Last time on Grafting Life: Shi Xiang Yun’s saga continues.
This chapter has been brought to you by me, and Smash10101.
Chapter 50 – Red Chamber (50)
The Xue mother and daughter heard the news and changed expressions. They hurried to the River Bamboo Building. They did not know if Shi Xiang Yun had done this on purpose or not. But this hanging was truly a divine move. Regardless of how many reasons the Jia Family had, the girl was seeking death. If you did not take responsibility, what could they do?
Mother Jia heard the report in the room and felt her sight blacken out. Do not die in the Jia Family. Otherwise, they would not be able to explain themselves. She hurriedly ordered, “Get the palace physician, get the palace physician.” Then she stood up, and had Yuan Yang help her move towards the garden.
The two Shi sisters-in-law looked at each other with joy in their eyes. This Yun-yatou was smart for once.
There was a phrase called, “Threaten with death.” It was most appropriate to use now. To the Jia Family, if one did not use a vicious move, they would not know to be afraid. If the Shi miss died in the Jia Family, it will be a very grave matter. The Jia Family cared about the reputation of the consort in the palace, and they did not dare to have this occur.
The group entered the River Bamboo Building. Mother Jia cried, “Yun-yatou, how do you bear to do this? This old woman cared for you for nothing. How can you be so vicious for me, an old person, to send off a young person?”
Cui Lu knelt by Shi Xiang Yun’s side and cried. She had just gone out to pack, preparing to return with the two mistresses in a while. But when she came back, her miss was hanging from the rafters. Luckily she had been discovered in time and saved. Otherwise, the consequences were unimaginable. Cui Lu saw the old mistress cry, and suddenly felt that the care the old mistress gave her miss in the past was all false. The more she saw, the more fake she found the other, and the more unjust she felt for her miss.
Shi Nai’s wife said, “Old Mistress, quick, stop crying, what are you crying about? Just now, you were forcing the child on this path with your words. If she dies, at least she will be clean.”
Mother Jia’s expression changed. She said, “What do you mean? Which of my words are not for Yun-yatou‘s good?”
“All right! Old Mistress,” Shi Ding’s wife said, “do not make us say unpleasant things. Today, we will bring Yun-yatou home. Tomorrow, the master will go to the palace to ask for justice. Our family is already embarrassed. Today, even if I am more embarrassed, it is nothing.”
Wang-shi hurriedly said, “I can make the marriage between Yun-yatou my paternal nephew……”
Bah!” Shi Ding’s wife spat at Madam Wang. “Why don’t you look at the quality of the Wang Family? Even if I have to have Yun-yatou to become a nun, I will not have her ruined by your family. Your family birth sons but does not raise or teach them. They only ruin others. I do not know how you have face to say such things.”
Madam Wang had never been embarrassed like this. She said angrily, “It is because your miss is not appropriate. The Lin Family misses lived in our family, and no one said anything. The old mistress told Miss Yun to stay in the River Bamboo Building. The Rice Fragrance Village is for the Lin misses, still being kept for them now. The misses of the Lin family did not come to live here, your miss wanted to come to live here. Who can be blamed for this? The rooms in the old mistress’ courtyard have been kept for her. She did not live there, who can be blamed for that? The misses of relatives came to visit and so a good place was set aside for her. It is up to her whether she lives there or not. Did we force her to live there? If we truly schemed for her to live there, we would have prepared the building for her beforehand. But you ask around. The building was only prepared after your miss said she wanted to live here. That Ping’er even came to ask your miss if she wanted to live in the old mistress’ room, or in the garden. If she wanted to live in the garden, the stores had to be opened to get items. Your miss said, how come other people can live there, but I cannot? Is this our mistake? It was the consort who ordered the other people in the garden to move in. Does my son living at home break the laws?”
Shi Ding’s wife said, “You have to ask the old mistress, do not talk to me about this. The old mistress kept on asking to keep Yun-yatou to teach her. Dare I ask how she was taught, just left alone in the garden without anyone to care for her?”
Mother Jia could not speak. On one side was her paternal family, the other side her children and grandchildren. What to do?
She saw her two nieces-in-law unrelenting and said, “Never mind, never mind, they are all evil creatures, just engage Yun-yatou to Bao Yu.”
Wang-shi changed expression. “Old Mistress, think of Bao Yu. Bao Yu’s life cannot be ruined like this.”
Shi Xiang Yun’s tears came down. So being with her was a calamity?
The Xue mother and daughter stood behind others. They looked at each other and felt dispirited. The old mistress did care about her paternal family, and agreed.
Shi Nai’s wife saw that Shi Xiang Yun’s eyes had opened. She looked at Jia Bao Yu who was crying at the side, and said, “Yun-yatou, there are two paths for you right now. One, you stay in the Jia Family, we make the engagement for you. You have seen what happened today. Even if you marry in, it will not be the same as before when you lived here as a relative. Your days will not be as good as you imagine. Two, you go to the family temple. Our Shi Family has a family temple. There are the concubines of the old master there, and some of your father’s concubines. You can live there. An estate in front of the temple is ours. The people there are all Shi Family soldiers. No one will have bad thoughts and bully you there. The income from the estate is enough to support the women in the temple to live simply. While my words are harsh, at least you will be able to live cleanly. The things that your parents left for you are still yours. You can live in the temple and pass your life in peace.”
Shi Nai’s wife sighed and said, “You can choose what you want. You have even decided to die, there is nothing you cannot decide.”
Mother Jia changed expression. She had not thought that after such a fuss and she had agreed, they did not seem to be willing. Mother Jia did not know what she felt.
Shi Xiang Yun glanced at Jia Bao Yu. Thinking of his joy when he was told he was engaged to Lin Dai Yu, she nodded. “I will go to the family temple, and pay for my sins.”
“Miss!” This time, Cui Lu hurt for her miss.
“Yun-yatou, why do this? You have dug out my heart.” Mother Jia looked at the two sisters-in-law. “You are vicious. Yun-yatou is to be pitied……”
“Pretend that we beg the old mistress. Do not pity our miss any longer. Ordinary people cannot bear your pity.” Shi Ding’s wife ordered her own servant girls to help pack. “Let’s leave this place quickly.”
“Sister Yun……” Jia Bao Yu saw a granny carrying Shi Xiang Yun and wanted to stop them. He said, “Sister Yun, isn’t us together so good? You are like this, leaving me behind as a lone ghost, it is not fun.”
“Bao Yu, do not speak nonsense.” Wang-shi hurriedly said, wanting to sew Bao Yu’s mouth shut.
Shi Ding’s wife chuckled coldly, “I really have seen a lot today. A man but one unable to take responsibility. Now, you are a cat mourning the mouse. What kind of intentions do you hold?”
“So true,” Shi Nai’s wife said, “You are not able to study, you do not have martial skill, you do not know common matters, you do not know how to have connections with others. Who will marry their daughter to a useless person like you, who also likes women?” Then she glanced at Aunt Xue, and saw the other was blushing red before stopping.
Shi Xiang Yun felt a lot of reluctance and unwillingness. But so what? Even if he agreed, Second Brother’s heart was not on her. Why should she suffer?
In just the span of two days, a lively girl became fragile as a rag doll. She let the granny carry her out of the room. She looked with wide eyes at Jia Bao Yu who was sobbing. She knew, with this separation, maybe they would never again meet in this life.
She memorized the appearances of all these sisters. Her brightest days had passed here. In the future, she likely had to rely on these memories.
Wang Xi Feng had sent someone to tell the Lin Family what Mother Jia had said.
Lin Yu Tong had not expected that Mother Jia would play a trick like this. She sent Xiao Hong back and then went to find Lin Ru Hai. Of course, it had to be Lin Ru Hai who would take care of the matter.
Lin Ru Hai just sneered coldly and comforted Lin Yu Tong. “This father will take care of this matter.”
Then, Lin Yu Tong learned what Lin Ru Hai’s arrangements were.
First, Lin Ru Hai’s position was finally confirmed. He had been promoted to being the Prime Minister of the left in the secretariat, upper first rank.
This was truly a position of power. The secretariat was divided into left and right Prime Ministers. Lin Ru Hai was truly below one person and above ten thousand. This was very illustrious.
Then, Jia Zheng’s fifth rank position was demoted to lower seventh class. He was transferred to being the district defender of a district in the northwest.
Lin Yu Tong was shocked. A district defender was not even a magistrate. Their power was not very big. Jia Zheng did not have any abilities. In the capital, people would give him some face. But in a place far from the emperor, no one would help him. The ways of the people below were not someone like him who had never left the capital and liked to stay at home would know. He would be played to death.
She heard Lin Ru Hai say, “The old mistress likes her second son the most. She plots about my child, so I will plot once about hers. We are even.”
Lin Yu Tong thought, right now, you have a powerful position, and you demoted Jia Zheng severely to show the relationship between the Jia and Lin families. No one would believe that there was an engagement between their children. Such a matter was taken care of so cleanly, just crushed. It really was good.
But the Jia mother and son sat facing each other, not feeling very good……
Editor’s ramblings: Happy new year everyone! I hope it goes better for you than it does for the Jia Family.
Translator Ramblings: Respectable ways of death for women are 1) hanging/strangulation and 2) poisoning, whether by mercury or something else. Number one is generally more accessible than number two.
- Grafting Life Chapter 49 – Red Chamber (49)
- Grafting Life Chapter 51 – Red Chamber (51)
- Grafting Life Chapter 52 – Red Chamber (52)
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