Chapter 244: Lady Rongguo Cannot Escape Blame

Lady Rongguo Prefecture.

Lai Da was just forty years old, and relying on his mother's closeness to the Matriarch, he had been the head steward of the Lady Rongguo Prefecture for more than ten years.

His brother, Lai Er, also relied on the Matriarch's seniority and power to sit in the position of head steward of the Ningguo Prefecture.

Although at the beginning, Zhen-daye of the East Prefecture had some complaints, the Matriarch's seniority was there, and Zhen-daye also had to listen to the Matriarch.

Among the two prefectures of Ning and Rong, the most decent and powerful servants were none other than their Lai family.

Among the younger generation of the two prefectures, such as Jia Jia Qiang, everyone had to respectfully call Lai Da "Lai-yeye" (Grandpa Lai) when they saw him.

Relying on the power and foundation of the Jia family of Ning and Rong, the Lai family had accumulated a huge amount of wealth over the years.

They even built a luxurious and extraordinary Lai mansion in Chunhe Square near Ningrong Street.

The Lai brothers managed the two prefectures of Ning and Rong, harboring private desires, scraping and carding, and all household affairs of the two prefectures appeared to be in order on the surface, but in fact, there were many loopholes.

But when it came to their own home, the two brothers managed the Lai mansion tightly, even more orderly and strictly than the Ning and Rong prefectures they managed themselves.

Among the younger generation of the Jia family in the mansion, Lai Da was only wary of the person in front of him.

That kind of neither cold nor hot, neither humble nor arrogant style made Lai Da feel uncomfortable in his heart.

In the two prefectures, it was not that no one saw the mystery.

Cannibalizing the master's family to fatten oneself.

Lai Da naturally knew about this. His brother was taken in by the Court of Judicial Review a few days ago, and the rest of the servants were likely implicated.

The meaning was nothing more than that those family foundations of the Lai family were just scraped from the Jia family, and the Jia family members came to give you gifts—this face could not be lost.

Because this Cong-Cong Sanye did not treat himself like other Jia family descendants, with polite manners, but never gave him a good look.

This Cong-Cong Sanye was completely different from Lady Lian-Bao Er Ye and Bao-Bao Er Ye, these Jia family descendants.

Aunt Lai invited the Matriarch to be a guest in her broken flower garden, and Wang Wang Xifeng once coldly said that coming to visit was fine, but there were no gifts—how obvious was the disdain in that.

Saying that the East Prefecture was being raided, and the servants of the East Prefecture were currently detained by the Embroidered Uniform Guard because they were involved in crimes.

However, Lai Da never dared to show any dissatisfaction. Being able to sit in the position of steward of the Lady Rongguo Prefecture for more than ten years, he was naturally not a fool.

He was also a famous great talent, and the things he had done in the past few years and the means he had shown made Lai Da know that this was not a master to be trifled with.

If someone like Wang Wang Xifeng, who was shrewd and ruthless and proficient in household management, could see the foundation of it.

It was said that he could enter the palace to see the Emperor every few days, and he was a person valued even by the Emperor.

Now that the Second Master asked him to take people from the West Prefecture to help clean up the aftermath, it sounded like an ordinary matter.

But today, Jia Cong suddenly came to find him, and brought the Second Master's instructions.

Lai Da smiled, Jia Cong was different from the past, and he didn't dare to offend him easily, so he asked:

"Third Master, the East Prefecture is being raided, and it needs to be cleaned up. I will take some clever little servants, why do so many people need to go?"

Originally just an illegitimate son who was disliked by his biological father and could barely survive, he had relied on the imperial examination to pass, and at ten years old, he already had an official status.

So Lai Da had always kept a respectful distance from Jia Cong, neither approaching nor offending him.

Jia Cong heard this and his face sank: "This is the Second Master's order. The East Prefecture has a large family business, what can a few little servants do?"

It was just that the people he asked him to take sounded strange; they were actually people in charge like Wu Wu Xindeng, Dai Liang, and Master Qian Hua.

"Lai-guanjia, you have a big face now. It seems the Second Master's words don't count, and he can't direct you."

"Why don't I go and report to the Matriarch and see if the Old Ancestor can direct you!"

Lai Da changed his face upon hearing this. Among the other masters in the mansion, who didn't give him a few points of face? Everything was discussed.

Only this Cong-Cong Sanye was cold-mouthed and cold-hearted, completely not playing by the rules. He just asked one more question, and he turned his face and didn't recognize anyone.

If this were reported to the Matriarch, the matter would be big.

The Second Master, although he didn't manage affairs much on weekdays, was the nominal head of the Rong Prefecture.

The Matriarch didn't like the First Master on weekdays, but she doted on the Second Master very much. If she felt that he had rejected the Second Master's face.

If the Matriarch blamed him, he couldn't afford it.

It was just taking people to clean up, not a big deal, and there was no need to make trouble.

He hurriedly apologized with a smile: "Third Master, look at what you are saying. Such a small matter doesn't need to alarm the Matriarch. Lai Da was just talking too much, I will go and call people now."

Jia Cong frowned and said: "I am waiting here. You gather the people and come with me to the East Prefecture immediately. Don't let the Second Master wait too long."

Lai Da saw Jia Cong's impatient expression, as if he was too lazy to even look at him properly. Although he was unhappy in his heart, the original suspicion also dissipated.

……

Ningguo Prefecture, Conglv Hall.

The eunuchs responsible for counting property in the palace registered all kinds of property, and then the Embroidered Uniform Guards classified and loaded paintings, antiques, treasures, and treasury silver onto carts.

Because there were eunuchs from the Zhongche Office and supervisors from the Court of Judicial Review, these usually arrogant Embroidered Uniform Guard officers didn't dare to make a fortune during the raid.

Jia Zheng watched dozens of large carts drive out of the West Corner Gate of the East Prefecture, carrying away the gold, silver, and property accumulated by the Ning Prefecture for generations, and his heart was indescribably desolate.

And the Jia clan descendants of the six branches gathered on Ningrong Street, many of whom gathered on both sides of the street, witnessing the scene of the Ningguo Prefecture being raided empty.

Among them, the descendants of the Ningguo branch were even more frustrated to the extreme.

In the past, these Ningguo branch descendants lived a dissolute life, but after all, they had the Ningguo main branch as their backing.

Every year during the four festivals and the end of the year, the Ningguo Prefecture issued generous festival gifts, whether for their own use or for sale, which was not a small amount of property, enough to keep them fed and clothed.

The Ningguo Prefecture was stripped of its title and raided, their greatest reliance was lost, and they could no longer swagger as noble descendants, and were no different from commoners.

For these Ningguo descendants who relied on the ancestors' shade and did nothing, living a dissolute life, it was no different from a bolt from the blue.

Just as they were restless, they saw Jia Cong leading a group of Lady Rongguo Prefecture servants entering the Ningguo Prefecture one after another, and many were strange.

Zhou Rui's wife in the crowd looked at Jia Cong leading the way, and there was an indescribable fear in her heart.

At that time, when Lai Da sent someone to call, Zhou Rui's wife was in Lady Wang's room, and Lady Wang just thought it was arranged by her own master, so she didn't care.

But when Zhou Rui's wife found out that the person who sent them to the East Prefecture was Jia Cong, she began to feel something was wrong, but she couldn't say what was wrong.

It wasn't until Lai Da brought more than ten old servants of Lady Rongguo into Conglv Hall that she found the atmosphere here was slightly wrong.

Apart from the Second Master of the prefecture sitting there, there were also several high officials with strange faces, and outside the hall stood a group of fierce Embroidered Uniform Guards.

And the Second Master, who was usually generous, was staring at them with a face full of anger.

Many people already felt that something was wrong. Women like Zhou Rui's wife even felt their legs go soft.

Lai Da asked tremblingly: "Master, I don't know what things need us to clean up, please give instructions."

Jia Zheng shouted angrily: "You dog slaves, the Jia family has raised you for generations, and you don't know how to repay, yet you have done such evil things!"

Jia Cong, who was on the side, said coldly to Yang Yang Hongbin: "The people involved in the case files of the Court of Judicial Review are all here, not one is missing!"

Yang Yang Hongbin shouted to a hundred-household officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard standing outside the hall: "Take them all!"

Lai Da collapsed on the ground upon hearing this, suddenly thinking of his brother's fate, and seemed to have guessed something.

He looked at Jia Cong with resentment, knowing that he had fallen into his big trap.

He had schemed for half his life in the Jia family, and finally lived a wealthy life like a master, but now it was all over.

And Shui Rong, Prince of Beijing, Guo Guo Youchang, and others who witnessed this scene looked at Jia Cong with complex eyes.

In fact, dealing with these old servants of the Lady Rongguo Prefecture was not a very difficult thing.

But these people had been slaves in the Jia family for generations and were deeply involved. If they were really to be arrested, it would be a troublesome matter.

If the news was released, it was not ruled out that these sharp-eared wicked slaves would escape in advance to avoid punishment.

Like Jia Cong, who thought of such a trick to deceive the sky in a hurry, letting these tricky old servants, not one missing, automatically send themselves to the door.

And he personally entered the West Prefecture to lure them out, lifting weight as if it were light, without revealing any flaws. Without some depth and means, it was impossible to do.

Those descendants gathered on Ningrong Street, watching the raid on the East Prefecture, were about to leave in gloom.

Suddenly, they saw a large number of Embroidered Uniform Guards rushing out of the East Prefecture, escorting more than ten men and women with dejected expressions.

Many of the onlookers recognized that one of them was the head steward of the Lady Rongguo Prefecture, Lai Da, and the others were also servants with status in Lady Rongguo.

There was an uproar in the crowd. Could it be that the Ningguo Prefecture was raided, and the Lady Rongguo Prefecture also had an incident!

The quick-witted clansmen ran to the Lady Rongguo Prefecture to inquire about the situation, and this strange scene happening before their eyes also quickly spread into the Lady Rongguo Prefecture.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 245 =====