The Heavens Begin with Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 174 Aunt Zhao came to the door

Aunt Zhao's doubts grew deeper and deeper, but suspicions were just suspicions after all, and there was no evidence!
After limping out of Mrs. Wang’s secret hut, Aunt Zhao ran towards her own courtyard.

After receiving the instructions last time, Jia Huan began to investigate secretly, but it has only been a day and he hasn't found out anything yet!

Seeing Aunt Zhao coming again, Jia Huan thought it was for this matter again, so he quickly got up and reported:
"Mom, I have bribed some people to keep an eye on Lixiangyuan. If anyone goes in or out of there, they should write down their names and report them to me. However, it's still a short time and I don't have any clues yet."

Unexpectedly, Aunt Zhao waved her hand and said solemnly:
"I'm here to look for Musk Moon this time. Just go to sleep and don't worry about me."

"Huh?" Jia Huan was stunned, but saw that Aunt Zhao had already entered the room next door where Musk Moon was.

He touched his head, not understanding what he wanted to talk to Musk Moon about. Did he want her to contact Master Zhan?
Musk Moon was also quite puzzled, but after all, Aunt Zhao was her mother-in-law, so she hurriedly asked Aunt Zhao to sit down and asked respectfully:

"What do you want from me, Auntie?"

Aunt Zhao turned around and closed the door, then went over to take her hand, sat down with her at the head of the bed, and asked in a low voice:
"Muyue, my aunt is asking you a question, and you must answer me truthfully."

Musk Moon hastily expressed her loyalty:

"Aunt, just ask me anything. I will tell you everything I know."

"Okay!" Aunt Zhao stared at Sheyue with burning eyes and asked word by word, "Then let me ask you, Master Zhan's... ahem, that thing, that essence, after eating it, can it really make people immune to all diseases and strong and healthy?"

"what!"

Aunt Zhao's question was so abrupt that Musk Moon shuddered with fear and couldn't help but scream.

She looked at Aunt Zhao in horror, her lips trembling, wondering how Aunt Zhao knew this.

"Auntie, you...what are you doing..."

Seeing Sheyue's expression, Aunt Zhao knew that she had misunderstood, and hurriedly explained:
"Don't let your imagination run wild!"

"I heard it from someone else, but I couldn't believe it, so I came to ask you."

When she was about to say this, she concealed Tanchun's name and did not reveal her daughter's information.

"Uh……"

Musk Moon hesitated for a moment, thinking that since her aunt already knew about it, there was no point in hiding it, as it would only ruin the relationship between the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law. She immediately nodded with a red face and said:

"My aunt is right. This is indeed the case."

"I have been nourished by Master Zhan several times, and I have also taken his secret medicine. Although the number of times is not large, I now feel that my body has been reborn. The previous minor ailments such as cold feet and irregular menstruation have all disappeared, and even my strength has increased a lot."

After hearing this, Aunt Zhao took a breath of cold air, hesitated for a moment, and suddenly asked:

"Then do you think that if Master Zhan's secret medicine...if our master takes it, can it cure his stroke?"

"Ah?" Musk Moon was shocked and said with a stammer: "Auntie, that secret medicine, that secret medicine is..."

Aunt Zhao waved her hand, interrupted her and sneered:
"When the time comes, I'll mix the secret medicine into the porridge. If you don't tell me and I don't tell you, who will know what it is?"

"Let the master eat it, so what?"

Musk Moon looked up in surprise, only to see Aunt Zhao's face full of gloom and obvious hatred in her eyes.

"I think I understand it now!"

"The reason why this old woman resolutely refused to allow Tanchun to marry Mr. Zhan is probably because she didn't want this secret to be exposed."

"She is now so popular and everyone in the mansion obeys her. Isn't it because the master has suffered a stroke and is bedridden?"

"She definitely doesn't intend to let the master get well!"

"To her, a master who lies in bed and cannot move is a good master!"

"The master lying in bed for the rest of his life is what she wants to see most!"

"This woman is so cruel!"

"But she miscalculated!"

"I will never let her succeed!"

Aunt Zhao turned around and grabbed Sheyue's hand, and said:
"Since she refuses to let the master use this treasure to recover, then we should do the opposite and get this secret medicine!"

"Okay, Musk Moon, I'll ask Huan'er to invite Master Zhan to the banquet later. I'll leave the matter of getting the medicine to you!"

"After you get the medicine, put it in a jade bottle and send it to me."

"After I cure the master's stroke, I will sue her severely. I will make this bitch pay the price!"

She paused, and suddenly remembered that Mr. Zhan was suspected to be Mrs. Wang's playmate, so she hurriedly added:

"Be careful when you take the medicine, don't let Master Zhan find out."

Although Aunt Zhao had no evidence for certain things, as someone who had climbed up from the bottom, she had never hesitated to speculate about everyone with the greatest malice. Not knowing whether the two had any connection, she just assumed that they were having an affair.

Originally, Musk Moon had no objection to helping get the medicine, it was just a small favor. But when she suddenly heard Aunt Zhao say that she wanted to keep it a secret from Master Zhan, she was suddenly startled.

Why did Aunt Zhao hide this from Master Zhan?
Musk Moon thought about it and understood that Master Zhan probably didn't want to give his secret medicine to Master Zheng.

This is a problem!
She would never do anything to make Master Zhan unhappy!

Musk Moon has a very clear understanding of her own positioning, and also knows who the foundation of her family lies in.

Although Jia Huan and Aunt Zhao were nominally her master and mother-in-law and treated her well, in essence, her greatest supporter was Master Zhan, who seldom visited her.

She was first Master Zhan's woman, and then she was given other identities.

Without Master Zhan to protect her, who would care who she is?

Who knows, she won't have such a carefree life anymore. Maybe she will have to serve her father-in-law and mother-in-law every day like other concubines and live a cautious life.

That won't work!

After clarifying her position, Musk Moon smiled and declined:
"Aunt, I don't mind helping you get the medicine, but I heard Master Zhan mention that this secret medicine must be taken while it's hot, otherwise the spiritual energy will dissipate quickly and the effect will be gone."

"Although our courtyard is not far from the master's courtyard, by the time I get the medicine and pack it up and have someone deliver it over there, the secret medicine will be useless by the time we get there!"

"And what Mr. Zhan likes to see most is people taking medicine on the spot. It's really impossible to take the medicine out secretly."

"What?" Aunt Zhao was shocked when she heard it and believed it to be true.

The more precious the medicine, of course the more stringent the conditions. Just like the Lengxiang Pills, they require flower stamens and dew of all seasons. It is natural and reasonable for a magical medicine like Master Zhan's secret medicine to have a shorter shelf life.

But in this case, it would be difficult to get medicine to save people.

"What can we do!"

Aunt Zhao suddenly became anxious and paced around the room, muttering to herself.

"Should we move the master here?"

Without waiting for Musk Moon to object, she shook her head and said:

"That's impossible!"

"That bitch won't allow the master to leave her territory!"

"Let you and Master Zhan go over there?"

"That's impossible!"

"It's too noisy. Unless Master Zhan is willing to cooperate, it will be impossible to avoid the eyes and ears of that bitch."

"What should I do?"

Aunt Zhao thought hard but could not think of a solution, while Musk Moon just watched coldly from the side with her eyes lowered and without saying a word.

It was almost dawn and Aunt Zhao had not come up with a good solution. She had to put the matter aside and left in a hurry with red eyes.

In the next few days, Aunt Zhao went to Mrs. Wang's secret hut every night to serve the hostess. After suffering in pain and happiness, she rushed back to the courtyard to rest.

After a few days, Aunt Zhao didn't find a solution, but she became more accustomed to Mrs. Wang's tricks and even found some fun in them.

Sometimes she even thought that if the master really couldn't get better, it was just fate, and it was acceptable to just make do with it.

Anyway, my wife's anger is getting less and less, and she will vent it out sooner or later. Then maybe I will let her go.

One day, Jia Huan suddenly came running over, nominally to visit the master, but from his inattentive expression, one could tell that he was here to look for his aunt.

Jia Zheng also saw this, of course. After dealing with Jia Huan for a few words, he snorted coldly:

"If you want to say anything, go outside and don't disturb my rest here."

Aunt Zhao apologized and pulled Jia Huan aside, asking in a low voice:

"Why are you here? Have you found anything?"

Jia Huan looked around and whispered:
"Mother, I have been keeping a close eye on Lixiang Courtyard these past few days, and I discovered that there are more than just my wife staying there. The first wife and Wan's sister-in-law also often stay there."

"Huh?" Aunt Zhao's eyes suddenly widened.

"And I used money to ask some people in the courtyards of the eldest wife and the eldest sister-in-law, and found that many of the days they stayed overnight overlapped!"

"In other words, the three of them have been staying there together quite often recently."

"But the timing is interesting. This kind of thing has only happened since the old lady passed away."

"Before this, only Wan's sister-in-law had stayed at Lixiangyuan. The first and second wives had never stayed there before."

"It started from the time the old lady passed away..." Aunt Zhao became more and more confused the more she listened.

Her original guess was that after being neglected by her husband, Mrs. Wang could not bear the loneliness in her boudoir, and Aunt Xue acted as a pimp to get Mrs. Wang and Mr. Zhan together.

But now it seems that it is not the case at all! It is possible that Mr. Zhan slept with Madam Wang. It is not strange for a strong man and a woman to have an affair.

But if we add the first wife and Li Gongcai, it would be very strange.

Could it be possible that Mr. Zhan could get these two at the same time?
Even if he succeeded, could he really expect these three conservative women to give up their reserve and serve him together?

No matter how you think about it, it's impossible!

So, Mrs. Wang has nothing to do with Mr. Zhan?
Where did Mrs. Wang get the information about Master Zhan’s secret medicine?

Also, what do these three people want to do by getting together?
Why did they meet in such secret after the old lady passed away?

Even if it's a party, why do we have to go to Lixiangyuan?
When did the relationship between the first and second wives become so close?

How did Li Gongcai, a young widow who had been married for many years, get involved?

One result gave rise to multiple problems, which made Aunt Zhao's already slow brain malfunction and she felt overwhelmed.

She shook her head vigorously to get rid of these questions.

Instead of guessing here, why not just go find someone to ask!

She thought for a moment and chose the first wife, Mrs. Xing, not for any other reason, but mainly because the first wife was stupid and timid, easy to deceive and easy to scare.

You should pick on the weak ones. If you don’t bully her, who else can you bully?

"Go back and keep an eye on Lixiangyuan. Ask your sister to go to the Zhan Mansion more often and build good relations with them. If you can let Master Zhan eat her directly, it will be even better!"

Aunt Zhao sent Jia Huan away with a few words, then went back to ask Jia Zheng for leave.

She first ran here to serve by the bed, mainly to seek refuge and avoid being secretly harmed by Mrs. Wang.

But now she had already compromised, and had to go to Madam Wang's place every night to "suffer the murderous hands", so this amulet was useless. Whether she continued to stay here, in fact, was no longer of much significance.

But what needs to be done must be done, just think of it as a way to curry favor with the master.

Although this method was crude, it was very effective. At this moment, in Jia Zheng's heart, Aunt Zhao, who served him every day, made him more gratified and moved than Lady Wang, the wife who only showed up occasionally.

Although he knew in his heart that Mrs. Wang was still busy with the old lady's funeral, and had to help the first wife with Jia She's funeral, and prepare for Yuanchun's visit... There were so many things to do in the mansion, and after he fell, Mrs. Wang was even more overwhelmed.

But even though he knew it and felt it, he still felt that Aunt Zhao was more pleasing to him.

So he agreed to Aunt Zhao's request for leave without hesitation.

Aunt Zhao instructed the maids on some matters, then left the yard and headed towards Master She's yard.

Jia She had lost his title and had committed a crime, so his funeral was not a grand ceremony but rather a very simple one.

This Master She was irresponsible and annoying. Without the halo of his title, no one was willing to pay attention to him. Only after his relatives and friends came to pay their respects, no one else came.

So although his funeral started after the old lady, the funeral was held after the seventh day.

When Aunt Zhao came in, she saw Siqi shouting and yelling in the yard.

"This satin won't do. I remember there are a few rolls of tribute satin in the storeroom. Go get that!"

"Although our young lady is going to be Master Zhan's concubine, she must have everything she needs!"

"How come the tribute satin is gone? Did one of you secretly take it out and sell it?"

"I'm telling you, don't think that just because the master is gone, he's working hard on his martial arts and has no time to care about you, so you can just herd the sheep!"

"I'm going to say this: if our young lady can't go out with honor, all of you will suffer the consequences!"

If Jia She were still alive, he would definitely not prepare such a grand dowry for Yingchun. At most, he would just send Yingchun to his house in a sedan chair.

He married his daughter off in order to make money. How could this be putting the cart before the horse?
But he is dead now, and the eldest lady in the mansion has become the Twelveth Lady of the Veil Society, who only wants to curry favor with Master Zhan. How could she still be so stingy?

However, Mrs. Xing didn't want to go too far, so she handed over the specific matters to Siqi and let Siqi take full responsibility. She herself hid behind the scenes and did not show up. Anyway, her name would definitely be on the merit book in front of Master Zhan.

Siqi really lived up to everyone's expectations. She asked for this and that, and she was just about to open the warehouse to put the things into the boxes.

At first, some people were indignant and went to Jia Lian to complain.

But Jia Lian usually didn't care much about these trivial household matters, which were all handled by Wang Xifeng. After his wife left, he took care of them for a few days, but then he became impatient and gave up, leaving all these matters to the first wife.

Moreover, Jia Lian had seen at the funeral what it meant for monkeys to scatter when the tree falls and for the tea to get cold when people left. How could he care about all these trivial matters? He only wanted to practice martial arts hard so that he could achieve merit and be rewarded, and have a title for his wife and children, just as Lin Daiyu had predicted in her dream.

Everyone had no choice but to go find the eldest wife again, and then this group of people were sent to Siqi for punishment.

From then on, the servants realized the benefits and dared not make any more noise. Instead, they thought of taking the opportunity to curry favor with Siqi and get more money.

Seeing Aunt Zhao come in, Siqi hurriedly put down what she was doing and came over to greet her with a smile.

"Why is Auntie here? Does Madam have anything to tell you?"

Looking at a group of people in the courtyard busy preparing a dowry for Yingchun, Aunt Zhao's eyes flickered and she suddenly began to doubt.

This Yingchun is also Mr. Zhan’s concubine. Could it be that Mrs. Wang got the news not from Aunt Xue, but from the first wife, Mrs. Xing?

But she never showed it, just smiled and said:
"No, I just came to see the first wife and talk about something."

As expected, Siqi did not suspect anything. She reached out and called a little maid, asked her to take Aunt Zhao in, and then continued to do her own thing.

Aunt Zhao followed the little maid around the front yard and the corridor to the backyard, where she saw Madam Xing lying on her back in a rocking chair, basking in the sun leisurely. There was a pot of tea on the table next to her, and on the other side a little maid was waving a whisk to drive away mosquitoes for her.

"Oh, the eldest lady is really quiet." Aunt Zhao said with a smile.

These were not just polite words. In the past, when Aunt Zhao saw Madam Xing, it was usually Master She who was sitting and Madam Xing who was standing beside him, half-bent over, serving him carefully, her eyes closely following Master She's expression, always ready to hand him a spittoon, fan him or something like that.

But now, Mrs. Xing can lie down leisurely, leaving all the work to her subordinates, without having to worry about anything.

Hearing Aunt Zhao's voice, Madam Xing opened her eyes, turned her head to look at her, smiled, sat up, and waved her hand, saying:
"What a rare visitor!"

"Why did you come to my place today?"

Aunt Zhao covered her mouth and smiled, pretending to be mysterious, and said with a smile:
"I have something to talk to you about. Let's go inside and talk."

Mrs. Xing was not on guard against her and entered the room first, asking the maid to serve tea. However, Aunt Zhao waved her hand to stop her, saying:
"No need to serve tea. I'll just say a few words and leave."

"All of you please stay away. The first wife and I have some private words to say. Please don't come over and disturb us!"

Madam Xing waved her hand, drove away the maids around her, and then asked curiously:

"What do you want to tell me?"

Aunt Zhao stepped forward and closed the door, then came over, hugged Madam Xing, put her lips close to her ear, and said ambiguously:
"What I want to tell you is...the good things you did in Lixiangyuan!"

"Ah!" Mrs. Xing was startled and jumped out of Aunt Zhao's arms. She turned her head to look at Aunt Zhao with a look of panic on her face.

When Aunt Zhao saw her expression, she was secretly delighted. This time she guessed right!
She knew almost nothing about Madam Xing and the others, so she acted mysteriously and said nothing, just staring at Madam Xing with a forced smile.

"You, you...what nonsense are you talking about?" Mrs. Xing said incoherently.

"Hey!" Aunt Zhao said shyly, with an ambiguous expression, "How do you say nonsense?"

"You, our wife, and the palace judge, you all dared to do it, can't you say anything about it?"

When Mrs. Xing heard Aunt Zhao mention Lady Wang and Li Wan's names, she was dumbfounded. She thought that the news had leaked out and Aunt Zhao knew everything.

"I, I didn't want to join the Veil Society either. It was your wife who forced me to join. Otherwise, I wouldn't even be able to handle the master's funeral."

Veil meeting?
What is this?
Aunt Zhao felt strange, but she didn't show it. She just smiled and scared her:
"So the first wife doesn't want to join the Veil Society. I can't pretend I didn't hear that. I'll report it to our wife later."

Mrs. Xing was fooled. Her face turned pale and she waved her hands, explaining:
"I didn't know what the veil would be at that time, so I was unwilling. Now I am willing to be Little Twelve. Even if you want to drive me out, I will not agree."

real or fake?

The first wife is actually just Little Twelve, and she can’t be driven away?

Aunt Zhao's curiosity grew even stronger, so she deliberately said in a pretentious tone:

"The eldest wife's status is so noble, but she is only a junior in the Veil Society. This is really too much. She should be ranked higher!"

“No, no, no…” Madam Xing hastily refused, “There are so many sisters in the Veil Society, and your wife is only eleventh in line. I dare not line up in front of her!”

Many sisters?

Madam Wang is only eleventh in line?

Aunt Zhao's pupils shrank and she was even more frightened.

It turns out that there are only women in this veiled club!

Such a powerful organization must not only consist of people in the mansion, otherwise the number of people would not match.

But...how come I don't know anything about it?
Aunt Zhao forced a smile and asked again:
"I wonder who the eldest sister of this veiled society is. Could she be a princess?"

Mrs. Xing sighed and said:
"I have only met Sister Xiaojiu at most, but I have never met the eldest sister of the Veil Society. It is said that she is not in our house."

Not at home?

As expected, this organization is very powerful, and it includes not just the Jia family.

It turns out that there is such an organization in Beijing that can cover up luxury. What a big and thick leg!

Even the wife is willing to join, so the eldest sister of the Veil Society must be more noble than Empress Yuan.

Could it be the Queen?
Aunt Zhao's heart suddenly became hot. Since the master is unreliable now, it won't be a problem for me to find another leg to hold on to!

Madam is just Little Eleven. With this big thigh protecting her, I'm afraid Madam won't be able to do anything to me, right?
Thinking of this, Aunt Zhao grabbed Mrs. Xing's hand and said eagerly:
"Madam, I also want to join the Veil Society. Please introduce me to someone else!"

(End of this chapter)