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

The position of Zhenfu can also be held concurrently by a centurion. Today, Centurion Li is on leave, and it is his turn to be on duty, so Jia Cong had no choice but to take his place.

Yang Shaoyan didn't mince words and gave a brief overview of the patrol route. Each thousand-household garrison also had its own jurisdiction, and a series of tasks needed to be done, such as gate guards, city patrol police, night watchmen, security patrols within the defense zone, and management of military households.

After hearing the gist of the story, Jia Cong hurriedly followed Yang Shaoyan out of the garrison, gathered seventy or eighty soldiers, and took two captains with him to the street.

A group of personal guards were already standing below the steps, each holding a staff and walking alongside him. Jia Cong leaped onto the horse, lightly pulling on the reins, the hooves clattering on the bluestone slabs.

A group of soldiers left the gate of the Thousand Households Office and headed towards their garrison area, the western corner of the inner city, the city wall of Anding Gate, and the two neighboring wards.

Jia Congchu was quite curious about this matter, looking around with a rather smug air, while the soldiers following behind him were lazy and listless, and the two captains also hung their heads listlessly.

Seeing that the soldiers behind him were sluggish and undisciplined, lacking any semblance of the imperial guards, Jia Cong frowned, reined in his horse, turned around, and reprimanded them.

"You are all soldiers of the imperial army, and guarding the outpost is your duty to defend the city. How dare you be so negligent! What if something goes wrong, or your superiors find out?"

Although the soldiers were somewhat resentful, they knew that the other party was a member of the Rong family and their superior, so they had no choice but to brace themselves and dare not be negligent any longer. The two captains also bowed and agreed, urging their troops to move forward.

Jia Cong then reined in his horse and slowly walked along the streets and alleys inside Andingmen. He saw that the market was densely packed with shops and carriages and horses coming and going, and it was a scene of peace and prosperity.

As we walked to the entrance of a secluded alley, we suddenly heard deafening cries, mixed with shouts, curses, and beatings, creating a chaotic scene that was completely different from the hustle and bustle of the city outside.

Jia Cong became suspicious, so he ordered his soldiers to temporarily stop at the alley entrance, and he himself led two personal guards to slowly enter and investigate.

In front of a courtyard in the alley, several burly servants stood with fierce expressions, punching and kicking a middle-aged man, pinning him to the ground and beating him!

The man was dressed in rags, blood was flowing from his mouth and nose, and he was wailing incessantly. Beside him, a woman knelt on the ground and kowtowed, crying and lamenting. Behind her was a fourteen or fifteen-year-old daughter, her hair disheveled, tears streaming down her face from fright.

Standing in the middle was a man with a pointed mouth and monkey-like face, ugly in appearance, wearing a blue satin jacket. He was none other than Lai Wang'er, the trusted servant of Wang Xifeng of Rongguo Mansion.

This man stood with his hands on his hips, spewing profanities and displaying an extremely arrogant demeanor.

"You wretched wretch! When you borrowed the money, you were so humble and subservient, and now that the principal and interest are due, you dare to renege on your debt? The principal was ten taels, with monthly interest, and it has ballooned to a full thirty taels by now! If you can't come up with the money, I'll sell your daughter into a brothel or pawn her to a wealthy family as a slave, and that will settle the debt! If you still don't know what's good for you, I'll break your legs, send you to the authorities, and make sure your whole family dies a horrible death!"

The woman wept and knelt on the ground.

"Grandpa, spare my life! My family is truly poor and cannot raise so much silver in such a short time. I beg for a few more days. We will give you ten taels of silver, even if it means selling our pots and pans. Please, have mercy on my daughter..."

Laiwang spat, rubbing his hands together with a lewd grin.

"Grace period? There's no such thing as a free lunch! My mistress's money isn't given away for nothing. If you don't hand over the money today, we'll take this girl away, and you can't throw a tantrum!" With that, he ordered his servant to step forward and snatch the girl.

Jia Cong, who had witnessed everything clearly, hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward with his hand on the golden mace at his waist and sternly shouted to stop him.

"Outrageous! In broad daylight, in the heart of the capital, how dare they bully the weak, beat and harass innocent civilians, and even abduct women! This is outrageous!"

The shout was like a thunderclap. Lai Wang'er, who was feeling smug, was startled by the sound and trembled. He turned around and saw Jia Cong in his military uniform, followed by his personal guards, in the style of a patrol of the capital's guards.

Lai Wang'er recognized Jia Cong and knew that he was now the commander of a thousand-household garrison and had been granted an official title. No one in the mansion dared to treat him with disrespect. Even his own mistress, Feng Jie, had to give him some leeway now.

He was always tactful and astute; how could he dare to confront Jia Cong head-on? Instantly, his demeanor changed. He quickly dismissed the servant, straightened his clothes, and strode forward, bowing and scraping with a forced smile.

"So it's Third Master! This servant, Lai Wang'er, greets Third Master. I was unaware that Third Master was patrolling the streets here. Please forgive me."

Jia Cong couldn't very well reprimand Wang Xifeng's confidant, so he could only speak coldly.

"Laiwang'er, since you are a servant of the Rong family, and you are not working in the manor, yet you are here beating up innocent people and forcibly taking women. Who ordered you to do this? And what are you doing?"

Lai Wang'er's heart was pounding, but he dared not show his fear on his face and could only force a smile.

"Third Master, please calm down. It is not that I am being presumptuous. It is just that this man borrowed ten taels of silver from my mistress many years ago. Now the principal and interest total thirty taels. He has been in arrears for a long time. I am here on my mistress's orders to collect the debt. I am only doing my duty and not causing trouble for no reason."

Jia Cong thought to himself that it was really difficult to borrow money from the Rong Mansion, so he could only scold them a couple of times.

"Nonsense! A principal of ten taels has ballooned to thirty taels! This is blatant usury and a violation of the law! The imperial court has clearly stipulated that lending money at exorbitant interest rates is forbidden. You, relying on your master's power, are preying on the common people, beating people to extort debts, and even attempting to sell people's children—a tantamount to robbery! You are disgracing your household and dishonoring the imperial law!"

Seeing that Jia Cong was angry, Lai Wang'er dared not argue and could only bow and apologize repeatedly.

"Third Master is right. This servant was foolish and acted rashly. I beg Third Master's forgiveness. This matter was handled improperly by this servant, and I will never dare to do it again."

Jia Cong knew that Wang Xifeng was secretly orchestrating this matter. If he were to investigate further, it would damage the relationship between the family members, and family scandals should not be aired in public. Therefore, he had no choice but to suppress his desire to investigate further and only reprimand and punish her.

"I should have sent you to the garrison to be punished according to the law, but considering you are a former servant of this household, I will spare you this time! I will repay the thirty taels of silver on your behalf. Come with me back to the manor, get the money, and leave immediately. Do not harass the people here again, and do not mention selling your daughter to pay off the debt! If you dare to bully the weak and act lawlessly again, I will arrest you and send you to the authorities for severe punishment without exception. I will even speak to your master!"

How could Laiwang'er dare disobey? He hurriedly kowtowed repeatedly, bowing and scraping.

"Thank you for your kindness, Third Master! This humble servant obeys and will leave immediately. I will never dare to come here again to cause trouble. I will remember your kindness and will not dare to say another word when I return."

He dared not linger for another word, and hurriedly called to his servants, who then scurried away in disgrace.

Jia Cong then walked up to the family of three and gently comforted them.

"Do not be afraid, the wicked servant is gone. He will not dare to bother you again. Go home and live a peaceful life."

The middle-aged man and the old woman were both surprised and delighted. They quickly took their daughter and knelt down to kowtow.

"Thank you so much, sir, for saving our lives! Thank you so much for your kindness in saving my whole family. We will never forget this kindness!"

Jia Cong helped the three of them up, gave them a few more words of advice on how to behave themselves, and then left the alley, mounted his horse, and ordered the soldiers to continue patrolling the streets.

But he secretly wondered to himself, Feng Jie was making a fortune by lending money and indulging her servants to run rampant, to the point that the Rong family's economic crisis was still not over after they had three workshops.