[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber":3,"chapter-my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-60":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","My Life as a Rising Force in the Red Chamber",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2310858,4515,"Chapter 60: The Trap Has Its Due","my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-60",60,"\u003Cp>Jia Cong was suddenly summoned to the East Road Courtyard by Jia Mu for questioning; Daiyu, Tanchun, and Yingchun all grew worried, for the East Road Courtyard had always been Jia Cong’s nemesis—being called there before never boded well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So they all followed Jia Cong to the East Road Courtyard, determined to find out what was happening before they could feel at ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baoyu had no desire to get entangled in Jia Cong’s affairs; Jia Cong had already earned a reputation for being studious and had won his father’s favor, making Baoyu feel Jia Cong was no ordinary person, and he could not bring himself to feel close to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had originally intended to stay behind, hoping for a chance to speak a few words with that Fifth Girl or Qingwen, but since Jia Cong had left, he could not linger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Lin Meimei was going too, so he had no choice but to follow—previously, only Second Sister and Third Sister had been close to Jia Cong; why had Lin Meimei suddenly taken such interest in his affairs?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other sisters were no concern, but Lin Meimei was his one true preoccupation—now that even she was meddling in Jia Cong’s mundane affairs, Baoyu felt a pang of unease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as the group reached the main hall’s entrance of the East Road Courtyard, an old maid stepped forward to block them, saying there were outside men present inside and that the young ladies of the household could not enter—should the old lady find out, it would be disastrous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yingchun, who had spent several years growing up in the East Road Courtyard and knew the layout well, led the sisters around the western corridor, passed through a side gate, and arrived at the green gauze alcove behind the main hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as Jia Cong entered the main hall, he saw a crowd of people—all eyes turned toward him, among them the magistrate of Zhen’an Prefecture, Liu Bin, whom he recognized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he spoke, everyone in the hall froze, involuntarily glancing at the young boy who had just entered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one expected that the moment Wang Shanbao’s wife saw Jia Cong, she screamed like a madwoman: “I know now—it’s him! It must be this vile bastard who plotted against me—he hates me for driving his maid to her death!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia She could slap his own wife and shift blame onto her, but who else could she dare to implicate before these people? Whoever she named, she might not live to see the outcome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daiyu, Tanchun, and the other sisters hidden behind the screen in the green gauze alcove were all startled by these words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, Jia Cong—the soft target—arrived, and since she had already forced Zhi Shuo to drown herself, that alone gave her grounds to blame him; if she didn’t drag him into this, would she just sit and wait to die?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even her usual pillar, Lady Wang, was so terrified she dared not utter a single word in her defense, and after being slapped by Master Jia right there in the hall, she dared not make a sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her entire family would surely be wiped out!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In her panic, with her wit and temperament, what else could she think of but to blame others?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was inherently a secretive, venomous woman, and she could not explain why those events were written in the witch’s ledger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why had the old lady summoned Third Brother Cong for questioning? She hadn’t even opened her mouth, yet Wang Shanbao’s wife had already accused him of harming her—what was going on here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she accused him of harming Second Master and Lady Wang—how could she possibly have dared to do such a thing? Now the filth was being dumped on her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though she was merely a woman of the inner quarters with little exposure, seeing this scene, she knew full well how terrifying the charge of witchcraft was—if she failed to clear herself, she was truly at the end of her life, and likely would not die a merciful death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Jia Mu saw Jia Cong enter, her expression faltered—she had assumed he had caused another trouble, but it had nothing to do with him; she felt a twinge of embarrassment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had just seen both Masters fly into a rage, the old lady rush in, and the accusations and fainting fit that followed—and the magistrate of Zhen’an Prefecture had stared at her with eyes like daggers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Shanbao’s wife had long been tyrannical in the East Road Courtyard, but never had she suffered such humiliation—out of nowhere, officials came knocking, slapping on her the charge of witchcraft and murder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last time, it was this woman who accompanied Zheng Yingquan, head of the Investigative Office, to question them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Shanbao’s wife had been thrown into utter panic by today’s events; seeing Jia Cong arrive, she unleashed her old spiteful, frenzied nature and blurted out everything without restraint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Cong’s eyes flashed—he hadn’t expected this old woman to guess so wildly, but since she had forced Zhi Shao to her death, today she was doomed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He exclaimed in feigned shock: “Aunt Wang, what nonsense are you spouting? When have I ever harmed you? For the past while, I’ve been recuperating in the West Courtyard—I haven’t even set foot in the East Road Courtyard, so how could I have harmed you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Shanbao’s wife was inherently secretive and venomous; desperate to survive, she now cared nothing for consequences, and seeing Jia Cong as an easy target, she seized the opening and began wildly fabricating lies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It must be because you hate me for driving Zhi Shao to drown herself—you—you conspired with that witch Ma Dao—accusing me of using witchcraft to harm Second Master and Second Lady!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Lady Wang could not bear to hear this—Ma Dao was Baoyu’s adopted spiritual mother, who only moved between the Second Branch and the old lady’s quarters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had never had dealings with the First Branch; Lady Xing didn’t even know who Ma Dao was—how could Ma Dao possibly know Jia Cong, this illegitimate son always looked down upon in the East Road Courtyard?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet no one could have imagined that while Jia Cong truly did not know Ma Dao, he knew exactly where her witchcraft tools—the Seven-Star Lamp, the straw effigies, and the little ledger—were hidden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Wang could think of it, and so could the old lady—she glared at Wang Shanbao’s wife, her face streaked with blood, her eyes blazing as if ready to spit fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This vile woman, facing death, still dares to drag down the Jia family’s descendants—she will ruin our family’s name even as she dies, truly despicable beyond words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Cong, face flushed with anger, cried out: “Utter nonsense! I have no idea who this Ma Dao is!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then turned and bowed deeply to Jia Zheng and Jia Mu: “Grandmother, why did you summon me? Is this Aunt Wang mad? When have I ever harmed her?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Mu’s face flushed with embarrassment—she had assumed he had caused another trouble, summoned him to scold him, yet now he had turned the tables on her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Zheng beside her said: “Third Brother Cong, don’t be alarmed—it is this wicked woman who harmed others herself, and now that she cannot escape blame, she is recklessly accusing others.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then recounted how the officials had arrested Ma Dao, discovered evidence of Wang Shanbao’s wife’s secret malice in her ledger, and so on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Cong, face filled with righteous indignation, bowed deeply to Jia Mu: “Grandmother, I was born lowly, barely surviving in the East Road Courtyard—only thanks to the kindness of Second Master and Lady Wang could I be where I am today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I am grateful beyond measure for their great favor—how could I possibly harbor ill will toward them? This is absurd, vile beyond words—I beg Grandmother to vindicate me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Mu knew that though this grandson’s mother was lowly and she had always disliked him, she understood he was sharp-witted—otherwise, how could so many outside figures have taken notice of him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had been despised by her eldest son, nearly beaten to death; had it not been for her second son’s fondness for his studiousness, how could he have lived peacefully in the West Courtyard?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her second son was his protection within the Jia household—he was a clever man; how could he possibly be foolish enough to harm him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only Jia Mu thought this way—Lady Wang felt the same, and Jia Zheng could never believe Jia Cong would harm him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Jia Mu had already concluded that Wang Shanbao’s wife was the guilty party—she was Lady Xing’s personal maid, and thus knew well of her resentment toward the Second Branch, perhaps even acting on Lady Xing’s orders to harm them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though her eldest son was useless, the old lady still favored him in her heart; faced with such a family scandal, she would naturally shift blame onto her daughter-in-law.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jia Mu was about to speak when the magistrate of Zhen’an Prefecture, Liu Bin, spoke first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In cases of witchcraft, baseless accusations mean nothing—only concrete evidence matters. My men have already searched this woman’s quarters for corroboration; if anything is found, the truth will be plain—no further excuses will hold.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Bin had watched silently for a long time—he simply could not imagine that such a half-grown boy as Jia Cong could have any involvement in this witchcraft case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had interrogated countless cases, seen it all—Wang Zhangshi’s accusation against Jia Cong was incoherent, riddled with holes, even requiring her to pause and fabricate her words on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To think such a foolish, vulgar woman could deceive him, a magistrate of Zhen’an Prefecture, was laughable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had already concluded Wang Zhangshi was guilty beyond doubt—only awaiting the search results to finalize the case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1647,"2026-06-20T12:19:54.434Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","d101aa3a579a51726fed6947ef3091450d91001837d15c0f86c43c366ac6f09c","my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-61","my-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-chapter-59",920,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmy-life-as-a-rising-force-in-the-red-chamber-cover.jpg"]