Chapter 85: Jia Zhen: Am I Afraid of Him?

Jia Zhen also stopped paying attention to everyone's reaction and then said:

"This is information I've repeatedly verified; it cannot be wrong!"

"Jia Jing not only kicked the Marquis of Linchuan to death, but also severely injured the Marquis of Zhongqin, several Zhonglang Generals and Colonels of the Bashang Daying, and even killed more than a thousand of the personal soldiers and servants under Jingnan Wuxun; the scene was a river of blood!"

One could say that Jia Jing's ferocious behavior also made Jia Zhen feel terrified; truly he is a demon born from the battlefield!

If what he inquired about were not true, the Jingnan Wuxun line would have already issued a statement this time, and they could never get past Jia Jing.

Moreover, Duke Cheng and others have already stormed the palace to force an imperial decree, so he does not dare to come to Rong Guo Mansion to add insult to injury.

Ah!

Jia Mu let out a startled cry; the heart that had just settled began to surge violently again, a flash of pain crossed her aged face, and she felt somewhat weak.

Lady Wang, Aunt Xue, Feng Jie and the others also covered their mouths and gasped!

He actually kicked the person to pieces; that's excessively bloody! And he killed more than a thousand people—how ferocious!

At the thought of a river of blood flowing in the barracks, they felt a churn in their stomachs and a wave of nausea in their hearts.

These women, when they punish maids and servants at home, at most they beat them with a plank or send them away; they have never seen such a direct method of killing!

Madam Wang at this moment seemed to understand why Jia Zhen had just made her avoid the situation!

Jia Zhen, seeing that Jia Mu's complexion was poor, took the opportunity to say:

"Grandma! Jia Jing has always been overbearing, looking down on everyone for more than just a day or two!"

"Back then he attacked Wang Shanbao's family, attacked Lai Da, defied the senior lord; after returning to the capital, within just a few days he made Duke Zhao cough up blood with anger, and brutally killed the Marquis of Linchuan—lawless and reckless!"

"Our peaceful, happy days were turned into three scares a day by his uproar; we could not find peace."

"It's fine if he causes trouble at home, because his rank is high and his temper is fierce! But letting him run amok outside, offending everyone, what will become of us later?"

"We don't even want to bask in his glory; we fear being entangled with him and ending up ruined and broken!"

"Grandma, you must rein him in!"

"And all those affairs that Jia Jing arranged for the clan—shouldn't they be halted? They would cost a huge sum of silver!"

Jia Mu's head throbbed at this moment, and she couldn't attend to what Jia Zhen said; hearing this, she exclaimed in surprise:

"The clan's friendly initiatives are all good deeds; why should they be stopped?"

Jia Zhen, with a cold face, said:

"Of course they must be stopped! Now that Jia Jing has killed the Marquis of Linchuan, even if he doesn't repay with his life, at least he should be imprisoned and tried!"

"Otherwise, how could the Jingnan Wuxun people cease? He's gone, and these matters shouldn't make us pay the silver!"

"Moreover, what good are these deeds? They're just attempts to buy people's hearts! I think he harbors no good intentions…"

Before Jia Zhen could finish speaking, a round‑faced, cheerful little maid with a topknot burst out of the side room, stamping, and shouted loudly:

"You are speaking nonsense! Third Uncle is a good man! Third Uncle is kind‑hearted; you are wronging him! You are not a good person…"

Before the words finished, Zi Juan and the attendant scholar quickly followed out of the side room, seized Xiao Jiaoer, and said:

"Xiao Jiaoer, hurry back! Don't rush into Grandma and Master Zhen!"

Saying that, the two bowed to Jia Zhen and apologized:

"Master Zhen! Xiao Jiaoer is young and ignorant; you, the elder, should not hold grudges against the young, and should not argue with her!"

Jia Zhen, interrupted, looked displeased, swept his murky old eyes over Xiao Jiaoer and the others, and said gloomily:

"Is there any decorum left! How can a servant interrupt the master's words!"

"That must be the little maid from Jia Jing's quarters! Indeed, the master is overbearing and the maid is rude! Bring someone, give her a hard blow to the mouth!"

With a single command, he ordered someone to slap her mouth.

Unfortunately this is Jia Mu's Rong Qing Tang, not his Ning Guo Fu, and the matrons and maids standing on either side looked at each other, and none dared to act.

Jia Zhen, seeing this, was momentarily stunned, his expression grew even gloomier, and he was about to continue speaking.

Jia Mu patted the seat beside her, glared at Jia Zhen, and said:

"Enough! Whether Jia Jing is buying hearts or whatever! Jia Jing has indeed taken silver to do things for the clan."

"Whether it's clan education or caring for the old and young, these are good deeds; if you are unwilling to provide silver, then in the future take it from my Xi Fu; there is no reason to do anything only halfway."

"Moreover, now that Jia Jing has caused trouble, you as an elder brother, instead of lending a hand, keep criticizing here, even beating his maid—what kind of person are you?"

"No clan head hopes for his peers to suffer misfortune! This is not a sign of virtue!"

"Don't say such things any more; if Jia Jing finds out, you'll have a lot of trouble!"

Jia Zhen's face flushed red at the words, and he snorted coldly, saying:

"I'm afraid of him! How could he ever regard me as an elder brother or clan head!"

"Enough! Enough! If there's nothing else, you may return! I also need to send someone out to inquire about the situation!"

Jia Mu, displeased, waved her hand and began to usher people away.

She could not stand Jia Zhen's gloomy, perverse demeanor, as if mentioning Jia Jing was like mentioning an enemy.

No matter what Jia Jing says, he is still her own great‑grandson; how could he allow Jia Zhen to act so?

………

Meanwhile, inside the Qian Qing Gong,

Emperor Jing Sheng Di sat at the imperial desk, his face unexpectedly stern, his gaze dark as he looked down at Duke Cheng, Marquis of Nanxiong and others.

"Please, Your Majesty, adjudicate for the Marquis of Linchuan and others! Even though Jia Jing, a mere child, holds the position of Military Governor, what right does he have to slay the empire's martial marquises!"

"Even if the Marquis of Linchuan is guilty, should the crime go unpardoned? Even if he violated military law, it should be reviewed collectively by the Three Courts, the crime deliberated and sentenced, with Your Majesty personally deciding, then executing!"

"The Marquis of Linchuan, the Marquis of Zhongqin and others are meritorious officials of the Da Han Empire, having shed blood and achieved merits for the empire; how could they be slaughtered so arbitrarily!"

"The Great Han Code, enacted by the Founding Ancestor, explicitly stipulates that distinguished martial officials of the empire may have their penalties reduced through 'Merit Review' and 'Nobility Review'."

"Moreover, the Marquis of Linchuan holds a royal edict—'Dan Shu Tie Quan'—that grants him two death‑immunity exemptions; it should not lead to his death!"

"Jia Jing, such a reckless child, has willfully slaughtered imperial martial marquises! Please, Your Majesty, issue an edict that Jia Jing exchange his life for theirs, as a warning to others!"

If such lawless, arbitrary conduct goes unpunished, what law and discipline can the court still speak of in the future!

Moreover, the initiator, will there be no successors?

The Duke of Cheng spoke generously with a blank expression; by the end, he almost sounded stern and severe, carrying a hint of coercion.

His words also carried a hidden threat.

His argument is that Jia Jing's killing of the Marquis of Linchuan was procedurally unlawful.

Regardless of whether the Marquis of Linchuan is guilty, even if he is, it is not Jia Jing's place to judge and act.

Senior military officials of the Da Han Empire all hold vermilion-script iron charters; the charters bear the two characters 'exempt from death'; as long as the offense is not one of the ten heinous crimes or treason, they can be granted mercy twice outside the law.