Chapter 142 Being nice to her is useless, she's gone mad!

The room was filled with the women of the Jia family. Everyone knew that Lady Wang disliked Lin Daiyu. Apart from Grandmother Jia, who was half-asleep on the bed, the rest of them sneered through gritted teeth.

Lady Wang looked around, and even Li Wan, who was speaking, lowered her head because of the pent-up emotions from the past.

Now that things have come to this, even if Madam Wang were truly kind and compassionate, let alone pretending, she couldn't maintain the relationship any longer.

"Am I nicer to her?" Madam Wang repeated each word slowly and deliberately, subconsciously reaching out to smooth her hair, but the sensation under her hand only fueled her anger.

She had been kicked out of the house; her hair was wrapped in cloth, and she hadn't even combed her hair, let alone worn any jewelry.

"If I'm not good to her, does that mean you are?" Madam Wang looked at Li Wan and coldly retorted, "You're locked in the same room as me, isn't that because you're not good to her either? If you were even a little better to her, why would you be sharing a room with me? At least I could have found you a bigger room."

Li Wan was both angry and anxious, and her eyes reddened.

However, after scolding her, Madam Wang did not intend to let the others off the hook.

She then looked at Madam Xing: "Are you good to her?"

Next, Wang Xifeng said, "You're so good to her, but does it do any good?"

Then came Tan Chun and Xi Chun: "You grew up together since you were little, did she care about you? A woman's reputation is the most important thing. How could she treat you like her own sisters? After going through this, how could you ever get married? Being a concubine would be an honor for you!"

Tan Chun and Xi Chun remained silent. Wang Xifeng held Qiao Jie'er, patting her gently, and then glanced at You Erjie, who was huddled in the corner trembling. She listened as Madam Wang pushed all the blame onto Lin Daiyu.

The room fell silent. Aunt Zhao suddenly chuckled, "Madam, say a few more words. Tell me how you seized Miss Lin's family property back then? And how Zhou Rui's wife, along with the old women and maids, bullied her? The Lin family spent millions of taels of silver, yet when she wanted something, she was treated like a dependent. Her food, clothing, and daily necessities were all paid for by the Jia family, and she was so demanding and picky. Madam is the most vengeful, yet she expects others to repay evil with kindness."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room except Wang Xifeng was shocked.

In fact, from the matter of the dowry, Madam Xing knew that the money she brought back from the Lin family was definitely not as little as the old lady and the second wife had implied, "barely enough for her expenses."

Moreover, not to mention Madam Wang, who would have thought that the old lady who always talked about her beloved granddaughter could treat her like this?

Adding to the fact that Madam Xing was already emotionally agitated that night, and then Aunt Zhao exposed her, she felt like she was a fool, a fool who had been fooled by Madam Wang for decades.

She lunged at Madam Wang, shouting, "I know you embezzled the silver! You embezzled it all!"

Madam Wang panicked slightly and raised her voice even louder: "What does a concubine who can't even leave the house know!"

But Aunt Zhao was different. She was a servant born into the Jia family, so she was well-informed, and the Second Master liked her. What she said...

Madam Wang said sternly, "The Lin family's assets were mostly taken by members of the Lin family!"

Aunt Zhao didn't speak, she just chuckled.

At this moment, Lady Wang remembered Grandmother Jia. She rushed to Grandmother Jia's bedside and cried out, "Grandmother, please say something—Grandmother?"

Grandmother Jia was slightly more lucid at this point, but she could not speak with her eyes open and could only make whistling sounds from her throat.

Lady Wang panicked, and the others in the room panicked as well. They scrambled around Grandmother Jia's bedside, some pinching the tiger's mouth (the area between the thumb and index finger) and others pinching the philtrum (the area between the nose and upper lip). But Grandmother Jia could only make muffled noises, and could only move her hands slightly.

The crying and shouting for the old lady reached Yuanyang, who was locked in the maid's room. Terrified, she burst into tears and pounded on the door, shouting, "What's wrong with the old lady! Say something!"

The commotion escalated to this point, and the guard in charge of the courtyard came over and kicked the door: "If you make any more noise, you'll be beaten with a board!"

This warning silenced everyone in the room, with only a few soft sobs. Tan Chun, who had learned a lot in the past six months, pressed her skirt against the door, her voice tense and somewhat shrill: "Yuanyang! Yuanyang, where is the old lady's medicine?"

Yuanyang wiped away her tears and said tremblingly, "There's Angong Niuhuang under the pillow!"

Although the people in the room had never properly served anyone, they were all people who had been served. After a moment of panic, they realized that Grandmother Jia couldn't eat at this time, so they dissolved the medicine in water, put a pillow under her lower back, helped her sit up, and fed her little by little.

Grandmother Jia's voice remained only a mocking tone.

Madam Wang quickly comforted her, "You'll feel better after taking the medicine. This is Angong Niuhuang; you'll be fine after taking it."

Grandmother Jia glared fiercely at Lady Wang: "Don't you dare give me the medicine! Let me die! The Marquis of Zhongyong confiscated my property and killed her maternal grandmother. If I die tonight, I'll make sure they never have a good life!"

No matter how much she resisted, she couldn't raise her hand. No matter how hard she clenched her teeth, they were easily pried open. Her curses, delivered with all her might, sounded like mockery to others. Even her fierce gaze was interpreted as a strong will to survive.

Besides, no one in this room wants her dead.

Grandmother Jia was the last vestige of dignity in the Rongguo Mansion. As a first-rank duke's wife, she should be entitled to some preferential treatment, right?

After being given the medicine, Grandmother Jia gradually calmed down. Lady Wang blew out most of the candles, leaving only one or two, barely enough to make out a face.

Even under such dim lighting, Xichun's face looked somewhat ferocious.

The room fell silent again, but Li Wan was unwilling to give up. Her voice rang out, this time without any inflection, and she didn't look at Madam Wang. Her eyes... seemed to be talking to some unknown ghost in the void.

“I told my wife long ago that while the family still has some dignity and some wealth, we should resign from our official posts and return to Jinling as soon as possible. My wife said that I didn’t want the Jia family to prosper. If we had gone back earlier, none of these things would have happened.”

"Now all the men have been arrested and imprisoned in the Northern Garrison Command... the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, where can they possibly escape? Lan'er, Lan'er, there will be no more Jia family from now on, Madam, are you happy?"

Although there were many people in the room, it did not offer any comfort. Grandmother Jia lay on the bed, only making muffled noises, and it was uncertain whether she could hold on any longer. Several concubines huddled in the corner, only sobbing. The people sitting around her all had faces that were more ferocious than the last.

Suddenly, Madam Wang screamed and threw herself against the door: "I am the maternal aunt of the Marquis of Zhongyong! You can't treat me like this! The Marquis of Zhongyong will not forgive you!"

"Is she crazy?" The guard outside frowned and kicked the door: "Keep an eye on her!"

Aunt Zhao, calling out "Huan'er," was the first to rush forward, saying, "Madam has gone mad! We have to tie her up!"

Madam Xing immediately followed.

Mu Chuan returned to the palace at Chenshi (7-9 AM) the next day. That afternoon and night, he sealed off twelve households, not even sparing Jia Zhen, who had already fled to the outer city.

When Bai Zhong returned to the palace to report in the morning, he looked haggard, his face swollen like a freshly steamed bun. Mu Chuan, on the other hand, was full of energy and vitality.

The emperor was both pleased and heartbroken.

"This isn't good, Qiao Yue. Even if you're tired, I won't be able to tell. What if you overwork yourself and ruin your health?"

Bai Zhong carefully moved his feet; they were swollen and felt cramped inside his boots. Although... at least he served as a point of comparison.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will naturally tell you if I am tired."

Now that the people have been captured by the Northern Garrison Commander, the rest is up to the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot.

The Emperor told Mu Chuan to go back and rest for two days, but fearing he would worry, he said to him, "The news has been sent by express courier to several prefectures and counties in the Western Sea. Zhong Jun set off this morning to supervise the army. The allocation of grain, weapons and other supplies has also been arranged. I also instructed Zhong Jun that, if it is feasible, they should set up a trap to lure the enemy into a trap, making it seem as if the Prince of Beijing and the Prince of Nan'an are trying to trick them. Let's see who will dare to believe them after that."

Mu Chuan asked, "But... are the Prince of Beijing and the Prince of Nan'an still alive?"

The emperor smiled and said, "It's three thousand li from the capital to the Western Sea, not to mention those small countries there. In the future, when you send official reports and memorials there, just mention Prince Bei Jing from time to time. How will they know that I have beheaded Prince Bei Jing?"

"Understood, that's exactly what we want—to make people suspicious." Mu Chuan bowed and said, "Your Majesty, what a brilliant plan."

"I had some doubts at first, but if Qiao Yue says it's good, then it really is good."

The emperor and his minister exchanged a few more words, and the emperor even ordered a eunuch to bring him twenty-four kinds of newly made glutinous rice balls from the imperial kitchen to take back with him.

It was only when Mu Chuan took his leave that the emperor and his minister discovered that Bai Zhong was asleep standing up. The eunuch serving in the imperial study was terrified and was about to call for help when Mu Chuan stopped him.

"I am still able to issue orders while I am at ease, but Eunuch Bai has never rested. Please do not blame him, Your Majesty."

The emperor said, "How could I be so harsh? Help him to the tea room and tell him to rest well. We'll talk about it after he wakes up."

Mu Chuan carried things to the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence.

He got the job yesterday and sent someone back to tell him that he wouldn't be back for a while, so Lin Daiyu didn't wait for him to go to sleep and came to do it all according to her own plan.

When Mu Chuan returned, he saw her giving instructions for breakfast. He handed the glutinous rice balls in his hand to the maid: "Give half to the west courtyard, and cook the rest according to what Madam likes."

After the maid left, Mu Chuan said, "Yesterday I went to seal the mansions of the four kings and eight dukes."

"I thought—" Lin Daiyu stopped after saying only four words. Yesterday afternoon, martial law was imposed in the capital. When her father-in-law came back, he complained, "I was watching a magic show when I picked out such a big sweet potato and asked him to roast it for me. Before I could even eat it, he chased me away."

Her mother-in-law even scolded her father-in-law, saying, "You should eat less sweet potato, it's so big! Aren't you afraid of getting gas?"

Her father-in-law chuckled twice: "When don't you help me pat my back to help me breathe?"

So that was patting the breath? Lin Daiyu immediately felt that she was being a bit superfluous.

I only realized now that it was all for the sake of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes.

Lin Daiyu breathed a sigh of relief.

Mu Chuan found her reaction somewhat unexpected. He looked at her carefully and comforted her, "The masterminds are Prince Bei Jing and Prince Nan An, so they shouldn't implicate the Jia family... or at least not very much."

The reaction of the men in the Jia family could be described as utterly foolish. Moreover, there was a brief interrogation at the time, as neither the Prince of Beijing nor the Prince of Nan'an had been in contact with the Jia family for a long time.

Mu Chuan then deliberately sighed, "It's a good thing that you're so useless at this time."

Lin Daiyu sighed helplessly, and after thinking for a moment, she said to Mu Chuan, "I lived in the Rongguo Mansion for so many years. Although I never met anyone, I heard a lot from what I saw and heard. Although the highest-ranking of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes was the Prince of Beijing, in the early years, the Ning and Rong Mansions were implicitly the leaders. Especially after the funeral at the Ningguo Mansion."

Although she had returned to Suzhou at that time, she still heard a lot of people talking about it when she came back.

"The other four kings and six dukes all came to pay their respects, along with other nobles. How could this be a normal funeral? Later, when Master Jing of the Ningguo Mansion died, the scale of his funeral had to be approved by His Majesty, and who could attend the memorial service also needed His Majesty's approval. This was a sign of decline and a warning. I saw it, but it seems no one in the Jia family saw it."

Lin Daiyu hadn't gotten to the main point yet, but her third brother's expression was rather amusing.

She chuckled and said briefly, "Well, it's not surprising that they commit crimes. From what I've heard, several lives have been lost. But with their level of expertise, ability, and vision, even if they commit serious crimes, it won't be difficult to resolve."

Mu Chuan breathed a sigh of relief and told Lin Daiyu about how the Prince of Bei Jing and the Prince of Nan An had cleverly transferred northern troops and northern grass to the south. Lin Daiyu retorted, "How can you tell others about something like this?"

“You’re no stranger,” Mu Chuan said. “You can’t hide it for more than a few days. When you go out to a banquet, you’ll be the one with the best information.”

As they were talking, the glutinous rice balls were served. There were orange persimmon glutinous rice balls and yellow millet glutinous rice balls. At Lin Daiyu's suggestion, Mu Chuan sprinkled osmanthus flowers on them.

Lin Daiyu suddenly sighed: "A couple of years ago, there was a saying circulating in the Rongguo Mansion: We're not afraid of being accused of treason. We should pay for what we've done."