The Heavens Begin with Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 162 Pillow Style

As Aunt Zhao has mastered the skills of house fighting, she immediately became alert after discovering that Madam Wang was rescued by Master Zhan.

Although she didn't know that Ma Dao Po had been exposed and arrested, and she didn't know that Mrs. Wang already knew that she was the mastermind behind the scenes, but as long as she put herself in their shoes, she would know who she should suspect first if she encountered such a thing.

By the same token, if Mrs. Wang encountered such a thing, the first person she would suspect would definitely be her!

The person who knows you best may not be your friend, but more likely your enemy!
While Mrs. Wang was thinking about how to complain to her master, Aunt Zhao had already run to Jia Zheng and started stirring up trouble again.

She said nothing at first. When Jia Zheng finished washing and was ready to go to bed, she turned the quilt upside down and searched it carefully from front to back. When Jia Zheng frowned, she said with concern:

"Master, I heard that the evil spirits are placed under the quilts, so we'd better check carefully before going to bed to prevent being harmed by others."

"I think the thief was most likely targeting you, Master. But Master has been staying in my courtyard these days and has never been to Madam's place, so he only harmed Madam."

"Master, you have to be careful these days!"

"The person who secretly harmed the Madam was most likely targeting our family. Since she could harm the Madam, she could naturally harm the Master as well!"

"We can lose anyone in our family, but we can't lose you, Master!"

After hearing this, Jia Zheng's brows immediately furrowed.

Aunt Zhao was indeed a worm in Master Zheng's stomach, and what she said was exactly what he was most worried about right now.

Jia Zheng drank a lot with Master Zhan tonight, and now his head was dizzy and obviously not working as fast as usual. After hearing what Aunt Zhao said, he became even more wary of the guy who was secretly harming him.

He suddenly sat up from the bed and shouted in a low voice:
"Tomorrow I will have people conduct a thorough investigation of everyone who has entered Madam's courtyard in the past few days. We must question this evil thief one by one. Otherwise, I will not be able to sleep or eat in peace!"

Aunt Zhao said with a sad face:

"Master, you also know that the relationships among people in our mansion are complicated. I'm afraid that we may not be able to find out who it is even if we investigate like this."

"Master, have you forgotten that the gold sand was robbed before, and Madam personally came out to investigate, even beating two people to death, but what was the result? Didn't it still end in nothing?"

"Later, the gold sand was swapped, and everyone covered it up for each other, so nothing was found out?"

"In the end, it was only thanks to the intervention of the divine detectives from Shuntian Prefecture that we were able to catch those people. Otherwise, the matter would have ended in a hasty manner."

"This nightmare is such a big deal now. Even if Madam leads people to investigate and kills a few people, I'm afraid no one will admit it."

After Jia Zheng heard this, he also felt that it made sense, so he hesitated and said:

"Do we need to ask Chief Inspector Jiang to come over and help investigate the case again this time?"

Aunt Zhao waved her hand hastily to stop him:
"No!"

"Master, have you forgotten that the most taboo place in this world is to be defeated by nightmares?"

Jia Zheng was stunned and didn't react. He just asked, "Where is it?"

"Of course it's the palace!" Aunt Zhao slapped her thigh and leaned over to whisper in her ear, "Master, now that the queen is coming home soon, we must not let anything terrible happen in our house!"

"Otherwise, if something similar happens in the palace in the future, others will think of the queen, thinking that she learned this despicable method in our house and used it in the palace again."

"Even if our family is the victim and Her Majesty would never do such a thing, the struggle in the palace only needs an excuse, so who cares about truth or falsehood?"

"As long as it's related to this kind of thing, it's impossible to explain it clearly!"

After Jia Zheng heard this, his face suddenly changed and he blurted out:
"That's right, this matter of Yan Sheng must not be leaked out!"

"Oh no, that's bad... Many people in the mansion already know about this!"

Aunt Zhao smiled and said:

"Master, don't worry. In fact, most people have only heard these news from others. There are only about a dozen people who actually saw Master Zhan perform the action on the spot."

"Tomorrow, the master will call them all here, and use both kindness and force. First, give them some silver and scare them a few times, so that they will change their words and spread the new news. Then we will allow the news to spread quickly and suppress the rumors of Yan Sheng. That's all."

After Jia Zheng heard this, he was still a little hesitant, so he asked hesitantly:

"But the news of the madam's coma and incurable disease, and the practice of nephew Zhan Xian, have already spread in the mansion. It seems like a nightmare. Even if we spread false news, others may not believe it!"

Aunt Zhao curled her lips and said disdainfully:

"Whether you believe it or not depends on whether the news is big enough and tempting enough."

"The Nightmare Victory is of no benefit to ordinary people, but if this new information is also beneficial to the servants in the mansion, which one do you think they would be willing to believe?"

Jia Zheng raised his eyebrows, glanced at her and asked:

"From what you said, you already have a solution?"

"Why keep it a secret? Tell me what you have said. If it is useful, I will reward you handsomely."

Aunt Zhao smiled charmingly and said:
"I am already very happy that I can help you, Master. Why would I need any reward?"

"I think that since the incident has already happened, it is impossible to change it, but the specific content of the incident can be tampered with."

"For example, if the wife was harmed by the nightmare, it could be changed to the wife met the immortal fate, but the fortune was shallow and could not bear it, so she fainted."

"And when Master Zhan opened the altar to perform rituals, he didn't do it to drive away evil spirits, but to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth, to help his wife fulfill her vow to the gods and Buddhas, and that's how he saved his wife."

"I have already thought of the immortal fate. I will use the treasure mirror that saved Jia Tianxiang's life before. This thing was used by Jia Zhen before, and later fell into the hands of Madam. It is said to be quite effective."

"When the time comes, we will release this treasure mirror and allow everyone in the mansion to line up to try their luck with the immortals."

"Those lowly creatures don't work hard all day long. They just daydream about turning the tables and becoming masters. Now we give them this opportunity. Master, do you think they will believe it?"

After listening to this, Jia Zheng was obviously moved, but he was not familiar with the thoughts of the lower class people, and he was not sure whether this method could be more attractive than the news of Yan Sheng, so his brows were still furrowed, and he was a little worried.

"This statement... is a bit far-fetched!"

Aunt Zhao continued:
"If we were to speak on our own, there would certainly be few who believed and many who doubted. But what if the three of us said so together?"

"Three families? Which three families?" Jia Zheng was stunned.

Aunt Zhao counted on her fingers:
"Our family, Miss Lin's family, and Master Zhan's family, aren't there three families?"

"Then we will say that Miss Lin knew where the immortal fate was in her precognitive dream, and then told the Madam. The two of them tried to use the treasure mirror one after another, but the fate was not enough, and they both passed out. Thanks to Master Zhan's rescue, they are safe and sound."

"Ms. Lin and Mr. Zhan are both our in-laws. As long as you explain the pros and cons to them, they will definitely be willing to help us tell this lie."

"Let's not talk about anything else, just Miss Lin's precognitive dreams. In the past few months, every dream has come true without any mistakes. The authenticity has long been verified."

"If she is willing to speak, how could anyone in the mansion not believe it?"

"As for Master Zhan, he has always been the God of Wealth in the mansion. Every time he comes, he rewards everyone he sees. His words are more effective than those of many young masters and young ladies. Even if the servants don't believe him, they dare not openly oppose him, right?"

After hearing Aunt Zhao's words, Jia Zheng also felt that it made a lot of sense, so he nodded repeatedly and praised:

"This method is really good, you put your heart into it!"

"Tomorrow I will... No, this kind of thing should be done sooner rather than later. I will immediately go to Nephew Zhan and tell him about this matter. Gather all the people in the mansion who were present today to hear Nephew Zhan talk about the nightmare, and wait in the courtyard to prevent them from talking nonsense outside. Don't give out the reward money yet, and I will deal with it when I come back."

"As for Miss Lin, I'll let my wife talk to her after I discuss it with her."

After giving the instructions, Jia Zheng stood up, dressed, and hurried out to the Zhan Mansion.

Only after watching Jia Zheng's back disappear into the night did Aunt Zhao breathe a sigh of relief, only to feel her back soaked with cold sweat.

In order to escape the crime successfully, she used all her skills in house fighting and came up with such a perfect lie in such a short time, eliminating the danger in the bud before Mrs. Wang came to complain.

As long as the master does not want the news of Yan Sheng to spread, even if Mrs. Wang knows the truth later, she cannot use this reason to deal with her.

As for whether Mrs. Wang would fabricate additional charges to make things difficult for her and retaliate against her... that was absolutely inevitable.

However, she has been able to fool Lady Wang for so many years and protect both her son and daughter, which shows that she has her own means of survival.

Since we can't accomplish our goal in one go, the worst that can happen is we can just deal with it bit by bit as it comes our way!
Now that things have come to this, there is no use regretting.

It’s a pity that that guy named Zhan is so nosy and dares to interfere in everything. He is such an annoying guy!
But his own children are longing to hug Zhan's big thick legs, and they cannot offend him. It's really a pity to compare yourself with others!
Mr. Zhan had already gone to bed at this time. Suddenly he heard that Jia Zheng was coming to visit. Feeling a little surprised, he came out to see him.

When Jia Zheng saw him, he said with enthusiasm and eagerness:

"My dear nephew, I am sorry for disturbing you in the middle of the night, but this matter is of great importance. I hope you will understand."

Mr. Zhan had slept with the man's wife and daughter-in-law, so of course he had to be more tolerant. He smiled and waved his hand, saying:
"Uncle Zheng, what are you talking about? We are all family. How can there be any such thing as being rude or not?"

"Uncle has something to say but it's okay to tell him."

Jia Zheng then told him about his worries and Aunt Zhao's solution, and said ashamedly:
"I also know that my nephew has a bright and clear personality and does not like such petty intrigues. However, this matter involves the palace, so we cannot be careless. My family must nip any possible danger in the bud."

"Oh, so that's how it is." Mr. Zhan nodded slightly, probably understanding Jia Zheng's thoughts.

"Uncle, I can help you lie about this matter. It's just a piece of cake."

"It's just that the matter of the immortal fate seems a bit far-fetched."

"I have also looked at that treasure mirror before, and I know that it is far from being as magical as it seems."

"If outsiders have never come into contact with it, then we can say whatever we want. But my uncle just said that if we make this treasure mirror public in the mansion, and let everyone try to find the immortal fate, it will easily cause trouble."

"Let's not talk about anything else. Sister Lin and the Second Madam fell into a coma after encountering the Immortal Fate. The mansion said that they were not blessed enough and could not bear it. It sounds reasonable, but how do you explain that the servants did not fall into a coma after encountering the Immortal Fate?"

"This one……"

Jia Zheng was just trying desperate measures to find a cure for his illness, and had not carefully considered the relevant issues at all. When asked by Mr. Zhan, he was immediately unable to answer.

"Or, how about saying that they are of low status and cannot trigger the fate of immortals at all?" Jia Zheng hesitated and asked tentatively.

Master Zhan sighed and shook his head. He had a clear understanding of Master Zheng's quick wit. It was too weak!

"Uncle Zheng, if you want to use the Immortal Fate theory to replace the Nightmare Victory theory, you have to attract the servants to recognize and discuss this matter. If they are of low status and cannot trigger the Immortal Fate, how can they still be interested?"

"Ah, that's true!" Jia Zheng suddenly realized, "Then, what should we do? Nian Si, you have a quick mind, help me think of a solution."

Master Zhan pondered for a moment and sighed:
"Forget it. Now it seems that we may have to create a fairyland for these people!"

"This... can immortal fate be created?" Jia Zheng said in astonishment.

Master Zhan glanced at him and sneered:
"Since it is a fairy fate, no one has ever seen it, so if we say it is, who can say it is not?"

"As for those servants, even if they have doubts, can they miss such a golden opportunity?" Jia Zheng suddenly realized, "Ah, I understand, but what should we do specifically?"

Of course Master Zhan can create an immortal fate artificially, but those servants have no relationship with him, so why should he give them such an advantage?

So Mr. Zhan considered it for a while and said:

"Since Sister Lin and the Second Madam both fell seriously ill after triggering the Immortal Fate, the ordinary servants can't be left alone. They have to suffer a little as well."

"But in order to prevent everyone from having to recover from illness and causing the affairs of the government to come to a standstill, the extent of this suffering must be controlled."

"I need to think about this matter carefully and give you an answer tomorrow. You may want to discuss it with Sister Lin first and make a splash."

"As for the matter of encountering the immortal, let's put it off for three days. I will preside over it then and just say that it's for everyone's safety. I can stop the ceremony when others can't bear it anymore, so that no one will get seriously ill like the Second Madam and the others."

After hearing this, Jia Zheng was overjoyed. He immediately thanked the master profusely and said many nice things before saying goodbye and leaving.

After fooling Jia Zheng away, Mr. Zhan put the matter behind him and went back to his bedroom to sleep soundly with his beauty in his arms.

As for the Immortal Fate Ceremony three days later, he already had a way to deal with it, and he could just fool around with it when the time comes.

As for whether he could deceive those servants, he felt that it was not a big problem. And even if he couldn't deceive them, so what? It was none of his business, Master Zhan!

As for Jia Zheng, he hurried back to the mansion and saw that Aunt Zhao had already asked people to gather together all the people who had been present before. He immediately came out and gave a lecture:

"When my wife was seriously ill, you all performed your duties faithfully and took care of her. Your contribution is not small. I am not a stingy person, so I called you over to give you a reward."

Everyone was called over in the middle of the night and locked in the yard. They were not allowed to leave and no one came to greet them. They asked the servants who were familiar with the area but got nothing. They were extremely worried.

Although Aunt Zhao came over and said a few nice words before, she was simply unable to control the situation. Annoyed by everyone's questions, she just said she would wait for the master to come back and left.

If Jia Zheng had not returned quickly, if they had waited a little longer, everyone might have become anxious and started to cause trouble.

Now, hearing Jia Zheng's words that he would give them rewards, they felt relieved and relieved, knowing that it must be no bad thing. They all knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying all kinds of auspicious words.

"It is our duty to be loyal to the master and do our best for the mistress. However, the master is merciful. Since you want to reward me, I will thank you for the reward!"

"It was all thanks to Madam's good fortune that even the little ghost couldn't hurt us at all. It was just a close call."

"I hope the master and the mistress live a long life, and have a life of wealth and prosperity..."

Only those who were mature and prudent knew that the reason for gathering so many people in the middle of the night was definitely not for such a small matter as reward, and there must be something else to come. So they just bowed their heads and kept silent, and kowtowed in the crowd.

As expected, when Jia Zheng heard the word "little devil", his brows immediately jumped, and he waved his hand hastily to stop him:
"Stop!"

"Nephew Zhan came to rescue people before. At that time, I thought it was a villain named Yan Sheng. Later, I found out that it was not Yan Sheng, but Xianyuan."

"Jia Tianxiang from the private school had a serious illness before, and his life was saved by a precious mirror. Later, this precious mirror fell into the hands of Madam."

"A few days ago, Miss Lin saw the correct way to use this treasure mirror in a prophetic dream. She knew that she could use it to obtain immortal fate, so she told her wife and she and her wife tried it separately."

"But who knew that they were not blessed enough to bear such a huge amount of immortal fate, so their bodies could not digest it, and they finally fell into a coma."

"Nephew Zhan is a Taoist master. He once fought with that lame Taoist priest in the street. Many people saw it. After my wife woke up, she explained the whole story. Nephew Zhan was sure that it was not a nightmare victory, but a fairy fate!"

"This immortal fate is not determined by one's birth or ability, but only by fate and merit. If one is not destined to be with you, no matter how hard one tries, one will not be able to obtain it. If one tries to force it, one will only end up like my wife, who is seriously ill and in a coma."

"Master, considering the hard work and contributions of everyone in the mansion, I intend to take out this treasure mirror and let everyone in the mansion try it one by one to see if anyone has the fate to enter the Tao and cultivate immortality."

"If there is really someone who has this fate, the master will simply give this immortal fate to him. It is also a matter of immeasurable merit to establish a good relationship with him."

"After you go back, you should spread the news widely and inform everyone in the mansion. Three days later, you should line up in the square in front of the mansion, and nephew Zhan will personally preside over the ceremony of meeting the immortal."

"My nephew Zhan has great magical powers. If he finds that someone lacks good fortune, he will stop it in time to prevent you from falling into a coma like my wife due to a serious illness."

After hearing this, everyone was in an uproar, their heads were hot, their eyes were shining, and they all began to look forward to the future of becoming immortals and living a happy life in the world.

When Jia Zheng saw this, he ordered the reward money to be distributed, which was like adding fuel to the fire, making these people even more happy, and their minds were full of only good things.

Jia Zheng was still worried that some people would not appreciate his good intentions, so he added an extra order:
"You guys should stop talking nonsense in the future and stop talking about the nightmare. Just spread the news about this encounter with the immortal."

"If I find out and someone dares to make up rumors in the future, you must know that the family rules are ruthless. Even if I beat them to death, you can't blame me for being cruel."

The crowd suddenly became quiet, and the thoughts that were originally in their minds began to calm down, and they began to associate what happened.

However, they were all cunning people. Although they began to doubt the authenticity of this immortal fate, no one asked any questions and asked for trouble. They just held the silver ingots tightly in their hands and began to think about how to get more silver back. Instead, their enthusiasm for the immortal fate faded.

Jia Zheng was still unaware of this and was still bragging about how great the fairy fate was, and how kind-hearted he, the master Jia, was and how compassionate he was towards his servants, and why he gave them this opportunity.

Everyone was considerate of the master's intention and knelt down and kowtowed to express their gratitude. The master and his servants were all very happy and the play was considered to be over.

Jia Zheng announced the end of the event with satisfaction and went to discuss the follow-up matters with Mrs. Wang. The servants who took the silver went home and began to tell others about the fairy fate.

Although the servants in the Jia family are greedy, black-hearted, and money-hungry... they do have one advantage, which is that they do things for money. As long as you pay them, they will really promote you. Even if they themselves don't believe it in their hearts, it will not affect their bragging in reality.

See? This is called a profession!
As for Madam Wang, she was first defeated by a nightmare, and then Mr. Zhan drew dozens of talismans for her. She was tortured so much that even with the secret medicine to nourish her body, she could not hold on mentally.

After she returned to her room, she thought carefully for a long time about how to convince the master to deal with Aunt Zhao. She finally fell into a deep sleep, but was woken up by her master in the middle of the night, feeling even more depressed.

"Master, you are not sleeping in the middle of the night and come to my place. What are you planning to do?"

Mrs. Wang was angry and her words were not very polite.

Anyway, they have been married for many years, and they don't speak as carefully as Aunt Zhao.

Jia Zheng didn't bother to be polite with her. He sat down in front of her bed and raised his eyebrows and said:
"We can't investigate further into your case of being defeated by the Nightmare. We have to keep a low profile!"

Mrs. Wang was yawning, and when she heard what he said, she immediately became angry and her mind became much clearer.

She thought that Aunt Zhao had set up a bomb prevention point in advance again, so she sneered and said:

"Haha, that little bitch must have been whispering something in the master's ear again, right?"

"This Yan Sheng thing was done by that little bitch!"

"Master, you can't tolerate evil this time. You must teach that little bitch a lesson. Otherwise, if she dares to hurt me this time, she will dare to hurt Baoyu next time, and the next time..."

"Okay!" Jia Zheng shouted, interrupting Mrs. Wang's words.

Of course, he was also aware of the disputes in his own backyard. He would try to smooth things over whenever possible and strive to maintain family harmony. He thought he was very fair.

But in fact, compared to a dignified and graceful lady like Mrs. Wang, a coquettish woman like Aunt Zhao is definitely more likable and knows better how to please Jia Zheng.

So when the two women clashed, Aunt Zhao, who had better skills in house fighting, always managed to gain the upper hand and made it impossible for Lady Wang, the legal wife, to do anything to her. Was it because of her upright conduct?

It’s because of pillow talk that he, the master, gets the competitive advantage!
So when it comes to feelings, Jia Zheng's feelings for Aunt Zhao are deeper, while the relationship between him and Lady Wang is purely that of husband and wife, and that of family, without any trace of love at all.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Wang’s skills in domestic fighting were still poor, and Aunt Zhao would often predict her actions in advance, whispering in Jia Zheng’s ear and blocking her from attacking before she could even start.

This time is no exception!

Jia Zheng had been running back and forth between the two residences all night and was feeling very annoyed. He was very dissatisfied with Mrs. Wang's "malicious attacks" on Aunt Zhao.

Compared to Aunt Zhao, who was afraid that Yan Sheng's affairs would affect the Imperial Concubine and was wholeheartedly devoted to making plans for the family, his wife was more short-sighted. She was only thinking about these jealous things all day long. She was really narrow-minded and was unworthy of being the mistress of the family!
But he just thought so, it was impossible for him to really favor his concubine over his wife.

He said stiffly with a cold face:

"Yuanchun is about to come home to visit her parents. At this important moment, we must not cause any unnecessary trouble."

"Especially since Yan Sheng's matter is a big taboo in the palace, we must not let Yuanchun have anything to do with it!"

"If the news of Yan Sheng gets out, it is inevitable that someone in the palace will criticize Yuanchun for it, which will be very disadvantageous to Yuanchun."

Mrs. Wang also cared a lot about her daughter, who had become the empress. When Jia Zheng reminded her, she suddenly came to her senses. Her heart skipped a beat and she asked anxiously:
"so what should I do now?"

"I'm afraid this news can't be kept secret."

Jia Zheng stroked his beard and said proudly:
"I have already made an agreement with Nian Si. You were not defeated by a nightmare this time, but you have found a destiny to be immortal. I will have him preside over the ceremony of encountering a destiny to be immortal. We will make a big fuss about it and treat it as a great gift to Yuanchun when she comes home to visit her parents."

"Emperors throughout history have always liked auspicious signs. If we can't create an auspicious sign, it would be nice to have a chance encounter with an immortal!"

"The emperor is now in his prime, and he doesn't like to make pills or take medicine. This immortal fate may not please him, but he certainly won't hate it."

"If the emperor is willing to believe it, and really believes in this matter of fate, he will definitely take good care of Yuanchun, and then we will make a fortune!"

"Even if the emperor doesn't believe it, the people in the palace like to guess his intentions. With a fairy fate by his side, who knows when the emperor will think of it again. The people in the palace will naturally guess his mind and will not deliberately embarrass Yuanchun."

He told Mrs. Wang the details, and she was very excited.

"Forget it. For Yuanchun's sake, I will not pursue the matter of Yan Sheng for the time being."

"But that little bitch has hurt me so much, she must be punished. When Yuanchun comes home to visit, I will find another reason to punish her severely and drive her out of the house!"

Seeing that his wife was still jealous at this time and insisted on throwing the blame of the nightmare on Aunt Zhao, Jia Zheng was even more unhappy and frowned and said:
"I will talk about this matter after I have secretly investigated it."

"You have no evidence to support your claim that Aunt Zhao was responsible for Yan Sheng's crime. That's really too absurd!"

Mrs. Wang raised her eyebrows and shouted:

"Master, the one who harmed me was Baoyu's godmother Ma Dao Po, and the one who was behind it was that little bitch Aunt Zhao. How can you say there is no evidence?"

Jia Zheng didn't believe it at all, and just sneered:
"I don't even know about this. How do you know about this when you just woke up?"

"But it was the housekeeper Zhou Rui who found it for you?"

"Then why didn't he report this to me, Master, after he found out about it, but only told you this?"

"And when did he tell you that?"

Mrs. Wang was speechless and could not utter a word.

She couldn't say that it was Master Zhan who told her this last time in bed!

The reason why he didn't tell you and only told me is because he played with your wife and his relationship with your wife is closer than with you!
How can you say such a thing?

Seeing this, Jia Zheng became even more certain that she was framing him, so he stood up and left.

Watching Jia Zheng leave, Mrs. Wang felt a mixture of shame and anger. She hated Aunt Zhao to the core, and she also became dissatisfied with the foolish master who did nothing.

(End of this chapter)