Chapter 60: Entering the Trap, There Is Finally Retribution

Jia Cong was suddenly called to the East Road Courtyard by Jia Mu for questioning. Lin Daiyu, Seeing Tan Chun, and Seeing Yingchun were all worried. The

Thus, they all followed Jia Cong to the East Road Courtyard; they had to know what was going on to feel at ease.

Jia Baoyu actually didn't want to get involved in Jia Cong's affairs. Jia Cong already had a reputation for being good at studying in the Jia family and had even gained his father's appreciation, which made him feel that Jia Cong was not of the same kind, so he couldn't feel much closeness.

Originally, he wanted to stay behind to find an opportunity to say a few words to Wu'er or Qingwen, but since Jia Cong had left, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to linger.

Moreover, since Cousin Lin was going to follow along to the East Road Courtyard, he had no choice but to follow as well. In the past, only Second Sister and Third Sister were close to Jia Cong; why had even Cousin Lin become so concerned about Jia Cong's affairs?

The other sisters were one thing, but Cousin Lin was the one thing in his heart; now that even she was getting involved in these vulgar affairs of Jia Cong, it made Jia Baoyu feel somewhat uncomfortable.

As the group just reached the entrance of the main hall of the East Road Courtyard, a matron came to stop them, saying that there were men from outside present, so it wasn't appropriate to let the mansion's young ladies inside; if the Old Matriarch found out, it would be a disaster.

Seeing Yingchun had spent a few years in the East Road Courtyard growing up and was familiar with the paths, so she led the sisters around the western veranda, passed through a corner gate, and arrived at the Bisha cabinet behind the main hall.

As soon as Jia Cong entered the main hall, he saw a sea of people. Everyone's gaze turned toward him, and he even recognized Liu Liu Binfang, the Judge from the Zhen'an Prefecture, among them.

Once these words were spoken, everyone in the hall was stunned, and they couldn't help but look at the young man who had just entered.

No one expected that as soon as Wang Wang Shanbao's wife saw Jia Cong, she would scream like a madwoman: "I know, it's him! It must be this bastard son who used schemes to frame me; he hates me for forcing his maid to her death!"

Jia She could use a slap to push the blame onto his own wife, but who else in the hall would she dare to implicate? No matter who she implicated, she didn't know if she would survive.

Lin Daiyu, Seeing Tan Chun, and the other sisters in the Bisha cabinet behind the screen were also startled upon hearing this.

It just so happened that Jia Cong, this soft persimmon, had walked in, and since forcing his maid to her death was also a point of contention, if she didn't implicate him, was she supposed to just sit and wait for death?

Even the Lady, who had always been her backer, was so scared that she didn't dare to say a word for her; she had been slapped by the Master in the hall and didn't even dare to make a sound.

Her whole family would surely be wiped out!

In her confusion, wanting to save her life, with her brain and temperament, what else could she think of besides implicating others?

She was inherently a dark and venomous person, and she couldn't explain why those things were written in Ma Ma Daopo's ledger.

Why did the Old Matriarch ask Third Brother Cong to come over for questioning? The Old Matriarch hadn't even opened her mouth yet, and Wang Wang Shanbao's wife had preemptively claimed that Third Brother Cong had framed her; what on earth was going on?

And the ones framed were the mansion's Second Master and Lady; where would she have the guts to do such a thing? Now, all the filth was being splashed onto her.

Although she was a woman in the inner courtyard without much insight, seeing this situation, how could she not know that this charge of witchcraft was terrifying? If she didn't clear her name, her life would truly be at an end, and she would likely die a miserable death.

When the Old Matriarch saw Jia Cong enter, her expression faltered. She had originally thought Jia Cong had caused trouble again, but it turned out to have nothing to do with him, and she felt somewhat ashamed.

Just now, seeing both Masters in a rage, even the Old Matriarch rushing over, pointing at her and cursing until she fainted in a scene of chaos, and that official from the Zhen'an Prefecture looking at her with knife-like eyes...

Wang Wang Shanbao's wife had been overbearing in the East Road Courtyard for years and had never been as miserable as she was today. For no reason, the government officials had suddenly shown up and slapped her with the crime of witchcraft and harming others.

Last time, it was this person who accompanied Zheng Zheng Yingquan, the Chief Administrator of the Office of Judicial Review, to inquire.

Wang Wang Shanbao's wife had long been driven to the brink of death by today's events. Seeing Jia Cong arrive, she actually unleashed her usual shrewish, crazy energy, shouting regardless of anything else.

Jia Cong's gaze flashed; he hadn't expected this matron to guess correctly by sheer luck, but since she had forced Hearing Zhi Shao to her death, she was doomed today!

He said with a look of astonishment: "Mother Wang, what nonsense are you spouting? When have I ever harmed you? I have been recuperating in the West Mansion during this time and haven't even been to the East Road Courtyard, so how could I have harmed you!"

Wang Wang Shanbao's wife was inherently a dark and venomous person; in order to survive, she had long since stopped caring about anything. Thinking Jia Cong was easy to bully, once she started talking, she began to ramble wildly.

"It must be that you hate me for forcing Hearing Zhi Shao to jump into the river; you... you and that horse-thief hag... colluded to frame me for using witchcraft to harm the Second Master and Second Lady."

Even Lady Wang couldn't listen to this anymore. That Ma Ma Daopo was Jia Baoyu's godmother and usually only moved between the Second Branch and the Old Matriarch's place.

She had always had no dealings with the Main Branch; Lady Xing didn't even know Ma Ma Daopo, so how could Ma Ma Daopo possibly know Jia Cong, this bastard son who had always been looked down upon in the East Road Courtyard?

It was just that no one could have imagined that while Jia Cong indeed didn't know Ma Ma Daopo, he knew where her seven-star lamp, grass dolls, paper figures, and that small ledger for witchcraft were kept.

Lady Wang could think of it, and naturally, the Old Matriarch could too. She glared at Wang Wang Shanbao's wife, whose face was covered in blood, her eyes looking as if they were about to spit fire.

This lowly woman was at death's door and was still implicating the descendants of the Jia family; she was truly abominable to the extreme, wanting to ruin the Jia family's reputation even in death.

Jia Cong shouted with a look of indignation: "This is pure nonsense; where would I know any Ma Ma Daopo?"

He then turned to bow to Jia Zheng and the Old Matriarch, asking: "I don't know what the Old Matriarch wanted to ask me by calling me over; is this Mother Wang crazy? Where have I ever harmed her?"

The Old Matriarch couldn't keep a straight face. She had originally thought he had caused trouble again and had called him over to find fault, but now she had been rebuked by him.

Jia Zheng, who was to the side, said: "Brother Cong, no need to be alarmed. It is that shrew who harmed others herself; seeing she cannot escape, she is wildly implicating others."

He then recounted the story of the government arresting Ma Ma Daopo and discovering the evidence of Wang Wang Shanbao's wife's dark deeds in her small ledger.

Jia Cong bowed deeply to the Old Matriarch with a look of indignation: "Old Matriarch, Jia Cong was born of humble origins and could barely survive in the East Road Courtyard; it was thanks to the support of the Second Master and Lady that I have today.

I think of repaying this great kindness, and it still wouldn't be enough; how could I harbor evil intentions to harm them? It is truly an absurd and vicious lie; I beg the Old Matriarch to uphold justice for Jia Cong!"

The Old Matriarch knew that although this grandson was born of a lowly mother and she had always disliked him, she was clear that this grandson was actually very clever; otherwise, how could he have gained the esteem of so many figures outside?

He had been rejected by her eldest son in the East Road Courtyard and was almost beaten to death; if it weren't for the fact that her second son liked that he could study, how could he have lived a peaceful life in the West Mansion?

Her second son was his protection and reliance in the Jia mansion; since he was a clever person, how could he be stupid enough to harm him?

It wasn't just the Old Matriarch who thought this; Lady Wang had the same thought, and Jia Zheng was even less likely to believe that Jia Cong would harm him.

At this time, the Old Matriarch had long determined that it was Wang Wang Shanbao's wife who had done the evil deeds. She was the eldest daughter-in-law's personal maid, so she naturally knew the eldest daughter-in-law's resentment toward the Second Branch, and perhaps she had even been directed by the eldest daughter-in-law to harm the Second Branch.

Although her eldest son was disappointing, the Old Matriarch was still somewhat partial to him; with such a family scandal, she would likely blame the daughter-in-law.

Just as the Old Matriarch was about to speak, Liu Liu Binfang, the Judge from the Zhen'an Prefecture, spoke first.

"In such a major case of witchcraft, casual implications cannot be taken as truth; the focus is on physical evidence. My yamen runners have already gone to search the woman's residence for corroborating evidence. If anything is found, it will be clear at a glance, and further sophistry will be useless."

Liu Liu Binfang had been watching coldly from the side for a long time and really couldn't imagine how a half-grown youth like Jia Cong could possibly be involved in this witchcraft case.

He had interrogated countless cases and was well-informed; Wang Wang Zhangshi accused Jia Cong of plotting against her, but her words were chaotic and full of holes, and she even had to think while fabricating her story.

To think that she could deceive him, a dignified Judge of the Zhen'an Prefecture, with such stupid, shrewish tricks was simply ridiculous to the extreme.

He had already determined in his heart that Wang Wang Zhangshi's guilt was certain, and he was just waiting for the yamen runners to find the physical evidence to close the case.

(End of chapter)