The Red Mansion

Chapter 279 Xing Shi as a Slave, Jia Lian Exiled

The search and confiscation of Jia She's residence was swift and sudden.

Because they did not meticulously inventory and record everything on the spot, they simply seized and moved all the boxes, items, land deeds, account books, etc. In less than an hour, the noisy and chaotic search was almost over.

Rucodo frowned at this moment. He stood in the courtyard with his hands behind his back, his eyes sweeping over the boxes and cages, and he was puzzled.

As he had anticipated, Jia She, being the heir to the title of the eldest son of the Rongguo Mansion, must have accumulated a considerable amount of gold, silver, jewels, antiques, and rare treasures in his courtyard, even if it was not as abundant as the mansion's treasury.

To my surprise, although there were some objects and decorations, there were far fewer gold and white items, pearls and jade treasures than I had expected, making it look rather shabby.

There are actually three reasons for this.

Firstly, Jia She did not manage the Rongguo Mansion's assets, so his income was limited. Moreover, he was not good at managing the business and only knew how to squander money. Therefore, the family's wealth was not as substantial as outsiders imagined.

Secondly, the soldiers who raided the houses took advantage of the chaos to steal things, and naturally, the amount of loot decreased.

Thirdly, Madam Xing had hidden away her personal savings, as well as a considerable amount of valuable gold and silver jewelry belonging to Jia She, in advance.

Just as Lukodo was frowning in confusion, a subordinate stepped forward and reported, "Sir, the amount of gold, silver, jewelry, and valuables found in the mistress's room in this courtyard is suspiciously small and quite disproportionate."

Upon hearing this, Lukodo's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he already understood seven or eight parts of the situation.

He snorted coldly and strode toward the group of women who had been driven to a corner of the courtyard and were huddled together in fear.

This group included Madam Xing, many beautiful concubines and maids whose faces had turned pale, and a group of servants and old women led by Wang Shanbao's wife.

The women were already terrified; their hairpins were askew, their hair disheveled, their clothes rumpled, and they looked utterly wretched. When they saw the imposing official, Rukodo, walking straight towards them, they were even more frightened and fell silent.

Lu Keduo's gaze was like a knife, fixed directly on Madam Xing's face, and he demanded sharply, "Madam Xing! How dare you! You dare to hide your family property and defy the law of the court! Tell me! Where did you hide all that gold, silver and valuables?"

Madam Xing, already feeling guilty, was terrified by this sudden shout. Her legs went weak, and she nearly collapsed to the ground. Her voice trembled as she stammered, "No...no...Your Honor, please understand...I...how could I dare..."

Seeing his appearance, Lukodo became even more certain.

He stopped interrogating Madam Xing and instead scanned the group of terrified concubines, maids, servants, and old women. He deliberately raised his voice, his tone cold and threatening: "Listen carefully! Originally, according to the Emperor's decree, this time only your family property will be confiscated. You women can either be dismissed or placed in the family. We will not sell you into slavery."

However, this Xing family dared to hide valuables, which is a serious crime of concealing official property and defying the imperial court!

If anyone knows anything, confess immediately. This official might, out of consideration for their reporting, show leniency. But if I personally investigate and find out, then every one of you will be treated as accomplices, imprisoned, sold into slavery, or even have your lives threatened! You can decide for yourselves what to do!

These words struck like a thunderbolt, resounding above the heads of the women.

When Madam Xing heard the words "sold into slavery by the government" and "her life is in danger," her face turned ashen.

Wang Shanbao's wife was also terrified, because it was Madam Xing who had instructed her to personally handle the matter of hiding the valuables. If it were discovered, she would be the first to be punished!

In the deathly silence and terror, a young and rather beautiful concubine suddenly raised her head. Her face was deathly pale, and she pointed a trembling finger at Madam Xing, saying in a trembling voice, "My lord! She...she has hidden a lot of money and valuables! This servant...this servant can testify!"

This young concubine, named Green Willow, recently noticed that Madam Xing was suspiciously hiding things, so she also secretly tried to hide her own little bit of savings. Madam Xing discovered this on the spot. Not only did Madam Xing scold her severely, but she also forcibly took away Green Willow's pitiful savings, claiming it was for "public use," but in reality, she lined her own pocket.

Green Willow harbored resentment towards Madam Xing for this reason. At this moment, she was both shocked and afraid, fearing that she would be implicated by Madam Xing and suffer the miserable fate of being sold into slavery. With both old and new grudges surging into her heart, she decided to take the plunge and preemptively report her.

Lucodo's gaze was as sharp as a hawk's. He stared at Green Willow, who had spoken, and then gave Madam Xing a cold glance.

When Madam Xing was shocked to hear that Green Willow dared to expose her in public, she was initially terrified. But when she came to her senses, a surge of anger mixed with fear rushed to her head. Pointing at Green Willow, she cursed, "You damned little whore! You heartless filthy bastard! I've always treated you well, and yet you dare to spout nonsense and slander me like this! I'll tear your mouth apart!"

Although she cursed fiercely, her voice trembled involuntarily, lacking any real confidence; she was all bark and no bite.

Seeing this, Lu Keduo turned to a soldier and ordered, "Slap her!" The soldier understood, strode forward, and without a word, swung his large, fan-like hand and slapped Madam Xing hard across the face!

"Snapped!"

A crisp, loud slap sounded particularly jarring.

Madam Xing was once the eldest wife of the Rongguo Mansion, a noblewoman of high rank and dignity. Now she has been slapped in public by a soldier!

She staggered from the blow, and five finger marks immediately appeared on her cheek, burning with pain.

The sudden humiliation and pain stunned her, leaving her frozen in place.

Lukodo's voice was as cold as iron: "Foolish woman! Even at a time like this, you still dare to act recklessly and presumptuously? I'll ask you one last time, do you want to confess honestly, or do you want me to use torture to find out the truth about your filthy deeds? If you confess now, you might get a lighter sentence and have a way out."

If you remain stubborn, that will be a grave crime of 'concealing official property and defying the imperial court'! At that time, even if you wish to become an ordinary slave, it will be wishful thinking. You might be banished to some dark and desolate place to serve as a slave, or even risk your life! Have you thought this through?"

Madam Xing covered her rapidly swollen cheek, the immense fear washing over her like ice water, making her feel cold all over.

Under Lucodo's chilling gaze, her mental defenses nearly crumbled, and she cried out, "I...I'm innocent, sir...I just...I just secretly put away my dowry from back then...That was originally mine..."

She tried to argue her way out, admitting only that she had hidden her dowry.

In Daqing, a woman's dowry is recognized and protected.

However, in reality, when faced with the confiscation of a woman's property, her dowry was often also confiscated.

This time, Madam Xing's dowry will not be recognized or protected. Because this is an imperial case, the three judicial departments will severely punish the offender, and Emperor Taishun will personally determine the sentence, showing no leniency towards Madam Xing's dowry. Moreover, Jia She and Madam Xing have been married for many years, and Madam Xing's dowry is somewhat commingled with Jia She's public property, making it difficult to prove in a short time. Furthermore, this time Lu Keduo is in charge of confiscating property; the soldiers are like wolves, clearly intending to confiscate everything, so why would they care about dowry? Madam Xing is a second wife, childless, and without a powerful backer; how can she protect her dowry?

Green Willow was filled with fear and hatred after being insulted by Madam Xing and seeing Madam Xing's disheveled appearance. She knew that by speaking up, she had made a mortal enemy of Madam Xing. If she could not completely bring Madam Xing down this time, Madam Xing would never let her go in the future, no matter how small the chance.

Thinking of this, she steeled her resolve and shrieked, "Your Honor, she's lying! Not only did she hide her own private savings, but she also secretly moved many valuable gold and silver jewels from the master's room and hid them away! I saw it with my own eyes!"

Upon hearing Green Willow's accusations again, Madam Xing was enraged, her eyes blazing with fury. Ignoring the pain in her face, she lunged at Green Willow like a mad tiger, shouting, "I'll teach you to talk nonsense, you wretch! I'll tear your mouth apart..."

Upon seeing this, Lu Keduo flew into a rage and personally kicked Madam Xing.

Madam Xing cried out in pain and fell to the ground, curling up in a ball and wailing.

Lu Keduo looked at Green Willow, a smile that could be described as "gentle" appeared on his face, and his tone softened: "Hmm, you are a sensible and reasonable person, and you know what is important and what is not. This foolish woman has committed such a serious crime that she is beyond redemption. Since you have acted righteously and truthfully, I will certainly remember your merit, pardon your crime of selling official positions, and perhaps even find you a proper place to go."

He said this seemingly to Green Willow, but his gaze swept over the concubines, maids, servants and old women who were all silent with fear. His voice suddenly turned stern: "As for the others, if they know anything and do not report it, they will be regarded as Xing's accomplices! Once I have verified it, every single one of them will be sold into slavery by the government, and their lives will not be in danger!"

The will to survive overcame everything.

At that moment, another concubine tremblingly confessed: "My lord! My lord, have mercy! This servant will also confess! Madam... Madam Xing did indeed hide a lot of family wealth, including her own private savings and the gold and silver treasures in the master's room. She... she instructed Wang Shanbao's wife and her husband Wang Shanbao to do it together."

This was like a dam bursting; the truth could no longer be concealed.

The truth soon came to light: Madam Xing had instructed Wang Shanbao and his wife to hide their family fortune in a house outside the mansion, with Wang Shanbao in charge of guarding it.

Upon hearing this, Madam Xing collapsed to the ground, knowing that all was lost, and trembled all over.

Wang Shanbao's wife was also pale and collapsed to the ground.

The house where Madam Xing hid her family fortune was near Ningrong Street. Now that Lu Keduo had received confirmation, he immediately assembled a team of elite soldiers and personally led them straight to that location.

Upon arriving at the place, they found the courtyard gate tightly closed. Lukodo gave a signal, and a soldier stepped forward and knocked on the door.

Wang Shanbao, who was guarding inside, heard something was wrong outside and tried to slip away through the back door, but he was caught red-handed by the soldiers who had been lying in ambush and tied up on the ground like a chicken.

Two camphor wood chests, secured with brass locks, were found at the scene.

The soldiers broke the lock, lifted the lid of the chest, and were immediately greeted by a dazzling display of jewels. The chest was filled with gleaming gold ingots, gleaming silver ingots, and various kinds of jewelry...

After inspecting the goods, Lu Keduo sneered, ordered his men to carry the trunk out, and escorted Wang Shanbao back to the Rongguo Mansion.

Lu Keduo then led his men into the Rongguo Mansion and headed straight for Jia Lian's residence, intending to confiscate his property.

The state of Jia Lian's household was no longer what it once was. In the past, when Wang Xifeng was alive, how immensely wealthy and powerful they were! Later, because of Wang Xifeng, Jia Lian's family fortune was confiscated, leaving him severely weakened. Afterwards, Wang Xifeng was divorced, and Jia Lian brought the seductive Yu Mei back to the mansion. Yu Mei was nominally Jia Lian's concubine, but in reality, she was more like the mistress managing his household.

When Yu Mei heard that Jia She's case would implicate Jia Lian and jeopardize the family's wealth, and also heard rumors that Madam Xing was secretly hiding the family's wealth, she decided to follow suit and secretly moved and hid the already meager amount of gold, silver, valuables, and other valuables in Jia Lian's room.

Therefore, Jia Lian's name was essentially just an empty shell.

Lu Keduo led his men into Jia Lian's courtyard. Although the furnishings inside were still barely presentable, a search revealed very little cash and jewelry, which was quite inconsistent with the status of Jia Lian's son.

Having just experienced the affair with Madam Xing, how could Lu Keduo not be suspicious upon seeing this scene? He immediately darkened his face and arrested Jia Lian, Yu Mei, and all the maids and servants, interrogating them on the spot.

Seeing this scene, Yu Mei was terrified. Coupled with Lu Keduo's threats and inducements, mentioning that if she didn't confess, she would face a serious crime, Yu Mei, with tears streaming down her face, confessed to hiding her family's wealth.

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian felt as if he had been struck by lightning! He had been so betrayed by the man beside him!

In an instant, fear, anger, and regret surged into his heart. Jia Lian didn't care about anything else, rushed forward and slapped Yu Mei hard across the face, cursing, "You damned slut! I, Jia Lian, was truly blind. How could I have been so bewitched by you, this femme fatale! If I hadn't seduced you, if I hadn't brought you back to this mansion, how could things have come to this!"

After saying this, he stamped his feet and beat his chest, filled with regret.

It's too late for regrets now that things have come to this.

Although Jia Lian was not the mastermind behind the concealment, Yu Mei was his concubine, and all her actions involved property under his name. He could not escape the charge of "lax household management and condoning his concubine's defiance of the law." Moreover, as the legitimate son of the disgraced official Jia She, he was under suspicion and should have been extra cautious and cooperative with the authorities. Instead, he committed this crime, undoubtedly compounding his offenses.

In this way, Madam Xing and Jia Lian, who were originally just "criminals" implicated by Jia She, have now both been transformed into "new principal offenders" for the serious crime of "concealing official property and resisting the court"!
Emperor Taishun had already spared Jia Lian from exile, only confiscating his property, and had no intention of selling Lady Xing's official position. However, seeing the two so reckless and audacious, he issued an edict for severe punishment.

Madam Xing was reduced to a servant and exiled to a military camp, where she was forced to serve hard labor for the rest of her life.

Jia Lian was sentenced to exile, which in turn implicated his father. Emperor Taishun specifically ordered that Jia She be exiled to an extremely cold and harsh place in the northeast, and Jia Lian to an extremely desolate place in the northwest, so that the father and son were separated and suffered all kinds of hardships.

In addition, almost all of Jia She's concubines, maids, servants and old women in his courtyard were sold into slavery by the government. Even Jia She's illegitimate daughter Yingchun and illegitimate son Jia Cong were implicated!

Wang Shanbao and his wife were also severely punished. Among them, Wang Shanbao's wife, Lady Xing, was sent to the army to perform hard labor.

A raid on a property turned into an even greater tragedy due to greed and folly.

The eldest branch of the Rongguo Mansion was thus brought to an end.

Fortunately, Jia Yuanchun was Yuan Yi's wife, and Yuan Yi was a prince and a duke, enjoying the emperor's favor. Otherwise, with Madam Xing and Jia Lian committing serious crimes, the entire Rongguo Mansion would likely have been implicated, and the consequences would have been unimaginable...

(End of this chapter)