Red Mansion: Holding Space and Marrying Like the Sea

Of these three families, the Shi family was the oldest relative with deep ties to the Jia family. Among them, a figure slightly younger than Lady Jia and of the same generation as Jia She and Jia Zheng, was none other than Lady Jia's nephew, Shi Xiangyun's father, as well as Marquis Baoling Shi Nai and Marquis Zhongjing Shi Ding. Unfortunately, the Shi family's eldest patriarch passed away at an early age, and it was the brothers Shi Ding and Shi Nai who came to visit, accompanied by their respective wives.

Faced with such a situation, even though Jia She usually did not like to see guests, he had to meet them now. After all, these two were his cousins, and it was not appropriate to always avoid them.

At this moment, the two grandmothers of the Shi family were trying to persuade Lady Xing kindly. Meanwhile, the brothers Shi Ding and Shi Nai were sitting in front of Jia She, trying to persuade him earnestly.

Mrs. Shi Ding looked the place over carefully before asking, "I wonder what made you decide to move here? From my perspective, while this place isn't as prosperous and bustling as the Duke's Mansion, it's quite soothing to look at."

Hearing this, Madam Xing naturally understood the reason behind Jia She's actions. She had already suffered enough bullying and oppression from the Jia family, and now she was too lazy to deal with them perfunctorily. Moreover, although the woman in front of her was the wife of Jia She's cousin, and could be considered a close relative of Jia She, in reality, they probably didn't even have the slightest affection for Jia She. So, Madam Xing looked at her with a serious expression and responded without hesitation and directly: "Alas, what else could it be? It's all for the children! We really have no other choice. We have been forced into a desperate situation and have no choice but to embark on this difficult road!" As she spoke, she shook her head gently, her eyes revealing deep helplessness.

If there truly was a deep affection between them, why would they arrange for Jia Zheng to live in the spacious, bright, and beautifully decorated main courtyard, while Jia She was allowed to build a simple stable next to his residence, earning him the nickname "General of the Stable"? The reason for this disparate treatment is self-evident.

Isn't his purpose for visiting now clear enough? Why hasn't he done this before? His sudden visit must be for some ulterior motive.

"Even for the sake of the children, we can't just stay outside like this and not go back to Rongguo Mansion. You may not understand yet, but your eldest master has been crazy recently and has paid back all the money owed to the national treasury without saying a word. This matter is not just as simple as making the mistress of your house faint with anger, but what's even more outrageous is that he even threatened to give the title to the second master of your house." Having said that, Mrs. Shi Nai paused for a moment, observing the changes in Mrs. Xing's expression.

However, Madam Xing only raised the corners of her mouth slightly, putting on a cold smile, as if she had already seen through everything. She stared at Madam Shi Nai with a sharp gaze and slowly said, "Haha, I'm afraid the old lady was so happy after hearing this news that she almost fainted!" Her expression clearly told her that she was already aware of these things, and that she not only knew the inside story of Jia She's actions, but also approved of them.

As expected, the corners of Mrs. Xing's already caustic mouth curled up slightly, revealing a chilling sneer. She casually extended her right hand, elegantly picking up the exquisite teacup on the table, took a sip of the fragrant tea, then slowly set it down, staring coldly ahead. After a moment, she spoke in a voice so cold it seemed to shatter ice chips: "My two sisters-in-law must know that in our Rongguo Mansion, our master has no say at all! Yet, this hereditary title has fallen upon our master."

At this point, Madam Xing couldn't help but snort, as if the resentment she had long pent up in her heart had finally found an outlet. She paused briefly, then continued indignantly, "Let's not even talk about the long-term issues, let's just talk about the children's education. All the good resources and good teachers have been given to the Second House. To put it bluntly, even if the Second House disdains something and discards it, it will never be given to the children of our First House! As a mother, how can I bear to watch my own flesh and blood suffer like this? I will naturally do everything I can to ensure that my children can succeed and never fall behind!"

Madam Xing grew increasingly agitated as she spoke, her hands unconsciously clenching into fists, which trembled slightly at her sides. She took a deep breath, tried to calm herself, and continued in a cold voice, "Look at the bigger picture. What family doesn't have a few worries? But who can really tell the difference between right and wrong, good and bad, and superiority? On a normal day, any good thing or opportunity for gain is reaped by the Second House. But when trouble strikes and someone needs to shoulder the responsibility, hey, it's us, the First House, who have to shoulder the blame! Why? How can such injustice exist in the world?"

Finally, Madam Xing snorted again, her face filled with anger as she demanded, "And that old lady, for her own selfish reasons, has manipulated her own two sons like puppets. Even my uncle and cousin haven't dared to speak up for justice. I don't know why you're all so excited today? Do you really think life in this mansion will remain peaceful forever?"

Mrs. Xing punched Shi Ding and Shi Nai so hard that their cheeks turned red and they couldn't say a word in rebuttal.

"But the old lady is ill now, and this will have a significant impact on your reputation!" Mrs. Shi Ding persuaded Mrs. Xing with a worried look on her face, and her words were sincere, hoping to make the other party understand the interests involved.

However, Madam Xing scoffed at this and didn't take it seriously at all. She sneered and said mockingly, "Humph, who can tell if this is a real illness or not? I mean, the old lady has fallen ill countless times because of the second wife, and every time she recovered without taking any medicine? What's going on here? It's really hard to figure out." Her face showed obvious disdain and suspicion.

In reality, Mrs. Xing's words were not groundless; they had a basis. After all, while these events were unknown to outsiders, historians knew them all. It was just that, due to politeness, no one had mentioned them publicly.

At this moment, Madam Xing seemed to suddenly remember something important. She stood up abruptly, her eyes wide, and stared at the two ladies in anger, demanding, "Tell me, did your master go and force my master to do something? Otherwise, how could this happen?"

Before she finished her words, she vanished from their sight like a gust of wind. By the time Mrs. Shi Ding and the other lady came to their senses, Mrs. Xing had already vanished.

At the same time, Mrs. Xing hurried on her way, thinking secretly in her heart: "Hmph, what a good uncle-in-law is. He actually dared to come to our Jia family to make trouble and scold the master so unscrupulously. But... Jia She has given me a lot of benefits. In view of these benefits, I will help him out first!" As she thought about it, her pace became faster and faster, and soon she arrived at the door of Jia She's study.

Just now, Madam Xing had walked gently towards Jia She's study. However, as she neared the door, she heard a fierce argument. Listening carefully, she discovered that it was the Shi brothers, Shi Ding and Shi Nai, who were loudly criticizing Jia She.

Mrs. Xing was startled, but then a surge of anger surged in her heart. She suddenly raised her foot and kicked the door hard. With a loud "bang", the door that had been closed was kicked open in an instant.

The scene inside the room shocked Mrs. Xing. She saw the usually awe-inspiring master, Jia She, sitting pitifully at his desk, his face etched with anger. Across from her, Shi Ding frowned, glaring at Mrs. Xing with disapproval.

"Xing, where are your rules?" Shi Ding glared at Madam Xing and demanded. He couldn't understand why Lady Jia would marry her son to such an unruly daughter-in-law. When Madam Xing first entered the Jia Mansion, she was timid and cowardly, but now she seemed like a completely different person.

Facing Shi Ding's questioning, Madam Xing was not afraid. She held her head high, looked directly at Shi Ding and said, "For those who understand the rules, I will naturally follow the rules. But for those who don't understand the rules at all, explaining the rules to them is like playing the lute to a cow!"

Hearing Madam Xing's words, Shi Ding's face turned blue with rage. In all his life, when had he ever been publicly scolded by a woman like this? At this moment, not only did he feel embarrassed, but his heart was also burning with rage.

"You...how dare you be so rude!" Shi Ding pointed at Mrs. Xing, his fingers trembling slightly.

However, Madam Xing didn't flinch at Shi Ding's anger. She sneered and continued, "I'm not like you, my uncle, who goes to someone else's house and brazenly scolds the head of the household. Since you always claim to be impartial, why didn't you stand up for our master when he was wronged?"

Let's not talk about those things that happened long ago, just look at the various incidents happening right now. You know, our master is the legitimate heir to the Rongguo Mansion! Although his behavior is a bit absurd, he has never done anything evil that would anger heaven and people, kill people or set fires, or do things that are intolerable to heaven.

However, for some unknown reason, that old lady deliberately humiliated my master by constructing a massive stable right where he lived. As a result, everyone in and around Kyoto, from top to bottom, now nicknamed my master "General Stable." Faced with this situation, how could you, my uncle, just sit back and do nothing?

Look at our Lian'er, pitiful child. He was raised like a cat or dog by the old lady's side. Not only did he never receive any love or care from her, he was lucky just to be alive and well. Now he's four or five years old, and he can't even read a single word. Uncle, are you just not going to care about this situation?

Now, that old lady is feigning illness in an attempt to control our master. But even so, you, my uncle, haven't stood up to say a single word of justice!

Fortunately, my master has finally come to his senses! You know, the old lady has always favored the second master, and she has always wanted him to inherit this huge family business. In this case, our master simply helps them achieve their goals and fulfill their wishes. What's the harm?

Let alone anything else, the massive debt of several hundred thousand taels of silver alone is already overwhelming. Now that our master has voluntarily given up his title to the Second Master, what if someone with ulterior motives later fabricates lies, accusing our master of malicious intent and claiming he was forced to give up his title to his younger brother in order to escape this heavy debt? What will we do then?

Who could truly guarantee that these false accusations wouldn't flood upon our master like a tidal wave? If that happened, and something unfortunate happened, wouldn't all the blame be indiscriminately placed on our master, the heir to the family business?

Madam Xing wore a cold smile as she stared sharply at Shi Ding and Shi Nai, both of whom had gloomy faces, and said slowly, "If the two masters could swear an oath to us, guaranteeing that the old lady would no longer be partial to us or manipulate us, and that no matter what happens in the future, they would never shift the blame onto us, then, let alone moving back home, even wholeheartedly supporting the old lady would be no problem for us."

On a related note, the fact that the Rongguo Mansion's old lady favors one side is already well known, and everyone has heard about it! It's not just the Rongguo Mansion's old lady who is partial, even their in-laws are the same. If she wasn't biased, why would she stand up for Jia Zheng this time and come here specifically to suppress Jia She?

It would be fine if he was forcing Jia She, but he didn't even spare himself. This was what Xing Heng could not tolerate the most.

All she could hear was an angry cry: "Jia She, are you just going to remain silent like this?" It really lived up to the old saying - only villains and women are difficult to raise! Look at this Xing, she is a fierce and fierce woman. When Shi Nai pointed at Jia She, his hand began to tremble.

Faced with this, Jia She slowly said, "Cousin, I really have no other choice. I will certainly fulfill Mother's wish." After saying this, Jia She felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He had never felt such warmth since his grandmother passed away, and he had never experienced such a protective attitude from someone.