In [Dream Of The Red Chamber], Jia She Acquires A Plant-Based Superpower. - Chapter 2

Jia She slowly rolled up his sleeves, sneered, and walked up to Jia Zheng, striking him hard in the face with a heavy punch.

Instantly, the screams of the maidservants in the room grew even louder.

As he continued to pummel him, Jia She shouted, “Lady Wang is certainly diligent in managing the household! She has emptied more than half of the storehouse and even sold the sacrificial lands in Jinling. Can anyone say she isn’t diligent? I have tolerated you and your wife for a long time. This Rong Mansion belongs to me by inheritance; you and Lady Wang are merely temporary residents.”

Jia Zheng was beaten until his face was bruised and swollen. He lay on the ground, gasping for breath, his fingers trembling as he pointed at Jia She, unable to form a complete sentence.

With an expressionless face, Jia She walked over to Mother Jia, who looked at him in disbelief, and whispered softly, “Do not call me a wretch. You were the one who agreed to side with the Crown Prince, and you were the one who instructed me to ingratiate myself with him. Yet, after the new Emperor ascended the throne, you pushed all the responsibility onto me.”

“You killed Lady Zhang and Hu’er; you forced me to marry the low-born Xing woman and forced me to hide in the East Courtyard, living like a turtle. I am telling you now: I fear nothing. If you have the ability, kill Jia Lian and Jia Cong as well, and let us see if the title of the Rong Mansion would even land on the Second Branch.”

“It would be best for you to steer clear of me from now on. When I go mad, even I am afraid of myself.”

Mother Jia had been furious at first, but hearing Jia She speak those chilling words in such a calm tone, she clenched her teeth tightly. At that moment, everyone in the room shared one thought: The Eldest Master has gone mad.

Jia She’s gaze swept over the pale-faced Lady Wang. “You embezzled a great deal of money from the public coffers; you had best return every cent. Otherwise, I will submit a memorial to the Emperor and request the Ministry of Justice to arrest the traitor within our gates.”

“Lady Wang, you pride yourself on Wang Ziteng, do you not? Guess whether his official position will remain secure once word gets out that his sister emptied out her husband’s family wealth.”

Lady Wang’s mind raced with many thoughts—some involving denial, others involving killing Jia She—but returning the money was not among them. She did not know that Jia She had already gone mad; she had been caught completely off guard today, without any preparation.

As Jia She left with the silent Xing Shi, Lady Wang suddenly collapsed in tears before Mother Jia.

“Old Matriarch, please uphold justice for me. The Eldest Brother is trying to kill me!”

“Since I took over managing the public coffers, every expenditure has been recorded clearly. The Eldest Master is falsely accusing me of embezzlement without any evidence. What does he take me for?”

“My Wang family is also a wealthy household; the dowry I brought into this manor could span miles outside the city. How could I be so shortsighted as to steal from the family?”

Lady Wang wept and wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, heartbroken. She had cooked the books perfectly; even if the Ministry of Revenue sent someone to investigate, they would find no issues. The only trouble was the clan’s sacrificial land. The silver from the land sales was still in her hands. To prevent Jia She from obtaining evidence, she would have to cough up the money and buy the land back immediately. Lady Wang looked down on Jia She’s methods; he held such a massive piece of evidence against her but revealed it without proof, giving her time to cover her tracks. Even if Jia She was mad, he was a fool.

Only Jia Zheng believed Lady Wang’s tearful plea. The Wang family was a wealthy household; how could the daughter they raised possibly steal from her husband’s family?

Wang Xifeng’s eyes flickered, but she remained silent. It was only after she started managing the household that she saw the Jia family’s problems. The mansion looked glorious on the outside, but in many places, expenditures far exceeded income. At this rate, the manor would inevitably face disaster sooner or later.

Jia Lian was still dazed. Was the man who just threw a punch at his uncle really his father, who only knew how to spend money on carousing?

Back in the East Courtyard, Jia She immediately summoned Lin Zhixiao. Lin Zhixiao had already heard the news that the Eldest Master had gone mad; he stood before Jia She, trembling, not daring to speak loudly. He was the second steward of the manor and knew how much the Eldest Master had suffered. That Jia She had gone mad did not surprise him in the slightest—his wife and son had been forced to their deaths by their own kin. His only legitimate son had married the niece of the person who murdered his eldest brother; it would be stranger if he had not gone mad.

Jia She’s slender, symmetrical fingers tapped the table as he commanded Lin Zhixiao: “Replace all the servants in the East Courtyard. Replace all the wet nurses and old maids with ones bought from outside.”

“From now on, keep the East Courtyard’s expenses in a separate account. Find someone reliable to manage it. If there is a problem with the East Courtyard’s accounts, I will hold you accountable.”

“Do not think of fooling me. If you dare to embezzle my money like Lady Wang, if I cannot kill her, can I not kill you?”

Lin Zhixiao was so terrified he nearly fainted; he knelt immediately to pledge his loyalty. He dared not disobey, nor did he dare embezzle Jia She’s money. A madman could truly kill. Since Jia She dared to threaten Mother Jia, he was clearly beyond saving.

After news of Jia She’s madness spread, the East Courtyard was thrown into a panic. When Lin Zhixiao announced that all the servants born into the household were to be transferred, everyone scrambled to pack their bags.

Wang Shanbao’s wife looked at Xing Shi with great anxiety. “First Madam, the Eldest Master’s madness is terrifying. What are we to do now?”

Xing Shi frowned. Jia She’s outburst at Mother Jia’s place had scared her senseless. She had learned that Jia She’s original wife and eldest son were killed by the family, something she had previously dismissed as mere servant gossip. She exhaled a long breath, her voice filled with helplessness: “I am already married to him. Whether he is mad or dead, I am his wife in name.”

“Forget it. Since life is already like this, how much worse could it get?”

Wang Shanbao’s wife could only accept her fate. She was Xing Shi’s personal maid; other servants could leave, but she could not.

In the evening, a maid carried Yingchun and Jia Cong to Xing Shi’s courtyard. “First Madam, the Eldest Master has ordered that you take charge of the East Courtyard’s management from now on. The young lady and young master are to be placed under your care.” The maid also handed the keys to the East Courtyard’s storehouse to Xing Shi.

Xing Shi was bewildered. “What does the Eldest Master mean by this? Asking me to manage the household?”

Wang Shanbao’s wife saw the storehouse keys and actually felt that Jia She’s madness was a good thing. The maid smiled and replied respectfully: “This servant does not know the Eldest Master’s intent, only that I am to follow his orders. The Eldest Master also ordered that all servants in the East Courtyard be bought from outside, and you are to decide who is hired.”

Xing Shi did not understand what Jia She was planning, but she could only execute every task he arranged. Especially with Yingchun and Jia Cong, she dared not show the slightest negligence. Jia She was mad enough to restructure the East Courtyard; he was mad enough to divorce his wife and remarry.

Meanwhile, Jia She was in his study, flipping through the account books Lin Zhixiao had given him. The more he read, the angrier he became.

“So many imperial gifts destroyed and not reported? If this reaches the ears of the Censor, they will surely impeach me for contempt of imperial authority.”

“Every household treasures imperial gifts and offers them up for worship, but in our house, even the imperial gifts in the storehouse are gnawed to pieces by rats.”

“And strangely, these damaged gifts can be found in the servants’ quarters.”

“Lin Zhixiao, you have done a fine job as second steward.”

The Censor would not care if the imperial gifts were stolen; they would only impeach the Jia family for letting imperial gifts enter the market. That alone was a capital crime. The new Emperor was already looking for an excuse to raid their home. Lady Wang, that poisonous woman, was managing the household into ruin; she was trying to get him killed!

Jia She took a deep breath. He was the heir to the title; if the Jia family was held accountable, he would be the first to be thrown into prison. He had not enjoyed much of the family’s luxury, yet he would be the first to be jailed. Why should he?

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, until he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Lin Zhixiao’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. He did not come to his senses for several seconds, but finally, he rushed over to Jia She, forgetting to kneel. Jia She gripped Lin Zhixiao’s hand tightly, commanding with gravity: “Make a huge fuss about this. Say I am nearly fuming to death because of Lady Wang. Send people to spread the word that she embezzled public money and tolerated servants buying and selling imperial gifts.”

“Go personally and retrieve my personal seal. Then, go to the Yingtian Prefecture Yamen and report it as stolen. Have the Yamen spread the word that all official documents signed with my seal are henceforth void.”

Only after spitting blood did Jia She remember this. Lady Wang had been using his seal to handle lawsuits. Fearing Lin Zhixiao might be disloyal, Jia She sneered and threatened: “Think clearly about whether the master of this house is surnamed Jia or Wang.”

Lin Zhixiao pledged his loyalty instantly. “Master, rest assured. I, Lin Zhixiao, swear by my descendants that I will never betray you.”

Jia She had completely torn the mask off with Lady Wang. He was the heir to the manor. Once Mother Jia died, Jia Zheng and his wife could no longer continue living in the Rong Mansion; he certainly knew how to choose his path. Jia She released Lin Zhixiao and instructed: “As long as you serve me well, I will not treat my loyal subordinates poorly.”

After Lin Zhixiao left, he summoned a doctor. The diagnosis was that Jia She’s anger had attacked his heart. The doctor had been summoned from outside the manor, and as soon as he stepped out of the Jia residence, he was surrounded by people gathering intelligence.

Hearing that Jia She had been fuming so hard he coughed up blood, many whispered in discussion.

“You cannot judge a book by its cover. Is Lady Wang really that terrible? And she is a daughter of the Wang family, too.”

“What does it matter that she is a daughter of the Wang family? In this world, who does not love money?”

“I just heard explosive news. Do you know the real reason Jia She coughed up blood?”

“Who does not know? It is because Lady Wang embezzled the manor’s money.”

“You think embezzling manor money can make Jia She cough up blood? Do you really believe that? I just got the latest scoop: Jia She sent people to the Yingtian Prefecture Yamen to report his personal seal stolen, and he had the authorities announce that all documents using his seal are void.”

“My goodness! Lady Wang is bold enough to steal an official seal?”

“That is nothing! I also heard that the imperial gifts listed as damaged in the Jia family’s account books have appeared in pawnshops as treasures. And the pawnshops are owned by Lady Wang’s family!”

“Trading imperial gifts is a capital crime. If I were Jia She, I would not just cough up blood; I would be fuming to death.”

Jia She lay on his couch, listening to Lin Zhixiao report what was happening outside. The network of servants in the Jia Mansion was extremely complex; there were almost no secrets that could last the night. Jia She used public opinion to hold Lady Wang over a fire while simultaneously testing the new Emperor.

If the new Emperor issued a decree to punish him, these hidden dangers could be solved in advance. If the new Emperor did not issue a decree and acted as if nothing happened, it meant the new Emperor was not satisfied with a simple punishment; he was likely determined to raid the entire Jia household.

Jia She sighed all day, his brain working through plans to avoid the disaster of a raid. He wondered if someone had transmigrated before him, as soap and glass already existed. He wanted to offer the formula for cement to the Emperor to show his loyalty, but he only knew cement hardened upon contact with water; he had no idea how it was actually made.

Jia She was agitated all day and could not think of a way to make the Emperor spare him, even worrying before he fell asleep.

In his dream, Jia She saw a hazy green light. He could not resist reaching out to touch it, and the hazy light was slowly absorbed by him. A cultivation technique appeared in Jia She’s mind.

Jia She snapped his eyes open, clutching his chest and gasping for air, before pinching the back of his hand hard.

“It hurts. It is not a dream. The cultivation technique is real.”

That green light was the jade pendant the original owner had given him, formed from the spiritual roots of a plant-type esper in the apocalypse. As the jade pendant turned into spiritual roots and fused with his body, his body transformed from having no spiritual roots to having them. He would be able to cultivate and grow stronger from now on.