Chapter 50: Jiang Nian vs. Jia Zhen

Jia Zhen was the current head of the Ningguo Estate, holding the hereditary title of General of Mighty Might of the third rank, though he held no actual official post.

Given to idleness and pleasure, he was utterly extravagant, debauched, and shameless.

One day, having visited the Qin family residence, Jia Zhen chanced to catch sight of Qin Keqing and was struck as if by a celestial vision. He mused to himself in secret: "To think such peerless beauty exists in this world! If I could possess her, I would have no regrets in this life!"

From that moment on, he could not get Qin Keqing out of his mind and desired to take her as his concubine.

However, Qin Ye was an official of the fifth rank, upright in character and strictly observant of ritual propriety. Even though Qin Keqing was an adopted daughter he had taken in from the Benevolence Hall, he cherished her dearly. How could he possibly consent to let her become Jia Zhen's concubine?

Knowing full well that Qin Ye would never agree to such a proposal, Jia Zhen dared not probe the matter rashly.

Plagued by frustration, he finally hatched a scheme, pondering: "If I have my son Jia Rong take Miss Qin as his wife, I can use that as an excuse to grow close to her and indulge in illicit relations. Would that not be a brilliant stroke?"

Given Qin Keqing's background, she was hardly a match for Jia Rong, who was Jia Zhen's legitimate and only son.

Yet, driven purely by his own selfish desires and his obsession with possessing her, Jia Zhen cast aside all notions of matching social status.

Just as he was preparing to put this plan into motion, however, he suddenly received word today of Qin Ye's death.

Jia Zhen was overjoyed. He thought to himself: "Since Qin Ye is dead, why do I need to follow the original plan? With Qin Ye gone from the Qin family, and me being the titled head of the Ningguo Estate, would it not be an effortless matter to take Qin Keqing as my concubine?"

He felt this was a heaven-sent opportunity that must not be missed.

Ignorant of the cause of Qin Ye's death and assuming he had passed away from illness, Jia Zhen was too eager to see Qin Keqing to spare the time to send someone to investigate first. Hastily preparing funeral gifts and using the pretext of paying his respects, he boarded a lavish carriage and hurried to the Qin residence.

"Lord Jia Zhen of the Ningguo Estate has arrived!"

As the announcement faded, Jia Zhen stepped into the mourning hall, completely unaware that he had already caught the attention of Jiang Nian...

Entering the hall, Jia Zhen immediately spotted Qin Keqing. Draped in plain white mourning garments and standing beside the coffin, her pale, delicate face appeared even more touching and pitiable in his eyes.

Secretly delighted, Jia Zhen swallowed hard while putting on a sorrowful expression. He stepped forward to pinch three sticks of incense, bowed three times before the spirit tablet, yet his peripheral vision remained glued to Qin Keqing.

The ritual of offering complete, Jia Zhen straightened his brocade robe and strolled over to Qin Keqing, assuming a concerned air. "Do try to bear up, Miss! Hearing of your esteemed father's sudden passing today, I was deeply grieved and rushed to prepare funeral offerings to pay my respects."

Qin Keqing had been keeping her head lowered. Seeing such a distinguished gentleman approach her with words of concern, she could not simply ignore him. She offered a deferential curtsy and replied, "Thank you, Lord Jia."

Drawing two bank notes from his sleeve, Jia Zhen handed them to Qin Keqing and said loftily, "In addition to the funeral offerings, I have purposely brought two hundred taels of silver today to assist with your expenses. Please accept them, Miss."

For a household like the Qins, a contribution of two hundred taels was already a substantial sum.

Several people were present in the mourning hall. Yet Jia Zhen, an unrelated man, had taken it upon himself to approach Qin Keqing and publicly hand her two hundred taels of silver right there in the hall, leaving her deeply embarrassed. Clenching her white handkerchief in her delicate fingers, she hesitated, uncertain whether she ought to accept the silver or not.

Just at that moment, Jiang Nian walked up to Jia Zhen and said calmly, "Lord Jia, please show some self-respect. Miss Qin is an unmarried young lady currently in mourning for her late father. It is improper for an unrelated man to draw near, let alone engage her in conversation. I trust you will understand, Lord Jia, and avoid a breach of decorum."

At these words, Jia Zhen's face burned with humiliation—both because of the crowd of onlookers, including Qin Keqing, and because he felt as though his hidden scheme had been abruptly exposed.

Glaring with wide, angry eyes, Jia Zhen demanded of Jiang Nian, "Where has this impudent fellow crawled from? How dare you act so presumptuously here!"

Jiang Nian remained entirely unruffled. "I am a next-door neighbor of the late Master Qin."

Hearing this, Jia Zhen let out a scornful scoff. Staring daggers at Jiang Nian, he snapped, "A mere neighboring brat sticking his nose into other people's business! I am a lord of the Ningguo Estate, on terms of long-standing affection with Master Qin, and I have come today specifically to offer condolences. My words to Miss Qin were meant to comfort and console her, and to hand her two hundred taels of silver to help the family. I never expected some ill-mannered whelp like you to pop out and point fingers!"

Jiang Nian replied tranquilly, "Acting upon the orders of Prince Zhongyi, I have come specifically to assist the Qin family with the funeral arrangements and to ensure Miss Qin's safety. Whoever you may be, if you show any lack of propriety toward Miss Qin, it is my duty to correct you. Should I fail in my duty, I would be defying the command of Prince Zhongyi himself."

Jia Zhen was instantly dumbfounded: "..."

"What? Prince Zhongyi? What could Qin Ye's funeral possibly have to do with Prince Zhongyi?"

"How exalted is Prince Zhongyi? Why would he ever intervene in Qin Ye's funeral!"

"This brat must simply be putting on a bold front!"

With this thought, Jia Zhen stared coldly at Jiang Nian and rasped harshly, "You insolent wretch, spouting sheer nonsense! How could Master Qin's funeral ever be linked to Prince Zhongyi? And why would Prince Zhongyi ever order an ill-mannered whelp like you to manage things here!"

Jiang Nian replied indifferently, "It seems you are still unaware of the cause of Master Qin's death. Once you learn of it, you will naturally understand the reason. This is a mourning hall; I must ask you to show some self-respect, cease offending Miss Qin, and refrain from making a disturbance here lest you disrupt the peace of Master Qin's departed spirit."

Taken aback, Jia Zhen glanced around. He saw Qin Keqing with lowered eyes and knitted brows, and observed the Qin family steward Peng Jizhong and the others standing in silence, as if tacitly confirming Jiang Nian's words.

A chill ran through Jia Zhen's heart. He thought to himself: "Could Qin Ye's death truly be connected to Prince Zhongyi? Could this insolent fellow standing before me genuinely be acting under the Prince's orders to manage the funeral?"

Though inwardly shocked and suspicious, conscious of the surrounding crowd and Qin Keqing's presence, he deliberately let out a heavy snort to save face and said coldly to Jiang Nian, "I shall investigate this matter myself!"

With that, he flicked his sleeve, turned on his heel, and strode toward the exit of the mourning hall. As he passed Peng Jizhong, he halted, put on an imposing air, and said, "Steward Peng, follow me outside. I have questions for you."

Daring not disobey, Peng Jizhong accompanied Jia Zhen out of the mourning hall.

Stepping into the inner courtyard, they saw white funeral banners hanging high, fluttering gently in the breeze like scattered patches of pristine snow. Plain chairs covered in white cloth were arranged in the courtyard for visiting mourners to rest. In a corner stood a tea shed furnished with a square table holding a teapot and cups for guests to refresh themselves.

Standing in the courtyard, Jia Zhen struck a haughty pose and demanded of Peng Jizhong, "Of what illness did Master Qin die? Can there be some hidden story behind this?"

In a low voice, Peng Jizhong gave a detailed account of the cause of Qin Ye's death.

Upon hearing the tale, Jia Zhen's expression underwent a drastic transformation, and mountainous waves surged within his heart: "So this is how Qin Ye died! It is actually tied to Wang Ziteng! Yesterday, Wang Ziteng had a violent confrontation with that very impudent fellow just now! And that fellow actually brought in Prince Zhongyi to suppress Wang Ziteng! Qin Ye died an unjust death because of this whole affair—in a sense, he was killed by Wang Ziteng! I only wonder whether Wang Ziteng will face punishment for this!"

Naturally, Jia Zhen was well acquainted with Wang Ziteng.

Jia Zhen's grandfather, Jia Daihua, had once served as the Commander of the Metropolitan garrison, and the Ningguo Estate had lent its assistance to help secure that same post for Wang Ziteng.

Thus, Wang Ziteng was also a pillar of support for the Ningguo Estate.

At that moment, amidst his profound shock, Jia Zhen found himself feeling an involuntary wave of awe and trepidation toward the impudent young man waiting inside the mourning hall...