Chapter 120: Does the master also break law and order?

In the blink of an eye, seeing the ground covered in bright red, Lai Da was about to knock himself to death there.

Jia Jing kept his eyes cold, his expression unchanged as he looked there, his face showing no sign of being moved.

Everyone present, whether master or servant, felt a chill rise in their hearts at the sight of that straight figure.

For the first time, everyone in the Jia Mansion truly felt the authority of the marquis from the battlefield, who had slain countless enemies and was cold and ruthless, and boundless reverence rose in their hearts.

Just as those present could barely bear the oppressive atmosphere, Jia Jing finally spoke slowly.

"Take him away! I, the marquis, always keep my word! If today I spare Lai Shangrong's life, that would tell everyone that ancestral law can be violated, the custom of corruption can be opened, and lawlessness can be forgiven."

"Once this precedent is set, the dignity of family law will be utterly lost. I hope you all take this as a warning: family law is ruthless; do not say I did not warn you in advance."

Jia Jing gave the order!

Lai Da still wanted to speak, but the guards struck his mouth with the sheath of a sword, and they dragged him and Lai Er out to the courtyard for execution.

Amidst the sounds of blows and anguished cries, Jia Jing spoke again.

"Wu Xin Deng, Shan Da Liang… you more than ten people have embezzled a huge amount of silver, stealing from your master; your crime is one degree worse."

"Although you have often broken the law in the past, considering your long service in the mansion, I will not hand you over to the officials for lingchi; instead, you will be dragged out and beaten to death with sticks, and your property will be confiscated."

Jia Jing gave the order, and another seventeen or eighteen people were dragged out to the courtyard for execution.

The entire venue fell silent; no one harbored any hope of luck anymore.

At this point, no one in the courtyard dared to speak casually anymore.

Those still kneeling on the ground—Zhou Rui Jia de, Fei Pozi, Zhao Mama, and others—trembled like baby chicks, fearing they would share the fate of Lai Da and the others.

"Zhao Mama, for betraying her master as a servant, is to be beaten to death; her whole family will be sold off!"

"Fei Pozi, for bullying others with her influence, stirring trouble, and speaking filth, is to receive twenty blows of the stick; her whole family will be sold out of the mansion."

"Zhou Rui Jia de, for bullying others with influence, embezzling, and monopolizing litigation, since no loss of life resulted, is to receive twenty blows of the stick, have his property confiscated, and his whole family expelled from the mansion."

"Do any of you have a grievance to air? If you think you've been wronged, speak up in front of everyone, so no one can say I, the marquis, have inflicted punishment indiscriminately."

Jia Jing glanced at the kneeling crowd and asked lightly.

Upon hearing she was to be beaten to death, Zhao Mama rolled her eyes and fainted outright.

Meanwhile, Zhou Rui Jia de and Fei Pozi let out a long sigh of relief; as long as they kept their lives, anything else was fine.

Only then did Zhou Rui Jia de dare to lift his head slightly and glance at Lady Wang seated in the front chair.

She could not understand how the mistress could tolerate the eldest branch's illegitimate son running amok without a word.

As a concubine of the second branch's mistress, she had actually been seized straight from her home and brought to this courtyard to await judgment.

This was a scene she never even dreamed of, yet it appeared in reality.

Even if the eldest branch's son gains power again, logically he should still be separated from us by a wing.

Even if the grandmother wanted to deal with her, it should be the mistress who administers punishment; there's no reason for such an overt, forceful attack.

Of course, at this point the Lai family, servants of the grandmother, were finished, and she knew she was unlikely to escape.

All she wanted was to see what attitude Lady Wang truly held.

Upon seeing, she was stunned.

All she saw was the usually kind‑eyed, dignified Lady Wang also looking at her.

And she gave her a subtle glance, signaling with her eyes to Feng Ya Tou standing nearby.

As Lady Wang's trusted maid, Zhou Rui Jia de naturally understood her mistress's thoughts.

Seeing her point to Feng Ya Tou, her thoughts raced and she quickly grasped Lady Wang's meaning.

Was she being asked to drag Feng Ya Tou into trouble, to strip her of her stewardship?

These days, the mistress had been secretly competing with Feng Ya Tou's side, and had ordered me to covertly investigate whether Feng Ya Tou's stewardship had any faults.

Now, seeing the eldest branch's growing power, the mistress surely could not sit still!

Zhou Rui Jia de's eyes shifted, and she instantly made up her mind.

Being expelled from the mansion is not frightening; as long as I help the mistress secure the steward's position, I may gain her favor and live without worry in Shenjing.

Zhou Rui Jia de gritted her teeth, crawled forward on her knees a few steps, and shouted loudly at Jia Jing.

"Marquis! You govern the household with military law, fair and strict; we servants dare not disobey!"

"But I don't know if your saying you will rule the household with military law includes the masters of the mansion; if the masters violate law and order, will they be punished?"

Zhou Rui Jia de's remarks instantly sparked a wave of discussion in the courtyard.

"What? The masters also break law and order?"

"Who is it?"

"This won't be a backlash against the second mistress, will it? Zhou Rui Jia de, as the second mistress's maid, surely knows many of her private affairs!"

Jia Mu's face darkened; she had not expected Jia Jing's earlier words to come true—punishing the servants had actually provoked an accusation that the masters were breaking law and order!

Fortunately, Zhou Rui Jia de is accusing the masters within the mansion; if she were expelled and then reported to the imperial court, the matter would be much graver!

Just as my wayward grandson said, the Jia Mansion now stands at the eye of the storm; if someone with ill intent uses these matters to stir up trouble, another upheaval may arise.

But who is the one breaking law and order?

Baoyu's father has always been upright and proper; although a bit stiff, he would never do anything wicked that breaks law and order.

Baoyu rarely leaves the mansion; he is young and innocent, and would certainly not do anything wicked!

Jia Mu first ruled out the two she cared about most!

Could it truly be that an evil servant is biting her master, and Zhou Rui Jia de is going to accuse Baoyu's mother?

If so, this cunning servant cannot be kept!

A flicker of cold light passed through Jia Mu's eyes.

On the field, Madam Xing and Lady Wang wore calm expressions; Lady Wang knew that Zhou Rui Jia de would certainly understand her meaning.

Meanwhile, Madam Xing looked bewildered; although she was somewhat greedy for wealth, she had indeed never committed any illegal act, nor did she have the ability to do so.

It's just that she felt something odd inside; she couldn't possibly be accusing the Great Lord, could she?

According to what she knew, the Great Lord indeed had some unsavory dealings behind the scenes, but the Great Lord is on the brink of death; what purpose would it serve to accuse him now?

At this moment, Feng Jie was still daydreaming about how much silver they could seize when they raided the house later, never imagining that the Zhou Rui family intended to accuse themselves.

After all, whether it was the bribe money or other secret matters, she handled them with extreme secrecy; only her trusted aide Ping'er and the attendant from the Wang family knew.

Jia Jing looked pensively at the still smiling Wang Xifeng and said in a deep voice:

"According to the Da Han Law, if a servant accuses the master, even if the claim is true, the master will not be punished; instead, the servant will be sentenced to 'one hundred lashes and three years of exile.'"

"If one makes a false accusation against the master, the servant not only receives an additional penalty under the principle of punishing false accusations, but may also be sentenced to execution by strangulation for 'causing the death of accompanying relatives,' and half of the property will be confiscated to compensate the falsely accused."

"Have you thought this through?"