The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 61 Reporting to the Authorities in the Street (First Update)
The cries and screams from the Chen family continued unabated, and the neighbors found them terrifying.

The Jia family is very powerful, but the Chen family also has officials.

Although they deeply resented Chen Wangshi's abuse of Chen Tang and Jia Yan, if the Jia family had truly committed murder, and the Chen family's house had become a haunted house, what would happen to them, the neighbors...?

Those with less courage would have already secretly sent someone to report it to the authorities.

However, no one came after waiting for a while.

hum~
Were the people from the Five Cities Garrison and Shuntian Prefecture all dead?
As more and more people came to report to the authorities, the two sides finally arrived late.

But Jia Zheng was one step ahead of them.

The carriage sped along Fulong Street toward the Chen family's house. As he occasionally lifted the curtain, he saw the people gathered in front of the Chen family's gate, and he felt both angry and ashamed.

Although Chen Chong was his subordinate, he was kind and honest, and was one of the few friends he could get along with in the Ministry of Works.

What are Big Brother and Zhen'er trying to do?
Isn't that how all women give birth?
Even if Chen Chong's wife did something wrong, it should be You Shi and Feng Jie who should step in.

If they find it inconvenient that the eldest sister-in-law of the East Mansion is too young and hasn't had children, there's always Wang Shi.

These two grown men, acting like this, have completely humiliated him.

Jia Zheng's face was extremely ugly. As soon as the carriage stopped, he lifted the curtain and jumped down.

The cries and sobs of the Chen family filled my ears.

Dressed in official robes, Jia Zheng walked briskly. The neighbors who had been watching the Chen family closely breathed a sigh of relief when they saw him arrive.

"Stop! Big brother, Zhen'er, what are you doing?"

Jia Zheng tried to stop the servant who was cracking open the man's skull, but the man wouldn't listen at all. When he saw Jia Zheng coming over, he even sped up his actions.

"Ahhhh~~~~"

The Wang family members, whose jaws had been dislocated, didn't even have such fluent screams.

At this moment, every single one of them had snot and tears all over their faces, looking as miserable as could be.

"I told you to stop, didn't you hear me?"

Jia Zheng was furious.

"Is Uncle Zheng going to protect the person who harmed my mother?"

Jia Zhen's voice was cold, "Or... are you in cahoots with them?"

what?
Jia Zheng, who was about to explode in anger, was stunned. "Harm...harm my sister-in-law?"

He glanced hurriedly towards the room from which he could faintly hear a baby crying. "Is my sister-in-law here?"

What are you talking about?

Jia She had no idea what was wrong with his brother's brain. This was the Chen family home, and his sister-in-law would never have a child here. "Zhen'er, quickly take care of everything that needs to be done, and report it to the authorities!"

"beat!"

Jia Zhen suddenly swung his hand down, and those who hadn't been helped by the midwife were each hit with a board.

The screams of "Ahhh!" resounded again, as if someone had really died.

"Xing'er, report this to the authorities!"

"Yes!"

Xing'er rushed out in a hurry. The Five Cities Military Command and the Shuntian Prefecture yamen runners were about to meet when the Jia family actually wanted to report to the authorities.
Did they mishear, or did they come in the wrong way?
"Please wait a moment, gentlemen, I need to hire a lawyer."

Xing'er cupped his hands and said in a loud voice, "I'm suing the Chen family for murder and robbery on behalf of my master, Kui! They tried to kill my master and seize the Jia family's assets."

"..."

"..."

Everyone was utterly stunned.

but……

"Oh, I knew something was wrong!"

A man who had witnessed the whole thing slapped his thigh hard. "Uncle Kui came to save his sister's life. He initially brought only old women and maids, but he was beaten bloody and lying on the ground. And now..."

He looked at Xing'er, as if asking him how Grandpa Kui was doing.

Xing'er cupped his hands in thanks, "Big brother is so righteous!"

Xing'er, a wealthy servant of the Jia family who aspired to become the steward of the Ningguo Mansion, was quite eloquent. He bowed to the group around him, avoiding Jia Kui, whom everyone was concerned about, and instead said, "Everyone, my aunt is married into the Chen family. For her sake, our Jia family has no choice but to support the Chen family."

"If they hadn't been pushed to the brink, who would have gone to such lengths?"

That day, Chen Tang wanted to attend the affiliated school of the Jia family. He followed the old man the whole time and knew how difficult it was for Chen Tang.

Xing'er was filled with righteous indignation. "There's an old saying: 'Better to have a beggar mother than an official father.' Master Chen has forgotten his old love for his new one. He's living off his late wife's dowry, but he doesn't care about my son-in-law Chen Tang's life or death. All the old people on Fulong Street know that my son-in-law Chen Tang passed the imperial examination at the age of sixteen, but he either fell ill or broke his leg during his subsequent attempts to take the exam."

If you have a student like this in your family, who would be willing to let him have one accident after another before the exam?
They still have the nerve to say things like, "You can't start a family without studying." Pah! They clearly want their second son to surpass them.

Everyone on Fulong Street knows about this. My son-in-law is twenty-five years old. When Mr. Chen saw that he couldn't delay any longer, he finally arranged for my aunt to marry him.

My poor Uncle Kui and Auntie lost both their parents at a young age and relied on each other for over a decade. They heard that the groom was indeed a man of noble character, and Master Chen promised to separate the family property after the marriage, so they agreed to the marriage and entered into this den of wolves.

what?
More and more people gathered around.

Everyone's eyes lit up.

Oh dear, I knew it! How did Chen Tang suddenly end up marrying a girl from the Jia family?

Although she was from a collateral branch of the Jia family, many people had seen her dowry back then, and it was quite substantial.

I didn't expect that...

"When it came to dividing the family property, Wang made a scene and even threatened to hang herself. Instead of disciplining his wife, Master Chen accused my son-in-law and aunt of being troublesome and unfilial, dragging them into the Chen family mansion without giving them a single penny. My son-in-law was able to pass the imperial examination and become a scholar entirely thanks to the support and care of my aunt and Uncle Kui."

Xing'er was furious. He had been kicked in the lower back by someone and it still ached. "What's even more infuriating is that Wang Shi made my aunt serve her by washing her feet and pouring water when she was eight months pregnant. My aunt slipped and fell, and my husband tried to go out to find a midwife that very night, but he was locked up in the ancestral hall."

Oh dear, are you trying to kill someone?
Seeing Xing'er's teary eyes, everyone felt even more sympathy for the pregnant woman inside, whose life hung in the balance.

“My aunt was in so much pain that she screamed all night. What kind of midwife did the Chen family hire this morning? That old woman Wu was clearly a midwife for animals.”

Xing'er's voice cracked as she shouted, "My master Kui was worried about my sister. He heard that her husband hadn't gone to school today, so he rushed over to inquire. But they wouldn't let him in. He finally found out, but he couldn't find a midwife anywhere in the surrounding streets. So he had no choice but to come to our Ningguo Mansion for help."

My wife is also about to give birth, and upon hearing this, she hurriedly called over the two midwives who are taking care of her, hoping to be on the safe side. But where are they?

Xing'er's voice rose again, "They attacked the midwives. Granny Zhong's head was split open, and Granny Liu's right hand was broken. Among so many old women and maids, they were the most seriously injured. Do you think this can be an accident?"

This couldn't possibly be an accident.

Everyone was filled with righteous indignation.

"The Chen and Wang families not only want my aunt's life, but they also want my wife's life. This is intolerable! From this day forward, the Jia family will sever all ties with the Chen family. If my aunt and wife are safe, all is well; but if anything happens to them..."

Xing'er roared, "The Chen and Wang families are my family's enemies. From now on, I will beat them every time I see them."

He bowed to the increasingly angry crowd and asked, "May I ask if there are any lawyers present?"

"I'm a lawyer!"

On Fulong Street, when a man who often wrote letters and legal documents for others raised his hand, the crowd automatically made way for him, saying, "I know everything about this matter, and I will definitely write the legal document."

"Thank you sir!"

Xing'er bowed deeply and said, "Please come in with me, sir and gentlemen."

Everyone inside could hear the noise outside. Jia Zheng stood there dumbfounded, completely unaware of what day it was.

Is Joan Chen that kind of person?

Was the Chen family targeting the eldest sister-in-law?

This this……

He was pulled aside in a daze, staring blankly as the officers of the Five Cities Garrison and the yamen runners of Shuntian Prefecture lifted up the men who had put their jaws back on.

“My lords, the people whose heads were hit and whose right hands were broken are the ones who beat the midwife and my master Kui.” Xing’er knew that there were some things his master couldn’t say, and he was afraid that the lawyers and yamen runners would feel sorry for these people after seeing their miserable state. “My master Kui was hit on the head and has not woken up yet. His life or death is still unknown.”

"..."

"..."

The constables, who had just felt some sympathy for the Chen and Wang families and thought the Jia family had been too ruthless, became a bit harsher when they detained these people.

"Sorry to trouble you all."

Jia Zhen, unusually, bowed to the yamen runners and was quite satisfied with Xing'er. "Xing'er, you'll be in charge of this matter." With that, he waved his hand and said, "Men, bring in our family members, let's go!"

Before he finished speaking, the old women who had been prepared inside carried Jia Yan out, who was covered up tightly.

"Yan'er, Yan'er..."

Tears streamed down Chen Tang's face as she suddenly knelt down. "I, Chen Tang, hereby sever all ties with the Chen family. I beg my uncle to take me in."

With a thud, he hit his head on the ground.

"...Have you thought it through?"

"I've thought it through." Chen Tang's tears fell onto the bluestone slab, soaking a large area. "The lives of the three of us have already been lost once to the Chen family. Even if I, Chen Tang, owe the Chen family something, I've repaid it this time. From now on, I will take my mother's surname and change my name to Liu Tang."

"Okay! Take it with you."

A bench was placed over, and as Chen Tang was helped to lie down shakily, his eyes were still fixed on his wife, who remained motionless.

After his mother passed away, all the warmth he received in his life came from his wife and son, Kui Ge'er.

Before long, the Chen family's gate was opened wide, and eight people were carried out.

The one walking at the front was none other than the Jia family's aunt who had just given birth. Unfortunately, she was covered up so tightly that no one knew whether she was alive or dead.

Behind them was Chen Tang, who was uncovered, his clothes were covered in blood, and his face was ashen. Behind him was Jia Kui, who was covered with a blanket, but his face was covered in blood, and his hands were hanging limply. His fate was also unknown.

Oops~
The Chen family is truly ruthless!

No stepmother is ever a good person.

The crowd glanced sympathetically at the baby in the swaddling clothes, then looked at the five people behind them. Oh dear, they were all unconscious with blood on their heads.

"Look!"

Behind them were seven people who walked with a limp, with strips of cloth hanging from their hands and covered in blood.

This is a real fight; no wonder they were screaming like that inside.

The three masters of the Jia family boarded the carriage with grim faces, while a group of servants carried and supported the injured man, moving slowly forward.

At this moment, no one called them slaves anymore.

Everyone silently made way and watched them leave.

The wailing in the Chen family courtyard was still going on, but with Manager Chen of Huichuntang there, all the injured had been treated, and they were in much better shape than the Jia family from before.

Chen Chong arrived late at this point.

The carriage stopped, and the sound of crying inside the house made his heart tighten. He jumped down and rushed inside.

"Pah!" an old woman shouted angrily from behind, "What is that?"

Within half an hour, word of the bustling activity on Fulong Street had spread far and wide.

Some say someone in the Jia family has died, others say the Chen family's yard is covered in blood...

The people from the Imperial Censorate couldn't help but turn around more often.

Unfortunately, the Chen family's gate was tightly closed, and nothing could be seen.

Left with no other option, they went to the Shuntian Prefecture government office again.

At this moment, Jia Zhen and Lady You were extremely worried.

Neither of them dared to tell Shen Ning about it.

Shopkeeper Chen said that his mother was old and could go into premature labor at any time if she was stimulated. If the two midwives were injured and unable to take care of the delivery, then...

Jia Zhen paced back and forth in the room.

He has already sent several groups of people out to find midwives in more distant places, hoping that those people are not bribed.

Stop beating around the bush.

Ms. You was quite angry.

If Jia Zhen had run faster, neither of the midwives would have gotten into trouble.

"Even if we manage to avoid it today, Mother will still ask about the two midwives tomorrow."

They don't need anyone else to spread this; they can't hide it from them.

They had to tell their mother in person that Granny Zhong and Granny Liu could no longer help with childbirth.

The mere thought of the potential trauma her mother might suffer filled You with murderous rage.

"Find a few more, then..."

Madam You gritted her teeth, "I'll stay with Mother."

Anyone who dares to make a move will have their entire family killed.

"..."

Jia Zhen patted his wife's hand silently, "I'll listen to you."

His voice was trembling.

He has been very uneasy ever since his mother became pregnant with their second child.

He had finally found hope and was starting to have expectations for his second child. But then, someone dared to attack his mother and the second child right in front of him.

Jia Zhen longed to go find his father.

Although he inherited the title of Ningguo Mansion, he knew that it was his father who had always been the one supporting the family.

He could jump up and fight with someone, but he couldn't compare to his father just standing there quietly.

now……

Jia Zhen wiped away the tears that were about to fall, "I will be grateful to you for the rest of my life if you take good care of my mother."

Madam You: "..."

Her eyes also turned red.

She nestled gently into his arms, saying, "Mother is not only yours, but also mine. I will risk my life to take care of her."

Not long after she married into the family, her mother went to a Taoist temple with her father.

Even though she comes back a few times a year, they don't spend much time together, so she doesn't know how good she is.

but now……

"You also need to investigate Jia Kui and Chen Tang thoroughly. This matter may be even more outrageous than we imagined."

"I know!"

Jia Zhen hugged his wife, "I've already had Jiao Da investigate, and there's a problem..." He gritted his teeth, "I'll wipe out his whole family."

If anything happens to his mother, no one will get away with it.

He should not be comfortable with anything he doubts.

At this moment, Jia Zhen's eyes seemed to harbor a fierce wolf, devoid of his previous tranquility.

The second update will be tonight. Please vote, any kind of vote is fine.