The Red Mansion

Chapter 138 Don't Blame Me for Not Considering Our Relationship Through In-Laws (Part 2)

Inside Rongqing Hall, Grandmother Jia sat upright on the couch, her face ashen and somber.

Yuan Chun sat to the side, looking rather embarrassed, her slender hands twisting the handkerchief again and again.

Jia She slumped in his chair, still intoxicated.

Madam Xing and Madam Wang were also sitting in the hall, both holding their breath.

Li Wan stood silently.

Ping'er stood silently in the corner.

Suddenly, a maid announced, "Second Master, Second Master Lian, and Young Master Jiang have arrived."

Jia Zheng entered first, followed closely by Jiang Nian, then Jia Lian, and finally Lai Da.

When Yuan Chun saw Jia Zheng and Jiang Nian enter, she quickly stood up.

As soon as Jiang Nian entered the hall, her gaze went straight to Yuan Chun. Seeing her embarrassed expression and the hint of guilt in her eyes, she immediately understood that Yuan Chun had ultimately failed to persuade Grandmother Jia.

This was what he expected.

If this matter could be easily persuaded by Grandmother Jia, the wicked servants of the Lai family would not have been able to run rampant in the Rongguo Mansion for so many years, being greedy and lining their own pockets.

Jiang Nian straightened his clothes, stepped forward calmly, and bowed to Grandmother Jia: "Junior Jiang Nian greets the old lady."

Grandmother Jia snorted coldly, giving him a cold look: "What a polite son-in-law! I've sent Lian-ge'er to invite you three times, but you insisted on waiting for the Second Master to return. This pretentious attitude makes our household seem unruly!"

Jiang Nian remained calm and said indifferently, "Please forgive me, Madam. However, since the matter we are discussing today concerns official business of the outer household, I think it would be more appropriate to discuss it with Madam and Father-in-law."

This clearly means that although Grandmother Jia is the wife of a first-rank duke (actually a wife of a higher rank) and the most honored person in the household, she is ultimately a woman of the inner quarters. Major matters of the outer quarters must be decided by Jia Zheng, the head of the household.

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia frowned, but she couldn't openly refute Jiang Nian.

The people in the hall reacted differently to Grandmother Jia's humiliation. Jia She's eyes were glazed with drunkenness; Madam Xing, though she disliked Jiang Nian, was secretly pleased; Madam Wang's prayer beads spun rapidly in her hand; Yuan Chun's face turned pale, and she stole a glance at Jiang Nian, only to see him calm and composed, as if he had everything under control.

Jiang Nian added, "Besides, the second master of the mansion is my father-in-law. If I have important matters to discuss, it is only right that my father-in-law should come in person."

Grandmother Jia turned to Jia Zheng and said, "Now that your good father-in-law has returned, let's hear what your good son-in-law has to say! Does he intend to cause trouble in our mansion today?"

Jia Zheng looked embarrassed.

Jiang Nian straightened her clothes and recounted the robbery of the Xue family's three thousand taels of gold. She then said solemnly, "There are many strange things about this matter. I suspect that Lai Shangrong colluded with thieves to steal it. I will now explain the reasons for my eight speculations in detail, and ask the old lady and the second master to make a clear judgment."

"Firstly, the retired emperor and the current emperor have worked diligently to govern the country and have greatly reduced the banditry along the Grand Canal. Now, the banditry along the Grand Canal has been greatly reduced. Moreover, the Yangzhou section is a strategic point and has always been heavily guarded. It is strange that the Xue family's ships were robbed here."

"Secondly: the arrival of that group of river bandits was suspicious, as if they had timed it perfectly, waiting specifically for the Xue family's boats to pass by. If someone hadn't tipped them off, how could it have been such a coincidence?"

"Thirdly: When Lai Shangrong saw the river bandits attack, he not only did not order his servants to resist, but instead surrendered without resistance, and even ordered the Xue family servants not to use their weapons. This behavior seemed to be as if he had a tacit understanding with the river bandits beforehand."

"Fourthly: The bandits on the Grand Canal have always been ruthless, with eight or nine out of ten robbing people and killing them. This time, however, a dozen or so masked bandits only took the valuables and did not harm anyone. Isn't that unusual?"

"Fifth: Lai Shangrong was traveling on a large ship with carved beams and painted rafters, while the Xue family servants were only traveling on a small boat. As soon as the band of water pirates intercepted them, they split into two groups, with half of them boarding the Xue family's small boat to plunder, as if they already knew that the Xue family's small boat was carrying two chests of gold."

"Sixth: After the bandits boarded the Xue family's small boat, they opened the box on the spot and found a large number of gold ingots hidden under the surface soil. They were not surprised or delighted, as if they knew the inside story in advance and were just inspecting it on the spot."

"Seventh: On the other hand, the pirates only took a box of a thousand taels of silver from Lai Shangrong's large ship. What's even stranger is that the pirates didn't even touch Cai Lan, the courtesan that Lai Shangrong bought from Jiangning."

"Eighth: After the robbery, Lai Shangrong strongly advised Xie Jixing of the Xue family not to report the incident to the authorities in Yangzhou, but to go to the capital to discuss it again. Isn't this just trying to cover up the truth?"

After explaining the reasons for her eight speculations, Jiang Nian solemnly reiterated, "Based on these eight points of suspicion, it is clear that this incident was most likely not an accidental robbery, but rather that Lai Shangrong colluded with thieves to steal the Xue family's three thousand taels of gold!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Granny Lai could no longer hold back. She sat on a stool and said to Grandmother Jia in a mournful voice, "Grandmother, I have already told you that although my grandson is young, he would never dare to do such a rebellious thing! This must be the work of the bandits on the Grand Canal. How can this son-in-law Jiang wrong someone like this?"

Granny Lai then gave Ambassador Lai a quick wink: "You muddle-headed fool, hurry up and explain things to the old lady, master, and mistress!"

Lai Da hurriedly stepped forward, first bowing to Grandmother Jia, Jia She, Jia Zheng, Madam Xing, and Madam Wang, and then said with a bitter face, "The eight points of doubt that Young Master Jiang mentioned are indeed reasonable. However, I also have some points to make, and I hope that the old lady, master, and madam will investigate them carefully."

"Firstly, although the retired emperor and the current emperor have worked hard to govern the country and the banditry on the Grand Canal has been greatly reduced, it has not been eradicated. There are still bandits on the Grand Canal who are tyrannical and oppressive, including in the Yangzhou section. Last year, the Xue family was robbed on the Grand Canal when they came to the capital. This time, they have encountered the same thing again. It is truly an unlucky year."

"Secondly: The arrival of that group of river bandits was suspicious. It is possible that someone on the Xue family's boat leaked the news and colluded with the river bandits, or it is possible that the river bandits were lying in wait and just happened to run into them."

"Thirdly: My son saw that the bandits were powerful and feared that the lives of the people on both boats would be harmed. He was also unaware that the Xue family's boat was carrying three thousand taels of gold. Madam Xue had clearly told him that this trip was only to deliver two boxes of local products to the capital. Therefore, he ordered his men not to resist."

Fourthly, some of the bandits on the Grand Canal are only after money and don't kill. Besides, these bandits have already obtained so much gold, they are naturally satisfied, so why would they need to take lives?

Fifthly: The bandits only had two small boats, so they naturally had to split up. One pirate boat would block the dog's boat, and the other would intercept the Xue family's boat. It was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Sixth: The Xue family's boats were small, making the two chests conspicuous. It's only natural that the bandits would open the chests to inspect them after boarding. They would be overjoyed to find gold ingots hidden beneath the surface soil." "Seventh: The bandits only had two small pirate boats, barely enough to carry a dozen or so of them. They could barely manage to steal the Xue family's two chests of gold. My son's boat only had one chest of silver, the rest being cargo, so we only took one chest of silver from his boat. As for not robbing the courtesan, perhaps the bandit leader wasn't interested in women, or perhaps the pirate boat couldn't carry it all."

"Eighthly, after the robbery, my son did not report it to the authorities in Yangzhou because he was in a hurry to return to the capital and was also afraid of collusion between local officials and bandits. If he had reported it to the authorities locally, it would have taken a long time and might have brought trouble upon himself. He thought that after arriving in the capital, with the help of a capable person like Mr. Jiang, he might be able to recover the lost items."

It must be said that Lai Da was quite capable, possessing a clever mind and a silver tongue that could make the dead seem alive. No wonder he was able to serve as the chief steward of the Rongguo Mansion for many years, embezzling a large amount of money during that time without getting into trouble, and managing to keep his masters completely in line.

His eight-point defense refuted all eight points of doubt raised by Jiang Nian. Although this defense was mostly a cover-up prepared by Lai Shangrong beforehand, it also demonstrated his ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

After listening to Lai Da's words, Grandmother Jia turned to Jiang Nian and said, "Did you hear everything? He has refuted all your suspicions one by one, so what else is there to say?"

Jiang Nian remained calm and composed: "This Lai Da is shrewd and cunning, quick-witted and eloquent. It's remarkable that he could come up with such a defense. If there were only one or two suspicious points, it would be fine. But now there are eight suspicious points that are linked together. How can 'coincidence' be used to cover it up?"

As he spoke, he bowed to Grandmother Jia and then to Jia Zheng, his expression becoming solemn: "I beg you, Grandmother and Father-in-law, to take charge and arrest Granny Lai, Mr. and Mrs. Lai, and Lai Shangrong and his gang, and allow me to interrogate them thoroughly. If it is indeed not Lai Shangrong's doing, I will not wrong him, and I am willing to apologize publicly in the mansion."

Granny Lai remained seated on the stool, and said to Grandmother Jia in a mournful voice, "Grandmother, all the doubts raised by this son-in-law Jiang have been thoroughly refuted. Why do you still want to punish my whole family? This old servant has served in the mansion for decades. Even if I haven't made any great contributions, I have certainly worked hard!"

Grandmother Jia nodded, then turned to Jiang Nian with a stern face and said, "Since your suspicions have already been refuted, why do you still want to arrest the entire Lai family and hand them over to you for interrogation? Wouldn't people laugh at our household for being so cruel to our servants? Besides, I freed that young master of the Lai family from his slave status at birth. Now he is a respectable scholar and has even donated money to become an official. How can you just arrest him based on your own suspicions?"

In fact, although Lai Shangrong had been freed from the Rongguo Mansion's slave status, he still bore the mark of being a "son of the Rongguo Mansion." His grandmother and parents were also servants of the Rongguo Mansion, and he had only bought a nominal title of county magistrate. Given the seriousness of the matter, it was entirely possible for the Rongguo Mansion to interrogate him if they wanted to.

It was just that Grandmother Jia was deliberately trying to protect the Lai family.

Jiang Nian turned to Jia Zheng and asked respectfully, "What is your opinion, Father-in-law?"

Jia Zheng hesitated for a long time, his face showing difficulty, and finally sighed, "My dear son-in-law, since my grandfather's time, my family has always treated our servants with kindness and never been harsh. Just now I listened carefully to what you two said, and your suspicion is reasonable, and Lai Da's argument is also plausible. In that case, we cannot just interrogate the entire Lai family based on your suspicion alone. Such an action would be rather harsh, and it would make us a laughing stock if word got out."

Jia Zheng's reaction was within Jiang Nian's expectations, but Jiang Nian still couldn't help but sigh, thinking to herself, "This Rongguo Mansion is truly an incompetent ruler! No wonder it allows its wicked servants to be greedy and greedy, daring to bully their master. No wonder, according to the original story, it will end up like 'birds flying back to the forest after eating their fill, leaving behind a vast expanse of white, truly clean.'"

Jiang Nian couldn't help but look at Yuan Chun, who was also looking at him. Their eyes met, both filled with apology, but for different reasons. Yuan Chun was mainly ashamed, while Jiang Nian felt guilty towards Yuan Chun, because if he disregarded their familial ties, he would also cause Yuan Chun to lose face…

Jiang Nian withdrew her gaze from Yuan Chun's face, her expression hardening. She resolutely declared, "Since neither the old lady nor my father-in-law are willing to punish the cunning and treacherous servants in the household and will not follow my plan, then don't blame me for disregarding our kinship! I will ask the authorities to arrest them!"

As soon as this statement came out, the whole hall was in an uproar.

Grandmother Jia was so angry that her hands trembled.

Jia Zheng looked embarrassed.

Fueled by alcohol, Jia She stared intently at Jiang Nian, slammed his hand on the table, and rebuked her: "Don't be so arrogant here! Our mansion is, after all, the mansion of a founding duke! Not to mention the prestige of two generations of dukes, even I once served as a second-rank commander, and although I am no longer in court, I still inherit the title of first-class general! The old lady is the dignified Duchess! You are just a third-rank guard and Yunqiwei, yet you dare to be so presumptuous here! Don't rely on having someone backing you up to swagger around in our mansion!"

This tirade was delivered with spittle flying everywhere, and the air reeked of alcohol.

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense and confrontational.

Jiang Nian sneered, disregarding all decorum, and pointed directly at Jia She, scolding, "What a shameless lord! You have the nerve to scold me? Instead of being a proper official, you're already so old, yet you keep stuffing one concubine after another into your house, spending your days eating, drinking, and having fun. If the two Dukes of your household knew this in the afterlife, they'd probably jump out of their coffins in anger!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room was shocked, and even Yuan Chun was dumbfounded.

Jia She had never been so defied by a junior. He was so angry that he trembled all over, his old face turned purple, and he became even more drunk. For a moment, he couldn't care about anything else. He pointed at Jiang Nian and cursed, "You little beast! What do you think you are, daring to run wild in the Rongguo Mansion? You're just a greenhorn who climbed up by luck. Do you really think you're a big shot?"

Jiang Nian retorted sarcastically, "You old beast! Who do you think you are, daring to act wildly with me? You're nothing but a good-for-nothing with an ancestral title, only good for squandering your family's honor!"

Jia She slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Insolence! Throw this arrogant brat out of here!"

Jiang Nian stood her ground, sneering, "Throw me out? Ha! If your household really throws me out, I will never set foot in your house again in my life!"

Grandmother Jia was trembling with anger; Jia Zheng sat frozen in his chair like a clay or wooden sculpture; Madam Xing glared at Jiang Nian; Madam Wang lowered her head and counted her prayer beads; Yuan Chun was already in tears; Li Wan and Ping'er were both dumbfounded.

As for Jia Lian, although he secretly cursed Jiang Nian for being arrogant, he was also secretly pleased.

Seeing that things were not going well, Granny Lai hurriedly said to Grandmother Jia in a pitiful voice, "Grandmother, please calm down and take care of your health!"

For the sake of Yuan Chun's dignity, Jiang Nian had not planned to argue in Rongguo Mansion today, but since Jia She had already scolded him to his face, he would feel wronged if he did not scold him back!

Although Grandmother Jia was trembling with anger, seeing Jiang Nian's stern expression and his open argument with Jia She without any fear, she couldn't help but recall how Prince Teng and Jia Zhen had both suffered because of Jiang Nian. She secretly thought that this boy not only had the powerful backing of the Thirteenth Prince, but also the favor of the current Emperor Taishun. He was someone not to be trifled with.

Thinking of this, Grandmother Jia suppressed her anger and deliberately spoke gently, saying, "Nian-ge'er, has our household ever mistreated you? You are, after all, Yuan-chun's husband. Yuan-chun is right before your eyes. Even if you disregard kinship, you should at least give her some dignity. How about this, you go and report to the authorities yourself, but don't arrest the Lai family immediately. Wait until the authorities have verified the facts. If there is conclusive evidence that it was Lai-ge'er who did it, then it won't be too late to arrest him. What do you think?"

Jiang Nian regained her composure, but still said solemnly, "Since the old lady is unwilling to deal with the cunning and unruly servants in the mansion, forcing me to report to the authorities directly, then how I act is no longer up to the old lady."

After saying that, he turned to Yuan Chun, his tone suddenly softening: "Let's go home, I'll wait for you outside the gate." As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and strode out of Rongqing Hall.

Everyone in the hall was astonished by his behavior.

(End of this chapter)