The head of the Red Mansion

Capital city, Wang family.

Wang Ziteng is grooming his beard in front of the mirror.

Believe it or not, during his time recovering at home, apart from his leg being inconvenient, he was fine in every other way.

"Brother, I don't want to go to the Jia family."

Wang Zisheng reluctantly entered and said, "My niece Yuanchun has never been close to us since she was little. Her mother was imprisoned in the ancestral hall, and we had such a falling out with the Jia family. Did she send anyone to inquire about us? And Feng'er, she's an ingrate too. Does she think she can get away with just clinging to the Jia family? Bah! Without her own family, I'll just wait and see what kind of miserable life she'll have in the future!"

He was also very angry with Jia Lian.

A son-in-law is like half a son; has he fulfilled his role as half a son well?
However, Jia Lian was the Director of the Imperial Treasury, and his brother still needed his services, so Wang Zisheng couldn't complain to his brother.

"What are you talking about?"

Wang Ziteng was speechless at his younger brother. "On your niece's big day, we uncles aren't going. Are you trying to confirm the rumors that the Wang and Jia families are at odds?"

This?
Wang Zisheng sat down in the chair angrily. "But after what happened that day, do you think the Jia family would give us a friendly face?"

His brother-in-law is an idiot; he probably can't even put on a smile.

And then there's Jia Zhen, who's truly shameless.

His nephew Jia Zhu is quite pedantic, and his niece's husband Jia Lian... seems more capable, but now it seems a bit difficult for them to put on airs in front of him.

After all, the third son and his wife had died long ago.

"Hehe, don't worry, you'll definitely get a nice look."

Wang Ziteng took a small pair of scissors and trimmed his beard again.

Even if Prince Teng is not the best, he still knows a few people in the army. Although they may not be able to help his nephew-in-law, they can definitely make things difficult for him.

The principle that it's better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester is something that Old Madam Jia knows, Madam Shen knows, and soon Jia Lian will also know.

To make enemies in the imperial court... that's courting death.

His uncle from his wife's family returned to the capital garrison, which would only benefit his official career.

"elder brother!"

Wang Zisheng was skeptical of his brother's words. "Jia She went to Yansui to avenge his half-sister Jia Wen. I heard that he beat up the entire Min family, young and old."

The Min family hasn't done anything to that illegitimate daughter yet.

The Lan family is completely wiped out.

Until this point, the brothers were unaware of Lan Zhi's existence.

"If he comes to our house..."

"...Don't worry, it won't happen again after today."

Wang Ziteng was in a good mood, but his younger brother's words made him a little unhappy.

Some people in the court not only want to hold Jia Lian back, but also want to bring him down.

Otherwise, the impeachment of Jia She could have been carried out long ago.

The reason for dragging it out until now is simply to kill two birds with one stone.

"What do you mean? Brother, are you going to use money to pave the way again?"

Prince Sheng was very dissatisfied.

He didn't spend much money keeping concubines and mistresses, but his brother, who was an official, spent a fortune.

"How big is the appetite of the Jia family? Isn't a manor in the suburbs of Beijing enough?"

If it weren't for his brother's sake, he would have overturned the table at the Jia family's house that day.

"What are you talking about?"

Wang Ziteng reprimanded his younger brother, saying, "The estate in the suburbs of Beijing is a small token of our appreciation as uncles to our niece."

Marquis Xinping was also a military rank.

Moreover, Cheng Luo is the grandson of the retired emperor and the nephew of the emperor.

This is similar to their situation with the Jia family.

"Princess Baofeng died a pitiful death, and now that her son is getting married, do you think the royal family isn't paying attention?"

He absolutely had to send Zhuangzi a gift.

Yuan Chun was a member of the Jia family. No matter how dissatisfied she was with her maternal uncle's family, she would not publicize it outside, nor would she have any grudge against money.

"You can just relax and go get your niece's facial done."

Wang Ziteng gestured for Wang Jin to push him out, but unexpectedly, his nephew ran in shouting, "Uncle, Dad, something bad has happened! My brother-in-law Jia Lian and his father have been impeached together!"

what?
Wang Zisheng suddenly stood up. "Why?"

"It is said that he was arrogant and conceited, and beat up an official of the imperial court."

"The Min family's affairs?"

Wang Zisheng sat back down. "It wasn't your brother-in-law who hit him. Brother, won't your nephew-in-law be implicated too much?"

No one in the Min family died, so even if it were Jia She, he would at most receive a reprimand.

"will not!"

The emperor isn't stupid.

In any case, according to Wang Ziteng's investigation, Jia Lian has quite a bit of influence in the Armory Department.

It seems even the Emperor himself praised him to the Emperor Emeritus.

"Stop thinking about all that nonsense, let's go!"

The carriage is ready.

If we don't leave now, when will we?

"Second brother, Ren'er, come with me in the carriage."

Wang Ziteng didn't turn around, but directly gave instructions to the two men.

The guards carried him into the spacious, modified carriage. Just as they were about to help the Second Master up again, several horses galloped up from the street corner. It was Jia She who had arrived.

Wang Zisheng was startled and was about to tell his son to hide quickly, but Wang Ren had already retreated back home first.

"Xu~"

Jia She, holding a riding whip, looked down at Wang Zisheng with a forced smile, about to greet him, when he suddenly lashed out with the whip at the man who had bullied his family.

"Ouch~"

Prince Sheng was in great pain, and the guards quickly protected him.

"Jia She, what are you doing?"

Wang Ziteng was extremely anxious. He had calculated everything, but he never expected Jia She to return so quickly. "Does he still want to be impeached?"

slap~
Bang bang bang~~~
It would have been better if Wang Ziteng hadn't said anything, because once he did, Jia She exploded.

The Wang family owes its current status to the Jia family, yet they dared to cheat his second son, bully his nephew, and anger his mother and sister-in-law while he was away. This is intolerable!

Wang Ziteng is in the carriage, and with his leg injury, he's not easy to fight, but Wang Zisheng... don't even think about escaping.

The guards tried to protect their second master, but the mansion's guards were not to be trifled with.

Most importantly, their master didn't allow them to draw their swords.

Of course, this is the capital city. If so many of them really start fighting, the people from Shuntian Prefecture and the Five Cities Garrison will probably arrive very soon.

The guards knew very well that if their master wanted to return to the capital garrison, the Jia family would have to help.

"Hey, stop hitting me, stop hitting me, it's not my fault."

Prince Sheng tried his best to dodge and let the guards take the whipping for him, but Jia She's whip seemed to have eyes, and it always managed to hit him.

"Jia She, you bastard!"

Wang Ziteng got anxious.

Jia She's actions have indeed confirmed the rumors of discord between the Wang and Jia families!

"Get him for me!"

"Let me see who dares?"

Jia She's eyes were filled with malice. "Wang Ziteng, do you think you're the smartest person in the world? You've harmed my elder sister's family. Just wait, I will definitely report you to the Emperor."

Want to return to the Beijing Garrison?

Want to benefit from his son's fame?
They still want to step on the corpses of the Jia family? They're dreaming!

After receiving a letter from home on the way and learning about his younger sister's family, Jia She specifically asked Jia Wen about it.

One of them was in Zhongwei, Ningxia, and the other was in Yansui. They were relatively close to each other and had corresponded quite a bit.

You never know until you ask...

Jia She nearly vomited blood.

He knew his second brother was a troublemaker, but he never imagined he could be this bad. After his father passed away and his mother made a scene, he had no choice but to give up Rongxi Hall and move to the east wing, leaving all the affairs of the mansion to his second brother and his wife.

Jia She always thought that he was the one who was most wronged by his second brother.

But unexpectedly, the eldest sister suffered the most.

The younger sister who used to be very close to the second brother wrote home while seriously ill, asking him to take care of her two nephews. As a result, she ruined the whole family.

He only found out why she never wrote home after asking Jia Wen.

She dare not!
The words "my sister cried uncontrollably" sent a chill down Jia She's spine.

During those years of hedonistic living, he...

Jia She hated himself, but he hated the sinister Prince Teng even more.

"Men, beat them up! Smash it!"

As he spoke, he flicked his long whip and forcefully tore down the Wang family's plaque.

He had to avenge his brother-in-law and two nephews, otherwise, even in death he would be beaten by his father in front of the Bridge of Helplessness.

"Jia She, have you gone mad?"

Wang Ziteng was going crazy. "The Lan family's affairs are not what you think at all. Can't you see that someone is trying to sow discord between our two families?"

slap~
Enraged, Jia She finally couldn't hold back and attacked him.

He used to play with whips when he was young, but hasn't touched one for many years.

I'm able to use it so well now, all thanks to riding a horse and using a whip these past few days.

The feel I had lost is back.

Moreover, his strength is noticeably better than when he went to Tianjin.

But who is Wang Ziteng?

The commander of the Beijing Garrison.

Although he had a leg injury, it was far better than what his good-for-nothing brother could do.

Just as Jia She lashed out with his whip, he caught it in one swift motion.

With a quick pull and a slight twist, he managed to pull the whip into his own hand.

"Don't force me to fight you."

The moment Wang Ziteng grabbed the whip, he glanced at one of the Jia family's guards, grabbed his waist, and then suddenly pulled him down with a 'smack', sending the man crashing to the ground.

"Come on, do you think I'm scared?"

Jia She was furious and about to order his men to beat his horse when the soldiers from the Five Cities Garrison arrived on the street. "Stop! All of you, stop!"

At the same time, Cheng Luo also learned about the impeachment of his Yue family.

However, impeachment is the only option!

How normal!

His mother died such a tragic death, yet she was still impeached.

Cheng Luo had a very negative impression of those censors who could turn white into black.

He could be indifferent, but the old lady of the Cheng family couldn't. There were still guests here, and she wanted to make a scene, but before she even reached the front yard, she was held down by a group of old sisters-in-law.

"Sister-in-law, you can't cause any more trouble for the family!"

"That's right. If Lord Jia can beat up the Min family, he can beat up our family too."

The men of the Min family, from the oldest to the youngest, were all beaten.

The royal family wanted to set an example for the world, so they didn't take action against them. However, they certainly hoped that someone would help them deal with their family.

After Princess Baofeng passed away, the Cheng family appeared to be the same as before, but everyone, young and old, knew that things were different.

Even the Prince of Nan'an, who helped clean up the mess, clearly didn't like their family anymore.

This isn't even the worst.

Worst of all, ever since Luo Ge'er and Jia Yuanchun got engaged, the men have had an even harder time doing their jobs in the government offices than before.

The eighth matriarch of the Cheng family said, "Even if Jia She has been reprimanded, there is still Jia Zhen at the Ningguo Mansion."

"That's right, they say Jia Zhen is even more of a scoundrel than Jia She."

A talkative woman said, "Back then, it was because a married-out junior member of the Jia family smashed up the house of Minister Chen of the Ministry of Works."

"That's right, they smashed it, and they weren't satisfied, so they went and sued them. They even made their son change his surname."

Yes, yes, that's the key point.

The Cheng family is now relying solely on Cheng Luo.

What if they offend Jia Zhen and he comes to cause trouble, making Cheng Luo change his surname...

The royal family might agree immediately.

"Quick, quick, everyone come and help him up."

A group of old women helped the old lady walk inside.

This left Cheng Luo, who had rushed over to stop his grandmother from causing trouble, dumbfounded.

When he huddled in the corner, secretly swallowing his saliva, his eyes shone exceptionally bright.

That's right!
Why didn't he think of that?
The Jia family has a precedent of helping their son-in-law change his surname!
he……

Cheng Luo's breathing became heavier and more labored.

He has to think of something, he has to think of something.

His mother didn't want to stay in the Cheng family. She hated that man. Although he argued with them and prevented them from being buried together, his mother was still buried in the Cheng family's ancestral graveyard.

Everyone there is a member of the Cheng family. His mother is a ghost, so they all get bullied.

We must find a way, we absolutely must find a way.

It was as if a new door had been opened for Cheng Luo.

……

In the Rongguo Mansion, Jia Zheng included all of the Cheng family's betrothal gifts, except for food and drink, in Yuan Chun's dowry list.

Wang Shi didn't see her brothers, and neither did Zhuangzi.

The patriarch of the Cheng family and Cheng Luo's three uncles did not show any panic or distance regarding Jia She's impeachment.

Compared to Princess Baofeng's affair, what is Jia She's problem?
All they need to know is that the Jia family's daughter is not to be trifled with.

If they really mess with them, the beating they escaped back then might very well be dealt with by the Jia family soon.

Royal...

All four men in the Cheng family suspected that the marriage arranged by the Empress for Luo Ge'er was a form of revenge against their family.

"Grandma, something terrible has happened."

The maid rushed over to the female guest and whispered in Old Madam Jia's ear, "When Master went to the Wang family to beat up Second Master Wang, he was arrested by the Five City Garrison."

what?
Grandmother Jia regained her composure. "What about the Wang family?"

We can't just take action against her son alone, can we?
"The eldest master of the Wang family also went to the Five Cities Garrison, but the second master is seriously injured and says he is going to sue our master."

"Hmm~"

Grandmother Jia said softly, "Tell the eldest mistress of the East Mansion to ask Zhen'er to think of a solution."

"……Yes!"

The maidservant carefully went over to Shen Ning and spoke to her.

At this moment, Shen Ning was fanning herself with a fan and talking to Li Wan's mother.

Upon hearing this news, he stood up with a smile, "I'm sorry, my Yue'er has woken up, so I have to leave for a while. My niece-in-law, come over and keep your mother company."

"Yes!"

Li Wan quickly bowed and smiled as she spoke with her mother.

Of all the elders in her husband's family, her mother-in-law was the most difficult to deal with.

Li Wan cherished the rare opportunity to speak with her mother today.

Mrs. Li stood up with a smile, "Take the child over and let us all see him."

"Okay!"

Shen Ning smiled and agreed, then quickly walked away.

It was Jia She and Jia Min who arranged for Jia She to beat someone, but the fact that the people from the Five Cities Garrison arrived so quickly suggests that someone else was watching this matter.

Moreover, Jia Wen has not returned yet.

She had to go and pick up Jia Wen first. (End of Chapter)