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墨書 Inktalez
Pirated Books is a fan fiction of Dream of the Red Chamber, where the protagonist is not a member of the Jia family, but rather the nephew of Lin Ruhai. The author is Daiyu Fan, and it is inevitable that Madam Wang and Grandmother Jia are portrayed negatively. However, having read many fan fictions featuring Jia She as the main character, she quite likes him. Thus, in her narrative, she depicts Jia She as a pitiful figure caught in unfortunate circumstances. Of course, there is still suffering involved, leading to a grim fate for the Jia family members, with Jia She being implicated by the Second Wife and his sons and daughters-in-law, ultimately dying during exile.
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In the world of Dream of the Red Chamber, Duke Rongguo Jia Yuan is gravely ill. He knows his time is limited, but everyone must face death eventually. His life has been sufficiently splendid; he fought valiantly in his youth and enjoyed wealth and honor in his later years. Yet among those in court, who has received as much trust and favor from the emperor as he has? Who has a virtuous wife and filial children like him, with grandchildren who are both adorable and dutiful? He feels content!
Suddenly, a book falls from above and hits him on the head. Jia Yuan curiously opens the book—due to the different writing formats between ancient and modern times, he finds himself reading the last part of the book: the concluding chapter about the resolution of Jia Mansion.
The more he reads, the darker his expression becomes. In this chapter about the conclusion of Jia Mansion, the author has inserted many personal opinions. Thus, besides witnessing the downfall of the Jia family and their tragic fates, Jia Yuan also encounters analyses regarding their demise and how if the protagonist had not entered the world of Dream of the Red Chamber, it would have led to even worse outcomes for the Jia family.
The Jia Shi Clan sought power through a so-called balance; under their influence, Jia Daishan favored the hypocritical Jia Zheng, causing Jia She to be neglected by his parents. After his loving grandparents passed away, poor Jia She could only cry secretly under his covers. He was suppressed by both the Jia Shi Clan and Jia Zheng, ending up as a stable general; meanwhile, Madam Wang, a cruel woman with a heart of stone, colluded with her foolish niece to engage in numerous shady dealings involving usury and litigation. Even if they were punished once for their crimes, it wouldn't be enough; she also harmed Jia She's wife and the legitimate grandson of Rongguo Mansion due to her personal grudges against the Second Wife. This led to years of infertility for Jia Min, who ultimately gave birth only to a frail Lin Daiyu. Through manipulated medicinal exchanges involving ginseng and deer antler pills, Lin Daiyu was doomed to die young, while all of Lin's family's vast wealth was consumed by the Jia family...
At the end of this narrative, the author mentions how if the protagonist had not entered this world, after being imprisoned and their property confiscated, all blame would fall on Jia She, as he was head of the household while Jia Lian merely served as an errand boy. Ultimately one would die while another would be exiled; conversely, Second Wife’s husband, Jia Zheng, would appear innocent as cabbage—he would not only be released but also inherit control over the Jia family...
Upon reading this, Jia Yuan, whose face had turned as dark as burnt pot bottom, threw down the Pirated Books in anger. His chest heaved violently as he struggled to calm his fury: Jia She was his most beloved grandson. How could it be that he was now so inept? The knowledge of antiques that he learned from himself and his late wife should not have led to such incompetence. The Jia family had held military power for two generations; with numerous connections in the army, it was likely that the emperor had long harbored fears about them. To ensure that Rongguo Mansion could continue its legacy without royal apprehension, it seemed necessary for their third generation to be mediocre; otherwise, with Jia She’s clever nature and expertise in antiques, how could he possibly be so inept? He sacrificed so much for the Jia family yet remained unaware that Jia Daishan had such a narrow vision and listened to similarly shortsighted members of the Jia Shi Clan, who looked down on their eldest son while valuing that seemingly literate but truly incompetent man—Jia Zheng. His pitiful grandson suffered decades of melancholy simply because he was favored by his grandparents yet deprived of parental love; he was even wronged by schemes from the Second Wife! The two women—Jia Shi Clan and Madam Wang—were at the root of all calamities for the Jia family. If it weren't for his impending death, he would not let them off lightly! But even though he would soon leave this world behind, he would make arrangements to protect his grandson Jia She, ensuring he did not meet such a tragic fate as recorded in that "book."
Indeed, Jia Yuan regarded this pirated work as a "book." After all, what fell from above could not be anything less than "literature," right? Moreover, its characters were so clear that no calligraphy master could replicate such writing—it must have been penned by some celestial being. It was likely that some deity could not bear to see their own fall into such misfortune that they cast down this "book," allowing him to make early arrangements to avoid such an ending.
After quite some time had passed, Jia Yuan finally calmed down enough to stand shakily. He slowly moved toward where the Pirated Books lay on the ground and squatted down to pick it up—why didn’t he just send someone else to do it? While recuperating in his courtyard, he preferred solitude without too many people around him. At that moment when the book fell on him, he had ordered all servants out of his courtyard and instructed them not to linger. These loyal old servants were certainly more discreet than those future gossipy servants from Rongguo Mansion.
Returning to his lounge chair after retrieving it, he breathed heavily for a long while before finally gathering enough strength to call for someone.
“Lin Yuzhong, go fetch my lady.”
“Yes, my lord.” A middle-aged man around forty replied before stepping out from Li Xiang Courtyard. Lin Yuzhong was a trusted aide of Jia Yan, who would later become father to Lin Zhi Xiao, one of two stewards at Rongguo Mansion.
After a while, Jia Yuan's wife, Madam Xu, entered Li Xiang Courtyard. Madam Xu came from a prestigious family and had much broader knowledge compared to the wealthy Jia Shi Clan. Aside from doting on her grandson, Madam Xu was flawless, the perfect matriarch.
Jia Yuan dismissed all the servants from the courtyard and turned to the pages he had been reading, handing them to Madam Xu. After she read through them, tears streamed down her face. "Sha'er, my poor Sha'er! With both of us gone, he has suffered so much. I always sensed that the Jia Shi Clan was troublesome, but I never expected they would treat Sha'er this way. Sha'er is her own son!"
Jia Yuan sighed. "It's my fault for marrying Dai Shan into our family."
Madam Xu quickly comforted him. "It's not your fault; it's the Jia Shi Clan's misguided intentions, and they are skilled at disguising their true nature. Look at how Dai Shan has been deceived; his heart is completely swayed by that woman!"
Jia Yuan asked, "What? Has Dai Shan disobeyed you?"
"No," Madam Xu replied hastily, not wanting her husband to misunderstand their son. Although she loved her grandson dearly, she still cared for her son. "I just reminded him to treat Sha'er better, but who would have thought he would be so enchanted by that woman? Not only does he treat Sha'er poorly, but he also seems to find fault with him at every turn. Sigh—Sha'er is his son after all; why would he dislike him?"
Jia Yuan snorted coldly. "Because he thinks Sha'er is useless; he wants a capable son."
Madam Xu understood Jia Yuan's meaning and sighed lightly. "Dai Shan's desire for power is indeed quite excessive."
Jia Yuan scoffed. "He and the Jia Shi Clan are cut from the same cloth; no wonder they get along so well."
"My lord!" Madam Xu called out lightly in disagreement.
Jia Yuan closed his mouth and after a moment said, "The steward of the Jia Shi Clan has been in charge for three or four years now, hasn't she?"
Madam Xu understood what Jia Yuan was implying. "It has been four years and three months since I handed over the stewardship to her; her audacity has certainly grown."
Jia Yuan grunted in acknowledgment. "I will send someone to investigate secretly and then present the evidence to Dai Shan to see how he chooses."
Just as Madam Xu was about to speak, they heard a voice outside calling for "Sha Ge'er." She quickly tucked away the documents. Before long, a beautiful child around five years old ran into the courtyard.
"Grandfather and Grandmother, Sha'er has come to see you. Grandfather, are you feeling better today?" The young version of Jia She ran over to Jia Yuan with concern.
The greeting from his eldest grandson warmed Jia Yuan's heart, and he smiled as he replied, "Grandfather is doing well. How about you, Sha'er? What have you been reading? Have you been exercising properly?"
The young Jia She nodded vigorously. "I have been exercising well, and I even practiced writing five big characters. But I don't like reading."
"Well, if you don't like it, that's fine, but you still need to understand the principles in books, do you know that?" Jia Yuan thought everything his eldest grandson said was right. He didn't force him to read if he didn't want to, but he noticed the slight redness around his grandson's eyes. Perhaps he had been holding back for too long; otherwise, it would have been hard to notice.
Jia Yuan signaled to Madam Xu. She also noticed Jia She's eyes and sighed helplessly inside, but she smiled broadly at Jia She. "Dear Sha'er, Grandmother has had some delicious pastries made. Would you like to have some?"
"Yes, yes!" Now, Jia She was quite the foodie and nodded eagerly at Madam Xu's words.
Madam Xu smiled as she stood up, taking her grandson's hand to go inside for snacks. Once they were out of earshot, Jia Yuan's expression darkened as he questioned the servant caring for Jia She. "What happened to Sha'er? Why was he crying?"
The nursemaid had long felt indignant on behalf of her master. Hearing Jia Yuan's inquiry, she naturally recounted Jia She's experience in detail: "Young Master went to greet Grandmother, but she took the opportunity to scold him and showed concern for Zheng Ge'er right in front of him. Young Master felt hurt and cried alone in his room."
"This wicked woman, how dare she act like a mother!" Jia Yuan was furious and swept the teacup off the table onto the floor. "Tell me everything—what other grievances has Sha'er suffered before?"
"Yes." The nursemaid was pleased; her master had indeed suffered many injustices at the hands of Grandmother. However, her master was filial and never let them intervene; he would only hide under the covers and cry alone in his room. It was pitiful. Now that the master was standing up for him, perhaps Grandmother wouldn't treat him this way anymore.
After hearing the nursemaid's account, Jia Yuan became even angrier. He had no idea that behind their backs, the Jia Shi Clan treated Jia She this way. Yet this pure-hearted child still respected her as his mother; no wonder he was later suppressed by the Jia Shi Clan. A dignified head of a duke's household reduced to living beside a stable and enduring disdain! This time, he absolutely could not allow his grandson to suffer such hardships again. For his grandson's sake, he could do without a daughter-in-law from the Jia Shi Clan!
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