The Red Mansion

Chapter 144 The Rong Family's Regret
This afternoon.

The autumn sun bathed the white walls and black tiles of the Jiang residence in the eastern suburbs in a golden hue.

Led by Jiang Nian, a group of Jiang family servants escorted two carts of gold, silver, and jewelry back to the Jiang residence.

Jiang Nian dismounted and said to He Yun and Meng Shi, "Move carefully."

He Yun and Meng Shi understood and hurriedly led the servants to move several boxes. As the boxes were unloaded, there were occasional clear and pleasant sounds of gold and jade clinking together.

Yuan Chun stood under the eaves of the main house, watching the servants carry boxes, remaining silent.

Xue Baochai hid behind the window of the west wing and looked out through the window.

Ying'er whispered, "His Majesty has bestowed a lot of wealth upon the young master this time. The young master must return the three thousand taels of gold that his aunt gave him."

Xue Baochai said, "Be careful what you say."

Actually, I was really looking forward to it.

After all the boxes were moved into the main room, Xiangling invited Xue Baochai to the study.

When Xue Baochai entered the study, she found Jiang Nian and Yuan Chun sitting inside.

After letting Xue Baochai sit down, Jiang Nian sipped tea and said, "By the grace of His Majesty, the gold, silver and jewelry confiscated from the Lai family have been given to me, while the rest of the confiscated property will be confiscated."

Yuan Chun's eyes, as clear as autumn water, sparkled with a smile—although the Rongguo Mansion received not a single penny, it was still a joyous occasion for her husband to receive such a generous gift.

Jiang Nian turned to Xue Baochai and said, “There are about 2,500 taels of gold in here. Since you don’t like those fancy jewelry and ornaments, I will give you another 5,000 taels of silver to repay the 3,000 taels of gold that you were robbed of.”

Upon hearing this, Xue Baochai blushed slightly and stood up, saying, "No! This was bestowed upon you by the Emperor. My mother's and my share of gold are not among them."

Although she secretly wished for this outcome, she still had to adopt this posture.

Jiang Nian waved her hand: "His Majesty said that the case of Lai Shangrong is not over yet. Once the three thousand taels of gold that were stolen are recovered, they will also belong to me. I will repay you today, and once the three thousand taels of gold are recovered, they will be mine."

Xue Baochai was about to decline, but Yuan Chun smiled and said, "Sister, there's no need to decline. It's only right that I repay you. If you decline again, you'll be letting down your kindness."

Xue Baochai then bowed deeply and said, "Thank you for your kindness, sir and madam."

After Xue Baochai left, Yuan Chun poured tea for Jiang Nian, who smiled and asked, "I heard that Brother Lian came today?"

Yuan Chun nodded: "The old lady asked me to go to the Rong Mansion tomorrow and sent Second Brother Lian to invite me. Do you think I should go, Master?"

Jiang Nian said, "If that's the case, then let's go."

Yuan Chun sighed softly: "I'm afraid you need to ask about the confiscation of the Lai family's property. If there's anything you can't say, please give me your instructions."

“It’s alright,” Jiang Nian said calmly. “There’s no need to keep this a secret. Just tell the truth.”

Immediately, Jiang Nian personally counted out 2,500 taels of gold and 5,000 taels of silver, and ordered He Yun and Meng Shi to lead the servants to move them to the west wing.

After the boxes were moved, when Ying'er opened them to inspect them, the golden and silver light made her almond-shaped eyes shine.

Xue Baochai stroked the gold ingot, her heart filled with mixed emotions. Now that she had regained it, along with the 20,000 taels of silver that Aunt Xue had given her last year, her "dowry" had reached 50,000 taels, comparable to Yuan Chun's dowry.

However, Yuan-chun married into the family as the principal wife, and her dowry was called a dowry. Xue Bao-chai, on the other hand, was only a concubine, and the property given to her by Aunt Xue could not be considered a dowry.

……

……

the next morning.

After carefully dressing up, Yuan Chun took a carriage to Rongguo Mansion.

When the carriage arrived at Rongguo Mansion, maids and servants were already waiting outside the hanging flower gate.

Yuan Chun, supported by Bao Qin, got out of the carriage, only to find Jia Baoyu already waiting for her at the hanging flower gate.

After exchanging greetings, everyone escorted Yuan Chun toward Rongqing Hall.

Inside Rongqing Hall, Grandmother Jia sat high on a couch, surrounded by Madam Xing, Madam Wang, Aunt Zhao, Aunt Zhou, Li Wan, Lin Daiyu, Yingchun, Tanchun, Xichun, and others.

Wang Xifeng really wanted to come, but Grandmother Jia wouldn't allow it, saying she was in postpartum confinement and needed to take care of her health. Frustrated, Wang Xifeng could only send Ping'er to act as her spy.

Jia Lian and Jia Baoyu led Yuan Chun inside. After Yuan Chun performed the grand ceremony, she had only been sitting down next to Grandmother Jia for a short while when Grandmother Jia impatiently asked, "How much of the Lai family's property did Nian-ge'er confiscate this time?"

Yuan Chun truthfully replied, "All the property is worth a total of 110,000 taels of silver. The property of Granny Lai and his wife, Lai Da, accounts for 80,000 taels, half of which was embezzled directly from the mansion, and the other half was obtained through business operations outside the mansion by leveraging the mansion's influence. The property of Lai Er and his wife accounts for 30,000 taels."

The moment the words left his mouth, the entire room was stunned.

Tan Chun's eyebrows furrowed; Xi Chun sneered; Aunt Zhao, clutching her handkerchief, cursed inwardly, "That Lai family! They've embezzled so much! Why don't I have that kind of ability?"

Even Lin Daiyu was so surprised that she opened her eyes wide, her gaze filled with a mixture of joy and sorrow.

Grandmother Jia slammed her hand on the table in anger and cursed, “That damned old hag! I have treated her with such kindness, and yet the Lai family has embezzled so much from our household!”

After a long silence, Grandmother Jia asked again, "Did Nian-ge'er tell you that the Lai family's property might... might be returned to our household?" After asking this question, she herself felt ashamed.

Yuan Chun shook her head: "The imperial edict cannot be copied and confiscated."

Grandmother Jia sighed deeply: "Then... what should we do?"

Yuan Chun hesitated for a moment and said, "The gold, silver and jewelry among them were given to the master. The master then used 2,500 taels of gold and 5,000 taels of silver to repay the Xue family's sister. The rest of the property was confiscated."

Although Yuan Chun did not explicitly state the total value of the gold, silver, and jewelry, everyone in the hall speculated that it was probably no less than 50,000 taels of silver.

At this moment, Jia Lian couldn't help but ask, "If the three thousand taels of gold that were stolen are recovered, what will be done with them?"

Yuan Chun truthfully replied, "Return... to Master."

The expressions on the faces of Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang both turned grim.

After closing her eyes for a long while, Grandmother Jia said, "If I had known this would happen... we should have taken down the Lai family earlier."

Lady Wang was filled with regret—if she had agreed to Jiang Nian's request, even if she had only paid Xue Baochai 3,000 taels of gold back, she would still have 80,000 taels of wealth to go into the Rong Mansion!

Jia Lian wrung his hands beside him, his heart aching and he gasped for breath, inwardly cursing himself for being so foolish.

Ping'er, who was listening intently from the corner, thought to herself, "If Grandma knew about this, she would probably be heartbroken again."

……

……

Ping'er hurriedly returned to Fengjie's courtyard from Rongqing Hall. Seeing Wang Xifeng leaning on the kang (a heated brick bed), she went up to her and told her everything that had happened at Rongqing Hall. When she mentioned the Lai family's property, which was worth 110,000 taels of silver, Wang Xifeng slammed her hand on the kang table in anger. When she heard that Jiang Nian had obtained the gold, silver and jewelry, she slammed her hand on the kang table even louder.

Wang Xifeng gritted her teeth and said, "That Lai family! That Jiang Nian!"

Ha, she even resented Jiang Nian, as if Jiang Nian had coveted the gold, silver, and jewelry of the Rongguo Mansion, and had coveted Wang Xifeng's treasures.

Suddenly, Wang Xifeng's eyes lit up, and she said to Ping'er, "Go and invite the Second Master over. Tell him I have something important to discuss with him."

After Ping'er left, Wang Xifeng got up and walked to her dressing table. She touched up her makeup in front of the mirror, thinking to herself, "The old lady must be filled with regret and anger right now; this is the perfect opportunity..." Her phoenix eyes gleamed in the mirror. Jia Lian lifted the curtain and entered, his expression indifferent: "Why did you call me in such a hurry?"

Wang Xifeng actually poured a cup of hot tea herself and handed it to him, which made Jia Lian wary. He wondered what kind of tricks this "ghostess" was up to now.

Wang Xifeng leaned closer and said, "The amount of property confiscated from the Lai family this time is truly astonishing. Half of this property went to Jiang Nian, and the other half was confiscated by the Emperor. Doesn't Second Master feel any heartache?"

Jia Lian took a sip of tea and said, "What's the use of feeling sorry for someone now that things have come to this?"

Wang Xifeng continued, "Lin Zhixiao, Shan Daliang, Wu Xindeng, which of our stewards isn't embezzling? Which one isn't rolling in money? Although the Lai family's fortune has been lost, if we investigate the other stewards, we'll surely find out a lot more!"

Jia Lian understood and sneered, "Could it be that you're planning to make a fortune off this?"

Wang Xifeng feigned reproach: "I'm doing this for the sake of our household. With the Lai family so rampant, how can the other stewards be clean? The old lady must be heartbroken and angry right now. While the eldest daughter is still at home, you two siblings should persuade the old lady to investigate our household's stewards. You'll surely find out a lot of embezzled property."

Wang Xifeng was shrewd and knew that as a granddaughter-in-law, she shouldn't try to persuade Grandmother Jia, and even if she did, Grandmother Jia would most likely not agree. She suggested that Jia Lian take the opportunity to join forces with Yuan Chun to persuade Grandmother Jia, which might then persuade her to agree.

Jia Lian pondered for a moment and nodded: "It is indeed time to investigate."

His main concern wasn't making a fortune, but rather believing that the Lai family's embezzlement was alarming, and that the Rongguo Mansion should take this opportunity to investigate and punish those greedy servants.

Jia Lian said, "If an investigation is launched, Zhou Rui, Wang'er, and the others..."

He stopped halfway through his sentence, knowing that Wang Xifeng had already understood what he meant.

Zhou Rui's family were servants of Lady Wang, while Wang'er's family were servants of Wang Xifeng.

Wang Xifeng hurriedly said, "You're confused! Just investigate the three stewards, Lin Zhixiao, Shan Daliang, and Wu Xindeng. Why bother investigating the others?"

Jia Lian said no more and got up to leave.

Wang Xifeng hurriedly got up and instructed, "Don't say it was my idea. Just say that you came up with this idea after seeing what happened to the Lai family."

……

……

Yuan Chun remained in Rongqing Hall, chatting with Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang.

At this moment, Jia Lian entered, first paying his respects to Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang, and then said, "Grandmother, Second Madam, I have something to discuss with you."

Grandmother Jia asked in confusion, "What is it?"

Jia Lian hesitated and said, "The Lai family's affair is truly shocking. I think... the other stewards in our household must also be embezzling, or perhaps some are even embezzling in an appalling way..."

Before she could finish speaking, Grandmother Jia interrupted, "Are you going to investigate them?"

Jia Lian stole a glance at Yuan Chun and forced a smile, saying, "That's right."

Grandmother Jia sighed and said, "Foolish! Granny Lai has served me for decades and has received great kindness from me. Lai Da and Lai Er are the chief stewards of the two mansions. Only they have the audacity to embezzle so much property. How could anyone else have such dignity and such means?" She coughed twice as she spoke, "Our mansion has been unsettled lately. We must not cause any more chaos due to the investigation. It would be truly cruel to treat the servants like this."

Jia Lian stole another glance at Yuan Chun, which she noticed. Yuan Chun understood that Jia Lian was asking for her help, so she said softly, "Grandmother, Second Brother Lian is only thinking of the family's best interests..."

Before she could finish speaking, Grandmother Jia waved her hand and said, "In a family like ours, treating servants with kindness is of utmost importance. What kind of manners would it be if we were to be so calculating?"

Yuan Chun paused for a moment, then continued to persuade, "Grandma, I think what Brother Lian said makes sense. Not all the servants were investigated, only a few stewards were investigated."

“My child,” Grandmother Jia said, taking Yuan Chun’s hand. “Although you are now a member of the Jiang family, you are aware of the situation in our household. Those stewards are all elders from generations ago. If we were to conduct a hasty investigation, wouldn’t that chill the hearts of everyone?”

Seeing this, Yuan Chun knew that it would be of no use trying to persuade her.

Seeing that he couldn't persuade Yuan Chun, Jia Lian had no choice but to give up. Just as he was about to take his leave, he suddenly heard Grandmother Jia say, "I know what you're thinking, but our family must ultimately uphold the tradition of 'benevolence and kindness as a family tradition,' and we cannot ruin our family's reputation because of the Lai family's affairs."

Jia Lian could only bow and say, "My grandson was rash."

After saying that, he took his leave.

Upon exiting the door, they found Ping'er waiting for them. The two exchanged a glance, and Jia Lian shook his head slightly, which Ping'er understood.

Jia Lian returned to Feng Jie's courtyard and told Wang Xifeng what had happened.

Wang Xifeng leaned against the pillow and sneered, "Old lady, you're raising a tiger to cause trouble!"

Jia Lian sighed, "In the end, the old man is just kind-hearted."

Wang Xifeng's eyes darted around: "In that case, we'll investigate secretly until we get solid evidence..."

Jia Lian shook his head and said, "No! Since the old lady doesn't agree, let's drop this matter."

Wang Xifeng couldn't help but sigh, "Alas!"

……

……

Because of the entreaties of Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang, Yuan Chun stayed at the Rongguo Mansion for quite a while today, and did not leave until the afternoon.

Before leaving, Tan Chun suddenly and quietly handed Yuan Chun an exquisite sachet: "Elder sister, this is something I made for you."

Yuan Chun took it and saw the words "Peace" embroidered on it. Her heart warmed, and she thought to herself, "This third sister, born out of wedlock, has grown up and become sensible."

In the afternoon, Yuan Chun returned to the Jiang residence in the eastern suburbs by carriage.

When the servant Dong Feng saw his mistress return, he hurriedly stepped forward and bowed.

Yuan Chun, supported by Bao Qin, got out of the carriage and entered the inner courtyard, where the autumn sun had dyed the courtyard golden.

Jiang Nian was in the study when she heard that Yuan Chun had returned, so she deliberately opened the door.

Yuan Chun entered the study and recounted how Jia Lian had proposed investigating the stewards of the Rongguo Mansion, a matter that Grandmother Jia had refused.

Jiang Nian, unaware that this was Wang Xifeng's idea, said, "He does have some insight, it's a pity..."

He suddenly stopped speaking and glanced at Yuan Chun's expression.

Yuan Chun lowered her eyes, turned the jade bracelet on her wrist again and again, and couldn't help but sigh: "The once glorious Ning Mansion has declined, and if the Rong Mansion continues like this, I'm afraid it won't be long before it declines as well."

Jiang Nian grasped her hand: "Don't worry. The Yue family has deep roots; it won't come to this."

This was just his way of comforting Yuan Chun; in his view, the Rongguo Mansion might also decline in the future…

After returning to her bedroom, Yuan Chun let Baoqin and Jin Chuan help her change her clothes and remove her makeup, her expression somewhat blank.

After changing her clothes, Yuan Chun strolled to the backyard and suddenly saw an old tree outside the courtyard wall. Although it was bathed in the autumn sunlight, it still looked desolate.

Yuan Chun thought of the Rongguo Mansion, feeling that the Rongguo Mansion now resembled an old tree bathed in the autumn sun. It had once been glorious, and although it still looked bright and beautiful, it was actually a desolate old tree.

A single tear silently slid down, landing on a sachet in her hand—a gift from Tan Chun.

Yuan Chun looked down and saw that the two characters "Peace" on the sachet were soaked with tears.

(End of this chapter)