Red Mansion: Holding Space and Marrying Like the Sea

After meeting Jia Yucun, Lin Ruhai was very impressed, believing him to be a distinguished scholar. He then conceived the idea of hiring Jia Yucun as a tutor for his daughter, Daiyu. However, Lin Ruhai did not immediately decide, instead sharing his plan with his wife, Xifeng, and seeking her opinion.

After hearing this, Xifeng pondered for a moment, then slowly asked, "My husband, when you hire a teacher, do you only value their knowledge without getting to know their character and other aspects?"

Lin Ruhai replied, "Mr. Jia once told me that he chose to resign and retire because he disliked the hypocrisy and infighting in officialdom. I think people like him should be trusted."

Xifeng pressed the issue again, "Did you learn all this yourself, my husband? Or did you just hear his side of the story?"

Lin Ruhai thought about his wife's words and felt that they made sense. He realized that he had previously overvalued Jia Yucun's knowledge and neglected to examine his character.

"Madam, you are absolutely right. I have not been considerate enough," Lin Ruhai said. "Then, according to your opinion, what should we do?"

Xifeng suggested, "Why don't we observe him secretly for a while longer to see if Mr. Jia's character is really as he claims. At the same time, we can also ask others about his past experiences. That way, we can get a comprehensive understanding of him."

Lin Ruhai nodded in agreement and decided to act according to Xifeng's suggestion. They decided to pay more attention to Jia Yucun's words and deeds in the coming days to ensure that they found a truly suitable teacher for Daiyu.

Xifeng sighed inwardly, remembering Jia Yucun's past life as a completely heartless and ruthless man. Originally a destitute scholar, thanks to Zhen Shiyin's generous assistance, he passed the imperial examination and was appointed prefect. However, corruption and bribery led to his dismissal. Later, forced to work as Lin Daiyu's tutor, he became a financial advisor. One day, upon hearing that the imperial court was about to re-employ officials, he eagerly begged Lin Ruhai to recommend him. Lin Ruhai, unwilling to become embroiled in officialdom, yet feeling that Lin Daiyu would need someone to look after her in the capital, wrote a letter to Jia Zheng, requesting his assistance. Unaware of the situation, Jia Zheng immediately wrote a letter of recommendation to Jia Yucun, securing his reinstatement as an official. This time, Jia Yucun was a completely changed man, cunning and sophisticated, willing to sacrifice anything for his career.

During his trial of Xue Pan's murder of Feng Yuan, he knew full well that Xiangling was Zhen Yinglian, the only daughter of Zhen Shiyin. At the age of five, Xiangling was abducted while viewing lanterns during the Lantern Festival. Later, Xue Pan forced Xiangling into concubinehood and renamed her Xiangling. As the only daughter of his benefactor, Xiangling had suffered for years. To curry favor with Jia Zheng and Wang Ziteng, he deliberately distorted the facts, mitigating Xue Pan's guilt and sentencing him to exile.

Now, Xifeng couldn't let him repeat his old tricks and endanger the Lin family. So, she remained calm on the surface, but secretly sent people to investigate Jia Yucun's background. Soon, her men delivered detailed information about Jia Yucun. It turned out that after being dismissed from office, Jia Yucun had traveled extensively and made friends with many people from the underworld.

Some of these individuals possessed ulterior motives and had close ties to Jia Yucun. Xifeng's eyes flickered with cunning as she surveyed the information in her hands. She decided to use these scoundrels to teach Jia Yucun a lesson. She quietly contacted several of those with grudges against him, promising them generous rewards and urging them to act when the time was right.

A few days later, one night, Jia Yucun was attacked by a group of mysterious men on his way home. These men were highly skilled in martial arts, and Jia Yucun's guards were unable to resist them. He was seriously injured and finally escaped in disgrace.

After this attack, Jia Yucun realized that his plan had been discovered by Lin Ruhai. When he heard that Jia Min, the aunt of the Jia family, had been divorced and returned home, he knew that his opportunity had come. He traveled all the way to the capital, like a person looking for an oasis in the desert, eager to join the Jia family and seek a future.