Dream of the Red Chamber: I can upgrade my entries!

Chapter 32 The Monk's Unorthodox Judgment of the Unorthodox Case: The Clash Between the Old and New Parties
"grown ups."

Seeing Jia Yucun's troubled expression, the gatekeeper couldn't help but add an important piece of information: "The Xue family's young master is named Xue Pan."

"Xue Pan is the only legitimate son of the Xue family, with only one sister. His mother is the legitimate daughter of the Wang family."

"The Xue sisters had already set a date to go to the capital to be selected as talented women and patrons."

"After buying the maid, we went to the capital. The Xue brothers and servants here are taking care of things."

"I understand."

How could Jia Yucun not understand the meaning of these words? It was simply that Xue Pan had no need to flee for a mere murder case. He never even considered that Feng Yuan would die, and he didn't care about a nobody like Feng Yuan.

This only made Jia Yucun feel even more heavy-hearted. He could see from this incident that the Xue family wielded immense power, and what was he, a mere prefect, to them?

"The abducted girl has a great deal to do with the adults."

Suddenly, a remark made by the doorman caught Jia Yucun's attention.

"To be honest, she was the benefactor of the adults."

"what?"

Jia Yucun was increasingly confused.

"Does Your Excellency still remember the Zhen family who lived next to the Gourd Temple?"

"That girl is Miss Zhen, named Yinglian."

'Whoosh!'

Jia Yucun immediately remembered and blurted out, "So it was her. Wasn't she kidnapped when she was five years old? How could she have been sold now?"

"grown ups."

The doorman explained, "There are many kinds of kidnappers, and the one who kidnapped Zhen Yinglian is one of them."

“They only abduct children aged five or six, raise them in secluded places where no one knows them, and then sell them to others when they are eleven or twelve years old.”

“At first I didn’t know who it was. Zhen Yinglian had been playing in front of the Gourd Temple since she was a child. Now, seven or eight years later, she has grown up and her appearance is still the same. There is a small red dot the size of a grain of rice between her eyebrows, which she came from when she was born. That’s when I recognized her.”

“The kidnapper rented my house to live in. When she wasn’t home, I secretly questioned her. She was terrified of being beaten and stammered, unable to give a clear answer.”

"Ugh!!!"

Village Chief Jia Yu sighed and said with emotion, "Life is unpredictable, and fate is most capricious."

"Now that this lawsuit involves the Xue family, what should we do?"

"grown ups."

The doorman boldly suggested, "I heard that your promotion to this position was due to the influence of the Jia and Wang families. Xue Pan's mother is both the legitimate daughter of the Wang family and the younger sister of Lady Wang of the Jia family. The relationship between them is very close."

"Why not go with the flow, do a favor, and settle this case? Perhaps we can get help from the Jia and Wang families in the future."

“This matter concerns human life. I have been fortunate enough to be reinstated by His Majesty and should be doing my utmost to repay him. How can I disregard the law for personal reasons?”

Jia Yucun adopted a serious demeanor and spoke with righteous indignation.

"A true gentleman acts according to the times, seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune."

"Your Excellency is about to make a mistake today. Not only will you be unable to serve the court, but you yourself will likely end up in prison."

"I have said all I can say; I hope Your Excellency will consider it carefully."

The gatekeeper originally intended to take advantage of their past acquaintance at the Gourd Temple to curry favor with Jia Yucun, but he didn't expect Jia Yucun to put on airs. So he decided to go all the way and clearly explain the pros and cons.

After a long while, Jia Yucun finally spoke: "According to your suggestion, how should this be done?"

Seeing this, a hint of joy flashed in the doorman's eyes, and he continued, "Sir, when you sit in court tomorrow, just make a show of force, issue documents and arrest people."

"I will secretly mediate and have the Xue family report a sudden death from illness, and have the Xue family and local authorities submit a guarantee." "Then have that kidnapper say that the cycle of revenge has ended, and since the Xue and Feng families are settled, the Xue family doesn't lack money, so they might as well give some to the Feng family for funeral expenses."

"This case may be closed."

"Great kindness."

With a change of heart, Jia Yucun decided to judge the case as the gatekeeper had suggested, thus bringing an end to a wrongful conviction.

West Mountain, Xuanzhen Temple.

Inside the Sanqing Hall, incense smoke swirled, and Jia Jing, dressed in a Taoist robe, sat cross-legged on a futon with his eyes closed.

"Owner."

A figure dressed in black entered silently and stood respectfully to one side.

"What's the matter?"

"A letter from Jiangnan."

The figure in black took out a secret report and respectfully handed it over.

"Ok?"

Jia Jing opened his eyes, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his cloudy old eyes, before taking the secret report and carefully reading it.

A moment later, a mocking look appeared on the old man's face: "He really was right. He's a wolf in sheep's clothing; once he gets his way, he becomes arrogant."

“When I was away, my family members repeatedly ruined the things left by our ancestors.”

“Aunt is probably senile. When Uncle was dying, why did he ask the Emperor Emeritus to grant him favors and allow Marquis En to live in a secluded courtyard while Cunzhou moved into Rongxi Hall? It was simply because the royal family was wary of him. Marquis En is confident in his martial prowess and acts with arrogance, which inevitably brings disaster to the Western Mansion.”

"How many years have passed? The family has already forgotten who the eldest son is. A letter of invitation from Cun Zhou, coupled with the title of Prince Teng, the military governor of the capital, has allowed a man who had been dismissed from his post by the emperor to return to officialdom and even become the prefect of Jinling."

"Foolish, utterly foolish!"

The black-clad figure at the lower end kept his head down and remained silent.

Do you know why Jia Yucun was dismissed from his post?

Jia Jing asked in a cold voice.

"Reporting to my master."

The figure in black replied, "Jia Yucun served for three years, during which he relied on his talent to insult his superiors and was greedy and cruel. All the officials in Suzhou harbored resentment towards him."

"The Provincial Governor of Southern Zhili submitted a memorial impeaching him, saying that he was cunning by nature, unauthorized in arranging rituals, and that while claiming to be upright, he secretly colluded with treacherous and wicked people, causing trouble in the region and making life unbearable for the people. His Majesty was furious and immediately dismissed him from his post."

"interesting."

Jia Jing gave a cold laugh, a playful expression on his old face.

A few years ago, the Jiangnan region was devastated by floods, and the people were starving. Jia Yucun was able to become the prefect of Suzhou, which shows his outstanding talent. How could he possibly do such things that harmed the local area? Did he get his brain caught in a door?

Moreover, Jia Yucun was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) who had passed the examinations several years before Lin Ruhai, yet he was not promoted for a long time. However, after Emperor Yongping ascended the throne, he rose to prominence, which shows that he had become a true "disciple of the emperor".

Emperor Yongping dismissed him from his post, followed by the phrase "to be employed," which meant that he was punished by being sent home to reflect on his actions. This lenient punishment is quite intriguing.

Before Jia Yucun passed the imperial examination, he stayed at the Gourd Temple and befriended Zhen Shiyin, a former compiler of the Hanlin Academy. Although Zhen Shiyin's official position was not high, he was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) personally appointed by the retired emperor, and his wife, Lady Feng, had the title of a seventh-rank lady, which was rare in the court.

Jia Yucun's entry into officialdom was precisely related to Zhen Shiyin. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he was attached to the old party of the retired emperor. With each new emperor comes a new set of officials. Such a rapid change of allegiance inevitably gave others a handle to use against him. His first dismissal was clearly due to the attacks from the old party.

Even someone like Lin Ruhai, with his prestigious family background, four generations of marquises, a third-place scholar in the imperial examinations, married to the eldest daughter of the Rongguo Mansion, and a former retainer of Emperor Yongping, still found it difficult to move an inch in Jiangnan, where the old faction was rampant. How much more difficult it would be for someone like Jia Yucun, who had no background whatsoever.

If he wasn't mistaken, Jia Yucun's quick appointment as the Prefect of Jinling must have been orchestrated by Emperor Yongping, with Jia Zheng merely acting as a facilitator.

(End of this chapter)