Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting with a Chronicle of Tragic Love

"After all, he was ordered to enter the manor as a slave. If he is killed, it will be difficult to explain to the imperial court."

"How about...fining him a month's wages and locking him up for a few days as a minor punishment to set a bad example?"

This is clearly an excuse.

Qian Chou was taken aback.

He didn't expect Jia Zhen to refuse.

Moreover, the refusal was so... vague.

"Grandpa Zhen!"

Qian Chou's voice was even colder.

"This brat is so arrogant; if he isn't severely punished, won't he start riding roughshod over his master in the future?"

"I will handle things with the imperial court! The Ningguo Mansion will absolutely not be implicated!"

"Please, Uncle Zhen... don't be soft-hearted!"

Jia Zhen's smile became even more stiff.

He rubbed his hands together, his eyes gleaming.

"This... Lord Qian, it's not that I'm being soft-hearted."

"It's really... there are many things going on in the manor lately, and Rong'er is getting married soon. It's not auspicious to see any bloodshed, lest it spoil the joy."

"Besides, Jiao Si... was punished by His Majesty himself. If we punish him too harshly in private, and it gets back to His Majesty, he might say we're disrespecting his will... that would be..."

He rambled on and on, coming up with a bunch of excuses.

They just won't budge on how to deal with the anxiety.

The more Qian Chou listened, the uglier his expression became.

Looking at Jia Zhen's conflicted and evasive demeanor, he was filled with suspicion.

What's wrong with Jia Zhen, that old fox, today?

To the Ningguo Mansion, killing a servant was nothing more than crushing an ant.

Why is he making such excuses?

Could it be... that Jiao Si has some kind of backing he doesn't know about?

Qian Chou was about to press him for more information.

suddenly!

A shrill, painful roar came from the direction of Jia Rong's courtyard!

"ah--!!"

The sound, filled with pain and terror, pierced through the night and reached the main hall clearly.

Everyone was stunned.

Jia Zhen suddenly stood up.

"What was that sound?!"

Before he could finish speaking...

Lai Er scrambled in, stumbling and crawling.

His face was deathly pale, his whole body was trembling, and he pointed in the direction of Jia Rong's courtyard, unable to speak coherently.

"Master! No...something terrible has happened!"

"Rong-ge'er... he has a terrible stomachache! He's rolling around on the floor in his room!"

Jia Zhen's heart skipped a beat.

He didn't care about Qian Chou and Jiao Si anymore and hurriedly rushed to Jia Rong's courtyard.

Qian Chou and Hong Chengchou exchanged a glance and followed.

Jiao Si silently followed at the back.

In Jia Rong's courtyard.

a mess.

Jia Rong was clutching her stomach, rolling around on the ground.

His face was deathly pale, his forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his features were contorted in pain.

He kept wailing.

"It hurts so much! It hurts so much!"

"Father! Save me! I'm going to die!"

His appearance was both painful and comical.

Like a fish thrown ashore, it struggles desperately.

As soon as Jia Zhen entered, he saw this scene.

He was immediately both anxious and angry.

What worries me most is that my son is in great pain.

What angered them was that Qian Chou and Hong Chengchou had all witnessed Jia Rong's shameful behavior.

"Rong'er! What's wrong with you?!"

Jia Zhen stepped forward, intending to help Jia Rong up.

Upon seeing Jia Zhen, Jia Rong grasped at his leg as if it were a lifeline and immediately hugged Jia Zhen's leg.

"Dad! Help me! My stomach... my stomach is going to explode!"

He hugged him very tightly, his snot and tears smearing onto Jia Zhen's trouser legs.

Jia Zhen was both ashamed and angry. He wanted to shake him off, but he didn't dare to use too much force.

"Quick! Hold him down!"

Jia Zhen roared at the servants around him.

"Don't let him leave again!"

The servants rushed forward and hurriedly tried to restrain Jia Rong.

But Jia Rong was in great pain and struggled fiercely.

Four or five strong men couldn't hold him down for a while.

"It hurts! Let go of me!"

Jia Rong screamed and kicked wildly.

"I'm going to die! I can't take it anymore!"

Jia Zhen was extremely anxious, and felt that he had lost face in front of his guests.

He said sternly.

"Hold it down harder! Hold it down!"

The servants dared not slack off and exerted all their strength.

Finally, they pinned Jia Rong to the ground.

Jia Rong was unable to move and could only groan in pain.

But his stomach was still churning violently.

"puff--!!"

A loud and comical sound suddenly rang out.

Immediately afterwards, an indescribable stench spread out.

Everyone was stunned.

Jia Rong's face instantly turned a deep liver color.

He... soiled his pants.

In full view of everyone.

In front of Qian Chou and Hong Chengchou.

In front of his father and a group of servants.

Jia Zhen's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

He felt a surge of heat rush to his head, a mixture of shame and indignation.

Qian Chou and Hong Chengchou stood to the side, their expressions extremely strange.

I want to laugh, but I don't dare to.

I could only try my best to endure it.

The atmosphere was extremely awkward.

Jia Zhen took a deep breath, suppressing the anger and shame in his heart.

He turned around and forced a smile at Qian Chou and Hong Chengchou.

"Lord Qian, Young Master Hong, today... there was a sudden change in the situation at your residence, I am truly sorry for your rudeness."

"Another day...another day I would like to invite you both to my home for a chat."

This is clearly a way of saying goodbye.

Qian Chou also knew that staying any longer would only make Jia Zhen feel more embarrassed.

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"Uncle Zhen, please go ahead with your work. We'll come back another day."

After saying that, he took Hong Chengchou and left quickly.

But that silhouette looked rather rushed.

It was as if they were afraid that if they stayed any longer, they would burst out laughing.

The guests have left.

Jia Zhen immediately sent someone to fetch the imperial physician.

He then ordered the maids and servants to quickly wash and change Jia Rong's clothes.

In an instant, the yard was in chaos, with chickens flying and dogs barking about.

Jiao Si stood in the corner, watching quietly.

My heart was completely unmoved.

I even felt like laughing.

This Jia Rong...

They really brought it on themselves.

Before long, the imperial physician arrived.

After carefully taking the pulse, the imperial physician stroked his beard and frowned slightly.

"Uncle Rong's condition is... a damaged stomach and intestines, and he mistakenly took a cold medicine, which caused persistent diarrhea."

"May I ask... has Master Rong eaten anything raw or cold today? And what medicine has he taken?"

Jia Zhen quickly replied.

"Today... at the Qin residence, I ate some crabs and persimmons."

"After returning, I drank two doses of medicine to clear heat and reduce internal fire."

Upon hearing this, the imperial physician shook his head repeatedly.

"That's right!"

"Eating crab and persimmon together is already bad for the stomach and intestines. Grandpa Rong's stomach and intestines were already damaged, and taking two doses of cold medicine made things worse."

"That's why the diarrhea was so severe."

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhen's face turned even uglier.

He glared fiercely at Jia Rong, who was lying on the bed.

"You wretched child! You're a disgrace to me!"

Jia Rong groaned weakly, not daring to refute.

The imperial physician prescribed a medicine and instructed the patient to take good care of themselves and to eat a light diet in the coming days.

Then he took his leave.

After seeing the imperial physician off, Jia Zhen returned to his room.

Seeing Jia Rong's exhausted and disheveled appearance, I felt both heartache and anger.

He sighed heavily.

"You should take good care of yourself!"

"You are not allowed to go out for the next few days!"

After speaking, he walked away.

The courtyard finally returned to peace.

However, a faint stench still lingered in the air.

Jiao Si also left silently and returned to his room.

Close the door.

He leaned against the door and let out a long sigh of relief.

What happened today...

That's really something, amazing.