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

After thinking it over in his heart, Jia Jing said to Grandmother Jia:

"Grandma, my personal guards have gone to arrest the person. I'll go back to the courtyard to handle this matter."

"The scene that follows may be a bit unsightly. The old lady is always kind-hearted and can't stand such gruesome scenes."

"Why don't you rest at Rongqing Hall? Your second sister-in-law and the others can keep you company while I handle things on my end. I'll have someone come and let you know the results later. What do you think?"

The reason Jia Jing went to Jingwu Academy to handle this matter was twofold: firstly, Rongqing Hall was the inner quarters, and it was not appropriate to gather all the servants and young men of the mansion there.

Secondly, it was intentional to make Jingwu Academy the key place for the Jia family to handle important matters, rather than Rongqing Hall and Rongxi Hall.

Grandmother Jia was somewhat displeased upon hearing this.

Although she was mentally prepared to stay out of things.

But at this moment, the household is about to undergo such a major change, how could she sit still in Rongqing Hall waiting for the result?

Grandmother Jia frowned and said calmly:

"How can I sit still? I have nothing else to do, so I'll go and take a look at your place."

Sister Feng, standing to the side, smiled, blinked her phoenix eyes, and said:

"Third brother! Sister-in-law, I also want to see how you men outside handle things. It would be good to learn a little from you. Don't worry, I'll just watch and not say a word."

Madam Wang and Madam Xing certainly couldn't not go, as this matter concerned their servants and their own interests; how could they feel at ease if they didn't go and keep an eye on things?

Aunt Xue, Madam You, and Qin Keqing, standing to the side, looked hesitant. They also wanted to see how Jia Jing would discipline the servants in the mansion.

With such a grand spectacle, how could they not be curious about how things would unfold next?

However, this was, after all, a family matter of the Rongguo Mansion, and it involved many male servants and stewards, so it was inconvenient for the female members of the family to show their faces and watch the spectacle.

Grandmother Jia said to Aunt Xue:

"Aunt, I'm sorry to have made a fool of myself today. These servants in the manor are behaving terribly; it's all because I've been too lenient with them all these years!"

Aunt Xue smiled and replied:

"What are you saying, old lady! Every family has its own problems!"

"The old lady is kind and considerate, and there's nothing wrong with that! It's just that those servants don't know their place."

"To be honest, something similar happened in my family too!"

"Over the years, the managers and stewards of our family business have looked down on and deceived us, taking advantage of our situation as a widow and orphan."

"The interest paid by shops in various places is getting less and less, worse year by year, and the accounts are in disarray, with no one knowing how much has been embezzled."

"My purpose in coming to Beijing this time is to investigate these corrupt officials, sort out these old accounts, and clarify the deficits."

"It's just a pity that my family doesn't have someone like Jing-ge'er. We've been in Beijing for so long, and we still haven't found anything!"

Aunt Xue's words, which exposed her own shortcomings, not only comforted Grandmother Jia but also subtly praised Jia Jing.

Grandmother Jia's expression softened somewhat, and the unease she had felt from Jia Jing's forceful oppression dissipated. A slight smile appeared on her usually composed face as she said:

"His aunt is so reasonable! Every family has its share of sycophants who deceive their superiors and cover up their wrongdoings, it's not just my family."

"In the past, if things weren't too excessive, we'd just turn a blind eye and let them be!"

"Who knew they would act so outrageously, and now they've even involved matters of the imperial court? I have no choice but to let Jing-ge'er punish them!"

Aunt Xue sighed and said:

"Who says otherwise! If they were just greedy for a little money, that would be fine, but I'm afraid they'll cause trouble, which would then bring disaster upon our master's family—that would be a calamity from heaven!"

"Many of my belongings are intended for presentation to the palace. If these people offend the nobles there by using inferior goods, I will have nowhere to seek justice!"

"I can't sleep because of these upsetting things!"

Grandmother Jia felt much better after hearing what Aunt Xue said. Hearing that other families were also having troubles and worries, she felt comforted.

But she had no time to worry about Aunt Xue's worries at the moment, as her own family's affairs were still unresolved!

Immediately, Grandmother Jia, along with Madam Xing, Madam Wang, Sister Feng, and a group of maids and nannies, followed Jia Jing toward the Jingwu Academy.

For a time, only Aunt Xue, Madam You, and Qin Keqing remained in Rongqing Hall.

Meanwhile, Li Wan, the three sisters, Shi Xiangyun, Xue Baochai, and others in the side room also began to discuss the matter.

"I never expected things to escalate like this! Not only did my second brother get beaten, but even Madam and the Old Madam..."

A hint of shock was visible in Tan Chun's almond-shaped eyes, and her beautiful face was full of surprise.

She couldn't directly mention Lady Wang and Grandmother Jia, as she was a junior and had to be considerate of her elders.

Shi Xiangyun, with her straightforward nature and a hint of surprise in her eyes, said:

"It's no wonder that Brother Ai got beaten! He was really outrageous today. Not only did he make Sister Lin so angry that she vomited blood, but he also made Master so angry that he vomited blood and fainted."

"If you ask me, Third Brother did the right thing. I just hope that Brother Ai can learn something from this lesson."

"But are the servants in your household really that bad? The Lai family embezzled over ten thousand taels of silver? That's a huge sum of money! Wouldn't it be piled up like a small mountain in your house?"

"And second sister, did the wet nurse in your room really steal your jewelry?"

Upon hearing this, Yingchun, dressed in an orange padded jacket and possessing a gentle and quiet demeanor, hesitated for a moment before remaining silent.

The maid Siqi behind him raised her eyebrows and said angrily:

"It's not just the jewelry she took; that wicked old woman, relying on the fact that she nursed our young lady, has always been arrogant and rude in the young lady's courtyard!"

"She would take a share of anything good that was in the girl's room, and whenever she lost money gambling, she would secretly take my girl's jewelry to exchange for money."

"Behind their backs, they often speak ill of my daughter, saying they're unlucky to have married such a blockhead who brings them no benefit; they're absolutely wicked!"

"It's just that my daughter has a good temperament and doesn't want to argue with her, which has allowed her to be so rude to this day. I've wanted to tell the Marquis about this for a long time, but my second daughter has been stopping me."

Shi Xiangyun gritted her teeth in anger and said:

"How could such a thing happen! This is practically a servant behaving more like a master than his master; isn't this utterly disrespectful?"

"If such a thing happened in my household, that servant would have been beaten to death and sold off long ago!"

"Sister Ai is being far too lenient. You should have told Third Brother about this sooner. Knowing his temperament, he wouldn't have tolerated Granny's arrogance!"

Yingchun smiled slightly and said:

"My third brother is usually busy with important national affairs, so why should he worry about my little matters?"

"Besides, since Third Brother returned, Granny Zhao has toned down her behavior considerably; she must have realized her mistake!"

A sharp glint flashed in Tan Chun's beautiful eyes as she said coldly:

"I don't think she knows she was wrong; she's just scared!"