Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 450: Search of Rongguo Mansion (End)
The girls stepped back a step and looked at Lady Jia falling in front of them, dizzy and seeing stars, but they were completely indifferent and all their eyes were focused on Yue Ling's hand.

Wang Ziteng also stepped forward and bowed to ask, "Duke Dingguo, what is this in your hand?"

Yue Ling nodded calmly and showed the front of the seal to the others. There were four large characters engraved on it: "Stop at Perfection."

Wang Ziteng's fingers trembled slightly, and he looked at Grandmother Jia in surprise and said, "This is actually the private seal of Duke Rong?"

"Yes."

Yue Ling sighed and thought about the past with Duke Rong again.

He had met Jia Daishan several times and thought that Jia Daishan's ability and character were enough to make him a famous general recorded in history.

The four characters on the private seal are taken from The Book of Rites: The Great Learning.

The way of a university lies in Ming Mingde, being close to the people, and stopping at the perfection.

From this, we can see that Jia Daishan already had a keen sense of the court, and wanted his descendants to abandon military affairs and turn to civil governance. However, he did not expect that due to his years of guarding the border, his descendants lacked discipline, and the Rongguo Mansion became so corrupt.

This is mostly thanks to Lady Jia.

The people around him were not fully aware of what the private seal meant. Seeing Lady Jia's violent reaction, they guessed that it was a vital item. Yue Ling then explained, "I still remember that nine years ago, when Prince Kang was in turmoil, Duke Ningguo Jia Daihua led the officers and soldiers of the Beijing Camp to surround the Prince Qin's Mansion. Commander Wang, do you know about this?"

Wang Ziteng lowered his head and sighed, "This incident caused a stir in the capital, but it was quelled by the troops led by you, Duke Dingguo. Under Xuande, Duke Dingguo defeated thousands of soldiers in the capital with his eloquence, and this is still a story passed down by word of mouth in the capital."

Wang Ziteng did a great job of supporting the main role, Yue Ling was in high spirits, and the young girls all looked at him with admiration, but the Jia family members became increasingly restless.

Yue Ling started playing with the seal and said, "I used to wonder why Duke Ning, who is a man of character, suddenly led his troops to rebel."

"Later, when interrogating Duke Ning, I learned that it was the Rong Mansion that gave Duke Ning a secret letter, instructing him to do this. But Duke Rong was devoted to his country and was willing to die on the battlefield. How could he do such a treasonous thing?"

"At that time, both the Ning and Rong mansions had the old Duke in charge, and they were as close as a family. They never kept secrets from each other, so it gave Old Madam Jia the opportunity to secretly use the seal, forge letters, and deceive the old Duke's trust."

"In order to maintain your position, you must have used the private seal of Duke Rong many times, right? Did you use it in correspondence with the deposed crown prince?"

Grandmother Jia struggled to get up from the ground, her facial features twitching, "Duke Dingguo is a silver tongue, rare in this world, no wonder he is favored by your majesty, I don't know what you are talking about."

Yue Ling smiled, walked past Lady Jia, and went straight to Jia She. He put his arm around his shoulders and asked, "Master Jia, it's been a long time since we last met. Have you been doing well these days?"

Jia She, whose face had already turned pale, bowed and shook his head repeatedly, "I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it."

Yue Ling added: "You were an eyewitness to the rebellion of King Kang and collusion with foreign countries. Since the old ancestor of your house does not admit it, do you admit it?"

Grandmother Jia glared and was about to threaten him, but she saw Jia She's legs soften and he knelt down on the ground, "Admit it, we admit it. Duke Dingguo, for the sake of Yingchun, Tanchun and Xichun, please say a few good words for our Jia family. His Majesty once said that he would no longer pursue the fault of Prince Kang in the rebellion..."

Yue Ling glanced at the girls of the Jia family, and they all looked as if they had done something wrong, and slowly lowered their heads.

What's even more tragic is that even at this point, Jia She still wants to use them as bargaining chips. How much do they weigh?
With a sneer, Yue Ling returned to the girls and threw the seal in Wang Ziteng's hand, "Keep it. It will be a credit to the girls of the Jia family who reported their mistakes. When the Zhen family was searched, there were many letters between the Zhen family and the Jia family. We can use this private seal to compare them when the time comes."

It was against propriety for Lady Jia to exercise her husband's power by using her private seal. If she were to commit an illegal act, her crime would be even more serious.

As for the fake letter from the Zhen family, there was no seal of communication on it, so it was obviously fabricated evidence. Jia Mu's plot to frame the second house was thus shattered.

Lin Daiyu still didn't understand, so she asked again, "Brother Yue, we have been searching in Rongguo Mansion for a whole day, and only found the clue to this object from the few remaining clues. Where did you find it from?"

Yue Ling raised his hand and rubbed Lin Daiyu's head again. Looking at Lady Jia who was unwilling to give in, he felt that she should be allowed to know the truth.

"I heard from the servants of the Jia Mansion that she was now living in the Buddhist temple, so I went straight to the temple. However, when I searched the whole house, I found cracks on the back of the Buddha statue. If the Buddha statue has cracks, it is difficult to suppress the cause and effect."

"Even the Buddha could not bear the heinous crimes she committed, causing this sinful creature to crack the Buddha's golden body. She actually does not know how serious her sins are, and continues to control the Rongguo Mansion with peace of mind."

"You are a vegetarian who does this kind of improper thing all day long and still want the Buddha to bless you. Isn't that just wishful thinking? I think you will be reborn as an animal in your next life."

"you!"

Grandmother Jia was furious, but was left speechless by Yue Ling's words, and the faith in her heart was collapsing bit by bit.

After being hit repeatedly by Jia Yuanchun and Yue Ling, Grandmother Jia, who already had a strong sense of self-esteem, could no longer bear it.

But right now, it was a matter of life and death, and Grandmother Jia had to pinch her own philtrum hard to keep herself awake.

Everyone looked at her like a worthless person, but Grandmother Jia still didn't give up.

"No, Your Majesty will not punish the Rongguo Mansion. Your Majesty just allowed the eldest daughter to return home to visit her parents. This is a great favor from the royal family. How could he change his mind in less than one night?"

"Yes, that's right. The eldest lady is still in the room. She can save me and the Jia family!"

Grandmother Jia roared hysterically, almost like a madman.

Jia Baoyu crawled to his grandmother's side, crying until his throat was hoarse, and said, "Grandfather, is what he said true? Did our Jia family really collude with foreign countries and become traitors? Grandfather, please tell us that this is not true. The eldest master was also intimidated by his intimidation and made up a lie. Please tell us quickly?!"

However, Grandmother Jia didn't care about this beloved child of hers at all. She threw Baoyu away in a very abnormal manner and walked towards the warm room with her crutches.

Yuanyang also knelt down to stop him and said, "Grandfather, please admit your sin and ask for mercy from His Majesty. If you continue to be stubborn, Rongguo Mansion will really be destroyed. The Queen Mother said that if Rongguo Mansion is destroyed in your hands, how will you face the old Duke in the underworld?"

Grandmother Jia raised her cane to beat Yuanyang away and spat, "You are such a conscienceless person."

When she just walked to the door, the person inside seemed to know she was coming and opened the door in advance.

Grandmother Jia was overjoyed and kept saying, "Young lady, please come out soon. If you don't come out, this visit will surely be disrupted by these scoundrels. My Jia family has done nothing wrong. Come on, tell us that my Jia family is favored by the royal family."

But when Lady Jia actually saw Jia Yuanchun, she was stunned.

Jia Yuanchun no longer covered her face with a veil, but wore a monk's hat and a coarse cloth robe as she went out. If her pretty features had not been deeply engraved in Jia's mother's mind, she would not have recognized that the person in front of her was Yuanchun.

"You, what are you doing? Where's your hair?"

Grandmother Jia threw away her crutches, and without caring about anything else, she walked forward with her teeth bared and tried to tear off Jia Yuanchun's hat.

A small bald head popped out from the side, separating Lady Jia from the others.

Jia Yuanchun looked at Grandmother Jia coldly and said in a deep voice: "Haven't you had enough of making trouble? Open your eyes and see what the Jia Mansion has become after you run it!" "Do you want to continue?"

When Grandmother Jia came to her senses from her daze, she looked at the ornaments scattered all over the floor, the servants of the Jia family hugging each other and crying, and the mess everywhere. Then she became completely quiet.

Losing all his strength, he slowly sat down on the ground, his eyes distorted, and he couldn't hold on for his last breath, "Why, why is this happening?"

Jia Yuanchun whispered, "You deserve it."

As soon as she heard that, Grandmother Jia fainted. In full view of everyone, no one came forward to help her. She was deserted by everyone and no one cared about her.

When Jia Yuanchun came in front of the crowd with this look, she frightened everyone present and they were all stunned.

Yue Ling coughed a few times to remind him, and Wang Ziteng and the officers and soldiers of the Beijing Camp saluted together, "Greetings, Her Majesty the Concubine."

"I am following orders, and I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

Jia Yuanchun shook her head indifferently and said, "Just let Commander Wang investigate carefully. I will go back to the palace and apologize to His Majesty."

After that, he turned to Yue Ling and bowed, "Thank you, Duke Dingguo."

He didn't say anything more and left the hall with the frightened palace maids.

But when Jia Yuanchun turned around, Yue Ling clearly saw a tear of unwillingness in the corner of her eye, which was really pitiful.

But Yue Ling and Jia Yuanchun had no connection at all, and the subsequent sins of the Jia family were inseparable from the fact that everyone relied on her status to bully others. Apart from Lady Jia, she would of course be the first to be punished and could not get away with it.

Lin Daiyu sighed with regret and asked Yue Ling, "Brother Yue, does my elder sister still have a chance to survive?"

“It’s hard to say.”

Yue Ling calmed down, looked at Wang Ziteng and said, "You have to do the next thing. I am here mainly to take them back to the mansion."

Wang Ziteng cupped his hands and said, "Please do as you wish, Duke Dingguo."

Looking at Yingchun, Tanchun, and Xichun in the crowd, Yue Ling comforted them, "After all, you are members of the Jia family. Now that the Jia family is facing such a major event, you cannot leave first. After you are taken to jail for interrogation and the procedures are completed, I will come to pick you up."

"You have done a great job in reporting the crime, which is a loyal act. His Majesty will use you as an example and will not embarrass you. You don't have to be afraid of being put in jail. But you still have to endure this hardship."

Now is the best ending, otherwise their fate might be to enter the Music Bureau. What else can they ask for?

The three of them knelt down and kowtowed, "Thank you, Duke Dingguo, for saving my life."

Yue Ling helped the three of them up, shook his head and said, "No need to thank me, thank Sister Lin instead."

Lin Daiyu also came forward at the right time and comforted her: "Don't worry, sister. Brother Yue said that everything will be fine. I will wait for you to come back in the mansion. When the time comes, you can return to the courtyards that were divided in advance. We sisters will never be separated again."

The three girls stepped forward, hugged Lin Daiyu in their arms, and wiped their tears.

"it is good."

……

After leaving Rongguo Mansion, the women all breathed a sigh of relief, as if they had won a great victory.

Everyone got into the carriage and moved away from this place of trouble. Recalling the ups and downs of this day, it was indeed a bizarre experience.

However, thinking about the fact that the Sanchun sisters still had to suffer in prison, they couldn't feel happy.

The small opera troupe had been performing for two days in a row and were so tired that they could hardly speak. They lay down in all directions and rested.

There were also a few girls surrounding Miaoyu, asking curiously about Yuanchun's ordination.

Only Yue Ling and Lin Daiyu were left alone in a sedan chair, snuggling together.

"Brother Yue, what do you think will be the fate of Rongguo Mansion? Such a large mansion collapsed overnight. It seemed that it was full of flowers and brocade one moment, and the next moment it was surrounded by soldiers who were confiscating the property, and flames lit up the sky."

Yue Ling lowered the curtain, and around him were soldiers from the Beijing camp lined up, making way for them.

Hearing Lin Daiyu's sigh, Yue Ling responded, "Your Majesty did have the fault of not investigating the rebellion of Prince Kang in the past, and Your Majesty is also a trustworthy person, but the situation in the court is irreversible. Your Majesty's search of Rongguo Mansion was intentional, not a spur-of-the-moment decision, so Rongguo Mansion is naturally in danger."

"At least the family property will be confiscated and the family will be exiled. Of course, Grandmother Jia will not be able to escape being beheaded."

Lin Daiyu sighed softly and thought of Jia Yuanchun again.

I don’t know how desperate she must have been, but she resolutely shaved her head and became a nun despite being a noble concubine.

This was definitely not in line with the palace's discipline, but as a criminal, she had no other way out.

She shaved her head to show His Majesty that she admitted her guilt and that she would no longer care about the title of imperial concubine.

"I just hope that Your Majesty can have some compassion and spare my elder sister's life. She is really pitiful, and my elder sister is a really good person."

Leaning in his arms, listening to Lin Daiyu's mumbling, Yue Ling was a little puzzled and asked, "You have only been with Concubine Xian De for one night, how come you are as close as sisters to her? You two have never met before. Even if you have met in the palace, you should not have had much interaction in front of the Queen, right?"

Lin Daiyu pouted and said, "Big sister is very kind to others. It comes from the heart and is not pretended. Moreover, she also said something very important and even gave me her blessing."

Yue Ling blinked, "What's the key thing?"

"My elder sister said that His Majesty intends to help us next year..."

Lin Daiyu suddenly stopped talking and covered her mouth tightly with her hands.

When Yue Ling looked at her suspiciously, Lin Daiyu could only smile innocently and shook her head, "No, nothing, Brother Yue, why don't you tell me, is it true that the Buddha statue has cracks? It sounds too mysterious."

Yue Ling had long heard Lin Daiyu's words, and he didn't care that she changed the subject. Seeing her slightly pink cheeks, he couldn't help but wipe them gently and replied, "Of course it's fake. I found out when I saw the scratches on the base. I made up a story just to fool her. I'm afraid any Buddhist would not be able to hear such words as Buddha couldn't forgive her sins. That's why she went crazy in the end."

Lin Daiyu opened her mouth and couldn't help but said, "Brother Yue, you are so mean."

(End of this chapter)