The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 309 Iron Face
Beauty without matching power is a burden rather than an advantage.

Especially in this era.

Zhen Yinglian's beauty mark was something she was born with, which is why both Feng Yuan and Xue Pan were attracted to her and fought fiercely for her.

Looking at the timid girl, Shen Ning felt a pang of sadness.

In the novel *Dream of the Red Chamber*, when Jia Baoyu first met her, he felt that her "brows were like spring mountains and her eyes like autumn waters."

In addition, the little girl has a gentle and graceful temperament, often giving people a pitiful feeling.

Unfortunately, fate never treated her kindly.

Xue Pan took her away, but he wasn't the kind of person who would cherish and pity a beautiful woman.

"Madam~"

The little girl mustered her courage and, when Shen Ning beckoned to her, rushed forward a few steps, knelt down, and asked in a trembling voice, "Do you...do you know where my parents are?"

As she spoke, tears were already welling up in her eyes.

In the dead of night, she always felt that her parents were very, very good people.

However, when you try to see it clearly, it's always blurry.

"Get up quickly!"

Shen Ning personally helped the little girl up. "I don't know how your parents are now, but your family is originally from Suzhou. After you went missing that year, your parents searched everywhere, crying day and night, and almost tried to commit suicide. Then I heard that your house caught fire..."

At this point, she paused.

When Xing'er was asked to search for her, she was told that she was a girl from a relative's family in the Shen family.

But in fact, they are not related.

To make up one lie, you need countless lies.

Shen Ning was unwilling to do such a thing.

"These things were mentioned by relatives in their letters. She felt sorry for you and investigated, and found out that you seemed to have been sold to Jinling. Since the Jia family's ancestral home is in Jinling, she wrote to inform me, thinking it would be easier for me to investigate you. Sure enough, I found you. As for Suzhou, I will send people to investigate the whereabouts of your parents."

That's it!

"...Thank you, Madam!"

Tears streamed down Yinglian's face as she quickly knelt down and kowtowed to her.

"Don't cry, don't cry. No matter what, getting out of this sea of ​​suffering is always a happy thing."

This child's name is really bad.

Yinglian, should be pitied. Zhen and Zhen are homophones, together they mean "truly pitiful".

Instead, she was later named Xiangling and lived with Baochai in the Grand View Garden, where she found some freedom.

However, after Xue Pan married Xia Jingui, Xia Jingui, out of jealousy of Xiangling, forcibly changed her name to "Qiuling," and her fate took an even worse turn.

"Let's go. It's too formal not to call me 'Madam,' just call me 'Auntie'!"

Shen Ning took Yinglian's hand. "Did the kidnapper change your name? What's your name now?"

“...Replying to Auntie, my name is Yinglian.”

She remembered that her name was Yinglian.

"Yinglian?"

Shen Ning smiled and said, "The homonym of this name isn't very good."

Yinglian: "..."

This was something she had never imagined.

but……

She silently recited her own name in her heart, and couldn't help but feel sad.

"The great Northern Song Dynasty scholar Zhou Dunyi once wrote an essay titled 'On the Love of Lotus'."

Shen Ning pulled her along, leading her towards the inner courtyard, saying, "Among them are the words, 'I love the lotus for its purity, rising from the mud unsullied, washed clean yet not seductive, hollow inside yet straight outside, not sprawling or branching, its fragrance growing ever purer as it spreads...'"

"Coincidentally, the fragrance of lotus has always been one of my favorites. Auntie, how about renaming you Xianglian (Fragrant Lotus)?"

Fragrant Lotus?

Xianglian looked up at the noblewoman who was smiling gently at her, and finally nodded, "I'll listen to you, Auntie, from now on I'll be called Xianglian!"

"good!"

Shen Ning really didn't want to be so domineering in changing someone's name.

The little girl followed the kidnapper for so many years and her name was never changed, but what can you do when her name is really bad?
To avoid that damn fate, she'll play the villain for now!

"Xiaodong, tell the manager outside to investigate that kidnapper thoroughly."

Shen Ning instructed, "Take a few more large red envelopes as rewards for the person who brings back Xianglian."

"Yes!"

Xiaodong responded and left.

At this time, all the families in Jinling City that were related to the Wang family, such as the Shi and Xue families, knew what Jia Zhen was doing.

To plead for leniency at this time...

Jia Zhen dared to subdue all the heads of the Wang family and cause such a big commotion, so it's highly likely that it was Shen Shi's doing!

Is there anything Shen is going to do that no one can stop?
Even a powerful princess can be slapped if she wants to.

He slapped her in front of the Dowager Empress Dowager and many other people.

After she slapped him, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had to apologize to her sincerely, and I heard they even gave her a lot of gifts.

now……

Because of Wang Zipeng, how many people have taken turns sleeping with Jia Zhen?

But what was Jia Zhen doing?

He had clearly softened his stance, so this must be Shen's doing.

Thinking about how the Jia family's ninth and tenth branches were stripped of their land, forced to sell their shops and estates, everyone's hearts couldn't help but tremble.

This is unthinkable.

The more you think about it, the more afraid you become!

So whether they were Wang women who married into other families or old and young aunts who married into the Wang family, they were all controlled by the heads of their respective families.

In short, let's wait and see.

Didn't someone from the Wang family already go to the Jia family's door to cry and make a scene?
So many servants came and went to investigate that even ordinary people who didn't know about it before started looking in this direction.

Once you see it, you can't leave.

This is because the East Sea lacks a jade bed, so the Dragon King came to invite the Wang family of Jinling.

Oh dear, even the Wang family has such a tragic past?
The four major families, especially the Wang family, always want to get involved in everything, causing great suffering to the people of Nanjing.

Especially since those Japanese were supported by the royal family.

The elderly ladies of the Wang family, who were of very high seniority, never imagined that one day when they came to the Jia family, they wouldn't even be able to get through the door.

People often say that meeting someone can build up some friendship, but they couldn't even get a chance to see Shen, so how could they plead for her?

What they never expected was that after a lifetime of illustrious achievements, they would be ridiculed and pointed at by ordinary people.

An elderly woman couldn't take it and fainted on the spot.

The army of people pleading for leniency immediately fell into chaos.

Before long, they left looking disheveled.

But when I got home, things were just as chaotic.

Women were crying, children were crying, and even the servants looked like the sky had fallen.

Of course, those with cunning are secretly hoarding their private wealth.

The men have all been beaten, what's next?
Prefect Chen was reluctant to consider the next step immediately.

The Wang family in Beijing also has Prince Teng.

They're fighting Annam, and it's said they're doing a very good job.

He wanted to wait and see if there was any more news from the Wang family, but unexpectedly, before he received any news from the Wang family, the emperor's decree arrived, ordering all prefectures to strictly investigate the Japanese, confiscate their property, and submit a report on everything.

hiss~
Although it wasn't explicitly stated that the people of Dazhao associated with the Japanese would be thoroughly investigated, all the reports submitted were clearly intended to settle scores later.

Seeing the cold stares from the Jia family stewards, Prefect Chen's hand trembled slightly before he finally said, "Guards! Wang Zipeng's crimes are confirmed. His residence must be sealed off, and all his property must be registered and recorded. If any property is concealed, he will be severely punished!" This is tantamount to confiscating his property!

A group of yamen runners immediately became excited.

In any case, those who raid homes always gain something.

At that time, people valued living together across multiple generations. Brothers would generally not separate their households as long as there were elders present.

Wang Zipeng still has his mother living with him, so naturally they haven't separated their household.

His younger brother, whom he valued, had long been imprisoned in the government jail because he was in charge of certain matters.

There was only one half-brother, Wang Zichao, whom his mother disliked and he himself did not value. The whole family lived on a meager monthly allowance and did not perform any duties.

But with both of his older brothers arrested, he was very uneasy.

His aunt was once favored, but she died young, and the wives he married were all daughters from ordinary families.

now……

“Master,” his wife, Liu, said with a worried look as she entered the study, “I had the two children take all of my aunt’s jewelry and other belongings to the estate.”

"...that's fine!"

Prince Chao sighed.

The Wang family was extremely wealthy in their youth.

My aunt was once my father’s favorite. Over the years, when the monthly allowance was not available, my family relied on the gold and silver left by my aunt to make a living.

"You should follow along too."

"...I'm not leaving!"

The couple lived their lives behind closed doors and never did anything immoral.

"You do not understand!"

Wang Zichao sighed, "As for the direct line, not only is it too far away to solve the immediate problem, but even if it could, they wouldn't lend a hand."

"Is it because of Madam Shen?"

"It's not just because of her, but also because the Russian delegation and the Japanese delegation came together."

Prince Chao's face was somewhat complicated. "What is Japan? It has been our vassal state since ancient times, but the lessons of the Japanese pirates in the previous dynasty were too great, and we must be on guard now."

Not only the emperor is on guard, but the wise men in the court are probably all on guard as well.

Otherwise, given Prefect Chen's cowardly nature...

"Ito Rui and his ilk were able to gain a foothold in Nanjing because of their elder brother, Wang Zipeng."

At this point, he felt a bitter taste in his mouth. "Not to mention the Jia family, even the Emperor won't forgive them."

Finally, he took out the divorce papers he had been thinking about. "I filed these divorce papers at the government office this morning."

what?
Liu could hardly believe it.

"Luckily we arrived early."

Wang Zichao gave a bitter smile. "Otherwise, the clerks over there probably wouldn't pay any attention to me. Qianniang, you have to believe me. If the Wang family is safe, I will definitely remarry you. If the Wang family is in trouble... at least with you here, my two children and I won't be left without a home."

At this moment, he was extremely grateful that, in order to save face for his wife, he had included the sixty mu of small estate that his father had given to his aunt in the dowry for his wife.

The bride's family was kind and added it to the wife's dowry.

"you……"

Just as he was about to say something more, the commotion and cries outside grew closer.

A young maid rushed in, shouting, "Master and Madam, something terrible has happened! A lot of soldiers have come and say they're going to ransack our house!"

really!

"Come on!"

Wang Zichao dared not delay, and hurriedly hung the bundle he had packed on his wife, saying, "Let's go out the back door."

On this day, the sky truly fell for the Wang family of Jinling.

Even though Wang An, Wang Zipeng's chief steward, was willing to die to prove his innocence and take all the blame, it was too late.

Of course, it was precisely because he died so quickly that Wang Zipeng, as a suspect, was taken to the main hall and given thirty strokes of the cane.

This time, the thirty strokes of the cane were real.

Master Wang, who had lived a life of luxury, fainted several times and was dragged back to prison, where even a doctor could not be found.

The prison was filled with weeping.

Prefect Chen submitted a memorial to the emperor overnight.

He thought that was enough, but on the morning of April 18th, some men from the Shi, Jia, and Xue families were also sued.

The victim brought a complaint and evidence...

Prefect Chen's legs went weak.

But before he could even send someone to invite Jia Zhen, Jia Zhen arrived on his own.

"Family rules cannot override national laws!"

Jia Zhen casually flipped through the evidence he had collected, then smiled and said, "Clan rules cannot overstep the law. Lord Chen, let's deal with these members of the Jia family according to the rules!"

"……Yes!"

What could Prefect Chen say? He could only get back to work!
Thus, the Ninth Master of the Jia family, who already felt he had been thoroughly exploited under the pressure from Madam Shen and Jia Zhen, was also brought into the main hall.

Shen Ning thought her house would be lively today. She prepared dozens of copies of the Great Zhao Code and the Great Edict to give to the group of weeping women. However, she waited and waited in the flower hall, but no one came.

The maid went to ask the gatekeeper, who came back wiping his sweat and said that there really was no one there today.

Shen Ning was stunned.

I can't help but want to ask the sweating doorman, what have you been doing?

But seeing how scared he was, he waved his hand and let him go.

You're not coming, are you?

It's ok!
"Xiaodong, find more people to deliver these books and imperial edicts to each household, one by one."

"Yes!"

Xiaodong carried a stack of things in each hand, and for some reason, he couldn't help but laugh when he came out.

Their wives seem unaware of their formidable reputation.

At this moment, the Jia family members, who were filled with panic and anxiety, were terrified.

The Wang family suffered such a terrible fate, and they...

Just think of Jia Zheng of the Rongguo Mansion, and you'll know that Lady Shen is truly capable of being ruthless.

Whatever she's going to do, even the King of Heaven can't stop her!
Just as they were frantically dividing the family property and transferring assets, the maid who was supposed to deliver the books finally arrived.

Oh dear, the Great Law and the Great Proclamation?
I'd heard long ago that in the capital, almost every branch of the Jia family had a copy of the book because of Madam Shen...

Previously, no one paid attention to it and even ridiculed the Rongguo Mansion for not having any standing up.

But now I am truly grateful!
If they are given the book and behave themselves, and do not break any national or family laws, then everything will be fine, right?

Actually, many people in the Jia family didn't know that Shen Ning had long been complaining in her heart about the men in the Jia family. Eight out of ten of them were just stay-at-home bastards who were only good at bullying their own families.

While she secretly rejoiced that the Wang family was dominating things in Jinling, she also despised the Jia family's men for being unable to stand up for themselves.

“Grandmother, I went out to make friends a few days ago and met a few people. I feel that they could be invited to teach at the clan school.”

Having dealt with what needed to be dealt with, the next step is the clan school.

Rong-ge'er was good at sharing the burden. "Moreover, we can also coordinate with Jinshan Academy in Yangzhou and ask them to send an incorruptible gentleman to oversee the program every three years. As for Mr. Wu, the same applies. Our family will send guards to take turns over the duty, also on a three-year rotation."

In this way, the chances of them being bribed to let the water flow are greatly reduced.

I don't expect you to become a genius, but at least become a decent person.

"……Fine!"

Shen Ning thought for a moment, "I'll leave the affairs of the clan school here to you. If there's anything wrong, I'll ask you for advice later."

"Please feel free to ask."

Rong-ge laughed, "I'm more worried than you are. I don't expect them to be my right-hand men, but I'm worried they'll be the ones who hold me back."

A family's prosperity is shared by all, and its loss is shared by all.

He is the eldest son of the clan and the future clan leader. If he can't even manage the clan members in the school, how can he expect to be ennobled or appointed as a high-ranking official in the future?