The Red Chamber: Starting from Saving Xue Baochai

Chapter 19: Confiscating Jia Yucun's Property and Condemning Him

When Jia Yucun heard this, his expression suddenly changed.

The matter of letting Guo Tai play a dirty trick on Shen Yuan had been exposed before, so it was okay. He came here tonight to bridge the gap caused by this matter.

How did this young man know that someone had drugged Shen Yuan?
I'm afraid this matter will be difficult to resolve peacefully.

Jia Yucun looked gloomy, but he denied it. "What do you mean by drugging me? I don't know what Shen Jieyuan meant by that."

Shen Yuan pondered and said, "It shouldn't be difficult for me to find the waiter who drugged me."

Jia Yucun was shocked and his face turned gloomy, knowing that the waiter had most likely fallen into Shen Yuan's hands.

At this point, there was no more room for argument, so Jia Yucun said coldly: "Since you have already passed the exam, it means that the waiter did not succeed, and in fact did not lead to any bad consequences.

Why do you have to hold on to these little things from the past? It is better to resolve a feud than to create one. "

Upon hearing this, Shen Yuan sneered, "So this is how Lord Jia views these two matters, only focusing on the results, regardless of the motives?

The first time, Lord Jia wanted to take my life, the second time, Lord Jia wanted to ruin my future. Do you think these two things are just trivial matters?"

"Even so, there is no need for you to be my enemy." Jia Yucun heard the boy's cold tone and knew that it would be difficult for their relationship to ease, so he turned his words into a threat: "I am the prefect of Yingtian after all, and I will soon be promoted to the third rank of councilor. It will not do you any good to be hostile to me. From now on, it is better for you and me to go our separate ways and have no involvement with each other."

"Master Jia," Shen Yuan said indifferently, "It is important for a person to know himself, but you are completely unaware of your own nature. You are a selfish and untrustworthy person at heart."

As long as he finds an opportunity, Jia Yucun will definitely try to trip up Shen Yuan secretly and will never consider what he has said before.

Such an extreme egoist is not worthy of anyone's trust.

Jia Yucun was depressed, his old face had turned purple from anger. He was a dignified fourth-rank prefect, but now he was being called a dishonest villain by a young man in front of him.

"I would like to remind Shen Jieyuan, don't forget how your Wu Xiucai came from?"

"Threatening me?" Shen Yuan sneered, "Master Jia, just report me to the governor's office. Do you think my merits of beheading the bandit leader and killing more than a hundred bandits are enough to donate a military scholar?"

This matter does not pose a threat to Shen Yuan at the moment. On the contrary, Jia Yucun is responsible for concealing his achievements.

Upon hearing this, Jia Yucun felt inexplicably flustered. He suddenly realized that he couldn't play the only card in his hand.

However, Shen Yuan still holds the fatal handle on him, the truth of the Feng Yuan case.

He didn't know since when he lost any means of checks and balances on the young man in front of him. Thinking of this, Jia Yucun couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat on his back.

However, what he didn't know was that Shen Yuan had never thought of using the "Feng Yuan case" card from the beginning to the end. After all, he had to consider his relationship with Xue Baochai.

Jia Yucun didn't even know that while he was talking with Shen Yuan, a catastrophic crisis was brewing.

"What do you want to do?" After thinking for a long time, Jia Yucun realized that he had no choice but to admit defeat, and he suddenly became dejected.

"Nothing else, I just want to get something from Lord Jia?"

"what?"

"Master Jia will know soon."

Jia Yucun didn't understand, but he didn't ask any more questions. He could only wait for Shen Yuan to make a request.

He was extremely regretful at this moment, and only hated himself for being indecisive at the time and failing to get rid of Shen Yuan with thundering means. However, he never reflected on the fact that he should not have offended this young man.

Shen Yuan looked at Jia Yucun, who had a dejected look on his face, but there was no ripple in his heart.

He does not need to show any mercy to such people. All he needs to do is kill them and destroy their hearts.

The two had nothing much to talk about next. After a moment of silence, Jia Yucun left Tongfu Inn and Shen Yuan returned to his room.

Not long after Jia Yucun left, the doorman came secretly. When he saw Shen Yuan, he said excitedly, "Sir, it's done!"

As he said this, he respectfully handed an account book to Shen Yuan.

At the hour of Hai, in front of the Governor’s office.

As dusk fell, under the eaves of the green-walled and red-tiled house, a lantern with the word "Governor" written on it hung.

In the dim light, the guards could clearly see the young man riding towards them.

"Shen Jieyuan came here late at night. This is..."

"I have something important to report to the Governor."

The guard knew that the young man in front of him had a special relationship with the governor, so he did not dare to neglect him and said, "Shen Jieyuan, please wait in the front hall. Let me go and report first."

"Thank you." Shen Yuan nodded and followed the guards into the front hall.

Governor Jiang Zhongnian, helped by his servants, had just taken off his official uniform and put on a long gown. He sat down on a chair in the back hall, sipping his tea, slightly closing his eyes and resting.

"Sir, Shen Jieyuan came to visit and said he had something important to report."

When Jiang Zhongnian heard the report from the guard, he was stunned and quite surprised.

"Let him come over."

"Yes, my lord."

After a while, Shen Yuan entered the back hall.

"Your Excellency the Governor."

"Sit down and talk. There are no outsiders here. Just call me uncle."

Jiang Zhongnian said this and told someone to pour Shen Yuan a cup of tea. He then asked them to leave, leaving Jiang Zhongnian and Shen Yuan alone in the room.

"Tell me, why did you come to see me so late at night?"

"Uncle, take a look at this." Shen Yuan handed over the account book in his hand.

Jiang Zhongnian took it, flipped through it quickly, and immediately his mind focused.

"This..." He had been an official for many years, so how could he not know what this was? He hurriedly asked, "Where did you get it?"

"The study of Jia Yucun, the prefect of Yingtian."

Afterwards, Shen Yuan told Jiang Zhongnian in detail how he bribed the doorman to steal the account books.

At the same time, he also talked about the grievances between him and Jia Yucun, including the bandit suppression and the fact that Jia Yucun had someone drug him.

There is nothing to hide about these things, so it is better to say them out in advance to avoid Jia Yucun making random accusations and putting himself in a passive position.

After hearing this, Jiang Zhongnian did not care too much about his identity as a Wu Xiucai. Compared with the account books in front of him, it was nothing. Besides, Shen Yuan was indeed talented, so it was not wrong to say that he obtained the title of Wu Xiucai through donations.

"This is a serious matter. After all, it involves a fourth-rank prefect. Is the evidence reliable?"

Shen Yuan nodded and said, "The doorman of the government office and Guo Tai, the garrison commander of Yingtian Prefecture, can both testify to the details of the bandit suppression. This account book was stolen from Jia Yucun's study by the doorman, and the proceeds of his corruption are all in the dark room of the study."

Jiang Zhongnian thought for a moment after hearing this, and then made up his mind. He said to the person outside the door in a deep voice: "Come here, quickly notify the Censor Zhong to come over."

Yingtian Prefecture Yamen, study.

After Jia Yucun came back from Tongfu Inn, he had been feeling uneasy. Even though it was almost midnight, he still couldn't fall asleep.

He kept thinking about Shen Yuan's words. He didn't understand what the young man wanted to take from him. He always had a bad feeling.

Just as Jia Yucun was lost in thought, he suddenly heard a noisy sound coming from outside the room.

"Who's making the noise?"

No one responded to him, but soon, a loud voice rang out: "Censor Zhong Huai has been ordered to investigate the case, everyone, get out of the way!"

The shout was particularly abrupt in the night, but it left Jia Yucun a little confused.

The prosecutor investigates the case?
What case are you investigating? Aren’t you in the Yingtian government office?

This state of confusion did not last long, and suddenly, the Censor Zhong Huai led a dozen officers and soldiers and walked quickly into the study.

"Prefect Jia, someone has reported you for corruption and taking huge bribes. Will you confess yourself or wait for me to search and investigate?"

As Zhong Huai spoke, he raised the account book in his hand and shook it.

Jia Yucun looked at the familiar account book, then looked at the doorman behind Zhong Huai, and he understood everything at once, his head buzzing.

Suddenly, a golden light flashed in my mind, and then I suddenly realized.

Everything was Shen Yuan's revenge. What the young man wanted to take away from him was all his fame and fortune, and maybe even his life.

Jia Yucun suddenly felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, and felt cold all over.
The next day, a piece of news shocked the entire Yingtian Prefecture.

The prefect of Yingtian, Jia Yucun, accepted bribes amounting to hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. His property was confiscated and he was dismissed from his post due to his huge amount of corruption. He will be punished after the governor reports to His Majesty.

According to past practice, I am afraid that he would be exiled at least a thousand miles away. Once exiled, the mountains are high and the roads are long, so it is normal for something to happen on the way.
With the fall of Jia Yucun, the truth about the bandit suppression incident that had earlier shocked Yingtian Prefecture was also revealed.

"The sixth day of the eighth month, the sixteenth year of Yuanzhen."

Shen Yuan couldn't bear to see the bandits wreaking havoc in the village, so he sneaked in alone to investigate, secretly beheaded the bandit leader and returned.

Later, he led the government troops back and wiped out Aomen Village in one fell swoop.

From then on, there was no more banditry in Yingtian Prefecture.

In this battle, Shen Yuan killed more than a hundred bandits alone, his shirt stained with blood.

Based on the information released by the government, Hanmo Zhai reworded and compiled this announcement, published it in folk tabloids, and will soon be distributed to various places.

When Shen Yuan learned the content of the announcement, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch a few times.

Could it be that Hanmo Zhai has seen how well the tabloid about him sold last time and is now targeting him?
But although this wording is basically true, why does it feel more and more like it is developing in the direction of fiction?

What does it mean to "can't bear to see the bandits wreaking havoc in the village, so I sneaked in alone to investigate"? He was obviously kidnapped and taken to the mountain.
However, he did not correct this kind of positive publicity, after all, it was not easy for the editor who wrote the statement.
As a result, the proclamation was passed on by word of mouth, becoming more and more mysterious.
"Those bastards in Aomen Village usually commit murder and arson, and do all kinds of evil. They are so arrogant, but who knew that they have been targeted by Shen Jieyuan for a long time."

"I heard that Shen Jieyuan easily took the head of the bandit leader Ao Debiao from among thousands of bandits, as if he was taking something out of a bag!"

"Is this still a human?"

"That's Wu Quxing coming to the world."

"I heard in the notice that Shen Jieyuan single-handedly killed more than a hundred bandit leaders, as easy as drinking water!"

"Brother, what ancient version are you talking about? I heard that you killed more than a thousand thieves!"

"Hiss, no wonder he got hurt in the end."

"Injured? Bullshit! Who the hell told you that Shen Jieyuan was injured?"

"Didn't the tabloids say that the blue shirt was stained with blood?"

"You're fucking brainless, aren't you? How could that blood be Shen Jieyuan's? It's clearly the blood of the bandits!"

"."

From then on, Shen Yuan's name could no longer be described as famous throughout Jinling, but was simply deified throughout the entire Jiangnan region.
After getting rid of Jia Yucun, Shen Yuan's affairs in Jinling came to a temporary end. The next step was to arrange his trip to Beijing.

Taiping Lake, on a two-story boat.

Shen Yuan and Baochai sat side by side in the room, and the maid Ying'er was once again ordered to make tea in the corner.

"Shen Lang, it turned out that you were the one who killed those bandits. Were you injured at that time?"

Baochai had also read the tabloids in Hanmozhai. When she learned that her lover was the hero who wiped out Aomen Village, her heart beat rapidly and the gold locket on her chest rose and fell accordingly.

Although the mountain village was their place of origin, those bad guys deserved their punishment.

When the girl saw the 'blood-stained blue shirt', she imagined a bunch of dangerous scenes, and her heart couldn't stop being filled with fear.

Although the incident has passed, I am still afraid that something might happen to the boy.

Shen Yuan held the girl's delicate hand and said gently, "No, don't worry, sister."

"That's good."

Shen Yuan looked at the soft and fair face in front of him. Baochai had specially put on some light makeup and dressed up today, wanting to show her most beautiful look to her lover.

Women dress themselves to please themselves. The girl's beautiful appearance at this moment is particularly charming, and her two cherry-red lips make Shen Yuan's heart especially moved.

"I haven't seen you for a few days. I guess you missed me, sister?"

"Hmm~"

Before the girl responded, she felt a warm breath, and then her red lips were covered and she let out a moan.

This familiar voice made a maid in the corner tremble slightly. Ying'er chewed the candied haws in her little mouth, as if she was eating dog food.
While Shen Yuan was grabbing the sweetness, his hands began to move.

Baochai felt dizzy at the moment and was powerless to stop the big hand, so she could only let the young man do what he wanted.

After a long time, the two separated their lips and the girl was embraced by the boy.

The young man lowered his head and whispered softly.

"Has Aunt already confirmed the date for going to Beijing?"

The girl felt the damp heat coming from her earlobe, and her body couldn't help but tremble slightly. She spoke in an unsteady voice: "Yes, it's confirmed. It's scheduled for the tenth day of September."

"Oh, after the Double Ninth Festival." Shen Yuan kissed Baochai's pink earlobe and said softly, "I will go with my sister."

Baochai's face was filled with shame at this moment, and the blush extended all the way to her neck.

"How should I tell my mother?"

"No need to say anything. Just think of it as an accidental encounter at the ferry. We just happened to be traveling together. It will be safer on the road."

It is more than a thousand miles from Jinling to the capital, and no one knows what will happen on the way. With Wu Jieyuan from Jinling accompanying them, Aunt Xue and Xue Pan should be happy to agree.

After a pause, Shen Yuan added: "There is one more thing I need to tell my sister in advance."

"Ok?"

"A few days ago, Marquis Zhongjing came to me and asked me to escort his niece to the capital. However, I am a man after all, so it would be inconvenient. I would like to let her stay with her sister as a companion, okay?"

Baochai was slightly startled when she heard this, a strange look appeared on her beautiful face, and she asked softly, "The niece of Marquis Zhongjing? Is she the Miss Xiangyun from the Shi family?"

"Sister, do you know Miss Shi?" Shen Yuan suddenly understood as soon as he said this.

The four major families of Jia, Wang, Shi and Xue are closely related, and Xue Baochai and Shi Xiangyun are both from Jinling, so it is not surprising that they know each other.

Baochai nodded her head and said with a sweet smile, "Well, our two families have had frequent exchanges in the past, and I often play with sister Yun."

"This way, it will save a lot of trouble. You can directly tell Aunt Xue about this matter and say that Miss Shi hopes to go to the capital with you. I was entrusted by Marquis Zhongjing to escort Miss Shi."

If Shen Yuan had known that the two of them knew each other earlier, he wouldn't have had to think about the chance encounter at the ferry.

After the matter was agreed upon, Shen Yuan started to behave dishonestly again.

"Sister, let me take another look at the golden lock"

Xue Baochai: “.”

Ying'er: "(⊙▽⊙)"

(End of this chapter)