The Red Mansion

Chapter 282 I beg you, Lord Duke, to save me too!

Yuan Yi's carriage, belonging to the Duke of Yuan, left the solemn and dignified Changchun Garden and traveled along the official road towards the capital city.

The sky was overcast and gloomy, with dark clouds hanging low over the distant mountains and fields.

After the carriage had been traveling for about half an hour, suddenly, a pale white flash of lightning, like the claw of a giant dragon, tore through the dim sky, illuminating the surrounding area with an eerie brightness.

Immediately following was a deafening clap of thunder, a deafening roar that seemed to shatter the heavens.

The thunder sounded like a command, and one after another, lightning and thunder rolled in, weaving together to create a terrifying spectacle.

After brewing for half a day and holding back for a long time, the torrential rain finally came down without any hesitation, like a celestial river bursting its banks, instantly forming a dense curtain of rain, the sound of rushing water filling the entire world.

Although the officials in charge of the ceremony, the guards, and the soldiers outside the carriage had made preparations in advance, they were still somewhat embarrassed at this moment, and hurriedly took out the rain gear such as oilcloths and straw hats that they carried with them and put them on.

Yuan Yi'an sat inside the carriage without worrying about getting wet in the rain. His carriage was well-made and the interior was well-sealed. Although he could hear the torrential rain outside pounding against the roof and walls like a thousand horses galloping, making a dense "pitter-patter" sound, the interior was only slightly stuffy and no rainwater seeped in.

He looked out the car window and saw a chaotic world outside. The sky was as dark as night, with flashes of lightning illuminating the torrential rain and the trees and weeds that had been ravaged by the downpour.

Along the official road, rainwater formed muddy streams that washed over the road surface.

The carriage struggled forward amidst the rumbling thunder and the thick rain, the horses' hooves splashing high into the puddles.

Finally, the towering outline of the western wall of the capital city and the majestic silhouette of the Xizhimen gate tower came into view. Under the onslaught of the torrential rain, the gate tower appeared even more desolate and forlorn, with rainwater cascading down its upturned eaves like curtains of water.

The procession of carriages and horses slowly entered the city gate, temporarily avoiding the torrential rain.

However, once inside the city, the scene was not much different. The vast capital city was also shrouded in an impenetrable curtain of rain. The torrential rain poured down on the streets and rooftops. There were few pedestrians on the streets, and the rainwater flowed freely, rushing into the ditches on both sides.

Yuan Yi's carriage did not return directly to the Duke's residence on Ningrong Street, but instead headed towards the Jingying Jiedushi's office. The wheels rolled over the flooded streets with a dull thud.

Inside the yamen of the Jingying Jiedushi (military governor of the capital), Lu Keduo was buried in a pile of account books and chests, directing his subordinates to count the wealth confiscated that day. Although the spoils from Jia She and Jia Lian's courtyards were much less than he had expected, leaving him somewhat disgruntled, the Jia family's eldest branch's property confiscated from You Shi was indeed substantial, with gold, silver, jewels, antiques, and calligraphy and paintings displayed in dazzling array.

Rukodo stroked his beard, his eyes gleaming as he thought about how he had managed to skim profits from the confiscated wealth, and a smug look appeared on his face.

Suddenly, a voice announced from outside the door that Yuan Yi had arrived.

Rukodo straightened his robes and came out to greet him.

Yuan Yi did not wear the fine oiled silk raincoat and wide-brimmed straw hat that Yuan Chun had prepared for him. He only held a blue cloth umbrella, and the hem of his court robe was already soaked by the splashing rain.

After the two exchanged greetings, Yuan Yi didn't engage in much small talk. He recounted his recent visit to Changchun Garden to meet the Emperor, and how Emperor Taishun had granted him permission to take Jia Yingchun and Jia Cong back to his residence to raise them. He stated that he would be taking the children away immediately.

Lucodo was currently busy taking stock of the valuables and lining his own pockets. In addition, with the torrential rain, he had no intention of personally accompanying Yuan Yi to that chaotic Rongguo Mansion again.

He smiled and said, "Your Excellency is acting on orders, and I will cooperate." He then called over a trusted subordinate, took a piece of paper, hastily wrote a few lines, stamped it with his official seal, and handed it to the subordinate, instructing him, "Take this official's edict and go with Your Excellency to the Rongguo Mansion to bring out Jia She's illegitimate daughter and son."

Yuan Yi smiled and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Lord Lu."

He then opened the blue cloth umbrella, left the yamen, and got back into the carriage.

A procession of carriages broke through the rain curtain once again and headed towards Ningrong Street.

The carriage came to a stop outside the gate of the Duke's mansion. Yuan Yi got out of the carriage again, holding an umbrella, but instead of stepping into his own house, he turned and walked towards the east wing of the Rongguo Mansion next door, which was heavily guarded by soldiers of the infantry battalion.

With an official from Rukodo leading the way, carrying the edict, the guards at the gate checked it and, finding nothing amiss, dared not obstruct him and respectfully let him pass.

The courtyard was in a mess, with rain washing away the debris left during the day's ransacking, making it even more desolate.

According to custom, the men and women of the Rongguo Mansion's eldest branch were imprisoned separately. Jia Lian, Jia Cong, Wang Shanbao, and other male members were detained in Jia She's outer study courtyard outside the second gate; while Xing Furen, Yingchun, Yumei, and other female members were confined to the inner courtyard.

Yuan Yi waded through the puddles and entered the outer study courtyard.

Inside a dimly lit room, Jia Lian sat slumped on a couch, looking utterly lost and disoriented, his eyes glazed over, seemingly lost in thought. Meanwhile, the younger Jia Cong huddled in a corner, hugging his knees, his head buried in his arms, looking utterly pitiful.

Yuan Yi's sudden arrival, along with his imposing royal robes and the respectful officials and soldiers following behind him, abruptly changed the deathly silence in the room.

Like a drowning man spotting a boat, Jia Lian abruptly stood up from the couch. His ashen face instantly lit up with joy, his eyes blazing with hope, and his voice trembled as he said, "Your... Your Excellency..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yuan Yi's gaze had already passed over him and landed on the small, thin figure in the corner. He gently beckoned, "Jia Cong, come with me. From now on, you will live in my residence and I will take care of you!"

Jia Cong timidly looked up at Yuan Yi, his face pale and youthful. Though young, he understood that his family had suffered a devastating calamity. Now, seeing his highly respected brother-in-law summoning him and hearing the words "Come with me," "I will raise you," he hesitated for a moment, then understood—this was to rescue him from this misery! And, it was to live in the incomparably noble Duke's mansion next door!

Jia Cong suddenly got up from the ground, ran to Yuan Yi, knelt down with a thud, and kowtowed deeply.

Yuan Yi reached out and gently helped him up, saying, "Get up. This is not a place to stay for long. Come with me."

Upon seeing this, Jia Lian's joy and hope froze, replaced by embarrassment and resentment. He could no longer hold back and cried out urgently, "Good brother-in-law! What about me? Won't you save me?"

Yuan Yi's gaze swept lightly over Jia Lian, his tone calm and detached: "Just now, before the Emperor, I obtained His Majesty's decree to bring Yingchun and Jia Cong to my residence to raise them and ensure their safety. As for you—your crimes are compounded, and you have only yourself to blame. I cannot make excuses for you."

After saying this, he didn't look at Jia Lian, whose face was ashen, any longer, and turned to leave.

Jia Cong followed closely behind him, as if afraid that if he slowed down even a step, he would be thrown back into this nightmarish place.

The door slammed shut behind them, isolating them from the outside world.

Jia Lian watched helplessly as his hopes were dashed. All his strength seemed to have been drained away, and his legs went weak. He collapsed heavily onto the couch, and all he could hear was the endless sound of rain outside the window, like a funeral dirge being played for him!
The torrential rain did not stop for a moment, violently washing over the roof tiles and stone steps of Jia She's courtyard, as if trying to cleanse all the filth and sins within. As soon as Jia Cong followed Yuan Yi out of the heavy and oppressive atmosphere of the house, he mustered his courage, reached out his small hand, and grabbed the sleeve of Yuan Yi's royal robe, which was already soaked by the rain.

Yuan Yi looked down and saw Jia Cong looking up at him with a pleading expression in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Yuan Yi asked.

Jia Cong's voice trembled with tears as he pleaded, "Please... save Mother Cheng... let her... let her come out with me..."

"Who is Mother Cheng?" Yuan Yi asked, slightly taken aback.

“She is my wet nurse, Granny Cheng,” Jia Cong hurriedly explained.

Yuan Yi's heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself, "This kid, even at a time like this, is still thinking about his wet nurse!"

Jia Cong's birth mother died early, and he suffered scorn from a young age in the snobbish and indifferent Jia She's courtyard. Only his wet nurse, Granny Cheng, treated him as her own son and took good care of him. The two had a deep and extraordinary relationship.

"Fine, I'll do as you say." Yuan Yi nodded.

Although he came to take Yingchun and Jia Cong out, it wouldn't hurt to take one more maid.

Holding a blue cloth umbrella, Yuan Yi, accompanied by Jia Cong, passed through the second gate and entered the inner courtyard under the guidance of Lu Keduo's subordinates.

Madam Xing, Yingchun, Yumei, and Jia She's many concubines and maids were confined to a large house. The room was filled with gloom and the sound of sobbing was incessant.

Madam Xing slumped in her chair, her gaze vacant; Yu Mei leaned against the window frame, her expression filled with anxiety; Ying Chun wept silently, her heart pounding with fear as she thought of how she had been unjustly implicated and would likely face the tragic fate of being sold into slavery by the government…

Suddenly, Yuan Yi, dressed in the official robes of a duke, stepped into the house surrounded by respectful officials and soldiers. The women seemed to see a savior and swarmed around him.

Madam Xing disregarded past grievances and asked anxiously with a sense of hope, "Lord Jiang... you... you've come to rescue me, haven't you?"

Yuan Yi glared at her coldly, his gaze sharp as a knife, but ignored her and turned to look at Yingchun, whose eyes were red and swollen from crying and whose face was covered in tears.

In that instant, Yuan Yi suddenly recalled the scene from his wedding day with Yuan Chun more than a year ago. On that day, the Rongguo Mansion held a "test of talent at the gate" ceremony, and the second challenge was a question posed by Ying Chun. At that time, Ying Chun sat gracefully on an embroidered stool, gentle and quiet, shyly asking him to compose a poem on the theme of "two swallows". He recited aloud in front of everyone: "Jade scissors flutter into the painted beams, standing side by side on the carved railing, discussing. The east wind does not fail the promise of building a nest, together they spend the sunset among the flowers."

That day was the first time he saw Yingchun. She had a slightly plump figure, a medium build, cheeks like fresh lychees, and a nose like goose fat. Although she was not as beautiful as Yuanchun, she had her own kind of elegant demeanor.

The Yingchun before me now is more than a year older than she was back then, and has grown even more beautiful, but she looks haggard and disheveled.

Yuan Yi sighed inwardly, his tone gentle: "Yingchun, don't be afraid, come with me. I have already petitioned the Emperor to spare you from being implicated. From now on, you will live in my residence, and your eldest sister will take care of you, is that alright?"

Upon hearing this, Yingchun could hardly believe her ears. She was stunned for a moment before she came to her senses. Overjoyed, she dispelled her fear and hurriedly stepped forward, kneeling before Yuan Yi: "Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you so much for saving my life!"

Yuan Yi offered a slight gesture of support and said solemnly, "It is His Majesty's great favor that we should thank."

Welcome to spring, and then hurriedly kowtow to express gratitude for Heaven's grace.

After she got up, Yuan Yi said, "This place is filthy, we shouldn't stay here any longer, let's go."

He turned to leave as he spoke.

Just then, Yu Mei, as if possessed, suddenly rushed forward, knelt down, and hugged Yuan Yi's leg, crying out, "Your Highness! Your Highness, have mercy! Please save me too! I am, after all, a servant of Master Lian. Please, for Master Lian's sake, save me! I will serve you like a slave!"

Upon seeing this, Madam Xing panicked completely. Forgetting all about dignity and propriety, she knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly, pleading, "Your Highness! I was so foolish before, blinded by greed, that I offended you! Please, please forgive me! I beg you, save me!"

With these two taking the lead, the group of concubines and maids in the room, who were already terrified, seemed to have grasped at the last straw and also knelt down on the ground, with the sounds of kowtowing, crying, and pleading filling the air.

Yuan Yi's face darkened, and he looked down at Madam Xing and Yu Mei with icy eyes. His voice was chilling: "Madam Xing! Yu Mei! You two are incredibly audacious, hiding official property and committing such a serious crime. You have only yourself to blame! And now you still have the nerve to plead for mercy? You are truly shameless! You will both await the court's judgment here, and you will surely not escape severe punishment!"

After speaking, he didn't look at the desperate, wailing women any longer, resolutely turned around, and left with Yingchun in his arms.

Madam Xing and Yu Mei collapsed to the ground, as if their bones had been removed.

Madam Xing was filled with remorse, feeling as if she were being stabbed with a knife. If only she had known this would happen, why had she offended Yuan Yi and Yuan Chun in the first place? If she had tried to curry favor with them earlier, wouldn't there still be a chance for things to turn around?

Yuan Yi then had Jia Cong lead the way to another house where servants and old women were imprisoned.

Jia Cong spotted his wet nurse, Granny Cheng, and ran over to her, grabbing her hand and exclaiming joyfully, "Mama! Mama! The Duke has come to rescue us! We can go out now! We can live in the mansion next door!"

Yuan Yi sized up Granny Cheng and saw that she wasn't old, about forty years old.

Granny Cheng stepped forward and kowtowed to Yuan Yi to express her gratitude, bursting into tears of joy.

Upon seeing this, Wang Shanbao's wife rushed forward, knelt down, and begged, even slapping herself in the face, crying out, "Your Highness! This old servant was blind before, worse than a pig or a dog, and offended you! You may beat me, you may scold me, but please have mercy and save this old servant!"

Yuan Yi glanced at her coldly, as if she were an ant, and ignored her.

The torrential rain continued to pour down relentlessly, showing no signs of abating.

Holding a blue cloth umbrella, Yuan Yi led Yingchun, Jia Cong, and Granny Cheng out of Jia She's courtyard, which was filled with despair and wailing, and out of the black lacquered gate.

Outside the gate, Ningrong Street was shrouded in a thick rain, with rainwater rushing down and washing over the bluestone pavement, as if trying to wash away all traces of the storm...

(End of this chapter)