Red Mansion: Holding Space and Marrying Like the Sea

Oh my, that's great! If she can't decide on her daughter's marriage, then as a mother, she will have to personally find a good husband for her daughter! At this moment, Xue Baochai stood quietly behind her mother, her delicate hands tightly grasping a handkerchief. Due to excessive tension and force, the handkerchief was almost ripped from her kneading. After all, this was a matter of great importance to her life's happiness. Success or failure depended on this one move.

Look! My carefully planned, desperate plan has finally worked! Now, it's time to see what that venerable old lady will say! Old Lady Shi raised her eyes slightly and cast her gaze towards Mrs. Wang. She saw her daughter-in-law, with her back to the others, winking at her subtly, hinting at something. Despite her reluctance, Old Lady Shi knew clearly that she had to give her a clear answer today, no matter what.

If one still wants to continue living a comfortable life without worries about food and clothing, and still hopes that the Rongguo Mansion can hold on for a little longer, then it seems that there is no other way but to nod in agreement. So, Old Lady Shi coughed lightly and slowly said, "Hmm~ In my opinion, these two children are really a perfect match! Besides, I have watched Baochai grow up little by little with my own eyes. I can trust her character and personality, and I am absolutely reassured!" Then, after thinking for a moment, she continued, "In this case, why don't we pick an auspicious day and finalize this marriage first!" Finally, Old Lady Shi turned to look at Baochai's mother, and added with a smile on her face, "Look, mother-in-law, our Baochai has already taken charge of the affairs of the housekeeper and director at home. Tell me, what else is there to worry about?"

Oh my goodness! Is this marriage actually settled just like that? Mrs. Xue felt as if struck by lightning, her body instantly becoming extremely stiff. Slowly and with difficulty, she turned her head, her gaze first landing on her shy daughter, then shifting to her son who was standing nearby, also somewhat stunned.

Even at this moment, she still felt that all this was like an unreal dream, unbelievable. Back then, in order to facilitate this marriage, her family had spent a huge amount of money! Furthermore, they had treated the Rongguo Mansion with all kinds of flattery, practically lowering their attitude to the dust.

Now, finally, the hardship has paid off and her daughter has finally gotten her wish to marry into the Duke's Mansion and become a proper young mistress, and she, too, has naturally got a son-in-law who is also from the Duke's Mansion! When she thought of this, Mrs. Xue couldn't help but feel an indescribable joy in her heart.

Looking at Xue Baochai again, her cheeks were already flushed, as rosy as a ripe apple. She lowered her head, not daring to meet the gazes of those around her. Her heart was pounding like a fawn. If she hadn't held her chest tightly with her hands, her heart would have jumped out of her throat like a naughty little rabbit!

After a long while, Mrs. Xue finally came back to her senses, as if waking from a dream. Her face was immediately filled with a brilliant smile, as bright and charming as a flower blooming in spring: "Haha, this... this is really a great joyous event!"

Mrs. Wang, who had been observing from the side, breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly stepped forward, stretched out her hands, and grasped her sister's arm tightly. She said affectionately, "Sister, since Bao'er's marriage is already settled, how about I help you with Pan'er's (note: assumed here to be Xue's son) lifelong affairs? Our two families are close relatives, so I will not treat your child unfairly. Besides, we have many relatives, so finding a good daughter-in-law with good looks and a cheerful personality should not be difficult."

After hearing this, Mrs. Xue nodded excitedly, her face full of joy, and thought to herself: I didn't expect this matter to be so smooth. In just the blink of an eye, the future of the two children has a clear direction and destination.

She could not help but say with joy, "Great! That's wonderful! Then I will take Baochai home with me to learn how to manage household affairs, handle affairs, and all the principles that a wife should have. After the New Year, I will arrange for Baochai to live in the garden."

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Mrs. Xue added, "Besides, I have to take good care of Pan'er's place. The furnishings in his room also need to be replaced. I can't be careless."

At this point, Mrs. Xue couldn't help but narrow her eyes slightly, and the corners of her mouth turned up, revealing a smug smile. She thought to herself that if she didn't arrange everything properly and give the other party a definite amount, it would be difficult to easily get money from them in the future.

At this time, Mrs. Wang and Old Lady Jia saw that things had developed to this point and had no other better solution. They could only exchange glances with each other helplessly, and then walked out of the Xue family's gate with a forced smile.

Meanwhile, Wang Xifeng, back home, was working tirelessly. Ever since she learned of the crucial moment, she had been working tirelessly to consolidate her funds. Drawing on her years of business experience and keen insight, she firmly believed that it wouldn't be long before several prominent families would be shattered.

By then, Wang Xifeng was confident she would be able to make a fortune! After all, once these aristocratic families fell into decline, their accumulated wealth would either be confiscated into the national treasury or sold at auction. For Wang Xifeng, who was adept at seizing business opportunities, this was undoubtedly a perfect opportunity to make a fortune.

You know, things like silver and jewelry are easy to liquidate and can be quickly converted into real money. However, assets like antiques, farms, land, and shops cannot be immediately converted into hard cash. After all, the imperial court could not possibly dispatch a large number of personnel to take over and handle these matters. If left unattended and left to local officials, it would only breed further corruption.

The current emperor, despite his status as the Son of Heaven, is now financially strapped, practically destitute. The late emperor always enjoyed touring the south of the Yangtze River, and as he grew older, he squandered the treasury's funds with even greater abandon, as if if he didn't spend them today, he wouldn't have another chance tomorrow. As a result, the already meager family assets have become even more dwindling, and the situation has deteriorated. Furthermore, those who borrowed money from the court have shown no intention of repaying it.

Under these circumstances, the Rongguo Mansion was unfortunately ravaged by the confiscation of its property. It's conceivable that other prominent families would also fall during the same period. This crucial moment presented a severe test for Wang Xifeng's foresight and tactics.

Wang Xifeng naturally didn't dare touch those exquisite items lightly. After all, there were many people in this world who were more powerful and well-connected than she was. Even several princes and high-ranking officials were eyeing these tempting pieces of fat with eager eyes! Drinking soup with them would be quite a treat! The most important thing was that these porcelains were made in the imperial kilns. Normally, only at this moment would there be such a large number of such items.

At this moment, a servant came running in with a report: "Madam, someone from the Rongguo Mansion has sent a letter, saying that they hope you can come in person to discuss the eldest lady's marriage."

Then, another person came and said, "Someone from our family also sent a message saying that Master Bao is seriously ill and the Xue family seems to be interested in arranging a marriage with you."

Upon hearing this, Xifeng, who had been writing intently, immediately stopped what she was doing and gently set her brush aside. Her long, thin eyebrows rose high, and a look of surprise appeared on her face.

Wow! What on earth is all this fuss about?

I guess it's my fault that I've been living too leisurely and comfortably in the mansion these days, so I didn't even notice such a big commotion in Rongguo Mansion in time.

After a moment's thought, Xifeng waved her hand and said, "Alright, go and tell the servant sent from the Rongguo Mansion that our second daughter has gone out for a trip. I'm the only one left at home to take care of all the affairs, so I really can't spare the time to go!"

After hearing her master's order, the maidservant didn't dare to be negligent. She quickly agreed and hurriedly turned to go back. Meanwhile, Xifeng, who was still sitting in the room, slowly stood up, saying she was tired, and walked towards the bedroom.

Baozhu hurried in, looking a little panicked as she reported, "Madam, in broad daylight today, Old Lady Shi, Madam Wang, and the Xue family have actually arranged Xue Baochai's marriage! And, you may not know, our Rongguo Mansion is almost completely bankrupt! Those large properties and shops can't be sold, so they can be kept for now. But many of the precious items in the storehouse have been secretly moved by Madam Wang!"

Hearing this, she, who had been thinking about other things, instantly focused all her attention on Rongguo Mansion. It was strange to say, as soon as her mind turned to this, time seemed to fly by even faster.

The Rongguo Mansion had already begun intensive preparations for the engagement ceremony and other matters. Xing lowered her voice and said, "It just so happens that everyone outside is out at the opera, so I hurried over to tell you about the recent events in the mansion!"

Wang Xifeng had known all about the affairs between Xue Baochai, Lin Daiyu, and Jia Baoyu for a long time. But what was strange was that she had received a letter saying that they were going to discuss Lin Daiyu's marriage, but since then, the Rongguo Mansion had not passed on any news to her family.

Only at this moment, when Xing Shi spoke these words herself, did Wang Xifeng feign understanding, responding with surprise. In reality, she had listened attentively to every word, secretly calculating in her heart the exact time when this seemingly glorious Rongguo Mansion would decline and collapse.

Xing was chattering incessantly at the moment. She seemed to have found a soulmate. She had finally found someone to chat with, so naturally she wanted to pour out all the family gossip that had accumulated over the past six months to Xifeng.

All I could hear was her spitting out words: "Oh, my, look at that old lady. She's getting more confused as she gets older! Not to mention the relatives from the eldest lady's family. Even if they came to stay in our house for a while, we'd be forgiven for being more tolerant. But Miss Baoqin from the Xue family has no connection to our family at all. How could she please the old lady so well?"

As Xing spoke, she gestured with her hands, her face full of confusion. Then she added, "Speaking of Miss Baoqin, she's certainly pretty, but she can't compare to our own daughter. Besides, Baochai and Baoyu are already engaged, and now we let them hang out together all day long? How disgraceful! I think unless we cause some earth-shattering incident, they won't learn their lesson!"

Xifeng was naturally well aware of Xue Baoqin and Xue Ke's family backgrounds. Their father was not only alive and well, but also a reigning imperial merchant! This status alone was far superior to Xue Baochai, who now had lost both her father and her imperial merchant status. Furthermore, Xue Baoqin had traveled extensively with her parents since she was young, and her knowledge and perspective far surpassed those of the more confined young ladies.

Speaking of that brother, he's truly an honest and upright man! Furthermore, he's also incredibly knowledgeable and erudite, and his family background shouldn't be underestimated. Who wouldn't be drawn to such an exceptional man? Even the usually shrewd and capable Wang Xifeng couldn't help but wonder, "I think Mrs. Shi must be regretting it now! Why was she so hasty in arranging a marriage for Xue Baoqin?"

If Xue Baoqin hadn't already been betrothed to someone else, it's doubtful whether Jia Baoyu and Xue Baochai would have been able to successfully get engaged! As the two chatted, someone arrived with the news that Lady Wang had sent someone looking for Wang Xifeng. Wang Xifeng approached with a graceful, light step. Meanwhile, the corners of Lady Shi's mouth, which had been slightly raised, suddenly stiffened, but in an instant, her usual amiable smile returned. Then, she reached out and drew Wang Xifeng to her side, motioning for her to sit down and enjoy the troupe's captivating performance.