The Overlord of the Red Mansion

Chapter 299 Dreaming
August 15th, the fourth year of the Holy Dynasty.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, and the Holy Palace has already been busy.

All the miscellaneous affairs in the Holy Palace were under the management of Wang Xifeng. Early in the morning, the living room of Wang Xifeng's Tianxiang Tower became lively.

Wang Xifeng walked out of the house and saw a group of familiar sisters sitting in the living room, and a smile appeared on her face.

Ping Er, Yuan Yang, Xiao Hong, Zhen Er Nai, Li Wan, and Miss Wang all said in unison: "Greetings to the Empress~"

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "Okay, everyone sit down and talk. There are a lot of things to do today, so I'd like to trouble you sisters to be more busy."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty." The sisters smiled and sat down.

Miss Wang asked: "How did you celebrate in previous years? When I was at home, I would first ask someone to look at the mooncake molds, make more mooncakes, and then ask someone to order some fresh fruits and vegetables."

Wang Xifeng looked nostalgic, but what she was thinking about was not the Mid-Autumn Festival of the past four or five years, but a time even more distant.

I was just in a daze for a few seconds, but it felt like a long time had passed.

Wang Xifeng said quickly, "Ping'er, go check how many mooncake molds there are, and then ask someone to order some fresh fruits. The old lady is very particular about these things, so we can't be careless."

Ping'er looked at Wang Xifeng in astonishment, and Yuanyang and Li Wan, who were originally smiling around her, also looked at Wang Xifeng in astonishment.

Wang Xifeng seemed unconscious and looked at Feng'er again.

"Have you lit up all the lanterns that were delivered the other day? If any are broken, ask someone to fix them right away, otherwise something might go wrong and upset the old lady."

"Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for family reunion. There are hundreds of people in the mansion, and no one can be neglected."

"I have to personally check out the banquet menu. The crabs have to be fat and the wine has to be warm enough. The old ladies and wives care about these the most."

"The troupe should also be lively, so prepare more exquisite moon cakes and fruits for Baoyu, Daiyu and other juniors."

"Our house looks splendid on the surface, but the expenses are high and life is very tight. I have to worry about it and be careful with my budget."

"My belly is not good, it would be great if I could give birth to a son..."

Wang Xifeng touched her belly with one hand and a sad look appeared on her face.

Li Wan and others didn't dare to speak, they were all frightened.

After several seconds, Wang Xifeng suddenly showed a puzzled expression and quickly looked at the people around her.

"Where were we talking about... Oh yeah, Mid-Autumn Festival."

Wang Xifeng suddenly smiled and said, "There's nothing much to do during this festival. Just let the Ministry of Internal Affairs take care of it. Let's go ask the emperor how to arrange it. The palace has its own rules, but the emperor can make it as lively as he wants."

Ping'er looked at Wang Xifeng carefully, "Second Madam..."

Wang Xifeng frowned and looked at Ping'er.

"Sister, why are you talking nonsense again? Although we are sisters, we should behave ourselves. I will take it as a joke. Don't call me that in the future. If you don't want to call me Niangniang, call me Sister. We have always been good sisters. There is no need to worry about anything else."

Wang Xifeng smiled and corrected Ping'er's mistake.

Li Wan felt that something was wrong with Wang Xifeng, and asked carefully, "Madam, do you still remember Yan'er?"

Wang Xifeng looked at Li Wan, "Sister, what's wrong? Something seems wrong... Has that brat, Yan'er, caused trouble again? He just makes trouble all day long and doesn't take good care of his brother. I'll ask Qiao'er to have a good talk with him later. If he doesn't obey me again, I won't be polite!"

Yuanyang breathed a sigh of relief, quickly stood up and walked to Wang Xifeng to help her up.

"Hurry up, Madam! Let's go see the Emperor!"

Wang Xifeng became even more confused when she saw Yuanyang pulling her up.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you all so weird? Why are you taking me to see the emperor? Is it because Lian'er got into trouble?"

Ping Er also walked quickly to Wang Xifeng's side to support her, "Madam, the prince is fine, it's you who has something to do. Do you remember what you said just now?"

Wang Xifeng thought about it carefully.

"I just said a few words to my sister. Is she kidding me?"

Ping Er quickly grabbed Wang Xifeng's shoulders and shouted to Feng Er, "Feng Er, go and tell the Emperor to prepare a carriage to take the Empress to see the doctor."

Feng Er quickly said, “Yes!”

Wang Xifeng became unhappy when she saw her maid ran out.

"What's going on? Explain it to me! Zhen Er's family, you tell me!"

Wang Xifeng glared at Zhen Ernai fiercely.

Zhen Ernai did not dare to hide it, "After Miss Wang told her what happened just now, the queen seemed to have lost her mind and started talking nonsense."

Wang Xifeng still couldn't remember what she said. When she thought about it carefully, it was as if she had lost track of everything and had no recollection of it at all.

"Nonsense, where did I say that?!"

Wang Xifeng retorted angrily.

Yuanyang said anxiously: "My queen, can we deceive you together? Ask everyone, we all heard it!"

Wang Xifeng looked at Li Wan, Xiaohong and Miss Wang.

The expressions of these three people completely confirmed Yuanyang's words.

Wang Xifeng looked at the palace maids standing nearby and found that they were also lowering their heads in fear and did not dare to speak.

The second sister, the third sister and Qin Keqing were all sleeping in, otherwise Wang Xifeng would be more inclined to those three people.

After all, those three wouldn't joke about such things, and it would be more convincing.

"What nonsense can I say? Let go!" Wang Xifeng didn't think there was anything wrong with her. She struggled to break free from the two maids and said bluntly, "What is our family's status now? What nonsense can I say?"

Wang Xifeng knew very well that she had said before that she was not afraid of rebellion, and now she was indeed not afraid, but as the emperor's woman, she could not say such things.

Yuanyang and Ping'er couldn't force Wang Xifeng to go see the doctor.

There seemed to be no problem with Wang Xifeng's mental state at this time, and she was still strong and powerful.

After shocking several women nearby, Wang Xifeng suddenly realized that something bad had happened.

"Call Feng'er back quickly! I'm not sick!"

Wang Xifeng was very afraid that if she got sick, the financial power of the family would fall into the hands of the second wife...

Suddenly, Wang Xifeng thought of what she had been thinking about, and after realizing that the problem she was thinking about did not exist at all, she finally discovered in horror that she might really be crazy!
Wang Xifeng soon collapsed on the sofa, her forehead covered with cold sweat, her face turned pale, and her whole body felt cold.

"What did I just say..."

Wang Xifeng believed that she might have talked nonsense unknowingly, and she also believed that Ping'er, Yuanyang and others would not frame her.

Not long after, Jia Rong came over.

Jia Rong has been at home all the time, but he won't come out unless it's urgent.

Wang Xifeng's mental disorder is indeed an urgent matter.

"Meet the Emperor!"

Wang Xifeng saw Jia Rong coming over in a few minutes and quickly stood up and saluted.

Jia Rong said directly: "No need to be polite, you guys go and do your work, I will take care of Sister Feng."

Wang Xifeng was helped by Jia Rong to sit down, and sat next to Jia Rong.

Jia Rong said gently, "I have heard what Feng'er said. You may have drunk too much yesterday and took the wrong medicine. I have already told you not to drink too much."

Wang Xifeng was hugged by Jia Rong and felt the warmth from his body, and her heart soon calmed down.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. It is my fault. I have only enjoyed the blessings for a few years and now I am no longer able to do so."

Jia Rong consoled her, saying, "You've had too many good days and have lost your memory. I should have officially taken you into my chambers when I was 25, and we had a baby when we were 21 or 22. Then, I think I had another son when I was 26, when I was still a duke."

"You've been living a good life for six or seven years, why do you still feel like you haven't gotten started yet?"

"I said before that I would give you guys a certain status, but it got delayed. It just so happened that when I built a house for Empress Shengren, I also built a few more houses."

"From now on, you will be named Imperial Consort and move into Fengzao Palace."

Wang Xifeng felt Jia Rong's concern and said with emotion, "I thank the emperor very much. Your Majesty has never left me and has always taken care of me for more than ten years. I am willing to serve you like a slave for the rest of my life!"

Jia Rong smiled and said, "From now on, when no one is around, just call me Rong'er."

Wang Xifeng blushed, and people were watching her all around.

Jia Rong looked at Xiao Hong and said, "Go and help Sister Feng pack her things. You can stay next door to me in Baicao Palace until Fengzao Palace is completed. You can take care of the festival. The people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs will know how to arrange it."

"Ping'er, go do your work. The rest of you go help pack up. I'm going to play in my second sister's room. When you're done, come over."

Jia Rong quickly went upstairs and did everything he should do. Jia Rong felt that he had done everything he could.

It is difficult to diagnose some specific symptoms just by looking, smelling, asking and feeling. Even if the medical level of this era is guided by modern medical technology and direction, it is not called modern medicine without machines and equipment.

You Erjie was still sleeping. I didn’t know how late she played last night. So many things happened down there but they didn’t disturb this peaceful sleeping beauty.

Soon, You Erjie felt someone reaching his hand into the quilt. She quickly sat up in shock. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found out it was Jia Rong, her face flushed.

"Why is the emperor here? Your concubine respectfully welcomes the emperor~"

You Erjie greeted charmingly.

Jia Rong sat down with his arm around You Erjie, and soon learned from her that the women in Nuanxiang Palace smoked, played cards, drank, and took drugs.

After more than twenty minutes, Qin Keqing, You Erjie and You Sanjie all came downstairs, and Jia Yuanchun, Tanchun, Yingchun, Lin Daiyu, Xue Baochai and others also came here together.

The room became lively again, and Wang Xifeng became the object of everyone's ridicule again.

"Is Sister Feng feeling better? I have a few spare pills."

"She has gone to live with the Emperor, so she will definitely not be short of good things."

"I think my sister is too tired and panicked. She should rest for a while. The people below will handle the affairs in the palace. You, the queen, should save yourself some energy and serve the emperor well."

"That's right! This is a blessing that we all long for!"

Jia Rong looked at everyone and said, "In the future, drink less alcohol, especially those strong liquors. I will have someone make some sweet juice for you to drink, which is good for your health."

After hearing this, Qiao'er quickly said, "Father, I want to drink too."

"Okay." Jia Rong looked at Qiao'er and said with a smile, "You should live with your mother in Baicao Palace for the time being. You should go to school on time every day and let your mother take good care of you."

Qiao Er said in embarrassment: "What about Ling Er? We all sleep together."

Jia Rong said directly: "Just let her go and stay there."

Zhen Ernai is Ling'er's mother. Seeing that Jia Rong was very kind to Ling'er, she immediately thanked him.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Jia Rong said with a smile, "You should go over there too, and spend more time with Sister Feng. The rest of you should not go over there casually, so that Sister Feng can rest and recuperate for a while."

Qin Keqing asked: "Then how should we manage this place? Should we let Feng'er do the work?"

"Let Baochai come and take care of it." Jia Rong found a suitable person. "Anyway, there is not much to do. I see there are still many empty rooms here. Let Aunt Xue and Baochai come over."

Xue Baochai had no problem with it. Although Qin Keqing and others didn't like Xue Baochai very much, they all accepted this arrangement.

Soon Jia Rong sent Wang Xifeng back, and asked someone to boil some medicinal soup for calming the mind and nourishing the spirit. After that, he asked her to lie on the bed and listen to music after lunch, and gradually fall asleep.

After a good night's sleep, Wang Xifeng felt much better.

In the evening, Jia Rong went to the palace. After returning, he went straight back to rest and also pampered Wang Xifeng and Zhen Ernai.

The second wives of the Zhen family and the Jia family mixed truth and falsehood together, and gradually it became impossible to tell one from the other.

Jia Rong fell asleep with his two second wives in his arms. In a daze, he had another strange dream that he had had before.

A woman in ancient costume who looked similar to Qin Keqing stood in the distance and slowly walked towards him.

"who are you?"

"I am Keqing."

Jia Rong looked at this beautiful woman with a friendly smile on her face, a stunning appearance and a graceful figure.

Compared with Qin Keqing, this woman is obviously more beautiful. She has the bright and charming appearance of Baochai, the gracefulness of Daiyu, the noble and dignified appearance of Yuanchun, and the beauty of Qin Keqing.

But she is not the type that Jia Rong likes, nor is she the real Qin Keqing. Since Qin Keqing followed Jia Rong, she has no longer been associated with words like dignified.

"What are you doing?" Jia Rong didn't look at the woman, but looked at the white smoke around him that seemed like a dream.

Keqing had already walked to the front of Jia Rong, only about one meter away from him. The relationship between them had already crossed the normal boundaries between men and women.

"I would like to ask Your Majesty to experience true lust, stay away from lust and desire, and concentrate on official career, economics and learning, okay..."

The fairy woman's face suddenly froze, and she lowered her head and stared blankly at the man who had given her a leg.

It turned out that Jia Rong, who was extremely free-spirited and imaginative, became impatient after listening to her nagging, and kicked the woman in the lower body.

This time, there really was something going on between the two of them.

Suddenly, the dream disappeared, and Jia Rong, who was sleeping on the dragon bed, suddenly stretched out one leg.

Jia Rong woke up with a frown on his face.

"Violence... Why would I have such a bizarre dream... It seems that I still can't suppress the violence in my heart. I'll find a Buddhist scripture to read tomorrow."

Jia Rong did not disturb the palace maids who were sitting and resting nearby. He quickly turned around, hugged his mistress in front of him and continued to sleep.

The next day, the two second wives got up early and served Jia Rong with great energy, and Jia Rong forgot about his dream.

When Xiaohong got up early in the morning and changed her clothes, she reported what happened last night.

"Your Majesty, something happened when the ladies were at the banquet yesterday. Since Your Majesty went to bed early, they didn't disturb Him."

Jia Rong asked curiously, "What's the matter?"

Xiao Hong replied, "The Princess of the East Sea asked the Queen for a magical medicine, but the Queen refused because she didn't have any. The Princess of the East Sea's daughter-in-law started crying and said that her mother-in-law had a headache for a long time. Several people also started crying. The Queen said she would ask for help later."

Jia Rong didn't care. "Doesn't the Princess of Shu have medicine? Since they haven't left yet, why don't you let the Princess of Donghai go over and ask for some? I'll make some later."

Although taking too much of that medicine can cause problems, it does work quickly.

The old lady doesn't have much time to live, so it would be better to let her pass away peacefully.

Although some of what Jia Rong did may not be in line with absolute goodness, as an emperor, as long as he did it out of good intentions, it would not be illegal.

No one would find fault with an emperor, they would just be grateful.

Asking for medicine was a trivial matter to Jia Rong, so he didn't care about it.

Jia Rong is more concerned about Wang Xifeng's physical condition. In the original novel, this woman often falls ill, second only to Lin Daiyu.

Soon Jia Rong also thought of Lin Daiyu.

"Go and ask Daiyu to come over so I can see how she is doing."

In Jia Rong's impression, Lin Daiyu was already very lively and healthy, and did not have that sickly temperament.

Wang Xifeng knew that Jia Rong cared about them and was very happy.

"Your Majesty, rest assured. Sister Daiyu is in good health!"

Jia Rong still asked someone to invite Daiyu over, and he changed his clothes with the help of the palace maid.

Not long after, Lin Daiyu came over, but she was also accompanied by Jia Yuanchun and Tanchun.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you!"

The three of them knelt down together, and adjusted their postures to salute.

Jia Rong looked at these strange postures and suddenly disliked them.

"From now on, there is no need to perform formalities. Just nod and say hello. There is no need to worry about these red tapes."

Jia Rong decided to let everyone relax a little and stop teasing these poor women.

Whether it is Jia Yuanchun, Tanchun, Daiyu or Wang Xifeng, they are all pitiful women. Why should we fight with them all day long?

Jia Yuanchun knew that Jia Rong didn't want to follow the rules again.

"Your Majesty, you are the emperor now, the master of us women, and the master of all people in the world. If we don't greet you when we see you, then the rules will be broken."

"I have the guts to say a few words. If the emperor punishes me, I will accept it."

Jia Yuanchun still gritted her teeth and refuted Jia Rong.

Tanchun and Daiyu both felt that Jia Yuanchun was going to be scolded by Jia Rong again.

However, when Lin Daiyu looked at Jia Rong, she found that Jia Rong did not mean to blame her or get angry, but only felt helpless.

"Get up first." Jia Rong reached out his hands to help Jia Yuanchun and Tanchun up, then smiled at Daiyu and said, "Dayu, get up too, or wait for me to help your sister up, and then I will help you."

Lin Daiyu got up by herself and said with a smile: "How dare I trouble the emperor? The emperor should take good care of Sister Feng. I am in good health."

Wang Xifeng also smiled and responded to Lin Daiyu, "Dayu is already a mother, but she is still so unstable. Why don't you bring the twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth princes?"

In the second year of the Shengchao reign, Tanchun gave birth to the twenty-seventh prince, and Lin Daiyu gave birth to the twenty-eighth prince in the same year.

Jia Tanchun replied, "Two-year-olds love to run around, so I let Xiangyun play with her in case she breaks anything."

Several people went into the room to talk. Jia Rong first took Lin Daiyu's pulse and listened to her heartbeat.

After making sure that Lin Daiyu was fine, Jia Rong felt much more relieved.

"Daiyu is in good health and has recovered from her illness."

As soon as Jia Rong finished speaking, Wang Xifeng said happily, "I told you so! The Emperor has been helping Sister Daiyu recover from her illness for more than ten years. He has spent a lot of money on her over the years, using all kinds of good things for free. She should be cured now!"

Lin Daiyu naturally knew how much medicine she had taken over the years, and she was very grateful to Jia Rong.

In terms of poetry and literary talent, Jia Rong is far superior to her.

In terms of family background and status, Jia Rong, now the emperor, is definitely number one.

He is handsome and heroic, considerate, and dedicated to his country and the people. He is a first-class good man.

Jia Yuanchun looked at Wang Xifeng and then at Jia Rong.

"Your Majesty, is Sister Feng feeling better?"

Jia Rong replied, "It's nothing. It's just a problem caused by drinking and taking medicine. I have been taking care of her when she was pregnant, and I have arranged things for her according to your confinement. Otherwise, if she continues to work so hard, she will sooner or later tire herself out."

Lin Daiyu glanced at Wang Xifeng and made her feel embarrassed.

Jia Yuanchun nodded, "That's good."

Jia Rong came over and sat between Lin Daiyu and Wang Xifeng, hugging the two beauties on his left and right.

"Daiyu and Fengjie are staying with me these days. After Tanchun returned, she also told Yingchun and Xiangyun that they should drink moderately and not get drunk to the point of hurting their health."

"Don't take those medicines carelessly. Medicines are poisonous. Don't take them carelessly if you are not sick. Don't teach your children bad lessons."

Tanchun agreed, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Seeing that the emperor was in a good mood today, Jia Yuanchun took the opportunity to talk about what happened last night.

"Your Majesty, do you have any more painkillers? The Princess of the East Sea asked me for some yesterday, but I don't have any left."

Jia Tanchun added: "Last night, during the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, they were all crying. What the hell are they talking about?!"

Jia Rong showed a thoughtful look and looked at his female official again.

"Let the Royal Guards investigate. If one person cries, it could be an accident, but if a group of people cry, then it can't be an accident."

"Although the Mid-Autumn Night Banquet is held in the Imperial Palace instead of the Holy Palace, it is also an important place for the royal family. I don't believe that without a leader, this group of people dare to embarrass me at the imperial banquet!"

Seeing that Jia Rong was angry, Jia Yuanchun did not want to make a big deal, "Your Majesty, they did not mean to offend you, they were just asking for your help."

Jia Rong is not that easy to talk to.

"You are the queen and I am the emperor. To offend you is to offend me."

"You want to be a good person, and so do I." Jia Rong said sincerely, "But there are rules for this kind of thing."

"The Princess of the East Sea is a royal princess. If she dares to bring a group of people to embarrass you in front of the other princesses and wives today, there is no guarantee that she will not bring a group of people to cause trouble in the palace tomorrow."

"You just said that you have to follow the rules. I am the emperor. If I can't intimidate the people below me, there will definitely be many people who want to replace me."

"This is not something you can solve. Don't worry about it. I'll do it."

Jia Rong comforted him, saying, "Don't worry. I will follow the rules and will not wrongly accuse anyone or punish anyone arbitrarily. In the years since I ascended the throne, I have never ordered anyone to be punished except for those in the Three Masters Case."

Your own death doesn’t count.

Wang Xifeng said coldly, "It must be the emperor's magnanimity that allowed those people to get too far. If I were here yesterday, I would never have given them face! They should have been driven away. Crying in the palace, who are they crying for?"

Lin Daiyu smiled and reminded, "How come the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine have no manners at all? One calls himself 'I, I, my' and the other 'I' too. Has Brother Rong forgotten that he is the Emperor again?"

Jia Rong smiled and said, "Sometimes it's easy to forget about this. When the children grow up, I will be a leisurely emperor and play with you guys happily~"

Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "That won't do. I still hope that the emperor will think more about the country and the people, and think more about ways to make the country strong, so that the people can afford to eat, and so that we can live a good life."

Jia Rong agreed, "Okay! I think so too. In a few years, I will build a car that can fly in the sky and take you out to see the blue sky and the sea!"

(End of this chapter)