Chapter 697: Offspring Fights for Wild Ambition

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

Yuanyang was sitting on a low stool pounding Jia Mu's legs, wearing a green-inlaid-collar and light-green cross-collar long vest, a water-blue long skirt, and a pine-green embroidered sweat towel tied at her waist.

Her pretty face was white and soft, her eyes were as clear as water, her nose was high and delicate, and the corners of her mouth were slightly pursed, her pink lips showing an alluring luster.

Although she kept her head down pounding Jia Mu's legs, her eyes occasionally glanced at Lady Wang, and her eyes flickered slightly, as if containing hidden dissatisfaction...

Lady Wang had just heard Qiu Wen's small words, and she was full of shame and anger, sitting on pins and needles, trembling with anger.

She wasn't in a hurry to go to Baoyu's courtyard to question and lecture Xi Ren and She Yue; they were just two maids of the second branch, and she could deal with them whenever she wanted.

Now the entire second branch had been squeezed into the East Road Courtyard, and only Baoyu remained in the Rongguo Mansion, leaving the second branch with the last bit of face in front of outsiders.

But Jia Cong had already released such words, which meant he had already had this intention; as long as he found some excuse, he would definitely squeeze her Baoyu out of the West Mansion.

Lady Wang really didn't expect Jia Cong to be so vicious and mean, leaving no family affection or face, wasting her master's treatment of him.

But Lady Wang had to tell Jia Zheng this matter; her master's pedantic temperament, and his consistent protection of Jia Cong, would mostly say that his words were reasonable.

By then, she would be half-dead with anger, not to mention that her master, hearing these words, would leave a shadow in his heart.

After Baoyu got married, she didn't need that boy to come and drive him away; her master would rush to let Baoyu move back to the East Road Courtyard first.

Lady Wang's obsession was already deep; having been the managing mistress of the Rongguo Mansion for fifteen years, she stubbornly believed that this was only natural.

Jia Cong was just a concubine's son from a flower house; how could he be as noble as her Baoyu? This kind of situation was just a villain getting his way, a dove occupying a magpie's nest, shameless to the extreme.

Even if the second branch had been moved to the East Road Courtyard, Lady Wang's ambition was still not dead.

She always felt that Baoyu was still staying in the West Mansion, which was a connection with the orthodox line of the Rongguo Mansion, and she had an extra thought in her heart, deceiving herself and others to have a few more faces in front of outsiders.

No matter what, she couldn't accept that even Baoyu couldn't stay in the West Mansion.

Once it reached this point, the second branch would sever all connections with the Jia family's orthodoxy in terms of clan law and family affection, completely reduced to a side branch.

What Lady Wang could think of was to tell Jia Mu about Jia Cong's rude words as soon as possible; now only Jia Mu could speak in the Jia family, and Jia Cong would have some scruples.

So, as soon as she heard Qiu Wen's words, and instructed her to keep her mouth shut and not let this matter spread, she hurriedly came to Rongqing Hall to complain to Jia Mu.

After Lady Wang relayed Jia Cong's words that day to Jia Mu with indignation, Jia Mu's face also became ugly after hearing them.

Although Yuanyang continued to pound Jia Mu's legs and didn't dare to show her likes or dislikes on her face, she couldn't help but feel disdain in her heart.

This second mistress was also a managing figure back then and was originally a knowledgeable woman, but now she had become increasingly unreasonable.

They clearly had a huge East Road Courtyard to live in, yet she had to let her son rely on her cousin's house; how could she not feel ashamed, and still have the face to speak in front of Jia Mu?

Besides, every word the third master said was reasonable; where was there half a mistake?

The second mistress was truly overbearing; she herself was precious, and others were mud and grass roots.

Others had to be as unreasonable as her to be considered good people; as long as it didn't meet her wishes, regardless of whether it was reasonable or not, it was heinous.

Yuanyang had always served Jia Mu closely; Lady Wang knew she was Jia Mu's trusted maid, so she didn't avoid her when speaking, but she didn't know that she and Jia Cong already had an affair...

Seeing Jia Mu's face was unhappy, Lady Wang knew she must be angry at Jia Cong's words, so she naturally instigated it with added oil and vinegar.

She said: "Although Cong Ge'er is the head of the two mansions, for anyone who is the head of the family, protecting and caring for the younger generation of the family is the proper duty."

"How can he act like this, squeezing and rejecting his own brothers, without half a bit of respect or face?"

"Baoyu is also the legitimate root of the old Duke, not a concubine's descendant without a foundation!"

Hearing the sarcasm in Lady Wang's words, Yuanyang felt increasingly uncomfortable and bit her lip slightly.

Hearing Lady Wang's words, Jia Mu frowned and said: "Cong Ge'er's words are indeed unpleasant to hear, but you should also be careful when you speak in the future."

"Given the situation in the family now, it's not worse than before; only by turning big things into small ones can the family be prosperous and peaceful."

"You know clearly that he is also a concubine's son; don't keep words about having no foundation on your lips in the future; if it reaches that boy's ears, it will only cause more discomfort."

Being broken by Jia Mu, Lady Wang's face was a bit embarrassed, and she said: "The daughter-in-law was just speaking casually, it wasn't pointing at anything..."

Jia Mu said: "Times are different now; he is not the concubine's son who was fostered in the second branch back then; now he bears two titles and is the head of the two mansions appointed by the imperial decree."

"Even I, as a grandmother, have to give him some face; he is full of thoughts about fame and officialdom and rarely cares about the trivial matters of the back house."

"Since the second branch moved to the East Road Courtyard, Baoyu has always stayed by my side, and I haven't seen him say a word of gossip."

"Now that he is willing to lose face and say these harsh words, thinking about it carefully, there must have been some causes, and it's also because you have been a bit reckless lately."

Lady Wang felt a bit aggrieved and said: "Jia Mu, I moved to the East Road Courtyard with the master, and I am usually in the courtyard, cautious in words and deeds; where would I dare to be reckless?"

Jia Mu said: "Just say a few days ago, you really shouldn't have beaten the third girl like that; I heard she applied ointment for ten days, and it hasn't healed until now."

"Everyone in the family knows that when Cong Ge'er was still in the East Road Courtyard, the third girl was close to him; now that she lives in the East Mansion, they are closer than others."

"You beat the third girl in a hurry; isn't that making him lose face? How could he not stand up for the third girl with his temperament?"

"You are his elder; he can't do anything to you, so he just vented all his anger on my Baoyu; why bother?"

"Originally, I thought he valued and doted on the third girl, and he also respected Zheng'er very much."

"With these two points in the second branch, even if I kick the bucket in the future, he will definitely not treat the second branch badly, and my Baoyu will be able to live peacefully for a lifetime."

"But you just had to beat the third girl, hurting the connection between the eldest branch and the second branch."

"I heard from the maids who go between the two mansions that since the third girl injured her palm, Cong Ge'er has gone to accompany her every day, and even applied medicine to the wound himself."

"You, as the legitimate mother, didn't even go to see her and say some good words to coax her; comparing the two, the third girl wouldn't be even more devoted to him?"

"You raised such a big daughter for nothing; how can you expect her to favor the second branch in the future?"

Hearing Jia Mu's words, Lady Wang felt a bit cold in her heart, feeling that Jia Mu's words were reasonable, but she was unconvinced in her heart.

Originally, she tacitly allowed Tan Chun to live in the East Mansion, also counting on the same abacus as Jia Mu.

But that time she lectured Tan Chun, this dead girl could even die to protect that boy, so she was so angry that her hands didn't have a sense of proportion...

Seeing that she had lectured her daughter-in-law for a while, Jia Mu stopped while she was ahead.

She said: "Cong Ge'er's thoughts are very deep; otherwise, how could he be so prominent at this age?"

"He said these cold and harsh words to Xi Ren, just to have Xi Ren come back and pass them on, stir up trouble, make you lose face, and vent for the third girl."

"Fortunately, Xi Ren has some sense of proportion and didn't mention this topic when she came back; according to what you said just now, She Yue is also a transparent person; truly a good maid."

"You don't always value those false names; as long as you cut off the topic and don't cause trouble, just pretend it wasn't said, and everyone can live peacefully."

Hearing Jia Mu's words, Lady Wang felt depressed; those two maids deceived their master, but in Jia Mu's mouth, they were knowledgeable?

She said: "Jia Mu, according to what you mean, after Baoyu gets married, will he really have to move out of the Rongguo Mansion?"

"I originally thought that Jia Mu only loved Baoyu, so after Baoyu gets married, the couple should be filial; this is the proper way of filial piety."

Jia Mu said: "Although family etiquette is this reason, there are always other circumstances in the world; I love Baoyu most, so naturally I want him to live decently in the future."

"Now Feng Yatou gave birth to a child, which is a very good opportunity; she gave birth to a girl, but she is also the eldest legitimate daughter of the eldest branch of the Jia family."

"Now Lian'er is not at home; according to the old rules of the family, I will naturally help Feng Yatou raise this child."

"Baoyu is getting married at the end of the year, and that Xia girl is beautiful and moving; she looks like a figure that is easy to bear children; within a year or a year and a half after entering the door, the second branch will likely add descendants; it will be very lively then."

Hearing this, Lady Wang's eyes suddenly brightened, and she understood Jia Mu's meaning in her heart, thinking that Jia Mu was truly wise.

According to family etiquette, after Baoyu gets married and has a wife and female family members by his side, he will have a reason to move out of the Rongguo Mansion.

But in the future, when her Baoyu gives birth to offspring, it is only natural for Jia Mu to take them by her side to raise them.

Because Jia Mu is a super-grade noble Duke's wife, raising the family's descendants is to add glory to the child, which is a common practice in the big mansions of the Great Zhou.

Even if Lin girl is a granddaughter from the maternal side, she was still raised by Jia Mu for many years.

Her Baoyu gave birth to a legitimate grandson of the second branch, a legitimate great-grandson of Jia Mu who is blood-related; before reaching the age of twenty, he can naturally be raised in the Rongguo Mansion openly.

This is all logical in terms of clan law and family etiquette.

With Baoyu's son raised in the Rongguo Mansion, Baoyu and his wife will naturally come and go in the West Mansion, and the Jia family's second branch will eventually not be able to sever ties with the orthodoxy...

Lady Wang smiled: "It is still Jia Mu who is compassionate; Baoyu being able to get Jia Mu's doting is truly a great blessing."

Jia Mu smiled: "I am an old person; the things I care about most are brotherly love, family harmony, and the prosperity of the ancestral business."

"I love and raise the small descendants of both branches, and the next generation can also be harmoniously connected; after I pass away in the future, Baoyu will also be able to live peacefully."

Lady Wang smiled: "It is still Jia Mu who is old and wise, thinking truly thoroughly."

Jia Mu smiled again: "Now other small matters don't need to waste spirit; only after Baoyu gets married, he should raise children early."

"This is the most important big event for the second branch; your mind should also be placed on this."

Lady Wang was knocked by Jia Mu with a big stick and given a date; although she was still a bit dissatisfied, she had more stability and reliance in her heart.

She chatted with Jia Mu for a while and then went to Baoyu's room to stroll.

After all, Lady Wang came to see her son; this day she encountered Wang Xifeng's birth and the incident of Qiu Wen passing words, which had already delayed a lot of time.

Rongguo Mansion, Baoyu's Courtyard.

Qiu Wen passed the small words to Lady Wang and got Lady Wang's praise and instructions; she thought she had an extra reliance and returned to the courtyard satisfied.

Seeing She Yue still with a cold face, and Xi Ren and Caiyun also unhappy, as if full of worries, none of them gave her a good face.

She felt even more unconvinced in her heart, thinking that just now she spoke to the mistress, and the mistress was very angry at Xi Ren and She Yue for deceiving their master.

These two dead girls were about to be punished, and they still gave her a hard face; they truly didn't know how to live or die.

After they were punished by the mistress and lost their momentum in the second master's room, it should be her turn to be proud; maybe the mistress would even give her to the second master...

Just when Qiu Wen was ambitious, seeing Lady Wang walk into the courtyard, she couldn't help but be happy and hurriedly greeted her.

Lady Wang didn't seem to have time to pay attention to her and went straight into Baoyu's room.

She saw Baoyu leaning on the bed, holding a leisure book and reading, with a face of fatigue, and even the circles under his eyes were a bit black.

Seeing her son in this shape, Lady Wang's face changed, and she said with heartache: "Baoyu, why is your face so ugly?"

Last night, Baoyu finally got the opportunity to spend the night with Caiyun, who had entered the courtyard for a long time and made him enthusiastic, and he was overjoyed.

Caiyun had served tea to Jia Mu, so she naturally knew this was a matter of time; although there was natural resistance, it was mostly half-pushed.

As soon as she entered the room, she was entangled by Baoyu and couldn't let go; after a lot of effort, she was stripped of her clothes by Baoyu.

It was just that Baoyu came aggressively, but after a lot of obscenity, he was always unable to enter the port and succeed.

Caiyun was a virgin who hadn't experienced personnel, but she also understood that this master of hers was incapable.

The two pulled and rubbed for half the night; Caiyun was almost tossed to sleep, but Baoyu was still scratching his head and couldn't do anything.

Poor Caiyun, a beautiful and slippery girl, entangled with Baoyu on the bed for half the night, and finally was almost asleep, but was still unharmed...

It wasn't until the sky was slightly bright that Baoyu, who had no other way, covered his ears and stole the bell, hugging Caiyun and sleeping messily.

It was just that his surging heart fire had nowhere to vent; how could he sleep peacefully? It was Caiyun who slept quite steadily, which made people laugh and cry.

Baoyu tossed like this for a night, naturally mentally tired; how could he have a good face?

He saw Lady Wang asking, and thinking of his embarrassing and useless matter, he, a person who claimed to be innocent, didn't have the face to say it.

He could only muddle through with words, but Lady Wang was an experienced woman; how could she be easily fooled by him?

She asked her son a few more words, seeing Baoyu's expression was awkward and his words were evasive, and he never told the truth.

Lady Wang felt suspicious in her heart; after coming out of Baoyu's room, she called Xi Ren to the side room to ask.

She asked: "Xi Ren, Baoyu has always been healthy, and there has never been such a shape as today; did something happen?"

Xi Ren was a bit stammering; thinking of Caiyun's words in the morning, the matter was hard to speak of, and she hesitated whether to open her mouth.

Seeing that Xi Ren was not as soft and clear as usual, not only was her speech stumbling, but her face was flushed, and her expression was very strange.

She knew that her son was over the age of twenty, and there was a woman in the room, and Lady Wang was an experienced woman, so she immediately associated it with the matter.

She asked: "Who was on night duty for Baoyu last night? Was it you or Caiyun?"

Xi Ren hurriedly said: "It was Caiyun on night duty."

Lady Wang's face showed anger and said: "Is it that this girl Caiyun has no sense of proportion, serving Baoyu without restraint, making him look like this!"

Hearing this, Xi Ren's face changed drastically, knowing that this matter couldn't be hidden no matter what.

Even if she didn't say it, as long as the mistress went back to ask Caiyun, she was originally a maid beside the mistress, and she would definitely tell everything.

By then, she would have to bear the crime of deceiving the mistress, so it was better to say it herself now, which was more refreshing and had no future troubles.

She said: "Mistress, the second master's body is a bit unwell; because I am still young and don't understand these things, I was suspicious at first, but I wasn't sure in my heart."

"Last night was the first time Caiyun and the second master were in the same room; she talked about the second master's room condition in the morning, and I realized that the second master's body really had an accident."

"I wanted to report to the mistress, but it happened that the mistress came over."

Lady Wang was also an experienced woman; hearing these words from Xi Ren, she guessed seven or eight points, and her face changed instantly!

Xi Ren hurriedly walked to Lady Wang's ear and whispered, telling Lady Wang about the abnormality in Baoyu's room.

Lady Wang's face turned pale instantly; although she was sitting on the circle chair, her whole body was still spinning.

She was an experienced woman; although she had never encountered such a thing, the private words in the inner house naturally had the knowledge that should be there.

According to Xi Ren's statement, her son clearly had the disease of impotence; this was to break the descendants...

Lady Wang thought of the fact that she had just mocked Fengjie for tossing for half a day in Wang Xifeng's courtyard, only giving birth to a girl.

She also thought that her daughter-in-law Xia Jingui had a moving figure and could bear children, and after Baoyu got married, she would definitely add descendants for the second branch, and she would be proud in front of the eldest branch.

Just now in Rongqing Hall, she talked with Jia Mu, and the two discussed that Baoyu had offspring, and the connection between the second branch and the Rongguo Mansion would not be broken.

Now all this had become a huge joke; her Baoyu had this kind of problem, so where would there be any offspring!

Baoyu was about to get married to the Xia girl; once the young couple got on the bed, nothing could be hidden, and this marriage would become an ugly affair; would the Xia family let it go...

The things Lady Wang thought of were far from just this; if Baoyu's problem spread, not only would their mother and son have no face to be people.

In the future, Baoyu would have no offspring, and Huan'er would pass down descendants; Aunt Zhao would climb onto her head as the mistress; how could this be?

If Jia Mu knew about this, even if she loved Baoyu again, she would probably alienate him from now on.

Which old person would pity descendants who couldn't inherit the bloodline, not to mention pulling the second branch to power in the future, or even coveting the eldest branch's wealth and titles...

All of Lady Wang's wild ambitions were based on Baoyu's favor and standing in the Jia family; if her son was like a eunuch, all this would become a bubble.

Thinking of these terrible consequences, her whole body trembled slightly, and her whole body felt cold, as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

She almost didn't need to think much and decided to hide this matter tightly; she must not let outsiders know a bit.

She asked: "Besides you and Caiyun, has anyone else told outsiders!"

Seeing Lady Wang's fierce expression, Xi Ren felt scared in her heart and couldn't help but shiver; Lady Wang could think of things, and she could naturally think of them too...

She hurriedly said: "Mistress, rest assured, Caiyun and I know the importance and will never reveal a word to outsiders."

Lady Wang breathed a sigh of relief and said sternly: "This matter concerns Baoyu's reputation for a lifetime; you and Caiyun must keep your mouths shut and not reveal a word!"

"If the wind leaks and ruins Baoyu and the second branch's face, no one needs to live!"

Xi Ren was pale with fright and swore to Lady Wang that she would never reveal a bit.

The two were discussing how to find a doctor for Baoyu and how to cure Baoyu's problem, when they suddenly heard some movement outside.

Lady Wang's face changed, and Xi Ren hurriedly opened the door to look; the veranda outside the side room was empty, and no one was walking... (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 698 =====

"If word leaks out and ruins Baoyu's and the second branch's reputation, none of us will be able to survive!"

Sister Xi Ren was so frightened that her face turned pale; she swore to Lady Wang that she would absolutely not leak a single bit of information.

The two were just discussing how to find a physician for Baoyu and how to manage to treat his ailment when they suddenly heard some movement outside.

Lady Wang's expression changed, and Sister Xi Ren hurriedly opened the door to look, only to see that the corridor outside the side room was empty, with no one walking about... (End of chapter)