Chapter 69 Red Chamber (69)
Because they were raiding and confiscating the Ning Ducal Establishment and the Rong Ducal Establishment, there were many people on the street, flooding the streets around the residences. Not just the masters, even the servants of the Jia Family had never been treated like this. They were confiscated as well, and so were their properties. Regardless of how Lai Da shouted and proved he was a commoner, and the properties were under his name, the people had orders from above and did not listen to his arguments. Even if he was a servant for ten lives, he could not earn the properties he had.
Being herded like dogs and pigs was something that Jia Bao Yu had never thought of before. Behind him, Jia Huan was sad, but seeing that Bao Yu was the same as him, he felt a kind of pleasure.
The prison was the main prison of the Ministry of Justice. People like Jia Lan, Jia Cong, Jia Huan, Jia Bao Yu were people who had not harmed others. In the cells, they would not be badly off. At least, the prison officials did not want to torment and humiliate them.
The women were invited onto some unremarkable carriages. They were crude, but the carriages kept them from the sight of others. The cabins were not big, and a bit of a squeeze. With the shaking, these mistresses and missus who had lived so well were unable to endure this. Mother Jia was old. When she got off the carriage, she could not even stand up.
They were not imprisoned in cells, but a very old and run-down residence. There were guards everywhere, but to the greatest degree, their face was saved. In the prison, there was no respect and virtue left.
This was very good treatment. And they were able to move freely in the yard. It was not like the dark and damp cells where they had to sleep, eat, and go to the washroom inside.
Ping’er’s servant contract had been canceled, and she was a proper secondary wife so she was with the women. People like Xi Ren and She Yue did not have such good luck. They were imprisoned with the other servant girls, waiting to be sent off.
There were some simple bedding in each of the rooms. Ping’er prepared for the old mistress, and then for Wang Xi Feng. Now, if she did not know that Wang Xi Feng had tricks up her hand, she would be too dumb.
Madam Xing saw Wang Xi Feng like this, and thought that maybe they would have to rely on her in the future. They did not dare to order Wang Xi Feng to serve her. Madam Wang looked at Li Wan and Xue Bao Chai. These two daughters-in-law were here. She should not have to do anything. However, Li Wan was only thinking of Jia Lan right now, and did not care about her mother-in-law. Xue Bao Chai looked at Wang Xi Feng and said, “I think Second Sister-in-law is familiar with the eldest miss of the Lin Family. Do you think Uncle-in-law Lin will be able to help? Could we send a message to the Lin Family?”
Wang Xi Feng laughed in disdain. “Second Missus Bao, how do you think the Lin Family can help more? If not for the Lin Family, the Jinghai Count would not be so polite to us for no reason. If not for his tacit permission, could the the wood heads of the family be able to beg the commander for such treatment for us. Stop thinking.”
Mother Jia looked at Wang Xi Feng and said, “Feng-yatou, the entire family is hoping that you have ideas. You cannot hide them.”
“If you did not break the law, you will be fine.” Wang Xi Feng glanced at Madam Wang and said nothing else.
Madam Xing jumped in fright and said, “Then usury……” She had been jealous of Madam Wang and participated.
“It is naturally against the law,” Wang Xi Feng said in a low voice.
Madam Wang shivered in fright. Mother Jia saw this, and cried, hitting Madam Wang. “Such sin, how did the Jia Family marry such a disappointment like you?”
Wang Xi Feng turned her face to the side. She did not believe at all that the old mistress did not know of Madam Wang’s actions.
She went to the room that Ping’er had cleaned up for her. Enduring the roughness of the blankets, she immediately fell asleep. In these years, she was frequently woken up by nightmares, not knowing when the calamity would come. Now that it did, she felt at ease, and had a very good sleep.
To Wen Tian Fang who was confiscating the properties, he was stunned looking at the pile of pawn receipts they had found from the Jia Family. While he had known before the Jia Family was able to support a pawnshop, he did not expected the sum to be so great. In this residence, other than the things rewarded by the emperor, there was basically nothing else. Rewards from the emperor were recorded down and could not be sold. However, interestingly, there were many things here that the emperor had rewarded to the Lin Family which were placed in the Jia Family.
When this was known, many of the people who had laughed at Lin Ru Hai felt sympathy. They had wanted to see what Lin Ru Hai would do in the matter of the Jia Family. Now, no one felt that Lin Ru Hai was wrong to not care for them.
But losing imperial items was a crime. Lin Ru Hai confessed to his crime, was punished by losing his salary for half a year, and the matter was over.
The judgment for the masters had not come, but the servants would not be kept like this. Just the food for them was a great sum. So, after a few days, the Ministry of Justice sent orders that if they exposed the evil conduct of their masters, they could trade for their freedom. People’s hearts could not withstand such a test. In less than a day, Lai Da and the others who were stewards told everything about the residence. Zhou Rui and his wife told how Madam Wang interfered in lawsuits, committed usury and forced people to die, and hid the wealth of the Zhen Family. They spoke in detail. Granny Lai told of how Mother Jia had harmed the concubines and shu-daughters of the old duke of Rong in the past, how she urged Jia Min to pass on information of the Lin Family to the Jia Family and how this was passed on to the Zhen Family. Wang Shan Bao’s wife had committed usury for Madam Xing. They had not even made back their cost, but in order to have herself freed, she magnified the crime. The interrogators of the Ministry of Justice could not help but have a different look on the women of the Jia Family. However, there were some special examples. For example, Jia Lian’s servant Wang’er. In the end, after talking repeatedly, he only spoke of the matters of Jia Lian getting together with young wives and widows. Even though the matter of the You Sisters was serious, the emperor had punished him already, and they could not find he had committed great crimes. The Second Master Bao was like white snow. Other than some incidents in the home, he did not do any evil. Also, that Second Missus Lian. In the prison, there were none of servants. Li Wan was a widow, and the Ministry of Justice did not ask about her. Second Missus Bao was a new wife, and her servants had returned to the Xue Family. Also, You-shi. A servant girl accused You-shi of abusing Second Sister You, but there was not some great crime.
All these people who knew their masters’ matters were very trusted. It had been through them that many shameful things were done. It was not so easy for them to be freed. The rest of the servants were herded to the streets to be sold. The ones left in the prison were filled with terror. They realized now what waited for them was a fate worse than being sold.
Xi Ren’s brother came with silver to buy her back. Qing Wen took out all the savings she had, and drew on her salary from the workshop to buy She Yue.
The servant girls who served the old mistress, Yuan Yang, Liu Li and the others were brought by Lin Dai Yu. She waited for the future to send them to serve Mother Jia. It was her last bit of filial piety.
They could only make sure the remaining people would not be sold to dirty places. Lin Yu Tong and Lin Dai Yu did not attend to them. Going to a new family may not be a bad thing.
While families were separated, and they may never see each other again, so what? Lin Yu Tong did not run a charity, and if she did not see, she was not bothered.
Xiao Hong heard the news in the Lin Family and was very shocked. If she had not followed Second Missus, she would have met the same fate with her family.
To the people outside, the Jia Family’s matter was just a few days. But to the people in the prison, each day felt like a year.
After two months, the case of the Jia Family was settled.
The Ning Ducal Establishment and the Rong Ducal Establishment had their properties confiscated. Jia She, Jia Zheng, Jia Zhen were exiled three thousand miles from the capital. Such a place was full of poison miasma, and it was not likely they would come back. Jia Lian, Jia Rong, Jia Qiang, Jia Qin were sent to the army. Whether they could return depended on their own fate. Madam Wang and Madam Xing were punished. Madam Xing was beaten twenty times, and Wang-shi was demoted to government slave status. Government slaves were unlike others. They could not buy their freedoms ever. Mother Jia’s crimes did not have any evidence. In the end, her title was taken from her, and the other people were released without any crimes.
Wang Xi Feng looked at the family and was smart, not saying anything about her own hidden cards.
The Lin Family sent a carriage to deliver the members of the Jia Family to a farm in the suburbs of the capital. Yuan Yang and the other servant girls were waiting in the estate for their masters to return. While the farm was in the name of the Lin Family, in reality, it was Wang Xi Feng’s property. Ying Chun’s husband’s family sent grain and vegetables and some daily items. Lin Dai Yu requested Physician Su to visit Mother Jia. Learning that she was fine for now, she was at ease.
Mother Jia had lived comfortably for her entire life, and at the end, suffered like this. She quickly aged. There was no man who was able to work. Only Jia Bao Yu was grown up, but after coming out of the prison, he was a bit dazed. Mother Jia cried when she saw him.
“If this does not work, return to Jinling. Our family’s ancestral land is still there, and can support a family,” You-shi found Wang Xi Feng and discussed.
“Ancestral land, they do not exist, the mistress sold them all.” Concubine Zhao snorted from the side. The master had been exiled, the mistress had been demoted to government slave, and lucky she had a son to count on.
Li Wan pulled Jia Lan and said they were going to her paternal family. Everyone knew that because Li Wan was a widow, all her savings and her dowry had been given back to her. With the silver and the property, the mother and son did not have to worry about the future.
Wang Xi Feng looked in surprise at Li Wan. She was going to abandon everyone. This was good. Originally, each person had a share of the things that they had gotten from the old mistress and passed through Lin Yu Tong’s hands. This mother and son would not need them. So she would just see who was next to leave.
Xue Bao Chai looked at Jia Bao Yu and thought of how her brother was still missing. Her mother had went home with such a daughter-in-law, and she did not know how she would be. She said, “Old Mistress, I will also return as well, and talk to my mother. Even if I can borrow a bit of silver, it will help overcome this hurdle.”
Mother Jia looked at Xue Bao Chai and waved a hand, telling her to go. Even if she stayed, her heart was not here. Also, maybe the Xue Family would give some silver to help. As to the Lin Family, she could not ask more of them.
After Xue Bao Chai left, Mother Jia held Jia Bao Yu’s hand, not knowing how to help him. In such a situation, She Yue appeared in front of Mother Jia.
“I will be with Second Master. If I am alive, I will not have Second Master freeze or starve.” She Yue pulled Jia Bao Yu to wash after saying this. She did not seem to disdain Jia Bao Yu for not seeming to recognize people.
Mother Jia immediately called for She Yue to become Jia Bao Yu’s secondary wife. She gave Bao Yu to the other’s care.
“It is hard for you.” Wang Xi Feng looked oddly at She Yue. Regardless of why, being able to come at this time was rare. She asked, “What about Xi Ren?”
- Grafting Life Chapter 68 – Red Chamber (68)
- Grafting Life Chapter 70 – Red Chamber (70)
- Grafting Life Chapter 71 – Heavenly Dragon (1)
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