The cannon fodder character in the Dream of the Red Chamber's substitute marriage story tries to rewrite her life (part 3). (Seeking...)
After Jia Wei got married, Jia Daishan called Jia Hui to his study, handed her a box, and said with a hint of helplessness in his voice, "I know that you have been wronged by marrying into the Feng'en General's Mansion."
But there's nothing we can do about it. Your second sister did such a thing. If she doesn't marry Su Jingxing, she'll have no choice but to cut her hair and become a nun.
Whether she becomes a nun or not is irrelevant; the real issue is that she's ruined the reputation of all the women in our Jia family. You and your sister will likely have a hard time marrying into good families now.”
This is the dowry your grandmother left you, which I, your father, have been keeping safe all these years. Now that you are getting married, I've added some more for you. I hope you will behave well from now on and not follow your second sister's example.”
Jia Hui took the box, her expression indifferent: "Am I now married into a good family? Why should I suffer for Jia Wei's troubles? She's just taking advantage of my lack of support."
Father, there's no need to be angry. Don't you know the truth about General Mingrui? Your daughter's marriage is nothing more than a marriage to ward off bad luck.
Even if the daughter of a concubine was born into the prestigious Rongguo Mansion, she wouldn't stoop so low as to be used for a marriage to bring good luck to the family, would she? If such a thing got out, the Jia family would have lost all its reputation long ago.
Your daughter has obeyed the arrangements of her father and stepmother and married into the Feng'en General's Mansion, which can be considered as repaying the kindness of you and stepmother in raising her.
Now that the debt of gratitude for raising me has been repaid, no matter how my daughter lives in the future, she will have nothing to do with the Jia family anymore. Father, please take good care of yourself!
Upon hearing this, Jia Daishan flew into a rage: "You unfilial daughter! Since ancient times, marriage has always been arranged by parents and matchmakers. What makes you dissatisfied? Would your parents possibly harm you?"
Jia Hui sneered: "What parents who truly love their children would send their daughter to someone else to bring good luck in marriage?"
Since General Feng'en's mansion is so good, why not send your other daughters there? What, are you going to harm me? How many times have you tried to harm me? Do you dare say you don't know how my mother died?
"What happened to the stillborn child that Aunt Liu gave birth to? You dare say you haven't found out anything? And what happened to Grandmother? Don't you have any idea?"
Jia Daishan was so angry by her words that he felt a tightness in his chest, his face turned ashen, and he clutched his chest and took a few steps back.
Jia Hui turned and left. Feeling bad, huh? Your bad days are yet to come.
She had just instructed the system to add a colorless and odorless pill to Jia Daishan's tea. It wouldn't be fatal, but it would reduce Jia Daishan's immunity to only one-fifth of its original level.
It might even allow him to live a few years longer than before, and his quality of life would be quite good. As long as he lives a comfortable and carefree life, with someone to wait on him hand and foot, there won't be any problems.
I just can't move around. Even the slightest movement will make me break out in a cold sweat and faint. The idea of leading troops into battle and earning merit like before is just a pipe dream. Even a short ride on horseback leaves me bedridden for days to recover.
Back in her courtyard, Jia Hui opened the box. Inside was a stack of silver notes, twenty of them all worth five hundred taels each, which must have been left by her grandmother.
Given Jia Daishan's character, it would be a miracle if he actually contributed anything. He even felt embarrassed that his own daughter was getting married without him, as her father, offering no congratulations whatsoever.
This silver note wasn't even in the first playthrough; it must have all been given to Jia Wei. This time, Jia Wei made him lose face in front of the Shi family, and he was so angry and embarrassed that he gave her the silver note.
This was given to him by Old Madam Jia before she passed away, specifically designated for its original owner. Don't expect Jia Hui to be grateful to him for this.
It must be said that Old Madam Jia was truly good to the original owner of this body. In addition to the ten thousand taels, she also left the original owner with a generous dowry.
This includes two farms, each 500 mu in size, one in Fangshan and the other in Xiaotangshan.
The five shops were all managed by her trusted confidants from her maternal family. It was a pity that the original owner of these shops failed to protect them in her previous life, and they all benefited from that heartless Su Jingxing.
Jia Hui opened the dressing box that the old lady had left her. Inside, there was a hidden compartment filled with silver notes worth a thousand taels each, totaling fifty thousand taels.
Although the number of hair ornaments in the dressing box is not large, each set is priceless.
Besides the silver notes and jewelry, the original owner also had a box filled with gold melon seeds, gold beads, and silver peanuts.
During festivals and holidays, the old lady would have these auspicious gold and silver items made. She would give away a small portion as a reward, and the majority would go to the original owner.
It can be said that the old lady went to great lengths for the sake of the original owner's granddaughter, trying to leave as much money as possible for the original owner.
The old lady gave all her antiques and treasures to Jia She, while these valuable but inconspicuous items were given to their original owners.
Previously, it was Granny Zhang who kept it for her, and even Shi Shi didn't know. She thought that Old Madam Jia had given all her private savings to Jia She.
Of course, that's true on the surface, but in reality, the courtyard where the original owner lived was unassuming and the decorations and paintings inside were all the best and most discreet pieces from the old lady's private collection.
Now everything benefits Jia Hui. She puts everything that can't be displayed in the open into her spatial storage. Yu Yan is loyal, but just in case, she still uses a loyalty talisman.
After using the Loyalty Talisman, she can take something out of her space or put something back into her space without any suspicion from Swift; she will take it for granted.
The effect of the Loyalty Talisman is that it not only makes people unconditionally loyal to Jia Hui, but also prevents them from questioning her actions, making them feel that whatever she does is right, and thus preventing them from gossiping about her.
Jia Hui's wedding was also approaching. A week after Jia Wei's wedding, Jia Hui was to be married in a bridal sedan chair. The day before her wedding, Jia Min came with her maids to deliver her dowry.
Although they were sisters, their relationship was barely better than that of strangers. Shi disliked the three illegitimate daughters born to her concubines, and even more so, she disliked Jia Min associating with them.
Jia Min was a filial daughter, and because she lived far away, she had almost no contact with her three half-sisters.
From the original owner's perspective, not a single person in the Jia family was kind to her. She was utterly innocent in both her lives, suffering so much at the hands of Jia Daishan and Shi Shi.
The previous mission taker actually saved Jia's granddaughter and three granddaughters.
Ultimately, because of these granddaughters and great-granddaughters, even though the Jia family was raided, Shi was able to enjoy her old age in peace, which explains why she exploded.
She sacrificed her merits and soul, not to let the mission takers meddle in other people's business and come to the Red Mansion to save people.
Lin Daiyu is innocent, but she is Jia Min's daughter and Shi's granddaughter. Her decision not to let the mission take revenge already shows she has a bottom line. If someone dares to save a person, she dares to file a complaint.
Before her marriage, Jia Min was undoubtedly noble and proud. Of course, she had the right to be proud, as she was showered with love and affection, and her food, clothing and daily necessities were all the best.
After she came of age, Jia Daishan carefully selected Lin Ruhai, whose ancestors were hereditary marquises and who had passed the imperial examinations, as her son-in-law. The wedding was a grand affair with a lavish procession of red bridal procession.
Given her family background and social standing, in Grandmother Jia's eyes, Jia Min was marrying down, and even Jia Min herself thought so. This can be seen from how she often mentioned her family's prominence and wealth to Daiyu.
The servants of the Jia family were all sycophants who would flatter the powerful and belittle the weak. Jia Min was the apple of Shi's eye, and as a result, the status of her maids in the mansion rose accordingly, becoming comparable to that of a deputy young lady.
Both the lax rules and the way people spoke showed that no one in the mansion took Jia Hui seriously.
Jia Min didn't take it seriously. She gestured to the maid to hand the dowry to Yu Yan, who was by Jia Hui's side, chatted casually for a few minutes, and then left under some pretext.
Swift's face flushed red with anger: "A bunch of snobbish lackeys who look down on people..."
Jia Hui pinched her cheek: "The servants of the Jia family have always been like this. Why get angry with strangers? We're about to leave this hellhole. You should be happy."
Yu Yan put the dowry that Jia Min had given her aside; she wouldn't give these things to her own young lady. Fourth Miss might not have any bad intentions, but the Madam was another matter entirely.
Before she left, Sister Lark repeatedly told her to take good care of the girl, and that she couldn't afford to make a mistake on such a small matter.
Swift sighed, "Sister Lark has been gone for so long, I wonder where she is now? I wonder if she can come back before Miss's wedding?"
"Of course!"
The swift looked up and happily rushed into the lark's arms: "Sister lark, you're finally back! My daughter and I missed you so much while you were gone!"
Let me tell you, the master is so biased. It was clearly the madam who arranged the marriage for the second daughter, but the second daughter refused, so the master is forcing our daughter to marry him.
The girl refused, so he beat her and forced her to kneel in the ancestral hall. She caught a chill while kneeling under the eaves, and her high fever wouldn't subside. I was frantic and at a loss.
The lady simply sent the household physician to take a look. If it weren't for the medicine you left behind when you left, my daughter and I probably wouldn't have made it to your return.
Yun Que rubbed her head: "I know everything. Let's leave this debt with them for now, and settle it after the girl gets married."
Yun Que wasn't exaggerating. After Chen Xia completed the beginner's quest, he used points to upgrade both her and the mini-system. Now she's even more versatile; in this era of cold weapons, she's practically invincible.
Jia Hui sent Yu Yan and Sang Zhi to the kitchen to get a portion of the usual dishes, and to slip some silver to the head chef to have a few more refreshing side dishes cooked. Then, she pulled Yun Que around and looked her over: "Yi Yi, how does it feel to dress up as an ancient person for the first time?"
Ling Yi, who had set her appearance to be nine-tenths like Yun Que, smiled and let her look her over: "It feels quite novel. I arrived too late and only found Yun Que's body. I sent her ashes to Jiangnan and buried them with Granny Zhang."
After I returned, I secretly went to General Feng'en's mansion. That Mingrui really was born sickly and weak, a sickly man who had to catch his breath after taking just one step.
There aren't any of those messy bodyguards you're worried about, but there is something fishy about him; he has a system that claims to be Shennong (the legendary Chinese deity).
I chatted with him for a while, but there was no binding or activation. I don't know what's going on.
I just heard from the little system that the cheat you got when you checked in to the small world this time is a wood-type healing ability. The more I look at it, the more I feel like that system was prepared for you.
I looked into his family background, and it turned out he was quite wealthy. His ancestors had been fighting against Huang Taiji and Dorgon, which allowed them to accumulate a considerable fortune.
Although Mingrui's grandfather was a son born out of wedlock and received a small share of the family property, his family was not large, with only one son per generation. The women he married into the family were all noble ladies from the Manchu Eight Banners, and each of them brought dozens of taels of dowry with her when she got married.
With nothing coming in and a group of loyal and capable servants, plus a considerable number of estates and shops, the family's wealth was extraordinary, though they kept a low profile.
"If you marry him, your life won't be bad. When he dies, you'll be a wealthy widow. As for his loyal servants, a few loyalty charms will suffice."
Jia Hui twitched the corner of her mouth: "Tongzi probably hasn't had a chance to tell you yet, but our mission this time is to make sure that sickly Mingrui lives a good life. She wants me to live a life that Jia Wei can't even dream of, so she'll regret it."
The previous tasker was reported by her, and only received half the points for three consecutive tasks. If Mingrui dies, she might report me too.
Yun Que immediately changed her tune: "Want him to live? That's easy. Even if he's just naturally weak, or even if he has an incurable disease, I can cure him in a minute. Just tell me how you want him to live, half-dead or lively?"
Jia Hui thought for a moment: "Let's keep him alive for now, half-dead, and then we'll see what happens after he marries into the family."
Yun Que, tonight let's go and investigate Jia Daishan's private treasury. After I get married, we'll see which dark and windy night we come back and raid his treasury.
And then there's Shi Shi; she needs to contribute as well. Even if she donates it later, it's better than leaving it to the two of them.
Yun Que nodded, "No problem at all, as long as Jia Hui is happy."
In ancient times, weddings were usually held in the evening. Jia Hui was dragged out of bed early in the morning and spent most of the day getting ready. Her face was sore from being pinched, and the powder on her face looked like it belonged in a horror movie. She gave Yun Que a look and asked her to slip a purse to the old woman who was doing her hair.
When no one was looking, she wiped off the thick layer of powder on her face and put on some light makeup.
If she were to marry into General Feng'en's mansion with that old woman's heavily painted face, she would probably scare Mingrui to death.
Mingrui was indeed too ill to get up before. In her previous life, when Jia Wei married into the family, she bowed to heaven and earth with a rooster.
Yun Que came over, fed him half a health-preserving pill, and then had the little system contact the Shennong system, instructing it to persuade Mingrui that he had to personally go through the wedding ceremony.
After being out of contact for more than a decade, half-dead and unable to even perform normal binding, the Shennong System has finally found its organization again, and is so excited that it's almost howling with excitement.
It wouldn't be enough to just let it fool Mingrui; it would be willing to kill Mingrui outright. The feeling of seeing no hope and only waiting to die was just too unbearable.
So, Jia Wei, who was waiting to see Jia Hui make a fool of herself, broke down. Why was it that when she married into General Feng'en's mansion, she had to bow to a rooster?
When it came to Jia Hui, that little vile woman, Mingrui, that sickly man, suddenly had the strength to personally perform the wedding ceremony.
Her dowry in both her previous lives was a meager 32 loads, so how did it become 48 loads for Jia Hui? They were both illegitimate daughters, yet the difference was too great!
If she knew that Jia Hui and Old Madam Jia had left behind a substantial private fortune, she would probably be even more disarmed.
Shi was even more distraught, as she hadn't expected that the old lady had prepared a dowry for that little slut Jia Hui so early on.
Despite all our precautions, we still couldn't guard against that old hag's next move.
What she found even more unacceptable was that Jia Daishan actually reprimanded her for the sake of that little bitch Jia Hui, forbidding her from tampering with Jia Hui's dowry.
After so many years of marriage, he didn't even have this much trust. The more Shi thought about it, the angrier she became. Coupled with Jia Hui's little trickery, she actually fell ill from anger.
After marrying off a concubine's daughter, both the Duke of Rong and his wife fell ill, which made many people curious. Could it be that the couple couldn't bear to part with their daughter?
On second thought, she was just a concubine's daughter. Even if the Duke of Rong was reluctant to part with her, surely the Duchess of Rong wouldn't be reluctant to part with her either?
Upon further inquiry, I discovered that she was married off to bring good luck to her husband. I suspect there's something fishy about this illness.
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