The Red Mansion

Chapter 175 Xiren was chased away

On October 28th, Jiang Nian, who was in Jiangning City, received a secret memorial from Emperor Taishun, in which he requested to be recommended for merit, and Emperor Taishun granted his request.

For example, Situ Jing, the garrison commander of Suzhou City, was promoted to lieutenant colonel, a three-rank promotion; Wang Maozhen was promoted from garrison commander of Tongzhou City to commander-in-chief, a two-rank promotion, due to the merits of Wang Dian and Wang Maoan; two hundred elite cavalrymen in Jiangning received generous rewards and compensation; Murong Zheng, the protector of the Luo Sect, was also spared death, but would be imprisoned for life...

Although Emperor Taishun was harsh, he was not ungrateful. When he valued a certain minister, the minister's recommendations were often approved by him. Jiang Nian was not only a minister he valued, but also his son. Moreover, Jiang Nian's request for meritorious service and recommendation did not involve high-ranking officials.

Jiang Nian requested to return to the capital in a secret memorial, which Emperor Taishun granted.

There were still some follow-up matters regarding the suppression of Luo Jiao, which were handed over to Chen Bina, the Governor-General of Liangjiang.

The task of confiscating the property of the Wang family in Jiangning was entrusted to Tang Jina, the military governor of Jiangning.

In the northern capital, it snowed in late October, while in Jiangning in the south, it didn't snow until the first day of November.

Today is the first day of the eleventh lunar month, and Jiangning is experiencing a warm winter day.

At Jiangning Wharf, several ships about to cast off their moorings are bathed in sunlight.

Jiang Nian stood with his hands behind his back on the deck of a large ship.

Previously, when he went to the south of the Yangtze River, he was accompanied by He Yun, Ren Pijiang, Qi Jianyu, Dai Shijiao, Zou Jianyuan, and ten elite officers and soldiers of the Imperial Guard, traveling on two ships dispatched by Emperor Taishun.

Today, as he leaves Jiangning, he has more boats and more people, including Xing Xiuyan, the Jing family members that Tang Jina sold to him, and many more soldiers.

He is going to escort a large amount of valuables to the capital.

So far, during his trip to the south, he has seized over three million taels of silver worth of property. Some embezzlement is inevitable; he estimates it's considerable, otherwise it could exceed four million taels. In any case, this imperial envoy himself has not embezzled any.

"sail--"

As the boatmen's chants sounded, several boats left the shore.

As Jiang Nian gazed at the receding city of Jiangning, her mind drifted to her home in the eastern suburbs of Shenjing, and to the women of her family, including Yuan Chun, Xue Baochai, and Jing Qing.

……

……

November of the second year of Taishun.

Wang Ziteng was dismissed from his post as general due to numerous crimes, including arrogance, tyranny, greed, jealousy, cruelty, and collusion between the Wang family and the Luo sect. However, in consideration of his past merits, he was granted the leniency to commit suicide in prison.

On this day, Wang Ziteng, who was imprisoned outside the capital, was curled up in a corner of his cell, his hair disheveled and his clothes filthy. The once imposing and upright man now looked like a dying beast.

The prison door swung open with a bang, and a high-ranking official, exuding a chilling aura, entered. He conveyed the imperial decree to Prince Teng, concluding with, "He is hereby ordered to commit suicide!"

He then placed the three items—white silk, poisoned wine, and a dagger—on the ground.

Wang Ziteng suddenly looked up, his voice trembling, "I...I request an audience with the Emperor Emeritus..."

"Insolence!" the minister proclaiming the imperial decree roared, his voice echoing through the stone walls. "At this point, do you think the Emperor Emeritus would see you? Are you going to defy the imperial decree?"

Wang Ziteng replied, "I am a trusted minister of the Emperor Emeritus. I requested an audience with the Emperor Emeritus before my death. How could the Emperor Emeritus refuse?"

The minister delivering the decree said in a deep voice, "Don't delay! If you dare to disobey the decree, don't blame me for being impolite!"

After a heated argument, Wang Ziteng finally grabbed a bottle of poisoned wine with trembling hands.

At that moment, he couldn't help but think of Jiang Nian, and his heart was filled with both hatred and regret.

What he hates is that if it weren't for Jiang Nian, he wouldn't have been demoted to a general outside the capital; if it weren't for Jiang Nian, the Wang family wouldn't have suffered such a calamity...

What he regrets is that he believes if he hadn't gotten involved with Jiang Nian because of Xue Baochai's promise of a concubine, and instead had become friends with Jiang Nian because of it, he wouldn't have ended up in such a miserable state now...

In his remorse and hatred, Prince Teng roared "Ah—" and drank the poisoned wine.

Don't rest your eyes!

A few days after Prince Teng committed suicide, his only son, Wang Xi, died of illness in the prison of Shenjing City.

Prince Qi was executed for fleeing to avoid punishment and for hiding his property.

The rest of the royal family, including the women, were almost all reduced to slavery.

This incident reflects the harshness of Emperor Taishun.

……

……

After being forgiven, Lady Wang, in order to please Grandmother Jia and Jia Zheng, took the initiative to propose setting up a Buddhist hall in the inner courtyard of the Rongguo Mansion, where she could meditate quietly to atone for her sins and also to pray for the Rongguo Mansion, as well as for Grandmother Jia and Jia Zheng.

Actually, she deliberately put on this act for Grandmother Jia and Jia Zheng to see.

For the first few days, Lady Wang was indeed devout. She would kneel on the prayer mat before dawn, the sound of her wooden fish echoing throughout the inner quarters, and the servants would tread lightly when passing by the Buddhist hall. When Jia Baoyu came to pay his respects, he often saw his mother chanting scriptures with her eyes closed, her face solemn as a clay statue, and he dared not approach her.

But in less than ten days, the Buddhist hall changed. First, Madam Wang said her knees hurt and had her maid sew a thick prayer cushion for her; then she complained of dizziness and her chanting time was shorter.

That day, Zhou Rui's wife rushed to report to Grandmother Jia in a panic: "Grandmother, the Second Madam has fainted in the Buddhist hall!"

Grandmother Jia hurried to the Buddhist hall to check, only to find Lady Wang slumped on a prayer mat, her face pale, clutching a string of broken prayer beads in her hand.

They immediately summoned a doctor, who, after taking her pulse, said, "Madam is deficient in both qi and blood; she needs to take good care of herself."

Looking at her daughter-in-law's haggard appearance and recalling her recent "devout worship of Buddha," Grandmother Jia felt sorry for her and said to Lady Wang, "You should take good care of yourself. Just eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist prayers on a regular basis. There's no need for you to come to the Buddhist hall every day. Besides, our inner quarters can't be without someone in charge."

Upon hearing this, Madam Wang secretly pinched her palm – the self-inflicted injury scheme had succeeded!
Piety is merely a fig leaf; worshipping Buddha is nothing more than a smokescreen.

Despite being a vegetarian and a Buddhist, Madam Wang only stayed in the Buddhist hall for half a month this time.

……

……

Jia Baoyu had no interest in studying at the family school. If it weren't for Jia Zheng's insistence and the presence of students he liked, such as Xianglian and Yu'ai, he wouldn't have been able to persevere.

Even so, taking advantage of the Wang family's misfortune and the chaos in the Rong Mansion, Jia Baoyu's studies at the family school became sporadic.

Jia Baoyu loved red and refined tastes. Despite his young age, he called himself the King of Flowers in the Crimson Cave and named his residence "Crimson Cloud Pavilion." He even pasted the three characters "Crimson Cloud Pavilion" that he had written himself on the door frame of the inner room.

That afternoon, Jiangyun Pavilion was quiet.

Jia Baoyu lay reclining on the couch, holding a book of poems in his hand.

Suddenly, the curtain rustled, and the head maid, Xiren, entered carrying an embroidery frame. She sat on the couch and began to embroider. She was wearing an apricot-red silk jacket, tied with a white crepe silk handkerchief, which accentuated her waist. A floral collar adorned her neck, making her fair skin shine even brighter.

Jia Baoyu was so captivated by the sight that he couldn't help but put down his book and move closer to Xiren. He smelled a sweet fragrance, like jasmine powder mixed with rose dew, which made his heart itch. He suddenly pressed his face against Xiren's neck, took a deep sniff, and couldn't resist stroking it with his hand.

Xiren was startled: "What are you doing?" "Good sister." Jia Baoyu climbed on top of her like a monkey, sticking to her like a taffy, "Give me the rouge on your lips."

Xiren was older than Jia Baoyu and had long been sensible in matters of the heart. Seeing Jia Baoyu in such a state, she couldn't help but blush with shame. Knowing that Grandmother Jia intended for her to become Jia Baoyu's concubine, and seeing that Jia Baoyu had been depressed lately, her heart softened, and she nodded slightly.

Jia Baoyu was overjoyed and went over to her.

Just then, Madam Wang suddenly lifted the curtain and entered!

She had just come out of the Buddhist temple to "recuperate" and had come specifically to see Jia Baoyu, but unexpectedly stumbled upon this scene.

"You shameless little hussy!" Madam Wang trembled with rage and slapped Xiren hard across the face. "I always thought you were a good person, how dare you seduce a man!"

He then tried to chase Xiren out.

Lady Wang was already averse to such matters, and moreover, the recent tragedy of the Wang family, the great loss of face she had suffered, and her imprisonment in the Buddhist hall had greatly displeased her. She thought to herself, now even Xiren doesn't respect her as the mistress of the house, actually doing such things with Jia Baoyu—this vixen is corrupting her precious son!
Jia Baoyu was terrified and shrank to the side, not daring to make a sound.

Xiren knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, crying with tears streaming down her face: "Madam, please have mercy! I will never dare to do it again..." A bruise quickly appeared on her forehead.

The noise startled Grandmother Jia.

Grandmother Jia helped Yuanyang in, and after learning the reason, she looked at Xiren, who was crying her eyes out, and sighed, "So be it. Xiren was originally given to me. Since she is so ignorant, I will send her away."

Grandmother Jia also dislikes such things, and Lady Wang is already quite undignified. If she can't even let Lady Wang dispose of a maid, how can Lady Wang continue to be the mistress of the house?
Xi Ren was struck dumb.

She looked around blankly and saw that Jia Baoyu was just playing with his clothes with his head down, not daring to even look at her.

The young master's affection was all a lie, and the maid's infatuation came to naught!
……

……

Xiren is a hairpin in the secondary register of the original novel, second only to Qingwen.

Due to poverty, her parents had no choice but to sell her into the Rongguo Mansion as a maid. Initially, she was called "Pearl" in Grandmother Jia's room and served Shi Xiangyun. Later, Grandmother Jia found her to be steady and reliable, so she assigned her to Jia Baoyu. Because her surname was Hua (meaning flower), Jia Baoyu recalled the line "The fragrance of flowers assails one, knowing the warmth of day," and thus asked Grandmother Jia to change her name to "Xiren" (meaning "assaulting person").

According to the original novel, she had a romantic relationship with Jia Baoyu early on, but they were ultimately destined not to be together. In the end, she married the actor Jiang Yuhan, and was left with the lament, "How enviable is the actor's good fortune, who knew the young master would be without it."

In this world of Dream of the Red Chamber, Xiren's fate changes because of Jiang Nian's appearance. Because Qin Keqing did not marry Jia Rong, Jia Baoyu never did with Xiren the things the Fairy Disenchantment had instructed him to do in his dream.

Today, Xiren was even kicked out by Madam Wang.

Her father had passed away, and her family consisted of her mother, Aunt Hua, and her brother, Hua Zifang.

The Hua family lived in the western part of the capital, less than half a mile from the Rongguo Mansion.

Years ago, the Hua family sold Xiren and received some money, and Xiren, since becoming a maid in the Rongguo Mansion, often supported the family. Now, Madam Hua and Hua Zifang are engaged in some trading business, frequently traveling between the capital and other provinces to transport local products from other provinces to the capital for sale.

November was approaching, and the end of the year was near. The mother and son returned from the capital, weary from their journey. Unexpectedly, only two days after their return, someone from the Rongguo Mansion suddenly came and informed them that Xiren had been expelled and that Hua Zifang was to go to the mansion to bring Xiren home.

……

……

The November west wind lashed against the gate of the Hua family compound in the western part of the capital. The thin door creaked in the wind, revealing a small courtyard inside.

Aunt Hua paced back and forth under the eaves, rubbing her hands together, glancing towards the door every now and then. She looked out several times before suddenly seeing her son, Hua Zifang, leading Xiren back.

Xiren looked up, her eyes red-rimmed, with a handprint on her face. Her once slicked-back hair was now loosely tied up.

"mom!"

Xi Ren called out, and tears streamed down her face without her noticing.

Her family also migrated from the south, so she called her mother "Ma" instead of the more common "Niang" in the north.

Aunt Hua rushed forward and took her daughter's hand, only to find it icy cold.

Xiren could no longer hold back and threw herself into her mother's arms, bursting into tears.

Hua Zifang said, "Mom, sister, let's go inside and talk."

Aunt Hua pulled Xi Ren into the house.

Xiren looked around—although there was a charcoal brazier in the room, it was still chilly; the long table against the wall was missing a leg and was propped up with bricks; the window paper had a hole and was covered with an old calendar; the white porcelain Guanyin statue on the altar was polished to a shine, probably by her mother.

When Xiren was sold, the Hua family was incredibly poor, living in a rented, dilapidated house and barely having enough to eat. Compared to then, their situation is much better now. Although their house is small and old, they bought it themselves, and although the furnishings are simple, they have enough to eat and wear and have even saved some money. This change is due both to Xiren's frequent support of the family and to Hua Zifang's shrewd business acumen.

Looking around, Xiren felt a deep sense of desolation in her home. After all, she had lived in the magnificent Rongguo Mansion for many years and was Jia Baoyu's head maid.

Aunt Hua wiped away her tears and asked, "What was it all for?"

Xiren lowered her head, twisting the hem of her clothes, and briefly explained the situation.

After saying that, Xiren suddenly shouted, "I have no face to live anymore!" and then tried to bang her head against the wall.

Hua Zifang reacted quickly and grabbed Xiren.

Grandma Hua beat her chest and stamped her feet, crying out, "My son! You're trying to kill your mother!"

Xi Ren collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face: "How can I, your daughter, have the face to live in this world after being driven out like this..."

In fact, she didn't really want to die. Even if Hua Zifang hadn't stopped her, the force with which she hit the wall wasn't great.

But she was truly sad and deeply troubled.

Her dream of becoming Jia Baoyu's concubine has already fallen through.

Moreover, as a dismissed servant, she would never receive any income from the Rongguo Mansion again, she would bear a stigma, and her status as a slave would be controlled by the Rongguo Mansion.

The family of three immediately began to discuss it.

Hua Zifang rubbed her hands and said, "The most important thing now is that my sister's status as a slave is still in the Rong Mansion."

Aunt Hua asked, "Can we redeem it?"

Hua Zifang said, "It was originally a dead contract for sale. Under these circumstances, I'm afraid the Rong family won't allow us to redeem her. The best course of action now is to beg the Rong family to have mercy and release my sister from her slave status."

There was one more thing he didn't dare say: even if the Rongguo Mansion were willing, it would still cost a lot of money to redeem Xiren.

Xi Ren's tears, which she had just stopped, welled up again: "Since Madam is so heartless as to send me away, and the Old Madam doesn't protect me either, and even Master Bao... how could the Rong Mansion possibly show any mercy?"

Hua Zifang pondered for a while, then suddenly her eyes lit up and she said, "I've got it! If we can get the eldest daughter of the Rong family to intercede on our behalf, this matter will surely succeed!"

Aunt Wang said, "That eldest daughter has already married that man surnamed Jiang, how can we persuade her to come?"

Hua Zifang said, "I have some connection with Zhang Ruojin. Zhang Ruojin was the maidservant of the eldest daughter of the Rong family and is now in charge of the Jiang family. If I go and ask him for help, perhaps this matter can be accomplished."

(End of this chapter)