The head of the Red Mansion

In Pear Fragrance Courtyard, Grandmother Jia saw her eldest grandson's nearly half-white hair and forced herself to walk up to him. "Pearl, my Pearl, how did you become like this?"

The old lady wept bitterly.

"Grandma, I'm almost there, I'm almost there."

With his frail body, Jia Zhu tried his best to support his grandmother, afraid that she would fall. "I will definitely get better, don't be sad."

"What terrible things have I done?!"

Grandmother Jia wept uncontrollably.

Her eldest grandson was raised by her side since he was a baby. At that time, the Duke no longer went out to fight. Every day when he came home, his favorite thing to do was to listen to his eldest grandson read.

In his youth, he was either fighting wars or accompanying the retired emperor on his travels.

She was busy managing the household, serving her mother-in-law, and doting on Zheng'er and Min'er, while also getting angry at her mother-in-law and She'er.

When she finally stopped being busy, and the Duke was also less busy, Zhu'er came to her side.

The couple raised him together.

Pearl is like this now...

Grandmother Jia was heartbroken.

In those years, her eldest son was useless and her second son accomplished nothing. Not only could the East Mansion not be relied upon, but they also had to rely on this side for support. She had no choice but to constantly remind Zhu'er to study hard.

This child... is just too sensible!

"Grandmother, it's your grandson, it's your grandson who's wrong."

Jia Zhu didn't understand what he could do to make things better.

He studied very hard.

Let's not even talk about the eldest brother Hu who died young. Actually, in terms of intelligence, he wasn't any better than the second brother Lian. It was just that the second brother Lian loved to play and didn't like to study, which made him stand out.

At the Imperial College, he met many geniuses.

Those people not only had a talent for studying, but they also worked just as hard as him.

Jia Zhu forced herself not to fall behind others.

He dared not fall too far behind. The Chancellor of the Imperial Academy was his father-in-law. If he, as the son-in-law, was too incompetent, where would his father-in-law put his face?
Back home...

After my grandfather passed away, everyone in the family seemed different.

He tried hard to find a balance, and he wanted everyone to be well.

Just like when he helped investigate the murder at his uncle's house, even though he tried so hard, everyone resented him, and even his uncle once looked at him with suspicion.

"It's because my grandson is useless."

Jia Zhu's spirits, which had just been lifted by the child and by his aunt's words, were crushed again by his grandmother's wailing, and he fell into a self-destructive mood.

As his own son, he watched helplessly as his parents were about to die from their illnesses, and he... couldn't bear it.

"Grandson..."

A metallic taste rose in Jia Zhu's throat again. This time, he couldn't hold it in and vomited blood again before his body went limp.

In his dazed state, he seemed to hear his grandmother's shrill cries, his wife's screams of pain, and his aunt's voice.

Jia Zhu was relieved. With his aunt around, both his grandmother and wife would be well taken care of.

I can't repay what I owe my aunt in this life, so I'll repay it in the next!
Shen Ning was shocked that Jia Zhu fainted in such pain.

After the chaos of calling for both the imperial physician and the palace doctor, she and the now calmer Old Madam Jia stayed by Jia Zhu's bedside.

Li Wan experienced a miscarriage scare and found another room to lie down in.

"Aunt, what exactly has happened that has caused Zhu'er to suffer to this extent?"

Of all the men in the Jia family since I entered the world of Dream of the Red Chamber, Jia Zhu is the most reliable.

Aside from worrying about his death, Shen Ning never worried about anything else.

Although Jia Zhu was a weak scholar, he acted with reason, evidence, and restraint. Even when facing Wohe and his gang, he was not like Jia Zhen and the others who only knew how to fight recklessly. Knowing that he was not strong enough, he could secretly hide things in his sleeves.

Honestly, Shen Ning really admires him.

It's a pity that Jia Zhu in Dream of the Red Chamber died too young; otherwise, the Jia family might have had a different ending.

"Are you still trying to hide it from me?"

Shen Ning suspected it was some kind of scandal.

But she suspected that Jia Zhu had been tricked by someone, to the point that she felt ashamed to face anyone.

"Or do you want me to stop caring about him altogether?"

"……No!"

Now that Granny Lai has gone with She'er, she must have already given the medicine to Wang Shi and Zheng'er.

Grandmother Jia clutched her chest, "It's not about Zhu'er, it's about Wang Shi..."

Wang family?

Shen Ning blinked.

"It's not that your aunt is trying to hide anything from you."

Grandmother Jia's eyes were quite red and swollen. "It's Wang Shi's fault for being so inhuman, and it's your second brother's stupidity that led him to do something foolish again. Now... now he's getting sick."

sick?

Are they all getting sick?

Looking at the grief in the old lady's eyes, Shen Ning seemed to understand.

Her eyes fell on Jia Zhu's white hair again, and she said with some difficulty, "You want to deal with this couple, and you even let Zhu'er get involved in this?"

For a moment, she didn't know what to say about them.

Let alone this era steeped in Confucianism, where filial piety is of paramount importance, even in modern times, with so many parents who don't act like human beings, very few children would be involved in killing their parents...

Shen Ning couldn't understand what kind of bizarre mind this was.

No wonder Jia Zhu turned out like this.

And Jia Zhen, that bastard, such a big thing happened and he didn't even tell her?
"...It's the Wang family!"

Looking at her niece-in-law, who was still kind-hearted, Grandmother Jia finally burst into tears and said, "She wants to drive you to your death!"

"Force me to my death? What makes her think she can force me to my death?"

Shen Ning couldn't understand what Wang Shi could possibly use to force her to her death.
Is she the kind of person who would die if pushed to the brink by just anyone?

Let alone her, even the original owner of this body couldn't do it.

The fact that she was able to live in seclusion outside the city with Jia Jing and even have children shows that she was quite good at psychological adjustment.

"Have a sip of tea, calm down, and I'll tell you."

Shen Ning: "..."

Ok!

Are you afraid she can't handle it?
Shen Ning quickly picked up the tea, which had already cooled down a bit, and took two sips. "Don't worry, Auntie, your niece-in-law isn't made of paper."

"...Wang and Zheng'er had a fight."

Grandmother Jia also hoped she wasn't made of paper, "She started complaining about you again, saying that when you gave birth to Xiao Yueyue, Zheng'er wasn't there, so why should She'er go to watch over her? She even said that Lian'er became an official because you were helping him out of love for his family, saying that you..."

The old lady closed her eyes and said, "You're raising your brother-in-law."

Shen Ning: "..."

She supported her brother-in-law; was it with Jia She?

How can it be?

Even if she were to support a man, her first choice would be a young, handsome one!
What gives Jia She the right to do so?
Although the real Jia She looked younger than the Jia She in Dream of the Red Chamber, and even resembled an older version of Jia Lian, he was truly not very bright.

Shen Ning looked down on it, "In what way does my husband compare to my brother She?"

Some later interpretations of Dream of the Red Chamber suggest that Xichun was not actually Jia Jing's child, but rather the child of the original owner of the body and Jia She or Jia Zheng. This is why Grandmother Jia took her in and raised her, and why Jia Zhen ignored her.

But that's simply impossible!

How old was the original owner of this body?
He's over forty.

Don't even mention that she had Jia Jing, who was devoted to her. Even if she didn't, Jia She in Dream of the Red Chamber was a lecher, and how many young and beautiful maids did he have around him? Why would she take such a big risk to have an affair with the neighbor next door?

Having never practiced martial arts, can he climb trees or scale walls?
Did they think all the maids and servants in her courtyard were dead?

It's even less likely that Jia Zheng would agree.

He always acts like a gentleman; even if he has the desire to steal, he doesn't have the guts.

Sure enough, with only her backyard and men in her eyes, all Wang could come up with were these kinds of dirty jokes.

"Wang's eyes must have been covered in feces."

Shen Ning scoffed, "Are you afraid that if her words spread, I won't be able to handle it, and the Jia family won't be able to handle it, so you want to kill them?"

Grandmother Jia: "..." Something feels off.
In Grandmother Jia's mind, Shen Shi shouldn't have reacted this way.

This concerns one's reputation...

"Aunt, how many days has Wang Shi been saying this?"

"Including today, it's been five days."

five days?

You think you can keep this a secret forever?
Do they really think no one will watch the Jia family's joke?
If it were just a day or two, with Jia Jianu's efforts, perhaps it could still be suppressed.

But five days...

Absolutely not.

There are countless people willing to spread and listen to gossip about wealthy and powerful families.

Killing Wang Shi and Jia Zheng now would only make her and the Jia family seem guilty.

In a flash, Shen Ning made up her mind and said, "Auntie, do you think anyone will believe what Wang Shi said?"

She and Jia Jingke were recognized as a model couple in Beijing.

With Jia Jing's brilliant talent as an example, who could believe that she would fall for Jia She?

After she collected the body of the fake Jia Jing, she fell seriously ill and almost died. Who could believe that she had an affair with her good-for-nothing brother-in-law?
Perhaps some people will try to fabricate something to make the world believe it, but...

A cold glint flashed in Shen Ning's eyes.

Throughout history, how many talented women have had their brilliance obscured?
Even in modern times.

Women’s contributions to social events are often overlooked or attributed directly to men.

If she hadn't reached her current status, that would have been fine. But now that she has, if she's still intimidated by Huang Yao, what kind of person would she be?

Wang Shi likes to talk, doesn't she?

Let her speak.

As for the Jia family's daughter...

At worst, we can send them back to the West Mansion and let the old lady raise them first.

Although they may still be affected, strength always determines everything.

The Jia family is currently quite powerful.

Jia Wen's princess is not a burden, but also an invisible help.

Moreover, she had just suppressed the likes of Suo Jin and Wo He, and had just used more than three million taels of silver to help the emperor build the Martyrs' Garden...

Shen Ning wanted to see how those so-called moral guardians would portray her.

When some men in this world can't compete with women, their usual tactic is to spread rumors and gossip about women's private lives.

It's like they don't have a private life.

They have human appearances but do the things of animals, yet they gossip about others.

Although her personal strength is limited, if she backs down now, there is no way she can change anything for the rest of her life.

Even if some people believe it, are they the only ones with mouths to talk?

Shen Ning patted Jia Zhu, whose eyes were twitching under her eyelids, and said, "Zhu'er, I know you heard that and want to save your parents, so get up."

Death is too good for them.

She wanted them to see her as superior, but they ended up eating chaff and wild vegetables.

Having fallen from a life of luxury to their current state, it's no surprise they're now jumping around in a bit of trouble.

But if Lady Wang saw Jia Zhu like this...

Shen Ning inexplicably felt a sense of anticipation.

"Auntie~"

When Jia Zhu, who had been pretending to be asleep for a while, opened her eyes, they were full of anticipation. "Is it true?"

"nature!"

Shen Ning never intended to get her hands dirty. "But there are some things you should know: a mistake is a mistake, and you should be punished accordingly."

"Yes!"

As long as I can live, that's enough.

Jia Zhu felt a surge of power within her body, and her whole being became more active.

Shen Ning looked at him, a slight stirring in her heart, and said, "Do you know what punishment I'm going to give you?"

"...Please...please enlighten me, Auntie."

Jia Zhu was filled with anxiety.

Sins of the tongue can be so serious that one might have their tongue cut out.

"Your father actually still has some silver on him, doesn't he?"

Jia Zhu: "..."

Jia Mu: "..."

Shen Ning had already heard from the servants that Jia Zheng had copied a unique copy of the family book from memory last year and sold it for more than ten taels of silver.

"I heard they are doing quite well these days."

Shen Ning's smile didn't reach her eyes. "People... can't be too idle. It seems someone is helping to herd that cow, saying it's to offset the rent for using the cow in the future?"

"……Yes!"

Jia Zhu lowered her head.

His mother always wanted to take shortcuts, no matter what she did.

"In that case, let's take the cow back too!"

Shen Ning's expression turned cold. "Auntie, what do you think?"

"it is good!"

How could Grandmother Jia dare to say it was bad?
It's always better to be alive than dead.

"And the house, the monthly rent will be based on the market rate in their village."

"That's right, that's right."

Grandmother Jia nodded repeatedly.

The second son can write a few words and copy some books. Although he can't eat anything fancy, he can at least keep from starving with simple meals.

"Someone, quickly prepare the car."

The medicine in Granny Lai's hand is extremely cold.

We need to deal with this as soon as possible!

If we wait any longer, Er'er might suffer a little longer.

Grandmother Jia hurriedly called for a carriage.

In fact, at this time, there were indeed rumors circulating in Nancheng that Shen Ning was having an affair with her brother-in-law.

Whether it's true or not, quite a few people have heard it.

but……

The fact that it didn't spread widely immediately was thanks to Shen Ning's ability to suppress the Jin princes single-handedly, leaving them powerless to retaliate.

Furthermore, when they sent betrothal gifts and married the princess, the Jia family essentially made a small windfall for the people of the capital, so many people just listened and let it go.

Those with fiery tempers even retorted on the spot.

It's perfectly normal for Jia Zheng and his wife to harbor resentment towards the Jia family after being expelled from the Jia family, and to say strange things about them!
Some people even retorted on the spot in the teahouse that the couple had captured all the heads of the Ning and Rong mansions in order to return to the capital.

After all, the old lady of the Rongguo Mansion was very biased.

With her around, even if Jia Zheng and his wife go home and cry a few times, they might be able to become the master and mistress again.

Upon seeing his elder brother, Jia Zheng's legs spun around.

The eldest brother arrived, and Jia Zhen also arrived; their eyes looked like they wanted to devour someone.

Wang tried her best to calm herself down, but the sight of Granny Lai slowly getting out of the carriage made her expression change drastically.

Granny Lai represents the mother-in-law.

In other words, they came with the mother-in-law's permission.

"Second Master and Second Madam, it's been a long time. This old servant greets you."

Looking at the two once-powerful people, Granny Lai sighed, "Now that you see this old servant, the Second Master and Second Madam probably understand what the Old Madam means."

She took a porcelain bottle out of her purse. "These are the things the old lady asked me to bring. One pill for each of you. Second Master, Second Madam, who would like to use it first?" (End of Chapter)