The Red Mansion

Chapter 137 Don't Blame Me for Not Considering Our Relationship Through In-Laws (Part 1)

Granny Lai hurriedly sent her trusted servants to the Rongguo Mansion to summon Mr. and Mrs. Lai home.

The servant hurried to the Rongguo Mansion and, upon seeing Lady Lai, loudly proclaimed, "There is an extremely urgent matter."

When Lai Dajia heard that her only son had returned home, and that Granny Lai had summoned her, and upon hearing these words, she hurriedly went to the steward's office to find Lai Dajia so they could go back together.

Lai Da put aside his work and rushed back to the Lai family home with Lai Da's family.

The couple entered the three main rooms where Granny Lai lived, and found only Granny Lai and Lai Shangrong inside; there wasn't even a maidservant to serve tea or water. Granny Lai sat on a lacquered couch, her face gloomy and anxious. She wasn't smoking a water pipe, but was fiddling with her prayer beads.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Lai were filled with unease, and they both thought at the same time, "Could it be that Rong'er has caused trouble on his trip to Jiangnan?"

Granny Lai asked Lai Shangrong to tell the Lai couple about the matter.

Lai Shangrong repeated the scene from before, kneeling on the ground and feigning remorse, recounting in detail his plot to seize the Xue family's gold and his purchase of the courtesan Jing Qing. After finishing, he deliberately prostrated himself again, pleading that he had been foolish and made a grave mistake, begging his grandmother and parents for protection. He said that if the matter were exposed, his own misfortune would be minor, but the consequences for his family would be severe.

Upon hearing this, Lai Da's face turned pale, then red, and his hand pointing at his son trembled like an autumn leaf in the wind: "Idiot! The number one idiot in the world!"

The "idiot" that Lai Da used here has three layers of meaning:

Firstly, he hated Lai Shangrong for being greedy and not worthy of his greed. He knew very well that Jiang Nian was not someone to be trifled with, unlike Grandmother Jia and Jia Zheng of the Rongguo Mansion, who were easy to fool.

Secondly, if it were him, he would have received at least 1,500 or even 1,800 taels of the 3,000 taels of gold that he stole, instead of only 1,200 taels.

Thirdly, he was furious that Lai Shangrong was so absurd as to spend eight thousand taels of silver to buy a courtesan from a brothel, and that he had committed such a serious crime for it.

Lai Dajia twisted her handkerchief in her hands, forcing herself to persuade Lai Da: "Please calm down. Rong'er is young and doesn't know any better. It's his first time going to Jiangnan, so he was misled by Wang Long and committed such a serious crime."

Granny Lai said to Lai Dadao, "The deed is done, what's the use of scolding him now? What we should do now is to cover it up properly!"

Upon hearing this, Lai Da sighed, stroked his beard in deep thought, and the beard twisted and turned between his fingers, eventually forming a knot.

Seeing this, Lai Shangrong explained his prepared excuse to Granny Lai and the Lai couple in detail...

……

……

The scorching sun made the bluestone slabs of Ningrong Street scorching hot, and it was so bright that people couldn't open their eyes.

Jiang Nian and Yuan Chun rode in the same carriage and entered Ningrong Street from the East Street entrance.

Sunlight streamed through the rolled-up curtains of the carriage window, illuminating Jiang Nian's sharply defined face and making his eyes beneath his sword-like eyebrows appear even more profound. Yuan Chun sat beside him, her skirt spread out on the felt carpet, and the kingfisher feather hairpin in her hair and the pearl earrings on her ears swayed gently with the movement of the carriage.

Meanwhile, accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Lai, Granny Lai was riding in a small sedan chair from the west entrance of Ningrong Street to the gate of Rongguo Mansion. The sedan chair bearers, sweating profusely from the journey, stopped the sedan chair, and Granny Lai, who was leaning against the seat, was helped out of the sedan chair by Mr. and Mrs. Lai.

Granny Lai held considerable influence in the Rongguo Mansion and often arrived by sedan chair. However, as a servant of the Rongguo Mansion, it was inconvenient for her to enter the mansion by sedan chair, so she usually disembarked outside the main gate.

Suddenly, Granny Lai and her husband, Lai Da, saw a carriage approaching from the east, accompanied by Meng Xiong and other attendants on horseback. Lai Da was startled and quickly whispered to Granny Lai, "That's the Jiang family's carriage. They're probably here for Rong'er's matter." Granny Lai was also startled upon hearing this.

The Jiang family carriage arrived outside the Rongguo Mansion. Through the carriage window with the curtains rolled up, Jiang Nian saw Granny Lai and her husband, Lai Da. Granny Lai wore a filigree and beaded headband and a satin shirt, and she had a touch of the wealth and nobility of Grandmother Jia.

Granny Lai and Mr. and Mrs. Lai both saw Jiang Nian. Lai Daqiang, trying to remain calm, walked to the carriage, bowed low like a shrimp to Jiang Nian, and said in a respectful tone, "Young Master Jiang has arrived! Please come in!"

Jiang Nian's lips curved slightly into a faint smile, but her eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of ice.

The carriage carrying Jiang Nian and Yuan Chun passed through a side gate and entered the main courtyard of the Rongguo Mansion.

Jiang Nian got off the carriage, while Yuan Chun remained inside. The carriage headed towards the Jia Mu Courtyard on the west side of the inner courtyard.

Seeing this, Granny Lai hurriedly pulled Granny Lai along and rushed towards Grandmother Jia's courtyard. Her old legs seemed much more agile than usual, and her shoes made a "thump-thump" sound as they stepped on the bluestone pavement.

Lai Da stayed where he was, feeling nervous and wary of Jiang Nian, but he still forced himself to entertain her.

……

……

Lai Da led Jiang Nian into a guest room in Jia Zheng's outer study, where the furnishings were elegant.

With a broad smile, Lai Da personally poured tea and presented it to Jiang Nian with both hands: "Young Master Jiang has come from afar, please have a cup of tea to moisten your throat."

Jiang Nian remained seated, her gaze sweeping indifferently over the teacup, without reaching out to take it.

Lai Da's hands were suspended in mid-air, unable to move forward or backward. He could only laugh awkwardly and gently place the teacup on the table.

Lai Da wiped his sweaty palms on the hem of his clothes, his heart pounding like a drum: "This Jiang Nian may be young, but he's got a lot of influence. I'm afraid things won't end well today..."

He suppressed his fear, forced himself to remain calm, rubbed his hands together, and cautiously probed, "Young Master Jiang, did you return to the manor with the eldest young lady because of the robbery of the Xue family's three thousand taels of gold on the canal?"

Jiang Nian remained unmoved, not answering Lai Da's question, but simply said, "Is Jia Lian at home? If so, please ask him to come see me."

Upon hearing this, Lai Da's heart sank, and he cautiously probed, "Young Master Jiang, I am ashamed to say that my son is incompetent and failed to protect the Xue family's gold, which resulted in it being robbed by river bandits..."

Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Nian's expression turned cold, her gaze sharp as a blade, and she said in a deep voice, "You are not qualified to discuss this matter with me. Call Jia Lian here!"

Lai Da's heart skipped a beat, his face froze, feeling both embarrassed and frightened. He was both angry and resentful, but dared not show it. He could only bow and say, "Yes...yes, I will go and invite Master Lian right away."

After leaving the room, Lai Da's steps were unsteady, and cold sweat dripped from his forehead.

Lai Da planned to go to Jia Lian to defend his precious son, but he learned that Jia Lian was currently in Feng Jie's courtyard. Even though Lai Da was the head steward of the Rongguo Mansion, he could not enter Feng Jie's courtyard, which was deep within the inner quarters, without permission. His wife had gone to see Grandmother Jia with Granny Lai.

Lai Da was at a loss for what to do, and his face showed his anxiety and worry. He hoped that Granny Lai and Lady Lai could persuade Grandmother Jia to protect him.

……

……

Meanwhile, Yuan Chun, Granny Lai, and Lady Lai entered Grandmother Jia's courtyard almost at the same time.

In front of Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang, Yuan-chun recounted in detail the theft of the Xue family's three thousand taels of gold, believing that Lai Shangrong had most likely colluded with thieves to steal the gold. She requested Grandmother Jia to order the arrest of Granny Lai, Lai Da and his wife, and Lai Shangrong and his gang, so that Jiang Nian could interrogate them...

Granny Lai hurriedly said, "Grandma, you are wise! Although my grandson is young and impetuous, he would never dare to do such a treasonous thing! This must be the work of river bandits on the canal. How can we wrong him..."

Immediately, based on the account given by Lai Shangrong, Lai Dajia defended him. As Lai Shangrong had predicted, after listening, Grandmother Jia believed the accounts of Granny Xin and Lai Dajia, and said to Yuan Chun, "That young master of the Lai family wouldn't be so audacious. This must be a case of river bandits robbing us. How can we arrest a member of the Lai family and hand him over to Nian Ge for interrogation based solely on suspicion? If word gets out, won't people laugh at our household for having such mean servants?"

Seeing that Grandmother Jia did not believe her, Yuan Chun could only sigh and say, "If the old lady does not agree, the master... he will directly report to the authorities to arrest him."

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia's face darkened, and she said, "You are, after all, his wife. Has our household ever mistreated him? Even if he disregards our kinship, he should at least consider your dignity. How could he act like this!"

After saying this, he ordered someone to summon Jia Lian and have him lead Jiang Nian into Rongqing Hall to talk.

……

……

Jia Lian was unaware of what had happened; he simply followed Grandmother Jia's orders and went to the outer residence to find Jiang Nian. When he arrived outside the steward's room, he saw Lai Da pacing anxiously in the corridor.

When Lai Dayi saw Jia Lian approaching, he hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Second Master, are you going to see Young Master Jiang?"

Jia Lian nodded and asked, "What brings him and the eldest young lady to the manor today?"

Lai Da then recounted the robbery of the Xue family's three thousand taels of gold, and then tried his best to defend himself, saying, "This was clearly the work of river bandits. I'm afraid that Master Jiang will blame my son."

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian was also taken aback—three thousand taels of gold was a huge sum of money even for him.

Immediately, Jia Lian and Lai Da went to Jia Zheng's outer study.

Upon seeing Jiang Nian, Jia Lian asked, "I heard that the Xue family sent three thousand taels of gold from Jiangning to the capital, but it was robbed on the Grand Canal. Is this true?"

Jiang Nian said calmly, "It wasn't an accidental encounter with river bandits; it was most likely that Lai Shangrong colluded with thieves to steal it."

Jia Lian was speechless for a moment, and Lai Da hurriedly said, "Young Master Jiang, this matter is a misunderstanding..."

Jiang Nian interrupted sharply, "Shut up! I've already said, you have no right to discuss this matter with me!" Then she turned to Jia Lian and said, "Please, Brother Lian, send someone immediately to invite your father-in-law back to the mansion as soon as possible. I will wait here."

Jia Lian said awkwardly, "The old lady ordered me to invite you over to talk."

Jiang Nian said, "Your younger sister has already gone to Rongqing Hall to see the old lady, so I won't go for now. I'll go with my father-in-law to see the old lady when he returns home."

Seeing his cold expression and unyielding tone, Jia Lian thought to himself, "Jiang Nian is probably going to cause a scene at the manor today..."

……

……

Jia Lian sent a servant to invite Jia Zheng back to the mansion as soon as possible, and then went to Grandmother Jia's courtyard. Upon entering Rongqing Hall, he saw Grandmother Jia sitting upright on the couch, sipping tea, with Lady Wang and Yuan Chun sitting to the side, Granny Lai sitting on a stool, and Lady Lai standing at the lower end with her hands at her sides. The room was completely silent, indicating that there had been some conversation just now.

Jia Lian stepped forward and carefully relayed Jiang Nian's words that she wanted to wait for Jia Zheng to return to the mansion.

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia frowned slightly, put down her teacup, and said, "Since he has come to our mansion and I have specially summoned him to see me, he should come to see me first. Why must he wait for the Second Master to return? Such arrogance makes our family seem unruly!" After saying this, she ordered Jia Lian, "Go and tell him what I said, and have him come over immediately."

Jia Lian had no choice but to agree and left Rongqing Hall. On the way, he thought to himself, "Jiang Nian is so stubborn today, putting me in a difficult position." When he finally met Jiang Nian, he conveyed Grandmother Jia's words.

To everyone's surprise, Jiang Nian remained indifferent and said, "Brother Lian, there's no need to run around anymore. I have my own plans. Once my father-in-law returns home, we will definitely go to see the old lady together." After saying this, she turned and looked out the window, clearly unwilling to talk any further.

Seeing this, Jia Lian knew he couldn't persuade her, so he had no choice but to return to Rongqing Hall. Upon entering, he saw that Grandmother Jia's face was already flushed with anger, Yuan Chun was wringing her handkerchief with her head down, and Granny Lai and Granny Lai were holding their breath, not daring to utter a sound. Jia Lian forced himself to reply, "Grandmother, he...he still says he wants to wait for the Second Master..."

Grandmother Jia was so angry that she put the agarwood prayer beads on the table and remained silent with a gloomy face.

Yuan Chun was extremely embarrassed, her face turning red and then pale.

Madam Wang looked displeased.

Granny Lai and Lady Lai exchanged a glance, both feeling uneasy, knowing that if this matter escalated, it would be difficult to control.

The hall fell eerily quiet for a moment.

While remaining silent, Grandmother Jia thought to herself, "Jiang Nian's visit today is ill-intentioned; she's probably going to cause trouble in the manor." Recalling how Prince Teng and Jia Zhen had both suffered because of Jiang Nian in the past, she couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive.

After a moment's hesitation, Grandmother Jia said to Jia Lian, "Go and invite your father to my place." She thought to herself that although Jia She was absurd, he was still the eldest son of the family who inherited the title and had served as an official. His official rank was much higher than that of Jiang Nian, a third-class guard. With Jia She and Jia Zheng present, she figured Jiang Nian wouldn't dare to be too presumptuous.

Jia Lian accepted the order and went straight to Jia She's courtyard.

Jia She was enjoying himself with a newly purchased concubine, while another concubine he had bought a few months earlier kept him company. The atmosphere was lively with clinking glasses and boisterous laughter.

Jia Lian forced himself to come in, first offering his greetings, and then recounting the whole story.

Upon hearing this, Jia She slammed his wine cup down and sneered, "What a madman! Just because he has powerful backers, he's acting all high and mighty in our mansion!"

After saying this, he went to Rongqing Hall with Jia Lian.

Upon learning this, Madam Xing followed along out of curiosity.

Soon, the news spread like wildfire throughout the Rongguo Mansion.

Lin Daiyu was discussing poetry with Yingchun, Tanchun, and Xichun when a maid came in and told her what had happened.

Yingchun put down the poem and sighed, "I'm afraid there's going to be a storm!"

Xi Chun sneered, "It has nothing to do with us anyway."

Lin Daiyu remained silent.

Tan Chun pursed her lips, thinking to herself, "The Lai family members are all greedy and corrupt. If that young master Jiang can deal with them this time, it would be a good thing."

Li Wan was teaching Jia Lan when she heard the news. Thinking it was time to serve Grandmother Jia her evening meal, she used this as an excuse to go to Rongqing Hall to see how the matter would end.

Wang Xifeng was in her postpartum confinement period when she heard about this. She was so anxious that she kept hitting the edge of the bed, saying, "But I can't move right now!" She hurriedly instructed Ping'er, "Go to Rongqing Hall and take a good look, then come back and report to me." Ping'er agreed and went off.

Inside the Rongguo Mansion, Jiang Nian and Jia Lian waited quietly in Jia Zheng's outer study, while Yuan Chun and the other masters of the Rongguo Mansion gathered in Rongqing Hall. The servants either held their breath or whispered amongst themselves. An eerie atmosphere pervaded the entire mansion.

Jiang Nian and Jia Lian suddenly heard footsteps outside, and a gatekeeper came to report: "The Second Master has returned to the mansion!"

(End of this chapter)