Chapter 131: And who could know my heart!

So, Jia Jing's attitude toward Jia Mu is simple: that is, to pull and strike at the same time, seeking unity through struggle.

He is neither like Jia Zheng and the others, who foolishly filial and obedient, blindly flattering, nor does he completely employ harsh and cruel measures.

As long as you don't cause trouble, I'm too lazy to bother you. If you overstep your bounds, I'll give you a few knocks.

Anyway, the Jia Mansion can only serve as his backing behind him, and absolutely cannot become a political burden for him.

Yingying stood up, her oval face showing a hint of something unusual, and she spoke softly:

"Grandmother, I have served you for so many years, and being together every day, I naturally know your character and disposition."

"The Marquis is a high-ranking official and hero of the state, and I rarely come into contact with him; how could I know what kind of person he is!"

"However, the Marquis has served the state with merit, and at home he is just and stern, not like the other lords in the mansion who are addicted to...; I suppose he is also an excellent person!"

"If it weren't so, this servant would not dare to speak to you so frankly about my inner thoughts."

At the end of her words, Yingying slightly turned her fair neck to one side, a faint blush appearing.

She had originally wanted to say that Jia Jing did not indulge in women like the other lords of the Jia Mansion, but then she realized it was improper; if she said that, wouldn't it be seen as seducing the lords?

Damn it!

It's just that I've been saying it casually in private with a few young ladies, almost offending the Marquis!

"No wonder the grandmother said that without you she can't sleep well; indeed you are a gold-plated Yingying with a heart of gold and silver tongue."

"Good looks are secondary; what's truly rare is a heart of gold."

Jia Jing glanced at the slender Yingying and calmly said:

Yingying, as the grandmother's trusted attendant, is the undisputed chief maid of the Jia Mansion.

Although she holds high rank and authority, often having to act on the grandmother's behalf to carry out certain missions, she is fair, self-respecting, kind-hearted, and just in her duties, and thus deeply respected by everyone in the Jia Mansion.

As Li Wan said in the original work:

"In the grandmother's quarters, how could things run without that Yingying? From the wives on up, who would dare to oppose the grandmother's words?"

"Starting with the second and first wives, no one dares. The grandmother only listens to her alone; others forget the grandmother's attire, but she remembers it."

"If it weren't for her managing things, who knows how many would be deceived! That child's heart is also fair; although this is the case, she often speaks well of others and never bullies by relying on power."

Jia Jing still had some appreciation for Yingying's character, and he rarely praised her with a sentence.

Upon hearing this, Yingying blinked her eyes, looked at the stern and solemn youth beside her, and a hint of shyness and joy rose in her heart.

"Marquis, you praised her looks! And also a heart of gold!"

"This... must be the highest praise!"

"I've never heard the Marquis praise any other maid in the mansion!"

"Even Xiangling and Xiaohong in the Marquis's courtyard don't seem to have received such honor!"

"Could the Marquis be... toward me? But I am the grandmother's attendant; what should I do..."

Yingying felt a surge of heat in her heart, but looking at Jia Jing's clear, handsome, stern and solemn face, she felt she was overthinking.

Jia Jing led Yingying along the eaves, walking and saying:

"The grandmother may be a good person, but she is not a good steward of the family!"

"I have no major objections to her; in Rong Qing Tang she enjoys herself, feeds the grandchildren, watches plays and plays cards, as long as she doesn't meddle recklessly in the mansion's affairs."

"As for her liking Baoyu, that's fine; if it weren't for Baoyu making Lin Mei and the second elder lord vomit blood from anger and causing a ruckus in the mansion, I originally had no intention of managing him."

"And these servants, even though I couldn't interfere with how the grandmother previously governed the household with benevolence, now that they are damaging the mansion's reputation and threatening the masters' safety, I cannot ignore them."

"Just like the Lai, Shan, and Wu families, who have done so many evil deeds, don't you think they should be killed?"

"As for how I will treat the grandmother in the future, it actually depends not on me, but on her herself."

"I also don't need to have a bad attitude toward her, but often showing firmness is unavoidable; only with thunderous methods can a bodhisattva's heart be revealed."

"Clarifying the responsibilities and boundaries of both sides in advance can actually prevent more intense conflicts later!"

Yingying listened to Jia Jing's words while her eyes sparkled as she gazed at his profile, unblinking.

Jia Jing's expression carried a hint of emotion as he continued to speak in a clear voice:

"I know that after this rectification of mine, which is strict and harsh, showing no mercy, the servants of the mansion, including you lot, will find it hard to adapt at once."

"You won't have a good impression of me either, but... who could know my heart?"

"Not only you, but many outside the mansion also see my methods as ruthless, decisive in killing both inside and out, without benevolence."

"Therefore, to speculate wildly, suspecting me of being reckless and unrestrained due to youthful success, not knowing restraint, and thus destined for a bad end, is a great fallacy!"

"The grandmother often says that our Jia family should be a blessed household, so she pities the poor, cherishes the weak, indulges without limit, and is soft and non-competitive."

"But a truly blessed household is not like that; it is not merely benevolent."

"Treating the ancestral foundation as a den of wealth and pleasure, being extravagant and licentious, indulging the servants, not seeking progress, and calling it a blessed household in name only."

"You see the former Jia mansion filled with laughter and joy, harmonious and happy; but I see a Jia family already standing on the edge of a cliff, where one step forward is a ten-thousand-foot abyss."

"The grandmother is old; in terms of filial piety, I should respect her three parts."

"But above filial piety lies the family and the state."

"The Jia mansion is not only a place of ease for the women of the inner quarters, but also the premier martial-meritorious family of the Da Han Empire, a banner among all such families of the empire, and bears important responsibilities to the state and the sovereign."

"Today I say a heavy word to the grandmother; she will be sorrowful for three days. One day, when the Jia mansion is raided, not a single woman or child will have a place to weep!"

Jia Jing said this, and also thought of the fate of the Jia family in the original work.

A thousand reds weep together, myriad beauties share the sorrow.

The Jia mansion was raided; Jia Mu, Yuan Chun, Feng Jie, Qin Keqing, Daiyu, Yingchun and others all died; Xiang Yun wandered the dusty roads, Xichun became a nun, Tan Chun married far away; not a single master had a good ending.

Just as described in the verse "Birds each fly to their own forest": officials see their estates wither; the wealthy see their gold and silver squandered; those who owe life have repaid it; those who owe tears have shed them all, like birds that have eaten their fill and flown to the forest, leaving a vast white expanse of land truly clean.

The Jia family's final miserable outcome surpasses even that of the servants being disciplined today.

Thus, Jia Jing's saying that not a single woman or child will have a place to weep is certainly not empty talk.

One can imagine that if the grandmother knew the Jia mansion would end this way, compared to these days, she would probably gladly endure Jia Jing's scolding every day.

Although Jia Jing's rectification of the Jia Mansion had his own purposes and demands, it truly saved the fate of everyone in the Jia Mansion.