Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Baochai did not return to the Grand View Garden that night, but stayed at home with her mother.

But Aunt Xue was so worried about Xue Pan that she barely slept all night. The next morning, she hurriedly packed her things and went to the Rongguo Mansion again, not returning until noon.

Seeing that Aunt Xue looked haggard, Baochai gestured to the maids to set out the meal while helping Aunt Xue into the house, asking, "Is there any news from Aunt's side?"

Aunt Xue shook her head. "Your uncle and aunt haven't replied yet, but your sister Feng said that your second brother Lian already knows about what happened in the capital. She also said that he has already contacted his colleagues in the Ministry of Justice, so he should be able to get news back as soon as he has any."

Upon hearing this, Baochai thought to herself: Although Tianjin is not far from the capital, it still takes a day to travel there and back by fast horse. And Jia Lian already knows about the Ministry of Justice's involvement. It seems that Wang Xifeng's statement last night that she had sent someone to Tianjin overnight to deliver a message was not just a perfunctory lie.

Everyone says Wang Xifeng is mean and cold, but in Baochai's opinion, Wang Xifeng is actually more sincere to her family than most people. This is actually why the sisters in the Grand View Garden like her so much.

She seemed unafraid that Xue Pan's affair would implicate Jia Lian!

This is all the more remarkable when compared to how Lady Wang was clearly worried about Yuan Chun being implicated by them last night.

"Since Brother Lian says so, with his abilities, he must know immediately if there are any new developments on your side. In my opinion, it's impossible for you to get away unscathed like last time after making such a big mistake."

"Right now, our priority shouldn't be getting my brother exonerated, but rather finding a way to save his life."

Aunt Xue nodded repeatedly upon hearing this: "You're right. This wretched boy has been fearless since he was little, and he's finally gotten himself into serious trouble! Now I don't expect to get him off the hook. As long as I can save his life, I'll do anything, even give away all my wealth to make up for his mistakes..."

Upon hearing this, Baochai sighed inwardly. Her mother always felt deep regret only after her brother had gotten into trouble, and even when she wanted to teach him a lesson, she was always too reluctant and unwilling to do so.

This has been the case since her father was alive, and she's gotten used to it.

Aunt Xue and her daughter were both reasonable and law-abiding people. Although they were nobles, they never abused their power or bullied others.

Now that Xue Pan has caused a death right under the emperor's nose, they all know they cannot escape their guilt. Their only wish is to rely on the power of the Jia and Wang families to save Xue Pan's life and prevent him from paying for it with Qiu Pan's life.

In their view, there was still hope. After all, such things were not uncommon among powerful families, and it was rare for anyone to actually fight to the death.

However, many things are beyond human control, and sometimes what we fear most is exactly what happens.

That evening, Aunt Xue had just returned from the Wang family and stopped by the Rongguo Mansion on her way, hoping to see if there was any new news. Unfortunately, the Xue family had declined, and although they still had some old friends and relatives in the capital, very few people gave them much face anymore, especially on matters of great importance like this.

As soon as she entered the Rongguo Mansion, she keenly sensed something was amiss, and a nameless panic gripped her. This panic reached its peak when she saw her elder sister, Madam Wang.

Lady Wang looked pitiful, but didn't beat around the bush with her.

"We just received news that Pan'er's case has undergone preliminary review and investigation by the Ministry of Justice..."

"What was the result?"

Seeing Aunt Xue's pale face, Madam Wang couldn't bear it, but still said bluntly, "Yes, it seems she's going to be executed in the autumn..."

"!!"

……

Aunt Xue didn't know how she got back to the Xue family. When she woke up, she only saw her daughter sitting by the bed, feeding her thin porridge.

Seeing that she had woken up, Baochai's face lit up with joy. "Mom's awake. Eat something. The doctor said you haven't been eating enough these past two days, and you're deficient in qi and blood..."

Aunt Xue, however, seemed not to hear Baochai's words. Suddenly, she grabbed Baochai's hand, sat up in surprise, and asked, "Where is your brother?"

Baochai's face also paled, her eyes brimming with tears. "My aunt said that regarding my brother's matter, the enemy did indeed seek help from the Prince Zhongshun's mansion. With the Prince Zhongshun's mansion involved, the Ministry of Justice wouldn't dare to show favoritism. They just sent someone to tell us this news, saying that we have three days left. Three days later, the trial will officially begin, and then..."

Aunt Xue felt dizzy for a moment. When she first woke up, she wondered if she had just been dreaming. But Baochai's words made it clear to her that this was not a dream. Her only precious son was going to die, and not just any son, but one that would be decapitated!

The excruciating pain prevented her from hearing what Baochai said next.

It took her a while to realize what she had just said. "What did you just say?"

Baochai repeated her words, and Aunt Xue immediately jumped off the bed, saying, "Yes, yes, we still have time, three more days..."

"Where is Mom going?"

"Go to the Wang family, go to the Wang family, find your uncle, ask your uncle to save your brother..." Aunt Xue muttered to herself, her face streaked with tears, somewhat neurotically.

Baochai was heartbroken, but she had to rationally interrupt her, forcibly pressing her back onto the bed, and cried, "It's too late! It's too late... The capital is thousands of miles away from the border, and I'm afraid Uncle hasn't received the news yet. Where can Mother go to find him?!"

"It's too late... but it's okay, we still have Lian'er, your second brother Lian, he's in Tianjin. Tianjin isn't far, we'll go find him now! Yes, we'll go to Tianjin right now!"

Aunt Xue cried, as if she were a drowning person desperately trying to grasp at the last straw.

Baochai suddenly broke down in tears and hugged Aunt Xue tightly: "Mother, please don't be like this. Aunt is right, everyone has their own destiny. Perhaps it was my brother's fate to suffer this calamity. From now on, let your daughter take care of you in your old age and see you off in your final days."

Baochai was more rational than Aunt Xue, perhaps because she understood the ways of the world. She knew that even if her brother paid for his life, it wouldn't be unjust. Most importantly, there was no other way; even her closest aunt had abandoned her brother, urging them to make plans. In this situation, who could help them, and who would be willing to help them?

Therefore, there is no need to force it. From now on, she should take extra good care of her mother.

Aunt Xue held her daughter's body, listening to her sobs, and her expression finally calmed down.

She patted her daughter on the shoulder, "Alright, sweetie, Mom knows you're a good child."

Looking at Baochai's face, still bright and beautiful even with tears glistening in her eyes, Aunt Xue smiled and said, "Now is not the time to cry. Have you forgotten what the Feng family said yesterday? Your second brother Lian is not only a marquis, but also a close advisor to the emperor. As long as he can return to the capital, there is still hope for your brother, isn't there?"

Baochai wiped away her tears and stared blankly at Aunt Xue. In truth, she understood this perfectly well. If Jia Lian could return to the capital, with his reputation and abilities, he might very well be able to save his brother's life.

But what merit or ability did they possess to warrant Jia Lian rushing back to the capital to save them? In the end, Jia Lian's closest relationship with the Xue family was merely that of her cousin-in-law.

He also carried the imperial mission on his shoulders.

Another point he understood was that Jia Lian probably had no intention of returning to the capital to deal with such messy affairs. He had already heard the news yesterday; if he wanted to come back, he would have done so long ago.

"Even so, why does Mother think that Brother Lian is willing to rush back to handle this case? After all, it's a fact that he killed someone while drunk, and he should at least pay for it with his life. Isn't it unreasonable for Mother to come knocking on our door like this?"

"We have to give it a try..."

Baochai noticed that Aunt Xue was staring at her, and that gaze made her secretly alarmed.

Aunt Xue was perfectly aware of Baochai's thoughts. Under such circumstances, even her own aunt wouldn't go to great lengths to help her…

Actually, Madam Wang was already considered quite kind. She had visited the Wang family twice in the past two days. Although her sister-in-law appeared to be very concerned about her son's affairs and spoke very eloquently, Madam Wang could even sense a hint of schadenfreude in her tone!

She explained to Baochai, "Don't worry, your Second Brother Lian and your Second Sister-in-law are both kind and sincere people. As long as we sincerely ask him, he will definitely be willing to help us."

"Mother……"

Aunt Xue seemed to have made up her mind. She immediately ordered someone to prepare a carriage and had a maid fetch water for her to wash her face. This surprised Baochai. "Mother," she said, "even if we were to ask Brother Lian for help, we should wait until tomorrow. At this hour, the city gates are probably already closed."

"This concerns your brother's life; the sooner the better!"

Although Aunt Xue believed that Jia Lian could do things that others couldn't, she also knew that time was of the essence. If it was too late, even if Jia Lian were a god, he might not be able to save his son's life.

As for the city gates being closed... in reality, the closure of the city gates only applies to ordinary people. For the privileged aristocratic class, as long as the city was closed to apprehend rebels, entering or leaving the city at night was not difficult.

The simplest way is to slip money into the pocket.

Moreover, aren't the guards of Xicheng the same people from the Xicheng Military Command? I suppose they won't make things difficult for the Xue family.

Seeing that Aunt Xue had made up her mind, Baochai didn't say anything more. Although she felt that this matter was not safe, for example, if the Grandmother Jia and others in the Rongguo Mansion knew that they had gone to find Jia Lian, they would probably think that the Xue family was too unreasonable, and even Wang Xifeng would secretly feel dissatisfied.

But she also knew that her mother made this decision entirely for the sake of her scoundrel brother, so she sighed inwardly and prepared to go back and pack her things.

"You don't need to go with me."

As Baochai was taking her leave, Aunt Xue suddenly said, "Your brother is still in the Ministry of Justice prison, and the family can't be left unattended. Good child, until I return, everything at home is in your hands. Remember, you must protect your brother and wait for your mother to come back."

Aunt Xue stepped forward to wipe away the undried tears on Baochai's face, then turned and walked out.

……

Aunt Xue left Beijing overnight, with only a few people accompanying her.

Although she was desperate to save her son and had prepared herself for the hardships, she still underestimated the bumpy and arduous journey ahead.

They traveled at breakneck speed in a carriage and arrived in Tianjin the next afternoon. After inquiring, they found Jia Lian's office.

Jia Lian's trip to Tianjin to build a harbor and warships could be considered that of an imperial envoy, though he did not have the same level of power as when he went to the south of the Yangtze River.

Therefore, there was also a temporary residence. Of course, this temporary residence was originally an office of the Tianjin naval officers and soldiers, which was specially vacated for him, so it was not luxurious.

The Rongguo Mansion servants guarding the residence were completely unprepared for Aunt Xue's arrival and hurriedly went forward to greet her.

"Where is your second master?"

"Second Master is inspecting the shipyard."

"When are you coming back?"

"I don't know. Second Master has been busy lately, and he often doesn't return to the headquarters until late at night."

Aunt Xue looked disappointed and, disregarding her travel-worn appearance, tried to get back into the carriage to go to the shipyard to find someone.

Zhu'er quickly stopped her: "Is the concubine here because of Master Xue's matter? Our Second Master knew about Master Xue's matter the day before yesterday. He even sent me back with many letters to the ministers in the court, asking them for help."

However, since Concubine has come from so far, she should rest at the temporary residence first. The shipyard has long been designated a military zone, and Concubine wouldn't be able to enter even if she went there. How about this, Concubine, rest here for now. This servant will send someone to inform the Second Master; I believe he will return as soon as he knows Concubine has arrived.”

As he spoke, Zhu'er had his husband summoned to arrange accommodations for Aunt Xue and her party, showing no intention of letting Aunt Xue run rampant in Tianjin. Seeing this, Aunt Xue managed to suppress her impatience and waited at the camp.