Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 447: Search of Rongguo Mansion

"This family has been destroyed by you a long time ago!"

Jia Yuanchun's powerful words shocked all the Jia family members present.

This was the case even for Lady Jia, who held a high position in the Jia family, let alone their situation.

They all shrank their necks, not daring to breathe, let alone look up at Jia Yuanchun who was now really angry.

But people still couldn't understand why Jia Yuanchun chose this golden time to visit her parents and said such unpleasant things.

What was originally a lucky event for the Jia family has now become irreversible.

Fortunately, there were no outsiders present today, otherwise the Jia family’s already bad reputation would have plummeted even further.

However, there are indeed outsiders on the field now.

Lin Daiyu, Xue Baochai and many other young girls watched this farce from the sidelines.

No one had any sympathy for Lady Jia, who was kneeling for a long time with distorted eyes. They all thought that it was all her own fault.

In the Jia family, he takes advantage of his seniority and status as an elder to make decisions, not allowing others to refute him, but he condones the evil deeds of the servants.

She even did a series of stupid things without realizing it, the first of which was to look down on Yue Ling many times, which was something the little girls could not tolerate.

Compared with Lady Jia, the girls were more worried about Jia Yuanchun, who had only been with them for a short time and treated others as warmly as a spring breeze.

Although this was the first time I met this elder sister, she really acted like an elder sister. She took care of her younger siblings and cared about the Jia family.

No matter how strict the Jia family is, they still feel pity for their misfortune and anger at their lack of resistance, which is a plus in front of a young girl who knows right from wrong.

"According to what Brother Yue said, the imperial guards are probably on their way. Sister Bao, what do you think I can do to avoid being implicated by the Jia family?"

Lin Daiyu, who is full of kindness, feels extremely sympathetic towards Jia Yuanchun, who now seems to be crazy in the hall, and she feels even more sorry for her future.

The only sensible person in the Jia family was sent to the palace. If Jia Yuanchun had not entered the palace, perhaps the situation of the Jia family today would be different. Everything is unknown.

Lin Daiyu was thinking this way, but in a hurry, she couldn't think of any useful countermeasures.

Xue Baochai also shook her head and said, "The Jia family has done many evil things. Even if the previous evil deeds had nothing to do with you, you can't escape the responsibility of building the imperial residence like this."

"Everything depends on your majesty's preference. I really don't know what other options there are for Big Sister."

Xue Baochai sighed with regret and lowered her head silently.

Lin Daiyu bit her lip and whispered, "Brother Yue said that His Majesty is a compassionate person and would not kill the emperor. I believe what Brother Yue said is right. My sister will not lose her livelihood..."

After a period of silence in front of the hall, Jia Yuanchun gradually calmed down.

She opened the curtain, walked down the jade steps, looked coldly at the Jia family members in the hall, and finally stood in front of Lady Jia and bowed her head.

"Perhaps the old Duke has passed away for a long time, and the old lady has forgotten his words."

Jia Yuanchun's light words seemed to be more intimidating to Grandmother Jia's heart than her just now hysteria.

With sweat on her forehead, Jia Mu raised her head in panic, unconsciously touched the rosary on her arm, and retorted: "What do you want to say? Don't say it, this is not my fault!"

Jia Yuanchun ignored her, looked her straight in the eyes, and continued to speak word by word: "The old Duke once said that you are the one who ruined this family. You will never be buried in the clan cemetery of the Jia family, let alone the clan temple!"

Grandmother Jia was stunned and speechless.

If we say that one should hit the snake at its most vulnerable part, then this sentence is Lady Jia's most vulnerable part.

She was extremely concerned about her reputation and had a deep belief in Buddhism about good and evil and rebirth. She could not accept the fate of not being able to enter the ancestral temple to enjoy the incense and worship of future generations, but ending up as a lonely ghost.

When Jia Daishan mentioned this, she was so frightened that she almost fainted, and her brain seemed to be frozen at that moment.

But later, after thinking about it again, Jia Daishan, who was already in poor health, was already half covered in earth. As for his affairs after his death, it would be entirely up to her to decide. In this case, she did not take it to heart.

Now Jia Yuanchun brought up the old matter again. If nothing unexpected happened, Grandmother Jia would not be able to catch up with Jia Yuanchun no matter what, so she became more and more afraid of this kind of thing.

"No, absolutely not..."

Grandmother Jia was breathing heavily, and her eyes gradually became unfocused.

Jia Yuanchun continued, "More than that, you cannot be buried in the ancestral temple. You should kneel in the ancestral temple and confess your sins in front of all the ancestors!"

After saying this, Jia Yuanchun grabbed Jia's mother's wrist and tore off the rosary she was wearing, and the sandalwood beads rolled all over the room.

"This is the old Duke's personal relic. Are you worthy of carrying it with you? It would be a shame to defile it. It would be better to destroy it and bury it. The old Duke's spirit in heaven would also be comforted! You dare not destroy it, nor do you dare to bury it in the tomb. Don't you know that you are guilty?"

Grandmother Jia crawled towards the rosary beads on the ground, panicking and saying, "No, no."

"This is not my fault. I did it all for the sake of the mansion. I have no selfish motives. What have I done wrong?"

"I am just an old woman, half of my body is buried in the ground, what can I take with me? Who can I do this for? His spirit in heaven should be able to understand my hard work and dedication!"

Jia Yuanchun was unwilling to listen to her empty self-affirmation. Her interest had mostly faded. After taking a few breaths, she reluctantly changed her tone and called out, turning to the side and saying, "Sister Lin, come up and sit down. I have something to tell you."

Baoqin set up a seat next to Jia Yuanchun, drew aside the curtain, and waited for Lin Daiyu.

Lin Daiyu responded and stepped forward, walking past the Buddhist beads on the ground. Ironically, she arrived at the position that Jia's mother had always dreamed of and sat down next to Jia Yuanchun.

Seeing this, Jia's mother pounded the ground and roared, "Why are you so mean to me? Why do you favor and trust the people in the Duke of Dingguo's Mansion?"

"Even if you are partial to others and ignore your family, you shouldn't be partial to him!"

"The old Duke is like this, and so are you. Even the maids who have been to his house are like this. Can't you see that he is following the path of a lone minister? If we are involved with him, our Jia family will be doomed!"

Holding the rosary in her hand, Grandmother Jia was heartbroken, "These should have been my kindness!"

Jia Yuanchun ignored her mother's shouting and just frowned slightly, saying to Lin Daiyu in a friendly manner: "I'm sorry to make you laugh, Sister Lin. I called you here because I have something to ask of you."

"I know that you came to welcome me back home, not because you really want to have anything to do with me. Although we are blood relatives, we have never met before, so we are just strangers."

“The reason you can stand here today is all because of the sisters.”

As she spoke, Jia Yuanchun's eyes began to turn red unconsciously, which made Lin Daiyu realize that Jia Yuanchun, who was so strong and attractive just now, still had a fragile side.

After all, Jia Yuanchun is not much older than them. After all, she is still younger than Yue Ling.

She had lived in the palace for a long time, and had seen so many changes in human nature. In the end, the softest part of her heart was her sisters, which inevitably touched Lin Daiyu. Her eyes became moist, and Lin Daiyu opened her heart to her and responded affectionately, "Big sister, please speak slowly."

Jia Yuanchun wiped the corners of her eyes, nodded and smiled, "Okay, I'll continue."

"I'm very glad that they had the luck to go to Duke Dingguo's mansion and have an encounter with him. This might be the best thing they have ever done, or maybe this is the fate of my sisters."

"I think Duke Dingguo has made every possible effort and should have prepared a way out for my sister. In the future, I hope Sister Lin can take good care of them."

Jia Yuanchun burst into laughter again and said, "After all, they are about the same age as you, and the second sister is even older than you. It is a bit strange to entrust them to you like this. But you are much more mature than them. You have traveled all over the country with Duke Dingguo, and you have a wider range of experience. There is a reason for doing this."

Lin Daiyu nodded and agreed, "Don't worry, sister, I will take good care of them."

Thinking of Jia Lan, who Jia Yuanchun had just taken a fancy to, Lin Daiyu asked, "What about Brother Lan?"

Jia Yuanchun shook her head. "I believe he can accomplish great things under the protection of Duke Dingguo, but he is a man and he should rely on himself. A young eagle flaps its wings and reaches as high as the sky. If he doesn't have such magnanimity, he will just become another Rongguo Mansion."

Taking one last look in the direction of her sisters, Jia Yuanchun sighed and whispered, "A rural family can be content with poverty even if they have only salt, cloth and silk. Now that you are extremely rich and powerful, if you enter the palace, it will bring disgrace to your family and bring about your own death. It is better for you to live like this."

"If you let me choose... well, I really have no choice."

There is no greater sorrow than a dead heart. Jia Yuanchun was so disappointed with the mundane world that she even expressed her entrustment. Even the intelligent Lin Daiyu could not think of a way to comfort her.

Jia Yuanchun even saw the tangle in Lin Daiyu's heart, and comforted her instead, saying, "You don't need to say anything more. Your Majesty's grand plan cannot be achieved without the planning of Duke Dingguo. The good days for you two are still to come, but it's a pity that I'm afraid I won't be able to see them by then."

Lin Daiyu opened her mouth and was about to say something, but Jia Yuanchun interrupted again, "Well, it's getting late. I just have one last small request."

"Big sister, please speak."

"I remember there was a Zen master just now. Is she a girl from your house? Please ask her to come to the warm room with me."

Lin Daiyu didn't want to refute, so she nodded and agreed, "Okay, take care, big sister."

Jia Yuanchun's smile was still as gentle as the spring breeze, dignified and graceful.

He nodded slightly to Baoqin, who seemed to have burst into tears, and stood up and went to the warm room at the back.

"Sister Lin, please make yourself at your own convenience."

……

Although Jia Yuanchun had already left, the people in the Jia family still did not dare to act rashly.

They were of course feeling bad that they were scolded so harshly during a good visit to their parents.

Looking at Lady Jia again, she was sitting on the ground mumbling, her hands full of rosary beads, but her mind was already in a state of confusion.

"No, this is not my fault. I did nothing wrong. Why can't you let me be buried in the Jia family's ancestral temple? It is unjust to treat me so harshly! I have devoted my heart and soul to the Jia family. When have I not protected the Jia family?"

Baoyu cried until his eyes turned red. He supported Jia's mother and said, "Grandma, please stop talking. The elder sister has left and has already gone home!"

Seeing Baoyu, Jia's mother seemed to have found a life-saving straw. She held his arm and asked, "Baoyu, tell me, have I done my best for the Jia family? Have I been a little harsh to you?"

Baoyu shook his head repeatedly, "No, our ancestors have never treated us harshly. They are the pillars of this family. It is all thanks to them that we have the food and clothing we need today."

Grandmother Jia couldn't help but laugh, and stroked Baoyu's cheek and said, "My dear child, you are right. This is my true self in the Jia family. How could I be wrong?"

Looking back at Xue Baochai, Tanchun and others, they were even less pleasing to Grandmother Jia's eyes.

"It must be these girls who used sweet words to frame me in front of the young lady, which led to today's disagreement. Otherwise, why didn't the tone of the letter sent back by the young lady a few days ago match today's tone?"

"My dear Baoyu, help me up. I will definitely ask them clearly what I have done wrong!"

Baoyu just helped Lady Jia to stand up when a cold wind blew in from the front of the hall, sweeping away all the candles.

It suddenly got dark in front of the hall, and then it rekindled after a few breaths.

Then, there was a noisy sound outside, including crying, shouting, and the sound of weapons colliding.

The people in the Jia family were unfamiliar with martial arts and failed to notice it.

And Grandmother Jia was very familiar with this voice, as if it called back the deepest memories in her mind. Not long ago, Rongguo Mansion had its own personal soldiers.

"who is it?"

As the footsteps got closer, everyone realized that something was wrong, and they helped each other to stand up and step aside.

Jia Zheng and Jia She looked at each other, even more confused, but they knew that something big had happened and went outside the hall to check together.

Before they could even walk out of the hall, two teams of armored soldiers holding spears stood on both sides, blocking the way to the door and even the entire hall.

The person who walked in was beyond everyone's expectations. It was the most familiar outsider in the mansion, the second master of the Wang family.

Grandmother Jia was terrified, "What's going on?"

Wang Ziteng was wearing a full armor. He drew out the sword from his waist and pointed it at the sky. His expression did not change at all. He ignored the Jia family and gave orders in a muffled voice, "Wang Ziteng, the commander of the Beijing camp, has been ordered by His Majesty to thoroughly investigate the crimes of the Jia family. They are extravagant and have unknown sources of wealth. If you confess early, His Majesty may be magnanimous and spare your lives!"

Wang Ziteng was able to get to where he is today thanks to his old subordinates in the army from the Ning and Rong mansions. In the past, when he came to pay his respects to Lady Jia, he was always submissive and did not dare to speak loudly.

Today, he actually brought his soldiers and trampled down the railings of the Jia Mansion, as if he was going to confiscate the property. How could this not shock and anger Lady Jia, who almost died.

Her arms were shaking and her face was pale, but Grandmother Jia still tried to maintain her dignity and said, "What crime have I... Jia family committed? You ungrateful person, my Jia family has used all our strength to help you rise to prominence, but today you are bringing troops to raid Jia's house. Do you have any conscience?"

"Second Madam, look, this is your blood relative!"

Madam Wang was also terrified. She rushed forward and knelt down beside Wang Ziteng's legs. "Brother, what nonsense are you talking about? This... This is the palace where the imperial concubine comes to visit her parents. How can there be any crime?!"

Wang Ziteng glared with his eyes wide open and said angrily, "Didn't you hear what I just said? There is no brother here, get out of here!"

Wang Ziteng kicked Madam Wang so hard that she fell back a few steps and lay on the ground wailing.

Seeing Wang Ziteng being so tough, Jia's mother was afraid that a disaster was about to happen, and she said in a trembling voice: "The noble concubine is still in there."

"What else can I do?" Wang Ziteng said angrily, "I think you won't cry until you see the coffin. If you are not wrong, why do I need to come here today? First-class general Jia She, and Deputy Minister of Works Jia Zheng, do you two have anything to say?"

The two were frightened and at a loss what to do. They hesitated and couldn't make up their minds for a moment, and looked at Lady Jia.

But from the corner in front of the hall, a weak voice was heard, "General Wang, I have something to say..."

(End of this chapter)