I'm in the Red Mansion

Wang Xifeng looked at Lady Jia deeply, but her expression calmed down.

She knelt on the ground, kowtowed three times to Grandmother Jia and said, "Grandfather, after I leave, I hope you can take good care of Qiaojie."

"If I can let her grow up safely without being bullied, I will be able to rest in peace even in my grave."

Grandmother Jia cried, "Feng girl, I am here, you can rest assured, I will not let that girl suffer any injustice, just go with peace of mind."

Wang Xifeng wiped away her tears, got up from the ground and said, "Take care, old ancestor. I am leaving now..."

Watching Wang Xifeng turn around and leave without looking back, Grandmother Jia couldn't help but burst into tears.

When Wang Xifeng returned to her own courtyard, Jia Lian had already gone to the front.

Wang Xifeng called Ping'er into the room, then knelt down in front of Ping'er and begged, "Ping'er, you grew up with me since you were a child."

"You and I are master and servant in name, but in reality we are like sisters. I am afraid that I will not be able to survive this disaster. I only ask that you help me take care of Qiaojie for the sake of our sisterly love for many years."

"I cannot repay you in this life, but in the next life, even if I have to work like a cow or a horse, I will repay you for your kindness."

As Wang Xifeng and her group spoke, they kowtowed. After a few kowtows, their foreheads became red and swollen.

Ping'er was shocked. She quickly knelt on the ground, supporting Wang Xifeng while kowtowed without falling.

Ping Er said, "Grandma, what are you doing? You are really embarrassing me."

"Didn't grandma go to ask for help from the ancestors? As long as the ancestors bless her, grandma will be fine."

Wang Xifeng laughed bitterly and said, "How could the old ancestor be willing to sacrifice a precious favor for me? Now I have no way out, only death."

Ping'er couldn't help crying, "Grandma, the old ancestor always loved you so much, could it be all fake? The old ancestor has such a cruel heart!"

"Grandma, I am willing to take all the blame on myself and go to trial on your behalf."

"If I could save the young lady with my life, it would be considered as repaying her kindness."

Hearing this, Wang Xifeng could no longer hold back and burst into tears, "Ping'er, Ping'er!"

"It's true that a friend in need is a friend indeed. You are the only one who truly treats me well."

"But you are too naive. The censor impeached me, and the officials wanted to arrest me. How can a little girl like you just replace me?"

"After I leave, you just help me take care of Qiaojie and raise her to adulthood, and that will complete the kindness between you and me as sisters."

Ping Er wiped her tears and said, "Don't worry, Madam. As long as I am here, I will definitely protect Qiao Jie and will never let her suffer any injustice."

The master and servant couldn't help but hug each other and cry bitterly.

After a while, Wang Xifeng cruelly pushed Ping'er out of the door and locked it from the inside.

Ping'er was shocked and hurried to knock on the door, but Wang Xifeng ignored her.

Ping'er started banging on the door, but it took only a moment for it to open.

Ping'er hurried out to call for help, and just then Jia Lian came in with the officials.

It turned out that the officials from Jingzhao Prefecture were so anxious waiting that they rushed directly into the inner house.

Ping'er shouted for them to help.

Several officers were also shocked. They rushed to break down the door, only to see that Wang Xifeng had hung herself from the beam with a piece of silk.

His body was shaking and it was obvious that he was dead.

Seeing this, Jia Lian burst into tears and rescued Wang Xifeng.

Her body became stiff and gradually became cold.

Jia Lian hugged Wang Xifeng and burst into tears.

Upon seeing this, several officers looked at each other, exchanged glances, and turned away.

The criminal they wanted to arrest had committed suicide out of fear of punishment, so they had no choice but to go back and report.

Because the principal offender committed suicide out of fear of punishment, he was naturally exempted from punishment.

The Jingzhao Yin sentenced the Rongguo Mansion to a fine of 20,000 taels of silver as compensation for the victims.

The Rongguo Mansion had no choice but to pay the fine.

But whether it was Lady Jia, Jia Zheng or Mrs. Wang, their expressions were all very ugly.

This time, it wasn't just Wang Xifeng who died.

From the fact that the police from Jingzhao Prefecture dared to break into the inner residence to arrest people, this is enough to explain many problems.

As for Rongguo Mansion, I’m afraid this is just the beginning.

……

A few days later, Jia Cong received an imperial edict ordering him to return to the capital to report on his work.

At the same time, Jia Cong also received news that Wang Xifeng was impeached, Jingzhao Prefecture sent officials to arrest her, and Wang Xifeng hanged herself.

After learning the news, Jia Cong couldn't help but shake his head slightly.

All birds come from the end of the world, and they all know how to love the talents of this life.

One obeys, two orders, three people become wooden, crying towards Jinling, the matter is even more sad.

In the verdict of Dream of the Red Chamber, Wang Xifeng should have been divorced and then cried all the way back to the Wang family.

But in this world, the Wang family was the first to be ransacked.

She didn't even have the last step of retreat, so the only way left was a dead end.

Although Wang Xifeng was talented, she was too cruel and vicious, and had killed many people.

It was all his own fault that he ended up like this.

But for the Rongguo Mansion, this is probably just the beginning.

A few days later, Jia Cong returned to the capital and first went back to Ningguo Mansion.

After hearing the news, Lin Daiyu and other girls waited at the door early.

When Jia Cong came back, everyone rushed out to greet him.

Jia Cong noticed at a glance that Lin Daiyu, who was in the front, had a slightly bulging belly and a pale complexion.

Jia Cong hurried forward, took her hand and said, "Sister Lin, you are pregnant, you should take care of yourself. What are you waiting here for?"

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "Third Brother Cong, I haven't seen you for a few months. I really miss you. I want to see you sooner, so I waited at the door for a while."

"Besides, I am pregnant, not bedridden. Why should I be so delicate?"

"I still like to hear Third Brother Cong call me Sister Lin. From now on, Third Brother Cong should call me Sister Lin."

After the two got married, Jia Cong started calling his wife "wife".

Today, I was anxious and called her "Lin Daiyu" again.

Unexpectedly, Lin Daiyu’s favorite title is “Lin Daiyu”.

Jia Cong naturally followed suit.

Jia Cong carefully observed Lin Daiyu's face for a long while, and felt her pulse again. He couldn't help asking, "Sister Lin, do you have no appetite these days? Can't eat?"

Before Lin Daiyu could speak, Xue Baochai beside her said, "That's exactly the case. Madam not only has a poor appetite, but even if she tries to eat a few bites, she will throw them up."

Xue Baoqin laughed and said, "Sister Lin just wanted to eat something sour. People say sour boys and spicy girls. Sister Lin is definitely pregnant with a little marquis this time."

Xue Baoqin's words made all the girls laugh.

Lin Daiyu's morning sickness is very severe.

She was already a little weak, and if she couldn't eat, it would be a bit troublesome.

Jia Cong had already started thinking about the recipe in his mind.

After returning home and chatting with the girls for a while, Jia Cong hurriedly took a bath and changed his clothes, then went straight to the palace.

He came back to report on his work according to the imperial order. After taking a bath and changing clothes at home, he naturally had to go to the palace.

Soon, he arrived at the palace and was invited in.

At this time, many people in the entire capital city had already learned the news that Jia Cong had returned to Beijing.

In recent days, the Wang family was raided and the Rongguo Mansion was just impeached.

And next, it is estimated that there will be further actions.

The four major families are being liquidated.

But at this moment, His Majesty summoned Jia Cong back to the capital.

Is this a signal?
Many people in the capital were waiting and watching.

As for Jia Cong, he was soon led into the upper study room.

After the meeting, Emperor Yonglong ordered Jia Cong to sit down and talk.

Then he asked about Jia Cong's plan to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun.

Jia Cong couldn't help but say: "Your Majesty, Jizhou is developing rapidly now, and I am training the troops."

"It will take at most two years to train the soldiers. By then, we can take one of Tanzhou, Shunzhou, or Youzhou."

"And I think it's best to take Youzhou. After taking Youzhou, we can slowly plan to take Zhuozhou, Mozhou and Yingzhou."

"As long as we take over these three states, we can connect with our Great Xia territory."

"And as long as we can take over Danzhou, we can completely cut off the connection between the remaining states and the Qing Dynasty."

"Next, within a few years, we will be able to take over the other states."

Emperor Yonglong nodded and said, "I wonder how General Jia needs me to cooperate with you?"

If that were all, it would be enough for Jia Cong to just write it down in the memorial, without having to rush back.

Jia Cong pulled out a roll of blueprints from his bosom and said, "Your Majesty, these are the blueprints of the flintlock rifle that I have improved."

"These improved flintlock rifles have a longer range and higher accuracy."

"Your Majesty can make a batch and equip a musketeer team."

After Jia Cong defeated the Qing Dynasty with the flintlock rifle last time, Qin Xiang's faction forced Jia Cong to hand over the blueprints, but the matter was eventually shelved due to the leak of the grenade.

But now, Jia Cong personally presented the drawings of the flintlock rifle to Emperor Yonglong, and it was an improved one.

Jia Cong did not hide anything.

Because he holds a sharp weapon, he becomes disloyal.

Even if Jia Cong had no ulterior motives, Emperor Yonglong would have suspected that he had such ulterior motives.

Therefore, it would be better for Jia Cong to present it directly to Emperor Yonglong.

In this way, Jia Cong is not afraid of the drawings being leaked.

In fact, it doesn’t matter even if it is leaked.

This improved flintlock rifle requires extremely high accuracy and is destined to not be mass-produced.

Moreover, Jizhou today has the most advanced team.

The speed at which these firearms are updated and replaced is bound to be very fast.

Therefore, a mere drawing is of no importance at all.

But by offering it now, he could show his loyalty to Emperor Yonglong and avoid his suspicion.

After receiving the drawings, Emperor Yonglong was indeed very pleased.

The emperor and his minister exchanged a few more words, and then Jia Cong said goodbye and left.

Not long after Jia Cong returned home, a eunuch arrived to announce the imperial decree.

Jia Cong hurriedly opened the middle door and set up the incense table to receive the order.

According to the imperial edict, because of Jia Cong's loyalty to the country and his outstanding military achievements, he received many rewards from Emperor Yonglong, and was also promoted to the position of Prince's Groom.

The Prince's Groom was not a high-ranking official position, but his duty was to assist the prince and teach him political affairs and literature.

If the prince ascends the throne in the future, his future will be limitless.

However, although Emperor Yonglong now has five princes, he has not yet appointed a crown prince.

Therefore, Jia Cong's title of Prince's Groom was an honorary title, just like Prince's Guardian.

This shows that the emperor admires and respects him very much and he will definitely be given important positions in the future.

After receiving the imperial edict, Jia Cong couldn't help but ponder. Now Emperor Yonglong was suppressing Rongguo Mansion while appointing him as the Prince's Groom.

There is something quite intriguing here.

Is this treating him differently from the Rongguo Mansion?
After receiving the imperial edict, the edict was sealed and placed in the ancestral hall.

Xue Baoqin couldn't help but laugh and asked, "Brother Cong, I wonder how many horses you wash a day as the prince's horse groom?"

Jia Cong held Xue Baoqin and said seriously, "I only need to wash your rouge horse."

Xue Baoqin was mortified and quickly broke free and ran away.

In the evening, Jia Cong visited Kou Xiang and Lin Ruhai respectively.

There is nothing we can do about it as we have just passed the holiday.

If you wait until the next day off, you will have to wait another nine days.

So Jia Cong had no choice but to visit the two elders in the evening.

Jia Cong also consulted Kou Xiang and Lin Ruhai.

The two people's answers were similar to what Jia Cong thought.

Now Jia Cong is far away from the court, and he is unaware that the struggle between the retired emperor and the emperor in the court has reached a thrilling point.

The Wang family and Rongguo Mansion have become victims of this struggle.

However, Ningguo Mansion was divided because of Jia Cong.

Emperor Yonglong even promoted him to be the Prince's Groom to reassure him.

Prime Minister Kou and Lin Ruhai both told him that he should not come back this time, and asked him to return to Jizhou as soon as possible and not to interfere in the affairs of Rongguo Mansion.

As they are in high positions, they naturally understand the cruelty of this struggle.

The Rongguo Mansion can no longer be saved.

However, although the Rongguo Mansion was a victim of the struggle, it was also because of their own carelessness and many bad things that allowed others to easily catch them.

If you are clean and have no evidence against you, you may be able to avoid being liquidated.

After returning, Jia Cong did not obey the instructions of Kou Xiang and Lin Ruhai.

The Rongguo Mansion is about to suffer a disaster, and the women in the Rongguo Mansion will inevitably be implicated.

My second sister is already married, so it’s not relevant.

But my third sister has been kind to me, and my eldest sister-in-law has also taken good care of me.

These favors must be repaid.

After coming back, Jia Cong washed up and went to Lin Daiyu's room.

Lin Daiyu couldn't help but say, "Third Brother Cong, I'm pregnant now, so it's inconvenient for me to serve you. You might as well go to Sister Bao's room."

"Now Sister Bao and the others are also looking forward to getting pregnant. You must have had a hard time this time when you come back."

Jia Cong hugged Lin Daiyu and said with a smile: "How can I be so unbearable? Tonight, I will not go anywhere, I will just stay with you."

The two talked for a while and then went to bed.

Jia Cong held Lin Daiyu in his arms, and she soon fell into a deep sleep.

I slept until dawn and had a rare good night's sleep.

After getting up, Jia Cong went to the kitchen himself and cooked a pot of porridge in a casserole.

Lin Daiyu actually ate a bowl and a half, which was rare, and did not vomit.

Xue Baoqin was surprised to see this and said, "It turns out that only when Brother Cong cooked the food did Sister Lin not vomit."

"If I had known this earlier, I should have let Sister Lin go to Jizhou with me. Brother Cong would have definitely raised Sister Lin to be plump and white."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "I am a miracle doctor, so I naturally know what kind of diet can prevent morning sickness."

After hearing this, Xue Baochai said hurriedly, "If that's the case, I'd like to learn from my husband."

"After my husband leaves, I can cook for my wife."

Jia Cong nodded and said, "That's fine. I was going to let the cook at home learn it."

Not to mention how leisurely Jia Cong was at home, just a few days later, those imperial censors began to impeach the Rongguo Mansion, saying that the evil servants took advantage of their power to bully people and killed many lives.

There are also various bullying behaviors done by the descendants of the Jia family by taking advantage of their power.

All of these collateral descendants were from the Rongguo Mansion, and not a single one was from the Ningguo Mansion.

It turned out that since Jia Cong took charge of Ningguo Mansion, he had already cleaned up everyone in Ningguo Mansion, from the servants and slaves in Ningguo Mansion to the collateral relatives of Ningguo Mansion.

Those who have committed many evil deeds should be handed over to the authorities, and those who should be expelled should be expelled.

And they also compensated the victims.

Therefore, Ningguo Mansion had nothing to do with the settlement this time.

Meanwhile, the Rongguo Mansion was extremely busy because of these things.

At this time, Grandmother Jia was secretly regretting.

She was really too lenient to these people and shouldn't have indulged her servants like this.

Now that these servants had gotten into trouble, the blame ultimately fell on the Rongguo Mansion.

Look at Brother Cong of the East Mansion. Ever since he took over, he has been severely disciplined. Now, nothing can be found in the East Mansion.

What Grandmother Jia is more afraid of now is whether the title of Rongguo Mansion will be stripped.

Although at present, these things have not reached this point.

But Grandmother Jia felt vaguely uneasy in her heart.

I always feel that there might be more unexpected events in the future.

And things turned out just as Grandmother Jia had expected.

A few days later, the censor began to impeach Jia She again.

Although Jia She had been bedridden for many years at this time, these imperial censors did not let him go.

The censor listed all the crimes of Jia She, including forcibly abducting women, plundering, and even smuggling.

Faced with this situation, Grandmother Jia was shocked.

In addition to being secretly angry at Jia She for his misconduct and for doing so many stupid things.

They were afraid in their hearts that this time, these imperial censors might not be targeting the bedridden Jia She, but the title of their Rongguo Mansion.

On this day, Grandmother Jia was in Rongqing Hall, drinking tea in a bad mood.

A woman came running in to report: "Grandma, something bad has happened, something bad has happened!"

Hearing the three words "not good", Grandmother Jia felt dizzy.

She couldn't help but frowned and asked, "What happened again?"

The old woman said, "Grandpa, I heard that the second master was arrested in the Ministry of Works, and now they want to raid our Rongguo Mansion..."

Upon hearing this, Jia's mother felt a black screen before her eyes and she lost consciousness.

The old women in the room were so panicked that they all rushed forward and started working.

Fortunately, this was not the first time that Lady Jia fainted, so these old women had some experience with this.

Soon, Lady Jia was rescued.

Grandmother Jia asked weakly, "What happened? Why was your Second Master arrested when he was fine?"

The old woman said quickly, "Grandma, I heard that because the second master helped the Zhen family in Jiangnan to hide the family property, he was exposed. The emperor was furious and immediately ordered the arrest of the master. He also sent people to confiscate the house. I'm afraid the people will arrive soon..."

Grandmother Jia gnashed her teeth and asked, "Who exposed it?"

The old woman said, "I heard that it was the Second Master's disciple Fu Shi and several of the Second Master's followers who exposed it."

Hearing this, Jia's grandmother felt a sharp pain in her forehead again.

The Zhen family in Jiangnan was ransacked shortly after the death of the old Concubine Zhen.

They helped the Zhen family in Jiangnan hide their property, which was a serious crime.

Their queen has also passed away, and now it is their turn to have their Rongguo Mansion confiscated and their entire family exterminated.

I should have thought of this earlier!

I should have thought of it earlier!

At this moment, a eunuch came to announce the decree.

Grandmother Jia had no choice but to straighten herself up and go out with Lady Wang and others to receive the order.

The imperial edict said that the Rongguo Mansion disregarded the emperor's grace, and its descendants were stupid and incompetent. They robbed and seized things, took human lives, and secretly concealed the property of officials, with numerous bad habits.

The title of the Rongguo Mansion was stripped, the property of the Rongguo Mansion was confiscated, and the Rongguo Mansion's residence was taken back.

Jia Zheng of Rongguo Mansion was exiled to Lingnan, and Jia Lian of Rongguo Mansion was sentenced to three years in prison.

After the imperial edict was read, Grandmother Jia burst into tears.

After a while, he accepted the imperial edict with tears in his eyes.

After receiving the order, teams of officers and soldiers rushed in like ferocious monsters and drove out all the people in Rongguo Mansion.

He was only a little polite to Lady Jia, but he was really rude to others like Lady Xing and Lady Wang.

The entire family, including masters, servants, and children, were soon driven out of the house.

At the gate of the mansion, soldiers were climbing the ladder and were about to take down the plaque of Rongguo Mansion.

Seeing this scene, everyone in the Jia family couldn't help but feel sad and burst into tears.

At this time, only Jia's mother stood up straight and shouted sternly: "Why are you crying? What's the point of crying?"

"Why don't you prepare the car? I want to go to the palace!"

After a long while, Madam Wang finally said, "Grandfather, our house has been searched and we cannot take anything out of the house."

Yes, the Rongguo Mansion was ransacked and they were all driven out.

Not to mention the carriage, they probably wouldn't have enough money to even afford food.

I have no idea where to stay tonight.

At this point, let alone preparing a carriage.

After hearing this, Grandmother Jia was also confused.

Suddenly, he went from being rich and prosperous, with fine clothes and delicious food, to being penniless and without a place to stand.

The changes were so fast that they were completely unable to accept it for a while.

Although they still had shops and farms, all their properties had been confiscated.

Presumably, these shops and farms could not be preserved.

Now, I'm afraid that only the Jia family's sacrificial fields still have a share.

However, this sacrificial land does not belong to them.

Instead, it is jointly owned by the Rong and Ning mansions, as well as other branches.

These sacrificial fields were purchased by Jia Cong after he took office as the head of the Jia family, and he spent money to buy tens of thousands of acres of land.

From now on, they will probably have to rely on the profits from the sacrificial fields at the end of the year to make ends meet...

In desperation, Grandmother Jia had to take everyone to Ningguo Mansion for help.

As for Jia Cong, he had heard the noise here a long time ago and saw that the Rongguo Mansion was being ransacked.

Jia Cong couldn't help but sigh slightly.

It is like when all the birds have eaten and fly back to the forest, leaving the earth clean and white.

Isn’t it the same for Rongguo Mansion at this time?
When Lady Jia came, Jia Cong said that Lin Daiyu was pregnant and needed to rest, so it was not convenient for her to come out.

In order to prevent her from getting sad and having a miscarriage, she was allowed to stay in the inner house.

As the Rongguo Mansion was in trouble at this time, Jia Cong could not refuse the visit from the people from the Rongguo Mansion.

So Jia Cong asked someone to invite Jia's mother and others in. (End of this chapter)