Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Upon hearing Jing Shan's words, not only Jing Xu but even Wang Xifeng's expression changed drastically.

Although Shuiyue Nunnery was not a family temple, it was a nunnery that the Jia family had been supporting for many years, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it was the Jia family's own Buddhist temple.

If what Jingshan said is true, it is truly a shocking matter. If it gets out, it will be a significant blow to the reputation of the Jia family!

Therefore, Wang Xifeng hurriedly ordered Jingshan to stop her from talking nonsense.

Jia Lian was equally surprised that such a sordid and evil thing could happen right under the nose of a powerful family like the Jia family.

However, he disagreed with Wang Xifeng. Since Jingshan had already spoken, he thought they should let her explain clearly, and then the matter would be resolved by assigning blame to the perpetrators. Therefore, he let Jingshan continue speaking.

"It's true, I'm not lying. If you don't believe me, you can ask her to tell you where her previous disciples went. Second Master and Second Madam can just send people to investigate one by one and they'll know whether what I said is true or false."

"In fact, this humble nun knows the exact whereabouts of one of them..."

Jingshan stopped there, because if she continued, it would involve other wealthy families, and things might get complicated.

Inside the hall, all the nuns of Shuiyue Nunnery were stunned. They had thought that their abbess was just greedy for money, and because she could please the mistress of the Jia family, they could only submit to her tyranny. They never expected that Jingxu could do such a thing!

As people living in the nunnery, they knew a lot about the inside story, and after Jingshan said that, they basically believed it.

No wonder Jingxu's apprentices are all so beautiful; I originally thought she just liked good-looking people, but I never expected...

No wonder, among her apprentices, she liked Zhineng and Zhishan the most, while the others who were not so good-looking were neglected by her.

On the field, Zhi Shan'er, who was heartbroken over her older sister Zhi Neng'er's accident, now stared wide-eyed in terror at her most respected master...

"Nonsense, you're talking nonsense..."

Jingxu looked at Jingshan with a look of panic and hatred. It seemed that if there weren't so many people present, she would have torn Jingshan to pieces!

She immediately lamented the coldness of the world, realizing how much she had trusted Jing Shan before, only to find her the first to betray her after things went wrong.

Jing Shan felt a little guilty when faced with Jing Xu's gaze, but she also understood that if she didn't kill Jing Xu now, she would face endless troubles. So she added fuel to the fire and said, "This is only one of her sins. I don't need to say anything about her other sins, for fear of offending the ears of the Second Master and Second Mistress."

In short, the ill-gotten gains she has made over the years amount to at least eight thousand, if not ten thousand.

"If Second Master and Second Mistress trust me, let me take men to search her residence right now. If we can't find that number, I, this humble nun, am willing to accept punishment!"

"you……"

Jingxu completely lost her composure and hurriedly explained that the money she received was a gift from the ladies and old ladies of the mansion.

But they could only fool themselves. Lady Wang and Grandmother Jia weren't living bodhisattvas, so how could they possibly spend so much money on an old nun?

Wang Xifeng's eyes widened in surprise. Good heavens, she never expected that an old nun in a small temple could be so wealthy... But when she thought about how Jingshan had introduced her to such a big business before, she immediately believed Jingshan's words.

So she looked at Jia Lian, her eyes full of urging.

Quickly send someone to search, or I can lead the search myself. Once we find it, hehehe...

Jia Lian could easily see through her scheme; his wife was truly obsessed with money!

However, Jia Lian's calculations differed from hers. He thought that since Jingxu was Lady Wang's person, he couldn't use these dirty deeds she had done to smear Lady Wang, just as Lady Wang had previously smeared his reputation in the mansion...

After thinking it over, he decided against it. The struggle between him, Jia Zheng, and Lady Wang hadn't reached that point yet. A cornered dog will bite.

Moreover, from a broader perspective, tarnishing Lady Wang's reputation is tantamount to tarnishing the Jia family's reputation, which is not a worthwhile deal.

Let's keep this leverage in check for now, and discuss it in detail when we need it in the future.

Therefore, with a wave of his hand, he ordered Jingshan to lead his men to search the area.

Seeing that Jingxu was doomed, the remaining nuns of Shuiyue Nunnery all knew what to do. So, with a wave of her hand, nearly ten people followed her to ransack the house, including Jingxu's dutiful disciple Zhishan'er.

Jingxu tried to stop them, but was stopped by the old women of the Jia family. So, in despair, she sat down on the cold ground...

With the help of a bunch of traitors, what can't they find?

In less than half an hour, Jing Shan's house search was completed, and no private property of Jing Xu was missed!

The results were astonishing; the cash, gold, and circulating banknotes from large banks that were found totaled more than ten thousand taels of silver.

In addition, there are countless other jewels and valuables whose value cannot be calculated at this time...

Even Jia Lian thought that, putting everything else aside, Jingxu's earning ability was absolutely top-notch among nuns!

Unfortunately, most of her money was ill-gotten gains. Or rather, it was obtained through trickery and coercion by taking advantage of the Jia family's power.

"Break his arms and legs and lock him in the back of the temple."

At Jingxu's original residence, Jia Lian issued orders regarding Jingxu's fate.

Since in order to protect the reputation of the Jia family, Jingxu could not be sent to the authorities for legal proceedings, they had no choice but to deal with her themselves.

This was also a serious drawback of feudal society. Powerful families could often abuse judicial power, and in many cases, the government tacitly approved of it!

As for why he didn't just execute Jingxu outright, it was simply because Jia Lian didn't want to gain a reputation for cruelty, especially since Daiyu and the others were also at the Shuiyue Nunnery, and he was afraid of frightening them. By breaking Jingxu's limbs and rendering her unable to retaliate, and locking her up in the Shuiyue Nunnery, he believed that Jingshan, who had successfully risen to power, wouldn't let her live for long.

"This silver..."

After dealing with the people, Wang Xifeng walked to Jia Lian's ear and whispered a reminder.

Although Wang Xifeng felt that Jingxu had a heart condition, she didn't think the money she left behind was dirty at all.

She wanted to possess it. And given the current situation, it would be perfectly reasonable for her to possess it.

Jia Lian gave her a disapproving look, then told Jing Shan to step forward and instructed her, "Most of this money was obtained by Jing Xu by taking advantage of the power of my Jia family. Some of it was even given to her by the ladies of my Jia family."

Now, we will take most of her belongings with us and exchange them for rice and grain to set up soup kitchens in the city and carry out charitable deeds to atone for the sins committed by Jingxu. Do you have any objections?

Jing Shan was actually feeling a little regretful at this moment. She thought to herself that she had been too hasty before. If she hadn't taken the initiative to bring these things out, would they have ended up belonging to her in the future?

But since things had come to this, she dared not offend Jia Lian, and hurriedly nodded, saying, "That's exactly right. Second Master's kindness is truly admirable, how could I dare to have any objections..."

Jia Lian smiled at her, and Jing Shan felt uneasy. Could it be that Second Master Lian had seen through her thoughts?

"However, considering that Jingxu has been the abbess here for so many years, she may still have the donation money from your nunnery. If I take it all away, I'm afraid your nunnery will have difficulty operating."

Here's what I'll leave you: five thousand taels of silver. Firstly, you can use it to keep the nunnery running, and secondly, I have two more tasks for you…”

Jingshan originally thought Jia Lian would take it all, but she never expected that there would be meat left in the tiger's mouth!

He hurriedly replied with a smile, "What are your orders, Second Master? Please speak freely."

"First, the matter of Jingxu concerns the reputation of my Jia family, and I do not wish to hear others discussing this matter in the future."

Jing Shan felt a slight chill run down her spine, and immediately understood that the five thousand taels of silver was hush money.

It wasn't just hers; it was also hush money for more than twenty people in the nunnery! Moreover, she could use the money to quickly secure her position as abbot!

She readily agreed.

"Second, find the three disciples that Jingxu abducted. If they are doing well, that's fine; if they are not, find a way to redeem them."

If you do this well, not only will you accumulate good karma, but I will also reward you extra; you won't suffer any loss.

Upon hearing Jia Lian's words, not only Jing Shan, but also Wang Xifeng, Ping'er, and the others looked at Jia Lian with some surprise.

Unexpectedly, Jia Lian still cared about those nuns who had been abducted by Jingxu.

Jing Shan took a deep breath and readily agreed. She even felt a little ashamed, realizing that she couldn't compare to Jia Lian in terms of compassion.

No wonder Master Lian is so wealthy, with beautiful wives and concubines, and extraordinary power; he is a man born with good fortune!

Wang Xifeng and Ping'er, each with their own feelings, looked at their husbands...