"It seems Jia She is willing to burn the jade and stone together just to bring down Old Madam Jia and Jia Wang Shi," Ding Yun murmured, feeling a touch of admiration.
"Good heavens, he's truly gone all out."
From the current situation, Jia She’s identity was clear: he was undoubtedly a transmigrator. If he were a native reborn, even after seven or eight lifetimes, he wouldn't have pulled off such a world-shattering, convention-breaking act.
"Who would have thought!" Yun Qi Nü Guan agreed with a nod. "You have no idea, but besides the scolding, there are now quite a few voices praising him in the capital. Though most of it is whispered, and few dare to speak openly."
"Praising him for what? Surely not for avenging his deceased wife, willing to pay such a price, claiming it's true love?" Ding Yun looked at Yun Qi Nü Guan's expression, pondered for a moment, and then hesitantly asked.
Even she found the idea far-fetched, yet it wasn't entirely impossible. After all, the main thrust of Jia She's imperial complaint was that Old Madam Jia had murdered his wife. To some, this might indeed carry a hint of true love. Many men abandoned their wives after they had fallen on hard times. It was rare to find someone willing to seek justice for his dead wife, even disregarding his title and filial piety. If this wasn't true love, what was?
"Could it be that after becoming Yuan Jun, you've truly learned to divine the future? That's precisely it. Many unmarried women and some married women in the capital are quite moved by Jia She's devotion to his wife, Madam Zhang. They even say that even though Madam Zhang is dead, she must now be at peace, having lived a worthy life." Yun Qi Nü Guan was surprised that Ding Yun guessed correctly but spoke with a teasing tone.
Towards the end, her voice carried a hint of a scoff. The woman had been dead for so many years. Wasn't it too late to do all this now? Moreover, after Madam Zhang's death, Jia She had married more than one successor wife, taken in plenty of concubines, and frequented brothels. To suddenly have his reputation reversed and be hailed for seeking justice for his wife was truly preposterous. It showed how the world always treated good people harshly.
When a good person does something bad, they are finally exposed. When a bad person does something good, they are a prodigal son returned. If a man is slightly kind, he's a good man, and all his past deeds can be overlooked. If a woman steps out of line, she should be scorned, and all her past deeds seem like deliberate pretense.
"Heh, their lives must be so miserable that they can envy this. Isn't it better to live well? Envy a dead person? They don't envy the many harmonious couples who stayed together their whole lives and grew old together, but they envy this... Forget it, I don't want to talk about this anymore. Let's discuss something else!" Ding Yun frowned, her lips curled into a slight pout as she shook her head. She didn't want to say more. It was irritating. No matter how much was said, it would be futile. Better to say nothing and talk about something pleasant.
Yun Qi Nü Guan, having a good grasp of Ding Yun's temperament, smiled and nodded when she saw her like this. She then changed the subject, sharing recent amusing anecdotes. The atmosphere between them quickly became cheerful.
Meanwhile, in the capital, in previous years, the city would have been buzzing with excitement as the New Year approached. But this year, due to Jia She, while the revelry continued, the focus had clearly shifted away from the New Year. From high-ranking officials and nobles to common folk, everyone was waiting for the Jia family's case to conclude.
The matter had escalated so much that it was beyond the ability of families like the Four Princes and Eight Dukes to conceal. Even the current Emperor and the former Emperor found it difficult to gloss over. If they tried to gloss over it, not only would Jia She object, but the common people wouldn't stand for it either. In the past, some matters could be concealed because the common people were unaware. But now, with Jia She practically involving storytellers to spread the details of the case throughout the city, not only were the people in the capital fully aware, but the entire country was likely soon to know. How could it be glossed over?
The reason the case remained in limbo was primarily that the punishment for Jia She had not yet been decided. The current situation was such that although the former Emperor reluctantly took a step back and agreed to punish Old Madam Jia and others, he also insisted on punishing Jia She for his lack of filial piety. However, the current Emperor, because Jia She had secretly provided technology for cement production, glass smelting, and gunpowder improvement, now viewed Jia She as a hen that laid golden eggs. He was reluctant to execute him for filial impiety. Furthermore, the court factions controlled by both men were roughly equal. Thus, the situation became deadlocked.
But as time passed, both the former Emperor and the current Emperor knew that this state of affairs could not continue. If it dragged on, the common people of the realm might begin to question their judgment, accusing them of unfairness. Therefore, they soon entered the final showdown. Both were determined to resolve this matter completely before the New Year, so they wouldn't have to worry about it next year.
On that day of the grand court assembly, the court was almost on the verge of a brawl. But in the end, the current Emperor, who could still hold court without relying on officials to act for him, specifically brought up one of Jia She's achievements in court, bestowed another noble title upon him, and used this title to offset his crimes. This finally brought the case to a conclusive end.
The final verdict soon spread. Jia She was found guilty of poor household management and failure to supervise, punishable by a fine of one hundred thousand taels of silver, essentially buying his way out. His son, Jia Lian, due to his father's protection, received only twenty strokes of the cane. As for his younger son, he was too young and therefore innocent.
Old Madam Jia was punished for attempting to harm her daughter-in-law and for being unkind. However, considering she was nearly eighty years old and held a noble title, she was only stripped of her title, effectively reduced to a commoner.
The rest were not so fortunate. Jia Zheng was sentenced to exile three thousand li away. His wife, Jia Wang Shi, was penalized for monopolizing lawsuits, usury, causing death, and illegally possessing assets from the Zhen family, whose property had already been confiscated. She was ultimately sentenced to immediate execution. Wang Xifeng, also guilty of monopolizing lawsuits and implicated in a death, was likewise sentenced to immediate execution after multiple offenses. Jia Zhen was stripped of his title, given thirty strokes of the cane, and exiled. As for Jia Baoyu and other younger descendants, most were young and had rarely left the mansion, so they were all found innocent.
Thus, the glory of the Jia family, holding two ducal titles, officially came to an end. They no longer held any noble titles, and their ducal mansion was entirely reclaimed. Following this, Old Madam Jia died of anger. Jia She, taking advantage of the fact that Old Madam Jia had left no will, directly donated her private property and then completely partitioned the family. He, along with his successor wife, two sons, and one daughter, completely separated and lived apart.
And when the other nobles thought the Jia family would fade into obscurity and inaction, the current Emperor once again reinstated Jia She, assigning him to the Ministry of Works as an Assistant Director, overseeing craftsmanship. It was evident that the current Emperor could not bear to part with him. He was unwilling to lose the technologies in Jia She's mind, let alone the wealth generated by those technologies. Therefore, although the Jia family appeared to have declined on the surface, holding no noble titles, a family favored by the Emperor could not truly fall. As long as Jia She could continuously provide new technologies, it was only a matter of time before his family rose again.