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

Jia Cong remained silent for a moment, until fine beads of cold sweat appeared on Wang Zhu'er's forehead, before slowly speaking.

"Wang Zhu'er, let me ask you this: where did your wife take the fabric that the Second Miss secretly swapped?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhu'er froze, and in a panic, she quickly raised her head, waving her hands and hurriedly explaining, "Third Master, you're joking! How could this servant's wife dare to steal and replace Second Miss's fabric? It was a gift from Second Miss to this servant's wife, absolutely not stolen! Third Master, please don't listen to other people's nonsense and wrong this servant's wife!"

"Injustice?" Jia Cong sneered, his voice full of mockery. "You all think the Second Miss is too soft-hearted to say a harsh word, right? Everyone in the manor knows what kind of person your wife is. She's greedy, always throwing tantrums and acting like a brat. If she were truly so lucky, she wouldn't have let you gamble and rack up debts outside!"

Hit hard by Jia Cong's words, Wang Zhu'er's face darkened further. Her eyes darted away, but she remained defiant: "Third Master, you're wrong! My wife has always been loyal to Second Miss. It's only right that Second Miss rewarded her with some fabric because she was her wet nurse! You can't just falsely accuse her!"

Seeing that he still refused to admit his guilt, Jia Cong's eyes flashed even colder. He didn't want to take action, but dealing with such a cunning servant, he knew that if he didn't, the other party wouldn't obediently confess.

Jia Cong stopped wasting words with him, stepped forward, and grabbed Wang Zhu'er's wrist. Now he had just stepped into the second level of martial arts, which was far beyond what a laborer like Wang Zhu'er, who was weak from years of hard work, could withstand.

Jia Cong's grip was as strong as an iron clamp, making Wang Zhu'er's bones creak. The pain made Wang Zhu'er's face turn as white as paper, and cold sweat poured down his forehead. Just as he was about to cry out in pain, Jia Cong's other hand was already on his shoulder. With a little force, he forced Wang Zhu'er to kneel on the ground.

"Ouch! It hurts! Third Master, have mercy! Let go!" Wang Zhu'er grimaced in pain and couldn't help but wail, "This servant is telling the truth, please let go!"

"The truth?" Jia Cong leaned down, his voice growing colder as he whispered in his ear, "I'll ask you one last time: where is the fabric? Did your wife take it and exchange it for money? Where is the pawn ticket? Who did you trade it with? Tell the truth, and I'll spare you this time. If you utter even a single lie, I'll rip your tendons out and kick your whole family out of the Rong Mansion, making them beg on the streets!"

Wang Zhu'er was in excruciating pain, but still clung to a sliver of hope, gritting her teeth and refusing to admit it: "Third Master, I'm telling the truth. That fabric was truly a gift from the Second Miss. I didn't... I didn't!"

Before he could finish speaking, Jia Cong raised his hand and slapped Wang Zhu'er hard across the face!

The sharp "slap" sounded particularly jarring in the silent corridor. The slap caused blood to trickle from Wang Zhu'er's mouth, loosened one of her teeth, and caused half of her face to swell up instantly.

"Still dare to argue!" Jia Cong's voice suddenly rose, and then he kicked the other man in the knee with such force that Wang Zhu'er convulsed in pain, as if his kneecap was being crushed.

"Let me tell you, don't think that just because your wife is throwing a tantrum and your second daughter is timid, this matter will be swept under the rug! If you don't tell the truth today, I have plenty of ways to make you talk!"

As he spoke, Jia Cong raised his hand, as if to strike again. Wang Zhu'er was dazed by the slap and nearly collapsed from the excruciating pain in his knee. Looking at the undisguised murderous intent in Jia Cong's eyes, he finally felt fear.

Wang Zhu'er knew that this Third Master, whom they rarely saw, was probably really angry. If he dared to argue again, he might really break his legs and kick his whole family out of the mansion.

Overwhelmed by fear, Wang Zhu'er's psychological defenses completely collapsed. No longer daring to be defiant, she immediately kowtowed repeatedly to Jia Cong, tears and snot streaming down her face.

"Third Master, spare me! I'll tell you everything! Please, Third Master, stop hitting me! Don't break my legs!"

Seeing that he had finally relented, Jia Cong loosened his grip slightly, but still didn't release Wang Zhu'er's wrist. "Speak! Where's the fabric? Where's the pawn ticket?"

"Yes! Yes!" Wang Zhu'er sobbed, his words broken and fragmented. "That fabric...that fabric was pawned by my wife! She pawned it for twenty taels of silver to pay off my gambling debts! The pawnshop was Yuhe Pawnshop on West Street, and the pawn ticket...the pawn ticket is in my wife's personal blue cloth bag, hidden in a wooden box under the kang mat! Every word I've said is true, not a single lie. Please, Third Master, spare my life!"

Jia Cong stared into his eyes and saw the panic and fear in his gaze, which didn't seem like he was lying, which reassured him slightly. He then pressed on, "Whose name is on the pawn ticket? Who went to the transaction?"

"It's...it's my wife's name, Zhang!" Wang Zhu'er hurriedly replied. "My wife went to the pawnshop herself. Only she and the pawnshop clerk were present during the transaction! I really don't know anything else. Please, Third Master, forgive me!"

Seeing that he spoke in detail and seemed to be telling the truth, Jia Cong released his grip on the man's wrist, kicked him again, and coldly shouted, "Get up! Go back to where you're working now, and don't say a word to your wife! If someone summons you later, and you dare to say anything out of line, you'll be in for a world of hurt! If you dare to secretly inform your wife and have her hide or destroy the pawn ticket, I'll skin you alive!"

Wang Zhu'er scrambled to his feet, clutching his swollen cheek. The sharp pain in his wrist made him grimace, but he dared not utter a word of complaint, only nodding repeatedly.

"This servant remembers! This servant will definitely not dare to speak carelessly, nor will I dare to inform my wife! Third Master, please rest assured!" After saying this, he covered his cheek and limped away, not daring to look back, for fear that Jia Cong would change his mind again.

Jia Cong watched his disheveled figure leave without a trace of pity in his eyes. He wiped his hands with a handkerchief, then said to Li Rong at the entrance of the corridor, "Come here!"

Li Rong stood at the entrance of the corridor, not daring to approach. He had seen clearly the scene of Jia Cong hitting Wang Zhuer. Now, he stepped forward cautiously and said, "Yes, sir. Please give your orders, Third Master."

"Quickly go and invite Madam Zhu over. Ask her to come and witness this case of a servant deceiving his master."

Jia Cong's tone left no room for argument, "Remember, when you go, don't make a fuss. Just say I have something important to ask you. Also, invite a proper housekeeper to come along. She needs to be clean-handed and discreet. Don't let those gossipy old women come with you."

"I understand!" Li Rong replied quickly.

"And one more thing," Jia Cong added, "After you explain the situation to the eldest mistress, have the head maid accompany you to the servants' quarters of Wang's daughter-in-law. From the wooden box under her kang mat, retrieve the blue cloth bundle that's close to her body. It contains the pawn ticket. Make sure you get it intact and don't let her notice. If she's not in the servants' quarters, quietly go in and take it, then come out immediately. Don't waste time. If she happens to be there, find a way to distract her before taking it. Remember, don't alert her."