Dream of the Red Chamber: A Refined and Elegant Young Man in a Turbid World

Jia Cong quickly found the case file and read it over. At the same time, he listened to Jia Ping's words. It turned out that Wang Mancang was imprisoned for stealing military equipment. He was caught stealing military equipment from the thousand-household garrison to exchange for money.

Jia Ping kept smiling obsequiously to herself.

"Uncle, please don't worry. After Wang Mancang was put in prison, I did not neglect him. However, you need to inform Master Wang."

Jia Cong closed the file, pondered for a moment, and patted Jia Ping on the shoulder with satisfaction.

"Ping-ge did a good job; luckily, it was discovered early."

"Uncle, you flatter me. I was just doing my duty."

Now that you've entered officialdom, you should be more vigilant. Although the position of the Director of the Censorate is only a fifth-rank civil official, the Censorate is in charge of the conduct of all officials. These censors are always nitpicking, and even a veteran military officer like Feng Tang finds them a headache.

With this in mind, Jia Cong dismissed Jia Ping, took Li Rong and set off for Ba Hongchen, personally visiting the Censorate.

He presented his name card at the gate of the Censorate, and soon an official led him inside.

Upon arriving at the office of the Censorate, an official dressed in a blue round-necked robe and a leather belt came out to greet them. He was fair-skinned with a light beard and looked to be around thirty years old. His eyes and brows showed a hint of the restraint and shrewdness of a civil official. He was none other than Wang Huaide, a fifth-rank clerk.

"This humble official is Jia Cong, currently serving as the Commander of the Left Thousand-Household Garrison of the Capital Garrison. I greet you, Lord Wang." Jia Cong bowed first.

Wang Huaide was also somewhat puzzled. The young man before him was clearly quite young and had no relation to him whatsoever. However, since it was an official from the imperial court visiting, he couldn't be rude, so he quickly smiled and stepped forward to return the greeting.

"So it's Commander Jia. I am Wang Huaide, and I am the clerk of this Bureau of Records."

The two men sat down as host and guest, and drank tea again. Only then did Wang Huaide learn that the young military officer in front of him was actually a direct descendant of the Rong family, and he immediately became more polite.

Jia Cong exchanged a few apologetic words before slowly getting to the point.

"I only managed to get this job because of the grace of the court and the protection of my ancestors. As for being an official, I am far inferior to you, sir, in your dedication to your duties in the Censorate. I apologize for the intrusion I have made today, but I am here to bother you with something. I hope you will forgive me."

Wang Huaide, holding his teacup, was somewhat puzzled.

"Commander Jia, you're too kind. We're both officials in the same court, so it's nothing to be presumptuous about such a small matter. Please speak freely."

"To be honest, after roll call at the government office today, I imprisoned a junior officer named Wang Mancang."

Jia Cong secretly observed the other person's expression.

"After reviewing the case file again, I learned that Young Master Mancang is a distant cousin of Master Wang. The case involves the theft of military equipment, which should be investigated strictly according to the law. However, considering that he is related to Master Wang, I am afraid that there may be misunderstandings. I came to inform you and hope that you can give me some guidance."

Wang Huaide suddenly realized, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes, but he quickly replaced it with a smile.

"I am deeply grateful for your concern, my brother. I am truly ashamed. That wretched child has been unruly and irresponsible since childhood, unable to control himself in the past. This time, he has dared to break military regulations, and he deserves his punishment..."

Jia Cong understood perfectly; the other party was clearly implying something, so he quickly smiled and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"Rest assured, Master Wang, I understand the principle of impartiality and will thoroughly investigate the case. I will neither let the unruly scoundrel go unpunished nor allow your nephew to suffer injustice."

Seeing that Jia Cong was insightful, Wang Huaide didn't point it out, only offering a polite, feigned smile.

"Brother, you are mistaken. Just do your best to handle this matter impartially. I see that you are so reasonable, responsible, and promising at such a young age. You will surely have a bright future with unlimited potential. If there is anything I can do to help you in the future, I will do my best to assist you."

"Thank you for your kind words, Master Wang. I am unworthy of such praise."

Jia Cong remained respectful.

"I have troubled you for quite some time today. I still need to investigate the case carefully when I get back, so I will take my leave now. I will visit you again another day when I have more free time to seek your advice."

"Take care, my dear brother." Wang Huaide also got up to see him off, exchanging polite greetings along the way. Their words were full of insincere flattery and probing, and no one would openly mention revenge or favoritism.

After leaving the Censorate, Jia Cong roughly understood that Wang Mancang was imprisoned on Zhou Haiyong's personal orders, and that he probably had a personal feud with Wang Huaide. As the governor in charge of criminal matters, he was in a difficult position.

He immediately went back to the garrison and summoned Jia Ping, instructing that Wang Mancang be moved to a single cell. He also gave him a few taels of silver, telling him to treat him well and not to beat or scold him at will.

Jia Ping readily agreed. Over the past few days, he had established himself in the prison, and the jailers, knowing that he was from a collateral branch of the Jia family, treated him with great respect.

It was almost noon when Jia Cong left the Thousand Households Office. Instead of returning to the Rong Mansion, he went to West Street and invited Ni Er and others to have lunch at Dongxinglou Restaurant.

Ni Erhong, his face flushed, patted his chest and declared that he would treat everyone. He and his gang of ruffians had made a fortune these days and were naturally grateful for Jia Cong's help.

Jia Cong didn't stand on ceremony and simply smiled and agreed. After a few rounds of drinks, seeing that everyone else was quite drunk, he used the excuse of relieving himself to drag Liu Ergou out.

"How have the vegetable deliveries to the Ning residence been these past few days?"

Although Liu Ergou had also drunk three ounces, he was still relatively sober, and hurriedly nodded, bowed, and smiled obsequiously.

"Third Master, please rest assured. I dare not slack off in the slightest. I just do what you say every day and drip a little bit on the tip of the vegetable. I also find an excuse to drip a few drops into the sesame oil. No one will notice."

Jia Cong also casually tossed over a piece of silver, then patted his shoulder with a mix of praise and flattery.

"Very good. Be careful with your hands and feet. If anyone finds out, your whole family's lives will be in danger!"

"I understand, Third Master is my second father, how could I not do my best!" The silver weighed five taels, and Liu Ergou was so happy that he tried to stuff it into his clothes.

After returning to the Rong Mansion, having enjoyed a hearty meal and drinks, Jia Cong had just taken a couple of sips of the tea brewed by Chu Lan when Li Rong approached him again.

"Third Master's birthday is in a few days. How should we prepare for it this year?"

After pondering for a moment, Jia Cong also got up, paced a few steps, and pointed to the box containing the money.

"We can't be extravagant every year. This year, we'll invite a few brothers and sisters from our clan, set up a few tables in the house, and instruct the Pear Fragrance Courtyard to prepare a few plays. We'll cover all the expenses ourselves."

Li Rong took the money and left, while Jia Cong also spread out his brush and ink and wrote several invitations. Although he didn't particularly like Baoyu, he still had to invite him.

On the 24th of September, two or three tables of food and drink were set up in Qingyan Hall. Baoyu's face had recovered considerably, and the scars from Jia Huan's burns were barely visible. In addition, Jia Cong had previously requested medicine to cure his illness, and now he was all smiles as he presented his congratulatory gifts.

"It's my third brother's birthday today, this is just a small token of my appreciation." He said, taking a box from Mingyan's hand, which contained a small Western-style clock.

Baoyu had always regarded gold and silver as dirt, and this time when he sent a self-ringing clock, it carried a certain distance, unlike last year when he sent a painting he had made himself.