Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

"Yes." Zhuang Qing looked at Cheng Lingsu and said, "It is inconvenient for me to do it. Please use your fingers to probe the lower Yin and the soul gate to see if there is any foreign object."

Cheng Lingsu nodded, walked over, stretched out her fingers to explore for a while, and shook her head.

Zhuang Qing frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and murmured to himself: "I am already pregnant with your child. Please take me out immediately... in my belly..."

Then he glanced at Jinse's belly and bowed, "Sir, there is one last step, but it will damage the girl's body..."

"explain."

"I guess Miss Jinse might have swallowed the message in advance. This would also fit the metaphor in the first half of her sentence." Zhuang Qing said.

Jia Cong frowned and asked, "Do you mean to cut open her stomach and search inside her intestines?"

"This is just my guess and may not be accurate. Please make the decision, sir." Zhuang Qing lowered his head quickly, not daring to look at Jia Cong.

Jia Cong thought for a moment, his eyes fell on Jinse's pale face, "If you really swallowed something, you must want me to find it. If not, I think you won't blame me."

Yin said in a deep voice: "Lingsu, perform a caesarean section." Then he turned and walked out.

Zhuang Qing hurriedly followed him out.

"Yes, Master."

Cheng Lingsu agreed, gently closed Jinse's eyes, and prayed silently: "Miss Jinse, if you are still alive in heaven, you will definitely hope that I can turn the bad luck into good luck, right?

I had no choice but to destroy your body. I hope you won't blame him. If you want to blame someone, just blame me. Don't worry, I will definitely avenge you."

Immediately, his expression became serious, and he reached out from his waist and pulled out a short dagger that was flashing with cold light.

After a moment, Cheng Lingsu exclaimed, "Master, I found it!"

Jia Cong rushed in and asked, "What is it?"

"This." But Cheng Lingsu saw a finger-sized white wax ball with blood stains between her two fingers.

Jia Cong's right hand trembled slightly as he took it gently, held it in his hand, and sighed, "Thank you for your hard work. Sew it up now."

"It's not hard." Cheng Lingsu glanced at Jinse and said, "She is the one who is hard-working."

Jia Cong nodded, and with a little force, he crushed the wax ball, took out the small paper ball inside, and gently unfolded it. He saw a line of beautiful small characters written on it:

"Prince Beijing sent Jia She to harm you"

Jia Cong smiled coldly, went out and gave a few instructions, and Wang Fei hurriedly took the order.

"Come back. This is the message Jinse risked her life to bring. If you can't handle it well... humph!"

Wang Fei bowed and said, "Don't worry, sir. I will guarantee it with my life."

"Just go."

Cheng Lingsu was quick and deft, and in a short time she had sewed up all the wounds on Jinse's body. She then washed her body carefully, dressed her up, and changed her clothes.

Wen Zhen hurriedly reported: "Sir, I have sent someone to buy the best coffin. Shall we bury the body?"

Jia Cong gently stroked Jinse's cold face, suddenly took off his outer robe and covered her with it, then took off his jade belt and golden crown and placed them in her hands.

He sighed, "Miss Jinse, Jia Cong owes you a favor, and I can only repay it in my next life. These things will be buried with you, just think of them as my companions."

After saying that, he looked at Wen Zhen and said, "I'll find a good feng shui spot to bury him in my farm outside the city."

"Yes. How should the inscription be written? Please tell me, sir." Wen Zhen said.

"Just write..." Jia Cong paused and sighed, "This is the tomb of my dear friend Miss Jinse. Jia Cong respectfully writes this. I will also carve two lines of poetry... This feeling can be recalled, but it was already gone at that time."

"Yes."
-
After Jia Cong returned home, the girls were shocked to see him with disheveled hair and a gloomy look on his face, and they came up to him and asked him about his concerns.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. It's just... Miss Jinse is gone." Jia Cong sighed.

The girls were shocked and asked why.

Jia Cong shook his head, unwilling to mention the matter again, and said, "It's late at night, you should all go to bed."

The girls were knowledgeable and knew that he was in a bad mood, so they stopped talking and went away obediently.

Before leaving, Baochai deliberately gave Qingwen a look, asking her to serve her well.

Qingwen nodded quickly to show that she understood.

"Master, let me help you change your clothes first." Qingwen said softly.

Jia Cong nodded and followed her in. Without saying a word, he let Qingwen and Xixue tidy up his hair and clothes again. Suddenly, he said, "Go and call Ling Sulai. I have something to say to her."

"Yes." Qingwen hurried out to call for help.

Cheng Lingsu knew that he must have some instructions, so she didn't leave and hurried in to listen.

Qingwen and her boyfriend stayed outside the house sensibly.

"Jia She is so bold that he doesn't know his own life or death. It's time to punish him." Jia Cong said slowly.

Cheng Lingsu said: "What Master means is..." and then he reached out and touched her neck.

Jia Cong shook his head and said, "No, this man's sudden death is not good for me. It is inevitable that people will speculate wildly and bring trouble to myself. Besides, it is not the right time yet."

"Please tell me clearly, sir." Cheng Lingsu said in a low voice.

"I remember you once said that there is a kind of poisonous snake in Japan. If the amount of its venom is controlled properly, it can cause the person to become paralyzed and stunted after being injected into the human body, just like a stroke." Jia Cong sneered.

"Indeed, there is such a thing." Cheng Lingsu nodded and said, "Master, do you mean to make him half dead to avoid trouble?"

Jia Cong asked, "What do you think?"

"Good idea. No matter how the imperial physician examines you, you won't be able to figure it out. But the poison of snakes is very changeable, so you have to use it as you go. There is no ready-made one. There are some poisonous snakes in the manor, but I don't know when to use them. I can have someone send them to you."

"Tomorrow."

"Yes, I will ask Jiusi to go out of the city and bring a snake back first." Cheng Lingsu turned around and went down to pass on the order.

The next day, Jia She got up early in the morning in high spirits, took out from the secret box an impeachment letter written by a master from the palace, put it in his arms, and called for a carriage to go out.

Mrs. Xing was a little surprised and asked, "What's the matter with the master going out?"

Jia She twirled his beard and smiled, "Nothing, just go to the Tongzhengsi."

After saying this, he got on the carriage. Thinking that after the success, he would not only be recommended by Prince Beijing, but also get a stunningly beautiful woman, he seemed to be 20 or 30 years younger.

Little did he know that his every move had already been noticed by countless secret agents along the way. Agents of all shapes and sizes followed him one after another and followed him all the way into the Tongzhengsi Yamen.

"Hey, Brother Enhou, long time no see."

"Sir, would you like to hand in the memorial?"

"Lord En, you have never been seen before. Now that you have a successor, are you going to spend your remaining years at home in peace? In the Tongzhengsi, many officials greeted Jia She with a smile when they saw him come in. Of course, most of them did so for Jia Cong's sake.

Jia She forced a smile, bowed to everyone, and said nothing more. He walked slowly to the governor who was collecting memorials, took out a letter from his bosom, and said, "Jia She, the successor to the first-class general of Rongguo Mansion, is reporting to the emperor."

The governor hurriedly stood up and took it from him, then filled out a receipt and handed it to him: "Master Jia, please keep it."

There was a hint of sinister smile in Jia She's eyes. Once this memorial was made public, Jia Cong, this evil beast, would be skinned alive.

This was also the reason why he deliberately submitted the memorial through the Ministry of Public Security. If it was a secret memorial, it would be meaningless, and the current emperor would most likely consider the overall situation and suppress the matter.

However, the Tongzhengsi was a big teahouse where news flowed. Within half an hour, the news spread throughout the officialdom.

The governor watched him leave and was about to open the letter to record a summary when he suddenly saw a hand pressing on the letter.

When he looked up, he saw the captain who was sent by the Embroidered Uniform Guard to "sit and spy" in the Ministry of Public Security. He was staring at him with eyes like an eagle.

"Sir... this is..." the governor said in a low voice.

The captain had a blank expression on his face. He raised his hand and put the memorial into his arms, saying, "There are some errors and omissions in this memorial. Wait for Lord She to transcribe it before sending it back." After that, he turned around and left.

"Yes, yes, I'll be waiting for you."

At this time, the person Jia She wanted to impeach was being frantically impeached by the New Party in the Golden Hall.

Yesterday, the news that the Jinyiwei cavalry brazenly broke into Minister Wu's house and arrested him had already spread like wildfire throughout the capital, causing an uproar.

This was the first time that a core member of the New Party was arrested since it came to power, and he was a minister-level official and the father of the imperial concubine.

Jia Cong was well prepared. He allowed the New Party members to impeach him in various ways for a long time, and even Lin Ruhai said a few words to him.

In short, the impeachment was about "the Jinyiwei being unscrupulous and daring, and having become a tool to eliminate dissidents and persecute loyal and good people", "Jia Cong being arrogant because of his achievements, taking advantage of his power to act tyrannically, and disregarding the emperor and national laws", etc.

Because the matter happened suddenly, civil servants like Jiang Feng, Guan Pu, Feng Yuan, etc. who had always been on good terms with Jia Cong were reluctant to speak up, as the matter was really too big.

The court arrested second-rank officials at will without any imperial decree. This was indeed a strong provocation to the civil service group, which was almost like digging up the ancestral graves of the New Party.

When the noises from below died down, Emperor Xifeng looked cold and said calmly, "What do you have to say, Mr. Jia?"

Jia Cong's action has deeply angered him. It is true that the emperor hopes that the Jinyiwei will become ferocious dogs in his hands, but he definitely does not want them to be out-of-control dogs.

Jia Cong pulled out a letter from his sleeve and said, "I have a memorial."

"Come on."

"I have investigated clearly. Concubine Wu, together with her father, Minister Wu, bribed Ji Xingyi, the judge of the Left Court of the Imperial Medical Bureau, Mo Zeming, the imperial physician, and others. They used their medical skills to deceive the emperor and framed Concubine Xian De in an attempt to seize the throne! Their crime is unforgivable. Please make a judgment." After saying this, he presented the memorial.

When the New Party members heard the word "seize the throne", their passion and anger immediately disappeared. They were all secretly annoyed and wanted to slap themselves twice.

Why are you so rude? Why are you rushing out like that? What does Wu Shitao's life or death have to do with me? Jia Cong, you bastard! Why don't you just say what you want to say? Why are you pretending to be an honest man?

If the emperor misunderstands that he is involved in the fight for the throne, then it's all over. The fight for the throne is a pit where as many people as possible will die if one is not careful. It's not an easy game.

Emperor Xifeng took the memorial from Dai Quan, flipped through it briefly, and said with a gloomy face, "Mr. Jia has thought of my plans before you. Do you have any real evidence?"

Jia Cong bowed and said, "I am in charge of the Jinyiwei, and I have the responsibility to investigate traitors and evildoers. Moreover, such behavior is unfilial to the emperor and his father. I should take the initiative to arrest and investigate, and relieve the emperor's worries.

I know that this case involves Consort Xian De, and my colleagues may think that Cong abused his power for personal gain, framed her, and intended to clear Consort Xian De of her guilt." He said, glancing coldly at the New Party members.

He continued, "Cong has always been well-known for his ability to handle cases. Since Minister Wu, Judge of the Discipline Court, and Imperial Doctor Mo came to the case, Cong has not tortured them. He just put the hard evidence in front of them and they confessed naturally.

Your Majesty, I should avoid suspicion in this case. Please transfer the suspects to the East Factory or the Three Departments for trial, and let the Jinyiwei supervise the trial. If after the interrogation of your colleagues, it is confirmed that Cong was tortured into confessing and falsely accusing the ministers, Cong is willing to take the blame. "

Seeing him so confident and confident of victory, Emperor Xifeng could not help but frown. Could it be that Concubine Yuan was really wronged? Could it be that someone really wanted to frame the second and tenth sons to seize the throne?
Yin shouted coldly: "This case involves the imperial palace, the crime is extremely serious, it must be handed over to the East Factory for trial, the three judicial officials and the Jinyiwei for supervision, and it must be investigated thoroughly!"

Dai Quan bowed and said, "I obey your order."

When the people in the New Party saw that Jia Cong had used his killer move to seize the throne, they knew that the emperor would not let him off easily. Wu Shitao would definitely be in great danger this time, so they had to retreat in anger.

After the court session, Feng Yuan did not shy away from the topic. He walked up to Jia Cong, gave him a thumbs-up, and laughed softly, "Zilong is so bold that he even dared to touch a senior member of the New Party. I admire you, brother."

Jia Cong took the initiative to charge into battle and fight against the New Party. Naturally, the other party members were happy to see it happen and cheered for it.

"People have no intention to harm tigers, but tigers have the intention to hurt people. Cong had no choice." Jia Cong shook his head.

Feng Yuan said in a sympathetic tone, "That's right. The New Party is too arrogant. They have provoked me and even dared to attack the Imperial Concubine. It's really despicable."

Jia Cong said: "This matter is not over yet. Wu Shitao is a core member of the New Party. Maybe someone wants to save him."

Feng Yuan shook his head and said, "Not necessarily. This case is so serious. The emperor is furious. Who dares to intervene? Don't worry. I will go to Prime Minister Jiang and Prime Minister Guan to tell them that they will never let this traitor go unpunished."

"Well, thank you, Brother Zhengfang."

"Why are you being polite... Hey, your father-in-law is here. Lord Lin." Feng Yuan smiled and said this, bowed and left.

Jia Cong turned around and saw Lin Ruhai coming over with a smile. He hurriedly bowed and said, "Father-in-law."

Lin Ruhai patted his shoulder, a little guilty, and said: "I didn't know the truth just now and misunderstood you. Don't take it to heart."

Jia Cong shook his head and smiled, "I was in a hurry to tell my father-in-law about this case, so it's inevitable that there will be some misunderstandings. After all, it's taboo for the Jinyiwei to arrest a high-ranking official without a warrant."

Lin Ruhai sighed, "It's good that you know. Even if you are sure, you should report it to the emperor first and ask for his permission before taking action, so as to avoid the attention of the court officials."

"My father-in-law is right. Cong was anxious at the moment." Jia Cong was too lazy to explain. After all, everyone had different positions now, and many things could no longer be discussed.

Lin Ruhai nodded and suddenly smiled, "Come to my house tonight for a drink."

"Oh? Is there any happy event in my father-in-law's family?" Jia Cong asked with a smile.

Lin Ruhai waved his hand and smiled, "It's not a happy event. Cun Zhou wrote to me saying that I was alone in Beijing and had no one to take care of me, so he found me a roommate."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Congratulations to my father-in-law for having a beautiful girl in his golden house. My son-in-law will be here tonight. I wonder which girl she is?"

Lin Ruhai smiled and said, "Do you know Fu Shi, the former Tongpan of Shuntian Prefecture?"

Jia Cong hesitated for a moment and said, "I remember that he was a disciple that Lord Zheng valued, and he often came to the West Palace."

"It's him. He has a younger sister named Qiufang. She hasn't been engaged yet, but Lord Zheng arranged for her to be married to me." Lin Ruhai said.

Jia Cong nodded and smiled, "So that's how it is. He is someone who knows everything about her. I heard that this girl is quite pretty. Don't worry, father-in-law."

Lin Ruhai laughed and scolded, "Stop teasing me. I'm not like you. I invited you to my house tonight mainly to have a good chat with Jun Gong and Prime Minister Huo and reminisce about the past.

Now that the court situation has changed, you and them have become estranged. In fact, there is no need to be so. We are all dedicated to serving the country. Even if we have different political views and some disagreements, we can still drink and chat happily in private."

Jia Cong said: "What my father-in-law said is true. Cong has always admired the character and bearing of the elders of the New Party, and has absolutely no disrespect for them."

Lin Ruhai smiled and twirled his beard, "I'm relieved now. I'm going to ask to be transferred to another place in the near future. You can take care of yourself in the capital."

Jia Cong was startled and asked, "What does father-in-law mean?" (End of this chapter)