The Overlord of the Red Mansion

Chapter 191 Bad things
Jia Rong walked in quickly, and as soon as he came in, his face frowned, as if someone was about to be in trouble.

"Your Majesty!"

The maid guarding the door quickly bowed her head and greeted.

Jia Rong walked in without taking off his shoes, leading a group of people.

Lin Daiyu could read the air and clearly sensed something was wrong.

Not only Lin Daiyu, but also Shi Xiangyun, Xue Baochai and others clearly felt the serious atmosphere in the air.

"Go and call Wang Xifeng!"

Jia Rong sat on the chair and called Wang Xifeng's name directly.

Everyone was shocked.

Lin Daiyu thought to herself: Could it be that this Second Madam has done something scary again?

The maids hesitated and dared not speak. Wang Xifeng's maids Feng'er and Xiaolu did not dare to speak either.

At this moment, several people were walking out quickly from the side hall.

Wang Xifeng came out from behind the curtain nervously, accompanied by Jia Yuanchun, the old lady, Mrs. Wang, Youshi and others.

Several people were chatting in the room, talking about the recent leisurely and happy days.

I didn't expect Jia Rong to come back so soon, and I didn't expect that something seemed to have happened.

Wang Xifeng clutched a handkerchief in one hand and walked over nervously with her eight-month-old belly.

"Your Highness...what's wrong?" Wang Xifeng tried hard to smile.

Jia Rong looked at this woman who seemed to have done something wrong and stared at her for two seconds.

"Your Majesty!"

Wang Xifeng's legs went weak and she knelt down in front of everyone.

Until now, she still didn't understand what happened, and she was thinking about various things over and over in her mind.

But like Jia Rong, when there were flaws everywhere, his mind was a mess and he couldn't figure out what went wrong.

After a few seconds, cold sweat had already appeared on Wang Xifeng's forehead.

Jia Rong raised his head and looked around, scanning everyone's faces.

Xichun and others became nervous, as if they had done something wrong.

"Li Wan!" Jia Rong called out Li Gongcai's name, "Come here and kneel down!"

Li Wan also didn't know what was going on, but under tremendous pressure, she hurriedly and carefully knelt down beside Wang Xifeng.

Wang Xifeng was kneeling on the ground at this time, trying hard to think about what she and Li Wan had done. What on earth could have made the master so angry?

"Lin Hongyu!" Jia Rong looked at Lin Hongyu and Qingwen who were off work today.

Lin Hongyu was able to read people's expressions, so she quickly walked up to Jia Rong and knelt down, not leaving any chances.

Qingwen also quickly knelt down, feeling as if she had her own share of trouble.

The old lady came over and asked carefully: "My Lord, what happened?"

Jia Rong raised his hand and said, "Don't worry about it, old lady. This is my family's business. When I came back today, someone was killed in front of our house. It was the people who were chased out by them!"

"Tanchun! You kneel down and listen too!"

Jia Tanchun was being watched by Jia Rong, and when she heard that someone had died, she nervously walked over and knelt beside Wang Xifeng, not daring to talk back.

Jia Rong quickly looked at Youshi.

Youshi was very innocent. She didn't care about anything and rarely went out of her own yard. At most, she would stroll around the garden or sit here.

Under Jia Rong's ruthless gaze, although Youshi had done nothing wrong, she was in a difficult situation.

"You go over there! Stand still and listen!"

Jia Rong pointed to where everyone was kneeling and asked Youshi to stand there!

Although you are standing, it is no different from kneeling.

Youshi didn't know whether others were watching her. Fortunately, although she had lived a good life in the past few years, she still remembered Jia Rong's training.

Soon, the lady walked obediently to the middle of the kneeling people and stood there.

Youshi lowered her head, regretting that she had not called Qin Keqing and her second and third sisters.

When those people come over, I will have to kneel down together, but if I don’t come now, I will definitely be laughed at by them when I go back.

You shouldn't have come here only with Wang Xifeng.

Either none of you come, or you come together.

Jia Yuanchun came over and said, "Master, some of the maids in the mansion are already old, and many of the servants in the family are married, so I let go of some of the maids who are rarely seen doing odd jobs. This was my idea, so if you want to punish me, please do it."

Jia Rong said directly: "It has nothing to do with you. Come and sit down. The rest of you should sit down as well. Yuanyang and Ping'er can continue to take care of the children. It has nothing to do with you."

"Yes..." Everyone sat down to talk, except for those who were kneeling.

Jia Rong and Jia Yuanchun sat on both sides of the dining table in the middle, and Jia Rong had a very bad expression on his face.

"Since the beginning of this year, things have been happening one after another. First, someone tried to assassinate the prince on New Year's Day, and then two princes died. The city is under martial law."

"Do you know how much the price of vegetables has increased in the past few months? You eat wild game sent from all over the country every day at home, and you are busy at home until late at night. But do you know how much a pound of charcoal has increased since the city was closed down? How much has a pound of grain increased?"

"There's been heavy snow in Henan and Hebei. In some counties, thousands of people have frozen to death!"

"Later, the retired emperor was murdered. The capital, which had finally recovered somewhat, lost tens of thousands of people to smallpox. I don't know how many old people and children died. Every family was in mourning. Corpses piled up outside the city and burned for two months!"

"You haven't lacked anything to eat or drink!"

"Ten days ago, there was a flood in Jinling, which drowned people in more than a dozen villages. Even many people died in Jinling City."

"You followed me, and I never let you suffer any hardship or pain."

Jia Rong said, "Even the maidservants who follow you live better than the daughter of the Jinling prefect!"

"Not to mention the maids in the courtyard, even the rough maids who do rough work, which one of them is not living better than before?"

"It's because it's so good that I feel uncomfortable when I go out!"

"Some people really should leave here to get married and have children. When Yuanchun told me about this, I agreed. But I asked you to give them money to settle them down. Let them take the money back with them so that they can have some security. Otherwise, they will have to live a hard life and cannot stand the stimulation when they leave."

"But you guys are so stupid. Why did I give the 50 taels of silver to the laboring girl, but they only got 2 taels?!"

"Wang Xifeng! Tell me, who did this?!"

Wang Xifeng cried quickly, "Master, please understand! I only took 20 taels, and I told everyone to give it back. I didn't take a penny of the 30 taels!"

"Hmph! You are a disgrace to our family!" Jia Rong scolded, "Is the money I gave you not enough? If it's not enough, come to me. When have I not given you money? Especially you! Wang Xifeng!"

Jia Rong scolded him, "Everyone knows you love money. I took you out and let you get 500,000 taels, but it's not enough. You even have to handle the 50 taels I gave to the servants! What do you want to do with all that money? Go out and start your own business?"

Wang Xifeng cried out, "Master! I know I was wrong! I was bewitched, please forgive me! Madam! Madam, save me!" Jia Yuanchun frowned. She was the only one who did not take the money and did not want to get involved in this matter.

At this time, Jia Yuanchun looked at Jia Tanchun, hoping that Jia Tanchun would give a definite answer.

Jia Tanchun lowered her head and said nothing, she also participated.

The main reason was that fifty taels was too much. Jia Tanchun also thought that a dozen taels would be enough, as other families did the same.

Moreover, he gave freedom to those slaves and maids, released them for free, and returned their indentures.

Not charging them money is already very good, but they are giving them silver for free. It would be fine if these people were personal servants, but they are just maids who have been doing rough work for only a few years. Even the emperor's family cannot pay them like this.

Jia Rong looked at them and said, "If anyone of you doesn't have any, come and sit down. I'm not wrongly accusing you!"

Lin Daiyu and others watched, and no one stood up, including Jia Tanchun, who kept her head down and said nothing.

Xue Baochai was so frightened that she stood up nervously and was about to walk over and kneel down.

Old Lady Wang, Yingchun, Yuanchun and others all noticed Xue Baochai and were not surprised at all. How could this woman not take it?

At the critical moment, Lin Daiyu grabbed Xue Baochai's hand.

Xue Baochai quickly turned around and looked at Lin Daiyu. At this time, Xue Baochai was already frightened, and her face was panicked and afraid.

Lin Daiyu pulled her to sit next to her, and the two of them squeezed into a chair.

Jia Rong quickly looked at Lin Daiyu, and then at Xue Baochai who wanted to get up but didn't.

At this time two little girls walked in. As soon as they came in, they heard Wang Xifeng crying and looked here timidly.

Qiaojie shouted: "Dad, Mom..."

Seeing this, Jia Rong said, "Everyone, stand up and talk. Sit still and listen."

Jia Yuanchun remained silent, while Wang Xifeng finally breathed a sigh of relief and kowtowed in gratitude, "Thank you, Master!"

Xue Baochai also breathed a sigh of relief, and her legs now felt weak.

Jia Rong ordered the maidservants, "Xiren, take Qiao'er and Ling'er to the water tank to wash some fruit for us to eat."

"Yes!" Xiren quickly went over and took the two little girls out.

Baoqin also stood up and winked at some maids nearby, and a group of maids and old women followed her out.

Soon, only their respective maids were left in the room.

Jia Rong said at this time: "Death is not a big deal. Let alone being killed outside our house, even if he was beaten to death, no one would dare to intervene in the affairs of the palace."

"But I have always been tolerant of others! I can't say anything about others, but I have always had a clear conscience towards my family and my own people over the years."

"The maids and servants who left our house could not find work, could not marry a good man, contracted serious diseases, and learned to gamble and drink. That was their own business. Everyone has their own destiny."

"When I see a dead body on the roadside, I always walk past it quickly, for fear of being contaminated by bad luck."

"I often hear in the court that someone's house was raided, a few people were beheaded, or thousands of people died in a battle at the border, or hundreds of thousands died in a natural disaster in a certain place."

"That's the story for me, I keep sleeping and eating."

"But something happened in my hometown of Jinling. People died in the flood. Can I just ignore it? My family has been driven to death because of your corruption. Can I still have a meal and laugh with you?"

Qingwen cried and said, "Master! I won't dare to do it again!"

Qingwen had the least private money, and since it was something that the grandmothers had all agreed upon, of course she was happy to participate.

You get the least, but you still have to take the blame if something goes wrong.

Jia Rong said directly: "You have two choices. The first one is that you have to do the things that a maid should do yourself from now on. Except during pregnancy, you have to dress yourself and pour water yourself. In short, the number of maids serving you is reduced to eight, and you have to do at least the work of two maids! Stop your salary for half a year! Don't even think about buying extra things during this period even if you have money!"

"Second, take your own private money and go out to make a living! Don't say you are my people anymore!"

Wang Xifeng hurriedly said, "Master! I choose the first one! I accept the punishment!"

Qingwen also said hurriedly: "I choose the first one too. Master, please don't chase me away. Even if I die, I won't leave!"

Li Wan said awkwardly, "I accept the punishment too."

Tanchun said honestly, "I accept the punishment."

Tanchun's answer was not surprising at all, as she had nowhere else to go.

Although she could go back to Jia Zheng and continue to be a daughter of an official family, she knew that if she left, she would never be able to enter this family again in her life.

Tanchun is the one with the last resort. Now that Jia Zheng has become a high-ranking official in the court, he no longer needs to rely on Jia Rong.

But the old lady, Mrs. Wang and Jia Zheng all rely on Jia Rong. Although Jia Tanchun can marry into another family as a wife, it is estimated that it will definitely not be as good as here.

Lin Hongyu also accepted the punishment. She took the money and also contributed.

Now that the whole family has become the prince's family, Lin Hongyu would rather die than leave here and become a wandering ghost.

Yu Shi was probably the most embarrassed person, she also lowered her head and said, "I accept the punishment too."

Jia Rong frowned and looked at these people. "Find a place to sit down. I am not letting you go today just for the sake of the children. I know you don't want to cause any deaths."

"I will take care of the dismissal of maids and servants myself in the future. I will also handle this matter. You don't have to worry about it."

Everyone quickly said, "Yes, thank you, Your Majesty!"

Not long after, Baoqin, perhaps with the instruction of the gatekeeper maid, brought the maids and girls in to arrange the fresh fruits.

The kitchen staff cut the watermelon that had been in the water tank for the entire afternoon into small pieces and served it on a plate.

It is now late July and the weather is not so hot and humid, so the watermelon does not need to be so cold.

The old lady sat below Jia Rong and only dared to speak after she saw that everything was alright.

"These girls are just money-grubbers. They have no worries about food and drink in the palace, so why do they covet so much money? Even if they have money, what's the point if they don't have support?"

The old lady sighed and said, "In the past two years, there is a girl from the Xia family who often comes to the palace. It is said that her family has a fortune of millions, but after losing the man in the family, it was all gone in two or three years."

"Every time I come here, I see that they have become much poorer and their clothes are getting more and more shabby."

Jia Rong continued, "I know that. There are only two of them in the family, mother and daughter. If they hadn't sent me some flowers and plants, they would have been eaten up by relatives and friends long ago."

Xichun interrupted at this time and said, "Why doesn't the prince help them?"

Jia Rong smiled and said nothing.

Mrs. Wang explained, "There are so many people in our family, and most of the money-making work has to be done by our own family. Even so, there are still many relatives who are so poor that they can't afford a servant. The Guihua Xia family at least still has 3,000 nails on its broken boat."

Jia Yuanchun also looked at Jia Xichun, "Your Highness has so many things to do every day. Have you had a few days off since the beginning of the year? He is either busy with important court affairs, or treating patients, or refining elixirs in the alchemy room on a hot day."

"When I asked you to come over to eat in the middle of summer, you complained about the heat. If I asked you to go to the alchemy room, you would be so hot that you would burn off a layer of skin."

Jia Rong suggested, "It's not too hot these days, so you can sit in the kitchen while I cook. When the food is served, you can come over and think about how hard it is for me."

Xichun said quickly: "No need, I'm honest now!"

Jia Rong smiled and said, "Then I'll spare you. Let's talk while we eat. Although something unpleasant has happened, there are also two good things."

(End of this chapter)