Dream of the Red Chamber: I can see the hidden labels of the beauties.

Seeing that the situation had become extremely serious, Jia She sat blankly in his chair, his imposing manner completely gone, his face ashen, his eyes vacant, not knowing what to do.

At this moment, Jia Zheng also arrived upon hearing the news, his face solemn and his steps hurried.

Upon entering, he glanced around the hall and saw several stewardesses kneeling on the ground, the treasury manager kneeling beside them, and Jia She sitting at the head of the table looking lost and dejected. He couldn't help but frown.

Approaching Jia She, he lowered his voice and asked:

"Brother, what happened? I was talking with some guests when I heard that there was chaos in the manor. Everything is used up, and even the tea for entertaining the guests is gone?"

"I've also vaguely heard that some guests who came to pay their respects criticized us for being impolite, even for not being able to afford tea. If this gets out, where will we put our face? This isn't how things should be handled, is it?"

Jia She snapped out of his daze, looked at Jia Zheng, and his lips twitched involuntarily, his expression extremely unpleasant.

After a long while, he finally calmed himself down and explained to Jia Zheng that the treasury was empty, the property was under the control of the imperial court, and the money in the bank could not be withdrawn.

Although Jia Zheng was somewhat pedantic and rarely concerned himself with such mundane affairs, he immediately realized something after hearing Jia She's words. His expression changed drastically, his brows furrowed, and he said in a deep voice:

"Is that so? Brother, it seems... there are people in the court who are dissatisfied and are secretly putting pressure on us."

"But we hadn't heard anything about it before, could it be... that the Emperor himself gave the order?"

Upon hearing this, Jia She's expression changed, and a hint of fear flashed in his eyes.

Jia She was all too aware of the power of the emperor. He had personally experienced the events surrounding the former crown prince, and the memory of that bloody storm still sent chills down his spine.

After that, he resigned from his post and returned home, never daring to stay in the court for another day. He indulged in wine, women, wealth, and power in order to protect himself.

The current situation reminded him of past events, and he felt a chill run down his spine and his palms were sweating.

The guests who had been sitting in the hall, who had been flattering Jia She earlier, suddenly lost their smiles as one steward after another came to report that the government was seizing control of their properties, that the money in their banks was not being withdrawn, and that even the incense, candles, and vegetables needed for the funeral had been cut off. They began to whisper and discuss among themselves.

A moment later, a guest stood up first, bowed to Jia She, and took his leave:

"Lord She is busy with matters at his residence. We have troubled you for a long time, and it is time for us to take our leave."

The others quickly stood up and echoed their sentiments.

Jia She had no time for pleasantries with them at this point, and simply nodded slightly in response.

Jia Zheng, though his expression was solemn, remained courteous, repeatedly bowing and seeing the guests to the door.

As the group walked out the door, one could still faintly hear them whispering, shaking their heads, and sighing.

"I never imagined it would end up like this..."

"Yes, this matter is probably not that simple..."

Upon hearing this, Jia Zheng felt even more uneasy.

After a while, he returned and saw Jia She still sitting blankly in the chair, his usual demeanor gone. He frowned and pressed for an answer:

"Brother, what should we do now?"

Jia She's lips trembled slightly, but he didn't utter a word.

This matter is clearly being interfered with by someone from the imperial court, and this person must be of extremely special status, otherwise it would be impossible to have done so flawlessly.

If it were just an official from a certain ministry interfering, given the Jia family's connections in the court, they should have heard some rumors beforehand.

But so far, not a single piece of news has come. It's as if someone had dug a trap long ago, just waiting for Jia She to step into it step by step, and he was completely unaware.

Seeing that Jia She remained silent, Jia Zheng sighed softly. He wanted to question Jia She, asking why he had acted so recklessly in the first place and how he was going to clean up the mess now.

But seeing Jia She's dejected appearance, he swallowed his words. After all, he was his elder brother, and further complaints would be useless. Instead, he reminded him:

"Brother, let's put aside other matters for now. The deceased must be respected. The funerals for Zhen-ge'er and Rong-ge'er must continue. This matter cannot be delayed; we must find a way to resolve it."

Upon hearing this, Jia She's face was full of bitterness. Of course, he knew that resolving this matter was actually very simple. He only needed to take out his own money to make up for the amount needed for the funeral, and everything in the mansion would be able to operate as usual.

His original intention was to take advantage of the fact that no one was in charge of the Ningguo Mansion, to make a fortune, withdraw silver from the treasury to make up for his own deficit, and then slowly transfer valuable properties and antiques to his name.

Now, things have gotten worse. He has to pay out of his own pocket to subsidize the funeral for the Ningguo Mansion. Jia Rong has no official rank, so his funeral can be simple. But Jia Zhen is a nobleman who inherited the title. No matter how simple the funeral is, it is still a considerable expense.

To bear the full responsibility would be more painful than cutting off a piece of his flesh.

Moreover, Jia She has been spending extravagantly over the years, buying antiques and rare treasures, taking concubines, and building gardens. His money has been flowing out like water, so where would he find any spare money?

But Jia Zheng wasn't wrong either. It's not like they should just leave the bodies of Jia Zhen and Jia Rong lying around unattended, letting outsiders laugh at them.

Just then, a servant suddenly entered through the door, followed by a young Taoist priest. The servant, who led the way, bowed and said:

"Reporting to both of you, Master Jing from the East Mansion has sent someone back with a message."

Both Jia She and Jia Zheng were taken aback and looked at the young Taoist priest.

The young Taoist priest bowed respectfully to the two of them.

"Greetings, gentlemen. I have come on the orders of our master to deliver a message to you. Our master says that he has become a monk and he does not wish to concern himself with worldly matters such as who will inherit his title or how his estate will be transferred."

"But please, gentlemen, restrain yourselves a little and consider your own reputation. Give some consideration to Madam Zhen, Second Master Can, and Madam Xiao Rong. They are the masters of the East Mansion, but now they seem like outsiders."

"And you must not let others laugh at you, or incur the displeasure of the current emperor or the retired emperor. Otherwise, not only will you lose all the face that your ancestors worked so hard to earn, but you may also bring disaster upon yourself."

Although Jia Jing did not explicitly accuse Jia She of embezzling Ningguo Mansion, his words implied that Jia She's behavior was too ugly, leaving no room for maneuver, making him a laughingstock, and possibly even triggering a crisis.

Jia She's expression changed repeatedly as he listened, his lips twitching even more violently. His usual arrogant and domineering demeanor had vanished completely. He sat hunched over in his chair, as if his spine had been removed, unable to utter a single word.

Jia Zheng's face was also pale; he felt a burning sensation on his face, as if he had been slapped several times. He took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions within him, and pressed the young Taoist priest for an answer:

"We understand. Does your great-grandfather have anything else to say?"

The young Taoist priest glanced at him and replied respectfully:

"Reporting to Second Master, there is nothing else. However, our Grand Master heard that people outside are talking about the East Mansion, so he sent me to deliver a message to you two."

Upon hearing this, Jia Zheng frowned, somewhat puzzled:

"What makes you say that?"

The young Taoist priest seemed somewhat surprised and asked him in return:

"Don't you two gentlemen know that the whole capital is talking about the Eastern Mansion right now?"