The Heavens Begin with Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 135: Trapped in a cocoon
In the early morning, just as the sky was getting light, Jia Lian woke up under the influence of his biological clock. He subconsciously wanted to get up and wash up, but the maid outside the door whispered to remind him:

"Master, grandma said that you don't have to get up so early to practice martial arts in the future. Grandma will take care of the old lady."

Jia Lian was stunned for a moment, then the memories of yesterday flooded into his mind. He suddenly remembered it, and immediately slapped his thigh excitedly, laughed a few times, turned over and got back into bed, and began to take a nap.

Although the exercise these days has made him accustomed to getting up early, decadence always comes faster than hard work. After closing his eyes for a while, he successfully fell asleep again.

When he woke up again, it was already bright outside and the sun was almost shining on his butt, but no one came to wake him up.

As expected, I don’t need to practice martial arts anymore!
Jia Lian got up happily, stretched his muscles a few times as usual, and called the maid outside the door to come in and help him dress and wash.

When the door opened, it was Ping'er who came in.

Now he was in a very good mood, and his lustful desire was aroused again. He gently pinched Ping'er's chest and asked with a smile:

"Hey Ping'er, where did grandma go?"

Ping'er slapped his hand away and whispered in a low voice:
"Master, did you anger grandma again last night? I think she is like a man with gunpowder. She doesn't like anyone. She picked out a few of my faults last night and scolded me."

"I was just a sleepover, but who knew you would bother me again this morning."

"If grandma hadn't been busy today and had gone to see the madam, I wouldn't have found a way to get away and come see you."

Jia Lian was not surprised to be rejected by Ping'er. He just pouted and said:

"Don't you know what your grandma's temper is like? She's moody all day long. Who knows who has offended her? It won't be me!"

"Don't always blame me for everything. Maybe you're the one who pissed her off."

Ping Er certainly didn't want to be blamed, so seeing that Jia Lian had no idea, she complained in a low voice:

"Grandma's temper comes and goes quickly, except when she's at odds with Master. She's never been very careful, but this time it's been a whole morning and it hasn't subsided. It must be Master that you did something wrong, otherwise why would it take so long?"

"She didn't want to cause trouble for you, but she took it out on me. I feel so wronged!"

Hearing Ping'er say this, Jia Lian remembered the kick Feng Lazi gave him yesterday. Everything was fine before she left. The only thing that could have gone wrong was Lin Daiyu's side.

Could it be that Lin Daiyu said something bad to her wife?

Do you want to ask too?
Jia Lian was very concerned about Lin Daiyu's "precognitive dream" and was afraid that he would suffer some bad misfortune in the future.

After thinking about this, he secretly kept this matter in mind and planned to find an opportunity to secretly find Lin Daiyu to find out the situation.

Without Wang Xifeng's permission, Ping'er didn't dare to let him succeed, so she quickly helped him wash up and served him breakfast and lunch.

After finishing his meal, Jia Lian was full of energy and was about to go out, but he ran into his wife who was just returning.

"Master, don't be in a hurry to go out. I just came back from the old lady. Let's talk about the business first, and then you can go wherever you want to have fun."

As soon as he heard about the serious matter, Jia Lian hurriedly stopped and walked back side by side with Wang Xifeng.

How long he can live happily depends on the old lady's attitude.

On the way back to the house, Jia Lian deliberately looked carefully and saw that Wang Xifeng was smiling and did not look angry at all. He couldn't help feeling strange and began to suspect that Ping'er had made a mistake.

After they entered the room and sat down, Wang Xifeng said with a smile:
"Let the master know that I have convinced the old lady. From now on, the master does not need to practice martial arts."

"But the old lady hasn't given up just like that. I still hope that you can make some achievements and not bring shame to our ancestors."

Hearing that the tight hoop on his head had finally been removed, Jia Lian was overjoyed at first, but then, after hearing the additional conditions, he smiled bitterly and said:
"Good Feng'er, you know, if the master had that ability, he would have been an official ten years ago. Why did he wait until now, and he is still just a donated official?"

Wang Xifeng smiled and explained:
"Don't worry, Master. The old lady knows what's going on and won't make things difficult for you."

"If it were in the past, there would naturally be no way to do it, but now there is a great opportunity in front of us. You don't have to do anything, just follow the trend and you will probably be able to get some benefits and turn the donated position into a real job."

Hearing this, Jia Lian refused to believe it and just smiled and said:
"Nowadays, for the real positions in the court, civil officials need to take the imperial examinations, and military officials need to have meritorious service. I don't know how many people are eyeing them. How can it be my turn?"

"Besides, your master is so talented that he can't even handle his own family affairs. If he becomes an official, he might end up getting fired or even losing his life."

After hearing this, Wang Xifeng pointed to the east mysteriously and said with a smile:

"Master, have you forgotten how Master Zhan got his title?"

"What is Master Zhan doing now? Master Zheng has sent Baoyu over, saying he is helping. But isn't he just going to share the credit?"

"What can Baoyu do with his personality? Isn't it the people below who are doing the work? He even refuses to stay in the workshop, and spends the whole day having trysts with Miss Baoqin at the Jockey Club. Do you think I don't know?"

"Since Baoyu can do it, why can't you?"

"As for the fact that the master can't be an official, it's actually very simple. As long as the master is willing, we can be sent out to be local officials!"

"It's hard to be an official in Beijing, but it's much easier to be an official in the local area."

"We have the Jia family's connections in the capital to protect us, and we are not competing with others for the opportunity to be promoted, so how can there be any danger?"

"We don't expect to achieve anything big. We just need to find a good place and be a county magistrate or prefect for a few years. That will be enough for our lifetime."

"Wouldn't it be nice if I could resign and continue to live a happy life in peace and stability?"

After hearing this, Jia Lian was of course moved, but he hesitated and said:
"Of course I want to borrow this Dongfeng, but why would Master Zhan take me with him?"

"He and Baoyu have a deep friendship, and he is willing to lend him gold, but the relationship between him and me... is just ordinary!"

Hearing this, Wang Xifeng was so angry that her eyebrows were raised. She came over and stretched out her hand to pinch him, cursing:

"We're both here for eating, drinking and having fun, but you only find useless and worthless friends. Why don't you treat Mr. Zhan a few more times?"

"If we talk about acquaintance, you and Mr. Zhan knew each other first. Why did your relationship become distant later?"

Wang Xifeng took the opportunity to vent her anger and acted without mercy. Jia Lian was twisted so hard that he cried out in pain, dodged here and there, and begged for mercy.

"Good Feng'er, this is my fault. I will invite him out for a drink and plead with him. I will definitely talk this matter over."

"Hmph!" Wang Xifeng snorted coldly, her true colors revealed. "Do you think you can get such a good thing by just having a banquet? You underestimate Mr. Zhan!"

"As far as I'm concerned, Master should just give in to his wishes and send Ping'er to him. Whether she becomes his concubine or a maid, it's up to him!"

"With this great gift, it will be much easier for you to ask for it, Master."

"Hmm?" This time it was Jia Lian's turn to be stunned.

Previously, because of the wine business, Jia Lian had intended to give Ping'er to Mr. Zhan, but later gave up because of Wang Xifeng's opposition. Unexpectedly, now it was Wang Xifeng who brought up the matter again.

Jia Lian thought it was his wife testing him, so he shook his head and refused:
"Feng'er, what are you talking about? Ping'er is your dowry and your most capable assistant. How could I, the master, give her away?"

In the past, Jia Lian's words might have been acceptable to Wang Xifeng, but ever since Wang Xifeng learned from Lin Daiyu that Ping'er had secretly given birth to a son with her own master, her attitude towards Ping'er changed drastically.

Now hearing Jia Lian say this, Wang Xifeng sneered.

"Hehe... Master, are you reluctant to let go?"

"That's right. Ping'er is still the master's concubine. He loves her the most and feels sorry for her. How could he bear to give her away?"

Hearing his wife speaking in such a sarcastic tone, Jia Lian suddenly felt a headache again and sighed:
"Good Feng'er, can't we talk nicely?"

"Although Ping'er is a concubine, I can't even touch her now, so why should I be reluctant to let her go?"

"It's obviously you who has been protecting her all along, why do you have to blame me?"

"Humph!" Seeing her master's pretentious behavior, Wang Xifeng became more and more angry, so she raised her eyebrows and said, "Since the master is willing to let her go, why not just send her over?"

"Okay, okay!" Jia Lian had already seen his wife's arrogance before, and knew there was no point in talking to her, so he immediately raised his hands in surrender, "Since Feng'er doesn't care, then why should I care? Just give it to her!"

In order to avoid any further complications, Wang Xifeng made the decision on the spot when she saw Jia Lian nod in agreement.

"it is good!"

"Since you have agreed, then this matter should be dealt with as soon as possible. You should go and invite Master Zhan to your house for a banquet and settle the matter while you are there. Send Ping'er over tonight."

Jia Lian was urged to go out by Wang Xifeng, and he was quite confused.

Isn’t Ping’er his wife’s confidant?
Why is it being sent out suddenly, and so hastily?

Before, he wanted to send Ping'er away to change the liquor business, but she scolded him severely. Now she said, "Whether she is a concubine or a maid, it's up to him!"

Thinking back to what Ping'er had said before, Jia Lian became more and more convinced that Ping'er must have done something to anger Wang Xifeng, otherwise she would never have ended up in such a situation.

However, his feelings for Ping'er were not very strong, and he actually didn't care whether Ping'er stayed or left. Now, if he could use Ping'er to boost his future, it would be a good idea.

Before, Wang Xifeng went to Lin Daiyu to inquire about the news, so Mr. Zhan naturally knew about it. Today, when he saw that Jia Lian did not come to practice martial arts, he knew that there must be a fire in his backyard, so he stayed at home, waiting for the benefits to come to him.

Sure enough, Jia Lian came to invite him to his house for a banquet. Mr. Zhan certainly would not refuse, so he happily agreed and made an appointment to meet in the evening.

After finishing his business, Jia Lian didn't want to go home to see Wang Xifeng's face, so he went out and headed for the Jockey Club. He wanted to vent all the anger that had accumulated over the past few days and have a good time.

After arriving at the horse farm, Jia Lian entered the box area with ease, grabbed a servant at random, asked about the whereabouts of his friends who often came in and out, and then swaggered over there.

As I was walking forward, I suddenly heard someone behind me shout in surprise:

"Hey, isn't this Brother Lian? Why didn't he go to practice martial arts today?" Lian Er turned around and saw Baoyu and Baoqin standing side by side, holding a string of snacks in their hands, looking at him in surprise not far away.

"Haha... With the old lady's permission, I don't have to practice that deadly thing anymore!"

Jia Lian greeted Baoyu with a smile, and said with a wink:
"I will host a banquet for Master Zhan at home tonight. Tomorrow, I may have to go to the workshop to help Master Zhan like you."

Baoyu heard this and did not think there was anything wrong with sneaking out during work hours. He just smiled and said:
"That's a good feeling!"

"I'm just putting my name there to appease my master, but what do you think, Second Brother Lian, are planning?"

Jia Lian was also a simple-minded person, so he smiled and replied:

"I just want to take advantage of this and gain some merit from this matter, so that I can get a position with real power."

When Baoyu heard words like "merit", "power" and "official", he frowned and waved his hand and stepped back, saying:
"Brother Lian has become so vulgar now, please stay away from me and don't pollute my ears!"

When Jia Lian saw Baoyu's expression, he burst into laughter and pointed at him, saying:

"I, your second brother, am originally a layman, but I am different from you, Baoyu."

"Well, you guys go have fun by yourselves. I'll go find my lay friends to have some fun too. We can just have fun on our own."

The two parties separated immediately and went their separate ways.

After they had walked a long way, Baoqin reminded Baoyu:
"The credit for this job with Master Zhan must be limited, not everyone can get it. Second Brother Lian is doing this to compete with you for credit."

She had good intentions, hoping that her future husband would accumulate more benefits, but Baoyu shook his head disapprovingly and said with a smile:
"I don't like these things in the first place. As for the merits and official positions, let Second Brother Lian do whatever he wants. I will have less worries."

Seeing Baoyu so unmotivated, Baoqin began to worry that he would suffer in the future. But then she thought that Mr. Zhan was her good brother. With this relationship, the benefits would naturally not be passed to outsiders. She gave up the extra thoughts and just smiled and hinted:
"Brother Zhan treats you so well, Brother Bao should keep in touch with him more often. Don't forget him if anything good happens."

After hearing what Baoqin said, Baoyu immediately stopped, looked sideways at her, and understood something in his mind.

"What's wrong?" Seeing Baoyu like this, Baoqin stopped and asked.

"Sister Baoqin reminded me just in time. I just have something to discuss with you."

Seeing that there were so many people around and it was not a good place for conversation, Baoyu found another private room, drove out all the servants and maids, had them guard outside, and only pulled Baoqin in to talk to her in detail.

"Sister Qin, since you also know about what happened between me and Brother Zhan, I won't beat around the bush with you."

"I intend to give you to Brother Zhan and ask him to help you get some nourishment. What do you think?"

"What?" Baoqin was shocked after hearing this, "How...how can this be possible?"

Her first reaction was that she had heard it wrongly, but looking at Baoyu's serious expression, she immediately "understood" that Brother Bao wanted to give his future wife to his "good brother" to enjoy.

Baoyu saw Baoqin was shocked and knew that she didn't know the details, so he hurriedly explained:
"Sister Qin, you don't know that Brother Zhan is the reincarnation of an immortal god, a man of perfect morals, the most compassionate and kind to women, and the best person to women."

"Although these things are indeed somewhat unorthodox and violate the rules of the world and are not tolerated by etiquette and laws, I can pat my chest and guarantee that what I said is true."

"After being nourished by Brother Zhan, you will definitely become more energetic and vigorous. It will definitely be of great benefit."

"You said before that you would accept everything about me. Even if you don't agree with my quirks, you can accept them all. I am deeply moved. Now I am willing to share this good thing with you, my sister."

Baoqin's face turned pale and blue, and her heart was in a panic, as if the divine beast was galloping through her body. Only then did she truly understand what the unacceptable "quirk" that Lin Daiyu was talking about was!

Of course Baoyu saw Baoqin's panic and hesitation, but with his simple mind, he just thought that Baoqin didn't quite believe his words. After hesitating for a while, he added a chip to gain trust in his words and continued to lobby there.

"After spending these days together, I've learned that Sister Qin is not one of those vulgar women. She won't be bound by boring and stupid things like secular etiquette."

"If that's the case, then we are all the same kind of people, and I am not afraid to tell the truth to Sister Qin."

"Brother Zhan's ability to nourish women has long been proven by precedents."

"You also know Sister Wan. Ever since she became a widow, she has been depressed and unhappy. She is like a flower that is about to wither, lifeless and without vitality."

"It was me who brought Sister Wan and Brother Zhan together, and she was nurtured by Brother Zhan."

"Look at how radiant Sister Wan has become these days. She is like she has been reborn and has regained her youthful and lively personality."

"If Sister Qin doesn't believe me, I will arrange for you to meet with Sister Wan in private and let her testify for you."

Seeing Baoyu acting so serious, Baoqin was almost dumbfounded.

Can this be summed up by just the word "quirk"?
This is clearly a case of brain disease!

What normal person would help his widowed sister-in-law to commit adultery?
Is this something a normal person can do?
No!
Why did I choose such a husband for myself!

Baoqin looked up at the sky, speechless and choking, tears almost coming down.

Baoyu finally realized that something was wrong. He paused for a moment and asked hesitantly:
"Sister Qin, what's wrong with you?"

"Don't you want to?"

"Could it be...Could it be that what you said before was actually a lie?"

Seeing the incredible look in Baoyu's eyes and an expression of deep hurt, Baoqin's heart couldn't help but jump and she became scared.

But she did not forget what her master had told her, that Master Bao was the younger brother of the imperial concubine and he was absolutely not to be provoked.

If she had not been so smart as to try to win Baoyu's favor and said stupid things like "I accept everything about you", it might have been possible for her to end this marriage. But now she knows so many of Baoyu's secrets. If she dares to back out, the consequences will probably be very bad.

Fortunately, she was very quick-witted and quickly said:

"Brother Bao, what are you talking about? Since I said that I can accept everything about Brother Bao, then naturally I will support Brother Bao no matter what he wants to do."

"As the saying goes, if you marry a chicken, you follow the chicken; if you marry a dog, you follow the dog. Since I have decided to marry Brother Bao, then even if Brother Bao wants to give me to Master Zhan to enjoy, then, then of course I will obey your orders."

After Baoyu heard this, he was overjoyed. He stepped forward and grabbed Baoqin's hands, shouting:

"Sister, don't say anything about enjoying or obeying orders. I am doing this for your own good. After you are nourished by Brother Zhan, you will know that what I said is true."

Baoqin cursed in her heart, but she forced a smile on her face and said:
“It’s just that there are some difficulties involved.”

"On the one hand, my marriage with Brother Bao has not been decided yet. I am afraid that it still needs the approval of my master and the old ladies and wives in the mansion."

"It's not that I don't trust Brother Bao, it's just that marriage has to be decided by the parents and the matchmaker. And you know, adults have more complicated ideas and consider more issues, so it may not be what we want."

"On the other hand, this kind of thing is of great importance. After all, this is my first time. I really don't want to hand myself over so rashly, so I need more time to adapt myself."

Baoyu was indeed a man of pity for women. When he heard what Baoqin said, he suddenly understood and apologized quickly:
"Oh, this is my fault. I was not thoughtful enough and told my sister about it in a fit of anger."

"Don't worry, sister. After I return home tonight, I will talk to Madam about this matter and ask her to find someone to propose marriage to you. Let's make the marriage agreement first."

"As for the nourishment, with my sister's youth and vitality now, there is no need to rush. It won't be too late to invite Brother Zhan to come on our wedding night after we are officially married."

"Haha... yes, yes, brother Bao, you are right!" Baoqin secretly rejoiced that she had passed the test smoothly. She hurriedly agreed with Baoyu's words, but began to wonder in her heart how to get out of this situation.

I'm afraid the biggest difficulty is my own master.

Even if the master knew about Baoyu's miserable condition, it is still unclear whether he would reject this marriage.

Based on her understanding of her master's character of "valuing profit over affection", she was afraid that he might be happy with this, and he could also get hold of the leverage over both the Zhan and Jia families in one fell swoop, and let both families use her as a medium to serve the Xue family.

Baoyu was just like a child who had not grown up. On impulse, he wanted to give Baoqin to Mr. Zhan. Now that he had received a positive answer, he was very satisfied and clamored to go to the theater and watch acrobatics.

But Baoqin was no longer in the mood for that. She reluctantly followed him to a few more places, then made the excuse that she was tired and wanted to go back home to rest.

Baoyu was a gentle and considerate man, and although he still hadn't had enough fun, he carefully accompanied Baoqin back home.

After entertaining Baoyu with a forced smile and seeing him off, Baoqin's face drooped, she collapsed on the bed in dejection and began to cry loudly.

The maids around her were terrified, not knowing what had happened, and rushed forward to comfort her and ask for some information. However, there was no way Baoqin could share such a thing with anyone else, so she had to swallow her anger and refused to say anything.

After crying bitterly, Baoqin drove everyone out and sat in the room in a daze. Her mind was like a mess, with all kinds of thoughts running through her mind.

No wonder Lin Daiyu was so willing to give up her childhood sweetheart of more than ten years, and turned around and threw herself into the arms of Mr. Zhan without any hesitation. It turns out that the key issue lies here!

Anyway, no matter who marries Baoyu, she will eventually be given to his "good brother" Mr. Zhan for enjoyment. So instead of marrying Baoyu, it would be better to do it all at once and marry Mr. Zhan!
The most ridiculous thing is herself. She shamelessly told Lin Daiyu that "you shouldn't be too demanding on your husband" and "as long as you lower your moral bottom line, nothing is unacceptable." As a result, people now know that the real clown is her, Xue Baoqin!

Lin Daiyu had already known all this in her "precognitive dream", so she withdrew so decisively.

It's ridiculous that Xue Baoqin is conceited about her intelligence, but in fact she is short-sighted. She only sees "man on top of man" and watches the fun from the side, saying that Master Zhan's appearance is handsome and "very pleasing to the eye", but she never thought that this matter will eventually fall upon her family.

When she saw Lin Daiyu suddenly get angry before, she didn’t understand and just thought that Lin Daiyu despised her character. Now it seems that she was actually despising her IQ!
When she reflected on her own actions during these days, she felt that she was as stupid as a donkey. No wonder Sister Lin laughed at her!

After being upset for a long time, Baoqin finally calmed down a little and began to think about how to jump out of the fire pit.

Telling the truth will definitely not work, as my master will most likely not agree.

But how can he get the master to reject the marriage proposal from the Jia family who will arrive soon?

Baoqin tossed and turned in bed, making pancakes all the time. Various ideas popped up in her mind one after another, but were rejected one after another. She couldn't make up her mind.

(End of this chapter)