Earl’s Mansion, Tanchun Courtyard.

The embroidery room was filled with the pungent smell of herbs, mixed with the sweet and refreshing fragrance of girls. This smell made Jia Cong feel somewhat familiar.

After Jia Cong brought Tanchun back to the East Palace, he asked someone to invite Zhang Youshi to come to the palace to treat Tanchun’s hand injury.

When Yingchun, Daiyu, Baochai and other sisters heard the news, they all rushed to Tanchun’s courtyard to visit her.

The sisters were waiting behind the screen in the outer room. Although Zhang Youshi was over fifty years old and a medical doctor, there were still taboos and etiquette in the inner courtyard of the mansion.

After several cups of tea, the sisters finally heard footsteps coming from the inner room, and the voices turned out to be Jia Cong and Zhang Youshi.

Jia Cong asked, “Mr. Zhang, the smell of the ointment you just used is very familiar. I seem to have seen it at your brother’s place before.”

Zhang Youshi smiled and said, “What Weiyuan Bo said is correct. Before my brother left for his travels, he left some of his secret wound medicine, which is very effective in treating external injuries.

Jia Cong asked, “Is the injury on my sister’s hand serious?”

Zhang Youshi said: “The third young lady is a pampered girl, and she is more delicate and tender than the daughter of an ordinary family.

This kind of beating, as imposed by family law, was really too much. Not only did it cause skin and flesh damage and swelling, but the bones and membranes of both fingers were also bruised.

The Third Miss was overly frightened, and her internal heat attacked her heart, causing her qi to be weak and her blood to be dark, which was not conducive to the healing of her injuries. She also needs to be properly treated. “

After hearing this, Jia Cong’s face turned a little ugly, and there was anger in his eyes.

Zhang Youshi continued, “Fortunately, there is a secret medicine for external injuries left by my brother. I will write down the method of application and have someone apply it to Miss Three on time.

I’ll prescribe a few more doses of internal medicine to regulate your qi and blood, and there shouldn’t be any problem.

But within ten days, she had to apply medicine on both hands and rest her skin and bones. She couldn’t use her hands, and had to have maids to help her with her eating, sleeping, and dressing.

Within a month, do not strain your fingers, so as not to cause hidden diseases in the future. Remember this, remember this.”

Jia Cong quickly agreed. Zhang Youshi wrote another prescription and agreed to see Jia Cong again in three days before he got up and said goodbye.

……

After Jia Cong had Zhang Youshi sent out of the yard and waited for Yingchun and other sisters behind the screen, they went into the embroidery room to visit.

Yingchun saw that Tanchun’s face was pale, her beautiful lips were pale, and her hands were wrapped in gauze, which smelled of pungent medicine.

Her eyes were red and her expression was full of pity. She said, “Girls are not men. How could the Second Madam be so harsh?”

Shi Xiangyun felt quite aggrieved and said, “Third sister, please go to the East Courtyard less often in the future. Wouldn’t it be more comfortable to be with the sisters in the East Palace?”

She was a straightforward and loyal person. When she heard that Tanchun had good intentions and tried to stop her stepmother from doing something wrong, but was beaten for nothing, she was quite angry.

But she was a guest in the Jia family after all, so it was not easy for her to casually criticize the elders of the Jia family. Bringing this out, she already showed her extremely bold dissatisfaction.

After hearing what Xiangyun said, Tanchun’s pale face showed a slight smile. Although she didn’t say anything, her eyes showed her agreement.

Daiyu said at the side: “My second aunt is angry, but I’m afraid it’s not just because of this, and it’s not just because of what happened today.”

Among the sisters present, Xiangyun is outgoing but not meticulous. Xing Xiuyun is young and has not been in the Jia Mansion for long, so she doesn’t know much about her family’s background.

Daiyu’s words were obscure, and the two of them might not have understood them very well, but Yingchun, Baochai and Jia Cong knew everything she said.

It was nothing more than that Mrs. Wang had always been resentful and jealous of Jia Cong’s inheritance of the family business.

As the concubine’s daughter of the second wife, Tanchun is close to Jia Cong. It is inevitable that she will be disliked by her stepmother over time.

In the minds of Daiyu and Yingchun, Mrs. Wang was entertaining guests in the outer courtyard today, and it was understandable that Tanchun broke into the main hall in order to prevent the Zhen family from hiding the silver.

Mrs. Wang made such a fuss and severely punished Tanchun according to the family rules. I’m afraid she was just taking advantage of the situation to teach Tanchun a lesson for being close to Jia Cong.

But Jia Cong’s thoughts were not that simple. Mrs. Wang might have scolded Tanchun because she was jealous of Tanchun’s closeness to her.

I’m afraid there are other reasons. She might have coveted the Zhen family’s wealth…

……

Jia Cong heard from Wu’er that the maid from the Zhen family went to the West Mansion to lobby Wang Xifeng and offered her a small box of jewels worth no less than five thousand taels, which was very generous.

If Wang Xifeng really agreed to hide, I’m afraid she would get even more benefits later.

If Mrs. Wang agrees to the Zhen family’s affairs, she will naturally also get these benefits.

Jia Cong knew that the second branch of the family had lost its position as legitimate heir, and that Mrs. Wang could no longer touch the wealth of the Rongguo Mansion. All expenses of the East Courtyard had to be allocated by the public officials of the West Courtyard.

How could Mrs. Wang, who is used to holding power and has a narrow-minded and vicious character, be content to stay within her status?

Nowadays, the Second House is not as well-off as before when it inherited the mansion, so Mrs. Wang’s desire for wealth must be even stronger than before.

Perhaps she had already reached an agreement with the maid of the Zhen family on the matter of hiding the silver, but was interrupted by Tanchun’s sudden intrusion, and lost a way to make money…

But just because of this, it seems a bit far-fetched that Mrs. Wang brazenly took harsh measures against Tanchun, without any regard for Lady Jia and her own concerns for Tanchun.

Just as Yingchun, Daiyu and other sisters were talking to Tanchun, Jia Cong called Cui Mo to the corridor outside and asked about the situation.

Cui Mo said indignantly: “Our girl stopped Madam from doing what she wanted. Although Madam looked very unhappy, she didn’t punish the girl with family rules.

They were all from Liu Baozheng’s family of the Zhen family. They said a lot of nasty things and not only humiliated our girl in public.

He also used words to provoke the wife’s anger, which made things out of control and caused the girl to suffer so much.”

Jia Cong thought that if he had not arrived in time, Wang Fu-ren would have been so reckless and Tanchun would have been tortured to death.

I just heard Zhang Youshi’s diagnosis and treatment. If Tanchun’s injuries are more serious, I’m afraid her hands will be disabled.

She has skillful hands that can hold a pen and paint. If something like this really happened, how would Tanchun live in the future?

Cui Mo told Jia Cong everything that Liu Baozheng’s family had said to instigate Mrs. Wang.

After hearing Cui Mo’s words, Jia Cong was furious. He realized that the old woman from the Zhen family who came to lobby for the hidden silver was so insidious and vicious.

She failed to get her job done and instead stirred up trouble and stirred up family disputes, causing Tanchun to suffer so much. She really deserved to die!

……

At this time, there were shadows swaying at the gate of the courtyard, and Jia Cong saw Aunt Xue and her maid entering the courtyard.

Aunt Xue saw Jia Cong and asked, “Brother Cong, I heard that the girl Tan was punished by the family. Is the injury serious?”

Jia Cong said: “I have asked a doctor to check it out. The injury is not light. I need to rest for a while.”

Aunt Xue hurried into the room and smelled the pungent smell of medicinal herbs in the room. She saw Tanchun’s pale face and her hands wrapped tightly in gauze.

I couldn’t help but look at her with pity, and said, “Tan girl’s work is impeccable, so why would my sister be like this? If you have something to say, just say it.

She has raised a girl this big, yet she is still so harsh. What if she really hurts her? She is really crazy.”

Ever since Baochai was falsely accused of improper behavior by Lady Wang last time, Lady Wang also wanted to drive the Xue family out of the Rongguo Mansion, which made Aunt Xue very embarrassed for a while.

Although the two sisters seemed to be doing fine on the surface after the incident, a rift had already formed in their hearts.

The Xue family still lives in Lixiangyuan today because of Jia Cong’s willingness to keep them there, and it has nothing to do with Lady Wang.

In addition, the relationship between her daughter and Jia Cong was difficult to sort out. Jia Cong was young and successful, and Aunt Xue had already changed her mind about whether he was close or distant…

This kind of hidden inner coldness and dissatisfaction will not be revealed too much under normal circumstances, but when encountering special things, it will be revealed inadvertently.

Besides, Aunt Xue also has a daughter of her own and is a doting person on her children, otherwise how could she raise someone as lawless as Xue Pan.

The Xue family also had a concubine’s daughter in the old house in Nanjing, but she was never scolded or punished, as they also wanted to maintain a good reputation as the inner house.

Moreover, she knew very well that Jia Cong loved this cousin very much, and even the old lady liked Tanchun.

One of these two people is the head of the family, and the other is the ancestor of the two Jia family mansions.

Even if my elder sister wanted to show off her power as the legitimate mother in the inner house, she should have some scruples. Throwing a tantrum without any reason was really a stupid thing that embarrassed both the inside and the outside.

……

Baochai passed the message to Aunt Xue, and naturally the fact that Tanchun was beaten could not be concealed in the West Mansion.

Aunt Xue had just sat there for a while when there was a commotion at the gate of the courtyard. It turned out that Grandmother Jia had heard that Tanchun was punished by the family, so she came to visit her with Yuanyang and other maids.

Among Grandmother Jia’s granddaughters, Tanchun is smart and capable, and is naturally favored by Grandmother Jia.

According to the deepest feelings of closeness in Lady Jia’s heart, Tanchun is probably closer to her than Jia Cong.

Ever since Jia Cong settled in the East Palace, Jia’s mother seldom came to visit. When she heard that Tanchun was severely beaten, she hurried over.

Although the news reached Rongqing Hall, it only said that Tanchun was beaten by Mrs. Wang, but did not say why she was beaten.

But Grandmother Jia believed in her granddaughter, who was smart and clever in her daily speech and actions and had never made any mistakes.

In addition, since the eldest son Jia Cong inherited the title, the second daughter-in-law was full of dissatisfaction and did a lot of stupid things, some of which ignored the overall situation of the family, which made Grandmother Jia a little disappointed.

Therefore, before Jia’s mother entered the yard, she felt deep down that it was not Tanchun’s fault.

When he saw his granddaughter’s face was pale and she looked exhausted, like a dumpling wrapped in her little hands, he was so distressed that he burst into tears.

Although Lady Jia knew the family rules, it was common for a stepmother to discipline a concubine’s daughter. This was the family rule of the inner house, so she couldn’t find fault with it.

But he still couldn’t help but complain, saying: “Your wife is also a mess, even if the girl did something wrong, just scold her a few times.

A girl is not a boy, how can she hit him so hard? If she breaks anything, it will be difficult to marry her in the future, and I won’t allow it!” She then said to Yuanyang, “Yuanyang, ask someone to tell the madam that if the third girl does anything wrong in the future, she is not allowed to hit her so hard.

Tell me everything and let me discipline them. I have raised so many girls, how could I possibly raise them in the wrong way?”

Yuanyang quickly agreed, turned around and went out to pass on the message.

……

Aunt Xue heard the dissatisfaction in the old lady’s words and sighed in her heart. She felt that something was wrong with her sister after she moved into the East Courtyard.

Why couldn’t she understand that, with the relationship between her brother-in-law and Cong’er, even if the second branch moved to the East Courtyard, as long as they could fool everyone inside and outside, they could save face for each other.

It’s no wonder that Congge protects his brother-in-law, and the second branch can still live a peaceful life, but with less false reputation.

These empty names can neither be eaten nor used as money.

Even if all were given to the second wife, with Baoyu’s current condition, how could he compare with Cong’er? Could he afford to keep these things?
My sister obviously has an easy life, but she insists on being so stubborn.
Now that the girl Tan has been beaten, the old lady and Cong’er have been offended. It will be increasingly difficult for the second branch of the Jia family to gain influence in the future.

Aunt Xue thought all this over and thought about the current situation of the Second House. She couldn’t help but feel fortunate that the plan for a perfect match did not become a reality.

Otherwise, not to mention that the second branch of the Jia family is currently in decline, the elder sister’s stubbornness in doing things recklessly is not just pushing her daughter into a fire pit…

Grandmother Jia complained a few words and asked about the cause of the matter. Jia Cong told her why the maid from the Zhen family hid the silver. Tanchun came out to stop him and told her the whole story from beginning to end.

At first, Grandmother Jia only complained that her daughter-in-law had been too harsh and had beaten her granddaughter to the point of injury. But now, when she heard the reason, her face instantly became gloomy, and she didn’t say a word.

After everyone left, Jia Cong asked the maidservant such as Shishu to take good care of Tanchun, and sent someone to call Jiang Liu to wait in the side hall of the outer courtyard.

……

Shenjing, east of the city, Zhen family villa.

The Zhen family is a wealthy and aristocratic family in Jinling. They have acquired properties in many places. This is a common practice for wealthy families to accumulate property.

The Zhen family is a wealthy family of officials. Shenjing is the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and the old empress dowager of the Zhen family is a noble in the palace. Naturally, the Zhen family has another property in Shenjing.

This villa, which covers a large area, is the Zhen family’s home in the capital.

Last year, Zhen Fangqing and Mrs. Zhen went to Beijing to pay a visit to the old Concubine Zhen, and they also lived here.

After Yao Shouan and Liu Baozheng’s family arrived in Beijing, they could not stay in the inn because they were carrying thirteen large boxes. They had to settle in the Zhen family villa to be safe enough.

Ever since Liu Baozheng’s family ran into trouble again in the East Courtyard, the two of them have been like ants on a hot pan, at a loss as to what to do.

When they left Beijing, Zhen Yingjia and his wife asked the Jia family to hide their silver. The two times Liu Baozheng’s family entered the Jia Mansion, they were kicked out, which completely cut off their connection with the Jia family.

Liu Baozheng’s daughter was a maid who came with Madam Zhen as a dowry. She had stayed in the Zhen family for half her life and had traveled to the capital twice with Madam Zhen.

He had also followed Madam Zhen to visit some old female relatives in the capital, but these families were only casual acquaintances of the Zhen family, not as close as the Zhen family and the Jia family.

Now that the Zhen family’s access has been cut off, Liu Baozheng’s family no longer dares to act on their own and go around to these old families to collude.

After all, hiding the private money of a criminal official involves many taboos, and it is not easy to just find someone and let it become known to everyone.

After Liu Baozheng’s family left the East Courtyard, Yao Shouan discussed with her, but they really had no idea what to do, and it was not a good idea for them to just go back home.

So the two decided to bite the bullet and ask for help from the second daughter of the first wife, now the principal wife of Prince Beijing, to find a proper way to deal with the thirteen boxes of private property.

……

That morning, the two men asked a servant to deliver a letter to Prince Beijing’s palace, and waited for Princess Beijing’s reply before going to the palace with some gifts to pay a visit.

Just as the two were waiting for the servant to report the news, they suddenly heard a commotion outside, and a servant came running in with a panicked look on his face to deliver a message.

He said, “Aunt Liu, the officials from Zhen’an Prefecture have come outside. They said they received a report from someone that something unlawful has happened in the other courtyard, and they want to come and investigate.”

When Liu Baozheng’s wife heard this, she was horrified and her face turned pale. She and Yao Shouan went to Beijing to hide the silver, which was something that could not be made public.

The most taboo thing about this matter is getting involved with the government. What you fear will come true.

Yao Shouan was panicked when he heard this and asked, “Liu family, have you told them to be low-key when going in and out?

Is it that troublesome guy who caused trouble outside and brought the government officials to his house? “

Liu Baozheng’s wife said: “This will never happen. The servants and guards who came with us this time are all old servants in the family, and they are reliable people carefully selected by the madam.

Except for the two cooks who go in and out to buy rice and grain, no one else is allowed to go out at will, so how could they cause trouble outside? “

Yao Shouan was puzzled and said, “We are handling my sister’s important affairs, so we are cautious in our words and deeds, and the people below are not causing trouble.

Logically speaking, you shouldn’t offend anyone, so why would anyone report this to the authorities?”

……

The two were feeling confused and uncertain when they suddenly heard a loud noise outside, followed by a commotion in the yard, and another servant came in with a terrified look on his face.

He said, “Second Master Yao, Aunt Liu, the people from Zhen’an Prefecture have broken open the door and rushed in. Tell the person in charge here to come out and talk to the officer.”

Yao Shouan and Liu Baozheng’s faces turned pale, but they couldn’t escape anyway, so they had to bite the bullet and come out.

When the two men arrived at the yard, they saw a sea of ​​people. More than a dozen officers with swords and sticks were standing in the yard, looking at them with a fierce look.

The dozen or so family members of the Zhen family who accompanied them on this trip were gathered under the wall, all squatting there and being closely guarded by the officials.

There are strong bodyguards among the family, but this is the emperor’s capital, not the Zhen family’s Jinling City. Who dares to challenge the officials of Shenjing?

After seeing this scene, Yao Shouan and Liu Baozheng’s family felt their legs go weak.

The leader among the officials was a middle-aged man in his thirties. He was not an ordinary yamen runner. He had a kind face and seemed harmless.

Liu Baozheng’s family’s dowry was the eldest wife’s, and Master Zhen was an official. She had seen some officials moving around in her daily life, so she had some knowledge of them.

She saw that the leader was wearing a green robe embroidered with egrets. He was actually a sixth-rank official and had a prominent background.

The man said, “I am Liu Binfang, the magistrate of Zhen’an Prefecture. The prefecture received a report that you came to Beijing from a distant place, carrying many boxes of unknown origin.

His daily behavior is strange, he goes in and out of wealthy families, and I suspect he is doing something wrong, so today I came to search him to find out who is in charge. “

Yao Shouan said with a big smile on his face: “My lord, my surname is Yao, and I am the person in charge here. We came from Jinling, and we are kind people.

I came to Shenjing just to do some small business, and I have never done anything illegal. Someone must have falsely accused me. Please investigate carefully.”

Liu Binfang glanced at Yao Shouan and said, “I see that you have a pure face and look like you are living a life of luxury, without any trace of the dusty air of a traveling merchant.

If you want to deceive me, you are wrong. Since someone has reported it, Zhen’an Prefecture will deal with it seriously. Search the house and leave no place untouched!”

At Liu Binfang’s command, except for four or five officers guarding the Zhen family servants, the remaining ten or so people rushed to the houses like wolves and tigers.

Yao Shouan and Liu Baozheng’s faces turned pale instantly, and they both thought of the thirteen boxes at the same time.

But not long after, the runners who were searching the house carried out more than a dozen boxes.

One of the squad leaders said, “Master Tongpan, there is nothing unusual in the room except for the thirteen locked boxes, all of the same style. This is very suspicious.”

Liu Binfang remained calm and shouted, “Open the box and check.”

The accompanying yamen runner drew his knife and cut open the lock, and the thirteen boxes were opened one by one, and the yard was suddenly filled with dazzling light.

These dozen boxes were filled with a large number of gold and silver jewelry, jewels and jades, boxes of silver ingots, large stacks of silver bills, land deeds and other items. The quantity was astonishing.

Liu Binfang had seen some of the world, but he was still slightly shocked by the scene before him.

He sneered and said, “Your family runs such a small business, yet you carry such a huge amount of money with you, and you frequently go in and out of the homes of wealthy families, and you still say that you have done nothing wrong!”

Yao Shouan was so frightened that he was speechless. The woman in Liu Baozheng’s family was a shrewd woman, even more aggressive than Yao Shouan.

She knew very well that once these thirteen boxes of property fell into the hands of the government, even if she could return to Nanjing, she would be dead, and the lady would definitely take her life.

Now is the moment of desperate struggle. If we don’t struggle desperately, the lives of our entire family will be over.

Thinking of this, she made up her mind and said, “Sir, we are the family of Princess Beijing, and we came to Beijing to do business under the order of our master.

I am on my way to see the princess right now. A flood has washed away the Dragon King Temple. Your Excellency is an official, and we are good people.

My Lord, you have to give my prince and princess some face. If there is a misunderstanding, it will be embarrassing for both of us.”

Liu Binfang’s face straightened and he asked, “Family of Princess Beijing, are you from the Zhen family of Jinling?”

When Liu Baozheng’s wife heard that he mentioned Prince Beijing’s Palace, the official’s face changed immediately, thinking that he had scared the man.

Moreover, Liu Binfang had a kind face and seemed harmless, and he didn’t look like a cruel person at all…

She was secretly feeling proud and lucky, and said with a smile: “We are the Jinling Zhen family, and my master is the president of Jinling Tirenyuan.

Your Excellency was deceived and reported it unintentionally. As long as Your Excellency can do me a favor, my prince and princess will accept your kindness.”

Liu Binfang sneered, “So it’s the Zhen family of Jinling. They actually brought so much gold and silver into the capital. That’s right.”

He said to the captain beside him: “This woman is ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth. She is really a bad-mouthed person!”

The shop owner was a man with a fierce face. After hearing what Liu Binfang said, he smiled grimly, walked forward, and slapped the old woman twice with both hands.

Liu Baozheng’s family flew out like a broken sack and fell to the ground, with blood all over their mouth and face… (End of this chapter)