The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 82 Take you home
"Grandma, what are we going to do in the future?"

Jia Rong was so worried that he couldn't even smile in front of his aunt for the first time.

"What do you mean?"

After washing her hands and face, Shen Ning had recovered considerably. She hugged her little daughter, looked at her adorable face, and smiled slightly. "It's just a rumor. You don't really think your Uncle Bao can do anything, do you?"

"Rumors...rumors?" Jia Rong was stunned. "That jade is fake?"

"..."

Shen Ning glanced speechlessly at the silly child. "Whether it's true or false, it's still just a rumor. Even if someone wants to use this to deal with the Jia family, your Uncle Bao would have to be powerful first." She kissed her little daughter, who was happily waving her hands because she was back. "But do you think your Uncle Bao is powerful?"

Jia Rong: "..."

He didn't know what to say.

Uncle Bao is still a child.
How does he know if he'll be powerful in the future?

"Still worried?"

Shen Ning took her daughter's little hand that was trying to reach out and smacked Jia Rong on the head. "Grandma will tell you a secret that everyone outside the family knows, but the Jia family doesn't."

what?
Jia Rong looked at her grandmother.

"The Jia family's greatest talent is not in teaching their descendants well, but in teaching them badly."

What?
Jia Rong's eyes widened.

Shen Ning ignored him and continued, "And you forgot, your Second Grandfather Zheng is the most selfish, and his heart is the coldest and most ruthless among all the Jia family members."

When Jia Min passed away, Lin Daiyu entered the mansion for the first time. Although Jia She did not meet her, he gave her a lot of instructions. Xing Shi tried hard to persuade her to stay for a meal, and when that failed, she personally saw her off.

Jia Zheng didn't see her either, but although Wang Shi helped relay some messages, the main point was to tell her not to hang out with her precious son.

But what was Lin Daiyu's status at that time?
If it weren't for their kinship, Jia Baoyu, as the second son of the Rongguo Mansion, would never have been able to come to her side in his entire life.

It's laughable that the Rongguo Mansion has inflated Wang Shi's appetite, as if her son were a phoenix egg, destined to inherit the Rongguo Mansion's title.

The Lin family had been marquises for five generations, and they had used up all the wealth they had accumulated, yet they wouldn't even give them a kind word.

If Jia Zheng, as her maternal uncle, had shown even a little more concern, given Wang Shi's affection for him, she wouldn't have dared to mistreat Lin Daiyu in that way.

Looking back at Dream of the Red Chamber now, the last forty chapters were written by someone else, but in the first eighty chapters, Wang Xifeng and Baoyu were bewitched, Jia Zheng gave up, but Jia She still went around begging and pleading to find someone to save them.

Clearly, in Cao Xueqin's eyes, Jia She was more humane than Jia Zheng.

Indeed, if he weren't humane, he, a hereditary nobleman of the Rongguo Mansion, wouldn't be living so resentfully in the east wing.

Shen Ning sighed again, "If I hadn't been so angry with your Second Madam Zheng today, I wouldn't really care whether I talked about that jade or not."

In Dream of the Red Chamber, Baoyu is the second most incompetent, useless, and selfish person after Jia Zheng.

They may seem affectionate and sentimental, but in reality, they are the most heartless.

He made excuses for his lack of ambition and called those who studied hard "parasites on official positions." He provoked Jin Chuan and, seeing his mother scolding him, he was so afraid that he just ran away, showing no sense of responsibility whatsoever.

He watched helplessly as Qingwen was driven away, without saying a word, and then cried afterwards, as if he were so helpless.

In the end, the same scene was almost perfectly replicated on Lin Daiyu; she was still the same.

Without the protection of his family, Baoyu would truly be nothing more than a beggar.

"If we don't talk about it, they'll just live like fools. Baoyu is at most like your Uncle Zhu. You can't say he's smart, and you can't say he's shrewd. He's just average, not stupid. Whether he can pass the exam is another matter. Even if he does pass, whether he'll be employed or not depends entirely on the Emperor's word."

In fact, Shen Ning knew that Baoyu was far inferior to Jia Zhu.

Who would care about a pseudo-scholar who can't even get into the imperial court and is neither good at literature nor martial arts?
Even the censors disdained to impeach him.

"I said... it wouldn't be a bad idea to tighten their skin."

Regardless of whether Baoyu had a powerful background or not, he brought no benefit to the Jia family.

The Twelve Beauties of Jinling each had a remarkable background, and each of them was pitiful.

If she were a deity, looking back at this part of the mortal world, she would tear the Fairy Disenchantment apart.

What romantic entanglements, what woman's resentment and man's infatuation?
Living such a miserable life will only make one feel more resentful.

Shen Ning let out a long sigh of relief, "You can rest assured!"

The Jia family's downfall had absolutely nothing to do with Baoyu's jade.

Therefore, it should be all the men of the Jia family who are to be punished.

"Then... I'll hug my aunt again."

Jia Rong was unaware that his grandmother was going to tighten his skin.

His worries were temporarily put aside, and he couldn't help but want to hug his aunt again.

This is his little aunt who was born safely after he prayed to gods and Buddhas, begged his grandparents, and made countless vows.
"Auntie, let me kiss your little hand, yes, yes, just like that."

Jia Rong chased after Yueyue's little hand and finally kissed it, his face beaming. "You know I'm your nephew, right? You'd better grow up quickly, and when you can walk, I'll take you out to play."

"You still want to take her out to play?"

Shen Ning frowned. "We agreed that you would copy three copies of every book you read and donate them. Now, let's see how many books you owe me?"

"Oh dear, I'll hurry up and write it."

Jia Rong was impressed by his grandmother. It was clearly a promise she had made while he was young, foolish, and ignorant, that she had forced upon him: "Writing a book and taking my aunt out to play don't conflict at all."

He's all grown up now, and his grandmother can't fool him anymore.

"Row!"

Shen Ning, holding her youngest daughter, said with a half-smile, "I'll keep that in mind for your aunt too."

Jia Rong: "..."

Did he just unintentionally dig a hole for himself again?
No way?
"Madam, it's getting late. You should soak your feet and go to bed. You have to get up early tomorrow."

Qingzhu came over at the right time to urge Jia Rong to leave, "Young master, you should go back and rest. You've had a long day."

"Well...Grandmother, Aunt, I'm leaving."

Jia Rong reluctantly touched his aunt's face before finally leaving.

However, he wasn't going back to rest; he wanted to secretly observe how his father would deal with Jia Qin.

Is it really necessary to cut off his four fingers, or is it just a show for his grandmother, while actually handling them gently?

He also had to wait under the window of the ancestral hall to hear how his second grandfather and the others repented to their ancestors.

Shen Ning, unaware of Jia Rong's many affairs, handed the child to the wet nurse and had a maid help her take off her shoes and socks and soak her feet. "Where's Qingping?"

"She went outside to keep watch."

Qingzhu came over and massaged her shoulders and back. "I'll light some calming incense for you so you can get a good night's sleep."

"I don't need to light incense; I could probably fall asleep right now if I lay down in bed."

Shen Ningwei closed her eyes and said, "Tomorrow you'll be coming to the palace with me. Have you packed everything that needs to be packed?"

"Yeah, everything is packed."

They had already packed up the gold leaves, silver notes, clean clothes, unmarked handkerchiefs, and so on.

"Don't worry, Grandma and I checked it several times."

There will definitely be another check-up tomorrow morning.

Relieved, Shen Ning quickly washed her feet and used water, then lay down on the bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

Meanwhile, Jia Qin, who had been brought into the ancestral hall, thought he had escaped and was about to kowtow to express his gratitude, but was unexpectedly grabbed again.

In front of Jia Zheng and the others, Jia Zhen spoke coldly, "Jia Qin of the seventh branch of the Jia family has violated the seventy-third rule of the clan. According to the law, four of his fingers should be cut off."

what?
Jia Qin was stunned, and he hurriedly looked for his mother.

But where is his mother here?

Inside the ancestral hall, besides the ancestral tablets of the Jia family ancestors, stood the eldest and second masters of the West Mansion, Uncle Zhu, and the clan head of the East Mansion.

Ahhh, he was just gambling, a mere five hundred taels, why did it cause such a big fuss?

At this moment, Jia Qin had not yet seen Wang Shi, who had already woken up but was too ashamed to face anyone and was leaning against another pillar.

"Now you have two choices," Jia Zhen said, looking at the trembling, unlucky fellow. "Do you want these four fingers chopped off in one hand, or two fingers from each hand?"

"...No, no, no!"

Jia Qin cried, "I dare not do it again, I dare not do it again, Master, Master, Master, I really dare not do it again, please forgive me!"

"Since he's not choosing, then you guys just have to see what happens!"

Jia Zhen gave a wink to the two guards holding him down, and they swiftly brought down their knives.

"Ah~~ Ahhh~~~~"

A terrifying scream, accompanied by spurting blood and four slightly twitching fingers, made Jia Zheng's body go limp and he almost collapsed.

Jia Zhu's face also turned pale.

"Throw him out of the mansion," Jia Zhen said with a disdainful look. "Let him find a doctor at home himself. If he can't find one, let him suffer until he dies."

“Leave your fingers behind.”

Jia She remained expressionless. "Bring a plate. Today... we'll offer it here in the ancestral hall." Jia Zheng: "..."

Jia Zhu: "..."

Neither of them dared to utter a single word.

I was afraid that my voice would tremble when I spoke.

They were all educated people and had never seen such a bloody scene before.

Madam Wang, behind the pillar, pressed her chest, feeling difficulty breathing.

She knew that this was something that Madam Shen, Jia Zhen, and Jia She had conspired to show their family of three.

Which finger was chopped off from Jia Qin?
They clearly wanted to kill their entire family!
Just wait, once her Yuan Chun wakes up, she'll make them pay.

In fact, after a busy day, Yuan Chun, who was finally able to rest, felt short of breath even while clutching the thin piece of paper that her parents had gone to great lengths to bring her.

The Emperor knows about her.

But Your Majesty…

Yuan Chun bit her lip tightly.

Her aunt couldn't speak up for her.

The Emperor may seem easy to talk to, but in reality, he is probably the most difficult of all the Emperor Emeritus's sons to talk to.

Things have finally gotten a little better for the family.

Yuan Chun carefully unfolded the paper and examined it again and again before tearing it into small strips and placing them on the candle to light a small flame.

She dared not let the fire burn too brightly, for fear that someone outside would see it.

She placed the burning paper into the teacup, watching it emit its last glimmer of light before going out.

Yuan Chun carefully burned the paper offerings one by one, and by the time Bao Qin, who was out for a walk, returned, she had already flushed the ashes into the chamber pot.

"girl……"

"It's okay, it's already done."

Yuan Chun, concerned for her, forced a smile and said, "Go to sleep. You'll see your aunt tomorrow."

My parents followed the path of Consort Zhen.

Therefore, she was able to get leave with exceptional ease.

But Yuan Chun knew that the Emperor and Consort Zhen were not on the same side.

When she lay down, she felt very tired.

Tears streamed down her face, but she dared not wipe them away, afraid that she would make her eyes red and cause her aunt embarrassment.

Time is passing by little by little.

Compared to the difficult life of Yuan Chun, and Jia Zheng and others who could only kneel in the ancestral hall, Shen Ning had no dreams all night.

She didn't get up to bathe and change until it was almost dawn. Lady You and Jia Zhen also came over early.

"Today you must also go to the Emperor and the Emperor Emeritus to express your gratitude. Do you know what to say?"

Shen Ning looked at her eldest son, who was still very energetic despite not having slept all night.

"know."

Jia Zhen nodded, "My son invited two officials from the Ministry of Rites to drink a couple of days ago. Whether it's the Emperor Emeritus or the Emperor, my son only needs to express his heartfelt gratitude and show that he is extremely grateful and humbled."

The retired emperor might even chat with him about everyday matters for a while.

When Jia Zhen was a child, he met the retired emperor with his grandfather.

As for the Emperor…

Perhaps out of consideration for the retired emperor, it was just a routine request to hear him express his gratitude.

Mother, however, is going to see the Empress...

"Mother, you..."

"You don't need to worry about my affairs."

I put a few candies in the sleeve pocket that I had specially sewn on, since I was eating dry candies again today.

Shen Ning wasn't afraid of anything else, except when she needed to use the restroom. "The Empress... won't make things difficult for me."

She turned to look at her son, "Once you're in the palace, don't listen to what you shouldn't hear, and don't look at what you shouldn't look at. In short, except when you're expressing your gratitude to the Emperor Emeritus and the Emperor, try not to speak if you can avoid it."

"Ok!"

Jia Zhen nodded vigorously, "Son understands. It's getting late, let's go!"

The mother and son boarded the carriage and headed towards the palace gate.

The invitation was submitted, and I thought I would have to wait a long time, but to my surprise, the nanny from the Empress's palace came out to greet me in no time. "Her Majesty the Empress has been thinking of you, Madam, since early this morning." Her smile was kind. "Please come with me."

"Thank you for your trouble, Granny."

Shen Ningwei gave a slight curtsy, and Jia Zhen quickly presented her with a purse and bowed deeply in return.

The old woman's smile widened as she led the way, saying, "Her Majesty the Empress is very kind; you just need to be respectful. However, Her Majesty may have some matters to attend to this morning, so please rest in the side hall for a while."

"...Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Your Majesty."

She was early. Although she didn't need to pay her respects to Consort Zhen, there were still a few concubines in the Emperor's harem who needed to pay their respects to the Empress.
Shen Ning sighed inwardly.

Arriving too early means waiting, but not arriving early seems disrespectful.

That's all it can do now.

With Qingzhu by her side and the nanny following along, they chatted about everything from clothes and shoes to the Empress's preferences. She even slipped a purse into her hand. Just as they were about to reach Kunning Palace, Shen Ning spotted Yuan Chun waiting by the roadside.

"Jiane has arrived very early!"

The old woman smiled. "Yesterday, Consort Zhen told Her Majesty that Madam Shen has arrived and wants you women to say a few words."

"...Thank you, Granny."

Yuan Chun's face paled, but she still curtsied.

"Your Majesty is very kind."

Shen Ning also gave a slight bow.

Neither of them expressed their gratitude to Consort Zhen.

The old woman smiled and said, "Then I won't keep you two any longer."

She gave a slight bow, then turned and left.

Yuan Chun and Shen Ning looked at each other at the same time.

"Yuan Chun... greets Auntie!"

"Get up quickly."

Shen Ning caught him immediately.

The girl had slightly plump skin, a medium build, eyebrows like distant mountains, and bright, deep almond-shaped eyes, almost identical to the best version on TV.

“Aunt, I am doing well in the palace. You don’t need to say anything on my behalf.”

She spoke briefly and quickly, “Tell the family not to send anything more to the palace.” Her family’s money didn’t come from thin air.

"From now on... just pretend you never gave birth to me!"

As she finished speaking, her eyes stung with tears, and she quickly looked up.

"What nonsense!"

Shen Ning reached out and gently hugged you. "Your aunt has her own plans for what to say and what not to say, so don't worry. Your aunt only wants to ask you, do you want to go home?"

Can I go home?

Yuan Chun's delicate body trembled, but she dared not utter a sound.

"If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes."

She released Yuan Chun with a smile on her face, "My dear, wait for your aunt's good news."

Shen Ning suddenly realized why neither Grandmother Jia nor Lady Wang would dare to object to bringing Yuan Chun back.

"Auntie, you..."

"Not afraid!"

She's still just a little girl.

Now is the perfect time to go home and arrange a marriage.

Shen Ning smiled, "As long as I do it, the old lady and your mother... won't object."

If anyone dares to object, then Wang will have to live in the ancestral hall!

Shen Ning made up her mind, "Be a good girl and wait, your aunt will definitely take you home."