gnovel Chapter 51 Jia Zheng's Tears
Chapter 51 Jia Zheng's Tears
Liu Feng couldn't remember exactly how Rongxi Hall was described in the original novel, but seeing it with his own eyes now, he was deeply shocked.
Not to mention how luxurious the pavilions, towers, carved beams and painted rafters were along the way, just upon entering the main hall, a large plaque with red gold, nine dragons, and blue background hung high in front of you, with the three large characters "Rongxi Hall" on the plaque being particularly eye-catching.
Liu Feng gasped and quickly looked at the small characters on the side. It turned out that it was bestowed by the founding emperor to Rongguo Gong Jia Yuan.
He was filled with mixed emotions. The Jia family had such a winning hand from the start, but in the end, their descendants played it terribly and suffered a complete defeat.
If Jia Yuanquan knew this in the afterlife, he would probably be so angry that he would rise from his grave.
Jia Lian, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but show a smug and arrogant expression on his face.
Liu Feng glanced around and his gaze fell on the ebony plaques on both sides, where he was taken aback.
Unexpectedly, this was inscribed and presented to the Rongguo Mansion by the first Prince of Dong'an. For a prince of such stature to deign to present such a gift demonstrates the immense power and prestige of the Jia family at that time.
Unfortunately, the glory days are long gone, leaving only a sigh of regret.
The main hall was for entertaining guests, but Liu Feng was "family," so Jia Lian led him to the back hall.
Jia She and Jia Zheng sat in the main seats at the head of the table, while Jia Zhen stood to the side.
As soon as Liu Feng entered, Jia Zhen immediately greeted him with a smile: "We've been waiting for you!" She then introduced Liu Feng to the people in the room.
"Master, Second Master... Oh!"
Liu Feng quickly covered his mouth and nose, looking at Jia She, who was a little dazed. How much had he drunk?
Jia Lian looked embarrassed and quickly tried to smooth things over: "Knowing that Brother Liu was coming, Master was happy and had a few extra drinks at noon..."
How many cups? How many pots?
Liu Feng's lips twitched. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he sat down at the head of the guest chairs, with Jia Zhen accompanying him.
Jia Lian, Jia Baoyu, and Jia Rong, uncle and nephew, had no seats and stood to keep each other company.
Liu Feng smiled inwardly, unable to help but admire these aristocratic families. No matter how messy or dilapidated their homes were, as long as there were outsiders present, they would immediately put on a show of impeccable manners, appearing as respectable members of scholarly and distinguished families.
Liu Feng, due to his special status, avoided all matters of officialdom and only chatted about the Lin family's everyday affairs.
When Liu Feng told him that Jia Min had fallen ill while they were going to the capital, Jia She, who had been lying there with his eyelids drooping and in a daze, suddenly opened his eyes and then returned to his original state after a moment.
Liu Feng witnessed this scene and thought to himself: Is this old man faking it?
Jia Zheng was somewhat agitated and immediately instructed Jia Lian: "Quickly write a letter and send it to Jinling immediately."
"Yes." Jia Lian bowed and withdrew.
Jia Zheng added, "Don't alarm the old lady about this."
Liu Feng nodded secretly; this was more like something a human being would do.
There wasn't much to say about the Lin family's affairs to begin with, and Liu Feng didn't want to reveal everything, so the atmosphere was about to turn sour.
Jia Zhen quickly said, "I heard you're also studying at the Imperial Guard Martial Arts Academy. Although no one from our Jia family studies there, we have connections with many noble families. I'll host a banquet and opera performance at Tianxiang Tower in the back garden of the East Mansion another day, and introduce you to a group of young men from prominent families. Since we're all classmates, we can help each other out in the future."
Liu Feng sat up straight, not because of those noble sons, but because he heard the words "Tianxiang Tower".
If I remember correctly, Qin Keqing died in this Tianxiang Tower.
Thinking that Liu Feng was interested in the matter, Jia Zhen immediately took it upon himself to handle it: "Leave this to me. Once it's settled, I'll have Rong'er send you a message."
Liu Feng thought for a moment: "Don't invite too many people, just a few close relatives will do."
Jia Zhen's eyes lit up immediately: "You can rest assured about this."
Liu Feng nodded.
Jia Zhen glanced at the clock in the corner and said, "It's getting late. Let's eat and chat." He then stepped forward and helped Jia She, who had just opened his eyes, to his feet.
As soon as the group sat down in the flower hall, before the food and wine were even served, an old woman hurried in and stammered to Jia Zheng, "Master, Madam says she wants Bao Er Ye to go back and take his medicine..."
"Why are you taking medicine when you're perfectly healthy?" Jia Zheng paused, then turned to look at Jia Baoyu. "Are you sick again?"
Jia Baoyu was also completely bewildered: "No, I'm not sick..."
The old woman glanced quickly at Liu Feng before continuing, "Madam said that Master Bao still has bruises on his face, and he needs medicine to completely remove them, otherwise he might develop chronic illnesses..."
Liu Feng laughed in anger. This girl was trying to make trouble for him! She was supposed to be the legitimate daughter of a wealthy family, yet she was so petty and brainless!
Since you're so heartless, don't blame me for being ruthless in return!
Liu Feng pretended to reach for his handkerchief, and in doing so, pulled out the few sheets of ink-stained paper. He even used some force to throw them directly at Jia She and Jia Zheng's faces. The papers floated down and landed on the dining table.
The two brothers looked down instinctively and were stunned.
Liu Feng feigned panic and reached for it, saying, "Someone slipped this under the door of the centurion's office. I haven't had time to verify it yet, so it doesn't count!"
Jia She and Jia Zheng were even faster, each snatching the ink-stained paper in front of them and flipping through it. Their faces instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
With a "smack," Jia She slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacups to rattle and clatter.
He gripped the ink-stained paper, pointing angrily at Jia Zheng: "You've managed the household well!"
Jia Zheng panicked and stammered, "I...I'm usually busy with government affairs, no, I don't know anything about family matters...Where's Lian'er! Quickly go and find Lian'er..."
"Looking for my ass!"
Jia She pointed at Jia Zhen: "Go, tie Zhou Rui up!"
"Kill him! Kill him right now!" Jia Zheng slammed his fist on the table in anger, his eyes turning red.
"Shut up! Isn't the house messy enough already?"
Jia She glared at him, took a deep breath, and said, "Zhou Rui is no ordinary manager. Killing him would be tantamount to telling outsiders that something bad has happened to our Jia family. Besides, do you think your wife would accept that? Would the Wang family agree to it?!"
Upon hearing this, Jia Zheng immediately deflated like a punctured balloon, slumping into his chair without uttering a word.
Liu Feng sat up straight; there was a story behind this!
Jia Zhen was unaware of the specifics and dared not make any rash moves.
At this moment, Jia Lian walked in, and seeing that the atmosphere was not right, he lowered his voice a few decibels: "Reporting to Master, the letter has been sent out."
Jia Zheng suddenly remembered Lin Ruhai's help and felt confident in his abilities. He stood up abruptly: "Zhou Rui is a servant of our Jia family. Whether we beat, punish, kill, or torture him, it's none of the Wang family's business! Don't think that without the Wang family, our Jia family has no one to back us up!"
He then turned and pointed at Jia Zhen, "Go investigate!"
Jia Zhen was completely bewildered. What were they investigating?
"That's enough!"
Jia She suddenly stood up. "Investigate what? What's there to investigate! What will you do if it turns out to be her?"
Jia Zheng's mind went blank, his body went limp, and he slumped into a chair.
Yes, what should I do if it turns out she was the one behind it?
No, it must be her! Without her backing and support, Zhou Rui would never dare to do such a thing!
Divorce? Impossible. Not only would it cause the Jia family to lose face, but the Wang family would also never let it go.
If this matter gets out, the Jia family will surely suffer. At best, they themselves will be dismissed from their posts; at worst, the entire family will be implicated, and even their children's marriages will be affected.
Especially for the girls in the family, which wealthy family would dare to marry a daughter from a family with a bad reputation and improper private morality?
The more Jia Zheng thought about it, the angrier he became.
It was one thing for them to take money from the Jia family to subsidize the Wang family on a regular basis, but now they have the audacity to lend money at exorbitant interest rates. It's no surprise that the ill-gotten gains they made have all gone to the Wang family.
This treacherous woman, who betrayed her own family, actually used the livelihood and career prospects of the entire Jia family to benefit the Wang family!
"I regret it so much!"
Jia Zheng sighed deeply, slowly closed his eyes, and two lines of tears rolled down his cheeks.
Jia She was silent for a moment, then turned to Jia Zhen and ordered, "Tie up Zhou Rui, take him to the Second Madam's courtyard, give him fifty lashes, and then break his right leg." As he spoke, he glanced at the old woman and gave Jia Zhen a wink.
Jia Zhen understood, stepped forward, grabbed the old woman by the collar, and dragged her out.
"My lord! Spare me..."
Jia She coldly swept his gaze over Jia Lian, Jia Baoyu, and Jia Rong. "Anyone who dares to utter a word about this matter today will have their legs broken. Do you all understand?"
"Yes." The three of them lowered their heads in fright.
Jia She turned to Liu Feng: "I'm sorry you had to see this."
Liu Feng felt uncomfortable under his gaze and thought to himself: Could this old man have guessed something?
Jia She continued, "I'll have to trouble you to cover this up."
Liu Feng readily agreed, saying that how to make amends was their own business.
Jia She then instructed Jia Lian, "Serve wine and dishes."