Chapter 113

She had been worrying, even before Jia Jing returned to the mansion, that once he came back he would launch a severe attack on the mansion's servants and punish them.

But after waiting left and right for months with no sign, we thought the matter had passed, only to have it raised again at this time!

Feng Jie (Phoenix Sister)

"Did Jia Jing hear any gossip out there?"

Not only Jia Mu, but at this moment the Lady Wang, Mrs. Xing, Feng Jie, and others such as Lady You also looked toward Jia Jing with varied expressions.

Lady Wang's face was clouded with gloom, not knowing to whom the illegitimate son's accusations of embezzlement, perversion of the law, and exploiting seniority referred.

It should be known that, aside from the Lai family, most of the mansion's servants belong to her, the lady of the house.

Having already ruined Wu Xindeng, Shan Dalang and several others, it already broke her heart; could she still involve more people?

Zhou Rui (Auspicious)

"A few days ago I received a report from a clan member that the eight thousand taels of silver I allocated for building the clan academy and the Jisheng Hall were tampered with, with three thousand taels embezzled."

"I then ordered an investigation of the mansion's servants to see who was bold enough to even embezzle a lord's silver."

"The result was a long list; the mansion's foundation had long rotted! From top to bottom, the more we investigated, the more problems we found."

"Take the Lai family, for example: Lai Da and Lai Sheng, as the chief overseers of the second Rong Ning mansion, handled all the mansion's projects, procurements, and related affairs."

"Over the years they have been skimming, embezzling tens of thousands of taels of silver from the mansion; compared with Wu Xindeng and others, his family is merely a minor thief compared to a major one."

"The Lai family's servants bully their masters, harming the public and enriching themselves; the mansion runs a deficit every year, yet they build gardens, establish thousands of acres of estates, have over a hundred servants, and their daily conduct resembles that of a lord more than ours!"

"Even their grandson spent over ten thousand taels to arrange connections and donated to become a magistrate, surpassing the young master of our lord's family!"

"People say a seventh‑rank official stands before the prime minister's door; in our mansion even a servant's grandson is a seventh‑rank magistrate! It's utterly ridiculous!"

"And what about the Zhou Rui family? Their son‑in‑law Leng Zixing runs an antique shop abroad, has litigated many times, and she used her influence to intervene in the judiciary and shield him."

"Relying on the power of our Rong Guo Mansion, they break laws and cause chaos abroad, showing no restraint!"

"There's also the old hag Fei of the Eastern Cross Courtyard, who flaunts her tongue all day, exploiting her master's foolishness to stir up trouble."

"Sowing discord before the master— is this the proper behavior of a servant?"

Rong Ning's Second Manor

She often sneaks into Second Sister's room to steal her jewelry, gold, silver, and gambling money; Second Sister is gentle and doesn't argue, but she becomes even more aggressive, forgetting the proper duties of a servant!

If we don't harshly punish these obstinate and wicked servants, we won't be able to endure it later!

Jia Jing's voice and demeanor were both fierce; her words were logical and well‑supported, reciting details like family treasures, leaving everyone present stunned!

The Lai family is Jia Mu's attendant household, the Zhou Rui family is Lady Wang's attendant household, and Aunt Fei is Mrs. Xing's close aide; each is a respectable figure among the servants.

Listening to Jia Jing's words, it seemed she intended to sweep them all up in one net, which is no small matter.

Lady Wang's pristine complexion darkened a few more shades, yet she had already resolved not to speak again lightly today.

If the old lady leads, she doesn't believe the old lady can let the Lai family go unchecked!

Mrs. Xing had originally been watching Lady Wang's excitement; today Lady Wang being scolded gave her great satisfaction.

She has always been at a loss before Lady Wang; she has never seen such a spectacular scene today!

She didn't expect that when she turned around the fire would burn her own back, making her complexion fluctuate wildly.

This black‑hearted wretch! Still dares to call herself foolish!

Feng Jie's eyes widened, her heart pounding; Third Brother is just Third Brother, and his actions are extraordinary.

This shows a complete disregard for the old lady's thoughts, aiming to sweep the wealthy slaves of the Lai and Zhou Rui households in one net!

However, with Third Brother's boldness and status, this matter might actually be achievable!

But does the Lai family really have that much money?

Lian Er and I have been investigating for so many days, and still haven't found that they have pilfered over a hundred thousand taels of silver!

This is almost as much as the treasury of Rong Guo Mansion!

Feng Jie thought of this and her eyes turned green; if she could confiscate the Lai family, wouldn't she be ecstatic!

And You Shi and Qin Keqing wore envious looks; such a strong, upright gentleman—if he were in their Dong Fu, how splendid that would be!

Jia Mu said, somewhat incredulous:

"Is this… all true? They embezzled over a hundred thousand taels? The Lai family has been senior members of the household for several generations; could there be some misunderstanding?"

Jia Mu was shocked by Jia Jing's claim that the Lai family had pilfered over a hundred thousand taels of silver from the Jia Mansion.

She knew the two sons of the Lai family served as stewards of the second Rong Ning mansion, so it was inevitable they might skim a bit of silver.

After all, the emperor does not lack hungry soldiers; extracting a bit of profit is a common practice everywhere.

But she never imagined they could embezzle over a hundred thousand taels of silver; that is no small amount.

The silver she herself has saved over the years, plus the dowry hidden at the bottom of the chest, does not amount to that much.

These servants have more money than she, the senior ancestor of the Jia Mansion; how can that be!

Jia Jing said, her expression solemn:

"Over a hundred thousand taels of silver is merely what they have skimmed from the mansion over these years; they also use the Jia Mansion's influence to lend at high interest, run gambling houses and shops, interfere in lawsuits, and earn a full pot."

"Now their net worth is at least three hundred thousand taels or more; their silver exceeds even the treasury of our mansion, and that is not false at all!"

"They scoop up money, while we masters gain nothing, only lose reputation! This is simply absurd."

"Moreover, the two brothers of the Lai family, as servants, are quite respectable; in the mansion, when Lian Ge'er and Rong Ge'er see them, they call them 'Grandpa Lai,' which still reflects a certain hierarchy!"

"My meaning is, today we shall completely rectify this unwholesome family conduct! Eliminate the hidden corruption!"

"We must properly punish these obstinate and wicked servants; whether it be illegal misconduct, corruption, or seniority‑abuse and pretentious speech, all must be dealt with severely!"

"The previously benevolent but weak family atmosphere can no longer continue; if the superiors are kind, the servants become arrogant."

"Our Jia Family is a top‑tier military lineage of the Da Han Empire; we must govern the household by military law and rebuild a clean and strict family tradition!"

Jia Jing's words carried the iron‑blooded tone of a commander, clearly preparing a heavy‑handed strike to harshly deal with the Lai family and other servants.

Jia Mu felt a shock in her heart; although she also intended to deal with the Lai family and other servants, she did not wish to take severe measures.