Red Mansion: After being expelled from the family, I was granted the title of Marquis of Mobei

Chapter 122 The Enemy is in the Light, We are in the Dark: Zhao Pan'er's Spring

Upon hearing this, Jia Jue grasped Lin Daiyu's hand, everything understood without words.

Soon after, the red candles in the room were blown out, and the wedding night that Lin Daiyu had been looking forward to began.

While Jia Jue and Lin Daiyu were enjoying their passionate lovemaking, things were not going so well inside the Rongguo Mansion.

The atmosphere inside the main hall of the Rongguo Mansion was very solemn.

Shui Qi, the steward of the Prince of Bei Jing's mansion, sat calmly in his chair and spoke.

"Grandma, Madam Wang, shouldn't we talk about this now?"

Grandma Jia felt somewhat dissatisfied with Shui Qi's arrogant attitude.

Although Shui Qi was the head steward of the Prince of Beijing's mansion, he was ultimately just a servant.

Although the Rongguo Mansion usually treats Shui Qi with courtesy, you, Shui Qi, can't really act like the Prince of Beijing and start giving orders so arrogantly in my Rongguo Mansion.

After suppressing her irritation, Old Mrs. Jia glanced at Shui Qi and said.

"Water steward, what exactly are His Highness's orders? Why are you being so sarcastic?"

Shui Qi sneered.

"Judging from the old lady's tone, she is somewhat dissatisfied with me."

Seeing how impolite Shui Qi was, Old Mrs. Jia couldn't hold back any longer.

"Water housekeeper, if you have something to say, just say it. Don't be so rude."

“My Rongguo Mansion has always respected the Prince, and the Prince also values ​​the Rongguo Mansion. We have been on good terms for many years. Although the Prince favors you, that is not a reason for you to act wildly here.”

As the Duchess of the State, Old Madam Jia still had the confidence to confront Shui Qi, a servant, even though he was the head steward of the Prince's mansion.

After hearing this, Shui Qi gave Old Madam Jia a meaningful look, and then said calmly.

"I have only overstepped my bounds slightly in your household, and the old lady can't stand it."

"Do you know that because of your Rongguo Mansion, the Marquis of Champion went to the Prince's Mansion today to demand an explanation?"

"The Prince has taken such a huge blame for your Rongguo Mansion, and we haven't even said anything yet, but your Rongguo Mansion is acting all wronged. You really know how to turn the tables."

Grandma Jia was stunned and asked in great confusion.

"Water manager, what, what are you talking about?"

Shui Qi snorted coldly.

"Madam, the Rongguo Mansion is a century-old family. We should be responsible for our actions."

"You don't think our Prince's Mansion just suffered a loss in silence and let this matter pass by, do you?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Wang quickly put on a smiling face and said...

"Water housekeeper, our two families have always been on good terms and have never had any trouble."

"We really don't know where we offended Your Highness, and we hope that Steward Shui can enlighten us."

Grandma Jia, who was standing to the side, could no longer maintain her composure and quickly looked at Shui Qi and said.

"Yes, Steward, there must be some misunderstanding here. Please calm down and let's talk things out. If it's something that Rongguo Mansion has failed to do, we will definitely correct it."

Shui Qi nodded slightly and then said.

"That's acceptable."

Shui Qi then told everyone in the Rongguo Mansion about Jia Jue's trip to the Prince of Beijing's mansion.

Then Shui Qi continued.

"What's going on between your Rongguo Mansion and the Xue family is something our Prince doesn't want to ask about, nor does he care."

"But you accepted silver and jewelry from the Xue family under the guise of the prince."

"Now the Xue family has gotten to the Marquis of Champion's side again."

"Now look what's happened, the Marquis of Champion has come directly to our palace demanding money."

"If it's just the Champion Marquis making baseless accusations, then that's fine."

"But if this is really the case, then your Rongguo Mansion should think it over carefully."

"That's the situation. You can handle it yourselves, Rongguo Mansion. Farewell."

After Shui Qi finished speaking, she got up and left, ignoring everyone from the Rongguo Mansion who tried to persuade her to stay.

After Shui Qi left, the faces of Old Madam Jia and Madam Wang were as black as the bottom of a pot.

They never expected that the Xue family would dare to betray them like this, daring to bypass them and secretly approach the Marquis of Champion.

Madam Wang said angrily.

"Mother, this matter cannot be left like this. We must not let the Xue family off the hook."

"Old Mrs. Jia said with a dark face."

"What's the point of saying this now?"

"Quickly prepare 400,000 taels of silver and send it to Prince Bei Jing. Also, send that batch of jewelry to the Prince's residence according to the list."

After hearing this, Madam Wang asked in confusion.

"Mother, it's not 300,000."

Before she could finish speaking, Madam Wang realized her mistake and cursed herself for being too stupid.

Prince Bei Jing was made a scapegoat, and he certainly couldn't take the blame for nothing. Needless to say, the extra 100,000 taels was definitely given to Prince Bei Jing as an apology.

After thinking for a moment, Madam Wang continued.

“Mother, the household expenses have been quite high these days. Of the 300,000 taels of silver sent by the Xue family, 70,000 to 80,000 taels have already been spent.”

"With an extra 100,000 taels, how are we going to make up the difference? Maybe we should just use the government's public accounts."

After hearing this, Old Mrs. Jia was very annoyed and said...

"Didn't you see the boss's reaction today? You don't actually think he'll just let it go, do you?"

"He's probably determined to split up the family this time, and I haven't figured out how to stop him from doing so yet."

"At this time, if this happens, and you still use public funds, isn't that deliberately trying to sabotage him? He'll just go all out to split the family business."

"You'll feel at ease if we really kick your second branch out of Rongguo Mansion, won't you?"

Hearing this, Madam Wang said with great difficulty.

“Mother, I know that’s true, but the second branch of the family really doesn’t have that much. How can I possibly make up for the shortfall of 170,000 to 180,000 taels of silver?”

"And my husband is still in prison, spending money like water."

“If the second wife is drained dry, what will become of my husband?”

After thinking for a while, Grandma Jia sighed and said.

"The second son's matter is easy to handle. After all, they are brothers, and there's no problem with the money going through the public accounts."

"But the money to cover the shortfall definitely can't be accounted for through the public treasury."

"Here's what we'll do: I'll subsidize 100,000 taels, and you can figure out how to handle the remaining 80,000 taels yourself."

"Gather the silver and send it to the Prince's mansion within three days."

"Sigh, this time I really tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead."

Madam Wang knew perfectly well that Old Madam Jia had used her own savings for her funeral to get to this point.

But I still have to pay an additional 70,000 to 80,000 taels, which really hurts.

Madam Wang said with great resentment.

"Mother, what about the Xue family? We absolutely cannot let them get away with this."

Old Mrs. Jia waved her hand and said.

"There's no rush, we'll have to see how things go first."

Mrs. Wang said after hesitating for a moment.

"What's the point of assessing the situation with just the Xue family?"

Old Mrs. Jia glanced helplessly at Madam Wang and then said.

"Think about it. The Xue family isn't stupid. Would she dare to do this without some backing?"

"Besides, the Marquis of Champion is an easy person to get along with."

"No one would believe such a thing as releasing Xue Pan out of pity for his orphans and widows."

"I suspect the Xue family might have gone to great lengths to curry favor with the Marquis of Champion, preparing to switch allegiance." "After all, the Wang family is the best example."

"If it weren't for the Champion Marquis backing them up, would the Xue family dare to pull something like this against us?"

"You should quickly send someone to find out more about the Xue family and see what's really going on."

"We definitely can't let this go like this."

"But if the Xue family really gets close to the Marquis of Champion's mansion, then we'll have to adjust our strategy and not confront them head-on."

Mrs. Wang agreed and said.

"Don't worry, Mother, I understand."

"You should rest well. I'll go and raise the money first, and then send someone to find out about the Xue family's situation."

After nodding slightly, Grandma Jia slowly closed her eyes. The series of missteps in recent times had left her feeling extremely exhausted.

The Rongguo Mansion, a ship that has sailed for a hundred years, now feels like it's about to collapse and leaking from all sides, making life unbearable for Old Madam Jia.

The next morning, Jia Jue left the Lin family feeling refreshed.

After their wedding night, Jia Jue had experienced the charm of the head of the Twelve Beauties and felt quite pleased.

Shortly after returning to the Marquis's residence, Zhang Han went to Jia Jue's study.

After bowing, Zhang Han said respectfully.

"Your subordinate greets the Lord."

Jia Lang smiled slightly and then said.

"Alright, no need for formalities. Tell me, have you made any new discoveries?"

Zhang Han nodded and said.

"Your Majesty's plans are indeed brilliant."

"Ever since the Lord gave the order to keep a close watch on the Wang family, I have sent twelve of the most elite Shadow Guards to infiltrate the Wang family."

"Just last night, my men overheard a conversation between Old Mrs. Wang and her son-in-law Kang Haifeng on her rooftop."

"It can be confirmed that the clay doll incident was orchestrated by Kang Haifeng and Old Mrs. Wang."

"Moreover, this clay doll has a hidden secret. Not only is it mixed with musk, but it also contains a small figure with a curse spell, which is used to curse the current emperor."

"The clay doll incident was a trap set by Kang Haifeng for Old Mrs. Wang. Kang Haifeng used it as leverage to threaten Old Mrs. Wang into doing certain things."

"However, because the two deliberately lowered their voices when discussing the specific details, their subordinates could not hear clearly. They only knew that Old Madam Wang eventually compromised."

Jia Jue said thoughtfully after hearing this.

"Kang Haifeng is a good-for-nothing. Where did he get the guts to get involved in this kind of thing?"

"It seems he's nothing more than a dagger in hand. Have you investigated Kang Haifeng's current situation?"

Zhang Han nodded and said.

"An investigation revealed that Kang Haifeng was impeached by the censor a few years ago for getting his concubine pregnant during his mourning period, and was subsequently dismissed from his post."

"However, just a month ago, Kang Haifeng was reinstated and appointed by the Ministry of Personnel as the Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat, a position of the fourth rank."

"As for who Kang Haifeng used his connections to, it will take some time to find out."

Jia Jue waved his hand and said.

"It won't be easy to find out about this. Since the mastermind has pushed Kang Haifeng out, he must be a cautious person."

"Even Kang Haifeng might not know the true identity of the mastermind behind this."

"Investigating the appointments made by the Ministry of Personnel will not be a small-scale operation. If we alert the people behind the scenes, it will be counterproductive."

"Anyway, the Marquis's mansion can now stay out of it, so there's no need to rush."

"What we need now is patience."

"Now the situation has reversed. They are in the open, and we are in the dark. We must remain patient and not be afraid that they will not leave any clues."

Zhang Han nodded and said.

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. I was too impatient."

Jia Jue said after smiling slightly.

"Alright, you must have had a very tough time these past few days. Take a couple of days off to rest and recharge."

"The mastermind behind this has gone to such lengths to plan this, it's definitely not going to be simple. We need to strike at their vital point, and once we get hold of their lifeline, they'll be in for a world of hurt."

After giving Zhang Han a few more instructions, Zhang Han left the Marquis's residence.

After Zhang Han left, Jia Jue left the study and went straight to a small courtyard in the corner of the Hou Mansion's back residence.

In the bedroom in the courtyard, Zhao Pan'er was doing embroidery.

Before long, the maid came into the room and said with a smile.

"Miss, the Marquis has arrived."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Pan'er was overjoyed and then walked out of the room.

Inside the main hall, Jia Jue was sitting leisurely when Zhao Pan'er approached, bowed, and said...

"Pan'er greets the Marquis."

Jia Jue said after smiling slightly.

"No need for formalities, Pan'er, please sit down."

Zhao Pan'er nodded obediently and then sat down to the side.

"What brings you here today, my lord?"

Jia Jue said after a light laugh.

"That sounds a little sour to me."

Zhao Pan'er blushed slightly after hearing this and said...

"My lord, please stop teasing Pan'er."

Seeing Zhao Pan'er's shy appearance, Jia Jue looked at her gently and said.

"Alright, I'm not kidding you anymore. I came here today mainly to tell you two things."

"Let's start with the first thing: Ouyang Xu is gone."

Zhao Paner said with some surprise.

“My lord, you don’t need to do this. Although I hate him, it would be a waste for you to have your hands stained with blood for someone like him.”

"He is, after all, a third-place scholar in the imperial examinations. If the court investigates and it causes trouble for the Marquis, what will become of him?"

Jia Jue said with a calm smile.

"What's a little trouble if it's just to vent Pan'er's anger?"

Zhao Pan'er was very moved after hearing this and looked at Jia Jue and said.

"My lord, how can I ever repay you?"

Jia Jue held Zhao Pan'er's hand and spoke gently.

"Alright, there's no need to be so polite."

"Actually, he should have died long ago, but the imperial examinations had just ended, and taking action rashly would have had too great an impact."

"Now that so much time has passed, everything has settled down."

"His death is nothing to regret, but it's a pity for Miss Gao. She'll become a widow before she's even married, and her fiancé is gone."

"Fortunately, the Gao family is of good standing, so she can still find another husband."

"Alright, now that we've covered the first thing, let's talk about the second thing."

Zhao Pan'er looked at Jia Jue with some anticipation and asked.

"My lord, is there anything else?"

Jia Jue said after smiling calmly.

"That's right, both ladies feel that it's not right for you to stay in the Marquis's mansion without a proper title or status."

"So they discussed it with me and asked if you were willing to stay in the Marquis's mansion. If you were, they wanted to make arrangements so that you could stay in the Marquis's mansion with dignity, thus giving you a proper status."

(End of this chapter)