Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

When Jia Yucun heard his subordinates report that Xue Pan had killed someone in Jinxiang Courtyard and that the person had been brought back to Shuntian Prefecture, he was somewhat bewildered.

His brow furrowed as he pondered how to exonerate Xue Pan and how to gain the greatest favor from the four great families. His confidant cautioned him, "Master, forget about the benefits for now. Think about how to extricate yourself. If this case leads to Xue Pan killing Feng Yuan years ago, it might be detrimental to your promotion!"

"Hmm, how so?" Jia Yucun didn't think that accidentally killing someone was a big deal for someone like Xue Pan.

"The dead man was Commandant Qiu's son."

"Captain Qiu? Which Captain Qiu?"

"Qiu Tianyin, Left Commandant of the Imperial Guard!"

"It's him?" Jia Yucun's brows furrowed suddenly, then he sighed, "If that's the case, I'm afraid we're in trouble."

……

At Rongguo Mansion, the grand performance abruptly stopped.

Aunt Xue was not in a hurry to go home because she knew that if something really happened to her son, staying at the Jia family would make it easier to save him.

When Madam Wang returned to the room, she saw Aunt Xue looking at her with worry. She comforted her, "Don't worry, we've already found out. The man was arrested by the Shuntian Prefecture. The Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture's sister also knows that it's Jia Yucun."

With him around, Pan'er certainly won't suffer. The best course of action now is to first figure out what happened, and then find a way to rescue Pan'er.

"Sister is right, everything depends on your help. That good-for-nothing Pan'er, if he manages to escape with his life this time, I, I..."

Aunt Xue wanted to make some harsh words, but it was clearly futile. If she had a way to control Xue Pan, things wouldn't have turned out this way all these years.

Madam Wang understood Aunt Xue's helplessness. Although she also felt disgusted by Xue Pan's despicable behavior, he was, after all, her sister's only son, so how could she not help him?

However, Jia Zheng had just been promoted to a provincial post, and Jia Lian was not at home either, leaving the household without a single man in charge. Suddenly faced with such a distressing situation, she was at a loss for what to do and could only keep sending people out to gather information.

Fortunately, Xue Pan's servant soon returned. The servant who had returned earlier was only responsible for looking after the horses downstairs at Jinxiang Tower. Hearing the news, he immediately ran back to report, so he did not know the specific details.

This time, it was Zhou Xing, Xue Pan's trusted follower, who was immediately detained and questioned by Madam Wang and the others.

The story is not complicated. It turns out that Xue Pan had gathered his brothers at Jinxiang Tower for drinks today. Halfway through the drinking session, he tried to summon his old flame Yun'er but couldn't. When he asked the madam, he learned that Qiu Pan, the son of the military commander Qiu, had also taken a fancy to Yun'er and insisted on having her accompany him.

In reality, there are only a few top courtesans who are sought after by the establishment, and sometimes there is bound to be competition for them, but the establishment can usually make proper arrangements.

Unfortunately, Qiu Pan already had a grudge against Xue Pan and the others. The initial reason was that Qiu Pan had a grudge against Feng Ziying. Qiu Pan had once spoken rudely and was beaten up by the young and arrogant Feng Ziying, almost sending Feng Ziying to jail.

The circle of young masters in the western city is only so big, so Xue Pan and the others naturally sided with Feng Ziying, and had several clashes with Qiu Pan.

Today, in front of all his brothers, Qiu Pan dared to steal his woman, which enraged Xue Pan. Ignoring the others' advice, he immediately led his men to the house. Unexpectedly, they found Qiu Pan inside, attempting to force himself on Yun'er.

Now Xue Pan could no longer tolerate it. He, Xue Pan, was young and wealthy, and it had taken him a lot of coaxing and cajoling to win Yun'er's heart. How dare this Qiu fellow be so despicable! With both old and new grudges ignited, Xue Pan, using the pretext of greeting Qiu Pan's mother, immediately charged in, determined to display his might and annihilate the villain.

Xue Pan was a man who acted recklessly, and in his rage, he didn't know his own strength. Only when he suddenly realized that Qiu Pan was curled up on the ground, barely breathing, did he feel a sense of fear.

However, Qiu Pan's entourage arrived at the scene at that moment, preventing him from escaping in time, and he was captured on the spot by the yamen runners of Shuntian Prefecture.

Zhou Xing was also taken away as an accomplice, but for some reason, he was quietly released shortly after entering the Shuntian Prefecture prison.

Upon learning the truth, Aunt Xue was shocked, angry, and frightened. She berated Zhou Xing, demanding to know why he hadn't kept an eye on Xue Pan and allowed him to cause trouble.

But it was of no use, and he looked at Madam Wang again.

Madam Wang sighed, "Now that we know the whole story, the most important thing is to find out whether Pan'er has hurt anyone. I have already sent the steward to visit the enemy's family. I hope they are alright, otherwise... But please rest assured, sister, the enemy's family is only a fourth-rank official's family. I think that no matter what, Pan'er will only suffer a little and will not be in danger of losing her life."

Hopefully, Pan'er will learn from this lesson and be more restrained in his actions in the future, and never be so reckless again.

Aunt Xue nodded, hoping that Qiu Pan could come back to life. She didn't think that if someone was really beaten to death in front of everyone, especially someone from an official family, he would only suffer a little hardship.

Unless they are royalty! Obviously, the Xue family is not.

Contrary to expectations, the enemy hung white cloths high and played mournful music that very day.

Neither the Jia family nor the Xue family could get close to their enemy. The other side had clearly ruled out any possibility of a private settlement, adopting a "fight to the death" attitude.

The awkward thing is that not only are Jia Zheng and Jia Lian not in the capital, but Xue Pan's other powerful support, his maternal uncle Wang Ziteng, is also not in the capital. Instead, he is on imperial orders to inspect the border.

This left Aunt Xue and the others feeling utterly helpless, except for sending urgent messages by fast horse. Just as Aunt Xue and the others were trying every possible way to solve the problem, a shocking and infuriating message arrived.

That evening, the Ministry of Justice suddenly sent people to Shuntian Prefecture and took Xue Pan and other involved personnel to the Ministry of Justice prison.

Even Aunt Xue, a woman, sensed something unusual about this turn of events. So, disregarding her red and swollen eyes, she mustered her strength and prepared to go to the Rongguo Mansion to discuss countermeasures with Madam Wang.

Before she even stepped outside, the butler announced, "Madam, the eldest son of the Feng family has sent someone!"

"Quickly, please come in!"

Aunt Xue hadn't forgotten that her son had said before leaving home this morning that he was going to invite Feng Ziying and others. The fact that they had sent people over might mean they had important news.

"This humble servant, Feng Sheng, greets Madam Xue."

"No need for formalities. What important matter did your eldest son send you here on?"

"Replying to Madam, my master sent me here because he has important news to convey to you."

"Tell me quickly."

Aunt Xue had no time for idle chatter and went straight to the point.

Feng Sheng said, "Our master said he deeply regrets what happened today. He asked me to tell Madam that if she wants to save Master Xue, the only way is to ask someone to step forward so that there is any chance of turning the situation around."

"Who is it?"

"No one but the Marquis of Zhenyuan could be chosen!"

Upon hearing this, Aunt Xue felt that the other party was talking nonsense. Even if her brother-in-law Jia Zheng were at home, let alone Jia Lian, they wouldn't be so apprehensive.

Why?

"My master said that the enemy family is different from others. Although Qiu Tianyin is only a fourth-rank captain, he is a protégé of the Prince of Zhongshun's mansion."

According to my uncle's information, this afternoon, Qiu Tianyin went to Prince Zhongshun's residence, and then Prince Zhongshun took him into the palace, presumably to report his son's death to the emperor.

Upon hearing this, not only Aunt Xue, but even Baochai behind the screen was startled. Aunt Xue trembled in her chair, clearly both mother and daughter were connecting the dots to the news they had just received.

If what this person said is true, then the Ministry of Justice's sudden intervention in this case makes perfect sense. Thinking of this, Aunt Xue felt a chill run through her body and couldn't utter a single word.

"His Majesty is righteous and hates evil. If he listens to the enemy's one-sided story, I'm afraid Master Xue will have no chance of survival. Therefore, my master said that if we want to save Master Xue now, only the Marquis of Zhenyuan, who is deeply trusted by His Majesty, has the power to try."

Aunt Xue remained silent for a long time, glancing subconsciously at the screen before finally taking a deep breath and saying, "Thank you so much for informing me of this news, young master. Please convey my gratitude to him. Our family has suffered such a misfortune, so it's inconvenient for us to keep you here. Please leave."

In her haste to get to the Rongguo Mansion, Aunt Xue immediately sent someone to escort the Feng family away, and before leaving, she also had someone prepare a red envelope. At this critical juncture, she was terrified of offending anyone and thus missing the chance to save her son.

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

After eating some thin porridge, Grandmother Jia looked at Lady Wang below and asked, "How is the matter concerning the Xue family's son progressing?"

"Replying to the old lady, things are probably a bit troublesome. Lin Zhixiao just came back and said..."

Lady Wang gave a general report of what they had learned to Grandmother Jia. Seeing that Grandmother Jia remained silent for a long time after listening, Lady Wang became somewhat uneasy.

It should be noted that the Xue family now lives next to the Jia family, and the eldest daughter of the Xue family even lives in the Jia family garden. The main reason for this is that she, the second wife of the Jia family, is the older sister of the wife of the Xue family.

Now that Xue Pan has gotten himself into a murder case, the Jia family's reputation will naturally suffer as well. Furthermore, Lady Wang knows that Grandmother Jia has always disliked a scoundrel like Xue Pan. Therefore, it's easy to imagine Grandmother Jia's attitude towards Xue Pan and the Xue family. If she's angered by this, she won't be able to defend herself.

Fortunately, as long as Jia Baoyu wasn't involved, Grandmother Jia was always good at containing her emotions. She didn't blame Lady Wang for anything, but just pondered and said, "Since you say that the Ministry of Justice has already intervened in this matter, I'm afraid things will be difficult to resolve amicably."

Furthermore, since your master and Lian'er are not in the capital, such a major criminal case is far beyond the control of a woman like you or me.

However, since they are relatives, we will naturally help where we can. If we can't help, there's nothing we can do; everyone has their own destiny.

Lady Wang was always shrewd and had served Grandmother Jia for many years. Although Grandmother Jia's words seemed harmless, she immediately understood Grandmother Jia's true meaning.

Madam Wang's expression was hesitant. She glanced around, and Yuanyang, being perceptive, told the two maids to leave.

"Grandma, it's not that I'm being unreasonable or biased towards my sister and nephew. It's just... I just feel sorry for Bao'er. I've watched her grow up since she was little, and she's the best in every way, both in appearance and character."

Baoyu fell ill because of Lin Daiyu's affair, and I'm afraid he's still thinking about it. I'm thinking of arranging a good marriage for him as soon as possible, so he can settle down and not disappoint his father's high expectations."

Grandmother Jia glanced at Lady Wang and snorted, "I know what you're thinking. If it were before today, I wouldn't have any objections. Bao'er is indeed a rare and good girl, with a good temperament, upright manners, and good etiquette."

Such a good girl, yet she has such a brother! Have you ever thought about it? If you let Baoyu marry Baoya, he will have to bear the stigma of having a brother-in-law with a murder charge against him. What will people say about him behind his back? What if it affects his future? How will he fulfill your master's high hopes?

Lady Wang was startled. As expected, Grandmother Jia was old and thoughtful. She had been so concerned about her sister that she had forgotten about this matter.

Her eldest son died young, leaving her with only this precious son. As a mother, she naturally wanted to eliminate all potential threats to him!

Grandmother Jia knew from Lady Wang's expression that she understood, so she didn't say anything more and waved her hand, saying, "Alright, you can go now. Your sister is probably panicking by now. If she comes, comfort her well. It's late, so she doesn't need to come to see me again."

"Yes."

As soon as she finished speaking, a messenger came from outside that Aunt Xue had arrived. Lady Wang then bid farewell to Grandmother Jia and went to Rongxi Hall.

When Madam Wang saw her younger sister coming out to greet her from the doorway of her small house, even though she had already made up her mind, she still felt a pang of pity when she saw her sister's anxious face and swollen eyes, and she called out emotionally, "Sister."

"elder sister!"

Aunt Xue didn't bother with formalities with Madam Wang. As soon as they met, she immediately told Madam Wang everything she had found out and the news that came from the Feng family.

Lady Wang hadn't expected that the matter involved the Prince Zhongshun's residence and even the Emperor. Her heart sank. "If that's really the case, I'm afraid Pan'er..."

"Sister...?" Aunt Xue looked at Madam Wang with a pleading expression.

At this critical juncture, Aunt Xue's only hope lay with her elder sister, the lady of the Duke's mansion. If even Madam Wang couldn't help, then she would likely have no choice but to wait for her fate.

Madam Wang sighed, "Your brother-in-law has just left the capital and I'm afraid he hasn't taken up his post yet. Besides, even if he were promoted, he would only be a third-rank educational official. If Pan'er's matter truly alarms the Emperor, I'm afraid your brother-in-law would be powerless to help even in the capital."

"The only way now is to rely on his uncle. Let's write another letter, explaining the situation in detail to my second brother, and see if he can mediate."

Aunt Xue didn't think Lady Wang was wrong. She knew that although Jia Zheng had served in the central government for many years, he didn't actually have much imperial favor. His recent promotion was entirely due to Yuan Chun's influence.

"Sister is right. But his uncle is far away at the border, and I'm afraid he can't help him. We can't delay Pan'er's matter. Sister knows that he's my only good-for-nothing son. If he really loses his life, how am I supposed to live? So, sister, I think we should ask the Imperial Concubine in the palace to help save her cousin's life..."

That's right, that's the real reason Aunt Xue rushed over to see Madam Wang. She didn't doubt that Prince Teng was incapable of saving Xue Pan; she was just worried that a distant solution wouldn't be enough to solve an immediate problem.

But Yuan Chun could! As a Noble Consort, Yuan Chun was in the palace, only one step away from the Emperor.

In Aunt Xue's opinion, if the enemy really did report this matter to the emperor, then among all the relatives and friends, only Yuan Chun was the most confident in saving the person.

But as she finished speaking, Lady Wang fell silent, and after a long while sighed, "I'm afraid the inner palace shouldn't interfere in politics."

The phrase "the harem must not interfere in politics" struck Aunt Xue like a bucket of cold water being poured over her heart, instantly chilling her to the bone.

Baochai, who had been standing quietly to the side, also looked up at Madam Wang, then lowered her head and said nothing.

Throughout history, many dynasties have had ancestral precepts prohibiting the empress from interfering in politics, but there has never been a clear definition of what constitutes interference in politics.

When Xue Pan got into trouble, Yuan Chun pleaded with the emperor for his life and helped him gather information. Was that considered interfering in politics? She was Xue Pan's own cousin!

Isn't this interference in politics? Xue Pan killed Qiu Pan, which is a major criminal case. It should be investigated by the three judicial departments. How could the empress and concubines have the right to speak or interfere?

Regardless, since Madam Wang had said so, Aunt Xue had no reason to bring it up again.

So Aunt Xue came under the cover of night and left under the same night.

Madam Wang personally saw Aunt Xue off to her carriage and watched it depart.

She hadn't actually intended to reject Aunt Xue's suggestion, but she knew very well that Yuan Chun was not only her pride and support, but also the pride and pillar of the entire Jia family. There was absolutely no reason for her to be used to clean up the messes of someone like Xue Pan.

Even if she were willing, Grandmother Jia would not allow it.

Therefore, informing Yuan Chun about Xue Pan's accident was already the most benevolent thing to do. As for what Yuan Chun would do, that was entirely up to her; she would absolutely not ask Yuan Chun to do anything more in the name of her mother.

Ultimately, in her heart, Xue Pan was not even one ten-thousandth as important as her daughter, and she would absolutely not allow her daughter to offend the emperor because of Xue Pan's misdeeds. How could she not know that her daughter's life in the palace was already difficult?