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

Chapter 121 Servants Devour the Jia Family
Upon hearing the words "too late to save her," Qin Keqing felt as if struck by lightning. Her soul instantly left her body, leaving only an empty, cold, and lifeless flesh standing there, unable to move.

After a long while, the medicinal aroma filled the room, warming the bone-chilling cold slightly. Only then did his mind begin to rise slowly from the dark sea of ​​despair, like a ship emerging from the water.

She bowed deeply to Master Ximen, her waist bending limply like a willow in the wind, her gentleness tinged with weariness. Her voice, as if veiled by several layers of gauze, trembled slightly: "Thank you... thank you, Master Ximen, thank you, Divine Physician, for your... thank you for your care today." Her throat tightened before she continued, "However, this ailment of mine... I'm afraid... I'm afraid I'll still need your skillful hands... In the future... I'll inevitably... inevitably have to come... to bother you again... to vent..."

The word "venting" was spoken so softly it was almost inaudible, yet the ears were already flushed red, which somewhat diluted the heavy despair.

Looking at her appearance, like a begonia in the rain or a peony in the dew, Master Ximen's voice became even softer: "Madam Rong, aren't you being too polite? When has the threshold of the Ximen family not been open for you? Just come and treat me, don't stand on ceremony, and don't say anything so formal!"

Qin Keqing was in a state of utter confusion. She barely managed to steady herself and whispered, "Today's...today's consultation fee...I'll have the maid..." Before she could finish speaking, Ximen Qing interrupted her with a loud laugh.

"Consultation fee?!" Ximen Qing raised an eyebrow. "Madam Rong! Aren't you slapping me, Ximen Qing, in the face with your shoe? If we're really talking about consultation fee, how can I repay the life-saving grace? With you? I consider Madam Rong a close friend, which is why I went to all this trouble! Since we're close friends, why bring up money and silver?"

"If Grandma insists on taking out this damn silver, she is clearly trying to humiliate me, Ximen Qing! Does she look down on my meager skills, or does she look down on our... friendship?!"

The word "affection" was like a red-hot branding iron, fiercely searing Qin Keqing's heart! Thinking further back, the three words "take you?" were even more presumptuous and blatant, leaving Qin Keqing's mind blank!
She felt a surge of inexplicable anger rush from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, and all the blood in her body rushed to her face, burning her cheeks like charcoal fire. Even her small, delicate earlobes were so red that they seemed to be dripping blood!

Good heavens! How...how dare he utter such shameless words? "Confidant"? "Friendship"? "Take you for what?" This...this is clearly a despicable affair between a man and a woman! How...how could he say such things to me?!
She dared not look up again, feeling that Ximen Qing's gaze was like burning coals, both poisonous and spicy, as if it could penetrate her silk robe and rub and caress her bare pink neck and jade face, making her tremble with shame. Even her huge breasts, with their delicate skin as smooth as mutton fat jade, were covered in goosebumps and a faint blush rose to her head.

She dared not respond to such absurd and scalding words, feeling that if she stayed any longer, the invisible flames in this herbal medicine shop would burn her alive, and she would be mortified!
In her haste, she staggered backward, barely touching the ground, not even bothering with proper etiquette, and hurriedly uttered, "This concubine...this concubine...takes her leave!" Her voice trembled so badly that she was like a startled bird, and she lifted the curtain and fled.

Having said that, she dared not linger for a moment longer. Her steps faltered, and she stumbled and staggered out of the inner room, which was filled with the scent of medicine and an invisible oppressive atmosphere. As soon as she lifted the curtain and stepped into the outer room, the cold wind jolted her back to her senses. Forgetting all about her appearance, she called out loudly, "Ruizhu! Baozhu! Quick... quick, let's go!"

The two maids who were waiting anxiously in the outer room were startled when they saw their mistress rushing out with a flushed face and looking distraught. They quickly went to help her up.

Qin Keqing grasped at the maid's arm tightly, as if it were a lifeline. Her fingertips were icy cold, and her grip was so strong that both maids winced in pain, but dared not utter a sound. They hurriedly helped their mistress up, practically dragging and carrying her away from the herbal medicine shop as if fleeing.

Ximen Da Guanren also came out of the inner room. Watching Qin Keqing leave in a hurry, he slowly walked to the window, opened a crack, and just happened to catch a glimpse of Qin Keqing being helped by her maid, her waist swaying but her back filled with panic as she boarded the carriage.

In that fleeting glimpse, one could see her swaying waist, her panic only adding to her unparalleled graceful charm!
The official sighed inwardly:
What an absolute gem! The ultimate delicacy!
If my jealous wife, Jinlian, heard me speaking to her in such a soft tone just now… I'm afraid she would immediately turn on the vinegar jar and kill this delicate and sweet Rong-da-nainai with sourness.
but
Who can blame me, I just love this big piece of pork belly!
Ugh!
He composed himself, walked to the door, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Dai'an! You little monkey! Where have you been lying there like a corpse? Get out here right now!"

Dai'an was dozing in the corner of the herbal medicine shop when he heard this. He jumped up and scrambled out in a panic: "Good sir! I'm here! What do you need, sir?"

Ximen Qing didn't even glance at him, and leisurely held up two fingers, gesturing in the air: "Go, find me some of the best silver frost charcoal! The really hard, even kind! Remember—"

He put his fingers together, twirled them, and gestured to make a round stick about the thickness of a finger. "—Find it, and grind it carefully for the master... grind it to this thickness... make sure it's smooth and shiny! Not a single burr is allowed! If it feels rough to the touch, watch out for your skin! Do you understand?"

Dai'an stared at the size the official was gesturing with, and listened to the nonsensical instructions, wondering to himself: Grinding charcoal? And grinding it into such a smooth stick? A herbal medicine shop wouldn't need such a delicate tool for decocting medicine and making ointments, would it? Could it be…could it be used to…unclog…the hot chimney? But this thickness…

His mind was in turmoil: "Yes, yes, yes! I understand! Uncle, you're all right! I'll go find the finest silver frost charcoal right away and polish it for you, making it even better than a finely polished jade hairpin! Smooth and slippery, I guarantee you won't find a single burr! Don't worry, sir!"

After saying that, he dashed out in a flash, his heart still pounding: What new trick is Uncle up to now? But the size doesn't seem right... Strange! Strange!

Qin Keqing was still panting heavily in the carriage, her heart pounding, and her face burning with heat. Seeing her dazed expression and slightly damp temples, Ruizhu cautiously approached and whispered, "Grandma, the driver came to ask us... should we go back to the manor now? Or..."

Upon hearing this, Qin Keqing trembled slightly, as if startled awake. She slowly shook her head: "Return to the manor?... It's getting late, and it'll be the middle of the night if we go back; it'll be too noisy. Besides... if we find another excuse to go out tomorrow, who knows how much gossip and trouble it will cause..."

She paused, her gaze fixed on the deepening twilight outside the car window, her voice lower and more desolate: "Today... is the anniversary of the death of my unfortunate birth mother."

“I’ve inquired and found that there’s a fairly large nunnery in Qinghe County. At this hour, perhaps… I should stay there for the night. Firstly, it will be peaceful and avoid suspicion, and secondly… tomorrow morning, I can perform a meritorious ritual before the Buddha for my mother, whom I’ve never met, burning some paper horses and incantations, just to show my filial piety in a small way…”

Upon hearing the words "anniversary of death" and seeing her grandmother's sorrowful expression, Ruizhu quickly replied, "Yes! Grandmother is right, I understand." Not daring to ask further, she hurriedly lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and instructed the driver to change course and head towards the Shuiyue Nunnery in the west of the city. The wheels creaked as they rolled over the bluestone road, carrying the troubled Qin Keqing into the deepening night.

Qin Keqing leaned against the brocade cushion, her fingers unconsciously twisting her handkerchief, her heart churning like boiling water. Just now, that Master Ximen… what he said was utterly dissolute and frivolous, utterly shameless! This… this was clearly the filthy talk of a street ruffian harassing a respectable woman! He… how dare he be so disrespectful to me?!
A surge of shame and fear welled up inside her, making her ears burn. But... but if he really intended to flirt, his gaze... didn't seem like that of an ordinary lecher, but rather carried a... a hint of something indescribable?

The more Qin Keqing thought about it, the more confused she became. She felt that the man's shadow, the ambiguous oppressive atmosphere in the pharmacy, and those outrageous words were like vines that tightly bound her mind. She couldn't break free or shake them off. The more she tried to forget, the clearer they became.

Just as she was feeling distracted and filled with shame and anger, a sudden thought flashed through her mind! That's it! Her mind had been elsewhere the whole way, completely absorbed by his few outrageous words, pondering them over and over again... and she had completely forgotten about the other sordid affairs in the Jia family! The heavy feeling of resentment that had been weighing on her heart had unknowingly dissipated by more than half!

Qin Keqing sat up abruptly, forgetting to wring out her handkerchief. Her beautiful eyes widened, and her heart was suddenly filled with joy! "Well... well, Mr. Ximen!" she almost blurted out, but then hurriedly covered her mouth, her heart pounding with excitement.

So that's why... so when he left, those shameless, outrageous words were actually... were meant to punish me! He deliberately used this method to distract me from my sorrow, to disturb my peace of mind, so I wouldn't have time to wallow in my fear and anxiety! This tactic... this tactic is truly...

She stared blankly at the swaying carriage curtain, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside her—a hint of anger at being mocked, a deep gratitude for surviving a close call, which ultimately coalesced into a soft sigh, tinged with genuine admiration.
"Truly a miraculous doctor with a benevolent heart and skillful hands! He is dedicated to saving lives, and even the hearts of parents are no more compassionate than this!"
at the same time.

Within the Forbidden City, there was a secluded side hall, a specially designated place for sacrifices!

Inside the hall, plain white curtains hung low, and incense shavings quietly rose from the Boshan censer. In the center, a gleaming rosewood altar held two memorial tablets.

In the center is the "Divine Tablet of Empress Yisu Mingda, née Liu". Slightly smaller next to it is the "Divine Tablet of Princess Qingfu, née Zhao".

The palace servants all knew that besides his obsession with calligraphy, painting, and antiques, the Emperor spent most of his time building Taoist temples and studying Taoist scriptures. Only on a few days each month, without fail, would he come to this quiet side hall to sit, often for the entire day, facing the two memorial tablets, sometimes in silence, sometimes murmuring to himself. This showed the depth of his affection for the deceased Empress Mingda.

The current emperor, Emperor Huizong of Song, Zhao Ji, was dressed in plain, simple clothes, without a crown, only a jade hairpin adorning his head. His face was serene, but his brows were furrowed with deep sorrow and weariness. Behind him stood several princes and princesses, all holding their breath, not daring to utter a sound. Leading them were Crown Prince Zhao Huan, and Princess Roufu, Zhao Duofu, whom Huizong particularly favored, among others.

Emperor Huizong personally lit three sticks of the finest ambergris incense on the ever-burning lamp. The smoke rose straight and swirling upwards. Holding the incense with both hands, he raised it to his eyebrows and bowed deeply before the memorial tablet of Empress Mingda, his movements slow and solemn. Then, he stepped forward and carefully inserted the first stick of incense into the center of the incense burner. He then inserted the second and third sticks in sequence, meticulously.

"Zitong..." Emperor Huizong's voice was low and hoarse, filled with endless reminiscence, slowly echoing in the silent palace. It was addressed to the memorial tablet, and also to his children behind him: "Today... is the anniversary of your death again. I... have brought the children to see you." He turned slightly, his gaze sweeping over his children who stood respectfully behind him. "Come! Come forward, all of you, offer incense and kowtow to your mother. Let her spirit in heaven... know that you are all well."

Crown Prince Zhao Huan stepped forward first, following his father's example, respectfully offering incense, lighting it, raising it to his eyebrows in a gesture of respect, and then carefully inserting it into the incense burner. His younger siblings, guided in hushed tones by an older eunuch, followed suit, offering their incense and paying their respects in turn. The only sounds in the hall were soft footsteps, the rustling of clothing, and the faint crackling of burning incense; the atmosphere was utterly solemn.

After his children finished paying their respects, Emperor Huizong turned his gaze to the small memorial tablet beside him, his eyes filled with even deeper sorrow. He picked up three incense sticks again, lit them, and bowed deeply to the small memorial tablet once more.

"And her..." Emperor Huizong's voice trembled slightly, a barely perceptible sob escaping his lips as he pointed to the small memorial tablet and said to his children, "This is your youngest sister... Qingfu. Poor child... she... she and your mother... she passed away together..."

He seemed reluctant to utter the words "died" or "passed away," instead using "went with me," but the deep pain he felt was palpable.

"She was only born less than a day ago, and hadn't even had a chance to see the world properly... and then... alas!" A long sigh revealed the desolation that even an emperor could not undo.

He silently placed the incense stick into the incense burner that belonged to the little princess, gazing at the wisps of smoke, speechless for a long time. The flickering candlelight in the hall cast a long shadow of the amorous emperor, which, reflected on the cold floor tiles, accentuated his loneliness and sorrow.

In the remote countryside.

The carriage rolled by, its wheels clattering, the sound like the cawing of crows or the coughing of a consumptive man. Dusk pressed down heavily, swallowing the last glimmer of light in the wilderness, leaving not a trace.

A dim lamp hung from the corner of the carriage, its flame flickering wildly from the jolting, its yellowish light dancing erratically on Wang Xifeng's face.

She leaned against the pillow, her body like a fully drawn bow. Two blue ledgers lay open on her lap, the very ones she had just obtained from the two farm managers. Her slender fingers twirled the pages, her fingernails scraping the rough paper with a "swish—swish—".

"Hmph," she sneered through her nose, her lips curling into a sneer.

His eyes swept over the newly inscribed figures on the ledger like a dagger; no wonder those two scoundrels knew better than to be so cunning!

After suffering a loss in the village of Xiaozhuang.

Having learned her lesson, Wang Xifeng didn't report it at all. When she saw Wang Xifeng leading her people into the manor like divine soldiers descending from the sky and kicking open the accounting room door, the manor's accountant was so frightened that his face turned as white as a corpse that had been dead for three days. He trembled like a leaf and handed over the account books.

Although the accounts showed two years' worth of shortfall, at least the figures were clear and the entries were complete; no loopholes were covered up. It seems they were caught off guard, and there was no time to try and cheat.

Wang Xifeng pointed to several large quantities of furs and delicacies, her mind racing with calculations. Once they were brought back to the capital, and compared to the treasury records and market prices, even if she didn't immediately skin them alive, she could easily seize their testicles and force them to vomit back every penny they'd swallowed! This tight rein would be welded firmly to their heads!
But when her thoughts turned to Wu Jinxiao's tear-streaked, greasy old face, and the burnt-out accountant's book... the flame that Wang Xifeng had suppressed in her heart suddenly flared up again, burning so intensely that her internal organs were practically steaming. She slammed the account book shut with a "snap," a small sound that startled Ping'er, who was standing beside her like a quail, causing her to tremble all over.

Do you really think I can't handle him?

Wang Xifeng sneered inwardly!
"It's all your fault!" Wang Xifeng's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a knife, cleaving through the noise of the car wheels and the wailing wind in the wilderness.

Wang Xifeng turned slightly to the side, half her face peeking out from behind the carriage curtain. The sharp wind stung her face, and a few stray hairs flew wildly from her temples.

"Second Madam, what are your orders?" Steward Lai hurriedly rode over to the side, bowing low like a shrimp on horseback, his obsequiousness revealing a shrewd glint in his eyes.

Wang Xifeng squinted, staring at Lai Sheng's face, which flickered in the dim light, and spoke each word with the coldness and hardness of iron beans hitting ice:
"Listen. Go back and find me a few unfamiliar faces right now! They need to be quick-witted and have mouths that are as tight as a dead man's! They'll pretend to be merchants and go to Wu Jinxiao's den of thieves to buy mountain goods!"

Lai Sheng's eyes darted around, and he bent down even lower: "You little rascal, you know what you're doing! You only collect rare and valuable hard goods?"

"No matter what's valuable, we'll take it all!" Wang Xifeng's cold smile deepened. "Those slovenly things that look worthless, we'll scoop them up to the bone! Chicken scraps, wild mushrooms and vegetables, ordinary fur... anything that's breathing, has legs, and can reproduce in that village, we'll take whatever we see! Remember that!"

Her gaze was fixed on Lai Sheng's face. "Remember, don't scare that old mudfish! As long as we can collect the valuable mountain goods, it means that Wu Jinxiao is hiding them and keeping them for himself instead of handing them over. He'll be in trouble!"

"Yes! Yes! Second Madam is incredibly resourceful! This servant swears on his life that I will handle this matter flawlessly!" Lai Sheng patted his chest and swore an oath.

"Go on." Wang Xifeng withdrew her gaze, retreated into the carriage, and the curtain fell with a "snap," blocking out Lai Sheng's slick figure outside.

The carriage returned to its dim, swaying light. Ping'er's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, eased slightly. She quickly poured a bowl of piping hot ginseng soup from the small warm bed and presented it with both hands: "Grandma, please soothe your throat and warm yourself up. You've had a long and tiring journey..."

She glanced at Wang Xifeng as she took the teacup, her knuckles turning white from gripping it so tightly, and couldn't help but whisper, "Grandma, that Wu Zhuangtou... he's really got some nerve... Luckily we have this Steward Lai to handle things like this... You can rest assured, just don't hurt yourself."

Wang Xifeng had just taken a sip of ginseng soup when she heard this and slammed her teacup down on the small rosewood table with a clang. She turned her face, staring at Ping'er's pale, worried face, and forced a cold laugh from deep within her throat.
"Phew! Ping'er! You think these two Duke's mansions are temples of Buddha? Let me tell you, these are the Hall of Yama! They're the Spider Cave of the White Bone Demon! Every single one of them, master and servant, count them on your fingers. Aren't they all cunning and scheming? Aren't they all easy to deal with, like vegetarian Buddhas?"

She leaned forward: "Even if the master doesn't say anything, just look at these lowly servants! They have to stand on tiptoe to read the master's face and guess the master's intentions. If they don't serve well enough, being beaten and kicked out is the least of their worries! They also have to be wary of what's behind their backs! Who knows which one who calls you 'sister' so sweetly on weekdays might stab you in the heart behind your back! To gain a foothold in these wealthy families and make a respectable life, which one of them didn't climb up by stepping on other people's heads? Which one of them isn't a shrewd shrew who has been shrewdly refined?"

She paused, her voice extremely low: "Do you think this Steward Lai Sheng is so efficient? You might think he's exceptionally clever, but he is indeed clever! He's a man of considerable skill!"

"But look at his own Lai family mansion, with its flying eaves and brackets, artificial hills and flowing water, it's even more magnificent than the side courtyard of our mansion! Where did all that gleaming silver come from? What a joke! It was all dug out, scraped off, and sucked out bit by bit from the oil cauldron in the Jia mansion, from between the fingers of the masters!"

"Every purchase, project, favor he handles... isn't it all greasy and lucrative? Water just soaks the surface, right? Humph! If Steward Lai were to handle it, he'd probably scrape off a three-foot-thick layer of oil from the ground! If we send him to collect evidence of the mountain goods today, he'll probably swallow a lot more oil!"

Ping'er's heart trembled, her palms turned icy, and she clenched her handkerchief tightly. How could she not know that Lai Sheng's family was wealthy? She had never dared to delve into the depths of this absurdity. Now, with Wang Xifeng tearing it open so brutally, she felt a chill run from the soles of her feet to the top of her head. She opened her mouth, her throat dry, and after a long while, she managed to squeeze out, "Grandma…you…you understand everything perfectly well…"

“Mingjing?” Wang Xifeng leaned back heavily, closed her eyes, and a deep weariness rose on her face, but beneath it surged a sharpness like an ice pick. “What good is Mingjing? This mansion is a huge dye vat! It’s easier to fish in muddy waters! But these fish… are too fat! Too greedy! So greedy that they’re going to burst the vat!”

(End of this chapter)