Red Mansion, Ningfu Scholarly Family

Chapter 104 Is it that simple?
……

"You guys wait in the carriage first. I'll go in and say goodbye to Master Xue. I also have some other things to discuss..."

"Sorry for the trouble, young master."

Xue Baochai bowed deeply, turned around and stepped into the carriage.

Xiangling took a step forward and said nervously, "Master, I..."

Jia Rong smiled and said, "You go in and wait, and come back with me later."

"kindness!"

Xiangling nodded heavily. Now she was afraid that Jia Rong would not dare to want her.

After watching the two men get into the carriage, Jia Rong went back into the cell.

Xue Pan no longer had the forced smile he had just had. He leaned weakly against the wall with lifeless eyes.

"Have you arranged all the funeral affairs?" Jia Rong asked with a smile after taking a sip of tea.

Xue Pan sighed, "Everything that needs to be arranged has been arranged. There is only one thing I need your help with."

"what's up?"

"Please collect the body for me."

Jia Rong: “…”

Xue Pan said: "I don't want to scare my mother and sister with the sight of my head being chopped off, so I can only ask you for help."

"I, Xue Pan, have had countless good brothers throughout my life. Now that I am about to die, I have found a good brother who will collect my body. It's worth it!"

"Remember to put it together and put it in the coffin, or you won't end up with missing arms and legs."

Jia Rong comforted him, "Brother Xue, don't worry. You will be hanged but your head will not be chopped off. Your body will be intact. I will keep it for you when the time comes."

"By the way, do you have a coffin at home?"

Xue Pan smiled and said, "There happens to be a good coffin in the store. The old prince ordered it a few years ago, but he died in such a hurry that he never used it. Now it's a bargain for me, haha."

"Where are the shrouds? Do you want me to bring them to you so you can wear them?"

"Okay." Xue Pan suddenly became serious and said, "I want to buy the Wenquxing style. I want to study and become an official in my next life, and never mess around again!"

"Brother, I won't say much. Please take good care of my mom and sister. I will thank you from below."

Jia Rong waved his hand and said, "No need to express gratitude. Just live a good life with your father over there. If you need money or anything, remember to bring it back in a dream. But don't bring it to me. Give it to your mother or your sister."

Xue Pan: "..."

When Jia Rong returned to the carriage, Aunt Xue and her daughter had recovered a lot.

After all, the living must continue to live.

We are still young...

"We need to discuss the matter of the Wang family's fraud with Master in detail. Why don't we stay at Ningguo Mansion first?" Jia Rong suggested.

Aunt Xue forced a smile and said, "My sister is at Rongguo Mansion. We can just go live there too. We sisters can still talk to each other."

Jia Rong: “…”

I'm afraid you don't know what Mrs. Wang looks like yet?

"Miss Baochai can come to our house and stay for a few days. Sister Baoqin lives over there." Jia Rong continued with a smile.

Baochai smiled and said, "I'm sorry to bother you, Master. I haven't seen Sister Baoqin for a long time. It's a good opportunity for us to have a chat."

Aunt Xue naturally had no objection to Baochai living in Ningguo Mansion, so she smiled and said, "Then you sisters can live together, and we sisters can live together."

As they were talking, the carriage arrived at Ningguo Mansion and entered directly from the east corner gate.

Jia Rong got off the carriage, and Lai Er hurriedly bent over and walked forward with a smile, saying, "Master, you're back."

"Has the master come back?" Jia Rong asked.

Lai Er said respectfully: "I'm back, I'm in the study."

Jia Rong thought for a moment and said, "Go and tell the master that the Xue family mother and daughter are here and that they have important matters that need the master's help."

"it is good."

Lai Er agreed and hurried to the study in the front yard.

Jia Rong returned to the carriage and said with a smile, "Madam Xue, Miss Baochai, you can follow me to the study in the inner courtyard and wait for a while. If the master has nothing important to do, he will definitely go there soon."

Aunt Xue hurriedly said, "Actually, there's no need to be so anxious!" After all, he was her mother's family and her own brother, so Aunt Xue couldn't help but have some concerns.

Jia Rong said, "Lord Wang will be going to inspect the nine frontiers soon. If we don't hurry up now, we won't get the money back."

Baochai said, "Mother, brothers have to settle accounts clearly. This matter will be complicated if it is delayed. We should ask Master to make the decision as soon as possible."

"OK then."

When Aunt Xue heard Baochai say the same thing, she finally compromised.

Soon, several people arrived at the study in the inner courtyard.

Miss Zhishui, who was in charge of serving in the study, poured tea for the three of them and said with a smile, "Auntie, Miss Baochai, please wait a moment. The master should be here soon."

Jia Rong took a sip of tea and asked with a smile, "Is everything alright over there?"

Shisui smiled and said, "Master said it's nothing important, let's deal with our own family first."

Aunt Xue was suddenly flattered and smiled shyly, "Thank you so much for troubling your grandfather."

Zhishui smiled and said, "What's the problem? We are all family after all. Some time ago, the master was still concerned about the concubine's family. It's just that you are in Lord Wang's house, so the master didn't ask too much."

Aunt Xue looked embarrassed, and regretted deeply. If she had known that the East Palace Master was so reasonable, why would she go to her mother's house?

This whole family is full of ungrateful people!
At this time, Jia Jing came in from outside.

Several people stood up and saluted.

"I, Xue Wang, greet Master Jia..."

Jia Jing waved his hand and smiled, "We are all family, there is no need to call me Lord Jia or not, just call me Big Brother."

He used thundering methods against Lady Wang and Jia Jing.

Jia Jing felt a little guilty towards Mrs. Xue, so he was very polite.

Mrs. Xue was even more flattered. She bowed and saluted with tears in her eyes. She became incoherent for a while.

Jia Jing smiled and comforted her for several times, and Aunt Xue gradually calmed down, but her eyes were still red.

Jia Jing looked at Baochai again and said with a smile, "This is Baochai's maid, isn't she? She's a good girl. No wonder Brother Xue was so proud of her back then. We are all envious of her."

Baochai blushed and bowed again.

"Thank you, Master."

Jia Jing smiled and nodded, then looked at Jia Rong and said, "Let's talk about the important matter you just mentioned. If anyone dares to bully the orphans and widows of the Xue family, I will never allow it!"

Jia Rong said respectfully, "This matter needs to be discussed in person by the aunt."

Jia Jing looked at Aunt Xue and said with a smile, "Don't worry, sister-in-law. Just tell me everything in detail! I will make the decision for the Xue family!"

Aunt Xue was so moved that she no longer cared about her brother Wang and her nephew. She told him everything that had happened and cried at the end, "I didn't expect that they would actually... wuwu!"

"Snapped!"

Jia Jing slammed the table hard.

"That's unreasonable!"

"There are actually such lawless and absurd things happening!"

"Brother Rong!"

Jia Rong stood up and said respectfully, "Yes!"

Jia Jing said coldly, "Write down what Madam Xue just said in detail and have Lai Er send it to Wang Ziteng. Give the Wang family two days to pay double the amount of silver to the Xue family. Otherwise, the case will be handed over to the Metropolitan Procuratorate for handling according to the law."

fun!
Two hundred thousand taels of silver.

The Wang family had to sell their ancestral home to pay compensation.

At this moment, Mrs. Xue suddenly felt compassionate and could not bear it any longer. She said, "You don't have to pay double. Just return the original money to our Xue family."

Jia Jing shook his head and said, "Sister-in-law, you don't understand. There are laws that stipulate that if there is extortion or fraud, the illegally obtained silver must be compensated to the victim one or two times, depending on the specific circumstances."

"Wang Zisheng and Wang Ren are obviously serious offenders, and double repayment is in line with the law."

Xue Baochai said, "Mother, what uncle said makes sense. Everything should be done according to the law so that the rules will not be disrupted. If everyone is partial and disregards the law, won't the world be in chaos?"

Jia Jing looked at Baochai and smiled with satisfaction: "Bao girl is very insightful. I can't be partial to your brother, but..."

Xue Baochai was cheered up when she heard this.

"Uncle, what do you mean?"

Aunt Xue opened her eyes wide.

Jia Jing took a sip of tea, stood up and muttered to himself, "This year, natural disasters occurred all over the country. The Ministry of Revenue has been in deficit every year and can't even provide disaster relief funds. The Minister of Revenue Liu Yan was forced to resign. Alas!"

Finished talking and left.

Aunt Xue and Baochai were left alone, looking at each other in bewilderment.

What does this mean, Grandpa?
"Cough cough."

Jia Rong held a pen in his hand and said, "Auntie, hurry up and tell us all the evidence of the Wang family's crimes. It will be too late if you are late!"

Aunt Xue asked anxiously, "Brother Rong, what did Grandpa mean by that?"

Jia Rong smiled and said, "It's not easy for the master to be partial, but he can let others be partial. I think if we donate 100,000 taels of silver to the Ministry of Revenue in the name of the Xue family, the Minister Liu will be able to grit his teeth and go to the palace in person to plead with the emperor."

"what!"

Aunt Xue opened her eyes wide and didn't know what to say for a moment.

"Isn't this a dream?"

Months of suffering can be solved by just a few words here?
What has she done in these few months!

Xue Baochai said happily, "Mom, why don't you tell me the whole story? My brother can be saved!"

Aunt Xue burst into tears of joy and said, "Yes, Pan'er, my son..."

Fearing that the two would be too happy, Jia Rong first poured a basin of cold water on them and said sternly, "Auntie, Aunt Bao, don't have too high expectations. After all, the case has been sentenced. There is basically no hope of overturning the verdict. You can only hope for a commutation of sentence. It is estimated that more people will be exiled."

"Exile is fine, as long as it doesn't involve beheading."

Aunt Xue really doesn’t have too high expectations now. As long as she doesn’t see her son’s head chopped off, everything else is fine.

Jia Rong prepared his pen and ink, and said, "Then quickly tell us all the evidence of the Wang family's crimes in detail. It's best to make it more ruthless so that we can give Brother Xue a glimmer of hope!"

Although exile is still a life-or-death struggle, and one cannot return to one's homeland for life, which is almost like death, it still leaves people with a glimmer of hope...

Wang Ziteng...

I’ll confiscate your house first, and then you can take office without any troops!
(End of this chapter)