Chapter 17 presents a seemingly lenient yet extremely insidious tactic: "I'm going to sue..."

Ke Yuanqing looked at him with a puzzled expression: "You came to me for this?"

But then I thought, in the capital, the one who occupies his land must also be a nobleman.

But that's something he can't control anymore.

For matters concerning nobles, those with connections could directly approach the emperor. Even for fallen nobles, there was the Imperial Household Department, and if all else failed, there were the Three Judicial Offices.

Although he was only one of the three sixth-rank county magistrates in the Great Wei Dynasty, he couldn't control the nobles who often exceeded their rank. As a sixth-rank official, could he use a stern rod or search people's homes for evidence?

"The land deed states that the land is thirty-five mu and the price is six hundred taels of silver. But in reality, our family only received thirty taels of silver."

For such a small amount of silver and land, they can hardly be considered legitimate nobles.

"This...who in the capital would dare to go against you for a mere few hundred taels of silver?"

Ke Yuanqing's attitude was very humble; this man could not only consult the emperor, but also the retired emperor.

"It is the Jia family of Rongguo Mansion."

"Huh?" Ke Yuanqing even looked somewhat at a loss. "The Rongguo Mansion? He doesn't need to bother with that."

This must have happened before the Earl of Zhongyong rose to prominence, but the Rongguo Mansion, with two Dukes in one family and a woman in the palace serving as a concubine, only had thirty-five acres of land...

This is as absurd as a sixth-rank magistrate of Wanping County snatching candied hawthorns from children on the street.

“The land deed is indeed not in the names of the masters of Rongguo Mansion, but in the name of Zhou Rui, a servant of the second branch of the family.” Mu Chuan said with a smile, “Speaking of the second branch of Rongguo Mansion, he is also a colleague of yours, Jia Zheng of the Ministry of Works, who has now been sent to serve as an educational commissioner.”

Upon hearing this, Ke Yuanqing looked at him with a look of utter disdain: "General, he and I are not colleagues. I was selected through the proper imperial examinations and served as a member of the Hanlin Academy. I am a member of the Qingliu faction. He was promoted by imperial favor."

"I misspoke." Mu Chuan cupped his hands in apology, then sighed, "Of the six hundred taels of silver, my family only received thirty taels. My grandfather died, my uncle broke his leg, and I was conscripted into the army. I was even beaten on the way. They clearly wanted me to die on the road. I can't swallow this insult."

This is a blood feud, Ke Yuanqing thought to himself. He also thought that the Marquis of Zhongyong had been able to endure it until now, and had not made a move even when the emperor and the retired emperor were present. He must have something very big in mind.

He asked cautiously, "How does the General want me to cooperate?"

"I'm going to sue Zhou Rui for having private property," Mu Chuan said firmly.

Ke Yuanqing was stunned for a moment, but then he thought about it and realized that it was indeed a good idea. It was also a very official-style idea that, on the surface, left enough face and room for maneuver, but in reality, it was a very insidious one.

Zhou Rui was a servant girl and was not allowed to have private property. However, in reality, even palace eunuchs liked to have a house outside and keep two wives, so it goes without saying that stewards like Zhou Rui did the same.

Furthermore, everyone in the capital knows that the servants of the Rongguo Mansion are all incredibly wealthy and powerful. If you were to say that they don't own any private property, Ke Yuanqing would never believe it, not even if you beat him to death.

Every lawsuit they file is successful.

This is still an official suing a slave. If the lawsuit is successful, the offender will be punished three degrees more severely.

If a servant has private property, the master will also be charged with negligence in supervision.

In short, he cannot escape the crime of instigating servants to oppress the people, nor can he escape the crime of failing to supervise and indulging servants. Neither side will be easy for him.

This is a real crime, and its impact on reputation is far greater. Being a relative of the emperor or a favored official naturally offers less protection than being an official who passed the imperial examinations. Unless the Rongguo Mansion offers no resistance whatsoever, this matter cannot be easily resolved.

Wait a minute… Ke Yuanqing suddenly became breathless. If this were done well, it would be a huge pie, and he could get a share of it. However, his official position was still too low, and he had to look for a higher position.

"General, rest assured, I will handle this matter impartially and will absolutely not bend the law for personal gain."

Mu Chuan patted him on the shoulder: "My family didn't receive the land deed. It's hard to say about Zhou Rui's copy. The one in the clerk's office of Wanping County Government might be the only evidence. Don't let it get burned accidentally, or stolen. Even if it gets wet and you can't see it clearly, it's still not acceptable."

"Rest assured, sir, I will keep the land deed safe and carry it with me when I get back."

Mu Chuan jumped off the carriage, mounted his own horse, and returned to the Marquis of Dingnan's residence.

Ke Yuanqing lost interest in drinking and listening to music, and immediately ordered the carriage to turn around and head to the home of his mentor, the Minister of Personnel.

This is the advantage of officials who passed the imperial examinations: they had mentors, tutors, colleagues, classmates, and fellow townsmen, making it easy for them to form cliques and factions.

Minister Li of the Ministry of Personnel had already gone to bed, but upon hearing that Ke Yuanqing had come to visit late at night, he hurriedly put on his clothes, got up, and invited someone to his small study, asking, "What is it?"

After Ke Yuanqing recounted what Mu Chuan had just said, Lord Li, whose experience in struggle was far richer than Ke Yuanqing's, pondered for a moment and said, "By taking advantage of this matter, we can strike at the maternal relatives, the benevolent officials, and the nobles. These all contribute to our prestige."

Vacant positions represent potential profits.

He chuckled twice more: "If you handle this well, you can get a promotion too."

Those who could become county magistrates in the capital were either those who had been scapegoated for some major incident, or those with promising futures who would be transferred to other provinces as prefects after their terms were up.

Clearly, Ke Yuanqing is the latter.

“With a little effort, I can get you a job in a wealthy prefecture. And…” Lord Li chuckled, “Zuo Xilai, one of the three Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, has always looked down on military officers. I wonder if we can get him involved as well.”

"Congratulations, Your Excellency!" Ke Yuanqing congratulated him, and then said, "I have a fellow townsman who is currently serving as an Inspector in the Censorate. If all goes well, could you please arrange for him to be transferred to the Ministry of Works?"

The Censor-in-Chief was a seventh-rank official, while Jia Zheng's original position was a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Works. This was a promotion.

Ke Yuanqing's fellow townsman was also Li's fellow townsman, and Li was the most powerful official in Wuyue. Moreover, it was Ke Yuanqing who had brought this matter here. Li said, "Alright, let him write the first impeachment memorial."

"You don't need to be too nervous," Lord Li comforted him. "Qiongzhou has been a place of exile since ancient times. Jia Zheng went to Qiongzhou to serve as the education commissioner. He had neither merit nor hard work. If no one in the court was willing to go, and if it weren't for the fact that it would be too outrageous to have the prefect concurrently serve as the education commissioner for three consecutive years, why would they send a mere magistrate to take charge of education? He himself has never taken the imperial examination. How can he teach the students?"

"I never took the imperial examinations, I wasn't even a Xiucai. I was able to become an official entirely because my father was a Duke." Lord Li sneered, "If this were a province like Jiangsu or Zhejiang, which are famous for their imperial examinations, it would have instigated a popular uprising. It's only in a place like Qiongzhou, where there are sinners whose families have been unable to pass the imperial examinations for three generations, that this would happen."

Ke Yuanqing wasn't nervous; he was excited.

However, since his mentor had said so, he followed his mentor's lead and continued, "In the previous dynasty, over 357 years, Qiongzhou produced a total of 526 successful candidates in the provincial examinations, including one Tan Hua (third-place scholar) and 13 Jin Shi (successful candidates in the highest level of the imperial examinations). In the current dynasty, over 86 years, the number of successful candidates is exactly 80."

"Your memory has always been excellent," Lord Li exclaimed. "Let me think about it. Before you are sent to a post outside the capital, I should arrange for you to attend a lecture at the Imperial Academy. It would be a matter of seniority."

After Lord Li finished speaking, he looked at the clock in the room and said, "It's so late, you can stay at my house and leave when the city gates open tomorrow."

Ke Yuanqing lay down in his guest room and suddenly understood why the Earl of Zhongyong had asked for several yamen runner positions right away. He was planning to send his men to the Jia family to deliver official documents!

I didn't intend to make things difficult for him, a minor county magistrate. The Earl of Zhongyong is a man of principle!

Ke Yuanqing became excited. He still vividly remembered the scene of the Marquis of Zhongyong, who was so tall and strong, carrying the chieftain as usual when he presented the captives at the Meridian Gate.

He now hopes the Rongguo Mansion will stand up for itself; the Marquis of Zhongyong might just have to take action himself.

There are also the household registration clerks who handled this matter ten years ago and the yamen runners who went to Linjia Village that day. Why not drive them away and give all their positions to Earl Zhongyong as a favor?

As Ke Yuanqing pondered this, he drifted off to sleep.

Mu Chuan had a full day, and after having two drinks in the evening, he fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Just as he was drifting off to sleep, Grandmother Jia suddenly jolted awake.

"Mandarin ducks? Mandarin ducks!"

Mandarin ducks don't stay up at night; otherwise, they would have been exhausted from serving people day and night.

The maidservant who served her that night hurriedly went out to call for help. Yuanyang got up, dressed haphazardly, and wrapped her hair with a handkerchief before finally arriving at Grandmother Jia's room.

Grandmother Jia asked anxiously, "I suddenly remembered, isn't the head steward of the Marquis of Zhongyong's household named Miao Zhenchuan?"

Yuanyang nodded, and Grandmother Jia continued, "The Earl of Zhongyong is named Mu Chuan, and his steward is named Miao Zhenchuan. How could he have such a name? It's bad for the master's family."

Yuanyang didn't immediately grasp the question; she was still carefully recalling how the old woman had reported back.

Grandmother Jia continued, "Like our steward, Lai Da, and the steward of the East Mansion next door, Lai Er. Are we really incapable of giving them any other names? It's just that we need these names to remind them of their status and the teachings of their masters. But the Earl of Zhongyong's family—"

Grandmother Jia paused again, she really didn't know what to say, who gives servants such names?

Chuan, Zhenchuan, this is just too improper.

Yuanyang wanted to say that people are probably just called that by their parents, and some people don't care about such things. Besides, even a head steward isn't necessarily a slave. But the old lady was clearly obsessed, and she dared not say anything against her wishes.

She waved to the maid and whispered for her to bring the calming soup. She then sat down by Grandmother Jia's bedside, gently patting her back and whispering, "The Earl of Zhongyong's family are farmers, and he has only just returned. It hasn't even been half a month yet, so he probably hasn't thought of these things. Since he wants to befriend our family, we'll teach him next time he comes. He'll have to thank us."

Grandmother Jia was comforted, drank some calming soup, and chatted with Yuanyang for a long time before finally falling asleep again.

The next morning, Siqi got up and went in to help Yingchun get dressed. But when she entered, she found Yingchun lying on the bed, listless and pale, with her hair wet and sticking to her face. Siqi reached out and touched her neck, which was also covered in sweat.

"My dear girl, why didn't you say you weren't feeling well last night?" Siqi said helplessly and angrily, and hurriedly went to call the nanny to come and see.

Yingchun seemed off yesterday, and I heard that she accidentally rushed out first. The nanny made a judgment and said, "She was frightened. First, wipe her with warm water and give her some calming medicine. Let's see how it goes."

They all lived in the garden, and they would go out together for morning and evening greetings. Yingchun's residence, Zilingzhou, was located in the northwest corner of Xiaoxiang Pavilion. In the past, Xue Baochai and Shi Xiangyun would come out first, pick up Xichun and Tanchun, and then go to Yingchun's room before finally arriving at Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

At this time, Jia Baoyu was probably already waiting at Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

When the group arrived at Zilingzhou today, they found it in a state of bustling activity.

"What's wrong?" Shi Xiangyun asked.

When the old woman in the courtyard saw that they were young ladies, she replied, "The second young lady had a fever last night and sweated a lot, so she is feeling a bit weak."

Tan Chun glared at Xue Baochai, went inside first, then suddenly turned around and pulled Xi Chun, blocking Xue Baochai and Shi Xiangyun: "Relatives, please stay a while. We sisters should go in and see. Otherwise, it would be impolite for the relatives to see Second Sister without changing her clothes!"

"What do you mean by that?" Shi Xiangyun asked innocently. "We were having a good time together, how did you suddenly become so rude?"

Xue Baochai looked worried and sighed, "Excessive sweating leads to loss of body fluids and weakness. It would be best to have some bird's nest to replenish the body, but unfortunately, all the bird's nest in my house has been given to Daiyu."

When Tan Chun went in, she saw Ying Chun lying on the bed looking weak and listless, and she was even smiling at her. On one hand, she felt that Xue Baochai was really hateful, and on the other hand, she resented Ying Chun for being so useless.

But then she thought again, and realized she wouldn't dare. She wouldn't dare say anything bad about her wife's relatives either. She could only be sarcastic, not say it outright.

This resentment then fell upon oneself.

"Don't worry about it so much," Tan Chun advised weakly. "Everyone has gone out, and you're not the only one. They all brought the same things, so it's clear that Lord Zhongyong doesn't care about this. Sister Lin even talked to him for a long time, and nothing happened. Sister Yun used to go from house to house, it's no big deal."

The usually taciturn Xichun suddenly added, "Even Sister Bao didn't stand out; she's just like us."

Tan Chun chuckled: "Whatever her idea was, it didn't work out, so don't take it to heart."

"I feel much better," Yingchun replied. "I'm just hungry and thirsty. Tell them to bring me a bowl of plain porridge with lots of sugar, and I'll feel better after I eat it."

Tan Chun saw that although her voice was not very strong, her eyes were still bright, so she felt relieved and said, "Grandma also said that the weather is cold and that we don't need to go every day. I'll stay here with you today so that the people in your room won't be disobedient."

As she spoke, she stood up, about to go out and persuade Xue Baochai and Shi Xiangyun to leave, when she heard Lin Daiyu's voice outside: "Is Second Sister feeling any better?"

And then there's Jia Baoyu's voice: "How did you get sick? Quickly send someone to fetch a doctor."

Next was Xue Baochai: "Perhaps she caught a chill and has a slight fever. The room needs to be warmer at this time. If you ask me, how about—"

Tan Chun, quite rudely, kicked open the curtain and went out: "No need! Nothing at all! Breakfast will do." She then said to Lin Daiyu, "Keep your charcoal for yourself and burn it well! Don't share a single piece with anyone else!"

Then, he said to Xue Baochai, "Second Sister's illness is not as severe as the heat toxin you were born with!"

Perhaps because she had met with the Earl of Zhongyong yesterday and received special treatment from him, including many gifts, she was in a very good mood. This time, despite not being sick, Lin Daiyu not only did not feel unwell, but even laughed out loud.

"I heard from Baoyu that when Sister Bao was sick, she only had a slight wheezing and coughing, which wasn't as bad as my usual cough. And those Cold Fragrance Pills made from flower stamens, one pill is all it takes to get better, could it be that the monks tricked her?"

That wasn't all. She continued, "Sister Bao always says that her ancestors were scholars, that she came from a family of officials, and that she's now a royal merchant, a member of the Ministry of Revenue, and that she's respectable and well-mannered. Yet when her own daughter is sick, she just randomly finds a monk to treat her?"

Tan Chun's resentment finally subsided somewhat. She said, "It must be a lie. I've read the Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica, the Treatise on Febrile Diseases, the Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold Pieces, and the Compendium of Materia Medica. I've never seen a single case of using flower stamens to treat illness. Whenever you fall ill, we'll invite a proper doctor this time. We can even invite the imperial physicians from our Rongguo Mansion to give you a proper check-up and cure the root of your illness. Don't take that nameless monk's fraudulent prescriptions anymore."

Actually, there are some, the most famous being saffron, but who would want to undermine that now?

Lin Daiyu then innocently asked, "How much silver did Baochai's family give for that prescription?"

Anyone who has ever argued knows that once they get heated, their thinking becomes extremely sharp and their speech becomes incredibly fast. The two of them didn't give Xue Baochai a single chance to speak.

But Xue Baochai was no ordinary person; she still wore a smile on her face: "In that case, I'll go and pay my respects to the old lady first. You should hurry too, after all, you are the younger generation, don't keep the old lady waiting."

Shi Xiangyun snorted and followed Xue Baochai away.

Jia Baoyu hesitated for a moment, but since Yingchun was ill and Lin Daiyu hadn't moved, he called out, "Sister Bao, be careful on the road."

Lin Daiyu glared at him and said irritably, "Don't let Baochai misunderstand that you're cursing her by saying that."

Seeing his dilemma, Lin Daiyu said again, "Why don't you hurry up and go after him to explain?"

Jia Baoyu hesitated, fearing that Lin Daiyu would be angry with him, and in the end he did not chase after her.

It's a pity that Grandmother Jia didn't sleep well last night, so naturally she didn't get up this morning.

"Should!"

A note from the author:

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It will be available for purchase on Sunday.

I'm working hard to write.