Red Mansion: Holding Space and Marrying Like the Sea

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Xing refused to give in at all and insisted on the issue of Jia Lian taking over. A sly smirk even appeared on her face. She responded, "That being said, they are brothers and born of the same mother. In my opinion, it is most appropriate for Jia Zheng to take up the title." Then she added, "Besides, if it is really as you said, old lady, how can a nephew support his uncle's family? Not to mention a cousin supporting his older and younger cousins!" Obviously, Mrs. Xing's words were emphasizing the rationality and necessity of Jia Lian taking over the title.

Grandmother Jia frowned slightly, shook her head gently, then sighed slowly, with a hint of helplessness and emotion in her tone: "Alas, I am now an old woman in my twilight years, and time is not forgiving. My only wish is to see these children reunited happily and lively. Especially Lian'er and Baoyu, they have supported each other and depended on each other since they were young. Although the eldest brother is still alive, Jia Lian is still young after all, and he still needs guidance and help in many things. So, if there is anything at home, let Jia She make the decision. Besides, I am an old man, and I really can't bear to see these children leave me..." After saying this, Grandmother Jia's loving eyes began to slowly look around, revealing an earnest expectation, as if she hoped that everyone present could understand her good intentions as an elder.

At this moment, however, Madam Xing, who had remained silent until then, suddenly spoke up: "Old Madam, you naturally cannot but consider the reputation of your descendants. Regardless of whether they are destined for great success or destined for good fortune, who would willingly employ those who do not understand the rules of propriety?" While these words seemed to echo Lady Jia's sentiments, a closer look revealed a subtle irony—a clear accusation that Lady Jia was preoccupied with her own comfort and indifferent to the reputation of her children and grandchildren. Before Lady Jia could say anything else, Madam Xing, with a hint of sneer on her face, gracefully gestured for invitation again, and slowly said: "Old Madam, you must understand the truth of this. Since ancient times, women have been expected to obey their fathers while at home, their husbands after marriage, and their sons if their husbands unfortunately pass away. Now, if you truly wish to sue my master for being unfilial, go ahead! I'm not afraid."

Then, Mrs. Xing straightened up, stared at Lady Jia with sharp eyes, and continued: "As for accusing my daughter-in-law of being unfilial, huh, I am not afraid of that either! And those younger generations, if the old lady really intends to accuse them of being unfilial, then I want to see if you have the courage!" After that, Mrs. Xing lightly flicked the non-existent dust from her cuffs, as if she was using this action to show her disdain.

Then, she leaned a little closer to Lady Jia and said in a low but clearly audible voice, "Let's not beat around the bush in front of others. I don't believe there could be such a coincidence in the world that Hu'er and his mother could have encountered so many misfortunes by such a coincidence. I have no intention of delving into those past events; after all, they are not my concern. But as for Lian'er, since I have become his nominal mother, I firmly believe that even if Sister Zhang were in trouble, she would never watch her own son be left unattended."

Hearing this, Grandmother Jia couldn't help but frown, pondering inwardly. As the daughter of a criminal, Zhang, according to common sense, would never have been able to sit in the position of the head lady of the Rongguo Mansion. Moreover, the matter was handled extremely secretly and properly, and the final work was done without any leaks. Logically, no one should know the inside story. Could it be that this Lady Xing really knew some unknown secret? Thinking of this, Grandmother Jia's face changed slightly, and she asked sternly: "What do you mean by this? Do you know something?" "It's just what it means!" Seeing that Grandmother Jia had been frightened, Lady Xing couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. She knew very well that entering the palace was not a good idea, and the amount of trouble she would cause was probably incalculable.

At this moment, Madam Xing cast her eyes upon the people present, all with varying expressions, and then, pointing at Jia She, she said in a clear voice, "As for the title, we have decided to give it to you! As for how you all wish to act, that is up to you. Anyway, my master has no desire to get involved in these matters with you any longer!"

Hearing this, Jia's face darkened, and she stared at Mrs. Xing with vigilance, feeling like a sheep in a tiger's mouth. She thought to herself that Mrs. Xing must know a lot of the inside story.

"Big brother, was this your idea too?" Grandmother Jia looked at Jia She with a sorrowful expression, looking like a heartbroken old mother who had suffered a great setback. She said earnestly, "Although mother usually favors the second brother, it is ultimately because you, the daughter-in-law, are not up to the task of maintaining a good reputation!"

However, before Jia She could respond, Madam Xing, unable to contain her anger, suddenly jumped out and retorted, "Old Madam, please don't speak nonsense! In my opinion, I can stand my ground. But it would be great if you would stop nagging our master about his unfilial behavior all day long and scolding him at every turn!" Jia Mu secretly thought that these words could not come from Madam Xing, and that the Zhang family must be secretly manipulating them. Because the Zhang family wanted to separate Jia She from the Jia family, Jia Mu was even more unwilling to give up.

She knew very well that her incompetent eldest son Jia She was not worthy of the Zhang family's approval. However, the Zhang family had an outstanding young man like Zhang Ying who was always making plans for Jia Lian, which showed that the Zhang family had no intention of giving up Jia Lian.

Whenever she thought of this, Grandmother Jia couldn't help but sigh repeatedly, feeling deeply regretful. She thought back to the day, how wonderful it would have been if Zhang had married Jia Zheng! It was only a pity that the old woman was so partial, causing her exceptional son Jia Zheng to be suppressed and end up in such an embarrassing and passive situation.

You have to know that the Zhang family is a family of scholars with a long history. If Jia Zheng had married a girl from the Zhang family and had such a well-educated and virtuous wife to help him, how could he have become what he is today?

Although she knew the situation was irreversible, Lady Jia was not willing to give up easily. So, she presented her demands once again. However, Lady Xing was hard-hearted and refused to agree to any of Lady Jia's requests. She even produced a contract signed by Jia She and Jia Zheng and presented it to the elders present.

The mysterious contract never reached Grandmother Jia, and after a hasty glance at it, the others' faces were filled with wonder, their expressions subtly shifting. When it reached Grandmother Jia, her previously calm expression suddenly rippled, her eyes etched with surprise. She had never expected the usually stingy and selfish Jia She to be so generous this time. Not only did he offer to split the family fortune equally with Jia Zheng, he even offered an entire floor to support himself. Even more surprising, he was willing to move out of the Rongguo Mansion, where he had lived for so many years and held countless memories.

However, when she thought about the spacious and grand East Courtyard about to fall into the hands of Jia She, this useless evildoer, she couldn't help but feel a surge of regret. After all, it was such a huge place!

How could Grandmother Jia know that behind this was actually a secret deal. It turned out that Jia She had promised Jia Zheng that he would never interfere in any affairs of Rongguo Mansion from now on. It was because of this that Jia Zheng finally decided to give the East Courtyard to Jia She.

Under Mrs. Xing's insistence and strong demands, the Jia family had no choice but to jointly draft and sign a contract. That day, every Jia family member who came solemnly signed their name on the contract, expressing their acceptance and compliance with the terms.

Jia She was still somewhat dazed, as if he were still in a dream. His mother had always been a tearful and violent person, but today, faced with this situation, she was strangely quiet and submissive, easily controlled by Madam Xing.

"Madam, is this the end?" After a long while, Jia She finally murmured as if waking from a dream. He stared at Madam Xing, as if trying to find the answer from her face, to confirm that what was happening before his eyes was not an illusion.

Mrs. Xing yawned lazily and responded nonchalantly, "Well, it's over." At this moment, her mind had already flown to the private money that Jia She had promised to her before.

Jia She was silent for a moment, then his calm expression shifted slightly, as if a flash of lightning had struck deep within his mind, instantly reminding him of something crucial. His eyes widened, flashing with an eager, fiery glint. His lips parted, and with a slightly trembling voice, he pressed, "Madam, what you just said... are you serious?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire room seemed to be engulfed in a subtle atmosphere. Jia She's tone not only revealed a certain level of unconcealed anticipation, but also a subtle, barely perceptible nervousness. This complex interweaving of emotions involuntarily drew the attention of everyone present to him.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Rongguo Mansion, Jia's mother sat quietly in a chair, her eyes closed. Though seemingly at ease, she was actually taking in all of Wang Furen's lamentations and Jia Zheng's distress. At this moment, Jia's mother was overwhelmed with mixed emotions, a deluge of feelings washing over her weathered heart like a tidal wave.

"Now this mansion is truly yours. Since the East Courtyard has been allocated to the eldest son... Alas!" At this point, Jia's mother's throat seemed to be choked by something, and she could no longer speak. She slowly opened her eyes, raised her hand and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and then sighed deeply and said, "Now the eldest son actually listens to Xing's words in everything. If Zhang were still alive, Xing would never have been so arrogant and domineering."

When Lady Jia mentioned Zhang's name, Mrs. Wang's face instantly turned pale. She bit her lower lip tightly, her hands unconsciously clenched the handkerchief in her hands, and cursed in her heart: "Why is the old lady mentioning that bitch Zhang again for no reason?" However, although Mrs. Wang was furious, she did not dare to show any dissatisfaction in front of Lady Jia. She could only suppress her anger, lower her head and remain silent.

Grandmother Jia seemed oblivious to Lady Wang's reaction. She sighed deeply and said with deep emotion, "It's not that I've always been thinking about Zhang, but it's Xing who's been thinking about her all the time. Now that the Zhang family has started to help Jia She, they've naturally thought of Zhang. So, it's only natural for them to be concerned about Zhang, and there's nothing wrong with that."

This was undoubtedly a warning to Madam Wang, hinting that the Zhang family had returned and that she must be vigilant and cautious. Upon hearing this, Madam Wang breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to herself, "Fortunately, things haven't reached a point of no return yet. There's always a way to remedy the situation."

At first, everyone thought that since Jia She had voluntarily given up his title, Jia Zheng should naturally be awarded the rank of First-Class General. However, things did not go as planned. Not only was Jia Zheng unable to get a First-Class General, he was also unable to get a Second-Class General. In the end, he was only awarded the same Third-Class Weilie General as Jia Zhen.

In other words, the hereditary title had come to an end with Jia Zheng. Furthermore, this so-called third-class general position was only a mere fourth-rank official. Remember, Jia Zheng had already held a fourth-rank official position before this. Now, after all these twists and turns, he was still standing still. If this matter were to become public, it would probably become a laughing stock.

But what is puzzling is that even so, the Jia family was still in high spirits, happily hosting banquets to entertain guests and friends. Not only did they hold lavish banquets, they were also busy doing good deeds and generously donating money to help others.

When he learned that Jia Zheng was only given the title of a third-class general, Jia Zhen was completely stunned and couldn't help muttering to himself: "How can he only be a third-class general! This...what's the difference between this and me?" Thinking of this, Jia Zhen suddenly felt panic-stricken. If one day he was unfortunately stripped of his title, wouldn't he instantly become penniless and useless?

At this moment, someone nearby consoled him, "Being a third-class general is not bad at all!"

Jia Zhen listened to the man's words of comfort, but he still felt indignant. He looked at the busy and festive scene in the Jia Mansion and snorted coldly, "I'm afraid the glory of the Jia Mansion has come to an end."