The Demon-Slaying Grandmaster

Chapter 160 It Has to Be Done

In matters concerning the future and prosperity of the family, Jia Lian disregarded the potential embarrassment that might ensue if he spoke out.

Upon hearing this, Jia Zheng's face also darkened as if someone had stripped him naked.

Although he is indeed an upright person and doesn't have many malicious intentions.

But people are selfish.

There are many advantages to the second branch of the family being in charge, and deep down, Jia Zheng was unwilling to be suppressed by his absurd and foolish elder brother, Jia She.

Therefore, he not only said nothing about what Grandmother Jia did, but also took over the power to run the household.

However, all of this was clearly seen by his son-in-law, and Jia Zheng couldn't help but feel ashamed.

He was even more afraid that Li Jingxiao would distance himself from his eldest daughter Yuanchun because of this.

At this moment, the uncle, nephew, grandfather, and grandson hated the two Wu brothers to the core.

After discussing things in the tent all afternoon, they finally arrived at Li Jingxiao's main tent, looking rather unwell, taking advantage of the dinner opportunity.

When Li Jingxiao saw his father-in-law's forced smile, he guessed that Jia Rong must have told him about what he had said that morning.

Now it seems that it really scared his father-in-law.

Li Jingxiao did the thing of scaring the Jia family without any psychological burden.

Moreover, it would be a good thing for Li Jingxiao if the Jia family behaved themselves.

After much comforting, Jia Zheng was finally calmed down.

However, the old man also understood that no matter how understanding his son-in-law was, he would inevitably have his own thoughts.

He thought to himself, "When we get back to the capital, I still need to have a good talk with the old lady and try to salvage the Jia family's standing in Jingyou's heart."

Immediately, Jia Zheng's face darkened.

Ultimately, it all started when Rong-ge'er discovered that the Wu brothers had embezzled money from 16 estates belonging to the Ning and Rong mansions.

So he returned to his tent and looked at Jia Rong, asking, "Rong'er, how can I prevent you from alerting others?"

Is it even possible to secretly capture those ungrateful and shameless scoundrels, Wu Jinxiao and Wu Jinyi?

Jia Rong had long harbored a deep-seated hatred for the Wu brothers.

He nodded firmly.

“My lord, I have some influence in the Left Garrison Command. I'm confident I can handle just arresting people and mobilizing one or two junior officers.”

What the master didn't know was that everyone in the Left Garrison Command only listened to his uncle.

I still need to talk to my uncle about this; otherwise, if he gets angry later, I'll definitely suffer.

Jia Zheng thought for a moment before nodding. He was quite pleased that his son-in-law had managed to control the ironclad power of the Left Garrison Command.

After thinking it over, he told Jia Lian and Jia Rong to go and talk to Li Jingxiao about it again early the next morning.

The night passed quickly.

The next morning, Li Jingxiao was having breakfast after his morning exercise.

Seeing Jia Lian and Jia Rong arrive together, he instructed someone to prepare bowls and chopsticks for them.

Although Jia Lian and Jia Rong had already eaten, they still stayed with Li Jingxiao until the end of the meal before discussing the capture of the Wu brothers.

Since his father-in-law had spoken, Li Jingxiao naturally wouldn't refuse.

However, the living environment in Liaodong is much harsher than that in the interior of China, so the people there have always been known for their fierce and unruly nature.

He instructed the two brothers, Zhao Junming and Zhao Junheng, to take two small flags and his own handwritten letter.

Go find Tang Zhijie and Chang Rui, the "Leading Commander" of the Palace Guard, and lead two hundred cavalrymen to capture the Wu brothers.

To prevent any desperate criminals in the village from recklessly charging out.

However, Li Jingxiao overestimated the control the Wu brothers had over the tenants and villagers in the estate.

The brothers Zhao Junming and Zhao Junheng, along with Jia Lian, Jia Rong, and the strong servants from the Jia family who had come to Liaodong with them.

Each of them led a hundred cavalrymen and a junior officer from the Imperial Guard to capture the Wu brothers.

No one dared to resist.

Even the descendants and clansmen of the Wu family, upon seeing Jia Lian or Jia Rong leading the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Palace Guard to arrest people, immediately knelt down and surrendered.

As for the villagers, many cheered and jumped for joy when they saw the Wu brothers being arrested.

After the Wu family's house was searched, although Jia Lian and Jia Rong, uncle and nephew, and Zhao Junming and Zhao Junheng, brothers, were prepared on the way there and knew they would be able to find something, they were not satisfied with the search.

To their utter surprise, they were able to find over 70,000 taels of silver, more than 4,000 mu of fertile land outside the pass, and five shops inside Shanhaiguan.

Moreover, half of these 4,000 mu of fertile land were newly cultivated by farmers from 16 villages over many years.

These lands belong to the Wu family, so the two Wu brothers valued them extremely highly.

While meticulously cultivating the land, the fields in Jiajiazhuangzi are occasionally delayed in spring planting due to a shortage of manpower.

After obtaining the evidence, Jia Zheng was so angry that his beard trembled.

However, Jia Zheng was indeed very angry about the Wu brothers' greed.

But what angered or unsettled him the most was...

Li Jingxiao's statement that the servants of the Jia family had lost their respect for their masters turned out to be true.

This is what Jia Zheng fears.

For a moment, Jia Zheng's first thought was that it would be great if Yuan Chun could give birth to a big, healthy son for the Li family as soon as possible.

My second thought was that after returning to the capital, I would definitely supervise Zhu'er's studies.

If another Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) could be produced, then the Jia family's predicament would be largely resolved.

Moreover, since Zhu'er is Jingyou's brother-in-law, he will definitely help and take care of her.

In the future, my Jia family might produce a vice minister of the Six Ministries, or even a minister of the Six Ministries.

At that time, there will be no need to worry about the Jia family having no successor.

When Li Jingxiao learned of this, he simply said something lightly.

“Since they are traitors and deceivers, the men shall be hanged and the women shall be exiled to Zhenjiang Fort as slaves.”

Upon hearing this, the brothers Zhao Junming and Zhao Junheng remained expressionless.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard originally had the privilege of acting independently and was only responsible to the emperor.

It has the power to arrest, interrogate, and even execute officials without going through a normal judicial trial.

The Left Garrison Commander had greater freedom; the commander had no authority to question the cases he handled.

If you anger Li Jingxiao, he might frame you for colluding with demons and kill your whole family without consequence.

Some people even shouted, "Good riddance!"

Although Jia Lian and Jia Rong felt relieved by Li Jingxiao's punishment, they were also more afraid of him.

All the men were hanged, which meant that even the children were not spared; this was the extermination of an entire family.

Who would be as ruthless as Li Jingxiao if not for a deep-seated hatred?

But for Li Jingxiao, once he took action, he had to eliminate all traces of the problem to prevent someone from suddenly jumping out and demanding revenge for his father ten or twenty years later.

Zhao Junming received the order, but he didn't care whether it was right or wrong.

If he refuses, or even hesitates, he will be the one to die in the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

He clasped his hands in a respectful bow to Li Jingxiao.

After leading Zhao Junheng out of the main tent, Li Jingxiao said again, "Take Jia Dianku with you. Since he is a servant of his family who embezzled the master's money, let him give the order himself."

Let's see who dares to deceive or betray their master again!

Jia Rong's face immediately turned pale.

A playboy like him can brag all he wants, but the thought of actually killing someone sends shivers down my spine.

However, Li Jingxiao's words were military orders.

Zhao Junheng glanced at his elder brother, Zhao Junming, who then stepped forward and extended his hand to Jia Rong, gesturing for him to come along. Jia Rong recalled how, before the campaign, Zhao Junming and his men had come to his door and whipped him twenty times.

He knew in his heart that no matter how Zhao Junming usually chatted and laughed with him, when it mattered, he would only listen to Li Jingxiao.

He sighed inwardly, trying to console himself.

Having ordered the Wu family to be hanged, no one in either the Ningguo Mansion or the Rongguo Mansion would dare to deceive or mislead him anymore.

Moreover, his backer was a ruthless killer; with a single order, he slaughtered countless Jurchens within a 200-mile radius of Zhenjiang Fort, leaving a trail of heads rolling.

Thinking about it this way, I suddenly felt emboldened again.

He changed his previous timid demeanor, straightened his back, took big steps, and strode out of the main tent.

Jia Lian opened his mouth, wanting to call out to Jia Rong.

But when the words were on the tip of his tongue, all he could do was sigh.

He secretly thought that Rong-ge'er's service under Jingyou's command was truly a testament to his training.

After thinking for a moment, he bowed to Li Jingxiao and then walked out of the tent.

He summoned the servants of the Jia family who had come to Liaodong and quickly caught up with Jia Rong, Zhao Junming, and Zhao Junheng.

Upon arriving outside the camp, they saw the Wu family, numbering over twenty, all tightly bound with ropes, kneeling on the ground and begging for mercy.

Unfortunately, the soldiers of the Palace Guard and the officers of the Left Garrison Command paid them no heed.

If the crying was too loud, someone would come forward and strike the person hard with a scabbard.

They saw Jia Rong and Jia Lian approaching.

Wu Jinyi hurriedly cried out and begged for mercy, "Second Master Lian, Young Master Rong, spare my life."

Our humble family has served the Jia family for three generations. We built these 16 estates from scratch over a century of reclaiming wasteland. Even if we haven't achieved great merit, we have certainly put in the hard work.

Wu Jinxiao then said, "Second Master, my ancestors fought for the old Duke and the Jia family, and many died. I only beg you to spare my family's life."

Jia Rong and Jia Lian hesitated for a moment.

Zhao Junming sneered, "Even if the Wu family's ancestors did fight alongside the old Duke of Jia, the Jia family has not mistreated your Wu family."

Three generations of these families have been the heads of the villages, never worrying about food or clothing; they are practically local tyrants in these villages.

Not only did he embezzle funds, but he also misappropriated newly cultivated land.

Most importantly, the Wu family were household slaves.

Those who betray or deceive their master deserve to die.

Zhao Junming only needs to think about it to realize that his family used to not even be able to come up with a few hundred taels of silver.

More than 70,000 taels of silver, 4,000 mu of good farmland, and five shops were found in the home of the Wu brothers.

They felt that the Wu family deserved to die.

He bowed to Jia Rong and said, "Sir, the identities of the twenty-two male suspects have been verified. Please give your orders."

Upon hearing this, the Wu family members cried and begged for mercy even louder.

Many people had their foreheads bruised from kowtowing, but they seemed not to feel any pain and continued to kowtow and beg for mercy.

Seeing this, Jia Lian felt a pang of pity and looked at Jia Rong, saying, "Rong'er, why don't we go back and beg Jingyou to show mercy and spare their lives?"

"To be exiled together to Zhenjiang Fort as slaves?"

Zhao Junming, Zhao Junheng, and the captains of the Embroidered Uniform Guard couldn't help but look at Jia Lian with disdain.

Having already confiscated the Wu family's property, sparing their lives now might be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains.

Jia Rong opened her mouth, but her gaze suddenly fell on the contemptuous expressions on Zhao Junming and the others' faces, and her heart tightened instantly.

He thought to himself that if he pleaded for the Wu family, he would surely be looked down upon by the soldiers of the Left Garrison Command and the Palace Guard Command.

He gritted his teeth, and his eyes slowly hardened and hardened.

He said to Zhao Junming, "Then carry out the execution."

The officers of the Imperial Guard and the generals of the Palace Guard immediately clasped their hands in salute and shouted in unison, "Receive the order!"

Then a captain shouted "Execute!"

The twenty-odd male members of the Wu family, one by one, were terrified and began to beg for mercy and struggle again.

Unfortunately, not only were they all tightly bound, but each of them was also watched by two captains.

Any slight struggle would immediately result in a beating.

Jia Lian and the Jia family servants who were with him all turned pale as they watched the fierce-looking Imperial Guards dragging the men of the Wu family to the base of a few large trees.

Regardless of age, everyone was put in a rope noose, and when the rope was pulled up suddenly, one person was hoisted up.

As Jia Lian watched the living people kicking wildly, he soon slumped up in the tree like boneless mud, his stomach suddenly churning.

He hurriedly ran to the side and vomited.

The servants of the Jia family were no better off.

They were either pale-faced or their legs were trembling.

He stared in horror at the twenty-odd corpses, and at Jia Rong, whose back was ramrod straight and who stood motionless, gripping the hilt of a long sword at his waist.

At this moment, Jia Rong's image both frightened and aweeded the servants of the Jia family.

As for Jia Lian, who was vomiting bile, he was immediately outshone by his nephew Jia Rong.

However, although Jia Rong performed well in front of everyone, he started to have a fever that very night.

The next morning, after hearing the news that Jia Rong was ill, Li Jingxiao shook his head helplessly and summoned his fellow disciples Shi Delong, Lin Yi, and Liu Hongshi.

While carrying a Three-Flower Jade Dew Pill, I went to see Jia Rong.

In his presence, they set up an altar and performed rituals to exorcise evil spirits and ward off evil.

Sure enough, by noon that day, the boy's fever had subsided, and he was much more energetic.

To be honest, it's still because I'm scared.

However, for a young master like him, it's already quite good.

From then on, Jia Rong really seemed to have become a different person.

When dealing with the affairs of the eight estates in Ningguo Prefecture, he became much more efficient and decisive in his speech and actions.

However, he is still young, and his knowledge and experience are indeed inferior to Jia Lian's.

But in Li Jingxiao's eyes, knowledge and experience can be increased simply by learning and observing more.

Perseverance, decisiveness, and courage are the most valuable qualities.

Two more days passed, and Jia Zheng rested for three days before his body recovered.

The army set off and arrived at Shanhaiguan two days later.

We only spent one night in Shanhaiguan this time, and continued our journey early the next morning.

Just as they were approaching Jizhou, a dozen or so guards dressed in the uniforms of the Eastern Depot, protecting a eunuch, suddenly rode up to within a few dozen meters of the army.

They all dismounted and rushed forward, surrounding the eunuch.

He bowed and called out to Li Jingxiao and Zhou Yanfu, the eunuchs who were walking in front.

"There is an imperial decree."

Li Jingxiao and Zhou Yanfu exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with worry, before turning over to receive the imperial edict.

After the eunuch finished reading the imperial edict.

Li Jingxiao stood up and looked at Zhou Yanfu to confirm whether these people's identities were real or fake.

Zhou Yanfu nodded hurriedly, recognizing not only the eunuch who came to deliver the imperial decree but also the Eastern Depot agents who led the procession.

The imperial edict was indeed made by the Imperial Household Department, using silk brocade fabrics made specifically for silkworms.

Li Jingxiao then cursed a couple of times, calling them "damned Tartars."

(End of this chapter)