Red Mansion: Holding Space and Marrying Like the Sea

As she spoke, Xiren cried harder and harder, until her voice became shrill. Suddenly, her vision went black, and her body collapsed. Everyone was horrified and gathered around to investigate. They saw that bright red blood had already flowed from Xiren's lower body, staining a large area of the ground red. The girls in the mansion were confused and terrified. Only Lady Jia and Lady Wang immediately understood what had happened.

Grandmother Jia's face was terribly gloomy. She had her dragged away and placed in a safe place to be dealt with later. Lady Wang was so angry that she was shaking all over. She wanted to slap Xiren hard right away. She had originally thought that Xiren was the most stable person in her heart, but she didn't expect that she was the one who first hooked up with Baoyu. They haven't even gotten married yet, and she wants to have a illegitimate child to make things difficult for herself?! Lady Wang sneered in her heart, but she didn't show it on her face. She only ordered Xingwang's family, "You guys keep a good eye on her. Give her some foetus soup, and don't call a doctor."

Xingwangjia didn't dare to neglect it, and quickly responded, then took the two maids to get the medicine. After a while, the medicine was brought in, and Xingwangjia personally held the bowl and forced the medicine into Xiren's mouth. Although Xiren was unconscious, she struggled subconsciously and refused to drink the medicine. Xingwangjia didn't care about that, and pinched her chin hard, forcing her to drink the medicine. After drinking it, Xingwangjia wiped her hands with a handkerchief, and then said to Mrs. Wang: "Don't worry, madam, this medicine is very effective. It will be effective in less than half an hour."

Mrs. Wang nodded in satisfaction. She glanced at Xiren on the bed, a flicker of disgust and contempt in her eyes. She thought to herself, this shameless girl is not worthy of staying with Baoyu. Once this matter is over, she must find a chance to send her away so that she won't continue to seduce Baoyu.

Xingwang's wife hurriedly responded and, along with two maids, carried Xiren to the back. Mrs. Wang then said to the others, "Don't make this matter known to anyone. Anyone who dares to say a word will be punished!" Everyone responded tremblingly, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.

After everyone left, Mrs. Wang's face was distorted. She glared at Jia Baoyu fiercely and cursed: "You evil creature, you don't learn your lesson all day long and do all kinds of ridiculous things! Look at what you have become now?!" Jia Baoyu just woke up and saw her evil ghost-like appearance. He was so scared that his face turned even paler. He didn't dare to say a word, just for fear that he would tremble.

Baoyu felt ashamed and guilty when he heard Mrs. Wang's scolding. He knew that this matter had become a big deal and would be difficult to resolve. He thought of Xiren's usual gentleness and consideration, and now she had suffered such a fate, and he couldn't help but feel a trace of pity in his heart.

However, he did not dare to plead for Xiren, and could only lower his head silently and let Mrs. Wang scold him. After Mrs. Wang had vented her anger, Baoyu quietly had someone carry him on a soft couch to the room where Xiren was.

He saw Xiren lying weakly on the bed, her face as pale as paper and her eyes empty. Baoyu's heart was broken, he gently held Xiren's hand, tears welling up in his eyes.

Baoyu said in a choked voice, "Xiren, it's me who hurt you." Xiren slowly opened her eyes, looked at Baoyu, and a bitter smile appeared on her face.

"Second Master, this is fate. I can only blame myself for my wishful thinking. It's all my own fault that I've ended up like this."

Baoyu held Xiren's hand tightly and said, "No, this is not your fault. It's all my fault. I failed to protect you."

Xiren shook her head. "Second Master, you must take good care of yourself from now on. Don't act so recklessly as you did before."

After saying this, Xiren closed her eyes and tears rolled down her cheeks. Baoyu was heartbroken and fell on Xiren crying.

Jia Baoyu, upset after a disagreement with Lin Daiyu, had come with his mother, Jia's, to the Ningguo Mansion to admire the plum blossoms. The banquet was lively, but due to the custom of "tea before wine," Jia Baoyu was already tipsy and wanted to rest. Qin Keqing, noticing his state, approached him and asked if he wanted to rest for a while, preparing to take him to a guest room.

At this moment, the nanny beside Qin Keqing suddenly said seriously, "Madam, Master Bao is your uncle after all, a man. It's not appropriate for him to sleep in your bed, is it?" Qin Keqing didn't take it seriously. Instead, she smiled and said, "He's just a child. Why are you so particular?"

No wonder Grandmother Jia called Qin Keqing the foremost of her grandson's wives! Upon hearing he was going to his niece's room, Baoyu perked up and excitedly exclaimed, "Madam, I'd love to go! Keqing is a celestial being, and her room must be quite impressive." Drunk and hazy, Baoyu reached the door and was immediately captivated by a sweet aroma. His vision blurred, his bones softened, and he exclaimed repeatedly, "What a wonderful fragrance!" Entering the room, he gazed at the wall and saw a painting by Tang Bohu titled "Begonia Spring Sleep." Flanking the painting were couplets written by the Song scholar Qin Taixu: the first line read, "The tender chill locks dreams because of the chill of spring," and the second, "The fragrance envelops me, the aroma of wine." On the table in the room stood the precious mirror once used by Wu Zetian in her mirror room. Next to it stood the golden plate on which Zhao Feiyan once danced, containing the papaya that An Lushan had thrown and injured Yang Guifei's breast. Above, the bed where Princess Shouchang slept in Hanzhang Palace was placed, and hung with a string of pearls made by Princess Tongchang. Baoyu smiled and kept saying, "It's so nice here." Qin Keqing smiled and said, "This room of mine is probably fit for even gods to live in." Then she personally unfolded the gauze quilt that Xi Shi had washed and moved the mandarin duck pillow that Hongniang had once held.

After Jia Baoyu entered Qin Keqing's room, he soon fell into a deep sleep. In his dream, he vaguely saw Qin Keqing and became very curious about her whereabouts, so he followed her involuntarily.

They arrived at a place of breathtaking beauty, with red railings, white stones, green trees, and a clear stream. Jia Baoyu was captivated by the beauty, and a strong desire surged within him to spend his life there. As his thoughts wandered, he suddenly heard singing from behind a rockery. Following the sound, he saw a woman standing there singing. Her beauty and elegance captivated him.

The woman introduced herself, "I am Fairy Jinghuan from the Illusionary Realm of Taixu in the Qianxiang Cave on Fangchun Mountain. I am responsible for managing the romantic debts in the human world. In recent times, romantic debts have frequently occurred in the human world, so I have been staying here for a relatively long time. Meeting you this time is by no means accidental." Fairy Jinghuan said that she hoped to invite Jia Baoyu to visit the Illusionary Realm of Taixu and appreciate its wonderful scenery.

Jia Baoyu was delighted to hear this and followed Fairy Jinghuan into the Land of Illusion. After touring the Land of Illusion for a while, Fairy Jinghuan secretly taught Jia Baoyu about sex. Then Jia Baoyu and Qin Keqing in his dream had sex. However, the beautiful dream soon turned into a nightmare, and Jia Baoyu woke up screaming Qin Keqing's name.

Jia Baoyu's shouting was so loud that the four maids, Xiren, Sheyue, Qiu Wen, and Bihen, hurried over and asked with concern, "Baoyu, what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

After Jia Baoyu regained consciousness, he said in a daze: "Don't worry, sisters, I'm fine."

Seeing this, Xiren began to help Jia Baoyu tidy up his clothes. However, when Xiren reached out to tie Jia Baoyu's belt, she keenly noticed the look of "lost" on his face, and she immediately understood something.

Xiren was two years older than Jia Baoyu, so she was well aware of the situation. However, with other people around and dinner approaching quickly, she didn't want to dwell on the matter. So, Xiren simply gave Baoyu a seductive glance, then continued to help him tidy up his clothes and went to eat with his mother.