Last time on Grafting Life: Wang Xi Feng ensures Jia Lian won’t have any more bastards. Third Sister You gets rejected.
This chapter has been brought to you by me, and Smash10101.
Chapter 59 – Red Chamber (59)
Third Sister You’s expression turned cold. She said, “I don’t care who it is, I have nothing to do with you. You see that I cannot be sold for a good price so you want to find another buyer?”
Mother You did not care that she said such a thing, “If not for your benefit, why would I put in such effort? You think the You Family wealth is enough for you to eat, drink, and live? You know, you two sisters are not the You Family’s daughters. Both your eldest sister and the You Clan will not agree to give you much of a dowry. Without a dowry, without any brothers, the You Clan will not care about you girls who do no have their blood. Your dead father just said that if we guard the family property, it would be safe. What can people do with the bit of things he left behind? If not for this mother plotting for you, how could Second Sister have such good days? In a few years, she will be in charge of the household, and will not be any worse than a proper missus. Wealth is the hardest to get. So what if you are a concubine? If you lower your head and can trade for a life of wealth, why not? I know you are a clever one, but now you look stupid.”
Third Sister You sneered. “I will not bow down and live by other people’s grace. You can stop thinking about this.”
Mother You was so angry she pressed a hand to her chest and said that she was in pain. “You are like this now. Who will want you?”
This poked Third Sister You’s broken heart. She cried, “Do not speak of me. You took us, and married someone better than my father. Why can’t I do the same?”
“Better than your father! Nonsense,” Mother You said, “If Master You was not old, and still had an appetite, he would not have wanted your mother.”
“I do not agree.” Third Sister You said with a fierce expression, “Other than Liu Xiang Lian, I will marry no one else.”
“How come you are not enlightened?” Mother You said, “Who do you think I found? He is the Jinghai Count. What do you have to dislike with such a person?”
Third Sister You stilled and shook her head. “No matter who he is, even if he comes with mountains of gold and seas of silver, I will not agree.”
A servant girl was passing by outside, and coincidentally heard the talk between mother and daughter. She laughed. She had never seen such shameless people. Who was the Jinghai Count? Who did not know the marriage with the eldest Lin Miss was of an imperial edict. She wanted to become his concubine, she did not know what she was worth.
What kind of appearance and personality did the eldest Lin miss have? Everyone in the Jia Family knew. The Third Sister You did not qualify to hold the other’s shoes because of how dirty she was. Mountains of gold and seas of silver, she really thought she was someone.
The servant girl laughed inside, and then turned to report to You-shi.
You-shi heard this and laughed coldly. She said, “You go talk to Xiao Hong who is close to the second missus.”
The young servant girl smiled and understood. Missus was borrowing a knife to kill. Everyone knew the Lin Family shouldnot be provoked. Even the old mistress and the mistresses avoided Eldest Miss Lin slightly. Mother You was an egg throwing herself on a rock.
Wang Xi Feng heard Xiao Hong’s words and snorted at You-shi‘s method. However, she said, “You go to the Lin Family, and warn them. Such shameless people do not have any scruples. Being dragged down by them is a disgusting thing. It is best to avoid them as much as possible.”
Lin Yu Tong was doing nothing else at home except keeping Lin Dai Yu company at Physician Su’s class. She would learn as much as she could. At least, she could recognize the herbs and make ordinary medicines.
Hearing Xiao Hong’s message, Lin Yu Tong was stunned for a while. Wen Tian Fang’s unexpected appearance was now related to Third Sister You. She was not like Lin Yu Tong, who felt that it was fine to just guard against this. Because the conduct of Third Sister You was very inexplainable. If Wen Tian Fang did not agree, what if she went and killed herself?
Who could endure something like this? You loved someone, but they did not like you, so it was a crime. You changed, but people did not forgive you, so this was a crime. You wanted to recommend yourself, others refused, so you would make a fuss about killing yourself.
What kind of defect was this?
Lin Yu Tong could not understand Third Sister You’s thoughts. A few years ago, she saw an unfamiliar man from a distance, and immediately fell in love. Where did the love come from? Falling in love at first sight was like this? She said she would wait for him to come marry her. But when waiting for him and loving him, when you were mixed up with Jia Zhen, how come you did not think about your love? Or, even if Jia Zhen was not a good person and you were unwilling, if you had the courage to die in front of Liu Xiang Lian, then why did you not risk your life to resist Jia Zhen? Was being with him while cursing and shouting a bit at him enough to call yourself fiery and forthright? She did not know how Liu Xiang Lian had given Third Sister You this opinion after her death.
She said that if he did not come this year, she would wait a year. If he did not come for ten years, she would wait ten years. How did she wait? By being with other men?
She found it unfathomable.
In real life, if someone encountered a girl like this, when you did not know who she was, she fell in love with you, and then, not caring who you were, if you had a wife, and treated marrying you as their lifelong goal, she would kill herself in front of you if you did not agree.
Regardless of how much of her own helplessness she had, such conduct even broke through the bottom line of a normal person. She treated the man she loved like her savior. When the hope was destroyed, she was in despair. So she killed herself. But you did not ask the other person if they were willing to save you.
Who would be touched encountering such a person? All of them would feel that they had encountered an insane person, and would be given a fright.
If this was infatuation, where did the feelings come from?
If this was said to be forthright and fierce, it was too late.
Maybe, she only sold her skills and not her body. But someone like Shi Xiang Yun had her engagement broken off, much less someone like her. Which proud man would accept someone like her?
When reading the book, she could sigh for Third Sister You, but encountering her, she found the other absurd and laughable. Lin Yu Tong leaked this to Lin Yu Yang. Lin Yu Yang did not say a thing, and the next day, he was clever and told Wen Tian Fang who had just returned to the capital.
Wen Tian Fang was first shocked and then said, “Tell your sister there is not something like this, and will not be something like this.”
Lin Yu Yang smiled and said, “I will not do so. You explain to my sister yourself.”
Wen Tian Fang sent Lin Yu Yang away and ordered someone to inquire what had happened. He was very busy all the time, and did not have the attention to hear the nasty rumors outside. When he asked, the servants all knew. How could such an erotic story occur so commonly?
After hearing all this, Wen Tian Fang understood. Thinking of the words that Lin Yu Tong told Lin Yu Yang to tell him, “The girl is a bit extreme. Do not let her drag us in, and have rumors spread.”
He did not know how to guard against this. After tossing and turning in the night, he thought of an idea.
The next day, Wen Tian Fang sent a memorandum to the court. He said that while he was only in charge of the order of the capital, he was worried about some things. For example, many indecent acts had occurred during the state mourning period, causing the rumors on the streets to be so terrible. The court had the duty of teaching the people. Now, something like this occurred in the aristocratic families. The court should not permit it, and should punish strictly to correct the general mood.
The emperor and the officials did not know what was going on with Wen Tian Fang, to mention such a matter out of the blue.
But if such events were occurring during the state mourning, it did not reflect well on the court. The key was that the person who sent the memorandum was too special, and the matter did not have to do much with the court’s major matters. The emperor did not refuse, the court would not make a sound. They immediately all agreed that the general mood had to be cleaned up.
So all of them talking, they started to mention the indecent matters occurring in the capital. The matter of Jia Zhen, Jia Lian, Jia Rong, and the You Sisters was in first place. The key was they fit, as people who had titles, and they were doing this during the state mourning, but also the family mourning period. Especially Jia Zhen. His father had just died.
This was not just disloyalty, but unfilialness.
The lack of filial piety was a major crime. Based on the situation, the degree of punishment was set. The greatest punishment was execution.
Jia Zhen had not reached such a degree, but that day, the emperor demoted his title, from a third rank general to a fourth rank general. He was sentenced to fifty strikes in a beating by the Ministry of Justice. The fifth rank Dragon Guard Commandant position that had been bought for Jia Rong was taken away. He was sentenced to thirty strikes. Jia Lian was sentenced to twenty.
When the edict reached the Jia Family, the entire family was stunned. They sat in their home, and the calamity came from the sky. How did they suddenly end up with such great crimes?
Mother Jia, Jia She and Jia Zheng looked at each other, not knowing where the calamity came from.
Jia She kicked Jia Lian and said, “You evil creature, what mistake did you make for the Emperor to personally make an edict to punish you? You have shamed the ancestors. Today, I will beat you to death and then ask the emperor for forgiveness. It was me who did not raise my son correctly and gave birth to such a thing.”
Jia Lian was still stunned right now. He did not know where he had made a mistake. While he was a bit of a scoundrel, he never touched anything that could cause trouble. He could not remember while Jia She was shouting at him.
Wang Xi Feng stood behind Mother Jia and choked out, “I just said that this matter, no matter how it is kept secret, would be found out.”
Everyone looked at Wang Xi Feng. Mother Jia immediately said, “Feng-yatou, if you know, tell us.”
“It is caused by the You Sisters. State mourning, family mourning, you do not avoid them.” Wang Xi Feng looked at Jia Lian and said, “If I did not appear and bring her in, right now, if people did not hold this over you, your crime would be even greater.”
Jia Lian finally realized.
Mother Jia raised her staff and hit Jia Lian. “You dare to not have respect, you dare to not have good sight, you take the good and bad close to you. Pity Feng-yatou and Ping’er. Such good girls, ruined by a bastard like you.”
Translator Ramblings: My fault for the delay, Smash had the chapter edited but things kept sliding…
- Grafting Life Chapter 58 – Red Chamber (58)
- Grafting Life Chapter 60 – Red Chamber (60)
- Grafting Life Chapter 61 – Red Chamber (61)
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