webnovelfull Chapter 31 The mastermind behind the scenes
Chapter 31 The mastermind behind the scenes
After everyone had left, Jia Daihua said with a gloomy expression:
"So it was him. Then he must have been the one who did what happened to Hu'er before!"
Jia Jing said:
"It's not surprising. This guy is usually quite irritable and has always had a bad reputation."
Jia She said:
"Father, did our family have a grudge against him before?"
Jia Daishan thought for a moment and said, "It's not quite like that. It's just that he almost hit someone while riding his horse in the city. I was passing by and saved the person. I didn't say anything at the time. The next day, a minister reported this incident and mentioned many other crimes committed by him and his family. The emperor was furious and scolded him on the spot, calling him immoral, impulsive, violent, and unfit for important positions. I suppose he thought I was the one who investigated him, so he started to hate me. Later, he tried to win me over, but I ignored him, which is why he wanted to kill me."
Jia Zheng's expression was also very bad as he said:
"Then our Jia family has truly suffered an undeserved calamity."
Jia She said angrily:
"That bastard Seventh Prince!"
Jia Jing quickly pulled Jia She away. Jia She suddenly realized that he had spoken out of anger and hurriedly went to see Jia Daishan.
Jia Daishan said calmly, "Although there is already a crown prince, there will inevitably be a struggle for the throne. Even if we want to protect ourselves, we cannot escape this vortex."
Jia Daihua frowned and said:
"Then let's just leave it at that!"
Jia Daishan said helplessly:
"So what if it doesn't count? I'm already incredibly lucky to have escaped this calamity by taking advantage of the situation. After all, he's the Emperor's son, and even if the Emperor is angry, he won't kill him."
Jia Daihua said angrily, "Then we can also make him uncomfortable. Should we really go and bet on a prince?"
Jia Daishan quickly said, "Brother, you mustn't. The Emperor is not yet of age to know his destiny. He will not relinquish power in the next few years. On the contrary, he is very dissatisfied with the princes forming cliques and ministers occupying positions. Our family should follow the path of loyal ministers."
Jia Daihua paced back and forth in the room and said:
"This won't work, that won't work, are we just going to wait for others to harm us?"
Although Jia Daishan smiled, there was no smile in his eyes as he said, "Do you think you can hide today's events from the Emperor?"
Jia Daihua exclaimed with delight, "You mean..."
Jia Daishan said:
"The Emperor is no longer busy. The princes are eyeing his throne. They tried to undermine the Emperor, but instead of succeeding, they harmed others. You'll see, a decision will be made at tomorrow's morning court."
As everyone in the room gradually felt at ease, Jia Zheng asked:
"We must tell Mother about this."
After thinking for a moment, Jia Daishan said, "Just talk about the two men in the mansion who were having an affair and killed Zhao Jin's mother. Zhao Jin then harbored resentment and tried to harm me. Don't talk about anything related to the royal family."
Jia Zheng nodded in agreement.
Jia Daihua was somewhat relieved. Now that the truth had been uncovered, his younger brother had escaped death. But how had he himself survived? Even Hu'er said she didn't know. Jia Daihua sighed and said:
"After checking this way, it seems your calamity has passed. I still don't know how it will end."
Jia Daishan looked at Jia Daihua and said:
“With you here, brother, we can take precautions in advance. It’s better for the entire Jia family to be of one mind than to know nothing and be solely immersed in wealth and glory.”
The three younger members quickly expressed that they would work harder in the future and would no longer be foolish.
Jia Daihua then laughed heartily with satisfaction and said:
“Now that we should look like a family. Brother, we made a mistake before. Hiding our shortcomings means hiding them, not letting the children become useless.”
Jia Daishan smiled wryly and said:
Fortunately, it wasn't too late to salvage the situation.
The next morning at court, the emperor inquired about the seventh prince's handling of official duties. The ministers thought the emperor was concerned about the seventh prince and wanted to give the sixth prince a chance to shine. The seventh prince was also somewhat pleased with himself. However, the emperor suddenly flew into a rage, angrily rebuking the seventh prince for his lack of diligence and punishing him by confining him to his residence for six months. Everyone was shocked by these words.
Only the Seventh Prince was pale. He knew that his father knew what he had done. His father could not accept a prince challenging his authority. He was truly in trouble now, and he could only perform the deepest rites to accept punishment.
The Emperor was very satisfied. Now he would like to see which prince would dare to make a move.
In the Jia household, Jia Daishan told Grandmother Jia what had happened, which shocked her greatly. She repeatedly thanked Heaven for the good fortune that her husband was alright, and then she shed tears, regretting that she had not managed the affairs of the household well and had almost harmed her husband.
Jia Daishan comforted him:
"This is not Madam's fault. There have been many things going on at home lately, which has attracted those short-sighted people to act recklessly."
Jia Min was also shocked after hearing what had happened. After comforting her mother, she said, "Father, we must thoroughly investigate our household."
Jia Daishan nodded with satisfaction and said:
"You've come at the right time. We can use this opportunity to thoroughly clean up the mansion and put everyone at ease. Now that both of your sisters-in-law are pregnant, we need to be even more careful."
Grandmother Jia, having recovered her composure, said with an angry expression:
“I had treated them very kindly, thinking they were old people from several generations ago, but who knew they would dare to do such a thing. It’s time to settle accounts with them properly.”
Jia Daishan had great confidence in his wife. She was usually a cheerful and talkative woman, but her ability to manage the household was unmatched by anyone else in the mansion.
Grandmother Jia was extremely annoyed and ashamed. She thought she had done an excellent job managing the household, but who knew that she would be so easily offended. She was furious and her anger swept through the entire Jia family in a thunderous rage.
Back at Ningguo Mansion, Jia Daihua immediately ordered his daughter-in-law, Zhao, to conduct a thorough investigation of the household affairs after returning home yesterday.
These two cases, if left uninvestigated, would have been a mistake. But once investigated, they uncovered a great deal of wrongdoing: some were thieves and cheaters, some were bribers and gamblers, and so on. It was an eye-opener for people today. For those people who were found to have committed such crimes, the Jia family sent those who deserved to be sent to the authorities and those who deserved to be sold off. The remaining people tightened their belts and worked diligently, and the atmosphere changed a lot in a short time.
As for the vacant positions, there will be a constant stream of people wanting to fill them. This is why Grandmother Jia is much more cautious this time, and she investigates very carefully. Jia Min has been learning from Grandmother Jia and doesn't feel that she has gained a lot.
The two children, Jia Hu and Jia Zhu, were not so happy. When Jia Daishan learned that the matter was over, he instructed the two to move to Pear Fragrance Courtyard and resume their studies.
Jia Zhen was also sent by his grandfather, Jia Daihua, to study together. Jia Zhen was very happy to be with his brothers. He was the only child in Ningguo Mansion and had no one to accompany him. He was very happy to be with Jia Hu and Jia Zhu, but he did not know what he was about to face.