Red Mansion Huacai

Chapter 365 Swallowing the Living Gold and Diing

The servant Qiu Tong entrusted was named Rui He. He was embarrassed because he returned empty-handed. When he came back and saw Qiu Tong, he said, "Zhang Hua is a greedy man. How could he take risks for something that has no benefits?"

Qiu Tong gritted her teeth and said, "Didn't you give me five taels of silver?"

Rui He sneered, "Aunt, don't you think about it? The Jia family is such a powerful family. How dare he offend the Jia family for five taels of silver?"

Qiu Tong cursed for a while, and just at this moment, she saw You Erjie leading Shan Jieer out of the inner room, strolling towards Baishi Bridge. Qiu Tong gritted her teeth, told Ruihe to wait, went back to the Yihong Courtyard wing room to find her own money, and then stuffed twenty taels of silver into Ruihe's pocket: "That's all, tell him, if he doesn't want to do it, forget it."

Rui He almost slapped himself in the face, but it was too late to back down, so he could only vaguely agree: "I'm on duty these few days, I'm afraid I'll have to find a chance to go out."

Ruihe planned to delay for a few days and then tell Qiutong that Zhang Hua did not agree. But in September, Zhang Hua actually submitted a petition to the Metropolitan Procuratorate.

After all, the Jia family was a noble family that had founded the country, and Zhang Hua, who submitted the petition, was a commoner. After receiving the petition, the Censorate quickly sent someone to deliver a letter to the Rongguo Mansion.

Jia Lian was shocked when he heard this, and he quickly took out two hundred taels of silver from the public treasury to go to the Censorate to make arrangements. Feng Jieer was very happy when she got the news, but she pretended to be panic and went straight to find Jia Mu for advice.

As soon as she entered Rongqing Hall, Sister Feng explained the reason and started crying, "It was all because of Sister Zhen's ignorance. She didn't return the agreement with that family, so she got sued!"

After hearing this, Grandmother Jia was very upset and hurriedly asked Youshi to come and report back.

Yu Shi came in a hurry, and as soon as she entered she heard Grandmother Jia say, "Your sister was betrothed to someone when she was young, and she never broke off the marriage, so someone made a false report of the incident."

Jia Lian and Jia Qiang were responsible for the cancellation of You Erjie's engagement, but You Shi couldn't refuse at this moment, so she replied, "He even accepted the money, how can there be any certainty?"

After a discussion with Youshi and Fengjie, Jia's mother thought that Zhang Hua was cunning and wanted to let Fengjie deal with it. However, considering that Fengjie had just given birth, she sent someone to tell Jia Lian to deal with it. The head maid Amber came back and said that Jia Lian had already gone to the Censorate to deal with it.

At that moment, Sister Feng and Mrs You left. Mrs You suspected that Sister Feng was playing tricks, but she couldn't get any evidence at this moment. Although it seemed that Sister Feng had not touched Sister You at all, Mrs You lost face in front of Grandmother Jia. In addition, Sister Feng had made a scene a few days ago, and Mrs You was in the wrong. She dared not go to Yihong Courtyard to see Sister You.

But Qiu Tong was relieved when he got the news. He turned around and looked for the servant Rui He, and happily ordered: "Tell Zhang Hua that he must bite the silver to death after he gets it!"

Rui He was very surprised to hear this, so he could only agree to it. He turned around and listened, and found that Zhang Hua had actually gone to complain. Rui He was very happy in his heart, and ignored Qiu Tong's instructions, and just kept the twenty taels of silver for himself. He played around every day after work.

As the saying goes, money makes the world go round. When Jia Lian went to the Censorate and gave him two hundred taels of silver, the official in the court concluded that Zhang Hua was a scoundrel and was blackmailing people by taking advantage of his poverty. He tore up the petition, beat him with a stick and drove him out.

Zhang Hua was not stupid. He thought that someone was secretly trying to deal with the Rongguo Mansion. If a small shrimp like him got involved in the fight between the nobles, he would be killed without a burial place. So he rolled up the remaining silver dollars and fled the capital overnight.

Seeing that the case was dropped, Jia Lian breathed a sigh of relief, but was afraid that Zhang Hua would continue to harass him, so he sent a servant to find Zhang Hua and threaten him. Unexpectedly, the servant came back and reported that Zhang Hua had already escaped.

Jia Lian did not think much about it, and thought that Zhang Hua had failed to blackmail, and was afraid of retaliation from the Rongguo Mansion, so he fled overnight. He went to the Yihong Courtyard and told Feng Jieer and You Erjie about this matter. Feng Jieer said, "Zhang Hua has always been cunning. Fortunately, this time, Censor Huang has a history with our family, so he withdrew the petition. If it is the turn of another censor to sit in court tomorrow, what will Zhang Hua do if he goes to file a petition again?"

When You Erjie heard this, she was immediately terrified. Her face looked pitiful and she looked at Jia Lian with tears in her eyes.

Jia Lian said, "This kind of cunning person has always been afraid of power and has no respect for virtue. I will send someone to beat him up, and then he will know how powerful I am!"

He immediately sent four or five servants to search for Zhang Hua outside the city. The next day, the servants returned and reported that not only Zhang Hua, but also Zhang Hua's father had gone. The neighbors said that the father and son had left early in the morning and said they were going back to their hometown.

Qiu Tong was originally worried and hoped to drive You Erjie out, but she didn't expect that it was just a lot of noise but little action. Jia Lian only spent two hundred taels of silver to settle the matter.

What a pity that she had spent twenty-five taels of silver before. Now she was just a maid, how much money did she get every month? These twenty-five taels of silver were most of her savings! Because of this, she became more and more angry with You Erjie. Every day when she opened her eyes, she stared at the east wing, wishing she could find You Erjie's mistakes all the time.

After a few days, Qiu Tong succeeded. The maids around You Erjie were originally transferred from Jia Lian's family. Some of them were rough servants, or they had no job at home and had never learned the rules.

First, a maid ran wildly in the Grand View Garden without hearing any human voices, and bumped into the fourth girl Xichun, knocking her over; then another maid was greedy and stole You Erjie's snacks. Qiu Tong caught both incidents and reported them to Feng Jieer.

These days, Feng Jieer just acted like a Maitreya Buddha, leaving the household affairs to Tanchun and concentrating on taking care of her newborn daughter.

Qiu Tong's complaint was exactly what Sister Feng wanted. Sister Feng called You Erjie to her side and did not scold her. She just said, "It is not good for a maid in the garden to be so unruly. If you are reluctant to let her go, why not send her to the nanny to be educated first, and then come to serve you after she has learned the rules."

You Erjie did not suspect anything, but said with a guilty conscience: "Just follow my elder sister's instructions. I come from a poor family and do not know how to teach."

Feng Jieer smiled and asked about You Erjie's daily life, and then sent Ping'er to send her out.

When Qiu Tong saw Feng Jieer like this, she became very angry and told everyone that Feng Jieer had become like Maitreya Buddha ever since she gave birth to a child.

Hearing this, everyone in the family was secretly surprised, wondering how Feng Jieer could become so kind and virtuous.
As a result, within three days, the good girl refused to obey orders. You Erjie said, "There is no hair oil left. Go and tell the eldest lady to bring some."

Shan Jie said, "Second Madam, how can you be so ungrateful and ignorant? Our grandmother not only has to promise the old lady every day, but also has to promise the ladies here and there. These sisters-in-law, hundreds of men and women, get up every day, waiting for her words. At least there are 10 to 20 big things to do every day, and 30 to 50 small things. From the empress outside to the princes and dukes, there are so many people and guests, and at home there are these relatives and friends to deal with. Thousands of silver coins, tens of thousands of silver coins, are all handled by her hands, heart, and mouth every day. Why bother her for such a small matter! I advise you to be more careful. We are not married in a formal way. She is a rare virtuous man in history, so she treats you like this. If someone else hears this, they will make a fuss and throw you out. You can't live or die, and what can you do?"

You Erjie lowered her head after hearing these words. She thought that since it was said, she had no choice but to accept it.

From then on, Shanjie gradually became afraid to even serve her meals. She would eat one meal early or late, and all the food she served would be leftovers. You Erjie had said it twice, but she started to scream first. You Erjie was afraid that people would laugh at her for being restless, so she had to endure it. After five or eight days, she saw Fengjie again. Fengjie was very kind and kept calling her "sister". She also said, "If there is something that the servants cannot do and you can't control them, just tell me and I will beat them." She also scolded the maids and wives, saying, "I know you well. You bully the weak and are afraid of the strong. If you turn your back on me, who are you afraid of? If the Second Madam tells me a word 'no', I will kill you!"

Seeing her kindness, You Erjie thought, "Since she is here, why should I get involved? It is normal for servants to not know what is good for them. If I sue them and get wronged, people will say that I am not virtuous." Therefore, she covered up for them.

In the blink of an eye, it was the end of September. Jia Lian, who was always fickle, was infatuated with Yao Tao and wanted to stay in Yao Tao's room every night. But Yao Tao was also a woman who could read people's moods. She pretended to be weak when meeting people outside, and she was humble and called Qiu Tong sister.

At night, after making Jia Lian happy, Yao Tao asked for money. Jia Lian did not understand what she meant, but Yao Tao thought that the people in the family had become rich and powerful and wanted money for everything, including food, clothing and daily expenses. Jia Lian did not suspect anything and gave Yao Tao money every now and then, sometimes a few taels or more than ten taels.

After receiving the money, Yao Tao became even more devoted, and Jia Lian immediately forgot about You Erjie.

Seeing that You Erjie was becoming increasingly haggard, Sister Feng just hid away to take care of the children and watch the fun in secret. Ping'er was kind-hearted and couldn't stand it. That day, when Sister Feng went to Rongqing Hall, she gave some money to the kitchen and quietly went into the east wing with her food box.

After entering the room, Ping'er saw that You Erjie looked haggard, and Shanjie was not waiting in the room. Ping'er was surprised and asked, "Second sister, where is Shanjie?"

You Erjie came back to her senses and just shook her head, saying, "Maybe he went to play in the garden."

Ping Er smiled and said, "That's fine. Come and eat. I ordered a few dishes. I don't know if they suit your taste."

After saying that, he placed the food box on the table and spread it out. There were a few stir-fried dishes inside. Although they were not expensive, they included both meat and vegetables.

You Erjie was also very hungry, so she picked up the bowl and ate half a bowl of rice before she felt better. Ping'er handed over the red date water and said, "I can't always send it here because others are watching. I will ask you to play in the garden in private tomorrow, and I will find an opportunity to order some food from the kitchen for you, okay?"

You Erjie was already feeling extremely aggrieved. She had earned her way into the Grand View Garden thinking of a life of luxury, and her mother, third sister and eldest sister had all said that she would be well-off, and with the eldest sister protecting her, she might end up angering the second mistress to death, and from then on she would be the real second mistress.

Who would have thought that once I entered the Grand View Garden, I would live like neither a human nor a ghost?

My nose suddenly felt sore, my eyes turned red, and tears started to fall.

Feng Jieer did not hide her plot against You Erjie from Ping'er, but Ping'er could not betray Feng Jieer, so she just stepped forward to persuade her, "Second sister, stop crying, it's all because of the snobbish servants. Calm down first and eat quickly. Your health is important. Look, you have become thinner and your complexion is not good. Now you are also pregnant, so even if you feel wronged, you should not let the baby in your belly down."

You Erjie was so upset that she told about Shan Jie'er's neglect and the sarcastic remarks made by the maids and old women around her, saying that she could order people around if she had money but could not if she didn't. She also told her about Qiu Tong blocking the door and cursing in the street every day.

Finally, he said, "Please ask Miss Ping to talk to Grandma, so that I can have some time to relax."

Ping'er knew it clearly, but she didn't dare to vouch for it. She just said, "Our grandmother is only focusing on nursing the children now, and doesn't care about other things." You Erjie sighed and said nothing else, just focusing on eating and drinking.

At this time, Qiu Tong was watching as usual, walking in the courtyard, and her eyes could not help but glance at the east wing. When she saw Ping'er and the food box on the table, she was immediately furious. A little later, Feng Jieer returned from Rongqing Hall. Qiu Tong hurriedly stopped Feng Jieer and pointed to the east wing from a distance: "Madam's reputation was ruined by Ping'er. Such delicious food, but she didn't eat it, and went to the garden to steal food."

Feng Jie'er was angry in her heart, but smiled and said, "You are young and ignorant. She is now the second wife's wife, the one your master loves, and I will give her some leeway. If you go to confront her head-on, aren't you courting death?"

Qiu Tong was a simple-minded person. She became even more angry after hearing this and shouted, "Grandma is a weak person. I can't be as virtuous as her. How come Grandma has lost all her dignity? Grandma is tolerant and forgiving, but I can't tolerate any injustice. Let me have sex with this whore once, and then she will know!"

Sister Feng ignored Qiu Tong and went back to her room. After a while, Ping Er returned to her room anxiously. Sister Feng immediately sneered, "Other people keep cats to catch mice, but my cat bites chickens instead."

Ping'er didn't dare to say anything and was scolded politely. She thought to herself that she would never dare to send food to the east wing openly in the future.

Feng Jieer also knew that Ping Er was kind and compassionate to the poor and weak, so she didn't care too much about it at the moment, and just said, "You want to be a good person, but you know she didn't have any good intentions when she entered the garden!" After a pause, she continued, "Forget it, if you want to be a good person, just do it. You will suffer in the future. Just now, the old lady said that she would come to see the second sister because she was too quiet. You go and comfort her, so as not to reveal your tracks."

This 'second sister' refers to Sister Feng's newborn baby. Ping'er agreed and went back to the east wing to comfort the baby.

You Erjie was so angry with Qiu Tong that she cried in her room and refused to eat. She kept thinking about the past and realized that Qiu Tong had not said anything wrong. She regretted it so much. Ping Er tried to comfort her, but it was useless.

In the afternoon, when Grandmother Jia came to see the child, she saw that her eyes were red and swollen. She asked her why, but she didn't dare to say anything.

Qiu Tong was just trying to be nice and coquettish, so she quietly told Lady Jia, Lady Xing and the others, "She is always courting death. She is always crying and mourning, and secretly curses that Second Madam and I will die soon, so that she and Second Master can live together."

Grandmother Jia didn't like You Erjie in the first place, so when she heard this, she frowned and said, "She is too pretty, but she becomes jealous when she knows her true self. Feng treats her well, but she is so jealous. It shows that she is a mean person!" Therefore, she gradually disliked her less.

Seeing that Grandmother Jia was unhappy, everyone started to trample on her again, making You Erjie feel like she was neither alive nor alive. It was thanks to Ping Er that she often went behind Feng Jie's back to see her like this and help her resolve the issue.

How could You Erjie, a person with a heart as kind as flowers and skin as white as snow, endure such torture? After enduring the negative energy for a month, she became ill and felt too lazy to move her limbs. She lost her appetite and became increasingly pale and thin.

When Jia Lian came to see her, because no one was around, she cried and said, "I can't get better. I've been here for half a year and I'm pregnant, but I can't tell whether it's a boy or a girl. If God has mercy on me and I give birth to the baby, it'll be fine. If not, my life will be in jeopardy, let alone his."

Jia Lian said hurriedly: "Don't worry, I will ask a wise man to treat you."

After saying that, he turned around and immediately asked for a doctor.

Jia Lian had originally asked for Doctor Wang, but Doctor Wang had some family matters these days, so the servants went and asked Doctor Hu to come in and take her pulse. After a quick look, he said that it was menstrual irregularities and that she needed to take a lot of tonic.

Jia Lian was surprised and said, "It has been several months since her period began and she often vomits and feels sour and nauseous. I'm afraid it's due to the fetal gas."

After hearing this, Hu Junrong ordered the old women to come forward and take another look. You Erjie had no choice but to reach out her hand from inside the tent. Hu Junrong examined her for another half day and said, "If we talk about fetal qi, the liver pulse should be strong. However, when wood is strong, it will generate fire. Menstrual irregularities are also caused by liver wood. The doctor should be bold and ask the old lady to show her golden face a little so that the doctor can observe her complexion before prescribing medicine."

Jia Lian had no choice but to order the curtain to be lifted a little, so that You Erjie's face could be seen. When Hu Junrong saw her, his soul flew up to the sky, his whole body was numb, and he knew nothing. Before coming here, Hu Junrong had received a favor from Feng Jieer, and he was determined not to let You Erjie give birth to a child.

Five hundred taels of silver were enough for Hu Junrong to live on in his old age, but when he saw You Erjie's face, he felt a little sorry for her. It took him a long while to come to his senses, and his regret gradually faded. He thought that no matter how beautiful she was, she was still someone else's, and how could it be more important than five hundred taels of silver?
After closing the curtains for a while, Jia Lian accompanied him out and asked what happened. Doctor Hu said, "It's not fetal qi, but blood stasis. Now the most important thing is to clear the blood stasis and dredge the meridians." He then wrote a prescription and left.

Jia Lian ordered someone to deliver the medicine as a gift, and then he got the medicine and mixed it for him to take.

In the middle of the night, You Erjie had abdominal pain and unexpectedly aborted a fully formed male fetus. The bleeding continued and she passed out.

Upon hearing this, Jia Lian cursed Hu Junrong. He sent someone to ask the imperial physician to treat him, and at the same time he sent someone to report Hu Junrong. Hu Junrong had already packed up and fled when he heard this. The imperial physician said, "Your Qi and blood are weak to begin with. Since you were conceived, you may have been upset and suffocated. This gentleman is good at using strong and powerful medicines. Now your vitality is seriously damaged. It is hard to guarantee that you will recover in a short time. You should use both decoction and pills. Please ignore all the gossips and things. Hopefully, you will get better."

After saying this, he left. Jia Lian was so anxious that he checked who had invited the man surnamed Hu. When he found out, he beat him half to death.

Sister Feng was ten times more anxious than Jia Lian. She said, "We were destined to be childless. Now that we finally have one, we have to face such an incompetent doctor."

Then he burned incense and worshiped before heaven and earth, and made a fervent prayer, saying, "If I am sick, I only pray that Sister You will get better and get pregnant and give birth to a boy. I am willing to observe a long-term vegetarian diet and chant Buddhist scriptures." When Jia Lian and everyone else saw this, they all praised him.

When they returned to their room, Ping Er could not help herself and begged Feng Jie, "Now that my child is gone and she has been injured, I beg you to spare Second Sister You's life. If someone dies, I'm afraid it will be hard to deal with it."

Just as Sister Feng was about to refute her, Feng Er suddenly came in happily and said, "Madam, the Third Miss sent the secretary to tell us that Master Li had returned with the emperor and had sent someone to deliver a cart of furs to our house."

Feng Jieer had already changed her mind, and her heart was mostly on Li Weijian. She had originally hoped to give birth to a boy, but this time it was another girl. She couldn't help but feel a little resentful. At this moment, she was really resentful and loving at the same time. As soon as Feng'er left, she cursed: "The wild bull is finally back!"

Ping'er's mind was in a state of confusion, but on the surface she was observing her nose from her mouth and her mouth from her heart.

When Feng Jieer saw him, she scolded him, "Who are you pretending to be? I don't believe you don't have any regrets in your heart!"

Ping'er felt wronged. Although she had never really entered the alley, the ecstasy she felt in Xiangshan Villa was unforgettable. Ping'er would dream about it at night, and when she woke up, she would blush and change into small clothes.

Feng Jieer had scolded, but she also heard that the second-rate furs on that cart were all silver rat skins, and the rest were snow foxes, silver foxes, blue foxes, lynxes, elks, etc. Most of them were hunted by Li Weijian and his guards, and a small number were purchased in Ning'an (Jilin City) because the prices were cheap.

Feng Jieer couldn't help it, so she took Ping'er to the storehouse to check. Seeing that all kinds of furs were good, she felt relieved. She also heard that the emperor might not return to the capital until the afternoon, and thought that Li Weijian might return home at night, and might not see him until tomorrow, so she couldn't help but look forward to it.

When he returned, he said to Ping'er, "Forget it. If you want to be a good person, then do it. I will ignore her from now on."

Ping Er was overjoyed and hurried to the east wing. Ping Er came to see her and advised her, "Take good care of your health and ignore Qiu Tong, that beast."

You Erjie pulled her and cried, "Sister, I have been here for a long time, thanks to you for taking care of me. I don't know how much you have suffered for me. If I can escape, I will definitely repay you for your kindness. But I am afraid that if I can't escape, I can only wait for the next life!"

Ping Er couldn't help shedding tears and said, "I think it was all my fault. I was so infatuated with you that I never hid anything from her. When I heard that you were out there, how could I not tell her? Who knew that these things would happen!"

You Erjie said hurriedly: "Sister, you are wrong. If you didn't tell her, how could she not find out? It's just that you said it first. Besides, I also want to come in with all my heart, so that I can be decent. What does it have to do with you!"

Ping'er added, "Don't think about anything else. Madam has just told you that she will not treat you anymore. You must take good care of yourself."

How could You Erjie believe it? She thought Ping'er was just kidding her. Ping'er gave her a few more instructions and went to rest at night.

After a while, there was a commotion outside. When people heard that Li Weijian had indeed returned home, they sent someone to Rong Mansion to tell him that it was getting late today and he would come to pay his respects to the old lady tomorrow.

When Li Weijian returned with the emperor, everyone in the Rong Mansion was in high spirits, because any servant with a little respectability would probably be able to get a share of the profits from that cart of furs.

But at night You Erjie thought to herself: "The disease has already taken hold. If I don't take care of myself during the day, I will be hurt. I'm sure I won't get better. Besides, the baby has already been aborted, so there's nothing to worry about. Why should I endure all this? It would be better to die. It would be cleaner. I often hear people say that laying down gold can lead to death. Isn't that cleaner than hanging yourself?"

After thinking about it, he struggled to get up, opened the box, and found a piece of raw gold, which he didn't know how heavy it was. With tears in his eyes, he swallowed it into his mouth. He stretched his neck several times and finally swallowed it. Then he quickly put on his clothes and jewelry, and lay down on the kang. No one knew, and no ghost noticed.

On the next morning, the maids and wives saw that she did not call anyone, so they were happy to go and wash themselves.

Ping Erh couldn't stand it anymore, so she said to the maids, "You are just heartless people who beat and scold her. You don't even know how to pity a sick person. Although she is kind, you should also show some respect to her. Don't go too far. Otherwise, everyone will blame her when she falls!"

When the maid heard this, she pushed the door open and came in to see that You Erjie was fully dressed and dead on the kang. She was frightened and started to scream. Ping Er came in and saw her and couldn't help crying.

(End of this chapter)