Red Mansion and Crimson Pearl

Chapter 122 Don’t bother, I can’t handle it

Could it be that my father and mother have such a twisted relationship and such cruel hearts?

Yuanchun felt her eyes go dark for a while, and after a while, she looked at Tanchun with a wry smile: "I guess Third Sister hasn't told Sister Lin about what happened to father?"

Tanchun was silent for a moment, then looked at Yuanchun coldly: "So what? What does Your Majesty want me to do?"

Yuanchun smiled bitterly and shook her head: "She was harmed like this, so she should do whatever she wants. But my mother is my aunt, so it's okay.

"If Miss Lin knew that her own uncle also condoned such evil deeds, she would be heartbroken. It's better that Third Sister didn't say anything.

"I just want to ask Third Sister, did Sister Lin expect that I would summon you to the palace? Did she have any words for you to bring to me?"

Tanchun glanced at Yuanchun in surprise and said, “I didn’t expect that Your Majesty and Sister Lin are such close friends.

"Sister Lin asked me to tell the Empress that she can only help up to this point. The rest depends on whether the old lady and the Empress are still in a dream and refuse to wake up."

Yuanchun sat there dejectedly, as if sleepwalking. She ordered Baoqin to send them out as usual, and then she stumbled back to the bedroom, fell on the bed, and burst into tears.

Mrs. Xing was feeling comfortable when she was told that she didn't have to say goodbye and could take her brothers and sisters out of the palace. She was a little confused.

On the way, he checked his statements with the two people, and then went home to fool Lady Jia and not mention it again.

At Fengzao Palace, Emperor Zhaoming arrived late and only caught a few words from Tanchun and Yuanchun. He could not help but return to the imperial study with a frown.

Yuanchun developed a high fever that night and had nightmares, but she gritted her teeth and not only said nothing, she even refused to take any food, water or medicine.

After hearing the news, Emperor Zhaoming personally called the imperial physician to see her, pried open her teeth and fed her medicine, which gradually reduced her fever. On the third day, Yuanchun finally woke up.

When she woke up, she heard that it was Emperor Zhaoming who had sent someone to see her, so she wept and asked to see her. Emperor Zhaoming wanted to hear what she had to say, so he came to see her after finishing his government affairs that day.

Yuanchun wore no makeup, her hair tied loosely, and a plain white robe. She knelt in the palace and begged Emperor Zhaoming to give the eldest daughter of the Xue family a chance to run for the position of princess' tutor.

Emperor Zhaoming was very surprised: "Why don't you ask for a posthumous title for your mother, but instead ask for a future for the Xue family?"

Yuanchun smiled bitterly: "My late mother's crime is unforgivable. Now that she can be buried with great ceremony in the Jia family, it is already a favor from His Majesty and the Supreme Lord.

"I didn't know about it before, but now that I know, how can I have the nerve to ask for a posthumous title for her?!

“As for seeking a future for Xue’s sister—once this is over, I won’t owe the Wang family or the Xue family anything.

"From now on, I will live peacefully in the palace as my concubine of the Jia family. Whatever happens to them will have nothing to do with me anymore."

He raised his hand and half-saluted to Tao Xingjian, who was accompanying Emperor Zhaoming, and said, "I can't go out, and Sister Lin had better not come in. Please, when you visit Sister Lin next time, please say 'I'm sorry' for me."

"No one can do this for you. You will meet again someday, and you can tell her in person." After hearing this, Emperor Zhaoming's expression became a little softer than usual, "I agree to the Xue family's matter."

He left behind a few words, "Take care of yourself," and turned away.

When Empress Wan heard this, although she felt unwilling, she changed her mind and thought that since she was just being chosen to be a princess tutor and not to serve in the palace, she reluctantly let it go.

However, the senior palace maid Zhu Ying beside her noticed that she was unhappy, so she tried to withhold rice and charcoal from Fengzao Palace, but was caught by the vigilant Lu Changqing.

Lu Changqing sneered, and Zhu Ying could only change the subject temporarily: "The Concubine Jia is ill, so she needs to eat more delicate food and have more charcoal. It is the most difficult to take care of herself during the late spring cold."

When Lu Changqing followed Tao Xingjian's order and went to see Daiyu secretly again, he smiled and imitated her: "I have never seen Zhu Ying run so fast!"

Daiyu sighed: "If the majesty can really think it through, the Jia family may still have a way out."

Lu Changqing immediately shook his head in disagreement: "The Concubine Jia is busy taking care of herself in the deep palace, and the men in her family are all incompetent and mischievous. If he is really just a playboy, it would be fine, but I am afraid that he would always want to get involved."

Daiyu was startled: "Did Young Master Lu hear anything?"

"That's not the case. It's just that the Jia family is a century-old family after all. If you really say that all the men in the family are so stupid, I find it hard to believe it." Lu Changqing said hurriedly and said goodbye.

Daiyu knew that she could not keep him, so she thanked him with a smile and asked someone to quietly escort him out through the corner gate.

At the Jia Mansion, Mrs. Wang decided to keep the body for 21 days, and invited an eminent monk to chant sutras to liberate the soul of the deceased, and also invited a Taoist priest to hold a ceremony to resolve grievances and wash away karma.

Grandmother Jia and others discussed that since Jia Zhen was going to take his family back home, it would be better to send Mrs. Wang's coffin back to the old house for burial.

Thinking of Qin's coffin which was still stored in Tiekan Temple, he hesitated as to whether he should also send it back to the south this time or just leave it in the capital.

After much thought, since the matter has been made clear to the Supreme Lord and the Current Emperor, it would be better to ask Concubine Jia to seek the royal family's instructions on what to do.

He hurriedly sent the letter into the palace.

Jia Yuanchun had just recovered from her illness when she received this letter from home. She couldn't help but smile bitterly. She had no choice but to send Baoqin to the Taiji Palace to deliver the message, saying that she would not pay respects to the Empress Dowager for a few days and that she missed her very much.

Taiji Palace replied: Go to Yanjia Hall in the afternoon to drink tea and listen to the zither.

Yuanchun secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The Supreme Lord and the Queen Mother were still playing chess.

Yuanchun went there, made some tea herself, and offered it to the two saints, then knelt down and watched the chess game in an orderly manner.

After a game of chess, Taishang heaved a sigh of relief and glanced at her: "Are you sick?"

Yuanchun bowed her head respectfully and crossed her arms, "Yes, I caught a cold, but I'm better now."

"Your mother was buried?" Tai Shangji didn't care and just lowered his head to pick up the chess pieces.

The Queen Mother said nothing.

Yuanchun said softly, "My late mother's coffin is at Tiekan Temple. As Ning Fu has resigned his title, my cousin is going back to his old home in Jiangnan to focus on farming and studying. My family is planning to ask him to bring my late mother and Xian Qin's coffin back for burial."

The Supreme held a chess piece in his hand, suspended above the jar, and paused. After a while, he loosened his fingers, letting the chess piece fall down, and said in a low voice:

"Ah."

The Queen Mother looked up at the Grand Master, then looked back at Yuanchun and frowned: "Why are you so thin? Go back and rest.

"There are too many things going on in your mother's family, so don't spoil them too much in the future. You should still be willing to give them a beating and a scolding when necessary.

"Otherwise, if you really get into trouble, the emperor will be the first to take it out on you. How unlucky would you be?"

Without waiting for Yuanchun to explain, he waved his hand and let her go.

Dai Quan smiled and walked forward to "send" Yuanchun out. When they reached the door of the main hall, he gently advised: "Forget it, don't worry about it, you can't do it!"

"Thank you, Prime Minister Dai! You are so considerate of me, but my family..." Yuanchun lowered her head, tears falling like beads from a broken string, "If I don't care anymore, they will make things even more awful. When that happens, I won't just be the one in trouble!"

Dai Quan’s smile froze.

Watching Yuanchun walk away, Dai Quan's face darkened and he whispered to himself, "Great! You've learned how to threaten people!"