs office, is the emperor's most trusted and relied-upon brother. He is a cautious person by nature and has never had a good impression of the old nobles such as the Four Kings and Eight Dukes.

As long as the clan affairs office intervenes, with irrefutable evidence that the husband and wife are one body, Jia She will not be able to escape the charge of murdering his own brother.

It is certain that he will be stripped of his title and dismissed from his official position. He may even be exiled three thousand miles away, and if he refuses to return even if pardoned, he will die in a foreign land.

If the Jia family lost the title left by the Duke, it would be fine if they died for their ancestors, but a noble family that lost its title would not be considered a noble family. The Jia family would be finished.

That is why Lady Jia, who was always known for being lenient towards her servants, thought that Jia Cong had done something bad and that Wang Shanbao, the housekeeper, should be beaten to death.

Isn’t killing the most effective way to silence someone?
Wang Xifeng's heart suddenly skipped a beat and she said, "Brother Cong is a capable man, not a fool.

Judging from his behavior today, I thought he was punishing Wang Shanbao's family and venting his anger on his maid who jumped into the river.

Could it be that he hated the master and the mistress and deliberately left Wang Shanbao alive? "

Mrs. Wang's face turned pale when she heard this: "He can't be bluffing like this, right? How old is he, how could he have such a deep plan?"

Grandmother Jia looked uncertain and said, "If it was any other grandchild, it would be fine, but this evil creature, looking at his actions these days, I really can't guess what he is thinking."

Grandmother Jia recalled what happened today in the main hall of the East Courtyard, in front of the prosecutor of Zhen'an Prefecture and herself and the elders of the Jia family.

This kid spoke eloquently and almost completely controlled the situation. With just a few words, he made Wang Shanbao's family suffer a fate worse than death.

Thinking of that scene, Grandmother Jia felt a slight chill in her heart.

He said: "If I had taken her in earlier like the second and fourth girls did, she wouldn't have developed such a cold and unpredictable personality."

……

Qingzhizhai.

Jia Cong stood in the small courtyard, staring at the dark blue and clear night sky in a daze.

Wu Er walked to Jia Cong with a graceful figure and put a cloak on him: "Third Master, it is very cold at night, be careful not to catch a cold."

Jia Cong said in a gentle voice: "I will go in after standing for a while. You are weak, go in quickly, be careful not to get cold."

I hope that Wang Shanbao can go to Zhen'an Prefecture to save his family's life and put on a good show for him.

That day, he heard Nanny Zhao say that Wang Shanbao's wife had asked Ma Dao Po to exorcise evil spirits, so he began to pay attention to the plan. In his previous life, he had read "Dream of Red Mansions" carefully and knew about the entanglement between Pan Sanbao and Ma Dao Po.

After trying it, I found that it was actually true.

He asked Qu Hongxiu for help to make Wang Shanbao fall into a trap, firstly to let her pay for Zhishao's life, and more importantly to use her to fight against the two people in the East Courtyard.

Wang Shanbao was Mrs. Xing's companion. She used witchcraft to kill Jia Zheng and Mrs. Wang from the second house. Everyone would suspect that it was Mrs. Xing who ordered her to do so.

If such a scandal were to spread, it would almost put Jia She and Mrs. Xing to death.

But there are many stupid people in the household of noble families like Lady Jia and Lady Wang, so they may be able to see the crux of the matter.

They never dreamed that everything was planned by Jia Cong.

But with the profound background of the Jia family, which has two dukes, Grandmother Jia will definitely try her best to protect Jia She, so that the Jia family can remain stable.

But this is no longer important to Jia Cong. He never thought that he could overthrow the heir of the Rongguo Mansion by relying on this incident.

Through this incident, not only was Wang Shanbao's family eliminated and Zhishao's hatred avenged, but the two people in the East Courtyard were also severely suppressed.

After that, Jia She and Lady Xing's status in the Jia family declined further and further, and they no longer had the energy to plot against and abuse themselves.

I have basically gotten rid of the predicament I had in the past and now have more stable time and space to do what I want to do.

(End of this chapter)