In Dream Of The Red Chamber, Jia She Acquires A Plant-Based Superpower. - Chapter 17

Lin Ruhai’s eyes reddened when Jia She mentioned Jia Min, and his voice turned hoarse. “I will take you to see her, Brother.”

Jia She walked alongside Lin Ruhai, but neither felt the mood for idle chatter. They entered Jia Min’s courtyard, where the pungent scent of traditional Chinese medicine immediately filled the air, accompanied by the sound of sorrowful sobbing from within the room.

“Yu’er, I know my time is short. Staying in Yangzhou is too dangerous for you. This time, since your Great Uncle has come, you should go to the capital with him. Your Grandmother is there, and she will take good care of you for me.”

Lin Daiyu only lowered her head and wept, unable to offer a single word of response. Jia Min became anxious and turned her head to cough violently, her handkerchief stained with bright red blood. Seeing this, Lin Daiyu panicked and cried out in distress, “I will listen to you, Mother. Please do not agitate yourself, I will go to the capital with Great Uncle.”

Jia She entered the room and saw Jia Min coughing blood. The Jia Min he remembered from his memories, once dainty and charming, now looked like a rotting piece of deadwood lying on the bed, waiting for the end. Upon hearing footsteps, Jia Min looked up and saw Jia She, her pale face breaking into a faint smile.

“How wonderful. I am still able to see you one last time, Brother. So many years have passed, yet you have not changed at all, which makes me envy you so.”

Jia She sat down by her bedside. He had so much he wanted to say, but in the end, he only managed one sentence: “Rest assured, as long as I am alive, no one will bully Daiyu.”

Those people in the Jia household who intended to force Lin Daiyu to her death, as in Dream of the Red Chamber, would never succeed. Since entering the room, Jia She had felt an unusual presence of wood-element spiritual energy overflowing from Lin Daiyu. It was unlike any energy he had absorbed before. The energy of the world was complex and required a long time to refine; the energy from ginseng soup was gentle, and that from the ginkgo tree was dense. However, the spiritual energy emanating from Lin Daiyu did not require him to meditate; it actively sought to enter his body. It required almost no refining and left his mind feeling exceptionally clear. The more intense Lin Daiyu’s emotional fluctuations, the more spiritual energy she emitted. If her emotions triggered this leakage, he finally understood why the Buddhist monk and the Daoist priest had forbidden her from meeting men. In this world, affection was inseparable from sorrow and suffering. If Lin Daiyu wanted to live a long life, she needed to cultivate a heart as still as an ancient well, yet she was by nature sentimental and sensitive.

As Jia She pondered, a intuition struck him: his ability would breakthrough to the third level only through Lin Daiyu. The ginkgo tree’s spiritual energy had been staggering, yet it only filled one percent of his dantian. If he were to absorb the energy of an entire thousand-year-old tree, it might fill ten percent. To break through, he would need at least ten such trees. Since a single ginkgo tree was a sacred treasure of the dynasty, if he destroyed it, the Emperor would surely execute his entire clan. Moreover, he believed spiritual trees possessed their own essence, and everything in the world was bound by karma; he could not bear to destroy a thousand-year-old tree for the sake of cultivation. If he followed a standard cultivation path, it would take over a decade to reach the next level. Lin Daiyu’s emitted energy, however, was uncontrollable and would otherwise dissipate into the world.

Jia She made a silent decision and absorbed all the energy in the room, then looked at Lin Daiyu again. He would protect her, find a way to improve her health, and then slowly study the mystery of the energy within her.

Lin Daiyu heard Jia She’s voice while she was heartbroken; she looked up at him, then wept even more bitterly. Jia Min sighed inwardly, thinking that time always forced people to grow up. The brother who used to know only play and pleasure had now become so reliable. Jia Min was not in a good mental state and remained awake for only short periods each day. After she fell asleep, Jia She took Lin Daiyu’s hand and followed Lin Ruhai out. Lin Daiyu wanted to stay and accompany her mother, but Jia She asked, “How long has it been since you have eaten properly, and how long has it been since you have had a good rest?”

Lin Daiyu’s eyes were bloodshot, and her frame was unnaturally thin. The constant leakage of spiritual energy from her body must be affecting her lifespan. Lin Daiyu was sensitive and could perceive others’ emotions from a very young age. She could feel that Jia She’s concern was genuine, unlike those who only cared for her with empty words. In Jia She’s eyes, she saw nothing but deep concern. She could not help but squeeze his hand, thinking, Great Uncle’s hand is as warm as his voice.

Ahead of them, Lin Ruhai saw that Daiyu did not reject Jia She and smiled from the bottom of his heart. He knew his daughter well; she would not let anyone get close unless they truly cared for her. Jia She personally escorted Lin Daiyu back to her room, instructing the maids to prepare easily digestible food.

Lin Ruhai invited Jia She into the study, and the first thing he said shocked him. “I will not hide it from you, Brother. Min’er’s frailty is not natural; it is due to my own failings. We were both poisoned by a rare, foreign toxin. Because she was already weak, the poison acted rapidly, and there is no hope of recovery.”

Jia She had suspected as much upon arrival. Lin Ruhai was the Imperial Salt Commissioner. Although only a seventh-rank official, the power he held intimidated the salt merchants because he was the Emperor’s confidant who submitted secret memorials directly. Jia She understood the corruption of officialdom; Lin Ruhai’s existence threatened the profits of the great salt merchants, so they would naturally seek to eliminate him. It was a difficult position; to side with the salt merchants was to betray the Emperor, but to assist the Emperor was to become a target for the merchants.

Jia She promised earnestly, “Since you both wish for me to take Daiyu back, I agree to the arrangement.”

Lin Ruhai had Lin An bring a small box and told Jia She, “This contains 200,000 taels in bank notes. Please accept this, Brother, and I will entrust my daughter to you.”

Jia She glanced at the small wooden box, but instead of joy, his brows knitted. “200,000 taels is no small sum. Rather than giving this to me, you would be better off giving it to the Emperor to seek his protection for Daiyu.”

Lin Ruhai was surprised and laughed. “I have already given the Emperor 3 million taels.”

Jia She gasped, unable to resist asking, “Just how much money do you rake in every year?”

Knowing his time was short, Lin Ruhai spoke freely: “I hand over at least 5 million taels to the Emperor every year; the rest is my own. I have not dared to save much; the wealth I have gained was all permitted by the Emperor.”

Jia She fell silent. Lin Ruhai was merely a Salt Commissioner, yet he could generate 5 million taels for the Emperor in a year; the immense wealth of those salt merchants was staggering. If he were Situ Xuan, he would also want to dismantle them. Dismantling them would not only pacify the realm but also fill the national treasury, allowing the country to pursue water conservancy projects without financial constraints.

Jia She eventually accepted the 200,000 taels, vowing to spend every cent of it on Lin Daiyu. Seeing Jia She’s troubled expression, Lin Ruhai had the servants lead him to his room to rest. After Jia She left, Lin An whispered, “I just went to inquire; the General has been severely seasick, and in the last year, he has changed significantly. People in the capital say he has gone mad. On New Year’s Eve, he lost his temper and flipped the dining table in front of the Old Matriarch, and afterwards, he did not even inquire about her condition when she fainted.”

“Master, can we truly entrust the young lady to him?”

Lin Ruhai found it amusing. Jia She’s eyes were clear; he was not mad. “He is not mad; he has simply seen the truth. If the Jia family continues on this path, they will eventually be liquidated by the Emperor.”

“I know the Jia mansion is not an ideal place, but only by sending Daiyu there can she survive. If she remains here in Yangzhou with me, I fear she will pass away before I do.”

Lin An still felt uneasy, worrying, “General Jia accepted the 200,000 taels. As long as you are alive, he will naturally look after the young lady. But if you are no longer here, will he still remember his promise?”

Lin Ruhai was no longer as anxious as before. Before meeting Jia She, he had doubted he would take good care of Lin Daiyu. After meeting him, he trusted his character. A person’s heart could be seen in their eyes; when Jia She looked at the 200,000 taels, there was no greed or joy. How could someone with such clean, clear eyes be a man who broke his word?

Lin Ruhai instructed Lin An, “Send someone to follow the General. I feel he does not have enough people with him. Keep an eye on his movements.” Even the best pretender would accidentally reveal habits. She was his only daughter; he could not afford to be careless. He had also made arrangements in the capital; if the Jia family treated her poorly after his death, the entire Jia family would be buried with her. Lin Ruhai took a deep breath, struggling to suppress the surging murderous intent in his heart. He only hoped the Jia family would be worthy of his trust.

That evening, Lin Ruhai waited for Jia She to join him for dinner, but Lin Zhixiao came running over. “Great Uncle, my Master is seasick and says he will skip dinner.” Jia She had instructed him before sleeping that if he could not wake up, he should tell Lin Ruhai, as he guessed he would be waiting for him. Lin Ruhai asked after his health, and upon learning it was just seasickness, he ordered the servants to take good care of him.

Jia She slept until nearly noon the next day. Only then did the sense of instability from the ship fade, and his hunger returned. Without being prompted, Lin Zhixiao brought over the rice porridge that had been kept warm on the stove. After breakfast, Jia She enjoyed a refreshing bath, feeling as though he had been reborn.

“Did Daiyu eat this morning?” Jia She had instructed Lin Zhixiao to keep an eye on her diet and well-being before resting the night before.

Thinking of the young lady, Lin Zhixiao was filled with concern. “Miss Lin had a small bowl of chicken soup yesterday, but she was so distraught she vomited it up before sleep. This morning, she only had a little porridge, and she had a piece of pastry at noon, but has not yet had a proper meal.”

Jia She frowned. Lin Daiyu’s health was already frail, and the continuous leakage of spiritual energy—whatever its source—would certainly affect her physical well-being. Jia She dressed and instructed Lin Zhixiao, “Go to the kitchen and have them brew a nourishing soup. Do not wait for meal times; have her drink some periodically.”

Jia She went to see Jia Min. Lin Ruhai had left early that morning, so only Lin Daiyu and Jia Min were in the room. Jia Min was awake, and seeing Jia She, a smile appeared on her withered face as she spoke with immense weakness.

“Brother is here. Min’er heard that your complexion was poor yesterday; was it due to the change in climate?”

Jia She stepped forward and gently stroked Lin Daiyu’s hair. Seeing her blush and look up at him shyly, he returned a faint smile. A servant brought a stool, and Jia She sat by the bed. “Daiyu is very observant. It has been a long time since I traveled far, and my health has been frail in recent years, making the trip quite difficult.”

Jia Min asked the question closest to her heart: “Then when do you plan to return to the capital?”

Hearing this, Lin Daiyu could not help but show panic, but fearing to anger her mother, she gripped her handkerchief tightly. Jia She laughed, “I have no real business to attend to; I can return whenever I wish. I have only arrived for a day; is my sister already trying to rush me away?”

Jia Min felt relieved. She had been afraid that Jia She would be in a hurry to leave, and even more afraid that she would not be able to see Daiyu before she passed away.