Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 446 You destroyed this family!
"Mother, this is a gift from the Imperial Concubine. Please accept it. I have spent a lot of money on martial arts training. The pony and I are both eating more and more. This pair of gold and silver nuggets can be exchanged for a lot of money for our future consumption."

Li Wan touched Jia Lan's head, and a warm current flowed through her heart. She said softly, "Good boy, just listen to the Imperial Concubine's words, study hard, and don't worry about these things."

In front of the palace, Li Wan and Jia Lan were loving mother and filial son, while Mrs. Wang, who was sitting below them, was the most embarrassed.

In the past, Jia Baoyu, who was pampered in the mansion, was now belittled by his own sister as worthless, like a dead dog on the street. She didn't even look at him. Instead, she valued Jia Lan, who had lost his father, very much. Wasn't this a slap in the face to her?

Doesn’t this mean that her ability to raise children is not as good as Li Wan’s?
But in her eyes, Jia Baoyu is already a million times better than anyone else. Baoyu has just not yet revealed his talents, but one day he will show his brilliance.

Even though she was shivering and nervous at the moment, Mrs. Wang still believed this.

Due to the difference between the emperor and his subjects, Mrs. Wang had no choice but to swallow her anger and endure it silently. When she looked at Li Wan and her son, she felt a surge of jealousy in her heart.

Obviously, all these rewards and favors should have belonged to Jia Baoyu, but they were robbed by the mother and son. "There is no room in this mansion for anyone who is more favored than Baoyu."

Suddenly, Jia Baoyu walked out of the queue, hurried to Jia's grandmother, pushed away the maid beside him, and stood up together with Lai Ma.

"Grandfather, you were ill, weren't you? Why are you here again now? Are you feeling better now?"

Seeing Jia Baoyu's pure filial piety, Mrs. Wang suddenly felt much better. "The old ancestor must know the value of things. With the old ancestor here, even if the eldest girl values ​​others, the final happiness will still belong to Baoyu."

While he was thinking about this, Jia Zheng was already a little annoyed. "Baoyu, who allowed you to act recklessly in this hall? Why don't you go back now?"

"what?"

Baoyu opened his eyes wide, his gaze could not help but evade, and his body swayed again.

Grandmother Jia was very protective of her children. Seeing this, she held Baoyu in her arms and angrily said to Jia Zheng, "Why are you yelling? As an elder, you are yelling in front of the palace and losing your manners. How can you set a good example for the other brothers? How can you discipline your descendants?"

"Madam, it's really him..."

"What do you mean by him? Why don't you shut up?" Grandmother Jia's voice was full of energy, and she didn't look sick. She even had time to comfort Baoyu in her arms, stroking the back of his neck and said, "Don't panic. The princess is your eldest sister. She was most proud of you before she entered the palace. When you were a child, she taught you to read and write. Have you forgotten?"

"Now that your elder sister is back, no one will bully you anymore, whether inside or outside the mansion, and you don't have to worry anymore."

"knew?"

Baoyu nodded slightly and whispered, "Yes, ancestor."

"Take this cane."

Grandmother Jia pushed the phoenix-headed pearwood crutches to Baoyu, and then, in full view of everyone, she slowly knelt on the ground, bowed deeply, and said respectfully: "I, the wife of the Duke of the First Rank, Jia, greet the Imperial Concubine. May the Imperial Concubine be blessed with good health."

After a few breaths, there was still silence in front of the hall. Jia Yuanchun acted as if she hadn't heard anything and ignored it completely.

After a while, Grandmother Jia realized something was wrong. She covered her sleeve with her hands and coughed lightly, then raised her head and glanced at Jia Yuanchun who was sitting in the middle.

Although there was a gauze curtain blocking the view, Grandmother Jia could vaguely make out that Jia Yuanchun was staring at this side and it was not that she really didn't hear anything.

Grandmother Jia gritted her teeth and said it again, "I, the wife of the Duke of the First Rank, Jia, greet the Imperial Concubine. May the Imperial Concubine be blessed with good health."

This time it was accompanied by a few heavy coughs, intermittently.

However, there was still complete silence in front of the hall.

Jia Zheng could not bear to see his old mother kneeling down for so long, so he stepped out and pleaded, "My Lady, the old lady is not feeling well and has come to see you despite her illness. I hope you can consider our blood relationship and not hold me accountable for my impoliteness in front of the carriage just now."

Jia Zheng acted like a good guy, and the people around him came to their senses and knelt down to beg for mercy.

But Jia Yuanchun's attitude was very firm, as if the scolding she had just done was just an appetizer, and the real anger in her heart had not yet been expressed.

"Really? Are you feeling unwell? I thought the old lady was in very good health and there was no need for me to worry about her in the palace."

Grandmother Jia said, "Thank you for your concern, Madam. It is because you have obeyed the will of heaven and bestowed blessings on the Jia family that I and the Jia family have become increasingly prosperous and on the right track."

As she spoke, Grandmother Jia took Baoyu's hand and tried to stand up.

Her body was already weak and sore, and she had just fallen off the couch, causing a dull pain in her waist, which was extremely uncomfortable.

But just as she raised one leg, she heard Jia Yuanchun's cold voice from above: "Old Madam, when did I allow you to stand up?"

Everyone looked up in astonishment. Jia Baoyu began to tremble again in panic, leaving Grandmother Jia where she was again.

This is Yuanchun, the one that Grandmother Jia loves the most and the one that Grandmother Jia is proud of.

Grandmother Jia raised Yuanchun and sent her to the palace. Now she has been conferred the title of noble concubine and is returning home to visit her family. This is the highest masterpiece of her education and it also brings her great honor.

But now it seems that this is not the case at all.

The one who was even more shocked was Grandmother Jia herself.

She knew very well how close her relationship with Jia Yuanchun was. Yuanchun had repeatedly reminded her of family matters in her letters home, and told her not to worry too much and to take care of her health. She was the most filial person.

But now, he totally disregarded her dignity and started to reprimand her in the hall, giving her a warning first. For a moment, she was so frightened that she forgot the pain in her body.

When I came to my senses, I felt a burning pain in my knees.

Baoyu knelt down in panic, his eyes filled with tears, "Grandfather, Grandfather, are you okay? I didn't mean it just now..."

Grandmother Jia responded weakly: "Don't be afraid, I am still alive."

The grandparents were still showing affection, and Jia Yuanchun continued, "Just now, Jia Zheng, the deputy minister of the Ministry of Works, was yelling in front of me. Your voice was not much weaker than his. How come it is not considered a breach of etiquette in front of the palace?"

Grandmother Jia's eyes widened in shock, her heart beating violently with fear. She had never expected that Jia Yuanchun would actually point her finger at her.

"Please calm down, Imperial Concubine. I didn't mean to be angry. I was just anxious to protect my grandson. Imperial Concubine, you may not know that Baoyu was chased and beaten by his father in front of the hall a few months ago. His body was covered with wounds. He just recovered from a serious illness a few days ago. It was not easy for him to come here to visit his relatives."

Seeing that Jia Yuanchun was really determined to hold someone accountable and that she was in a very embarrassing situation, Grandmother Jia had no choice but to bring up Yuanchun's younger brother Jia Baoyu, whom she had once cared about the most, and turn the blame towards Jia Zheng.

Unexpectedly, Jia Yuanchun became even more furious after hearing this. "So that's how it is. Even if this worthless thing was humiliated in front of me, you still had to stand up and defend him? You made it sound so light-hearted that you didn't wear any make-up to greet me outside the ceremonial gate just now."

"You used the excuse of being ill, and now you have come to the palace to make trouble. On the way, you even called an outsider to ask me to go to the Buddhist temple to meet him. You don't take me seriously at all. Who gave you the courage?"

"Do you know what the difference between the monarch and his subjects is, and what the majesty of the royal family is? Baoyu doesn't know, don't you, old lady, know it either?"

After Xia Jingui and Jia's mother said those unpleasant words, Jia's mother still didn't want to believe it. Now she really couldn't deceive herself. She felt like she was falling into an ice cellar. She could only nod and respond, "I am guilty. I hope the imperial concubine will punish me."

"Punishment? You have committed more sins than these. Let me list them one by one."

Everyone broke out in cold sweats and held their breath, fearing that the next word would be directed at them.

Jia Yuanchun tightly grasped the armrest with one hand, and the red hairpin on her head began to shake as her expression gradually distorted.

"Since the old Duke passed away, you have favored the second wife and isolated the first wife according to your own preferences. You have built an east courtyard in the imperially built mansion. Isn't it ridiculed by outsiders? As the head of the family, you have planted the seeds of internal discord. Haven't you heard that 'fathers and sons are loyal, brothers are harmonious, and a harmonious family brings happiness'?"

"Even if you build this imperial residence to be magnificent, what can you do? Carved beams and painted buildings cannot hide the quarrels between brothers, and jade-painted and red railings cannot protect the coldness of hands and feet. This is the first sin!"

Grandmother Jia's heart trembled, as if a stream of blood was gushing out and blocking her head, and her head fell heavily to the ground.

But this is just the beginning.

Jia Yuanchun slammed the table in anger and said angrily: "You have no way to manage your family. You allow cunning slaves to bully their masters, evil servants to steal gold, corruption is rampant, and you look down on everyone. Is this the family tradition you are proud of? Little do you know that the upper class follows the example, and the rich slaves and silver maids compete in luxury; the moral principles are broken, and the cunning slaves and servants are treacherous and cunning."

"The Jia Mansion, which had long been hollowed out, still shamelessly built this useless courtyard for the imperial family to visit their parents. This is their second crime!"

"The younger generation is being educated and spoiled, and they are full of dandies who love to indulge in prostitutes and indulge in fine goods. They can't learn the classics of the saints, nor can they learn the martial arts passed down from their ancestors. How can they establish a family if they are not good at both civil and military affairs? The other day, they even caused a ridiculous incident of collecting debts from a brothel, and the title that our great grandfather earned on horseback has been ruined into a joke in the opera script!"

"Although you are old and senile, you are not deaf or blind. Don't you want to be a fool who tries to cover up his own mistakes? This is the third sin!"

All the members of the Jia family had their heads dropped to the ground, they were frightened out of their wits.

I don’t know why what was supposed to be a joyous event of visiting one’s parents has now turned into a meeting for accountability, and I don’t know how it will end.

"The most terrible thing is this extravagant and luxurious villa built with a huge amount of money. The golden dragon and jade beast, the steps and red terraces are even more magnificent than those in the palace. What kind of facade is this for? Don't you know the crime of usurping the throne? You don't know how to write the word death!"

"The Jia family's century-old foundation will be completely destroyed by your hands!"

Grandmother Jia's throat moved slightly, but she couldn't utter a word.

The blood color on his face and lips gradually faded.

He originally wanted to restore his face today, but he ended up losing all his face and was insulted by Jia Yuanchun again.

At the right time, Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai, who had originally wanted to avoid suspicion, brought their sisters and other girls in to wait for the banquet to begin.

Seeing this scene, they just hid behind a wooden pillar and watched the excitement.

Invisibly, Jia's mother felt humiliated, and the blood rushed to her head, and she even fainted for a moment.

Nanny Lai, a loyal servant who had followed Lady Jia for decades, was heartbroken when she saw this. She couldn't help but say, "My Lady, you are wrong. You have been in the palace for a long time, so you don't know the difficulties outside. The nobles looked down on the Jia family, and the families were unwilling to have any dealings with them. The old ancestor kindly took the Lady back to the mansion and held a grand ceremony to help the Jia family revive. But who knew that the Lady seemed to have changed after entering the palace and didn't care about the old friendship."

"My lady, you were only a maid when you entered the palace. It was only after the old master wrote his last memorial that His Majesty favored you and promoted you to Imperial Concubine. How could you abandon the mansion and leave it alone?"

"You don't know the difficulty of managing such a large Rongguo Mansion."

"How dare you! How can you, an old dog, speak here? Come, drag him out and beat him to death!"

Hearing Jia Yuanchun emphasize the word "beaten to death", Nanny Lai became really panicked.

As Lady Jia's personal maid, she was even Yuanchun's wet nurse when she was young, so she should have had a debt of gratitude to her.

But who would have thought that Jia Yuanchun would be so heartless and insult Lady Jia harshly, and even wanted to beat her to death with a stick as a warning to others.

Nanny Lai immediately knelt down, only then realizing that the transfer of power in the mansion had completely changed.

Jia Yuanchun was not trying to save her face, she really wanted to ask for accountability, and she was no longer the little girl who depended on Grandmother Jia for support.

"Grandfather, please save me. Grandfather, I have been loyal to you for decades. Please quickly beg the imperial concubine to spare my life. Even if you have to give all the Lai family's wealth to fill the deficit, I will have no complaints. I only ask for a way out!"

But the palace servant who came in showed no mercy and dragged him out right there in the hall.

Then, screams echoed throughout the hall.

People's brows trembled slightly when they heard it, and the little girls were frightened even more.

Qin Keqing hugged the girls and comforted them, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. I'm not going to hit you. This is the Imperial Concubine venting her anger on the sisters. Just wait and see, the best is yet to come."

Xue Baochai turned her head speechlessly, signaling them not to whisper to each other.

The women kept silent again and hid in the dark.

Screams rushed straight into Grandmother Jia's brain. She had just been hit in the face, and now her person in charge in Rongguo Mansion was hit again. He really didn't care about any friendship anymore.

Although this Jia Yuanchun's figure and voice were exactly the same as what Grandmother Jia remembered, she was so unfamiliar, so unfamiliar that Grandmother Jia thought she was someone who had deliberately disguised herself, or even someone from the Duke Dingguo's Mansion.

The sudden change was too unexpected for Jia's mother, and her brain went into a state of shutdown. But now she had recovered somewhat and took a deep breath.

Grandmother Jia had no way to refute the charges listed by Jia Yuanchun. She was indeed at fault, but it was not right for them to be made public in such an occasion.

Would the Jia family be better off without her?
Didn’t she make any contribution to the Jia family?
Putting aside the question of right and wrong, didn’t Jia Yuanchun do anything wrong?
Grandmother Jia didn't believe it at all.

Raising her head again, Grandmother Jia gathered her last breath of strength and asked, "Miss, are you going to destroy the Jia family?"

Jia Yuanchun was furious, slammed her chair and stood up, saying, "You are the one who ruined this family!"

(End of this chapter)