Red Mansion: Holding Space and Marrying Like the Sea

Mrs. Wang's face was filled with rage. The Buddhist beads she had been gently twisting in her hand had been torn apart by her force, scattering all over the floor. Her chest heaved violently, as if a ball of rage was about to burst forth. Suddenly, she raised her hand and hurled the broken beads at Qingwen and Sheyue.

"At this point, you still dare to make random accusations!" Mrs. Wang shouted loudly, her voice was deafening.

"Baoyu is your master, and you have served him since he was a child! Now, how dare you slander him so wantonly!" She became more and more angry as she spoke, staring at the two maids in front of her with wide eyes, as if she wanted to see a hint of guilt on their faces.

"Have your consciences been eaten by dogs? Tell me! Where is your conscience!" Mrs. Wang roared, her emotions completely out of control.

However, her fury didn't subside. Not only did she throw all the remaining beads at Xiren, she also stood up, raised one foot, and mercilessly kicked Qingwen and Sheyue in the stomach. The kicks were so powerful that they both groaned and fell to the ground, clutching their stomachs and groaning in pain.

At this moment, Mrs. Shi, standing by, also had a frown on her face, a look of annoyance and helplessness. She secretly complained bitterly, thinking it was just a small matter, but it turned out to be like pulling out a radish and bringing out a puddle of mud, involving so many maids.

"Ms. Wang, don't punish them so impulsively for now! Since they have confessed, you might as well investigate them carefully first!" Old Lady Shi advised.

"Someone come here! Bring all the maids in Baoyu's room to me immediately!" Old Lady Shi gave the order decisively.

"Clear a room and let the maids verify the identities of these girls one by one!" As soon as the old lady in charge gave the order, the servants dared not delay for a moment, and they sprang into action like the wind. In a short while, all the maids in Baoyu's room were escorted to the designated room, awaiting the maids' inspection.

Not long after, a group of maids rushed into Jia Baoyu's room in a rage. These maids were like wolves and tigers, dragging all the maids in the room to the side room without saying anything.

No matter whether it was the first- and second-class maids who were closest to Jia Baoyu and served him on weekdays, or the little girls who were responsible for cleaning the courtyard, none of them were spared. Their mouths were blocked and they could not make a sound.

Among the maids, Qiu Wen was the only one who understood the situation fully. But even so, how could a pure and innocent girl endure such humiliation? She was especially filled with fear and despair when she witnessed her sisters being roughly stripped of their clothes and then being brought to the table for public inspection.

Qiu Wen felt as if she were trapped in a horrific nightmare, so frightened she almost wished for death. However, she knew full well that as a slave, she held low status. As the saying goes, "If your master wants you dead by the third night, he won't let you live until the fifth." Even if she fought with all her might, she was no match for the four or five strong women holding her arms down simultaneously.

At this moment, a burst of shrill laughter suddenly rang out: "Oh! Look at this girl, she is so pretty and charming, and yet our young master Baoyu hasn't been able to take advantage of her!" Another old woman echoed: "Haha! This is really rare! Let me take a good look at her!"

"Girl, you're truly blessed to have made it this far! You know, if your thoughts had been even slightly crooked, you'd probably be dead today!" the old woman said with a smile on her face. However, these words fell on deaf ears for Qiu Wen, who didn't even bother to respond. Just now, she watched helplessly as Bihen and Qi Guan were dragged away by their hair by this seemingly amiable, yet in reality ruthless old woman. And now, this old woman had the nerve to speak sweet words to her, trying to curry her favor. Were they too good at adapting to the situation and judging people's behavior, or did she remain clear-headed and unmoved?

Qiu Wen pondered this internally, but ultimately didn't dare to open her mouth and question him. She opened her mouth slightly, hesitating for a moment before finally squeezing out a few words: "I... I've passed, right?" As she spoke, her eyes flickered, filled with anxiety and uneasiness. In fact, what she longed for most at that moment was to quickly leave this table so she could put on some clothes to cover her body.

"Don't be afraid, young lady! We have sharp eyes and can spot those who have committed crimes. We wouldn't dare humiliate someone as innocent as you!" The old woman pretended to comfort Qiu Wen, acting harmless. Then, she added, "Young lady, feel free to get off the table and get dressed. However, the inspection isn't complete yet, so you'll have to wait a moment to the side." Hearing the old woman finally agree that she could get dressed, Qiu Wen felt as if she had been granted amnesty. She quickly jumped off the table and hurried to where her clothes were kept.

At this moment, she had no interest at all in listening to the flattery and fawning words of those old women, and even felt extremely annoyed when exchanging a few perfunctory words with them.

Thinking about what happened today, it was truly humiliating! Ever since that simple interrogation when she first entered the Jia Mansion as a child, everything had gone smoothly for her, and she had never suffered such an injustice. However, who could have predicted that such a situation would unfold today? Not only herself, but even the other maids in Jia Baoyu's room were probably humiliated and ashamed, unable to hold their heads up.

Back at the Xue family, early in the morning, Xue Baochai hurried to the courtyard where Aunt Xue lived. Upon seeing her mother, she spoke impatiently, her words incoherent and incoherent: "Mother, please, please think of this as your love for me! Whether it's a businessman or a scholar, as long as he has good character and is kind, please quickly arrange a marriage for me!"

Mrs. Xue was stunned by these sudden and incoherent words, completely bewildered. She asked with a puzzled look on her face, "My dear daughter, what's wrong with you? Why are you suddenly saying such nonsense?"

Xue Baochai was extremely anxious and had no time to explain too much to her mother. She just swung her arm and shook off her mother's hand that was gently resting on her forehead.

Just now, the person we sent out to buy groceries returned with shocking news: the entire capital is buzzing with rumors that there's been a thief in the Duke's Mansion! Upon hearing this, I quickly sent Ying'er out to investigate.

Ying'er returned soon, panting, "Guess what? My aunt's servants are checking around the garden with Yuanyang!"

Aunt Xue was startled at first, a look of astonishment on her face, but she quickly relaxed and said calmly, "How can you be so timid, child? They can copy whatever they want. Are they really going to come to our house and cause trouble?"

Aunt Xue then said soothingly, "Besides, the old lady of the Jia family has always loved Baoyu the most and would definitely not let him suffer any injustice, so there won't be any big problem."

However, Xue Baochai knew in her heart that her worries were not about these superficial phenomena at all. She stamped her feet anxiously and said to her mother, "Mother, you don't know! After they finished their investigation, they actually took away all the maids in Brother Bao's courtyard! Moreover, I heard that several of them were dragged out of the house naked!"

As soon as these words came out, it was like a thunderclap exploding in Mrs. Xue's ears. She was stunned and subconsciously covered her mouth with her hand. After a while, she came to her senses and scolded, "My son, you must never say such things! This is not something that an unmarried girl like you can ask about casually! Shut up quickly and go back to the house!"

Xue Baochai stood there with a stubborn look on her face, not willing to listen to Mrs. Xue's advice at all. She was extremely anxious at the moment and wanted to settle her marriage with Jia Baoyu immediately.

Her face flushed red as she said indignantly, "Mother! Why don't you believe me? This isn't just some random fabrication! It's reliable information Ying'er personally went out and carefully inquired about!"

Xue Baochai became increasingly agitated as she spoke, her voice rising a few notches unconsciously. "The servants outside are all gossiping about Brother Bao's misdeeds! They say he's been molesting the maids all day long, bringing disaster to all the servants in the house! If this continues, what will become of my reputation?"

At this point, Xue Baochai's eyes were already filled with tears, filled with grievances she had no place to vent. She bit her lip tightly and continued to cry, "Look, he and I haven't even been engaged yet. If these rumors spread and ruined my reputation, how could I live in this world with dignity in the future?"

Mrs. Xue looked at her daughter, whose emotions were nearly uncontrollable, and opened her mouth to offer some words of comfort, but she didn't know where to begin. She was, of course, well aware of the absurdities going on in the Rongguo Mansion. However, the current situation at home was truly worrying. With her son unsuccessful and her daughter still unmarried, there seemed to be no other option but to pin all her hopes on this one marriage.

Thinking of this, Mrs. Xue couldn't help but sigh and said to Xue Baochai with a helpless look on her face: "Baochai, mother knows that this is unfair to you. But our family has come to this point now. There is really no other better way!"

"If we can have a better and more ideal choice, even if mother has to give up everything and sell everything she has, she will definitely fight for you!" said the mother with a worried look on her face.

"However, our family's current situation is really difficult, and this is the only way we can choose. If we don't seize the opportunity now, it will probably be too late when we want to fight for it again in the future!" Xue Baochai is well aware of the interests involved, but she always feels that this matter should not be handled in this way.

"Mother, don't you know clearly? The Jia family seems prosperous on the surface, but in fact it is already empty inside. Even if I am lucky enough to marry into this Duke's family, I will eventually become a poor person who uses my dowry to fill the hole!" Xue Baochai frowned and expressed her inner worries to her mother worriedly.

"Of course I know that our family has no other options now, and I don't particularly care about Baoyu's little problem of being obsessed with beauty." Xue Baochai sighed softly and continued, "In fact, since making such a momentous decision today, I have never regretted it at all!"

"But this time, please be sure to listen to my advice and never give my aunt too much financial support and help. Maybe in this way, there will be an unexpected turning point in our marriage!" After saying this, Xue Baochai looked at her mother with a firm face, expecting her to seriously consider what she said.

Mrs. Xue was relieved to see that her daughter's speech was clear and her attitude was calm, and there was no trace of her usual loud and noisy behavior. She thought that maybe she should calm down and listen to what her daughter was thinking and saying.

"Go ahead and say it, but let me be frank. If I find out in the end that you are just fooling around, from now on you are not allowed to scare me with those nonsensical ideas!" said Xue Baochai's mother with a frown.

Seeing her mother finally willing to listen, Xue Baochai was secretly delighted and quickly began to explain the plan she had carefully planned for a long time. "Mother, I'm talking about the perfect opportunity now! Think about it carefully. Most of the money in the Rongguo Mansion has been divided up by the eldest wife when the family was divided. If our family doesn't invest some money, I'm afraid this entire mansion will have difficulty paying even the most basic monthly salary!"

She paused and continued, "And such a shameful scandal just happened in the house where Brother Bao lives. In this way, we have a natural excuse to declare that we will quickly find a good marriage for me." When she said this, a cunning gleam flashed in Xue Baochai's eyes.

"In my opinion, once the support and help from our family is lost, how long can the Rongguo Mansion last? In my judgment, within two or three months, my aunt will come to our house in person to ask for help!" Xue Baochai continued to analyze confidently.

"When that time comes, mother, you can pretend to be reserved and refuse a few times. Humph, I don't believe that my aunt won't be extremely anxious! After all, seeing that we can hardly even eat, at that time, besides taking the initiative to propose that I and Brother Bao be arranged to marry, do they have any other better options?"