Mrs. Chen, upon hearing Mrs. Zhu's words, swayed and nearly collapsed, but fortunately, she was already on the bed, and Mrs. Xue steadied her, allowing her to sit back up properly.
Mrs. Xue hurried back to the east wing room and called for Zhixin. Jinghan and Jingya, hearing the commotion, followed as well. After listening to what Mrs. Zhu said, Zhixin's face also grew somber. "My wife's younger sister, don't cry just yet, the situation is still unclear. I'll head to the county town immediately to see what's going on. You all should stay home and wait for my letter." Turning to Mrs. Xue, he said, "Wife, can you help me pack a couple of pieces of clothing, and prepare some dry food for me? Mother, do we have any silver left at home? This matter will likely require some bribing, and we won't have enough if we're short on silver."
