The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 569 Jia Huan Returns
There was no peace outside the whole night. The sounds of shouting, fighting, screaming, horse neighing and roaring could be heard one after another in the streets. Every family was so scared that they closed their doors for fear that the soldiers would break in.

The whole Jia family was in a state of panic. Grandmother Jia, Madam Wang, and Madam Xing did not even sleep all night. Fortunately, everything was fine until dawn. However, just when everyone was relieved, the door of the mansion was violently knocked, and someone outside the door shouted, "Open the door! Open the door!"

The doorman did not dare to open the door without permission, and hurriedly reported to the chief steward Wang Shanbao. Wang Shanbao was Mrs. Xing's companion, relying on Jia She to rise to power, replaced Lin Zhixiao as the chief steward, and his wife also became the steward of the inner house. The couple joined forces to do evil. For more than a month, they have been bullying and oppressing the public treasury at will, embezzling money for their own benefit, and bullying men and women, making the mansion a mess. The servants in the mansion are extremely disgusted, but they can't do anything about it. Instead, they miss Master Huan San all the more.

Wang Shanbao rushed to the mansion after hearing the news. The knocking on the door outside became more urgent, accompanied by angry curses. Wang Shanbao hurried forward to open the door. A team of soldiers in armor rushed in immediately. The leading officer was probably annoyed by waiting, so he kicked Wang Shanbao in the abdomen, causing him to roll on the ground several times.

"You bastard, are you deaf?" the officer cursed.

Wang Shanbao had been used to being bossy for a while, and he felt that he had Jia She's support. He endured the pain and climbed up, cursing: "Where did this thief come from? You didn't even open your dog eyes to see where this is, and you dare to act so wild? This is Rongguo Mansion, and my master is a first-class general. Now he leads the troops to guard Chaoyang Gate. How dare you come here and show your teeth? First feel your neck to see how many heads there are!"

The officer was stunned for a moment, then laughed wildly, "Chaoyang Gate? This is making me laugh to death. Your Master Xie will soon become a dead master. Capture him!"

Before Wang Shanbao could react, two soldiers tied his hands behind his back. He shouted in shock and anger: "What do you want to do? This is Rongguo Mansion!"

The officer raised his hand and slapped Wang Shanbao to the ground, saying disdainfully, "Stop talking nonsense! I looted the Rongguo Mansion." Then he shouted loudly, "Jia She participated in treason. According to the law, he should be executed along with his entire family. Come, arrest everyone in the Jia family."

At the command, the soldiers rushed into the inner house like wolves and tigers, arresting all the masters and servants. In an instant, there was chaos and cries of joy, and even Lady Jia, who was over 70 years old, was not spared.

A group of soldiers rushed into the Grand View Garden and arrested people from house to house. They didn't care about anything and would not let go of anyone as long as they were alive. Even Miaoyu, who lived in seclusion in the Rongcui Temple, was arrested. No matter how you explained, it was useless. You said you were not from the Jia family, so why were you living in the Jia family's place?
Yingchun, Tanchun, Daiyu, Miaoyu, together with the maids who served them, Ping'er, Qingwen and dozens of others, were all taken into custody.

Fortunately, the soldiers still had some sympathy for the girls and did not tie them up with ropes. They just raised their swords and shouted and pushed them. However, despite this, the girls were still scared and some even started crying. It was such a sudden disaster.

"Tsk tsk, I didn't expect that there are so many beauties in the Jia family's backyard. Look at those girls, they are just like fairies. What a pity, the Music Bureau is going to be busy again."

"No matter how lively it is, we won't get a share. In the end, it will be divided up by the dignitaries above. Just wait and see. There will definitely be a lot of people vying for these people. Even if you have money in your pocket, you may not be able to get one."

Lin Daiyu, Tanchun and others were so frightened that they trembled and almost fell to the ground. For a young woman, Jiaofangsi was like a nightmare. It was a place dedicated to "education" of the wives of officials who were convicted. It was called "education", but in fact it was a government-run brothel.

All officials who committed serious crimes would have their wives, concubines, daughters, maids, etc. sent to the Jiaofangsi for "education", which was actually for sexual abuse.

Since the wives of criminal officials are generally of higher quality, both in appearance and education level than the average brothel girls, they are quite popular. In addition, their identities as former wives of officials make them even more attractive.

Just imagine that as long as you spend a little money you can get the wives and daughters of officials who were once high and mighty to have sex with them at will. That would be so cool. As long as you are willing to spend a lot of money, you can even keep them for private enjoyment. So once the "new goods" arrive at the Jiaofangsi, the business must be very hot, and men of all kinds will rush to the Jiaofangsi, flocking to them.

If stunning beauties like Lin Daiyu, Yingchun, Tanchun, and Miaoyu were sent to the Jiaofangsi, it would certainly cause a sensation and scramble for them. It is no wonder that these soldiers would feel sad and regretful.

Daiyu and others were taken to Rongguo Mansion, where they met up with Jia Mu and others. There were nearly two hundred people crowded together, and the cries of grief were deafening.

Looking at the ruined house in front of her, Grandmother Jia couldn't help but sigh to the sky, stamping her feet and said, "Our family is in misfortune, and we have brought disaster upon ourselves. Today our Jia family is doomed!" After saying this, she sat down on the ground dejectedly, tears streaming down her face.

Mrs. Wang hugged Jia Baoyu and burst into tears. Suddenly, she reached out and hit Mrs. Xing who was standing beside her, cursing, "It's all your husband's fault. The whole family has been harmed by him."

Mrs. Xing cried and retorted, "Wasn't it your good brother (Wang Ziteng) who started it? Master Zhen was also involved. Now that something has happened, you put all the blame on the eldest master. What kind of logic is this?"

Jia Lian had been full of resentment for a long time, but Wang Xifeng was still crying while holding his hand, so he raised his hand and slapped her in the face, cursing: "Slut, shut up, your crying is annoying. I'm living a good life, but you Wang family are restless and have instigated the emperor to rebel and restore the country. Now you have implicated me, and you still have the nerve to cry?"

Wang Xifeng forced You Erjie to death. Jia Lian was angry but dared not say anything before. Now he knew that Wang Xifeng would die soon, so he could not bear it any longer. He slapped Wang Xifeng with great force. She saw stars and blood flowed from the corner of her mouth. She fell to the ground for a long time before she came to her senses. She said in disbelief, "Jia Lian, you dare to hit me?"

"Bah! You vicious woman! Beating you is too light a punishment. From today on, Jia Lian and you, Wang Xifeng, will have nothing to do with each other. Even if you are beheaded or become a ghost, there will be no connection between you and me!"

Wang Xifeng was shocked and ashamed, embarrassed and angry. She burst into tears and tried to commit suicide, but Jia Lian just watched coldly, obviously determined to divorce her.

The officer in charge of the confiscation of property was annoyed by the crying and shouted loudly: "Shut up, everyone. We are going to register now. All family members of the convicted officials are required to cooperate consciously. If you dare not cooperate, don't blame me for being rude. Everyone line up, register the masters first, and the servants later!" "Who are the parents of the convicted official Jia She?" the clerk in charge of the registration asked loudly.

At this time, Jia's mother calmed down. Knowing that she would die, she might as well be dignified. She stood up and said, "I am the old mother of the criminal official, Jia Shishi. I am seventy or eighty years old this year. My husband died many years ago."

The clerk wrote down Jia's mother on the list and asked again, "Who is the wife of the criminal official?"

Mrs. Xing was so frightened that she burst into tears and answered tremblingly, "The criminal is Jia Xing, who is fifty-six years old this year."

“Who are the children of criminal officials?”

Jia Lian patted the trembling Jia Cong and comforted him, "Don't be afraid, it's just a death." Then he stepped forward and said, "I am Jia Lian, a legitimate son, twenty-five years old."

Jia Cong said in horror: "Jia Cong, bastard, thirteen."

Jia Yingchun was so scared that she fell to the ground and said in a trembling voice, "Jia Yingchun, concubine's daughter, eighteen years old."

It took more than an hour for the clerk to register all the people present. He handed the list to the officer and said, "There are 213 people in Rong and Ning mansions. All of them have been registered."

The officer took it and looked at it, frowning and said, "I heard that the Jia family has three unmarried girls, why is one missing?"

The clerk replied, "I just asked, there is another young lady named Xichun, who has shaved her head and become a nun a few days ago. She is now practicing in Shuiyue Temple outside the city."

The officer sneered, "Even if he becomes a monk, he must be brought back. In order to suppress the rebellion, 30% of my brothers died in the battle. If he can escape punishment by becoming a monk, wouldn't it be too easy for the families of these criminals? Send someone to capture him immediately."

As soon as the officer finished speaking, a soldier ran in and reported: "Guerrilla Wu, the King of Min is here."

The officer was stunned for a moment and was about to turn around to greet him, but he saw that Min Wang Xu Wenhou had already walked in, followed by a young man with red lips and white teeth and a gentle temperament. It was none other than the Hanlin editor Jia Huan!

"Brother Huan!" Grandmother Jia stood up tremblingly.

Lin Daiyu's delicate body trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes. "Brother Huan, you're finally back!"
Jia Tanchun, Ping'er, Qingwen and others also cried with joy. The maids and servants were also overjoyed to see Jia Huan, as if they had seen a savior. They cried out, "Master Huan, Master Huan is back, we are saved!"

Wu Youji frowned, walked quickly to Xu Wenhou, knelt on one knee and saluted, "I am Wu Sangui, the last general, and I pay my respects to His Majesty the Prince of Min!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Huan glanced at the officer in surprise. Oh my god, this guy is actually called Wu Sangui. Is it just a coincidence that they have the same name, or is he really the Wu Sangui who was so angry for Chen Yuanyuan?
Xu Wenhou nodded and said, "Wu Youji, let's go. Could it be that Jia Hanlin knows Wu Youji?"

The little fat man obviously noticed that Jia Huan looked strange. Jia Huan shook his head and said, "I've only heard of him for a long time!"

Wu Sangui's eyes flashed with a strange look, and he clasped his fists and said, "I am not well-known, I wonder where Jia Hanlin heard my name from?"

Jia Huan said casually, "I have forgotten who told me this."

Wu Sangui said "oh" with a strange look on his face. Xu Wenhou saw that they didn't know each other and didn't care about a small guerrilla general, so he asked, "Have you finished searching the Jia family?"

Wu Sangui nodded and said, "We have just registered the families of all the convicted officials." He glanced at Jia Huan, who was also from the Jia family.

Prince Min waved his hand and said, "Bring the list to me. The second branch of Rongguo Mansion did not participate in the rebellion. Master Zheng is a loyal minister and cannot be implicated."

(End of this chapter)