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

"Grandma, please save us! My family is innocent! You know best, my family has always been diligent and honest in this household."

"Although we have accumulated some silver and property, it was all earned through decades and generations of serving the masters of this household. We have not embezzled a single penny of public funds!"

"As for lending money at exorbitant interest rates, interfering in lawsuits, and violating laws and regulations, even if you gave us lackeys the guts, we wouldn't dare! There must be a mistake!"

"Grandma, please, for my mother's sake, say something for us! We're elders in this household!"

Lai Da and Lai Er dared not argue with Jia Jing, and the two of them took turns pleading their case to Grandmother Jia.

Grandmother Jia narrowed her eyes and said in a hoarse voice:

"You should talk to Jing-ge about these things! It's no use talking to me; he's the one in charge at home now."

Lai Da and Lai Er felt a chill in their hearts upon hearing this. They didn't dare to reason with Jia Jing, this god of death.

Jia Jing did not punish the two directly at this moment, but instead said to Zhuque beside him:

"Although there's no reason for a master to reason with a servant!"

"However, if this matter isn't clarified in front of everyone today, some people might feel resentful, thinking that our master is abusing his servants! You read it aloud to everyone!"

Upon hearing this, Zhuque unfolded the account book in his hand and read aloud:

"In the third year of Jingsheng, the mansion renovated the garden. Lai Daren was in charge of the procurement of materials and work. He falsely reported 'flowers, trees and rare stones from the southern provinces' to pass off inferior goods as superior ones."

"The actual purchase cost was three thousand taels, but the reported amount was eight thousand taels, resulting in the embezzlement of five thousand taels. The manager of the supplier, 'Cuiyunxuan,' can testify to this..."

"Lai Da's wife, Zhou, used her family's name to run a money exchange called 'Longshun', which charged a monthly interest rate of 5%, compounded with interest. In years of disaster, she would forcibly seize farmland and children to pay off debts."

"In the fifth year of Jingsheng, the land and property of farmer Sun Dazhu were seized, driving his family to desperation, whereupon they committed suicide by drowning..."

"In the sixth year of the Jingsheng era, Lai Er's brother-in-law, Zhou Qing, forced a woman named Zhao to have sex with him. Lai Er, using the name of the Rongguo Mansion, bribed the Shuntian Prefecture Magistrate with three thousand taels of silver, and the case was overturned and the defendant was found not guilty..."

……

As Zhuque read out the crimes committed by the Lai family one by one, Lai Da and Lai Er were already pale, and beads of sweat kept rolling down their foreheads despite the cold weather.

Grandmother Jia's face was gloomy. She never expected that the Lai family, whom she had always protected, would act so recklessly outside.

Not only was he greedy for money, but he also had so many murder cases on his hands.

As the matriarch of the Rongguo Mansion, I am cautious in my words and deeds, yet they dare to break the law and violate discipline outside in the name of the Rongguo Mansion. They have no respect and are simply courting death.

The courtyard was also silent. Many maids, old women and servants did not expect that the Lai family had done so many evil things in secret.

Many of the maids, servants, and young men in the Jia family were good, or rather, they didn't have the right or the opportunity to do evil.

The bad ones were mostly the powerful stewards or long-serving old servants. Relying on their seniority and with the leniency of Jia Mu and others, they gradually lost themselves.

Jia Jing snorted coldly and said loudly:

"My family has always governed itself with kindness and generosity. I thought that since the Lai family had been servants for generations, we should give them some respect."

"Who would have thought that raising such a despicable and wicked servant would result in such a worthless and utterly wicked man! He deserves to die!"

"Guards! Take Lai Da and Lai Er away and beat them to death! Send men to confiscate the Lai family's property under the pretext of recovering stolen goods, and severely punish all members of their family who have committed evil deeds."

"Those who deserve to be beaten to death will be beaten to death, and those who deserve to be sold off will be sold off. There will be no leniency! All their houses, fields, shops, and other valuables will be confiscated."

"And that Lai Shangrong from his family..."

Upon hearing Jia Jing mention Lai Shangrong, Lai Da looked up and said urgently:

"My lord! Shang Rong is no longer a servant of this household; he is now an official appointed by the imperial court. You have no right to dispose of him!"

Lai Da knew that the Lai family was doomed this time, and he only thought about preserving his son's lineage, hoping that there might be a chance to make a comeback in the future.

"Ha! I have no right to deal with this! Even if a traitorous slave flies to the highest branch, I can still shoot him down and take back everything he has stolen."

"Someone! Take this Marquis's name card and inform Minister Xia in the palace that Lai Shangrong's official position was obtained through dubious means, that he was of low birth, and that his donation was a sham."

"We request that Minister Xia's Imperial City Guard take action to apprehend this man, thoroughly investigate his crimes, and rid the court of this scourge!"

Jia Jing gave the instructions calmly.

The donation regulations of the Great Han Code clearly stipulate strict provisions on the investigation of the source of officials' property and their background. Lai Shangrong's case was easily investigated and found to be true.

As for whether asking the Imperial City Guard to intervene would be taboo, Jia Jing would naturally submit a memorial to Emperor Jingsheng later.

He has now gotten into the habit of writing a memorial to Emperor Jingsheng from time to time, reporting his daily actions and thoughts.

Just like how Emperor Jingsheng always confided in Jia Jing when he had something on his mind.

When Lai Da heard that Jia Jing wanted to ask the Imperial City Guard to arrest the person, he was immediately filled with extreme fear!

The Imperial Prison of the Imperial City Guard was the place that no official in the Han Dynasty wanted to enter the most. Even if he was just a servant, he knew the four words "the calamity of the Imperial Prison".

Lai Da simply couldn't imagine what a miserable fate awaited his pampered son if he were imprisoned.

"My lord, spare my life! My lord, spare my life! This servant confesses his crimes and begs for mercy. Please spare my Shangrong's life, for the sake of my family's generations of service..."

Lai Da trembled like a leaf, kowtowing and begging for mercy to Jia Jing as he spoke.

In no time, the ground was stained a dazzling crimson.

For a moment, the entire courtyard was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, except for the sounds of kowtowing and Lai Da's pleas.

The women, including Grandmother Jia, held their breath as they watched this scene unfold, their eyes half-open and half-closed, not daring to look any longer.

Wang Xifeng quietly watched Jia Jing's tall figure, wanting to see what kind of heartless man lay beneath his handsome face, clad in armor and with a cold expression.

Otherwise, how could one remain so calm in the face of such a horrific scene?

These women were not unfamiliar with dealing with servants and old women in their households, but they mostly dealt with them by blowing cold winds or beating them with a board. They had never seen such a "tragic" scene of someone bleeding and begging.

In the past, I had only heard about how Jia Jing was a tyrant outside, killing this person today and exposing that person tomorrow, but I had never witnessed it with my own eyes.

For the first time, Wang Xifeng felt a slight fear of her third brother, who had a straight back.

Kind-hearted maids like Ping'er felt a chill run down their spines and couldn't bear to watch any longer.

Although they knew that Lai Da had committed a capital crime, this was still the "Grandpa Lai" whom they had to treat with respect yesterday, but today he was unable to die. They couldn't help but feel a sense of shared sorrow and sympathy for each other.