Chapter 795

Jin Ling, Xue Family Old Mansion.

Xue Baoqin and Xue Dou had followed Xue Yuan north and south since they were young; in their impression, their father was always resourceful and polite.

They rarely saw him in such a rage, perhaps because they had no chance to see it...

Xue Yuan said, "Dou'er, report this matter to the Yingtian Prefecture immediately, let the government intervene and handle it according to the law; take my calling card to visit Jia Yucun and ask him to spare some time to handle this case."

"Back then, regarding Pan'er's matter, he received many benefits from the Xue family; his official position and career were benefited by the Jia family of Rongguo; given the closeness of the Xue-Jia marriage, he must give this face."

Hearing this, Xue Dou's face changed slightly, and he said, "Father, although Cai Ronghui's behavior is hateful, he is after all an old man in the Xue family's shop."

"And he is already over forty; once this matter is reported to the government, he will be sentenced to at least ten years of exile; he has worked in the Xue family for more than twenty years; it is better to leave him some face."

"Let him make up for the deficit and expel him from the Xue family; that can be considered a punishment for him, and it will also allow the Xue family to gain a reputation for kindness."

Xue Yuan's face sank, and he said, "You are very confused; the Xue family is a great and powerful family, with many people and complex relationships; how can it be compared to an ordinary family?"

"In such a large and powerful family, governing the family is like governing the army; benevolence of a woman, with kindness but no prestige, will make people lose their fear; if this continues, disaster will surely occur!"

"Cai Ronghui is an old man of twenty years in the Xue family, but the Xue family has not treated him badly; as a shopkeeper, he has a generous salary every year."

"He still committed such a rebellious and shameless act, which is a crime on top of a crime; if everyone learns from him, the Xue family will be doomed!"

"I want to punish Cai Ronghui, not just to punish him alone; do you think Cai Ronghui is the only one doing evil among the four old shops rented out?"

"Those shops that have not been rented out, this kind of act of using public funds for private gain is definitely not in the minority."

"Severely punishing Cai Ronghui alone is killing the chicken to warn the monkey, to serve as a warning to others; if we continue to be so benevolent like a woman, those old goods will sooner or later eat the Xue family clean."

……

Xue Yuan's words were stern, teaching his son earnestly; Xue Dou's face turned red, and he lowered his head, not daring to speak.

Xue Yuan sighed, "Why was the Ningguo Jia family raided back then? It was not only because the master of Ningguo disregarded the law."

"It was also because the old servants in the house bullied others by relying on their power, and their evil deeds were numerous, ruining the blessings of Ningguo, making everyone want to get rid of them quickly."

"Jia Cong was warned by the Ningguo incident, learned from the pain, and wiped out the rebellious old servants of Rongguo, confiscating hundreds of thousands of taels of stolen silver from their homes, which is shocking."

"Only after the Rongguo Jia family cleaned up and reorganized in this way could they stabilize the family, eliminate internal troubles, and have today's glory."

"Brother Cong is a few years younger than you, yet he has such sharp means; this is the ability to govern the family and handle affairs; you should study and learn from it."

Xue Dou's face was flushed, and he bowed and said, "Son has been taught; I will handle the matter according to Father's instructions."

Xue Yuan said again, "After Cai Ronghui is brought to justice, you will pass the word to the shopkeepers of each shop of the Xue family to take it as a warning."

"If there are any deficits or irregularities in each shop, clarify them early; as long as the deficit is filled, I can let bygones be bygones."

"If I wait until I find errors in the accounts, I won't be able to care about the old face of several generations; Cai Ronghui is the example, and the Xue family will never tolerate evil!"

Xue Dou hurriedly agreed and then went out to do things.

Seeing his son's retreating figure, Xue Yuan could not help but sigh; Xue Baoqin asked from the side, "Why is Father sighing?"

Xue Yuan said, "Your brother is gentle by nature, which naturally has his benefits; he doesn't need to worry people like Pan'er."

"But your brother's temperament is only enough to guard the family, not enough to start a business; my health is not as good as before, and I am powerless to revitalize the ancestral business."

"If your brother had even half of Brother Cong's ability, he would surely be able to restore the glory of the Xue family's ancestors, and I would be able to close my eyes even if I died."

Baoqin advised, "Father, overthinking hurts the body; Brother's character is honest and kind, which is rare among the children of noble families; Father should not have too high expectations."

"That Brother Cong is only in his teens; he can lead troops to pacify the barbarians and pass the imperial examination; such a person is one in ten thousand; how can everyone compare with him?"

Xue Yuan laughed dumbly and said, "You girl, I said a few words about your brother, and you are protecting him."

"I just want your brother to learn some thoughtfulness and demeanor, not to be too pedantic in his actions, and to know how to change according to the situation."

"I naturally know that Brother Cong is not an ordinary person; he is born of a noble family, with precious blood, so it is not surprising that he is extraordinary compared to ordinary people..."

Hearing this, Baoqin smiled slightly and didn't care too much; Father really favored this Brother Cong very much and mentioned him in everything.

It is often said that one's own daughter is the best, but other people's sons are always stronger; this is truly not wrong at all.

Xue Yuan said again, "I see that in these few days, the shop matter can be handled well; when the time comes, I will personally hand over the shop with Shopkeeper Qu."

"You will write a letter to tell your cousin the details."

……

Rongguo Prefecture, Lixiang Courtyard.

Baochai was flipping through idle books in her room when the maid Ying'er brought in a large package and said, "The things the young lady wanted to purchase have all been handled by the shopkeeper."

"They were all handled according to the young lady's instructions; I brought them for the young lady to see; if there are still mistakes, there is still time to readjust."

Baochai opened the package, which contained two apricot-yellow monk robes, two strings of 108 finely crafted bodhi prayer beads, two boxes of top-grade sandalwood and musk incense, and two jars of Mingqian Longjing tea stored in the cellar this year.

Although the things were not very valuable, they had a refined Buddhist interest.

Ying'er asked, "Young lady, these are items used by monks; what kind of gift did the young lady specially prepare to send?"

Baochai smiled and said, "This is a gift for Master Abbess Xiushan and Miss Sister Miao Yu; since they borrowed the Eastern Mansion, I often go to the small courtyard on the south slope with my sisters."

"Master Abbess Xiushan is a high monk who has attained the Dao, which is admirable; Miss Sister Miao Yu is outstanding in talent and appearance, with poetic and elegant interests, a first-class beauty of the boudoir; both master and apprentice are not ordinary people."

"Moreover, she is the master and senior sister of Miss Zhi Shao; it is said that she has the grace of rebirth to Zhi Shao, and Brother Cong respects their master and apprentice very much."

"They are moving back to the Muni Courtyard outside the city on the 15th of this month; I prepared a thin gift to express my intention of seeing them off."

"I heard that Brother Cong left the small courtyard on the south slope empty, just waiting for them to have time to come and linger; with the ties of affection with Zhi Shao, they will definitely come and go often in the future."

Ying'er took an apricot-yellow monk robe to look at it and saw that the stitches were delicate, the materials were exquisite, and the craftsmanship was also very fine.

She said, "This monk robe is made very authentically; I wonder if the size is very fitting?"

Baochai smiled and said, "I paid attention to their sizes in advance, and monk robes need to be a few sizes looser, so they must all be fitting."

The master and servant were chatting when the maid Jin Chuan brought in a tea tray and said, "Young lady, you want tea; I just brewed it."

As she put the covered bowl on the case, her hand was a bit unsteady, and with an "oops," the covered bowl tilted slightly, spilling some tea on the table.

Seeing Jin Chuan's face turn pale, Baochai hurriedly took her hand to look and asked, "Why are you so careless? Did you burn your palm?"

Jin Chuan said, "I was a bit distracted just now; fortunately, I didn't get burned; I will go and brew a new cup for the young lady."

Baochai said, "Let Ying'er go; you have been absent-minded for the past two days; I was just about to ask you, what is the reason?"

……

Jin Chuan repeated the matter that Yu Chuan told her yesterday to Baochai, her pretty face full of worry.

She said, "I know this matter is very tricky; Yu Chuan is the Second Xue Yima's maid, and now she is being held in the Eastern Courtyard."

"Because of the Cong Sanye's matter last time, the Second Xue Yima has already developed a grudge against the young lady; even if I beg the young lady to save my life, it is very difficult for the young lady to reach into the Eastern Courtyard."

"If the Second Xue Yima sees the young lady intervening, according to her temperament, she will only pinch Yu Chuan even tighter."

"If she is provoked and acts willfully, insisting on Yu Chuan marrying Qin Yong, my sister will have no way to live."

"I wanted to find the young lady to come up with an idea, but I didn't dare to mention this matter to the young lady; but apart from the young lady, I don't know who else to find."

"Yesterday I heard Ying'er say that the Second Xue Yima wanted to plot the business of the Xin Chun Firm, but was rejected by the Cong Sanye, and she was very embarrassed."

"Now the Second Xue Yima must hate the Cong Sanye; even if I beg the young lady to ask the Cong Sanye for help, the Second Xue Yima will only be more ruthless when she sees the Cong Sanye coming forward."

"If she uses Yu Chuan to vent her anger because of this, wouldn't it be even worse? I didn't sleep all night last night, and I was worried to death."

Baochai said, "I said you were absent-minded all day; so it was for this reason; I have also heard of that Qin Yong; I heard he is a scoundrel."

"Last time, Xue Yima wanted to match Sheyue with him, but Sheyue refused to die; fortunately, the Second Sister wanted her later, otherwise she would have died."

"I don't know what Xue Yima is thinking; knowing what kind of person Qin Yong is, she pushes all the good maids of the second branch into this fire pit, making everyone complain."

Jin Chuan said with a bitter face, "The young lady has always had the best methods; I beg the young lady to save my sister; if she really matches her with Qin Yong, she will definitely force herself to die."

Baochai said, "You are right; this timing is really not the right time; Xue Yima wanted to get involved in the Xin Chun Firm but was rejected by Brother Cong."

"Seeing that she, as a close relative, did not succeed, while the Xue family could rent a shop to the Xin Chun Firm, she must be even more unconvinced in her heart."

"As long as I come forward to beg Xue Yima, she will definitely not give me face and will likely do more harm than good."