The Overlord of the Red Mansion

Chapter 129 Going to Jiangnan

Jia Rong led his men to set off in the afternoon. It was still the beginning of July in the lunar calendar and the weather was still very hot.

Shi Xiangyun and Lin Daiyu soon suffered from the bumpy ride, and just three or four hours seemed like a whole day.

After sunset, the convoy was still moving forward.

The servants, maids, and wet nurses all sat in the carriage.

Lin Daiyu, Zijuan, Xueyan, Shi Xiangyun, Cuilu, Xue Baoqin and Xiaoluo were sweating in a car.

Although there were ice cubes in the car, they melted quickly and the people could only drink some cold water to cool off.

We were still on the road at night, and except for going to the toilet, everything else was done in the car.

Lin Daiyu, Shi Xiangyun and others fell into a daze and slept. When they woke up, Shi Xiangyun asked groggily, "Are we there yet?"

Xue Baoqin sat at the window and looked outside. "It's still early. We haven't left the capital yet. The master said it will take seven or eight days to get there."

Shi Xiangyun felt even more uncomfortable, "I should have known not to come out."

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "I knew you were talking nonsense. Just bear with it for a while. We will be able to relax on the boat tomorrow after changing the waterway."

Shi Xiangyun lay on the mat, with her feet on the front carriage and her legs stretched out, "Are you comfortable on the boat?"

Lin Daiyu couldn't laugh anymore and said aggrievedly, "It's even worse."

Shi Xiangyun smiled and said, "You're still saying it when you feel bad?"

"I'm just trying to comfort you~" Lin Daiyu and Shi Xiangyun joked.

Shi Xiangyun sat up quickly, "You're so good! You just know how to say useless words to comfort me!"

The space in the carriage was not small, but with seven girls squeezed together it seemed very crowded. Soon, as if one fish led the rest, the carriage became lively.

Soon Jia Rong came over and opened the curtain. "Be patient. If you need to go to the toilet, just tell me. We will be at the dock in half an hour."

Shi Xiangyun saw Jia Rong and said with a smile, "I thought we were going to sleep outdoors today!"

Jia Rong laughed and said, "You underestimate me. If I wasn't in a hurry to leave early, I would have rested at the post station today. There are post stations in various places that are specially used to entertain imperial envoys. The ship we will use later is also a special official ship that can carry 500 people."

Shi Xiangyun sat up and said, "Hurry up, it's too crowded here."

"Please be patient for a while." Jia Rong lowered the curtain and continued to lead his men on their journey at night.

In summer, the moon is dim and the stars are sparse. At night, you can’t see your hand in front of you one moment, and then it’s as bright as day.

Everyone was on their way, carrying glass oil lamps. After more than an hour, they saw a large ship with bright lights at the dock.

The ship was as tall as a three-story building and as long as a street.

"This boat is so big!" Shi Xiangyun opened her hands and gestured, "It's hundreds of times bigger than the boats on the lake!"

Jia Rong laughed and said, "It's more than a thousand times bigger. This is just a small boat on the water. Sister Baoqin should have seen a sea ship, which is much bigger than this."

Xue Baoqin said embarrassedly: "The ships I have been on with my father were all merchant ships, and I have never been on such a large official ship."

At this time, several people came over and bowed, "My Lord, the horses and carriages have been moved up, and the boat has been checked and there are no problems."

Jia Rong nodded and said, "Okay, let's go up and rest first!"

Everyone boarded the boat and began a seven-day journey.

The ship is not only big, but its power has also been upgraded. The sails and hull were built just over a year ago. The strong wind in summer is just right for the ship, and it can sail quickly down the river.

After a few days, Jia Rong played chess and fished with Lin Daiyu, Shi Xiangyun, and Xue Baoqin every day, chatting about poetry and things they saw and heard on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and before they knew it, they arrived in Yangzhou.

Yangzhou is a good place. When Jia Rong appeared at Suzhou wharf with a group of tough men with swords who were about 1.8 meters tall, and some who were 1.9 meters tall, they quickly attracted the attention of the locals.

The soldiers led by the local officials, who showed off their power in front of ordinary people, were like clowns in front of Jia Rong's death squad.

"Greetings to Duke Ningguo!" The prefect quickly bowed when he saw Jia Rong.

Jia Rong stood on the shore and said, "I have important business to attend to, so I will rest in Yangzhou today. Please don't be extravagant or have a banquet. I will stay at the house where my mentor Lin Ruhai lived before for one night and then leave. Please don't disturb my quiet rest."

The fourth-rank prefect had no power to resist Jia Rong, a famous figure with a high title and official position, and he quickly led the poor officials to clear the way.

Jia Rong and his men quickly moved into Lin Ruhai's previous house.

Lin Daiyu and Jia Rong entered the house where they had lived for a while when they were young. After taking a look around, Lin Daiyu looked at Jia Rong.

"Brother Rong, this place is different from what I remember when I was a child."

Jia Rong smiled and said, "It is no different from when I lived here before. You went to the Jia Mansion when you were young, and it had changed when I met your father. At that time, your father was in his prime and had great ambitions. After living here for a few years, he was promoted to the governor of Yangzhou, and the courtyard was naturally tidied up again."

"I remember your father married two more concubines. Although they are different from what you remember, I think they were arranged when he was happy. Sister Daiyu, don't be sad. I remember that they were all happy things. It's a pity that your body was not well in those years, and I was busy with various things at home, otherwise I would have brought you here to see it earlier."

After hearing this, Lin Daiyu was not so sad anymore, as if she could think of the years when her father was happy.

"Thanks to Brother Rong, my father always praised me in the letters he wrote to me during those years, and I could feel the joy between the lines."

Jia Rong consoled him, "Come, I'll show you around and tell you how your father lived those years. I'll also make him some medicinal herbs and talk to him about how to take care of his health."

"I have already bought this place. My subordinates are usually in charge of the management and cleaning. When you have a child in the future, you can adopt one to inherit the Lin family business. Don't let your father's branch die out."

Lin Daiyu never thought about this.

Having a child is not just a one-person thing. How could an average person change their son's surname to take that of the mother?

Lin Daiyu quickly thought of the man in front of her who was well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics but was also unorthodox.

Thinking of this, Lin Daiyu's face couldn't help but feel a little hot.

They stayed for a simple night and enjoyed local delicacies prepared by Yangzhou local chefs.

After leaving Yangzhou and arriving near Jinling, Xue Baoqin got off the boat with her maids, servants and the Ning Mansion's guards.

Xue Ke and the Xue family received the people on the shore, bowed to Jia Rong and others, and then watched the big ship continue down the river.

Jia Rong didn't even need to get off the boat, nor did he go to visit the mother of the Xue brothers and sisters.

Fireworks are everywhere in Yangzhou in March, after Yangzhou is Jinling, and after Jinling is a long distance before Suzhou and Hangzhou.

After arriving in Suzhou, everyone got off the boat again and went to Lin Daiyu's hometown to pay homage to their deceased father and mother. They met with the person who looked after the house and gave him some tips, and left Xueyan, Nanny Wang and others to stay at home for a few days.

After Jia Rong returned from Panxiang Temple with his donation money, everyone set off for Hangzhou again.

After so many days of delay, those Zhen family members who could escape had already escaped, and most of the property that needed to be transferred had been transferred.

When Jia Rong settled Shi Xiangyun and Lin Daiyu and rode on horseback with soldiers to search the house, the Zhen family was also ready.

"Duke!" The old lady of the Zhen family, her two good-for-nothing sons and daughters-in-law, and their good-for-nothing grandchildren knelt in front of the door waiting to die.

Jia Rong didn't waste any words, "Search!"

Hundreds of officers and soldiers quickly responded: "Yes!"

Jia Rong quickly got off his horse and said to the old men and women kneeling on the ground, "It's too hot here. Let's kneel inside and talk."

The old lady of the Zhen family said quickly: "Thank you, Lord!"

Jia Rong had already sent people over to pass on the message. After the people here knew that it was Jia Rong who came to confiscate the house, they all cooperated and left some money behind as a preparation.

After entering the house, Jia Rong sat in the living room. The Zhen family was a wealthy family in the south of the Yangtze River who had received the emperor many times, but it was a pity that the new emperor was an emperor who did not like to go out.

After the old emperor and the old empress dowager died, the Zhen family had not yet paid off the debts they incurred during their tenure, and it was naturally time for them to die.

"You can all guess why the emperor sent me here, so I won't say any more nonsense."

Jia Rong sat down and lifted up the collar of his official uniform. It was still very hot in the south of the Yangtze River in July, so he said directly: "Stand up and fan me. It's so hot."

The old lady of the Zhen family looked at the girl next to her, and the third young lady of the Zhen family quickly stood up and walked to Jia Rong.

Jia Rong didn't look at her, but said directly to the people on the ground: "According to the emperor's decree, except for the main criminals who will be sent to the capital for execution, the rest will be dealt with according to the law."

"How many people are there in your Zhen family now?"

Old Lady Zhen knelt down and said, "Reporting to the Duke, excluding those who married out or fell into the water and disappeared, there are still eight males and eleven females in our branch, and thirty-three female relatives."

"There are also 52 male relatives and 45 female relatives from the Zhen Mansion."

"One thousand three hundred and sixty-one slaves, including maids, servants, male servants, servants, and actors."

When Jia Rong heard this, he said, "The old concubine is still a relative of yours. How dare you support a troupe during this period of national mourning?"

The old lady hurriedly said, "Please spare me, Lord! They were all dismissed in time. Since the old concubine died, there has not been a single play."

Jia Rong fanned himself with a fan and said, "Forget it, I will accept this troupe and save you one less death penalty."

The old lady thanked him and said, "Thank you, Lord!"

The problems of the Zhen family are the same as those of the Jia family, and the ones who were convicted are the main men.

However, the servants of the Zhen family had enjoyed good life for decades, but now it was over.

The confiscation of property will certainly implicate everyone involved, and the Zhen family branch will not be able to escape the fate of being punished.

Men were imprisoned and awaiting death, while women were sold as slaves or sent to the Jiaofangsi to work as prostitutes.

Those people who were originally slaves were definitely not free after the Zhen family was raided, but continued to be slaves.

Some were female slaves who were captured and sent to the frontiers to relieve pressure on the garrisons, and some were taken in by local officials so that they could keep the wealth within the family.

In particular, the beautiful concubines of some convicted officials were basically dealt with internally.

If it is not a capital crime, but just a demotion or something like that, then the women of status will go back to their own homes, and those without status will be captured by human traffickers.

It’s not that the Zhen family doesn’t want to escape, it’s that they have nowhere to escape to.

A group of spoiled masters and ladies cannot escape the court's pursuit even if given a few months, and the rest of the people dare not shelter them.

The slaves of the Zhen family were soon sold on the spot. The prison could not hold more than a thousand people, so many men and women were sold directly like livestock.

The emperor only wants the main culprit from the Zhen family. As long as Jia Rong likes any woman from the Zhen family, she can survive.

Jia Rong checked the list and then looked at the large box of pawn tickets that had been found. He was speechless for a while.

"Don't you have any money for me to report to the emperor? You want to survive with this little piece of waste paper?"

The old lady's son hurriedly said, "My Lord, please understand! The deficit of the government has nothing to do with my family. I have a lot to suffer from!"

Jia Rong said, "Then let's go to the capital and tell the emperor! Come on! Put these people in jail! I'll interrogate the rest of the women one by one! And this old lady can't escape either, put her in jail with her daughter-in-law, be careful, don't use any torture instruments, and make sure she eats and drinks well!"

"Yes!" The person waiting for instructions nearby obviously understood what Jia Rong meant.

After the men and old lady of the Zhen family left, Jia Rong sat down and continued to interrogate them one by one.

"Line up, come here one by one so I can see you. Raise your heads. Whether you go to the prison or somewhere else is up to you."

Jia Rong was sitting with his legs crossed, while the third Miss Zhen was fanning herself obediently next to him.

Since he was so late, Old Lady Zhen had already told her granddaughters in advance how to save their lives.

However, not everyone could save their lives. Jia Rong selected them one by one and quickly accepted ten people based on their identities and appearances on the list.

The prefect standing nearby saw Jia Rong collect ten and was about to leave, so he hurriedly said, "Duke, the emperor has previously ordered that except for the key people and the seizure of assets, the rest will be handled by the Duke himself."

Another senior official nearby laughed and said, "My Lord, among these more than a thousand people, there are more than two hundred young maids. Even if all the Suzhou prisons were vacated, they still couldn't accommodate more than a thousand people. Please help me take in more female slaves to relieve our worries!"

Jia Rong said righteously, "Don't say more! Five are enough, we can't afford more!"

The prefect was stunned. Didn’t he accept ten?
Those who can become officials are all smart people, and everyone soon reacted.

This guy has a lot of tricks!

"Yes! Duke! The Duke is upright and honest, and is truly a role model for our generation!" The prefect knew what to do.

Jia Rong quickly called Shi Xiangyun and Lin Daiyu to visit him in prison, so that they could see what happened after their house was ransacked, and then tell the people in the mansion about the scene when they returned.

So what if she is the daughter of a wealthy family? There are no unchanging rules in the world.

But the strong will always be strong!
Jia Rong soon openly took in five maids and young ladies from the Zhen family, and secretly had his men buy more than a hundred maids, young ladies, wives and concubines.

As for the male servants... they were all exiled to quarry stones.

The quarry is a place where any strong man would be tortured to death if he went there, not to mention a group of stubborn old wives.

The women that Jia Rong didn't want either went to brothels or were bought by human traffickers and no one knew where they went.

Jia Rong's ability was limited and he could not save everyone, so he only saved the ladies and maids of each room.

After resting for half a month, when Shi Xiangyun had a reunion dinner with her uncle who was exiled to the frontier and her aunt, sisters and others sent by Jia Lian, it was time for everyone to set off on their journey and for everyone to go home.

Jia Rong was entertained by local officials and gentry in Suzhou, and found ways out for many members of the Zhen family.

Not long after, Jia Rong went back early. Although he enjoyed eating lychees, he really couldn't stand the hot and humid weather in the south of the Yangtze River.

(End of this chapter)