Red Mansion: Holding Space and Marrying Like the Sea

This put the Zhang family in a difficult position. They had originally considered canceling the marriage, as Jin Ge already had someone else in her heart, but they were afraid the garrison would not relent. Desperate, they lied, claiming Jin Ge had been betrothed to another family. Little did they know that Young Master Li was so obsessed with Jin Ge, determined to marry her and not give up until he achieved his goal.

When the garrison commander heard about this, he was furious. He completely ignored the whole story and came to the Zhang family's house to make a big fuss, shouting, "How can a good girl be promised to several families at the same time?" He was determined not to allow the Zhang family to return the betrothal gift. The two sides argued over this and eventually ended up in court.

Seeing the situation escalate, the girl's family became extremely anxious and at a loss for what to do. Finally, with no other options left, they hurriedly sent someone to the capital to seek a solution, determined to cancel the marriage at all costs. Someone then thought that the Chang'an Jiedushi, Master Yun, had a close relationship with the Jia family. If they could ask the mistress and the master for help, writing a letter to Master Yun and asking him to intercede with the garrison commander, he would surely listen. As long as this matter could be accomplished, even if it meant the Zhang family had to spend all their money on filial piety, they would be willing to do so!

After hearing this, Wang Xifeng couldn't help but smile and said, "Well, this matter isn't really a big deal. It's just that Madam no longer asks about such matters now."

The old nun slowly spoke, "Since Madam doesn't care about this matter, then you can make the decision yourself, Grandma." Fengjie smiled faintly and replied, "I don't need the money to spend, so I wouldn't do anything like this." Hearing this, Jingxu knew that this matter was hopeless, but she remained silent for a moment, then sighed and said, "That being said, the Zhang family has already known about our request for help. If we just ignore it now, the Zhang family will not only say that we don't have time to deal with this matter and don't care about their thank-you gift, but people will also think that our dignified Jia family can't even handle such a small matter and can't even use the slightest means."

Upon hearing this, Fengjie couldn't help but feel a surge of competitive spirit. She immediately became excited and said loudly, "You know me well. I never believe in the underworld, karma, or anything like that. No matter what it is, as long as I'm determined to do it, I will definitely accomplish it. Tell him to quickly prepare three thousand taels of silver and send it to me, and I will definitely help him get rid of his anger." The old nun was immediately delighted and quickly replied, "Yes! Yes! It's not difficult at all." Then Fengjie added, "I'm not one of those people who specializes in making money by acting as a matchmaker. These three thousand taels of silver are just for the servants who are going to deliver the message and do the work, as travel expenses and money, so that they can earn some hard-earned money. As for me, I won't take a single cent of it. Let alone a mere three thousand taels, even thirty thousand taels of silver would be easily available to me right now."

After hearing this, the old nun nodded and agreed, saying, "In this case, I would like to ask you to show mercy and show me some mercy tomorrow." Wang Xifeng's lips curled up slightly, and she replied with a chuckle, "Look, I'm so busy all day long. I can't be absent from any place here or there. However, since I have already agreed to this matter, I will definitely help you handle it properly and bring it to a conclusion." After hearing this, the old nun smiled and agreed flatteringly, "Oh, such a small matter, if it were someone else to handle it, I'm afraid they would be so busy that they would be dizzy and at a loss. "But if it were you, Grandma, even if you added a few more similar tasks, they would be a piece of cake for you, not enough for you to handle with your full skill. As the saying goes, 'The capable get the most work!' Seeing your outstanding talent and ability, the Madam has naturally entrusted you with more responsibilities. But, Grandma, you should also take good care of your precious health." And so, along the way, the flattering voices continued to flow, lingering in Wang Xifeng's ears like a beautiful symphony. These flattering words were like sweet honey, nourishing her proud heart drop by drop, making her heart blossom with joy and smile. Gradually, the fatigue and exhaustion from the long journey disappeared as if blown away by a gentle spring breeze. At this moment, Wang Xifeng felt an incomparable sense of comfort and joy. As a result, she talked with the old nun more and more enthusiastically, and the topic extended from family matters to music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and the relationship between the two became more and more intimate.

Then, something unexpected happened. In the utter silence and deep darkness of the night, Qin Zhong, taking advantage of the absence of others, tiptoed to the spot like a nimble cat. He carefully crossed the courtyard, avoiding any noise-making debris, and finally slipped into the back room. The moment he entered, a faint candlelight caught his eye. Following the light, Qin Zhong was pleasantly surprised to find Zhineng'er alone, intently washing tea bowls. Her slender figure, illuminated by the candlelight, looked strikingly beautiful, like a beautiful painting.

Seeing this, Qin Zhong couldn't help but feel an overwhelming surge of joy. Unable to contain his excitement, he rushed forward like an arrow from a bow. Before Zhineng'er could react, he threw his arms around her petite frame. Then, impatiently, Qin Zhong pressed his lips to Zhineng'er's delicate cheek, attempting to kiss her cherry-like, juicy mouth.

Unprepared for this sudden move, Zhineng'er was instantly terrified. Her eyes widened in shock, and for a moment, she didn't know how to react. After a moment, she regained her composure and felt a mixture of shame and anger. She desperately struggled to free herself from Qin Zhong's embrace, but he refused to let go. Desperate, she could only stamp her feet in frustration and cry out, "Oh, what are you doing?! Let me go!" She was about to scream at the top of her lungs to attract attention.

Qin Zhong was terrified, afraid that the slightest mistake would draw attention. He quickly leaned forward, lowering his voice as much as possible, and pleaded, "My dear sister, you know how incredibly anxious I am right now. I'm practically going crazy with this anxiety! If you still refuse to obey me today, I'm afraid I'll really die here!"

Upon hearing this, Zhineng'er was also flustered, but she still forced herself to remain calm and responded with a coquettish tone, "What do you want? Unless I can escape from this cage-like place and stay away from these troublesome people, perhaps I can fulfill your wish."

Upon hearing this, Qin Zhong quickly responded, "It's not difficult, but right now, 'distant water can't quench a nearby fire.'" Before he finished speaking, he took a deep breath, puffed out his cheeks, and blew hard, instantly extinguishing all the lights in the room. In an instant, the entire room was plunged into pitch darkness, so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of you.

Under cover of darkness, Qin Zhong embraced Zhineng'er and quickly made his way to the kang, where he gently laid her down. Zhineng'er was terrified and struggled desperately to break free. However, she was now imprisoned, and even with all her might, she couldn't get up and escape. Furthermore, she feared that shouting would bring more trouble, so she could only grit her teeth and endure it silently.

Just as the two were getting into the groove, a dark figure suddenly and silently swooped down from behind them, pinning them down. This sudden change of events frightened Qin Zhong and Zhineng'er so much that their souls flew away. Just as they were still recovering from their shock, they heard a clear, sharp laugh. Recovering from their shock, they took a closer look and realized it was Jia Baoyu.

Qin Zhong was furious and annoyed when he saw this. He hurriedly got up and complained to Baoyu, "What are you doing? You are being so unreasonable and unreasonable! How can you be so unreasonable?" Baoyu, however, smiled wickedly and said leisurely, "Why, do you still dare to refuse to obey? If so, why don't we make this matter public and let everyone judge it?"

Hearing Baoyu's words, Zhineng was filled with shame. Taking advantage of the darkness, he saw the right moment and hurriedly slipped away. Baoyu held Qin Zhong's hand tightly, walked out of the room, and asked with a sly smile: "Hey! Do you still dare to argue with me now?" Qin Zhong looked at Baoyu's smug look and couldn't help but burst out laughing. He quickly begged for mercy: "Oh, my good brother, please be magnanimous and forgive me. Don't yell. As long as it is your order, even if it means going through fire and water, I will never say no!" After hearing this, Baoyu raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a sly smile and said: "Okay, okay, let's not talk about this now. Let's go to bed later and slowly settle the account."

Before long, it was time to undress and retire. Fengjie was alone in the inner room, while Baoyu and Qin Zhong were preparing for bed in the outer room. The entire room was littered with beds made by the maids, who were sitting on them on night watch. Fengjie was obsessed with the priceless magical jade, fearing it might be accidentally lost. So, after Baoyu lay down, she quickly had it brought back and carefully placed it beside her pillow. As for how Baoyu and Qin Zhong were going to settle their scores, since I hadn't witnessed it myself, it was difficult to know the specifics. This matter was like a mystery, leaving one scratching their heads. Therefore, I dare not make random guesses or fabricate a story.

The next morning, barely dawning, Lady Jia and Lady Wang sent someone to visit Baoyu. They conveyed their elders' wishes, urging him to dress warmly to prevent a cold and to return home early if necessary. But Baoyu couldn't bear to leave. Furthermore, Qin Zhong, preoccupied with his romantic relationship with Zhineng, kept urging Baoyu to plead with Sister Feng for another day.

After a brief thought, Fengjie thought that although the funeral ceremony and other important matters had been arranged, there were still some trivial matters that needed to be dealt with, so it would be a good idea to stay for another day. Firstly, she could fully express her dedication to Jia Zhen and show her gratitude to him; secondly, she could take this opportunity to completely finish the matter that Jingxu asked her to do; thirdly, she could also fulfill Baoyu's wish to stay and play for a while. Thinking of this, Fengjie turned to Baoyu and said, "I have almost finished what I need to do here. If you still want to wander around and have fun here, I'm afraid you will have to work harder. However, you must leave here tomorrow."

When Baoyu heard this, he immediately acted like a child, pestering Fengjie with both coquettishness and impertinence, constantly calling her "Sister Qian, Sister Wan", begging her to stay for another day, and solemnly promising that he would go back the next day. Seeing Baoyu's persistence, Fengjie finally relented and agreed, so they stayed there for another night.

Late in the night, Fengjie quietly summoned Wang'er and told him everything she had discussed with the old nun the previous day. Wang'er understood the situation perfectly and hurried into the city under cover of darkness. Once there, he immediately sought out the official in charge of document preparation and, under the guise of Jia Lian, asked him to draft a letter. The letter was then rushed to Chang'an County, just over a hundred miles away. Given the relatively short distance, all relevant matters were finalized in just two days.

It turned out that the Chang'an Jiedushi was named Yunguang, and he had long owed the Jia family many favors. Now, faced with such a trivial matter, it was natural and logical for him not to agree. Yunguang's reply letter was quickly received. And there was no need to elaborate on Wang'er's successful return after completing his mission.

Fengjie and the others had just spent another day together. Early that morning, sunlight streamed through the windows onto the tables and chairs in the house, creating patches of dappled light and shadow. After washing up, everyone began packing their bags and preparing to leave.

After everything was arranged, Sister Feng said goodbye to the old nun and asked her to go to the Jia Mansion in three days to ask for news. The old nun nodded repeatedly and agreed, saying that she would go on time.