Chapter 435

Jia Jing lifted his teacup, took a calm sip, quietly looked at the people present, and seeing that apart from Jia Zheng and Jia Tan Chun expressing opposition, no one else spoke up casually, he nodded slightly with a bit of relief.

After repeated admonitions, education, and reprimands, the people of the Jia Mansion, no matter what they thought in private,

at least outwardly they had developed a reverence for the court's laws and regulations, understood their own position, and no longer spoke recklessly.

After a moment of silence, Jia Jing spoke solemnly:

"The understanding of the second lord and the third miss is excellent! In this matter of Wang Ziteng, it is not just improper to show favoritism; it is impossible, impermissible, and will not happen."

"The four great families have a hundred-year bond, sharing the same breath and branches—this is true. But sharing the same breath and branches means mutual watchfulness and aid, mutual support, walking the righteous path together, not covering for each other, colluding in wrongdoing, or placing themselves above the law and discipline of the state."

"It was loyalty, capability, and shared ideals that enabled the ancestors of the four great families to unite and establish such a vast foundation."

"First, each must stand firm on its own; only then can they be twisted into a single rope. If even this simple principle is not understood, the phrase 'sharing the same breath and branches' becomes a shackle that drags the four great families down together."

"In my view, for the four great families to stand firm and endure in the Da Han Empire, they must rely not on the four words 'sharing the same breath and branches,' but on truly walking the righteous path."

"Take law as the rope, not emotion as the net; take virtue as the foundation, not power as reliance; take the people as the root, not profit as priority; take learning as the vocation, not official stipend as concern."

"Observing law and discipline is the bottom line; establishing virtue and character is the foundation; loving the people and the country is duty; studying and practicing martial arts is the proper way. Thus, even if external storms rage, even if temporary setbacks cause loss of standing, one can keep a firm footing and have a day to rise again."

Having said that, Jia Jing eased his tone and then continued:

"Of course, I am not saying these things to completely sever the Jia and Wang families' relationship; within reasonable and legal bounds, we will still help where we can and do what we ought to."

"For example, regarding Wang Ziteng in the Zhao Yu prison, I will have people look after him, avoid torture if possible, and not let anyone falsely accuse him, causing him to be wronged."

"Also, regarding the Wang family residence, I will instruct the Imperial City Garrison to give some attention, not disturb the inner household, not involve innocents; these are courtesies we can extend without violating law and discipline."

"But I cannot use my power to cover for him, get him off, or pervert justice for personal gain. Wang Ziteng chose the path of bribery for office himself; now that the matter has come to light, he must bear the consequences."

"This is the same principle as the clan's 'learn from past mistakes to avoid future ones'; it is not forgetting old affections, nor ignoring the custom of relatives covering for each other, but rather upholding righteousness and eliminating evil to prevent the four great families from falling into a pit together—that is true great kinship and righteousness in mutual watchfulness."

"Having said this, do you all understand?"

Jia Jing's reason for bringing up Wang Ziteng's matter is to seize the opportunity to lead the four great families out of the old pattern of 'sharing the same breath and branches' onto a new path whose core is 'the righteous way',

establish clear-cut new rules for the four great families under his own banner, thereby truly twisting the four great families into a single rope for his own use.

After all, the four great families are intermarried, with over a hundred years of affection and interests intertwined; it is impossible to simply leave them alone or sever ties completely.

Leaving other matters aside, the Xue family has Baichai, the Shi family has Jia Mu and Xiang Yun, the Wang family has Tan Chun, Yuan Chun, and Feng Jie—these are inseparable blood ties.

To speak bluntly, if anyone from the Shi, Wang, or Xue families commits a heinous crime of the ten grave offenses, it could implicate the Jia family.

Therefore, from the outset, Jia Jing did not choose to detach himself from the Jia family; he had intended to become the new political helmsman of the four great families.

The four great families and the systemic figures are Jia Jing's unchanging foundation; hmm? Perhaps we should also add the Lin family.

However, previously there existed this ambitious, restless Wang family person, Wang Ziteng, so Jia Jing did not rush to act within the four great families.

Now that the Jia family's internal members have been purged, Shi Ding of the Shi family has been brought under his command, Baichai has confirmed her relationship, and with Wang Ziteng having completely fallen this time,

the timing has fully matured, and he naturally begins to take over the four great families, redefining rules and adding value between the Jia, Shi, Wang, and Xue families.

Of course, taking over is only the first step; afterward, he will still seek opportunities to clean out the dregs, purge the turbid and elevate the pure, and support a new generation of independent, strong, talent-and-virtue-possessed kin.

After Jia Jing finished speaking, the people in the hall seemed to have grasped the meaning; perhaps he was using the occasion to delineate boundaries and establish new statutes for the relationships among the four great families.

Although Zhu Shi's face remained flustered and fearful, compared to the terrifying consequences of the collusion crime that Jia Jing had mentioned earlier,

at this moment Jia Jing explicitly said he would look after them, avoid torture, false accusations, disturbing the inner household, or involving innocents; consequently, deep down they inexplicably felt a semblance of reliance, no longer the utter panic of being at a loss.

Although the old master has fallen, at least the son ought to have been protected, and the family's lawful property should also have been preserved!

As for the old master, he can only suffer a bit...

Baichai gazed steadily at the young man, her peach cheeks flushed, her bright eyes shining, and a phrase suddenly flashed through her mind:

He harbors mountains and rivers within his chest, thus forming his own principles; governing the army, managing the household, ruling the clan—so it is, and now governing the relations of the four great families is likewise.

When he speaks, he never merely addresses a single matter; he looks to the big picture, paving the way for many years to come and setting the tone for the whole situation.

Feng Jie lifted her plump, delicate face; her slightly pallid cheeks reflected the candlelight, the whiteness tinged with red, radiant like a bud,

She let out a faint sigh, her voice carrying a measure of sincere acquiescence and the caution of drawing in one's wings:

"Third brother, your words are profound, every sentence hits the mark; if spoken two years earlier, perhaps no one would have listened; but spoken now amid this tumultuous unrest, it instead brings reassurance."

Because of Lady Wang, Feng Jie's relationship with Wang Ziteng over the past year has actually become quite cold!

Therefore, her concern for Wang Ziteng's safety is relatively superficial; what truly worries and moves her is the fate of herself and her brother Wang Ren and other Wang family relatives.

Although Jia Jing has not given a guarantee, his words inside and out clearly indicate that he will look after the other members of the Wang family!

Jia Zheng let out a sigh, looked at Jia Jing, his eyes showing a touch of emotion, and likewise spoke with mixed feelings:

"What Brother Jing says is excellent; such conduct conforms to law and reason while not forgetting human sentiment; each word and deed can be called thought-provoking, the measure of his restraint is just right, inspiring admiration."

At this moment, Mrs. Xing also went online to pick up work, glanced at Lady Wang, her eyes flickered, and she spoke in a sarcastic tone:

"Really, it's still the men who should be in charge; their words and deeds convince people! Unlike some inner-chamber ladies who only think of their natal families, of marrying off daughters, and take crooked paths."

The dissed Lady Wang trembled all over, her face turned ashen, she opened her mouth but ultimately lowered her head, her eyes holding a cold gleam, yet she uttered not a word!