The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 497: Thunder Explosion (Part )

"Twenty thousand taels?" Jia Zheng was shocked all over and hurriedly took the IOU from Manager Qi. He found that there was indeed Jia She's signature on it, and the guarantor was Jia Zhen. Both of them had signed and sealed, so it should not be fake. The borrowed amount was exactly twenty thousand taels.

Jia Zheng could not help but secretly groan. He had just managed to scrape together 30,000 taels of silver, and had intended to use it to return the stolen goods and reduce the guilt of Jia She and Jia Zhen. However, the debt collector came to his door, and it was a huge debt of 20,000 taels. How miserable!

Shopkeeper Qi glanced at Jia Zheng, who had an embarrassed expression, and thought to himself that it seemed that the rumors were true. Although the Jia family seemed prosperous on the surface, they had actually been hollowed out on the inside. He had to get the money today no matter what. If he waited for the court to make a judgment, he would probably not get a single cent.

"Haha, Master Zheng should recognize Master She's signature, right? It was Master Zhen of the Dongfu who acted as the guarantor at the beginning. The agreement was to borrow 20,000 taels of silver, with annual interest payments of 800 taels of silver per year, and to repay the principal after three years. All of this was written in black and white on the loan note. Now it's due, and the principal and interest total 22,400 taels. Since the interest for the previous two years has already been paid, Master Zheng only needs to repay 20,800 taels." Shopkeeper Qi said with a smile.

Jia Zheng hesitated and said, "Well... I have to ask the housekeeper to confirm it first."

Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Qi put away his smile and said, "Master Zheng, do you suspect that this loan note is fake? Our Jinshang Money House has always been honest in its operation and never cheats anyone, let alone a family like yours. Even if I had ten guts, I would not dare to cheat the Duke's Mansion. I even gave a discount on this loan. If it were another family, how could they have such a low interest rate?"

Jia Zheng waved his hand and said, "Please don't misunderstand me, Manager Qi. I don't suspect that the loan note is fake. It's just that I'm usually busy with official duties and don't take care of household affairs. Besides, 20,000 taels is not a small amount. Naturally, I have to ask the housekeeper first to clarify whether this is true."

Shopkeeper Qi chuckled and said, "So that's how it is. Master Zheng is indeed cautious. He should ask. I'm not in a hurry. A hair on the leg of a Duke's mansion is thicker than my waist. A mere 20,000 taels of silver is not a big deal. The Imperial Concubine can just give me some."

Upon hearing this, Jia Zheng's face turned red with embarrassment. On the one hand, he asked Manager Qi to sit down and have some tea, and on the other hand, he sent a group of people to call Lai Da. In the end, neither group of people could find the Lai brothers.

"You dog slave, how outrageous!" Jia Zheng cursed in his heart in a hurry. At the same time, he felt something was wrong, so he sent his long-time servant Li Shier to go to Lai Da's private residence to look for him.

At this time, a servant guarding the door came in and reported: "Master, Grandpa Sun is here to visit!"

Jia Zheng frowned and said, "Which Mr. Sun?"

"Mr. Sun from the Sun family in Datong Prefecture is the one who proposed marriage to the second young lady a few years ago."

Jia Zheng's face darkened. He was wondering who it was. It turned out to be Sun Shaozu. He had never liked this man in the first place. He had even advised Jia She not to marry Jia Yingchun off. However, Jia She would not listen at all and insisted on marrying his daughter to this man. They had originally agreed to find an auspicious day after the New Year to hold the wedding ceremony. However, just after the New Year, Jia She was thrown into jail. Now Sun Shaozu came to him in person. Could it be that he wanted to marry him again?

Thinking of this, Jia Zheng waved his hand and said coldly: "Now we have a guest and cannot spare time. Let him go first and come back next time."

The servant agreed and left. Unexpectedly, a moment later, a fierce quarrel was heard outside. Someone was heard shouting loudly: "The Jia family owes a debt and refuses to pay it back. They use the second daughter to pay off the debt. Now I don't want the second daughter anymore. Return my six thousand taels of silver."

Shopkeeper Qi was drinking tea calmly, but he was surprised when he heard the voice. As the saying goes, a lean camel is bigger than a horse, and a centipede is still alive even after death. Even if a wealthy family like the Jia family fell into ruin, it would not be so utterly ruined, right? Could they have fallen to the point of using women to pay off debts?
Jia Zheng was so embarrassed that his face was burning with humiliation. He shouted angrily, "Damn it! Who is making such a rude noise outside?"

A moment later, the servant came in hurriedly and reported, "Master, Sun Shaozu refused to leave. He also said that the eldest master had asked him to sell the second girl to him to pay off the debt for 6,000 taels of silver. Now that the eldest master is in prison, his title will definitely be lost, so he doesn't want the second girl anymore. He just wants the 6,000 taels of silver back."

Jia Zheng was shocked and angry, and shouted, "Bullshit, bullshit! How can there be such a ridiculous thing? It must be a rumor and slander. Send this fool away quickly."

The servant complained: "Sun has a knife, but he didn't hurt anyone. He just put the knife to his neck and threatened that if we don't return the money, he will die at the gate of our house. If we use force, I'm afraid he will die!"

Jia Zheng was shocked. He had not expected that this man named Sun was such a difficult person to deal with. What's more, the Jia family was now in the spotlight. If someone died again, Jia She would be sentenced to a heavier sentence, and the Jia family would also be disgraced. As a Duke's mansion, they actually used their women to pay off debts. They really brought shame to their ancestors.

At this time, the noise outside was getting more and more intense. Jia Zheng was afraid that someone might die, so he had to order: "Go and bring him in."

Soon, Sun Shaozu was brought in. It was freezing cold, but he opened his chest, revealing his hairy chest. He held a shiny kitchen knife in his hand, with the back of the knife resting on his neck, looking like a scoundrel who was not afraid of boiling water. The guards and servants surrounded him, obviously worried that he might suddenly attack and hurt someone.

Sun Shaozu was originally very ugly, and now he looked even more ferocious. However, when he saw Jia Zheng, his green eyes rolled and he fell to his knees, crying, "Old Master, please understand. I have been dismissed from my post and my family is almost out of food. Dozens of people are waiting for money to save their lives. Please be kind and return the six thousand taels of silver to me."

It turned out that Sun Shaozu was indeed dismissed from his post for dereliction of duty resulting in death, and the deceased was the unlucky Nanzhili scholar Zhang Xin.

Under the instigation of Zhang Pu and others, Zhang Xin took part in the petition demonstration outside Zuoye Gate that day. As a result, he was drenched by the people from the Dongcheng Bingmasi. In the cold winter, he fell ill after returning home and was bedridden for nearly a month. He died on New Year's Eve.

Zhang Pu took the opportunity to carry the coffin in a parade and blocked the Meridian Gate of the Imperial City on New Year's Day, which set off a huge public opinion storm. One of the demands was to hold those responsible for Zhang Xin's death accountable and severely punish them.

Now that Emperor Qiansheng and the Donglin faction had won a complete victory, a minor figure like Sun Shaozu naturally became a victim of the effort to appease public anger. He was dismissed from his post on the spot, and later other illegal activities were discovered. He spent a large amount of money to smooth things over, and only then was he spared from death.

Although Sun Shaozu saved his life, he lost his hereditary military position and nine-tenths of the wealth he had accumulated over the years. He could not help but remember that Jia She owed him six thousand taels, so he gritted his teeth and ran to the Jia Mansion to ask for it.

However, Jia She, who owed him money, was still in jail, so Sun Shaozu had to ask to see the first wife, Mrs. Xing. However, Mrs. Xing loved money like her life and was very stingy. She was even unwilling to spend money to save her husband Jia She, so how could she pay back the money to Sun Shaozu? So she kept avoiding him.

Sun Shaozu was angry and resentful, but helpless. The Jia family was a wealthy and powerful family, and Madam Xing was hiding in the backyard, so he really had no way to deal with her. So he came up with a plan. He took a kitchen knife and ran to the gate of Rongguo Mansion and made a scene, thinking that Jia Zheng also wanted to save face, and this might work.

Sure enough, Sun Shaozu made a fuss for a while before being called in by Jia Zheng.

Although Sun Shaozu was ugly, he was as cunning as a wolf. Seeing that this method worked, he knew that Jia Zheng was easy to control, so he rolled around even more, crying, as if his whole family would starve to death if Jia Zheng did not return the six thousand taels.

Jia Zheng asked with a dark face: "You said that the master owed you six thousand taels of silver. What evidence do you have?"

Sun Shaozu got up from the ground, took out a piece of paper and said, "Of course I have it. This is the IOU written by Master She himself. It is written in black and white and cannot be denied." As Sun Shaozu spoke, he handed the piece of paper to Jia Zheng, but did not hand it to him. His green eyes were full of vigilance, and he was obviously worried that Jia Zheng would tear up the IOU and deny it.

Jia Zheng was extremely disgusted, but he still leaned forward to take a closer look, and nodded subconsciously: "This is indeed the handwriting of the master!"

Sun Shaozu was overjoyed when he heard this. He was worried that Jia Zheng would not admit it, but he actually admitted it directly. Hehe, it is said that Master Zheng is a fool and his brain has been damaged by reading books. It is true. So he took the opportunity to put away the IOU and said, "Since the old man has admitted it, return the money to my nephew. The family is still waiting for the rice to be cooked."

The shopkeeper Qi had been watching the show nearby. Hearing this, he hurried forward and said, "Master Zheng, everything has to be based on first come first served. How about my twenty thousand silver coins?"

Jia Zheng was in a dilemma. He now had 30,000 taels of silver in his hand. If he took out 6,000 taels to return to Sun Shaozu, Manager Qi would definitely not agree when he saw that he had money to return others but not to him. If he returned the 20,000 taels to Manager Qi, he would really have no money to return the stolen money, and Jia She and Jia Zhen would definitely be sentenced heavily.

But if none of them are returned, Sun Shaozu will become a tough nut to crack and it will be very difficult to deal with!

Jia Zheng hesitated for a moment, then said, "Please be patient, Manager Qi. Twenty thousand taels of silver is not a small sum. I have to wait for the butler to come and confirm it before making a decision!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Shaozu hurriedly said, "Then return my nephew's six thousand taels first."

Jia Zheng coughed lightly and said, "The six thousand taels you have are from the master's private account. You should not use public funds to pay it back. Go ask the master for it yourself."

When Sun Shaozu saw Jia Zheng trying to shirk his responsibility, his green eyes suddenly flashed with a fierce light. He raised the kitchen knife and put it on his neck again, shouting, "Forget it. The Duke's Mansion is actually refusing to pay the debt and using its power to bully others. Anyway, dozens of people in my family are going to starve to death. We're going to die anyway, so we might as well die here."

Jia Zheng was surprised and said, "Nephew, we can talk now. Put down the knife first."

Sun Shaozu said viciously: "There is nothing to say, either pay me back or I die here!"

Jia Zheng had no choice but to stamp his feet and say, "Forget it. Wait a minute. I'll call the eldest wife over. You two families can discuss and settle the debt among yourselves. Someone, go and call the eldest wife."

After about two cups of tea, the eldest wife did not come, but the maid Wang Shanbao came and said with a smile: "The eldest wife has been worried and frightened for the past few days. Now she is ill in bed and can't come out to see guests. If there is anything, please take care of it."

Jia Zheng said in a deep voice: "What is the matter with the six thousand taels of silver? How can I bear the burden? The proper thing to do is to ask Madam to take out the silver and return it to the owner."

Wang Shanbao said awkwardly, "The six thousand taels of silver were borrowed by the eldest master, and the eldest wife didn't know about it. Now that the eldest master is gone, the eldest wife can't pay back so much money. How about this, the eldest master and son-in-law Sun agreed that the six thousand taels of silver would be used as the betrothal gift for the second young lady, and just let son-in-law Sun take the second young lady away."

Tsk tsk, I've seen shameless people, but I've never seen anyone so shameless. If Jia Huan were here, he would definitely slap this old guy in the face.

Sun Shaozu sneered, "That was indeed the agreement at the beginning, but now I can't even support myself, how can I support your young lady? This marriage is annulled, return the money quickly, or I will die here."

After Sun Shaozu finished speaking, he pretended to cut his throat, which frightened Wang Shanbao so much that she screamed and covered her face with her hands.

Jia Zheng was furious and anxious. He stamped his foot and said, "Forget it. Stop making trouble. I will return the six thousand silver coins to you."

Sun Shaozu was delighted when he heard this, and sneered, "It would have been settled if you had paid it back earlier, and there would have been no need for everyone in the city to know about it."

Jia Zheng was so angry that he could not speak for a moment. At this time, the shopkeeper Qi also came forward and said, "Master Zheng, I came here first, so you should give it back to me first!"

"Forget it, forget it. I have already paid it back. How can I, the great Rongguo Mansion, still refuse to pay you back?" Jia Zheng said angrily.

At this moment, Li Shier came back, looking panicked and shouted, "Master, something terrible has happened. Lai Da and Lai Er secretly sold the house a few days ago, took away all the gold and silver, and fled the city for a long time. Now they are nowhere to be found."

"What?" Jia Zheng felt as if a bolt of thunder struck him from a clear sky. The world was spinning around him and he almost fell to the ground.

As the saying goes, good fortune never comes alone, and misfortune never comes singly. At this moment, Lin Zhixiao, the general manager of the treasury, walked in with a serious expression and whispered something in Jia Zheng's ear.

Jia Zheng's face suddenly turned pale. He felt the blood boiling in his chest and a sweet taste in his throat. He spat out a mouthful of dirty blood and then collapsed like a deflated ball, his body still twitching slightly.

Lin Zhixiao and all the servants present were terrified. Wang Shanbao, the housekeeper, ran out of Rongxi Hall screaming, "The master is useless. Report to the old lady and the mistress immediately."

Lin Zhixiao was mature and prudent after all. He helped Jia Zheng sit down while pinching his Ren Zhong acupoint to regulate his Qi and shouted, "Li Shi'er, please call the imperial physician... Yes, please call Third Master Huan, please call Third Master Huan here."

Obviously, in Lin Zhixiao's opinion, among the whole mansion, Jia Huan is probably the only one who has the ability to control the situation. He had witnessed the ability of this young master with his own eyes when he was in the south.

At this moment in Yueweiju, Jia Huan was studying hard, and was in the sprint stage before the exam. Even when Lin Daiyu came, she only glanced at him secretly and left silently, for fear of disturbing him.

Suddenly, the door curtain was lifted, and Ping'er hurried in and said, "Third Master, something has happened. Someone just reported that the master vomited blood and fainted in Rong Xi Hall. Please go over there quickly, Third Master."

Jia Huan frowned, put down his pen, stood up, put on the golden pheasant fur coat handed to him by Ping'er, and hurried to Rong Xi Tang.

(End of this chapter)