The Heavens Begin with Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 149 Sister Feng

Mr. Zhan invited Wang Ren to a banquet, of course not for Wang Xifeng. After all, she had just divorced and he was trying to steal her away. This was really unkind and violated Mr. Zhan's reputation as a good gentleman.

The reason why I invited Wang Ren here is because I have something important to discuss with him!

That’s right, it’s for serious business, not because I’m thinking about someone else’s sister!

Wang Ren had always been very attentive to Master Zhan, the popular nobleman, and Master Zhan also looked upon this future cheap brother-in-law with a special eye. Normally, the two of them often ate, drank and had fun together, and got along very well. Now that he had received the invitation, Wang Ren ran over happily.

After some pleasantries, the two of them sat down and began to clink glasses.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Master Zhan got down to business, raised his glass and said:

"I have to thank you, Brother Wang. Mr. Zhang Youshi, whom you recommended to me last time, is truly an amazing doctor. After Baochai took his medicine, her condition has stabilized over the past few days. She is likely to recover."

"Oh? That's good news!" Wang Ren smiled and drank a glass with her, saying, "Baochai is also my cousin. I am happy for her recovery. Why should Master Zhan thank her for this?"

"Besides, my sister was kidnapped before, and it was you, Brother Zhan, who helped rescue her. If anyone really wants to thank someone, I should thank you."

Mr. Zhan raised his glass and said with a smile:
"I made a mistake."

"You and I are relatives sooner or later. We shouldn't thank each other like this. I'll drink a glass of wine as punishment."

Wang Ren laughed and watched Master Zhan drink the wine in the glass, but he felt very regretful in his heart.

Originally, my uncle Wang Ziteng wanted to form an alliance with the Zhan family and marry his daughter to them, waiting for Baochai to die. But now it seems that there is no hope.

It’s a pity that the cousin wasted more than a year in her boudoir.

However, although the Zhan and Wang families could not marry, he recommended Zhang Youshi to save people and his personal gain was much greater.

He didn't say anything at the time, but just uttered some affectionate words.

"In this case, when Baochai recovers from her illness, won't I have to attend your wedding banquet, Brother Zhan?"

Master Zhan laughed heartily, and said with great delight:
"I will definitely have some wine to drink from my great benefactor, my brother."

"But now we need to ask Mr. Zhang Youshi to come to the capital again to help diagnose and see if the disease is completely cured."

Previously, Wang Ren introduced the genius doctor Zhang Youshi to Mr. Zhan. Now that the strategy for the Rongguo Mansion is going smoothly, there is no need for Baochai to continue pretending. So, the genius doctor Zhang is needed to give the final word and declare Baochai recovered.

Although Mr. Zhan could contact Zhang Youshi directly, it was obviously inappropriate to bypass the middleman for such a matter, so Mr. Zhan invited Wang Ren.

After listening to Master Zhan's words, Wang Ren hesitated for a moment and said:

"Mr. Zhang is a kind-hearted doctor and will definitely not refuse this. However, there are some difficulties..."

"I don't know what happened in the past two years. I heard that the heavy rain overseas has been going on for a year without stopping. Even several cities along the coast of our country have been flooded."

"Even in inland areas, floods are frequent across the country. Displaced people are forced to take risks. Smoke is raging everywhere. Even near the capital, it is not peaceful."

"My sister went out of the city to burn incense and worship Buddha, but she was kidnapped by thieves. If it weren't for your help, I'm afraid she wouldn't have been rescued."

"These thieves are so bold that they dare to kidnap officials and relatives near the capital. Is there anything they dare not do?"

"Mr. Zhang lives in Shandong, a place that is rife with bandits. I heard that the place is now in chaos."

"It's easy to invite Mr. Zhang to come, but how to get him to Beijing safely is a problem."

Master Zhan rubbed his nose, feeling embarrassed to say that the thief was his own, so he laughed and said:

"Brother Wang, you know that I opened an escort agency near the Jockey Club, and there are many strong men in it."

"Due to the unrest in various places in recent years, the merchants have been moving around in different places. It is no longer enough to rely on the merchants' employees to protect the caravan, so many merchants have hired the Zhan's escort agency."

"As the escort agency has expanded, we have also established many branches in various places."

"I gave up some of the shares of the escort agencies in various places and distributed them to the local tyrants, and invited them to join the company. The response from various places was very good."

"Now our escort agency is growing bigger and bigger, and has spread to the two capitals and thirteen provinces. Wherever there is a prosperous business area, there will be a shadow of our Zhan Escort Agency."

"Over the years, the escort agency has traveled all over the world. Although we occasionally fail, the thieves always want to rob the caravans and grain carts, and rarely private travelers."

"As long as Mr. Zhang is willing to come, I can arrange for a local escort agency to pick him up, and I will definitely not let him get into trouble on the way."

After listening to this, Wang Ren suddenly understood.

"I see."

"I was saying, my dear brother, you always make plans before you act. How could you not have considered this?"

"That's no problem. I'll write a letter later and ask the escort agency to take it with me."

Mr. Zhan raised his glass to thank him and said:

"Speaking of the escort agency, I also have something I want to discuss with you, brother."

"You see, my escort agency is getting bigger and bigger. I don't know how many refugees we have recruited. It has certainly solved many public security problems, but I am also worried that it will be feared by the court."

"So I thought about getting more powerful people to invest and share the risk."

"I wanted to give one share to Prince Zhongshun before, but as the emperor's younger brother, he didn't dare to touch these sensitive industries and refused to take it no matter what. I had no choice but to make friends with other members of the imperial party instead."

"As far as I know, your uncle is also a member of the imperial party, and he is also a second-rank official. He holds military power and is favored by the emperor. How about you join the escort agency?"

"It is impossible for the nobles to hold shares personally. Most of them are held by their relatives. When the time comes, Brother Wang will hold the shares on behalf of the prince. Isn't that a good idea?"

"This..." Wang Ren was immediately very excited after hearing this.

When the Jockey Club was first established, the Zhan's Escort Agency was not yet a big deal. Even as a security guard for the Jockey Club, no one took it seriously, so all the shares were controlled by the Viscount Zhongliang's Mansion.

Who would have thought that Lord Zhan's reputation as the God of Wealth was well-deserved, and he turned such a humble little business into something very profitable.

By now, this escort agency has unknowingly expanded to the two capitals and thirteen provinces, becoming extremely powerful.

Although he had never specifically investigated, Wang Ren had heard of the name of the escort agency and knew that it was now a long-term and thriving business.

If we could mix some in, that would be great.

Although he was greedy, he knew that this matter was not something he could decide, so he raised his glass and said:

"Brother, if you have good things to do, remember me. I will be grateful. However, this matter is of great importance, so I need you to make the decision."

"Of course." Mr. Zhan didn't mention the matter again, but continued to chat and laugh with him and talk about other things.

Wang Ren also understood the ways of dealing with people. Now that he had received the kindness from Master Zhan, he began to think about what he should give in return. After much thought, he turned his attention to his sister, whom he had just divorced.

Wang Ren was of course well aware of how beautiful his sister was. He had wanted to bring the two of them together before, but he never had the chance.

Now that Wang Xifeng has divorced and returned to the Wang family, the Wang family will of course find out the whole story, so Lin Daiyu's precognitive dream fell into Wang Ren's ears.

When Wang Ren got the news, he was overjoyed!
This is like finding a pillow when you are sleepy. This news comes at the perfect time.

Although the people in the Jia family believed in the precognitive dreams, outsiders were always skeptical. However, after hearing the news, Wang Ren took Lin Daiyu's precognitive dreams as true.

My sister's future home must be in the Zhan Mansion!
So even though Mr. Zhan never mentioned it on his own initiative, as a good brother who cares about his sister, he must find a good home for her!

So after considering the words for a while, Wang Ren stopped drinking and sighed:
"Alas, my dear brother, I'm afraid you know that although my sister was rescued by you this time, she was expelled from the Jia family because of the usury incident and was forced to return home."

"My family is unfortunate!"

Mr. Zhan did not respond to his words, but only smiled and comforted him:
"The two families divorced amicably, so it can't be considered as being expelled."

"A noble lady from the Wang family, how could you be afraid that no one would want you?"

"As long as Brother Wang relaxes the threshold, it will not be difficult for Miss Feng to find another official to marry. Why worry about it?"

Wang Ren shook his head and said:
"My dear brother, you don't know that although my Wang family is prominent, it is now supported by my uncle alone. When outsiders give face, they only look to my uncle's branch."

"If you really count it, my branch of the family no longer has that much face."

"Even if someone wants to marry the daughter of the Wang family, they will definitely choose those unmarried girls in the family, or simply choose a concubine's daughter, which is also acceptable."

"Only my sister, although she is also a legitimate daughter, has the experience of being married once, which is a stain that cannot be removed."

"We are family and we have our own way of speaking. Those who come to ask for marriage are all after my uncle's power. The lower the conditions, the higher the demands will be."

"And the family can't offer too high a condition just for my sister, so we have to be more open in the selection of candidates."

"That is to say, most of the ones selected in the end are ugly."

"But as her brother, I know my sister's personality best. If the candidate is not what she wants, I'm afraid she would rather die in the mansion than agree to marry again."

"Based on my understanding of her, even if she gets married again, the husband she chooses cannot be much worse than Mr. Lian, otherwise she will definitely not agree."

After listening to this, Mr. Zhan also acted as if he was suddenly enlightened.

"Ah, that's it."

"I haven't had much contact with Miss Feng, so I don't know her personality. I only know that she is capable and good at managing the household. She manages the Jia Mansion in an orderly manner, and everyone in the mansion is submissive."

Then he stopped talking again. Seeing this, Wang Ren had to take the initiative again.

"Well, if my sister really can't get married, it's actually not a big deal. My Wang family doesn't need her pair of bowls and chopsticks, so it's not difficult to support her for the rest of her life."

"It's just..." Wang Ren hesitated for a moment, and then said in a difficult tone: "My dear brother, you don't know that my sister is a person who can't sit still. She has loved to take charge of things since she was young. Once she has nothing to do, she becomes depressed."

"But now my wife is in charge of my family, and I really can't let her interfere. Otherwise, I'm afraid that the sisters-in-law will fall out and have disputes again."

"I was thinking, why not just find a job for my sister, let her be a manager of a business or something, so that she won't get sick from boredom."

"That's great!" Mr. Zhan agreed, "You have so many businesses and farms, why not give some to her?"

Wang Ren smiled bitterly and shook his head:

"Brother, you think things are simple."

"If she had never been divorced, it wouldn't be a big deal even if she was working outside."

"But now, she is like a widow. In this business, she comes into contact with so many male customers every day. This is really not a good thing!"

Although this reason is a bit far-fetched, Master Zhan will definitely not expose the flaws in this statement. Instead, he echoed with deep sympathy:
"Ah, I was indeed inconsiderate."

"Then the business in the mansion is indeed not suitable for Miss Feng to manage."

"Then what should we do?" Seeing that Mr. Zhan still didn't understand, Wang Ren had to speak more bluntly.

"I intend to find a business manager for my sister who is composed entirely of women. This way, we can avoid the problem of gender discrimination."

"And in this capital, all the businesses are for women. After thinking about it, the only business that can be found is the clothing business of the Zhan Mansion."

After saying this, Wang Ren raised his glass again and sincerely asked:

"My dear brother, I know that this clothing business is the core secret of the family and has never been revealed to outsiders."

"But I really have no other choice. If I don't find a way out for my sister soon, I'm afraid she will be depressed at home. If she gets upset and something happens to her, I won't be able to face my parents in the afterlife."

Wang Rendu had already pleaded so sincerely, and how could he refuse such a kind-hearted gentleman like Master Zhan? Of course he had to agree to him.

Then Master Zhan also raised his glass, patted his chest and said:
"Although this clothing business is quite important, no matter how important it is, it is not as important as the brotherhood between you and me."

"Brother Wang, please be at ease. I agree to this matter!"

"Miss Feng can report to my house at any time. I will definitely hand over the clothing business to Miss Feng. I will prepare a small courtyard for her. It will be surrounded by female workers, not a single male worker."

"Since Miss Feng is your sister, she will be my sister from now on. I will definitely take good care of her and will never let her suffer any loss."

"Speaking of which, Sister Feng and Ping'er from my house are good sisters who grew up together. When the time comes, I will let them live together. With Ping'er taking care of her, nothing will happen."

Wang Ren was overjoyed after getting Mr. Zhan's promise. He clinked his glasses with him and drank them together. Then they looked at each other and burst into laughter.

Although the two have reached a PY deal, when Sister Feng can come to the Zhan Mansion depends on whether Wang Ziteng agrees to invest in the escort agency.

If Wang Ziteng refused and Wang Ren didn't get any benefits, then Sister Feng would have to recuperate at home for a while.

How long Sister Feng will need to recuperate by then will depend on when Master Zhan can give Wang Ren another gift similar to the one from the Escort Agency.

But these are minor problems. As long as both parties are willing to help each other, Sister Feng will never escape from the clutches of Master Zhan.

The two chatted and laughed, and after eating and drinking their fill, they parted ways.

Mr. Zhan, still a little drunk, returned to his bedroom and asked someone to call Ping'er over.

He lay down on the bench, and Ping'er naturally knelt down obediently. Master Zhan fiddled with the hairpin on Ping'er's head and said with a smile:
"Good Ping'er, it won't be long before you can reunite with your grandmother in the mansion."

"How are you? Are you happy?"

"Ahem..." Ping'er was surprised by the good news. She coughed several times and raised her head in surprise. Her eyes were filled with joy. "That's great!"

"Master, I have been thinking about meeting her again these days!"

"Haha..." Master Zhan stretched out his hand and grabbed her chest, saying with a smile: "Master is thinking about you too!"

"Then the master will line you two up and compare them to see who is more coquettish!"

Ping Er stood up and walked forward, sitting on Master Zhan's lap. She slowly twisted her body, pursed her lips and threw a seductive glance at him, and asked with a smile:
"Why wait until then to compare? Master, who do you think is more coquettish between the two of us?"

Mr. Zhan immediately took a breath of cold air, and his spirits became a little more excited, and even the traces of drunkenness completely dissipated. He hugged Ping'er, lowered his head and began to eat supper, muttering:

"This alone is not enough, Ping'er, you still need to work harder!"

Ping'er raised her head, stretched her swan-like neck straight, and put her arms around Mr. Zhan's neck, feeding him more food.

Mr. Zhan then let go of his appetite and ate heartily. While he was enjoying his meal, Ping'er suddenly thought of a question and asked while squatting:
"Master, if Wang Xifeng enters the mansion, who will be the elder and who the younger between us?"

Mr. Zhan answered without hesitation:
"In my house, the one who enters first is the elder. Of course, you are older than her, so she has to call you sister in the future!"

"If it weren't for the Wang family's attitude, I would have asked her to be your maid!"

"But it doesn't matter. As long as I, the master, support you, you can treat her like a maid even if she is not a maid. If she dares to disobey you, you can use the same method you used in the dungeon that day to teach her a lesson."

After hearing this, Ping'er laughed triumphantly, her movements became faster and heavier, and her eyes were full of excitement. It was obvious that she was looking forward to that day very eagerly.

"Master, don't worry. As long as I am free from that layer of identity, how can Wang Xifeng be my opponent?"

"Since I was able to convince her once, I can definitely convince her a second time!"

"Just let me do everything. When the time comes, you just need to sit back and enjoy the results, and wait for Sister Feng to serve you."

"Good Ping'er, it's no wonder that the master loves you so much!" Master Zhan was immediately more satisfied after hearing this. He immediately leaned forward and made the final crucial heavy blow.

The next day, when Mr. Zhan woke up, he heard that there was a commotion in Rongguo Mansion again.

This time it was not Mr. Zhan who secretly instigated it, but Mrs. Wang who took advantage of the situation and magnified the matter of the usury while taking advantage of Wang Xifeng's divorce and started spreading rumors in the mansion.

Originally, the matter had not yet become a big deal, but unexpectedly, Master She suddenly became furious and punished a few people who talked too much, making everyone else in the mansion silent.

At first, Mrs. Wang thought that Jia She had discovered her plot, but after a careful investigation, she found out that before Wang Xifeng left, she gave the accounts and IOUs of the usury to Jia She.

Based on her understanding of Master She, she knew that he would definitely not destroy the IOUs and would only continue to make money.

This is great!
Mrs. Wang was immediately overjoyed. She had previously thought that the issue of the usury would at most implicate Jia Lian, but now that Jia She had taken over, she didn't need to implicate her family at all, as Jia She could no longer escape the connection.

Mrs. Wang refused to stop and asked her servants to start complaining about the interest-bearing issue in the mansion.

Originally, she was the housekeeper's wife. Master She could manage his own servants, but he could not manage the servants in her family.

Jia She was still thinking about the usury issue and of course wanted to settle the matter. After finding out that it was Mrs. Wang who was behind this, he ran over and had a big argument with her, and they parted on bad terms.

As a result, not only did the matter fail to be resolved, but the turmoil became even bigger.

"Master, why don't we just forget about it!" Madam Xing carefully persuaded her master, "Usury is not a good thing. Why do you have to do such a disgusting thing? If you really need money, you might as well go and borrow from Nian Si!"

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Jia She glared and shouted angrily, "Is there anyone who thinks this money is too much?"

"That kid named Zhan is also a miser. The master only borrowed a few sums of money from him from time to time, and he rarely comes here anymore!"

After hearing this, Mrs. Xing muttered:

"Master, how much money is that? It adds up to more than 10,000 taels."

"What about ten thousand taels?"

"My beautiful daughter, isn't she worth ten thousand taels?"

Speaking of his daughter, Jia She scolded again:

"Ying girl is also stupid. That boy named Zhan refused to come over. Could it be that she won't take the initiative?"

"You stay in your room all day, and I don't know what you are doing. Can't you walk around the exhibition house more often?"

"As long as she is a little bolder and makes things a done deal, then the master will naturally find a way to make her get what she wants. That kid named Zhan won't be able to escape even if he wants to!"

Mrs. Xing smiled bitterly and said:
"The master knows Ying's personality. If Master Zhan wants to do something to her, she will definitely not refuse. But if you want her to take the initiative to throw herself into Master Zhan's arms, she definitely doesn't have the courage."

"Humph!" Jia She snorted coldly. After thinking for a while, he slammed the table and said angrily, "The maids around her are also useless. If Ying dares not do it, won't they help push it?"

"That Siqi, she's so tall for nothing. She could have stripped Ying girl clean and put her in Zhan Nian Si's bed, but she didn't do anything!"

Mrs. Xing didn't dare to listen any further. Her face turned pale and she trembled as she said:
"Master, this is confusing the hierarchy. How can you do such a thing?"

"Why not?" Jia She turned his face and scolded, "She acted on her own initiative, which is considered to be confusing the hierarchy. Go back and tell her that it was your order and she acted according to your order, so it didn't violate the hierarchy."

"What?" Mrs. Xing was shocked. "Let me go and tell it?"

"No, no, Master, I really don't dare to do such a thing..."

Seeing Mrs. Xing's face turn pale and she kept shaking her head, Jia She became even more angry and immediately cursed:
"You worthless thing!"

"You don't even have the guts to do such a thing, and you're still making excuses!"

"If you don't do it, do you think you can ask the master to do it?"

"If you can't even share the master's worries, then what is the point of having you as his wife?"

"If you dare to talk too much again, the master will simply divorce you and find another obedient one to serve as his wife."

These words frightened Mrs. Xing so much that she trembled all over. She quickly knelt on the ground and begged for mercy:
"Master, calm down. I will do it right away."

Only then did Jia She calm down, turn around and go out to find some fun.

Mrs. Xing shook on the ground for a long time before she recovered. She slowly got up from the ground, leaned against the wall and sighed.

But no matter how difficult things are, she has to do it now, she can't escape.

Mrs. Xing calmed herself down, went out alone without taking any maid with her, and headed towards Yingchun's courtyard.

After all, this kind of thing is not decent enough. The fewer people who know about it, the better.

Before she even reached the door, someone saw her from afar and hurried in to report. Soon Yingchun came out with Siqi and Qiu Wen. After inviting Madam Xing into the room, she bowed and asked:

"Madam, do you have any instructions for me?"

Madam Xing waved her hands and drove everyone out, leaving only Yingchun. She then pretended to be angry and whispered:

"The master has already told you to visit the Zhan Mansion from time to time, but you are so different that you don't take the initiative at all unless I urge you. How can you be the legitimate wife of the Zhan family?"

"Look at Miss Lin. After she dreamed that she would become the legitimate wife of the Zhan family in the future, she is now very proactive. She pesters Master Zhan every day, either inviting him to her house to paint, or taking the initiative to go to the Zhan family to learn fashion design."

"Does she love learning?"

"Everyone knows what she's thinking!"

"For now, if you still want to defeat Miss Lin and become the legitimate wife of the Zhan family, then you have to make it a done deal. When the time comes, the master will naturally give you justice."

Yingchun lowered her head, said nothing, and made no expression. She clutched the handkerchief in her hands and twisted it back and forth, obviously feeling uneasy.

Mrs. Xing had long known that she always behaved like this, so she snorted coldly:
"This time is different. If you keep dragging your feet, I will let Siqi and Qiu Wen strip you naked and throw you onto Master Zhan's bed."

Yingchun shuddered and her face flushed, but Madam Xing ignored her and called Qiu Wen and Si Qi in, saying:
"Starting tomorrow, you two will often bring the young lady to visit Master Zhan at the Zhan Mansion, so as to create opportunities for the young lady and Master Zhan to have a fait accompli."

"Especially you, Qiu Wen. You were once taken in by Master Zhan. You should think of ways to get your daughter into Master Zhan's bed as well!"

"If this girl Ying doesn't cooperate, you two don't have to be polite. Just wash her and strip her clean, and find a chance to force her into Master Zhan's bed!"

After giving the instructions, Mrs. Xing ignored the two speechless people and turned away.

(End of this chapter)