Chapter 490: Vines and Tendrils Lead to Collective Punishment

Da Zhou Imperial Palace, Qianyang Hall.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao sat upright behind the imperial desk, listening to the report on the case investigation from Xu Kun, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

It had only been one day and one night since Jia Lian entered the Embroidered Uniform Guard's imperial prison, yet the Guard had already obtained the desired confession. It was unclear whether the Guard was overly efficient or if Jia Lian's backbone was simply too soft.

Xu Kun bowed his head and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, after Jia Lian of the Rongguo Prefecture entered the imperial prison, he initially claimed that his travels to Datong to settle business were all under the instruction of his father, Jia She, attempting to shirk his own culpability.

After the Embroidered Uniform Guard applied a few lashes of the whip, he overturned his previous testimony and confessed without reservation to using Hongchun Furs to smuggle salt and iron, admitting to all charges."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao sneered slightly upon hearing this. Xu Kun had received his instructions beforehand, which was why he deliberately sought to prove Jia Lian's guilt; however, both monarch and subject understood this without needing to speak it aloud.

As for Jia Lian, being the heir of the Rongguo Prefecture, he was nothing more than a spineless fop. Having long ago lost the brave and fierce spirit of his noble ancestors, he crumbled after a few lashes, allowing others to do as they pleased. He was truly a useless man.

Xu Kun continued, "According to the Embroidered Uniform Guard's audit of the Hongchun Furs accounts, from the beginning of spring this year until June, they made four trips to Datong to trade in contraband.

In total, they smuggled three hundred piculs of tea, four hundred bags of sea salt totaling one thousand seven hundred catties, four hundred and thirteen iron pots of various types, and two hundred and sixty iron farming tools, netting nine thousand five hundred and twenty taels of silver."

"According to the Guard's investigation, Sun Shaozu, the third son of the hereditary Datong Regional Military Commissioner Sun Zhanying, led the smuggling of salt and iron from the south in Datong. Sun Shaozu left the Love Shenjing this July and has been missing ever since."

"The salt and iron business of Hongchun Furs halted because of this, and no new goods have been shipped out since July."

"During my interrogation of Jia Lian, he confessed to several other related matters. These involve significant implications, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard dares not act rashly without awaiting Your Majesty's judgment."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's gaze narrowed slightly, and he said, "Speak!"

Xu Kun said, "According to Jia Lian's confession, while he was clearing trade routes in Datong, he once attended a banquet with local merchants. At the table, he heard people mention that several noble families from the Love Shenjing were all engaged in the salt and iron trade in Datong."

A sharp glint flickered in Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's eyes, and he asked in a deep voice, "Which noble families?"

Xu Kun replied, "According to Jia Lian's confession, they are the families of Xie Jing, a Second-Class Baron and Mobile Corps Commander of the Capital Battalion; Qi Jianhui, a Second-Class Baron; and Qiu Liang of the Wucheng Military Commission."

"According to the Datong merchants who banqueted with Jia Lian, these three families, through their stewards and servants, began colluding with Datong merchants last year to smuggle contraband, and their profits even exceeded those of the Jia family."

"Specific quantities and inside details require further investigation."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao was so angry his face turned pale. He shouted, "These people have such audacity! Holding noble titles in Da Zhou, yet they disregard the laws of the state, smuggle contraband, and disrupt the border! Guo Lin, which noble lineages do these three come from!"

……

Since the founding of Da Zhou, there have not only been the illustrious Four Princes and Eight Dukes, but also many secondary founding nobles. While one cannot say they are as numerous as hairs on an ox, their numbers are certainly not small.

No matter how good an emperor's memory is, it is impossible to remember the lineage of every single family, which is why Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao asked this question.

But Guo Lin, as the Emperor's trusted attendant and head of the inner Zhongche Office, had to have this information at his fingertips.

Hearing Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's question, he hurriedly replied, "Xie Jing is the grandson of the Marquis of Dingcheng, Qi Jianhui is the grandson of the Marquis of Xiang Yang, and Qiu Liang is the grandson of the Marquis of Jingtian."

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao sneered, "Very well. They are all descendants of founding marquises, truly bringing shame to their ancestors. Xu Kun, I grant you the authority to investigate as you see fit. Once the guilt of these three families is confirmed, report it immediately!"

Xu Kun was invigorated and said, "I obey Your Majesty. The Embroidered Uniform Guard will surely give our all to verify this matter as quickly as possible!"

These three families were considered old-guard noble houses of the Love Shenjing. Now that their crimes were exposed and the Guard had received the Emperor's verbal decree, the life, death, honor, and disgrace of these nobles were all within his grasp.

This feeling of controlling the life and death of others in the palm of his hand always made Xu Kun's blood boil.

Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao's view of this matter was entirely different from Xu Kun's shallow desire for power; the thoughts and concerns he derived from it were far more profound.

He had not expected that the interrogation of Jia Lian would implicate three noble families in the joint smuggling of salt and iron.

Xie Jing, Qi Jianhui, and Qiu Liang—these three families had seen their status decline generation after generation; their current titles and official posts were not worth mentioning.

Perhaps it was precisely because their family fortunes were waning that they dared to take such risks, engaging in these prohibited acts in an attempt to reap exorbitant profits.

These three noble families were all at the bottom tier of the Love Shenjing's nobility, but their family histories were a microcosm of the current and future state of Da Zhou's nobility.

Jia Lian had only heard by chance at a banquet that these three noble families were overstepping the law. Were there other nobles also committing these acts, eroding the border towns to fatten themselves?

Even among the top-tier nobility like the Four Princes and Eight Dukes, besides Jia She and his son of the Rongguo Prefecture, were there others involved in smuggling salt, iron, and other contraband to the Nine Borders?

If things were as Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao suspected, then a black hole of treason against the monarch and the state had long existed within the Da Zhou nobility. If this continued, the state would surely fall into chaos! Thinking of this, Emperor Emperor Jia Zhao felt as if his heart were being scorched by flames, and he sank into anxiety and rage.

He said in a deep voice, "Xu Kun, the smuggling of salt and iron in the border regions is rampant. It not only erodes the stability of the Nine Borders but also carries the danger of aiding the enemy. I will absolutely not tolerate this."

"I have already consulted with the court officials and will issue a decree today to dismiss and investigate Datong Regional Military Commissioner Sun Zhanying, bringing him back to the Love Shenjing for interrogation. Datong Regional Commander Qian Shaoyang is suspected of covering up these illegal acts; order him to return to the Love Shenjing to report on his duties."

"You are to mobilize capable personnel from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, carry the imperial decree north, and escort Sun Zhanying, Qian Shaoyang, and the others back to the capital!"

Xu Kun felt a chill in his heart. Datong Regional Commander Qian Shaoyang was a high-ranking official guarding the Nine Borders. Once he was involved in covering up salt and iron smuggling, the Emperor was unwilling to show even the slightest leniency.

The Emperor was determined to investigate the Datong salt and iron smuggling case to the very end! As the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard stationed in the Love Shenjing, Xu Kun had eyes and ears everywhere.

In the Nine Borders, salt and iron were in short supply and were vital military supplies. In the markets of the Love Shenjing, there had always been rumors that high-ranking officials and nobles were involved in smuggling salt and iron for profit.

But these were all hearsay, without actual human or material evidence. As the head of the Guard, Xu Kun naturally knew that anyone who dared to dabble in the salt and iron trade was someone of significant power in the court and the public.

Without necessity, even as the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, with his high position and great power, he was unwilling to easily stir up this muddy water.

He truly had not expected that the confession from that spineless man of the Rongguo Prefecture in the imperial prison would ignite the Emperor's wrath and murderous intent, leading to a decision to tear open the dark curtain of the Datong salt and iron trade.

Xu Kun could already foresee that once Sun Zhanying was escorted back to the capital, along with that Regional Commander ordered back to report,

under the cruel torture of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the vines would be pulled and the roots unearthed, leading to widespread implications. He did not know how many powerful figures in the court and the public would face impending disaster.

……

Count's Prefecture, Yingchun's courtyard.

Ever since Jia Lian was taken in for questioning by the Embroidered Uniform Guard a few days ago, it had caused a huge uproar in the Jia family's Western Prefecture.

After Shi Xiangyun entered the Eastern Prefecture, she shared what she had seen and heard at Rongqing Hall that day with sisters like Yingchun, Daiyu, and Seeing Tan Chun, which also caused a wave of fear and worry.

But as a few days passed, aside from Jia Lian entering the Embroidered Uniform Guard's imperial prison, no other changes had occurred in the two prefectures.

Although Jia Mu, Jia Zheng, and others still harbored hidden worries in their hearts, they also breathed a sigh of relief; at least the matter had not spread or festered further.

Compared to the anxious atmosphere of the Western Prefecture, the Eastern Prefecture remained calm.

After Jia Cong returned from the Western Prefecture that day, he showed no abnormalities, and his daily studies and lessons remained as usual.

Regarding the arrest of Jia Lian in the Western Prefecture, all he could do for now was wait and see, only having Jiang Liu go out every other day to inquire about the situation outside.

Jia Cong's indifference also caused the original worries of sisters like Yingchun, Daiyu, and Seeing Tan Chun to gradually fade, infected by his calm demeanor.

As for Shi Xiangyun, she was the most carefree and had an inexplicable admiration for Jia Cong. Seeing that her "Third Brother" was indifferent and acting as if nothing had happened, she figured the matter wasn't life-threatening and had long since set aside her worries to play and find amusement.

This day, after Jia Cong finished his morning lessons and had lunch in his courtyard, he went to Yingchun's courtyard to sit and relax.

Before long, sisters like Daiyu and Seeing Tan Chun also came over. Jia Cong and Yingchun set up a chessboard in the room. Aside from Xing Xiuyan sitting to one side watching the game, the other sisters went into the courtyard to chat.

Whenever they had free time over the years, Jia Cong would find Yingchun for a game. Originally, it was just to keep this sister company and relieve her boredom, but over time, he developed a habit for chess.

However, while Jia Cong had no small talent for reading and writing, his chess skill was slightly inferior to Yingchun's. He had always lost more than he won. Perhaps the worse one is, the more one loves to play; he was tireless when it came to playing chess with Yingchun.

But today's situation seemed somewhat different. The two had played less than a hundred moves when Yingchun's edge and abdominal territory were occupied by Jia Cong, who ate up a large chunk.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Second Sister, what's wrong today? You're distracted, and your chess moves are all over the place, letting me take such a big advantage."

Yingchun lost a move but didn't care at all, saying, "This morning I went to the Western Prefecture to see Grandmother and Sister Feng. Although Grandmother's spirit is worse than usual, she looks fine."

"She has been going in and out of Baoyu's room all day these past few days, just hoping Baoyu will recover from his injuries quickly."

Jia Cong sneered slightly in his heart upon hearing this. Grandmother knew that her eldest grandson was already hopeless, so she was simply placing all her hopes on Baoyu of the Second Branch.

Yingchun continued, "But Sister Feng is not doing well. She has been ill for several days, taking medicine constantly, but hasn't improved much. Grandmother and Lady are preoccupied with Baoyu's injuries, so they only invited a physician to treat her."

"The physician said Second Sister-in-law is overly worried, her blood and energy are exhausted, and taking medicine only treats the symptoms. With such heavy burdens on her mind, she will recover slowly."

……

Jia Cong sighed slightly upon hearing this and said, "It's no wonder Second Sister-in-law can't let go. Once Second Brother had an accident, that branch of hers lost all hope, and Second Sister-in-law is a strong-willed person."

Yingchun frowned slightly and said with some worry, "When I came out of Second Sister-in-law's courtyard, I happened to hear some old women in the prefecture discussing that Second Brother going to Datong to smuggle salt and iron was under the instruction of the Great Master."

"Third Brother, I have always known Second Brother's temperament. He fears the Great Master the most. If it weren't for the Great Master's instruction, he likely wouldn't have run so far to cause trouble. He would have been too busy drinking and listening to operas every day."

"I heard others say that the Embroidered Uniform Guard's imperial prison is no place for humans. The cruel tortures inside are unbearable. Second Brother is a young master who has never suffered, how could he withstand that? He must have confessed everything. I heard that smuggling salt and iron to the border is akin to treason, a very great crime. If the Great Master is found guilty, you, as his son, will surely be implicated."

Xing Xiuyan, who was to the side, heard Yingchun's words, and her pretty face turned slightly pale. Her bright eyes looked at Jia Cong with worry.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "I was wondering why Second Sister's chess moves were so messy today; it turns out it was because you heard these things. Second Sister, you don't need to worry about this anymore."

"I have a plan in mind. Second Brother's matter this time will not implicate the Great Master on the surface, and it will absolutely not implicate me. The Western Prefecture might suffer some turmoil, but the Eastern Prefecture will surely be safe and sound."

Yingchun's expression relaxed, and she said happily, "That would be best. You made me worry for nothing for half a day."

Jia Cong saw that Yingchun didn't ask why after hearing his words, seemingly believing him without reason, which was somewhat blindly superstitious.

But the situation on the chessboard turned abruptly. Yingchun's chess style changed, no longer as careless and loose as before. After only a few moves, she counter-killed one of Jia Cong's pieces.

Xing Xiuyan, who was to the side, saw Jia Cong's confidence and Yingchun's relief, and her own heart settled down. She even smiled and poured a cup of tea for Jia Cong.

Jia Cong was racking his brains to turn the tide on the chessboard when he suddenly heard the voice of Xiu Ju outside: "Sister Ping'er, why are you here?"

Jia Cong heard Ping'er's crisp voice: "I have something to discuss with your Cong Sanye. I went to his courtyard, and Qingwen said he was here with Second Young Lady."

Xiu Ju said, "Cong Sanye is playing chess with our Young Lady in the inner room. Sister Ping'er, please come in."

In the room, Jia Cong heard the voice outside and stopped his chess piece, just in time to see Ping'er enter the inner room.

Her raven-black hair was braided behind her head. She wore an emerald-green embroidered long vest with a white cross-collar jacket, a beige long skirt, and a water-green sweat towel tied at her waist, looking very pretty and sharp.

Seeing Jia Cong, she couldn't help but blush, her heartbeat quickening as she said, "Our Grandmother received news about Bao Er Ye outside and invites Cong Sanye over to discuss matters."

Jia Cong was stunned for a moment and said, "I also sent someone to wait for news outside, but haven't seen a report yet. Second Sister-in-law is better informed than I am. Let's go over now."

Ping'er hurriedly agreed and followed behind Jia Cong out of the room. Yingchun saw Ping'er's back, and those snow-white earlobes were bright red.

Yingchun felt a bit strange in her heart. What is going on with Ping'er? Why is she blushing so much when seeing Third Brother? Even her earlobes are red. She has never been like this when seeing Third Brother before. What is she up to?

……

Count's Prefecture, back garden.

Jia Cong led Ping'er toward the corridor connecting the two prefectures.

Jia Cong was tall with long legs and a light, steady gait. He reached the front after a few steps and, discovering Ping'er was no longer by his side, stopped to wait for her.

Once Ping'er caught up, the two walked side by side.

Ever since Jia Cong moved to the Qingzhi Studio in the Western Prefecture, whenever Wang Xifeng had something to discuss with him, Ping'er would come to pass the message. Over the past few years, the two had become very familiar and would chat for a few sentences whenever they met.

But those sharp words from Wang Xifeng that day had added a layer of indescribable, faint awkwardness between two people who were usually very familiar.

Fortunately, this strange feeling wasn't particularly uncomfortable. To Jia Cong, the pretty and lovely Ping'er was not the shrewd and sharp Wang Xifeng, and she was still someone he was very willing to be close to.

Ping'er saw Jia Cong deliberately slow his pace, walking unhurriedly by her side, and a kind of indescribable sweetness and intoxication arose in her heart.

In the past, she and Jia Cong had often passed messages in the prefecture. Although she had developed some feelings, she didn't dare take them seriously in her heart.

In Ping'er's eyes and heart, Jia Cong was a young master of the prefecture, the Count of the Eastern Prefecture, and a top figure in the Jia family's two prefectures. She was just a dowry maid of the Second Branch, and Jia Cong seemed to have some distance from her.

But today, walking by his side, the alienation of the past seemed to have melted away, even though the two hadn't said a word.

Ping'er thought of Wang Xifeng's words that day, and it was the first time she felt that she could be so close to him…….

The two passed through the small door connecting the two prefectures and headed toward Wang Xifeng's small courtyard.

Along the way, Jia Cong was thinking about what news Wang Xifeng had received about Jia Lian, while Ping'er followed by his side, feeling as if she were walking on cotton, her heart in a daze.

……

The two entered Fengjie's courtyard and then the outer room of the main house. Jia Cong saw Wang Xifeng leaning on the kang, her complexion slightly yellow, her expression weary, with a plum-blossom plaster on her temple.

Seeing Jia Cong and Ping'er enter, Wang Xifeng hurriedly sat up straight and said, "Third Brother is here. Sit down quickly. Ping'er, go pour some tea."

"I invited Third Brother here today because I received news about your Second Brother. At noon today, he was escorted out of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's office and has been taken to the Dali Temple for detention."

Jia Cong was somewhat surprised and said, "I also sent people to keep an eye outside, but I didn't expect my news to be less informed than Second Sister-in-law's."

Ping'er brought the tea in and said casually, "Grandmother had Wang'er rent a house across from the Embroidered Uniform Guard's office, and had Wang'er take two young servants to stay there day and night, which is how we got the news."

Jia Cong said, "Second Sister-in-law is truly thoughtful. I can't exert any influence on the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but I have acquaintances at the Dali Temple. I will try to find out news as soon as possible, so we can have a plan once we get the results."

Wang Xifeng felt a joy in her heart and said, "Then I will have to trouble Third Brother."

After Jia Cong finished speaking, he stood up to leave, but suddenly thought of something and said, "Second Sister-in-law, Second Brother is the heir of the Rongguo Prefecture. Now that he is imprisoned, it must be the talk of the Love Shenjing."

"I don't know how many eyes are watching our family right now. The world is fickle, and they say when a wall falls, everyone pushes. Second Brother's life is uncertain, so at this juncture, the family must not let anyone find new leverage."

"Once more trouble arises, I fear it will only add frost to the snow and truly cost Second Brother his life."

Wang Xifeng heard this, and fear appeared on her face. She hurriedly said, "Third Brother is a man of insight, unlike us women who don't know how many dangers there are. If Third Brother has anything to say, please speak freely."

Jia Cong replied, "Some things don't concern me, and I shouldn't have said these things, but now is a critical juncture, so I must tell Second Sister-in-law."

"In previous years, I heard rumors in the prefecture that Second Sister-in-law has been taking idle silver to lend out for high-interest loans."

Wang Xifeng's face changed drastically upon hearing this. Only Ping'er and Wang'er's wife knew about her lending money for high interest. Not to mention Grandmother and Lady, who were completely unaware, even Jia Lian was kept in the dark.

Could Third Brother Cong be a ghost? How did he know about such a private matter?

Wang Xifeng immediately looked at Ping'er. She thought that because she wanted to give Ping'er to Jia Cong, the girl had developed feelings and had privately told Jia Cong.

Ping'er saw Wang Xifeng's gaze and knew what she was thinking. Her expression changed slightly, and she shook her head anxiously at her.

As soon as Wang Xifeng saw Ping'er's expression, she immediately believed that Ping'er hadn't leaked the news. Ping'er had been by her side since she was a child, so she still had that much trust.

……

Jia Cong saw their expressions and knew what they meant. He said, "No one in the prefecture told me this. Although Second Sister-in-law's matter is secret, many people outside know about it."

"As long as one pays a little attention, it cannot be hidden. The government strictly forbids high-interest loans. Although many great noble families do it, the interest is too high, and it often ruins families, which is truly harmful to one's virtue."

"Now Second Brother is involved in the serious crime of smuggling salt and iron. Not only is he in trouble, but the entire Rongguo Prefecture will be implicated. At such a life-threatening juncture, if someone finds leverage about high-interest loans,"

"with multiple crimes combined, I fear Second Brother's matter will become even more unmanageable."

Wang Xifeng's face turned pale after hearing Jia Cong's words. She was a shrewd calculator, always loving wealth and power.

She had the Jia family of Rongguo as her backing, and high-interest loans were a business with a hundredfold profit, making money easily and quickly.

Many noble families in the Love Shenjing were doing this in secret. How could someone as bold as Wang Xifeng let such a thing pass?

Although Ping'er had privately advised her a few times, she didn't take it to heart. Over the past few years, she had withdrawn silver from the public funds as capital and had made a lot of money.

Now, hearing Jia Cong's words, a layer of cold sweat broke out on her back. In the past, when the Great Master of the prefecture was in power, even if others knew she was lending money for high interest, they wouldn't dare to make things difficult for her.

But in the current situation, when a wall falls, everyone pushes, and everyone tramples on the mud. Once someone makes a move, she will be completely defeated.

Wang Xifeng hurriedly said, "Third Brother's words are reasonable. I will have someone collect the capital as soon as possible today. I don't want a single cent of interest."

Jia Cong said, "That is exactly what should be done. Even if you lose some capital, the sooner this matter is ended, the better."

After Jia Cong left, Wang Xifeng said to Ping'er, "Go tell Wang'er's wife that the money we have outside should be collected as soon as possible. Don't keep an eye on the interest; just collect the capital."

"And you must collect the contracts. Even if you lose some capital, it doesn't matter. Anyway, we've already made a lot before. Just end it as soon as possible."

"In addition, drop the two lawsuits we were asked to handle. Return all the gifts received, have the other party write a receipt, and just say we are powerless."

"Third Brother Cong is a man of the government after all. At such a life-threatening juncture, he sees things more clearly than us women. As long as we can save Bao Er Ye's life, nothing else is important."

Ping'er looked happy: "What Cong Sanye said is reasonable, and Grandmother is also insightful. These things were risky to begin with, and we should have done this long ago. If our family cuts expenses, we won't be short of that little silver."

Wang Xifeng smiled bitterly: "You dead girl, you speak lightly. I can save some, but can I save on Grandmother, Lady, and Baoyu? But I can't worry about that much now."

Wang Xifeng suddenly realized something and sneered: "You little hoof, you haven't even followed Third Brother yet, and you're already helping him speak! I've raised you for nothing all these years!" (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 491 =====