The Red Mansion

Chapter 140 The Rong Mansion in Panic
In the afternoon, under the bright sunshine, a large group of more than a hundred yamen runners surged into the western city of the capital. Among them were two fine horses, carrying Jiang Nian and Jiang Linghuang respectively.

The people on the street gave way when they saw this, but some of the bolder ones peeked out and whispered among themselves, "Whose household are they going to arrest? What a big fuss!"

At this moment, more than a hundred yamen runners split into two groups, one heading towards the Rongguo Mansion and the other heading straight for the Lai family mansion.

Jiang Nian, after all, was Yuan Chun's husband, and he had to give her some face, so it was inconvenient for him to go to the Rongguo Mansion to arrest people himself. Jiang Linghuang, on the other hand, was a man who did not shy away from powerful figures, acted decisively, and enforced the law strictly; he was not afraid to go to the Rongguo Mansion to arrest people.

Therefore, Jiang Linghuang led dozens of yamen runners to the Rongguo Mansion.

Upon arriving near the Rongguo Mansion, the dozens of constables split into a small group, circled around to the back gate of the Rongguo Mansion, and Jiang Linghuang led the rest of the constables straight to Ningrong Street.

Upon arriving at the main gate of Rongguo Mansion, Jiang Linghuang dismounted, straightened his official robes, and solemnly addressed the gatekeepers: "I am Jiang Linghuang, the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture. I have been ordered by the Emperor to join forces with Imperial Guard Jiang Nian to apprehend the Lai family and their associates. I request that your esteemed household hand over all members of the Lai family, including their servants, to prevent me from entering the mansion with my men and causing disgrace to your household."

The Rongguo Mansion had not experienced such a scene in a long time. The gatekeepers were all terrified when they saw Jiang Linghuang's face ashen and the dozens of yamen runners behind him carrying iron rulers, chains, or fire and water sticks.

The head gatekeeper, a trusted confidant of Lai Da, rushed to the steward's room, panting as he entered. He saw Lai Da sitting opposite Lai Da's wife, drinking tea. Without even bothering to greet them, he hurriedly relayed Jiang Linghuang's words.

Upon hearing this, Lai Da's teacup trembled.

Lai Dajia's face turned ashen, and he said in a trembling voice, "This matter has actually alarmed His Majesty... His Majesty? What... what should we do?"

Lai Da's mind raced, and he secretly thought that Jiang Nian must have obtained the imperial decree. He forced himself to remain calm and asked, "Have you seen that Jiang... Jiang's son-in-law?"

The doorman shook his head: "I didn't see it."

After Lai Da dismissed the gatekeeper, he whispered a few instructions to Lai Dajia, telling her to first inform Grandmother Jia and Granny Lai, then find an opportunity to escape through the back gate of Rongguo Mansion, quickly return home to inform Lai Shangrong, and hide the family property...

Lai Dajia understood and hurriedly ran towards Grandmother Jia's courtyard.

……

……

In order to please and gain the favor of Grandmother Jia, Granny Lai specially invited two other elderly and respectable old nannies to the Rongguo Mansion today to reminisce with Grandmother Jia and rekindle old friendships.

At this moment, incense smoke curled up in Rongqing Hall. Grandmother Jia sat high on the couch, wearing a crimson-purple brooch with an inlaid swastika pattern and a jeweled headband.

Madam Xing, Madam Wang, and Li Wan accompanied them.

A group of servants stood around him.

Granny Lai, dressed in a brand-new indigo satin vest, was recounting her past experiences serving Grandmother Jia: "I remember the year the old lady celebrated her sixtieth birthday, the mansion hosted a three-day banquet." As she spoke, she wiped the corner of her eye, "At that time, I was still serving the old lady by her side. On the day of her birthday, I was serving her tea and water when I accidentally knocked over a small covered bell. I was so frightened that I trembled, but the old lady just smiled and said, 'May the broken bell bring you peace.'"

The other two old women sighed repeatedly upon hearing this. One said, "The old lady is the most kind-hearted." The other said, "You have served the old lady for decades. How could she blame you for such a small matter?"

Just then, Lai Dajia rushed in in a panic, not even bothering to wipe the sweat from her temples or to bow. She said urgently to Grandmother Jia and Granny Lai, "It's terrible! The Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture is leading a lot of officials outside. They were summoned by that son-in-law Jiang. They say they want to break into the mansion and arrest us."

Lai Da was cunning. He deliberately let Lai Dajia report in this way, deliberately not mentioning that Jiang Linghuang was acting on imperial orders, deliberately saying that Jiang Nian had summoned him, deliberately saying that he wanted to break into the mansion, and deliberately using the word "we," as if including the masters of Rongguo Mansion.

When Grandmother Jia heard this, she was naturally furious.

Granny Lai was so shocked that she jumped up from the stool, knelt down, and cried out in a pitiful voice, "Old Madam, please save me! How could that young master Jiang be so heartless? You explained everything clearly yesterday, yet he still sent the authorities to break into your residence and arrest people! Isn't this a slap in your face?"

Grandmother Jia was so angry that her prayer beads trembled. She gritted her teeth and said, "This Nian-ge'er is really young and impetuous!" She then hurriedly called Yuanyang, "Quickly go and invite Lian-ge'er here!"

The servants in the room were so frightened that they held their breath.

Neither Lady Wang nor Li Wan said a word.

Madam Xing, because Jiang Nian had caused Jia She to lose face yesterday, and she herself had also lost face as a result, couldn't help but say coldly, "That Jiang Nian is truly a domineering and disrespectful person!"

Soon, Jia Lian rushed over.

Grandmother Jia said urgently, "Someone called the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture has come with a lot of officials and wants to break into our mansion to arrest people. Go quickly and find out what's going on, then ask your father to come over." Seeing Jia Lian hesitate, she added, "Tell me what I'm saying: even if it's the Shuntian Prefecture, they can't break into our Rongguo Mansion to arrest people!"

……

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Having received instructions from Grandmother Jia, Jia Lian reluctantly went to the gate. There he saw Jiang Linghuang, the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, dressed in his official robes, standing with his hands behind his back, flanked by dozens of yamen runners, looking quite imposing.

Jia Lian quickly straightened his clothes, stepped forward and bowed, saying, "I didn't know you were coming, sir. I'm so sorry for not greeting you properly." After greeting you, he introduced himself.

Jiang Linghuang returned the greeting with a slight bow and said solemnly, "I am here on imperial orders to arrest the Lai family members together with Imperial Guard Jiang Nian. Please hand over all members of the Lai family in your residence, including their servants, so as not to cause me to bring my men into the residence to search and damage your family's reputation."

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian's heart skipped a beat—Grandmother Jia hadn't mentioned "by imperial decree" earlier. The mere mention of "by imperial decree" signified a matter of utmost importance; no matter how powerful the Rongguo Mansion was, how could they possibly disobey the imperial command?

Jia Lian immediately decided: there was no need to ask Jia She again, even if he did, it would be of no use. It would be better to just hand over the entire Lai family.

Thinking of this, Jia Lian was about to turn around and go into the mansion to report to Grandmother Jia when he suddenly saw a person staggering towards him from the east. It was Jia She.

Jia She was drinking and making merry with his two concubines in the courtyard when he heard that Jiang Linghuang, the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, had led a large number of yamen runners to the Rongguo Mansion to arrest someone. He immediately suspected that Jiang Nian was behind it. Recalling the humiliation he had suffered in public the day before, and the fact that he had a quarrel with Jiang Linghuang over a lawsuit, he was overcome with alcohol and, without changing his clothes, came over in a drunken state.

Jia She, shuffling his shoes, pointed at Jiang Linghuang and sneered, "So, Jiang Linghuang! You've got some nerve, daring to lead a bunch of yamen runners to surround and trespass on my Rongguo Mansion! Do you think my Rongguo Mansion has no one to rely on?"

Undeterred by Jia She, Jiang Linghuang solemnly repeated what he had just said to Jia Lian.

Jia She was taken aback upon hearing this, and stammered, "By...by imperial decree?" Jiang Linghuang solemnly replied, "It was His Majesty who personally issued the decree, ordering me, together with Guard Jiang, to arrest and interrogate the Lai family and their associates!"

At this, Jia She immediately wilted like a frostbitten eggplant. Although he was usually dissolute, he dared not disobey the imperial decree. The effects of the alcohol instantly sobered him up, and cold sweat poured down his face. He took two steps back and almost fell to the ground, but Jia Lian quickly stepped forward to help him up.

Jia She was shocked: "That little beast actually has such ability? He can even get an imperial edict for such a trivial matter?"

Jia Lian was also shocked: "Yesterday I only thought he was arrogant because of the emperor's favor, but I didn't expect him to be so favored by the emperor!"

Seeing this, Jiang Linghuang knew that the two men had been intimidated, so he said, "If you two gentlemen are reasonable people, please hand over all the Lai family members in the mansion as soon as possible. I am only acting under imperial orders, so I hope you will do me a favor."

Jia She put on a serious expression, trying to maintain his dignity, but dared not say another word. He turned around and went back to his courtyard, his steps as if he were walking on cotton, staggering away.

Jia Lian composed himself and forced a smile at Jiang Linghuang, saying, "Lord Jiang, please wait a moment. This junior will go into the mansion to arrest the person." With that, he quickly entered the mansion.

Now, when Jia She returned to his courtyard, his two concubines came forward laughing. Before they could even speak, he shouted at them, which frightened them so much that their faces turned pale and they hurriedly retreated, their hairpins trembling.

Jia She sat alone at the wine table, his heart churning like boiling oil. He grabbed a jug of wine and gulped it down, but still couldn't suppress the panic in his chest. He thought to himself, "That little beast has such methods! Today he's arrested the Lai family, but what if he asks for permission to arrest me later?" Then he thought, "I am the heir to the Rongguo Mansion, and also Yuan Chun's uncle. How dare he touch me?"

But the words "by imperial decree" weighed heavily on his heart like a giant boulder. Even as he tried to comfort himself, he couldn't help but feel fear towards Jiang Nian.

……

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Inside Rongqing Hall.

When Grandmother Jia ordered Jia Lian to go outside and find out what was going on, the Lai family guessed that they were likely to suffer misfortune today, since the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture was acting on imperial orders.

So, following Lai Da's instructions, while Grandmother Jia and Granny Lai were talking, Lai Da's wife secretly slipped out of Rongqing Hall and fled towards the back gate of Rongguo Mansion, intending to quickly return home to inform Lai Shangrong and hide the family property...

At this moment, Jia Lian rushed back to Rongqing Hall, only to find his face pale and his lips bloodless: "Old Madam, the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, Lord Jiang, has come here on... on imperial orders, together with the Imperial Guard Jiang Nian, to arrest the Lai family. He wants us to hand over all the Lai family members in the mansion, including the servants, otherwise he will lead his yamen runners into the mansion to arrest them!"

These words caused an uproar in the room, and everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

Grandmother Jia was so shocked that she was speechless.

Jia Lian then said, "Grandma, since it is the Emperor's decree, we cannot disobey it!"

Granny Lai knelt down with a thud, crawled several steps until she reached Grandmother Jia, grabbed her legs, tears streaming down her face, and cried out in a mournful voice, "Grandmother, please have mercy! This old servant has served you for decades, and even if I haven't done anything meritorious, I have certainly worked hard..."

The other two elderly and respectable old women that Granny Lai had invited today were huddled in a corner, terrified of being implicated. One of them even quietly moved away, her eyes darting around, looking for a chance to slip away.

Grandmother Jia's face turned deathly pale, and the prayer beads in her hands trembled incessantly. She resented Jiang Nian for not considering their kinship and disregarding Yuan Chun's dignity, and she was even more afraid of the weight of the words "by imperial decree."

After a moment of silence, Grandmother Jia finally sighed and said to Granny Lai in a trembling voice, "Since it is the Emperor's decree... I... cannot protect your family anymore." She added, "Go to the government office. If your grandson is truly innocent, the government cannot wrong you, and the Emperor will not wrong you either."

Granny Lai was struck dumb, trembling violently. She knew perfectly well whether her grandson was innocent or not! At that moment, she felt the world spinning, her vision blurring; the family fortune she had painstakingly built over decades was about to crumble in an instant! She murmured to herself, "It's over...it's all over..."

At this moment, Granny Lai also wanted to escape, but there was no way to escape.

Jia Lian led Granny Lai out of Grandmother Jia's courtyard and arrived at the steward's room. There they saw Lai Da pacing back and forth in the corridor, looking like an ant on a hot pan, with beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

Lai Da looked up and saw his mother's face was ashen and streaked with tears. He immediately understood – this was a clear indication that all was lost!
Jia Lian stepped forward and relayed Grandmother Jia's words to Lai Dadao: "Grandmother said that since it is the Emperor's decree, our household cannot protect you. You should go to the Shuntian Prefecture. If your son is truly innocent, the Shuntian Prefecture cannot wrong him, and the Emperor will not wrong him either."

These words, though spoken in a grand and dignified manner, left Lai Da utterly terrified, his body swaying and nearly collapsing. He, as the father, knew perfectly well whether his son was innocent or not! At that moment, he felt as if struck by lightning; the wealth and glory he had cultivated over decades were about to vanish into thin air.

At that moment, Jia Lian led a group of servants from the Rongguo Mansion, preparing to escort Granny Lai, Mr. and Mrs. Lai, and several other Lai family servants inside the mansion to the gate and hand them over to Jiang Linghuang. Just as they were counting the number of people, they discovered that Mrs. Lai was nowhere to be found.

……

……

It's all our fault; we couldn't escape!

After slipping out of Rongqing Hall, she tried to escape through the back gate of Rongguo Mansion. Fortunately, Jiang Nian was prepared, and Jiang Linghuang had also made proper arrangements, sending yamen runners to guard the back gate of Rongguo Mansion. As soon as Lai Dajia slipped to the back gate, she was caught red-handed by the yamen runners and pinned to the ground, like a turtle in a jar.

At this moment, Jia Lian handed over Granny Lai, Lai Da, and several servants of the Lai family to Jiang Linghuang outside the gate.

Just then, Lai Dajia was brought in by several yamen runners, who said they had caught him through the back door.

Jiang Linghuang sneered, "What a cunning servant!"

Suddenly, Lady Lai let out a piercing wail, like the cry of a night owl choking on blood, startling everyone. She was the most powerful servant in the Rongguo Mansion, and in her own home she was like a wealthy lady, but now she was disheveled and wailing pitifully, where was the slightest trace of her former prestige and dignity?

Seeing this, Jia Lian felt dissatisfied with the Lai family: "His Majesty has ordered the arrest of people, yet this eldest daughter of the Lai family dares to run away? If she really escapes, won't it implicate our family?" Then he thought, "This eldest daughter of the Lai family is so guilty and dejected. Looking at the appearance of Granny Lai and Lai Da, it seems that what Jiang Nian said is mostly true. It is very likely that Lai Shangrong colluded with thieves to steal three thousand taels of gold from the Xue family!"

Thinking of this, Jia Lian couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine: "I hope this matter doesn't implicate our household!"

Jia Lian was terrified, but he forced himself to remain calm and bowed to Jiang Linghuang, saying, "Lord Jiang, the people have all been handed over."

Jiang Linghuang nodded: "Thank you for your trouble." Then he shouted: "Take him away!"

Immediately, the constables escorted Granny Lai, Mr. and Mrs. Lai, and their entourage away from Ningrong Street, pushing and shoving them. Granny Lai and Mrs. Lai wept all the way, while Mr. Lai hung his head dejectedly, looking like a defeated rooster. The neighbors and passersby pointed and whispered amongst themselves.

(End of this chapter)