Red Mansion: Holding Space and Marrying Like the Sea

Jia Zhen was struck by lightning, frozen in his tracks. His eyes widened, a look of astonishment and disbelief on his face. His previously arrogant demeanor vanished in an instant, replaced by endless fear and despair. His body trembled slightly, his lips quivered, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Looking at this worthless grandson, Grandmother Jia couldn't help but feel a surge of sadness. She took a deep breath and continued, "I know you've always been absurd, but I didn't expect you to be so audacious. Have you ever considered the consequences? You'll ruin not only yourself but also the entire Jia family."

Jia Zhen's face was as pale as paper, and a thin layer of sweat broke out on his forehead. He had never imagined that things would develop to this point. The raging fire in his heart was instantly extinguished, leaving only a dead ash.

"You now have two options." Grandmother Jia's voice softened slightly. "Either, abort the child immediately and shatter the Second House's hopes. Then, take the Second and Third Sisters into your family. In this way, although you have made a serious mistake, you can still be saved. Or, ask the elders of the clan to open the ancestral hall and ruthlessly cross you out of the family tree like dregs. From now on, you will have no connection with the Jia family. You can go and live a carefree life with that unruly family, so as not to implicate innocent people."

Jia Zhen's eyes dimmed, and he slowly lowered his head, lost in thought. He knew he had made an unforgivable mistake. If he chose the first path, although he would lose some of his interests, he could at least preserve his status and his family's reputation. If he chose the second path, he would become a lonely man, abandoned by his family.

After some inner struggle, Jia Zhen finally raised his head, a flicker of determination in his eyes. He gritted his teeth and said, "Grandma, I'm willing to abort the baby. Please save my life."

Grandmother Jia nodded slightly, a look of relief on her face. She sighed and said, "I hope you can learn from this lesson and never do such absurd things again."

After hearing this, Jia Zhen thought to himself: This old lady has always been cruel, otherwise how could my uncle Jia Daishan's backyard not even have a bastard? Thinking about it, he couldn't help but shudder, and felt more and more scared.

He looked up and saw Grandmother Jia's cold and ruthless eyes fixed on him, like the god of death. Jia Zhen knew that if he continued to insist on his opinion, he would be expelled from the family. In desperation, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and agree to the abortion.

"In that case, then I'll do as you say. However, they are now locked up in the woodshed. You can ask the servants nearby for the specific situation. Find a secluded small courtyard with high walls and deep courtyards for the mother and daughter of the You family to live in alone, and then arrange for a few reliable servants to serve them." Grandmother Jia said calmly.

Jia Zhen nodded quickly and said, "Yes, I will follow the teachings of our ancestors."

Grandmother Jia continued, "First, find a way to abort the child without anyone noticing, and then strictly forbid them from ever leaving the courtyard. Just let them live an honest life in the mansion. After the mourning period is over, if they can behave themselves, then that's fine, it'll be considered a way to give them a chance to survive. But if they still dare to be unruly, huh, they're just one or two concubines of low status. They can either be sold or beaten to death. What's the big deal?"

When Jia Zhen heard this, he felt as if he had been hit hard and his whole body trembled.

Think about his great-aunt, she was a historian from one of the four major families, and she had experienced many years of bloody storms in the backyard of her great-uncle Jia Daishan. Her methods were so clever, like a sharp sword, which was frightening.

However, he never expected that he would be able to witness this method being used on himself today.

He hurriedly said respectfully, "Grandson has been informed and will immediately dispatch a reliable servant to make proper arrangements! Old Ancestor, you should return home and rest first! Once the matter is properly handled, grandson will come to report in person!"

"No need for that. I'll just wait here for good news. After the fetus is born, bring it to me quickly to have a look. I don't think you dare to make any unusual movements in front of me!" Grandmother Jia said solemnly.

Jia Zhen's heart tightened when he heard this, and he quickly knelt down and begged for mercy, saying, "Grandfather, I will do my utmost to help you with this matter, but please go back home and rest. It's freezing outside. If you get frozen, I will be held responsible!"

Grandmother Jia remained unmoved. She remained seated firmly on the couch, looking at Jia Zhen with a determined gaze. She slowly said, "Zhen'er, there's no need to say more. I've made up my mind. If you really want me to be at ease, get this done as soon as possible."

Seeing that Lady Jia was determined, Jia Zhen knew that he could not change her mind, so he had to stand up and say, "Grandson will follow the teachings of our ancestors and will handle this matter as soon as possible." After that, he turned around and instructed his trusted housekeeper to make preparations immediately according to Lady Jia's requirements.

At this time, Yuanyang beside Jia Mu whispered, "Old lady, why don't we go back home first? It's really cold here."

Grandmother Jia smiled slightly and shook her head, saying, "It's okay, I'll wait here and feel more at ease." After that, she gently patted Yuanyang's hand, signaling her not to worry.

Jia Zhen stood aside, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, secretly groaning inwardly. He knew full well how powerful Lady Jia was, and if he couldn't handle this task properly, his future position within the Jia family would be jeopardized. So, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and urge his men to hurry up and make sure everything was arranged properly.

Everyone was seen tidying up a quiet and elegant courtyard quickly and skillfully, while someone quietly left to purchase the necessary medicinal materials.

Seeing this, Grandmother Jia's face darkened and she sternly stopped Jia Zhen, "You are not allowed to go out to buy medicine! Are you afraid that outsiders will not know what has happened in our family? I have a good medicine here, which is very effective. You only need to brew it at home and give it directly to the woman."

After saying this, she ordered someone to hand the prescription to Jia Zhen. When Jia Zhen took it and looked at it, his eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had found a treasure, and he quickly ordered the housekeeper to go to the storehouse to get the medicine himself.

Jia Zhen, as if granted amnesty, hurriedly bowed to his grandmother and thanked her, then hurried out of the room. His legs felt weak, as if he had lost all strength, but he secretly felt relieved that he had escaped. He vowed to himself that he would never fall into the hands of his great-aunt again.

"You prepare the medicine yourself and ask your wife to boil it. After it is ready, ask her to deliver it to the newly cleaned courtyard without delay." Jia Zhen looked anxious, afraid of wasting time, and gave orders impatiently.

"Then you should send some delicious snacks and fragrant tea to the old lady. Don't be negligent in the slightest, otherwise the ancestors will blame us, and we won't be able to bear the blame!" He looked serious and spoke in a stern tone, leaving no room for doubt.

Seeing the housekeeper take the order and leave, Jia Zhen felt a little relieved, but he was still worried, so he decided to go in person.

He hurried and trotted all the way to the place where the three people including You's mother were imprisoned.

"You heartless man, why do you come only now? Look at my second sister, she is pregnant, but she was framed by that evil woman with a heart as vicious as a snake and imprisoned here." When Old Lady You saw Jia Zhen coming in, she felt like she saw a savior and cried hurriedly.

Her voice was filled with grief and despair, and tears streamed down her cheeks, as if she wanted to pour out all the grievances and pain.

When Jia Zhen saw You Erjie, he immediately acted as if he felt sympathetic. He quickly stepped forward, took her hand, and said softly, "I'm sorry for making you suffer. Don't worry, I've locked that evil woman up in the yard and sent two maids to teach her the Three Obediences and Four Virtues." Hearing Jia Zhen's concern for her, You Erjie lowered her head like a shy flower and said softly, "Brother-in-law, it doesn't matter if I suffer a little, but I'm really afraid of hurting the child."