Chapter 276: Ning Guo Fu... Is It Over?

Seeing the two other eunuchs behind Xia Shouzhong walking toward her, Jia Rong felt cold in her limbs, and her heart fell straight from the heavens into a bottomless valley.

He hurriedly grabbed Jia Zheng's sleeve, imitating Jia Zhen's manner, and loudly pleaded to Jia Zheng and Jia Mu:

"Old lady, Uncle Lord, save me! Save me! All the silver was given to me by my father, I didn't take a single coin!"

"Father's crimes are deserved, I am innocent…"

Jia Zheng: "…"

Wasn't it said that one would be willing to sacrifice oneself? How does it turn into "deserved punishment" when you turn your head?

This… is downright an insult to civility!

Jia Mu, watching Jia Rong being pressed to the ground by the two eunuchs, felt her aged body shudder, and her expression grew even more frantic and sorrowful!

She didn't understand!

How in such a short time did Dong Fu get involved again!

If only Jia Zhen were interrogated by the court, Ning Guo Fu could transition smoothly under Jia Rong, who would inherit the title,

Jia Mu could still console herself a bit, after all every family has a few wayward children!

But if both Jia Zhen and Jia Rong were seized and charged, the few generations of sole succession in Ning Guo Fu would be completely extinct!

One must know that a disgraced person has no right to inherit a title!

If Jia Rong were implicated and taken away, she would certainly be unable to inherit Ning Guo Fu's title thereafter!

Thus, Ning Guo Fu would either lose its title or have to bring in a collateral branch to inherit the main line.

Both possibilities are no good news for Jia Mu!

Especially the prospect of losing the title made Jia Mu's eyes turn black with grief!

One must know that for noble families, the most important thing is not the people, but the hereditary title.

A title not only represents a prestigious court appointment, but also comes with lands that guarantee harvests in drought or flood; it is the foundation of a noble family's livelihood and must never be lost!

If the title is lost, even the ancestral hall would lose its rites, which would truly be a disaster that harms the very foundation of the Jia Family!

Jia Mu, watching Jia Zhen and Jia Rong being dragged toward the door, felt a wave of sorrow; her frail body wavered as if she could not stand.

Feng Jie, standing beside Jia Mu, and Jia Zheng, seeing the scene, jumped in fright and hurried forward to support them.

Seeing Jia Zhen and Jia Rong still crying for help, Jia Mu could no longer hold back and shouted a tearful scold:

"You thoughtless scoundrels! You never do your duties, always loitering everywhere, never knowing restraint."

"Whether you drink with a concubine, bringing one in after another into the house, I have said nothing either."

"Now that such a disaster has been caused, father and son are both charged, Ning Guo Fu has no heir, how will I, a hundred years from now, deal with Rong Ning Er Gong's succession!"

Jia Zhen and Jia Rong's faces were ashen, their cries for help grew weak, and Jia Mu's scolding had no effect on them at all.

Instead, Jia Zheng knelt on the ground and comforted Jia Mu, saying:

"Mother, you are old, but you must take care of yourself! If something happens to you, even a thousand deaths of your son could not atone for it!"

At this moment, inside Rong Qing Tang,

The members of the Jia Family, seeing Jia Zhen and Jia Rong being dragged away, couldn't help but show a hint of solemnity on their faces!

Among them, none were more sorrowful than You.

Originally, Jia Zhen's capture already filled her with inexplicable grief, leaving her speechless, but thinking that Jia Rong was still there gave her some solace.

But now even Jia Rong is charged, and the only two men of Ning Guo Fu are gone, leaving her wondering what she should do in the future.

Even if Ning Guo Fu does not lose its title, can the usurper from a collateral branch still recognize her as the former Great Grandmother You?

In an instant, endless sorrow and bewilderment surged in her heart, making her grief extreme, and hot tears rolled from her reddened eyes.

Not only You, but also Feng Jie, who harbored resentment toward Jia Zhen and Jia Rong, felt a cloud of gloom over her heart at this moment.

In her sharp, bright Danfeng eyes, panic swirled; Ning Guo Fu— is it… finished?

The vast Guogong residence, with two generations of title bearers, both interrogated by the court, faced a worrisome fate,

This situation of the Jia clan holding two dukedoms might, in the future, cease to exist?

Hmm? Wait, that's not right—Jing Ge'er's side still has a dukedom!

Yingchun and the other young ladies, upon seeing this scene, couldn't help but furrow their brows, a hint of tragic sorrow flashing in their eyes.

Brother Zhen and Brother Rong, though outrageous, were still kin known since childhood; seeing them in such a plight, their hearts could not help but feel compassion.

Xichun's little face tightened, her small hands clenched tightly, and as she watched her elder brother and nephew being seized, a few strands of fear and worry flashed across her face.

Although she had little affection for Jia Zhen and Jia Rong, she was nonetheless a miss of Ning Guo Fu,

With such a huge upheaval in Ning Guo Fu, would she become a wandering orphan, homeless forever?

And would the matter of Jia Zhen and Jia Rong also entangle her, causing her to be arrested and charged as well?

Daiyu, perceptive as ever, sensed Xichun's melancholy, furrowed her smoky brows, pursed her pink lips, gently drew her into her arms, and softly comforted:

"Fourth sister, don't be afraid; with your third brother here, he loves you so much, he won't let anything happen to you!"

"From now on, stay here, play with your brothers and sisters daily, and life will be just like before!"

Xiao Jiaoer, beside Daiyu, also patted Xichun's shoulder and said:

"Yes! With Third Uncle here, there's nothing to fear!"

"I'll write a letter to Third Uncle right away, asking him to return quickly to protect us, hehe!"

Xiao Jiaoer's eyes curved into crescents, grinning broadly at Xichun in a brazen, big‑sister manner.

Unfortunately, due to recent tooth loss, one of her front teeth had fallen out, leaving a hollow gap when she smiled, looking rather comical.

Xichun nestled in Daiyu's arms, feeling a bit steadier, and seeing Xiao Jiaoer's amusing demeanor, her expression finally softened a little.

Daiyu then patted Xiao Jiaoer's towering hair and scolded:

"Why do you seem fatter? Have you not been eating properly lately, secretly snacking on Lotus Cake and Guishunzhai's Sachima?"

Since Daiyu's conversation with the "Detective" Zǐ Juān last time, she has been going to Jingwu Yuan more and more frequently these days.

Having gone out more, her relationships with Xiao Jiaoer, Xiangling, Qingwen and the like naturally grew ever deeper.

Especially the sprightly Xiao Jiaoer, Daiyu felt sorry for her, given that her parents died early and she had been sold into the Jia Mansion since childhood.

She cared for her even more; daily she not only looked after her meals and living, but also urged her to study and learn to read, treating her as if she were her own younger sister.

Xiao Jiaoer wasn't foolish, so she naturally knew who was truly kind to her, and gradually grew even closer to Daiyu.

At this moment, faced with Daiyu's "questioning", she quickly flashed a grin, showing her little gap tooth, and flattered:

"Miss Lin, it's such a huge injustice! I'm really obedient."

"Lately I've been eating properly; I only had a little bit of lotus cake and Sachima. Sachima is truly delicious; I heard it's made with real dog's milk and honey, hehe…"

Xiao Jiaoer stuck out her pinky, pinching a tiny spot the size of a fingernail and gesturing.

But her big, rolling, darting eyes made one have to wonder just how many of those tiny points actually were…

Beside them, Xiang Yun leaned over, laughing and scolding:

"You greedy little girl! Eating and drinking everywhere every day, thinking we don't know!"

"Look at you, your face is about to become round from eating! When Third Brother returns, he might not even recognize you!"

Hearing that, Xiao Jiaoer's small face instantly turned embarrassed!