freenovelworld Chapter 940: Jia Mansion's Misfortunes Continue
Chapter 940: Jia Mansion's Misfortunes Continue
With such a farce happening in the Jia Mansion, it was inconvenient for Lu Cheng, a guest, to stay any longer, so he left early.
Afterwards, Jia Zheng beat Jia Baoyu severely. If Mrs. Wang had not asked Grandmother Jia to stop it in time, Jia Baoyu might have been beaten to death by his own father.
After such a commotion, it was impossible for Jin Chuan to stay with Mrs. Wang any longer. It was the kind-hearted Daiyu who took Jin Chuan in temporarily.
Although the Rongguo Mansion strictly prohibited servants from spreading the news, the news inevitably spread and caused a lot of discussion.
Originally, Jia Baoyu, who was born with jade in his mouth, was the subject of much discussion. Now that something like this has happened, the consequences can be imagined.
Because of this incident, Lady Jia, who had just recovered from illness, became ill again due to anger.
However, good fortune never comes alone, and misfortune never comes alone. The bad luck of the Jia family does not seem to stop.
Just a few days after this incident, the Jia family received another piece of bad news. Jia She, Jia Lian and Jia Rong, who were exiled to Yunnan and Guizhou, died.
Wang Xifeng was also shocked when she heard the news. Although the love between her and Jia Lian had become increasingly weak, they were childhood sweethearts and husband and wife after all.
"Tell me quickly, how did the eldest master, the second master Lian, and Rong'er die?"
"In reply to Second Madam, the eldest master couldn't stand the bumpy journey during his exile, and fell seriously ill after arriving in Guizhou Province. He barely survived the winter, and passed away after the New Year. As for Second Master Lian... Second Master Lian..."
"Why don't you tell me quickly, how did Second Master Lian die?"
"Mr. Lian married a local widow, and later became close to a girl from Miaojiang... In the end, it seems that the Miaojiang girl poisoned him and he died of poisoning. Rong Ge'er was also implicated and also died of poisoning."
Wang Xifeng's face turned pale and blue when she heard this. She didn't know how to start for a moment. Finally, she could only sigh: "This... this... Lian Er, Lian Er, you are a playboy after all..."
The Jia family quickly began to prepare for the funeral of Jia Lian and Jia She.
Since the old lady in the backyard had just been ill, the family members did not dare to tell her the news. But how could they keep it a secret when something like this happened?
The old lady soon realized something was wrong and after repeated questioning she learned the news. She immediately fainted again and her illness became even more serious.
Since it was early summer and the weather was getting hotter, Jia She and Jia Lian died thousands of miles away, so it was not easy to transport their bodies back.
In addition, Jia She and Jia Lian were exiled for their crimes. Although the dead are the most important, it is not convenient to hold a grand funeral.
In the end, Jia Zheng decided to send people to Guizhou Province to transport the bodies of Jia Lian, Jia She, and Jia Rong by water to their hometown in Jinling for burial.
As for Kyoto, they could only hold a simple funeral using the clothes left behind by the two.
Back then, when Jia Zhen's funeral was held, the Rong and Ning mansions were still in great prosperity, with the four kings and eight dukes, and many marquises and earls coming to pay their respects.
Today, this funeral seemed particularly deserted. Apart from the Jia family, only a few relatives and friends came to pay their respects.
After such a series of blows, Jia's mother in the backyard became increasingly ill and her days were numbered. The entire Jia Mansion was shrouded in a dark cloud.
After the funeral, Lu Cheng came to the Jia Mansion to visit Daiyu again. Daiyu was also a little sad: "So many things have happened in the mansion recently, and grandma's health is getting worse and worse."
"The old lady is old, and her body is weak... I think she can handle this blow."
Today, Jia's mother is nearly eighty years old, which is a rare longevity in this era. She usually relies on some precious Chinese herbal medicines to keep healthy. After several serious illnesses in succession, her body has completely collapsed and her spirit is gone. How long she can live depends on herself.
The two talked for a while, and seeing that the topic was too serious, Daiyu changed the subject: "Speaking of which, there are two new people in the mansion. Xing Xiuyan, the niece of my aunt, originally came to live with her relatives, but happened to catch up with the funeral, so she helped my aunt for a while, and then stayed. There is also a monk named Miaoyu, who originally came to the mansion to chant scriptures during the funeral.
My second aunt also felt that with so many things happening in the mansion recently, it was not a good year, so she should keep a nun or something to chant sutras and pray for blessings, so she kept Miaoyu. However, I feel that Miaoyu does not look like a nun, and her worldly ties are not over yet. "
"It's good to have two more people to accompany you, Junior Sister."
"Well, I've been stuck in this house for a while, which doesn't feel very comfortable. I really want to go out for a walk."
"After this period, I will take Junior Sister out for a walk. Junior Sister, have you ever thought about leaving Kyoto?"
"Leaving Kyoto? Going to Nanyang Prefecture?"
“Maybe somewhere further away.”
"Wherever my brother goes, I will go. It's just that I've been here for so long that I can't bear to leave my sisters here."
As the two were talking, Wang Xifeng came in from outside with Ping'er.
"Brother Cheng is here, I just happen to have something I want to ask you."
"What's the matter, sister-in-law?"
Wang Xifeng glanced at Daiyu and said, "Sister Lin, can you please let the others go out first?"
Daiyu glanced at Xueyan and Jinchuan who were standing by to serve her, nodded at them, and the two maids immediately went out.
Ping'er followed closely behind, walked out of the house, closed the door, and stood guard outside.
"Brother Cheng, when I was recently arranging the funeral for the eldest master and the second master Lian, I heard from a servant of the Lai family that their garden is not much smaller than our Rong Ning Mansion, and their family is also very wealthy...
Actually, I also found that Lai Da and Wu Xindeng were suspected of corruption, but I couldn't do anything to them because of the old lady's face. But now they are getting more rampant. I heard that Lai Da even donated a county magistrate position to his son...
If I want to deal with them, how can I arrange it to ensure that nothing goes wrong?"
"Sister-in-law, is your main purpose to punish these servants? Or to recover all the money they embezzled?"
"Of course we should have both. It would be best if they could return all the money they embezzled from the Jia Mansion."
"Does sister-in-law have any evidence?"
"Yes, I had someone secretly collect a few account books without letting them find out."
"It will be much easier if we have evidence. For this kind of evil servant, you can report it directly to the authorities. If you are worried that the authorities will not handle it in time, you can use your uncle's power to call the Shuntian government office and ask them to directly confiscate the property. This may result in the loss of some silver, but most of the silver can be recovered... In addition, you can find these few people..."
After Lu Cheng analyzed the situation in a few words, he also gave Wang Xifeng a complete set of methods.
After hearing this, Wang Xifeng nodded immediately and said, "I'll arrange it right away."
Originally, because there was an old lady in charge in the backyard, even if Wang Xifeng wanted to take action against the housekeepers of the Lai and Wu families, it would have to go through the old lady's hands.
By then, the old women from the Lai and Wu families would run to the old lady to beg for mercy, and this matter would be difficult to handle.
Now, taking advantage of the fact that the old lady is seriously ill and no longer in charge, and the fact that the mansion has recently had high expenses and little income, and is increasingly unable to make ends meet, Wang Xifeng is preparing to take action against the rats in the family.