Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

Before Jia Jing returned to the mansion, she was worried that he would take drastic measures against the servants and punish them.

After waiting and waiting for months without any progress, we thought the matter was over, but then it was brought up again!

Grandmother Jia looked troubled and asked in a hoarse voice:

"Has Jing-ge heard some rumors outside again?"

Not only Grandmother Jia, but also Lady Wang, Lady Xing, Sister Feng, Lady You and others in the hall looked at Jia Jing with different expressions.

Lady Wang's face was clouded with worry. She wondered who this illegitimate son was referring to as a corrupt, lawless, and arrogant servant who took advantage of his age.

You should know that apart from the Lai family, most of the servants in the mansion were actually her people, the lady of the house.

The loss of Wu Xindeng, Shan Daliang, and a few others had already broken her heart; did she really want to implicate even more people?

Jia Jing said with a cold expression:

"A few days ago, I received a report from a member of my clan that three thousand taels of silver of the eight thousand taels I allocated to build the clan school and the Jisheng Hall had been embezzled by someone."

"I then ordered someone to investigate the servants in the manor to see who was so audacious as to embezzle even my silver."

"The investigation revealed a whole host of problems; the family's roots were rotten to the core! The more we investigated, the more problems we found."

"Just like the Lai family, Lai Da and Lai Sheng, as the chief stewards of the Rong and Ning mansions, were in charge of all the projects, procurement and other affairs of the mansions."

"Over the years, they have embezzled tens of thousands of taels of silver from the household. Compared to them, Wu Xindeng and his family are nothing but small fry."

"Lai, the servant, is a blatant traitor who enriches himself at the expense of the family. The household is always running into deficit, yet he has built gardens and acquired estates covering thousands of acres. He has over a hundred servants, and his manners and behavior are more like those of a master than ours!"

"Even his grandson spent over ten thousand taels to bribe his way into becoming a county magistrate; he's even more successful than our master's young master!"

"People say that even a seventh-rank official can rise above the prime minister's gate, but in our household, even our servant's grandson is a seventh-rank county magistrate! It's utterly ridiculous!"

"And what about Zhou Rui's family? Her son-in-law, Leng Zixing, runs an antique shop and has been involved in numerous lawsuits. She abused her power for personal gain and interfered with the judiciary to protect him."

"Relying on the power of my Rongguo Mansion, they break the law and violate regulations outside, showing no restraint!"

"And then there's Granny Fei in the east courtyard, who spends her days showing off her glib tongue and stirring up trouble because her master is stupid and weak."

"Sow discord and sow discord in front of your master—is this how a servant should behave?"

"And there's Zhao, the wet nurse in my second sister's courtyard. She's arrogant and doesn't know her place because she nursed the master."

"She frequently sneaks into her second sister's room to steal her jewelry and gold to gamble. Her second sister is gentle and doesn't hold it against her, but she only becomes more brazen and increasingly forgets her duties as a servant!"

"If we don't teach these unruly and wicked servants a lesson, what will become of them in the future!"

Jia Jing spoke sternly and forcefully, his words were logical and well-founded, as if he knew them by heart, leaving everyone present stunned!

The Lai family were servants of Grandmother Jia, Zhou Rui's family were servants of Lady Wang, and Granny Fei was a servant of Lady Xing. Each of them was a respectable figure among the servants.

Judging from Jia Jing's words, it seems he intends to capture them all in one fell swoop, which is no small matter.

Madam Wang's fair face darkened again, but she had made up her mind not to speak easily today.

Let the old lady stand in front; she doesn't believe the old lady would abandon the Lai family!

Madam Xing was originally enjoying watching Madam Wang's misfortune, but today Madam Wang being scolded made her feel extremely comforted!

She had always been at a disadvantage in front of Madam Wang, and had never seen such a wonderful scene before!

She never expected that the fire would spread to her when she turned around, causing her expression to fluctuate wildly!

This heartless wretch! He even dares to call himself stupid and cowardly!

Sister Feng's phoenix eyes widened, her heart pounding. The third brother was indeed the third brother; his skills were extraordinary.

This completely disregards the old lady's feelings and aims to wipe out all the powerful servants in the Lai and Zhou families' mansions!

However, given the third brother's courage and status, it's quite possible that he could actually accomplish this!

Is the Lai family really that rich?

After investigating for so many days, Lian Er and I still haven't found out that they embezzled more than 100,000 taels of silver!

This is even more than the Rongguo Mansion's treasury!

Sister Feng's eyes lit up at the thought. If she could confiscate the Lai family's property, wouldn't she be rich?

Madam You and Qin Keqing looked on with envy. How wonderful it would be if such a strong and upright man came from their East Mansion!

Grandmother Jia said with some disbelief:

"This...this is all true? They embezzled over ten thousand taels of silver? The Lai family has been around for generations; could there be some misunderstanding?"

Grandmother Jia was somewhat shocked when Jia Jing said that the Lai family had embezzled over 100,000 taels of silver from the Jia family.

She knew that the two sons of the Lai family were the head stewards of the Rong and Ning mansions, and it was inevitable that they would embezzle some money.

After all, the emperor doesn't lack hungry soldiers, and it's always necessary to squeeze out some profits.

But she never expected that she could embezzle over 100,000 taels of silver, which was no small sum.

Even with all the money she had saved over the years, plus her dowry, she didn't have that much savings!

This servant is richer than her, the matriarch of the Jia family! How can this be allowed!

Jia Jing said with a solemn expression:

"The tens of thousands of taels of silver are just what they have embezzled from the mansion over the years. They have also used the influence of my Jia family to lend money at high interest rates, run gambling dens and shops, and interfere in lawsuits, making a fortune."

"His current net worth is at least 300,000 taels of silver; his family has more silver than our entire household's treasury. That's absolutely true!"

"They make money, while we, their masters, don't get a single benefit; on the contrary, we lose our reputation! This is simply outrageous!"

"Furthermore, those two Lai brothers are quite the servants. In the mansion, Lian-ge'er and Rong-ge'er have to call them 'Grandpa Lai' when they see them. Don't they have any sense of hierarchy?"

"What I mean is, let's thoroughly rectify this unhealthy family atmosphere today! Let's eradicate all shady dealings!"

"These wicked and unruly lackeys must be severely punished! Whether they break the law, engage in corruption, or abuse their seniority and use their words to bully others, they must all be dealt with severely!"

"The old family tradition of being kind and weak can no longer continue. If we, the leaders, are too kind, the servants below will become arrogant and spoiled."

"My Jia family is a top-tier military family in the Han Dynasty. We must govern our family with military discipline and rebuild a clean and upright family tradition!"

Jia Jing's words carried the iron-fisted tone of a military general, clearly indicating his readiness to deliver a heavy blow and severely punish the Lai family and their servants.

Grandmother Jia was startled. Although she had also planned to deal with the servants, including the Lai family, she did not want to be too harsh.