Chapter 119: Establishing Authority

Old lady, please save us! Our family is innocent! You know best that our family has always been diligent and upright in the mansion.

Although we have saved some silver and property, it all comes from decades and generations of serving the mansion's master, and we have not embezzled a single coin of public silver!

As for giving bribes, interfering in lawsuits, breaking laws and regulations, that would require a slave's nerve, and even a slave wouldn't dare! This must be a mistake!

Old lady, for the sake of our matriarch, you must speak for us! Our family is one of the elders of the mansion!

Lai Da and Lai Er, unwilling to dispute Jia Jing, each offered their grievances to Jia Mu.

Jia Mu squinted her eyes and said in a hoarse voice:

"These matters, you should discuss with Brother Jing! Speaking to me is useless; now the household is under his authority."

Upon hearing this, Lai Da and Lai Er felt a chill in their hearts; to reason with Jia Jing, the 'killing god', they had no such courage.

At this moment, Jia Jing did not punish the two directly, but turned to Zhu Que beside him and said:

"Although the master has no reason to reason with a servant!"

"However, today in front of everyone, if this matter is not clarified, some will feel resentful and think our master is arbitrarily bullying the servants! You, big fellow, please recite it!"

Zhu Que, hearing this, opened the ledger in his hand and read:

"In the third year of Emperor Jing Sheng's reign, the mansion renovated the garden; Lai Da was in charge of procuring materials, falsely reporting 'exotic flowers and stones from the southern province' and substituting inferior goods."

"The actual purchase cost three thousand taels, but eight thousand were reported, embezzling five thousand taels. The supplier 'Cuiyun Pavilion' manager can testify..."

"Lai Da's wife, Zhou Shi, using her maiden name, runs the money house 'Longshun Hao' abroad, charging a monthly interest of five percent, compounding interest; in disaster years she forcibly seized lands and children to settle debts."

"In the fifth year of Emperor Jing Sheng's reign, the farm of Sun Dazhu was seized, forcing his family into a dead end, leading them to jump into the river and kill themselves..."

"Lai family's brother-in-law Zhou Qing, in the sixth year of Jing Sheng, forced the servant girl Zhao Shi; Lai Er, using the name of Rong Guo Mansion, bribed the Shuntian Prefecture investigating officer, sending three thousand taels of silver, resulting in a not-guilty verdict..."

…

As Zhu Que recited each of the Lai family's crimes, Lai Da and Lai Er already looked pallid; despite the bitter cold, beads of sweat continuously rolled down their foreheads.

Jia Mu's expression grew grim; she had not expected the Lai family she had always protected to act so recklessly outside.

Being greedy for money was one thing, but they also had so many life-and-death lawsuits on their hands.

Even as the founding ancestor of Rong Guo Mansion, I act cautiously; they dare to violate laws under Rong Guo Mansion's name, showing no reverence, utterly ignorant of life and death.

The courtyard was also silent; many maids, old women, and junior servants could not have imagined the Lai family committing so many hidden crimes.

Many low‑rank maids, old women, and junior servants in the Jia Mansion were still good, or rather they lacked the status or opportunity to commit evil.

The bad ones were mostly the powerful stewards or long‑serving old slaves; they relied on their seniority, and under Jia Mu's leniency, gradually lost themselves.

Jia Jing let out a cold snort and said loudly:

"Our family has always governed with benevolence; we thought the Lai family, being generations of old slaves, deserved some dignity."

"Who could have known they would raise such worthless, murderous, and wicked slaves! Their lives are barely worth sparing!"

"Attendants! Drag Lai Da and Lai Er down and beat them to death! Send people, in the name of recovering embezzled funds, to confiscate the Lai household; all who committed crimes shall be severely punished."

"Those who deserve to be beaten to death shall be; those who deserve to be executed shall be; no leniency! All the Lai family's residences, lands, shops, and movable wealth shall be confiscated entirely."

"And also that Lai Shangrong of theirs..."

Lai Da, hearing Jia Jing mention Lai Shangrong, lifted his head and shouted urgently:

"Lord! Shangrong is no longer a household servant; he is now an imperial official, you have no authority to punish him!"

Lai Da knew the Lai family could not escape this time, and only thought of preserving his son's lineage, hoping for a future resurgence.

"Ha! I, the Lord, have no authority to act! A slave who betrays his master, even if he climbs high, I can shoot him down and reclaim everything he stole."

"Attendants! Take my name seal, go inform Minister Xia in the palace, and say that Lai Shangrong's donation of official funds is of unknown source, his background is lowly, and he has fraudulently contributed."

"Ask the Imperial City Office under Minister Xia to seize him, thoroughly investigate his crimes, and eliminate this harmful horse for the court!"

Jia Jing calmly instructed.

The Da Han Law's donation regulations clearly state that officials' sources of wealth and backgrounds are strictly examined; Lai Shangrong's case will be verified precisely.

As for whether requesting the Imperial City Office to act might breach taboos, Jia Jing will later submit a memorial to Emperor Jing Sheng.

He has now become accustomed to writing a memorial to Emperor Jing Sheng for any matter, reporting his daily actions and thoughts.

Just as Emperor Jing Sheng, when he has concerns, habitually confides them to Jia Jing.

Lai Da, hearing that Jia Jing intends to have the Imperial City Office seize the person, felt extreme panic!

The Zhao Yu of the Imperial City Office is the place all Da Han officials dread most; even a lowly servant knows the four characters "Zhao Yu disaster".

Lai Da could not imagine the miserable fate his precious, valuable son would meet if he entered the Zhao Yu.

"Lord, spare me! Lord, spare me, I confess and accept punishment, I only ask you to lift your noble hand, and for the sake of our family's generations of service, spare Shangrong's life..."

Lai Da's whole body trembled like a sifter, while he kept bowing repeatedly to Jia Jing, pleading.

After a few bows, the ground was stained a dazzling crimson.

For a moment, the courtyard was so quiet that a pin could be heard; only the "Bang, bang…" of kowtowing and Lai Da's pleas filled the air.

Jia Mu and the other women above held their breath, their eyes half‑open, half‑closed, daring not to look further.

Wang Xifeng quietly watched Jia Jing's towering figure; she wanted to see what kind of iron heart lay beneath his armored, cold‑faced, handsome visage.

Otherwise, how could he speak and act so calmly when facing such a tragic scene?

The women of the household had dealt with servants and old women before, but usually by a cold rebuke or a slap, never having seen such a bloody, pleading "tragic" scene.

In the past they only heard how Jia Jing wreaked havoc outside—killing one today, exposing another tomorrow—yet they had never witnessed it with their own eyes.

For the first time, Wang Xifeng felt a trace of fear toward this upright third brother.

Like Ping'er and the other kind‑hearted maids, they were all cold and gloomy, unable to bear watching any longer.

Although they knew Lai Da had committed a punishable crime, he was the "Grandpa Lai" they had shown deference to just yesterday; today he is begging for death, inevitably evoking a sense of "the rabbit's death mourns the fox"—a sorrow for one of their own.