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

As the other two eunuchs behind Xia Shouzhong walked towards him, Jia Rong felt his hands and feet turn cold, and his heart plummeted from the sky to the bottom of the abyss.

He quickly grabbed Jia Zheng's sleeve and, imitating Jia Zhen, pleaded loudly with Jia Zheng and his mother:

"Grandma, Uncle, save me! Save me! Father made me collect all the money, I didn't take a single penny!"

"My father deserved it, I am innocent..."

Jia Zheng: "..."

Didn't they say they'd give their lives for him? How come they suddenly feel like they deserved what they got?

This... is utterly disgraceful!

When Grandmother Jia saw Jia Rong being pinned to the ground by two eunuchs, her aged body trembled, and her face showed even more panic and sorrow!

She doesn't understand!

How come another one from the East Mansion has been killed in such a short time!

If only Jia Zhen is punished by the court, Jia Rong will smoothly take over the title of nobleman in the Ningguo Mansion.

Grandmother Jia could still find some solace in herself, after all, every family has a few unworthy children!

But if Jia Zhen and Jia Rong are both arrested and questioned, wouldn't the Ningguo Mansion, with its generations of single heirs, be completely wiped out?

You must understand that someone who is guilty of a crime has absolutely no chance of inheriting a title!

If Jia Rong is involved in the case and taken away, he will definitely not be able to inherit the title of Ningguo Mansion in the future!

In this way, the Ningguo family will either lose its title or have a collateral branch succeed the main line to inherit the title.

Neither of these possibilities is good news for Grandmother Jia!

The thought of losing her title caused Grandmother Jia to faint and feel utterly heartbroken!

It should be understood that for noble families, the most important thing is not the people, but the titles that can be passed down through generations.

The title of nobility not only represents the prestige of the imperial court, but also the guaranteed property that ensures a stable income regardless of drought or flood. It is the foundation for the livelihood of noble families and must not be lost!

If the title is lost, even the ancestral hall will be lost, which would be a great disaster that would damage the very foundation of the Jia family!

As Grandmother Jia watched Jia Zhen and Jia Rong being dragged out the door, a wave of sorrow washed over her. Her frail body swayed slightly, unable to stand properly.

When Fengjie and Jia Zheng, who were standing next to Grandmother Jia, saw this, they were startled and quickly stepped forward to help her up.

Seeing that Jia Zhen and Jia Rong were still pleading for help, Grandmother Jia finally couldn't hold back any longer and cried out in anger:

"You troublesome brats! You never do your jobs properly and are always fooling around, never knowing how to restrain yourselves."

"If you want to drink with your concubines, bring them into the house one after another, and I won't say anything to you."

"Now that we've caused such a huge disaster, with both father and son being held accountable, and the Ningguo Mansion having no successor, how am I supposed to face Rong and Ning after I'm gone!"

Jia Zhen and Jia Rong were now ashen-faced, their cries for help had weakened, and they were completely unmoved by Grandmother Jia's scolding.

Instead, Jia Zheng knelt down and comforted Grandmother Jia:

"Mother, you're getting old, you must take good care of yourself! If anything were to happen to you, I would never be able to atone for my sins, even with my life!"

At this moment, inside Rongqing Hall,

When the Jia family saw Jia Zhen and Jia Rong being dragged away, a look of solemnity appeared on their faces!

Among them, the most grief-stricken was Lady You.

The arrest of Jia Zhen had already filled her with inexplicable grief and left her speechless, but the thought of Jia Rong giving her some comfort still gave her some sense of security.

But now even Jia Rong has been implicated, and the only two men in the Ningguo Mansion are finished. What will become of her now?

Even if the Ningguo Mansion does not lose its title, would the person who inherited the title from a collateral branch still recognize her as the former Madam You?

Overwhelmed by endless sorrow and confusion, she felt extremely distressed, and tears streamed down her reddened eyes.

Not only Lady You, but also Sister Feng, who already harbored resentment towards Jia Zhen and Jia Rong, felt a shadow fall over her heart at this moment.

Her sharp, bright phoenix eyes were filled with panic. The Ningguo Mansion was... finished?

The vast Duke's mansion, with two generations of heirs to the title, was now being questioned by the imperial court, their fates uncertain.

Is it possible that the Jia family's position of holding two duke positions will no longer exist in the future?

Hmm? That's not right either, Jing-ge'er also has a dukedom!

When Yingchun and the other young ladies saw this scene, they couldn't help but frown slightly, and a trace of sorrow, like the saying "a rabbit mourns the death of a fox," flashed in their eyes.

Although Brother Zhen and Brother Rong are outrageous, they are still family members who have known each other since childhood. Seeing them in such a state, it is hard not to feel sorry for them.

Xichun's face was tense, her little hands clenched tightly. As she watched her older brother and nephew being arrested, a look of fear and worry flashed across her face.

Although she had little affection for Jia Zhen and Jia Rong, she was, after all, a young lady of the Ningguo Mansion.

With such a huge change happening in the Ningguo Mansion, will she become a wandering ghost with nowhere to go?

And will the affairs of Jia Zhen and Jia Rong implicate her, leading to her arrest and prosecution?

Daiyu, with her keen perception, sensed Xichun's sadness. She frowned slightly, pursed her pink lips, gently pulled Xichun into her embrace, and softly comforted her:

"Fourth sister, don't be afraid. Your third brother is here. He loves you so much, he won't let anything happen to you!"

"From now on, you'll stay here and play with your older brothers and sisters every day, just like before!"

The young servant beside Daiyu patted Xichun on the shoulder and said:

"Yes! With Third Master around, there's nothing to be afraid of!"

"I'll write to Third Master later and ask him to come back quickly to protect us, hee hee!"

The little girl's eyes curved into crescent moons as she grinned at Xichun and spoke in a carefree manner, displaying the air of a big sister.

Unfortunately, she recently lost one of her front teeth while losing her baby teeth, leaving a hollow gap when she grins, which looks rather comical.

Nestled in Daiyu's arms, Xichun felt somewhat at ease. Seeing the little girl's amusing appearance, her expression finally softened.

Daiyu patted the little boy's topknot and scolded him:

"You seem to have gained weight again. Have you been eating poorly lately, secretly indulging in hibiscus cake and Guishunzhai's sachima?"

Since her conversation with "Detective" Zijuan, Daiyu has been visiting the Jingwu Academy more and more frequently lately.

As he visited more often, his feelings for Xiao Jiao'er, Xiang Ling, Qing Wen, and others naturally deepened.

Especially the clever and mischievous young characters, whose experiences of being sold into the Jia family at a young age, which Daiyu pitied, were marked by the early death of their parents.

They showed her even more care, not only looking after her daily life and diet, but also urging her to read and write, treating her like a younger sister.

The young girl wasn't stupid; she naturally knew who was truly good to her, and gradually she grew closer to Daiyu.

At this moment, facing Daiyu's "questioning," she quickly grinned, revealing her small gap-toothed teeth, and said ingratiatingly:

"Miss Lin, this is a huge injustice! I've always been very obedient."

"I've been eating well lately. I only ate a little bit of hibiscus cake and sachima. The sachima was really delicious. I heard it's made with real female breasts and honey, hehe..."

The little boy stretched out his little finger and pinched a tiny spot the size of a fingernail to make a gesture.

However, its big, darting eyes make one wonder just how much "a hundred million" actually is...

Xiangyun, who was standing nearby, leaned over and jokingly scolded:

"You greedy little girl! You're always freeloading off others, thinking we don't know!"

"Look at you! Your face is almost round from eating so much! When your third brother comes back, he probably won't even recognize you!"

Upon hearing this, the little boy's face immediately fell in embarrassment!