The Heavens Begin with Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 181: The Kindly Matchmaker Bao Erye
In order to appease Jia Lian, Jia Zheng hurriedly asked Mrs. Wang to arrange a blind date for him.

Fu Shi was originally a man who curryed favor with the powerful. He relied on his sister Fu Qiufang's talent and beauty and wanted to marry her into a wealthy family. But the truly powerful people all pay attention to the importance of marrying well, so how could it be so easy to get in?

Fu Qiufang kept delaying this and now he was in his early twenties, but still could not achieve his goal. Just when he was getting frustrated and regretful, he suddenly received a piece of good news: he received a notice from the Jia family, asking him to bring his sister over for a blind date.

Although this time he was just becoming Jia Lian's concubine, his original intention was to improve himself and he didn't care about his sister's happiness.

As for the fact that the Jia Mansion was now disliked by the current emperor, he, a small official like him, was not aware of such matters. His eyes had long been blinded by the words "royal relatives" and he was determined to make this happen.

After Fu Shi got the news, he hurriedly and happily asked someone to dress up his sister, and also asked someone to prepare a generous gift and bring her to visit the patient.

Of course, Jia Zheng knew that his visit was just an excuse, so he kept him to talk and only let Mrs. Wang take Fu Qiufang to visit the Grand View Garden.

Fu Qiufang actually knew the purpose of this trip a long time ago, but she is now not young anymore, and her expectations for her future husband have declined from a prince, to a Jinshi (a provincial scholar), to a wealthy businessman and a scholar. Now, even if she is asked to marry a rural landlord, she will not refuse.

If you don’t get married soon, you’ll become an old maid!

So even though she knew she was going to be Master Lian's concubine, she was willing to do it.

Mrs. Wang brought Fu Qiufang into the Grand View Garden, where they enjoyed the scenery while waiting for Jia Lian to come and meet them. However, Jia Lian did not come, but Jia Baoyu came first.

After Princess Yuan came home to visit her parents, she issued an imperial decree to allow her younger brothers and sisters to live in the garden to avoid wasting it by leaving it empty, thus increasing its popularity. Thus, the Grand View Garden was opened to the public.

As the phoenix egg in the mansion, Baoyu naturally wanted to live in the best place, so he chose the courtyard first.

I don't know what he was thinking, but he chose the place right next to Lixiangyuan. Because there were many crabapple flowers planted in the courtyard, which are also known as "daughter's red", it was named "Yihongyuan".

Because of the location, every time Mrs. Wang went to the underground cave, she was nervous, fearing that the noise she made would be too loud and would be heard by her son next door.

Baoyu liked beautiful sisters the most. When he heard that Fu Qiufang had arrived and was touring the Grand View Garden with his wife, he ran over impatiently to see her.

As soon as we met, he handed me a crabapple flower with a playful smile and said:

"This morning the crabapple blossomed. I was just wondering why. When I saw Sister Qiufang, I realized that the blossom was for you."

Fu Qiufang had been to the Jia Mansion before and knew that Master Bao was a man without temper and was always easy to talk to, so she didn't shy away from him. She smiled and took the flowers, saying jokingly:
"Master Bao is still so good at talking, but I wonder which sister of yours this flower would bloom for if I didn't come tomorrow?"

Baoyu smiled and said:

"If sister doesn't come, then of course this flower won't bloom tomorrow."

"It's not possible that this crabapple flower would smile a few times when seeing this filthy thing like me, right?"

Mrs. Wang was watching the two of them talking and laughing freely, and she immediately felt unhappy.

Fu Qiufang was from a poor family. It was fine for her to be Jia Lian's concubine, but she couldn't have any inappropriate thoughts about her own son. So he glared at her and shouted:
"Why didn't you go to the Imperial College to study today? Did you skip classes again?"

Baoyu was not afraid of Mrs. Wang's questioning. He just smiled and said:
"Madam, you forgot that today is a holiday and the Imperial College is also closed."

"..." Mrs. Wang was stunned for a moment after hearing this, and then she remembered that the first and fifteenth day of every month in the Imperial College were holidays.

She had never cared about these things before. When Master Zheng was at home, it was a day off. But now that Master Zheng is bedridden, no one cares about whether it is a day off or not.

But she couldn't lose her dignity as a mother, so Mrs. Wang still had a fierce look on her face and shouted:
"You are a junior student, and now you don't even have the title of a scholar. If you don't study hard during the holidays and catch up on your missed studies, when will you be able to pass the imperial examination?"

When Baoyu heard the word "fame", his face immediately turned bitter, and he wilted like a flower that had not been watered. He said goodbye to Fu Qiufang reluctantly and left in a huff.

But even though he left, she began to think in her heart that a delicate flower like Fu Qiufang should be introduced to Master Zhan and nurtured well!

After driving away Baoyu, the bee, Mrs. Wang felt relieved and continued to take Fu Qiufang to visit the Grand View Garden.

This Grand View Garden is a top-notch garden design. Every plant and tree in it is carefully cultivated. The rockery and streams complement the red walls and green tiles. Fu Qiufang was dazzled by the sight, and she couldn't help but feel a little more sympathetic to her brother's yearning for a wealthy family.

However, they had not walked far when Jia Lian hurried over and met the two of them by chance.

Mrs. Wang then withdrew from the mission and said:
"Mr. Lian, you have come at the right time. I still have some things to do in my house, so I have to go back. I will trouble you to take care of the second half of the tour."

Jia Lian accepted this good job and continued his trip with Fu Qiufang.

Jia Lian has been practicing martial arts hard these days, and he has become darker and thinner, but he looks much more energetic. His eyes, which were originally swollen due to alcohol and sex, have now returned to normal. His slightly protruding belly has now flattened out, and he looks like a shrewd and capable middle-aged nobleman.

Fu Qiufang had seen Jia Lian before, and now, after comparing him with her impression, she found that Jia Lian had actually washed away the glitz and glamour in her original memory, and seemed much more mature and stable. She was immediately overjoyed, and smiled and complimented:
"As expected, a man should be looked at with new eyes after three days of absence. I have been to the mansion before and have met the Second Master before, but now that I see him again, I find that the Second Master has made a lot of progress and is much more calm and steady than before."

Jia Lian was originally a lustful person. Now that he saw a beauty like Fu Qiufang in front of him, he couldn't help but want to show off, so he said with a beaming face:
"Miss Fu, you don't know that I have been practicing martial arts recently. I want to inherit the legacy of my ancestors, take the path of meritorious service and be awarded a title, and revive my family business."

Fu Qiufang was even more delighted after hearing this, and she smiled and agreed:
"Second Master, if you can have this kind of heart, you are already 90% better than your peers in Beijing. However, this martial art is difficult to practice. I think Second Master must have suffered a lot!"

Jia Lian became more and more proud, and began to complain about his sufferings, pouring out all the hardships he had experienced during the training by the coach these days, such as how he had to get up early in the morning and work late at night, and how he had blisters on his hands... He said all the things that he had been holding in his heart but had no one to tell.

Fu Qiufang listened, with a smile on her face, but her expression had become a little stiff.

Although she was also born into a family of officials, Fu Shi was only a minor official and her family was only moderately well-off, so she was quite familiar with the lives of the lower classes.

In her eyes, the suffering Jia Lian complained about was not worth mentioning at all. There were countless people in the market who suffered much more than he did.

Originally, she had hoped that her future master would be immediately granted a title of nobility, be rewarded for his meritorious service, and revive the family business. But when Jia Lian spoke this way, she realized that everything was her illusion, and Jia Lian was still the same vagrant boy.

The nature has not changed!
But what can we do about it?

Whether she changes or not, she should just follow her husband wherever he goes, right?
Fu Qiufang sighed inwardly and wanted to change the subject, but Jia Lian was in the middle of a conversation and was not willing to change the subject easily. When he got excited, he brought up Lin Daiyu's precognitive dream as evidence.

"Miss Fu, you may not know that there is a strange person in my family. She is my cousin. You should know her. Her name is Lin Daiyu. Two years ago, she gained supernatural powers and was able to have 'predictive dreams'."

"In her prophetic dream, she saw me succeed in martial arts training, be rewarded for my meritorious service, and be promoted to an official!"

"Oh, there is such a thing?" Fu Qiufang was shocked and could not believe her ears.

She had been to the Jia Mansion before. Although she didn't interact much with Lin Daiyu, she knew her a little. She couldn't believe that such a delicate little girl could actually predict the future!
Jia Lian then added fuel to the fire and recounted all the bizarre stories about his previous precognitive dreams, which made Fu Qiufang fascinated.

She had never experienced these stories personally, and she was also intelligent and sensible, so she was skeptical about these words and did not believe them completely.

Although she wanted to visit and get to know this extraordinary woman and find out what was going on, she always knew her limits and knew that she was on a blind date and couldn't create any complications or act recklessly.

Fortunately, if they enter the Jia Mansion in the future, they will be sisters-in-law, and there will be plenty of time to get to know each other slowly.

Now that she is on a blind date, naturally she has to say everything according to what Mr. Lian says. Since he says it is true, then she should take it seriously.

If Mr. Lian really becomes a military officer in the future, she, as his concubine, will certainly be able to obtain an imperial edict or an imperial decree or something like that.

"I see. No wonder Second Master gave up literature to learn martial arts and was willing to endure so much suffering."

Seeing Fu Qiufang smiling like a flower, Jia Lian almost forgot his last name. He didn't care about maintaining his own image and just told her everything:

"No!"

"If it weren't for Sister Lin's prophetic dream, which convinced me that I would be successful in martial arts in the future, why would I have asked for trouble by practicing this useless thing!"

Fu Qiufang looked down on Jia Lian even more in her heart, but her expression became more submissive. She just smiled and said,
"As the saying goes, like dragons give birth to dragons, like phoenixes give birth to phoenixes. Second Master is a descendant of Duke Rong, and is destined to be a military commander."

"It's a pity that Second Master knew about this a little late. If he had started practicing martial arts a few years earlier, I'm afraid he could have achieved the title of martial arts champion!"

After hearing this, Jia Lian felt extremely sorry and slapped his thigh, regretting his decision deeply.

"Who says it isn't?"

"My master made me study literature since I was young, but I would fall asleep whenever I read the words in the book. I should have known at that time that I was a good martial artist."

"It's a pity that I was young and ignorant back then, I didn't think clearly, and without Sister Lin's magical guidance, I went astray."

Fu Qiufang then advised:
"Fortunately, it is not too late now. Second Master is in his prime and has a talent for martial arts. If he studies hard for a few years, he may surpass others by decades."

Jia Lian nodded and agreed with it.

Fu Qiufang was superior to Jia Lian in both IQ and EQ. As Fu Qiufang tried to agree with Jia Lian, the two of them got along better and better, and the more they talked, the happier they were, and the more enthusiastic they became.

The two of them walked around the Grand View Garden, chatting and laughing along the way, and by the time they left the garden, they had become much closer.

The Grand View Garden covers a vast area. It took the two of them half a day to take a quick tour around it, and it was time to say goodbye.

Fu Qiufang said goodbye to Jia Lian, followed her brother to bid farewell to Jia Zheng and his wife, and went out to go back.

As soon as he got on the car and hadn't gone far, he heard someone calling him from behind. Fu Shi stopped and looked back, and it turned out that it was Baoyu who caught up with him.

He thought it was something important, so he got off the car in a hurry, bowed and smiled at the side of the road:

"It's Master Bao, but do you have any instructions?"

Baoyu came running over breathlessly, pulled his sleeve, and asked bluntly:
"Master Fu wants to marry Sister Qiufang to Brother Lian as his successor?"

"Uh..." Fu Shi had been in the officialdom for a long time and liked to beat around the bush. He was not used to Baoyu's straightforward approach, but after a little hesitation, he told the truth: "Yes, that's exactly what I meant."

Baoyu sighed and shook his head:

"Sister Qiufang is such a kind-hearted woman. She should have a better future. How can she be the second wife of Brother Lian?"

"Although Second Brother Lian is a good person, he doesn't know how to be sympathetic and gentle with women. He doesn't even know how to cherish a person as good as Sister Feng. He caused a quarrel between the couple. I'm afraid he is not a good match for Sister Qiufang!"

“…” After hearing Baoyu’s words, Fu Shi felt a little confused.

What does this mean?

Didn’t Master Zheng ask me to come here? Why does it seem like Master Bao doesn’t agree with this?

"Well..." Fu Shi hesitated for a moment, looked at his beautiful sister in the carriage, and then looked at Baoyu. He became suspicious and asked tentatively: "If it is according to your opinion, what should I do?" Baoyu smiled and said:
"I came here this time just to show Sister Qiufang a clear path."

"The loyal and good Earl Zhan Nian Si, Master Zhan, has always been kind and gentle to women, and is the best at nurturing women. Even my sisters will become his concubines."

"I think sister Qiufang is pure and innocent, as beautiful as a flower, and is the best match for brother Zhan. Why don't she follow my sisters and marry brother Zhan?"

Ok?
After hearing this, Fu Shi’s eyes almost popped out.

My dear sister, I have kept her until today not to be someone's concubine!
Even if you are someone's second wife, your status is much higher than that of a concubine!
Although Master Zhan is an earl, Master Lian is also a royal relative. Why are you, Master Bao, turning your arm outward?

Fu Shi's face was gloomy and he was very unhappy in his heart, but he was used to being cautious and had to consider whether there was any hidden meaning behind his words. He also couldn't ignore Mr. Zheng's thoughts, so his eyes flickered and he asked in a deep voice:

"May I ask, Master Bao, is this your idea or Master Zheng's?"

Baoyu then said honestly:

"I didn't let the master know that I came here."

"This is my own idea, but it has nothing to do with my master."

"But I am here purely for Sister Qiufang's future happiness. Please consider it carefully, Master Fu."

Hearing that it was Baoyu who took the initiative, Fu Shi felt relieved and immediately refused:

"Master Bao, don't ever mention this again!"

"No matter how despicable my sister is, she will never be able to become someone's concubine."

Fu Shi's attitude was very clear. If it were someone else, they would have given up. But Baoyu was a fool. Even though he was rejected harshly, for the sake of Sister Qiufang's happiness, he still kept persuading her, shaking his head again and again:
"Master Fu is wrong!"

"Master Zhan is not an ordinary person. Even if ordinary people want to be his concubine, it is not that easy!"

"If it weren't for the fact that Brother Zhan and I are close friends and were willing to introduce each other, this good thing might not have been able to happen to Sister Qiufang!"

"Hmph, then you should keep this good thing for yourself. There's no need to give it to us!" After hearing what Baoyu said, Fu Shi suddenly became furious and no longer cared about his dignity. He left after saying this.

Baoyu chased for a few steps, but the carriage was pulled further and further away. Helplessly, he could only sigh and stop, lamenting that Fu Shi was short-sighted and missed this great opportunity.

As for Wang Ren, after hearing what Mr. Zhan had revealed that day, he came back and went straight to Wang Xifeng's courtyard.

During these days, Wang Xifeng was often treated coldly at home.

Some of it was due to the servants' collusion with the rich, but the other part was due to the various secret plots of Wang Ren and his wife.

But now she is living under someone else's roof, so even if she is dissatisfied, there is nothing she can do.

In fact, with Wang Ziteng's current power and status, there are still many low-ranking officials from poor families who are willing to marry Wang Xifeng in a formal ceremony and bring her home in a big red sedan chair. However, Wang Ren was thinking about the benefits from Master Zhan, so he secretly eliminated those candidates with good character and appearance, and only kept those fat and ugly ones to introduce to Wang Xifeng.

Naturally, Wang Xifeng looked down on any of these candidates.

Although Wang Xifeng also brought some servants back to the Wang family, these people were arranged by Wang Ren to other shops and farms, and they were soon dispersed, leaving Wang Xifeng with no one available.

Without any confidants to inquire about information, Wang Xifeng was kept in her own courtyard, never leaving the main courtyard. All her blind dates could only be conducted through her sister-in-law. She had no idea of ​​the actual situation outside. After a period of time, her self-confidence suffered a great blow, and she no longer had the high-spirited look she had in the past.

Unexpectedly, she began to regret leaving Rongguo Mansion.

But there is no medicine for regret in this world, and she was also afraid that she would be given a cup of poisoned wine when she returned, so she could only complain to herself and pray every day that one day she would meet a good family willing to marry her.

When she saw her brother coming today, Wang Xifeng hurriedly greeted him with a smile, diligently served him tea and water, and asked about his well-being.

"Brother, why did you drink so much again? You need to take better care of your health."

As she said this, she asked the maid beside her to make some sobering soup. Wang Ren waved his hand and said with a smile:
"You don't have to worry about it. I've already had some hangover soup."

"I don't drink too much during social events on weekdays, but my brother Zhan Niansi has made new contributions and has been promoted to earl. For such a happy occasion, I should not leave until I am drunk."

"Oh, Master Zhan became a count?" Wang Xifeng was also quite surprised when she heard this, but she had no friendship with Master Zhan, and didn't think this matter had anything to do with her, but she just said it.

But Wang Ren refused to give up. After he finished speaking, he stared at his sister with sharp eyes and said pointedly:
"Sister, I heard that you asked Miss Lin about the prophetic dream that day. Miss Lin seemed to have said that you would become a concubine in the Zhan Mansion in the future."

"What do you think about this, sister?"

Wang Xifeng's face suddenly turned ugly when she heard this. She smiled awkwardly, shook the handkerchief in her hand, and said angrily:

"Brother, what are you talking about!"

"Miss Lin also said that Ping'er would be made the wife of Lian Er in the future. Now Ping'er has become the favorite of Master Zhan, isn't she?"

"If things like precognitive dreams were unknown, then everything would have happened. But now that people know about it, who wouldn't seek benefits and avoid harm?"

Wang Ren ignored her expression, and just sat at the table, drinking tea leisurely, and said to himself:
"Now that my sister has seen those who came to ask for marriage, she should know what kind of people they are."

"I know that my sister has always had high standards, and you look down on ordinary men. But men in this world, no matter if they have a good family background or are talented, will definitely look for women who are of equal status to be their wives, and will definitely not look for a divorced woman."

"Only those who have their own agenda, or those who are left over by others, are willing to lower their standards for marrying a wife."

"We are all family, and I won't lie to you."

"Even if these people marry you in a formal way, their motives are not pure. They may still look down on you. After you move in, you will probably still have to endure the bullying of your husband's family. People will talk about you behind your back and stab you in the back, making it difficult for you to do what you want."

"If our Wang family can continue to be rich and prosperous, then everything will be good. Even if your husband is unwilling in his heart, he will not dare to go too far."

"But things in this world are unpredictable. If your uncle's career fails and he loses his job, I'm afraid my sister will suffer in her new home."

"At the very least, you'll be bullied everywhere, and at the worst, you'll be divorced and kicked out of the house again."

"My sister is almost thirty years old now. If she is kicked out by the man again in a few years, it will be difficult for her to find a husband in this life. She will probably just be an old aunt at home."

Wang Xifeng stood woodenly beside the table, listening to her brother analyzing her case. She felt very aggrieved but could not refute a word, nor did she dare to.

Wang Ren glanced at his sister's ugly face from the corner of his eye and continued:

"Sister, you may not know this, but when I was drinking at the Zhan Mansion today, I ran into your good sister Ping'er."

"She was just a maid in my Wang family back then. She followed you to the Jia Mansion as a dowry. Later, she became Jia Lian's concubine and was then given to Brother Zhan. In terms of status, she is far inferior to you, my sister."

"But when I saw her today, I realized that this girl has become famous and is loved by Brother Zhan in the mansion. She is smiling all day long and wears gold and silver. Her clothes are all made of gongsatin. I don't know how many jewels and jades are hung on her body. I'm afraid that everything she wears must be worth thousands of taels of silver."

After hearing this, Wang Xifeng felt even more uncomfortable. She didn't know whether she was feeling aggrieved or jealous. The nails of her ten fingers were almost digging into her flesh.

Wang Ren seemed oblivious to this and continued:
"Sister, instead of marrying those men with ulterior motives who will definitely change their minds and abandon their wives and children, it is better for you to just obey fate and go to the Earl's Mansion to be a concubine for Brother Zhanxian."

"Brother Zhan, you have dealt with him before and know his character. He is one of the most kind people in the capital and is very good to his concubines and servants."

"I dare not say anything about other brothers, but I can assure you that even if our Wang family falls into poverty in the future, Brother Zhan will never abandon you."

Wang Ren's words were naked and his intentions were very clear, so Wang Xifeng became even more silent and just stood there, unable to utter a word.

Wang Ren did not urge her, but continued to drink his tea slowly, glanced at her, and snorted coldly:
"You are not still in love with Lian Er, are you?"

"Are you planning to remarry him?"

Wang Xifeng was confused at the moment, and her mind was full of random thoughts. But when she heard Wang Ren mention Lian Er, she shook her head almost reflexively:

"Brother, you are joking. How can spilled water be collected again? How can a broken mirror be mended?"

"If Second Master Lian still had feelings for me, he would not have doubted me that day, let alone divorced me."

"Since the two of us have separated, there is no way we can go back to the past in this life."

Wang Ren stared at his sister's face carefully for a long time, and confirmed that this was her true thought. Only then did he feel relieved, nodded with satisfaction, and said with a smile:

"It's great that my sister thinks this way."

"I won't hide it from you. Lian Er was at Brother Zhan's house today, talking nonsense, saying he wanted to remarry you, but Brother Zhan had him kicked him out."

"I know this guy will come and bother me in the future. I can't hide this kind of thing from you, so I might as well tell you now to prevent you from making the wrong decision."

"Sister, I am sure that Brother Zhan has already had you in his heart. If you go there now, he will definitely dote on you, much more than Ping'er and the like."

"When the time comes, I will give you two beautiful maids as your dowry. Brother Zhan will definitely look at you differently."

"Sister, why not take this opportunity to have a son or daughter with Brother Zhan Xian? By then, your position in this mansion will be completely consolidated, and you will never have to worry about food and clothing for the rest of your life."

Wang Xifeng speaks toughly, but she and Lian Er have been married for many years, how could they have no feelings for each other?

But what happened that day was really a thorn in their hearts, and she didn't think Lian Er could understand it. Now that she suddenly heard that Lian Er wanted to remarry, her heart was suddenly filled with fluctuations.

Although she returned to her parents' home, she could never let go of her feelings for her daughter Qiaojie and was always thinking about her.

Now that she heard her brother's words clearly stated, she hesitated for a moment, then softened her heart again, thinking of giving Lian Er another chance, and said procrastinatingly:

"Since you have made your words clear, I will not lie to you."

"But this matter concerns my sister's happiness for the rest of her life. Brother, please allow me to think about it carefully before giving you an answer."

"This is as it should be." Wang Ren smiled and nodded in agreement, then said goodbye and left, waiting for his sister to make the right decision.

However, if his sister makes the wrong choice, as a brother who loves his sister, he certainly needs to correct her back on the right path.

(End of this chapter)