The Red Mansion

Chapter 132 The Death of Jia Rong and Jia Zhen

Jia Zhen returned to his current home, the large mansion where You Shi and Jia Rong lived.

The rain intensified, with large raindrops pounding on the bluestone slabs and splashing up sprays of water.

Lady You had already been waiting in the corridor with her maids and servants. When she saw Jia Zhen coming, whose clothes were damp, she quickly ordered someone to bring him dry clothes to change into, and personally served him hot tea.

Jia Zhen took a sip of tea, then looked up at Lady You. He saw that this second wife, who was only in her early twenties, was still youthful and beautiful, with exquisite features. He himself was much older than her, and now that they were sitting together, they looked more like an old man and a young woman.

As he looked at her, Jia Zhen couldn't help but feel a little moved, and he felt a bit of the same way he did when he first saw her on their wedding night.

Therefore, he decided to spend the night with Ms. You.

"Has everything been peaceful at home for the past year or so?"

Jia Zhen put down his teacup, his voice hoarse.

This perfectly normal inquiry startled Madam You. She paused for a moment before saying, "Thanks to Master, everything is fine..." Before she could finish speaking, her eyes reddened, and she quickly lowered her head to wipe away her tears with a handkerchief.

She was afraid that if Jia Zhen found out about Jia Rong and Jia Lian's affair, it would cause a major incident in the family, so she dared not tell the truth, but she could not bear the bitterness and grievance.

Jia Zhen could tell at a glance that Madam You was suffering in silence, and his gaze darkened: "Has something happened at home?"

Madam You was even more panicked: "No...nothing happened..."

After a moment's thought, Jia Zhen did not press You Shi for answers.

After a while, he went to the outer residence and ordered someone to summon Yu Lu.

Yu Lu was the steward of the household and also a former confidant of Jia Zhen.

Jia Zhen's face was gloomy as he stared at Yu Lu, who was kneeling on the ground, and tapped his fingertips on the table: "What exactly has happened in the family over the past year? Tell me the truth."

Yu Lu's face turned pale, and he stammered, "I...I dare not say."

Jia Zhen's face grew increasingly sinister. He had already deduced that Jia Rong had likely committed an act of filial impiety. He said in a deep voice, "What is there to be afraid of saying? Speak up now! Or I'll skin you alive!"

Yu Lu stammered, "I really dare not say. If you want to know, sir, you can... you can ask Jiao Da."

He was afraid of Jia Zhen, and also afraid of offending Jia Rong and Jia Lian. He was also afraid that Jia Zhen would cause a big incident and the responsibility would fall on his shoulders, so he pushed Jiao Da forward.

Jiao Da was a very old servant in the Ningguo Mansion, even older than Grandmother Jia. He had served in the army with Duke Ningguo, Jia Yan, since he was a child. Once, he even carried Jia Yan out of a pile of dead bodies. He went hungry himself and stole food to feed Jia Yan. When they went without water for two days, he gave Jia Yan half a bowl of water first, while he himself drank horse urine to quench his thirst.

After Jia Zhen inherited his title and took charge of the Ningguo Mansion, Jiao Da, seeing Jia Zhen's extravagant and licentious lifestyle, and the greedy and shameless behavior of the head steward Lai Er, felt truly resentful. Whenever Jiao Da got drunk, he would use his drunkenness to curse the disgraceful things in the mansion, including Jia Zhen. Jia Zhen, unable to dismiss him, simply assigned him to the stables to tend the horses, where Lai Er and others also bullied him.

At this moment, Jia Zhen's eyes widened when he saw Yu Lu push Jiao Da out—that old man, though foul-mouthed, never lied.

Jia Zhen asked in a deep voice, "Where is Jiao Da now?"

Yu Lu said in a low voice, "We'll still keep the horses in the stables."

Jia Zhen was about to tell Yu Lu to summon Jiao Da, but then stopped himself, thinking it would be better to go to the stable to find Jiao Da himself.

……

……

The stable smelled strongly of fish in the rain. Jiao Da was sitting in the haystack, drinking a pot of wine.

Suddenly seeing Jia Zhen approach, Jiao Da squinted his old eyes, which were becoming increasingly blurry from drinking, and after recognizing him, he sneered, "Oh, Master Zhen still remembers this old servant?"

Ignoring his sarcasm, Jia Zhen asked directly, "What happened at home while I was away for over a year? What did my unfilial son do?"

Jiao Da gulped down a large mouthful of wine and said, his breath reeking of alcohol, "Since you want to hear it, I'll tell you straight—in the year or so you've been gone, Rong-ge'er has stolen all your beautiful concubines and pretty maids! Even Lian-ge'er from the Rong family has stolen that hussy Qinglian."

After saying that, he couldn't help but curse: "Ha, if I hadn't protected the old master back then, how could you have enjoyed such wealth and honor? You, on the other hand, indulged in extravagance and debauchery, and still insisted on acting like a master to me. Now you're getting your comeuppance. Not only have you lost your hereditary title and suffered on the frontier, but your son has also started to follow your example."

The rain washed over the thatch on the stable roof.

Jia Zhen stood in the shadows, his face ashen, his eyes burning with two ghostly lights.

……

……

The rain had not stopped, and a fishy smell suddenly rose inside the room.

Yu Lu was pressed down on the bench, his back already bearing twenty strokes of the cane, the scarlet bloodstains glistening eerily through his clothes.

Jia Zhen gasped for breath, his voice like a broken bellows: "What exactly did my unfilial son... and Lian Er... do? If you don't tell me the truth, I'll beat you to death!"

"Sir, spare me!" Yu Lu cried and writhed, "I'll tell you... I'll tell you everything..."

Immediately, Yu Lu recounted the matter concerning Jia Rong and Jia Lian.

After confirming the matter, Jia Zhen ordered two trusted servants to bring Jia Rong over.

Upon hearing that Jia Zhen was beating Yu Lu, Jia Rong immediately knew something had happened and panicked terribly. He wanted to ask You Shi for help, but felt that You Shi couldn't stop Jia Zhen. He also considered going to the Rongguo Mansion for help, but such a shameful act was too embarrassing. Just as he was in a panic and hesitating, he suddenly saw two powerful servants approaching.

Jia Rong was escorted to Jia Zhen by two powerful servants. Jia Zhen's face was as hard as iron, bluish-black, with bulging veins on his forehead, making him look ferocious and terrifying.

Seeing this, Jia Rong was terrified out of his wits. His knees buckled, and he knelt down with a thud, stammering, "Father, please calm your anger, your son..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jia Zhen shouted angrily, "You beast! Why don't you pin him down on the stool and beat him to death!"

The sound was deafening, silencing everyone in the room.

The servants dared not disobey and had no choice but to press Jia Rong down on the bench.

The man holding the board raised it and struck it about ten times, trembling with fear.

Jia Zhen, who had witnessed everything, roared angrily, "Useless thing! So careful and quiet, are you in cahoots with him?" With that, he kicked away the man holding the board and snatched it himself. He gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing with fury, raised the board high, and brought it down with all his might.

All that could be heard was a continuous series of "bang" sounds.

First, Jia Zhen hit Jia Rong hard about twenty times. Jia Zhen still felt it was too light. Then, as he was hitting Jia Rong, he fell ill and felt dizzy, with stars flashing before his eyes. So he hit Jia Rong on the head a few more times.

As the blows landed on his body, Jia Rong was still screaming in agony, crying out for his parents and begging for mercy. But when his head was hit hard a few times, his screams suddenly stopped.

When everyone looked closely, they saw that Jia Rong's face was deathly pale, blood was flowing from his head, and he had already died!
Upon seeing this, Jia Zhen's condition worsened, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud. In fact, he did not really intend to kill Jia Rong, but due to his dizziness and blurred vision caused by his illness, he actually killed Jia Rong.

Just then, Lady You arrived upon hearing the news. Upon seeing the tragic scene, she stood frozen in shock for a moment before rushing forward. She saw Jia Zhen lying on the ground, his face ashen and foaming at the mouth, while Jia Rong, sitting on the bench, had his head drooping, already dead, his body cold.

For a moment, Madam You was utterly terrified...

……

……

Rongguo Mansion.

Inside Rongqing Hall, Grandmother Jia was playing dominoes with Madam Xing, Madam Wang, Li Wan, and Wang Xifeng, surrounded by a group of maids, wives, and servants. The clinking of the ivory dominoes filled the room with laughter.

Suddenly, Lin Zhixiao's wife led a stewardess from Jia Zhen's family into the room in a panic.

The steward's wife turned deathly pale, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead. She collapsed to her knees with a thud: "Grandma, disaster has struck! Master Zhen beat...beat Master Rong to death! Master Zhen himself has also fainted..."

"Dang Cang——"

A card in Grandmother Jia's hand fell onto the table and spun twice before coming to a stop.

The room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Grandmother Jia's voice trembled: "Zhen-ge'er just returned, how could he be like this? What is the reason?"

The steward's wife lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to raise her head or explain the reason.

"What a terrible thing!" Grandmother Jia closed her eyes. "Go, tell the eldest master and Lian-ge'er to go there immediately! Also, send someone to the Ministry of Works to invite the second master over!"

Grandmother Jia then ordered everyone to leave, leaving only the stewardess, and said in a deep voice, "Tell me the truth, what is the reason?"

The steward's wife trembled like a leaf, and after a long while she stammered, "It's because Master Rong... he stole several of Master Zhen's women from his rooms."

They dared not say anything more at this point, especially not about Jia Lian and Qinglian.

Grandmother Jia was stunned for a long time, then sighed deeply, thinking to herself, "Rong-ge'er is far too audacious, actually doing such a despicable thing. Zhen-ge'er is also muddle-headed and impulsive; he just escaped trouble and returned to the capital, and then beat his own son to death, and even fainted himself. Their fate... is sealed!"

Ugh!
……

……

Jia Zheng was on duty at the Ministry of Works when he heard the devastating news and rushed to the residence of Jia Zhen and You Shi. At this time, many members of the Jia family in the capital had gathered upon hearing the news, including Jia She, Jia Lian, Jia Chi, Jia Xiao… Jia Heng, Jia Guang… Jia Qiang, Jia Chang…

Jia Lian initially dared not come, but after hesitating, he still came.

When Jia Zheng arrived at Jia Zhen's bedroom door, only Jia She, Jia Lian, and a few other senior members of the Jia family were inside. He overheard Jia Zhen hoarsely accusing Jia Lian: "Lian Er, do you still care about me as your elder brother... You actually stole my woman while I was away..."

Jia Lian was both embarrassed and ashamed, filled with regret. In truth, even though he was lustful and infatuated with Qinglian, given his character and conduct, if he hadn't thought Jia Zhen wouldn't be coming back, hadn't Jia Rong made advances on Jia Zhen's beautiful concubines and maids, and hadn't deliberately defied Wang Xifeng, he wouldn't have had an affair with Qinglian.

As Jia Lian's father, Jia She felt ashamed to see Jia Zhen publicly accusing Jia Lian. He couldn't help but think that if he were exiled to the frontier, Jia Lian would steal his beautiful concubines and maids just like Jia Rong.

At this moment, Jia Zheng entered and saw Jia Zhen leaning against the bed, his face ashen. Jia She sat in a chair with a livid face. Jia Lian stood to the side, his face full of shame and unease.

Jia Zheng's gaze swept back and forth between the three men, finally landing on Jia Zhen, and he asked solemnly, "What is the reason for this?"

Overwhelmed by anger, illness, and fear, Jia Zhen disregarded everything else. His withered hands gripped the bed curtains as he wailed, "What a misfortune for my family! That little beast stole from several of my concubines, even Lian Er stole Qinglian from my room!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Zheng was struck dumb, exclaiming inwardly, "How could this be! How could this be! Where is this the family of scholars and officials we once knew..."

"Second Master..." Jia Zhen continued wailing, wanting to say something, but suddenly his throat made a "gurgling" sound, as if phlegm was stuck in his throat.

Jia Zheng was stunned for a moment, and in his heart he kept crying out, "What a sin! What a sin!"

……

……

Rongguo Mansion.

Inside Rongqing Hall, there were only four people: Grandmother Jia, Madam Xing, Madam Wang, and Jia Zheng.

The pendulum of the gilded clock swayed back and forth, its "click" sound particularly jarring in the deathly silence.

Jia Zheng had just explained the situation in detail to Grandmother Jia, including that Jia Lian had stolen Qinglian.

Grandmother Jia sat on the daybed, seemingly in a daze. She only knew about Jia Rong's scandalous affairs, but now Jia Lian had also come forward.

"Go!" Grandmother Jia called in Lai Da's servant and ordered, "Bring Lian-ge here!"

Thanks to everyone's obedience, they left.

After a while, a commotion was heard outside.

Jia Lian staggered in, his face bruised and swollen, with a bloody gash on his forehead.

It turns out that Jia She had just beaten Jia Lian.

"old lady……"

Jia Lian knelt down with a thud, blood and tears rolling down his face.

Grandmother Jia was about to scold Jia Lian, but seeing his condition, she softened and quickly told him to press the bleeding wound with a handkerchief. She sighed and said, "What a tragedy! Young children are like greedy cats, but you shouldn't... you shouldn't have sneaked into your brother Zhen's room!"

Jia Lian kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Grandson knows he was wrong."

Grandmother Jia scanned the room, looking at Madam Xing, Madam Wang, Jia Zheng, and Jia Lian one by one. Suddenly, a glint of light flashed in her cloudy eyes: "Family scandals must not be aired in public! The most important thing right now is to cover it up. Rong-ge'er... just say he died suddenly from an illness. Everyone in the household must keep quiet about Rong-ge'er and Lian-ge'er's affair."

Jia Zheng sighed, "I'm afraid this matter is difficult to cover up..."

Grandmother Jia said, "We have to cover it up, even if it's difficult! Do we want it to become a city-wide scandal?"

Jia Zheng remained silent. He knew that if word got out, the Rongguo Mansion would lose face.

……

……

Although summer brings a lot of rain, it still seems a bit strange. It rained in the capital on the day Jia Zhen returned, it rained again the next day, and today is the third day since Jia Zhen's return, and it's still raining in the capital.

A light rain mingled with the night, falling on the dark tiles of Rongqing Hall.

Inside the bedroom, the candlelight flickered red.

The head maid, Yuanyang, was helping Grandmother Jia to bed. She said softly, "Grandmother hasn't slept well these past two days. Her eye sockets are sunken. She should at least get a good night's sleep tonight, or she'll hurt herself."

Grandmother Jia lay down in bed and sighed deeply: "Such a shameful thing happened over there, and it couldn't be covered up after all. It's spread, and people are talking about our family behind our backs. How can I sleep well like this?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a series of clanging sounds, "clang—clang—clang—clang—" came from all four directions of the second gate, piercing through the rain.

This is a sound of death!

Grandmother Jia trembled, then sat up straight, her withered hands gripping the edge of the bed: "This...this is a death throes? Could it be that Zhen-ge'er is also gone?" Her voice trailed off.

Sure enough, soon after, Lin Zhixiao's wife rushed in, flustered: "Grandma! Master Zhen is gone!"

Grandmother Jia was startled and broke out in a cold sweat. After a moment of shock, she hurriedly asked Yuanyang to help her get dressed and get up.

Ugh, I'm going to have another bad night's sleep!

(End of this chapter)