Red Mansion: Holding Space and Marrying Like the Sea

After some time, as it gradually darkened, Jia Yingchun walked slowly towards the Daoxiang Village where Li Wan lived. When she entered the courtyard, she saw Li Wan sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard, sewing a piece of clothing with needle and thread in her hands.

Jia Yingchun stepped forward, bowed, and then softly told her everything Zhou Ruijia had said. Li Wan frowned slightly and sighed deeply.

Li Wan spoke slowly, "Although I'm a woman, I've read a great deal and know a little about worldly matters. Since ancient times, how could those high and mighty emperors have ever favored their subjects' extravagance? Furthermore, the current emperor is renowned for his frugality. If the censor heard of these words and reported them to His Majesty, our Jia family would be in great calamity!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Tanchun, who was standing by, interrupted indignantly, "In my opinion, it's all the fault of these gossipy and talkative servants! As long as we keep our affairs in our house secret and never reveal a word to outsiders, how could they have spread to the streets and alleys and become known to everyone? On weekdays, they like to hide in the dark and point fingers at and comment on the words and deeds of their masters. I don't know what kind of unbearable gossip they have spread to the outside world! In my opinion, the best policy is to expel all these servants who like to gossip and sow discord from the mansion as soon as possible! In this way, not only can the bad atmosphere in the mansion be eradicated, but a considerable amount of expenses can also be saved." "That's a good idea! But sister-in-law advises you not to get into this bad luck!" Li Wan said solemnly.

Jia Yingchun was very surprised and asked quickly, "What do you mean? Why can't we just give it a try?"

Li Wan frowned slightly and lowered her voice to explain, "Last time, when the garden was searched, I seized the opportunity to bring this up with Madam. But Madam rejected my proposal out of hand. She said that a large family like ours has always relied on buying in new members, so there's no reason to ever lay off anyone. If this were to get out, wouldn't it greatly undermine the dignity and prestige of a prominent family like ours? Even the Empress in the Palace would be embarrassed! Madam's rebuke was so frightening that I shut up immediately and didn't dare say another word!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Yingchun grew increasingly dissatisfied and complained indignantly, "Hmph! Is the Empress's reputation more important than our family's future? Although the Empress holds a high position in the palace, when has our Jia family ever received any tangible benefit from her? Instead, today Eunuch Xia comes and asks to borrow five hundred taels of silver, and tomorrow Eunuch Dong comes and demands eight hundred taels. Day after day, we spend money but see nothing in return!"

When Li Wan heard Jia Yingchun venturing out in such a brazen way, her expression paled. She quickly stopped her, saying, "Oh my! You're really going to kill yourself! How dare you say such outrageous things? What if someone overhears us, and it gets to the mistress or anyone else? What will happen then?"

However, Jia Yingchun didn't care at all. She stiffened her neck and retorted, "What are you afraid of? I just said a few honest words. Is there anything wrong with that?"

The year before, the entire Jia Mansion was abuzz with activity due to Lady Jia's birthday celebrations. This had forced Mrs. Wang to work tirelessly to manage the affairs. She was so busy all day that she naturally felt a bit of a grumble.

One day, Li Wan was quietly staying at home and talking to her son Jia Lan. Suddenly, she heard someone come and announce, "The Madam is here."

When Li Wan heard this, she was very surprised and puzzled, wondering what on earth had brought Lady Wang here in person. So she hurried out with Jia Lan to greet her.

When they saw Madam Wang, they found her expression to be rather strange, as if something bad had happened. Furthermore, Madam Wang was accompanied only by a small, intimate servant, who remained silent throughout the entire process. She walked steadily towards the house, only to sit down slowly once she had reached the inner room.

Seeing this, Li Wan hurried forward and respectfully offered her a cup of hot tea. Then, with a smile on her face, she cautiously inquired, "Madam, how did you find the time to visit us today? You look like you're in a good mood. Did you want to come here for a stroll?"

However, what Li Wan never expected was that Mrs. Wang would mercilessly yell, "Lan'er, get out!"

Jia Lan was so frightened by the sudden shouting that he was completely confused and at a loss for words. However, he quickly responded obediently and turned to walk out quickly. When he reached the door, he paused for a moment, hesitated for a moment, and then simply reached out and gently closed the door. Afterwards, he stood alone on the steps outside, his heart still uneasy and restless.

When Li Wan saw this situation, she instantly became panicked, wondering what kind of big thing had happened that could make Mrs. Wang, who was always steady and dignified, lose her composure like this.

Mrs. Wang watched Jia Lan slowly walk out of the room. Then, carefully, she tossed out a small, exquisite scent bag from her wide sleeve, as if tossing out a rare treasure. Her face was solemn, her lips trembling slightly, and she lowered her voice to Li Wan, "Look at this."

Li Wan's heart tightened upon seeing this. She hurried forward, bending down to pick up the incense bag. When she took a closer look at the object in her hand, her expression suddenly changed. A chill ran down her spine, and she nearly dropped the bag in shock. It turned out to be an exquisitely embroidered ten-brocade spring incense bag! Such incense bags were usually kept private in the boudoir. How could it be here?

Li Wan stared at Mrs. Wang with wide eyes, her face filled with astonishment. She stammered, "Madam, where did you get this?"

When Mrs. Wang heard Li Wan's question, tears welled up like a flood, streaming down her haggard face. Her body trembled slightly, and she replied in a trembling voice, tinged with tears: "Where else could I have gotten it? I've always considered you a meticulous and cautious person, but I didn't expect I was wrong. Such a disgusting thing was actually placed on the rocks in the garden in broad daylight. If the old lady's maid hadn't happened to pick it up and the eldest lady hadn't happened to stop it, I'm afraid it would have been presented to the old lady by now! I want to ask you, why did such a filthy thing end up in such a place?"

As Li Wan listened to Lady Wang's stern questioning, her face paled even further, and beads of sweat formed on her forehead. She clutched the hem of her clothes tightly with both hands and asked in a somewhat apprehensive tone, "Madam, how can you be so sure that this matter has anything to do with me?"

Madam Wang raised the corners of her mouth slightly, revealing a cold smile. Her voice seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth: "I found this sachet in a place you often hang out. Who else could it be if not you? Stop trying to make excuses here!"

Li Wan was struck by lightning when she heard this. Her legs gave way, and she fell heavily to her knees with a thump. Her delicate face was now filled with tears, as endearing as a pear blossom in the rain. She kowtowed repeatedly, sobbing, "Madam, please be discerning! I have always been a person who strictly adheres to the rites and morals. How could I have done such a shameful thing? Someone must have ulterior motives and deliberately framed me!"

However, Mrs. Wang remained unmoved. Her face turned blue with rage, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably. She snorted coldly, her eyes wide open as she scolded, "Humph! Everyone knows you're a widow now, without a livelihood. You appear to be so well-behaved on weekdays, but who knows if you're harboring some shameful, dirty thoughts? Fortunately, no one in the garden was so ignorant that they found this thing. If it had been picked up by those maids, or if your sisters had seen it, how could it have been disgraceful? Would our family's reputation have been in jeopardy? This garden is supposed to be a peaceful and tranquil place, and now something as obscene as this has appeared. How can I possibly explain this to the old lady?"

Li Wan cried bitterly, tears flowing down like a flood. She sobbed and said, "Madam! Since the master left, I have put all my thoughts on Lan'er. During the day, I urge him to study and learn, and at night, I have to take good care of his daily life. I only want him to be diligent and hardworking, learn well, and pass the imperial examinations in the future to bring honor to the family. I really don't have any other selfish thoughts! Moreover, Madam, think about it, on weekdays, the eldest wife and the sister-in-law Zhen over there often take several young and beautiful concubines to play in the garden. Who knows if this matter has anything to do with them? Besides, among the maids in our garden, some of the older ones already know about the relationship between men and women. Maybe they brought these things from outside into the garden. This possibility is also possible! Now, not only would I absolutely not do such a shameless thing, but even the maids who have been serving me would definitely not do such a despicable thing. Therefore, I hope that Madam can investigate carefully and you will definitely be able to find out who is hiding behind this and making trouble! "

After listening quietly to Li Wan's earnest and clear words, Mrs. Wang couldn't help but feel a slight stir in her heart. Recalling Li Wan's usual dignified and steady character and her past behavior, she thought to herself: This Li Wan is indeed not the kind of frivolous woman who would do such a shameless thing. So, Mrs. Wang sighed softly and said in a gentle tone: "Alas! I understand that you are a lady from a prominent family. How could you be so disrespectful and unruly? It's just that I was so angry at the time that I said those extreme words to provoke you in the heat of the moment. But now that things have come to this, how should we properly handle this matter?"

At this moment, Zhou Ruijia hurried over. When she heard about this, her face immediately showed surprise and doubt, and she hurriedly said to Mrs. Wang: "Madam, this matter is very strange! In my opinion, we must not easily wrongly accuse a good person. If everyone finds out, the consequences will be disastrous. It is better to investigate quietly and secretly. If we still can't find any useful clues, at least no one outside will know. Besides, now that many people have been fired for gambling, we can send Wang'er's wife and four or five other capable and secretive people to the garden. Under the banner of investigating gambling, we can investigate thoroughly. What do you think of what I said?"

After hearing this, Mrs. Wang couldn't think of any better solution for a moment, so she nodded to indicate that she agreed with Zhou Ruijia's proposal.

However, Mrs. Wang was still worried about the lack of manpower to conduct a thorough investigation. Just as she was worried about this, she suddenly saw Mrs. Xing's chambermaid, Wang Shanbao, approaching slowly. It turned out that the sachet that had caused the commotion had been delivered by this very woman.

When Mrs. Wang saw that she had come to inquire about this matter, she was moved and immediately ordered, "Go back and report to your wife, and then come into the garden to help take care of it. After all, you are better than others."

In reality, Wang Shanbao had been harboring a grudge. She frequently visited the garden, but the maids weren't particularly attentive to her, which made her extremely unhappy. She had long wanted to find something to hold against them and teach them a lesson, but unfortunately, she had never found the right opportunity.

As luck would have it, this incident happened at this very moment. She also heard that Lady Wang had entrusted her with this matter personally, and she couldn't help but feel secretly proud. She immediately said, "Madam, you must take good care of yourself. Just leave small matters like this to me, a servant. Finding out who this thing belongs to is so easy! We just need to wait until the garden gates are closed at night, take some people by surprise, and search the maids' rooms thoroughly. In my opinion, if someone really has this thing hidden, it's definitely not just this one. We might even be able to find others. Once we find all the other items, we can naturally confirm that this thing belongs to that person."