The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 75 Urgent Letter
The news of Chen Chong killing relatives of the Chen and Wang families and framing the Jia family to confess in court spread throughout the capital in less than half a day.

Wang Ziteng is furious.

So even he was being played?

The Jia family was tricked, but at least they received compensation. Lady Shen received a first-rank imperial decree. What about him?

What did he get?
Not only did he get nothing, but he also exposed his own people to others. Not only that, he also had to bring condolences and gifts to the Jia family.

Wang Ziteng collapsed onto the couch, panting heavily.

He couldn't understand when the emperor had started paying attention to the Jia family.

If you started paying attention to him very early on, then... did you also take a look at him while you were paying attention to the Jia family?
Just thinking about this made him break out in a cold sweat.

The retired emperor is confused. Of all the princes, why did he choose the one who was the most troublesome?
In the imperial court, the emperor appeared extremely respectful to the retired emperor, prioritizing him above all else. But what was the reality? Emperor Xiaomu seemed to always be able to guide the retired emperor to make decisions that benefit him.

Wang Ziteng clutched his chest, feeling a mix of anger, resentment, and regret.

But he still had things to do.

Even if it hurts him, he has to do it.

A ruthless glint flashed in Wang Ziteng's eyes.

If the Emperor has really set his sights on him, then let's take another look at his closeness with Jia Zhen!

"Somebody come!"

Wang Ziteng shouted towards the door.

Wang Jin rushed over, "My lord!"

"When is the Jia family holding their event? Have the gifts been prepared?"

what?
Wang Jin hesitated for a moment and said, "Sir, the Jia family of Ningguo Mansion has just informed their relatives and friends that they do not entertain guests."

"...When did this happen? Did they say why?"

Wang Ziteng was very surprised.

The Jia family was cleared of suspicion, Jia Zhen escaped unharmed, and Shen Shi gave birth to a daughter safely and was granted a first-rank imperial title. It was like four happy events happening at once. At such a time, wouldn't it be more appropriate to celebrate with relatives and friends? Why would they inform everyone that they wouldn't be entertaining guests?
“Half an hour ago, a young master from the Jia family came to say that,” Wang Jin said. “At the time, he apologized profusely and said it was Madam Shen’s idea, that the child is still young and cannot withstand the comings and goings of people. The same goes for Master Zhen’s injury; he needs to rest quietly.”

Wang Ziteng: "..."

He strongly suspected that this was something the Shen family did for the royal family.

Haha~
Excellent skills; you and Jia Jing are truly a perfect couple.

bang~
Wang Ziteng grabbed a teacup from the table and slammed it down. "Get out!"

Wang Jin didn't dare to delay and fled in a panic.

At this moment, the young men of the Jia family were all on their way back.

For a while, they were so ashamed that they could hardly show their faces in public.

Fortunately, God had eyes.

"We have class again tomorrow."

Jia Qin really didn't want to go to class.

Whether it's academic or martial arts classes, he's always at the bottom of the class; life is just too hard for him.

I was upset at school, and when I got home I was nagged by my mother.

"Sir, you look radiant. Would you like to come in and play a game?"

A gambling den?

Jia Qin stopped.

When he returned from the Prince of Nan'an's mansion, although he only had a cup of tea with the mansion's steward, he still received a high-class red envelope as a reward.

Otherwise, why not borrow the luck of the Prince of Nan'an's mansion?

Jia Qin looked at the signboard. "God of Wealth Gambling House? I've never seen or heard of it before?"

"Hehe, have you heard of the Western God of Wealth?"

The gambling den attendant, trying to lure customers, said with an air of pride, "This is a joint venture between our master and a gentleman from the capital. It's only been less than a month."

"Oh?"

Jia Qin blinked. He had indeed heard of the God of Wealth; he was Lu Kun, the eldest patriarch of the Lu family in Shanxi, who owned a money exchange.

This guy runs a money exchange and also runs a gambling den...

His eyes darted around, and he tossed the purse he'd gotten from the Prince's mansion. "Shall we play a game?"

"Haha, please go ahead!"

"Grandpa, Grandpa, Uncle Qin!"

The servant boy from the Jia family who was with him quickly stopped him, saying, "Our master is still waiting for your replies in the mansion."

"Isn't the matter finished? Help me ask for leave!"

Jia Qin shook off the servant's hand and hurried into the God of Wealth Gambling House.

At this moment, inside the Ningguo Mansion, Shen Ning was listening to Madam You report on matters concerning the Jia family outside.

She never imagined that the Jia family had faced such hardship before Jia Zhen's assassination.

"My mother was about to give birth at that time, so my uncle and I..."

"I know you're doing this for my own good."

Shen Ning waved her hand, "But Jiangnan..." she narrowed her eyes, "should be moved around a bit."

The emperor would not let this opportunity pass him by.

The wealth of salt merchants was comparable to that of a nation!

Shen Ning suddenly remembered something, "Call Zhen'er over, I have something to ask him."

She waved to Qingping, and soon, Jia Zhen was carried over again.

"Mother!"

When Jia Zhen noticed his arrival and even Lady You withdrew, he knew that his mother had something important to say.

"I already know about Chen Chong's collusion with the Li family."

Shen Ning looked at her eldest son and asked softly, "Are you planning to just hand him over to the authorities like this?"

“That’s impossible.” Jia Zhen shook his head with a grin. “Isn’t Lian Er in Jiangnan? My son has already written to him, telling him to play it by ear and see how he can squeeze some money out of him.”

The people do not fight with the officials.

No matter how powerful the Li family is in Jiangnan, if they offend the capital, they'll suffer greatly.

"When I get the money, my son will give you some as a token of my filial piety."

"Respect?"

Shen Ning was furious.

She was afraid that this fool would interfere and attract the emperor's attention, and sure enough, he did.

They still dare to drag Jia Lian along; they won't even know how they died!
"Don't end up sending your whole family to jail as a result of your filial piety."

Shen Ning was exasperated. "I'm asking you, where's the letter? Has it already been sent? If it has, get it back to me right now."

what?
Jia Zhen was stunned, "Mother..."

"Jia Zhen, do you think there's any silver in the national treasury? No, right? Why doesn't Lord Dong continue the trial? Chen Chong has already confessed, so why wasn't a verdict announced on the spot? Why did he agree to Chen Chong's false accusation and keep pinning Li Haizhong on him?"

If this guy hadn't been covered in injuries, Shen Ning would have wanted to beat him up herself. "Give me a break! Don't think that just because the Emperor gave you face, you can't see the big picture and jump around like an idiot."

Jia Zhen: "..."

His mother's scolding was too harsh; they were all so loving and filial this morning.

"What about the letter?"

Seeing that he still hadn't caught on, Shen Ning was so angry she wanted to snatch it away on the spot.

"Those who followed the military route have already been sent away."

Jia Zhen obediently replied, "I'll write another letter now, telling Lian Er not to make any rash moves."

"Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up."

Shen Ning raised her voice, "Someone, prepare ink. I'll read, and you write."

The turmoil in Beijing was unknown to ordinary people; what they talked about most was Chen Chong's greed and ruthlessness.

Speaking of the Jia family, they initially felt sympathy, but since the mother and son were unharmed and even received a first-rank imperial title and generous rewards, their sympathy eventually turned into envy. None of them knew how many letters had been sent from the capital to Jiangnan in the past few days.

Those without connections sent their own men on horseback or by boat, while those with connections used post stations, and those with even more connections, like Jia Zhen's letters, which traveled through the military. In those cases, the people stopped, but the letters never stopped.

But what no one knew was that, to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, the Emperor had even used carrier pigeons before sending out messengers to deliver the imperial edict.

However, although he used carrier pigeons and outpaced everyone else in terms of speed, it would still take time to mobilize the army. The Li family were merchants, but also bandits. To prevent a major upheaval in Yangzhou, they didn't even know about it, let alone the surrounding garrison troops.

Jia Zhen's letter was delivered to Lin Ruhai, the Salt Commissioner's Office, before anyone else could.

Lin Ruhai frowned as he touched the thick letter.

He wouldn't pay much attention to letters from other people, but from the Ningguo Mansion...

Thinking of the good news letters from Uncle Lin Shan and Jia Lian yesterday, Lin Ruhai couldn't sit still and took them back to his residence.

If there is still a letter in this letter, then it is most likely still for him.

If there is no letter...

Lin Ruhai squeezed it again and again, but it didn't feel like there was a message in the letter. He could only go back to the mansion to discuss it with his wife.

"If it were a letter from my sister-in-law, it wouldn't be signed with Jia Zhen's name."

Jia Min looked at it against the light, "It's definitely Lian'er's. Have someone deliver it to him!"

"He should already be on his way back by now."

Lin Ruhai said, "If I send someone to deliver the message, and it gets misdelivered... that would be bad."

"Then let's wait for him to come back."

Jia Min didn't think his two nephews could do anything serious. "Don't worry, even though Jia Zhen's path to the military seems urgent, it's just something that comes naturally to him."

"...Have you forgotten that your sister-in-law is about to give birth?"

what?
Jia Min was startled, and her face turned pale.

Just say you forgot something important during this time.

But no matter what happened, we should let her know the good news first, right?

Why is there no letter from her?
"You asked the messenger, and he confirmed that this was the only letter?"

"This is the only one."

Lin Ruhai gave an affirmative answer and was about to say something when hurried footsteps sounded outside, "Master, Madam, the young master is back."

The couple's eyes lit up, and they rushed out together, shouting, "Where is it?"

Her nephew from her maternal family finally came to Yangzhou, but he was sent away by her husband in less than a day.

I've made her worry for so long.

Jia Min was overjoyed and eager to see her nephew, but when she actually saw him, her beautiful eyes were filled with shock, astonishment, and anger.

In just one month, my nephew, who had arrived looking like a handsome young nobleman, is now as black as charcoal.

If it weren't for his bright white teeth and captivating eyes, she wouldn't have recognized him.

"Uncle, Aunt, your nephew is back."

Jia Lian felt he had saved face for his aunt, and when he hurried over to pay his respects, he grinned broadly, showing off his big teeth.

"It'll be good to come back, it'll be good to come back."

Lin Ruhai was unaware that his wife was already imposing family discipline on him. He supported Jia Lian with both hands and said, "Quickly, let's talk in the study."

"Lian'er!"

Jia Min shouted angrily, "Come in here!"

He was speaking in the same vein as Jia Lian, but his eyes were fixed on Lin Ruhai.

Lin Ruhai was startled. After exchanging a glance with Jia Lian, he hurriedly followed Jia Min, who had already turned and returned to her room.

When their master waved his hand, the maids quickly withdrew and thoughtfully closed the door.

"How did you become like this?"

Jia Min was heartbroken. "How am I supposed to explain this to the old lady and my eldest brother?"

She angrily punched Lin Ruhai a few times, "Don't you know how strong the sun is in the south? Even if you want him to make salt himself, you can't mistreat him!"

"Aunt, there was no abuse!"

"Yeah, I wouldn't dare!"

"It's because I like it."

Listen to this~

"Aunt, this really has nothing to do with Uncle."

Jia Lian glanced at his uncle, who looked like a noodle in front of his aunt, and said, "I'm doing something big. You're just giving me a chance. Anyway, if you trust us, that's all that matters."

"That's right~"

"..."

Jia Min glared at her husband, who seemed to be echoing her every word, then turned to her nephew, who looked quite well. "Forget it, I can't be bothered with your affairs." She tossed the letter on the table over. "The sacrificial land for the school has been purchased, and you still owe me money."

“I’ve already heard it from the chief steward.”

Jia Lian grinned, not at all afraid of his family suffering a loss, "When we return to the capital, I'll ask your brother Chaozhen for it."

As he spoke, he tore open the letter.

However, the more I looked at his expression, the more something seemed off.

Seeing his expression, Lin Ruhai and Jia Min couldn't help but become serious as well. "What's wrong?"

Jia Min reached out and snatched the document from him, only to find that Jia Zhen had written on the first line: "The Li family, one of the ten great salt merchants of Jiangnan, has an irreconcilable feud with the Jia family."

She skimmed through the text, becoming increasingly anxious and nervous as she read.

It turns out that my sister-in-law had already given birth to a baby. It turns out that on that day, my sister-in-law almost lost both her baby and her child, and Jia Zhen almost died as well.

What a Li family! Not only did they try to kill our entire family, but they even went to the capital.

"This matter... needs to be considered carefully."

Lin Ruhai, holding Jia Min's hand, finished reading the letter. As Jia Lian slammed his fist on the table, he said softly, "Since things have turned out this way in the capital, the Li family must have been prepared."

When merchants turned to bandits, that was when they were willing to risk everything.

So, we really can't push them too far.

As for Jia Zhen's suggestion that Jia Lian first extort money to appease them... it seems feasible, but it's actually quite risky.

“The Zhen family isn’t stupid. They must have received the news from the capital by now, so they will absolutely not take in the Li family.”

Lin Ruhai couldn't help but spin around.

He needed to come up with a foolproof plan to appease the Li family first.

The national treasury was short of silver, and if the emperor hadn't had an opportunity, so be it, but now an opportunity had arisen...

It seems that someone from the Emperor's side will also be coming to Jiangnan by now.

However, they certainly couldn't be as fast as this letter.

"I will send a letter to the two garrison generals right away."

As he was speaking, Lin Ruhai was about to leave, but Jia Lian blocked his way, saying, "Uncle, I need to go to the Li family."

"Nonsense!"

How could Lin Ruhai agree? "If it's just as the letter says, the Emperor must have his eye on the Li family. Go..."

"I'm not going to extort money from them, I'm going to extort money from the Li family."

Jia Lian's voice was extremely cold, "The Li family has such a large fortune, they can't easily give it up. Doesn't Li Haizhong want to take on everything? Then let him take on it. I don't believe he doesn't have a wife and children."

When my aunt was about to give birth, they caused so much trouble, just to kill both my aunt and her unborn child.

His mother almost died along with her unborn child back then.

Jia Lian deeply resented these sneaky things. "Also, the assassination attempt on my elder brother Zhen was such a coincidence; it might also be related to the Li family."

He knew what his uncle was afraid of. "Uncle, don't worry, whatever the Li family gives me, I will hand it over to the national treasury. When Brother Zhen wrote to me, my aunt certainly didn't know. If she did, she would definitely scold him."

Jia Lian used the simple method given to him by his aunt to make salt. He knew how much trouble his aunt had saved everyone in the salt-making process, and he also knew how much more salt was produced that way.

This is all thanks to them.

At times like these, he would not allow any blemish to overshadow his achievements.