Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

Now that it's the end of January, the weather in the capital is gradually warming up. The women of the two mansions are no longer hibernating, and they come out every day to enjoy the warm spring sunshine and the east wind.

As February was approaching, Baoyu's wedding was drawing near. The Jia family had not held a wedding or other celebration for seven or eight years, and Grandmother Jia, who doted on Baoyu, had been asking about it frequently these past few days.

In addition, Jia Cong made another meritorious contribution and was awarded the high position of fourth rank, receiving the honor of the title of Vice Minister. With the thought of Bao Yu's marriage, Grandmother Jia was even more delighted, making the occasion even more festive and respectable.

Knowing that Grandmother Jia was thinking about Baoyu, Lady Wang naturally wanted to please her so that the old lady would think about Baoyu more and come to Grandmother Jia every day to discuss the trivial matters of Baoyu's wedding.

As the weather warmed up and Jia Cong was away on a military campaign, the sisters, including Yingchun and Daiyu, spent most of their time in Rongqing Hall, where they often heard Lady Wang nagging, but they mostly didn't take it to heart.

Daiyu and Yingchun were drinking tea and chatting, Xiangyun and Tanchun were playing chess, Xichun was sitting in a round-backed chair fiddling with the nine-linked rings, and the maid Ruhua was peeling an orange and stuffing the orange segments into Xichun's mouth.

Lady Wang kept talking about the trivial matters of the wedding, wishing she could invite every noble family in the capital without missing a single one. She also showed the banquet guest list to Grandmother Jia, making the old lady beam with joy.

Daiyu and her sisters had long been tired of hearing about this, finding it boring and uninteresting. Even Tanchun, Baoyu's own sister, felt that the guest list prepared by the madam was far too ostentatious.

They even hosted a banquet for Li Dekang, the Minister of Works. Although he was the master's superior, Li Dekang held the high-ranking position of Minister, the head of the Six Ministries, and was a very powerful official. His words and deeds were extraordinary.

The actions of a minister represent the prevailing trends in officialdom. The difference in rank between the master and Li Dekang is vast, and the master's career in the Ministry of Works is mediocre, making him easily overlooked.

It's ridiculous that the Minister of Works would personally attend the banquet for his second brother's wedding. Sending gifts but not attending is already a great courtesy. For the wife to arrange a seat at the head table sounds absurd.

Unless his third brother is at home overseeing things, and given that he currently holds the title of Vice Minister of Works and Minister Li Dekang will definitely be present, Baoyu's reputation alone would prevent such a high-ranking official from bothering him.

……

But my third brother made a great contribution outside the city and went north without even entering the city gate. It seems that the war against the Mongols is very urgent. How could he return in a few months? He must not be able to make it to Baoyu's wedding banquet.

The wife hoped her second brother's wedding would be respectable, but she didn't consider the reasons behind it. She had unrealistic expectations of the high-ranking officials who would be attending the wedding, but when the invitations arrived, she was bound to be disappointed and embarrassed.

But then Madam Wang laughed and said, "Old lady, for a family like ours, official positions and titles are passed down through generations. A thriving family and many descendants are the most important things for a family."

Although Baoyu's marriage was only three months away, Caixia was due to give birth in June, just three months later. The old lady was about to hold her great-grandchild again; truly, joyous events came one after another.

Grandmother Jia laughed heartily upon hearing this and said, "Since Lan-ge'er was born, there has been no new addition to the family for seven or eight years. In the blink of an eye, Bao-yu will also become a father. Although he is born out of wedlock, I will definitely love him dearly."

Upon hearing Grandmother Jia's words, Yingchun couldn't help but smile slightly. The old lady was an old-fashioned person and didn't care much about the sons born out of wedlock. Huan and Cong were not well received when they were young.

Now that the old lady sees Congdi so proud, she knows in her heart that illegitimate children should not be underestimated. Otherwise, she would not have changed her tune in front of everyone and said that she also loves illegitimate children.

Before Shi Xiangyun could make a move, she heard Madam Wang's enthusiastic words and felt a strange sensation in her heart. How could she be so sure about the sex of the child? The Second Madam was saying that it was definitely a boy. How strange.
……

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "I think Miss Xia's figure is perfect for bearing children. I hope that after she enters the family, she will soon give birth to a legitimate son for Baoyu. That would be enough for me."

Shi Xiangyun was displeased upon hearing this. Ever since Baoyu had messed around with her, causing her to suddenly fall in love and develop feelings for Jia Cong, she had unconsciously become protective of him as well.

After hearing Grandmother Jia's words, I felt something was wrong. The old lady was getting old and was becoming more and more biased towards Baoyu, forgetting that things were different in the family now, and that my third brother was the legitimate heir.

The old lady was a noblewoman of the Rong family, and her greatest wish was not for the inheritance of the family business. If her third brother had an heir, the family business of both mansions would have a successor, and that would truly be enough for her...

Lady Wang and Grandmother Jia were having a good time, and Lady Wang was feeling proud and smug. She felt that she had really done the right thing regarding Caixia. With these two happy events, Baoyu could finally suppress the limelight of the East Mansion.

……

Just as Madam Wang was feeling quite pleased with herself, the curtain at the entrance of the main hall was suddenly lifted. Lin Zhixiao's wife looked a little off and said, "Old Madam, Second Madam, news has come from the East Courtyard."

It is said that the Second Master is in trouble. This morning, after going to the yamen, the Ministry of Personnel issued a document stating that Jia Yucun of Jinling was corrupt and had been imprisoned, and the Second Master was also implicated.

According to Jia Yucun's confession, he had accepted a letter from the Second Master in the case of Feng Yuan in Jinling, which allowed the case to be closed easily. Now, however, he has been implicated and his Second Master has been dragged into the mess.

The official document stated that the Second Master had acted improperly in office, and the Ministry of Personnel and the Court of Judicial Review reported this to the palace. The palace ordered the Master to be suspended from his duties and detained at his residence for reflection. Further action would be taken by the court after the Jia Yucun case was concluded.

As soon as Lin Zhixiao's wife finished speaking, everyone in the room was astonished. Madam Wang was so frightened that her face turned pale and she swayed as if she were about to collapse. The smugness and joy that had been making Grandmother Jia happy vanished in an instant.

Grandmother Jia stood up in surprise. As a member of the Shenjing family, since the death of the eldest son, the second son was the only one with an official position. This made them look weak and inferior to the twelve sons of Jinling.

However, her second son, Jia Zheng, held an official position, an honor bestowed by the Emperor himself, a privilege reserved only for hereditary nobles. Jia Mu had always been proud of it, so how could she not be alarmed that her son had been suspended from his post?

He asked urgently, "Two years ago, Cong-ge said that Jia Yucun was treacherous, and the Jia family severed ties with him. How come we are still involved with him? What about the Feng Yuan case? What exactly happened!"

Lin Zhixiao's wife replied, "Grandma, I don't know the specific reason either. Just now, the Second Master's servant came back to report that the news was only sent to the West Mansion because the Second Madam was not in the East Courtyard."

Lady Wang was heartbroken. Since the second branch of the family lost its legitimate position, her husband Jia Zheng's official position had become the only safeguard for the second branch. If even the official position was lost, the second branch would be even more devastated.

Although Grandmother Jia knew that Xue Pan had been involved in a murder case, she was not clear about the specific details. Since this was not a respectable matter, Aunt Xue and Lady Wang were both concerned about their reputation and would not talk about it with others.

Now, Lady Wang dares not mention it again. Back then, Xue Pan indulged his servants and beat Feng Yuan so badly that he died. It was she who instigated and pleaded with Jia Zheng to write a letter asking Jia Yucun to intervene and exonerate him from this case.

If the old lady finds out what really happened, she will realize that she was the culprit who caused all the trouble. The old lady will be heartbroken for her son's future and will hate her daughter-in-law so much that she might never be able to cross the threshold of the West Mansion again.

……

So when Grandmother Jia asked her such a question, Lady Wang dared not say a word. She pretended to be heartbroken and did not respond to Grandmother Jia's question. After a while, she suddenly heard Yingchun speak.

"Grandma, I've heard Cong mention Feng Yuan's matter before. It's not exactly a secret, and many people know about it. Since you've asked, I have no choice but to tell you."

This matter is also related to the girl Yinglian. Yinglian was kidnapped when she was young. Before she was even a teenager, she had already grown into a stunning beauty, so the kidnapper naturally saw her as a rare commodity.

Originally, the plan was to sell Yinglian to a family surnamed Feng in Jinling as a concubine. The young master of this family was named Feng Yuan. However, Yinglian was so beautiful that the Xue brothers from her aunt's family also took a liking to her, which led to a dispute between the two families over who would buy her.

Because the two families were vying to buy the same maid, Feng Yuan argued with the Xue brothers. The Xue brothers, hot-blooded as ever, in a fit of anger ordered their servants to beat Feng Yuan, hoping to dissuade him from the competition. Unexpectedly, Feng Yuan was severely injured and died from his injuries less than two days after being taken home. The case was settled by Jia Yucun, who falsely claimed that the Xue brothers had died.

At the time, Congdi was on official business in Jinling. When he learned the whole story, he felt sorry for Yinglian's tragic fate and stepped in to save her. Otherwise, the girl would have had an even worse life and who knows what fate awaited her.

Now, hearing the official document, Jia Yucun's handling of Feng Yuan's case is most likely due to the Second Master's influence, which is why he was implicated. The specific reasons can only be clarified by asking the Second Master.

Grandmother Jia, being a prominent figure in the inner quarters of the household, naturally knew that the prominent families of Jinling had always helped and supported each other. She was well aware of the reasons behind this, and frowned as she looked at Lady Wang with rather unfriendly eyes…

…………

Yingchun knew perfectly well that Madam Feng had long ago entrusted her daughter to Jia Cong, and Yinglian was already her brother's wife, but they were still young and had not yet consummated their marriage.

Yinglian and her brother's status were already established. She was born with a fair complexion and a beautiful appearance, and had a charming and gentle nature. She was usually well cared for by Yingchun, who naturally knew everything about her background.

Not only Yingchun knew about the matter, but Tanchun and Daiyu also knew about it. However, Tanchun was a second wife's daughter and Daiyu was a relative from her maternal family, so it was inconvenient for them to answer when Grandmother Jia asked them questions.

Now that the Feng Yuan case has come to light, and it can no longer be kept secret, she finally came forward to answer, saying that she did not know the reason for the matter and that she needed to ask Jia Zheng to find out, in order to save face for Lady Wang.

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia was filled with indignation and said, "So the root of the problem lies with the Xue family. It turns out that the concubine's son was completely innocent, but he was tricked into doing something wrong."

So that's how the murder case happened back then—there was such a despicable reason behind it all! You all kept things from me right under my nose, and now that things have escalated to this point, what are we going to do?

Upon hearing Grandmother Jia's words, Lady Wang's originally pale face flushed red. She knew perfectly well that Grandmother Jia was making a veiled attack on her, and she felt ashamed and embarrassed.

The original intention was to use Baoyu's two happy events to please Grandmother Jia, make her favor Baoyu even more, and solidify the foundation of the second branch of the family, so that the old lady would not change her mind and only have eyes for Jia Cong.

The thing the master was worried about had to come at the perfect time, leaving him speechless in front of the old lady and inevitably having the blame placed on him.

That second daughter is really talkative. When the old lady asked her a question, everyone else remained silent, but she had to come out and talk. She's relying on her brother's influence, as if she really is the eldest daughter of the Jia family.

However, given how much Grandmother Jia had said, if Lady Wang didn't say something in front of everyone, she wouldn't be able to fool them and might never have the face to enter Rongqing Hall again.

……

Madam Wang said with a bitter face, "The old lady is unaware of the inside story. At that time, Pan'er was only competing with Feng Yuan to buy a maid. He did not intend to hurt anyone. It was his servants who were hateful and meddlesome."

They even took the initiative and injured the man. It is said that Feng Yuan had a hidden illness and died after a few blows. Pan'er was also unlucky. The master only helped because he knew the inside story.

Jia Yucun, eager for a promotion, was determined to curry favor with the Jia family. His master ordered him to investigate the matter and find that Pan'er had not intentionally injured anyone. He instructed the master to handle the case impartially and not to wrongly convict Pan'er.

In an attempt to curry favor with the Jia family, he stirred up trouble, flaunted his achievements, and staged Pan'er's fake death, leaving behind a huge scandal. Otherwise, how could he have suffered this misfortune? The master had mistakenly trusted him.

Now that Jia Yucun has been accused of corruption and bribery and has been dismissed and investigated by the court, he tries to exonerate himself by framing his master with all the crimes he committed in the Feng Yuan case years ago.

Old lady, the Xue and Jia families have been related by marriage for generations. Master only intervened because he pitied Pan'er's innocence. He never expected Jia Yucun to be so vicious and repay kindness with enmity. It was truly unexpected.

My daughter-in-law wasn't quick-witted enough back then; she couldn't have foreseen this situation. Otherwise, even if Pan'er were wrongfully convicted, she wouldn't have allowed her husband to interfere, and she would never have dared to jeopardize his career.

Because of Jia Cong and Yinglian, Yingchun, Daiyu, and Tanchun knew the details of Feng Yuan's affair perfectly well. They were all secretly shocked to see how Madam Wang could be so eloquent and persuasive in confusing right and wrong.

They never expected that Madam Wang would say such things in order to shirk responsibility and avoid the old lady's resentment. Such sinister and treacherous thoughts were truly frightening.

Although Grandmother Jia was old, she was not truly senile. Because of her daughter-in-law's family troubles, her son was about to lose his official position, so her daughter-in-law had to defend herself. Her words sounded reasonable.

However, Grandmother Jia did not believe it entirely. It was just that the imperial court had issued an official document, and it would be of no use to investigate her daughter-in-law's faults. Besides, Baoyu's marriage was imminent, and it was not convenient for the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law to break off relations.

Now it would be better to think about how to handle this matter, but unfortunately, her most capable grandson is currently away on a military expedition, and his distant help cannot quench her immediate thirst, which makes Grandmother Jia extremely anxious.

He said, "There's no use in saying these things now. You should go back to the East Courtyard first. Your master will surely be depressed after returning home, so you can comfort and take care of him."

……

Rongguo Mansion, East Courtyard.

Jia Zheng sat in the main room sighing. He had been restless these past few days, fearing day and night that Feng Yuan's case would come to light, and regretting his rash actions back then, which had sown the seeds of such disaster.

What was bound to happen eventually did happen, and there was no way to avoid it. Today, as usual, he went to the yamen, and the two chief officials from the Ministry of Personnel and the Court of Judicial Review actually entered the yamen of the Ministry of Works together.

Show him the joint official document from the two government offices, announce the imperial edict, state his faults, and order him to be suspended from his post and detained in his residence to reflect on his actions until the Jia Yucun case is settled and the court decides his punishment.

This incident shook the entire Ministry of Works in an instant. Jia Zheng, who had been an official for more than ten years and had always lived a peaceful life, had never felt so ashamed and wished he could disappear into the ground.

A few days ago, Jia Cong was promoted to the rank of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works by imperial decree. All his colleagues in the office came to congratulate him, and the flattery and praise were like a mountain and a tsunami, which made Jia Zheng feel happy and honored.

Even the worries about Jia Yucun's matter were greatly alleviated as a result. Unexpectedly, only a few days later, joy and sorrow were intertwined, and the situation was completely different. One step to heaven and the next step to hell.

He was originally a mediocre person, and his official career was uneventful for many years. After the second branch of the family became a branch, the original family connections could no longer be of any use without Jia Cong's support.

Such a sudden and unexpected calamity left me utterly bewildered, with no way to think of a solution. I was truly trapped in a city of sorrow, my body and mind were like wax, and my spirits were withered. I had no choice but to resign myself to fate.

Lady Wang rushed back to the East Courtyard and saw Jia Zheng in such a state. She was terrified and tried her best to comfort him with kind words, but Jia Zheng was heartbroken and mentally broken, so he could not listen to her.

Suddenly, the stewardess, Granny Wang, came to report, saying, "Master, there is a guest visiting outside the door. He claims to be Chen Bingzheng, a senior official in the Ministry of Revenue. This is his visiting card."

Jia Zheng accepted the visiting card with a puzzled expression. He didn't know many people in the Ministry of Revenue, and he was completely unfamiliar with Chen Bingzheng. However, the name sounded familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind, and he realized the man's identity. His expression changed instantly, and he said, "Quickly invite him into the main hall. Be sure to treat him with utmost respect and do not neglect him..." (End of Chapter)