Red Chamber 15

Liu Zhong handed his chubby son over to Mother Liu to look after and took Jia Yuanchun to the Rongguo Mansion.

Jia Yuanchun's eyes were as red and swollen as apricot pits; she had not stopped weeping since receiving the news.

Jia Daishan had been very good to his grandchildren, and Jia Yuanchun held deep affection for him.

Her feelings for him were even deeper than those she held for Jia Zheng.

The other third-generation members of the Rongguo Mansion were also deeply saddened, though the younger ones did not feel the loss as keenly as the older ones who had been closer to Jia Daishan.

Liu Zhong helped Jia Hu manage the funeral arrangements for Jia Daishan and assisted him in receiving and seeing off guests.

The Emperor sent the Crown Prince to pay his respects on his behalf and bestowed a posthumous title upon Jia Daishan.

Upon hearing the news of Jia Daishan's death, the Retired Emperor in the palace fainted; his health deteriorated, and he became bedridden.

As a filial son, the Emperor ran to the Retired Emperor's palace every day to attend to his needs.

As for what he was truly thinking in his heart, no one knew.

The death of Jia Daishan was a heavy blow to the Retired Emperor, and given his already frail condition, he never recovered after this collapse.

Three months later, the Retired Emperor passed away.

Liu Zhong had to enter the palace every day to keep vigil, while the Jia family members escaped this ordeal because they were escorting Jia Daishan's coffin back to their ancestral home in Jinling.

Fortunately, his official rank was low, and by huddling among a group of minor officials, his small actions went unnoticed.

Liu Zhong kept small pieces of pastry hidden in his left sleeve; whenever he felt hungry, he would pull one out and quickly pop it into his mouth to fill his stomach.

In his right sleeve was a handkerchief soaked in ginger water.

His preparations were not at all conspicuous, as everyone else had prepared in the same way.

To be honest, how many officials in the court could truly shed tears for the death of the Retired Emperor?

Not even enough to count on one hand, right?

After being tortured for over a month, the officials of the court were finally able to return home for a good rest.

Many people's eyes were red and swollen from the sting of the ginger water, and they had to hire physicians to prescribe medicine to soothe them.

Another month passed like this before the court returned to normal.

A year had passed, and Liu Zhong left the Hanlin Academy to join the Ministry of Revenue.

Flipping through the ledgers piled on his desk, Liu Zhong felt a headache and eye strain.

He truly admired the accountants of ancient times for being able to make sense of these messy accounts.

No wonder there was so much fraudulent bookkeeping in ancient times!

Liu Zhong sighed and asked a runner from the Ministry of Revenue to find him a wooden ruler, then began drawing tables on a sheet of white paper...

Back at the Liu family home, Jia Yuanchun was teasing her chubby son while listening to Jiqiu share gossip.

When she first married into the Liu family, Jia Yuanchun had been quite wary of Jiqiu, as she was the only capable head maid Liu Zhong had by his side.

Later, when Liu Zhong stated that he would not have any concubines or bed-warmers, Jia Yuanchun asked about Jiqiu.

Liu Zhong smiled and said, "Jiqiu is a capable person; she has great utility."

Jia Yuanchun: "??"

Later, when Jia Yuanchun learned of Jiqiu's great utility, she was truly won over!

Every day, she would seek out Jiqiu to hear the latest news from the capital.

When Liu Zhong entered, Jiqiu was recounting gossip she had heard from the servants of the Duke of Shan's mansion.

The legitimate son of the eldest master of the Duke of Shan's mansion had become possessed; he had started swinging a knife around, shouting and killing, acting like a madman, and could no longer even recognize his own parents.

Shi Dalaoye offered a heavy reward, and servants risked injury to rush forward and restrain the son, tying him up.

After crying and screaming for a day, the son fell into a coma; no matter how they called or moved him, he would not wake up, and he had now been in a coma for three full days and nights.

The imperial physicians had examined the son and found no signs of illness or poisoning, yet they could not determine the cause of his coma.

The son was now relying entirely on ginseng soup to sustain his life.

Jiqiu lowered her voice, putting on a mysterious expression: "This servant suspects that the Second Master Shi is possessed."

Liu Zhong raised an eyebrow upon hearing this; why did this plot sound so familiar?

How was the behavior of the Shi family's young master so similar to the reaction of Wang Xifeng when she was framed by Ma Daopo in the original Red Chamber?

Could it be that this Young Master Shi had been cursed by Ma Daopo?

The women in the room all stood up when they saw Liu Zhong enter.

Jia Yuanchun handed her son to his wet nurse and personally served Liu Zhong as he changed his clothes.

Baoqin brought over clear water and a towel for Liu Zhong to wash up.

Jiqiu served Liu Zhong hot tea.

After changing his clothes, Liu Zhong sat down beside Jia Yuanchun, took his chubby son, and while bouncing him, asked, "What were you all talking about?"

Jiqiu repeated the story about the Shi family once more.

Liu Zhong recalled the description of Ma Daopo in the original Red Chamber: she was neither a nun nor a Taoist, and she practiced evil arts. A scoundrel once had a dispute with a pawnshop over the sale of a house. Ma Daopo took money from the scoundrel and used magic on the pawnshop owner's wife, causing her to fall ill and throwing the household into chaos. Afterward, she told the pawnshop owner she could cure his wife, extorting another dozen taels of silver from them.

This woman was greedy on both sides and used sinister methods; she was no good at all.

It was no wonder even Lady Wang called her a "wretched thing, a practitioner of Devilish Heresy."

Liu Zhong turned to ask Jiqiu, "Do you know of Ma Daopo?"

Jiqiu nodded, "I do. She is a woman of 'ability' who frequently frequents the back courtyards of noble families and is highly regarded by those noble ladies and wives."

Suddenly, Jiqiu recalled her earlier speculation, and her eyes widened in shock, "It couldn't be, could it?"

Jia Yuanchun and Baoqin were surprised, not understanding what Jiqiu meant by that.

Jiqiu's eyes widened even further, "Does the young master mean that Second Master Shi being possessed is the work of Ma Daopo?"

Liu Zhong replied, "I am merely speculating."

Jiqiu clapped her hands together, "It is very likely!"

Jia Yuanchun and Baoqin finally understood what they were implying.

Jia Yuanchun said in disbelief, "Is it really not witchcraft? Would the Shi family be so bold?"

Liu Zhong said, "The women in the inner chambers are unaware of how much the imperial family fears witchcraft. If someone incites them, they might truly commit such acts for the sake of the Duke of Shan's title."

Jia Yuanchun still found it hard to believe, "But, but..."

Liu Zhong said, "Someone once said something very accurate: for a hundred percent profit, people will trample on all human laws; for three hundred percent profit, people will commit any crime. To some, a title is not just three hundred percent profit, but the most precious thing they believe they must obtain."

Jia Yuanchun sighed, accepting Liu Zhong's explanation.

She hesitated for a moment before asking, "Let us keep this speculation to ourselves and not speak of it to others."

She stared at Jiqiu and said, "Especially you; not a single word of today's speculation must leak out."

Liu Zhong understood Jia Yuanchun's concerns; she did not want to bring trouble upon the Liu Family.

This matter was clearly an internal struggle within the Duke of Shan's mansion. If they got involved, they might not receive any gratitude from the head of the Duke's household, but instead, find themselves covered in filth.

Who knew whether the head of the Duke's household favored his legitimate wife and son, or his beloved concubine and illegitimate children?!