The Concubine Wushuang of Red Mansion

Chapter 109
The maid who was holding a curtain at the door saw Jia Lian and his wife coming, and shouted "Second Master Lian is here!"

Domino's voice suddenly became mute, and the room became quiet for a while before he heard the old lady's angry voice saying, "Let him in!"

When Jia Lian heard this, he seemed to get angry. He sighed secretly and was about to step in. Behind him, Jia Zheng hurried over and saw Jia Lian and asked, "Lian'er, I heard that you are not well, what's the matter?" "

In Rongqing Hall, everyone sat down, Jia Lian stood.

Aunt Lai was sitting on a small stool, right in front of Jia Mu, even closer than Jia Zheng was to Jia Mu.

This is the rule of the Jia family.

"I asked you to go over and tell your brother to come forward and take Lai Sheng out. Did you say that? Your master asked you what happened and what kind of thing were you talking about?"

There have been too many unsatisfactory things happening in the family recently. Not to mention that Baoyu did not regard him as the successor there, nor that Jia Zhen and his son are gone. Not to mention that Jia She and his wife are still lying in bed not knowing whether to live or die. It was said that Jia Cong had lost control and that the Dongfu side had nothing to do with this side, and the old lady became extremely angry.

Jia Lian was so timid that he wished he could nest in the ground like a quail, and came forward timidly, "How can I not do what the old lady ordered me to do with all my heart? I went, but he wouldn't listen to a word. He also said that the housekeeper was changed for the good of the old lady. It was said that the rumors from outside were very unpleasant, saying that the old lady made her companion serve as the steward of both parties, and even the nephew's house..."

Before she finished her sentence, the old lady grabbed the teacup at hand and threw it at Jia Lian, almost scaring him to death.

Jia Lian was frightened there, but this time, he couldn't avoid it. His forehead was bruised and blood flowed down instantly.

"You bastard bastard, you just let him behave like this? Where has your usual filial piety gone? Are you thinking the same thing as him? I think you have been drunk."

Jia Lian trembled all over and knelt down with a thud.

Jia's mother loved her grandson very much in the past. Today, she was so angry that she didn't care about Jia Lian's injuries. She stood up and asked for life and death, "I have been in this family for 50 years, and I am treated like this by him today." Say, what dignity do I have?"

"I'm going to ask the Duke what evil I did in my previous life to raise such unfilial children and grandchildren in this life. If he dares to be unfilial to me today, will he rebel tomorrow? There are thousands of people in this family. Will everyone be killed by him?"

Mrs. Wang and Young Master Xifeng had no choice but to come forward to persuade them. They also cried together. Aunt Lai knelt on the ground and said, "Old ancestor, this is all caused by my unfilial son. Since my brother said this, let me He will be kept in jail until he dies, and I will pretend that I did not raise this uncreated thing!"

Jia Mu wanted to die, so she sat down on the Arhat bed, wiped her tears, and cried, "Who doesn't know that it was Jing'er that bastard who gave up his huge family fortune and became a monk. Zhen'er was still young, and Yu Quan was the head of the family. That unsatisfactory housekeeper committed something, and Zhen'er begged me, so I asked Lai Sheng to come over and help him!"

"Listen, what have you said?" Mother Jia covered her face and cried, "I have lost all my dignity! Pack your things, you and Feng Yatou accompany me back to Jinling, I I won’t stay here anymore and let a three-foot-tall bully an old immortal like me!”

At this time, when the old lady said this, Jia Zheng still didn't know that the old lady was taking advantage of him. He knelt down and said, "It's my son's incompetence that made the old lady suffer. My son will go find Cong'er now. If he can't find a way to release Lai Sheng, his son will go to work again."

"What do you want me to do? Lai Sheng is the steward of Dongfu and is from Dongfu. If he wants to let him go, he will find a way to let him go." Jia Mu had no intention of giving in and insisted on forcing Jia Cong to give in.

She knew very well the principle of going all out. If Jia Cong succeeded this time, he would definitely be more aggressive in the future, and no one would be afraid of him.

Xifeng hurriedly asked the maid to bring water to help the old lady clean her face. Grandma Lai stood up and said, "Ancestor, let the slave come."

"You are also old and they are still young. Let them do the labor. What do you do?"

"This slave is used to it. If you don't come to serve me for a day, your whole body will feel weak."

The maid came over with a basin, knelt down on her knees, and held the basin high. The two little maids also knelt down and held handkerchiefs and mirrors, makeup and makeup.

Aunt Lai rolled up Jia Mu's sleeves and took off her bracelets expertly, then took a large handkerchief and covered Jia Mu's clothes in front of her. Then Jia Mu stretched out her hand to wash herself in the basin.

After putting on her makeup again, the old lady looked around in the mirror and impatiently asked the little maid to get out.

Aunt Lai said from the side, "Old lady, don't take it too seriously. No one outside has said this. I'm afraid someone instigated Brother Cong to make up these words."

Who can make it up?

After Lai Sheng was imprisoned, whoever gained the most benefit would be the most suspicious.

"I remember there used to be a man named Yu Lu before Zhen'er. Are they the same family?" The old lady calmed down now, her IQ returned to normal, and she began to sort out the interpersonal relationships in Dongfu.

Xifeng said, "No. Yu Lu didn't know where he came from. He first worked under Butler Lai. He was quite clever, so he was hired by Brother Zhen to run errands. He often went to our house. Come here, the old lady said before that he was just like a monkey. After hearing this, Brother Zhen mentioned him as a supervisor."

The old lady listened for a long time without saying a word. To say that Jia Cong hired someone that the old lady had used before, she really couldn't find anything wrong. Back then, in order to replace Lai Sheng, they also tried every means to get Yu Quan to resign himself.

Mrs. Wang said from the side, "There are not many days for mourning over there, and a funeral is about to take place. His mother has him as a filial son. Who will be responsible for the funeral, Zhen'er or Rong'er?"

This is a big deal!
The old lady also nodded and said, "Although he doesn't let us take care of Dongfu's affairs, we can't ignore Zhen'er and Rong'er's affairs. You respect the eldest man who doesn't care about things. He is a monk, and no one can say anything about him. But we...look, what did they say about us? If we really don't care, people outside won't say that he doesn't let us care about it."

Xifeng understood that she wanted to interfere in Dongfu's affairs anyway, so she embarrassed Jia Cong. She smiled and said, "This is really true. I don't care about it. I don't care about it. I just let him have his say. In the past, those who were here I have never seen him behave like this before!"

"I heard from Second Master Lian that when he passed by today, Third Brother Cong was so powerful that he actually killed a steward's wife with a stick."

There was no sound in the room for a long time, and it took the old lady a long time to come to her senses, "I came into this house to be my great-grandson's wife, and now I have a great-grandson's wife. It's been almost 50 years since I joined the family. I have experienced many shocking and dangerous things, but I have never experienced them before. In this family, there is actually the matter of beating and killing a slave. Isn’t this outrageous!”

Even Aunt Lai was shocked. Over the years, she had been a slave in front of the old lady, and even in front of Jia She Jia Zheng, she was extremely dignified. At this moment, she deeply realized the horror of being a slave. , it turned out to be nothing more than an object in the master’s hand that could be beaten and killed.

"Old lady, please take care of Brother Cong. This is really going to chill the hearts of all the servants in the house!"

In the Bisha cupboard, Daiyu had been ill for the past two days, leaning on the bed before taking medicine.

Baoyu didn't come over to make a fuss, and the room was quiet. Zicuckoo touched the corner of the girl's lips with a handkerchief and whispered, "The girl just said, what's the trouble with the old lady? It turns out to be Mr. Cong!"

"Didn't you say that you called him Second Master over there? What happened to him?"

"It turned out that the housekeeper of the East Mansion was the old lady's companion. Wasn't he arrested in the cell? Over there, the second master picked up the housekeeper that the master used to have. The second master Lian went there today. He was originally a servant. The old lady's fate made the second master try to free Supervisor Lai, but there was a big problem. It was said that outsiders were talking bad about the old lady. The second master was doing this out of filial piety. Can the old lady not be angry? "

Daiyu coughed twice and leaned on the big pillow. On Qishang Saixue's face, her smoky eyebrows were covered with a little sadness. After hearing this, she smiled and said, "I'm afraid he hates this place so much in his heart." He was a man who forced his mother to death. Now that he is still young, he can still endure it. In the future... the good news is yet to come!"

She also didn't expect that her grandmother's family would be in such a situation.

When Zicuckoo heard this, she was surprised, "Girl, what do you mean? After all, the old lady is the second master's direct grandmother, as well as the eldest master and the second master!"

Daiyu pursed her lips and coughed a few more times to suppress the itching in her throat.

This winter, I don't know whether it was because of reading that poem, Cousin Cong made her always think more broadly, or something else, there were a little less things on her mind, and her tears were a little less than in previous years, and they weren't the kind that dried up and couldn't be shed. When I came out, my body felt better than usual.

Although I started coughing again in winter, it was not that uncomfortable and I was able to sleep for two or three hours at night.

"You girl, why are you always mentioning him? You talk so much, just go back and ask him yourself. How do I know what he is thinking?"

"Young lady is telling a joke. Now that he has gone to Dongfu, I can't even see him. Where can I go?"

Zijuan remembered that in the past, Mr. Cong also asked someone to bring food to the girl. After he sent the poem, the girl always read it two or three times a day, and sometimes wrote it several times. Over time, she read it. They were all piled up in a thick pile.

Although the girl didn't say anything, it seemed that when Bizet came, her mood was a little more open.

Zijuan felt that it would be a good thing if Mr. Cong could get closer to the girl.

Zijuan packed up the medicine bowl and went out, but Daiyu was leaning on the backrest, thinking about what Zijuan had said. It had only been a day or two, but the old lady could no longer get her hands on Dongfu. She curved her lips and said, Brother Cong is really awesome!

However, he is afraid that there is no family affection in his heart. His mother has protected him for eight years. If she died like that for him, wouldn't she cut off the few family ties he had with her?

Speaking of which, Brother Cong is a more pitiful person than her!
When Xia Jin came out of Jia's house, he was thinking about Lai Sheng's matter and how to deal with it. It had to be said that what Jia Cong said about Lai Sheng's family wealth made him very interested.

Without him, now the treasury has no money, and the emperor has no money to raise troops. The Jingwei is different from the Jingying. It is a team raised by the emperor after he ascended the throne. He is not a biological son of the imperial court and has always been unpopular.

If he could move people into his hands, he would guarantee that Lai Sheng would not be able to get out, and the Lai family's money would also be able to get in.

It is a pity that Jingwei does not have prisons, let alone the right to arrest people.

He just came out of Ningrong Street and happened to meet the former Pao Ze, now the commander of the Jinyi Guards, Jiang Xian.Jiang Xian also saw Xia Jin at a glance and rode over, "Brother, where are you going?"

Xia Jin's eyes lit up almost when he saw him for the first time, "Let's go and have a drink. There is a chance to make a fortune, and I want to join you!"

"There are such good things? Okay, brother, no matter what good things happen to me, I will never forget my brother. Today, please come to me, brother!"

The two of them entered Taifu Building together. They were both old acquaintances. As soon as they entered, the waiter took them to the second floor.

In the private room where we often gather, the waiter served tea and then left in the usual manner.

After chatting for a while, Xia Jin found out that Jiang Xian had recently gone to Yangzhou, and it was hard to ask him what he was doing there for fear of getting involved in errands.

Just as he was about to ask how the customs were there, Jiang Xian took the initiative and whispered, "This winter, the snow has been so heavy. It is said that this year is a sad year, and next year might be even more sad."

"What's the sad way?" Xia Jin asked.

Jiang Xian hesitated, "I heard that Zhao Zibi made the last boat trip before the year and sent 30 taels of silver to the capital. They were all salt merchants' tribute to the Supreme Emperor for his birthday next year. But I This journey along the way was really... people dying of hunger were everywhere, only twenty miles away from the city, and those who scraped human flesh along the road were like butchering pigs and dogs!"

When Xia Jin heard this, he suddenly felt sick.

It happened that the waiter brought up the store's signature dish, which was the braised pork head meat that the two of them had loved in the past. It was golden and shiny, and had a rich meaty smell, but it made people feel sick.

"How did it get to this point?" Xia Jin asked in surprise.

"Why can't we come to this step? The one above..." Jiang Xian pointed upward. This time he left Beijing, from north to south, he really saw the world. He whispered, "Just plunder, the Year of the Yellow River" The embankments burst in [-]. Disasters have occurred frequently in the past few years. Taxes have increased. Where do you think I am talking about? It’s in Zhucheng, Shandong!"

Jiang Xian's voice became louder and louder. Xia Jin was afraid that he would say something he shouldn't have said again, so he held him down and said, "Brother, this is not something you and I have to worry about. Lord Gonggun in the court, they are still here. Let’s just talk about making money.”

"How to make money?" Jiang Xian also knew that he had gone too far. He had no choice but to kill himself, and even hooked up with his old brother. He drank a glass of wine in one gulp and asked.

"Lai Sheng, the steward of Duke Ning's mansion, was first arrested and sent to the prison of the Ministry of Punishment together with Jia Zhen and his son. That guy was full of oil and water, and he had committed some crime.

I was thinking, it’s almost the Chinese New Year, and brothers are still tightening their belts. The Ministry of Household Affairs has been out of money for many years, and I don’t know how long I will owe the food and salary. Why don’t you, brother, mention that Lai Sheng to you? Go over there, let’s…”

Xia Jin made a gesture of pulling his neck.

Although Jiang Xian had just returned to Beijing, the Ning Guofu case was too big, involving half of the nobles, and it was a scandal, let alone that.

Jia Zhen and his son also had internal strife in prison. The son killed his father and then committed suicide.

Next, there was the matter of choosing an heir in Ningguo Mansion. People had already heard that the person chosen was his old brother's disciple. Jiang Xian couldn't help but ask, "Isn't our nephew in charge of Ningguo Mansion now?"

"You heard me right. As the saying goes, once a gentleman, there is always a courtier!"

Jiang Xian understood immediately and said with a smile, "That's easy to say. I'll let someone lift it in to save you a long night of dreams."

With that said, Jiang Xian asked the hundreds of people who followed him to come over and asked him to rush back and take Lai Sheng out of the prison of the Ministry of Punishment.

The Jinyiwei are originally the emperor's personal guards, and have the functions of directly controlling the guards and patrolling and apprehending.

In the prison of the Ministry of Punishment, Jia Zhen and his son died, and the bodies were taken out. The nobles who were imprisoned with Jia Zhen in the prison all tried their best to get them out, except Ningguo Mansion. A group of servants squatted here.

Lai Shengdan was imprisoned with other prisoners. He was no longer as glamorous as before. His fur coat had been stripped away. He only wore a single suit in the cold weather. He shivered and squatted on the wind vent. He was worse than dead. .

A total of 30 people were imprisoned in this prison. He was the last to enter. Some of the people in front of him had died if they could not endure it. Those who survived became cell bullies.

"Lai Sheng, come out!"

When he heard the name, Lai Sheng jumped up with joy, thinking that the family had finally come to catch him, so he rushed to the door.

The iron chains clattered, and the jailer pulled him left and right, locked the cell door, and led him out, which was particularly rough.

At the moment, Lai Sheng could only hold back. He was about to reap the benefits, and he didn't want to cause trouble.

A small leak will sink a great ship.

Yesterday, everyone who came to visit him at home said that they must ask the old lady to get him out.

After all, he was implicated. Uncle Zhen and Brother Rong were gone, and most of the principals were dead. He stayed in prison just to extort some of his family's property.

I don’t even think about who is above him!

After leaving the dungeon and arriving in the yard, several guards in royal robes were talking to the civil servants in robes. When they saw Lai Sheng coming, the civil servant said, "Look, this is Lai Sheng. I'll leave it to you. We don't care!"

Lai Sheng felt something was wrong and stepped back, but was held down by the jailer, "Want to run? Looking for death?"

With a sharp kick, Lai Sheng rushed forward.

"Uncles, I didn't commit any crime, why did you hand me over to the Jin Yiwei?"

Didn't it mean that the old lady had already said that she wanted to get him out, so why did she hand him over to the Jin Yiwei?

"Whether you commit a crime or not, it's not up to you. How do you scream, do you have the right to speak here?" Yuan Yongkang, a member of the Jinyiwei family, scolded, and ordered his men, "Take it with you, let's go!"

"No, you can't take me away, I'm from Rongguo Mansion!"

"What is Rongguo Mansion? Master of Rongguo Mansion? Tsk! Who cares who you are! Let's go!"

The Xiuchundao slapped Lai Sheng hard on the body. The boss didn't say that he must be spared. People like this don't have to worry about him coming out.

After being released from the prison of the Ministry of Punishment, Lai Sheng was thrown into the Jinyiwei Prison.

This imperial prison is not something ordinary people can stay in. Those who can be convicted by the emperor himself must be high-ranking officials in the court and relatives of the emperor. If you want to hear the name of the emperor, it must be the smoke coming out of the ancestral tomb. Glorious things.

The captain of the Jinyi Guards pushed Lai Sheng in, "Look, isn't this place much better than the Penal Department Prison? Each person has a single room!"

But Lai Sheng's soul was gone. Since the founding of Dashun, only a handful of people had been able to get out of the imperial prison, but he was so virtuous and capable that he could die in such a place.

But he still doesn't know that there is a way to live in this world that is more painful than death.

At the gate of Ningguo Mansion, Jia Cong came out to greet Jia Zheng and welcomed him into the study.

"I wonder if the second master is here, what are your orders?" Jia Cong was kind to Jia Zheng, who had defended himself many times, but had limited abilities and made useless efforts. Jia Cong had a cordial attitude and did not show much resistance.

"Lai Sheng didn't commit anything, but he was implicated by Zhen'er and his son this time. When you arranged for people to pick up Zhen'er and his son, why didn't you bring him out together?"

"Second Master, Cong has no friendship with the Ministry of Punishment. It is difficult to collect dead people in the prison of the Ministry of Punishment. To bring brother Zhen and his son out, the house also spent a lot of money. It cost more than ten taels of silver for everything. Not to mention Lai Sheng."

Jia Zheng was speechless for a while, ten taels of silver was nothing, but thinking that Jia Cong was behind the dark door, let alone ten taels of silver, his eldest brother had not even let the child see even one tael of silver, so he became silent.

"Besides, I heard that Lai Sheng's family is not short of money. Why don't they go and do something to get him out? He has not committed anything. If he is willing to spend money, he can't be convicted if he is left in the house. It costs two extra mouthfuls of jail food a day.”

Jia Zheng was a man without much brains. After hearing this, he felt that it made a lot of sense, so he went back to say hello to the people and get them out.

He stopped talking about it and asked Jia Cong, "Do you need help here? I'll ask your second brother Lian to come over and help you?"

(End of this chapter)