The head of the Red Mansion

In the Pear Fragrance Courtyard, Jia Zheng, holding a book, had a gloomy expression.

King Hui of Liang said, “I have done my utmost for the country, nothing more. If there is famine in the Yellow River region, I will move its people to the east of the Yellow River, and move its grain to the east of the Yellow River… to the east of the Yellow River…”

Baoyu stumbled as he recited what he had just learned that day.

But his father's expression made him increasingly frightened and nervous.

The more he tried to memorize it, the less he could. His mind slowly went blank and fragmented, until finally, only fear remained. "Son, son doesn't remember."

Baoyu immediately knelt down, "Please punish me, Father!"

"Punishment? You really think I wouldn't dare hit you, huh?"

Jia Zheng was furious.

Although the wound on his buttocks has mostly healed, only those who have suffered it know the pain. Even now, he cannot walk with a brisk pace.

Even a slight chill can cause soreness and dull pain in two areas of my buttocks.

The imperial physician said this was a sign that the injury had been too severe, and he would need to recuperate.

As a last resort, Aunt Zhou had to make sure that the area around Jia Zheng's buttocks was covered with extra padding.

Even the blankets are included.

Even though he suffered so much, his mother didn't say much about it.

During their several meetings, he was asked to be more lenient with Baoyu, saying that he was just a child and that his studies were already quite good.

But was that Baoyu's own achievement?
If it weren't for his constant encouragement, the child would still be inconsistent in his efforts.

Where is my ruler?

Jia Zheng quickly noticed that Aunt Zhou looked guilty.

"Master!" Aunt Zhou said cautiously, "Baoyu is still young. Even if you want to hit him, you must think of the old lady!"

But it would have been better if the old lady hadn't been mentioned; the moment she was, Jia Zheng's beard would practically fly up in anger.

"Go away!"

He kicked her away and snatched the ruler from her hand.

"Master!" Aunt Zhou said sadly, "Madam is worried too."

Mrs?

Wang family?

Jia Zheng's anger surged from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and without the slightest hesitation, he roared at Bao Yu, "Raise your hands!"

Baoyu burst into tears, but still obediently raised his little hand.

slap~
The child shuddered when the ruler struck.

She cried even more bitterly.

Hearing her son's cries from the nearby small Buddhist shrine, Wang paused in striking the wooden fish.

She knew that Jia Zheng wasn't actually scolding Baoyu every day, but rather her.

He didn't want to hit Baoyu, he wanted to hit her.

Even after scolding Baoyu every day, he would then have Baoyu come to see her, which was actually a way of showing off to her.

ho~
Wang looked up at the compassionate face of Guanyin Bodhisattva, quickly calmed down, and continued to strike her wooden fish.

Go ahead and curse and hit me!

The more she scolds and beats him, the more Baoyu will gravitate towards her.

Wang was waiting for Baoyu to come over in a little while, so she could have a good cry with him inside the door.

She had given up on her eldest son and daughter.

This youngest son...

Even if it's a waste of her potential, she still wants to hold onto as many as possible.

In the study, Jia Zheng was still wielding his ruler.

Baoyu's mournful cries had already reached outside Pear Fragrance Courtyard.

Aunt Zhao, who was pulling Jia Huan this way, was so frightened that her face changed color.

Jia Huan absolutely refused to go forward again.

"Back, back~"

He could speak fluently, but his eyes were filled with terror.

"Okay, okay, don't be afraid, we'll go back right away."

Aunt Zhao quickly picked up Jia Huan and walked back.

Fortunately, the master found another small courtyard for us, otherwise...

Aunt Zhao walked away quickly, but she could hide; Li Wan, however, could not.

Although this daily routine had numbed her, today...

Li Wan paced anxiously around the room.

As a daughter-in-law, she couldn't snatch her brother-in-law from her furious father-in-law, but she couldn't just stand by and watch either!

Putting aside the fact that she usually addresses Baoyu as "sister-in-law," even just considering Jia Zhu and Yuan Chun's feelings, she couldn't let her father-in-law beat Baoyu.

"Quickly!" she said to her maid, Suyun, "Go out through the side door and then run back in to tell her that the old lady is calling for Baoyu."

The old lady knew that Baoyu had been beaten, but she would only help them cover up the lie.

Moreover, the father-in-law most likely wouldn't dare to ask.

Su Yun hurriedly tried to sneak towards the side door, but Qing Ping, who had just entered, spotted her immediately.

She heard Baoyu crying, of course, which is why she came in rather hastily.

"Suyun, is Baoyu home?"

The question was directed at Suyun, but her eyes were fixed on the study. "Oh dear, what's going on?"

"So it's Sister Qingping."

Hearing her voice, Li Wan hurriedly came out, "Are you looking for Baoyu?"

"Yes, our wife invites you."

Both of them were speaking loudly, so Jia Zheng naturally heard them.

He had nowhere to shrink himself.

She could only grab Baoyu's arm, pull him out, and throw him to the ground. "You wretched child, what have you done now that made your aunt come looking for you?"

"Wah wah~, wah wah ah~~~"

When Baoyu fell, he instinctively braced himself with his arm. Fortunately, his winter sleeves were thick, and being small, he didn't get seriously injured. However, this bracing caused his already swollen hand to scrape against the ground, drawing blood.

"Baoyu!"

"Baoyu..."

Qingping and Li Wan hurried over.

"What is the Second Master doing?"

Qingping was furious.

The second master was already beating Baoyu, and now he's using his wife's name to throw Baoyu again. He's clearly making a fuss over nothing. "Can't our wife call Baoyu because she's happy to hear him being praised by his teacher and is inviting him for some snacks?"

Jia Zheng: "..."

His face flushed red on the spot. "Are you talking to me? Is this how your sister-in-law lets you talk to me?"

"Master, Master, please calm down!"

Aunt Zhou hurried over to comfort her, "What does this have to do with the First Madam of Guandong Mansion? It has nothing to do with Miss Qingping. You're angry with Baoyu, but you can't take it out on others!"

She was practically saying, "Don't make a big fuss, or he'll be the one who suffers."

Jia Zheng felt the impact of Aunt Zhou's bump on his buttocks, but he managed to hold back and only scolded Baoyu: "You brat, what are you crying about for such a small injury? Your mother isn't dead yet."

"Uh~"

Baoyu was startled, hiccuped, but managed to hold back his tears.

But the terror in his eyes and the slight trembling of his body made it clear to anyone how scared he was!
"Master, please don't frighten Baoyu."

Aunt Zhou tried to reassure him again, "He actually memorized his lessons quite well today. Since the First Madam of the East Mansion wants to see him, then..."

"When you get to the East Mansion, behave yourself."

Jia Zheng readily agreed, saying, "Li, apply some medicine to him and take him there."

"Yes!"

Li Wan hurriedly carried Baoyu away, and Qingping, helpless, bowed and quickly followed.

"It's over now, I'm not afraid anymore!"

Li Wan comforted Baoyu, "Let me apply some medicine for you, and then we'll go to the East Mansion."

"Woo~~"

Baoyu didn't dare to cry loudly, but he was really scared, wronged, and in pain.

After a while, Shen Ning saw the child whose eyes were swollen from crying.

"What's going on?"

"I was reciting texts to the master, but I didn't meet his requirements, so I was beaten." Li Wan dared not hide anything and could only tell the truth.

"..."

Shen Ning pulled Bao Yu over, looked at his swollen hand, and couldn't help but sigh, "When you go to school in the future, pay close attention in class."

"Auntie~"

Baoyu burst into tears, "Waaah! I studied hard in class, and the teacher praised me, but Master still wants to beat me. Waaah~~ Waaah~~~~"

He may be young, but he's not stupid.

The master just wanted to beat him.

I want to curse him whenever I see him.

Whether he does well or poorly, the result is the same.

"I get scolded by my husband every day. I don't want to go home anymore. Aunt, can I be with you?"

Shen Ning: "..."

At this time, Baoyu was only six years old. Even in modern times, a six-year-old child can be held in the arms of their parents.

She gently hugged him. "Sweetheart, you can come to the East Mansion anytime, but are you willing to leave Grandma behind?"

"Woo~~~"

Baoyu was heartbroken.

He couldn't bear to part with the old lady.

Because he was scolded by the master, he told the old lady several times. Each time, the old lady would hold him in her arms and then have the maid scold the master.

But even though the old lady scolded him, the master never stopped.

"Aunt, why is my husband treating me like this? He doesn't like me, so why does he keep calling me over every day?"

Baoyu cried uncontrollably, "I never want to go there again! If he catches me again, just kill me!"

Shen Ning: "..."

Although I knew that the couple were despicable, I never expected them to take out all their anger on Baoyu.

She hugged him, who was trembling with sobs, and said seriously, "Go and ask Manager Chen to brew another calming soup."

The maids hurriedly asked for help, and some prepared the medicine.

"Baoyu, don't cry. Your aunt will find out the truth. If your father is at fault, your aunt will go and find him for you."

While comforting Baoyu, Shen Ning asked Li Wan, "What does your master ask Baoyu every day?"

"homework!"

Li Wan was also helpless. "Every day after school, Baoyu goes to his master's place to recite his lessons and practice calligraphy. The teacher has been praising him a lot lately, and his brother also praised him when he came back last time, but his master is never satisfied. Baoyu gets scolded every day, but he gets beaten... This is the first time."

"no!"

Baoyu cried, “Last time it was Mingyan who took the beating for me, the time before that it was Li Gui, and the time before that it was Moyu and Chuyao…”

Originally, he had many people around him, such as Saohua, Tiaoyun, and Banhe, but they all asked to leave.

Baoyu didn't know what he had done wrong.

The master and mistress, including the old lady, are not as fond of him as before.

The maids and servants in the house all acted according to the mood of the master and mistress.

Even if the old lady wanted to protect him, sometimes she was powerless to do so.

"Aunt, Moyu and Chuyao are leaving too. They don't want me anymore." Baoyu's eyes were blurry with tears. "Did Master and Madam also stop wanting me a long time ago?"

Who said they don't want you anymore?

Shen Ning had no idea what this was about. "I remember the boy who used to follow you was called Shuang Rui. Your uncle sent him here to learn martial arts from Jiao Da. When you grow up, they will have mastered their skills and will definitely follow you too."

"really?"

"Of course!"

Shen Ning wiped away his tears, "Look at the old lady, your uncle, your older brother, your sisters, don't they still like you as much as before?"

Baoyu: "..."

seems like it.

"Because your master was bad, he was locked in the ancestral hall and beaten. Because your wife did something wrong, she was locked in the small Buddhist shrine. Although they are adults, being an adult does not mean that they will not say or do wrong things."

Children's mental health is very important.

Shen Ning didn't want the couple to mislead him. "They made you feel wronged, that's their fault. Your aunt will go find the old lady in a little while and ask her to stand up for you, okay?"

"...Will the old lady punish the master and mistress again?"

Baoyu was a little scared again.

The old lady alone only knows how to scold the old man.

But if my aunt goes to see the old lady, then... it might be more than just scolding.

Baoyu still remembers how pitiful his parents were after his aunt visited several times.

"You can't bear to see them punished?"

Shen Ning looked into the child's eyes and asked.

"Yes... a little."

"..."

Shen Ning touched his little face and sighed softly, "Then let's not punish him. How about we go and have a calm chat?"

"……it is good!"

The master was afraid of his eldest aunt.

Baoyu still hoped that his aunt could help him keep an eye on his father and stop him from taking his anger out on him.

"good!"

Shen Ning straightened the little guy's clothes and happened to see the magical jade tucked into his collar. She paused for a moment and then slowly covered it back up. "Are you going to wait for Manager Chen to examine your hand here with your aunt, or go back to the old lady's place to have your hand examined?"

"I'm with my aunt."

Baoyu doesn't want to go home for the time being.

"Okay, then stay here."

Shen Ning stood up. "Madam You, you sit here with your sister-in-law for a while. I'll be right back."

"Yes!"

Ms. You readily agreed.

Feeling uneasy, Li Wan quickly stood up, "Aunt, I..."

"You stay here too."

Given Jia Zheng's temperament—he's only a bully at home—if Li Wan had seen him make a fool of himself today, so be it. But if she had the chance, she would definitely use her status to teach him a lesson.

Shen Ning didn't want to drag her down any longer, so she left after saying that.

We really can't ignore it.

The old lady was reluctant to discipline her second son, but if Jia Zheng continued like this, he would really ruin Baoyu.

How old is this child?

Normal education may not produce outstanding talents, but at least it will make you a normal person.

But if Jia Zheng takes his anger out on his children, it could easily drive them to become abnormal.

And this child... isn't a normal child.

What if he unlocks some past life power while he's in a perverted state...?

Shen Ning shook her head, clearing her mind of her wild thoughts.

She is partly to blame for Baoyu's current predicament, so she has to take responsibility for it.

At this moment, Jia Zheng was also worried.

The eldest sister-in-law of the Eastern Mansion is truly the most shrewish woman in the Great Zhao Dynasty. She even dared to hit the Princess Consort of Jin, so let's give him a good beating too...

I acted impulsively today!

When that maid named Qingping went back, I wonder if she embellished the story.

If they exaggerate or embellish the story, his sister-in-law, who has always disliked him, might come running over immediately.

How to do?
Jia Zheng carefully recalled the words he had used to scold Baoyu.

Yes, yes, he was the one who scolded Baoyu.

There are so many people in the courtyard; they can all vouch for him.

"master!"

Aunt Zhou rushed in, "Something terrible has happened! The First Madam of the East Mansion has arrived."

what?
Jia Zheng's expression changed drastically. "Where...where is he? Quickly...please come in!"

"She went to find the old lady."

what?
Jia Zheng sat down with a thud, and because he didn't pull back, the old injury on his buttocks caused his face to contort.

Seeing him like this, Aunt Zhou's lips unconsciously curled up slightly, but her expression and voice seemed to show genuine concern for him, "Please be gentle, okay? Does it hurt?" (End of Chapter)