King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 767 Mrs. Wang’s Talent
This time when Baochai returned home, she actually just wanted to see the place where she used to live. This could also be considered a kind of farewell.

As for meeting clansmen and relatives, she actually had no interest in it at all.

My dearest mother is right beside me, it doesn’t matter whether other people see her or not!
But not seeing her would seem unkind, and with Xue and Wang-shi pleading for her, Baochai finally came to the outer hall and took her seat.

The person who was most happy about this was Mrs. Xue Wang. After all, her daughter was the Crown Princess, and she would feel uncomfortable if she didn't show off.

Upon learning that the Crown Princess was about to summon them, the Xue, Wang, and Jia families all lined up in the outer courtyard, and Xue Pan was the leader to pay their respects.

In the end, all three families were summoned into the courtyard, but all the men could only kowtow outside the hall, and only the women from the three families were allowed to enter the hall.

Naturally, everyone in the Jia family was among them.

"bye……"

"Your humble servant... bows to Her Majesty the Crown Princess. May you live a thousand years!"

Kneeling three times in a row is considered the completion of the ceremony. Some of the detailed movements are very tiring.

But everyone who entered the hall did not show the slightest impatience. They wished they could see the Crown Princess every day, even if it meant kowtowing dozens of times a day.

"My elders and sisters, I haven't seen you for a long time. I'm back home today... I'm making you restless, so please don't blame me!"

Regardless of whether this was just a polite remark or not, for someone in Baochai's position, being able to be so respectful with words to those below her is already a very rare and precious thing.

At this time, if someone comes to praise it, it would be considered perfect.

Xia Yuegui was about to speak, but Wang Xifeng at the side spoke first: "Your Majesty is extremely noble, and I am so lucky to be able to meet you and kowtow to you. This is a blessing that others cannot even ask for!"

"If it weren't for the restrictions of etiquette, I would like to kowtow to your majesty and take advantage of your noble aura!"

Wang Xifeng's words were so blunt and sweet that it sounded sickening. Combined with her exaggerated expression, she looked very different at this moment.

She is like this, just like Granny Liu in the Jia family, making a fool of herself just to make a living.

Baochai smiled calmly, then said, "I know you have a sharp tongue. If you say I kowtow a dozen more times, and it gets out... you'll say I'm harsh to others!"

It is one thing to dare to make a joke, but it takes some courage to respond to a joke made by Baochai.

Wang Xifeng was very courageous. She replied, "If anyone dares to slander the queen like this, I will be the first to scold him to death!"

So Baochai laughed, and laughed very happily.

She looked around and said slowly, "When my mother and I first came to the capital, we stayed at Rongguo Mansion and I experienced her fierceness. After so many years... she is still so sharp-tongued. It shows that it is difficult to change her nature!"

Everyone laughed, and everyone in the Jia family laughed along, but their laughter seemed somewhat forced.

A family of two dukes, a family of a crown princess...

The former glory has become a thing of the past. From a wealthy family in the capital to a miserable life in Yingtian, only the Jia family knows the bitterness of the ups and downs.

What Baochai said at this moment made the Jia family recall their former glory, and naturally they all felt sad at this moment.

Baochai also realized that what she had just said was inappropriate, but she didn't take it too seriously. Besides, it was impossible for her to apologize for it.

Wang Xifeng had only spoken the first word, while the other people from the Xue and Wang families were all racking their brains, thinking about how they could get a few words in.

At this moment she hesitated for a moment, and was immediately interrupted by someone else, who then started to flatter Baochai in various ways.

Baochai has gotten used to this situation over the years, so even though she seems to be talking and laughing, she is not really involved in it. She is just watching quietly as a bystander.

Objectively speaking, the average level of the women in these three families was lower than that of the ladies she usually came into contact with, so her way of flattering them was relatively superficial.

Just when she was feeling bored, she suddenly heard sobbing sounds, which attracted her attention.

To prevent herself from hearing it wrongly, Baochai looked in the direction of the sound a few more times and finally discovered that it was a girl crying.

The girl was about seventeen or eighteen years old and very beautiful. She was Xichun, the fourth daughter of the Jia family.

Ningguo Mansion was raided and her father and brothers were all killed. Xichun is now taken in by the "Rongguo Mansion" and her presence is very low due to her sensitive identity.

On a day like today, the elders of the Jia family had not originally planned to let her come, but Xichun took the initiative to request to come and pay a visit to the Crown Princess.

Seeing her crying at such an inappropriate time, Mrs. Xing and Mrs. Wang were both worried. Fortunately, Wang Xifeng immediately stopped Xichun and used her eyes to warn her not to do anything rash.

"Stop crying!" Wang Xifeng lowered her voice.

She wanted to make a big thing small and a small thing nothing, but unfortunately the development of things was beyond her control.

"Sister Xichun, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling wronged?"

Once Baochai opened her mouth, no one in the Jia family could interfere. At this time, they all looked at Xichun with complicated expressions, praying in their hearts that she would not speak nonsense.

"Your Highness, I am alone and have suffered many hardships..."

My goodness! Just hearing this sentence, everyone in the Jia family felt a chill all over their bodies and their hearts started pounding.

"Now that I see the kindness of the queen, your virtuous example, I am grateful and overjoyed, and I lost my composure!"

Even though she is an old acquaintance of Xichun, Baochai will definitely punish her severely if she says something unpleasant at this time.

Fortunately, at this time, what the girl said was very good, a relatively high-level flattery, which made Baochai still smile.

After pondering Xichun's behavior before and after, and combining it with her rather tragic experience, Baochai guessed that she had done this on purpose.

The purpose of doing it intentionally was not pure, but Baochai understood Xichun more because she was indeed the most pitiful among all the sisters.

In fact, Xichun was also very nervous at the moment. She thought that acting pitifully in front of Baochai today was a rare opportunity to change her fate, so she carefully prepared these words.

But even if she tried her best, Xichun had little chance of success, and ultimately could only pin her hopes on the kindness of Sister Bao.

This is a gamble, but she has to gamble. She is now regarded as an "ominous" person in the Jia family, and she can only rely on herself to take a chance.

Fortunately, she made the right bet!
"Sister Xichun, what are you talking about? Although your father and brother died of a crime, this matter has nothing to do with you. Now that the elders in your family are still alive, I believe they will take good care of you. How can you be alone?"

After saying this, Baochai waved to Xichun, and when the latter came closer, she took her hand and asked, "Could it be... that you were wronged at home?"

"How dare I!"

At this time, Mrs. Xing, Mrs. Wang, Wang Xifeng, Li Wan and others all knelt down and spoke about how good it was to take care of Xichun.

But Baochai didn't look at them, but stared at Xichun in front of her.

Xichun answered cautiously: "Your Majesty, my aunts love me very much, and my sisters-in-law treat me very well too!"

"It's just that my father and brother are gone, and I always feel..."

Combining the two sentences together, the meaning is actually very clear. Although the aunts are very kind to him, they are not his biological father or brothers after all.

This little girl is quite interesting... Baochai smiled.

"The person has passed away. Now your family is taking good care of you. You should live a carefree life, take care of your husband and children... and live a smooth life!"

If someone else said this, it would just be a beautiful blessing, but when these words came from Baochai's mouth, they became the life trajectory that she "determined" for Xichun.

No matter what the final result is, the Jia family will do their best to make Xichun happy, otherwise they will disappoint the Crown Princess (Queen)'s high expectations.

After everyone in the Jia family agreed, Baochai asked them to stand up, and the matter was over.

After this incident, everyone deeply realized the danger of "serving the emperor is like serving a tiger" and that being too close to important people is not always a good thing.

After that, everyone chatted for another half an hour, after which Baochai felt it was very boring and asked everyone to go their separate ways.

As for the other men, they bowed outside the hall and then left. Only a few close female relatives were allowed to stay and have dinner with Baochai.

Apart from Mrs. Xue Wang and Xia Yuegui, there were only Baochai's aunt, as well as Mrs. Wang and Wang Xifeng.

Everyone had a very restrained lunch, and basically did not eat much, just looking at Baochai's face. Only Mrs. Xue and Mrs. Wang were chatting happily with Baochai. After the meal, everyone went to the garden to digest the food, and Mrs. Wang followed in the back.

She realized Baochai's intention to protect Xichun just now while they were having dinner.

Although Xichun’s relationship with Baochai is distant, she can still protect her like this. So shouldn’t Baoyu, who is her closer cousin, be taken care of even better?

Now that the Jia family has fallen on hard times, Yuanchun can no longer be relied upon. She doesn't want her son to suffer too much, so she wants to get Baoyu back into the family tree.

With a legitimate identity, he could, firstly, inherit the family business, secondly, pass the imperial examinations, and thirdly, he could legitimately perform filial duties to her.

"The Crown Princess!"

Mrs. Wang's sudden call quieted the people who were talking, and then Baochai turned around with a puzzled look on her face.

"Aunt, is there something wrong?"

At this moment, Wang Xifeng, who was following Mrs. Wang, was confused for a moment and didn't understand what her aunt was trying to do.

"Your Majesty, originally... your humble servant, does... does have a secret that is difficult to tell!"

Baochai smiled and said, "Aunt, you are always mature and prudent. Just speak your mind directly!"

After hearing these words, Xia Yuegui and Wang Xifeng understood the hidden meaning behind them. This was a warning to Mrs. Wang to be careful with her words.

Obviously, Baochai had no hope for this stupid aunt.

Unfortunately, Madam Wang didn't think much about it and immediately replied, "Your Majesty, you know that although I have two sons, there is actually no one on my knees!"

"The eldest, Zhu'er, died young, and the second, Baoyu...is now wandering outside. Whenever I think of this, I can't stop crying!"

Baochai hated Jia Baoyu to the core, but she was magnanimous and did not do anything to him, otherwise this guy would have died in a stinking ditch long ago.

When she heard Mrs. Wang mention this, her good mood suddenly disappeared, but as the Crown Princess she still maintained basic demeanor.

Baochai sighed, "Everyone has his own destiny. It's his fault that he didn't do the right thing!"

The warning in these words was even stronger, making Xia Yuegui and Wang Xifeng uneasy. Mrs. Xue and Wang's aunt also noticed that the atmosphere seemed wrong.

Only Madam Wang, who was perhaps really too excited at the moment, did not pay any attention to what was said. She just kept saying, "That's true. Your Majesty is now the Crown Princess. You can decide everything with your word. If you are willing to help your brother..."

If Mrs. Wang wanted to plead for Jia Baoyu on the grounds that she was old and had no one to support her, Baochai would think it was understandable.

But her words "your brother" were completely from Baoyu's perspective, which directly ignited Baochai's anger.

It would have been fine if the reverse operation had only mentioned Jia Baoyu, but now there is a second reverse operation. From the perspective of adding fuel to the fire, Mrs. Wang is a genius.

"enough!"

Baochai couldn't help it after all, and uttered these two words in a stern tone, which scared everyone around her so much that they lowered their heads, and even Mrs. Xue and Wang were frightened to the point of trembling.

Mrs. Wang was of course no exception. As she was the first to be hit, she froze completely and stayed in shock for a while before she bowed to the ground.

At this time, Mrs. Wang finally woke up from her dream and realized that she had acted too hastily.

"What do you mean by law? In the Ming Dynasty, only the emperor speaks the law, and his words are followed by the law. What is your intention in saying these words?"

The crime of disrespect is no joke. Wang Xifeng, who was standing by, also knelt down quickly because she was also implicated in this crime.

Baochai usually looked easy-going, but under the full pressure this time, everyone else knelt down and confessed their crimes. Only her mother, Xue Wang, was still standing, but her mouth was dry and she was anxious.

This is too scary. Should I kneel or not?... Mrs. Xue Wang was struggling with this.

"You, the Jia family, have received great favors from the state and have committed many illegal acts. It was only because of the emperor's leniency that you were able to preserve your wealth and status. But now you do not repent... but instead feel unwilling to give in and have all kinds of delusions!"

"Is such behavior... consistent with the ethics of loyalty and filial piety?"

After such a rebuke, Mrs. Wang dared not say anything more.

Not only her, but everyone present at the moment was trembling with fear as if they were on the edge of an abyss, and did not dare to even have the slightest thought of begging for mercy.

Fortunately, Xue Wangshi was present, and Baochai had to give face to her mother no matter what, so she didn't say anything more. She snorted coldly and left with her mother's arm.

Then Xia Yuegui and Mrs. Wang stood up, looked at each other, and followed.

Wang Xifeng also stood up, glanced at her aunt who was still kneeling, and followed her without paying any attention.

After everyone left, Mrs. Wang still had her head on the ground. At this moment, she was wrapped in panic and her brain was in a short-circuited state.

After a few minutes, her heart gradually calmed down and she stood up with great difficulty.

Looking around, she was the only one there. Although the world was big, she felt she had no place to stay at the moment. The invisible feeling of oppression made her extremely uncomfortable.

In fear and despair, Mrs. Wang walked out of the Xue family's inner chamber like a walking corpse.

At this time, Jia Zheng, Jia She and others were chatting and laughing in the outer courtyard. Overall, today's audience went quite well.

"Master, the lady has come out, and it seems that there is something...something!"

The maid's hesitant report made Jia Zheng extremely unhappy, but this was after all the Jia family, and he couldn't scold even their own family members.

"Take me there!" Jia Zheng said in a deep voice.

"Yes!"

Jia Zheng went to Mrs. Wang and asked for a long time before he found out the situation. The ups and downs in life happened so quickly that Jia Zheng almost fainted.

And Mrs. Wang, the instigator, also suffered domestic violence for the first time in her life and was slapped in the face by Jia Zheng with all his strength.

Afterwards, Jia Zheng hurriedly left with Mrs. Wang on the pretext of having something to do at home. He planned to think about how to make amends after returning.

Although there was no time limit for Baochai to visit her parents, she had to set off for the palace when the sun set.

Anyway, she still has some time in Jinling, and we will spend a long time together, so I am not too sad to say goodbye.

As for Wang Xifeng, after seeing Baochai off, she, who had been full of energy, now looked like she had collapsed.

Then she returned to the carriage to rest for a while, as she had been very exhausted this afternoon.

Only then did she calm down. Jia Lian came over and told her that her aunt had invited her for dinner in the evening and asked her to pack up and come over to talk.

"I know!" Wang Xifeng said with dissatisfaction.

"What are you doing?"

Thinking she was just throwing a tantrum, Jia Lian didn't think much about it. Just as he was about to turn around, he remembered what happened in the afternoon, so he asked, "By the way...why did Second Uncle and the others leave in such a hurry today?"

Wang Xifeng got angry when this matter was mentioned. She sat up suddenly and said coldly, "Don't mention it. Your second aunt has offended the Crown Princess so much today!"

"Ah?" Jia Lian was shocked.

After he asked her further, Wang Xifeng told her the truth.

Jia Lian had originally planned to fool around with Xue Pan at night, but when he heard the news, he felt as if the sky had fallen and became extremely anxious.

"We have to divide the family, divide the family... otherwise you will be dragged to death sooner or later!" Wang Xifeng shouted angrily.

Jia Lian had this idea when he met the emperor in the morning. At this moment, Wang Xifeng's words touched his heart.

Ignoring Jia Lian's surprise, Wang Xifeng continued, "And... Fourth Sister has to be taken care of by us. The Crown Princess was very kind to her today. I don't feel comfortable leaving her in the care of others!"

"Do you understand?"

"I...I...I'll go discuss it with my father!" Jia Lian fled in panic.

(End of this chapter)