hotmtlnovel Chapter 544: Hitting the wall
Chapter 544: Hitting the wall
Chapter 544: Hitting the wall
┗|｀O′|┛哦~~
The report coming from outside the door made Daiyu's hand tremble as she was feeding him, and the wooden spoon just happened to poke Jia Cong's nose.
Jia Cong didn't care how much ice cream Brother Nose had eaten, and quickly asked someone to come in and ask him carefully.
"Uncle Eleven, what's going on? Why did Brother Bao and Brother Rong's wife come to be known? Are these people dying?"
To be honest, Jia Cong is not afraid of the rumors about who Baoyu is with.
The only special case is Brother Rong’s wife. If things go wrong, many people will be killed in the capital.
Do you really think that the old saint is too old to lift a knife?
The former crown prince and the old Prince Yi Zhong are the old man’s taboos. Anyone who touches them will die!
As for Rong Ge's wife, she carries almost all of the old man and the Emperor's thoughts and feelings for the late prince. No one should spread rumors by blaming this lady.
"Really... Uncle Eleven, quickly arrange for someone to investigate who started it. If you let Brother Bao... Forget it, let's go home quickly. If this matter is not handled well, our family will be implicated."
As they were talking, someone else arrived at the door.
The old lady had also received the news and asked Jia Cong and Daiyu to return home as soon as possible.
The two had originally agreed to go out and relax, but in less than half a day they returned to Rong Xi Tang.
The old lady's face looked very bad, and Jia Cong could even feel a strong murderous aura from her at this moment.
Sure enough, as long as Baoyu is involved, the kind-hearted old lady of Rongguo Mansion will immediately turn back into the "god of death" former Lady Rongguo, the one who can lead a group of personal soldiers to guard the rear.
"Your father has been summoned to the Dragon Head Palace by the Saint, and your second uncle is useless... Brother Cong, gather all the family soldiers, find out who spread these rumors, arrest them all, and even better, chop off a few to make an example of them!"
hiss……
"Grandma, we can't do this..."
It’s not that Jia Cong has become a saint again. He really remembered the lesson when Master Jing punished him to kneel in the ancestral hall.
He just understood better that killing would not stop the rumors.
"Don't worry about this, grandson has already made up his mind. The reason why rumors are rumors is that they cannot withstand scrutiny. Therefore, this matter cannot be suppressed by force alone. It is better to follow the clues and dig out the source once and for all."
Jia Cong did not say specifically what to do, because if this matter was to be accomplished, it would depend on the opinion of the old saint of the Dragon Head Palace.
Before returning home, Jia Cong had not yet made up his mind. However, the old sage suddenly summoned Master She to the palace, which clearly showed that something was wrong.
At this time, I guess everyone with ulterior motives is keeping a close eye on the Rongguo Mansion.
I wonder if the old saint will give these people a surprise?
After hearing what Jia Cong said, the old lady's originally nervous and angry mood eased a lot.
This rumor is really terrifying. Others may not know the identity of Rong Ge’s wife, but doesn’t she know it?
When the former crown prince passed away, the old sage got angry at so many people, and many of them were innocently implicated, but few people in the court dared to say a word about it.
Nowadays, in the capital, only Rong's wife has a gentle temperament, excellent character and talent. The old saint and the emperor have placed their feelings for the late prince on this orphan who cannot be made public.
These people are really crazy, using the orphan of the former crown prince as an excuse to attack him...
Yes, not many families know about Rong Ge’s wife. Even if they are the enemies of the Jia family, they would not risk their heads to bear the knife of the old saint.
In all likelihood, these fools were being used by others, who wanted to use Rong Ge's wife's identity to ruin Baoyu's reputation and future.
"Since you already know the truth, I won't add anything more. Brother Cong, you know the identity of Brother Rong's wife, and you also know her specialness. Your second brother Bao relies on his pen to make a living, and his reputation cannot be ruined by this matter..."
The old lady saw Qin Keqing walking quickly towards her from afar through the open window.
She lowered her voice and warned, "I'm afraid that because of this matter, the Saint and His Majesty will dislike your precious second brother. You are the only one in the family who still enjoys the emperor's favor. You should pay more attention to your precious second brother."
In the past two years, the old lady had rarely had to worry about the big or small matters in the Rongguo Mansion, and she lived an easy life. Suddenly, when she encountered something that could affect Baoyu's future and even his life, she felt helpless.
She called Jia Cong back home as soon as possible because her intuition told her that the family affairs depended on this grandson whom she had looked down upon in her early years.
Jia Cong's wrist was tightly grasped by the old lady. He held the old lady's hand in return, helped her sit down, and said in a gentle voice: "Before going home, grandson and grandmother would be as worried as each other, worried that this matter would implicate Second Brother Bao. But now... since the saint has summoned my father to the palace, nine out of ten times, he has other considerations. Second Brother Bao will be fine, and maybe he can take this opportunity to make further progress."
……
A few months ago, Jia Rong and Jia Qiang had followed the Western Expedition Army to the Western Regions.
In the Ningguo Mansion today, Master Jing does not take charge of much of the affairs, and external affairs are basically handled by Jia She. The person in charge of the inner house is naturally Qin Keqing, the Madam Rong.
Rumors suddenly spread outside today. Qin Keqing smelled a conspiracy as soon as she heard it. She immediately sent someone to the clan school to report to the old master, and then rushed to the Rongguo Mansion without stopping.
"Grandfather, our family must not let anyone die in this matter, otherwise our reputation will be further tarnished..."
As soon as she entered the house, Qin Keqing anxiously persuaded the old lady not to move the knife, for fear that if she arrived a step too late, the personal soldiers in the mansion would have already gone out with knives and killed people.
The old lady who was furious and killing everyone did not appear as she had imagined. Instead, she looked relieved and smiled and waved at her gently.
"Girl, come to me..."
The old lady likes Qin Keqing not only because her special identity can bring tangible benefits to the Jia family.
What's more, Qin Keqing was pretty and gentle in character. It could be said that she really touched the old lady's heart.
Qin Keqing walked up to the old lady in confusion and was about to kneel down to greet her, but she grabbed her hand.
"Don't worry, the men in the family will handle this matter. We grandparents and grandchildren can just enjoy ourselves at home and don't have to pay attention to the disturbances outside."
It seemed that the old lady's steady demeanor put Qin Keqing at ease, and the anxiety she had felt when she first entered the room immediately dissipated a lot.
Qin Keqing let out a long sigh and replied, "Grandfather, you don't know that my grandson's wife was almost frightened to death..."
clap clap...
The old lady patted the back of Qin Keqing's hand twice, scolded with a smile: "Don't dare to say the word death, it's unlucky! I have already told Cong about this matter, he will take care of it. You don't have to pay attention to those dirty words outside. What is true cannot be false, and what is false cannot be true. I don't believe that after a beating, those bad-mouthed people will dare to say nonsense again."
Qin Keqing then noticed Jia Cong sitting nearby. She came in in a hurry and didn't even have time to greet the younger "elders" who were younger than her but of higher seniority.
"My niece pays respects to my uncle, my aunt, and my aunt Bao Er..."
"Alright, alright, Rong's wife, why are there so many rules and etiquette? Come and sit down and take a rest. You are sweating all over... Sister Yuanyang, quickly bring Rong's wife a bowl of ice jam to cool her down."
Xiangyun pulled Qin Keqing to sit next to her and asked Yuanyang to get some ice jam.
The old lady felt relieved when she saw that Xiangyun did not distance herself from Qin Keqing because of the rumors. Yun girl has a heartless personality, which is good!
Jia Cong did not tell Qin Keqing specifically what he was going to do, but he still said a few words to comfort her, basically saying that the matter would not be a big deal and asked her to rest assured.
The atmosphere in Rongxi Hall gradually warmed up. With Daiyu, Xiangyun and Qin Keqing chatting with them, the old lady's mentality became calm. She even talked about whether she should perform opera at home for a few days during the Mid-Autumn Festival...
While they were chatting and laughing, Master She, who had been summoned to the palace by the saint, came back.
Sure enough, the old saint was extremely angry at those who attacked his granddaughter, and he wished he could skin them alive, stuff them with straw, and hang them on the city gate tower to dry.
But in the end, under the persuasion of Crown Prince Liu Hong, he temporarily calmed his anger, summoned Jia She into the palace, and told him to wait and see what happened and not to act rashly.
Because His Majesty the Emperor wants to use this incident to teach these people who do not know how to be reverent a lesson that will last a long time.
"The palace is already drafting an imperial edict. Before evening, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will personally bring people to deliver the imperial edict. Rong Ge's wife, you should hurry back and have someone prepare the incense table for receiving the imperial edict. Tomorrow, we have to go to the Imperial Mausoleum in the west of Beijing with people from the Ministry of Rites and the Zongzheng Temple. Then... Yun girl, you should accompany Rong Ge's wife to burn incense for the Crown Prince... and for old Prince Yi Zhong!"
……
Who would have thought that the rumors not only did not cause any losses to the Ningrong Jia family, but instead resulted in them gaining an additional royal princess.
That’s right, under the old saint’s thundering wrath, the old man asked the Zongzheng Temple to recognize Qin Keqing’s identity as the daughter of the late crown prince.
According to the rules, even if Qin Keqing was recorded in the royal jade book, she would only be given the title of a princess.
However, the special status of the late former prince in the hearts of the two saints cannot be overstated. The late former prince is the white moonlight in the hearts of the two saints, and he is perfect no matter how you look at him.
In addition, the emperor always thought that his elder brother was good in every way, and Qin Keqing was just a girl, so...
"How can the royal blood be left outside? Today, I, following the order of my father, confer the title of Princess Qinghe on Liu Keqing, the daughter of the late Prince Yi Zhong, with a fief of 300 households... Confer the title of the Duke of Ningguo as the Duke of Fu Ma Du Wei... and grant his son the title of the Duke of Qi Du Wei..."
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince personally led people to announce the decree, and even Qin Keqing's son was given a conferral title. It can be said that this royal decree was like dropping a bomb on the capital, which made those petty people's hearts almost jump out of their throats.
"What on earth have I done? I actually used my own nine clans to spread rumors about the daughter of the late crown prince!"
In Daxia, you can directly criticize the emperor, but you must never touch the former crown prince. This is something that everyone knows.
Qin Keqing's identity was exposed by the royal family. The people who spread the rumors were completely dumbfounded, and the misled people also shut their mouths and dared not take this matter as after-dinner gossip.
Liu Hong glanced from afar at the stranger who was blocked on Ningrong Street by the big Han general and sneered.
As he turned around, he regained his gentle smile and personally stepped forward to help Qin Keqing up.
"Sister Qinghe, I'm sorry for having wronged you over the years."
Qin Keqing knelt down to return the greeting, and said gracefully, "Your Highness, you are joking. I have never felt wronged. My adoptive father has been very good to me, and the Jia family has been very good to me!"
This is Qin Keqing's wisdom and character. She was fine in the Qin family over the years, but she suffered a lot of shock and grievances in Ningguo Mansion because of the bastard Jia Zhen.
But today, facing the prince, she would not complain.
She will never forget the grievances and shocks, but during these years in the Jia family, she was happy most of the time.
For example, the old lady treated her better than her grandson's wife.
She must not be ungrateful!
"Your Highness, please come in and rest. I have already ordered people to prepare wine and food. It won't be too late to have dinner before returning to the palace."
Jia Jing didn't just want to invite the prince for a drink, there were some things he needed to discuss with Liu Hong.
Anyway, even if the palace gates are locked, the prince will not be kept out.
Liu Hong nodded and asked the people from the Zongzheng Temple and the Ministry of Rites to move the rewards from the two saints into the Ningguo Mansion. He then came to the main hall of the Ningguo Mansion accompanied by Jia Jing, Jia She, Jia Zheng and Jia Cong.
Qin Keqing is now a royal princess, and accompanied by Daiyu, the prince's sworn sister, they all sat in the main hall and talked about the imperial edict that had suddenly arrived today.
"Sister Qinghe could have lived a comfortable life, but now she is forced to be involved in court disputes, which makes Grandfather the Emperor very angry."
Jia Jing shook his head: "She is in the capital, and she is the future wife of my Jia family. How can she escape the disputes in the court? I also ask Your Highness to reply to the saint on behalf of this old minister. It was the Jia family that failed to protect the princess, and she suffered injustice..."
"Grandfather, your granddaughter-in-law doesn't feel wronged..."
Before Qin Keqing could finish her words, Jia Jing waved his hand to stop her.
"The Lord entrusted you to your adoptive father and me. As a subject, I cannot fulfill the Lord's last wish, nor can I protect his descendants. It is my incompetence."
To a certain extent, Jia Jing is an extremely rigid person. He has always adhered to the principles of loyalty and filial piety. When Jia Zhen almost did something ridiculous, he already felt guilty.
Something like this happened again today, and he felt so embarrassed.
Fortunately, the two saints took action and, at the risk of damaging the royal family's reputation, acknowledged Qin Keqing's identity as the illegitimate daughter of the late crown prince.
"Please tell me how His Majesty intends to deal with this matter so that I, this old minister, can prepare myself."
Everyone's eyes were focused on Liu Hong, but Liu Hong was looking at Jia Zheng standing beside him.
"This matter still has to fall on Zheng Gong..."
what?
Jia Zheng was quite surprised. He was just a reader of "Spring and Autumn Annals". How could it be his turn to deal with such a big matter?
Liu Hong explained, "Mr. Zheng is the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, one of the three chief officials. Now someone is openly slandering the royal princess, and my father has sent a decree to the cabinet, asking the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, and the Supreme Court to hold a joint trial and investigate the matter. My father means that it must be dealt with strictly according to the law! Mr. Zheng might as well dig deeper and dig out all the masterminds behind these gossipers. This can not only clear up the rumors, but also clear Jia Daizhao's grievances, killing two birds with one stone!"
Is there such a good thing?
Jia Cong almost clapped his hands.
The Emperor is indeed a cunning old man... uh, indeed a shrewd and scheming man.
What rumors fear most is not bloody suppression, but exposing the rumors completely to the sun and investigating them thoroughly from beginning to end.
Among the chief officers of the three divisions, which one of them is not a tough nut to crack?
Those rats hiding in the gutter and doing despicable things have really hit a wall this time!
Monthly ticket recommendation ticket
I’ll stop here tonight and continue tomorrow. Good night!
(End of this chapter)