After hearing my inner thoughts, the ancestors in the Dream of the Red Chamber went berserk.

Chapter 155 Confiscating Property

"Lord Duke, everything is ready!"

After hearing the guard's report, Jia Daishan and Jia Daihua walked outside together. He was going to handle the matter tonight himself. No matter what, he would dig three feet into the ground at the Lai family's house to find the reward.

"Take Lai Da with you, and arrange for someone to ask for leave, saying there's an important matter at home."

My elder brother and I will request a day off tomorrow and will not attend court.

The Lai family's matter could be resolved by simply taking their property, binding them, and sending them to the authorities. However, the loss of the imperial gift is a different story.

This will definitely take up time, so the most important thing right now is to get this matter sorted out first.

Tonight, Jia Daishan had already sent men to tie up all the other corrupt officials in Lai Dahe's mansion.

It was pitch black outside. There were only a few scattered stars in the sky tonight, and the moon was dim, as if it were covered with a veil.

Jia Daishan led a large group of people toward the Lai family's house, which was located at the back gate of the Jia family's house. Jia Daishan led his men out through the back gate, and they arrived at the Lai family's house in just a few steps.

At this moment, the Lai family's gate was also tightly closed, and the gatekeeper was huddled in the corner, fast asleep, when he suddenly heard someone kick the door and jumped up in fright.

The servant shouted angrily before he could even see who it was:

"Who are you? Breaking into the Lai family's house in the middle of the night! Help! Help us...!"

The guards ignored him, gagged him, and tied him up.

All the guards quickly surrounded the entire Lai family residence.

Hearing the commotion, everyone in the house got up.

People were making a racket as they headed out. Lai Daren, who was sleeping soundly, was suddenly awakened by the noise and impatiently shouted:

"What's going on here!"

The young maid who was keeping watch nearby opened the door a crack, saw the commotion outside, and was terrified.

"Grandma, someone suddenly came in and kidnapped her!"

Lai Da's wife was also startled and hurriedly put on her clothes. In the depths of the capital, near the Jia family, who would suddenly break in in the middle of the night? Could it be a thief? That's too audacious!

The maidservant beside her was loyal and even spoke up for her at this moment.

"Let me go out and take a look first, Madam, please don't go out yet."

Thanks to everyone, the clothes you wore.

"It's so kind of you to be so filial. We must go and see the old lady right away!"

The Lai family depends on the old lady; nothing can happen to her.

Before Lai Dajia could even step out the door, he was tied up by the guards who burst in.

Lai was terrified and struggled desperately, trying to shout for help and say that he was from the Duke's mansion. But it was immediately clear that the person who had tied him up was wearing the uniform of a guard from the Jia family.

Lai Dajia opened his mouth wide, but couldn't utter a single word.

The guards stuffed a rag into her mouth, and Lai Dajia was awakened, but couldn't utter a sound.

When Lai Dajia was brought to the courtyard, all the people in the mansion had already been tied up and were kneeling in the courtyard.

The courtyard was brightly lit. In the neighboring courtyard, some people were looking over the wall, and some bolder ones even went out to look. But when they saw that it was Jia's guards, they didn't dare to make a sound and went back inside.

The people living here are all servants of the Jia family, and they all know each other.

Everyone thought the Lai family was doomed. Some sighed, while others immediately asked their wives to cook some dishes so they could have a drink.

Lai Dajia looked up at Jia Daishan and Jia Daihua, sobbing desperately as she tried to crawl forward, but a guard slapped her with a scabbard and cursed:

"Be honest!"

Lai Daren dared not move again, his mind filled with the thought that everything was over! Lai Daren's deeds had been discovered!

Granny Lai was an old woman, so Jia Daishan gave her some face and didn't have her tied up, but just had her brought over.

Granny Lai's heart was pounding so hard she could barely stand. Jia Daishan had granted her maid permission to support her.

Granny Lai calmed herself down; she couldn't panic at this moment, she was the only one who could do it.

Granny Lai looked at her son and daughter-in-law, who were bound hand and foot, and was about to speak when Jia Daihua raised his hand.

“The old woman is a smart woman. If she still wants to preserve some of the Lai family’s bloodline, she should just watch quietly.”

Looking at the two gentlemen in front of her, Granny Lai found them completely unfamiliar, and the smell of blood and murderous intent wafted over her.

"Preserve her bloodline? Does that mean they're going to kill her whole family?" Granny Lai denied. "No, no, that's not necessary. If it's just about money and collusion with the mansion, I know the masters of the Jia family. They wouldn't do that for the sake of their reputation."

What else did Lai Da do?! Granny Lai suddenly looked at her eldest son.

Lai Da looked at his mother, his sharp gaze narrowing as his pupils contracted. He was finished; even his mother couldn't save him.

Lai Da was dragged all the way here, trying to bolster his courage the whole way. It's alright, it's alright, his mother is here. At worst, he'll have to give back all his money, but he's not afraid. He's already given away a lot of his money.

The Jia family was generous; money was something that could be easily tricked into their pockets.

And as for the things he received, the Jia family is very concerned about their image, so they definitely won't verify them.

With his mother around, out of respect for her, even if he chased them all away and took all their things, he would still be a rich man when he went out, and he wouldn't have to serve anyone anymore.

From the moment he was kidnapped, Lai Da tried to comfort himself, but when he arrived at the Lai family home and saw the situation, it was clear that something was wrong; this was not a simple investigation.

Many of the guards who came were clearly seasoned veterans. When Lai Da saw his mother, he was overjoyed, knowing that someone could save him.

But when Lai Da heard what the Duke of Ningguo said, his heart skipped a beat. Preserving his bloodline? Did that mean he was going to be killed?

I won't do my best for the Jia family. Even if I embezzled some money, which household manager doesn't embezzle? Do you think they all know what I did?

Lai Da still firmly denied it. No way, in such a short time, even if they were fast, they couldn't possibly find out. How could they be that far away? Or were they already investigating him all along?

Lai Da's legs went weak, and he could barely kneel down. Thinking about what he had done, Lai Da was filled with despair. It was all over, all over!

No! There's still someone who can save me. Lai Da struggled to lift his head and looked at Granny Lai.

Looking at him, Granny Lai wanted nothing more than to go over and slap him a few times, but after all, he was her son, and seeing him like this made her feel truly heartbroken.

Granny Lai calmed herself down and carefully considered what her son had done to make the two dukes act like this overnight. They were perfectly fine during the day, so why couldn't they even endure one night?

Lai Da frantically racked his brains, trying to figure out where the problem had gone wrong and how it had been discovered. He had clearly done everything perfectly, and the Duke hadn't shown any unusual behavior these past few days. Why had he suddenly launched an attack overnight?

After the guards had cleared everyone out of the room, they bowed to Jia Daihua and Jia Daishan and said:

"The Duke of Ningguo and the Duke of Rongguo have all been brought here."

Jia Daishan nodded and looked at Lai Da.

"You really don't know what's good for you. You even dare to collude with your wife to take advantage of a gift bestowed by the emperor."

Tell me now, where is the stolen imperial gift you stole?

The guards rushed forward and pulled the rag out of Lai Da's mouth. Lai Da was stunned. He hadn't stolen any imperial gifts!

Even if I had a hundred times the courage, I wouldn't dare to do such a thing.

He glared at his wife.

Lai Dajia was also bewildered. She hadn't taken anything herself. She had taken quite a few things, but how could she have taken things that were imperial gifts? She had only taken inconspicuous, old, or too flashy items that the old lady didn't like.

Seeing their appearance, Jia Daishan gestured to the guards to remove the cloth from Lai Dajia's mouth as well.

Once the rag was removed from Lai Dajia's mouth, she immediately began to speak.

"Lord Duke, I have none left. Even if you gave me a hundred lives, I wouldn't dare to do it again!"

Please make sure you check carefully, this isn't me!

Upon hearing this, Lai Da felt more confident.

"Lord Duke, I have been in your household for many years. How could my wife and I dare to do such a thing!"

Jia Daihua sneered, "You think you're brave enough? I think you're quite bold!"

He took the list from the guard beside him and retrieved it from Grandmother Jia.

The next person said:

"Listen to this thing, does it look familiar?"

Did you take these things?

The guard beside him began to read the list aloud, item by item.

With each item read aloud, Lai would shake her head. Eventually, she became numb to it all. She didn't even realize that she had managed to take so many things out of the old lady.

Lai Da knew perfectly well that some of the things, even those he had his wife steal, were fakes he had made.

Granny Lai listened intently, her voice trembling. She recognized some of the items from her own room.

Those were all gifts from Lai Da, the Lai family. Some said they were bestowed upon them by their master, while others said they were bought from outside.

She was really careless; she only thought that her son was rich now, and that such a good thing was hers.

It turned out to be her son, who, together with his wife, took it from the old lady's private treasury. They must have had a death wish; no wonder the Duke was so furious.

Granny Lai couldn't help but walk over to Lai Da, angrily slapping him and scolding him:

"You wretched child! How dare you touch the old lady's things!"

After beating her son, she looked at Jia Daishan and cried out:

“Lord Duke, I told them to return everything. It’s my fault for not raising my son well. But I know that this wretched child would never dare to touch these imperial gifts.”

Jia Daishan looked at it, frowning.

"Then Granny Lai wouldn't know, your son's courage is far more than that."

"You bastard, tell me, didn't you once take a pair of jade bracelets and a gold headdress?"

Lai Dajia thought about it carefully and realized that he had indeed taken it. She liked the jewelry, so he secretly took it out.

The old lady had so many things, and that headdress was too ornate; it was clearly not the style the old lady liked, so she secretly took it out.

And then there's the jade bracelet. The old lady has plenty of jade bracelets in her room. Losing this pair wouldn't make much difference. Even if she took them out, the old lady wouldn't notice for ten or eight years. Over time, she would forget about them.

Why would the Duke bring up these things alone? In the past two years, she has produced so many things that the old lady's storeroom is piled up like a mountain. With so many things, why would she care about one or two items?

Lai Dajia suddenly remembered a reason he dared not think of, and stood there stunned.

Jia Daishan said:

"Sounds familiar, doesn't it? You're all bravado and no brains at all. That was a gift from the Emperor himself, and you dared to take it? Do you think you're so tough?"

Lai Dajia was about to faint. How could she know that the ordinary-looking item was actually a gift from the Emperor!

Such valuable items. Shouldn't they be handled with care? How could this happen...?

She suddenly remembered that the thing was indeed in the box.

Before Lady Lai could faint, Granny Lai was about to faint first.

"They're really courting death! They're utterly oblivious to their own mortality!"

Granny Lai, trembling with anger, pointed at her son and daughter-in-law and cursed:

"You two are truly courting death! Now that you've caused such a terrible disaster, what do you expect me to do? What will become of the entire Lai family?!"

Granny Lai was so angry she wanted to beat those two to death. The Lai family had worked hard for generations and was just about to get ahead, but then these two appeared. Now the Lai family was finished, completely finished!

Granny Lai had made up her mind. The Lai family absolutely could not be ruined in front of her. Granny Lai said angrily:

"That's a capital offense! Tell me quickly, where did the things go?"

Hand it over quickly! "

Lai Dajia looked up and realized that she really liked the jewelry, so she kept it. However, she gave the jade bracelet to the head of the household and asked him to get rid of it, thinking of exchanging it for cash.

Lai Da was jolted awake. He now understood why, when he went to the pawnshop, the owner had looked at the item over and over again, examining it carefully and looking at him with an inscrutable gaze, asking about its origin.

Feeling guilty, I snatched it back and said I didn't want it anymore. I figured the boss must be worldly-wise and knew what was going on.

I suppose he was a pawnshop owner who had seen a lot of things, which is why he didn't report it to the authorities. Luckily, I was angry at the time and didn't go to another pawnshop, otherwise, where would I go to find him now?

That thing is still hidden in my room. I was thinking of getting a pair of bracelets, which were so hard to get. Luckily, I kept them safe.

Lai Da quickly said:

"The gold-headed noodles are in my wife's house, and the jade bracelet is with me; they're both kept safe and sound."

He only hoped that, as long as the items were still there, he could save his life.

The guard entered the room, took out the items, and after carefully inspecting them, reported:

"Lord Duke, the item is genuine and undamaged."

Jia Daishan told him to keep it safe. Lai Da breathed a deep sigh of relief. It was good that nothing went wrong; he was still saved.

Jia Daishan was so angry he almost laughed. How come he hadn't noticed before that the head steward was so stupid? Did he think that as long as the things were returned, everything would be fine? It was just that the method of death had changed.

Looking at Jia Daishan's expression, Granny Lai closed her eyes, realizing there was no room for refusal.

"Alright, now that we've found the items, let's send them all to the authorities!"

Jia Daihua looked at the slightly brightening sky and said.

The guards led the people to the government office. Anyone who tried to make a move was kicked hard by the guards and silenced.

Granny Lai stood there, her eyes red-rimmed. Jia Daishan spoke first:

"Granny Lai, why don't you come along too? Lai Er will be going with us as well."

Upon hearing "Lai Er," Granny Lai finally snapped out of her daze.

"My lord, what about my second son?"

Jia Daihua:

“Your second son is timid and cautious. He also took the greedy things, but he is not like his older brother, who is ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth. Considering that he has been in Ningguo Mansion for many years, return the things and spare his life.”