The Red Mansion

Chapter 143 bestowed upon Jiang Nian
Sister Feng's Courtyard.

Wang Xifeng, who was in confinement after childbirth, leaned against the kang (a heated brick bed), holding an account book in her hand, but she couldn't concentrate on reading a single word.

Ping'er was embroidering a handkerchief on the side, occasionally glancing out the window.

Suddenly, a maid outside called out, "Second Master is back!"

Wang Xifeng sat up abruptly, ignoring the account book that had slipped onto the kang (a heated brick bed).

Jia Lian lifted the curtain and came in, his forehead covered in sweat. Wang Xifeng ordered Ping'er to wring out a hot towel and hand it to him. Jia Lian took it and wiped his face haphazardly before sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) panting heavily.

"What exactly happened?" Wang Xifeng asked anxiously.

Jia Lian recounted the results of Jiang Nian's interrogation. When he mentioned that Lai Shangrong had conspired with Wang Long and colluded with gangsters, Wang Xifeng was horrified.

"It...it's related to my Wang family?" Wang Xifeng's voice trembled.

Seeing the "Grim Reaper's Wife" terrified, Jia Lian felt a surge of pleasure and said, "Jiang Nian said that Wang Long's branch of the family will definitely be investigated, as for your branch..."

He paused deliberately at this point.

Wang Xifeng was struck dumb and hurriedly asked, "Is my household also going to be implicated?"

Jia Lian then said, "I don't know yet."

Wang Xifeng's usually sharp-tongued mouth was half-open, and she couldn't utter a single word.

Seeing this, Ping'er hurriedly stepped forward to gently pat her back, but was pushed away by Wang Xifeng.

Wang Xifeng's heart was in turmoil at this moment, with three different feelings surfacing simultaneously:

First, she felt heartbroken. The Lai family's vast estate originally belonged to the Rongguo Mansion. If the Rongguo Mansion were to confiscate it, she, as the steward, could embezzle a considerable portion. Now, with the imperial decree ordering the confiscation, it's likely that the Rongguo Mansion won't get a single penny.

Secondly, there was fear. Although Wang Long was not a direct descendant of Wang Xifeng's Wang family, he was still a member of the Wang family. If the Emperor were to take his anger out on him, and his uncle, Prince Teng, was serving as a general far away from the capital, what would become of him and Lady Wang...? Thinking of this, he shuddered.

Thirdly, there was resentment. They hated Wang Long for being so incredibly foolish, conspiring with Lai Shangrong and colluding with bandits to rob the Xue family, specifically targeting Xue Baochai's dowry—and Jiang Nian for being so easily provoked! Now, she's brought this disaster upon them.

Seeing Wang Xifeng's face turn pale and then red, Ping'er cautiously said, "Grandma, please don't worry, you and Wang Longyuan are not from the same household..."

"What do you know!" Wang Xifeng interrupted sharply. "The two characters 'Wang' can't be written with one stroke! That fool, he brought this upon himself and is now dragging his family down with him. If he drags my family down with him, even if he dies ten times, he can't make up for it."

Wang Xifeng frowned again and complained about Jiang Nian and Yuan Chun: "That Jiang Nian is really domineering. Since he is our son-in-law, what can't be discussed? He just had to be so eager to ask for imperial decree to punish the Lai family. The eldest young lady didn't even try to persuade or stop him. Does marrying him mean she no longer cares about our Rong Mansion?"

Jia Lian snorted coldly, thinking to himself, "Do you think everyone is like you? You've been married to me for years, and all you do is think about your Wang family. How can you have any respect for your husband?"

He didn't say these words aloud, knowing that if he did, Wang Xifeng would definitely argue with him, especially since she was currently in a bad mood.

……

……

Because Lai Da and Lai Er both had considerable assets, especially Lai Da's family, Jiang Nian's search of their property was complicated and time-consuming.

Fortunately, although it was a cloudy day with low-hanging leaden clouds, it didn't rain until evening. From morning to evening, Jiang Nian led a hundred infantrymen and had already confiscated almost all the valuables of the Lai family.

The next day, I copied for another day.

It took another two days to estimate the value of the confiscated property.

It took four days to finally complete the search and inventory.

It is estimated that the total value of Granny Lai and her husband Lai Da's assets was approximately 80,000 taels of silver, including gold, silver, jewelry, shops, real estate, and farmland. Of this, about half was directly embezzled by Granny Lai and her husband Lai Da from the Rongguo Mansion, while the other half was obtained through business operations outside the Rongguo Mansion, taking advantage of the Rongguo Mansion's influence.

The Lai couple's assets were worth approximately 30,000 taels of silver.

The total value of the Lai family's property confiscated this time was 110,000 taels of silver.

It is truly astonishing that a servant's family could possess such a vast fortune.

This is still because the Grand View Garden was not built. In the original novel, the Jia family invested an astonishing amount of money in building the Grand View Garden, and the Lai family must have embezzled a considerable portion of it.

……

……

It was late that day, and the autumn rain was drizzling, making the prison on the west side of the Shuntian Prefecture government office appear even more gloomy.

Jiang Nian stepped into the prison gate, followed by Meng Xiong and his guards. The prison warden, carrying a lantern that seemed to die from exhaustion, bowed and led the way. The light from the lantern reflected on the damp stone wall, casting mottled shadows that looked like ghosts.

Granny Lai, Lai Da, Lai Da's wife, Lai Shangrong, and Lai Shangrong's legal wife were still imprisoned separately, while Cailan and Hui'er, the mistress and servant, were imprisoned in the same cell.

These people are about to be transferred out of the Shuntian Prefecture prison, and Jiang Nian takes the opportunity to see them one last time.

First they went to the women's prison, to the cell where Granny Lai was. There they saw the old woman huddled in the corner, her hair disheveled and her once-new indigo satin vest now filthy. Hearing footsteps, she suddenly looked up, her cloudy old eyes recognizing Jiang Nian.

"Young Master Jiang!" Granny Lai struggled to crawl over, her withered hands gripping the wooden bars of the prison door. "My grandson is young and ignorant, it's all that heartless scoundrel Wang's fault! Please, Young Master Jiang, have mercy on the Lai family, considering our relationship with the Rongguo Mansion!"

Jiang Nian stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly, "Your grandson has ruined your Lai family. Now that your family has been raided, your grandson will not escape death."

Granny Lai was struck dumb, muttering, "It's over...it's over..."

They were then transferred to Lai Dajia's cell. Hearing the commotion and seeing Jiang Nian, Lai Dajia rushed to the cell door: "Young Master Jiang! I know I was wrong, please forgive us this time..."

Jiang Nian glanced at her and said indifferently, "It's too late for you to realize your mistake now."

Upon hearing this, Lai Dajia was devastated, as if he had lost his parents.

Lai Shangrong's legal wife, who was usually very dignified, now sat with her hair disheveled, leaning against the wall, fiddling with a jade bracelet on her wrist that looked dull and lifeless in the dark prison cell. When she saw Jiang Nianlai, she neither cried nor begged, nor did she speak; she only glanced at him coldly.

Jiang Nian didn't speak to her either; in his eyes, she was a woman who had been implicated by her husband.

In this era, although the women of wealthy and powerful families were respectable, they would suffer as a result if their husbands committed crimes.

Jiang Nian couldn't help but think that if he failed to seize the throne in the future, his wives and concubines would suffer as well. Thinking of this, he felt that even though he was blessed with good fortune, he should be cautious about seizing the throne.

Cailan and Hui'er were locked in the same cell. Even in prison, Cailan's beauty was undeniable; her disheveled hair added to her pitiful appearance. Upon seeing Jiang Nianlai, she immediately knelt and wept, "Your Honor, please understand! I truly knew nothing of Lai Shangrong's deeds, please release me..."

Hui'er, standing to the side, also kowtowed repeatedly, her face streaked with tears.

Jiang Nian said calmly to Cai Lan, "Since you were bought by Lai Shangrong, you are now a member of the Lai family. How can you escape being implicated when the Lai family raids your home and holds you accountable?"

Cai Lan's face turned deathly pale. What good were the hundreds and thousands of curses she had hurled at Lai Shangrong, both verbally and in her heart?
She hated her bad luck for being bought by Lai Shangrong from a brothel in Jiangning.

Jiang Nian left the women's prison and went to Lai Da's cell. The once imposing chief steward of the Rongguo Mansion was now ashen-faced and sat blankly on the ground. Hearing footsteps, he didn't even raise his head.

"Lai Da," Jiang Nian called out. Lai Da slowly raised his head, his eyes devoid of any light, and whispered, "You came here to laugh at me?"

Jiang Nian said calmly, "What a joke? Your Lai family is greedy and insatiable. Your son colluded with bandits to rob and plunder, and you elders tried to cover it up. Now you're reaping what you sowed. What's so funny about that?"

Lai Da closed his eyes and sighed deeply, then remained silent.

Finally, they arrived at Lai Shangrong's prison. The once dashing young master Lai was now disheveled, ragged, and huddled in a corner, shivering. Hearing footsteps, he looked up sharply and saw Jiang Nian. He was overjoyed, as if he had seen a savior, and scrambled to the prison door.

"Master Jiang...Master Jiang! Master Jiang, spare my life!" Lai Shangrong cried, his forehead pounding against the ground. "I know I was wrong! Please consider the Rongguo Mansion's relationship with you, and also consider the relationship with Brother Xue Pan. Please show leniency. Brother Xue Pan and I are the closest of friends."

Jiang Nian looked down at him coldly: "When you colluded with bandits to seize the gold from my concubine, why didn't you think of the Rongguo Mansion and Xue Pan's relationship with you?"

Lai Shangrong trembled all over, still unwilling to give up, and pleaded repeatedly. Seeing that Jiang Nian was indifferent and unresponsive, he said in a trembling voice, "Could you please have mercy and let me see Jing Qing from Qimeng Courtyard once she comes to the capital?"

Jiang Nian said calmly, "Even on the verge of death, you're still thinking about that courtesan?"

He turned and left after saying that.

Lai Shangrong muttered to himself, "I don't want to die... I want to see Miss Qing..."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Nian stopped and glanced back, wondering, "What is it about Jing Qing of Qimeng Courtyard that has captivated Lai Shangrong to this extent?"

……

……

As I walked out of the prison, the night rain had not yet stopped.

Jiang Nian looked up at the dark sky and said to Meng Xiong beside her, "We should go back."

The city gates of Daqing, the capital city, opened at 4:00 AM and closed at 8:00 PM.

It was already the hour of Xu (7-9 PM).

As Jiang Nian sat in the carriage, she lifted the curtain and looked out. She saw that most of the shops on both sides of Gulou Street were closed, and some lanterns were swaying in the rain, casting a dim light on the bluestone road.

As Jiang Nian was admiring the cat, a wet stray cat suddenly darted across the street, and Jiang Nian couldn't help but think of Yuan Chun. Yuan Chun loved cats, but she forbade keeping cats or dogs in her home. It wasn't that she disliked cats and dogs, but mainly because medical standards were low in this era, and cats and dogs could transmit diseases.

"This punishment of the Lai family has really made Yuan Chun lose face. Should we buy her two cats as a consolation?" Jiang Nian thought. "I think I should not buy cats and find other ways to comfort her."

The carriage traveled straight east along Gulou Street and exited the capital city through Dongzhimen.

They traveled in a meandering manner until they reached Jiang's residence in the eastern suburbs.

As soon as Jiang Nian entered the hanging flower gate, she saw Yuan Chun standing under the eaves of the main house, and Xue Baochai standing under the corridor of the west wing.

Jiang Nian smiled slightly at Xue Baochai, who curtsied in return. Seeing Jiang Nian heading towards the main room, Xue Baochai retreated to the west wing.

Upon entering the main room, Yuan Chun personally took a dry cloth and helped Jiang Nian dry his hair. The hair was damp with rainwater, and Yuan Chun felt it was cool in her hands. She then touched his clothes and found them to be damp as well. She quickly said, "Change them quickly."

While personally helping Jiang Nian change his clothes, Yuan Chun asked, "Is Master hungry?"

Jiang Nian said, "Although I've already eaten dinner, I'm actually a little hungry now."

Yuan Chun hurriedly called to Xiang Ling, "Go and tell your mother to heat up the rice porridge and a few dishes and bring them over." Turning to Jiang Nian, she said, "I know you don't eat well outside, so I specially asked the kitchen to save some."

After Xiangling left, Jiang Nian recounted in detail the search of the Lai family's property over the past four days. When she mentioned the total value of the property, which was 110,000 taels of silver, Yuan Chun frowned, her eyebrows framing like distant mountains in the distance: "There's so much? I originally thought it would be at most 30,000 to 50,000 taels."

Jiang Nian said, "Half of the family property of Granny Lai and Lai Da was embezzled directly from the Rong Mansion, and the other half was acquired through business operations outside the Rong Mansion by leveraging its influence. The family property of Lai Er and his wife is similar."

Even the usually dignified Yuan Chun couldn't help but grit her teeth and say, "These heartless bastards..." She swallowed her words halfway through, only to twist her handkerchief tightly.

Jiang Nian walked to the window, looked at the rainy night outside, and said, "Tomorrow when I meet the Emperor, he may allocate three thousand taels of gold to return to Baochai. As for the rest..." She turned to look at Yuan Chun, "It will most likely not be given to the Rong family. If the Rong family had followed my suggestion and taken over the Lai family for me to interrogate, the Rong family could have confiscated the Lai family's property."

Hearing this, Yuan Chun felt regretful, but deliberately said, "It is already a blessing to be able to return Bao-mei's gold to her."

Jiang Nian knew that her words were not what she truly meant, but she did not point it out.

Just then, Xiangling and Madam Feng brought in a food box. The porridge was made with fine rice and served with four delicate side dishes, all steaming hot.

Jiang Nian sat down to eat, thinking to herself, "I've got my eye on the Lai family's fortune. If only my emperor father would bestow all of the Lai family's wealth upon me..."

Seeing that he was lost in thought, Yuan Chun personally served him a small dish and asked softly, "What are you thinking about, sir?"

Jiang Nian snapped out of her reverie and smiled, "I was just thinking about the audience with the emperor tomorrow."

……

……

The next morning, the rain stopped.

Jiang Nian rode in a carriage, winding her way from the eastern suburbs of Shenjing to Changchun Garden in the western suburbs.

After handing over his nameplate, he waited only a quarter of an hour before a eunuch led him into the Danning Residence for an audience.

Inside the Danning Residence, Emperor Taishun was reviewing memorials when he saw Jiang Nian enter and put down his pen.

After Jiang Nian performed the salutation, Emperor Taishun asked, "How is the matter of the search and seizure progressing?"

Jiang Niansui then recounted in detail the findings of the past four days' investigation. When the topic turned to the Lai family's assets, totaling 110,000 taels of silver, Emperor Taishun merely raised an eyebrow slightly, showing little surprise—this "confiscation emperor" had conducted numerous confiscations when he was a prince, and after ascending the throne, he was accustomed to seeing wealthy and powerful servants and rats. To him, the Lai family's situation, while uncommon, was not particularly unusual.

Emperor Taishun reviewed the confiscated property records, pondered for a moment, and then made a decision: "Gold, silver, jewelry, and ornaments are all given to you, and the rest of your property is confiscated."

Jiang Nian was overjoyed. Although he was only given gold and silver jewelry, according to the statistics, the total value of all the gold and silver jewelry in the Lai family was about 60,000 taels of silver.

Emperor Taishun added, "The case of Lai Shangrong is not over yet. Once the three thousand taels of gold that were stolen are recovered, they will be yours."

When Emperor Taishun saw Jiang Nian express her gratitude, a smile flashed in his eyes.

His generous reward was not without reason.

Firstly, in the year since he ascended the throne, he has replenished the national treasury through various means, and now the national treasury is abundant.

Secondly, Jiang Nian had previously handled Zhou Sankui's affairs in Laizhou, Shandong, and the various confiscations and salt administration reforms had amassed him a large fortune, which he did not embezzle. Furthermore, Jiang Nian's earlier suggestions to investigate deficits, improve official granaries, and design cedar boxes had also inadvertently helped him amass a staggering fortune.

Thirdly, he thought that Xue Baochai was merely Jiang Nian's concubine, yet the Xue family had given her three thousand taels of gold. Yuan Chun's dowry must have been substantial as well. Jiang Nian was, after all, his son; how could his wealth be less than that of his wives and concubines?
Emperor Taishun originally intended to bestow all of Lai's family property upon Jiang Nian, but considering that bestowing shops, houses, and land upon Jiang Nian would appear ostentatious, he only bestowed gold, silver, and jewelry.

Jiang Nian couldn't help but think, "My emperor father has spoken: the three thousand taels of gold that were stolen will be mine. And eight hundred taels of that gold were used to buy Jing Qing, the courtesan from the Qimeng Courtyard in Jiangning... Doesn't that mean that Jing Qing is mine now?"

(End of this chapter)