A stew of the Red Chamber

Chapter 57 Labeling

As Wang Qing stepped out of the courtyard, he saw Nie Chong walking towards him.

"What happened?"

"Sir, you were indeed incredibly insightful!"

Nie Chong first offered a modest compliment before reporting, "Following your instructions, sir, I maintained a relaxed exterior but a tight interior. Upon hearing the Rongguo Mansion sound the alarm, I caught the imposter red-handed!"

"Could you ascertain where you came from? Who instructed you?"

"Uh..." Nie Chong said somewhat awkwardly, "The three of them are all servants in the mansion, and they said they were acting on the orders of the master of the mansion."

"Jia She?"

Wang Qing was somewhat puzzled and was about to ask about the situation again.

Then, several henchmen pushed and shoved the three men, who were bound hand and foot, as they walked over.

The two older men remained silent, heads bowed. The young man, however, upon seeing Wang Qing and Nie Chong, suddenly felt his knees buckle and quickly knelt before them, kowtowing repeatedly, saying, "Injustice! My lords! I am Pan You'an, I would never dare to commit such a crime, it was all my uncle's fault..."

My uncle came to see me tonight, saying that the master had given me a good job, promising a great reward if I did it well, and that he wanted to promote me. I had no idea it involved impersonating a thief and committing theft!

He kept begging for mercy, while the old man who was tied up with him looked increasingly embarrassed.

The middle-aged man looked at Pan Youan with eyes full of disappointment.

Wang Qing then held up his index finger to his nose, glanced at Pan Youan's wet trouser leg, took a step back, looked at the other two, and asked, "What are your names?"

The two men, dejected and bowing, said, "We are Wang Shanbao and Qin Fu, greetings to Master Qing!"

Ok?

Wang Shanbao?

Pan Youan called Qin Fu his uncle, which he knew, and Siqi's second uncle was called Qin Xian, but he didn't know how many brothers the Qin family had.

He thought to himself, "Could I have killed Siqi's maternal grandfather, father, and cousin all at once?"

Wang Qing continued to press, remaining calm: "Tell me! What's the relationship between the three of you?"

"Reporting to you, sir, they are my father-in-law and nephew."

Qin Fu answered truthfully, then knelt down and said, "Sir! It was all my fault for being bewitched. I used your name to deceive my father-in-law and nephew. Whether you kill me or punish me, I am willing to accept the punishment..."

Although he spoke with great righteousness, his face was full of helplessness.

Pan Youan was terrified, but Qin Fu knew perfectly well that betraying Jia She would only lead to a worse death, while taking the blame would offer a sliver of hope.

However, he could escape the death penalty but not the punishment. Although his nephew disappointed him, he had ultimately done something wrong with good intentions.

My father-in-law is getting on in years; it would be better for him to take on the responsibility himself.

Qin Fu's little scheme naturally didn't escape Wang Qing's notice. He replied noncommittally, "If you have something to say, go and explain it to the old lady!"

With that, he summoned Nie Chong aside, inquired about some details, and then waved his hand, leading the three of them straight to Rongqing Hall.

The warning gong could be faintly heard in Wang Qing's courtyard and the east wing, which were located to the south and north respectively. How much more so in the Rong Mansion, which was even closer?

He paraded Qin Fu and the other two, who were bound hand and foot, through the streets, and the news spread like wildfire.

When Wang Qing arrived at Rongqing Hall, Grandmother Jia changed her clothes and came out, followed by Jia Zheng, Lady Wang, and Wang Xifeng.

The others, though curious, didn't want to force their way in.

Upon seeing Wang Shanbao and the other two bound hand and foot, Grandmother Jia's face darkened, Jia Zheng looked bewildered, and Wang Xifeng was filled with suspicion.

Only Madam Wang was secretly delighted, looking at Wang Qing as if he were a rare and precious treasure.

Qin Fu took the blame, and Pan You'an, whether he realized what was happening or after seeing Grandmother Jia, dared not implicate Jia She anymore and began to downplay the severity of the situation, pushing the responsibility onto his own uncle.

After hearing the confessions of Wang Shanbao and the other two, Grandmother Jia smiled at Wang Qing and said, "Having such a traitor in the family has caused trouble for Qing-ge'er!"

"Old Madam, you are mistaken!" Wang Qing retorted mercilessly. "I remember Wang Shanbao. He was not only the steward of the master's courtyard, but also the head maid of the first wife. If it weren't for the master's orders, could Qin Fu have fooled him?"

As the manager of the east wing, Wang Shanbao should be the one to inform Qin Fu of any instructions Jia She may have.

Wang Qing waited until he was in front of Grandmother Jia to bring it up, precisely to prevent Qin Fu and others from changing their testimonies at the last minute.

Grandmother Jia nodded and said, "Qing-ge'er is absolutely right! They are related by marriage, and I think they conspired together. Now that the matter has come to light, they are even trying to have one of them take the blame!"

Wang Qing sneered, "Whether it's true or not, I'm afraid we'll have to confront the master face to face!"

Grandmother Jia frowned slightly, her face showing displeasure, and said, "It's just that the servants were dishonest; they can be punished. Why must Qing-ge'er..."

Before she could finish speaking, Wang Qing said indignantly, "Second Brother Lian has repeatedly obstructed my work, and the Master has even ordered someone to impersonate a thief in an attempt to erase my achievements. If there isn't a reasonable explanation, I dare not stay in your mansion any longer and invite your hatred!"

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia's expression changed drastically.

Wang Xifeng was very good at reading people's expressions and immediately noticed Jia Mu's reaction. She looked at Wang Qing in surprise, only to see him looking at her with a playful expression and a provocative look in his eyes. She became more and more suspicious.

When Madam Wang heard that he was going to move out, she couldn't help but speak first: "Qing-ge'er, don't be in such a hurry! Even if the master and Lian-er have their faults, the master and I have treated you with our whole hearts! You're living a perfectly good life, why keep moving around?"

Wang Qing glanced at the imposing figure in front of Madam Wang.

He thought to himself, "Don't just talk the talk, show me what you've got!"

He said, "I know that Master Zheng and the Second Madam have been very kind to me, but I don't know why the First Master..."

"There must be some misunderstanding!"

Jia Zheng quickly interrupted, turning to Grandmother Jia and saying, "Since Qing-ge'er has misunderstood, why don't we invite our elder brother over to explain things clearly in person..."

"Enough!" Grandmother Jia sighed. "Go! Bring that wretched child here!"

Jia She arrived, but it would take some time. Grandmother Jia was still pondering the deeper meaning of Wang Qing's words, feeling uneasy.

Wang Xifeng, being a junior, sensed Wang Qing's arrogance and fearlessness, while Grandmother Jia became hesitant and uneasy, losing her usual smooth-talking and charming demeanor.

On the contrary, Jia Zheng and Lady Wang pulled Wang Qing aside and tried to smooth things over.

They would inevitably offer words of comfort and concern, asking if his fur was keeping him warm and if the horse was comfortable to ride.

During this time, Nie Chong arrived, and after Wang Qing went out to listen to the report, Jia She and Madam Xing arrived upon hearing the news.

Upon seeing the three people kneeling in the hall, the two were momentarily stunned.

Before they could even come forward to pay their respects, Grandmother Jia angrily scolded, "Look at what you've done! It's probably because of the subsidies I gave you last time that you've become greedy and actually ordered people to impersonate thieves."

Although it is said that family scandals should not be aired in public, one can choose the lesser of two evils.

It would be one thing if Wang Qing misunderstood, but if word got out and the Emperor Emeritus and the Emperor misunderstood that they were deliberately trying to annoy Wang Qing, that would be no laughing matter.

Upon hearing this, Madam Xing was as if she had lost her parents.

Jia She, however, stubbornly insisted, "What does Mother mean by this? Are you trying to pin this label on your son by randomly grabbing a few people from my courtyard?"

"You wicked child! How dare you say that? Who else could it be but you?"

Jia She glanced at Wang Qing and said, "I'm afraid someone failed to catch the thief properly and colluded with the servants to frame me!"

As he spoke, he glared at Qin Fu and the other two, saying, "Speak! I will settle things for you!"

"It seems the master has a deep-seated prejudice against me!"

Wang Qing laughed and said, "I'd like to ask you, sir, how did they manage to climb over the high walls of your mansion?"

"How would I know?" Jia She shrugged, displaying a rather shrewd attitude.

Wang Qing confidently replied, "According to my men's report, there are no signs of climbing on the wall, so they must have used a ladder. But if they got on the wall, how did the ladder disappear? Where is it hidden now? Should we send someone to the manor to look for it?"

He paused, then added, "Although the snow has stopped, there's still snow on the walls and corners, and I imagine there are still wet patches on the ladder!"

Upon hearing this, Jia She's face stiffened, and he immediately looked at Madam Xing.

Madam Xing's knees buckled immediately, and she knelt down on the ground.

"Old lady! It's all because my daughter-in-law is bewitched! A while ago, my brother and sister-in-law wrote to say that the family was in financial straits, and my daughter-in-law was short of money. She thought she could borrow some things from the mansion to help my brother and sister-in-law, so she asked Wang Shanbao's wife to call her son-in-law to pretend to be thieves..."

……