The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 707 Death of Jia Jing

Xuanzhen Temple is dozens of miles away from the capital.

It was originally a little-known Taoist temple, but it became famous because more than 20 years ago, a powerful and influential man from the capital was converted to practice Taoism here.

This powerful gentleman from the capital was none other than the grandson of the founding hero, Duke Ningguo, and the second son of Jia Daihua, a first-class general and governor of the Beijing Camp, Jia Jing.

Speaking of this Mr. Jing, he is a very remarkable person.

Not only was he born as the legitimate son of a founding duke, he also passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi in the Yimao year. This achievement was unique in the entire founding family, the Jia family, which had two dukes in the past hundred years.

In addition, his elder brother died in childhood, so he was the undisputed heir to the Ningguo Mansion of that generation.

It stands to reason that a person with such a background and such achievements should have a bright career and future. With a little effort, it would be easy to protect the family for decades or even become a close official of the court.

But what is unexpected is that this Mr. Jing would rather give up his good official position than want to become a god!

In order to seek the method of immortality, after his father passed away, he resolutely gave up his ancestral title and family business, and passed them on to his eldest son Jia Zhen. He himself was free of worries and went out of the city to become a monk and practice.

Such behavior not only shocked outsiders, but also the elders of the Jia family were very disappointed. However, his father and grandfather had passed away, and as the eldest son of the eldest house, there was no one to restrain him, so he could only let him go.

This went on for more than 20 years.

Times change, and the old are replaced by the new...

The rumbling sound of horse hooves and the clashing of swords approached, adding a solemn atmosphere to the majestic ancient temple.

Lai Sheng, the chief steward of Ningguo Mansion, who was at a loss, ran out in a hurry.

Sure enough, I saw a team of cavalrymen in bright clothes and armor appeared at the entrance of the Taoist temple, which was originally empty.

The young man who was riding a white horse with a silver saddle in the front, although wearing only casual clothes, was still dignified and heroic. He was none other than the real boss of the two Jia families, the inheritor of the title of Rongguo Mansion, Marquis Zhenyuan Jia Lian!

Without hesitation, Lai Sheng stepped forward, knelt and paid his respects.

Jia Lian jumped off his horse, looked indifferent, and asked, "What's the situation?"

Lai Sheng was hunched over, his face showing sadness and fear.

"When I heard the news, I immediately led my men on horseback to rush here. But when I saw our master, he was already dead..."

"Out of energy?"

That means death.

"How did you die?"

"I don't know the details either. The coroner is investigating inside..."

"Take me over there and have a look."

Walking into a Taoist temple, Jia Lian was greeted by the pungent smell of rust, and he subconsciously frowned.

Without paying attention to the external environment, Jia Lian immediately looked at Jia Jing, the only master of Ningguo Mansion, who was lying straight on a wooden board being manipulated by two coroners.

But his body was as thin as a stick, his face was sunken, and his skin was gray, making him look like a mummy.

Jia Lian had a serious expression and stood still without saying a word.

After the coroner finished the investigation, he asked, "How is it?"

Although the coroner did not know Jia Lian, seeing Lai Sheng's infinite humility around Jia Lian, he could guess Jia Lian's identity, so he was a little restrained.

"Your Excellency, according to our inspection, the master's lips were dark blue, his lower abdomen was swollen and there was a huge hard mass in his abdomen. Combined with the statements of the housekeeper and the Taoist priests, the preliminary judgment is that he swallowed a large amount of highly toxic cinnabar and other substances, and died of abdominal swelling..."

Lai Sheng glared at the Taoist priest beside him and said, "How dare you poison our master!"

The old Taoist priest, who shrank his head and looked a little pitiful, argued: "How can there be any talk of poisoning? The elixirs that Taoist Priest Guizhen took were all precious elixirs that he himself carefully refined according to the Taoist immortal method. They have nothing to do with us.

On the other hand, since Taoist Master Guizhen has given up the world to practice cultivation, he is a cultivator. Since he is a cultivator, he can no longer be measured by the secular world of birth, aging, sickness and death. In my opinion, Taoist Master Guizhen has finally achieved the right result after many years of practice, and has ascended to heaven and ascended to the immortal status.

Guizhen is Jia Jing's Taoist name.

Lai Sheng's expression froze. He knew, of course, that the reason why his master had ignored the family business for so many years was that he was truly concentrating on cultivating to become an immortal.

Just when he didn't know how to refute the old Taoist, he saw Jia Lian's eyes turned to him, and he hurriedly introduced: "This is the abbot of Xuanzhen Temple, Changsheng Zhenren."

Jia Lian took a look at the old Taoist priest, who had gray hair on his temples, muscular face and looked to be at least eighty or ninety years old, and thought to himself that it was no wonder that he was able to trick Jia Jing into staying here permanently.

  This gray-haired and youthful face looks like a Taoist master. One is returning to the true nature, the other is immortality. Could it be that Jia Jing really thought that by giving up the glory of the secular world, he had reached the state of returning to the true nature and could seek immortality?

Jia Lian had expected Jia Jing's death, and he didn't care at all. Anyway, Jia Jing was devoted to practicing Taoism and didn't care about any family affairs. It didn't matter whether Jia Jing was in the Jia family or not.

Even so, as the grandson of Duke Ningguo and the head of the eldest branch of the Jia family, he could not die in such an unclear manner.

So Jia Lian said, "Oh, since the Taoist priest believes that my master has ascended to heaven and become an immortal, why not take all the elixirs that my master has taken and let the Taoist priest swallow them, so that he can achieve the right result and ascend to heaven as soon as possible?"

Upon hearing this, Taoist Changsheng hurriedly said, "No, it's not necessary. I haven't reached that level of cultivation yet. It won't be too late to take this kind of elixir after I reach that level of cultivation..."

What a joke, although he is almost 90 years old, he still hasn't lived enough. Seeing that Jia Jing died from eating, how could he dare to eat those "magic pills"?

"Is it because you haven't practiced enough, or are you afraid?"

Jia Lian sneered. Seeing that Taoist Changsheng was embarrassed and speechless, he was too lazy to waste words with him. He raised his arm and said coldly, "Come here, arrest all the people in Xuanzhen Temple and interrogate them strictly."

"Laisheng, I'll leave this matter to you. You must find out all the causes and consequences of Master Jing's death, such as what kind of elixir did Master Jing take that killed him, where did the elixir recipe come from, who made the elixir, etc.

Anyone found to be related to the cause of the master's death will be handed over to the government for prosecution."

"The slave obeys."

……

Because Youshi went to the imperial mausoleum with Jia's mother and others to attend the funeral, the head of Ningguo Mansion now is the eldest lady Qin Keqing.

Jia Jing passed away suddenly. It was impossible for Qin Keqing to ignore such a big thing.

In fact, when the news was first passed back to Ningguo Mansion, Qin Keqing was the first to know it, and she was also the first to send someone to notify Jia Lian.

She didn't even wait for Jia Lian, and drove out of the city. However, her carriage was naturally not as fast as Jia Lian and his guards' horses, so she was caught up by Jia Lian as soon as she left the city gate, and then Jia Lian went ahead.

When she finally arrived at Xuanzhen Temple, Jia Lian had almost everything settled.

After understanding the situation, Qin Keqing naturally came to find Jia Lian.

At that time, Jia Lian was in the quiet room waiting for Lai Sheng's report.

"To reply to Second Master, according to the news, our master had already passed away a few days ago, but the two brothers Wang Wu and Wang Liu did not report the situation to the mansion in time. Although they explained that our master usually mingled with the Taoists and did not allow them to serve him closely, they did not know the specific situation.

But in my opinion, they are just like those Taoists, they are afraid of being blamed if the government finds out, so they deliberately conceal the truth.

Our master suddenly passed away late last night, and they realized they could no longer conceal the truth, so they had no choice but to report the news back to the mansion."

"As someone assigned by the mansion to take care of the master, he actually didn't know the master's condition, so he should be beaten. What's more, he was guilty of concealing the truth.

They were each given eighty strokes of the cane, and all the rewards given by the clan over the years were taken away. They were then exiled to the north to guard the farm. "Yes."

Lai Sheng wanted to say something else, but when he saw Qin Keqing come in, he stopped talking.

"Second uncle~"

Qin Keqing found a white hemp ribbon from somewhere and tied it on her head. With tears in her eyes, she looked particularly beautiful.

In front of Lai Sheng, Jia Lian was not in a position to say anything and could only nod slightly.

Qin Keqing walked to Jia Lian's side and said, "I feel really bad for troubling you, uncle, for the affairs of our mansion."

"It doesn't matter..."

Seeing a hint of helplessness in Jia Lian's eyes, Qin Keqing realized that she had been too close to Jia Lian, so she wiped away her tears and stood aside.

Lai Sheng then said, "Regarding our master's funeral arrangements... the coffin and other items were prepared long before Master Zhen was alive. They are all in the mansion. I have already sent someone back to get them...

Besides, this Xuanzhen Temple is just a Taoist temple after all. I would like to ask Second Master, after the remains of our master are buried, should we move them directly to the family temple? This will make the subsequent matters more convenient."

"Well, you thought about it well, let's do it this way."

Qin Keqing, who was standing by, was a little surprised when she heard this: "Why did they move directly to the family temple? Aren't they going to hold a memorial ceremony for the master?"

Lai Sheng said: "Of course we have to set up a memorial service, but this Xuanzhen Temple is a Taoist temple after all, so it is not as cheap as the family temple. It won't be too late to set up a mourning hall when we get to the family temple."

Qin Keqing said "Oh", and then said: "If that's the case, why don't you bring the master's body back to the mansion, so that it will be convenient for people from all over the mansion to come and pay their respects."

Hearing this, Lai Sheng laughed, knowing that his eldest lady was young and had little experience.

"Young Madam, you don't know that the court has a rule that without an imperial decree, one cannot enter the capital to hold funerals. In fact, it's not just the capital, almost all cities in the world have this rule. If one's rank is not high enough, one cannot enter the city to hold funerals."

Lai Sheng's reluctant explanation made Qin Keqing suddenly realize what was going on, and she immediately felt a little embarrassed.

Actually, it was not her fault. She was brought back from Yangshengtang by Qin Bangye and raised since she was a child. She was married into the Duke's Mansion when she was in her teens.

During this period, she did not receive a good education. All her knowledge and abilities were acquired through her own understanding after she entered Ningguo Mansion to assist Youshi, the housekeeper.

Although the Jia family has held several funerals over the years, Jia She, Jia Zhen and others, without exception, all died in the city, so there was no question of whether or not they could enter the city for funerals.

So, when she heard that Jia Lian and others wanted to move Jia Jing's coffin to the ancestral temple for funeral, her first reaction was why not move it to the house, so that it would be convenient for relatives to pay their respects...

In her mind, there was no concept of entering the city to attend funerals. When Lai Sheng reminded her of this, she vaguely recalled that it seemed to be true. It should be a custom, and it was not difficult to understand.

So she couldn't help but look at Jia Lian, and saw that Jia Lian was also looking at her with a hint of mockery on his handsome face. Qin Keqing felt her face getting a little hot.

At the same time, he couldn't help but feel a little indignant. What? It was a waste of people's kindness to him! He knew that he didn't understand this but didn't remind him, causing him to lose face in front of his servants.

Lai Sheng didn't dare to laugh at Qin Keqing. He then asked Jia Lian: "Should we send someone to inform the grandmother as soon as possible about our master's matter?"

Under normal circumstances, when Jia Jing died, Youshi, as the daughter-in-law, could not be absent. But Youshi happened to be at the imperial mausoleum to attend the funeral of the imperial concubine, which made Lai Sheng undecided.

Jia Lian said decisively: "Such a big thing, of course, must be let the sister-in-law know. It just so happened that Lin Zhixiao came back this morning to get something for the old lady. I'm afraid he hasn't gone far yet. I'll send someone to catch up with him and let him inform the sister-in-law on my behalf. You don't have to worry about it.

However, whether the eldest sister-in-law can come back immediately depends on the situation at the imperial mausoleum. Therefore, before she comes back, you have to take care of all the big and small things. "

"Yes, this is what a servant should do."

Lai Sheng nodded respectfully, waited for a moment, and seeing that Jia Lian had no other instructions, he went back to work.

When only Jia Lian and Qin Keqing were left in the quiet room, neither of them spoke for a while and the scene became rather quiet.

Finally, Qin Keqing was a little shy when she met Jia Lian's gaze, and couldn't help but said coquettishly: "Uncle, what are you looking at? Is there something on my face?"

Jia Lian smiled and beckoned gently, asking the beautiful Qin to come in front of him.

She has a delicate forehead and beautiful eyebrows, and a graceful figure. The thin spring dress she wears cannot completely hide her spring beauty, and her fragrance is wafting through her.

Looking at such a beauty, Jia Lian had to admit that in terms of charm and ability to arouse men's desire, there was indeed no one in the world who could match this woman.

Take the buttocks below the waist for example, at least Jia Lian has never seen any more perky and perfect ones.

Moreover, this beauty also possesses three parts of Baochai's charm and Daiyu's elegance. Therefore, even though her status is not appropriate, this woman still holds a decisive weight in Jia Lian's mind.

He embraced the beauty's fatal waist, made her sit in his arms, and enjoyed the beauty's tenderness at close range.

Qin Keqing originally saw Jia Lian looking at her with lustful eyes for a long time and then holding her in his arms, and she thought that he was going to do something to her that should not be told to outsiders.

She never thought that Jia Lian would just hold her like this, with his big, hot hand around her waist, playing with her buttocks. Qin Keqing looked up at Jia Lian for a few times, and only when she was sure that Jia Lian had no intention of causing trouble did she calm down her restless heart.

After thinking for a while, she placed one hand on Jia Lian's chest and said softly, "I heard that my second uncle is in the garden today, celebrating my third aunt's birthday. My second uncle is busy all day long, and it's rare for him to have a moment of leisure. He is disturbed by the things in our mansion. I feel really sorry for him."

Jia Lian shook his head, reached out and touched the head of Lady Qin, and said with a smile: "No matter what, I am still the acting patriarch of the Jia family. It is reasonable for me to take care of the affairs of the master. Also, there is no need for such polite words between you and me."

Hearing the intimacy in Jia Lian's words and being touched on the head in such a doting manner, Qin Keqing felt tingling all over her body and was enjoying it so much that even her body became softer.

"Uncle, are you going to rest here tonight or go back to the city? I think it's getting late..."

"After the master's body is buried, I will return to the city and come back tomorrow morning when the coffin is moved."

"Oh."

Hearing the disappointment in Qin Keqing's tone, Jia Lian lowered his head and scratched her nose unhappily, then said with a smile: "With such a big incident, the clans will surely be restless. If I don't go back, I don't know what kind of chaos they will cause.

You little slut, you just forcibly replaced my Xiangling yesterday, and you left this morning. What, do you want it again?"

Hearing Jia Lian calling her a lecher, Qin Keqing frowned, twisted her body, and said in dissatisfaction, "What? You actually said that about me? It's obviously you... Humph, I have something to say...

Although Xiangling looks silly, she is actually very determined and doesn't listen to anyone. The reason why she didn't refuse after I tricked her into it yesterday is because she knew that you, as the master, wanted her to agree.

Can't I see that she doesn't care about my status as a young lady and is unwilling to exchange with me..."

After Lady Qin said this, Jia Lian really couldn't refute it. He could only sigh that his beloved Xiangling was really considerate.

Qin Keqing was happy to hear that she had won Jia Lian, so she didn't care about what Jia Lian said about her. Family members know their own affairs, and she knew very well that since she had seen through the past, she had indeed been too casual, especially in front of Jia Lian, she must have been too unrestrained compared to other women...

She also knew that although Jia Lian said that, he actually liked her like this. She also knew that it would take some time for Lai Sheng to send people back to the city to carry the coffin, and she thought Jia Lian would not have anything else to do during this period, so she began to have some thoughts of seeking pleasure.

She glanced at Jia Lian with seductive eyes, then tilted her swan neck and leaned over to give Jia Lian a light kiss on the neck.

She raised her head and saw Jia Lian staring at her straight, with some obvious fire and expectation in his eyes. She smiled brightly, continued to kiss Jia Lian, and then surrendered to the ground with ease.

She was good at flirting and had been with Jia Lian for such a long time, so she naturally knew how to arouse Jia Lian's anger the fastest.

As expected, under her skillful means, Jia Lian did not show any displeasure or resistance from beginning to end.

He just sat upright on the round wooden chair in the quiet room, like an emperor.