Chapter 747: Living Towards Death (Part 2)
“Gululu…Gululu…Pah~!”
He spit out the tooth powder in his mouth with the warm water Qingwen offered him, and threw the rhinoceros horn and horsetail toothbrush into the tray beside him.
Sun Shaozong was just about to wipe the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief when he saw a man running in like the wind, shouting from a distance: "Second brother, second brother!"
How can we have peace and quiet?
Sun Shaozong sighed helplessly. Ever since Niu Jizon, the Earl of Yongyi, was killed in a car accident in the Dali Temple three days ago, he had been ordered to suspend his post pending impeachment.
Anyway, he didn't believe that the emperor would severely punish him for this matter, so he was happy to stay at home and have a few days of peace and quiet.
But who would have thought that the news of Jiang Yuhan's plan to organize a drama troupe would spread more and more widely, not only attracting a group of playboys, but even officials in the court, when they heard about it, sent people to donate money and gifts, saying that they wanted to join in the event.
As a result, the Sun Mansion was really crowded with people.
Fortunately, Sun Shaozong was suspended pending impeachment, otherwise the number of people who would come to join in the fun would have doubled.
Jia Baoyu and others were encouraged by this, and before they even started planning the opera troupe, they were already clamoring to put on a show to reward all the wise men who had contributed money and effort.
This will naturally cause more trouble.
But Sun Shaozong wiped his mouth leisurely and waved Qingwen away. Xue Pan, who was shouting loudly, happened to run over.
"Second brother."
He smiled innocently and said, "I have something to ask, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you."
"Don't be so playful with me, just say what you mean!"
Sun Shaozong fell onto the recliner in annoyance and pointed at the Yixing purple clay teapot on the coffee table with his chin.
Xue Pan hurriedly poured a cup of tea and placed it in front of Sun Shaozong with both hands, still laughing and saying, "That useless Jia Qiang is really not worthy of being on stage. I just asked him to bring a few actors to save the situation, but Sister Feng detained him."
"What do you want me to do for this?"
Sun Shaozong sipped his tea and asked impatiently, "Isn't Second Brother Lian in the front yard now?"
"It's no use looking for Brother Lian!"
Xue Pan said with disdain and gloating, "Even the favorite concubine was killed by Sister Feng. Now the two of them are at loggerheads. It would be fine if he didn't show up. If he did, Sister Feng would probably eat those actors alive!"
Tsk~
Wang Xifeng's reputation as the 'Lion of Hedong' has been thoroughly solidified, and there are probably few people in the capital who don't know this.
Also famous nowadays are the group of "filial sons and virtuous grandsons" in Zhenguo Mansion. After the death of Niu Jizon, the Earl of Yongyi, Niu Zhongda tried his best to throw dirty water on his younger brothers .
His brothers were not to be outdone, and they all exposed Niu Zhongda's dirty laundry, saying that he had an affair with his father's favorite concubine and that he secretly sold off his ancestral property...
Nowadays, even a young child can tell a few jokes about the Zhenguo Mansion.
perhaps……
Is this exactly what Niu Jizong wants?
After witnessing Niu Jizong's dying smile that day, Sun Shaozong guessed that this old man's attempt to redress the grievances of his eldest son was fake, and his real purpose was probably to save his remaining descendants.
The emperor and the crown prince both suspected that the "Longgen case" was masterminded by the Niu family. Although they had never been able to find any evidence, any discerning person could see that as soon as the empress dowager died, the Niu family would be executed.
The countermeasures that Niu Jizong thought of were nothing new. They were nothing more than "cutting off one's own arm to save one's life" and "degrading oneself to save one's life".
These methods have existed since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, but methods are not afraid of being old, as long as they work.
Now that Niu Jizong had been killed in court, his sons were fighting over the family property, causing a lot of uproar and almost becoming a laughing stock.
Such a Niu family naturally posed no threat to the emperor and the court, and the sense of accomplishment from revenge was also greatly reduced.
but……
This seems to be just the finishing touch.
No matter how much trouble there is, the nameplate of Zhenguo Mansion has not fallen down yet. As long as you hold up this tablet that attracts attention, you will probably not escape being held accountable.
"Second brother? Second brother!"
Sun Shaozong was disturbed by Xue Pan's loud voice. He glared at him and scolded him angrily: "If you have something to say, just say it. Why are you yelling? I'm listening!"
"I can't count on the Rongguo Mansion anymore. Old Feng's family can probably get a few people together, but it's still not enough..."
"Weren't you complaining yesterday that the actors in my house were not up to par ?" Sun Shaozong sneered, then waved his hand and said, "Okay, you can use those actors in my house as you please."
Xue Pan just showed his joy, but he said seriously: "But I have to say one thing at the beginning, what I lend out is a person, not a plaything! If anyone behaves in a shabby way and imitates the way those people behave, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
"Don't worry, second brother!"
Xue Pan immediately patted his chest and guaranteed: "If there really is such an ignorant grandson, Old Feng, Brother Liu and I will deal with him first, and we will never allow him to make trouble in front of Second Brother!"
Sun Shaozong nodded in satisfaction and was about to say something when he saw a woman from the eldest house hurried over. Seeing that the two were talking, she didn't dare to get close.
Seeing this, Sun Shaozong sent Xue Pan away first, and went up to ask, "Does your sister-in-law have anything to tell you?"
"Reply to Second Master's question."
The old woman lowered her body quickly and said with a smile, "It's the Xue family's wife, she brought her daughter and nieces to visit relatives. Because there are so many people, the eldest wife can't handle it alone, so she wanted to ask a few concubines to accompany them."
To be honest, my cheap brother has many more concubines than I do.
But he has always treated those women as playthings, and outsiders also look down on them and think they are not presentable.
So whenever Jia Yingchun had something to do or not, she would go to Ruan Rong and others for help instead of looking for help nearby.
Of course, there is another reason behind this that is not clear to outsiders.
Speaking of which...
In the front yard were Jia Baoyu, Jia Lian, Jia Qiang, Jia Lan, Xue Pan, Xue Ke and others; in the back yard came Aunt Xue and a group of beautiful girls.
Add to that the fact that Xing Zhong and his daughter are staying in the east wing - this mansion of theirs is really about to become a villa of the Rongguo Mansion.
Sun Shaozong shook his head speechlessly, motioned for the old woman to go to the main hall to pass on the message, and then went back to the house to enjoy breakfast.
After breakfast, she looked around and found that all the adults and children had left, leaving only a few unpopular maids to look after the house.
This lonely man is really boring.
Sun Shaozong simply walked out of the yard on his own and prepared to go for a walk to eat.
According to the rules, officials who are suspended and awaiting impeachment are not allowed to go out at will.
He certainly couldn't go to the backyard now, and he didn't intend to get involved in the bustle in the front yard, so he just picked a secluded place in the mansion and wandered around at will.
As I was walking, I saw a man sitting alone in the corridor. Sometimes his face looked ferocious, and sometimes he sighed. I didn't know who he was talking to.
Sun Shaozong hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and jokingly said, "Brother Xue, you are rehearsing here alone. Are you hoping to make a splash on stage?"
This "Little Brother Xue" naturally does not refer to Xue Pan, but his cousin Xue Ke.
Xue Ke was startled. He turned around and saw that it was Sun Shaozong. He hurriedly changed his expression and said with a wry smile, "Second brother, you are joking. I am an outsider and I am just joining in the fun. How dare I embarrass myself on stage?"
Sun Shaozong sat on the railing, lifted his front and crossed his legs, and asked nonchalantly: "What's the problem? Tell me, and see if I can help you, second brother."
Sun Shaozong admired Xue Ke very much. He shouldered the heavy burden of the family at a young age. He was enterprising and knew when to advance and when to retreat.
Even though Xue Pan now has three big trees to lean on [Rongguo Mansion, his uncle's family, and his wife's family], his future achievements may not be able to catch up with this cousin.
Therefore, Sun Shaozong was happy to do some favors for him when he was down and out.
"this……"
Xue Ke was somewhat embarrassed when he heard Sun Shaozong ask about the reason. However, after hesitating for a while, he finally sighed and said, "Second Brother Sun is not an outsider, so I will tell you the truth. Yesterday evening, I suddenly got the news that Master Mei has been appointed to a post outside the capital and will leave Beijing for his new post soon."
This so-called Mr. Mei is naturally Mei Hanlin, who is engaged to the Xue family.
He left Beijing at this time, probably to avoid disaster, right?
After all, he had just submitted a memorial saying that those monks and Taoists were all liars, and in the blink of an eye, Jia Yuanchun became pregnant.
It's really a case of not catching the fox but getting yourself into trouble instead.
But that's not the point.
Xue Ke would be angry about this, which means...
"how?"
Sun Shaozong frowned and asked, "Could it be that this news was not proactively informed by them?"
Xue Ke shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Until now, not even a hint of news has been leaked, but everyone knows that he will leave Beijing soon."
Tsk~
This in-law is really...
Sun Shaozong smacked his lips and further speculated, "Could it be that the Empress Defei is taking her anger out on your family?"
If the Mei family really wanted to break off the engagement, Xue Ke would definitely not mention it to others before the matter became clear. Otherwise, wouldn't he be actively ruining his own sister's reputation?
Apart from breaking off the engagement, this was the only reason Sun Shaozong could think of.
Although Xue Ke lived in Xue Pan's mansion, Xue Baoqin was always kept in Rongguo Mansion.
Now that Mei Hanlin has unexpectedly suffered the consequences because of Concubine De's pregnancy, it is understandable that he turns around and vents his anger on his future daughter-in-law.
but……
No matter how you look at it, this man is too petty. Having such a father-in-law, Xue Baoqin will probably suffer in the future.
However, Xue Ke couldn't help but burst into a bitter smile when he heard Sun Shaozong's revelation. After a long while, he calmed down and said resolutely: "I am going to see Mr. Mei off. I can ask him clearly then - although my father is gone, my family will not rush to let others abuse it!"
Since he is so determined, there is no need for anyone to say anything.
Sun Shaozong reached out and patted him on the shoulder: "Don't rush into the affairs of the Zhen family. They may seem arrogant and domineering, but secretly they are desperate. No one's face may be of any use at this time. Instead of facing the difficulties head-on, it is better to retreat and find other ways to make money."
"In fact, there are some good specialties in Xizhou. You might as well send someone to inquire about them. If you are interested, I have some connections that can help."
This was actually killing two birds with one stone. During his two years in charge of Wuxi, Sun Shaozong inevitably left behind a few "disciples and old officials" in the local area. If he could attract capital injection from the Xue family, it would be a win-win situation.
After hearing this, Xue Ke felt both disappointed and moved. Needless to say, he was moved, but what made him disappointed was that after hearing what Sun Shaozong said, he was afraid that his family business might not be able to be preserved.
He bowed solemnly and said, "Thank you for your advice, second brother. After I return home, I will dispatch some people to Wuxi Prefecture."
The two chatted for a while, and when they saw Xue Pan sent someone to invite him, Sun Shaozong decisively said that he had to take care of household chores, and parted ways with Xue Ke.
He had been thinking of going back to the backyard to take a nap - he had put a lot of effort into Xiangling and Qingwen yesterday.
Who knew that when they were halfway there, they heard someone coming to report that someone had died again in Zhenguo Mansion.
And the person who died this time was none other than Niu Zhongda, who wanted to monopolize the family property - to be precise, the one who died was a concubine of Niu Zhongda and Niu Jizon.
"Second Master, you didn't see it!"
Wang Jin described the incident with great excitement: "Both of them were naked, and died not far from the mourning hall! I heard that Niu Zhongda died first, and the concubine knew that she couldn't hide the truth, so she also took poison and committed suicide in desperation."
"shit!"
Sun Shaozong couldn't help but glare at her: "Since she can find poison to commit suicide, doesn't she know how to find some clothes to put on first?"
"this……"
Wang Jin was immediately speechless, scratching his head and hesitating for a long time, then he said cautiously: "Then according to what you mean, this is someone else's frame-up?"
"What are you guessing?"
Sun Shaozong waved his hand impatiently: "Go find out something and come back to report."
After sending Wang Jin away, Sun Shaozong stood alone in the corridor and couldn't help but sigh secretly: This Niu Jizong is indeed a ruthless person!
While others would cut off their arms to prove their bravery, he cut off his head directly, and both father and son died one after another!
Others who defile themselves in order to seek perfection are only seeking land and houses, and are therefore labeled as greedy.
He was so good that before his body was cold, he arranged for his favorite concubine and son to die naked near the mourning hall.
Now the reputation of Zhenguo Mansion is completely ruined!
In addition, the Niu family's direct lineage was cut off, leaving only three illegitimate sons, who were fighting over the family property with great pleasure...
If I were the emperor, I would probably be happy to keep these clowns around to continue ruining the Niu family's reputation, right?
…
It was not until the afternoon that Wang Jin brought back the latest news: Niu Zhongda had molested his father's favorite concubine, who could not bear the humiliation and therefore poisoned him to death.
As for the fact that both parties were naked, it was because Niu Zhongda took poison and then forced sex on her. As a result, they both died of the poison in the hibiscus tent.
…
That night.
The empress dowager was furious and personally issued an imperial decree to confiscate the Zhenguo Mansion and put all the family property into the national treasury to provide relief to the victims of this winter's disaster.
As for the other sons of the family, they only received a hundred or so taels of silver, and then were stripped of all their titles and imperial edicts, demoted to commoners, and sent back to their hometown in Yangzhou.
The once glorious Zhenguo Mansion disappeared just like that.
