Red Mansion: Holding Space and Marrying Like the Sea

Grandmother Jia's eyes, which had weathered the vicissitudes of life but were still as sharp as lightning, took in the plight of everyone in the room with just a glance, as if seeing through everything. How could she not see what had happened here? She walked slowly to the seat and sat down steadily. Then, her usually amiable face was now gloomy as if it could drip water. She stared closely at Mrs. Wang, who was trembling in front of her and dared not utter a word. After a moment's silence, she finally spoke slowly in an unusually heavy and slightly reproachful tone: "Second daughter-in-law, you are truly a good daughter-in-law of our Jia family!"

Upon hearing these words, Mrs. Wang's heart skipped a beat, a sense of foreboding washing over her. Her head felt a pounding, and for a moment, she was unable to react. However, before she could recover from the shock, Jia Mu's next words pierced her heart like a sharp sword, terrified. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed to her knees with a thud. "Second daughter-in-law, in my opinion, you should divorce my son," Jia Mu said slowly, her lips parted. Yet, these seemingly lighthearted words suddenly exploded like a thunderbolt across the courtyard, sending everyone's ears ringing and their heads spinning. In an instant, the entire courtyard was shrouded in a dead silence, so still that even the crisp sound of a pinprick dropping to the ground could be heard.

In this oppressive, gloomy atmosphere, everyone's gaze shifted to Zhou Ruijia. Her face was as pale as snow, devoid of any color, and her body trembled uncontrollably. Her eyes, once somewhat cloudy, were now blurred by tears; her thin lips, stretched wide in terror, were unable to utter a single sound. Finally, after a long, agonizing struggle, Zhou Ruijia regained consciousness. Trembling, she moved on her knees, inch by inch, toward Lady Jia. Each incremental step seemed to exhaust all her strength. By the time she finally reached Lady Jia, she was panting and sweating profusely. Then, she fell to her knees with a thud, hugged Lady Jia's legs tightly with both hands, and begged bitterly with tears in her voice: "Old lady, please have mercy on me and let me go! All the mistakes are my fault alone, and it really has nothing to do with you! I hope you will be magnanimous and forgive me this time... wuwuwu..."

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia furrowed her brows, her eyes wide as bells as she glared fiercely at Zhou Ruijia, who knelt at her feet. She sternly scolded, "Hmph! What an ignorant servant! How dare you speak such nonsense in my presence! What do you mean it's all your fault? Do you think that will absolve your master of his guilt? Besides, you're just a mere servant. When did you dare to refer to yourself as 'I'? Have you forgotten your true status? You're truly audacious!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ruijia felt as if struck by lightning, her body trembling violently. Her eyes widened, her face filled with horror, as she suddenly realized, as if awakening from a dream, that she had made such a serious mistake. In a panic, she hurriedly corrected her words, kowtowed, and humbly admitted her fault, "Yes! Yes! Yes! I know I was wrong. I beg you, old lady, to spare my life. Please calm down..."

However, in the face of Zhou Ruijia's desperate pleas, Jia Mu's face was as gloomy as water, and she showed no sign of being moved. She only gave Zhou Ruijia a cold look, the coldness in her eyes seemed to freeze a person instantly. Clearly, Jia Mu had no intention of letting this person off so easily.

Then, Grandmother Jia slowly shifted her gaze to Lady Wang, who was standing beside her. Her eyes were now filled with reproach and anger, and her sharp gaze was like two sharp swords piercing Lady Wang. Grandmother Jia raised her voice and sternly scolded her, "Humph! Lady Wang, you've really grown up now. Are you so arrogant that you don't even take an old woman like me seriously? What nonsense did you say to Miss Lin in that courtyard yesterday? Tell me the truth now! Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude to you!"

Mrs. Wang's heart tightened at the sight of Lady Jia's relentless rebuke. She knew Lady Jia's fury was serious, but she had no choice but to grit her teeth and deal with it. Her mind was as clear as a mirror, and she instantly understood the real reason behind Lady Jia's rage and her desire to divorce her son.

She was so anxious that beads of sweat even oozed out of her forehead. She hurriedly opened her mouth and explained anxiously, "Grandfather, please believe my sincerity! Everything I do and every word I say is wholeheartedly for the benefit of our Jia family! You don't know that the girl from the Lin family has been slandering our Jia family without any scruples outside, saying we are worthless. It's simply unbearable to listen to! As her elder, how can I sit idly by when seeing such a scene? It is both emotional and reasonable that I should teach her a lesson and let her know the seriousness of this matter and what is right and wrong. According to common sense, the younger generation should listen respectfully and honestly to the teachings of the elders, without any resistance, let alone the courage to talk back!"

Upon hearing this, Jia's already unpleasant expression instantly darkened even further. She snorted coldly, as if venting all her dissatisfaction and anger through this snort. Then, with a sullen face, Jia's mother sternly said, "Hmph! What a silver-tongued fellow! The way you put it, it seems you're always right. Since you keep saying you're doing this for the Jia family, what was the situation just now? I only said a few simple words, and you, on the other hand, rattled off non-stop like a cannonball, gushing out ten or twenty sentences in a single breath. Isn't this just talking back and being disobedient?"

Madam Wang's face flushed crimson, a look of grievance etched across her face. Tears welled up in her eyes like a broken dam, ready to fall any second. Her voice trembled slightly, a sob barely concealed as she spoke, "Grandfather, where exactly do you get this from? I truly don't know when or where I made such a grievous mistake, to make you feel I didn't take you seriously."

As she spoke, Mrs. Wang hurriedly reached out, picked up the handkerchief in her hand, and gently wiped the tears that were about to fall from the corners of her eyes. She raised her head slightly, looked at Grandmother Jia with a firm gaze, and continued, "Grandma, I know that you have always loved Daiyu very much. I have seen this deep affection and cherished it in my heart. However, our Jia family is a famous and prestigious family, passed down through generations. Our family reputation is as important as Mount Tai! If this matter is accidentally spread and those outsiders know the inside story, how will they view our Jia family? If then, I am afraid that our century-old reputation will be destroyed!"

By this time, Grandmother Jia was already trembling with rage. Her eyes widened in anger, and she pointed a finger directly at Mrs. Wang, sternly scolding her, "What a silver-tongued woman! You are clearly making up stories! How can the reputation of the Jia family depend solely on Daiyu? Do you really think that no one knows about your daily behavior? Have you never brought any stain or shame to the Jia family?"

Mrs. Wang lowered her head, bit her lip, and remained silent. But her heart was churning like boiling water. She secretly wondered who had the audacity to gossip and slander so much in front of Lady Jia. Given Lady Jia's past attitude towards her, she would never have been so furious. Thinking of this, Mrs. Wang secretly resolved to thoroughly investigate the matter when she returned to her room and uncover the villain who had been stirring up trouble in the shadows.

At this time, Yuanyang, who was standing by and serving carefully, saw this, and hurriedly and nimbly picked up a cup of warm tea, walked lightly to the side of Jia Mu, carefully handed it to Jia Mu's hand, and softly comforted her: "Grandma, don't get angry and get yourself sick. Drink some tea first to calm down." At the same time, Amber also quickly took out a cold and wet handkerchief, and gently wiped the fine beads of sweat on Jia Mu's forehead due to anger.

However, Grandmother Jia remained unmoved, her face still brimming with rage. She slammed the table, pointed at Lady Wang, and shouted, "Hmph! Now that things have come to this, I don't think our small temple of the Jia family can support a statue like you! Someone, go get my son and have him write the divorce papers right here in front of me, an old woman. You pack up and go back to your parents' home!"

When Lady Jia said this, it was like a thunderbolt from the blue sky that struck Lady Wang. Instantly, Lady Wang's face turned pale as paper, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably. Then, with a plop, Lady Wang fell to her knees, tears pouring down like a flood. She clutched Lady Jia's clothes tightly with her hands, sobbing and pleading, "Old Madam, I know I was wrong. It's all my fault. Please, have mercy on me. Please don't drive me away!"

However, Jia's mother had made up her mind and was not moved at all. She turned her head away expressionlessly, ignoring Mrs. Wang's heart-wrenching cries and desperate pleas. At this tense moment, there was a sudden sound of hurried footsteps outside the door. It turned out that it was Jia Zheng who hurried over after receiving the news. As soon as he stepped into the room, Jia Zheng was stunned by the scene in front of him. He saw Mrs. Wang kneeling on the ground with red and swollen eyes crying and Mrs. Zhou Rui standing beside her with a panicked look. He hurried forward a few steps and asked anxiously: "What...what happened?" Jia's mother looked up, glared at Jia Zheng and said: "Ask your wife what good things she has done!"

Jia Zheng slowly turned around, his gaze settling on Lady Wang, who stood beside him, silently weeping and looking haggard. Lady Wang's face was tear-stained, her body trembling slightly, yet she dared not even breathe, cowering like a frightened rabbit. Meanwhile, Zhou Ruijia, standing nearby, kept her head lowered, not daring to even glance up at Jia Zheng and Lady Jia.

At this moment, Yuanyang, who was sitting on the side, saw the stalemate and knew that someone needed to step forward to break the silence. So, she took a deep breath and narrated the whole story in clear and concise words.

Jia Zheng listened quietly to Yuanyang's narration, his expression growing increasingly serious. After Yuanyang finished, he couldn't help but sigh deeply, then slowly opened his mouth and said, "Old Madam, she was indeed wrong in this matter. However, this divorce is a matter of grave importance! My son and she have been married for so many years, and the love between us cannot be severed in a day or two. Besides, she may also be concerned about protecting the reputation of our Jia family. Moreover, even for the sake of the Empress in the Palace, we must not divorce her lightly."

Hearing this, Grandmother Jia couldn't help but snort coldly, her tone filled with dissatisfaction and anger: "Humph! What do you mean by for the reputation of the Jia family? In my opinion, she is clearly just satisfying her own selfish desires!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Zheng's face turned pale with fear. He quickly knelt on his knees, kowtowed repeatedly, and pleaded with deep fear and trepidation, "Madam, please calm down! It's all because of my son's poor guidance that my daughter-in-law has made such a mistake. I hope you will show mercy and give her another chance to mend her ways. I promise to discipline her strictly and never let such a thing happen again."

Grandmother Jia frowned slightly, staring into the distance, lost in a brief moment of contemplation. Meanwhile, Yuanyang stood by, softly persuading Grandmother Jia. After a long while, Grandmother Jia's tense expression finally relaxed. She sighed softly, waved her hand, and said, "Forget it, get up."

Mrs. Wang, as if she had been pardoned, hurriedly climbed up from the ground, tears of gratitude welling in her eyes. She kowtowed repeatedly to Lady Jia, expressing her gratitude. Then, she quickly followed Jia Zheng and walked out the door together. Zhou Ruijia was left standing alone, facing Lady Jia, who was still furious.

At that moment, Li Wan, having received the news, hurried over. As she entered the courtyard, she saw Lady Wang, who had just been crying, hurriedly leaving with Jia Zheng. Puzzled, Li Wan quickly stepped forward, approaching Lady Wang and asking with concern, "What's going on? Why are you in such a hurry?" However, Lady Wang acted as if she hadn't heard, not even turning her head as she quickly left Lady Jia's courtyard with Jia Zheng.