Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

This old woman was none other than Ma Daopo, Jia Baoyu's godmother.

Using her identity as a Taoist nun and her ability to read people, she was able to enter and leave the wealthy and powerful families in the capital and gain their trust. She was greedy, treacherous, and good at disguising herself, and often used concern and blessings as a pretext to do her things.

In the original novel, she took advantage of Jia Baoyu's burns to trick Grandmother Jia into donating five catties of sesame oil every day to light lamps and pray for blessings by saying that he was "possessed by a mischievous ghost".

Later, he was bribed by Aunt Zhao and used a curse to harm Baoyu and Wang Xifeng, causing them to be on the verge of death.

In addition, she accepted money from pawnshop employees to perform rituals and create chaos, falsely claiming to cure illnesses and extort money.

However, he was arrested for leaving behind fraudulent props. The Ministry of Justice seized a large number of paper figures, straw figures, and extortion ledgers from his residence, and he was eventually sentenced to death.

The reason she came to the Jia family mansion was that Jia Baoyu had fallen ill with idiocy again a few days ago, and medical treatment was useless. At Lady Wang's suggestion, she invited Granny Ma to perform a ritual to pray for blessings and ward off disaster.

At this moment, after Granny Ma finished speaking, her triangular eyes swept across the room full of jewels and jade, finally landing on Madam Wang's face. She paused for a moment, then quickly looked away.

A glint flashed in Madam Wang's eyes, and her grip on the prayer beads tightened. Feigning emotion, she said urgently:

"Amitabha! His godmother is indeed highly skilled. I was wondering why Baoyu's jade pendant suddenly broke last time. It turns out she took the blame for Jing'er."

"It seems that Jing-ge'er's smooth sailing and rapid promotion over the years are all thanks to my Bao-yu!"

As she spoke, Madam Wang glanced at Grandmother Jia, who was listening intently, and the surprised and uncertain people in the hall. She was very satisfied with the plan she had come up with.

She got her inspiration from the last time Grandmother Jia asked Miaoyu to interpret her dream.

The old lady was quite old and had always believed in gods and Buddhas.

Especially after experiencing Miaoyu's accurate prophecy last time, not only did the old lady have a deep belief in gods and Buddhas, but the entire household also had more reverence for such things. So she naturally wanted to take the opportunity to make some plans.

So, while she kept Jia Baoyu "sick," she also invited Granny Ma, promising her great benefits, which led to this grand performance in the hall today.

At this moment, a look of realization appeared on Grandmother Jia's aged face, and she said:

"So my precious Baoyu was actually a celestial child descended to earth! I knew he was born with great fortune!"

Now, Baoyu's innate spiritual treasure has been damaged because of his third grandson. I wonder if his third grandson will acknowledge this?

Such a great favor, I don't ask him to repay it in any way. As long as he doesn't harm Baoyu in the future, restores his status as the legitimate son, and protects him for a lifetime of peace and wealth, that's enough.

Of course, Grandmother Jia only dared to keep these thoughts to herself for the time being, and did not dare to say them aloud.

Then she looked at Yuan Chun and Tan Chun beside her and said:

"Big girl, third girl, what do you think about this?"

We still need to have the eldest daughter and the third daughter act as intermediaries to tell the third grandson about this matter, so that he can know the great kindness involved!

Yuan Chun frowned and said softly, "This matter is too mystical and I'm afraid it's not credible."

Yuan Chun actually had some belief in gods and Buddhas.

When she visited her family in the original story, she "suddenly saw a Buddhist temple surrounded by mountains, so she quickly washed her hands and went in to burn incense and worship Buddha," and inscribed a plaque that read "Compassionate Voyage in the Sea of ​​Suffering."

Furthermore, her special trip to Baoling Palace to worship Buddha before returning to the palace, and her arrangement for the Jia family to hold a religious ceremony at Qingxu Temple, all demonstrate this.

Of course, her letters were perhaps more of a spiritual refuge for those living deep within the palace than a simple expression of faith.

Or rather, people in this world tend to have a pragmatic approach to matters of gods and Buddhas, preferring to believe in their existence rather than their non-existence.

They focus on seeking psychological comfort and practical protection through religion, with little real understanding of its doctrines, and are entirely superstitious.

At this time, Yuan Chun didn't quite believe the terms "celestial children from heaven" and "innate spiritual treasures" that Granny Ma used.

Especially when it came to Jia Jing, it made her even more hesitant.

Considering that Ma Daopo was invited by her own mother, she even suspected that this matter might be another fabrication orchestrated by her own mother.

Seeing that Yuan Chun didn't believe him, Granny Ma hurriedly said:

"How could it be too mystical? The Taishang Ganying Pian says: 'Misfortune and fortune have no gate; they are summoned by oneself. The retribution for good and evil follows like a shadow.'"

"It is also said: 'A family that accumulates good deeds will surely have abundant blessings.' Over the years, our family has suffered many hardships, but it is thanks to this magical jade that we have been able to turn misfortune into good fortune time and time again!"

"The 'Wenchang Emperor's Yin Zhi Wen' says it well: 'Rescue people from distress, help people in urgent need, have pity on orphans, and forgive people's mistakes.' The Spirit Jade's selflessness is exactly this principle."

Upon hearing this, Madam Wang quickly responded:

"It wasn't for nothing that Grandma and I doted on Baoyu; all these years, the family has relied on him!"

Tan Chun's naturally beautiful face darkened slightly, and she said in a deep voice:

"If that's really the case, Third Brother has been fighting on the front lines for so many years, and he's faced danger more than just the last time. Why didn't the Jade of Spiritual Communication work before, but only this time?"

"Furthermore, if the Jade of Spiritual Enlightenment truly possesses a spirit, why didn't it work when Brother Zhu and the Master had their accidents?"

Tan Chun was probably the least religious person in the Jia family, unlike Ying Chun who often read the Taoist classic "Taishang Ganying Jing" and Xi Chun who used to enjoy reading Buddhist scriptures.

Tan Chun is rational and ambitious, and she believes in the Confucian spirit of engaging with the world. In this respect, she is actually somewhat similar to Baochai. She is prudent and pragmatic, and a doer!

Of course, the pragmatism of the two is different from Sister Feng's "never believing in any kind of retribution in the underworld or hell".

Sister Feng actually believes in gods and Buddhas, but she doesn't believe that they will bring retribution upon her; it's a matter of boldness and wishful thinking.

Therefore, Tan Chun didn't believe a single word of what Granny Ma said.

Moreover, she knew very well what kind of person Granny Ma was. She was the kind of person who would even covet two pieces of "shoe uppers" from her own aunt's side. How could she be a virtuous and high-minded person?

Now that he's putting on this act, he must be in cahoots with his wife, planning to do something shady while his third brother is away.

Let's see what they're up to first. If they have bad intentions, we'll send someone to the East Mansion to find General Xuanwu and have him arrest this old woman Ma and bring her to justice!

"Ah, this...this..." Upon hearing Tan Chun's question, Granny Ma's expression changed slightly, and she stammered, unsure how to answer.

Madam Wang's expression hardened, and she angrily said:

"Third girl, your second brother has gone mad because of the family's problems. Instead of thinking about how to save him, you're asking all sorts of questions. What are you really up to?"