The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 124 Clan Rules
Peace and separation?

Madam Wang was originally fond of watching the drama unfold, but a divorce... was absolutely out of the question.

"How can we get a divorce?"

She immediately became anxious, "If Sister Wen gets a divorce, what will happen to Yuan Chun and the others?"

Her Yuan Chun is getting married soon!

"So many girls in the tribe will be affected."

Lady Wang looked at Grandmother Jia and Jia Zheng, pleading, "Grandmother, our Yuan Chun is about to marry the Marquis of Xinping. If her aunt divorces and returns home, then Old Madam Cheng will definitely complain, and then..."

"What's the point of your mouth?"

Before Grandmother Jia could speak, Shen Ning interrupted coldly, "If you can't speak properly, where are your hands? My daughter's divorce has nothing to do with the Cheng family. Does she want to interfere in my family's affairs? Wang Shi..." Her voice turned sharp, "Do you want Yuan Chun to follow in Princess Baofeng's footsteps?"

Wang: "..."

She didn't know what she had said wrong.

But it's too much for her sister-in-law to frame her like this.

“Sister-in-law,” her voice turned shrill, “your daughter is still young, so you may not be afraid, but do you really not know how profound the impact of divorced women on the girls in the clan is?”

How deep?

Shen Ning stood up abruptly. "You mean to say that it will make those families who were originally interested in our girl back down? Then let me ask you, why would they back down? Is it because they think our child is of bad character?"

She smashed the cup in her hand with a 'smack'.

"What kind of character our children have, others don't know, and neither do you. So far, the East Mansion only has one daughter, Yue'er, who hasn't been married yet, but the West Mansion has one. Not to mention the earlier ones, I only ask you, where are my eldest sister and second sister?"

This world is too harsh on women.

In the Dream of the Red Chamber, of the three men in the Jia family, two of them had lost their first wives.

Of Jia Min's four daughters who married out, not one remained; they all died.

Are they really so physically weak that they could die from a single illness?
If that's the case, why didn't they die while they were at their parents' home?
Mother-in-law, husband, concubine, household affairs... no matter how big or small, trivial, everything weighs on their shoulders.

Even Princess Baofeng, whose status was high enough, wasn't she?
But she couldn't stop her in-laws from having impure intentions.

“If our precious daughter is only to be tormented to death by her husband’s family after marriage, what’s the point of having her? We might as well drown her as soon as she’s born.”

"..."

"..."

You could hear a pin drop in the room.

Even Grandmother Jia subconsciously softened her breathing.

There was nothing she could do; the two who died were also considered her daughters.

"Now you're going to let Wen's sister be bullied again..."

"I do not have."

Wang's voice weakened, but she still tried to argue, "My eldest sister and second sister both died of illness, as for Wen..."

She wanted to say it was different, but then she suddenly remembered that Jia Wen was sick and no one had called a doctor for her.

Even when Brother Bai begged, it was no use.

"Why don't you speak?"

Shen Ning stared at Wang Shi, "If you get sick and your family doesn't call a doctor for you, and you're forced to tough it out, how many times can you endure it?"

Yingchun was killed by that Zhongshan wolf.

All she wanted was a peaceful life.

Who gave it to her?

"Those families that torment their wives and are afraid of trouble from their own families, you'd better get the hell away from me, or I'll wipe out their entire family if I see one."

The children weren't stupid, Shen Ning knew they were all eavesdropping outside, so she simply opened the door. Sure enough, Tan Chun and Dai Yu's little heads were right there by the door.

She ignored the two of them and stared at Yuan Chun, who stood in the courtyard with a serious face. "Yuan Chun, I'm asking you, are you afraid that your Aunt Wen will affect your marriage with the Marquis of Xinping?"

"Not afraid!"

Yuan Chun shook her head and knelt down, "Please, Auntie, do justice for Aunt Wen. If she is alive, help her get a divorce and return home. Bring Cousin Mei and Cousin Bai back to our home. Even if she is dead... let her return home and not suffer the humiliation of the Min family."

"Please, Auntie, do me a favor for Aunt Wen!"

Yingchun and Tanchun, being daughters of concubines, were more sensitive. Seeing their elder sister in such a state, they were no longer afraid and knelt down as well.

When they kneel down, how can Baoyu, Daiyu, and Chang'an withstand it?
Almost simultaneously, they knelt down, pleading, "Please, my maternal aunt, do justice for Aunt Wen!"

"see it?"

Shen Ning turned to look at Madam Wang, "My Jia family's daughters are not to be bullied by others. If they are, it only means that the men of my Jia family are useless and the head of the family is incompetent."

Wang: "..."

Jia She: "..."

Jia Zheng: "..."

Shen Ning's eyes swept over the three of them before turning back to the courtyard. "You all remember this too. I raised you up not so you could be pushovers in your husband's family, to be easily manipulated by others."

Baoyu…

She called on someone on the spot, "Auntie is asking you, when your grandfather was alive, why didn't Min Tai dare to treat your Aunt Wen like that?"

Baoyu: "..."

He doesn't know!

All he knew was that his grandfather was incredibly powerful.

“Auntie will tell you why. It’s because your grandfather is a great hero. Because your grandfather’s words and glances can determine the life and death of the Min family.”

If Jia Wen or her children want to live well after moving to the capital, they need at least the old lady's support.

Shen Ning simply brought up the Duke, whom the old lady had talked about all her life, saying, "Your grandfather is gone, and there is no one in the Jia family who can keep him in check. So your eldest and second aunts passed away one after another after your grandfather's death. Your third aunt will be trapped in the inner quarters. If it weren't for Bai Ge'er risking his life to return to the capital, she would have been murdered like your first two aunts, and we wouldn't even know it."

Jia Baoyu: "..."

The thought that it was his aunt, and that they had died so pitifully, brought tears to the little guy's eyes.

Yuan Chun and others were also deeply saddened.

Even Grandmother Jia, who was inside the room, couldn't help but tear up.

"Auntie..."

Shen Ning turned to look at Grandmother Jia, "Our daughters will get married, and other people's children will marry into our family. Putting ourselves in their shoes, Jia family men over thirty without children should only be allowed to take concubines!"

what?
Jia She and Jia Zheng, who both had concubines and maids, were stunned.

Jia Zhen and Jia Lian, who had just entered the courtyard, also stopped in their tracks.

“We must investigate the matter concerning the three younger sisters, but while investigating others, the Jia family should also restrain its own members.”

The Jia family did not value their illegitimate sons.

Otherwise, Jia Huan wouldn't have grown up to look like that.

Few people would know about Jia Cong.

Shen Ning ignored the group of stunned people and said, "Yuan Chun, take your younger siblings out."

"……Yes!"

Yuan Chun knew that her aunt would likely try to restrain her uncle and father, and that it was indeed not appropriate for her and her younger siblings to hear about their affairs.

She hurriedly took a group of children out, not even sparing Brother Bai.

“Zhen’er, Lian’er…”

Shen Ning looked at the two brothers who had just entered and asked, "Do you think it's acceptable to include a Jia family man who is over thirty and has no children before taking a concubine in the family genealogy?"

This?
Jia Zhen couldn't help but glance at You Shi.

Because his family restricted his meals, he went over every day to share a table with her, and he found that Mrs. You was quite nice.

"My son thinks it's okay!"

When he bowed and agreed, Madam You's eyes lit up considerably.

Wang Xifeng stared longingly at Jia Lian.

Jia Lian was deeply in love with his wife, how could he bear to disappoint her?
My nephew also thinks it's 'okay'.

Jia Lian had always looked down on his father, who had two concubines, which is why he preferred his second uncle, who only had two concubines.

He was still young and unaware that he, too, was a lustful ghost in the Dream of the Red Chamber.

Little did he know that this decision was made by Shen Ning for him and Jia Zhen and his son.

"Brother She, Brother Zheng, what are your thoughts?"

"cough~"

Jia She knew that his sister-in-law mainly wanted to ask him, so he cleared his throat a little embarrassed and said, "Very well, write it into the family genealogy!"

He was willing to spend his life with Zhang.

But after she left, he... became much more indulgent.

"Can!"

Jia Zheng, noticing his sister-in-law's gaze, nodded solemnly and said, "Of all virtues, filial piety is the most important; of all vices, lust is the root." He had always considered himself a virtuous gentleman. "Let's not dwell on the past, but from now on..."

Anyway, he only had two concubines.

But it's the eldest brother...

Having finally managed to turn the tide, Jia Zheng was willing to impose the harshest punishment: "Anyone who violates this rule again shall kneel in the ancestral hall for three months, copy the clan rules a hundred times, and be whipped... thirty times."

"..."

Jia She couldn't help but glance at his younger brother.

Jia Zheng kept his eyes straight ahead.

"Auntie!" Shen Ning looked at the old lady, "What do you think?"

Jia Mu: "..."

Her son and grandson both agreed, so what else could she possibly think?
"Very good!"

The old lady nodded and said, "It's this thirty lashes..."

"You also think it's too little, right?"

After finishing the letter, Jia Min, who was walking this way, couldn't help but smile when she heard her sister-in-law misinterpret her mother's meaning.

In her opinion, her eldest and second eldest brothers are getting older and should take care of their health.

Compared to Zhu'er and Lian'er, they've already gotten a great deal. She'd really had enough of that mother-in-law sending her son a concubine.

But my mother just loves doing this.

Both Yingchun's mother and Tanchun's mother were given to her by their mother.

Although they were all quite dutiful and didn't rush to have children before the mistress, well... let's not even mention the second sister-in-law, but how much resentment did the eldest sister-in-law cause back then?

Jia Min lived that kind of life, having to bear the pressure from her mother-in-law while also enduring heartbreak and comforting her husband. It was incredibly difficult back then.

Shen Ning seemed not to notice the twitching at the corner of the old lady's mouth. "Thirty lashes, if the servants were to be a little gentler, they might only get a scratch. It might look a bit terrible, but in fact, it would heal in less than a month."

But since this clan rule has been established, if the punishment is only this light, what kind of punishment is it?

"You...you want to increase it to forty lashes?"

The old lady still felt sorry for her son and grandson.

After all, she has many sons and grandsons.

However, in the East family, there have been only sons for three generations.

Even if Madam Shen were to feel sorry for them, she would only feel sorry for two.

"Fifty lashes!"

Shen Ning ruthlessly added ten more lashes, "and all the men of the clan in the same city must be present when the execution is carried out."

"..."

"..."

It's too cruel.

Jia Zhen secretly swallowed.

"In addition, concubines and maids were among them."

Shen Ning added, "If someone does something like not taking concubines and only taking maids... the same applies."

At the scene, Jia Zheng stood ramrod straight and was the first to agree, "Agreed!"

"..."

Jia She glanced at his younger brother again, and nodded when his sister-in-law looked at him, "There is actually not much difference between a concubine and a maidservant; they are naturally all included in this category."

In his eyes, the difference was negligible, but he didn't know that in the mind of the little maid below, the difference was much greater.

A concubine without a title or status would at most receive a monthly allowance of one tael of silver, equivalent to that of a head maid.

But concubines are different. Not only do they receive two taels of silver a month, but they are also provided with servants and maids. Even if they don't have a courtyard, they will have their own room.

"Alright, then fifty lashes it is."

Anyway, it wasn't her who got hit.

The old lady was speechless at her two sons.

He was also speechless about his grandson Jia Lian. The child thought Feng'er was perfect in every way, but even the tongue and teeth sometimes clash. Who could say what would happen in the future?

However, the most pitiful one will be Baoyu, who knows nothing about what will happen to him after his decision is made.

"old lady……"

Wang did not want to agree.

She has two sons.

"Sister-in-law!" After calling out to the old lady, she called out to Shen Ning, saying, "Wealthy families give their children one or two concubines, to prevent them from being seduced by outsiders after they learn about human affairs. Even the imperial family has aunts who teach women about human affairs. Even old farmers outside who have harvested two extra bushels of grain want to buy another wife. Our family..."

"shut up!"

This time, Shen Ning didn't need to tell her to shut up.

Jia Zheng was the first to speak up, "What do you mean by being fooled by outsiders? When the children went out, were they alone? Only those who are not upright can be easily deceived. You must never say such a thing again."

Wang: "..."

Looking at this upright-looking man, she felt incredibly aggrieved.

"Second brother is right."

Shen Ning smiled, a rare occurrence. "If a good child can be easily fooled, he's either mentally challenged, an idiot, or... his parents are just failing in their upbringing. In that case, he should be removed from the family tree."

"..."

"..."

Silence fell over the room once again.

Removing someone from a family tree is no joke.

From now on, we really need to keep an eye on these kids.

"No objections?"

Shen Ning looked at her eldest son, "Since no one has any objections, Zhen'er, you should write it down."

"Yes!"

Jia Zhen readily agreed.

Anyway, his son Rong-ge'er isn't stupid.

"Perfect timing, my letter is finished too."

Jia Min stepped forward at the opportune moment, saying, "Lian'er, go and send it out quickly!"

what?
Jia Lian quickly took it, "Yes!"

He received the letter and saw that it was addressed to Madam Liu, the wife of Governor Zhang. His heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly went out.

“Min-meimei has come at the right time. As for Wen-meimei, regardless of whether she is alive or dead, the family will definitely help her get a divorce. But what about the deceased eldest and second sisters…”

"Same!"

Jia Min said, "However Third Sister is dealt with, the same way Eldest and Second Sisters will be dealt with. If there's no place to bury them in the Jia family ancestral graves, I..."

Shen Ning interrupted, "If Uncle knew that his beloved daughter was being bullied like this after he left, he would definitely be willing for his daughter to come home. As long as he has something to drink, he won't let his older and younger sisters go hungry."

At this point, she turned to Jia Zhen and asked, "Zhen'er, when we pay respects to our ancestors, will you be reluctant to part with the incense and candles of your two aunts?"

"Don't dare!"

How could Jia Zhen dare to object?
Besides, he has a younger sister now.

The little girl can already chat with him by saying "ah ah".

He didn't hold Rong Ge'er much when he was little, and he didn't know how to hold him back then, but he would hold Xiao Yue'er every time she went to her mother's place.

The little girl is lovely and adorable.

She was her grandfather's beloved granddaughter, and her parents' long-cherished little daughter.

Her mother suffered so much pain during childbirth, and he was seriously injured. He was in so much pain that he didn't dare to cry out, for fear that something might happen to his mother and her.

Their precious little girl, whom they cherish so much, would be mistreated after marriage...

Just thinking about Jia Zhen is unbearable.

“Since she is my aunt, she is naturally Rong-ge’er’s great-aunt. She is our own blood relative, so why can’t she enjoy the incense offerings from my family?”

His ancestors were all heroes, and the wealth they earned with their lives was naturally shared by their descendants.

"My son will have someone check on my eldest and second aunts as soon as he gets back."

He is the clan chief.

Jia Zhen looked at Jia She and Jia Zheng, "Uncle She, Uncle Zheng, would you like to come along?"

"nature!"

It's rare for the two brothers to speak in unison.

Madam Wang did not object to this matter.

She remembered that the eldest son had no children. If they divorced... then even if she donated the dowry she brought with her, it would still be a meritorious act for the Jia family.

Madam Wang remembered what her daughter Yuan Chun had said about the Buddhist hall yesterday.

She also earnestly hoped to do something meritorious to prove something to the Bodhisattva.

There are some things she has no choice but to do.

If the Jia family had a family rule that a woman could only take a concubine if she had no children by the age of thirty, there would be no Aunt Zhou.

Without Aunt Zhou, she wouldn't have done such a thing.

Without Aunt Zhou, there would naturally be no Aunt Zhao.

There were no outsiders between them, and the family was harmonious. How could she possibly dirty her hands?

They forced everything into this situation.

When she gave birth to one child, the old lady took the baby away. When she gave birth to two, and then three, the old lady took them all.

Madam Wang felt bitter.

In this life, there are three people she envies the most.

The deceased sister-in-law, Zhang, was one example. No matter how outrageous her brother-in-law had been all these years, at least when his sister-in-law was alive, even if his mother-in-law sent a woman to her, he would first pledge his loyalty to his sister-in-law.

Not to mention Brother Jing from the East Mansion, who devoted his entire life to his sister-in-law, Madam Shen.

When he got old, someone had a child for him, but they still didn't trust him to stay in the Taoist temple, so they took all his private savings.

It's hateful that Brother Jing, though he doesn't say anything, shows his loyalty through his actions. Even when he's so poor he has to carry manure, he still gives him every last bit.

In this respect, Jia Zheng is not even worthy of carrying someone else's shoes.

And then there's my sister-in-law, Jia Min...

Although it was difficult to have children in the past, now she has both a son and a daughter, and they are both by her side.

Only her...

Her eldest son and daughter did not grow up by her side and are not close to her.

They were practically saying, "Mom, you're wrong."

The youngest son, Baoyu... was also closer to the old lady.

"Then it's settled. Brother She, take Lin Zhixiao and Xing'er to Yansui first, settle Wen's matter, and bring Mei'er back. The Min family... don't even think about taking advantage of the Jia family. The two children have the blood of the Jia family. If the Min family doesn't pay child support, then we'll change their surname."

what?
"Yes!"

Jia She agreed.

Originally, this matter should have been handled by Lian'er, but now that he has become an official, the position of the Armory Directorate is more important than his position as a first-class general.

It's not convenient for Zhen'er either, as he's the clan chief. Besides, Wen is his sister, and it's only right for him, as her elder brother, to step in.