In Dream Of The Red Chamber, Jia She Acquires A Plant-Based Superpower. - Chapter 13

After Jia She had finished his outburst, he returned home with Lin Zhixiao. Knowing that Lady Xing had already sent the children back, he instructed Lin Zhixiao: “Have the kitchen prepare some dishes and send them to Jia Huan and the others. I lost my temper earlier and delayed their reunion dinner.”

He had seen Jia Huan just a moment ago. The boy’s timid, mouse-like appearance and the way his eyes lit up at the sight of the food had been striking. Life in the mansion was not easy for Jia Huan, and this New Year’s Eve meal might have been something he had looked forward to for a long time. Jia She did not intend to change anything, but seeing how frail Jia Huan looked, he could not help but feel a flicker of sympathy.

After waiting for a while, Lin Zhixiao returned and reported: “The Old Matriarch is fine; she has regained consciousness. The Second Master and Second Madam are guarding her, along with Master Lian and Grandmother Feng.”

Jia She acknowledged this with a gesture and dismissed Lin Zhixiao. Mother Jia was robust and had weathered many storms; if she truly died of anger just because he flipped a table, she would never have survived the new Emperor’s ascension anyway.

In the dead of night, Jia She practiced his control over spiritual energy. He had learned from miscellaneous books that martial arts in this world could cultivate internal energy. At first, he assumed it was mere fiction, but after questioning Lin Zhixiao, he learned that several military generals at court had indeed mastered it. They could traverse water and leap ten meters high.

Spiritual energy could also serve as internal energy. He coated a fragile leaf with his spiritual energy, and it became as sharp as a weapon, capable of easily slicing through wooden planks. Jia She tested the lethality of leaves controlled by his spiritual energy; within a hundred meters, they were more deadly than bullets. With this capacity for self-defense, he felt much more secure.

On the first day of the New Year, Jia She did not go out. The entire Jia Mansion was deathly quiet, lacking any festive atmosphere. His outburst the previous night had terrified Mother Jia and Jia Zheng, and Lady Wang had also gone silent. She had only realized last night that while Jia Zheng was a legitimate son, he belonged to the Second Branch; if Jia She wished, he could drive them out at any moment.

As a secondary branch, they would only be entitled to thirty percent of the shared family assets upon division. It was the status of the Rong Mansion that she valued, not the silver. The assets she had siphoned into her own coffers over the years already far exceeded what she would receive from a family split. She took pride in being the manager of the Rong Mansion and could not imagine what life would be like after being evicted. Her children would no longer be heirs of the Rong Mansion, but sons of a minor fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Works. If she attended social gatherings, others would look down on her status, and she would be forced to associate with the wives of minor officials, complaining bitterly all day.

Lady Wang had not slept all night, breaking into cold sweats repeatedly. Before dawn, she rose to serve Mother Jia, hoping more than anyone that she would live a long life. Only with her alive did the Second Branch have a reason not to split the household. Jia Zheng and Lady Wang had realized that Jia She was completely mad and did not care if Mother Jia lived or died. Mother Jia, having realized this as well after waking, had also become silent. With the three leaders of the household silent, the rest of the staff dared not act up, and the entire Jia family fell into an uneasy quiet.

In the palace, the investigation into the harm done to Situ Yi had concluded. It resulted in the death of two consorts and the execution of the nine generations of a second-rank official. Situ Ruo knew the Emperor intended to reward Jia She and specifically went to the Imperial Study to beg for the task of delivering the decree.

“My younger brother and Jia She have become fast friends; I view him as a confidant, and he views me as one. Let me choose the rewards for him, Imperial Brother; I know what he likes.”

Jia She had once complained to him that he hoped for something practical. Those gaudy imperial gifts were useless; they could not be used and could not be sold, serving only to gather dust.

Situ Xuan looked at Situ Ruo with disdain. “I have heard gossip recently. Have you truly become intimate with Jia She?” His brother was quite the one for mischief!

Situ Ruo took a deep breath, his expression incredibly solemn. “Imperial Brother, why are you gossiping too? Jia She and I are perfectly innocent; please do not talk nonsense.”

Jia She was like the bright moon in the sky; he could not conjure even a hint of illicit thought toward him. To harbor fantasies about Jia She would be an insult. Furthermore, Jia She’s life was nearing its end; how could he dare to fall in love with him? If he could not control himself and gave his heart, only to have Jia She pass away and leave him alone, the pain would be unbearable.

Situ Xuan saw Situ Ruo’s intense reaction and looked puzzled. “If you do not like Jia She, why does your expression become so nauseating whenever he is mentioned?” If he was not after Jia She’s beauty, what else was there to covet?

Situ Ruo looked at Situ Xuan with grievance and helpless resignation. “Imperial Brother, how am I being nauseating? That is an expression of admiration. I do not want to be a jinx.”

Situ Xuan opened the memorial on his desk, one from a Censor impeaching Jia She for unfilial behavior. Ever since Jia She repaid the Ministry of Revenue, his desk had been flooded with such memorials. Situ Xuan tossed it aside casually and asked curiously without raising his head, “What is this about being a jinx? Is Jia She fated to bring death to his partners?”

Situ Ruo sighed as he sat down. “Jia She is dying.” He would rather Jia She be a jinx than suffer from a terminal illness.

Situ Xuan opened a new memorial, looking up in surprise. “Jia She is dying? Since when?” He had heard nothing of this. Could it be that Jia She repaid the debt not because he was mad, but because he was about to die? Situ Xuan did not doubt Situ Ruo; he would not have brought it up if it were merely hearsay. Looking at the uncontrollable disappointment on Situ Ruo’s face, he believed it even more.

Situ Xuan remembered his youth. The young Jia She had been like a little sun, radiating warm light in the imperial study, attracting everyone’s attention. Later, Jia She had grown lackluster, and after the death of the second brother, he had hidden away like a rat. He had no particular fondness for the adult Jia She, save for his repayment of the debt. Situ Xuan waved a hand. “Fine, for the sake of our youth, you go pick his rewards.”

As Emperor, he could not make things difficult for a dying man, especially the savior of his son. Situ Ruo did not stand on ceremony, choosing many precious medicinal tonics; if it weren’t for the shocked look on the eunuch’s face, he would have packed an entire trunk.

Situ Ruo left the palace with the rewards, and the official in charge of the storeroom almost burst into tears as he hurried to report to Situ Xuan. “The Prince selected many precious herbs, several bolts of plain-colored cloth, and a hot spring manor.”

Listening to what Situ Ruo had chosen for Jia She, Situ Xuan felt a dull ache in his gums. If Situ Ruo were a woman, he would suspect he was emptying the palace treasury to provide for Jia She. This brother was hopelessly biased; he might be beyond saving. Situ Xuan laughed. “Jia She has quite the skill. Situ Ruo speaks for him, and Liu Hongyun sides with him. It is a pity his face is ruined; otherwise, I would have summoned him to be a guard. My eyes would be much more comfortable.”

Among the civil and military officials, the generals were uglier than the next, and the civil officials were all pot-bellied pigs. The only ones who could be looked at in the palace were the young eunuchs and maids. Situ Xuan felt his obsession with appearance worsening, and he was frequently irritable, desperate for someone handsome to cleanse his eyes and heart.

The Censors had nothing better to do than to impeach Jia She. He was furious but could not punish them, so he summoned Situ Ruo to clear his mood.

Situ Ruo took the rewards to the Jia Mansion, and the gatekeeper ran to inform Lin Zhixiao. Lin Zhixiao, upon receiving the news, ran toward the front gate while sending someone to notify Jia She.

When Situ Ruo saw Lin Zhixiao, he walked inside. “What is your General doing? It is the first day of the New Year; why is there not a hint of festivity in this mansion?”

Lin Zhixiao wiped the sweat from his forehead. “The Master flipped the dining table over last night. The servants are afraid to offend him and are acting with extreme caution.”

Situ Ruo stopped in his tracks, surprised. “Last night was New Year’s Eve. What could have provoked such rage? They are truly blind; do they not know his health is poor?”

Jia She knew his time was short and was straining his failing body to plan for the entire Jia Mansion, yet these people in the Jia household had provoked him on New Year’s Eve.

Lin Zhixiao, thinking this was no longer a secret, whispered it to Situ Ruo. “The Old Matriarch demanded the Master go to the Wang family to dine and apologize to the other families.” And those insulting letters in the Old Matriarch’s own handwriting, describing the Master in such disgraceful terms—the Master was not a magnanimous man; it was no wonder he was furious.

Situ Ruo’s face turned cold. “They are not worthy. Your Old Matriarch is truly becoming senile with age. Forget it, I will go see your master; his body is already weak, I must ensure he is not angered further.”

When Situ Ruo arrived at Jia She’s courtyard, Jia She came out to greet him. “Why come today? You should have sent word so I could welcome you at the gate.” Situ Ruo had the eunuchs carry the rewards into the courtyard and examined Jia She’s complexion. Seeing he looked relatively rosy, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

“My Imperial Brother summoned me to the palace, and remembering you rescued Situ Yi, I brought you these rewards. I picked them all out myself, and as you wished, they are all practical items. Especially this chest of tonics. When I was packing them, the eunuch in charge of the treasury almost wept; these are truly rare treasures.”

Jia She did not correct Situ Ruo’s impression of him, though he did not know why Situ Ruo thought he was frail and needed these supplements. Seeing the useful rewards, Jia She was delighted and had Lin Zhixiao carry them into his private treasury. He had been fretting over money before the New Year; receiving so many rewards on the first day of the year was a windfall. Selling just one of these herbs would cover the East Courtyard’s expenses for a decade.

Situ Ruo smiled and pulled a deed from his sleeve, handing it to Jia She. “This is the most precious item among them.”

When Jia She realized the deed was for a hot spring manor, he gasped and sighed, “The Emperor’s temper is truly good. You helped an outsider take his property; is he not angry?”

“No, I had already left the palace when he got angry. As Emperor, he cares about his face; he will not reclaim a reward once given. You may use this manor with peace of mind. My Imperial Brother has an even larger hot spring manor next to it.”

Situ Ruo advised Jia She to get rid of the eunuchs in the hot spring manor. “Those eunuchs love to look down on others and are holding onto the income from the manor. Once you clear them out, hand the proceeds to Liu Hongyun. He is my Imperial Brother’s confidant and will surely convey your actions to him.”

Jia She summoned Lin Zhixiao and handed him the deed to handle. Worried that the guards in Jia She’s mansion were too weak, Situ Ruo had Hu Bing bring a dozen guards from the Prince’s mansion, specifically dressed in the Jia family’s attire to accompany Lin Zhixiao to the manor.