Red Mansion: Holding Space and Marrying Like the Sea

When Youshi heard Jia Zhen's words, she froze in shock, as if struck by an invisible bolt of lightning. Her mind went blank. Her eyes widened, following Jia Zhen's movements with disbelief and astonishment.

She had always known that Jia Zhen was a playboy and a womanizer, but she had never imagined he could be so foolish as to be completely unaware of the seriousness of his affairs during the period of mourning. This realization shocked and angered her.

Yu Shi slowly sat down, her body slumped in the chair as if she had lost all her strength. Her heart was heavy, filled with an indescribable despair and sadness. She clearly realized that if she couldn't stop Jia Zhen's absurd behavior in time, only disaster would await their family.

At this moment, however, Third Sister You, having somehow learned of the couple's conversation, strode over and unabashedly expressed her feelings. Filled with righteous indignation, she shouted, "My sister is gentle and demure, and she entrusted her virginity to that bastard Jia Zhen. Now, he's actually thinking of marrying her off with a sedan chair? It's sheer wishful thinking! Unless he formally accepts my sister as his second wife and brings her into the family in a sedan chair carried by eight men, don't even think of getting my sister's consent! That would be a perfect match for her!"

Third Sister You was known for her strong and aggressive nature, never acting according to reason, a stark contrast to her second sister's weakness and cowardice. Jia Zhen was usually quite wary of her. Hearing her say this, he couldn't help but panic, feeling that things might become even more difficult to handle. He stammered, "This... isn't this about filial piety to the country and family? If I were to publicly marry the second wife now, it would be a serious crime!"

When Third Sister You heard this, her face froze like frost, and she said slowly: "Don't talk nonsense! When you made my sister pregnant, were you ever afraid at all? If you don't agree to me today, I will spread this matter like that gossip woman, and no one will have peace then!" Although Jia Zhen was extremely reluctant, he was also afraid that Third Sister You would really make a big deal out of this, so he had no choice but to agree first.

Although Jia Zhen agreed to You Sanjie's request on the surface, he was secretly thinking about how to respond. He knew that if he followed You Sanjie's conditions, it would inevitably cause an uproar within the family and might even lead to an investigation by the government.

Yu Shi watched helplessly as her stepmother and two stepsisters, so brazen and ignorant of their own limitations, dared to brazenly demand to be her brother-in-law's second wife in her presence. Her fury erupted like a volcano, threatening to burn the entire Duke's mansion to the ground. She mused to herself, "If this continues, they'll eventually feel I'm hindering their future. Then, I wonder what they'll do to me. They might even kill me, like a dead leaf swept away by the autumn wind."

Yu Shi suppressed her anger and forced a smile on her face. She said to You Sanjie, "Sister, you are absolutely right. Master should marry her in a formal way. But it is indeed inconvenient at the moment. I hope you can give him more time."

Third Sister You sneered and said, "Humph, we sisters don't have that much time to wait for him! Either he immediately sends a sedan chair to marry my sister, or we will both die together!"

Seeing that the situation was at a stalemate, Jia Zhen hurried to smooth things over and said, "Okay, okay, I'll arrange it right away and marry your sister in a grand manner." After that, he hurried away.

Yu Shi watched Jia Zhen's retreating figure, secretly groaning inwardly. She knew that this farce had just begun, and the days ahead would probably be anything but peaceful...

Although Youshi usually didn't meddle in other people's affairs, that didn't mean she lacked means and courage. Otherwise, how could she, like the proud plum blossom in the snow, stand firm amid the intrigues and deceptions of the Duke's Mansion? Since these people didn't want her to have an easy life, then don't blame her for turning against them! After careful consideration, Youshi immediately came up with an idea, like a bright star, shining with wisdom in the darkness.

The next morning, at daybreak, Youshi hurried out, heading straight for the Duke of Rong's mansion. Along the way, she felt uneasy but also incredibly determined. She knew that this visit to the Rong residence to discuss the mourning period with Lady Jia would inevitably cause a huge uproar. But she was determined to protect herself no matter what.

As she entered the Rong Mansion, a sense of sadness welled up in her heart. She knew this might be the last time she would enter the Rong Mansion in this capacity. She took a deep breath, gathered herself, and then quickly walked towards Lady Jia's room.

On the way, You Shi thought silently: "If I don't do it now, I might even lose my life in the future." She decided to take a gamble. Even if it meant being divorced, she would never back down. She gritted her teeth and quickened her pace, as if to gather all her courage.

Finally, she arrived at Lady Jia's room. Only Lady Jia, Youshi, and a few trusted maids were in the room. When Youshi saw Lady Jia, she immediately knelt and saluted, then told her the whole story in detail.

After hearing this, Jia's face turned grim and terrifying, her eyes gleaming with anger. She reached out with a trembling hand and slammed the table, frightening the nearby maids so much that they dared not utter a word. Then, she grabbed the Ru kiln teacup beside her and slammed it hard onto the ground. With a sharp, ringing sound, the teacup instantly shattered into countless pieces.

Grandmother Jia was furious and berated, "Could it be that Zhen'er has been bewitched by that sex maniac? As the head of a family, not only does he fail to set a good example, he even violates the laws of the country and the family precepts during his period of mourning! He is disloyal and unfilial, and if he doesn't want to live, then that's fine, but he is going to drag all the descendants of the mansion to be buried with him! Isn't this going to plunge the entire family into eternal damnation?"

"What the old ancestor said is absolutely right. Your granddaughter-in-law wishes to crush these principles into pieces and stuff them into your head. It's a pity that I am insignificant and my words carry no weight, so your master doesn't listen at all! He just thinks that I am ignorant because of my humble family, and instead makes fun of me for being useless and timid." Yu Shi cried and wiped her tears with a handkerchief, but the tears flowed out of her eyes like a flood that broke through the dam, wetting her cheeks and clothes, making her look very embarrassed.

"Since you have known for a long time that your two stepsisters are those sluts, why did you invite them into the house? Don't you know that you are inviting a wolf into the house?" Grandmother Jia stared at Youshi with her eyes wide open, her eyes full of anger.

"Since you already knew those three were in cahoots, why didn't you take them into the mansion sooner? You're the mistress of the house, can't you handle even this little thing? Why did you have to stir up such a horrific disaster now? Aren't you just asking for trouble?" Grandmother Jia grew increasingly angry, her voice rising, practically shouting. "Now that your own place is threatened, the truth has been exposed, and it's hard to cover it up, yet you're asking me, an old woman, to be the bad guy and clean up this mess for you? You're really calculating!"

Upon hearing this, You Shi kowtowed and wept bitterly, saying, "Grandfather, I know I'm wrong, but I really have no other choice. You know, I'm just a second wife, and I haven't had any children in all these years. I'm like a rootless duckweed, with no status in this mansion."

"Sometimes, when they're getting too outrageous, I'll just offer some words of advice, and then they'll start lashing out at me like a torrential downpour. How can I dare to continue?"

"Take today's incident as an example. If you knew that I was the one who leaked the news, and he didn't divorce me, I'm afraid I would be doomed..." As she spoke, she cried even more sadly. Her cry seemed to penetrate the sky, and people couldn't help but feel pity for her.

Seeing this, Jia's mother sighed deeply. How could she not know that everything Youshi said was true? But what could she do?

After a moment's contemplation, Grandmother Jia said, "Now that things have come to this, there's no point in saying more. The most urgent task now is to find a way to properly handle this matter so that this family scandal won't be exposed to the public."

Youshi stopped crying, raised her head and looked at Grandmother Jia eagerly.

Grandmother Jia glanced at her and sighed inwardly, "Although Youshi is weak by nature, she is the eldest wife after all. Now that Jia Zhen has committed a crime, she is the only one who can support him."

Thinking of this, Jia's mother's tone softened a little: "Get up for a while, don't cry and hurt yourself."

Yu thanked Lady Jia and stood up, still looking trembling with fear.

Grandmother Jia ordered, "This matter must not be spread outside. Everyone in the mansion must keep silent about it. Also, go and lock up those two vixens and wait for their fate. As for Jia Zhen, confine him to the study for the time being and do not take a single step out without my order."