The Heavens Begin with Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 171 Surrender
Last night, Mrs. Wang was upset that Jia Zheng always protected Aunt Zhao. She felt cruel and jealous, so she secretly set up a punishment at night and tortured Aunt Zhao.

But due to Jia Zheng's order, she did not dare to harm Aunt Zhao at once, so after Aunt Zhao fainted, she let her go.

Anyway, Mrs. Wang has the final say on when Jia Zheng will recover, so she has plenty of time to play with Aunt Zhao.

When Jia Zheng woke up from his coma again, he opened his eyes and saw Aunt Zhao, who looked haggard and was guarding his bedside. When she saw him wake up, she immediately came to him with tears in her eyes to complain.

"Master, you have to make the decision for me!"

"My wife, my wife bullied me..."

"Hmm?" Jia Zheng turned his head slightly and looked at Aunt Zhao. He felt that she looked haggard but not without any missing limbs. He sighed and said, "Now that I, the master, have suffered a stroke and am bedridden, I cannot protect you. You should control your temper and stop contradicting her. After all, she is your sister, and it is her right to take care of you."

"I..." Aunt Zhao was suddenly speechless. It was really difficult for her to open her mouth to tell her the content of the punishment last night.

And judging from Jia Zheng's current attitude, I'm afraid that even if I say anything, it may not be of any use.

They are all his own women, not outsiders. If something fake happens between them, it will be good for the family. Will Master Zheng care?

Jia Zheng's favoritism also has its limits. On the surface, he has to give some face to Wang Fu-ren, his legal wife, and treat them equally.

It is natural and right for the eldest wife to take care of the younger concubine. Everyone in the world agrees with this, and Jia Zheng is no exception.

Therefore, as long as the punishment did not involve life-threatening consequences, he would just turn a blind eye when Aunt Zhao was beaten or scolded.

Aunt Zhao had no words to express her grievances, but Jia Zheng ignored her and said:

"I'm a little hungry, give me some porridge and rice."

Aunt Zhao had no choice but to endure what happened last night and got up to go out to get food.

As she moved, the trauma from last night became apparent again, and she couldn't even take a step. She had no choice but to hold onto the wall and move forward little by little.

When Jia Zheng saw this, he thought it was Aunt Zhao being beaten with a stick, so he sighed inwardly and pretended not to see it.

Jia Zheng was not very old, and this stroke was not that serious. With timely treatment, he recovered very well and was awake much longer today than yesterday.

Aunt Zhao was busy all the time, feeding water and massaging. In the meantime, Baoyu, Huan Saner and others came to visit.

Originally, Mrs. Wang had forbidden Jia Huan, Tanchun and others to appear in front of Jia Zheng, but now that Aunt Zhao had slipped through, there was no point in forbidding them anymore. Instead, it would lead to gossip and suspicion that she was isolating her closest relatives.

Huan Saner also knew about her desperate riot last night. Seeing that she was in low spirits, he found an opportunity and asked secretly:
"Mother, what does the master say? Has the mistress ever made things difficult for you?"

Aunt Zhao gnashed her teeth and replied in a low voice:

"Last night, that woman sent two maids to kidnap me and tortured me all night long!"

"If I hadn't asked the master for a life-saving talisman before, I would not have seen the sun today!"

After hearing this, Huan Saner also became angry and cursed in a low voice:
"This old hag is so vicious, has mother complained to the master?"

"Alas!" Aunt Zhao frowned and sighed, "Master can't get out of bed now, and his words have no weight. Now he just wants to keep things quiet, and he asked me not to provoke that woman."

"Is this what I want to provoke her for?"

"It's obvious that she won't let me go!"

"Tsk!" Huan San'er also had a headache. "She is the wife, she has taken the title, there is nothing we can do. Madam, do you have any other ideas? Tell me, I will take care of it outside."

Aunt Zhao thought for a moment and whispered:
"I don't know what this woman is thinking. She is so adamantly against letting your sister marry Master Zhan, even as a concubine."

"This is a bit unusual. You should find a way to investigate it. What exactly is this woman planning?"

"I always feel that if I can find out the truth about this matter, I might be able to find a way to fight against this woman."

Huan Saner nodded and agreed, then quietly left the courtyard.

Aunt Zhao waited until dark, waiting for Jia Zheng to finish his meal and take his medicine. Only then did she relax after watching him fall into a deep sleep.

But she became even more nervous. She did not go to the small room to rest, but just huddled near Jia Zheng's bed, fearing that two more strong women would pounce on her and abduct her.

Unexpectedly, this time Mrs. Wang changed her style and started to take an open approach. She openly asked Zhou Rui's wife to come and pass on the message.

"My wife asked you to go to her place."

"I, I want to take care of the master by his bedside in case he wakes up in the middle of the night and can't find anyone." Aunt Zhao refused with a grunt.

Zhou Ruijia sneered, "Haha, there are maids waiting here at night, so you don't need to trouble me to keep watch all the time."

"I'll feel more at ease if I take care of her myself." Aunt Zhao refused to go over no matter what.

"Humph!" Zhou Ruijia didn't force it, turned around and left, "Anyway, I've brought you the news, you can do whatever you want!"

Aunt Zhao watched Zhou Rui's wife leave, but she did not relax at all. Instead, she became even more nervous. She stared at the door. As long as someone rushed in to arrest someone, she would shout loudly and wake the master up to save her.

Unexpectedly, she was so nervous that she didn't sleep all night, and no one came.

The next day, when Jia Zheng woke up, he saw that Aunt Zhao looked even more haggard, yawning constantly, and looked very listless. He said distressedly:
"You don't have to stay up all night here, let the maid take over for you at night, and you can go and rest."

"Don't wait for me to recover, you've collapsed again."

Aunt Zhao rubbed her red eyes and shook her head:

"This matter is all my fault. If I don't take care of the master personally, I will feel uneasy."

Jia Zheng was even more moved, and his original resentment towards Aunt Zhao also dissipated a lot.

Aunt Zhao had been busy all day, and by the evening she was very tired, exhausted, and dizzy. She just wanted to fall on the bed and fall asleep.

But when she heard the door open, she was so frightened that she jumped out of bed. Just as she was about to scream, she looked up and saw that it was Zhou Ruijia again.

This old woman had been played by Aunt Zhao before, and was scolded by Madam Wang. She hated Aunt Zhao very much. Seeing her like a frightened bird, Zhou Ruijia felt happy and said in a sarcastic tone:

"Hey, didn't Auntie say she would stay with the Master all the time? Why are you lying down like this?"

Aunt Zhao was feeling dizzy at the moment and didn't want to argue with her, so she turned her head away and said nothing.

"Humph!" Zhou Ruijia snorted coldly and said, "Madam asked you to go over, are you going or not?"

Aunt Zhao wanted to refuse forcefully, but she knew that she couldn't stand up to them alone, so she had to lower her head, took out the silver and handed it to Zhou Rui's wife, saying with a smile:

"Sister Zhou, I really can't leave here, so please help me put in a few good words for the Madam."

Seeing that Aunt Zhao was trying the same trick again, Mrs. Zhou Rui was unwilling to be fooled again. She threw the silver away and turned away.

"Hmph, I've already said what I want to say, so you better wish me the best!"

"Oh..." Aunt Zhao wanted to stop him but couldn't, so she had to come back angrily and hid in front of Jia Zheng's bed again, sat on the ground, leaned against the wall and dozed off.

Just as she was in a daze, she suddenly heard the sound of the door opening again. She was so scared that she jumped up quickly. When she looked up again, it was Zhou Rui's wife again.

Seeing that Aunt Zhao was still so alert, Zhou Rui's wife said with a fake smile:
"I came to see if my aunt is asleep. If she isn't, I'll come back later."

After saying that, she turned around and walked out again.

This attitude is very obvious. It is clear that he will wait until she falls asleep and then kidnap her.

Aunt Zhao was furious, but she had no idea what to do.

She was so sleepy that she was afraid she would fall asleep soon. How would she be able to withstand the sudden attack then?

She walked around the room for a long time and finally came up with a solution. After closing the door, she pushed the table forward to block the door, placed a fragile bottle on the edge of the table, and then went to bed with peace of mind.

While half asleep and half awake, she heard the crisp sound of a bottle falling to the ground. She got up quickly, walked to the door, and said to the outside:
"Old hag, don't waste your time. I've set up an alarm at the door. Don't think you can take me away quietly!"

Now that money is no longer useful and everyone has fallen out, she is too lazy to continue maintaining this false superficial relationship.

Zhou Ruijia outside the door snorted heavily, but did not force his way in.

Aunt Zhao waited quietly for a while. When she heard that it was quiet outside, she breathed a sigh of relief, pushed the table back to its original position, put a new vase on it, and went back to bed to sleep.

This time she slept until dawn and was not disturbed by anyone outside. She didn't know whether they had given up or were thinking of some new idea.

Another day passed without incident. After dinner, after helping Jia Zheng take his medicine and go to bed, Aunt Zhao repeated her old trick. She blocked the door, gave a simple warning, then undressed and went to bed.

While half asleep and half awake, I heard another crisp "clang" sound, and the vase fell to the ground and broke.

Aunt Zhao hurriedly got up and sneered at the door:
"I haven't slept yet, come back later!"

Unexpectedly, this time Zhou Ruijia did not stop, but continued to force people in.

"It doesn't matter whether you sleep or not, as long as the master sleeps."

Aunt Zhao saw that she was going to use force, and she panicked. She rushed into Jia Zheng's bedroom and warned him:

"If you come in again, I'll scream!"

"If you wake up the master, I'm afraid you won't be able to bear the consequences!"

The vase on the table was just a hastily made alarm device. It could not stop so many people outside. In just a moment, Zhou Rui's wife rushed into the house with a few maids and smiled coldly at Aunt Zhao.

"Haha...then you should scream!"

"Let's see if the master can wake up and save you this time!"

She waved her hand and two strong maids came up to take the person away. Seeing the urgency of the situation, Aunt Zhao dared not hold back any longer and screamed loudly.

"Master, help me..."

"They want to kidnap me and torture me..."

After she had screamed a few words, she was subdued by the two old women. They stuffed a cloth into her mouth, pushed her to the ground, tied her up, and carried her away.

Aunt Zhao hurriedly turned her head to look, only to see that her master was still sleeping soundly on the bed, not disturbed at all.

How can this be?

Her voice was so sharp that it was almost an octave high. How could the master not wake up yet?
"Haha..." Seeing Aunt Zhao's puzzled expression, Zhou Rui's wife proudly pinched her chest and said viciously: "Do you think that the master protects you and the mistress can't do anything to you?"

"I might as well tell you that the Madam had someone add a tranquilizer into the Master's medicine. Even if you scream your throat out, the Master will not wake up to save you!"

Ruined!
Aunt Zhao's heart sank to the bottom in an instant.

No wonder the little maid who came to deliver medicine at night stood by and watched the master drink up the medicine before getting up and leaving.

What a miscalculation!

She never imagined that in order to kidnap her, the mistress would dare to put drugs in the master's medicine!

But it happens that this medicine is not a knockout drug, but a tranquilizer. It is only beneficial to the master's health and has no harm. Even if the matter is exposed and brought to the master, the mistress will also have something to say.

In a moment, she was sent to the mistress's secret hut again, tied to the rack, and once again at the mercy of others.

The crisp sound of high heels rang out again, and Mrs. Wang appeared in front of Aunt Zhao, pushing the small table. She was still wearing a tight black leather jacket and holding a nine-tailed whip in her hand.

"Little bitch, do you think you can escape from my clutches?" She circled around Aunt Zhao and swept the whip handle in her hand across Aunt Zhao's body, causing her to tremble.

Aunt Zhao had never been so afraid of her own wife in the past. She was more filled with contempt and jealousy. Now that she no longer had the protection of the master, she truly understood the essential difference between a wife and a concubine.

Mrs. Wang first swung the whip and hit her hard a few times, but in order to leave no evidence, she quickly threw the whip away, picked up another object from the table, shook it gently in front of Aunt Zhao, and said with a smile:
"Do you know what this is?"

Aunt Zhao glanced over the thing and saw that it was a strip of cloth made of a strange material. She didn't know what it was made of. One side was smooth and the other side was rough. She didn't know what it was used for.

"I don't know, right?"

"It doesn't matter, you'll soon find out how good this thing is!"

Mrs. Wang didn't expect Aunt Zhao to know about this thing. She said this purely to scare her and put some pressure on her.

After showing it off, she took off Aunt Zhao's skirt, revealing two slender, smooth legs. Then she rubbed them repeatedly with her hands, exclaiming in admiration:
"No wonder the master likes you!"

"Look at your tender skin. You don't look like a woman in her thirties at all."

"It has very few hairs and is as smooth as jade. What a pity..."

Aunt Zhao didn't know what she felt sorry for, but she knew it was definitely not something nice, so she shook her body hastily, humming and whining, trying to beg for mercy.

But Mrs. Wang didn't want to listen to her sweet words at all. She ignored her and just gently tore open the belt in her hand. It turned out that the belt was glued together on both sides, but it was so light and thin that it was completely invisible.

Mrs. Wang casually threw away the torn part of the belt in her left hand, but carefully stuck the part in her right hand on Aunt Zhao's calf, smoothing it repeatedly until the belt stuck tightly to her calf.

After finishing, she pinched one end of the belt with one hand, looked up at Aunt Zhao and smiled, then gently pulled it out.

"Woo..." Aunt Zhao's eyes suddenly opened wide and her body bounced violently, just like the fish on the chopping board.

She only felt that the skin on her calf and the belt were separating little by little, and something seemed to be leaving her body, accompanied by a strange and intense pain that instantly spread throughout her body and continued. How could she describe the pain in just one word?

"Ha ha……"

Mrs. Wang slowly tore the ribbon off, saying in a sarcastic tone:

"You vixen, your beautiful legs must have tempted me a lot!"

"Now I will help you again and make your legs even smoother and more beautiful!"

"Think carefully about how to thank me."

"Wuwu..." Aunt Zhao's tears streamed down her face and her body moved in vain.

After a while, the belt was finally pulled off Aunt Zhao's calf by Mrs. Wang, and the pain finally stopped.

Mrs. Wang held the belt and looked at it for a few seconds, then she covered her mouth and laughed out loud. She picked up the belt and placed it in front of Aunt Zhao.

"Come and take a look. These are all the sweat hairs on your calves. Although they don't look obvious on your legs, they are so fine and dense when you stick them down like this!"

"My hair removal tape is very effective. Apart from the fact that it is a bit painful, there is nothing wrong with it."

"Wait for me to wash your whole body, and I will definitely make your skin whiter and more pleasing to the master."

When Aunt Zhao heard that Mrs. Wang wanted to continue, she was terrified and started struggling again, trying to beg for mercy, but her body was fixed so tightly that she could not do anything.

"Since you have no objection, I will take it as your agreement. Come, let's switch thighs this time."

Mrs. Wang took another piece of hair removal tape, peeled it off and stuck it on Aunt Zhao's thigh, then continued to tear it down slowly, her eyes still fixed on Aunt Zhao's face, looking at her painful and collapsed expression, looking for the pleasure that had just awakened in herself.

"Hehe...your expression is really cute. No wonder the master likes you so much!"

"If you always have this expression, I, the madam, might like you too!"

As expected, human happiness is always built on the suffering of others. Mrs. Wang now feels that Aunt Zhao’s painful expression is very beautiful, which makes her feel comfortable and happy.

She glued the left leg, then the right leg, then the arms, and she made sure not to leave out any armpit hair or anything like that, giving Aunt Zhao a body as pure as jade.

After she finished this trick, Aunt Zhao was completely numb. She kept twitching on the shelf, and her mind was a little numb.

Seeing that Aunt Zhao had begun to get used to this kind of pain and her ability to bear it had increased, Mrs. Wang's interest in it also waned. Seeing that it was getting late and time to rest, she threw away the toys in her hands, went back to the room to change back into her original clothes, rang the bell to let Caixia come in, gave Aunt Zhao a bath and changed her clothes, and then arranged for a healthy woman to take her back.

Before Aunt Zhao was carried away, Mrs. Wang came to Aunt Zhao with a smile, stretched out her hand and gently patted her face, saying with a smile:
"The fun has just begun, let's continue tomorrow!"

Aunt Zhao trembled suddenly, shrank back, and did not dare to look up at her.

It was a new day and Jia Zheng didn't notice anything. He continued to eat, sleep and recuperate as usual.

Aunt Zhao wanted to report Mrs. Wang's evil behavior to the master several times, but as soon as she thought that these were only physical pains and there was no danger to her life, she swallowed her words.

Can't bear it!
Not only did she understand her master, but Mrs. Wang also understood her master very well. The "punishments" she imposed were very measured, the kind that could make Aunt Zhao suffer enough without crossing Jia Zheng's bottom line.

The internal strife between wives and concubines is an eternal problem. I have never heard of the so-called harmonious backyard. The only difference is the degree and extent of the internal strife.

Compared with those powerful families where people were killed at any time, Jia Zheng felt that he had done a perfect job and was almost fair to everyone. So what did it matter if the concubine was bullied by the eldest wife?
Both Aunt Zhao and Mrs. Wang understood this principle, so one dared to abuse her at will while the other could only swallow her anger.

As the sun sets, another day ends and night falls again.

The little maid brought the medicine over again and watched Aunt Zhao give it to Jia Zheng before she got up and left.

Aunt Zhao knew clearly that there must be a sedative in the medicine, but when the words came to her lips, she still said nothing in the end.

There's no point in saying it, tranquilizers are beneficial and have no harm.

Oh, nevermind, when you’re under someone’s roof, you have to bow your head!
Anyway, her mistress had no intention of taking her life, so she should just endure the suffering.

Just wait until the master recovers, and then find a way to take revenge.

After these two "punishments", Aunt Zhao finally compromised.

When Zhou Ruijia came over to deliver the message again, she stood up obediently, bowed her head and said resignedly:
"I will go to see the madam now, so that Sister Zhou won't have to run around anymore."

Seeing her suddenly being so well-behaved, Zhou Ruijia was stunned, took a step back and said cautiously:

"What weird things are you going to do?"

Aunt Zhao lowered her eyebrows and said submissively:
"I did something wrong this time, so I should be punished. I used to hope I could get away with it, but now I've figured it out. Madam, no matter how you punish me, it's all I deserve."

Zhou Ruijia was even more unconvinced. She looked at her intently for a few times, then waved her hand and the two old women came up again to tie people up.

Aunt Zhao's face suddenly changed color and she said hurriedly:

"No need to tie me up, no need to tie me up, I can just walk over there by myself!"

The two old women stopped and turned to look at Zhou Rui's wife.

Mrs. Zhou Rui had been deceived by her before and didn't believe her at all. In addition, she was filled with hatred and now wanted to take revenge to vent her anger. However, she ignored her and just waved her hands with a cold face. The two old women pinned Aunt Zhao to the ground, gagged her again, tied her up, and carried her away.

Bitter!

Aunt Zhao secretly groaned inwardly. She had originally thought that she could take the initiative to go to the mistress, kneel down and kowtow, or beg, and she would find a way to improve the current situation. But this damn old woman actually tied her up again, and all her plans fell through.

Soon she was sent to Mrs. Wang's secret hut. After she was put down, Zhou Rui's wife did not leave, but leaned over and whispered in detail about Aunt Zhao's behavior.

Mrs. Wang's eyes suddenly lit up, and she waved her hand to let her go out first. Then this time she did not tie Aunt Zhao to the iron rack, but changed into the queen's clothes again, pulled a chair, and sat in front of Aunt Zhao.

She pulled out the cloth stuffed in Aunt Zhao's mouth, poked her face with the tip of her high-heeled shoe, and said with a smile:
"I heard you've learned your lesson?"

Aunt Zhao hurriedly put on a flattering smile and rubbed her face gently against the back of Mrs. Wang's feet.

"Madam, please understand. I have learned my lesson."

"I know that I was too disrespectful to Madam Madam in the past. I regret it now. From now on, I will follow Madam Madam's lead. I will do whatever Madam Madam tells me to do, and I will not do anything Madam Madam tells me not to do."

No one dislikes hearing flattering words, especially when these words are spoken by her long-time enemy. Mrs. Wang was immediately delighted. She stood up with a loud laugh and stepped on Aunt Zhao's head with her high heels, crushing it from above, and scolded:

"Haha...little bitch, you found out that the master can't protect you anymore, right?"

"Are you planning to imitate Gou Jian, sleeping on straw and tasting gall, waiting for the master to recover from his illness before settling accounts with me?"

Aunt Zhao tried hard to turn her head away, trying to let Mrs. Wang take the back of her head, so that her reputation, which she relied on for a living, would not be hurt as much as possible. She buried her head on the ground and said in a muffled voice:
"Madam, you are joking. It is your duty to discipline me. Even if the master recovers from his illness, he will not blame you for such a thing."

"Hmph!" Mrs. Wang snorted coldly, raised her head proudly and said, "You can see clearly! This is the difference between a principal wife and a concubine. No matter how favored you are, you are just a plaything, but I will always be the mistress of the Jia family."

"Yes, yes, yes, the Madam is always the Madam, that's absolutely right!" Aunt Zhao was flexible and kept smiling, "It's a pity that I didn't understand this principle before and acted recklessly. I will never do that again in the future."

Mrs. Wang was pleased with Aunt Zhao's flattery, but she still wouldn't believe the words of this foxy woman. She wanted to humiliate Aunt Zhao, so she sat back in her chair and sneered:
"You just said that you will listen to me in everything from now on?"

"That's right, from now on, if my wife asks me to beat a dog, I will definitely not chase a chicken!"

Aunt Zhao squirmed her body, turned her head, and looked at Mrs. Wang with sincere eyes, looking like a loyal dog, which made Mrs. Wang tremble with joy.

"Words are not enough. I have to test you."

Hearing Madam Wang's words soften, Aunt Zhao immediately perked up and said with a flattering smile:

"Madam, just give the order, and I will obey it without hesitation!"

Mrs. Wang crossed her legs, put her high heels in front of Aunt Zhao, and sneered:

"Gou Jian, who slept on firewood and tasted gall, still had to eat Fu Chai's feces. Let's not do such a disgusting thing. Just lick my high heels clean first."

The smile on Aunt Zhao's face suddenly froze, and when she looked at the high heels again, her smile became a little bitter.

"Well... Madam, how about you change the conditions?"

"Hehe... didn't you just say you wouldn't say anything? Why are you changing the conditions now?"

Mrs. Wang playfully shook the high-heeled shoes, making them sway on the toes of her jade feet, making Aunt Zhao feel a little dizzy.

"Don't worry, I don't wear these shoes on weekdays. I only wear them when I play. I only walk indoors and never go out. There's not much dust on them. You can lick them without worry."

Aunt Zhao had no choice but to close her eyes, grit her teeth, move her face closer, and start maintaining Mrs. Wang's high heels.

"Haha..." Mrs. Wang looked at her former enemy who was now in such a humble state. She felt so happy in her heart that she couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Although she knew in her heart that Aunt Zhao must have been living in misery, the jealousy that had been pent up for many years was finally released, making her unable to stop.

She was reluctant to give up this feeling. She wanted it to last forever. She wanted Aunt Zhao to be her dog forever and do whatever she asked her to do.

First the left foot, then the right foot, then she stood up and walked around, and asked Aunt Zhao to do it again.

Seeing Aunt Zhao carefully maintaining her pair of high heels over and over again, her desire grew stronger and stronger. Finally, she could no longer hold back, so she pulled her feet back, stepped forward to untie Aunt Zhao's rope, and then pointed at the table and shouted:

"Get down on it!"

After being freed from her restraints, Aunt Zhao first got up from the ground, stretched her legs and feet, looked around the empty room, hesitated for a moment, sighed secretly, and did as she was told.

Aunt Zhao lay on the table, biting her lower lip tightly, clenching her fists. She really wanted to turn around and fight her, but she knew very well that if she turned against her at this time, she would be the only one to suffer, and all her previous efforts would be in vain.

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(End of this chapter)