Rongguo Mansion, Fengjie’s Courtyard.

The sun was blazing outside and the yard was scorching hot, but the front door of the main house was ventilated so it was quite cool.

Wang Xifeng was talking to a visitor in the room, so the maid Feng’er sat at the door, doing some needlework, which made it convenient for Wang Xifeng to answer her orders.

She was just finishing a few stitches on the work she was doing when she suddenly heard footsteps coming from the gate of the courtyard.

When I looked up, I saw Yinglian coming in with an oil-paper umbrella. She was wearing a printed double-breasted jacket, a pink and white tube top, and a pink pleated skirt. She walked lightly and looked graceful.

Feng Er smiled and said, “How come Miss Yinglian has time to come here? She is such a rare guest.”

Ever since Jia Cong moved to the East Palace, the only people who often came to the West Palace to pass on messages and do things by his side were Wu’er and Qingwen.

Like Yinglian and Zhishao, she seldom comes to Xifu on a daily basis.

But all the maids and servants in the West Mansion knew her.

The old lady, who always liked pretty girls but had a picky taste, praised Yinglian for her good looks many times in front of others, making her well-known in Xifu.

Moreover, among Jia Cong’s maids, Yinglian’s identity is quite special. She is not a servant of the Jia family, but a foster girl of the Jia family.

She was also wearing a red gold necklace given by the old lady. This thing was not something a maid could wear. It was something only the young masters and young ladies in the mansion could wear.

In Feng’er’s impression, Yinglian seemed to be entering the Second Lady’s yard for the first time, so she was naturally a little strange.

Feng Er laughed and said, “Miss Yinglian, why are you holding an umbrella on such a sunny day? It looks a bit strange.”

Yinglian smiled and said, “Our Third Master asked me to come here to do something. He was worried that the sun would be too strong and I would get burned, so he asked me to come here with an umbrella.

I also think it’s a little weird, but it really works. In such a hot sun, I don’t feel the sunburn even if I walk faster.”

Feng Er smiled and said, “Your Third Master is really caring.”

The two chatted for a while, and Yinglian asked, “Are Second Madam and Sister Wu’er in the room? I have something to talk to them about.”

Feng Er said, “They are all in the room, but there is a guest in the room now. It is the maid from the main room of the Zhen family in Jinling. She is here to visit the Second Madam.”

Yinglian’s eyes moved slightly when she heard this, and she said, “Since we have guests, I won’t go in. Can you please ask Sister Wu’er to come out and talk to us?”

……

Jia Cong had just read Zhen Fangqing’s letter, and heard from Wang Hai that the carriage of the Zhen family’s eldest wife had just arrived at Rongguo Mansion.

Although Zhen Fangqing’s letter arrived a little late, it was not too bad and the situation was still under control.

Jia Cong had heard Wu’er say that after Wang Xifeng heard Aunt Xue tell her about the dangerous situation of the Zhen family, she looked wary.

With Wang Xifeng’s cleverness, even if she had some small thoughts, she would not make a hasty decision in a moment because of greed for money.

Things can still be turned around now. As the head of two mansions, his every move is watched by others, so there is no need for him to get involved personally at this time.

So he asked Yinglian to go to the West Mansion to pass on a message for him, asking Wang Xifeng to stop in time.

The reason why Jia Cong asked Yinglian to pass the message was that among the girls around Jia Cong, Yinglian was the most knowledgeable in literature and her behavior was well-measured.

She is more delicate and thoughtful in her words and deeds than the straightforward Qingwen, and she knows the ins and outs of the people in the West Palace better than Lingguan, who has just entered the palace.

……

In the main room, Wang Xifeng looked at the small box covered with jewels on the table. It was impossible for her to say that she was not moved at all.

Now Rongguo Mansion is Jia Cong’s property. Although she, as the eldest sister-in-law, is in charge of the household business, she is more cautious and careful, which is completely different from before when she held all the power.

Although Jia Lian was only exiled, to Wang Xifeng, he was no different from an orphan and a widow, and she couldn’t help feeling guilty and uneasy.

She would naturally be keen to seize the opportunity to accumulate wealth and property so that she and her children could have more support.

But what Aunt Xue had said before had already made her feel worried and concerned about hiding the Zhen family’s money.

Although this treasure chest worth four or five thousand taels made Wang Xifeng greedy, she also felt a little wary.

She is also a woman who has been involved in the world of wealth and fame, well versed in the ways of the world, and knows very well that when one gives a gift to someone, one must have something in mind.

Mrs. Zhen was so generous, one could imagine how much money she had to hide…

Wang Xifeng glanced at the small box on the table and asked casually, “There are many people in our house, and I wonder how many things your wife brought to store in the capital?”

Liu Baozheng said, “There aren’t many things, just thirteen boxes, all of which are small things.”

Wang Xifeng was shocked when she heard this. She didn’t think that the thirteen boxes were all small boxes like the ones in front of her.

The benefits given away casually were worth four or five thousand taels, and those thirteen boxes were worth at least hundreds of thousands of taels.

It is said that the Zhen family is extremely wealthy in Jinling and is nicknamed Zhen Bancheng, which is indeed well-deserved.

The private money of Mrs. Zhen is worth hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. The wealth of the Zhen family must be worth millions of taels…

When Wang Xifeng thought of this, she was a little shocked. Even though the Rongguo Mansion was considered a wealthy family, it was far from this level.

……

Just as she was feeling hesitant and wavering, suddenly the maid Feng’er came in, lifting the door curtain.

She said a few words in Wu’er’s ear, and the two of them left the room together. Wang Xifeng felt strange when she saw this.

After a while, Wu’er came back with a fluctuating expression on her face.

She came to Wang Xifeng, whispered a few words in her ear, and handed her a letter.

Wang Xifeng just opened it and took a look, then folded the letter calmly and handed it back to Wu’er.

She reached out and closed the lid of the small box, and the box full of jewels disappeared in an instant.

When Liu Baozheng’s wife saw Wang Xifeng’s behavior, it was obvious that she didn’t want to get involved in this box of things, and she became more and more uneasy.

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, “Aunt Liu, according to common sense, the Zhen and Jia families are old friends, and in times of crisis, it is only natural for them to support each other.

But right now the Zhen family is involved in the affairs of the imperial court. Although our two families are close, we are also worried about obstructing the laws of the imperial court.

I’m just a woman, I really don’t understand what’s going on outside, I’m also very nervous and don’t dare to make any big decisions.

Besides, the third brother of the eldest house is now the head of Rong State and the owner of the east and west mansions of the Jia family. As his sister-in-law, I am just helping him to look after the household.

Now that he is an official in the imperial court, he is unwilling to get involved in any matters involving the imperial law.

It’s no wonder he did that. He worked hard to pass the imperial examinations and get a good official position, so he naturally had to be cautious.

Therefore, although I am grateful to the elders for the matter entrusted to me by your eldest wife, I dare not act on my own.

Otherwise, my third brother will definitely not agree to this when he returns home and knows about it. If I agree to this easily, I will be unable to save face.

Therefore, I can’t help you with your eldest wife’s matter, and you have to find other ways on your own.”

When Liu Baozheng’s wife heard this, she looked bitter and pleaded, “Second Madam, we have come all the way to Beijing just to worship you, the great Buddha.

Now that I am in the capital and feel like an unfamiliar place, what other options can I come up with?”

……

Just now, Wu’er whispered to Wang Xifeng and told her that Jia Cong already knew about this, and what he showed Wang Xifeng was the letter from Zhen Fangqing.

Zhen Fangqing’s letter was concise and clear, informing the public of the smuggling of money and goods and stating the risks and consequences involved.

His words are flawless; even if you announce them to others, there will be no fault to be found.

She wrote such a letter as if there was some deep meaning behind it, as if she didn’t mind being seen by others.

Jia Cong and Zhen Fangqing were both men of meticulous planning. They both received the news from Nanjing. The news that the Zhen family was guilty had caused a sensation in the city and everyone knew about it.

The Zhen family of Jinling has now become a focus of public attention.

The eldest wife of the Zhen family sent more than a dozen boxes of gold and silver out. Even if she was cautious, no matter what method she used, it would be difficult to do it without anyone noticing.

The Jinling Jinyiwei, the Yingtianfu Yamen, and the three judicial offices in the secondary capital, so many pairs of eyes cannot all be blind, there will always be someone who can see the flaws.

If someone has noticed something and sent these boxes to Shenjing, then the plot behind this is quite sinister…

Although Zhen Fangqing did not mention any of these speculations in her letter, both she and Jia Cong knew them well.

Therefore, after Jia Cong read her unusually formal letter, some kind of tacit understanding was reached between them.

Zhen Fangqing is not in Nanjing, so he cannot stop the first wife from doing stupid things, but it is at least possible to reduce some of the Zhen family’s guilt in case something happens in the future.

This is also the reason why Jia Cong showed her letter to Wang Xifeng for review…

It’s just leaving some traces in advance.

……

Jia Cong asked Wang Xifeng to read the letter. His attitude towards the matter was obvious. Under such circumstances, how could Wang Xifeng dare to get involved in this matter?

Wang Xifeng had been hesitant about this matter to begin with, so how could she not waver at all now?

No matter how difficult Liu Baozheng’s words were, she would not be soft-hearted.

He smiled and said, “What Aunt Liu said is too much. The Zhen family in Jinling is a wealthy family with a solid foundation. There is no such difficulty as Aunt Liu said. Your eldest wife wanted to send something to Beijing. Why did she only think of my place? It’s a bit far-fetched.

Nowadays, everyone in the capital knows that the second daughter of the eldest wife married into the Beijing Prince’s Mansion as the principal wife. The foundation and status of the palace are far superior to our Jia family.

Isn’t it better for the first wife to store these dozen boxes of personal belongings in her daughter’s home than in someone else’s home?”

After hearing what Wang Xifeng said, Liu Baozheng’s wife couldn’t help but smile bitterly in her heart. Do we need others to remind us of such things? How could we not think of it ourselves?

Although the second young lady married very respectably and her second uncle was the Prince of Beijing, anyone who could become a prince was always a scheming person.

On the surface, this second uncle-in-law appears to be humble, polite, and well-dressed, looking like a kind-hearted man.

Deep down, however, he is a different person. Not only is he very careful about his reputation, but he also refuses to take any risk at all. He is a kind-hearted person with a cold heart.

The eldest master saw through his second son-in-law’s behavior, so he went to great lengths to find this second wife Lian.

Sending these thirteen boxes to Prince Beijing’s Mansion would probably be more difficult than sending them to the Jia family, and it would only embarrass the Second Young Lady.

Moreover, before Liu Baozheng left, Zhen Yingjia specifically told her about this matter.

As long as the Zhen family did not create any rift with Shui Rong because of the deposit of floating wealth, they would be fine if they really suffered a great disaster and were at the end of their rope.

Thanks to the favor of the second daughter, he could still count on some help from Prince Beijing’s Mansion. After all, some favors were life-threatening and would be used less each time.

This is also Zhen Yingjia’s way of dispersing cause and effect, hoping to leave a way out for his family when the Zhen family’s empire is about to collapse.

……

Liu Baozheng’s family member was sent by Mrs. Zhen to do such an important task, so he must be a shrewd person who is very good at observing people’s words and expressions.

She saw the pretty girl whispering in Wang Xifeng’s ear and then showing her a letter mysteriously.

Although Liu Baozheng’s family didn’t know the truth, it was obvious that Wang Xifeng’s attitude changed because of it.

Liu Baozheng’s family guessed that someone in the Jia Mansion must have passed on a message and secretly denied the matter, which was why Second Madam Lian kept making excuses.

Liu Baozheng’s wife knew that although Wang Xifeng was in charge of household affairs, there was also Madam Jia, who was older than her in the Rongguo Mansion and had enough status to deny the matter.

Not to mention the two mansions of the Jia family and the world-famous Earl of Weiyuan. If he is unwilling to agree to this matter, it will be useless even if Madam Jia comes forward.

According to common sense, since Weiyuan Bo almost became the son-in-law of the Zhen family, they should have had a very close relationship.

But the relationship with the other party is with the second house, and before I left Jinling, the third lady of the second house had not returned to Jinling yet, so it would not be convenient even if I asked her for a favor.

In the face of such empty talk, why should Lord Weiyuan take the risk and sell out the face of the eldest branch of the Zhen family?

Besides, since that young man, Weiyuanbo, has achieved such a glorious life, he must be a very difficult person to deal with.

Even the women in Liu Baozheng’s family understood this very well.

Weiyuan Bo was not like Second Madam Lian, a woman who could easily pry open the box of gold and silver, so Wang Xifeng refused verbally and gave up on the Jia family.

……

Wang Xifeng was stuck for words and didn’t waste any more words on this matter. She just talked about some old stories in Jinling and said a few nice words.

Even though the Zhen family is on the verge of decline, as long as all the members are still alive, the etiquette and decency between the aristocratic families will still be maintained.

Liu Baozheng’s wife politely declined Wang Xifeng’s invitation to dinner. Nothing was done, and a bunch of people at home were still starving outside the door. What kind of meal was she going to eat alone…

Only after Lin Zhixiao’s family sent Liu Baozheng’s family out of the house did Wang Xifeng breathe a sigh of relief.

She thought of the box of jewels and felt a little sorry for it, but since Jia Cong opposed it, she didn’t dare to say anything.

After all, her current position in the Jia family all comes from Jia Cong. Compared with Jia Cong, a powerful backer, that small box of jewelry is nothing.

Although Wang Xifeng is somewhat greedy for money, she is a shrewd and capable person after all, and she can clearly distinguish the importance of things.

After the matter was settled, not only did Wang Xifeng feel relieved, but Wu’er and Ping’er who were present also probably felt relieved.

Wu’er was even more worried, if Miss Zhen San hadn’t sent the letter from afar, she would have happened to arrive in time for Liu Baozheng’s family to enter the mansion.

If the Third Master had not asked Yinglian to come over and pass on the message in time, and had not let the Second Mistress read the letter, it would be hard to say whether the Second Mistress would accept the private wealth of the Zhen family…

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, “I never thought that Miss Zhen San would be so attentive to my third brother, in order to prevent him from being implicated.

He actually sent someone to deliver the letter all the way to the capital, even if it meant giving up his own property to keep his third brother safe. This was quite rare.

Moreover, she calculated the time very accurately. It is a pity that she did not become the daughter-in-law of the Jia family.”

In fact, although Wang Xifeng said this, she was somewhat relieved in her heart.

Fortunately, the eldest master left at an auspicious time, otherwise, if the third son of Cong married such a powerful woman, what would happen to Wang Xifeng…

Ping Er smiled and said, “Third Master is very lucky. Miss Zhen is really very good. If it weren’t for her, Second Madam would not have known the truth and would have been fooled by Liu Baozheng’s family.”

Wang Xifeng smiled when she heard this, knowing that Ping’er said this to save her face. Finally, the matter was passed without causing any embarrassment.

She said to Wu’er, “Wu’er, this matter has been settled. Go back to the East Mansion and tell my third brother so that he can rest assured.”

……

Rongguo Mansion, west corner gate.

The Zhen family steward who was handing door stickers to the servants was walking anxiously under the eaves of the corner gate, waiting for news from the Jia Mansion.

Although he claimed to be the steward of the Zhen family, it was just a cover-up. He was actually the younger brother of Mrs. Zhen, named Yao Shouan.

How could Mrs. Zhen feel completely at ease when she transported all the family property of the eldest wife thousands of miles to the capital and hid it all in the care of more than a dozen servants in her house?

If the Zhen family remains stable and wealthy, these servants can still be relied upon and trusted.

But now the Zhen family’s empire is on the verge of collapse, and overthrow is only a matter of time. Everyone in the Zhen family is in a panic.

As the saying goes, people’s hearts are hidden in their stomachs. Even the formerly loyal servants may still develop a desire to protect themselves.

It would not be too strange if these servants scatter like monkeys when the tree falls while transporting the eldest wife’s property.

After all, these dozen boxes are worth hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. Money has always been a motivating force, not to mention these lowly servants.

That was why Mrs. Zhen asked her own brother to follow the wealth into Beijing and take care of all affairs along the way. This was just to provide insurance for the eldest wife’s assets.

Yao Shouan had been waiting at the corner gate for a long time and was getting a little impatient. He saw Liu Baozheng’s family coming over from afar with the small box in their hands, and he felt something was wrong.

When the woman came up to him, Yao Shouan asked hurriedly, “Mrs. Liu Baozheng, how is the matter going? Has Second Madam Lian agreed?

How come the box that was to be given away was brought back in good condition, but Second Madam complained that it was too little?”

Liu Baozheng’s family was more thoughtful and did not complain at the west corner gate. They walked with Yao Shouan until they reached the street where the carriages and horses were parked.

Then he said unhappily: “If she thinks it’s too little, it’s fine. But if she gives more of her family fortune away, she won’t want it at all and doesn’t want to be involved in this matter at all.

The tea has already gone cold before the person has even left. If the Zhen family was still as wealthy as before, they wouldn’t be looking at you like this today.”

Yao Shouan looked anxious and asked, “Can you please ask clearly what is going on? Is it true that Second Madam Lian has no room for maneuver?”

Liu Baozheng said: “I was entrusted by my wife, so how can I be careless? I was talking well at first and still had some hope.

Later, a maid in the room went out for a while, and when she came back she whispered to Second Madam Lian and showed her a letter.

Second Mistress Lian immediately changed her tone and made her words very firm, leaving no room for maneuver.

She also told us to send the box to Prince Beijing’s mansion, which would be safer than keeping it at her house.”

After hearing this, Yao Shouan looked depressed, knowing that the Rongguo Mansion was taking a completely different approach.

Liu Baozheng said, “Second Master Yao, since the Jia family is unwilling to agree to this, should we ship these dozen boxes back to Jinling, or think of another appropriate solution?”

Yao Shouan smiled bitterly and said, “Even if these boxes are transported back to Nanjing, as long as the government convicts her and the imperial edict is issued, will these boxes still belong to my sister?”

Liu Baozheng’s wife said, “Then we can only send it to the Second Young Lady’s residence. There is no other place to go.”

Yao Shouan said: “Before I left, my brother-in-law warned me not to go to Beijing Prince’s Palace unless it was absolutely necessary.

He is a very thoughtful person. My brother-in-law told me not to let this matter cause any rift between us. Let’s keep this relationship for now. It may save our lives in the future.”

Liu Baozheng’s family said worriedly: “The Zhen family is in the capital, and except for the Jia family, they don’t have much friendship with other big families. I really don’t know where they are hiding.”

Yao Shouan glanced at the Rongguo Mansion across the street and suddenly seemed to think of something.

He said, “I heard that the Jia family was originally ruled by the second wife, not the first wife, and the wife of the second wife was the head of the family at that time.

This second wife was the eldest daughter of the Wang family in Jinling. People in Jinling had heard some rumors about her, saying that she was a powerful person before she got married.

Although the second branch of the Jia family has fallen into disrepair now, the Dowager Lady of the Duke’s house is still in the hall, and Master Zheng of the second branch is still a fifth-rank official, so the status of the second branch is still upright.

I heard that the second wife no longer lives in the Rongguo Mansion, but in the east wing courtyard, and the two wives now live separately.

Since the eldest wife is unwilling to help, we have to go to the second wife for help. There is nothing else we can do.

The second branch of the Jia family lost its position as legitimate heir, so its prestige must be weaker than that of the first branch, so it would naturally be easier to talk to.

At worst, we can give up one or two boxes of our wealth, which is better than shipping these things back to Nanjing, where they will be confiscated by others…” (End of this chapter)