The Splendor of the Red Chamber

Jia Zhen, who had initially acted as if it were none of his business, suddenly changed his expression upon hearing that "things will only improve if we move out of the Ningguo Mansion," and instinctively wanted to deny it.

But someone was faster than him.

"Then let her come to our residence!"

Baoyu rushed to Grandmother Jia's side and shook her arm, saying, "Grandmother, let's bring Rong-ge's wife to our mansion to recuperate. Let the sisters keep her company and help her relax; she'll definitely get better!"

If someone else had acted this eagerly, people might have started to think it was something between a man and a woman.

But since Baoyu was still young and had a habit of speaking and acting recklessly, no one thought much of it.

Little did Baoyu know that he actually harbored ambiguous feelings for Qin Keqing.

This is because last year, Baoyu had a dream in Qin Keqing's room, in which he dreamt of being in a place called the Land of Illusion, where he had sex with a fairy who looked just like Keqing.

Only after that did he understand the fundamental principles of human relations.

Therefore, Qin Keqing can be considered half of Baoyu's "sexual enlightenment teacher," someone he dared not speak freely about, yet someone he constantly worried about.

So when he heard that Qin Keqing was going to move out to recuperate, he couldn't help but jump out.

If Qin Keqing moved to the Rongguo Mansion, he wouldn't dare to do anything about it, but it would be good to see her a few more times and exchange a few words with her.

It is evident that the men of the Jia family are all born lechers; the only difference lies in their character, methods, and moral standards.

"Absolutely not!"

Before the old lady could reply, Jia Zhen couldn't help but jump out.

He began coercing and bribing Qin Keqing on August 15th, and it took him more than three months until yesterday when she finally relented and accepted the jewelry he sent her.

Jia Zhen was preparing to press his advantage and completely win over this heavenly daughter-in-law. At this crucial moment, how could he let Qin Keqing escape from his grasp?!

If it weren't for the presence of the elders in the Rongguo Mansion, Jia Zhen would probably have already flew into a rage.

At this moment, he could only suppress his anger and coldly rebuke the old woman, Ma Daopo: "What nonsense are you talking about, you old woman? When the two families were engaged, it was Master Zhang of Qingxu Temple who personally analyzed the birth charts!"

My daughter-in-law is born with noble qualities, her fortune aligns perfectly with that of the Ningguo Mansion, she has the best destiny to bring prosperity to our family and clan, how dare you slander her here?!

Although he tried his best to suppress his anger, he couldn't hide the murderous look in his eyes, which frightened Granny Ma so much that she trembled and couldn't speak.

He secretly lamented his fate, regretting that he had been greedy for those fifty taels of silver and had gotten involved in the Ningguo Mansion's family affairs.

But how could Granny Ma have imagined that her mere suggestion to Rong's wife to leave the mansion to recuperate would provoke such resentment from Jia Zhen?

"Brother Zhen."

Ma Daopo was intimidated, but Jia Baoyu, who was oblivious to subtle cues, immediately retorted, "My godmother didn't say that Rong-ge's wife had a bad fate; she only said that she was a bit frail."

While this theory of cause and effect shouldn't be taken entirely at face value, it can't be completely disregarded either—after all, we're all family, so what's wrong with letting Rong's daughter-in-law move in and recuperate for a while?

He was simply obsessed, but not stupid.

Now that he's serious, his words are clear and logical, and every sentence hits the nail on the head regarding Jia Zhen's weaknesses.

Seeing Baoyu jump out to argue again, Jia Zhen was secretly annoyed that his little brother was causing trouble, but he didn't want to scold Baoyu like he had scolded Granny Ma.

Furthermore, the father-in-law's overly intense reaction could easily arouse suspicion—mainly because his usual behavior makes people think in that direction.

So Jia Zhen had no choice but to give a wink to You Shi, who was standing beside him, so that she, as the mother-in-law, could step in and stop it.

Lady You had a vague idea about the incestuous relationship, but she found it disgusting and had no desire to get involved. She even wished that Qin Keqing would never return.

However, she came from a humble background and was always cautious and timid in the Ningguo Mansion, never daring to go against Jia Zhen's wishes.

Therefore, after receiving a signal from Jia Zhen, she had no choice but to step forward and say, "Brother Bao, you may not know this, but I have been in charge of all of Qin Shi's medicine and medical treatment. If we were to move her to your residence in a hurry, we might lose our composure and cause her condition to worsen, which would be troublesome."

"this……"

Upon hearing the words "the condition has worsened," Baoyu immediately lost his temper. Although he longed to see Qin Keqing every day, he did not want her condition to deteriorate.

Jia Lian hadn't expected Bao Yu to accomplish the task on his own. Seeing that Bao Yu had been persuaded by You Shi, he was about to step forward to help, but Wang Xifeng blocked his way.

"What's so difficult about that!"

Then Fengjie said straightforwardly, "No matter how personally you do things, it's always the servants who handle them. Send the maids and servants in charge of this matter to stay in our mansion for a few days and teach them everything they need to know."

What a fiery woman!

Jia Lian secretly praised her, becoming even more certain that she had figured things out; otherwise, why would she speak up for Qin Keqing?

So he quietly reached out and took her soft hand in his, gently rubbing it a few times to show his encouragement and approval of her behavior.

"Hmph~"

Wang Xifeng immediately shook off his hand and turned back to glare at him fiercely.

Although he was described as "fierce," the joy and admiration in his eyes were impossible to hide.

Jia Lian chuckled inwardly, thinking to himself that this fiery woman was truly soft-hearted but stubborn. He feared that the only way to win her over was to take a shortcut, break her down, and crush her.

Thinking of this, Jia Lian couldn't help but feel eager to try.

Previously, because Wang Xifeng refused to cooperate, they could only follow the established procedures with restraint.

Now that his physical strength has greatly increased, he is full of vigor and vitality. When she becomes weak and powerless, he can mold her however he wants.

Meanwhile, Jia Zhen paused for a moment and began to make a plan. He realized that simply blocking them was not the solution; he needed to use their strength against them.

So he said to Wang Xifeng, "Big sister, you usually manage the household affairs of the West Mansion, which is no easier than Rong Ge's wife. How can I add to your troubles?"

"How about I find a small courtyard nearby and let Rong-ge'er and his wife move there temporarily? We can bring them back once they've recovered."

When Jia Zhen said this, he fully expected that Wang Xifeng would give up.

To everyone's surprise, Wang Xifeng calmly smiled and said, "Brother Zhen, are you worried that I won't take good enough care of you?"

As she spoke, she quickly walked behind Madam Wang and pulled over a cool and dignified young woman: "Look here. If my elder brother is worried about me, wouldn't he be worried about Sister-in-law Zhu as well?"

"If you entrust Rong's daughter-in-law to her care, I guarantee you'll have a peaceful and well-maintained life. Wouldn't that be a hundred or a thousand times better than going out?"

This sister-in-law, named Li Wan, was originally the wife of Jia Zhu, Jia Lian's cousin and Bao Yu's elder brother.

Li Wan's father once served as the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy. Influenced by her family from a young age, she was first-rate in both literary talent and appearance.

Jia Zhu passed the imperial examination at the age of fourteen and was a diligent and humble scholar. He was also the most promising candidate for the imperial examination in the Rongguo Mansion.

The couple can be described as a perfect match, a match made in heaven.

Unfortunately, Jia Zhu died young, and Lady Wang took her anger out on Li Wan, causing Li Wan, at the tender age of 18, to spend her days in loneliness and hardship with her unborn child.

At this moment, she was suddenly pushed forward by Wang Xifeng, and said with a helpless bitter smile, "Feng girl is making fun of me again. Of course I am willing to take care of Rong-ge's daughter-in-law, but if I don't take good care of her..."

"It's definitely going to be good!"

Wang Xifeng didn't give Li Wan a chance to refuse: "Anyway, there are still people from the East Mansion serving you. If you need anything, just tell me. If we don't have it in our mansion, I'll buy it for you even if I have to pay out of my own pocket!"

Li Wan couldn't argue with her, so she could only nod in agreement.

"This, this..."

Now that things had come to this, Jia Zhen hesitated and was still unwilling to agree, but he couldn't find a suitable reason to refuse.

Ultimately, he's a father-in-law, so there are many things he can't say.

Therefore, Jia Zhen couldn't help but feel resentful towards Jia Rong, thinking that if that unfilial son hadn't gone out, and had just stood up and said a few words of refusal, he wouldn't have been in such a passive position.

"alright."

At this point, the old lady finally spoke up: "Baoyu is right. It's better to believe in something than nothing. Let Rongge's wife move to her aunt's courtyard and rest for a while."

Jia Zheng, being extremely filial, immediately chimed in, "Zhen-ge'er, don't worry. I'll have your aunt keep an eye on things, and I'll make sure Rong-ge's wife doesn't suffer any injustice."

"this……"

With the words of the matriarch, Grandmother Jia, and the imperial relative, Jia Zheng, even though Jia Zhen was extremely unwilling, he could only grit his teeth and reply, "I will obey the instructions of the old lady and the second master."