Jian Zhang glanced around. Good grief, Min was hiding behind the artificial rockery to the side, while Jian Xilu and Jian Ruonan stood near the plum blossom grove-everyone was here.
They had all come to watch the spectacle.
"..."
Jian Zhang wanted to send them away, but even if he did, Min and Xilu could still learn about the crime scene through her inner voice. Never mind, let them watch; perhaps he could even use her inner voice to judge whether this pair of adulterers was lying.
Jian Zhang raised his foot, preparing to kick again.
Jian Lang rolled on the ground to dodge, cautiously casting a sidelong glance at his elder brother, and said hastily, "I heard two night-blooming cereus flowers were blooming in the plum blossom grove, so I came specially to admire the flowers!!"
"I didn't expect to run into Concubine Wei here. Concubine Wei recently acquired a glowing night pearl and said she wanted to gift it to Inspector Wei, so she asked me to help appraise it. Last time, Mother had Younger Brother buy a night pearl, so I happen to have some expertise..."
After finishing, Jian Lang darted shifty glances at the people around him.
His words carried two implications. First, Wei's father had just been promoted to Inspector of the Southwest. Inspector Wei had been cleared of wrongdoing and exonerated, and the current emperor intended to compensate him; in a few years, he might even be transferred back to the capital, and entering the cabinet to become a chancellor was entirely possible. Wei could not be touched lightly.
Second, he had mentioned their mother. With Mother shielding him, Jian Zhang could not easily touch him.
It would be best if his older brother could turn a big matter into a small one, and a small matter into nothing.
She was merely a concubine, after all.
Although fury burned within Jian Zhang, he withdrew his foot.
He glared at the two people kneeling on the ground, his expression resembling that of a man-eating rakshasa, gloomy enough to terrify.
Is my dad really this spineless? He catches an adulterer and an adulteress, and all he does is grill them dry like this without throwing any hands?
With such a massive green hat on his head, he should at least give each of them a couple of heavy slaps to the face!
Utterly useless.
Jian Xilu nodded inwardly.
Her dad really was quite useless at times, especially when the old madam made things difficult for her mother-her dad wouldn't dare let out a single fart.
Min felt quite gratified inside as well.
Nan Nan put it well; he ought to let Jian Zhang listen so he would stop always thinking he was enduring such heavy humiliation and sacrifice for this family.
Jian Zhang: "..."
Being called spineless stung with grievance in his heart.
An old father had bitter woes he could not voice.
Let me see, why is my dad so spineless? Oh oh, so Concubine Wei's father has just been reinstated and promoted to Inspector of the Southwest. My dad is wary of Inspector Wei and doesn't dare make a move.
Jian Zhang sighed, his eyes filled with helplessness.
Not everything in this world was strictly black and white; various relationships were intricate and complex, forcing one to compromise at times.
Just reinstated? Then he should be beaten even harder?!
Jian Zhang: ??
Inspector Wei is newly appointed to his post and will definitely tread carefully. If he finds out his daughter became a concubine only to bring shame upon the family-and that as a concubine she still sneaked around stealing men-he'll probably have to beat her to death himself. Do the other daughters of the Wei family not need to marry anymore? If I were Inspector Wei, I'd beat her to death!
Jian Zhang: !!
What Ruonan said made a whole lot of sense.
Jian Zhang glanced at Wei, who was trembling like a sieve, and kicked her squarely.
Wei had previously suffered a miscarriage and her constitution was frail; after taking the kick, she collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood unceasingly.
Jian Zhang: Ah, refreshing!
Let me see why my dad didn't dare beat Second Uncle... Oh, so Second Uncle and my dad are half-brothers by different mothers. Now the old madam of the Marquis's Estate favors the second and third branches. If he beat Second Uncle, not just my dad, but my mom, my older sister, my older brother, and my younger brother would all be harassed by the old madam.
Jian Zhang felt somewhat comforted; his youngest daughter finally understood his hidden hardships. He let Min listen as well, so she could see how much he had paid for the sake of this family.
Never mind that he held the official rank of Senior Vice Minister of the Ministry of Punishments; he too harbored many hidden grievances.
This is easy to resolve too. Just cover Second Uncle's head first and beat him before anything else. If the old madam asks, just say the plum blossom grove was too pitch-black and the urgency to catch the adulterer was too great, so you didn't see clearly.
When the old madam lays the blame later, just claim you didn't recognize him. Could the old madam really force someone to admit against their will that they recognized him?
If you aren't afraid of losing face, you could even throw Second Uncle straight into the yamen.
Jian Zhang: !!
You could even do that!
He had long since found his second brother displeasing to the eye. Since childhood, Second Brother snatched his things; whenever he set his sights on something, it never remained his share, and even Min had almost been snatched away. Now Second Brother not only snatched his concubine, but also contested with him for the Marquis's title.
Jian Zhang had long wanted to give Second Brother a severe thrashing.
He made a hand gesture, and the pageboys behind him snuffed out the lanterns all at once.
The plum blossom grove instantly plunged into darkness.
Jian Lang felt his vision go black as a black cloth was pulled over his head, and immediately afterward, a rainstorm of punches landed upon him.
"Ow, ow, Eldest Brother, Brother, what are you doing, Brother-"
Jian Zhang turned to look at his personal pageboy and said sternly, "Did you see what the adulterer looked like?"
The pageboys behind him froze. The adulterer was the Second Master, and all of them had seen him, but the Eldest Master's expression seemed to suggest he didn't want them to know.
Chang Fu immediately shook his head. " Replying to Eldest Master, I didn't see."
The pageboys behind him also joined in, shaking their heads in unison.
Jian Zhang pointed at the "adulterer" whose head was hooded in a burlap sack. "Tie him up and beat him. Gag his mouth, and take my calling card to send him to the yamen."
Chang Fu led the men and turned to leave, only to be called back by Jian Zhang. "Notify the old madam. Just say a thief broke into the estate, that Concubine Wei colluded with the thief, and that the Eldest Master is sending the thief to the yamen. Ask the old madam what should be done."
Chang Fu nodded in acknowledgement.
"Hold on." Jian Zhang thought about it. "I had better go personally."
He would go himself to prevent the old madam from denying it.
Inside Joy and Longevity Court, Shi-shi finished her meal and reclined on the Arhat bed to close her eyes and rest, while a young maid beside her held a beauty hammer to massage her legs.
After Jian Zhang entered, he recounted with a grief-stricken expression how Concubine Wei had been caught red-handed stealing a man, his sorrow difficult to conceal when he reached the emotional parts.
Thinking of how he and Wei had been childhood sweethearts, yet Wei had gone behind his back to commit such a vulgar and disgraceful act, grief naturally welled up within him.
"Affairs of the inner courtyard are always decided by Mother. Son wishes to ask Mother how this matter should be handled?"
Shi-shi was the Marquis of Jinyang's second wife, while Jian Zhang was born of the first wife; the Second Master and Third Master were Shi-shi's biological sons. As the legitimate eldest son of the Marquis's Estate, Jian Zhang had consistently been blocked from being officially named the heir apparent because Shi-shi suppressed it from behind the scenes.
Concubine Wei's father had been reinstated, giving Jian Zhang yet another backing. Seeing that the position of heir could no longer be suppressed, the old madam was currently fretting, never expecting Concubine Wei to be caught committing adultery. This was nothing short of a godsend.
The old madam instantly regained her vigor. "Send the adulterer to the yamen; our Marquis's Estate cannot administer private punishments either. Take your father's calling card and make sure the scoundrel is severely punished."
The old madam's mood improved vastly. By punishing Wei, Jian Zhang had offended Inspector Wei-losing a friend and gaining an enemy.
How truly comforting.
Jian Zhang: "Understood, Son knows."
Having settled the matter of Concubine Wei, Jian Zhang struck while the iron was hot and brought up the fact that Jian Ruonan had been swapped in marriage and had now returned to the estate.
The old madam ought to have been pleased by troublesome matters in her eldest son's household, but that girl was Jian Ruonan, who had nearly cursed her to death ten years ago. Could someone like that be welcomed back?
The old madam immediately displayed displeasure, her face sinking as she remained silent.
Jian Zhang: "Son previously consulted Master Chengyuan. Master Chengyuan has already performed rites for Ruonan and personally guaranteed that Ruonan's destiny has undergone a transformation."
The old madam had always been superstitious; since it was Master Chengyuan's definitive conclusion, she found it difficult to say anything further. "Let her kneel in the ancestral hall for a night to win the ancestors' acknowledgment."
After finishing her meal, Jian Ruonan returned to Westglow Garden to continue stuffing her face, and just as she was about eight parts full, she heard the grim news telling her to go kneel in the ancestral hall for the night.
Jian Ruonan: "..."
Inside the Marquis's Estate ancestral hall, the ancestral tablets were on display, and four candles flickered in front of the sacrificial altar. Their warm flames illuminated the entire ancestral hall, yet they only made Jian Ruonan, standing there alone, appear all the more forlorn.
Jian Ruonan knelt upon the straw meditation mat, her hands pressed together in pious prayer.
Her figure was slender and small; kneeling on the mat, she looked tiny, resembling a scattering duckweed floating upon a river, carrying a desolate sense of rootlessness.
Shi-shi had intentionally dispatched an old matron to supervise Jian Ruonan, ordering her to kneel through the entire night.
Jian Zhang and Min looked at their daughter acting so sensible and felt a pang of heartache.
She had just returned to the estate from the country villa without enjoying two days of peaceful life, and now she had to suffer again.
Min's heart twitched with pain. "No, even if the old madam rebukes me for being unfilial, I am going to bring her back."
"You mustn't. If you do that, the old madam will only hold her in even greater disfavor. Tomorrow, ask her what she likes and compensate her with a bit more." Jian Zhang gripped Min's hand in return; they were both adults and could not act too impulsively. "Nan Nan is ten years old; in another three years she will reach womanhood, and we can begin looking into matches for her."
Min's eyes brimbed with tears. "This wife will definitely help her find a good family."
Jian Ruonan paid her respects with utmost sincerity.
She had heard that prayers for blessings in the ancestral hall were extremely efficacious!
Whenever noble clans had important matters, they would invariably come to the ancestral hall to worship their ancestors.
Jian Ruonan knelt upon the meditation mat, her expression solemn and dignified. She pressed her palms together and executed a profound bow.
Then, Jian Zhang and Min heard her inner voice-
Money, come! May money rain down from the skies! May money arrive from all directions! May money fly straight into my embrace!
Gold, wood, water, fire, earth-may the ancestors bless me to count gold every single day!
Gold, come! May gold descend from the skies! May gold come from all directions, overwhelming the world! May gold land right in my arms!
Come quickly! Come quickly! Come, come, come quickly!
Jian Zhang: "..."
Min: "..."
Before you continue