Red Mansion: Holding Space and Marrying Like the Sea

Ten days passed in a flash, and the newly appointed Imperial Salt Inspector arrived in Suzhou yesterday. In the Lin family's inner chambers, Wang Xifeng and Old Lady Lin sat on separate couches. Old Lady Lin slowly spoke, "Feng'er, these are our family properties in Suzhou. I've sold off those that were difficult to manage. Look, these are my former properties in the capital, and I'm handing them over to you now." She produced an exquisite wooden box, placed it on the table, and opened it. Inside was a thick stack of property deeds and banknotes. Wang Xifeng sighed inwardly, embodying the old lady's aristocratic family background; her generosity was truly remarkable.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xifeng quickly stood up and declined, saying, "Mother, these are your assets. How dare I accept them?" Old Lady Lin smiled, patted her hand, and said, "Silly child, these will all be yours sooner or later. I'm old now, and I don't have much energy to take care of them."

Wang Xifeng's eyes were filled with emotion after hearing this. She took the wooden box and said softly, "Thank you, mother. You are so kind to me." Mrs. Lin smiled slightly, reached out and gently touched Wang Xifeng's forehead. She said lovingly, "Look at you, you are still like a child, not afraid of being laughed at by the children. I'm afraid the journey back to the capital this time will not be smooth. My old bones are fine, but I am really worried about you children."

"Don't worry, mother. I will take good care of the whole family." Wang Xifeng promised Mrs. Lin solemnly.

Mrs. Lin nodded, still trusting Wang Xifeng's abilities. However, she remained somewhat concerned. This return to the capital was indeed a matter of uncertainty. "Feng'er, you are pregnant now. You must not make any mistakes. Ruhai, as the head of the family, should protect everyone in this critical moment." Mrs. Lin held Wang Xifeng's hand tightly and gave her concerned instructions.

Wang Xifeng smiled and consoled her, "Mother, you don't have to worry about me. I've always been strong, and this little thing is nothing. It's just that the journey back to the capital is long, so I'll have to trouble you to take care of these two mischievous little ones, Jingyu and Jiaojiao."

When Mrs. Lin heard her two precious grandchildren mentioned, a happy smile immediately filled her face. She said repeatedly, "My two little darlings are the most well-behaved and sensible children. My heart is filled with joy whenever I think of them! My little Jiaojiao, although young, is very thoughtful and even said she would give me a golden hairpin. And my darling grandson is even more clever and can already paint an exquisite picture of peonies at such a young age."

"That's good. With them by your side, you won't feel bored." Wang Xifeng said with a smile.

"By the way, Feng'er, when you return to the capital this time, you must be careful of your aunt and Old Lady Jia." Old Lady Lin reminded her, "They originally wanted to plot for you to marry Jia Lian and use your dowry to fill the hole in their family."

"Hmph, whatever tricks they have up their sleeves, feel free to use them. I, Wang Xifeng, am not afraid of them." Wang Xifeng sneered, "I was able to see through their schemes back then, and I can handle their conspiracies and tricks just as well now."

Madam Lin nodded. She still had great confidence in Wang Xifeng's abilities. "However, you still have to be careful. This family is willing to do anything for wealth and glory. They even allowed their own eldest grandson to be killed because he was hindering their path to becoming the top of the Jia family!"

After hearing the old lady's words, Xifeng was startled and asked, "Mother, are you talking about Jia He's eldest son Jia Hu?"

Madam Lin nodded, with a hint of regret in her tone, and said, "Yes, Jia Hu is also a pitiful child. He was originally the eldest grandson of the Jia family, but he was killed by someone."

The old lady sighed and said, "Yes! This incident shocked all the noble families in the capital. He was the eldest grandson of the eldest son, and he was gone just like that."

Xifeng continued, "Mother, my aunt told me about this before I even married. Back when Jia He's first wife, Mrs. Zhang, was still around, Jia He wasn't like this. He was an old dandy who only cared about eating, drinking, and having fun. Although he wasn't very literate, he was very skilled in antiques and was very considerate to Mrs. Zhang. His eldest son, Jia Hu, had been trained from a young age by the old Duke Jia Daishan. He was very intelligent, and the old Duke once said that this son could lead the Jia family to a new level of fortune. But while the old Duke was away on an inspection tour, Mrs. Jia and Mrs. Wang reached some agreement, and Mrs. Jia watched coldly as her grandson was pushed into the lake and drowned by Mrs. Wang's men. When Mrs. Zhang heard that Jia Hu was in trouble, she lost her pregnancy and fought to give birth to Jia Lian, but then she hemorrhaged. By the time the old Duke returned, it was too late."

As the old lady listened to Xifeng's words, she couldn't help but feel sad. She thought back to the past, and those painful memories made her feel heartbroken.

"Oh, it's fate!" said the old lady with a sigh.

Xifeng looked at the old lady's sad expression and was very confused. She asked hurriedly with concern: "Mother, what's wrong with you? Why are you so sad? Did your daughter-in-law do something wrong to make you unhappy?" Old Lady Lin gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and sighed: "Alas, there is nothing to hide. Our Lin family has been living in Jiangnan since your father-in-law passed away. Most people in the capital have forgotten that Zhang's mother and I are cousins. That child has a tragic fate! Before she got married, my cousin loved her like a darling. Love, if held in the palm of your hand, fears it will drop; if held in your mouth, fears it will melt. When the time came for marriage, there was an endless stream of proposals. My sister and brother-in-law put a lot of thought into arranging a marriage for their only daughter. It wasn't until the then Duke of Rong, Jia Daishan, proposed marriage to his eldest son and promised that if he didn't have a son by the age of thirty, he would take a concubine. Only then did my sister and brother-in-law feel at ease to marry their daughter into the Jia family. After they got married, their relationship was very harmonious, but it was a pity that they met such a vicious mother-in-law and sister-in-law. What a sin! A good family was ruined just like that.

Xifeng held the old lady's hand and said gently, "Don't worry, mother. I'm here with you. We will definitely live a happy life."

The old lady nodded with emotion, tears glistening in her eyes. She said, "I'm really old. I can't control my emotions when I talk about the past." Xifeng said, "Mother is not old at all. You still have to see Jingyu get married!" After listening to Xifeng, Mrs. Lin was silent for a while before speaking, "Everyone knows what you said. Do you know how Zhang died?"

Wang Xifeng frowned, thought for a moment, and then said, "Mother, I remember she died of a frightened childbirth and heavy bleeding."

Madam Lin shook her head, a trace of sadness flashing in her eyes. She said, "Feng'er, some things cannot be judged by appearances. There is a hidden story behind Zhang's death, but there is no solid evidence yet."

Wang Xifeng was startled when she heard this and asked hurriedly, "Mother, what do you mean? Is there some hidden meaning behind this?"

Madam Lin sighed and said slowly, "When Jia Hu had the accident, Zhang didn't show any signs of giving birth. She was just a little frightened, but nothing serious happened. It was just at that time that a maid hit Zhang's stomach hard. If the maid beside her hadn't stepped on the ground in time, both would have died.

Hearing this, Wang Xifeng couldn't help but open her eyes wide and asked in surprise, "How could such a thing happen? And what happened next?"

Madam Lin sighed deeply, her face filled with helplessness and sorrow, as if she had aged ten years in a flash. She continued, "When Jia He learned of this, he was so enraged he nearly lost his mind and wanted to beat the maid to death on the spot. However, just at this critical moment, Madam Wang rushed in and revealed shocking news to Madam Jia: the maid was pregnant with Jia Zheng's child. Madam Jia fell into deep thought upon hearing this, ultimately deciding to wait until the child was born before taking any action. Afterward, thanks to the dedicated efforts of the imperial physicians, Zhang was finally saved. However, due to premature birth, the child's journey was arduous, leaving everyone present with deep worry. After the child was born safely, Zhang took a look at him, and the doctors assured her that she was likely fine. However, just as everyone was breathing a sigh of relief, Zhang suddenly developed severe bleeding and tragically passed away. Even more unexpectedly, when we were cleaning the delivery room where Zhang had given birth, we unexpectedly discovered saffron!"

Wang Xifeng said angrily: "This hateful maid! Why did she do this? Was someone instructing her?" Her eyes flashed with anger, as if she wanted to find out the real culprit immediately.

Madam Lin nodded and said, "It's precisely because this matter is so strange that we suspect there may be a larger conspiracy behind it. Unfortunately, we didn't find enough evidence at the time and couldn't bring the murderer to justice."

Wang Xifeng, sensing the deeper meaning in her mother's words, fell into deep thought. She was well aware of the complex dynamics within the Jia household, where the myriad conflicts of interest and power struggles made it difficult to navigate. If Zhang had truly been murdered, who was the murderer? And why had they committed such a brutal act?

With this in mind, Wang Xifeng decided to secretly investigate the matter and find the truth. At the same time, she also had to be vigilant against those with ulterior motives in the Jia family and protect herself and her family. After all, in this family full of intrigue, the slightest mistake could lead to falling into someone else's trap.