The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 255 Threat
In the Rongguo Mansion, Grandmother Jia was always restless.

I heard early this morning that my neighbor’s niece-in-law, Madam Shen, had been summoned to the palace. In the past, when she went to the palace, she was usually rewarded, but now there is a Princess Rongguo in the palace!

Since causing trouble at the school, confiscating the Lai family's property, and demanding the return of the treasury's silver, this niece-in-law has become increasingly audacious.

But in the past, when she went crazy at home, Zhen'er was filial, and as long as it wasn't too outrageous, Grandmother Jia would turn a blind eye and let it go. But now?
The Emperor bestowed the title of Princess Rongguo upon Er Yatou, wasn't that because he wanted the Jia family to help him fight against Wohe and his ilk?

If they do a good job, that's fine, but what if they don't?
"Old lady~"

Lin Zhixiao's wife rushed in, "It's terrible! Princess Rongguo and the First Madam next door have taken people to the Huitong Hall again!"

what?
Grandmother Jia stood up abruptly, "Go quickly and call your master."

"The moment the master heard it, he went with Uncle Zhu and Uncle Zhen."

Lin Zhixiao's wife was also helpless. The reason she knew was because the second mistress had told her to keep a close eye on the head of the household. If the head of the household and the master went out together, she had to find out what they were up to immediately.

She obediently went to check.

Now, the report is being submitted...

Lin Zhixiao's wife secretly glanced at Second Madam Wang Xifeng.

Wang Xifeng nodded to her without making a sound.

That's it.

Jia Lian was not at home, but the matter of his second aunt affected the entire Jia family.

Although she was the housekeeper, she was of a lower generation, and the master would not inform her of anything.

Not to mention the situation in the Eastern Prefecture.

She could only instruct Lin Zhixiao's family to keep a close eye on Lin Zhixiao.

When the old lady asks, I won't be completely clueless.

"Then quickly send someone to the meeting hall to see how things are going over there."

Grandmother Jia was extremely anxious. "Send more people, and report back immediately if anything happens. We can't let it be like last time, where they went and never came back."

She's getting old and can't handle one thing after another.

"Yes!"

Lin Zhixiao's wife secretly glanced at the second grandmother again.

Wang Xifeng nodded quickly again.

She hurriedly went out.

Grandmother Jia sighed, "Feng'er, you should go over there quickly, and send a few more people to follow."

"Eh~"

Wang Xifeng also left in a hurry.

Grandmother Jia couldn't sit still, so she started pacing around the room.

Fortunately, Jia Zhu was more reliable this time. When he arrived at the meeting place, he found that it wasn't their family who had suffered a loss, so he immediately sent someone back.

"Old lady," the returning servant said with a beaming smile, "Master Zhu sent me back to report that Prince Wohber was slapped ten times by his entourage for speaking disrespectfully to the princess. Their two princes also witnessed it. Moreover, the accompanying officials from the Ministry of Rites even taught them how a vassal state official should perform the two-bow ceremony when meeting my Great Zhao princess."

"They...they did it?"

Grandmother Jia glanced at her daughter Jia Min and Wang Xifeng, who had rushed in, and asked her what she was most concerned about.

Jia Min, however, noticed the key phrase "vassal state minister".

"I did as instructed."

The servant nodded vigorously.

"Okay~"

It would be a lie to say she wasn't shocked, but after the initial shock, Grandmother Jia was even more alarmed.

It is said that a gentleman takes revenge even after ten years.

Those Jurchens sought revenge... but they killed people city after city.

If Er Yatou does this, unless she never goes back, and if she does go back...

"How is the eldest wife of the East Mansion?"

"The First Madam has been staying with the Princess the whole time."

"...Guards, bestow the reward!"

There was nothing to say to a servant boy, so Grandmother Jia waved her hand, told someone to give him a reward, and then dismissed him.

"Mother~"

Seeing her mother's unwell expression, Jia Min quickly helped her sit down, saying, "Sister-in-law, you know what you're doing, please don't..."

"I know she knows what she's doing, but sometimes the emperor is far away and there's no one to rely on!"

Now they need something from Da Zhao.

But even Grandmother Jia couldn't bring herself to tell Jia Wen to lower herself and try to please Wohe again.

Being a woman is difficult; being a woman caught between two countries is even more difficult.

This is why so many princesses who were sent to marry foreign rulers in history met with bad ends.

"Mother, my second sister isn't even afraid of death, so what else is there to be afraid of?"

The quick-witted Jia Min could vaguely guess what her sister-in-law and second sister were up to.

Some things become unusable once they expire.

Now that it's usable, of course we should get some of the principal back with interest.

Otherwise, it would be too pathetic.

Jia Min was advising Grandmother Jia, but Wang Xifeng, fearing something might happen to the old lady, secretly gave Ping'er a wink, telling her to quickly invite the family doctor over to be on standby.

Ever since the East Mansion hired a physician, Wang Xifeng had been secretly doing some calculations. On the surface, hiring a physician seemed like a luxury, but in reality, not to mention the entire family in the mansion, it was well worth it for the old lady alone.

As the elderly person gets older, they often have this problem or that problem, and the number of pills they take is countless.

Although the elderly person was of a high enough status to request an imperial physician, in many cases, the imperial physician would not arrive immediately upon request.

They had to prioritize the nobles in the palace.

If the old lady gets sick, she simply can't afford to wait.

Moreover, this is a crucial time for the Second Master's career and for Brother Zhu's academic examinations, so Wang Xifeng readily hired a doctor with a good reputation to serve as the family physician.

"Now that the Emperor is backing up my second sister, she doesn't dare to do what she used to do. What will she do if something happens in the future?"

Having been carried in and out of military camps by her father when she was young, Jia Min naturally possesses a strong sense of courage and determination.

However, she felt that her sister-in-law's act of showing off with her second sister was not just for a momentary whim.

She just hasn't figured it out yet.

"...Never mind, you all have your own ideas."

Grandmother Jia never imagined that in her old age she would still have to worry about her children.

This is different from what the Duke originally said.

Before the Duke passed away, he held her hand and said that he was leaving and that it would be a blessing for her and the Jia family if she could enjoy wealth and live a long and healthy life.

That was also what Grandmother Jia originally thought.

The son's generation is no longer viable; the Jia family will have to rely on the grandson's generation.

The Eastern Palace has been rejected by the royal family; it's best to live peacefully from now on.

In the Western Mansion, Zhu'er passed the imperial examination and became an official, Lian'er guarded the gate, Yuan Chun was in the palace, and Bao Yu...

Suddenly remembering Baoyu's jade, Grandmother Jia abruptly stopped all her previous fantasies.

Now, things seem better than I originally thought.

Granddaughter Yuan Chun and her husband are happily married. They haven't been able to come back recently because, like Madam You, she was pregnant before her nephew Jia Jing got into trouble.

Zhu'er has not yet taken the imperial examination, but Lian'er is already a secretary in the Imperial Treasury.

Oh well, let them do what they want!
"My heart was just a little panicked. Feng girl, go and fetch Doctor He."

She needs to take good care of herself for the sake of her grandchildren.

"Ping'er has already gone to invite her; she'll be here soon."

"...You are a good person." Grandmother Jia reclined on the couch and let the family physician examine her.

It was indeed heart palpitations; I hadn't been resting well and had been overthinking.

After the prescription was written and the medicine was brewed, the old lady had just finished drinking it when a servant rushed back with an order: "Reporting, Madam, a fast horse has arrived in the capital from the Jurchens. They say that Prince Wohe has been elected as the banner lord of the Bordered White Banner and granted a princely title. Their two young princes, together with Prince Wohe, apologized to the princess and promised that she would become the prince's principal wife. The two sons born to the princess will both be princes, and the young princess will be a Heshuo princess. They are only waiting for the princess's consent for the family to be reunited!"

"..."

"..."

A moment of silence fell over the room.

Everyone is still processing this issue.

Is Voch a prince now?

Is it because of their daughter?

Grandmother Jia was not very happy.

Second Sister married into the Wu family.

If it were just casual...

"Has the princess agreed?"

As a woman, Jia Min is even more concerned about this.

No matter how glamorous Second Sister is now, just because she didn't marry Wohe through proper matchmaking, even if Wohe clings to the powerful Zhao Kingdom and the Emperor uses him to control the region, she will still be criticized simply because she doesn't have a formal marriage certificate.

Not only would she be criticized by the Jurchens, but her three children would also be looked down upon.

Even if the daughter of the Jia family were to be married in the future, she would be the subject of gossip.

"no!"

The servant hurriedly shook his head, "Before the princess could even speak, the master, Master Zhu, and Master Zhen rushed up and beat Wohe again, saying... saying that he bullied the princess, kidnapped the princess, and now dares to talk about family reunion. They demanded that Wohe and his two little kings hand over the princess's children, saying that our family can afford to raise them."

Jia Mu: "..."

She didn't know what to say.

Actually, with the niece-in-law of the East Mansion there, one should listen to her in everything.

She'er is so stupid, she's so old, yet she still doesn't understand anything!
And what about Pearl? Why did he also act impulsively?
"They stopped fighting back?"

Jia Min asked the key question.

"Someone originally wanted to fight back."

The servant swallowed hard. "But the princess took a whip and got out of the sedan chair. She immediately lashed out at Wohe with the whip, and then their two princes stopped their men with a look."

"..."

"..."

Now even Wang Xifeng knew things were getting complicated.

With their attitude so humble, Second Aunt is likely to be impeached by the censor.

Although she and Woh did not have a marriage certificate, they had three children. If she beat Woh in the street like that, people would definitely say she was arrogant and domineering.

How good is this?
Men in this world, and even many women, may feel a little sympathy when a woman is mistreated by her husband's family, but that's about it.

It was the woman who beat the man in the street...

Just by looking at how the eldest aunt of the East Mansion is described as the most shrew in the world, you can imagine how the second aunt will be described.

"What did the First Madam of the East Mansion say?"

Jia Min sighed inwardly, then asked another question.

"The First Madam took the musket and asked the two young princes if Wohe was their nephew or brother. They said yes. Then the First Madam said it was good and said that the whole family had bullied the princess. Now that they were in the capital, it would be impolite not to return the favor. She told the master and Master Zhen to shoot at the two of them."

The servant spoke quickly, "Two other people came back with me; they went to the back street and the school to fetch people."

What?
A hint of surprise flashed in Jia Min's eyes. She said to her maid, "Quickly, summon Steward Lin. He's bullying my sister. As his younger sister, I can't just stand by and watch."

The maidservant hurried away, and she turned to Wang Xifeng, who was equally eager to try, and said, "Feng'er, also send a message to Marquis Xinping."

"Yes!"

Wang Xifeng quickly gestured for Ping'er to go.

At this moment, Grandmother Jia finally realized what was happening, "No, those two princes just let them beat them? Their guards..."

"Before their guards even stepped forward, the Imperial Guards drew their swords."

The servant replied obediently, “The First Madam of the East Mansion even fired a shot, killing a guard, saying she wanted to use more people and martial arts skills to bully the princess of Da Zhao and the Jia family in the capital. She has miscalculated.”

"and after?"

The old lady was concerned.

"The younger one has been sent back to deliver the message."

This?
Everyone panicked.

"Go, arrange a carriage, let's go take a look."

Grandmother Jia finally couldn't hold back any longer.

By this time, the two princes over there probably wouldn't dare to send their guards to make a move anymore.

Now, the Jia family's daughter has been bullied, and the Jia family is now seeking revenge on the man.

This is not a big deal.

It is common among the common people.

Even within the families of the powerful and wealthy, two similar incidents occurred two years ago.

The daughter of the Minister of Justice married the son of the Minister of Works. However, the couple had a falling out, and the woman took her dowry to go home. The man blocked her way, and after a scuffle in the street, the relatives of both families were alerted, and the two families started fighting in the street, injuring several people. In the end, the young couple reconciled.

At this moment, the niece-in-law alarmed the entire clan, ultimately to support Er Yatou.

She should ask the man for more things and more security.

Grandmother Jia believed that after the Russians attacked that side, all the royal families there must have transferred their wealth to Da Zhao.

They've done this before.

It was his nephew, Jia Jing, who found out.

He was in charge of the Beijing Garrison for his brother-in-law. During that time, he noticed that there were a lot of merchant caravans coming from outside the Great Wall. Following the clues, he earned more than three million taels of silver for the Emperor Emeritus and the Crown Prince.

Later, Grandmother Jia became curious: with war raging on both sides, how could those people have been transporting their wealth to this side?

Jing'er said, "If we don't ship it here, are we supposed to ship it to the grasslands?"
Even if you have a lot of money over there, it's useless if you can't spend it.

Only here, for those people, is the real world of pleasure and excitement.

Even if you lose, you can hide here under an assumed name and still live a good life.

Grandmother Jia was slightly agitated.

She wasn't after Jia Wen's future gains; she just wanted to know how much the Shen family could extract from those people.

At this moment, those who had heard that the two sides were fighting assumed that Shen Ning wanted money or valuables, or that the Jia family wanted money or valuables. Even Suo Jin and Tie Bao thought that the Jia family wanted to make a fortune through Jia Wen.

When faced with Shen Ning, who was armed, the two men did not dare to fight back against Jia She and the others. They only tried their best to protect their vital organs and apologized profusely.

They have often suffered this kind of situation over the years, being implicated because of their brothers.

Now that the Qing Dynasty has declined and is no longer what it was when it was founded, the various tribes of the grasslands that once intermarried with them have also stood tall.

Therefore, the two apologized very quickly.

When the Jia family arrived, even the elderly Suo Jin had a black eye.

But in reality, what hurt him and Tiebao even more were the many places on their bodies that were difficult to talk about.

For example, the breasts, or the armpits, um~
Tie Bao's eyes were blazing with fury; he wished he could kick his brother, who was lying there groaning in pain, to death.

He was prepared for the Jia family to make exorbitant demands, but he wasn't prepared to be beaten so badly himself!

Jia She, Jia Zhen...

Tie Bao gritted his teeth.

Of course, if looks could kill, Jia Zhu would be dead by now.

This so-called weak scholar bastard had something hidden in his arm; it hurt terribly when it hit him.