The next day, at the Southern Commandant Office.
Jia Huan reported every detail of Master Wu's case to the official, including the extermination of the bandits and the rooting out of the parasites in the local county court.
The official nodded and took up his brush to enter the merits in the register.
"This subordinate takes his leave."
Jia Huan did not expect a promotion from this. The step from General Banner to Hundred-Household Commander was as difficult as ascending to heaven; the merits from Old Dog Wu's case fell far short.
"Wait!"
The official suddenly stopped him, then took a letter from a drawer and slapped it on the desk, saying gravely:
"Someone has submitted a signed accusation that you accepted bribes."
Jia Huan's heart sank. He picked up the letter and skimmed it. The signature was Jia Rong's!
Needless to say, that beast Jia Zhen must have put him up to it.
His expression remained unchanged as he replied unhurriedly:
"This man is deliberately slandering me. This subordinate stands straight and walks upright. Please have the proper authorities investigate."
The official said heavily:
"We have investigated. You devoted yourself to the case and accepted no bribes to shelter criminals. As for whether you extorted money from the criminals or pocketed their wealth, only you know!"
That said, this was actually a tacit understanding within the Embroidered Uniform Guard Office. The Embroidered Uniform Guard was nowhere near as glorious as outsiders imagined; the hardships within defied description.
They hunted vicious criminals, and the slightest misstep could send them to the Yellow Springs. They dealt with cunning old foxes of officials: a man arrested today might be reinstated tomorrow, followed by bloody retaliation from the court, needles concealed within silk.
Everyone worked like dogs all day with their heads tucked into their waistbands. Keeping a little of the confiscated loot was an understanding shared throughout the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
So long as they knew where to draw the line, there was little harm.
"This subordinate is clean and has no fear of slander," Jia Huan said calmly.
The official watched him for a while, then offered a well-meant warning:
"If a rival used this accusation at a critical moment in your promotion, it could put you on the back foot or even cast you into the abyss. Guard against petty villains from now on, and act with greater caution and restraint. Try not to give others anything to use against you."
Jia Huan sincerely cupped his fists:
"Thank you for your guidance, sir!"
The official nodded approvingly:
"You have only served for half a month, yet your register of merits is already densely filled. I do not wish to see a talented, enterprising young man take the wrong road."
"Go back."
With that, he tore the accusation to pieces.
"This subordinate takes his leave." Jia Huan departed respectfully.
He returned to the Geng-designated office.
"Boss!"
His six subordinates rose to greet him, only to see the anger on his face.
"Boss, are we going out to arrest criminals?" Fathead Fish cautiously offered him a case file.
Jia Huan waved it away and said heavily:
"Come with me!"
Half an hour later, the seven rode onto Ningrong Street. Jia Huan reined in his horse, pointed at the pawnshop and money house, and shouted:
"Seal them up! Under Great Qian law, anyone who tears off the seals without authorization is to be thrown in jail!"
"Yes, sir!" The six stormed into the pawnshop, produced their badges, and barked:
"Embroidered Uniform Guard business! Anyone uninvolved, get out! Someone has accused your pawnshop of misappropriating paintings and calligraphy. Bring out the ledgers for the past year!"
The pawnshop's customers scattered like birds and beasts.
"What do you think you're doing? This belongs to the Ningguo Mansion..." Before the manager could finish, Twin Whips kicked him to the floor:
"Hand over the ledgers at once!"
Jia Huan's face was expressionless:
"Scholar, examine those accounts thoroughly. Anyone who dares resist goes into the Imperial Prison."
"The other four, come with me to the money house."
"We won't work any cases today. Seal every one of the dozen or so shops on the list!"
At the Ningguo Mansion.
Jia Zhen held a cricket cage in his left hand while his right reached inside a maid's bellyband, looking utterly content.
"Father, something terrible has happened!"
Without even knocking, Jia Rong rushed inside in a frantic hurry.
Startled, Jia Zhen snatched his hand back, rose, and cursed:
"You unfilial wretch! Are you rushing off to be reincarnated all day long?"
"Father," Jia Rong panted, tugging his father's arm and urging:
"That bastard Jia Huan suddenly sealed all our shops! He's rummaging through... through the ledgers everywhere. Think of something quickly! If he audits the accounts, he'll definitely uncover something fishy."
"How dare he!"
Jia Zhen's face turned livid. He smashed the cricket cage onto the floor and roared:
"The brazen cur! He's deliberately setting himself against me! I'll go to the Shenjing Prefectural Court and have that insubordinate beast arrested! How dare a mere General Banner disrespect a Duke's Estate! Without an imperial decree, even their Thousand-Household Commanders wouldn't dare run wild in a Duke's Estate!"
He made to leave as he spoke.
Jia Rong stopped him and said miserably, "Father, have you forgotten? All our businesses are registered under distant relatives' names. Every noble household in the capital does it. He's a General Banner of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so he has the authority to do this."
Jia Zhen stopped in his tracks, his lips trembling with rage:
"That damned beast is running utterly unchecked! I'll use my connections at court and have him skinned and his tendons ripped out!"
Flushed with agitation, Jia Rong said, "Father, every day those seals remain, our businesses suffer enormous losses. If he makes a fuss over the ledgers, we might lose all those properties. We'd better hurry and ask the Old Ancestress to judge this."
"Damned beast!" Cursing, Jia Zhen hurried toward the Rongguo Mansion. Everything in the Ningguo Mansion cost money. If they truly lost their businesses, where else could they scrape together silver?
Arriving at Rongxi Hall, Jia Zhen poured out his grievances before everyone, sighing mournfully to Jia Mu and Madam Wang:
"Steward Lai is still bedridden. Even if his legs can be saved, he'll limp for the rest of his life. A junior is already lording it over me! At every ancestral sacrifice, I, Jia Zhen, stand at the very front! Does he have even the slightest respect in his heart?"
"This time he's even more domineering. For no reason whatsoever, he sealed all the Ningguo Mansion's shops, saying he wanted to examine the accounts carefully. Whose accounts don't have a few discrepancies? He's using that tiny scrap of authority to humiliate the Duke of Ningguo's household!"
"What?" Madam Wang clenched her prayer beads, her face dark with anger. "Is that concubine-born son trying to rebel?"
Jia Mu's expression grew grave. Having seen her share of great affairs, she would not jump to conclusions. She fixed Jia Zhen with a stare and said:
"Tell the truth. Don't make this like last time, when you caused a quarrel over that wicked man named Wu and made the Jia family a laughingstock to outsiders."
"We're all one family. Brother Huan may have a bad temper, but he wouldn't stir up trouble without reason."
Jia Zhen stammered, unable to get a word out. Only after a long while did he offer a vague explanation:
"It's all my unfilial son's fault. He wrote a letter of accusation to the Embroidered Uniform Guard Office."
"You..." Madam Wang sat down again, swallowing the rebuke she had been about to deliver.
Jia Mu's face hardened. Pointing at Jia Zhen, she lectured him:
"If you knew he was rash and impulsive, why do such a filthy thing? You've thrown the Jia family into turmoil!"
"Rong was only angry that he crippled Lai Er!" Jia Zhen said furiously.
"I'm just an old woman. I can't manage these wretched affairs." Surrounded by Yuanyang, Amber, and the others, Jia Mu left Rongxi Hall outright.
"Old Ancestress..." Jia Zhen stepped forward, hoping to persuade her to stay.
Jia Mu left decisively, unwilling to get involved.
"Use your connections at the Embroidered Uniform Guard Office," Madam Wang reminded him before leaving as well. The mere thought of that concubine-born son irritated her.
Jia Zhen paced back and forth anxiously.
Unlike the Wang family, which had Wang Ziteng in a high and powerful position, the Ningguo Mansion's connections were mostly military officers. When the Embroidered Uniform Guard acted, military commanders could not get out of the way fast enough. Who would dare interfere?
Abandon the shops? Those were all gleaming silver!
"Am I supposed to bow my head?"
At the thought, Jia Zhen's fury became uncontrollable:
"I'd sooner starve to death than compromise with that little beast!"
Two hours later.
At the Geng-designated office.
"Brother Huan, what is the meaning of this?"
Jia Zhen stood before the desk, with Jia Rong beside him.
Leaning back in his Grand Secretary Chair, Jia Huan took a small sip of fragrant tea and said coolly:
"You know perfectly well, cousin."
Suppressing his pent-up resentment, Jia Zhen jabbed a finger hard into Jia Rong's forehead:
"You unfilial wretch! Apologize to your Third Uncle Huan at once! Reporting your own clansman with such a rotten heart-you're worse than a beast!"
"Third... Third Uncle Huan, I acted rashly." Jia Rong looked mortified as he lowered his head in apology.
Jia Huan said nothing.
That silence left Jia Zhen feeling deeply humiliated.
He drew a deep breath, stepped forward, and forced an ingratiating smile:
"Brother Huan, we were in the wrong. Shall we remove the seals?"
Jia Huan set down his teacup and said calmly:
"Cousin, there is a maxim passed around the Embroidered Uniform Guard Office: if someone wrongs me, I repay it a hundredfold. I wholeheartedly agree."
"Yes, yes, of course." Jia Zhen hastily concurred.
Jia Huan scrutinized him for a moment, then sighed:
"Cousin, those accounts are filthy. Three of the shops must be confiscated. As your junior, I must enforce the law impartially, so the seals on those three cannot be removed."
Jia Zhen's face twitched. Forcing down his humiliation, he said heavily:
"If irregularities have been found, then let those three remain sealed."
Jia Huan nodded:
"Someone, remove the seals from all but those three shops."
"Yes, sir!" Twin Whips cupped his fists and left.
"I have official business to attend to, so...?" Jia Huan lifted his teacup.
At that, Jia Zhen and his son left the office.
"Father, this is too pathetic, too humiliating!" The moment they stepped outside the Embroidered Uniform Guard Office, Jia Rong flew into a rage. They had already swallowed their pride and humbled themselves, yet they still had to lose three shops.
"Shut up! I'm even more aggrieved than you!" Jia Zhen's face was gloomy as he warned:
"Don't provoke him for now. There are plenty of days ahead. We'll find the right opportunity to vent our hatred."
"Yes." Jia Rong agreed.
Before you continue