Chapter 160: Yang Xin Cuts the Gordian Knot with a Swift Blade

While Lin Ruhai was busy preparing the dowry for Lin Daiyu, Yang Xin was by no means idle—he was busy recruiting people.

The Rongguo Mansion was rotten to the core from top to bottom. Trusting none of its residents, Yang Xin decided instead to recruit bodyguards, maidservants, and stewards directly in Yangzhou. Aided by local magnates like Lin Ruhai, Yang Xin quickly gathered enough personnel.

Once the recruitment was complete, Yang Xin subjected the new hires to basic training. After single-handedly defeating all one hundred bodyguards in a swift display of martial prowess, they became utterly submissive, not to mention tempted by the remarkably high wages. As for the maidservants and stewards, Lin Ruhai personally dispatched people to train and discipline them.

With everything in readiness, Yang Xin and Lin Daiyu set off for the Rongguo Mansion in the capital.

Before their departure, besides earnestly charging Yang Xin to take good care of Lin Daiyu, Lin Ruhai cryptically mentioned an old account: years ago, the Jia family had overseen the construction of sea vessels and the repair of sea dikes around Suzhou and Yangzhou, borrowing eighty thousand taels of silver from the Ministry of Revenue to receive the imperial court, a debt that had since become a lingering ledger.

Yang Xin understood the implication instantly. The failure to repay the Ministry of Revenue was one of the major factors leading to the eventual downfall and confiscation of the Rongguo Mansion. Lin Ruhai’s deliberate mention before his departure likely signaled that the current emperor was already showing signs of making a move.

While Yang Xin enjoyed a carefree time in Yangzhou, the Rongguo Mansion was plunged into absolute chaos. Setting aside the schemes plotted by Lady Jia and Lady Wang—even using "filial piety" as a pretext to cunningly wrest the Sea-Blue Pearl away from Wang Xifeng—the explosive news of Yang Xin inheriting the title finally broke out.

It was said that Lady Jia was so enraged she nearly fainted. In her original plan, the title was meant for Jia Baoyu; she never expected Yang Xin to preemptively claim it. Furious, Lady Jia harassed Jia赦 (Jia She) day in and day out, even leveraging filial piety to coerce him into revoking the title and passing it to Baoyu instead.

Though foolishly filial, Jia She knew well that a peerage was not a mere commodity to be shifted at whim. Since the founding of the Great Qian Dynasty, he had never heard of a title being stripped from an eldest legitimate son and handed over to a younger one. Consequently, Jia She simply fled and went into hiding. In any case, before leaving, Yang Xin had given him ten thousand taels of silver forcibly extracted from the estate treasury, which was more than enough for Jia She to live in luxury until Yang Xin returned.

Seeing that Jia She had made himself scarce, Lady Jia and Lady Wang turned their wrath upon Wang Xifeng, devising various ways to torment her. Yet, upon learning that Yang Xin had inherited the title of a First-Rank Defender General, Wang Xifeng was overjoyed. When Lady Jia and Lady Wang attempted to press her, she simply claimed illness and retreated to her private courtyard, refusing to show her face at all.

Infighting within the mansion typically boiled down to petty tactics involving monthly allowances and meals. Finding that Wang Xifeng steadfastly refused to come out, Lady Jia and Lady Wang simply cut off her food supply to force her into submission.

However, the current Wang Xifeng was no longer the pushover she used to be; she was now a heroine of martial arts. Perhaps accustomed to the tyrannical ways of Lady Jia and Lady Wang, she chose not to confront them head-on. Since her meals were cut off, Wang Xifeng simply used her lightness kung fu at night to visit the kitchens, conducting a grand clearance and walking away with enough ingredients to last until Yang Xin's return.

Livid with rage, Lady Jia and Lady Wang gnashed their teeth, cursing Yang Xin with the most venomous words imaginable, and sent letter after letter to Yangzhou urging him back, determined to employ every trick in the book to settle scores with him.

***

When Yang Xin returned to the capital, it was already night. Instead of heading straight to the Rongxi Hall or seeking out Jia She, he quietly settled Lin Daiyu in Wang Xifeng’s private courtyard. Though smaller than the Rongxi Hall, Xifeng’s courtyard was spacious compared to others. She promptly had the Pear Blossom Courtyard within it tidied up for Lin Daiyu to reside in.

As for the lattice-partitioned alcove in the Dowager’s quarters, that option was completely out of the question. When Yang Xin had previously informed Lin Ruhai that Lin Daiyu and Jia Baoyu were expected to share living quarters in such close proximity, Lin Ruhai had flown into such a fury that he shattered a table into eight pieces with a single strike, cursing the appalling upbringing of the Rongguo Mansion. It was a blatant threat to Lin Daiyu’s reputation, and before their departure, Lin Ruhai had strictly stipulated that his daughter must live independently in her own courtyard.

The Great Qian Dynasty enforced strict moral codes, forbidding unmarried young women of prominent families from sharing the same courtyard. Considering this, Yang Xin left the arrangements entirely to Wang Xifeng. Adept and resourceful, Xifeng effortlessly accomplished the task entrusted to her.

Why did Wang Xifeng, renowned as the "Sharp-Tongued Phoenix," obey Yang Xin’s command so unconditionally? The reason lay in a single question Yang Xin had posed to her: "Do you desire the imperial patent and title of a First-Rank Lady of Honor?"

Of course she desired it. With that title, Lady Jia could no longer brazenly manipulate her. In the past, she had been subjected to rigid rules—standing while Lady Jia ate, serving attentively while standing, paying respects three times a day, and enduring endless harassment whenever Lady Jia was displeased. But armed with the title of a First-Rank Lady of Honor, no one in the inner quarters of the Rongguo Mansion could trample upon her.

As for Madam Wang of the Second Branch, she held only a Fourth-Rank title. Wang Xifeng could already vividly imagine the ashen faces of Lady Jia and Madam Wang.

After handing Lin Daiyu over to Wang Xifeng’s care, Yang Xin bypassed the Rongxi Hall entirely. Leading his bodyguards, he marched straight to the external residences of the various prominent stewards and high-ranking servants of the Rongguo Mansion, raiding them house by house.

From the head steward Lai Da to Zhou Rui’s wife, who was in Madam Wang’s service, not a single one was spared. Those caught sleeping with mistresses or nursing hangovers were dumbfounded with shock, crying to the heavens for mercy or threatening to summon the Old Dowager and Madam Wang.

Whenever illicit items were uncovered—such as the half-man-high mutton-fat white jade Guanyin of Guanyin that ought to have been safely stored in the treasury, or strings of thumb-sized southern pearls numbering at least three hundred presented as tribute from unknown sources, or Han dynasty ancient tripods, calligraphy and paintings by master artists, chests of gold and silver, and stacks of land deeds—they were all sealed and transported to the mansion Yang Xin had recently purchased outside, while the occupants were taken away under guard.

For households like the Lais, whose family members such as Lai Shangrong held official posts, Yang Xin directly produced his First-Rank Defender General's calling card and summoned personnel from the Five City兵马司 (Gendarmerie Command). Denouncing them as domestic accomplices, he had them hauled off to prison and had official seals plastered across their properties.

Every gate of the Rongguo Mansion—main, side, corner, and back—was guarded by his bodyguards, allowing entry but no exit. The bodyguards executed Yang Xin’s orders with absolute loyalty; anyone who dared to cause a disturbance, regardless of identity, was instantly met with a couple of sharp slaps to teach them their place, followed by being bound tightly.

What were aristocrats if not overbearing? How could they claim status without tyranny, especially toward their own domestic slaves? Even if Yang Xin had beaten them to death on the spot, the authorities would not have intervened.

Without having to lift a finger himself, Yang Xin sat comfortably and unbothered, ignoring the wailing servants, and roared heroically to his bodyguards: "Lads, ransack them! Raid them! Clean them out!"

***

With every estate he raided, Yang Xin scattered silver coins by the handful—ranging from one or two taels to a maximum of five. Though individual amounts were small, the sheer volume of loose silver accumulated quickly. While the bullion and valuables were sealed and stored, the loose silver was generously tossed to his bodyguards and the men of the Gendarmerie Command.

Money makes the ghost push the mill. Stimulated by Yang Xin’s lavish rewards, the men embarked on a frenzied raiding spree, aided even by eunuch Dai who sent men to assist in the confiscations. Despite this, the raids continued throughout the night, only concluding at daybreak.

And this was merely the private wealth accumulated by domestic servants outside the main estate, illustrating the colossal scale of the Rongguo Mansion. No wonder the emperor was set on confiscating it—the sheer wealth was staggering, amounting to nearly a million taels by a rough estimate. A million taels, all embezzled by these mere servants!

In a fit of anger, Yang Xin had the Gendarmerie Command assist in selling off these corrupt servants. The sale of such household staff would fetch a substantial sum, causing the commander of the Gendarmerie Command’s eyes to light up. Seeing this as an unexpected windfall and a chance to hitch his wagon to the Rongguo Mansion’s newly risen First-Rank Defender General, the commander thumped his chest heartily, declaring that such trivial matters should never trouble General Yang.

Having completed the raids, Yang Xin returned straight to the Rongguo Mansion, swaggering back into Wang Xifeng’s courtyard. Ignoring Lady Jia’s summons entirely, he collapsed onto a bed and slept soundly until noon, waking only to leisurely partake in a meal.

Scarcely had he woken when Amber, Lady Jia’s chief maid, hurried in to announce that the Old Dowager demanded Second Master Lian present himself before her immediately.

Observing Amber’s haughty, patronizing demeanor—acting as though she were the true master of the house—Yang Xin emitted a cold, disdainful scoff. It seemed these maids had yet to wake up to reality, still foolishly believing that Lady Jia reigned supreme over the entire Rongguo estate.

Paying Amber no mind whatsoever, Yang Xin merely sneered coldly, "No rush. Let the Old Lady rest a while longer. I have official business to attend to; I will go once I am finished."

With a wave of his hand, Yang Xin turned and strode away, followed closely by his entourage of bodyguards.

Amber turned crimson with rage, her face burning. She raised her hand to strike Yang Xin across the back, but before she could step forward, her wrist was caught in a grip that was at once delicate yet unyielding, firm as iron.