The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 118 Small Buddhist Hall

Her mother's mouth was still opening and closing, but Yuan Chun's scalp felt like it was about to explode. Her eyes flashed, and she suddenly shouted, "Mother! You're drunk! How could you be so drunk?"

Wang was stunned. How could she be drunk?
She was about to say something more, but her daughter's murderous look startled her, and she dared not utter a sound.

While holding onto her mother, Yuan Chun turned to look at the maids and servants who were attending to her. Fortunately, because the mother and daughter wanted to have a private conversation, the maids and servants all moved away on their own.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and help your wife."

Yuan Chun's voice was sterner than ever before, "Mother, your daughter will escort you back to your room."

Wang: "..."

What did she say?

she says……

Wang recalled what she had said and then realized what she had said.

Although those words came from the bottom of her heart, there were too many gossipy old women in this mansion. If they were to be spread and distorted, then…

"Oh dear, I'm drunk, I'm dizzy!"

Wang knew very well that she could not afford to offend Li's in-laws.

If this gets out, not only will Li Shi not survive, but the other daughters of the Li family will also have a hard time surviving.

The Li family will never accept such slander, and they will fight them to the death.

"Quickly, fetch me a royal physician."

Did no one hear what I just said?

No, my daughter heard it.

Wang was also unable to face her daughter for a moment.

The only thing I can do is veer towards getting drunk.

It's impossible not to be misled; the look in my daughter's eyes...

Wang felt a vague sense of fear.

The daughter was taken away by the old lady when she was only three days old.

I wasn't close to her when I was little, but we only became a little closer when I was around ten years old and more sensible.

now……

Wang even started to become unsteady on her feet.

Yuan Chun could only help the old woman support her, but the more she was supported, the more she felt that her mother was making things difficult for her, as if all the force was being used to suppress her.

For a moment, she felt angry, furious, and helpless.

"Go, bring the old lady's sedan chair over first."

It's quite far from Pear Blossom Courtyard.

Yuan Chun didn't want to fall along with her mother halfway through the journey.

If it's just a mess, that's fine, but what if you fall and hurt yourself...?

She instructed the maid behind her, "Go to the main kitchen and cook some hangover soup."

"Yes!"

"Yes~"

The two maids hurriedly accepted the order and left.

Meanwhile, Jia Zhu was also worried about his mother, fearing that she would take her anger out on his sister. He hurriedly ate a few mouthfuls of rice and was about to apologize and leave when Jia Mu and Jia Min, who had already seen through his intentions, took their leave first.

Under these circumstances, Shen Ning would certainly not keep anyone.

Given Wang's condition, they'll definitely argue about it when they get home.

She personally escorted them to the side gate and watched them leave.

"Grandma, will Uncle Zhu get scolded again when he gets home?"

Jia Rong held his aunt in his arms, feeling somewhat worried for her.

"...They are a mother and son."

Shen Ning watched him skillfully hold the child and was speechless. "Do you believe that his wife will be the one who gets scolded even more?"

Jia Rong: "..."

He opened his mouth slightly, a hint of disbelief in his expression. "My aunt-in-law values ​​Uncle Zhu's imperial examination so much, and my aunt's father is the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, no matter what..."

"Then tell me, if she couldn't persuade your Uncle Zhu, why did she immediately resort to verbal threats against your Aunt Zhu?"

Shen Ning interrupted her grandson, "If you were Uncle Zhu, and your wife was wronged, what would you do?"

As she asked this question, she glanced at her eldest son, "Zhen'er, you should answer this question too."

What?
Jia Zhen, who had been expecting to see his son make a fool of himself, was suddenly stunned.

How should he answer this question?
Saying you're helping your wife?

That's impossible.

You're saying you're helping your mother?

His second aunt isn't his mother.

No, my second aunt isn't even worthy of carrying my mother's shoes.

"Don't look at your father, Rong-ge'er, you answer first."

Shen Ning glanced at Madam You, who was secretly laughing, and then asked Rong-ge'er.

She had been in this world for several months and had gradually come to understand the people and things here. She had a different opinion about Qin Keqing's "death by debauchery in Tianxiang Tower".

Qin Keqing came from a poor family but married into a wealthy family. She dared not make a single wrong step and was careful in everything she did, for fear of being talked about behind her back. How could someone with such a strong sense of self-respect, a heavy heart, and a cautious nature dare to do something improper with her father-in-law and then still be able to talk and laugh in front of her elders?

If she can't even chat and laugh, how could she possibly be the most favored among Grandmother Jia's great-granddaughters-in-law?
With her personality, if she had actually done something shameful with Jia Zhen much earlier, she wouldn't have fallen ill before Jiao Da's drunken rant; the psychological pressure would have been unbearable for her long ago.

The main perpetrators of illicit affairs in *Dream of the Red Chamber* are Jia Baoyu and Jia Zhen, both of whom have illicit feelings for Qin Keqing.

It was definitely not Qin Keqing who actively catered to him.

That's why, after Jia Zhen succeeded in taking advantage of her, she hanged herself in Tianxiang Tower.

At that time, she probably didn't have the face to see Jia Rong again, right?
She and he were childhood sweethearts, and Qin Keqing must have witnessed Jia Rong's hardships in the Ningguo Mansion. Therefore, when Qin Zhong had to drop out of school for half a year and had nowhere to go, she wanted her brother to study at the Jia family school. Instead of asking Jia Rong or Jia Zhen for help, she indirectly introduced him to Wang Xifeng and Jia Baoyu.

Sure enough, with just a word from Jia Baoyu, Qin Zhong was sent to study at the Jia family school.

If she had been with Jia Zhen back then, why would she have needed to go through so much trouble?

When Qin Keqing fell ill, Jia Rong was very concerned and even told Wang Xifeng that the illness was that she couldn't eat, and that it would be good if she could eat again.

The fact that he said this shows that he was concerned about Qin Keqing's illness and her daily diet.

Given Jia Rong's appalling behavior in Dream of the Red Chamber, it's quite remarkable that he could achieve this.

Some say that when the Jia family invited the famous doctor Zhang Youshi to treat Qin Keqing, Jia Rong asked her three life-or-death questions in a row: "Is it curable?", "Can it be cured?", and "Will it cause harm?", which was to force her to die.

But Shen Ning felt that at that time, he was showing concern for his wife as a husband.

Given his fear of his father Jia Zhen in *Dream of the Red Chamber*, and knowing that his wife and father were having an affair, it was even less likely that he would do something to anger her to death.

In fact, Qin Keqing survived the winter and spring equinox by taking Zhang Youshi's medicine, and her illness should have been cured.

That's why when the news of her death spread, there was a saying that "the whole family knew about it at the time, and everyone was surprised and had some doubts."

This explains why Qin Keqing appeared in Wang Xifeng's dream after her death, telling her to acquire more ancestral land for the sake of her descendants.

Shen Ning felt that at that time, she had already developed feelings for the Jia family because of Jia Rong.

"me?"

Rong-ge'er had no idea what his grandmother was thinking at that moment. He glanced at Madam You, who was now considered his mother, and said, "If I were Uncle Zhu," he emphasized that he was Uncle Zhu, "I would appease both of them."

"..."

Shen Ning was slightly disappointed.

Jia Zhu's behavior suggests he's trying to appease both sides.

"However, with my aunt's side, we need to use a combination of coaxing and pressure."

Jia Rong added, "Or we could ask the old lady for help. On the eldest branch's side, Aunt Lian is in charge; on the second branch, Aunt Zhu could be in charge." Shen Ning: "..."

She tried her best not to curl the corners of her mouth.

After several months in the world of Dream of the Red Chamber, Jia Rong's progress was the most surprising thing for her.

"Although Aunt Zhu is Uncle Zhu's mother, I think she is not suitable to be the head of the household. If Uncle Zhu just keeps coaxing Aunt Zhu to fulfill her duties as a daughter-in-law and to be tolerant, accommodating, respectful, and filial to her mother-in-law, the entire second branch of the family may not get along well."

Jia Rong thought that Uncle Zhu would be the first to suffer.

After all, he will be taking the imperial examination next year.

The pressure of the imperial examination was already immense, and with his aunt in that state... he even doubted whether Uncle Zhu's slender frame could withstand it.

"...Zhen'er, what do you think?"

Shen Ning couldn't suppress the upturned corners of her mouth and asked her eldest son.

She still felt she should discipline him properly.

We must not allow him to degenerate into Jia Zhen from "Dream of the Red Chamber."

“Rong-ge’er has finished saying what his son had to say.”

Jia Zhen was quite proud of his son.

Aunt Zheng is different from his mother; she's incredibly dull-witted. She's full of scheming and only knows how to appease, never to suppress… she's bound to bring disaster to the whole family.

"Mother!"

Jia Zhen smiled on the surface, but in reality he solemnly assured his mother, "Don't worry, our family is different from Uncle Zheng's family. You Shi and I are willing to listen to you. I don't need to coax her. She is more filial than I am."

Shen Ning: "..."

She glanced at Madam You.

Madam You hurried forward, smiling sweetly, "Mother, it's getting late, and you must be tired after a long day. Let me help you go back and rest!"

"……Um!"

Shen Ning patted the hand that You Shi had helped her up and said, "You've suffered. You only became my mother-in-law because of Zhen'er, and you are filial to me because of Zhen'er, but he won't even coax you with a single word."

Jia Zhen: "..."

Did he say something wrong?
His mother doted on Madam You. Of the properties confiscated from the Lai family, some belonged to Madam You and some to her sons, but none to him.

His wife isn't the kind of person who doesn't know what's good for her son; now she treats his mother like her own.

Between him and his mother, Jia Zhen had no doubt that You Shi would choose his mother.

He just told the truth.

Jia Zhen pitifully begged her son for help.

Jia Rong: "..."

His father just spoke well of his mother in front of his grandmother, didn't he?
How could Grandmother's words...

It's as if his father is just a weed by the roadside, someone his grandmother can kick at any time if she's unhappy.

Jia Rong showed a rare moment of sympathy for his father, saying, "Mother has always worked so hard for this family." He could only say, "Father, you should treat Mother better and coax her more often."

"Yes yes yes, my fault!"

Jia Zhen hurriedly bowed and greeted Madam You, smiling and coaxing, "Madam, you've worked hard. I'll massage your back and shoulders later."

"..."

Is it appropriate to say this in public?

Yu couldn't help but glare at him.

"Pfft~, that sounds more like human speech."

Shen Ning made up her mind to help Lady You discipline Jia Zhen. "Go ahead, I don't need you to serve me. You're the one who's worked the hardest today. Let Zhen'er give you a back massage and a shoulder rub."

"Grandma, I'll go recite for you and Auntie."

Jia Rong had no intention of settling their case any further, so he quickly hugged his aunt, who was grinning at him, and walked ahead.

"Hmm, what are you memorizing today?"

Shen Ning left her son and daughter-in-law behind and followed him with a smile.

While they were all getting along well, in the Pear Fragrance Courtyard of the Rongguo Mansion, the maids walked with extreme caution.

The young woman's face was terrifying.

Although no one knew what had happened, the wife immediately admitted to being drunk after she said so.

"All go out."

As soon as Yuan Chun finished speaking, the maids and servants, as if granted a pardon, quickly retreated to a distance.

As Wang was helped to bed, she knew a storm was brewing. When she slowly sat up, her eyes were already red. "I had a bit too much to drink, that's why I spoke without thinking."

She didn't want to apologize to her daughter.

But judging from her daughter's expression, if she doesn't admit her mistake, who knows what kind of trouble she'll cause?
Wang didn't want those words to be passed on to a third party.

My son is going to take the imperial examination, my daughter-in-law is not to be trifled with, and my daughter... she'll soon become a marquis's wife.

She's someone you can't afford to mess with.

“But I’m angry, angry at your sister-in-law, because our second branch of the family moved out of Rongxi Hall and looked down on me and your father.”

"Mother!"

Yuan Chun's voice turned stern again, "Your problem isn't your sister-in-law's problem at all. It's that you're still resentful about losing Rongxitang and feel like everyone owes you something. But in reality, who owes you anything?"
Rongxi Hall should have belonged to the eldest uncle.

The reason you and Dad didn't live in the master bedroom is because, as you both know, it's not proper for you to have that position.

Wang: "..."

She covered her face with a handkerchief and burst into tears.

It obviously shouldn't be like this.

But why are they all trying to shut her up with their words?
She had already moved into Rongxi Hall.

It's all the master's fault for being incompetent.

If he had any ability, he would have worked hard in the Ministry of Works instead of just drinking tea and reading newspapers. How could things have turned out like this?
"Yes, no one owes me anything."

Wang cried, tears streaming down her face. "But tell me, what am I supposed to do? Your father is useless. Even Lian'er has a better official position than him now. How can I, as his mother, have any face left? What can I do if I don't push your older brother to work harder?"

Jia Zheng was at her wit's end.

She really had no other choice but to pressure her son and daughter.

Of the entire family, she was the lowest-ranking noblewoman.

"Your eldest brother is clearly better than Lian'er, but tell me, why does your aunt favor him? If it were the person who went to Jiangnan back then..."

"Are you willing to let your elder brother go?"

Yuan Chun suddenly interrupted her, "You can't bear to part with him, you're afraid it will interfere with his studies."

She paced around the room in frustration. "It's like he just wanted to pick me up and stay overnight, but you wouldn't allow it. You think he's wasting his time."

Did her mother really love them?
Are the siblings just useful or useless to their mother?
Good children are those who can bring her honor; those who cannot...

Thinking of her younger brother Baoyu becoming increasingly timid and hesitant in front of their mother, Yuan Chun felt a pang of pain in her heart. "Mother, let's set up a small Buddhist shrine!"

what?
There is a Buddhist hall in Lixiangyuan.

Why did my daughter say that?

Looking at her daughter, Wang suddenly understood what she meant.

"you you you……"

She pointed at her daughter, her chest heaving, "Are you going to be disobedient and unfilial?"

"I wouldn't dare!"

With tears in her eyes, Yuan Chun said, "But Mother, why don't your two aunts set up a small Buddhist shrine? Why doesn't Grandmother set up a small Buddhist shrine? You know in your heart that you've done some things wrong, don't you? Since you know that, and since you're willing to repent before the Bodhisattva, why don't you offer your true heart?"

What kind of repentance is it if it's not genuine?