Red Mansion: Holding Space and Marrying Like the Sea

The Eighth Prince smiled and waved his right hand casually, saying softly, "No need for formalities, please take a seat!" His gesture seemed very friendly and easygoing. The butler standing nearby understood his intention immediately and quickly turned around to bring a cup of steaming, fragrant tea and respectfully handed it to Jia Zhen.

Seeing this, Jia Zhen quickly reached out and carefully took the teacup, as if holding a rare treasure. He first leaned close to the cup, sniffing the refreshing tea fragrance, his face showing a hint of intoxication. Then, he gently took a sip of the tea, feeling a warm current sliding down his throat into his stomach, instantly filling his mouth with a fragrant aroma that left a lasting aftertaste.

After savoring the fragrant tea, Jia Zhen nodded with satisfaction and slowly placed the teacup on the table beside him. His movements were graceful and calm, revealing his great demeanor.

The Eighth Prince sat upright in his armchair, his eyes like two bolts of lightning shooting straight at Jia Zhen. His gaze was piercing, as if he could see through everything. His face was as gloomy as water, and he stared at Jia Zhen intently, not concealing his anxiety. He asked directly, "Jia Zhen, Jia Zhen, you have come here in such a hurry. Could it be that the important matter I entrusted to you has been resolved?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhen's heart tightened. He quickly stepped forward, bowed deeply, and replied respectfully, "In reply to your Highness, I have fulfilled my mission. Thanks to your kindness and your great blessing, this matter has finally made some progress..."

After a brief pause, Jia Zhen continued, "Your Highness, you are truly a foresighted man! Just now, I parted ways with Xue Pan. I merely uttered a few ambiguous and specious words, yet who could have imagined that fool Xue would be so easily deceived, eagerly begging me to help him with a plan to get his sister into the palace. Seeing this, I feigned embarrassment and subtly gave him a few pointers. In my humble opinion, within a few days, Xue Pan will undoubtedly contact the palace's steward, Li."

After hearing Jia Zhen's report, the Eighth Prince's tense expression gradually relaxed. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, revealing a subtle hint of satisfaction. He nodded and praised, "Well, Jia Zhen, you did a great job this time. You don't need to interfere with the subsequent matters. Just let Li Gui take care of it."

When Jia Zhen heard the Eighth Prince's words, although he was unwilling to accept it, he did not dare to show it. He could only respond submissively, "Yes, I will follow your orders, Your Highness."

The Eighth Prince smiled and invited Jia Zhen to taste the fragrant tea again. Jia Zhen nodded slightly, picked up the teacup, took a sip, and then savored it carefully. After a while, Jia Zhen put down the teacup, looked around, and found that there was nothing else he needed to attend to. So he stood up, bowed to the Eighth Prince, and said that he wanted to take his leave and go home.

At this moment, the housekeeper stepped forward quickly and respectfully led Jia Zhen out of the room. After seeing Jia Zhen to the door and watching him walk away, the housekeeper turned around and returned to the study.

The Eighth Prince sat at his desk, holding a book in his hands, but his eyes were not fixed on the pages. Seeing the butler return, he casually asked, "Have they all been sent away?"

The butler quickly bowed and replied, "Your Highness, they have already been sent away."

Meanwhile, Xue Pan rushed home and immediately began collecting a large sum of money. After considerable effort, he finally managed to gather a large sum. He then found an opportunity to approach Li, the steward, and presented him with the treasures. Upon seeing such a generous sum, a flicker of greed crossed Li's eyes, and he readily agreed to the gift. However, Xue Pan was unaware that this was all part of a carefully orchestrated scheme by the Eighth Prince.

Meanwhile, Madam Wang had been closely monitoring the Xue family's movements. Upon learning that Xue Pan had visited Steward Li and presented him with a generous gift, she speculated that the Xue family must have realized their hopeless marriage to the Wang family was over, leading to this action. Consequently, Madam Wang gradually relaxed her vigilance, no longer maintaining her previously rigid watchful eye on the Xue family.

However, no one could have predicted that just a few days later, the Eighth Prince would suddenly announce his intention to take Xue Baochai into the palace. This sudden change caught everyone by surprise, especially Aunt Xue, who was so surprised and delighted upon hearing the news that she nearly jumped for joy. Xue Baochai, on the other hand, remained remarkably calm and composed, as if she had anticipated this outcome.

Meanwhile, upon learning of this, Mrs. Wang was furious, her blood boiling, and she felt a blackout before her vision, staggering a few times, and then fainting. She had thought she had schemed everything out, doing everything she could to prevent the Xue family from clinging to the powerful, but in the end, she had failed to achieve her goal.

Everyone hurriedly helped Madam Wang to her feet, pinched her Ren Zhong acupoint and fed her ginseng soup, and finally she slowly regained consciousness. After waking up, Madam Wang's eyes were filled with resentment, and she gritted her teeth and said, "I won't let this go."

Madame Wang was terribly anxious and immediately ordered her attendants to deliver a sign to Jia Yuanchun, who was in the palace, stating that she had important matters to discuss and wished to see her immediately. The servant took the order and rode at top speed, delivering the sign to the palace.

After receiving the news, Jia Yuanchun knew that the matter was urgent and dared not delay even a moment. She quickly summoned Lady Wang to the palace for an audience. Soon, Lady Wang, led by a palace maid, arrived at where Jia Yuanchun was.

As soon as they met, Mrs. Wang could no longer contain her grief and indignation. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she sobbed and wailed to Jia Yuanchun. Rumors had been swirling in the streets for the past few days, claiming that the Eighth Prince had taken a fancy to Xue Baochai's beauty and talent and was forcing her into the palace. Mrs. Wang sobbed and gnashed her teeth, complaining bitterly about the injustice of fate, her words filled with resentment and deep resentment.

Jia Yuanchun listened quietly to Mrs. Wang's sobbing, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, and she remained silent for a moment, as if lost in thought. Then, she gently opened her red lips and said, "Mother, please don't worry. This matter is of no small importance and requires careful consideration. You know, the Eighth Prince is a powerful figure, influential across the government. Now he has openly announced his intention to marry Xue Baochai into the family. If we rashly and forcefully stop him, we'll probably cause a lot of trouble. I, your daughter, am constantly facing external and internal troubles in this deep palace. It's really not appropriate to provoke such a powerful figure! Besides, our family and the Xue family are already related, so why should we rely on marriage to strengthen our ties?"

Mrs. Wang's once bright eyes dimmed in an instant. Her face was filled with anxiety, her gaze fixed on Jia Yuanchun. She spoke impatiently, "Madam, I understand the truths you speak of. But our situation is deteriorating. Expenses are mounting, while income is dwindling. We've reached a point where our income can no longer cover our expenses. Without the Xue family's constant flow of financial support, I'm afraid we'd be hard-pressed to make ends meet!" With this, Mrs. Wang sighed deeply, her face revealing deep worry and helplessness. Jia Yuanchun frowned slightly, and continued gravely, "Madam, think about it. What kind of status does the Eighth Prince hold? His family is filled with beautiful women, and he's seen all sorts of stunning beauties. And now he's publicly proclaiming his desire to marry our daughter, Baochai. I'm afraid his reason isn't simply because he's attracted by her beauty. In my opinion, he's probably just coveting the Xue family's vast wealth."

She paused, took a sip of tea to moisten her throat, and continued, "Back then, when the Zhen family was the Eighth Prince's money bag, he naturally didn't care much about the Xue family's wealth. However, things are unpredictable. Now the situation has changed. The Zhen family has lost power, and the Eighth Prince has lost an important source of financial support. That's why he turned his attention to the Xue family."

Jia Yuanchun put down her teacup, looked at Mrs. Wang with a firm gaze, and solemnly instructed: "Madam, for the time being, we might as well spread the news. Let's say that Baochai has suffered from fever since childhood and has sought medical treatment and medicine from many doctors but to no avail. Later, fortunately, a senior monk gave her advice and gave her a gold locket, and told her to wear it all year round to ensure her safety. At the same time, spread the word that this gold locket must be matched with jade to achieve the greatest effect. This way, perhaps the Eighth Prince will give up his idea, and Madam will not miss out on such a good daughter-in-law."

After hearing this, Mrs. Wang's face lit up with satisfaction, and she nodded repeatedly in agreement. She knew that if this plan could be successfully implemented, it would be of great significance to the Jia family. Immediately afterwards, Mrs. Wang began to act according to the plan drawn up by Jia Yuanchun.

On the one hand, she deliberately spread the news of Xue Baochai's illness within the mansion and outside. This news spread like wildfire, sparking widespread discussion. On the other hand, Mrs. Wang also took the opportunity to mention the so-called "golden jade match," letting more people know about this match.

Meanwhile, the Eighth Prince, who was far away, heard the news of Xue Baochai's illness, and a subtle smile curled up his lips. He paused for a moment, then beckoned over a trusted confidant and whispered something in his ear. The confidant bowed respectfully, then turned and hurried away.

In reality, the Eighth Prince had everything under control. He had long anticipated that the Jia family would not sit idly by and would resort to some means to safeguard their own interests. However, for this ambitious and wealth-seeking Eighth Prince, a woman with such lofty ambitions as Xue Baochai held no interest. After all, he cared only about power and wealth; matters of romance were merely fleeting.

The Emperor was away on an inspection tour, and the entire palace seemed to have become quiet and leisurely. In this tranquil atmosphere, the Eighth Prince, contrary to his usual pace, walked to Jia Yuanchun's palace with a light and relaxed pace, appearing more relaxed than ever before.

Night had quietly fallen, and Jia Yuanchun was preparing for bed. When she saw the Eighth Prince suddenly appear before her, she was startled, like a stone dropped into a calm lake, instantly causing ripples. However, her years of experience in the palace quickly helped her regain her composure. She gently smoothed the wrinkles of her skirt, bowed slightly, and said softly, "Why did the Prince come so suddenly this time? I had no advance notice of your arrival."

The Eighth Prince smiled and casually waved his hand, indicating that Jia Yuanchun didn't need to be polite. His sharp eyes, like two flashes of lightning, roamed over Jia Yuanchun's graceful figure without concealment. After a moment, he slowly said, "Your Majesty, there is no need to be so reserved. I was just feeling bored today and came out for a casual walk."

Although the Eighth Prince's words were lighthearted, Jia Yuanchun knew it all too well—this powerful prince, known for his ability to visit without a reason, would never visit without a request. So, she raised the corner of her mouth, revealing a faint smile, and softly replied, "Your Highness, I'm afraid your visit isn't just for a stroll to relieve your boredom, is it?"

Hearing Jia Yuanchun's words, the Eighth Prince was stunned for a moment, then threw back his head and burst into laughter, his laughter echoing throughout the empty palace, deafening. He then calmed down, staring intently into Jia Yuanchun's beautiful eyes, and said bluntly, "Your Majesty is truly incredibly intelligent. Nothing can be hidden from you! To be honest, I have long known the Jia family's secret plan: it's nothing more than a desire to preserve the Xue family's vast wealth."

Jia Yuanchun's heart trembled suddenly, as if a cold hand was tightly grasping her heart, but she still tried to maintain her outward calm and composure, and forced a smile on the corner of her mouth and said, "Your Highness really likes to joke. We are just concerned about Miss Bao's health." However, the slightly trembling voice could not completely conceal the inner tension.

The Eighth Prince took another small step forward and said in a low voice, "Haha, why are you so reserved, Madam Jia? In fact, I am willing to help your Jia family, as long as Madam Jia agrees to do a favor for me." As he spoke, his narrow and deep eyes stared straight at Jia Yuanchun, as if he could see through her appearance to her inner thoughts.

Jia Yuanchun took a deep breath, slowly raised her head, met the Eighth Prince's gaze without flinching, and said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, please speak." At this moment, her heartbeat became more and more violent, as if she had a premonition that the words she was about to hear would not be so simple.

Sure enough, a subtle sly glint flashed across the Eighth Prince's eyes, and he whispered, "I need some leverage over some court officials. I heard that after Duke Rong's passing, his former staff is probably now in the hands of Lady Jia! So... I hope Lady Jia can find a way to get them back for me."