The head of the Red Mansion

Isn't it right for Jia Zheng to suffer in the underworld?
A man who can perfectly remain invisible at all times, with his mother and wife fighting for his interests, can obtain everything without uttering a word.

He can get it at home, but what about outside?
Who outside would tolerate him?
The actual head of the Jia family, backed by the Wang family and the daughter of the imperial concubine, is incompetent and incapable of doing anything right; even the servants can fool him…

If the Jia family doesn't fall, whose will?
Even so, the old lady treated him like a treasure.

Bang~
With a flick of her sleeve, Shen Ning sent the official kiln blue-and-white porcelain cup with intertwined floral patterns crashing down in front of Granny Ma's feet.

"Who do you think you are? My husband doesn't protect me, so why should he protect that hypocrite who smeared my sister-in-law, did all sorts of wrong things, and called me the most innocent person in the world?"

When Grandmother Jia's expression changed drastically, Shen Ning suddenly turned around and asked, "Aunt, do you think the Duke was wrong to reprimand him? Or do you think Uncle and the others were wrong?"

If the old lady continues to live here in such a muddle-headed state, Baoyu will probably become the second Jia Zheng.

"Didn't I spare his life? Why did he die? Is Wang the kind of person who would commit suicide so easily? If he hadn't driven her to the brink of death, would she have taken that path? Don't keep saying he's innocent. How can he always be innocent? I've already let Wang off the hook for Zhu'er's sake, so why would he be so cruel to his wife of decades?"

Shen Ning looked at the old lady she wanted to respect and said, "I can't help you deceiving yourself, but I have to tell you that if Jia Zheng can be ruthless to his wife, he can be ruthless to you and everyone else in the same environment."

Was it wrong for his uncle to reprimand him?
Was it wrong for his uncles to reprimand him?
Don't worry, this isn't the worst of it for him. There are still eighteen levels of hell waiting for him in the King of Hell's realm.

Jia Mu: "..."

If she hadn't been sitting down, and if she hadn't taken her medicine this morning, the old lady thought she would have fainted.

Even so, she felt flustered, short of breath, and her vision blurred.

We're all family, and we've forgiven each other so many times, how can you be so heartless?
"As for you..."

When Granny Ma looked over, she was so startled that she took a step back.

"You charlatan, if you're so capable, then I'll send you down to see King Yama, let him judge you and find out how many hateful people you've helped."

"...Madam, please calm down!"

Although Granny Ma wanted to maintain her image as a sage, she had indeed killed people, and more than one at that.

Even the princess consort was beaten without warning, and in the end, even the royal family had to apologize to her.

Ma Daopo originally only thought about the good aspects of getting involved with her.

But I never imagined that I would anger her.

With Old Madam Jia here, logically speaking, even if she had grievances, she would compromise out of filial piety.

In addition, the Jia family has recently encountered quite a few problems...

Ma Daopo couldn't understand why this person could talk about the eighteen levels of hell and the King of Hell, yet didn't believe her at all.

Where did she slip up?
"This humble Taoist priest~"

"You dare call yourself a Taoist priest?"

“Madam Shen, I am a guest of Old Madam Jia, you...you can’t treat me like this.”

After finishing her household affairs, Wang Xifeng was about to come and serve when she entered the courtyard and immediately sensed something was wrong.

"A customer? I think he's more like a conman."

Shen Ning's voice was cold, "Men, seize her."

"Old lady~~"

When Granny Ma called out to the old lady, she quickly hid behind her.

She knew this person's methods; if she couldn't afford to offend him, she could only avoid him.

If she can escape this calamity, she will leave the capital for a while.

"Grandma, help me!"

"Shen, are you... are you trying to drive me crazy?"

Grandmother Jia was panting heavily.

Of course she would protect Granny Ma.

She invited the people, and this is her courtyard.

If she can't even protect her own guests in her own home and yard, who will take her seriously in the future?

"Does your aunt believe her but not me?"

Shen Ning spoke calmly, looking at the old lady, as if she was about to make her final decision.

This is not possible!

Although Grandmother Jia was trembling with anger, she understood that the reason why so many things had happened in the West Mansion was because of Shen's repeated tolerance and support.

If she stops caring from now on...

"Grandma, Aunt, what happened?"

Wang Xifeng originally wanted to sneak out, but all the maids in the courtyard saw her. Moreover, if she tried to hide now, and the old lady and her eldest aunt really fell out, she and Jia Lian would be the ones with the most headaches in the end.

"No matter what, we are one family."

Wang Xifeng was incredibly humble at that moment.

She really wanted to beg the old lady to stop making a fuss.

Having been married into the family for over a year, she finally understood that all the problems in the household were caused by the old lady.

Outsiders all think that her father-in-law is a scoundrel and her mother-in-law is unreliable, but what is the truth?
Her parents-in-law have been living in Rongxi Hall, which has made things much easier for them.

What they've always wanted is what was rightfully theirs.

The unrest in the mansion is entirely due to the old lady fighting and grabbing on behalf of the second branch of the family.

Now that her second uncle and aunt are gone, and her parents-in-law and the couple haven't wronged the second wife in any way, Wang Xifeng doesn't understand why the old lady is still making a fuss.

"There are plenty of women like Granny Ma in the capital. Let's find someone else. It's not worth getting angry over her!"

Is it wrong to hurt your aunt's feelings because of an outsider?
"Madam, Second Madam," Yuanyang was also very frightened. The old lady could not speak at this time, so as her personal maid, she could only step forward. "The old lady has not slept well for days. Yesterday, Granny Ma gave her a talisman, and the old lady slept well."

The old lady is still sick.

Just looking at this point, the first wife shouldn't have argued with the old lady!

"That's because the old lady had too much yin energy, which connected the yin and yang realms."

Ma Daopo was busy showing off her skills.

She needs to convince them, otherwise this old woman definitely won't be able to protect her.

"That's why the Second Master was able to find her so easily. The old Duke and the others let the old lady see those things, hoping that you, Madam Shen, could forgive them for the sake of being family. That way, they could feel at ease and the family could live in harmony."

"The realms of Yin and Yang?"

Shen Ning was so angry she laughed. "Aren't you afraid the wind will blow your tongue? Someone, fetch the royal physician."

"Yes!"

Ping'er quickly bowed and hurried off to find the family physician.

"Yuanyang, quickly bring me the talisman, my head is hurting again."

The old lady was leaning against something, as if she was about to fall.

Yuanyang and Hupo didn't dare to neglect them, and hurriedly helped and rubbed their wounds.

Soon, Yuanyang took out a yellow talisman folded into a triangle. "Grandma, the talisman is here."

Grandmother Jia took the talisman with trembling hands and pressed it to her chest, as if she had just caught her breath. But as soon as she caught her breath, tears streamed down her face. "When people get old, they become disliked."

She certainly wouldn't do that if it were her own daughter-in-law.

But the Shen family...

“Ning’er, since you married into this family, I’ve always been fair to you. If you want to deal with the Lai family, I’ll let you. If you want to return the treasury silver, the whole family will listen to you. You said Zheng’er shouldn’t have lived in Rongxi Hall. I know I was wrong, but I’m an elder. Can I really lower myself to tell you I was wrong?”

Grandmother Jia feigned weakness, saying, "I've been thinking about it for days and nights, unable to eat or sleep properly, so I had the brothers divide the family property. But you're also a mother, and these two children, one is better and the other is weaker, you might not be able to treat them equally."

She was biased, but she had her reasons.

“Zheng’er is gone just like that. I know he was wrong, so this old woman hardened her heart.”

At this point, the old lady was truly heartbroken.
She even sacrificed her own son for the sake of the Shen family!

"When Zhu'er's hair turned white overnight, this old woman's heart..." Grandmother Jia pounded her chest, "Wasn't she also being fried in oil? You saw how pitiful Zhu'er was, so when you rushed over, do you know how grateful this old aunt was to you?" She was truly grateful.

"I thought those two wretched children would finally get better, but who knew they would die like that again."

The joy of getting it back lasted only a day.

She wished she could cry herself blind.

My heart is breaking...

Grandmother Jia wept uncontrollably, “I know Zheng’er was not good, but he is already dead. In my heart as his mother, all that’s left is pain.”

She wanted to say, "Please, for the sake of this family, give him one last chance."

The words lingered in his throat, but he ultimately didn't dare to say them.

“These past few days, I haven’t been able to eat or sleep well. Then Granny Ma came over and gave me this talisman, and I was able to sleep well right away. How could I not believe her?”

Ma Daopo: "..."

She realized that the old woman was trying to pin everything on her.

Ugh, so annoying!
But at this moment, she couldn't deny it.

Her talisman did indeed help the old woman fall asleep.

"What is this talisman for?"

Regardless of how much the old lady cried, Shen Ning only asked about Granny Ma.

"This is my exclusive talisman!"

Madam Ma said, "If Madam Shen is not willing to see me, then I shall leave." With that, she turned to the old lady who was still shedding tears, "Old lady, please take care, I will take my leave."

Without waiting for the old lady to respond, she tried to bypass Shen Ning and the others and leave quickly.

Shen Ning gave Qingzhu a wink, and Qingzhu stepped forward and stopped her on the spot.

"No hurries?"

Shen Ning had already heard the hurried footsteps approaching. "We'll discuss everything after the royal physician has examined her."

Jia Mu: "..."

Ma Daopo: "..."

Neither of them expected that she would want to verify the talisman.

But the physician of the prefecture is a doctor, and this talisman...

The color on Granny Ma's face gradually changed.

She certainly knew why her talisman was effective on Grandmother Jia.

The old woman was heartbroken over the death of her second son and couldn't eat or sleep well. So when she made the talisman paper, she soaked the materials in certain medicinal solutions for a long time and added a few unique secret medicines before she could make it.

The women in these grand mansions, for their own and their children's benefit, always do something wrong, and in the end, many of them suffer from poor appetite and sleep.

Therefore, her unique protective charm has always been effective.

But Madam Shen actually wanted the family physician to examine her...

She was helpless, having been placed under someone else's roof.

I just hope the Jia family's physician isn't that skilled.

"Dr. Xie, you've come at the perfect time."

Seeing Doctor Xie enter, Wang Xifeng hurriedly said, "Please take a look at our old lady's talisman, is there anything wrong with it?"

Since Doctor Xie was old, Shen Ning and Wang Xifeng did not avoid him.

The old man took the triangular talisman that Yuanyang carefully handed him, examined it in his hand, and even smelled it.

Just as Granny Ma was praying that he wouldn't see anything, the old man untied the folded triangular talisman, licked it with his tongue, then took out a handkerchief and spat several times. "Old lady, you are suffering from qi and blood deficiency, restlessness and heat in your palms and soles, and your heart is not being properly nourished. The medicine I prescribed has the effect of clearing the mind and restoring spirit, as well as replenishing blood and qi, but this thing..."

He held it in his hand. "This thing is made by soaking in a medicinal bath that nourishes yin, clears heat, and calms the mind. It was fine to carry it with me. However, the biggest problem is that the other ingredients not only contain Mongolian and Han Chinese medicine components, but also hallucinogenic drugs."

what?
Grandmother Jia was stunned.

She stared blankly at Granny Ma.

"Take him down and send him to Shuntian Prefecture."

Shen Ning looked at the collapsed Ma Daopo and said, "Tell Lord Dong to investigate her home and find any harmless items there."

"Yes!"

Ping'er waved her hand, and several old women stepped forward and dragged her away.

Granny Ma was terrified and cried out, "Grandma, spare me! Grandma, spare me! I really didn't know there were so many harmful things in here! I got these goods from somewhere else!"

You cannot confiscate their property.

Not to mention that she might lose all the gold and silver she had accumulated over the years, if those shady drugs and the paper dolls she used to fool people were found, she would lose her life!

"Madam Shen, please, don't send me to the authorities. I will go home right now, give all my valuables to your family, and leave the capital from now on."

“Gag her, take my letter, and order the Shuntian Prefecture to immediately search her house thoroughly.”

The maids dared not delay, and quickly grabbed a rag and stuffed it forcefully into Granny Ma's mouth.

Granny Ma was dragged away with a whimper, and the room became quiet for a moment.

Grandmother Jia didn't know what to say.

Was she scammed?
"How did this old woman get into our household?" she asked angrily.

"Grandma Ma was invited into the mansion by the Second Madam. Baoyu was born sickly and had many misfortunes. It was only after the Second Madam asked her to become Baoyu's godmother that he got better."

The mandarin ducks didn't know what to say.

How could anyone have imagined...

This person can even use talismans to harm others?

"No wonder Baoyu's body has become much stronger after his second aunt left home."

Actually, after his aunt lost her freedom, Baoyu seemed to be doing quite well.

Wang Xifeng looked terrified. "Aunt, thank you so much this time. If it weren't for you..." She suddenly remembered something. "Please, Doctor Xie, take a look at our old lady. She's been using that talisman for so long. Is she alright?"

"Thank you, Dr. Xie."

Given the prevailing societal values ​​of filial piety in that era, and considering the pleading look on Sister Feng's face when she looked at her, Shen Ning finally gave her a way out.

"The old lady wore it for a short time, and there is also a psychological suggestion factor involved in such items. It is harmless in the short term."

After reviewing the prescription, Dr. Xie took his leave without making any changes.

The old lady wanted to cover her face. At this moment, she also thought that since Wang Shi had been living in the ancestral hall, Baoyu had been eating and sleeping well, and was now as energetic as a little calf.

He used to cry and scream in terror at night when he slept...

Grandmother Jia was furious!

“Niece-in-law, your aunt is getting old, what's wrong with that? You should…”

"It's all in the past. I'm just glad you're doing well."

"This won't do." Grandmother Jia hurriedly instructed Wang Xifeng, "Feng'er, quick, apologize to your aunt on my behalf."

"Get up! Why are you speaking so formally among family? Do you think I'd accept such politeness from an old lady?"

Shen Ning had no idea that Granny Ma had attacked Baoyu long ago.

Children from wealthy families are difficult to raise.

It's hard to say how many of them are genuinely difficult to raise, or how many are just pretending.

The first thing she did upon returning to her residence was to inquire about the confiscation of property in Shuntian Prefecture.

When Jia Zhen returned in the evening, he looked terrified. "Mother, you don't know, the Shuntian Prefecture found a lot of clay and straw figures. Some had headbands, some had nails through their chests, and some had locks around their necks. There were countless paper figures in the cabinet, and underneath were many small ledgers recording which family had been verified and how much silver they owed. The amount of money they received from incense and oil offerings was also countless."

In the end, even Lord Dong went to see it himself. (End of Chapter)