The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 886 Sequel (Part 3)

When asked by Grandmother Jia, Jia Lian turned his gaze to Lady Wang.

"Madam, now everyone has heard their testimonies."

I suppose the wife knows that everyone has a question in their hearts: why did she kick Jin Chuan out?

Furthermore, is there any connection between the fact that the mistress kicked Jin Chuan out and Bao Yu being beaten?

If there is a connection, what is the truth?
Please, madam, stop trying to save face for anyone and tell everyone what really happened at noon.

This would also prevent these rumors from spreading further and harming Baoyu's reputation.

Upon hearing this, Madam Wang hesitated.

Jia Lian has already asked this question. If she doesn't give an answer, it will only confirm the slander against the mother and son.

Even if it weren't for that, she still has to give an explanation when Jia Lian asks her.

She was considering whether to follow the story she had told Grandmother Jia before, or to follow Aunt Zhao's guess and say that Baoyu had flirted with Jinchuan or that Jinchuan had seduced Baoyu.
Both arguments have their merits and demerits.

The advantage of the latter is that it is completely consistent with the facts, thus being the most convincing and able to conclude today's matter.

The downside is that Yu Baoyu's reputation is somewhat damaged, and it makes Aunt Zhao seem innocent.

Considering Jia Lian's appearance, which seemed to have no ill intentions towards her or Baoyu, and even showed some protectiveness in his words, she decided to take the former's advice.

The main reason was that she didn't want to miss this opportunity to deal with Aunt Zhao.

So she said, "Since you've asked, I won't hide it from you."

It turned out that his father had recently returned to the capital and asked me to urge Baoyu to study.

You should also know that Baoyu is good in every other way, except that, just like you were back then, he doesn't like to study.

When I confronted him, he pretended not to hear, and I was getting angry.

Unfortunately, Jin Chuan, who is usually very reliable, broke one of my Buddhist artifacts today for some reason.

She was just unlucky. In my anger, I did hit her, and then I had her mother take her out.

I originally planned to bring her back in a couple of days after I calmed down, since she had been taking care of me for over ten years.

Who knew this girl would be so temperamental, actually jumping into the well in a fit of pique.

This is all my fault.

Madam Wang spoke eloquently and earnestly, making 99% of the people immediately feel that it was perfectly reasonable.

Even Jia Lian, who knew the inside story, couldn't help but admire him a little.

Under such circumstances, he still managed to speak flawlessly, thus protecting both Jia Baoyu and his own reputation.

They even expressed their willingness to take Jin Chuan back, which can be seen as leaving Jin Chuan a way out (a way out) to prevent her from causing trouble again later.

But Jia Lian's purpose today is not to smooth things over!
He nodded and said, "I naturally believe what you say, Madam."

However, things escalated to this point, and almost resulted in a death.

If we only listen to my wife's side of the story, some people will inevitably think that we are covering for each other.

I had already sent someone to bring Jin Chuan over, so why not let her come in as well and have her explain things clearly to avoid any future trouble?

What does your wife think?

Lady Wang's eyes gleamed, and she almost thought she had been tricked by Jia Lian.

Once Jia Lian uses Jin Chuan to refute her words, it is conceivable that not only will Jia Baoyu's reputation be damaged, but she will also have her good reputation ruined for years due to her cover-up, lying, and disregard for human life.

In an instant, she regretted her choice.

Fortunately, Grandmother Jia was an objective observer. Although she didn't know what Jia Lian was up to, she didn't believe that Jia Lian would attack Lady Wang for no reason.

So she coughed lightly to remind Madam Wang, and then answered on her behalf: "Since everyone has been brought here, we should meet them and make things clear, so as to avoid those troublemakers spouting nonsense."

Jin Chuan had already been brought over and was waiting in the outer courtyard, so as soon as Jia Lian gave the order, someone immediately brought her in.

When Lin Zhixiao's family and others brought Jin Chuan in, everyone felt a pang of pity upon seeing her appearance.

It was only because Jin Chuan looked so pitiful at that moment.

Her clothes were fairly clean, so her family must have changed them for her after she got home.

But she was only wrapped in a dress, without any other adornments.

Her hair was wet and messy, covering part of her face.

Most importantly, even from the part of her face that was still visible, one could see that this girl was dull and lifeless.

If it weren't for the fact that her appearance matched, no one would associate her with the lively and talkative maid who used to work in the mistress's quarters.

Jin Chuan was pulled into the hall, and without saying a word, she knelt on the ground blankly.

Grandmother Jia felt a pang of pity upon seeing this, gave Lady Wang a reproachful look, and then sighed, "Such a fine maid, why does she have such a temper?"

Even if you've been wronged, your life is still your own; why would you want to kill yourself?

Jia Lian seemed to have no sympathy for Jin Chuan. He even said coldly, "Whether you have been wronged or you have a bad temper, it doesn't matter."

If you really made a mistake, it's only right for your wife to kick you out.

How can you be so angry that you come to the master's house and threaten to jump into the well?

If all servants in the world were like you, how would masters manage their households in the future?

You were lucky today; someone just happened to see you, so you narrowly escaped death.

Otherwise, you would already be a corpse by now, so what good would it do?

"Fortunately, you're still alive, so I'm giving you a chance to speak your grievances in front of everyone, especially your wife!"

As soon as Jia Lian said this, Madam Wang immediately stared intently at Jin Chuan, hoping she would be smart and think things through before speaking.

However, Jin Chuan didn't look at her; instead, she turned around and glanced at Jia Lian.

She was unconscious after choking on water when she was rescued.

However, her mother and sister had already told her that the person who saved her was Jia Lian's personal attendant, a grassland woman named Aqin.

Others might think it was just a coincidence, but Jin Chuan herself was suspicious.

She still can't understand how Jia Lian could guess that she would be poisoned by Lady Wang, and how it came true so quickly.

Now that he has been rescued by his people, is there any connection between them?

She had some doubts, but she didn't say anything. She just glanced at it and then lowered her head again.

Jia Lian then continued, "Madam has already said that she is in a bad mood today."

Unfortunately, you broke one of her Buddhist artifacts, which made her angry and kick you out.

If that's really the case, then I don't think you're being wronged.

You know perfectly well that your wife is a Buddhist, and she is very careful even when serving Buddha herself, yet you still dared to break the gold jewelry. No wonder your wife is angry.

Let me ask you, as a servant, since you made a mistake first, should your wife have kicked you out?
If you still can't understand and want to continue trying to kill yourself, I won't stop you.

After you get out, you can always find another place to die.

Then let your parents and sister, with tears in their eyes, collect your body, and that will be the end of it all.

Jin Chuan, who had been keeping her head down, showed a change in expression.

Why would she attempt suicide if she felt wronged?
If I had to say I felt wronged, I would say so.

She also resented Lady Wang's favoritism. It was clearly Jia Baoyu who provoked her first, and she responded afterward, but Lady Wang only targeted her.

They even said such nasty things to her.

As a maid, she was regarded as an inviolable rule by Lady Wang.

If she doesn't die, the reputation of being a 'little whore' will haunt her for the rest of her life.

After the incident, she regretted her rashness and her failure to heed Jia Lian's advice.

Therefore, she was mostly filled with regret and shame, feeling that she had no face to face her family and the world, which is why she decided to commit suicide.

The reason she chose the well outside Madam Wang's courtyard was that, as a servant, it was the only way she could retaliate against Madam Wang.

These were all ideas I had before.

She has now died once.

When she woke up and saw the tears in her parents' and sister's eyes, and heard their comforting words that were half reproachful and half heartbroken, how could she, who was made of flesh and blood, not feel a little regret?

It's not hard for Jin Chuan to understand why she was accused of breaking Buddhist artifacts; it was probably just Lady Wang's embellishment.

What she was thinking about now was why Jia Lian had called her here. Was it to target Lady Wang?
She felt that Jia Lian had been kind to her, and if Jia Lian wanted to use her to expose Lady Wang's lies, she wouldn't mind helping Jia Lian and telling the truth.

This way, he could both avenge Lady Wang's ruthlessness and Jia Baoyu's heartlessness. At worst, he would just die.

But as she listened carefully, it seemed that Jia Lian didn't mean it that way.

He kept blaming himself, saying he wasn't wronged, that he had made a mistake first, and that he deserved to be kicked out...

That's right, he reminded me just yesterday. How could he not know about the relationship between me and Master Bao?

She shamelessly seduced Master Bao, so it's no wonder she was kicked out; she deserved to be banished.

His question was clearly meant to get me to answer in accordance with my wife's words, so that not only could I protect the reputation of my wife and Master Bao, but I could also protect my own reputation.

Master Lian is still as considerate and kind as ever.

Jin Chuan felt that Jia Lian's main purpose was to protect Lady Wang and Jia Baoyu, and protecting her was just a side benefit.

She envied Lady Wang and Jia Baoyu, even though they were not related to Jia Lian by blood, they were family with him and could receive his care and protection.

Compared to them, I am nothing but a blade of grass.

That's it.

Even for the sake of my father, mother, and sister, please don't die.

It would be good to put these grudges behind me and then stay home to serve my parents.

So when Jia Lian asked again, Jin Chuan nodded and whispered, "Second Master is right. I was the one who made the mistake first. It is right for Madam to kick me out. I have no right to complain about Madam, nor do I resent Madam."

When Jin Chuan spoke, both Lady Wang and Grandmother Jia breathed a sigh of relief.

They were genuinely afraid that Jin Chuan would give up and reveal the truth, which would make things really difficult to handle.

Now that we have the testimonies of Madam Wang and Jin Chuan, who would dare to gossip anymore? We can rightfully deal with and suppress them.

Even Jia Zheng, who had been feeling embarrassed, felt much better at this moment.

He said that although his second son was a bit naughty and playful, he was still a smart person. How could he do such a disobedient and immoral thing?

He didn't suspect Jia Huan in his anger at the time, but he was puzzled afterward.

Now the truth has come out: he was deceived by his malicious youngest son.

Jia Lian was also satisfied with the result, and he said to Jia Zheng:

"Master, the truth has now come to light."

Aunt Zhao was prone to making wild guesses and spreading rumors whenever she heard the slightest noise from the Madam's room.

Her words and actions may have influenced Huan'er.

Huan'er is clearly up to no good.

Whether he genuinely misunderstood his aunt's words or maliciously misinterpreted them, he could not escape the charge of spreading rumors and falsely accusing his brother.

I urge you, sir, to decide whether to punish them properly, so that they may serve as a warning to others.

Otherwise, indulgence will inevitably lead to unrest in the household.

Although Jia Zheng also felt that Jia Huan had ulterior motives and should be severely punished.

However, he could tell that this matter had little to do with Zhao Shi; what she said before was to protect her son.

Isn't Zhao's son his son?
If a mother is willing to risk her own life to protect her son, how can a father go too far?

Of course, Jia Zheng himself was unaware that there was something wrong with his attitude towards his two sons.

He used to want to beat Jia Baoyu to death, but now he even felt embarrassed to punish Jia Huan.

Perhaps it was precisely because the expectations were different from the beginning that he was so 'biased'.

"It is because I failed to raise my children properly that I have raised such wicked children."

Now that you're here, you can help me make a decision.

No matter what you say, I have no objection.

Jia Zheng decided to give the decision-making power to Jia Lian, so that he could face Aunt Zhao.

Jia Lian did not refuse.

He has three purposes for doing these mentally taxing things today.

The first one, as always, is to step on Jia Baoyu.

How could we let you do something bad and hide behind the scenes without getting a single thing on you?

Although Jia Baoyu appears to be innocent now, the whole truth has been revealed, and there are always discerning people who can guess that Jia Baoyu is definitely involved.

This is much better than him personally coming to expose Jia Baoyu.

Given his current status, if he were to actually confront Jia Baoyu, he would only leave the sisters with the impression of bullying the younger generation, which would be counterproductive.

Only by adopting a stance of protecting Jia Baoyu can he infinitely elevate the difference in character between himself and Jia Baoyu.

The second objective was Jia Huan.

He'd disliked Jia Huan for a long time.

It's one thing for someone to be despicable, but to have an even more wicked heart is another.

If you don't punish this little guy, he'll only become more and more eccentric and cause more and more trouble in the future.

Although he was Jia Zheng's son, logically Jia Zheng should have been the one to suffer from the headache.

But who told him to share a mansion with Jia Zheng now?
We can't let wicked people like Aunt Zhao and her son bring bad luck into his home.

His household affairs were far more complicated than Jia Zheng's.

Not everyone is a kind person.

If he were to learn even the slightest thing from this mother and son, he would have a real headache.

So, killing the chicken is real, but honoring the monkeys in his backyard is also real.

Thirdly...

Jia Lian glanced at Jin Chuan on the ground and Yu Chuan, who had been worried for a long time, and held back for the time being. Instead, he nodded in response to Jia Zheng's request.

"Since you say so, sir, I will presume to do it."

Although the concubine believed the rumors, she did not do anything outrageous, so let the master teach her a lesson himself.

As for Huan'er..."

As Jia Lian finished speaking, his gaze turned cold.

"Not only did he frame his elder brother, but he also caused Baoyu to be beaten so badly by the master. His intentions were malicious, and logically speaking, it would not be too much to beat him to death."

Considering he is also the master's son, I will only give him forty strokes today as a warning.

Hearing Jia Lian say that it wouldn't be too much to beat him to death, not to mention others, even Jia Zheng himself felt a pang of anxiety.

Fortunately, upon hearing that the final figure was only forty, he realized that this was Jia Lian's way of deliberately intimidating Jia Huan.

Jia Lian continued speaking to Jia Huan, whose eyes were filled with terror, "This time, for the sake of the master, I will spare your life for the time being."

If you don't repent and fall into my hands again, you know what I'm capable of.

At this moment, Jia Huan felt that forty strokes of the cane were nothing at all, and he didn't want to face Jia Lian for another second.

My God, they're always trying to take people's lives!

Therefore, he didn't even dare to use his best skill of sophistry, and just kept kowtowing and saying, "Thank you for your forgiveness, Second Brother Lian. I will never dare to do it again, never dare to do it again..."

Jia Lian snorted coldly and said to Jia Zheng, "This child is unruly, and you will need to teach him more in the future."

In my opinion, the master would be better off assigning him more governesses and guards.

They're still young, so it's somewhat forgivable.

It would be good if he corrected his ways when he grew up. But if he continues like this, the consequences could be severe. I hope you will consider this carefully, sir.

Jia Zheng sighed, "I will remember your words. From now on, I will definitely discipline him strictly."

At this point, Jia Zheng finally mustered the courage to face Grandmother Jia, who had always treated him with disdain, and respectfully bowed, saying:

"Today it was my fault; I wrongly blamed Baoyu in some ways... but he..."

"That's enough. The son was at fault. I hope you, Madam, will be more forgiving and not let your children's and grandchildren's affairs trouble you too much."

Jia Zheng originally wanted to explain that Jia Baoyu had committed other crimes, but seeing that Grandmother Jia did not acknowledge it, he had no choice but to give up.

After repeatedly apologizing to Grandmother Jia, he actually took Jia Huan away and punished him himself.

(End of this chapter)