Red Mansion: Holding Space and Marrying Like the Sea

Chapter 279 Bastard

Just recently, when Lin Jingyu brought back a piece of news, Wang Xifeng, upon hearing it, acted decisively, canceling many of his previously scheduled social gatherings without hesitation. This was due to the current turmoil, and Wang Xifeng knew that in these extraordinary times, the more low-key and cautious one should be, the better. After all, when the country is in chaos, the thugs who usually lurk in the shadows will seize the opportunity to act with impunity and commit crimes frequently. Especially worrying is the lack of standardized procedures in handling cases. If one were to encounter an unexpected situation, one would be left with no recourse, no one would be able to turn to.

Just as everyone was on edge, the old lady of the Shi family returned home from her stay with Jia Yuanchun in the palace. Who could have imagined that she would suddenly fall ill and be bedridden, unable to get up. Even more unexpectedly, at this critical moment, the eldest daughter of the Jia family, the concubine in the palace, was found to be pregnant. This news was truly devastating, and the entire family was filled with gloom and sorrow.

Pregnancy should be a cause for joy, but now it's a cause of worry. How could she be so foolish? To sow the seeds of life during the period of national mourning! Old Lady Shi, familiar with the inner workings of the inner court, understood in a blink of an eye: her eldest granddaughter must have used some less-than-honorable means to bring herself to this state.

At this moment, Xifeng, who was busy checking the account book, heard the voice of the steward outside. Her fingers, which had been flipping through the account book, paused slightly, and then she cast a questioning look across the screen at the steward who was bowing outside to report the situation.

"Master, our shop has been very busy recently! Many rare treasures have arrived. I think the quality of those things is really extraordinary." The manager said respectfully.

Xifeng frowned slightly and asked, "Have you ever found out where these items come from? Whose goods do they belong to?" She has always been very concerned about any unusual situations in her own store.

The steward quickly replied, "Master, I've made thorough inquiries. Many of these items were sent by former servants of the Zhen family. I even carefully examined those treasures and indeed found the mark bearing the character 'Zhen'. Furthermore, several other aristocratic families have also sent us various rare and exquisite items for pawning."

The steward continued with a puzzled look on his face, "Tell me, the old empress dowager passed away not long ago, and her posthumous title has been determined. Normally, a wealthy family like theirs shouldn't be struggling to make ends meet. How could they suddenly have so many rare items to sell or pawn?"

Xifeng lowered her head slightly, her eyes narrowed, as if completely absorbed in her own thoughts, ignoring the old steward's inquiries. She pondered: What should she say? Should she tell the steward that the Empress Dowager had passed away, leaving those once-prominent and established noble families in a state of panic, feeling the situation was dire? Or perhaps she should mention that these families, in order to destroy evidence and maintain their livelihoods, had been forced to reluctantly sell off their treasured possessions for silver? Or perhaps she should reveal that some far-sighted individuals in other families had already quietly begun plotting a retreat for themselves?

However, no matter what, this was undoubtedly a fantastic business opportunity for Xifeng. Look at all those rare antique treasures and fine items on the market, all falling into her hands at prices below factory prices. It's truly a bonanza. Thinking of this, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly, revealing a subtle smile of pride.

After a brief pause, Xifeng raised her head, her gaze piercing at the old steward. Her red lips parted as she spoke softly, "Hurry back and tell the other two pawnshops and the shopkeepers in charge of lumber and materials. If any high-quality goods come to them in the near future, take everything you can. Remember not to rush to sell them; store them securely in the warehouse. They will be of great use at the end of the year! If you're short on money, prepare a list in advance and submit it to me for review. I'll then make the necessary payments as appropriate."

The shopkeeper had always been engaged in the business of buying low and selling high. His long experience in the business world had honed his keen eyes and keen perception. At this moment, just from the tone of his master's words, he could understand that this time he was going to purchase goods on a large scale.

Clearly, the master intended to pocket all of these fine goods, leaving nothing behind. So, the shopkeeper quickly replied, "Hey! I'll personally visit these shops this afternoon!" His words were filled with respect and obedience.

Xifeng's face lit up with satisfaction as she nodded slightly. But then, as if suddenly remembering something, she hurriedly added, "Don't forget to visit our silver and gold shops. I think some people find the prices offered by pawnshops too low, and so they're reluctant to give their jewelry there. If that's the case, then those precious pieces will be wasted in the gold shops! After all, many of the craftsmanship passed down by our families are rare finds. If they were simply melted down and turned into silver and gold ingots, it would be a complete waste!"

The shopkeeper nodded repeatedly, thinking to himself: This master of ours is truly meticulous and has thought everything through. Just yesterday, the shopkeeper of our own silver shop mentioned this to me! I never imagined that before I even reported it to my superiors, my master had already taken precautions and considered this matter in advance!

They were anxious to make money as quickly as possible, but at the same time, the Rongguo Mansion was in complete chaos.

Especially the old lady Shi. Although she usually lived a life of luxury, acted recklessly, and completely disregarded the rules of the mansion, this behavior was actually a manifestation of her behavior after the loss of her husband. You must know that the Shi family was one of the four most prestigious families back then, and the old lady Shi herself, before her marriage, was a lady of an extremely noble and prestigious family. Whether it was a broad vision or a deep mind and scheming, she had it all!

Unfortunately, as time went by, she grew older and her family declined. Because of this, she had lost interest in going out to attend various parties and visiting relatives and friends.

It is precisely for this reason that, compared to the foolish and ignorant Wang, Old Lady Shi is obviously able to see the current situation more clearly.

At that moment, a furious shout was heard: "How dare you still laugh? You see disaster is about to happen, and you, such a fool, are completely oblivious!" It turned out that Mrs. Wang had seen Old Lady Shi's sudden outburst of rage, and her face turned pale with fear, almost dropping the teacup in her hand. She could only stare blankly at her mother-in-law, who sat on the couch like a madman. Old Lady Shi not only scolded her non-stop, but even picked up a plate of fresh fruit and threw it at Mrs. Wang!

"Grandma, what...what is going on?" The daughter-in-law looked at Old Lady Shi in panic and asked in a trembling voice.

Old Lady Shi glared fiercely at her daughter-in-law, whom she had placed high hopes on. She felt suffocated in her heart and her vision went dark.

"You stupid woman! You are so stupid! What method did Yuanchun use? Are you still going to pretend to be ignorant in front of me?" Old Lady Shi roared angrily.

"It's during the national mourning period! It's the national mourning period! By doing this, aren't you putting the emperor in a dilemma? In this way, how can the child be saved?" Old Lady Shi accused bitterly.

By this time, Madam Wang was already pale with fear. She had never imagined that things would develop to this point. She had only discovered during her previous visits to the palace that Yuanchun had been in the palace for a long time but had not been able to conceive.

She was extremely anxious, thinking that if a woman could not give birth to children, she would be like a rootless duckweed and would find it difficult to gain a foothold in the palace.

Moreover, her daughter's character was so dignified and generous that even now, Mrs. Wang felt a little regretful. She thought that she had blindly raised her daughter according to the standards of a lady's mother, thinking that this would help her. However, she had never expected that this way of education would not bring any substantial help to Yuanchun.

Even worse, to put it bluntly, even if one entered the palace and became a concubine, they were still just a concubine. Aside from the high-ranking Empress, who could manage the other concubines and the harem's finances, the rest of the family was left to depend on others for their livelihoods. And who has ever seen a concubine manage the household? They're still trying to seduce the emperor with all their might?

However, what was frustrating was that her daughter seemed completely clueless. Every time she saw the emperor, she didn't even have the slightest intention of trying to please him. Even though she had been to the palace so many times, the fact that her daughter was gradually falling out of favor still didn't escape Mrs. Wang's sharp eyes.

"Old lady, please don't scare me! That... that is their royal bloodline, a legitimate grandson of the emperor! How can you just give him up like that?" Mrs. Wang widened her eyes and shouted in disbelief. She really couldn't accept such a cruel reality in her heart.

In her opinion, the old lady was simply looking for trouble and deliberately making things difficult for her. What family would be so cruel as to abort an unborn baby? As the saying goes, "Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs!" Even if it were her own family, the masters in the family would have loved to have many children and grandchildren.

Faced with Mrs. Wang's dull and ignorant appearance, Old Lady Shi felt both angry and amused, and didn't want to waste any more time explaining anything to her. But if this foolish woman didn't understand the interests involved, she would probably continue to be immersed in her own beautiful dream and refuse to wake up!

So, Old Lady Shi suppressed her anger and raised her voice again, shouting, "Guo Xiao! Do I have to repeat this to you over and over again?"

"The current emperor is in mourning. If he dares to openly favor a concubine and cause her to become pregnant, do you think the emperor will not care about his own face and reputation?"

"Once this unborn child is born, it will be an absolute bastard and will become a great shame for the entire royal family!" "You are still here happily thinking that our family has hit the jackpot? This is clearly misfortune! It is simply the death knell for our family!" Old Lady Shi's eyes were wide open and her voice was trembling with anger.

The people around were so frightened that they were silent, not daring to make a sound.

"How could Her Majesty have such an absurd idea? Besides..." Someone tried to argue, but as soon as the words came out of his mouth, he was glared back by the sharp eyes of Old Lady Shi.

At this moment, Mrs. Shi's mind was in turmoil, and suddenly, she seemed to understand something key.

Yes, how could the current emperor be so foolish? How could Yuanchun have such a lucky break? Who on earth was so mad and foolish as to dare allow a concubine to conceive during a period of national mourning? If there wasn't something fishy going on, it would be a complete disaster!

Thinking of this, the anger in Old Lady Shi's heart burned even more fiercely.

"Wang! Tell me the truth, did the Empress use any improper means?" Old Lady Shi widened her eyes and stared at Madam Wang in front of her, as if she wanted to eat her alive.

Surprisingly, Old Lady Shi, who usually needed a maid's help even to stand up, suddenly burst out with a huge burst of strength from nowhere. She pushed herself up with both hands and sat up from the couch on her own.

Mrs. Wang was startled by Mrs. Shi's sudden action and stammered, "I, I, I didn't..." However, her flickering eyes had already betrayed her inner panic.

"Hmph! Besides, the Queen Mother has always loved having many children and grandchildren. Even if Your Majesty can really give birth to a prince, it will be a great achievement and will make the Queen Mother feel more at ease in her afterlife."

"But how can we do something that violates the law so easily?" Old Lady Shi became more and more angry as she spoke. She suddenly raised her hand and slapped Madam Wang hard on the cheek.

There was a crisp "pop" sound, and five bright red finger marks instantly appeared on Mrs. Wang's face.

"The Empress Dowager is the Emperor's biological mother. She has governed the country with filial piety. Do you think this can be easily brushed off?"

"I knew from the beginning that you were not a good person! If I had known that you were full of shit, I should have poisoned you the day you married in!"

Mrs. Wang covered her slapped face, filled with grievance and fear, tears welling in her eyes but she dared not let them fall. "Old Madam, I really would do this! Although I long for Your Majesty to have children, I would never dare to do such a thing that violates the law."

Old Lady Shi snorted coldly, "You don't know? Are the maids and palace maids around Yuanchun just eating for free? I think you won't cry until you see the coffin."