Red Mansion: Holding Space and Marrying Like the Sea

When everyone saw the old lady faint, Yuanyang was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, and quickly reached out to pinch the old lady's philtrum; while Zhou Ruijia was cautious and gentle, like a kitten, stroking the old lady's chest, trying to relieve her discomfort. Less than a cup of tea later, the old lady finally slowly opened her eyes and woke up. Her face was full of anger, and her eyes were flashing with anger. She roared to the people around her: "Quick! Go and call the second master immediately! My Baoyu has been a child and I have never dared to touch him. This time, he actually let that profiteer bully him. He is so bold!"

At that moment, Jia Zheng was sitting leisurely in his room, Luqi in his arms, like a voracious bee, intoxicated by the fragrance of fine wine. When he heard the little maid tell him that the old lady had sent for him, he couldn't help but ask curiously, "Did the old lady send for you? Did she say anything she wanted to tell me?" The little maid, trembling nervously like a leaf in the wind, stammered, "My lord, I don't know. I'm just cleaning the outer courtyard. Sister Yuanyang sent me here to pass on the message." Jia Zheng nodded slightly, indicating that he understood, and said, "Okay, I'll be there shortly."

After the little maidservant walked away, Luqi clung to Jia Zheng like a delicate dodder. Her face was full of worry and uneasiness, and she said in a trembling voice: "Sir, the old lady asked you to come over. Will she blame you because of me? Otherwise, sir, I will go over and apologize..." When Jia Zheng heard this, his heart seemed to be blown by a warm spring breeze. He gently patted Luqi's hand and gently comforted her: "Qi'er, don't worry about me, just have a good rest. The old lady has always loved me, nothing will happen." After that, he turned and left the room.

Jia Zheng arrived at Grandmother Jia's room and was immediately struck by an oppressive atmosphere. Grandmother Jia sat there, her face blazing like a volcano of rage, her eyes gleaming with fury. He hurried forward, respectfully paying his respects, and then asked, concerned, "Mother, what do you want from me?" Grandmother Jia glared at him fiercely, her gaze as sharp as lightning, and snapped, "You're asking me? Look at your good son, he didn't even fight back when he was bullied!" Jia Zheng was immediately baffled, as if he were lost in thought. He quickly asked, "Who bullied Baoyu? What's going on?" Grandmother Jia recounted the incident in detail, concluding with an angry, "That Jin Rong is outrageous! How dare he bully our noble family? He truly knows no bounds!" Jia Zheng groaned inwardly. He knew Jia Baoyu's impulsive nature, and with so many servants around him, how could he be wronged? There must be something else going on.

At this moment, Baoyu, tear-stained, sobbed, entered the room and threw himself into Grandmother Jia's arms. Grandmother Jia caressed his head with a tender heart and soothed him, "My son, you have suffered so much. Rest assured, I will seek justice for you." Baoyu raised his head and looked at Jia Zheng with tearful eyes, eyes filled with both grievance and anticipation. Jia Zheng reluctantly nodded and promised, "Don't worry, mother. I will see to it." He knew this matter couldn't be dealt with simply; it required a thorough investigation. So, he decided to talk to Jia Dairu to learn about the current state of the school.

After coaxing Jia Baoyu, Mrs. Jia smiled kindly and said gently, "Baoyu, you haven't seen your sister Lin today, have you? Go find her and see what she's doing." When Jia Baoyu heard about Lin Daiyu, he immediately perked up. His sadness instantly vanished, and he ran away happily. The old lady looked at Jia Baoyu's retreating figure, nodded with satisfaction, then suddenly turned around and shouted sternly to Jia Zheng, "Unfilial son, kneel down."

Upon hearing this, Jia Zheng's face suddenly changed, his legs softened, and he fell to his knees with a thud. His body trembled like a sieve, and his voice became stammering: "Old Madam... my son... my son, did I do anything to displease you? I hope you can tell me clearly."

"Hmph! How dare you ask!" Grandmother Jia's eyes widened with anger, "I heard that you drove Eunuch Xia away today! I see that you only care about your own enjoyment and don't care about your children's future!"

Jia Zheng lowered his head, not daring to look up at Grandmother Jia, and secretly groaned in his heart. He knew that Grandmother Jia valued Yuanchun the most in the palace. Now that he had failed to take good care of Eunuch Xia, Yuanchun would have to endure countless hardships in the palace! Grandmother Jia was naturally heartbroken.

"Please calm down, old lady. This is all my fault." Jia Zheng kowtowed repeatedly, sincerely admitting his fault. His tone was filled with regret and self-blame. "I wanted to make some good arrangements, but there is really not much money in the account, and Wang Shi refused to give me any money."

"Stupid!" Grandmother Jia was so angry that she slammed her cane on the ground. "If you redeem a prostitute, will your wife give you money?"

Grandmother Jia took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. She knew that simply scolding Jia Zheng would not solve the problem.

She looked at Jia Zheng and said earnestly, "You know, our Jia family is now just an empty shell, far away from the center of power. Our future prosperity and wealth will depend on Yuanchun's position in the palace. If Yuanchun continues to be out of favor, the Jia family will be in great trouble."

Jia Zheng looked solemn and nodded repeatedly to show that he understood the interests involved.

Grandmother Jia continued, "Tomorrow you will go to the Xia Mansion in person, bring a generous gift, and apologize to Eunuch Xia. Make sure he calms down. Never be so foolish again!"

Jia Zheng quickly agreed, secretly thanking his mother that she hadn't punished him too harshly. Returning to his room, Jia Zheng pondered how to gather the money for Eunuch Xia's gift. He sighed helplessly. His salary was meager, and the household's expenses were enormous; it was simply too difficult to come up with enough money at once.

Just as he was worried, an idea suddenly flashed through his mind. He remembered an ancient painting that had been treasured in the storeroom for many years. The painting was very valuable and he might be able to pawn it for some money.

The next day, Jia Zheng had Li Gui bring the painting to the pawnshop. After some bargaining, he finally managed to exchange it for a considerable sum of silver. Delighted, he used the money to buy a generous gift and went to visit Eunuch Xia at the Xia Mansion.

Jia Zheng arrived at the Xia residence and respectfully handed the gift to Eunuch Xia, and sincerely apologized to him. Eunuch Xia accepted the gift and his expression softened slightly, but he still rebuked Jia Zheng a few words.

Jia Zheng nodded repeatedly, promising not to make the same mistake again. After leaving the Xia Mansion, Jia Zheng breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that he had finally calmed Eunuch Xia's anger.

However, he didn't know that all this was seen by Jia She, who had always been jealous of his brother Jia Zheng's favor from Lady Jia and secretly planned to find an opportunity to take revenge.

Jia She secretly observed Jia Zheng and Jia Lian's every move, hoping to find something to hold against them. Finally, one day, he discovered Jia Zheng secretly delivering a precious ancient painting to a pawnshop.

Jia She was secretly delighted: "Haha, Jia Zheng, ah, Jia Zheng, you have come to this day! I want to see how you explain this." So he began to pay close attention to Jia Zheng's movements, waiting for the right opportunity to expose the matter.

Not long after, Jia She learned about Jia Zheng's pawning of the painting. He came up with a plan to expose the matter at a banquet in the Jia Mansion to embarrass Jia Zheng.

On the day of the banquet, the Jia Mansion was decorated with lanterns and was bustling with activity. Jia She deliberately sat next to Jia Mu, chatting with her, waiting for the right opportunity.

Finally, after three rounds of drinking, Jia She stood up and toasted Jia's mother, saying, "Mother, I have something to ask you about at today's family dinner."

Grandmother Jia smiled and nodded. Jia She continued, "I recently heard that my second brother, Jia Zheng, sent a treasured ancient painting from our family collection to a pawnshop. I wonder if this is true?"

Everyone started whispering to each other after hearing this. Jia Zheng felt very embarrassed, but he couldn't refute it. His face turned red and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Grandmother Jia frowned, looked at Jia Zheng, and asked, "Zheng'er, is this true?"

Jia Zheng nodded in agreement. Grandmother Jia sighed and said, "Zheng'er, why did you do this? That painting is a family heirloom of our Jia family."

Jia Zheng lowered his head and said softly, "Mother, I have no choice. The situation in the court is tense now, and we need more money to manage relationships and ensure the safety of our family."

Grandmother Jia was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Forget it. Since it's for the benefit of the family, I won't pursue this matter any further. But you must be cautious in the future and don't sell off the family treasures so easily."

Seeing this, Jia She resented Lady Jia's partiality even more and felt very aggrieved.