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

Chapter 133 Liquidating the Wang Family
It should be noted that, as founding fathers of the nation, the Ningguo family, after several generations, had risen from the rank of Duke to the rank of Third-Class General, while the Rongguo family had risen to the rank of Second-Class General.

In contrast, the four kings had maintained their royal titles until now.

This was because after the founding of the dynasty, the founding emperor, grateful for the meritorious service of the four kings of the first generation, granted the four kings' families the right to inherit their titles in perpetuity, without the need for them to be demoted in rank.

However, today Emperor Yongping has abolished the privilege of the four kings.

Without this capital, even if Emperor Yongping did nothing, within a few decades, the four royal families would likely fade into obscurity among the nobility, and maintaining their status as leaders of the founding fathers would be nothing short of a pipe dream.

After Emperor Yongping left, the four princes of Beijing exchanged glances and secretly resolved that the rebellion in the Western Sea must break out, and it must be a grand and spectacular one.

Only in this way can Emperor Yongping know that even an emperor cannot treat the four kings so casually.

After Emperor Yongping used the explosion at Xuanzhen Temple to completely dispel the rumors of divine retribution, the four kings, who had become the four dukes, suffered a severe blow.

Seeing that Emperor Yongping had taken drastic measures and eliminated all four princes, the voices in the court opposing the promotion of the new policies instantly vanished.

Just as the new policies were in full swing, there was some progress in the lawsuit between the Wang family and the Marquis of Champion's Mansion.

Inside the Marquis of Champion's residence, Sheng Hong was talking with Jia Jue.

Jia Jue looked at Sheng Hong and smiled calmly before speaking.

"What brings you to my home today, Father-in-law?"

Looking at the calm and composed Jia Jue, Sheng Hong couldn't help but sigh.

"My dear son-in-law, your attitude is truly remarkable."

"No wonder Sun Tzu said in The Art of War, 'A man with thunder in his heart and a calm face is worthy of being appointed a general.'"

"This case between the Wang family and the Marquis's mansion has been going on for so long, aren't you worried at all?"

Jia Jue said after a light laugh.

“I am usually busy with official duties, but now I have some free time to spend with Minglan and the others at home. What a wonderful thing this is.”

"As for the Wang family, they are nothing but clowns and not worth fearing."

Sheng Hong waved his hand and said.

"I don't have your mindset."

"Here, this is some stuff I've collected recently. It should be of some help to your lawsuit with the Wang family, my dear son-in-law. Take a look."

After taking the written materials compiled by Sheng Hong, Jia Jue opened them and looked at them, then looked at Sheng Hong and said something.

“Father-in-law, you’ve gone to great lengths to gather evidence of the Wang family’s abuse of power and favoritism in protecting Wang Ruo over the years.”

"It has to be said that Old Mrs. Wang is capable of anything for her vicious daughter."

Sheng Hong sighed and then said.

"My mother-in-law's problem lies with her eldest daughter."

“This Kang Wangshi is so vicious and disregards human life, yet my mother-in-law is still single-mindedly trying to exonerate her.”

“I used to find it strange that although the eldest brother-in-law of the Wang family was an ordinary official, his father-in-law had left behind so many connections.”

"After all these years, he should have been a third-rank official by now."

"Now it seems that all the goodwill left over from back then has been used on this vicious woman."

"These things are yours to do with as you see fit."

"After what happened between the Sheng and Wang families, their relationship has been severed, so you don't need to worry."

Jia Jue nodded slightly and said.

“I understand. Old Mrs. Wang almost caused Minglan to miscarry, and now she’s framing me like this.”

"I will never give up on the Wang family easily."

"I'll need to trouble you, Father-in-law, to appease my mother-in-law."

Sheng Hong agreed and then said.

"Don't worry about that, just go ahead and do it."

After the father-in-law and son-in-law finished discussing the matter, Sheng Hong went to visit Sheng Minglan again before leaving the Marquis's residence.

In the afternoon, inside the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Yongping was summoning Jia Jue.

Seeing Jia Jue's leisurely appearance, Emperor Yongping smiled and said.

"You brat, it feels like the Wang family is giving you a vacation by suing you."

Jia Jue said with a chuckle.

"If it weren't for Your Majesty's wise and enlightened rule, I would have been trembling with fear long ago, and how could I have remained so calm?"

Emperor Yongping said with a calm smile.

"You're a smart kid, but you've had enough rest, it's time to get down to business."

Jia Jue looked slightly surprised after hearing this.

"The case between me and the Wang family is still unresolved, so it might be inconvenient to discuss it for the time being."

Emperor Yongping waved his hand and said.

"Alright, are you really planning to keep dragging this on with the Wang family? I still have some errands to run for you."

"After the joint trial by the three judicial departments, a detailed autopsy was performed on the body of Old Mrs. Wang."

"After combining the testimony of Li, the old servant of the Wang family, we found that the fatal wound suffered by Old Madam Wang did not match Li's testimony in terms of either the angle or direction of the dagger insertion."

"I have already ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard to intervene in this matter and sent that Granny Li to the Imperial Prison. I expect we will be able to get her confession today."

"Closing this case quickly is important; you have more important things to do."

Jia Jue immediately understood. It seemed that Emperor Yongping really had urgent matters to arrange for him, otherwise he would not have let the Embroidered Uniform Guard get involved in this matter.

After a moment's thought, Jia Jue looked at Emperor Yongping and said.

"Your Majesty, are you worried about the Prince of Beijing, no, he should be the Duke now? Are you worried that they might resort to desperate measures and make trouble for the Western Sea?"

Emperor Yongping nodded slightly and said.

"I knew it, you little rascal, you definitely understood my concerns."

"The truth behind the Nancheng explosion has come to light. Although the Embroidered Uniform Guard did not obtain direct evidence that they instructed Jia Jing, it is an obvious fact."

"Furthermore, after the major explosion in the southern city, they were frantically contacting court officials and submitting memorials; their behavior was rather disgraceful."

"I used the explosion at Xuanzhen Temple to quell the rumors and took the opportunity to severely punish them."

"This move has shaken their foundation, and coupled with their fear that I might retaliate at any moment, they will definitely make an issue of the Western Sea in order to protect themselves."

"Over the years, the four kings' confidants have spread throughout the Western Navy. They were too spoiled during the reign of the retired emperor. Now, I am the one who has to clean up this mess."

"I summoned you to the palace today to see if you have any good ideas to prevent the Western Sea from falling into ruin."

Jia Jue smiled calmly, then took out a memorial and spoke.

"Your Majesty, please take a look."

Emperor Yongping said with a hint of surprise.

"Were you prepared all along?"

Jia Jue nodded slightly and said.

"As a soldier, it is my duty to be mindful of potential dangers even in times of peace."

"After the Xiongnu were wiped out, the only foreign tribes that could pose a threat to our Great Zhou were the ones along the Western Sea."

"In my spare time, I will do some chessboard simulations."

"Over time, I have gained some insights, and I humbly request Your Majesty to review them."

After hearing this, Emperor Yongping opened the memorial and read it carefully. About a quarter of an hour later, Emperor Yongping closed the memorial and said...

"Good, good, lad, you have lived up to my high hopes for you."

"If you can pacify the Western Sea region this time, I will grant you the title of Duke."

Jia Jue said confidently.

"Then Your Majesty, please wait to expand my residence." "By the way, Your Majesty, I have another request."

Emperor Yongping waved his hand and said.

"It's alright, just speak."

Jia Jue then handed the incriminating materials concerning the Wang family to Emperor Yongping and Empress Dowager Yongping.

"Your Majesty, this is evidence of the Wang family's abuse of power and protection of their relatives. We urge Your Majesty to investigate."

Emperor Yongping smiled calmly after hearing this.

"You brat, fine. I'll have the Embroidered Uniform Guard investigate. If it's true, you'll be severely punished."

"After dealing with the Wang family's affairs, I will bestow upon you a military tally and command token, and you shall immediately head south."

"Remember, be careful and cautious, and make sure you succeed in this battle."

Jia Jue nodded slightly and said.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will certainly not fail in my mission."

Time flies, and three more days have passed in the blink of an eye.

The joint trial of the Wang family by the three judicial departments has finally reached a conclusion.

With the help of the Imperial Guards, the stubborn witness in this case, Granny Li, finally revealed the truth of the case.

Old Madam Wang committed suicide that day in order to frame Jia Jue.

Wang Shiping found this result extremely difficult to accept.

However, faced with the autopsy report and wound comparison results issued by the three judicial departments regarding Old Mrs. Wang, Wang Shiping could only helplessly accept this outcome.

Just as Wang Shiping walked out of the Ministry of Justice, feeling disheartened, Gu Qianfan, who had been waiting there, surrounded him with the Imperial Guards.

Upon seeing that the visitors were members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Wang Shiping said with some unease.

"Gentlemen, why are you blocking my way?"

Gu Qianfan gave a cold laugh and then looked at Wang Shiping.

"Lord Wang, your case has been uncovered. Please come with us."

Just as Wang Shiping was puzzled, he was captured by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and then escorted to the Imperial Prison.

Upon arriving at the imperial prison, Gu Qianfan didn't waste any time talking to Wang Shiping and directly sent him to the Jinyiwei's torture chamber.

When Wang Shiping saw Jia Jue waiting there, he felt uneasy.

He said with an extremely ugly expression.

"Champion Marquis, it was you! You framed me!"

Jia Jue said calmly.

"Lord Wang, how have you been? You didn't expect to meet me here, did you?"

Wang Shiping said angrily.

“Even if you didn’t kill my mother, the fact that she committed suicide to drag you down shows that you must have a deep-seated hatred for our Wang family.”

"Now that you have been exonerated, you still dare to frame me like this. This is outrageous."

Jia Jue sneered and then said.

"Don't misunderstand, whether or not this lawsuit between your Wang family and this Marquis exists, you would have ended up like this anyway."

"As for framing you, that's utter nonsense."

"Do you dare say that you didn't abuse your power and pull strings to exonerate your younger sister Wang Ruoyu in order to cover up her crimes?"

"You must have suppressed countless murder cases alone."

Upon hearing this, Wang Shiping's face turned ashen.

Family members know their own affairs. Wang Shiping originally didn't want to get involved in Wang Ruo's messy affairs, but he couldn't resist his filial piety. His mother kept pestering him, and in the end, Wang Shiping had to clean up the mess.

Now that the case has come to light, Wang Shiping knows he's finished.

But facing Jia Jue, he still forced himself to speak.

"Since things have come to this, I have nothing more to say."

“I have broken the law of the country, and the court will deal with me. It is not your place to flaunt your power in front of me, Marquis of Champion. I will not fawn over you or beg for mercy.”

After hearing this, Jia Jue clapped his hands and said...

"Good, good, that's backbone."

"Wang Shiping, do you think that even if the case comes to light, you'll at most be dismissed from your post and demoted to a commoner?"

"Let me tell you, you're just dreaming."

"Aren't you curious why your old woman would rather commit suicide than let me get away with this?"

"I'll show you mercy and let you die knowing why."

"Your dead sister, your old hag has always believed that I killed her."

"In order to get revenge, she tricked my mother-in-law into going to the Tianhou Temple and arranged in advance to put musk in the clay doll, hoping to cause my wife to miscarry."

"However, I am skilled in medicine, which thwarted that old hag's scheme."

"From the day she set her sights on my wife's children, your Wang family has been dead in my eyes."

“Even without her suicide attempt, I would have forced her to die.”

"Now that she's dead, next is you, and then your entire Wang family."

"I will send your entire family on their way. This is the price your Wang family pays for daring to scheme against my family."

Upon hearing this, Wang Shiping could no longer maintain his composure. He knelt down with a thud and said...

"My lord, my lord, my mother did all of this herself. The rest of our family knew nothing about it."

"The sins of the mother must be visited upon the son. I'll do whatever you want to me, please, spare my family's lives. They are all innocent."

"No matter what, your mother-in-law and I are siblings. Even if we don't care about the monk, we should at least consider the Buddha."

Jia Jue sneered and then said.

“Innocent? When your mother plotted against my wife and children, did she never consider that they were innocent?”

"Why didn't you ever think that you and the Sheng family are related?"

"Alright, I've come here today just to see you off."

"Just wait, your whole family will be on their way. This is the last bit of mercy I can show you."

After Jia Jue finished speaking, he got up and left without even glancing at Wang Shiping.

Wang Shiping cried out in anguish, begging for mercy, but Jia Jue had already made his way away.

At this moment, Wang Shiping was utterly despondent and filled with remorse.

He never imagined things would turn out this way.

"Mother, you, you've ruined the Wang family!"

No matter how much Wang Shiping regrets it now, it's all in vain.

After Jia Jue gave Gu Qianfan some instructions, Wang Shiping was given special attention by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Wang Shiping experienced all the torture instruments in the Jinyiwei's torture chamber.

Afterwards, Wang Shiping confessed to all the guilty things he could remember since birth. After signing and affixing his fingerprint, the case was directly transferred to the Ministry of Justice.

Before his death, Wang Shiping enjoyed VIP treatment. Normally, it would take the Ministry of Justice at least several months to process a case.

However, when it came to Wang Shiping's case, the case file was completed in just one day, and the final decision was to exile the entire Wang family to Lingnan.

Wang Shiping knew perfectly well that any place along this long road of exile would become his family's burial ground.

This fear of knowing clearly that he was facing death but being powerless to do anything about it drove Wang Shiping to the brink of madness.

(End of this chapter)