The head of the Red Mansion

In the imperial court, everyone could see that the emperor was absent-minded and lacked his usual diligence.

Without further ado, just as everyone was about to finish reporting what needed to be reported and doing what needed to be done, a loud "dong" was heard, followed by a clear and distinct series of drumbeats from the petitioning drum.

Oops!

Why is someone beating the petition drum?

Has some major case occurred?
Just as everyone was about to look at Prefect Dong of Shuntian Prefecture, they noticed that the Emperor's expression was not right.

Ok?
Does the Emperor know?

As the officials from each faction sized each other up, trying to guess who was causing trouble this time, the emperor said, "Summon them!"

Whether you stick your neck out or not, you'll still get stabbed; there's no escaping it.

However, he was still very happy that Baofeng's sister's grave could be moved.

Although the imperial guards said that the Jia family had acted with great restraint, the emperor knew that the old lady of the Cheng family, who had won once, would not give up so easily.

After all, she won back then.

If you want her to admit defeat, the entire Cheng family will have to subdue her.

But obviously, this is absolutely impossible.

While waiting for the old lady of the Cheng family to come and wail, using the word "filial piety," which the retired emperor worried about every day, the emperor was thinking about how to punish the Jia family and reprimand his nephew in a way that was neither too lenient nor too severe.

Now, Cheng Luo should apologize to the Emperor Emeritus, right?

When the emperor and Eunuch Liu exchanged glances and confirmed that Cheng Luo had already gone, the emperor sighed softly to himself.

The Dengwen Drum was practically abandoned during the early Ming Dynasty.

It is said that if you want to file a complaint with the emperor, you must first be flogged thirty times. If you are not careful, ten strokes can kill a person, so basically no one files a complaint with the emperor.

During the Great Zhao Dynasty, Emperor Taizu changed the punishment of thirty strokes of the cane to nine strokes, thus protecting the people's right to seek redress.

However, for more than two hundred years before the Ming Dynasty, the people had a deep impression of the situation, and the Dengwen Drum was placed there but never sounded.

When he arrived at his father's court, another clause was added: anyone holding an official position was exempt from the punishment of caning in court.

The old lady of the Cheng family is a first-rank imperial consort; she'll probably be here soon.

The emperor was very annoyed; he desperately wanted to strip that imperial consort of her title.

She killed his sister, yet she still manages to make money off him every year.

This is something I really can't think about; just thinking about it makes me feel really angry.

As the emperor took a deep breath and then exhaled, Xiao Sanzi, who had learned of the news from Shou Kang Palace, finally returned.

He made several hand gestures to his master, Eunuch Liu, and Eunuch Liu's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"cough~"

Eunuch Liu coughed lightly, and when the emperor looked over, he also quietly made a few hand gestures.

Huh?
The emperor saw it clearly, and he couldn't help but blink, then blink again.

Did he read that correctly?
The emperor was greatly relieved.

As long as his father isn't senile, nothing else matters.

Meanwhile, the Cheng family, who had not fared well in Shuntian Prefecture, were also gathering at the palace gate.

They came after the old lady of the Cheng family.

It was just a step too late...

Looking at the majestic palace gates, Chief Cheng felt a great sense of unease.

Although they won back then.

But as the two stewards of the Jia family said, the Jia family moved the grave with the help of the Taoist priests from Shangqing Temple, at the request of their son-in-law, after the auspicious day, time and place were clear.

They attacked the Cheng family at the auspicious time when the Cheng family was trying to stop the princess from moving her grave.

Compared to the princess, what are these people?
So now the only person they can sue is Cheng Luo.

but……

"Sixth Uncle, I've inquired, and the people in the carriage just now were from the Jia family."

The middle-aged man who heard the news was filled with fear. "When we went to Shuntian Prefecture, Cheng Luo went to the palace to apologize to the Emperor Emeritus. But the Emperor Emeritus had just ordered the imperial physician to treat Jia She's sprained back from last night and Jia Zhen's sprained ankle."

"..."

"..."

The Cheng family felt a chill run down their spines.

On such a hot day, it felt as if they had been doused with a bucket of ice water from head to toe.

"In addition, the Emperor Emeritus also rewarded all those who helped relocate the graves, saying that each of them received a pair of 'auspicious abundance' silver ingots and a jar of imperial wine."

This means that, in the eyes of the retired emperor, moving the grave was the right thing to do.

Then they...

Chief Cheng was sweating profusely.

As expected, the retired emperor was no longer the retired emperor he once was.

And the Emperor...

"Sister-in-law, old sister-in-law."

Chief Cheng hurriedly called to Old Madam Cheng, who had already walked quite a distance away, "Quick, come back quickly, I just remembered something."

"How dare you make such a racket at the palace gates!"

The guard brandished his longsword, startling the Cheng family so much that they broke out in a cold sweat.

"Sir, my sister-in-law has a problem here." Chief Cheng hurriedly pointed to his head, indicating that his sister-in-law was a little confused.

"Yeah!"

The Cheng family members quickly echoed their agreement.

The petition drum is there, allowing people to file petitions to the emperor. However, if someone makes a false accusation, not only will they be stripped of their official rank, but their entire family property will also be confiscated.

The Emperor probably won't confiscate Cheng Luo's property, since he inherited everything from Princess Baofeng.

But all the assets of the Marquis of Xinping's mansion are in the hands of that old lady.

"Sister-in-law, come back quickly."

"Auntie, come back quickly."

Hearing the shouts of the Cheng family members, Old Madam Cheng assumed that they had come up with some new brilliant idea. She quickly apologized to the eunuch who had summoned her and asked to go back to find out what was going on.

She was a first-rank imperial consort; what could a mere eunuch do to her?

"Hurry up!" he said coldly. "His Majesty and all the officials are waiting."

"Yes, yes, I'll be there in a bit."

Grandma Cheng was still quite agile and rushed back in a few moments, but she was immediately captured by the Cheng family.

"My lord, my lord, my old sister-in-law's mind isn't quite right," Chief Cheng cried anxiously. "My lord, that drumming just now... could we please disregard it?"

……

Shen Ning was unaware of the commotion at the palace gate, but she was quite pleased to hear the excitement in Shuntian Prefecture and the discussions among the people of the capital early in the morning.

Although she couldn't be there in person, Qingping described it so vividly that it was almost as if she had been there.

"Madam, Butler Xing should be back soon, you..."

Before she could finish speaking, Qingzhu rushed in. "Madam, the master is back, and the imperial physician is with him too. He said the master twisted his ankle, and the physician is here to treat his foot injury." She was overjoyed. "In addition, the Emperor Emeritus rewarded everyone who helped move the grave. You were there too, and you received a pair of 'Good Fortune and Abundance' silver ingots and a jar of imperial wine."

what?
She has it too?
Shen Ning didn't care about the silver ingots, but she liked the imperial wine.

"Quick, quick, let me see it."

She stood up abruptly. "Oh right, since your uncle's foot is injured, he can't drink the wine. Bring me his wine."

Jia Zhen, who had indeed twisted his ankle, was unaware that his mother, just as shameless as his father, had already taken away his imperial wine.

"Sir, your injury is not serious. Just rub it with this medicinal wine and rest for a couple more days, and you'll be fine."

The imperial physician, who had been ordered to come, said this aloud, but in his heart he was already thinking, 'Where is the injury? How come he didn't see it? Or did he arrive too late, and the injury has already healed?'

"These are safflower, chuanxiong, and notoginseng, which promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis."

The imperial physician was somewhat reluctant to part with them.

Because of the potential war in Ningxia, most of these medicinal materials were diverted away.

Now so much more is being sent to the Jia family...

"Use it as you see fit. If you don't know how to use it, our Imperial Hospital can help you make it into a ready-made medicine."

Those who can remain in the Imperial Hospital are the cream of the crop.

The imperial physicians were reluctant to waste their money on them.

"Oh? Then I'll have to trouble Physician Chen."

Jia Zhen, of course, knew its value. "Please ask Physician Chen to help me make it into a ready-made medicine." Once it was made into a ready-made medicine, they could send it to Cousin Lan.

"It's easy to talk about."

Physician Chen came carrying a pile of medicinal herbs, and left carrying another pile of medicinal herbs.

Of course, before leaving, just like his colleagues at the Rongguo Mansion, he also received a red envelope containing twenty taels of silver.

This trip... was pretty good too.

They also knew about the Jia family's help in moving Princess Baofeng's grave overnight.

The people of the Imperial Hospital felt quite sympathetic towards Princess Baofeng, who never made things difficult for anyone.

The Jia family...

The two imperial physicians had mixed feelings.

I admire him, but I also have a mixed feeling.

As a royal physician, one frequents the homes of powerful and wealthy families; who wouldn't know some of their secrets?

If the Jia family does this, their daughters will probably have a hard time getting married in the future.

However, it may also be very sought after.

We're all worldly people; who doesn't have a few friends?

While Physician Chen was thinking about which friend or clan member's son was in need, Physician Liu, who was treating Jia She's back, was already thinking about his granddaughter.

"Physician Chen!"

The old man chuckled, "I was just chatting with Lord Jia, and I heard that the Jia family has a new clan rule: a man can only take a concubine if he has no son by the age of thirty."

what?
Physician Chen scratched his beard, quite surprised. "Really?"

"No!"

Physician Liu smiled, his face crinkling with wrinkles. "The Jia family has eight branches in the capital, and I've heard that the Jia family school is doing quite well these days."

The children of the Jia family could attend the clan school for free and also had ancestral property passed down from their ancestors. As long as they weren't spendthrifts, they could live a peaceful and stable life.

"Oh~"

Physician Chen smiled, "It seems that Lord Liu is looking for a grandson-in-law in the Jia family."

"Ah~"

Doctor Liu sighed, "As you know, my second son passed away early, leaving behind only a little granddaughter."

His descendants preferred to study, and no one wanted to learn medicine and pharmaceuticals from him.

Only the little granddaughter likes it.

All his skills can only be passed on to his granddaughter.

But this world...

The eldest and third sons both have their own children, and now they are all in their respective positions, scattered all over the country. Even if they wanted to support their granddaughter, they would be powerless to do so.

"If you have a good candidate, I'd like to ask you to be my matchmaker!"

Physician Chen understood his meaning and readily offered his favor.

At the same time, in Rongxi Hall, Jia She, upon hearing that his mother and two younger sisters had arrived, hurriedly jumped off the couch.

"Slow down, slow down."

Jia Wen really thought her brother had twisted his back, and seeing her brother like this, she hurriedly told him to slow down.

"Hehe, I'm fine."

Jia She smiled, "Grandma, look, these are silver ingots and imperial wine bestowed by the Emperor Emeritus."

Fearing the old lady would scold them, he quickly led them to see the Emperor Emeritus's gifts.

"...You, you!"

Grandmother Jia was worried all night yesterday.

I finally drifted off to sleep at daybreak.

did not expect……

"You guys are incredibly audacious."

She needed to know that was absolutely unacceptable.

When Yuan Chun told her, they had all disappeared.

Touching the beautiful silver ingot, the old lady sighed, "But since we've done it, how could we leave out your second brother?"

What will become of Zheng'er in the future?
"Mother, isn't Second Brother in the ancestral hall?"

Jia Min quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "How could he possibly go over there?"

Even if I tell my second brother, he will only oppose it and will never agree.

Although this is quite risky, it's rare that Cheng Luo has been making preparations all along. With an auspicious location and an auspicious time and day, given the personality of the eldest sister-in-law of the Dongfu family, she will definitely help.

"Don't worry about Second Brother, here's the imperial wine," Jia Min hugged her brother's wine cup. "Big Brother, give some to the younger sisters!"

"……Hahaha!"

Seeing Jia Wen's eager look, Jia She put aside his displeasure with his mother, waved his hand, and agreed, "I'll buy you a few more jars later."

It's hard to say about Lin Zhixiao, but the other servants who used to work there would definitely be willing to sell half a jar for a little more money.

"Just keep spoiling me!"

Grandmother Jia was very pleased with the harmony between the siblings, and smiled upon hearing this, saying, "In the end, it was the East Mansion that put in the most effort and collected the most imperial wine, so I'll send a few jars to your sister-in-law as well."

"Eh!"

Jia She agreed.

"You still need to give it to your sister-in-law?"

Jia Min looked puzzled. "How could the East Mansion be short of wine? Let's give her something else she'd prefer!" She remembered that her uncle was a real wine connoisseur, and his family's wine cellar was huge and excellent. When she was young, she went there to play and they had a lot of wine stored up.

"I'm afraid not!"

Jia She laughed, "Now my sister-in-law only craves imperial wine."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Lin Zhixiao entered. "Master, the old lady from the Cheng family really went to file a complaint with the emperor."

what?
Grandmother Jia's expression changed.

"However, not long after she finished beating the petition drum, she was stopped by the Cheng family." Lin Zhixiao said gleefully, "The head of the Cheng family said that she was too old and her mind was not clear. In a fit of anger, the emperor not only stripped her of her title, but also transferred all the assets of the Marquis of Xinping's mansion to our son-in-law's name."

what?
Everyone was quite surprised.

Are the assets of the Marquis of Xinping not under their son-in-law's name?

"That old lady...didn't cause any trouble?"

When he asked this question, Jia She glanced at his mother.

“They’re making a scene, saying our son-in-law is unfilial.”

Lin Zhixiao said, "But the entire Cheng family unanimously said that the old lady is confused. Our son-in-law has always been very filial over the years, and they have testified to this many times."

"..."

"..."

Jia Min frowned. "What is the Cheng family afraid of?"

"I know!"

Jia She sighed, "Cheng Luo said yesterday that he doesn't want the title of Marquis of Xinping."

The Cheng family was afraid of losing their title.

Even though they hated Cheng Luo to death, they couldn't help but cover for him.

"Nonsense!"

Grandmother Jia worried, "This title was won for him by his mother, Princess Baofeng, who risked her life for him. How can he just say he doesn't want it?"

"...Perhaps that's why he's even less willing to want it."

The fact that Cheng Luo was capable of such a serious act as secretly moving graves clearly demonstrates how bad the relationship between Cheng Luo and the Cheng family was.

Jia Min said, "Mother, elder brother, we need to arrange more dowries for Yuan Chun's families later, and we need to find some capable ones."

"She has already hired several strong old women herself."

Grandmother Jia wasn't worried about her granddaughter at all.

After this incident, Cheng Luo would never lay a hand on his granddaughter again.

The Cheng family... dared not do it again.

"However, you must inform her about the imperial petition," said Grandmother Jia. "Since the Cheng family says that old woman is not quite right in the head, then she can be kept locked up from now on." (End of Chapter)