With such a major incident occurring in the Jia family, it was impossible to keep it a secret any longer. Even on the night the house collapsed, the screams of a hundred or so people could be heard halfway down the street, not to mention the many people coming and going.
After daybreak, news of the collapse of the Jia family's residence during their visit to their relatives spread throughout the capital.
Impeachment memorials drifted into the palace like snowflakes onto the emperor's desk.
...
"Have you heard? The Rongguo Mansion is doomed!"
"I heard that, wow, wow, wow, you can even cut corners when building your own house! I never would have thought!"
"Who says otherwise? This is the first time I've heard of someone not only not wanting wealth but also wanting the lives of their entire family!"
"You think this Master Bao is here for revenge?"
"Hahaha... I think so."
"Hey, have you heard? The Imperial Concubine Dowager passed away this morning!"
"Isn't this normal? Nothing is as interesting as what happened with Master Bao. Go away, don't keep me from understanding what happened back then."
"I know, at that time, my mother's younger sister's daughter was working in the household, and this is what happened..."
…
When everyone gathered to discuss the Jia family's affairs, the news of the Dowager Consort's death was like a stone thrown into water, causing no ripples.
However, it was a devastating blow to the Zhen family. When the old lady of the Zhen family heard the news of the death of the imperial concubine, she fainted.
Mrs. Zhen was in charge of household affairs at home and instructed Zhen Baoyu to go out and gather information.
Zhen Baoyu had been traveling around lately. Following his mother's instructions, he took some money and went out to gather information. On the streets, the conversation was mostly about the Dowager Princess and the Jia family.
Fortunately, the Zhen family still had some connections. Consort Zhen had been operating in the palace for many years and had many followers. Although some had recently dispersed or left, a few remained. Zhen Baoyu took the opportunity of visiting people during the New Year to do so.
After visiting three or four houses without finding out anything, just as he was about to visit his father, he met a man on his way to the Dali Temple. Zhen Baoyu had seen him once before; he was a lowly eunuch serving the Emperor Emeritus. He was inconspicuous and had only been at home for a few days during the New Year holiday. He was also planning to go out for a walk.
Taking advantage of the fact that there were few people on the road, Zhen Baoyu pulled the young eunuch into a side alley.
He secretly gave all the money he had to the young eunuch, saying, "This official is buying some wine for the New Year."
The young eunuch, who had also received gifts from Consort Zhen in the palace, comforted Zhen Baoyu, seeing how generous his young master was, saying, "Young master, please accept my condolences. Consort Zhen passed away peacefully."
Upon hearing this, Zhen Baoyu felt a sense of peace, which largely confirmed his suspicions. He was overcome with grief and wanted to confirm his suspicions.
"Thank you, Your Excellency. I wonder how Aunt Su is doing in the palace? Our family would like to bring Aunt Su back."
Aunt Su was the old nanny who served Consort Zhen, so the young eunuch naturally recognized her. When Zhen Baoyu asked about her, he shook his head and said, "It's too late. Aunt Su... sigh, I heard from the brothers who were on leave today that she also went with the Consort!"
Upon hearing this news, Zhen Baoyu staggered back half a step, "Auntie is gone too..."
The young eunuch comforted Zhen Baoyu for a few words and then secretly left. If he were seen getting so close to the Zhen family, he would probably not have a good time.
It took Zhen Baoyu a while to come out of the alley. He told someone to go home and get some more silver to bribe the Dali Temple officials before going in to discuss things with his father.
The servants brought devastating news, and in her grief, Old Madam Zhen passed away alongside the Empress Dowager.
Overwhelmed by grief, Zhen Baoyu slid down to his knees, leaning against the wall, and wept bitterly, "Grandmother...Grandmother...Your unfilial grandson...Grandmother! Waaah..."
After crying for an unknown amount of time, Zhen Baoyu stood up from the wall, wiped away his tears, dusted himself off, and said to the servant beside him, "You go home first and tell Madam that I will see Master and then come back."
The servants were worried; their Master Bao seemed to be in bad shape. "Master Bao?"
Zhen Baoyu patted the servant's shoulder indifferently, "Go ahead, I'm fine. My family still needs me, and I would never desert at this time."
Upon hearing his master's words, the servant placed the money in Zhen Baoyu's arms, cupped his hands, and said, "Take care, Master." Then he hurriedly ran back to the Zhen family to report the news.
Zhen Baoyu took the money, bribed the people at the Dali Temple, and used some persuasion to finally meet his father, Zhen Yingjia.
At this moment, her father was disheveled and hunched over, facing the wall. For some reason, Zhen Baoyu composed herself and said, "Father, it's me."
When Zhen Yingjia heard the familiar voice, tears streamed down his face. Since entering the capital, he had been imprisoned here without confessing anything. The emperor did not interrogate him or ask any questions. The more this was done, the more frightened he became. It had only been twenty days, but it felt like twenty years had passed.
"Bao...Baoyu...you...why are you here!" Zhen Yingjia was surprised to see his son, whom he had never thought highly of. "Where is your older brother?"
Zhen Baoyu dared not tell anyone that his elder brother had fallen seriously ill before the new year and died…
He could only suppress his grief and say, "I'm all grown up now, it's only right that I come to see my father."
Zhen Yingjia was filled with emotion. "Good, my son has grown up! What brings you to see me today? Is it an imperial decree? Execution... or exile... tell me, I can bear it!"
He's figured it out these past few days. He'd already anticipated his fate, and now... now he can accept it.
Zhen Baoyu looked at his father and suddenly burst into tears. He said that the officials who used to make things difficult for him were unusually easy to talk to today. They only had to say a few words before letting him in. When he came in just now, even the guards had moved far away. He thought that was how it always was.
It turns out it was just the Emperor's benevolence.
He had already thought of that!
Upon hearing the young eunuch's words, he knew that the Empress Dowager's death was not so simple.
How could he be so stupid as not to think about his father!
With the Empress Dowager gone, my father will not survive either.
She fell to her knees with a thud and burst into tears.
"Father!"
Zhen Yingjia understood perfectly, tears welling up in his eyes. "Good child, take good care of your grandmother and mother. You've grown up. This family... I can entrust it to you with peace of mind!"
He gave Zhen Baoyu a deep look, "Let's go... let's go."
Zhen Baoyu knelt down and kowtowed deeply, "Son! Farewell, Father!"
He knelt down and approached his father, but hesitated to speak through the iron bars of the window. In the end, he said nothing and fled as if running away.
Zhen Yingjia watched as Zhen Baoyu staggered out, waved his hand, and after he could no longer see him, he closed his eyes and slammed his head against the wall in front of him!
Bang!
"Father!"
...
Two members of the Zhen family went to the funeral, and the Emperor, showing compassion, granted them special permission to escort the coffin back to their ancestral home.
The Jia family's affair shocked Prince Teng so much that he was still in shock. Then, news spread from the palace that Yuan Chun had lost her child.
Just as he finished processing the news, he heard that Zhen Yingjia, who was in prison, had heard of the death of Consort Zhen. Overwhelmed with grief and despair, he went insane and committed suicide by hitting his head against a wall.
Wang Ziteng gritted his teeth, "Idiot! Incompetent fool!"
Mrs. Zhen was in a hurry to return to the Zhen family for the funeral, and she didn't care about Wang Ziteng's disappointed look, but she still replied, "If you have the guts, go to the palace and argue with them!"
Wang Ziteng flicked his sleeves, snorted coldly, and went out the door.
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