Red Mansion and Crimson Pearl

Chapter 380: Mind Your Own Business

What Tao Xingjian could think of, Wang Xifeng naturally also thought of.

So as soon as the Wang family sent a letter saying that Wang Ziteng had arrived home and asked her to come back the next day as a guest, Wang Xifeng immediately became "sick and weak".

The people from the Wang family were still not giving up, and even went so far as to say, "The two masters in the Jia family are in prison and it is not easy to invite a royal physician, but it is okay for the Wang family," and they tried desperately to get Wang Xifeng to go back.

At this time, Ping'er stepped forward tacitly and accepted the task of "going home to apologize for my aunt tomorrow."

Ping'er's status in the Jia family was second only to her master, but when she returned to the Wang family, she was just a house servant.

He just pretended to be afraid of Sister Feng and avoided all topics.

When she returned to the Jia Mansion, Ping Er, with a hint of panic, looked for a place where no one was around and quietly told Wang Xifeng:

"The Second Master wants Grandma to ask about the news in the palace...

"Especially if you ask the King of the West!"

Wang Xifeng sneered and said, "He is just wishful thinking!"

As she was talking, Yuanyang knocked on the window outside: "Second Madam, the old lady asked me to come and help you go over there."

Wang Xifeng's face changed, and she quickly forced a smile: "Ping'er, why don't you invite your sister Yuanyang in!"

Yuanyang walked in without being invited, sat on the cushion beside her with a smile, and warned in a low voice:

"You dare to say such intimate words when there is no one in the yard. You trust our family too much!"

Wang Xifeng groaned guiltily and changed the subject to ask her what Lady Jia was doing.

Yuanyang sighed, "The contents of the two letters from Master Lian and Sister You have spread throughout the mansion.

"I don't know who said something bad to the old lady, and she didn't sleep well last night.

"I wanted to call you over to question you early this morning, but since it's the second day of the Chinese New Year, I was afraid you would have to go back to the Wang family.

"Who knew you didn't go? As soon as Ping'er returned home, someone told the old lady."

Wang Xifeng frowned, "It's New Year's Day, and what Second Master did is not something to be ashamed of. Why would he tell the old lady? This is not a good intention!"

As she said this, she hurriedly got up from the kang. Ping'er and Yuanyang helped her to dress up, and then they came to Lady Jia's side.

Who knew that before he even entered the house, someone came to report: "Grandmother Shi and her husband have come to our house and are getting off the car outside."

Wang Xifeng was busy arranging the reception.

At one moment, Wei Ruolan and Shi Xiangyun came in to greet Lady Jia and Madam Xing and wish them a happy new year. Baoyu hurried over to accompany Wei Ruolan to the front to chat with Jia She and Jia Zheng.

Without outsiders around, Shi Xiangyun happily took off her coat and snuggled up to Lady Jia and acted coquettishly.

Grandmother Jia hugged her lovingly and smiled.

Although Mrs. Xing was worried about Jia Lian, she knew that she could not do anything about it now, so she had to cheer herself up and smile to make fun of him:

"The eldest daughter is already married, why is she still acting like a child? Seeing that her husband's family and son-in-law treat her very well, the old lady can rest assured."

Grandmother Jia nodded with a smile and asked Xiangyun, "I heard that your uncles are back. I thought you were going there, why are you here?"

Xiangyun blushed, said nothing, and just snuggled into Grandmother Jia's arms.

Only then did Grandmother Jia realize that something was wrong and looked up at Yuanyang.

Yuanyang understood and quietly led the servants and women out.

Wang Xifeng also wanted to go out, but was stopped by Shi Xiangyun.

"Second sister-in-law Lian, did the Wang family ask you to go back too?"

Wang Xifeng looked straight over and was moved: "Did the young Marquis Shi send you a message yesterday?"

Shi Xiangyun nodded happily: "Yes."

Then she looked at Grandmother Jia and said sweetly, "But my mother-in-law is a powerful person, she sent two maids and four servants to me.

“So the person my uncle sent to call me was stopped by Mammy.

"Mammy said that Madam Shihou dared to covet even the dowry left to me by my mother and the dowry given by my sisters. This shows that it is because my uncle did not pay much attention to me before.

"Now that I, this burden, have entered the Wei family, he won't have to worry about me anymore.

"You are the one who loves me the most, so the one I should visit on the second day of the Chinese New Year should be you, not my uncle."

Grandmother Jia's smile gradually disappeared. She lowered her head and looked at the ground, saying nothing.

Mrs. Xing saw the awkward situation and had to speak up to smooth things over: "This is not the fault of the wife of the Marquis of Huaiyuan.

"She took Yun's mother's dowry list to Madam Shihou for reconciliation, and found out that half of it was missing.

"The Wei family no longer cares about the daughter-in-law's dowry, as those things will be passed down to the descendants of the Wei family in the future.

"How can people not compete..."

Grandmother Jia raised her eyelids and glanced at Mrs. Xing coldly.

Mrs. Xing was so choked by his glare that she stopped talking.

Seeing this, Wang Xifeng asked, "Did the person who delivered the message say anything else?"

Shi Xiangyun was confused: "Anything else?"

"For example, have they asked you if you have set a day to go to the palace with your mother-in-law to pay New Year's greetings?" Wang Xifeng probed.

Shi Xiangyun nodded hurriedly: "Yes! She also asked whether we should go to Kunning Palace or Yanjia Palace! She also asked me to visit Sister Lin!"

Wang Xifeng sighed and turned to Jia's mother, whose face was becoming increasingly grim. "To be honest, old lady, my second uncle also told Ping'er to do the same."

In other words, the heads of the Wang and Shi families who returned to Beijing on the same day were both plotting against their own aunt in order to get news from the palace.

Grandmother Jia gritted her teeth and looked at Wang Xifeng in front of Shi Xiangyun: "I didn't call you here for this."

Wang Xifeng lowered her head and stood up: "You give your orders."

"I want to ask you, is it true that Lian'er is lending money at high interest rates and bullying concubines, as the rumors spread in the mansion?"

There was anger in Grandmother Jia's eyes.

Wang Xifeng lowered her eyes and said, "It's true. The Second Master also asked me to raise another 8,000 silver coins for him. If 8,000 is not enough, then 5,000. No less."

"Evil creature!" Grandmother Jia punched the small table beside her.

Xiangyun hurriedly held her hand and said, "Old lady, be careful, your hand hurts!"

"What does he want so much silver for? Does he want to lend it again?!" Grandmother Jia shouted.

Wang Xifeng said coldly: "He wants to bribe his superiors."

"Stupid! His father and uncle are both in prison for not managing their family properly! He is the only one in the Jia family who is an official!

“Others want to harm our family, but he is the only one who can stand in their way.

"Instead of being cautious in his words and actions, he actually managed to hand over a lot of evidence to others!

"He will be happy only if he kills the whole family!"

Grandmother Jia was so disappointed with her husband that she kept cursing.

Shi Xiangyun was stunned and closed her mouth tightly.

Before leaving, the mother-in-law repeatedly reminded her: no matter how many problems the Jia family had, it had nothing to do with her, and asked her not to say a word.

Wang Xifeng knelt down with a wry smile, lowered her head and said, "It's all because of my incompetence that I can't persuade the Second Master."

Jia's mother wept as she knelt down, choking and shaking her head, "It's because I don't know how to teach my son, so my son doesn't know how to teach his son either.

"The Shi family and the Wang family only seek mercy from the palace, but they don't think about their own faults. How can they blame the higher-ups?

"That's it!

"I can't control the Shi and Wang families, let's just talk about our own family."

Grandmother Jia wiped away her tears, hugged Xiangyun, and said lovingly, "Go and play with your fourth sister."

Then he instructed Wang Xifeng, "Send the message outside, have Baoyu take Jia Lang and the others to accompany Wei Guye, and have the eldest and second masters come in. I have something to say."