Chapter 144 A Plummeting Fall: The Emperor Personally Leads an Expedition, the Retired Emperor Oversees the State...
Upon receiving the news, the higher-ups quickly sent someone to fetch Second Sister You.
This is also a major case. Although marrying during the mourning period can be handled flexibly, and the punishment could be lenient, such as a three-month salary deduction, the Jia family is clearly not included in this category. Moreover, this case also involves the previous false testimony to deceive the government.
Second Sister You was terrified, her face pale. She hid in a corner and struggled, saying, "I'm just a weak woman, I don't know anything! The one holding the child over there is Second Madam Lian, go ask her!"
Madam Xing watched them fight amongst themselves with smug satisfaction, then looked at Madam Wang. Although Madam Wang shared the same surname as Wang Xifeng, she dared not speak, and simply turned her head away with lingering fear.
"Bullshit!" Wang Xifeng cursed. "Did you sleep with me, or is that child surnamed Wang? You were someone's mistress, and now you're blaming the wife? You really have no shame!"
The officials were taking advantage of people, and it was already the limit for them to be scolded like that. The two quickly grabbed Sister You and dragged her outside.
While crying, You Erjie turned around and cursed Wang Xifeng: "May you die a horrible death! You can't bear a son! I'll be waiting for you down there!"
Wang Xifeng retorted, "You can't wait for me, you'll wait for your second master first!"
But as soon as You Erjie was taken out and the door closed again, and the crying outside faded into the distance, Wang Xifeng suddenly froze, and tears streamed down her face.
"Second Master...is it possible that Second Master won't make it this time?"
She looked up, her gaze sweeping over the faces of everyone in the room, but none of them dared to meet her eyes.
Wang Xifeng closed her eyes, as if that would stop her tears: "Second Master is going to die. The Rongguo Mansion is about to fall, who will protect him?"
You Erjie is not someone who can endure hardship; otherwise, she wouldn't have followed Jia Zhen and his son, and even had an affair with the Second Master, in such an ambiguous way.
Even if someone is forced into this situation by poor family circumstances, it's understandable to have an affair with one person, but having an affair with three... what does that even mean?
Besides, there are people from poor families, and Miss Xing's family is even worse off than hers.
How could someone like that possibly value "righteousness"?
Wang Xifeng suddenly glanced at Madam Xing; the integrity of the Xing family was entirely embodied in Miss Xing.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Madam Xing asked loudly. "This is none of my business. Which of you two treats me like a wife?"
Wang Xifeng shifted her gaze to her daughter in her arms.
That's for the best; we won't have to deal with them about divorce or separation anymore. The Rongguo Mansion will probably cease to exist in the future. Although my uncle is dead, the Wang family's businesses in their ancestral home of Jinling will inevitably suffer some impact. But the Jia family has fallen to such a state; how can the Jia family compare to the Wang family?
The room fell silent again, with only two faint sobs.
Looking at all the people in the room, Tan Chun felt increasingly disappointed.
“At a time like this, we should all work together!” Tan Chun said, her words initially slow but gradually increasing in speed. “How could she possibly have such abilities? How could a woman frame the Rongguo Mansion? This matter must have nothing to do with her!”
"But what have you all been doing these days! You're all bringing up old grievances!" Tan Chun's voice trembled with anger. "You're all blaming each other! Think about the Rongguo Mansion's nameplate outside. We are all members of the Jia family! If this continues, even if we leave in the future, how will we restore our family's honor?"
Tan Chun coughed twice as she spoke in a hurry, but since she had spoken so loudly, no one in the room spoke and it remained quiet. Just as she was about to speak again, Grandmother Jia on the bed babbled twice.
Right now, it should have been You Erjie and Yuchuan serving Grandmother Jia, but You Erjie had left, and Yuchuan couldn't lift her up by herself.
Fortunately, Aunt Zhou had been tormented into a submissive nature, so she stepped forward to lend a hand.
That would have been the end of it, but Tan Chun was in the limelight at the moment, and subconsciously instructed Aunt Zhao, "Aunt, why don't you move? Just see where the old lady is feeling unwell?"
"So you're ordering me around now?" Aunt Zhao sneered. "When the Rongguo Mansion was doing well, you didn't treat me like your own mother. Now that the Rongguo Mansion is like this, am I still just a stepping stone for the young lady?"
Aunt Zhao's rebuke not only deflated Tan Chun's momentum but also restored the composure of the others around her.
How could I be so easily frightened by a little girl like her?
"You don't even take care of your own grandmother, and you expect me to?"
Tan Chun subconsciously quoted what Madam Wang had said before: "We unmarried girls cannot do such things."
Aunt Zhao laughed and said, "I advise you to get used to it first, young lady. Do you still think you can be a young lady even after you leave this house? Who knows what the future holds?"
When Aunt Zhao suddenly pointed this out, not only Tan Chun, but all the pampered women in the room felt a chill run down their spines.
Aunt Zhao continued, "Don't keep talking about how Miss Lin was. I can roughly understand what you're thinking; after all, she came from my womb. You were the one who led the bullying of her back then—"
Aunt Zhao raised her eyebrows and gestured to Li Wan: "Your good sister-in-law also said the other day, what poetry club? Every now and then they're putting down other people to praise the eldest daughter of the Xue family."
Li Wan frowned and lowered her head slightly.
"I changed it! I changed it later!" Tan Chun said angrily.
"Yes, the Marquis of Zhongyong has arrived, and you've changed your ways," Aunt Zhao said with a smile. "But don't worry, our family's current predicament is definitely not your fault. After all, your wife is much more ruthless than you. She's the one who had the medicine for Miss Lin prepared."
“How could she have such ability? She—” Tan Chun suddenly stopped talking.
Aunt Zhao sighed, and in fact, everyone else in the room was also silently helping Tan Chun fill in the second half of the sentence in their hearts.
After a few moments of silence, Aunt Zhao sat cross-legged on the couch. This spot was by the window, and although it was a bit cold, the air was much fresher, and the sun was shining through.
As for why such a good place was snatched up by Aunt Zhao, one can only say, "It's a house full of bullies who prey on the weak." Aunt Zhao sneered.
"Shut up!" Madam Wang said angrily. She then unconsciously glared at Tan Chun and said indirectly, "She's shameless. We're doing fine together, why did you have to provoke her?"
Aunt Zhao was displeased: "There's one more thing, and I've noticed none of you have mentioned it. What medicine did Miss Lin take when she first came here?"
No one paid her any attention, and Aunt Zhao didn't care: "She's taking ginseng nourishing pills. Who takes care of the ginseng in the house? Madam."
Aunt Zhao smiled at Madam Wang again: "Madam has been in charge of ginseng for so many years, but when Miss Lin came, Madam said she didn't recognize ginseng anymore. Haven't you thought about why? Yes, the imperial physician is treating her, she's being served the best food and drink, and she's eating ginseng like crazy, yet her health is getting worse and worse. It's so hard to guess. By the way, she also has several million in assets. It's really too hard to guess."
The room was so quiet that only Grandmother Jia's heavy breathing could be heard. Lady Wang was so angry that she was trembling, almost making a sound.
"Once we get out of here, I'll tear your mouth apart!" she pointed at Aunt Zhao. "I'll sell you off! I'll sell you to Lingnan!"
Aunt Zhao chuckled, "Good Madam, it's uncertain whether you or I will go to Lingnan first."
By mid-February, Zhong Jun's first secret report arrived: a great victory, three warships sunk, 327 enemy soldiers captured, and 13 high-ranking officers taken prisoner.
The emperor breathed a sigh of relief. This island nation outside the Western Sea, like the northern barbarians, was a double-edged sword—tasteless to eat, but a pity to throw away.
They don't produce much, and if you occupy a spot, you have to put a lot of effort into maintaining it. If you don't occupy a spot, they're like fleas, jumping around every now and then, which is very annoying.
The emperor had discussed this matter privately with many ministers several times. Of course, some of the ministers said, "We should win people over with virtue to show the magnanimity of our Celestial Empire."
However, Mu Chuan's statement was very firm: "Fight! One fight will bring ten years of peace and also train our troops."
The emperor naturally trusted Qiao Yue more.
Since the battle had already begun, the emperor took the secret report to the Daming Palace to find the retired emperor.
The retired emperor is now living a very leisurely life, and he is no longer so bothered by the prince who "stole" his throne.
"Don't come any closer." The retired emperor was fishing for goldfish in a large white jade fish tank indoors with a small fishing hook in his hand. When he saw the emperor coming, he didn't call him over, afraid that his heavy footsteps would startle his fish.
Once the fish took the bait, the retired emperor handed what he was holding to the eunuch standing to the side, wiped his hands with a damp cloth, and gestured for the emperor to sit with him on the armchair under the window.
"I still stand by what I said," the Emperor Emeritus said slowly. "There's nothing to fight about the Western Sea kingdoms. They don't have the military strength to occupy my Great Wei. At worst, they can only plunder some grain and wealth. My son, you don't need to worry about that. Even if we suffer a loss this time, we can gather our forces and fight back. We can also close all the sea markets along the Western Sea coast and implement a maritime ban, so they have no grain to sell."
The emperor sighed deliberately, "That's not what I'm after."
The retired emperor glanced at him: "I underestimated you. Which emperor hasn't rebelled during his reign? Prince Yizhong rebelled back then..."
The retired emperor paused, and the emperor was genuinely surprised. This was a taboo subject, and in more than a decade, this was the first time he had heard the retired emperor mention Prince Yizhong.
“Even the Crown Prince’s rebellion will not succeed.” The Emperor Emeritus looked quite relaxed. “Let alone the Prince of Beijing and the Prince of Nan’an. Just think about the Prince of Beijing’s reputation for virtue in the capital.”
The retired emperor sneered, "With this reputation, he has only brought trouble upon himself. It's a good opportunity to deal with their chronic problems."
The emperor then cleared his throat and handed the battle report to the retired emperor: "Actually, it wasn't for their sake."
The retired emperor took the battle report, opened it with a hint of doubt, and saw four large characters on it: Great Victory!
hehe.
The retired emperor glared at the emperor, put the battle report on the table, and slowly stood up: "I'm getting old, and I can't read small print anymore. It's time for me to rest. My son, please do as you please."
Damn it, I've already overdone it.
The emperor hurriedly said, "Once this matter is settled, I will personally lead the expedition as originally planned, with Qiao Yue as the general!"
Sure enough, as soon as Qiao Yue appeared, the Emperor Emeritus turned around and sat down, picking up the battle report and reading it carefully.
The retired emperor was also very experienced. After reading the battle report sent by Zhong Jun, he could roughly calculate how much grain, weapons and other supplies had been consumed.
However, the Western Sea campaign utilized the reserves of the South, which is not the same system as the campaign against the Northern Barbarians.
The retired emperor thought about the harvest of the past two years again. There were occasional small-scale droughts and floods, but looking at the whole of Wei, it could even be described as having favorable weather.
"We can fight," the retired emperor nodded.
The emperor hurriedly rose, bowed, and said, "Please, Father, oversee the state!"
The retired emperor was stunned for at least three to five breaths.
This is truly absurd yet reasonable, accidental yet inevitable.
The emperor did have several sons, the eldest of whom had already begun to participate in government affairs, but even if they were all combined, none of them were as experienced as the retired emperor.
The Emperor Emeritus laughed several times: "The Emperor is going on campaign, and the Emperor Emeritus will oversee the country." The Emperor Emeritus patted the Emperor's shoulder forcefully, "Don't worry, I will absolutely not let my Great General go hungry!"
The emperor, who had initially developed a father-son relationship with the retired emperor, was immediately displeased: "Father, do you not trust Qiao Yue? Why would we need to allocate a second batch of provisions? He returned right after the battle!"
Upon hearing this, the Emperor Emeritus was also dissatisfied: "If I weren't truly unable to leave, why would I need you? That's my Grand General! Who can't win a battle against him? Don't give bad orders and drag me down!"
The emperor chuckled twice: "After I've dealt with the Prince of Bei Jing's treason case, I'll set off!"
Prince Bei Jing and others have been imprisoned in the Northern Garrison for over a month. They have been interrogated many times. The case is clear, but the verdict has been delayed because they are waiting for Zhong Jun's battle report.
Now that the result is a resounding victory, the sentence will naturally be a little lighter.
For example, if the battle reports indicated that the main culprits, Prince Bei Jing and Prince Nan An, were in a stalemate, then they would probably have been subjected to slow slicing, but now they are being beheaded.
Both families had male members aged sixteen and above sentenced to beheading, and those under sixteen years of age exiled three thousand li away. The female relatives were enslaved by the government, and all their property was confiscated.
The other four families were stripped of their titles and their property confiscated; the heads of the families were executed, and the rest were exiled.
The remaining five families were so worthless that even the Prince of Bei Jing didn't seek them out for their conspiracy. They were stripped of their titles and property, and ordered to leave the capital within half a month.
Finally, the Duke of Shan Guo, Shi Jia, was rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold, and Shi Guangzhu was promoted to Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
The five male members of the Jia family were released and spent nearly two months in a dark and damp dungeon. When they went outside and saw the sun for the first time, not one of them, from Jia She to Jia Lan, failed to cover their eyes, feeling as if they were about to go blind.
Jia Zheng glanced back at the gaunt Jia She and sighed, "Let's go back."
Jia Huan hurriedly stepped forward to support Jia Zheng, and then called to Jia Lan, "Help the master."
Although no one greeted him, Jia Baoyu followed along on his own.
After leaving the street, the group found a carriage and returned to the Rongguo Mansion. Jia Zheng got out of the carriage and went to his study to find a silver pen holder as payment.
Since the men were released, the women, maids, and servants were also released.
"Master!" The courtyard was immediately filled with cries. Lin Zhixiao did not see Jia Lian, but he did not dare to ask any questions. It was perfectly normal for the dungeon of the Northern Garrison to be unable to withstand the pressure.
"Master," Lin Zhixiao reported tearfully, "the old lady suffered a stroke, but thankfully she survived. However, she can't speak and can't move much. The ladies say that the old lady keeps calling for Ling, probably because she wants to go back to Jinling."
Jia Zheng sighed, "Where else can we go if we don't return to Jinling?"
Lin Zhixiao added, "I'll tell them to prepare hot water. Master, please wash up first." He took two steps outside, then turned back and asked, "Should we... go find Master Lian?"
Jia Zheng sighed deeply: "Has the news not come back yet? He was in mourning for the country and his family, yet he married and had children. He has already been sentenced to be executed."
When they returned, the women in the back courtyard also received the news. Wang Xifeng did not wait for Jia Lian, and You Erjie was arrested and never returned. What else could she not understand?
She sneered and cried at the same time, cursing, "To die on a woman, you deserve it!"
Ping'er wasn't locked up with them; even after she came out, she clung to Wang Xifeng and wouldn't let go.
Wang Xifeng was already prepared. After crying for a while, she stopped and instructed, "Wash up first, then pack your things. Send someone to the Wang family with a message. If they haven't left, go back with them. If they have left... the Jia family has to go back anyway."
Having been imprisoned for over a month, it took two days just to clean herself up. Once she was done, she didn't care about anything else, changed into men's clothing, and went with Aunt Xue to their shop to find Xue Pan.
The Xue family only had two shops left in the capital: one selling general merchandise from both the north and south, and the other a pawnshop.
The two went to the pawnshop first. This shop was the most important, as all the old employees worked there, and the shop accounted for 80% of the annual revenue.
Upon seeing the two enter, the shopkeeper's eyes immediately reddened: "Madam! The young master has been arrested by the officials!"
Aunt Xue had been locked up for over a month, unable to eat or sleep properly. She was worried about her son and concerned about her business, and had lost at least two sizes of weight. Upon hearing this, she swayed twice and then fainted.
Xue Baochai was in better health, but after being confined for almost two months, she had still lost a lot of weight and couldn't hold onto anyone, so she fell down with them.
"What exactly happened!" After pinching her philtrum and applying some stimulating ointment to her temples and under her nose, Aunt Xue finally woke up.
The shopkeeper cried as he said, "About two or three days after the Rongguo Mansion was sealed off, the young master said he was feeling down and went out for a drink. He got into a fight with someone over a courtesan and was beaten up. But it turned out that the man was the son of an official and a member of the Imperial Guard. He was furious and had someone falsely accuse the young master of stealing and of offending the officials, so the young master was sent to the authorities!"
The shopkeeper wiped away his tears and cried out, "The young master's legs were broken by him. We send him things every few days, begging the yamen runners to take care of him a little. They accept all the things, so he should still be alive."
Aunt Xue felt a sharp pain in her heart: "Pan'er! Pan'er!" She pounded her chest with all her might, "How could you have let someone harm you!"
Xue Baochai was also sobbing uncontrollably, calling out for her brother and crying, "What are we going to do? Why is our life so miserable!"
Aunt Xue and Xue Baochai heard the news suddenly and were overwhelmed with grief. The shopkeeper, who had been thinking about it for almost two months, offered a few words of comfort and said, "The Rongguo Mansion is gone, and the Jia family is finished. Master Wang died suddenly, and he was a first-rank official before he died, so he might still have some connections. Besides, no matter how down on our luck we are, we are still imperial merchants. We can try to find the Imperial Household Department; perhaps we can still rescue the young master."
"Yes, yes, yes!" Aunt Xue perked up at this, and she jumped to her feet. "We must get your brother out!"
After the main culprits in the Prince of Bei Jing's rebellion were all executed and those who were to be exiled were all sent out of the capital, the emperor also chose an auspicious day to prepare to send troops out three days later.
Not counting spring, autumn, and winter hunts, this was the first time the emperor had left the capital.
He was a little nervous. That night, he pulled the Empress aside and instructed her, "Take good care of Qiao Yue's family."
The Empress nodded, also somewhat troubled, and said to the Emperor, "This is truly a difficult situation. They initially demanded the Jia family return the dowry, and I ordered two million taels, but they haven't given that amount. I was thinking of giving them the garden, but they refused. And this isn't over yet—"
The Empress continued, "The first time I said I'd make a calligraphy book for her, I thought it was... cough, but it sold better than anything else. It was supposed to help her, but in the end, it turned into making money off her. Your Majesty, what should we do?"
The Empress has never encountered the situation of owing favors since she became Empress.
The emperor looked at her and hesitated, "She was originally a county lady, why not promote her to county princess?"
Being promoted two ranks at once is quite an honor.
Even nowadays, princesses don't have fiefdoms; they only receive a few hundred taels more in money and goods each year. It sounds nice, but family members know their own situation—it's really more about saving face.
The Empress sighed, "We can only do this for now, and we'll think of something more appropriate later."
Inside the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence, Mu Chuan was also giving instructions on what to do after he left.
"Go to bed on time, and don't stay up all night reading stories."
Lin Daiyu leaned against him, and upon hearing this, she couldn't help but pinch him again: "Am I a child? Do I need you to tell me this?"
"Eat properly and don't be picky about food."
Lin Daiyu chuckled twice: "After you leave, I'll ask the kitchen to change the menu, and everything will be something I love to eat."
“You’re definitely not a child,” Mu Chuan retorted. “And don’t worry about me, His Majesty is with us, and with the Retired Emperor overseeing the country, this expedition is sure to go smoothly.”
"That might be a bit difficult." Lin Daiyu buried her head in his chest. "I'm already starting to miss you."
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