Red Mansion: Holding Space and Marrying Like the Sea

Zhou Ruijia hurried into the antique shop opened by her son-in-law Leng Zixing, her face full of anxiety and worry.

"Son-in-law, the second wife sent you to Suzhou this time. You must bring Lai Shangrong back to the capital. This is a vital mission!" Zhou Ruijia's voice was anxious and low.

Her brows knitted together, and she continued with a look of sorrow, "Alas, what a sin! I never thought that the old lady's daughter, Jia Min, would be pregnant with Lai Shangrong's child. The Second Madam is bent on ruining Jia Min's reputation, but I don't understand how this will benefit the Jia family. However, these are matters concerning the master family, and it's not our place to interfere."

Zhou Ruijia sighed and shook her head, then urged: "Son-in-law, you have to do this matter quickly! Don't waste time." After that, she turned and left, leaving Leng Zixing to face this difficult task alone.

Leng Zixing listened to his mother-in-law's words and pondered in his heart. He knew that this trip to Suzhou was not a simple one. Not only did he have to get Lai Shangrong out of jail, but he also had to persuade him to come to the Jia Mansion to propose marriage.

Several days later, Leng Zixing finally arrived in Suzhou. As soon as he disembarked, he immediately began to inquire about Lai Shangrong. He wanted to know how long Lai Shangrong had been sentenced and where he was being held. The Lin family had lived in Suzhou for many years and had extensive connections, so Leng Zixing had barely begun his inquiries when someone reported the matter to Wang Xifeng.

After learning that Leng Zixing had come to Suzhou to inquire about Lai Shangrong's situation, Wang Xifeng immediately became wary. She wondered, "Why would Leng Zixing suddenly come to Suzhou to inquire about these things? Could there be some hidden agenda?" So, she decided to send someone to find out what Leng Zixing was up to.

The man Wang Xifeng sent was named Wang San, the owner of the restaurant she owned. He was clever, articulate, and well-versed in Suzhou. Wang Xifeng felt he was the perfect person to inquire about Leng Zixing's intentions.

Wang San took the order and left, and soon found Leng Zixing who was asking around for information.

When Leng Zixing invited a minor official to dinner at the restaurant to establish relations, the shopkeeper took the opportunity to go over to the minor official and said, "Master Wang, how come you have time to come to dinner? Just tell me if you need anything!" Master Wang was just a descendant of a branch of the Wang family. He became a minor official under the care of Wang Ziteng. He naturally knew about the feud between the Jia family and Xifeng. When he came to the restaurant to eat before, he didn't see the shopkeeper come over to say hello. But this time, he came over to eat with the Jia family. Who would believe that he didn't have a reason? Master Wang quickly stood up and said, "No, no, thank you very much, shopkeeper!"

Leng Zixing saw the shopkeeper leave and said, "Master, you are so popular! The shopkeeper even came to greet us personally!" Lord Wang smiled and said nothing. After three rounds of drinks, Leng Zixing said, "I came to Suzhou on the orders of the Rongguo Mansion in the capital." He took out a silver note and placed it on the corner of the table. From the exposed corner, it looked like it was worth five thousand taels. Lord Wang said, "Please tell me about the matter first!" Leng Zixing said slowly, "It's not a big deal. A few months ago, Lord Lin's abandoned wife Jia was visiting her daughter at the Lin Mansion and was seduced by one of his own servants. Because of this, the servant was thrown into prison. Unexpectedly, Miss Jia became pregnant. The second wife of the Jia family couldn't bear to see the lovers separated, so she sent me to take the servant back so that the family could be reunited."

Lord Wang chuckled inwardly. The people in Rongguo Mansion were truly absurd, actually doing such a thing. But he remained impassive and said, "I already know about this, but I wonder if there's any hidden reason behind it."

Leng Zixing hurriedly said, "Don't worry, sir. There's nothing hidden in this matter. It's just that Miss Jia and the servant have a deep affection for each other, and the Second Lady of the Jia family is also a kind-hearted person. She can't bear to separate them."

Lord Wang nodded, indicating that he understood. Then he asked, "Where is the servant now?"

Leng Zixing replied, "The servant is still in prison and has not yet been convicted."

After a moment's reflection, Lord Wang said, "Well, if that's the case, it shouldn't be difficult. I'll give you an answer tomorrow."

Leng Zixing was overjoyed and thanked him profusely. Afterward, the two drank a few more glasses of wine and chatted for a while. Finally, Lord Wang left the restaurant with five thousand taels of silver and returned through the back door to meet Xifeng with the innkeeper.

When Lord Wang and the shopkeeper entered the room, they saw Xifeng sitting there drinking tea. Lord Wang explained his purpose and handed her five thousand taels of silver.

Xifeng didn't take the silver. She smiled slightly and said, "Just keep it."

The next day, Lord Wang came to the yamen and told Leng Zixing that he had agreed to let the servant go home. Leng Zixing was grateful and thanked Lord Wang again.

After some effort, Leng Zixing finally met Lai Shangrong. Upon learning his purpose, Lai Shangrong's expression became complicated, as if he had something to hide. Leng Zixing, observing this, reasoned with him, appealed to his emotions, and promised to help him out of his predicament. Ultimately, Lai Shangrong agreed to return to the capital with Leng Zixing.