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

Hearing Jia Jing's suggestive words, Grandmother Jia, sitting on the high couch, paused, her heart filled with mixed feelings of joy and worry!

What delighted her was that it was rare to hear a word of praise from this unfilial grandson, which instantly made her feel flattered!

For a moment, she even had some doubts: Could it be that this third grandson has changed his nature and knows how to say some gentle words to an old lady like her!

What worries me is that these words clearly leave the reader wanting more.

If his granddaughter's upbringing is commendable, then whose upbringing is not?

Besides her granddaughters, the only person she kept by her side was her most beloved grandson, Baoyu!

This seems to have a veiled criticism!

Madam Wang, who was sitting on the chair below, tightened her grip on the prayer beads, and a hint of anger suddenly surfaced in her indifferent eyes beneath her brows!

That despicable illegitimate son of the eldest son's family, he just returned to the mansion and before he could even say a few words, he started using his own precious jade as a pretext!

Absolutely despicable!

Has his own precious jade become someone he can belittle and slander at will?

Madam Wang's expression hardened, as if she wanted to ask a question.

Looking at Jia Jing's imposing profile, she swallowed hard and chose to hold back her anger for the time being!

After a fleeting look of embarrassment crossed Grandmother Jia's face, she ultimately didn't dare to stand up for her beloved grandson and decisively chose to change the subject.

She asked in a hoarse voice about another matter that was on her mind:

"Jing-ge'er, I heard from Bao-yu's father that there's been a result regarding the matter at the East Mansion?"

"You pleaded for Zhen-ge'er, and he was spared the death penalty but sentenced to exile and military service?"

Grandmother Jia did not mention the Ningguo Mansion, for fear that she would be unable to resist her enviousness.

As soon as Grandmother Jia said this, Lady Wang, Aunt Xue, Sister Feng, and others all turned their inquisitive gazes to Jia Jing, hoping to get some first-hand information about the court from him.

Of course, they weren't concerned about Jia Zhen, but rather about Wang Ziteng!

Jia Jing's expression softened slightly, and he nodded, saying:

"Indeed! After the banquet today, His Majesty specifically sought me out to discuss the case of Jia Zhen and his son."

"Originally, according to the judgment of the Three Judicial Offices, Jia Zhen should have been sentenced to death with reprieve. However, His Majesty saw that I had just returned in triumph and it was not appropriate for my relatives to shed blood. So he spared Jia Zhen's life and changed his sentence to exile in Qiongzhou and military service, never to be employed again."

"As the patriarch of my Jia clan and the heir to the title of Ningguo Mansion, Jia Zhen frequented brothels during the mourning period, neglecting his morals, engaging in corruption and lawlessness, and acting recklessly."

"This led to the mutiny in the Beijing garrison, resulting in the wrongful deaths of more than a dozen court officials and the loss of countless soldiers in the Beijing garrison, with extremely negative consequences."

"If it were up to me, this kind of person, who has disgraced our ancestors and ruined the reputation of our clan, should commit suicide to atone for his sins!"

"Although I have escaped death, my Jia family, a noble clan with a history of hundreds of years, will not tolerate such a disloyal and unfilial scoundrel!"

"I have made up my mind to convene a clan meeting in a few days and expel these two from the Jia family register! As a warning to others!"

Jia Jing's words were full of coldness, causing the expressions of everyone in the hall to change drastically!

In today's patriarchal society, being expelled from one's ancestral home is not just an empty phrase.

Rather, it means social death, facing a complete blockade in terms of economics, career, marriage, and spiritual belonging.

This is not just a punishment within the family, but a systemic rejection that can destroy an individual's entire life.

Once removed from the genealogy and expelled from the clan, one will lose all the practical protections provided by the clan:

Firstly, in terms of the economy, those who are deregistered will lose their share of clan property dividends and relief.

Large families like the Jia family often owned public fields, charitable estates, ancestral halls, and land properties. The proceeds were used to support the education of the family members, weddings and funerals, and disaster relief. Those who were expelled were no longer entitled to any resources.

Secondly, they will be prohibited from participating in ancestral worship and clan activities.

Ancestor worship is not only a ritual, but also the core of maintaining one's identity. Being excluded is tantamount to being declared "not of our kind," and neighbors and fellow villagers will avoid you like the plague.

Secondly, the path to marriage was completely blocked.

In traditional society, the concept of "marrying someone of equal social standing" was emphasized, and family genealogies served as important evidence for marriage. Those without a family genealogy were considered to have "unknown origins," and no one was willing to marry them, making it difficult for their descendants to find spouses.

Furthermore, regarding official careers, in this era of the imperial examinations, place of origin and family background were key factors in the eligibility verification of candidates. Those expelled from the clan were essentially stripped of their legal identity.

Registration for the scientific expedition requires information on "year of birth, place of origin, and three generations." If a verifiable family background cannot be provided, it is highly likely that the applicant will be identified as "impersonating someone else" and be disqualified.

Even if one manages to take the exam by chance, once it is discovered that their score was previously lowered, they will be disqualified at best, and banned from taking the exam for life at worst.

Of course, what frightens people most today is not these practical guarantees, but the inability to be buried in the ancestral grave after death, and the lack of a shrine for their memorial tablets:

Those who cannot worship their ancestors while alive, nor be enshrined in ancestral halls after death, are considered to have "severed their bloodline and left their souls adrift." This complete stripping away of the ancestral worship system is a fundamental denial of personality and the meaning of existence.

Those who were removed from the register were often cursed by their contemporaries as wandering ghosts without ancestors, and it was difficult for them to establish themselves in the world!

This shows how severe the punishment of being expelled from the register is for a person!

Of course, given that Jia Zhen and Jia Rong had already been exiled and sent to the army, the most severe punishment for them was the removal from the register of official records:

Their clan will not help them return to the capital city, nor will they pull any strings for them so that they can live a comfortable life in Qiongzhou!

Secondly, they could no longer identify themselves as members of the Jia clan outside the home, and they could not be enshrined in the ancestral hall after death!

Jia Jing's decision to remove the two from the register of officials was also based on his own deeper considerations.

Firstly, it was to establish a negative example to rectify the clan. The clan leader was expelled from the clan for violating laws and regulations, so others could think twice before doing so.

Secondly, it foreshadowed the later decision not to rescue Jia Zhen and his companion.

If they are not removed from the family register, wouldn't the two of them still be able to act recklessly outside under the name of the Jia clan? With Jia Jing's current power and influence, they might even live more comfortably in Qiongzhou than in the capital!

How could Jia Jing allow such a thing to happen!

As for whether removing the two from the register would cause criticism from others, who would think he was cold-blooded, heartless, and unkind to his relatives, Jia Jing felt that it wouldn't.

On the one hand, Jia Zhen was spared his life entirely because the emperor took pity on him; he had already done his part in this matter!

On the other hand, many large families in the patriarchal era had regulations for expelling those who violated the law and discipline from the clan, which was not Jia Jing's original idea!

For example, Bao Zheng's family precepts strictly stipulated: "If any of his descendants who become officials are found guilty of embezzlement or abuse of power, they shall not be allowed to return to their ancestral home; and after their death, they shall not be buried in the family cemetery."

In other words, corrupt officials are not only expelled during their lifetime, but also denied a place in the afterlife, losing both their official career and posthumous glory.

The Chen Clan Genealogy of Southern Fujian also records that those who commit adultery, incest, or collude with bandits will be directly expelled from the clan and their names will be recorded at the end of the genealogy to warn future generations to strictly uphold family traditions.

In other words, many clans with strict family traditions have rules to expel those who break the law and violate discipline. Now, Jia Jing is simply making the Jia clan strictly enforce its previously lax and decadent traditions!

As soon as Jia Jing finished speaking, Grandmother Jia's face suddenly filled with disbelief!

She never expected that Jia Jing would take such a harsh stance against the two of them from the perspective of the clan!

The clan leader was removed from the clan register?

This is unheard of, and it even turns her worldview upside down!