The head of the Red Mansion

Fu Lai Restaurant.

Prince Sheng, who was drinking with his friends, looked at the commotion at the city gate and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Adding more joy? Isn't this just trying to cover up the truth?"

A day and a night is perfectly normal for a man, but for a woman... her reputation has long been tarnished.

"Does the Shen family think we're all fools?"

Just as he was about to say something more, a wine glass crashed to the ground not far from his feet with a loud bang.

"Uh...who?"

Wang Zisheng let out a burp and quickly turned around.

"Uncle Wang, how have you been?"

Liu Xianglian smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, "A man should be more magnanimous. Uncle Wang isn't home, so you'd better be careful not to get beaten up at home."

"...So it was you."

Grandson of Liu Biao, Duke of Liguo.

Wang Zisheng didn't notice him at first. "Heh~, if others can do it, why can't I say anything? He hasn't come back for a day and a night, everyone's saying... Waaah, waaah..."

"Hehe, he's drunk."

Peng Huang, the third son of the Hou family in Xiangyang, quickly covered Wang Zisheng's mouth.

"Yes, yes, he's drunk, he's drunk. We'll take him home right away."

A group of spoiled rich kids who relied on their fathers and brothers hurriedly pulled Wang Zisheng away.

If another woman didn't return home for a day and a night, it would certainly be difficult to assess her reputation, but Shen...

Is the formidable first shrew of the Great Zhao Dynasty, the kind of woman who could beat a princess at the Emperor Emeritus's birthday banquet when she was unhappy, the kind of person who would compromise with Japanese pirates?
Do not make jokes.

The Jia family was able to confront the Japanese mainly because Madam Shen was the first to fight against them.

Furthermore, Jia Jing's death was also related to the Japanese pirates. Given Madam Shen's temperament, even if she couldn't beat them, she would still bite off a piece of flesh from the Japanese pirates, even if she had to use her teeth.

Anyone who dares to say that Madam Shen's reputation is tarnished in this matter will surely be met with a fierce fight from Jia Zhen.

The Wang and Jia families are at odds. They can't control what Wang Zisheng says about Madam Shen at home, but if he does it in front of them... if things go wrong, Jia Zhen might attack the Wang family and then their family too!

What was supposed to be a happy gathering ended badly because of a few words.

When Wang Zisheng got home, he was so angry that he smashed everything.

A bunch of spineless bastards.

It's a shame his brother hasn't come back yet, otherwise...

The main reason why Prince Sheng dared to confront the Jia family again was because Prince Teng had won a great victory in Annam and would soon be returning to the capital.

The Wang family is about to rise again.

Prince Sheng didn't want to miss this great opportunity. He thought it over and over in his room, and finally had a servant send a letter to Aunt Xue.

……

The courtyard of Ningguo Mansion, which had been noisy for half a day, finally quieted down. Shen Ning finally asked about the specific details of Granny Lai's collusion with the Japanese.

Lady You knew the most about this matter.

She followed the whole process.

Hearing that there was always a woman among those accompanying Granny Lai, Shen Ning couldn't help but frown.

“Mother, before that woman went to find Granny Lai, she actually... she actually went to find some other people in the back street.”

Others?

Seeing Madam You's hesitant manner, Shen Ning strangely understood, "A man from the Jia family?"

"……Yes!"

Yu lowered her head even further.

“…Okay, okay!”

Shen Ning laughed in exasperation, "Someone, call Xing'er."

She suspected that this woman was the one in charge.

Xing'er arrived, and soon after, he led a large group of people straight to Jin Muchuan's location.

His task was simple: to assist Lord Kim in finding all the Japanese, especially the female Japanese.

In Shen Ning's view, the men of the Jia family were there, and she could deal with them whenever she wanted, but if that Japanese woman escaped, she feared she would never have a peaceful day again.

She was worried about Kuroiwa Nami at home, and Kuroiwa Nami was also gritting her teeth in resentment.

Ahhh, if time could turn back, she would not only break Shen's legs, but also drink her blood and eat her flesh.

She didn't know how the soldiers found her way here.

When she saw it from afar, she cleverly used various means to run away first.

But she ran away, and Nagayama Keio and others were not so lucky.

They did want to create opportunities for each other, but after a day and a night without rest and having spent most of the day searching for someone, they were already exhausted.

I can't even run if I want to.

When Xing'er arrived, Jin Muchuan was still searching for Heiyan Nami.

"This woman is no ordinary person; these Japanese people all follow her lead."

Jin Muchuan had already interrogated those people separately. "If it weren't for the fact that her gender was obvious and she had already been exposed to the public, they probably would never have admitted to having her, even if it meant their deaths."

"Then now she..."

“She’s gone into the mountains,” Jin Muchuan said. “My men saw her from afar but couldn’t catch up. Her martial arts skills must be quite high.”

Although there were many officers and soldiers, finding someone skilled in martial arts on the mountain was like finding a needle in a haystack.

That's not the most important thing. The most important thing is that they have legs.

If you can go into the mountains, you can come out of them.

They could enter the mountains from this side and descend from the other side; even if they searched the entire mountain forest, they would never find it.

"We will do our best to capture them, but the government office... should also be careful."

"Alright!" Xing'er said helplessly, "I'll go and report to Madam."

"Don't rush, I'm still interrogating those Japanese here."

Jin Muchuan said, "That woman's identity might be a bit strange. The man named Nagayama Keio only said half of what he wanted to say before stopping. Wait for me a moment, and once I've pried him out of his mouth, you can go back. It's the same thing."

He is always decisive and efficient in his work.

These Japanese are going to die anyway, so it doesn't matter if they die early.

Everyone who was arrested had a leg broken.

Like Yamashita Haru at the very beginning, who even had both legs broken.

"By the way, when you came, did you see the body I had someone bring back?"

"I saw it."

Xing'er bowed deeply, "Your Excellency is more thoughtful than we are."

Although no one dared to say to his face that his wife had lost her reputation after being away for a day and a night, some people would still murmur about it in their hearts.

"Hahaha, this is Mrs. Shen's own skill!"

A smile flashed in Jin Muchuan's eyes.

As they were talking, Nagayama Keio, whose flesh had been sliced ​​off, was trembling with pain. Unable to bear it any longer, he spilled the beans, revealing everything about Kuroiwa Nami's identity.

Xing'er never expected that this person had also orchestrated the assassination attempt in Xuzhou.

Having obtained the confession, he rushed back without stopping.

At this moment, Nami Kuroiwa was unaware that her identity had been exposed.

She went up the mountain, walked quickly for half a day, and then quickly came down the mountain.

Of course, being familiar with the terrain, she not only avoided the soldiers on her way down the mountain, but also got closer to the capital.

If the soldiers dared to search them so brazenly, then the Shen family had most likely gone back.

She couldn't swallow this insult.

Even though she knew that even if she went to the capital at this point, she couldn't do anything to the Shen family, who were under so much protection, she still couldn't swallow her anger and had to go and see for herself.

Kuroiwa Nami also wanted to find Granny Lai. That old woman had lived in that mansion her whole life and had many connections she could use.

When she finally reached the capital, curfew had already passed and the city gates were closed. However, not far from the city gates, Fukuyama Shunji's head was hanging high on a wooden pole, as if looking down at her.

Kuroiwa Nami's legs went weak, and she almost collapsed to the ground.

She persevered and quietly left. But the next morning, after a short nap, she returned to queue to enter the city.

It was only then that Kuroiwa Nami realized how much trouble the Shen family had caused upon returning to the capital.

They still dare to give people lucky money?
You bastard, is this a blatant provocation against her?
Kuroiwa Nami nearly crushed her silver teeth.

She rushed to where Granny Lai lived, but before she got there, she saw the government seal.

Kuroiwa Nami was startled and quickly pretended to be passing by.

……

After a good night's sleep, Jia Zhen, having eaten and drunk his fill, immediately summoned the male members of the Jia family from the back street to the ancestral hall.

Before long, the sound of ghosts wailing and howling came from inside.

The clan rules were there, and everyone, whether they had an affair with Kuroiwa Nami or frequented the brothel, was not only reprimanded but also made to kneel in the ancestral hall and copy the clan rules thirty times.

Once you've finished copying, you can leave. If you haven't finished, then you'll have to stay inside and eat your "bitter memories" meal!

The women in the backstreet were overjoyed.

Recently, they have been looking up.

But the men were also secretly thinking of their own ways.

The competition between them was both overt and covert.

Even finding evidence against a man isn't that easy.

Unexpectedly, the clan chief found the things they couldn't find for them.

Although beating them up and making them copy the clan rules might not necessarily make them behave, they will always be quiet for a while after being punished.

This is exactly the time they need.

After all, since the clan rules were revised, the family's finances have been more abundant than in previous years.

While they're away, seize control of all the finances. If they try anything funny later, they'll be hard to deal with without money.

Sure enough, I still have to learn from the first wife.

To control a man, you have to control his money.

Leaving aside Master Jing from back then, let's talk about Jia Zhen!

So they were lawless too, it turns out.

But now?
No money!

He could only eat at home.

Even if he wanted to spend it, he couldn't.

A group of women are trying to manage the men's money and empty their savings.

On Shen Ning's side, however, they were greeted by Grandmother Jia.

The old lady came to apologize.

Therefore, he didn't let anyone accompany him.

"The matter of Granny Lai..."

Grandmother Jia spoke with great difficulty, especially after seeing the purplish-blue handprint on her face, "It is your aunt who has wronged you."

Shen Ning: "..."

She didn't say it's none of your business.

It was this old lady who protected Granny Lai back then.

This time, she was lucky to be alive.

Since entering the Red Mansion, she has done nothing to wrong the old lady.

She even has a certain bias towards this old lady because of the 1987 version of Dream of the Red Chamber.

She thought of her kindness and favoritism towards Daiyu, and how she had allowed a group of girls to live such peaceful years.

But shouldn't all of this be done by the old lady?

In a place where filial piety is paramount, she could have easily kept her two sons in check.

But she didn't care.

She continued to spoil Baoyu, harboring wishful thinking, and placed all her hopes on Yuanchun.

Because of Yuan Chun, she turned a blind eye to Wang Shi's harsh treatment of Daiyu.

In the end, she even had to abandon her granddaughter, who could only rely on her.

Shen Ning sighed softly, "Auntie, do you know what I was thinking when I woke up in that strange cellar?"

Jia Mu: "..."

Her lips trembled, and she couldn't speak.

"What I'm thinking is, what will happen to my daughter if I'm gone? She's so young."

Shen Ning looked at the old lady and said, "Auntie, you know that Granny Lai hates me to the core. You wanted to take care of her because of our master-servant relationship, and I didn't say anything. But, there are so many other ways, why do you still call her to your house so often?"

"Does inviting them to your home make you seem tolerant and caring towards the elderly?"

Jia Mu: "..."

She couldn't find the words to refute it.

"Didn't you ever consider that Granny Lai also hates you?"

Shen Ning looked at her, "When the Lai family's property was confiscated, were their belongings moved to my house? No, they were moved to the Rongguo Mansion and are now all under the names of your children and grandchildren. Do you think that the little bit you gave her can secure her loyalty for life?"
"If you were her, wouldn't you feel even a little uncomfortable?"

Jia Mu: "..."

Tears streamed down her face.

"There are no ropes or ladders in the cellar, so I can't climb up."

Shen Ning said, "Do you know how desperate I was back then? I killed someone, and I climbed up by stepping on their corpses. Do you know how scared I was? At night, a group of them pretended to be ghosts, and I hid in the woods. Do you know how much effort it took for me to overcome my fear and prepare to see ghosts?"

"It's all Auntie's fault!"

Grandmother Jia grabbed her hand and said in a tearful voice, "Ning'er, why don't you hit your aunt a few times?"

"Auntie, you're making things difficult for me again."

Shen Ning certainly couldn't hit her. "Please let me rest for a few days before you talk to me again, okay? I want to watch Yue'er grow up."

"...I'm leaving, I'm leaving!"

With things said to this extent, what else could Grandmother Jia say?

They both value their reputation.

"Your aunt will come to see you again in a few days."

She staggered out, and Yuanyang and the others quickly helped her up.

The fact that the first wife didn't send it out suggests something else they didn't understand.

Several people hurriedly helped the old lady back home.

The old lady fell ill again after returning home.

Jia Min, Wang Xifeng, and the others were all helpless in this situation.

If it were any of them, let alone forgiveness, they probably wouldn't even have the chance to hear an apology; they would just die out there.

"Mother, let's see what happens in the future."

Jia Min could only console her, "If you treat your sister-in-law better in the future, she certainly won't turn you away."

"..."

Grandmother Jia sighed deeply, "Min'er, aren't you angry with your mother?"

"...You didn't want this to happen either."

Jia Min sighed inwardly, "If blaming you were useful, I would definitely blame you."

Her mother is old, but she is still unwilling to relinquish her power.

Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to arrange for Sister-in-law Xing to marry our eldest brother in the first place.

“We will learn from this experience and not do things we shouldn’t do. You should let go of what you should let go of. Feng’er is in charge of the household. If she’s not good, her mother-in-law will take care of her. You should just focus on being your old lady.”

My older brother isn't unfilial.

Besides, there's her too.

Sometimes, Jia Min couldn't understand her mother. "Zhu'er and the others are growing up. Don't always think that they are not doing well. When the family was divided, the second branch did not suffer any losses. You always worry about them. How do you expect Lian'er to feel?"
"You should learn your lesson from the mess your eldest and second brothers made." (End of Chapter)