The splendor of the Red Chamber, the power that reigns supreme.

Chapter 120 Wu Jinxiao's Trick
As Wang Xifeng listened, she sat down to the side, her fingertips lightly tapping on the cold rosewood tabletop, tap, tap, tap, like the urgent sound of a water clock.

Her gaze, sharp as icy silver needles, pierced Wu Jinxiao's tear-streaked face: "What a glib tongue you have! You try to deny all the natural disasters and man-made calamities! If that's the case, bring me the detailed accounts of the manor over the past two years! Income and expenditure, losses, and any official documents related to the dispute with the Zhu Family Manor. Lay them all out under the sun! I want to see if Heaven is blind, or if wild dogs have stolen people's hearts!"

"Accounts...accounts?" Wu Jinxiao shuddered violently, his face turning ashen like cold ashes from a stove. He slapped his thigh, his voice rising sharply, hoarse with despair, "Oh dear! My dear Second Grandmother! You shouldn't have brought this up, it's practically killing me!"

He suddenly turned around and shouted at a withered old servant who was huddled in the corner, "Old Wu! Are you dead? Hurry up and answer Second Madam! That accountant...didn't that accountant have a fire a few days ago?"

The servant called Old Wu trembled violently, then knelt down with a thud, his forehead hitting the brick floor with a loud thud: "Reporting...Reporting to Second Madam! It's absolutely true! Just...just the night before last, some damned bastard didn't watch the sparks in the stove! A gust of evil wind swept up, and the flames licked the paper window frame of the accounting office!"

"When we put out the fire, inside... inside, all that was left was a pile of black ash! The account books from the past two years, along with the old files in the storeroom, were all... all turned into ashes in the stove! We couldn't even salvage a single piece of paper! We deserve to die! We failed to protect our mistress! Please, Second Mistress, have mercy!"

Old Wu was lying on the ground howling, his face covered in snot and tears.

Ping'er listened from the side, her brows furrowed. Wang Xifeng's frost-like face froze, a chilling smile playing on her lips. Her gaze slowly shifted from the kowtow-like old Wu to Wu Jinxiao's old face, which was etched with "heartache and indignation."

"Burn?" Her voice was light and airy, like autumn wind blowing through withered leaves. "Burn at just the right time! Wu Jinxiao, you've managed the household well! Natural disasters and man-made calamities, the accounts are on fire... These two dishes are really well-cooked, crispy and fragrant!" She suddenly stood up, her brocade robe sleeves brushing across the table, bringing with them a gust of cold wind. "I had no idea when this manor became a fiery mountain? Or did you, Wu the Manor Chief, really think I was some clay or wooden statue in a temple, trying to fool me with these scribbled symbols?"

Wu Jinxiao knelt down with a thud, pointing to the sky and swearing oaths, spitting far as he spoke: "Second Madam, please be the judge! If I have uttered even the slightest lie, may I be struck by lightning and my bones be utterly destroyed! It is true that the Zhu Family Manor was too arrogant, and it is also true that the accounting office caught fire! Even if I had the audacity of the heavens, I would not dare to deceive you! Now... now that there is no way to verify the truth, even if I had a mouth all over my body, I could not explain myself, and even if I jumped into a latrine, I could not wash myself clean!"

He wailed, his voice like a broken gong, echoing in the room filled with the smell of burning, truly conveying a sense of despair and helplessness at the end of his rope.

Wang Xifeng stood in the center of the room. The sun was setting in the west, and a few rays of dim light leaked in through the broken window, making her figure, wrapped in a brocade cloak, appear huge and silent, cast on the mottled earthen wall like a depressing mountain.

Outside the window, withered branches groaned in the cold wind, and a few returning geese flew in a V-formation, their mournful cries echoing across the gray sky. The cries penetrated the room, adding to the desolation.

She stared at Wu Jinxiao kneeling on the ground, his old face, streaked with tears, blurred in the dim light, leaving only a greasy, nauseating sorrow.

The wailing and the curses, to this moment, sounded like the dripping drumbeats in a dilapidated temple; the louder they were beaten, the more absurd and ridiculous the play seemed.

A burning, foul aura surged through her chest and abdomen, making her fingertips tingle slightly. She desperately wanted to call for Lai Sheng, the high-ranking official outside, to bring ropes, tie this old mudfish up like a dumpling, take him back to the capital, throw him into that cold prison cell, and give him a severe beating to see what kind of sweet talk he could come up with!
However, the moment the idea arose, it hit an invisible wall.

The account books are burned, the archives turned to ashes, and there's no way to verify anything. Even if we arrest him now, what good will it do? Torture him? This old fox is slippery, cunning to the core; we might not be able to get him to talk, and if word gets out, we'll just earn a reputation for being cruel and ruthless. While the two households maintain a facade of harmony, countless people are waiting to see us make a fool of ourselves.

Moreover, he kept referring to himself as "Master Zhen," and after all, the estate was nominally managed by Jia Zhen; he was only there to check the accounts.

She stood frozen for a long while. The wind outside the window grew stronger, whipping up withered branches and leaves that lashed against the window paper. Ping'er quietly stepped forward and gently draped a thick gray squirrel fur coat over her shoulders, her voice extremely low: "Grandma, the chill is getting stronger, the autumn wind is biting... and the sun is about to set." Her voice was full of worry, reminding her to leave soon.

These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over her head. Wang Xifeng slowly closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, the fierce flame in her eyes had been extinguished. She took a deep breath of the cold air, the chill piercing her lungs with pain.

"Enough!" Wang Xifeng forced down her exhaustion and grimness. "Since the accounts are ashes, there's nothing left to investigate today." Her gaze fixed on Wu Jinxiao again. "You listen carefully: this estate, this forest, this income—no matter whose name they're under, they're all ultimately Jia family property! If even a single hair is missing, someone will have to pay with their blood! Don't think this is over. I've etched today's events into my memory. Tomorrow, when I return to the manor, I'll have my say!"

She stopped looking at the people on the ground, turned around abruptly, her gray squirrel fur coat drawing a sharp arc: "Ping'er! Prepare the carriage! To Qinghe County!"

“Second Madam! It’s getting dark, the wind is strong and the frost is cold, the road is probably not safe! Why don’t we stay at the manor?” Wu Jinxiao looked up and hurriedly tried to persuade her to stay, his fear on his face seeming somewhat genuine. Wang Xifeng didn’t stop walking at all, only coldly spitting out a few words through gritted teeth: “Stay here? I’m afraid it’ll be another fire, and I might singe my eyebrows again tonight!”

The carriage resumed its journey home. The desolate scenery of withered branches and fallen willows that had accompanied it on the way here was now completely swallowed up by the thick twilight. The wind grew stronger, whipping up dust and withered leaves, whipping against the carriage canopy with a rustling sound, like countless tiny ghostly claws scratching wildly.

Wang Xifeng wrapped her fur coat tighter and leaned against the cold carriage wall. Only she, the accountant, knew that the hole was getting bigger and bigger, and she would have to set aside a sum of money for Madam Wang.
In the main room of the manor, the stove was relit, the flickering flames casting shadows on Wu Jinxiao's old face, his expression shifting between light and shadow. He walked to the window, hands behind his back, listening intently as the creaking and groaning of the caravan outside faded completely into the howling wind. His earlier look of utter grief was gone; a strange, distorted line slowly tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Old Wu, who had been kneeling and kowtowing like a dog just moments before, now straightened his back and leaned forward to whisper, "Boss, do you think... Second Madam... really believed that story about the fire?"

"Believe?" Wu Jinxiao glanced at him sideways and sneered through his nostrils, "She's a heart of glass and a heart of stone! There's no way she'd believe that!"

He paused, a sly glint in his cloudy old eyes. "But whether she believes it or not, what does it matter? There's no way to verify it! What can she use to investigate? What can she use to question me? Without any evidence, would she dare to lay a finger on me? Don't forget, this manor bears the mark of 'Master Zhen'! If anyone's going to be dealt with, it'll be Master Zhen. If she can't vent her anger today, she'll have to swallow this bitter pill!"

He became more and more pleased with himself as he spoke, and the wrinkles on his face smoothed out.

Old Wu was still somewhat uneasy: "But...but the look in Second Madam's eyes when she left...it was like an icicle. We'll see what happens tomorrow..."

"The outcome? Heh!" Wu Jinxiao rummaged around in his pocket for a while, and pulled out a small package tightly wrapped in oiled paper from his sweat-soaked jacket. He slowly unwrapped several layers of oiled paper, revealing a blue ledger with worn edges and specks of oil and sweat. He casually flipped to a page, his fingertips tracing the dense handwriting. "The outcome?"

He repeated, his voice full of mockery, weighing the ledger in his hand, "It's clear that she has no evidence! It's clear that this estate is still ours! I'll take care of filling in the gaps with Master Zhen."

"Besides—" His eyes darted around, his voice lowering even further, like a viper flicking its tongue, "Those bastards from Zhu Family Village have really stretched their claws too far! They've taken over our woods and stolen a lot of our silver, that's true. But think about it carefully, doesn't this also conveniently...give us a ready-made excuse?"

He twirled his thin fingers, making a counting motion, and the worry on his face was replaced by naked calculation. "This world is getting more and more turbulent! Today the Zhu Family Village dares to rob our forest, who knows what kind of refugees or bandits will be eyeing our village tomorrow!"

“If we don’t stockpile more hard-earned food, if we don’t recruit more skilled fighters to protect the courtyard and the granary… then one day, a bunch of bloodthirsty bastards will storm in…” He suddenly made a throat-slitting gesture, his eyes turning sinister, “you and I, our livelihood, and the hundred or so people on the estate, will die without even knowing how! Not even a bone will be left! The Jia family’s children are human, but aren’t our children human too?”

Old Wu shuddered at his sinister tone and gestures, instinctively shrinking his neck.

Wu Jinxiao became more and more excited as he spoke, his cloudy old eyes flashing with a greedy and ruthless light: "So, the most important thing is that we hold onto our real money and strengthen our guards!"

He walked to the door and opened it a crack. Dusk was deepening outside; the autumn wind swirled and howled, carrying withered leaves, like the wailing of ghosts: "This autumn... is so beautiful! Wind... be stronger!"

Inside the herbal medicine shop.

Qin Keqing's suppressed sobs, like gossamer threads, were like raindrops falling from the eaves onto the bottom of a copper basin, their hollow sound making one's heart tremble with each drop.

She looked up at Master Ximen with a face streaked with tears, a pleading voice barely escaping her lips as if begging him to save her—

The official suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, but deep and resonant, each word striking Qin Keqing's heart:

"So... you're so thin and frail, your face is deathly pale, you don't seem to have any vitality, and your heart keeps pounding wildly, and you can't breathe properly... is it all because of this... 'heart ailment'? Is that right?"

His gaze lingered on her pale, almost translucent face, and a rare, almost imperceptible hint of pity flickered deep within his eyes.

This abrupt and piercing question startled Qin Keqing, making her tremble all over! She bit her lower lip so hard that it almost bled, wanting to deny it, but in the end, her neck went weak and she nodded.

The official watched her nod, her forced shyness and resigned, withered expression fading as he let out a deep sigh.

"Hmph...Poor thing! The man is all show and no substance, all looks and no substance. All this shame and filth weighs on your shoulders, a woman's burden, and it's going to break your tender willow branch! Day after day you're stuck with a dead tree, and you still have to force a smile, cover up his shame, make up for his lies... and save face for him. Is this a life for a human being?"

Master Ximen's voice wasn't loud, but each word was like a needle tip chilled to the bone, peeling back the bloody scab layer by layer, yet carrying a comforting warmth. "There's also 'Master Zhen' up above, watching you like a vicious wolf! You must be constantly on guard, always on edge, like a tender lamb lying beside a wolf's den… Poor you, such a delicate and timid person, this torment, day and night, is almost as bad as poison that pierces your guts!" He paused, his voice lower, "It's truly tormenting you…"

"Your mother-in-law?" The official's lips curled into an even deeper sneer. "She dumped all the filth about your useless son and shameless husband on you. She must be finding fault with everything you do, and her eyes are probably filled with venom!"

"The Rong Mansion is so vast, and all the filth and corruption inside and out weighs heavily on you, a mere woman! How can a weak woman like you bear such a heavy burden? Not to mention the Ning and Rong Mansions, where masters and servants alike cast cold, dagger-like glances at you, and whispered gossips that gnaw at your heart like venomous snakes!"

Ximen Qing lowered his eyes, his gaze fixed intently on the stunning beauty before him. That small, curled-up figure, shivering like willow catkins in the wind, forlorn like pear blossoms battered by rain, appeared so frail and helpless, utterly alone and without anyone to lean on.

"Let alone a delicate, tender woman like you with no support, even a strong and upright man, an iron-willed Arhat, would be exhausted and withered by being immersed in this filthy place that devours people without spitting out bones every day... How much more so for you?"

"This luxurious mansion is truly... a disgrace!"

Qin Keqing stared blankly at Ximen Qing. Her once pale face had now lost all color, and even the rouge on her lips, which usually evoked pity, had lost its luster.

The seemingly charming and wicked man in front of her spoke words like red-hot silver needles, piercing deep into the tenderest part of her heart!

It was like a thin blade tempered with ice, tearing open the already festering wound she was desperately trying to cover, layer by layer, leaving it bloody and raw!

"He...he knew everything...he knew everything!"

Throughout the entire household, everyone knew that Qin Keqing was a delicate and beautiful woman who needed to be carefully cared for.
Bowls of bitter, agonizing herbal soup were forced down her throat, while boxes of dazzlingly expensive bird's nest and ginseng were brought in. The matriarch patted her hand kindly, saying, "Don't worry," while her mother-in-law gave a forced smile and instructed, "Take good care of yourself..."

They thought of themselves as fragile glass cups or jade Guanyin statues, easily broken if touched.

Who would have thought that beneath this beautiful, delicate exterior lay a heart that was tormented by oil and fire and slowly scalded by a dull knife every day!
She guards an abyss of ice! She swallows poison coated in honey! Beside her are wolves in sheep's clothing! In this splendid cage, this filthy den of demons, she can only swallow her pride and blood, not daring to utter a single groan of pain!

"Ugh——!"

Qin Keqing no longer cared about her status or decorum! She suddenly raised her stunningly beautiful face, and tears, like pearls from a broken string or a dam bursting in spring, surged forth, instantly washing away her makeup and leaving crisscrossing, breathtaking wet streaks on her pale cheeks.

Her remaining reserve and manners made her cover her cherry-like mouth tightly with both hands, her face streaked with tears, looking pitiful, her shoulders shaking helplessly.

A few strands of damp, dark hair clung to her sweat-dampened neck and cheeks.

She curled up in a ball, crying her heart out, sobbing until she was hoarse, as if she wanted to pour out all the bitterness and grievances that had permeated her beautiful years to the only man who saw through her!
Heaven has eyes! In this vast and turbid world, there is still one person—

Know her! Understand her!
The official sat quietly, letting her cry until her hair was disheveled, her shoulders trembled, and her waist swayed like a slender slender branch in the wind. He held his breath and remained silent.

He understood best that the sorrow that had accumulated in his internal organs over the years was just like a riverbed that had been silted up for a long time!

The most ruthless and effective method is to let the dam collapse, allowing the bitter spring that has been accumulating for countless days to gush forth on its own! Once the bitter water has run dry, the mind will naturally become clear and transparent!

I don't know how much time passed before it gradually turned into intermittent sobs, and finally into a faint whimper.

That delicate body, which had been trembling like a leaf in the wind, gradually calmed down, with only the occasional slight shrug of its slender shoulders, like the last drop of water rolling on a withered lotus after a storm.

The peerless beauty's earth-shattering wailing just now seemed to have cleansed her from the inside out!
That face, which was originally pale and lifeless, now had two very natural patches of rouge, just like two dewy begonias in the snow!
Tears still lingered, winding down her delicate, pink cheeks, adding to her languid and pitiful charm, like a lotus leaf bearing dew.

Those almond-shaped eyes, which had once been filled with tears, were now glistening with moisture, exuding a captivating charm!
Truly, tears wash away the makeup, revealing her true beauty; the sickly Xi Shi transforms into the intoxicated Yang Guifei! Compared to her usual dignified and aloof demeanor, she is so much more vibrant and alluring!
The official asked gently, "Are you done crying?"

Qin Keqing was enjoying the relief after venting her emotions when she heard the sound and raised her tearful eyes in alarm. When she met the eyes of the official, she panicked and instinctively wanted to avoid his burning gaze!

The blush that had just risen on her cheeks suddenly turned scorching hot, spreading all the way to her ears and the back of her neck! She was so embarrassed that she lowered her head even further and nodded gently, her swan-like neck curving into a delicate arc that was breathtaking.

She subconsciously tried to wipe away the remaining dampness on her cheek. The soft handkerchief in her hand was already soaked through with tears and sweat, cold and heavy, clinging to her hand.

Just as she was feeling embarrassed and at a loss, a neatly folded handkerchief, still warm from the man's body, was suddenly handed to her under her lowered eyelids.

"Clean, brand new." The man's deep voice was reassuring.

Qin Keqing's mind was still wandering, her eyes blurry with tears, her thoughts in disarray. Almost in a daze, she subconsciously took the handkerchief that still carried the warmth of a stranger's body.

I only came to my senses after wiping away my tears!

Good heavens! What did she do?! She actually... so naturally accepted a stranger's handkerchief?!
She held the handkerchief as if it were a red-hot iron that had been chilled to the bone, unsure whether to throw it away or keep it! She almost crushed the delicate handkerchief in her palm!

Ximen Da Guanren glanced at her embarrassed and flustered appearance, clutching her handkerchief and fidgeting. A faint smile flashed across his eyes, but he softened his voice even more: "Has that lump in your chest loosened up a bit? Do you... feel a little lighter?"

Qin Keqing was flustered and wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground. Upon hearing this, she subconsciously nodded in response to the tender tone, rubbing the handkerchief even tighter in her palm, and gave a low, indistinct "hmm".

The official laughed and said, "Today's performance was a bit restrained; I didn't get to enjoy myself enough. If I could have cried my heart out and poured out all the filth and grievances from my internal organs, that would have made me feel completely refreshed, and even loosened the root of my illness!"

Qin Keqing suddenly raised her eyes, her almond-shaped eyes, still misty with moisture, widened abruptly, filled with astonishment and... a hint of realization!
So... so he was actually... treating his own illness?
Yes, yes! After this heart-wrenching outburst, the boulder that had been pressing on her heart and almost suffocating her had indeed been partially removed!
An unprecedented sense of ease was seeping out from every part of her body! Her heart warmed, and immense gratitude instantly overshadowed some of her earlier embarrassment.

"Thank you... thank you so much, divine physician!" Her voice trembled slightly, filled with the sincerity of someone who had survived a calamity. "I... I feel as if... as if I have crawled out of a bottomless well and seen the light of day! My lord... you are truly a divine physician!"

Ximen Da Guanren laughed and said, "Madam Rong, you flatter me too much. Your illness is a long-standing, deep-seated heart ailment. How can it be cured immediately by crying and venting your frustrations?"

Qin Keqing subconsciously murmured, "Doesn't that mean... I'll have to come see him often?"
Will she ever again abandon all dignity and restraint, and wail and cry uncontrollably in front of him like this?
The thought made her small, delicate earlobes turn as red as two ripe coral beads! She hurriedly lowered her head, revealing only her neck, which was flushed with an intoxicating blush.

Just as this suffocating embarrassment was about to overflow, Qin Keqing suddenly remembered her original intention in stepping into this herbal medicine shop today! That romantic thought was extinguished as if doused with cold water, and a heavy worry seized her again.

She suppressed the wild beating of her heart, and asked with a hint of cautious anticipation, "Then...then my lord...my husband...that illness...do you...have any effective medicine for it? Or...or a method of treatment?"

Ximen Da Guanren slowly shook his head: "Madam Rong, you are a wise woman. In this world... where is there such a miraculous medicine? His condition is incurable by any medicine. Even if Hua Tuo were to be reborn or Bian Que were to be resurrected, I'm afraid... there would be no way to save him."

"Boom—" It was like a bucket of ice water being poured over Qin Keqing's head and toes!
Her cheeks, which had been burning with embarrassment, instantly lost all color! The eyes that had just ignited a spark of hope dimmed instantly, leaving only a deathly gray.

She felt a chill run through her body, and her vision blurred. Was her husband's illness... hopeless? Then... was she... in this brocade cage... destined to never escape?
(End of this chapter)