Chapter 17: Dream of the Red Chamber 15

Liu Hong left his chubby son in his mother's care and took Jia Yuanchun to the Rongguo Mansion.

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

Jia Daishen had been extremely kind to his grandchildren, and Jia Yuanchun held very deep feelings for him—deeper, even, than her feelings for Jia Zheng.

The other third-generation members of the Rongguo Mansion were also deeply saddened, though the younger ones were not as close to Jia Daishen as the elders, and thus felt the loss less intensely.

Liu Hong assisted Jia Hu in handling Jia Daishen's funeral arrangements and helped him receive and see off guests.

The Emperor, acting on behalf of the Crown Prince, came to pay his respects, posthumously conferred a title upon Jia Daishen, and bestowed an imperial posthumous name.

Upon hearing the news of Jia Daishen's death, the Retired Emperor in the palace fainted; his health deteriorated, and he became unable to get out of bed.

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

However, no one knew what was truly in his heart.

Jia Daishen's death was a heavy blow to the Retired Emperor. Combined with his already frail health, he collapsed this time and never rose again.

Three months later, the Retired Emperor passed away.

Liu Hong had to enter the palace every day to keep vigil for the Retired Emperor, whereas the Jia family managed to escape this ordeal because they were escorting Jia Daishen's coffin back to their ancestral home in Jinling.

Fortunately, his official rank was low; tucked away among a crowd of minor officials, any small movements he made would go unnoticed.

Liu Hong hid small pieces of pastries in his left sleeve; whenever he felt hungry, he would pull one out and quickly pop it into his mouth to stave off hunger.

In his right sleeve, he kept a handkerchief soaked in ginger water.

His preparations were not at all conspicuous; everyone else had made similar arrangements.

To tell the truth, how many people in the entire imperial court truly shed tears for the death of the Retired Emperor?

Probably not even enough to count on one hand.

After being tormented for over a month, the officials of the court were finally able to return home and rest properly.

Many people had eyes that were red and swollen from the stinging ginger water, requiring physicians to prescribe medicine to care for their eyes.

Another month passed before the court returned to normal.

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

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

He truly admired the ancient accountants who could make sense of such chaotic accounts.

No wonder there were so many people practicing fraudulent accounting in ancient times!

Liu Hong sighed, found a wooden ruler from a minor clerk in the Ministry of Revenue, and began drawing tables on white paper...

Upon returning to the Liu residence, Jia Yuanchun was playing with her chubby son while listening to Ji Qiu gossip.

When she had first married into the Liu family, Jia Yuanchun had been quite wary of Ji Qiu, as Ji Qiu was the only highly capable maid by Liu Hong's side.

Later, when Liu Hong expressed that he would never take concubines or bedchamber maids, Jia Yuanchun asked about Ji Qiu.

Liu Hong had smiled and said, "Ji Qiu is a capable woman; she has great uses."

Jia Yuanchun: "??"

Later, once Jia Yuanchun discovered Ji Qiu's "great uses," she became a huge fan!

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

When Liu Hong entered, Ji Qiu was recounting gossip she had heard from the servants of the Duke of Shan's manor.

The legitimate son of the eldest master of the Duke of Shan's manor had been possessed; he had actually picked up a knife and started hacking wildly, shouting threats at everyone like a madman, unable even to recognize his own biological parents.

Master Shi the Elder had promised a heavy reward, and a servant, risking injury, had managed to step forward to control and bind the legitimate son.

After a day of crying and raging, the son had fallen into a coma. No matter how they called him or moved him, he would not wake up; he had now been unconscious for three full days and nights.

The imperial physicians had examined him and found no signs of disease or poisoning, yet they could not find the cause of his coma.

The son was currently being kept alive solely by ginseng soup.

Ji Qiu lowered her voice, making a mysterious expression: "This servant suspects that the Second Master of the Shi family has been possessed by evil spirits."

Liu Hong raised an eyebrow; this plot sounded strangely familiar.

Why did the commotion involving the Shi family son sound so much like Wang Xifeng's reaction when she was framed by Ma Daopo in the original *Dream of the Red Chamber*?

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

The women in the room all rose when they saw Liu Hong enter.

Jia Yuanchun handed her son to his wet nurse and personally assisted Liu Hong in changing his clothes.

Baoqin brought fresh water and a towel for Liu Hong to wash up.

Ji Qiu served hot tea to Liu Hong.

Once changed, Liu Hong sat beside Jia Yuanchun, took his chubby son, and while weighing the boy in his arms, asked, "What are you all talking about?"

Ji Qiu recounted the matter of the Shi family once more.

Liu Hong recalled the description of Ma Daopo in the original text: *This person was neither a monk nor a Taoist, but knew sorcery. A rogue had a dispute with a pawnshop over a property transaction. Ma Daopo took the rogue's money, and the women of the pawnshop used magic to make the man ill and bring unrest to his household. Then, she told the pawnshop people she could cure the women and took over ten taels of silver from them.*

This person was greedy on both sides and used sinister methods; she was no good.

It was no wonder even Lady Wang called her a "bastard and a practitioner of evil arts."

Liu Hong asked Ji Qiu, "Do you know of a woman named Ma Daopo?"

Ji Qiu nodded. "I do. She is quite capable and frequently enters the backyards of noble houses; she is highly regarded by many noble ladies and wives."

Suddenly, remembering her previous suspicion, Ji Qiu's eyes widened. "It couldn't be...?"

Jia Yuanchun and Baoqin were surprised, not understanding what she meant.

Ji Qiu's eyes widened even further: "Does Master mean that the Second Master Shi's possession was Ma Daopo's doing?"

Liu Hong: "It is merely a guess."

Ji Qiu clapped her hands together. "It is very likely!"

Jia Yuanchun and Baoqin finally understood what they meant.

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

Liu Hong: "Women in the inner quarters may not understand the imperial family's dread of witchcraft, but if someone instigates them, they might truly do such things for the sake of the Duke's title."

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

Liu Hong said, "Someone once said something very true: for a hundred percent profit, some people dare to trample all human laws; for a three hundred percent profit, some dare to commit any crime. To some, a title is more than just a three hundred percent profit; it is what they consider the most precious thing they must obtain."

Jia Yuanchun sighed and accepted Liu Hong's reasoning.

She hesitated for a moment before asking, "We should keep this to ourselves as a mere guess; do not speak of it further."

She looked at Ji Qiu and said, "Especially you. You must not utter a single word of today's speculation."

Liu Hong understood Jia Yuanchun's concern; she did not want to bring trouble to the Liu family.

This was clearly an internal struggle within the Duke of Shan's manor. Getting involved might not earn the gratitude of the head of the household; instead, it might only bring unwanted scrutiny.

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