Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 464: The situation is complicated, and evil tactics are needed

When Aunt Xue saw that Xue Pan had really returned, she stood up excitedly, her mouth trembling and she couldn't utter a word.

Xue Pan behaved a little this time. He knelt down, crawled forward, hugged his mother's legs, and cried loudly: "Mother, I am an unfilial son. I have caused you to worry and be frightened! I deserve to die!"

Aunt Xue held Xue Pan's head and wailed for half an hour before the mother and son finally stopped.

Many of the people watching the show shed tears.

Grandmother Jia said: "It's good that it came out, it's good that it came out!"

Madam Wang said, "Be good in the future and don't make any mistakes."

Wang Xifeng asked, "Why don't you see my Second Master?"

Xue Pan wiped his tears, stood up and said, "My second brother said he couldn't stand seeing this, so he went back first."

After hearing this, Jia's mother was quite proud: "Brother Lian, this is a great job!"

Baochai stood aside, appearing very calm. The moment Jia Lian agreed to her, she firmly believed that Xue Pan would be able to come out, but she did not expect that he would be able to come out tonight.

From this incident, we can see Jia Lian's power in the capital. When his brother chose the Wang family, he could make some quick money, but the consequences were very serious. It was obviously a big mistake.

Wang Xifeng escorted the three Xue family members to the north courtyard. On the way, Xue Pan said, "Xia Jingui didn't even show her shadow, and she wrote a divorce letter right after she came back!"

Wang Xifeng couldn't help but sarcastically said, "Wenlong, you finally got it! You've got such a big problem, and I don't know what Xia Jingui is busy with. I'm afraid she's busy moving!"

Xue Pan got anxious when he heard this: "I'll go back and keep an eye on her. I hope she doesn't empty the house."

Wang Xifeng was about to speak when Baochai spoke first: "It would be better if they moved everything away. This is the capital city. No matter how much is moved away, she will have to spit it out, and she will have to stick some more!"

This one sentence made Wang Xifeng in a very good mood. She felt so proud!

When Wang Xifeng returned to her residence, she saw Jia Lian playing with his daughter on the floor. Seeing that his daughter's hands were dirty, she was so angry that she wanted to beat him up, but Jia Lian was with her. She could only say to the maid who was watching over Qiaojie, "The young lady's hands are dirty, and she didn't even wipe them. There is no life in her eyes."

The maid is really aggrieved. She doesn't even look at who these two are. How dare I intervene?

Jia Lian heard the noise, turned around, smiled, picked up Qiaojie and said, "My mother is angry. Go wash up and go to bed early."

Wang Xifeng quickly stopped him and said, "Let Chunmei take her there. You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

Jia Lian said with a smile, "I was so busy that I really didn't have time to take care of it. You can ask the kitchen to prepare something and I will take care of it."

Wang Xifeng said, "That can't be possible. They receive a penny less in monthly allowance, so they should be ready to serve you, the head of the family, at any time."

Jia Lian smiled and said, "It's better not to make too much noise, just cook another bowl of noodles. I'm not a picky person."

Wang Xifeng happily directed people to the kitchen, and she chatted with Jia Lian, saying sarcastically: "I am the only one in this family who is worried about you not having eaten yet."

Jia Lian had a strange expression on his face. Actually, Ping'er and Guixiang had just privately asked Jia Lian whether he had eaten or not. However, after asking, Ping'er told Jia Lian that even if he had not eaten, he had to wait for Wang Xifeng to come back and make arrangements.

Ping'er was right. Otherwise, why would people say Ping'er is smart?

Finally, the kitchen staff worked hard and prepared four main dishes, a soup, and a pot of wine, which the maid brought back.

When Jia Lian saw this, he called out to Wang Xifeng, "Would you like to drink with me? To cheer me up?"

Wang Xifeng was embarrassed: "It's not convenient for me to let Ping'er accompany you!"

"Then just take it to Ping'er's room!" Jia Lian left first. Wang Xifeng was a little depressed, but she didn't care. It was not Jia Lian's fault.

Ping Er served food and drink, and then helped Jia Lian take a bath, which lasted for an hour. When he came out, Ping Er was charming and charming.

The three of the Xue family talked for a long time. After Baochai told Aunt Xue everything she had said in private to Jia Lian, Aunt Xue looked unhappy. The Xue family was a wealthy family after all, and it was not a good look for a legitimate daughter to be a concubine. Besides, there was still Wang Xifeng to deal with, so it was really hard to say.

"Your aunt once mentioned that she wants Baoyu to marry you." Aunt Xue was somewhat opposed in her heart, but she still said something.

Xue Pan heard this and said, "My second brother has bailed me out, but the case has not been closed yet. He just came out first. Think about it carefully. Just relying on the name of Jia Lian, he can do this. Can Baoyu do it?"

Aunt Xue was silent after hearing this. Xue Pan then said, "If my sister becomes my second brother's concubine, the Xue family will have no control over the capital from now on."

Baochai said, "If you think so, you are totally wrong. I made the promise out of helplessness, and you haven't agreed to it yet, but once you've said it, you have to keep it. Speaking of which, from what you said, things are not that simple. The relationship in Jinling is a little strange. I'm afraid that many people in the court have their eyes on my uncle. The Xue family has been targeted. As a breakthrough point to deal with my uncle, the Xue family has no right to change their minds. The business in Beijing and Jinling should be sold as soon as possible."

Xue Pan understood this time, and after a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Sister, what do you mean, second brother can protect my people, but can't protect Xue's wealth?"

Baochai sneered: "Just pay one ounce less of the silver for the crime and see, won't you know?"

Xue Pan suddenly realized: "Okay, this time, I'll use the excuse of paying the silver for the crime to sell the shops in Jinling and Beijing first and see what happens."

Don't talk about the status of the imperial merchant. The pig is fat and it's time to kill it. If the Wang family is still in the capital, it doesn't matter. They can protect the Xue family. Wang Ziteng has gone to Jiaozhi to make trouble. What else do others have to worry about?
No matter what, Jia Lian has joined the Wang family. It is impossible for him to sacrifice his own interests for Wang Ziteng.

To put it bluntly, not putting obstacles in the way is considered a kind act.

Aunt Xue sighed and said, "Although it's hard to let go of Shancai, I'm afraid I can't take care of him right now. As long as he's fine, I can stay quiet for two years and manage the business well in the future. With Lian'er's protection, I can still get back on my feet."

Baochai frowned and said, "Brother, go back and ask Second Brother what you can and cannot do under the pretext of thanking him. He should be able to give you some pointers."

Xue Pan nodded in agreement, and the three of them dispersed and rested early.

It was another day with the sun at noon. When he got up, it was already noon. It was because no one in the family could control Jia Lian, otherwise they would have scolded him for being a lazy man.

Ping'er got up first and sat aside waiting for him to get up. When she saw Jia Lian open his eyes and sit up, she quickly put down the work in her hands and came over to serve him.

Jia Lian grabbed her and said, "Come, I will train you again!"

Ping Erh immediately begged for mercy: "Master, I dare not do that in broad daylight. If someone hears it, I won't be able to go out and see anyone. Xiangcao, who is the second mistress's servant, has come over to ask three times."

Jia Lian then gave up and let her call the maids in to help her change clothes and wash up. During this time, he touched her and explored everywhere. Ping'er could only frown and endure his mischief.

After washing and changing his clothes, Jia Lian had a bite to eat and then lazily went out. When he returned to the main courtyard, Wang Xifeng was waiting for him.

"Wenlong went home early in the morning and there is no news yet. Judging from her tone, I'm afraid that Xia Jingui is going to do something naughty. The Xue family has a strong foundation, so they can't let it get away with it this time."

Jia Lian looked around and saw that there was no one around. He could tell that Wang Xifeng had deliberately created this scene, so he whispered, "How big a wave can Xia Jingui make? It's not as simple as you think."

Wang Xifeng recalled what she had said before and couldn't help but ask worriedly, "Are you really going after your uncle?"

Jia Lian shook his head: "It's both. The Xue family is a handle. Wang Taiwei is entrenched in Guangdong and Guangxi, and has just occupied Jiaozhi. He will definitely be appointed if he goes there. Without the Xue family's protection, isn't it a situation where they will share the spoils? I don't know what Sun Ge Lao in Liangjiang is thinking. But the thoughts of the ministers in the court can be guessed. Now that the case is in Sun Ge Lao's hands, he will take one share first, and what about the rest? Wang Taiwei has already got a huge advantage. I can't be stupid enough to jump out and share the firepower for him, right?"

Wang Xifeng felt a headache after listening to this. She rubbed her brows and sighed, "Official affairs are too complicated. Just listening to them gives me a headache."

Near noon, Jia Lian had just had lunch and was drinking tea with Wang Xifeng when he heard a message from outside that Xue Pan wanted to see him.

Jia Lian stood up to greet him, then stood outside the central hall, watching Xue Pan come in holding a sandalwood box.

"I went back to check, how is it?" Jia Lian asked with a smile. He didn't know the specific news at the moment, but he must have arranged people to keep an eye on it in advance.

Xue Pan had gone through two experiences and became much calmer. He was not panicking at this moment. He put the box on the table and said in a deep voice: "There was 100,000 taels of silver in cash, which was emptied. I kept some of the contract notes and hid them in my mother's room. She went to look for them, but was blocked by the servants. The woman made a scene and scratched the face of the old man who had been in front of my mother for many years, but she still failed. I brought all the things with me, including the house deeds and land deeds in the capital." As he spoke, Xue Pan pushed forward: "I can't repay you for saving my life, please don't think it's too little."

Jia Lian smiled and held his hand: "What's the point of giving it to me? You can give it to Baochai to keep. Let Jia Rong take over for the sake of face. The things are still in the hands of the Xue family. When the situation is clear in the future, there will be a chance to make a comeback. Besides, there will always be a way out for you."

Xue Pan was very excited when he heard this and said, "I'll remember this, Jinling will be dealt with in the same way. Rong will have to go there first."

Jia Lian waved his hand: "These are all trivial matters. The key is to keep calm and see who is causing trouble behind the scenes."

As he was speaking, someone came in to report that Ni Er wanted to see him.

Jia Lian ordered someone to come in. Not long after, Ni Er came in, greeted him first, and then spoke: "I saw it all. The servants of several officials in the Ministry of Revenue went to Xia's house."

Xue Pan nodded: "That's right, the Xia family is listed as an imperial merchant in the Ministry of Revenue."

Jia Lian pondered for a while, a little hesitant. After all, Zhang Tingen had served as the Minister of Revenue this year. Was there any connection here?

"That woman stayed at her parents' home last night and hasn't returned home yet. Second brother, I'll write a letter of divorce right now." At this moment, Xue Pan's brows were throbbing with veins and he was gritting his teeth.

Jia Lian smiled and said, "Don't worry, let's wait until your case is over. Let's deal with things one by one."

Xue Pan followed Jia Lian's instructions, took the box back and gave it to Baochai.

Baochai answered, "Okay, I'll keep it for my brother."

When Xia Jingui woke up and heard the news, she felt like the sky had fallen. Didn't they say that Jia Lian and the Xue family had a falling out? How could it be exposed that day? Thinking of what she had done, she felt like an ant on a hot pot. Usually, she would spend half an hour dressing up, but today she just did it hastily and hurried home.

Unexpectedly, she was stopped at the door of her house. The doorman heard Xue Pan's words and refused to let her in.

Xia Jingui started throwing tantrums, but Xue Pan didn't fall for it. The doorman wouldn't listen and just closed the door with a bang, thinking he would out of sight and out of mind.

If she continued to make trouble, she would be embarrassed. Xia Jingui hurried back to her parents' home to discuss countermeasures.

The Xia family had a widowed mother and her son Xia Jinliang. They wanted to take advantage of the Xue family and didn't have the guts to take over the Xue family's property. Xia Jingui went back to her parents' home to discuss how to save people.

But since Sun Huazhen had taken action this time, Xue Pan would certainly not be able to escape the disaster, so Xia Jinliang urged Xia Jingui to quickly move back the valuables so that she wouldn't have to pay the fine for the crime later. It was a big loss for Xia Jingui to lose everything after all the belongings were taken away.

If this woman had foresight, she would not have fought with Aunt Xue. After being fooled by her brother, Xia Jingui did as she was told and was busy getting the money. She never thought that the man would come out before dark.

When he got home and told his brother and mother, the whole family was in a panic, mainly because Jia Lian's rescue operation was too shocking.

That was the Ministry of Justice prison, not the Jia family's firewood room. The person arrested was arrested by a joint operation of the Shuntian Prefecture and the Ministry of Justice according to an official document issued by the Cabinet, and he was released at dusk that day.

Who would dare to believe this? Sun Huazhen from Liangjiang was also involved.

Not to mention that the people of the Xia family didn't dare to believe it, even the officials behind the Xia family didn't dare to believe it.

In the afternoon, Jia Lian went out and went to the cabinet again.

Zhang Tingen saw him come in and frowned slightly: "What's the matter? It can be seen that there are still hidden dangers in taking a fancy to a girl."

Jia Lian smiled and stepped forward to bow: "Master, is your words still effective in the Ministry of Revenue today?"

Zhang Tingen understood something and immediately became serious. “When I was in the Ministry of Revenue, I could only barely maintain the situation and barely control the overall situation. There are too many hidden connections in that place.”

Jia Lian understood: "So, it is difficult for Ning Ge Lao to control me as he pleases?"

Zhang Tingen looked annoyed. He stood up and turned around a few times, then turned around and asked, "The Ministry of Personnel hasn't been rectified yet, and you want to mess with the Ministry of Revenue again?"

Jia Lian complained with a wronged look on his face: "How could I have such ability? Isn't this just a coincidence? This is what happened."

When Zhang Tingen learned that it was still about the Xue family, he was not so upset. It was just killing a pig, wasn't it? He had seen it many times.

"The Ministry of Personnel hasn't finished its work yet, so the Ministry of Revenue should stop making trouble. It's not a problem to mess with the Xia family. They are all pigs, so it doesn't matter which one we kill." Zhang Tingen said bluntly.

"We should urge Lord Sun to close the case as soon as possible." Jia Lian was not in a hurry. As long as Zhang Tingen was not involved, everything would be fine.

Zhang Tingen nodded, it was nothing. Finally, he reminded Jia Lian: "There are many minor officials of the seventh and eighth ranks in the Ministry of Revenue, all of whom are relatives of the clan. They do nothing and just get a salary. They are typical people with incompetence and are very troublesome. The day before yesterday, we discussed the examiners for this year's provincial examination. His Majesty appointed you as the chief examiner of Shuntian Prefecture. This is the most important thing, and everything else must give way to it. You'd better be careful not to fall into the ditch and get yourself covered in stench. It's not worth it."

Jia Lian knew very well what it meant to be the chief examiner of the provincial examination. Normally, only an important official in the Ministry of Rites or a big shot in the Hanlin Academy should be qualified.

The emperor personally named the person, and the people below did not object, but that did not mean they were convinced. Aren't they all waiting to find fault with Jia Lian?
Zhang Tingen asked Jia Lian to distinguish the importance of the matter. No matter how good a girl is, without her own future, her life is just a mirage.

When men have opportunities, they should still prioritize big things; women are just embellishments of life.

"I appreciate your advice!" Jia Lian agreed very formally, but he actually ignored this matter.

It seems that rescuing the people is the ultimate solution to this matter, and we have to think of other evil tricks to do anything else.

After leaving the cabinet, Jia Lian went to the Inspectorate and headed for Fang Song's office.

Fang Song really didn't expect that Jia Lian would dare to come to him even though he was now a notorious flatterer.

"In this Inspectorate, none of the officials below obey me in their hearts. I didn't expect that Lord Jia would have time to come and visit me." Fang Song also said self-deprecatingly.

Jia Lian sat down, took the teacup and said, "If you are not convinced, what can I do to you? Lord Fang is the Right Censor-in-Chief, even if it is Chief Inspector Lin, he has to give you some face. Who cares if the people below are convinced or not? Besides, after the annual inspection, there will always be a few people replaced, one by one."

Fang Song narrowed his eyes when he heard this: "You are here for no reason!"

Jia Lian nodded, and said without hiding anything: "Indeed, I have something to ask of you."

Fang Song: "Tell me! I'll see if I can do it!"

Jia Lian talked about the Xue family, and then about the Xia family, and finally said: "The Xue family is the royal merchant, and they are registered with the clan office. Xue Pan committed a crime, and he accepted the punishment. What's the big deal about colluding with the concubines? This is moral corruption, this is disregarding human relations. This is throwing the face of the royal family on the ground."

Fang Song naturally didn't take the bait, but he still carefully asked the servants to guard outside, and came back to whisper: "Lord Jia himself is the censor!"

Jia Lian was very direct: "It's not in vain!" He stretched out his hand and made a stroke.

Fang Song's eyes suddenly lit up: "It's just a small matter, five hundred taels is enough, I guarantee that I can do it for you."

Jia Lian..., he meant five thousand taels.

Out of the bottom line of being a man, Jia Lian said calmly: "That is the owner's thank you. Jia asked Brother Fang to do something for him, so I will add another five hundred taels."

Fang Song smiled happily, and his small eyes could see a thin line: "Brother Jia is generous!"

Jia Lian left, leaving behind a thousand taels of silver, and as he left, he was still sighing that he was not sensitive enough to prices. He overestimated Fang Song's greed!
Fang Song naturally took money to do the job. As soon as Jia Lian left the house, he started writing furiously.

This is the capital, the best place in the world. How can we allow evil to hide in the dark? We must impeach, and impeach severely.

After a while, Fang Song put down his pen, touched the silver bill in his sleeve, and smiled with satisfaction.

(End of this chapter)