Chapter 464

Jia Jing appears.

The positions above are the first-rank Grand General and the first-rank Commander-in-Chief of All the Armies; these are positions personally held by the princes and the emperor, and for officials to be ennobled with them is almost impossible!

And above the rank, there is the princely title; such a title, sharing weal and woe with the state, is the highest-ranking title of a different surname, and to surpass it is even more extremely difficult.

Just look at the Da Han Empire, which has stood for over a hundred years; only four people were ennobled at its founding, showing how difficult it is!

Jia Mu saying this is actually also a veiled indication; to say now that Jia Jing surpasses his ancestors is premature; wait until he is ennobled as a prince or promoted to first rank, then we can talk about it!

Otherwise, as long as he remains a second-rank official or a duke, in terms of noble status he is hardly different from myself, this duchess!

Beside her, Feng Jie's phoenix eyes, beneath her willow-leaf fine brows, turned; her cherry lips, painted with rouge at some unknown time, quivered, and she lightly laughed, saying:

I see that Third Brother is no ordinary person; at this age he has already been ennobled as a first-rank duke and made a Grand General of the Cavalry, and thereafter advancing further will probably only take another three or five years!

After all, three years ago he stood in the hall dressed all in white, his words ringing clear—I still vividly remember that scene!

Who could have imagined back then that three years later he would reach such an astonishing height? I can see now that he is not someone who can be measured by ordinary circumstances!

Although the old lady understands a bit of court affairs, her every prediction about Third Brother has never been accurate.

A princely title is hard to bestow, but it also depends on the person.

Mrs. Xing's expression stiffened slightly; hearing Feng Jie mention the incident from three years ago, she felt a veiled jab.

At this moment, Lady Wang listened as everyone discussed Jia Jing's promotion with happy faces; she clenched and unclenched her prayer beads, her agitation and disgust nearly overwhelming her.

Weren't we just discussing how to save Baoyu's maternal uncle? How come a few words later we're already talking about the eldest branch's illegitimate son?

On one side they talk about promotion, on the other about ennoblement, yet Baoyu's maternal uncle is about to face the extreme penalty—doesn't anyone care?

And our own foolish sister—how is she also showing delight on her face? Just a moment ago she looked like she might faint, and now she's completely changed.

Even if the eldest branch's illegitimate son becomes a high official, what does that have to do with you? Your Baoyu girl hasn't even entered his household yet!

Besides, this time the eldest branch's illegitimate son likely stepped onto the position built on Baoyu's maternal uncle's bones—such a heartless, ruthless person will surely meet retribution sooner or later.

Frowning, Lady Wang could not help but speak:

"Now that Jing'er has been promoted, shouldn't he also give an explanation regarding Baoyu's maternal uncle's affair?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole hall fell silent; Yuan Chun glanced at her mother beside her, sighed softly, her lips moving as if she wanted to speak but held back.

Our mother is having delusions again! After copying the *Women's Four Books* for so many days, she still shows no improvement!

Although she is also worried and pained about her maternal uncle's situation,

but ultimately this matter violates law and regulation—it is an edict personally issued by the emperor—what explanation could Jing'er possibly need to give?

Seeing her father's face darken, Yuan Chun's heart jolted, and she hurriedly said:

"Mother! The uncle's case was decided by the emperor; Father just said that even upright officials who pleaded for leniency have been thrown into jail—what explanation could Jing'er possibly give in this matter?"

Furthermore, Jing'er said yesterday that he would have people look after the uncle—no torture, no false accusations, protecting his family; he has done all that should be done—what more could we ask of him?

Moreover, with so many people being punished together, we cannot let him show favoritism and spare only the uncle.

Tan Chun frowned slightly, nodded, and said:

"As for this matter, Third Brother already explained it clearly yesterday: among the four great families, personal connections may be shown, but we must not practice favoritism that perverts justice!"

We shouldn't make things difficult for him!

Lady Wang saw that her two daughters were the first to speak up in defense of the eldest branch's illegitimate son; she felt anger rising and shouted:

"Baoyu's maternal uncle was arrested yesterday by Jing'er's men! If it weren't for the commotion he caused and the account books uncovered, Baoyu's maternal uncle would not have suffered this undeserved calamity!"

"Now he has been promoted, yet Baoyu's maternal uncle is to be flayed and exposed—is this not his responsibility?"

Lady Wang could not help but feel frenzied; thinking of her own elder brother meeting such a miserable end, her heart felt as if it were dripping blood.

Originally, what a smooth-sailing person he was—a pillar of the four great families, someone on whom we and Baoyu could rely,

but since the eldest branch's illegitimate son returned from military service to the mansion, it's as if a spell had been cast upon him—nothing goes smoothly for him anywhere.

First he was stripped of his post, then thrown into jail, and now he is actually to suffer the extreme penalty—what on earth has happened?

Jia Zheng: "……"

His brows knit tightly, he spoke in a cold voice:

"What does Baoyu's maternal uncle's affair have to do with Jing'er? Why are you stirring up trouble and making a fuss?"

"He himself violated law and regulation—could it be that Jing'er, who handles affairs impartially and serves the state wholeheartedly, has done something wrong?"

Lady Wang's face changed; she gripped her prayer beads so tightly that her knuckles whitened, and she spoke sorrowfully:

"Could Baoyu's maternal uncle really have committed a crime worthy of death, deserving such a wretched end?"

Jia Zheng's face grew solemn, and he said:

"Court affairs—what would a woman like you know? The situation outside is extremely perilous; I have said this over and over!"

"No one wants Baoyu's maternal uncle to meet such a fate! But this matter cannot be blamed on Jing'er, nor is there any reason that rescuing him would drag hundreds of lives of our Jia family into danger."

Having said that, he paused, then his expression turned cold as he continued:

"Wang Shi, you've caused trouble over your natal family more than once or twice; before I pretended not to know about your private subsidies to your natal home, but yesterday you made a scene again, and today you do the same—don't you know the principle of the Three Obediences?"

"You must understand: you are now a wife of the Jia family, not a daughter of the Wang family. If you truly cannot let go of the Wang family, I will not force you—you might as well go live at the Wang household for three or five years, devote yourself to helping your natal family, and also allow our Jia family to enjoy a period of peace and stability."

Jia Zheng's words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing Lady Wang's inner anger and resentment.

To let me return to my natal home for a few years—what does that mean?

Could it be that he wants to divorce me?

Know that a married woman, even if she dies, can only be buried in her husband's ancestral grave—how could there be any reason for her to live at her natal home for several years?

Or perhaps the old master sees that I have no support from my natal family and wants to divorce me and take another wife?

Indeed, not a single person in the Jia family can be relied upon!

Beside them, Jia Mu saw her son and daughter-in-law arguing again, feeling quite vexed, and hastily called out in a hoarse voice:

"Zheng'er! Baoyu's mother also worries herself into chaos; hearing that Baoyu's maternal uncle has met such a fate, my heart feels unbearable—let alone her!"

Having said that, she then turned to Lady Wang and Lady Xue and said:

「Baoyu's mother, his aunt, regarding Baoyu's uncle's matter, you also shouldn't blame Jing Ge'er, heaven has unpredictable storms, people have sudden fortune and misfortune, in officialdom, it's just like this rise and fall, fortune and misfortune unpredictable, no one can say for sure! 」

「Besides, we womenfolk can't interfere in outside affairs; we can only be more open-minded and light-hearted, otherwise we're just asking for trouble! 」

Upon hearing this, Lady Wang felt even more suffocated in her heart; the old lady's words also meant wanting to give up Baoyu's uncle?