The Heavens Begin with Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 136 Ping Er Starts
But during the day, Wang Xifeng sent Jia Lian away, then turned around and called Ping Er over, congratulating her with a fake smile:
"Good Ping'er, now a great thing is about to happen to you. Let me congratulate you first."

Ping Er had been with Wang Xifeng for many years and knew her well. Seeing her expression, she felt uneasy and hurriedly smiled and said,
"Grandma is telling jokes again, what good can come of me?"

"Even if there is, isn't that a reward from grandma?"

Seeing Ping'er being so cautious, Wang Xifeng became more certain of her thoughts. She stretched out her hand and twisted Ping'er's face, sneering:
"You are really good at talking. No wonder the master likes you more than me."

Ping Er had always known that her grandmother was a jealous person. When she heard this, she was immediately shocked. She thought that Jia Lian had said some nonsense and that her grandmother had taken her anger out on him. She quickly knelt down to express her loyalty and said:

"What are you talking about, grandma? How can you not know what kind of personality the master has?"

"When he is in a good mood, he likes everyone he sees. If she is pretty, he wants to hug her in his arms. But he forgets everything the moment he turns around. The only one who can really stay in his heart is grandma."

"If grandma listens to the master's nonsense and really believes it, and blames others, then they will be really wronged!"

"Haha..." Wang Xifeng just kept sneering after hearing this, ignoring Ping'er's aggrieved look, "Okay, you don't have to do this to me, I won't be able to control you in the future."

"Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you that the master has decided to give you to Master Zhan. From now on, you will be a member of the Zhan family. When the time comes, you will have a good life. Don't forget the master's kindness."

"What?" Ping'er's heart skipped a beat and she turned pale with horror. Although she was moved, she had to pretend to be sad. She went up to Wang Xifeng, hugged her feet and began to cry.

"No, grandma, if they do something wrong, you can scold them or beat them, but please don't kick them out!"

Wang Xifeng looked down at Ping'er with her eyelids drooping, and felt very pleased as she watched Ping'er crying like a pear blossom in the rain.

"Look at you, what are you doing?"

"This is obviously a good thing. Why are you crying so hard? What are you doing?"

"The concubines in the Zhan Mansion receive fifty taels of silver a month. Even ordinary maids receive five taels a month. Isn't that much less than what you get now?"

"Look at the sisters Jinchuan'er and Yuchuan'er. They come here to show off from time to time. I wonder how many people envy and hate them."

"You know, you have been a concubine for many years, and the master has never been happy with you. So I just gave you away this time. Out of sight, out of mind, and no need to worry about you anymore."

"Before, because of the wine business, the master once proposed to give you to Master Zhan in exchange, but at that time I couldn't let you go and insisted on keeping you."

"Now the master has something to ask of Master Zhan, but he has no presentable gift. After much thought, you are the most suitable one."

When Ping'er heard this, she knew that this was most likely true and it was not her grandmother testing her.

Since what happened that year, she had fantasized more than once that it would be great if she could be given to Master Zhan. Now that the old matter was brought up again, she was naturally secretly happy, but she didn't want to show too much joy in case of upsetting Wang Xifeng and making her think she was too heartless.

She knelt at Wang Xifeng's feet and stopped begging, fearing that her words would cause complications. But she continued to cry, pretending to be reluctant to give up the great kindness of her own grandmother. But she heard Wang Xifeng continue:

"Back then, Master Zhan had not yet become rich. If you had gone there then, you might have been able to get a concubine. But now, Master Zhan has become a viscount, and the concubines around him all have their own backgrounds. If you go there now, you might only be able to become a maid."

"This is my fault, grandma. I have delayed your future. Please don't blame me."

Hearing this, Ping'er's tears burst out and she cried even more sadly.

Seeing this, Wang Xifeng felt very happy.

I told you, a little bitch, to dare to secretly seduce the master and even get my son out. This time, I will completely put an end to your thoughts and send you out of the house.

Since you are unwilling to be a concubine in the Jia family, then go to the Zhan family and be a maid!

Can't you give birth to a son?

After you leave my house, you can have as many children as you want!
Let’s see who can take my position as my legal wife after you leave!

Also, you have to keep a close eye on your master and don't let him have any chance to steal again. Otherwise, if Ping'er is gone, someone like Jian'er and Guan'er will take advantage of the situation and swoop in.

Wang Xifeng was secretly making plans in her mind and was looking forward to the evening banquet even more.

As night fell, Mr. Zhan leisurely came to Rongguo Mansion to attend Jia Lian's family dinner.

Mr. Zhan likes this kind of family dinner the most. Every time there is a family dinner, good things happen.

Jia Lian and his wife had already prepared everything. When they saw Master Zhan coming, they hurried out to greet him.

"Haha... Master Zhan is here, please come in quickly, we have been waiting for a long time."

Master Zhan presented the gift he brought with him, and said politely with a smile:
"I came here in a hurry, so I brought a small gift, which is not a token of respect. I hope you will forgive me, Brother Lian."

Jia Lian glanced at it and saw how heavy the gift was. He secretly marveled at how generous Mr. Zhan was, and how thoughtful his wife was in using Ping'er as a gift. Otherwise, he would probably not be able to persuade him.

He waved his hand, motioning Wang Xifeng beside him to take the gift, and said with a smile:
"Oh my, Master Zhan, you are too polite. We are close friends. Why do you bring anything with you when you come to drink?"

"It's a waste of money, it's really a waste of money!"

After exchanging a few polite words, the two walked hand in hand into the living room and sat down at the table. Wang Xifeng accompanied them at the table, and Ping'er served them wine.

Master Zhan's eyes swept over the two girls, and when he saw Ping'er's pretty face blushing, he knew in his heart that this was the main dish for tonight.

Sure enough, as soon as the family dinner started, Ping'er was arranged to sit next to Mr. Zhan, and she diligently urged him to drink and serve him food.

Mr. Zhan was a kind and honest man, not used to beating around the bush, so after chatting for a while, he turned the topic to Ping'er and took the initiative to say:

"Brother Lian is so lucky. He has a virtuous wife like my second sister-in-law and a beautiful concubine like Miss Ping'er. He is so enviable!"

After a few drinks, Jia Lian was more relaxed. When he heard him praising Ping Er, he laughed and said:

"Brother, you are flattering me too much. Everyone knows that your house is the place where beauties gather."

"Speaking of which, Ping'er and my brother have some affinity, and you almost became a family."

"Back then, because of the wine business, I promised to give Ping'er to you, my dear brother. But after I sobered up, I forgot about it."

"I suddenly remembered it today, so I decided to just let this past matter go and send Ping'er to my brother's house."

After hearing this, Mr. Zhan raised his glass and thanked him:
"Oh, Brother Lian, you are really too polite. It is said that a gentleman does not take away what others like. How can I marry the beauty that Brother Lian loves?"

Jia Lian was forced to drink several glasses of wine by Mr. Zhan, and his mind became a little dull, so he kept selling things on the side.

"What are you talking about, my dear brother? It is said that brothers are like limbs and wives are like clothes. Besides, Ping'er is just a concubine. You can take her and enjoy her. Don't be polite to me."

Wang Xifeng was accompanying him and when she heard Jia Lian talking nonsense, she secretly glared at him, but also joined in trying to persuade him.

Seeing that the two were so kind and eager to help, Master Zhan had no choice but to accept them.

"Well, if that's the case, I'll send someone to pick Ping'er up and take her home."

Seeing that the matter was finalized, Wang Xifeng could not wait to say:

"Why bother Brother Zhan with this matter? I'll have someone bring a sedan chair to take Ping'er over."

There was nothing wrong with Master Zhan's side, but Ping'er, who was serving beside him, was already hating Sister Feng to the core.

Can those who were picked up and those who were sent there be treated the same?

After all, she had served Wang Xifeng for so many years and thought she had worked hard and made great contributions, but in the end, she was not shown any mercy at all. Not to mention helping her to get the status of a concubine, even the honor that was taken away openly was returned to her. She was like a thief, and was sent away as soon as the sedan chair stopped in the dark in the middle of the night.

What’s the difference between this and a girl who was bought and sold?

But in this kind of situation, it was not her turn as the person involved to intervene, she could only stand by and watch.

After the gift of a daughter was given to them, the relationship between the two sides naturally became much closer. After chatting and laughing for a while, Wang Xifeng brought up serious matters on behalf of her master.

"I heard that Brother Zhan is currently taking Brother Bao to do some serious work. I wonder if it would be convenient for him to take my master with him as well?"

As the saying goes, one who takes someone's hand is soft. Since Master Zhan has accepted Ping'er, it would be difficult to refuse. He smiled and nodded:
"I thought it was something else, but it turned out to be this. It's very simple."

"My workshop is short of manpower. Since Second Brother Lian is willing to come and help me, I can't express my happiness enough!"

"As for the division of credit in the future, I will give Second Brother Lian a larger share. I'm sure Baoyu won't blame me."

After hearing this, Jia Lian was overjoyed and raised his glass to toast:
"Good brother, your reputation for righteousness is well-deserved. We should interact more often in the future."

Seeing that Second Brother Lian was willing to invite a wolf into the house, Master Zhan certainly had no intention of refusing. He also picked up the wine glass with a smile and drank with him. However, his hand under the table had already fallen on Ping'er's leg beside him, and then he began to move up little by little like an ant climbing a tree.

Ping'er blushed and glanced at the faces of the people at the table. Seeing that no one seemed to notice, she quietly moved a little closer to her master.

There is no other way. If I don’t let the master be happy now, how will he live in the Zhan Mansion in the future?

Both the host and the guests were delighted. After the banquet, Ping'er helped Mr. Zhan out of the house, got on the carriage, and went straight back home.

As for the sedan chair that Wang Xifeng prepared for Ping'er, it was of no use at all. She could just sit in Master Zhan's arms. Wouldn't that be more stable than any sedan chair?
The carriage was moving steadily on the road, but Ping'er was jolted up and down. Fortunately, there was a shock-absorbing system under her body, which solved the problem of soft landing.

As a woman who had always been forbidden to have anything to do with Jia Lian, Ping'er had never seen such a high-tech shock absorption system. She couldn't help but make a fuss about all kinds of things, and was startled and frightened to the point that her legs went limp.

Fortunately, Mr. Zhan was a very gentle man, and he was always by her side supporting her with his hands, sometimes massaging her upper body, sometimes supporting her waist, and sometimes lifting her up by her ankles, so that even though Ping'er was leaning against the carriage, she did not fall down.

However, the distance between the Zhan Mansion and the Jia Mansion was too close. Just one or two sticks of incense was not enough for Ping'er to experience the complete shock-absorbing effect.

As a studious woman, Ping'er would never give up easily, so even after getting off the car at home, she still stayed in Master Zhan's arms, whispering in Master Zhan's ear with a tender and affectionate look:
"Master, my legs are weak, you have to take responsibility..."

How could Mr. Zhan, who was such a responsible person, be so ruthless? Of course, he took her all the way to experience the shock-absorbing effect of the ground. After entering the backyard, he called several people in the mansion over and had a frank conversation with them.

After the ten thousand update story ended, Master Zhan patted Ping'er, who was already infatuated, and ordered:

"From now on, you will follow my second sister. After we take down Feng Lazi, I will let you two sleep in the same bed."

After hearing what Master Zhan said, Ping Er, who was already exhausted, suddenly became energetic, got up and pestered him again, exclaiming in surprise:

"Master, do you want to get the grandmother, no, the second grandmother of Lian, as well?"

While enjoying Ping'er's service, Master Zhan gently lifted her chin, looked into her eyes and asked:

"Do you know why Wang Xifeng insisted on giving you to me now?"

"Eh?" Ping'er was startled. "Wasn't it Second Master Lian who wanted to give me to the master? Why is it Second Madam Lian?"

Seeing Ping Er being sold and still counting money, Master Zhan sneered and revealed everything:

"Wang Xifeng learned from Sister Lin that you will give birth to a son for Lian Er in the future. With the son's status, Jia Lian will make her his wife and take Wang Xifeng's place."

"Haha, you might as well think about it, what would happen if you were her?"

Ping'er was shocked when she heard the truth. Her body, which had been relaxed and comfortable for a long time, became stiff. She knew that if she had followed the normal path, she would have become the legitimate second wife of Rongguo Mansion, the wife of a general. But now she was harmed by Wang Xifeng and became an ordinary maid in Gezhan Mansion. She was filled with hatred.

"Master, if you can get Wang Xifeng on your side, she will do whatever you want and you can do anything with her!"

Seeing the deep hatred in Ping'er's eyes, Master Zhan pressed her head down to give her some positive energy.

"Good Ping'er, you are following the master now, don't you know how much of an advantage you have picked up? Go and get to know the other sisters in the mansion and you will know that being a maid for the master is far better than being the general's wife!"

"But you don't have to worry about Wang Xifeng. Miss Lin has already had a dream that she will be the master's concubine in the future. It is destined that she will not be able to escape the master's palm."

"When the master brings her into the mansion, let her bow her head and call you sister."

Ping'er ate her fill and felt her physical fitness slowly improving, but she still didn't believe it. She licked her lips clean with her tongue and said viciously:

"Master, I used to be that bitch's confidant. I was in charge of many things. I know a lot about the evil deeds that bitch has done. She secretly lent money outside the city, and also..."

Mr. Zhan naturally knew all these things, but he did not understand the specific details as thoroughly as Ping'er, so he wrote them down one by one, waiting to give Feng Lazi retribution in the future.

As for Xue Baoqin, she tossed and turned all night long. As soon as the sun rose, she hurriedly got up and went out to look for Lin Daiyu next door.

After thinking about it carefully for a long time, she felt that she was powerless and could not convince her master, so she had to ask for help from Lin Daiyu, a person with great supernatural powers and wisdom.

"Sister Lin, you have to save me!"

As soon as she entered the yard, Baoqin fell to her knees in front of Lin Daiyu and cried.

Lin Daiyu was frightened and hurried over to lend a hand.

"Hey, sister Qin, what's wrong? Get up quickly and let's talk. If I can help you, I will do it without hesitation."

Baoqin sobbed and glanced around. Zijuan and Xueyan immediately understood that this was another secret that could not be heard, so they ran away and hid outside the door to keep watch.

Seeing that she and Daiyu were the only ones in the room, she tearfully told them the situation, then said with deep regret:

"Sister Lin, I saw Master Bao flirting with Qi Guan that day, and I had many misunderstandings when I talked to him. I thought Master Bao's quirk was just to be bisexual, but who would have thought... who would have thought... oh!"

"Now Master Bao said that he would give me to Master Zhan to enjoy, and even said some crazy things like nourishing me."

"I've thought about it and I'm really at my wit's end, so I have no choice but to come and ask Sister Lin for help. I also ask Sister Lin to help me and let my master reject Master Zheng's proposal."

After hearing Baoqin's words, Lin Daiyu's face turned pale.

She thought that by prohibiting Jia Rong and Baoyu from getting close, she could save Baoyu from the path of homosexuality. However, today she found out that this man named Qi had appeared from nowhere. Just from Baoqin's introduction, she knew that Bao brother was in great danger and had probably been polluted.

The destiny of the future is really hard to change!

Lin Daiyu sighed inwardly for a while, then turned around to look at Baoqin who was kneeling in front of her.

Before, she had been extremely jealous of Baoqin's "open-mindedness", but now she realized that her jealousy was unnecessary. Baoqin didn't want to have anything to do with Master Zhan at all, and she had been so generous before purely out of ignorance.

Now that the misunderstanding has been resolved, her original grudge naturally disappeared. Looking at the pitiful Baoqin, the compassion in Lin Daiyu's heart naturally prevailed.

She sighed, helped Baoqin up, and sat her on the round stool beside her, and asked:

"I am just a woman, how can I change your master's mind?"

Baoqin raised her sleeves to wipe away her tears and sobbed:

"Sister Lin underestimated her own importance. Who in the mansion doesn't know how powerful Sister's 'predictive dreams' are? If Sister says something, who dares not take it to heart?"

"If the Jia family comes to propose marriage, I will ask the master to consult you first. Then you only need to tell my master that if Baoyu and I get married, we will definitely be unlucky in the future."

"I know my master's character very well. He is always seeking benefits and avoiding harm. As long as Sister Lin speaks more seriously, he will definitely not dare to enter into this marriage."

After hearing this, Sister Lin couldn't help but frowned and said hesitantly:

"If I told such a lie, you would be relieved, but Baoyu would definitely blame me. Maybe Brother Zhan would also be dissatisfied with me after knowing that I ruined his good fortune."

"If this ruins my marriage, what should I do?"

"It's not appropriate to do this. It's not appropriate. It's better to think of another way."

Seeing that Daiyu was about to refuse, Baoqin had no choice but to plead again:

"Good sister, you know Brother Bao's character. Even if he is a little unhappy about this, he will definitely not be really angry with you."

"Besides, this wasn't your idea. It was the future you saw in your dream. You were just telling the truth. Who could tell it was a lie?"

"Besides, Baoyu just mentioned this matter to me yesterday, so he certainly hasn't told Brother Zhan yet. Brother Zhan naturally doesn't know anything, and he doesn't have any dissatisfaction."

"Besides, my sister is going to be the legitimate wife of the Zhan family in the future, so it's better for her to try to control these wild flowers outside."

After hearing this, Daiyu fell silent. In fact, she knew in her heart that she had lied under the name of "predictive dream" and no one could tell the truth from the falsehood.

She was a kind-hearted person to begin with, and now seeing Baoqin begging desperately, and even lowering herself to the level of a "wild flower" in order to convince her, she naturally felt some sympathy and was willing to help Baoqin.

After hesitating for a while, Daiyu sighed:

"Forget it, forget it. It's my own fault for talking so I'll just clean it up for myself."

Seeing that Daiyu agreed, Baoqin finally breathed a sigh of relief and expressed her gratitude repeatedly with tears of gratitude.

On the other side of the mansion, after Baoyu woke up, he remembered the promise he made to Baoqin yesterday, so he excitedly went to find his wife, wanting to ask her help in proposing marriage to the Xue family.

But as soon as he reached the door, he heard Mrs. Wang yelling in rage.

"Stop talking nonsense!"

"Didn't I give them a chance before?"

"I said it before that day, as long as you hand over the gold sand, I will forgive you, but is there anyone who is obedient?"

"Now that they have been caught, everyone says that their gold sand was stolen that day. No one admits that they have anything to do with the gold sand swap. So where did the gold sand go?"

"I spared them last time, how did they repay me?"

"They stole all the gold sand from the storehouse!"

"If we let them off this time, they might not only steal next time, but they might even kill us for money!"

"They say they don't have the courage. What are they afraid of doing?"

"I don't care who's behind them. I just want the gold. If you hand over the gold, everything will be fine. If you can't hand it over, even if the king of heaven comes to beg for mercy, I won't listen to you!"

Hearing the endless cursing inside, Baoyu suddenly became frightened and dared only pace outside the door, not daring to go in.

After a while, Lian's second sister-in-law also ran over. After hearing Mrs. Wang's scolding inside, she immediately turned around and left without even entering the door.

Baoyu was thinking about the marriage proposal and was reluctant to leave, but he didn't have the courage to go in. He had to wander around outside, enduring it bit by bit. He felt more and more that his wife's temper was getting more and more irritable, and he should ask Brother Zhan to help calm her down.

I don't know how long they cursed inside. When the door opened, a group of people came out one after another. They were a group of managers, both big and small. They all had gloomy faces and didn't say a word.

Because there were so many people involved in the gold sand case, people from all sides came to plead for mercy, but this only made Mrs. Wang even angrier. She threw a tantrum and didn't give face to anyone.

After everyone had left, Baoyu poked his head in, came up behind Mrs. Wang, carefully massaged her back, and said with a smile:
"It's just a matter of gold. At most I can ask Brother Zhan for some more. Why is Madam so angry?"

Mrs. Wang, who had been moved by her son's filial behavior and had calmed down a little, became furious again after hearing Baoyu's nonsense. She stretched out her hand to pinch Baoyu's ear and scolded him unhappily:
"You rascal monkey, you speak so lightly!"

"Does that gold just come to you when you ask for it?"

"Even if the Zhan family is willing to give it to me, I wouldn't dare take it, for fear that it would get too hot!"

Baoyu cried out in pain, made all kinds of strange faces to please his wife, and begged for mercy:
"Madam, please spare me! If you pull the ears off, it will be in bad condition and I won't be able to sell it for a good price!"

Seeing her son's behavior, Mrs. Wang laughed, loosened her hand, kicked him lightly, and scolded:

"Even if the ears are intact, it still can't be sold at a high price. Apart from our family, who would want such a monkey-like thing like yours?"

"You are worried about the money you owe to the Xue family, so they want to sell you as collateral, but why aren't you worried about the money you owe to the Zhan family, and who should you use to pay off the debt?"

Seeing his wife smile, Baoyu became even more shameless and said with a smile:

"Madam, that's right. Brother Zhan doesn't have a sister, so naturally his son won't worry about being used to pay off debts."

"The one I really need to worry about is my third sister."

When Mrs. Wang heard Baoyu mention Tanchun, her eyes flickered, and her mind was aroused by his words. If Tanchun was married to Mr. Zhan, the family would certainly never be short of money in the future.

Baoyu glanced at his wife, who was frowning in thought, and thought that her anger should have subsided, so he brought up the matter in a low voice.

"Madam, my son and Miss Baoqin are in love with each other, and I would like you to help propose a marriage for them. What do you think?"

"Huh?" Mrs. Wang was stunned for a moment after hearing the news.

If it had been earlier, she would have had a very good impression of Xue Baoqin and was thinking about the Xue family's money to build the Grand View Garden, so she might have agreed at that time.

But by then times had changed, the Grand View Garden was almost completed, and because of the gold sand issue, the two families had an unpleasant quarrel. For no reason, a rift began to form in her heart, and she began to look down on the Xue family.

Her Baoyu is the younger brother of the Imperial Concubine, so he is more than qualified to marry the daughter of a powerful family. The Xue family is just a merchant family, so it is a bit...

However, she did not refuse directly. After all, because the gold sand was swapped, the family was short of money again.

She thought, maybe it's better to wait and see.

If Chief Constable Jiang can successfully recover the gold sand, then this marriage will need to be carefully considered.

If things don't go smoothly, then we must first get some money for emergency use and deal with the imperial concubine's visit to her parents before doing anything else.

In an instant, several ideas came to Mrs. Wang's mind, and she immediately said to Baoyu with a smile:

"That's a good thing. Mother is definitely willing to do it, but we have to ask the master and the old lady before we can make a decision."

Baoyu didn't know that she was delaying the matter and thought the matter had been settled, so he left happily.

(End of this chapter)