The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 42 Anger
"I'm truly relieved that you're not going out."

Shen Ning felt her son's sincerity and sighed, "You can't count on your father. Rong'er is too young, and Madam You has no children. She's also a second wife. If something happens to you, there are plenty of people in the clan who can force her to enter the Buddhist temple and never leave it for the rest of her life."

Jia Zhen: "..."

He's sitting here perfectly fine, but from what his mother said...

"As for me... my body is too heavy. If something happens to you, there's a high chance it will be a double tragedy, with both you and your unborn child dying."

"..."

Jia Zhen's breathing became quite heavy.

Shen Ning seemed not to notice his reaction and continued, "Then Rong-ge'er will be like your second brother Lian, raised by someone else." She looked at her eldest son and asked meaningfully, "His status is high, who in the clan do you think can raise him?"

"Mother……"

Jia Zhen was so frightened by his mother's series of words that cold sweat broke out on his back. "I'm perfectly fine, nothing will happen to me. Please don't worry and don't overthink things." His mother's previous poor health was due to excessive worry.

"Zhou Rui is dead."

what?
Jia Zhen was stunned.

Zhou Rui died, so what? What does it have to do with him?
His mother is too good at making connections.

"Zhou Rui's wife is also dead. The two of them were your second aunt's right-hand men both inside and outside the West Mansion."

Shen Ning looked at her eldest son and said, "She worked so hard to gain control of most of the West Mansion, and then suddenly lost it all. If you were in her shoes, could you accept it?"

Jia Zhen: "..."

He seemed to understand what his mother meant.

I heard that my second aunt came to apologize yesterday, but her mother didn't give her any face and kicked her out on the spot.

But Zhou Rui's matter has absolutely nothing to do with his mother.

It was him and Madam You...

"Ahem~" Jia Zhen cleared his throat, looked around to make sure no one was there, and then said softly, "Second Aunt has always believed that you were responsible for Zhou Rui's actions. Are you worried about her revenge now?"

"...Don't you think we need to worry?"

Shen Ning countered with a question.

"..."

Jia Zhen thought for a moment; he had originally intended to say that he wasn't worried.

For at least the first quarter of an hour, he was never worried.

but now……

Jia Zhen suddenly realized that if he were gone, his mother, his wife, and even his son might not have a good end.

Second Aunt is a member of the Wang family. Wang Ziteng has the manpower and the ability to make him suffer an accident.

Especially before my younger sister was born.

This is the most vulnerable time for my mother.

He really can't afford to get into trouble.

"Mother, have you discovered something?"

Jia Zhen asked the question seriously.

"Just before lunch break today, Zhu'er came over..."

Shen Ning sighed and told her eldest son everything Jia Zhu had said and his expression at the time. "Later, I also asked Qingping to inquire. Before your second aunt came yesterday, she sent someone to the Wang family. She had just returned when Wang Ziteng arrived. Then, Zhou Rui started having diarrhea. In the middle of the night, the couple, one fell ill and the other committed suicide. Do you think this is all a coincidence?"

Jia Zhen: "..."

He dared not dismiss it as a coincidence.

The second aunt originally wanted to get Zhou Rui's family back.

He caused her to lose almost all of her power in the West Mansion. Instead of killing him immediately, her second aunt wanted to get him back. Clearly, Zhou Rui still had something very important to her.

What could it be?

Jia Zhen had his own guesses.

The brothers in the West Mansion were at odds. Both Uncle She and Uncle Zheng were trying their best to profit at the expense of the public funds, moving public property home together. Because of this, Second Aunt even went so far as to use Lian Er to steal the national treasury debts that Uncle had sealed up years ago. Clearly, the West Mansion's public funds were almost empty. Where could Second Aunt possibly store all that stolen?

It can only be Zhou Rui.

She... must be using Zhou Rui's name to lend money outside.

Lai Sheng seemed to have mentioned it to him once.

Jia Zhen swallowed hard. "It's no coincidence. The deaths of Zhou Rui and his wife were definitely caused by Wang Ziteng."

Now that Wang Ziteng has made his move, can he stop at Zhou Rui?
How could Wang Ziteng tolerate his mother disgracing his second aunt like that?
Since the school reforms, Wang Ziteng has intensified his efforts to win over officers at all levels of the Beijing garrison, clearly fearing that their families might turn against him.

It should be noted that the influence of the Beijing Garrison has always been in Ningguo Prefecture.

His grandfather was the military governor of the capital garrison and a hereditary first-class general.

Wang Ziteng... so they're really keeping an eye on him, aren't they?
Jia Zhen's face turned ashen. "Mother, we should try our best to avoid going to the West Mansion in the future."

That second aunt was a thief who stole from people's homes.

Lian Er could fall for her tricks, but he would never do that.

"Also, this matter needs to be told to Rong-ge'er and You-shi."

Rong-ge'er is twelve years old, which is not young anymore. He must know about this important matter concerning the life and death of his family.

Only by knowing can we take precautions.

The same applies to the Yu family.

"Whether they make a move or not, it's always good to be vigilant."

Jia Zhen made a quick decision: "From now on, whenever any of us goes out, we must each be accompanied by at least four guards from the manor."

The Ningguo Mansion stands right here, and no one in the world can touch it except the Emperor.

Therefore, there is no need to worry too much about home safety.

“Hmm~” Shen Ning nodded, “Before you came, I already told Jiao Da that from now on, when you go out, you will have four guards in the open and four in the shadows. Rong-ge’er will only go to the school, so he will have two guards.”

Jia Zhen: "..."

As expected, his mother still loved him the most.

Jia Zhen was deeply moved. “Mother, rest assured, your son will absolutely not allow anyone to harm our Ningguo Mansion.”

If Wang Ziteng wants to cause trouble, he'll have to see if Wang Ziteng gives him the chance.

A ruthless glint flashed in Jia Zhen's eyes. "What is the Wang family? Without the support of my Jia family, they are nothing."

Even if he becomes the commander-in-chief of the Beijing Garrison, so what?
"My second aunt has been acting like a tyrant in the West Mansion for years, not knowing how big the sky is or how thick the earth is. I will teach her a lesson slowly."

Although he was neither good at literature nor martial arts, as the sole heir of the eldest branch of the Jia family, Jia Zhen had a lot to learn in his youth.

He simply hadn't had the opportunity to put those methods into practice before, and he didn't feel the need to use them.

If possible, he hoped that the two branches of the Jia family could always maintain harmony and help each other.

Wang Ziteng was not the only option for the Jia family.

The reason he was chosen in the first place was simply because the Wang family daughter had given birth to two sons for the Jia family.

"Zhou Rui's actions were actually done by his son."

At this point, Jia Zhen simply confessed to his mother, "When you and Father fell out, everyone outside immediately knew that it was Wang Shi who was stirring things up outside, through Zhou Rui."

No matter how bad his parents are, it's not Wang's place to care.

Jia Zhen regretted that he wasn't ruthless enough. If he had known that Wang Ziteng would dare to interfere, he would have taken all of Zhou Rui's bezoars and dog testicles first.

“Mother, you don’t need to worry about Jia Zhu too much.”

They were indeed brothers, but Jia Zhu was also Wang's son.

“My son will help him if he can, but… he is a smart man and he must know that if our family falls, not only will the Ning and Rong mansions become the biggest joke in the noble circles, but the Jia family will also become the Wang family’s one-man show.”

He was pleased that Jia Zhu came to deliver the news, but knowing full well the evil intentions his mother harbored, he did not think of suppressing her, and therefore he was not worthy of being the hidden heir of the Rongguo Mansion.

Even if he is lucky enough to pass the imperial examination and become an official, his personality will inevitably prevent him from achieving much.

(End of this chapter)