Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 725 The Xue Family Begins to Retreat

Rongguo Mansion,
In Rongqing Hall,

The old lady had a gloomy face and sat in the room waiting, not sending anyone back. I don't know if she forgot or did it on purpose.

Outside the house,

Wang Xifeng also frowned and took Ping'er back to the Pear Garden first, but did not go to the main gate of the mansion. Ping'er was puzzled.
asked;

"Grandma, why don't we go outside the mansion and call someone in?"

"Why are you yelling? There are so many people here, and you want a woman like me to show up in front of them. Isn't that embarrassing enough? Go call Lai Wang, and have someone call the guards and servants at home."

"Yes, grandma."

Ping'er saw that although grandma's face was calm, her pretty face had a cold look in her eyes. She knew that grandma was angry, so she didn't dare to neglect her and went out to greet people.

Wang Xifeng returned to the inner room and changed into dark clothes to cover up her exposed parts. After changing her clothes, she sat on the bed and thought carefully.
How could it be such a coincidence that someone started trouble? It was because of Enke's matter. The key point was that the Second Wife had ordered to stop it. Now, the Second Wife did not come forward, and asked me to step forward. This was not that good people were not allowed to do things, but I became the bad guy. I felt very depressed.

No, I need to think about this matter carefully. I can't bear the blame alone.

I was muttering to myself, not knowing what I was thinking of in the room.

Outside the Duke's Mansion,

The crowd did not disperse, and even the vendors were directly booked by some wealthy people, who just sat there and watched the show.

More and more of the Jia family's children gathered, and Jia Dairu stood at the front, shouting at the top of his lungs, asking the old lady to seek justice.

On the other hand, no one knew what Jia Daixiu had done, but he led several brothers from the Ningguo Mansion to scold Jia Dairu's people. They scolded them until they were almost in a fight.
The gatekeepers, who used to be so majestic, were now guarding the gate, not daring to speak, listening to the noise outside, waiting for the master's arrival.

For a moment, there was a stalemate.

Speaking of Xue Pan,

He took the small road fork, dodging all the way, and hurried back to Lixiang Garden. Sheer, who followed behind him, was also sweating profusely.
"Sir, please run slower, don't fall."

"Hey, can you not run faster? Those people are so reckless. They just do what they say."

Xue Pan still didn't understand why he got into this situation so quickly. He didn't say anything. He wiped the sweat off his face with his sleeve, and when he saw the gate of the courtyard, he walked in breathlessly.

Without stopping, he reached the east attic and pushed the door open.

The attics in Lixiang Garden were all built with the finest willow wood. Not only were they warm in winter and cool in summer, they were also not prone to attracting insects. When they were built, they were also higher than the attics of ordinary people. So from a distance, the attics looked tall and stood in the northeast of Rongguo Mansion. However, no one had lived there for a long time and they had not been taken care of very carefully, so the buildings in the courtyard had lost their former colors and looked much darker.

Since the mother and daughter of the Xue family moved in, the place has become more lively. The servants they brought with them, under the leadership of the steward, cleaned the house inside and out. It was not spotless, but it was clean. Firewood, rice, oil and salt were also prepared in addition. The daily meals were also prepared by the cook brought from Jiangnan, and they were not unpalatable.

Xue Pan was a little flustered because of what happened just now. When he pushed the door open, he used more force, and the doorman hit the door frame with a loud bang.
However, it also scared the mother and daughter of the Xue family who were still sitting and talking in the inner hall, and they became alert.

Before anyone could hear anything strange happening outside, he turned around and saw Xue Pan running in from the corner of the screen, panting and sweating profusely.

Aunt Xue was frightened by the sight. She was startled. Could something have happened again? He had just been out for a while. She panicked and started to curse.

"What's going on? You bastard, what trouble have you gotten yourself into outside again? Oh, what should I do?"

Aunt Xue stood up, wailed, walked over quickly, and slapped Xue Pan hard on the back. After that, she felt a little regretful, and wiped the sweat off Xue Pan's face with a handkerchief with a distressed look. It was obvious that she had a sharp tongue but a soft heart.

Xue Pan was also stunned by the slap. He stood there in a daze, forgetting what he should say. In the midst of the noise,

Xue Baochai hurried over, stopped her mother and advised;
"Mom, don't worry. Listen to what my brother said. He just went out for a while. Didn't my brother say he went to the academy? The students in the academy are all from the concubine's house of the Jia family. What can happen?"

inside the house,

Xue Baochai's words also calmed Aunt Xue down. As the incense wafted in, she calmed down for a while. After thinking about it, it was true. They were all a group of students. What could happen next? Could it be that they would fight like they did in Yanchun Tower?

When she thought of Yanchunlou, Aunt Xue was suddenly startled, as if a letter had arrived from Yanchunlou. She had wanted to pass it to Xue Baochai, but in her anxiety she had forgotten about it. She didn't know what it was.

"That's right, that's right, don't worry,"

He also breathed a sigh of relief, sat down with Xue Pan, and asked again;

"Tell me, what happened? Didn't you just go out?"

Xue Pan also collapsed directly on the chair, his legs cramped from running, and he didn't rush to answer. He grabbed the tea bowl on the table, poured a bowl of tea, and gulped it down. Only then did he feel much better and replied;

"Mom, sister, something did happen, but it wasn't my fault. I went to the school today to brag to them and have some fun. But who knew that Jia Rui, the grandson of the old man of the Jia family, did something taboo and started swearing at the students and fighting. It became a big deal. I didn't intervene and didn't say a single unpleasant word."

Xue Pan shook his head, trying to exclude himself from the topic in his words. Thinking carefully, he realized that he had only eaten a few cakes and drank a bowl of wine, and really did not talk about the Jia family.

Aunt Xue felt much better after hearing this. As long as she didn't provoke the Jia family,

"That's good. You have to know that we are staying at the Jia family. Although we are related, we are not the Wang family after all. There is a layer of separation. We should think about the interests of the host family before doing anything. We can't just do whatever we want."

Suddenly, Aunt Xue returned to her usual self, she was so concerned that she didn't know what to say, which made Xue Baochai, who was standing by, feel helpless. It was like this every time, she would not teach her brother a lesson when he got into trouble.
"Mom, don't jump to conclusions. Since my brother didn't do anything, why is he in such a mess?"

Xue Baochai was unwilling to believe it. How could everything be alright after he was in such a state?

Xue Baochai's words startled the mother and son, and Aunt Xue became even more anxious.
"You evil creature, are you trying to frame me? Tell me what happened."

Xue Pan saw that he could no longer hide the truth, so he smiled bitterly and said;

"Mom, sister, that matter really has nothing to do with me. It was those people in the school who had a fight with Jia Rui, cursing at each other, and they all said, ahem!"

Xue Pan also knew that this matter must not be spread outside, so he stopped talking, looked around, and saw that there were only three of them here, so he continued in a low voice;

"The clansmen of the Jia family said that the master was unfair and forced them not to take the imperial examinations, and that they had no way to serve the country, etc. In addition, I heard from them that Jia Zhu's death was strange, and they all said that Brother Zhu died unjustly. I don't know whether it is true or not, but from the way they talked and cried, it seems that there is another hidden story."

Xue Pan was talking to himself without looking up. Aunt Xue's face turned pale. Jia Zhu, wasn't he my sister's eldest son? Was he wrongly killed? She thought about a lot of things in the noble family, the seizure of the title, and the death of many legitimate sons. Could it be that Zhu Ge'er was really murdered?
Xue Baochai was also shocked when she heard this. She had heard about the secret affairs of the noble families, but no one had ever spread them, so she thought they were all rumors. But now, it was happening right in front of her, so how could she not be moved? She wondered if her eldest sister-in-law Li Wan, that gentle and virtuous person, would know about this. For a moment, she thought a lot.
After a while,
Back to God,
I quickly asked,

"Brother, besides you, who else knows about this?" This is important. If not many people know about it, the Jia family can still suppress it. Otherwise, the mother and daughter looked at each other and suddenly thought of a phrase: trouble arises from within the family.

"Yes, please tell us who else knows about it. If there are few people, we need to inform the old lady and suppress the matter. Otherwise, rumors will spread all over the capital. What will we do then?"

Although Aunt Xue was slow to react, she had been the head lady of a mansion before, so she knew the consequences. She immediately thought of suppressing him. Xue Baochai also set her sights on her brother, so she had to be careful about this matter.
Who knows,

Xue Pan, who had been slumped in his chair, suddenly stood up and shouted;
"It's too late. When they started, they rushed out of Rongguo Mansion and went to Ningrong Street. By now, the situation should have become a big mess."

Xue Pan didn't dare to lie about this matter, and he didn't think too much about it at the time. Seeing that they had caused trouble and that the situation was not good, he just left. Who would think too much?

Hearing my brother's arrogant words,

The mother and daughter of the Xue family looked at each other, feeling helpless and not knowing what to do. Now that there was a commotion, the old lady should know about it, so they could not go.

Xue Baochai knew that her mother was in a difficult situation. The affairs of the Jia family were not something they could interfere with. However, she had a question in her heart: how did Jia Zhu die? She also felt that the person who caused the trouble was powerful. Her words could make the listeners have such questions.

Aunt Xue beside her was just worried for a moment, and also felt that the Jia family had a lot of troubles, but her children were safe and sound by her side. If it really didn't work, she would go back to the old house. Besides, these were all the Jia family's own affairs, and outsiders had no right to interfere. Thinking of the matter in Yanchun Tower, she got up, went to the inner room, took out the letter, and handed it to Xue Baochai.
"My dear, take a look. This is the letter that the steward of Yanchun Tower handed to me a few days ago. I forgot about it because I was so busy. Take a look at it. As for the matter of the Jia family, we will pretend that we don't know anything. We will just say that your brother came back after drinking. We will not get involved in the specific situation."

Aunt Xue seemed to have suddenly come to her senses and could speak so freely and carefreely that Xue Baochai could not help but look at her mother a little more. She took the letter, held it in her hand, tore off the seal, took out the letter, and began to read it.

There wasn't much in the letter, except that they were asking for silver. It was just a bit much, thirty thousand taels of silver.

Seeing her daughter was silent, Aunt Xue became anxious again and asked;
"Baochai, what does the letter say?"

"Mom, don't worry. My brother just smashed a lot of things in Yanchunlou that day, and he's here to collect the debt."

Xue Baochai put away the letter and decided to ask her husband whether he should pay her compensation.

But when Xue Pan heard that they wanted money, he was furious. That day, the madams and pimps of Yanchunlou did not send anyone to stop him. If he had not brought a lot of people with him, he would have suffered a great loss. They still had the nerve to ask for money. By the way, how much did they want? So he asked;
"Sister, how much silver does Yanchun Tower cost?"

"Brother, you should concentrate on staying at home. The restaurant in the southeast of the city has been renovated. Once the chef is in place, we can open the restaurant. If you have nothing to do, you can take care of the restaurant. It's good to avoid making trouble outside. Yanchunlou was smashed by you, so you should pay compensation, but they want a lot, thirty thousand taels of silver. I'll tell my husband about this when I have the chance."

Xue Baochai did try to persuade her brother for a while, saying that even if it did not cause trouble, doing nothing was not a good idea either, and he should find something to do.

However, Xue Pan was not happy with this. He thought that he would give one thousand taels of silver, but when he heard that Yanchunlou was asking for thirty thousand taels of silver, he immediately became furious and shouted:

"I just smashed some tables and chairs, but you want thirty thousand taels of silver. You can't get that much from robbery. If you don't give it to me, I won't get even a tael of silver."

Xue Pan decided to cheat and not give it to him.
Aunt Xue was also worried. This was too much. After the Xue family entered the capital, they had spent almost all their money, acquired a lot of properties, and bought a large farm outside the capital. Now, they really couldn't raise that much money. She said in embarrassment.
"Baochai, it's a bit too much. We don't have that much money right now. Otherwise, let them ask for less. After all, if they can open a brothel in the capital, there must be someone behind it."

How could Xue Baochai not understand the implication? She stepped forward, sat down with Aunt Xue, and comforted her;
"Mom, don't worry. Bargaining is also a habit when buying and selling things. Besides, my husband was present that day. We need to ask his opinion before deciding whether to give it or not. We need to be careful when it comes to the Marquis' Mansion."

"Yes, yes, yes. Fortunately, you reminded me. Otherwise, I don't know what to do."

Aunt Xue nodded repeatedly, she was just too easily influenced. However, when it came to the Marquis's Mansion, she thought of Wang's sister. If she had anything to do, she could go to her. She made up her mind when she got the chance.

While the Xue family was discussing in the house,
Many servants came to the courtyard of the Pear Garden and waited in the courtyard.

Ping Er trotted all the way, pushed the door open and entered the main hall.

"Grandma, everyone is here, what should we do? The old lady is still waiting!"

inside the house,

Wang Xifeng sat calmly in the chair, her complexion back to normal, she ate some cakes in her hands, and drank some tea from time to time, not worrying about the outside world at all.
Ping'er was a little confused. It wasn't like that just now. Could it be that someone came into the room and talked to grandma? In an instant, she looked around. There was no movement inside or outside, and it seemed that no one was in the room.
Wang Xifeng finished the cake in her hand, clapped her hands, exclaimed:

"Oh, you're here at the right time. We've already eaten and drunk. Let's go now. I don't know what's going on in front of the door. It's infuriating to think about it. There's nothing to do all day long, just gossiping. Are those things okay to say? By the way, is there anyone saying that Brother Zhu died unjustly?"

Ping'er was startled. She thought that grandma was going to scold those people, but she changed the subject and asked about the eldest sister-in-law's situation.

"Replying to Grandma, someone did shout like that, and there were quite a few people. When I went to look for the guards, they were also talking about Master Zhu."

"Well, what did they say?"

Wang Xifeng immediately asked, these guards were all family sons, and there were many members of the Jia family among them. They must be aware of what was going on in the Rongguo Mansion, and at least they must have heard some rumors in private.

Ping Er opened her mouth and whispered back;
"I heard from them that Master Zhu was not that ill at that time. After returning from the imperial examination, he had been recuperating in the West Garden. Many people had seen Master Zhu. At that time, Master Zhu looked much better and even went out for a walk in the garden. I don't know when it was, but it seemed to be the day before the results were announced, when rumors suddenly spread that Master Zhu was dying. When the results were announced, when Master Zhu passed the imperial examination, he died that night. They all said that his death was strange and his funeral was hastily handled."

His voice became lower and lower, as if he realized that something was wrong.

How dare a servant talk about her master? Wang Xifeng didn't pay attention to these things. She squinted her eyes and thought back. At that time, she had just entered the house not long ago and there was no housekeeper. The eldest sister-in-law was still in power in Rongguo Mansion. It was indeed as rumored outside that Brother Zhu died like this. She didn't think too much about it. She still asked Madam You from the East Palace to help with the funeral. After all, the second wife and the eldest sister-in-law were heartbroken and had no intention of managing the affairs. She was not qualified.
But now when I think back on it, there are many doubts. He clearly passed the imperial examination, so how could he die? Oh, I remember that Uncle Zhu had two maids who were later raised as concubines, and no one knows where they went in the end. Maybe they were sold by my eldest sister-in-law. It's also my fault for not thinking so much at the time.

"We must not spread this matter. Now, let's go out and meet those elders to see what they want to do."

"Yes, grandma."

Ping'er lowered her head and responded. This kind of situation had rarely happened before, and she didn't know if grandma could handle it.

Wang Xifeng put her hands on her hips, pushed the door open, and walked out.
In the yard,
When the guards saw him, they immediately bowed in unison.
"I have met Second Grandma, I hope she is doing well,"

moment,

Wang Xifeng straightened her back and felt more confident. She looked at the people she had recruited on a whim and felt that she had made the right move. She had not wasted her money to support them.

"Okay, but today is not a good day. From now on, some things can be said in private, but they must not be spread outside. Wait a minute, follow me outside the mansion and follow my instructions."

"Yes, grandma."

Everyone clasped their fists in response. They didn't know why these people seemed so loyal. It was because the Marquis's Chamber of Commerce paid enough money, and only those introduced by Second Madam could enter. They, their relatives and friends, all relied on Second Madam's connections to make a living, so how could they not contribute?

"Walk,"

Just said a word,
Wang Xifeng walked out of the yard, followed by a group of guards, each of them strong and powerful, holding sticks, and looking very impressive.
A group of people passed by the front yard in a mighty manner. When many servants of Rongguo Mansion saw them, they quickly put down their work and stood aside, not daring to speak. Their eyes were full of fear. The Second Madam was becoming more and more powerful!

(End of this chapter)