The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 290 Know
Has Jia Zhu arrived?

Shen Ning was quite surprised.

She really didn't want to see him!
If Jia Zhu, who was able to walk, were to pay close attention, he would surely have noticed something amiss in the house.

But the situation in the Western Prefecture hasn't been exposed yet. If something goes wrong with her...

"Please look after Yue'er for a while longer, sir."

Shen Ning didn't want to bring her daughter to meet Jia Zhu.

The child is still young, and he smiles at people first, which is a good thing. But Jia Zhu is now a bereaved family. Even if he doesn't know the truth now, what if he does?
"Madam, please leave!"

Zhan Xue naturally accepted the young disciple's hand, saying, "Just do your best in everything. As for the rest... everyone has their own destiny."

"Thank you!"

Shen Ning waved her hand, signaling to Xiao Dong to go and fetch the family physician, before following Qingzhu, who had already lit a lantern, and the two slowly walked out of Ningcui Pavilion.

"Auntie~"

When Jia Zhu saw her on this side of the bridge, he immediately knelt down and said, "Nephew...nephew would like to ask Aunt for clarification: is it my father or my mother?"

With no one in his family present, he suspected his father was gone.

Although my father was spanked that day, the person who punished him was not so reckless. When he and my grandmother left, my father was able to get off the bed to see them off, which shows that the injury was not serious at the time.

As for the extremely cold medicine that Grandmother asked Granny Lai to give them, although it was very harmful to the body, the duration of the medication was short, and they would immediately drink a warm and nourishing medicine. As long as they took it on time and in the correct dosage, even if they couldn't completely recover in two days, it wouldn't be life-threatening.

Jia Zhu used a feigned retreat to try and get his aunt to refute him; he waited for her to do so, but…

Shen Ning walked onto the small bridge and looked down at him.

Jia Zhu's hair is comparable to that of an old lady.

In *Dream of the Red Chamber*, some die young; here… if things don't go well, will one still be destined to die young?

"Is it because the old lady and the others aren't home that you suspect something happened to your father?"

"Yes~"

Jia Zhu's voice trembled slightly, and when she looked up, her eyes were filled with tears.

“…A man’s knees are worth gold, you should get up first.”

Looking at him, Shen Ning sighed inwardly, "Before I answer your question, you should answer a few questions for me first."

"You say."

Jia Zhu quickly got up.

"What would you do if something happened to your father?"

"...Do your duty as a son!"

Jia Zhu secretly sniffed, "I want to keep vigil for him, burn some paper money, and accompany him on his final journey."

He knew why everyone was keeping it from him.

"Don't worry, Auntie. What happened before is in the past. Now I'm going to be a father myself."

He wanted to say, "You don't need to hide it from me, I can handle it."

Jia Zhu understood perfectly well that he had to bear it.

His father is gone, and he still has two younger brothers and two younger sisters to take care of.

Even though he didn't need to worry about Yuan Chun, Bao Yu, Huan Er, and Tan Chun were his responsibilities.

Their second branch has already burdened the Ning and Rong families considerably. In the future... even if they cannot repay them, they absolutely cannot become a burden.

"I know my limits."

Jia Zhu said sincerely, "I have promised Li that I will think more about my grandmother, her, and the children in everything I do in the future."

I'm glad you think that way.

Unfortunately, it wasn't just Jia Zheng!
Shen Ning had a headache. "If the old lady finds out, she definitely won't stop you anymore."

"Then... I'll go now."

Jia Zhu bowed and then turned to leave.

"slow!"

"Auntie~"

Jia Zhu swayed slightly.

He couldn't understand why his aunt was still preventing him from accompanying his father on his final journey, even at a time like this.

“Zhu’er, your aunt didn’t mean to stop you.”

Shen Ning first stated her position, "I have already called the royal physician. If you want to go, you will have to go with him."

"Ok!"

Jia Zhu wiped away her tears, "Thank you, Aunt! I'll go back... I'll go back and tell Li Shi so she won't worry."

He's been gone for a while.

Ms. Li is a sensitive person, so she must be worried about him.

"I'll have someone talk to Ms. Li later."

Faced with Jia Zhu like this, Shen Ning could only bite the bullet and say, "Zhu'er, you say you know your limits, so I'll believe you this once. But believing is one thing, worrying is another. Do you understand?"

"I understand. I know that my grandmother, aunt, and uncle are all worried about me. It's my fault."

He doesn't blame anyone.

He doesn't regret it either.

He tried hard.

Thank God, after his parents did such a wrong thing, his aunt still took pity on him and let them go. That's enough.

As for...

Jia Zhu's voice was strained, "Aunt, my father... did he die from a fever?"

After thinking it over and over, this was the only possibility.

My father still had some lingering poison in his body, and he was beaten again. It was alright when they were here, but now that they've left, they'll definitely blame my mother.

Mother……

Thinking of her mother, Jia Zhu felt a deep bitterness.

The mother wouldn't give in to the father.

The two will definitely argue again, and it's even possible that they'll fight.

Although the father was a man, after being beaten ten times, he was no match for the mother.

Everyone is keeping this from him, I wonder if it's because his grandmother...

"no!"

Shen Ning didn't know how much he had thought in such a short time. When he looked over with hope upon hearing "no," she shook her head and sighed, "Your father... your father withheld your mother's medicine. Your mother has a very bad temper and took rat poison."

Boom~
Jia Zhu swayed, her voice hoarse, "Aunt, how is my mother... how is she now?"

"Today is the seventh day. That day, the village chief came to report that your parents had died together. The Shuntian Prefecture found out that it was your mother... She first poisoned the food, and then poisoned the water your father drank. They died together."

Jia Zhu: "..."

He heard every word clearly, but he didn't want to believe any of them.

but……

It was perfectly normal for the father to confiscate the mother's medicine.

Jia Zhu covered her face and knelt down softly, like a small animal with nowhere to go, suppressing her sobs.

Shen Ning sighed, "If you want to cry here with your aunt, just cry out loud."

Often, it's not the situation that overwhelms you, but your emotions.

"It'll be alright if you cry it out. Otherwise, even your parents won't feel at ease letting you go."

"Ughhhhhhh~~~~"

Jia Zhu's crying finally grew a little louder, and by the time the imperial physician arrived, he was practically collapsing to the ground in tears.

Shen Ning was afraid he would catch a cold, so she gestured to Qingzhu to borrow the reclining chairs that the sisters used for their summer afternoon naps from Ningcui Pavilion.

Mr. Zhan was a thoughtful man, and he even instructed his servant to put out two new quilts.

At this time, Li Wan of Pear Fragrance Courtyard waited for Jia Zhu for a long time but he did not arrive. She sent someone to inquire and learned that he had gone to the East Mansion. Without caring about anything else, she had someone carry her over.

Hearing Jia Zhu's unrestrained crying from afar, her tense heart actually relaxed a little.

She didn't know which of her in-laws had an accident, but judging from everyone's attitude of keeping it from Rikain, she suspected that one of them had an accident.

"Don't be afraid, it's good that he cried." Shen Ning comforted Li Wan, whose face was pale. "You are pregnant, so you don't need to worry about things outside. Go back and rest, take care of yourself and the baby. That is the greatest filial piety you can show to the old lady and the greatest love you can show to Zhu'er."

"Auntie~"

Li Wan carefully examined the man who was trembling with sobs under the covers, making sure he wasn't as lifeless as before, before daring to cry herself, "Is this my father-in-law?"

She thought the same as Jia Zhu: if it were her mother-in-law, the old lady probably wouldn't leave home.

"...Don't think too much about it, go back and rest."

Shen Ning patted her hand, "Your parents have already informed them of the death, and they've been there. It's just that Zhu'er's situation is special, so they didn't tell you. Listen to your aunt, go back and rest well."

"……Yes!"

Li Wan felt relieved.

It's good that someone from the family went there. "Thank you so much, Auntie!"

Shen Ning nodded and said to her maid Su Yun, "Take good care of your mistress as she returns home. If anything happens, immediately call the family physician or directly request the imperial physician with an invitation. Do not delay."

"Yes!"

Su Yun and the others felt relieved.

The girls were afraid that the eldest mistress of the East Mansion would turn against them or distance herself from them because of the harsh words spoken by the master and mistress.

After seeing them off, Shen Ning assigned two guards to take Jia Zhu's servant and the palace physician to escort him there.

Anyway, we made it through safely.

If anything happens to Jia Zhu again, then it's simply fate.

Shen Ning went back, picked up her baby, and listened to her baby talk and occasional giggles, which soothed the chaos of the previous day.

……

royal palace.

Overwhelmed with excitement, the emperor changed into casual clothes and, together with Mr. Liu, went to the Ordnance Bureau that very night to search for clues about Bi Maokang's percussion flintlock musket.

Over the years, the retired emperor has only ever been defensive in his foreign policy. Even when the horse-breeding lands of Ningxia Hetao were lost, he held on tightly. In fact, the development of firearms in the Great Zhao Dynasty was indeed only at the level of the founding of the dynasty.

However, the missionaries' muskets were significantly shorter than those of the Da Zhao dynasty and were easier to carry.

Being backward means being vulnerable to attack.

The emperor remembered Madam Shen's words deeply.

It's impossible not to remember.

The example of Suo Jin and others serves as a stark warning.

The Rakshasa have arrived.

They've come from all over the mountains and valleys.

The English and the Portuguese also came, arriving in ships and carrying cannons.

Several minor clashes also occurred with Da Zhao in the coastal areas of Xin'an County and Haojing.

But no one in the court cared.

Even the emperor himself, when he was certain that his own family had not suffered any loss, would only reward the reporting official with a promotion of half a rank.

But those people weren't afraid to fight against Da Zhao.

Several minor clashes resulted in deaths on both sides.

The fact that no real fighting broke out was attributed by the emperor to the swift response of the garrison troops and the fact that their supply lines were too long.

However, Mr. Liu just did the math for him.

In the early years of the founding of the Great Zhao Dynasty and the reign of the Crown Prince, the annual tax revenue from maritime trade far exceeded that of today.

Later, accidents frequently occurred at sea, and it's possible that those people were behind it.

If we really have to calculate it, it was Da Zhao who suffered a loss.

The emperor could not help but care.

……

For Grandmother Jia, the pain of a parent outliving their child was still unbearable.

Especially since today is the last day she can spend with her, the old lady fainted several times from crying.

She was heartbroken over her son's death, and she also had to worry about her eldest grandson.

The eldest grandson's hair turned white overnight from praying for his parents' lives. He painstakingly begged for their survival, but in the end...

"Grandma, something terrible has happened! Grandpa is here."

what?
Having finally been persuaded to go inside and rest for a while, Grandmother Jia rushed out upon hearing the news of Jia Zhu's arrival.

At the funeral hall, Jia Zhu cried in a hoarse voice, her sobs unusually heartbreaking.

Grandmother Jia was about to go over and comfort her, but Jia Min stopped her.

"Mother, let Pearl cry for a while!"

It's okay to cry, but holding it in... that's the real problem.

"Weren't we told to keep it a secret? Who is it?"

Grandmother Jia gritted her teeth.

She had a bellyful of sadness and pain with nowhere to vent it, and now that she had found an outlet, she wanted to kill. "Where is Lin Zhixiao? Tell him to come over right now, and whoever it is, take him down immediately."

"Mother~"

Jia Min had a terrible headache and quickly helped her walk back. "You can hide it for a while, but can you hide it forever? Zhu'er is always so observant. Even when we're not home, he doesn't suspect anything at all?"

If he doesn't have any doubts at all, that would be a big problem.

People who are too rigid and inflexible, like my second brother, should not enter officialdom.

"But we have to take it slow and wait until he's feeling better."

The old lady was terrified that something had happened to her eldest grandson. "You don't need to try to persuade me about this. Zhu'er is only just starting to feel better. If she cries herself sick..."

"Is it good to ruin your health by holding it in?"

Jia Min quickly countered with a question.

When Jia Wen, who had rushed over, heard his sister questioning their stepmother like that, he quickly and quietly retreated.

In this world, only the younger sister can keep the stepmother in check.

After being controlled, the stepmother could only keep quiet.

Over time, the pent-up anger will dissipate, but if she goes over there at that moment, she'll be in trouble.

Her childhood experiences made Jia Wen withdraw very decisively.

Out of the corner of her eye, Jia Min caught a glimpse of her sister's clothes and quickly grabbed her mother, preventing her from turning her head in that direction. "If you cry yourself sick, you can recover. But if you turn white-haired overnight like last time, that's a real problem."

Jia Mu: "..."

The old lady wanted to say, "We have to ask!"
At this time, what were the other party's intentions in telling Zhu'er the bad news?
Is this an attempt to cut off the second wife's path to advancement?

In any case, in Grandmother Jia's mind, the possibility of Baoyu becoming a high-ranking official was gone.

Even if he were to become an official, it would be unlikely that he would be a high-ranking official in the capital.

Only Jia Zhu...

"What you should be thinking now is that it's a good thing that Pearl can cry so loudly."

Jia Min wondered who had leaked the news. "He's such a filial son, how heartbroken he must be to not be able to see his second brother off on his final journey?"

Especially on the second sister-in-law's side, although a mourning hall was set up, the old lady stayed there the whole time. Her main purpose seemed to be watching everyone, unable to go and pay their respects or burn paper money for her.

Jia Min sometimes thinks her mother is a bit... something else.

The biggest problem with the deaths of her second brother and sister-in-law was still her own second brother.

"Mother, please don't make things worse. Just let him have a good cry there!"

How am I causing trouble?

Grandmother Jia was so angry that she punched her daughter twice. "Do you not like anything I do now? If you make me angry again, I'll take Zhu'er and the others and go back to my hometown."

"Oops~"

Jia Min feigned pain, as if she had been severely beaten, saying, "I've been watching over you for the past few days, and I'm getting old..."

"Pah! You dare say you're old in front of your mother?"

Grandmother Jia rubbed the spot she had just massaged again. "I understand what you're saying. You just want to know if anyone with ulterior motives is trying to harm Zhu'er."

"Okay, I'll have someone ask for you right away."

While gesturing for the maid to investigate, Jia Min said, "However, I suspect that your eldest grandson discovered it himself. We're not home, so he... most likely went to his sister-in-law in the East Mansion."