Red Mansion: Holding Space and Marrying Like the Sea

Zhou Ruijia secretly thought to herself that she wanted to take advantage of the chaotic situation and escape as soon as possible. After all, the matter of Jia Baoyu was a top priority in her mind. If she didn't inform her master soon, if something went wrong later, she would probably catch Mrs. Wang off guard.

However, the others were very attentive and had already locked their eyes on Zhou Ruijia. As soon as Zhou Ruijia made a move, someone quickly rushed forward to block her path.

The man shouted, "Hey, Sister Zhou, where are you going in such a hurry?"

Another voice followed, "That's right! Didn't we agree to work on this case together? How could you just go back and slack off without saying anything?"

Zhou Ruijia couldn't help but pause when he was stopped in the act. An awkward smile instantly appeared on his face as he hurriedly explained, "Oh, my dear sisters, please don't misunderstand my good intentions. I'm not leaving at all. I just wanted to go out and take a look around the yard to see if there's anything else we haven't thoroughly searched!"

Then she quickly added, "Besides, even if I really want to slack off, I have to choose the right time, right? The burden is so heavy right now, how dare I throw all the work to you sisters!"

Upon hearing this, everyone curled their lips in disapproval, not concealing their suspicion of Zhou Ruijia's words. They stared at her intently, as if trying to expose her lies with their eyes. Zhou Ruijia, knowing she was in the wrong, couldn't make any further excuses. As long as she could temporarily stabilize herself and not leave, she was satisfied.

The reason why this operation brought together three parties was obvious to anyone with a discerning eye: it was simply a way for the various forces to check and balance each other. No one dared to act rashly, fearing they would fall into a trap set by others.

It's said that if even a small group of people chose to withdraw, a fierce struggle would inevitably ignite among those who remained. At this moment, Madam Shi and Lady Wang unexpectedly interrogated the two maids, Qingwen and Sheyue, overnight. Back then, these two had been highly regarded, yet now, the woman was the first to climb into Jia Baoyu's bed, completely disregarding the man's immature body. And, after this, there were still people like Qingwen and Sheyue. It was truly disappointing, a complete failure!

Interestingly, however, Old Lady Shi and Lady Wang had slightly different perspectives on the matter. After all, these maids were originally close confidants of Old Lady Shi, and she gave them to her grandson simply because she hoped they would take good care of Baoyu on her behalf. Although Old Lady Shi nearly fainted with rage when she first heard about this, she calmed down and thought carefully. Despite the constant stream of unpleasant incidents between these maids and Baoyu, from another perspective, wasn't it also proof that her child had grown up? So, why should she play the villain and cause her grandson grief? After all, they were just toys for entertainment. She might as well just make these maids her grandson's household.

As for Mrs. Wang, her thoughts were truly unique and different, completely different from those of everyone else. Setting aside the fact that Xue Baochai was the daughter-in-law she had long dreamed of and had already chosen, given the current complex situation, she could vaguely sense that this future daughter-in-law, who hadn't even married yet, seemed to harbor a certain contempt and disdain for her family.

Whenever she thought about tomorrow morning, if this matter spread like wildfire and was heard by other unrelated people and learned the inside story, how would she face Xue Baochai and her mother, Aunt Xue? You know, she has always sincerely regarded the Xue family as her own family, treating them as close relatives!

Furthermore, her family had already used up a significant amount of the Xue family's money and valuables. If the Xue family were to discover the details, especially after they learned of Jia Baoyu's mistakes, there was no guarantee they wouldn't hesitate and waver on the matter. Even more thorny was the fact that her family would inevitably need more and more financial support from the Xue family. When that time came, how could she brazenly ask for help from the Xue family?

Besides these, several other servants, such as Qingwen, Sheyue, and Qiuwen, also troubled Lady Wang. On the surface, these servants were assigned by Lady Jia, ostensibly to help her care for her beloved grandson, Jia Baoyu. But in reality, Lady Wang had quietly taken them into her own service. Every day or two, these servants would sneak into Lady Wang's courtyard and report to her in detail on Jia Baoyu's recent activities.

Even more outrageous was that, because these maids secretly reported on Jia Baoyu, Lady Wang was furious and directly drove away many of the maids in Jia Baoyu's room who were suspected of having improper connections with their master! This move was truly shocking.

The more Madam Wang thought about it, the more furious she became. She felt like she, the mistress of the household, was being toyed with by a few mere servants! How could she swallow this humiliation? If she continued to keep this ignorant servant in the mansion, how would she ever be able to maintain her dignity in the future?

Thinking of this, Madam Wang's face turned ashen, her eyes widened with anger. She slammed the table and shouted, "Come here! Quickly drag this slave away and find a quiet, deserted yard. Beat her to death with clubs!"

Mrs. Wang's words were like a thunderclap, leaving the maids present dumbfounded and stunned. No one had expected that the Second Mistress, usually known for her vegetarianism, Buddhist teachings, and compassionate heart, would be so furious today, even issuing such a cruel and heartless order! For a moment, the entire courtyard fell into a deathly silence, with only Mrs. Wang's angry gasps audible...

On ordinary days, let alone beating or killing someone, it is extremely rare to even see him loudly scolding his servants.

However, today, this usually gentle and virtuous lady seemed like a completely different person, actually getting so angry. From this situation, anyone could tell at a glance that this maid's attempt to climb onto her mistress's bed had definitely touched the lady's bottom line, something she absolutely could not tolerate!

The two maids who had caused the trouble were already frightened out of their wits. One of them was hugging her arms, her body shaking constantly, like a candle in the wind, about to fall.

When they first heard the old lady speak, they were secretly delighted, thinking that their savior had finally arrived and they had finally escaped the disaster.

Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, Madam Wang was furious and threatened to take their lives. Seeing the maids on both sides ready to take them down at any moment, the maid was immediately panicked and, without caring about anything else, she scrambled towards the direction where Old Lady Shi was.

Look at Qingwen and Sheyue at this moment. They haven't even had time to put on their bellybands yet. They are crawling naked on the ground. Their miserable and ugly appearance is clearly visible. But at this moment, when their lives are at stake, how can they care about these face issues?

If I don't quickly seek help from others, I'm afraid my life will be over in the blink of an eye! After all, whether it's wealth and honor, or high status, you have to save your life first before you have the chance to enjoy it!

At this moment, a furious shout was heard: "This is ridiculous! Our family has always been famous for its generosity and kindness towards our servants. When did it become possible to beat, scold, or even kill them at will?"

"Oh my! If this gets out, how will our family's reputation be saved? How will outsiders view our family?" Wang said anxiously.

Mrs. Shi, standing by, frowned slightly and responded, "Wang, I know you're anxious, but the one who's taking advantage this time is our Baoyu after all."

Wang quickly nodded in agreement: "That's right, the old ancestor is absolutely right. But Baoyu is getting older now, and he needs one or two caring family members to take care of his daily life."

Old Lady Shi sighed softly and said slowly, "If that's the case, those two girls are already in love with Baoyu. As elders, how can we break up the friendship between these two young girls?"

However, who could have imagined that Old Lady Shi had never expected Wang to be so cruel and ruthless, and she threatened to beat the two men to death.

Besides, these two girls were originally given to Baoyu by Old Madam Shi herself. If they were really executed today, wouldn’t it be like slapping Old Madam Shi herself in the face in public?

This made Mrs. Wang very angry. She felt a black screen in front of her eyes and almost fainted. She cursed in her heart: This damn old woman, how could she know that these two girls have been fickle and no longer loyal! She is still entangled here in the issue of whether to save face! Such a treacherous girl was disloyal to her old master and even more disobedient to the new master. If she doesn't get rid of them as soon as possible, will she keep them until the New Year? "Old lady... I really don't mean to stop Baoyu from taking in a concubine. Even if you reward him with several more women right now, it is completely fine even if you directly promote them to concubines!" Mrs. Wang said with a smile on her face.

Then, she changed the subject: "But look at these two girls. They usually act so pretentiously. When others see them, they really think they are the most virtuous, kind, and lovable girls!"

At this point, Mrs. Wang couldn't help but frown, a trace of disgust on her face. "Girls like this, tell me, how can we dare to employ them with confidence? What if we indulge them this time? In the future, they might seduce our Baoyu to do even more absurd and outrageous things to satisfy their own selfish desires!"

After hearing this, the old lady pondered inwardly. Although she would never admit that she was delighted to hear Lady Wang mention granting her beloved grandson Baoyu a concubine, she could not deny that after Lady Wang's words, she began to feel that Qingwen and Musk Moon were indeed a little too coquettish.

At this moment, Qingwen and Sheyue, standing nearby, watched helplessly as Old Lady Shi, who had initially shown some partiality towards them, gradually changed her attitude, finally revealing a clear dislike for her. Their hearts instantly leaped to their throats, pounding wildly. Any shred of hope they had previously harbored was now gone. They hurriedly knelt on the ground, raised their hips, and kowtowed to Old Lady Shi with a resounding clatter like the beating of drums. Tears and snot streamed uncontrollably down their faces, staining them in a smear.

They knew very well that if they didn't come up with a plan to deal with the situation, they would be doomed today.

"Madam, please have mercy on us! Madam, please be magnanimous and let us go!" The two men kowtowed and begged, tears streaming down their faces, "I really had no choice! Look at Baoyu at that time. No matter what he said, how could we, as servants, dare to disobey?"

One of them continued to explain, "I tried to resist, but Baoyu is a grown man after all. I couldn't resist the strength in his hands! Moreover, I was afraid that if I accidentally hurt the master, the crime would be even greater. That's why I ended up like this!"

Another person quickly agreed, "Yes, yes, how can we be blamed entirely for this? Bihen and the others in the room must have had an affair with Baoyu! There may be many other maids, those who know the inside story or those who don't, I guess they all have some dirty tricks. I'm not making this up, how can this be just my fault!"

Oh my god, these words were like a stone that stirred up a thousand waves, instantly stirring up a huge hornet's nest. After hearing what they said, it turned out that there was no decent person in Jia Baoyu's courtyard! All the maids had an affair with their own young master. Such a ridiculous thing could only be done by those unruly and unruly dandies!