Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 114 Meeting King Ping of Yan Again

The air in the incense was rising from the warm room. Xiangling squatted down obediently, half of her body lying on Chen Siyuan's lap. She propped up her little face and smiled, "This is my own private property. I've been saving it for almost three years."

Does the Xue family give so much monthly allowance?
Seeing Chen Siyuan's confusion, Xiangling finally explained. It turned out that the Jinling Prefecture had used spirit writing to resolve the case that day, and the kidnapper had been re-incarnated, restoring Xiangling's status as a good person. Later, according to the law, the money the Feng and Xue families had used to buy a good woman was given to Xiangling.

The kidnapper cheated 700 taels from Feng Yuan and 800 taels from Xue Pan, totaling 1,500 taels!

Xiangling was restored to a good citizen, but her family business in Suzhou had long been ruined, and she had nowhere to go for a while. After being comforted by Aunt Xue and Baochai, she followed the Xue family all the way to the capital.

After this, Xiangling hired a maid for Aunt Xue, with a monthly salary of one or two taels of silver. Xue Pan no longer dared to force her, and only sent Xiangling gifts every few days, sometimes rouge and powder, sometimes hair ornaments and jewelry.

Aunt Xue and Baochai came to comfort her from time to time. Xiangling was homeless, and seeing this situation, she had already agreed to be Xue Pan's concubine. However, something unexpected happened, and she was swapped with Liu Yan'er and went to Chen Siyuan's side.

Chen Siyuan was increasingly puzzled as he listened. If Xiangling's story was true, then Jia Yucun really had good intentions towards her? But why didn't he bother to ask about it afterwards? Suddenly, it dawned on him: yes, if Jia Yucun contacted Xiangling afterwards, wouldn't that reveal that they already knew each other?

There were taboos in judging cases at this time. If an official knew the plaintiff or defendant, they had to recuse themselves according to the rules. If he recused himself, the case would have to be reported to a higher authority, and he would probably never be able to care for Xiangling again.

Xiangling then added, "Master Jia is a great judge. On the way back, my mother told me that a few years ago, Master Jia passed the imperial examination and was appointed prefect. When he passed by Fengjia Village, he learned that my mother was at her maternal grandparents' home. He gave her two envelopes of silver, some brocade, and a hundred taels of gold as a betrothal gift, and took Sister Jiaoxing in as his wife."

He paused, then frowned and said, "It's a pity that my grandfather is so greedy. He embezzled all the money and treated my mother harshly every day."

Hearing this, Chen Siyuan's opinion of Jia Yucun changed even more. Apart from anything else, just looking at how he gave back to the Zhen family, he could be considered a man of integrity and loyalty. If I remembered correctly, it seemed that Xiangling's father, Zhen Shiyin, had only given Jia Yucun fifty taels of silver in the book.
Not to mention the brocade, the two envelopes of silver and the one hundred taels of gold alone amounted to nearly two thousand taels, a gesture of gratitude that paid back a drop of kindness with a spring of gratitude. Not to mention that he later used spirit writing to resolve the case, severely punished the kidnapper, and restored Xiangling's good name.

At this moment Xiangling added, "Mother also said, 'I heard that Master Jia has become a high-ranking official. If I meet him someday, I must come to his house to thank him.'"

Chen Siyuan quickly said solemnly: "No!"

Seeing Xiangling's confusion, Chen Siyuan whispered, "In that case, Magistrate Jia Nei was suspected of favoritism and perverting the law, which is why he didn't send anyone to look for you afterwards. This case is a stain on Magistrate Jia Nei. If you rashly look for him, it will be a big deal if you get caught by someone with ulterior motives!"

Xiangling's face tightened with fright. "How could this be?"

Chen Siyuan then explained the rules of official judgment. Xiangling was terrified and said hurriedly, "Thank goodness you explained it clearly. Otherwise, if I really went looking for him someday, wouldn't I be harming my benefactor?"

Chen Siyuan pulled Xiangling into his arms and said with a smile, "It's not too late for you to know now. In any case, don't go looking for Jia Neisi."

"Yes." Xiangling nodded repeatedly, thinking, "I'll talk to Mom tomorrow and have a private memorial tablet erected for Master Jia. We'll offer sacrifices to him at all times and pray for his safety."

At that moment, the two of them stopped talking and just exchanged glances. Xiangling's eyes became moist.

Chen Siyuan didn't ask why the girl had rushed back so eagerly; the affection in her eyes was self-evident. Xiangling had had a difficult life, so if you treated her well, she would return the favor tenfold.

Xiangling didn't ask Chen Siyuan what had happened that day. She saw it as obvious that he'd gone to such great lengths to send her to find her mother and then given her five thousand taels of silver. She saw it as a gesture of kindness. Considering her master had taken such good care of her during such a difficult time, what else could Xiangling ask for?
Her family fortune had fallen on hard times, and now she only cared about taking care of her mother and staying by her master's side. She didn't care whether she was a noble concubine or a good concubine, as long as her master didn't drive her away, she was fine.

While thinking, Xiangling put her arms around Chen Siyuan's neck, leaned forward with her head, and kicked back and forth with her feet very freely.

Chen Siyuan was about to say he'd go visit Xiangling's mother someday, but the two of them exchanged a glance, and Chen Siyuan was completely melted by the affection in the girl's eyes. He didn't remember what else to say, and after whispering to each other, they rolled off to the warm room.

In the wing room.

Liu Wu'er was reading a volume of Ming Dynasty literature. The maid Yunxiang was lying on the kang, grabbing and throwing sandbags in her hands. Hongyu was embroidering a colorful hemp flower and gold handkerchief in the candlelight.

Yunxiang yawned, rubbed her eyes and said, "When will you wash up, sir? I'm feeling a little sleepy right now."

Hongyu then said, "It's not time yet, why are you in such a hurry?"

After waiting for a while longer, not only Yunxiang but also Liu Wu'er rubbed their eyes. Hongyu then put down her needlework, got up and left the wing room, tiptoeing towards the main room.

As she got closer, she could hear a noise from inside. Hongyu had already made love with Chen Siyuan before, so how could she not know what that noise was? Her face flushed immediately, and she quietly went to the hall to extinguish the candle and carefully closed the door.

Because of what Chen Siyuan said before, Hongyu knew that Chen Siyuan had at least four concubines around him, so she was not jealous of Xiangling in her heart - if Xiangling had not told her before she left, she would have to wait for a long time for her and Chen Siyuan to have a good time.

After listening briefly to the conversation at the wall, Hongyu secretly spat and hurried back to her room.

Yunxiang asked again, and Hongyu said, "I told you to be careful. Xiangling had already fetched water and helped you wash up, but you're still waiting in vain."

Yunxiang was surprised and said, "Huh? Sister Xiangling is really something. There was no sound at all. I waited for a long time in vain."

Hongyu said, "Let's take a rest too."

Yunxiang didn't think about anything else. She washed up quickly and rolled up the quilt to sleep. But Liu Wu'er was a thoughtful person. When she fetched water from the east wing kitchen, she saw that the hot water in the pot was not decreasing. She also heard a faint noise. Liu Wu'er blushed and hurriedly washed up and returned to the wing room.

Hongyu was thoughtful. After washing up, she added water and firewood to the stove before returning to her room to rest.

Late at night, Hongyu, half asleep and half awake, heard a noise outside. Sure enough, someone had gone to the kitchen to fetch some hot water. Hongyu smiled, reached out and grabbed the water bag she had secretly bought, her mind wandering, and she didn't know when she fell asleep.

The next morning, Hongyu endured her tiredness and sent Yunxiang and Liu Wuer to work. She didn't push the door open and entered the main room until she heard a noise in the main room.

Xiangling was now fully dressed, but she was a little unsteady on her feet. Hongyu bowed and said, "Congratulations, sister."

Xiangling blushed instantly and whispered, "I'm happy for you."

The words made Hongyu blush. The two of them stared at each other for a moment, both covered their mouths and laughed, then shook hands and went back to whispering.

I don't know what Xiangling and Hongyu were thinking, but they often grumbled to each other in the next few days, and decided to rotate every three days, so Liu Wu'er never had the chance to stand guard again.

Chen Siyuan was completely absorbed in his studies. He only visited Xiangling's mother, Zhen Fengshi, once every other day in the outer city, found a pawnshop to rent a small courtyard, and then went back to the outer city to meet his three brothers. After that, he remained secluded in his studies. Even when the East Courtyard was completely demolished, he paid no attention, nor did he even venture into the small garden to try his luck and see if he could run into Daiyu. (Note 1)

In the blink of an eye, it was the middle of the twelfth lunar month. On this day, Chen Siyuan had accumulated a thick stack of questions, and he took a carriage to Mei Hanlin's house in the outer city according to the time.

As a result, as soon as I left Rongguo Mansion, I saw a carriage in front of me.

The driver exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't that Master Bao's carriage?" Chen Siyuan didn't care about Baoyu's life or death, he just urged the driver to go faster. Unexpectedly, Baoyu's carriage was also heading towards the outer city, and it turned out to be in the alley in front of Mei Hanlin.

Chen Siyuan went to knock on the door and ask for advice. The driver had nothing better to do, so he simply left the carriage and went ahead to look for someone. When it was getting dark, Chen Siyuan left Mei's house and got into the carriage. The driver waved his whip and said, "Master Yuan, what do you think Master Bao was doing just now?"

"Ok?"

The driver, Zhan Yang, said, "So he skipped his private school to go see that Zhong brother. Tsk tsk, I heard that Zhong brother hasn't been well since Master Qin passed away. I just took a look and saw that the Qin family is preparing to make arrangements for the funeral."

Chen Siyuan's thoughts were pulled away from the book. After thinking for a while, he finally remembered that it was probably the time of Qin Zhong's death.

When the Qin family left, first Qin Ye was killed, then Qin Zhong. Losing their lives from a cold was not right, no matter how you think about it, it seems that the noble person had secretly taken action.

While he was thinking, the carriage drove out of the alley. Chen Siyuan did not lower the curtain, but just looked back at the alley ahead. As a result, he turned his head and saw a familiar carriage parked on the side of the road.

Chen Siyuan's heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself that there was no doubt that it was the work of King Ping of Yan!

At this time, the guard beside the carriage caught sight of Chen Siyuan and hurriedly spoke a few words to the person in the carriage. Then he saw the guard waving at Chen Siyuan from a distance.

Chen Siyuan sighed, told the driver to stop, opened the curtain, got out of the carriage, and walked towards the other side.

When he got closer, the guard smiled and invited him, "You are very tactful. You saved me the trouble of talking. Please come in. The prince is in the carriage."

Bowing to the guard, Chen Siyuan stepped onto the carriage and went inside. He saw that the screen was closed this time. King Ping of Yan was sitting behind a narrow table, with a pretty maid burning incense for him.

King Ping of Yan glanced at Chen Siyuan and couldn't help but laugh, "Are you here to seek advice?"

Chen Siyuan greeted him respectfully, then said, "Your Highness, the more I learn, the more I feel that the sage's words are profound and profound, and I'm afraid I'll never be able to fully understand them even if I spend my entire life studying them."

Prince Ping of Yan waved his hand to signal him to sit down, curling his lips and saying, "Of course there are some subtle but profound ideas, but there are also many far-fetched interpretations." After a pause, he added, "I've tried your method... and it's not bad."

Chen Siyuan didn't dare to ask for copyright fees, and just said, "As long as it's useful to His Majesty."

King Ping of Yan leaned forward and asked with a smile, "You are a man of many ideas. Do you have any other ways to make money?"

"this--"

Without waiting for his reply, King Ping of Yan sighed and complained, "The sage ordered me to manage the inner court, but now the inner court is too big to be managed. Of the ten thousand taels of silver earned outside, nine thousand are eaten up by these people."

The Neifu originated from Taizong's rear camp, originally used to house the elderly and the weak. After Taizong established his rule, he converted the rear camp into the Neifu Yamen. The original intention was naturally good, thinking that the emperor would at least have more money and would not have to be so dependent on the court officials.

For example, Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty lived a frugal life, while the gentry in Jiangnan embezzled most of the tax revenue. With the Neifu Yamen, the emperor could be more free in his spare time and receive more money in times of war, thus avoiding the worry of an empty treasury.

However, any good idea eventually turns sour over the years. With the increasing population, the imperial court's powerful officials were becoming increasingly powerful. Not only were they embezzling imperial funds, but they were also rampant in the local areas, leading to censors from the Imperial Censorate filing lawsuits against the imperial court every year.

Since the Emperor ascended the throne, the revenue from the Imperial Household has been declining year by year, while the expenses have been increasing. As a last resort, the Emperor sent Prince Ping of Yan to take charge. Prince Ping of Yan was ruthless and cleared out many of the infestations, but the Imperial Household was so vast that his sharp sword became blunt after a few strokes.

At this point, Prince Ping of Yan no longer thought about streamlining the government, but only wanted to create more profitable businesses to keep the inner government office going.

After a long ramble of complaints, King Ping of Yan continued, "I know that even if you don't say it to my face, you must be complaining about me behind my back. I'm afraid you made some money last time, didn't you?"

Chen Siyuan just bowed, smiled and said nothing.

"Don't worry, I'm not that short-sighted. The money will naturally be yours... Think carefully these few days. If you really find another way to make money, I'll guarantee you a pass in the Shuntian Prefecture's provincial examination."

"Ah?" Chen Siyuan was shocked.

If an ordinary official had said this, it wouldn't be surprising. All rules are made by people, and since they are made by people, loopholes can be found. The problem is that Prince Ping of Yan is the younger brother of the current emperor. From the perspective of the royal family, how could he commit such a thing as cheating in the imperial examination?

Seeing Chen Siyuan's astonishment, King Ping of Yan said disdainfully: "Why, you don't believe it?"

"This, students dare not."

Prince Ping of Yan said leisurely, "I've heard all about the tricks used in the Imperial College. So what's so strange about them knowing the tricks of the imperial examinations?"

Yes, if it were the Qing Dynasty, it wouldn't be uncommon for examiners to secretly sell exam questions. Dashun looked better, but not much better.

King Ping of Yan continued, "The imperial court's goal in selecting scholars through the imperial examinations is to recruit all the heroes in the world. Those with knowledge should naturally be selected, but why not those with connections and abilities?"

Huh? King Ping of Yan actually said that.

Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. The imperial examination system was originally intended to provide a path for advancement for those below, to appease the locals, and to select officials.

This way, local officials who had snared their way into the imperial examination system would be less resentful. While ordinary people could "be a farmer in the morning and ascend to the throne in the evening," those with talent and connections were even more precarious than ordinary scholars. Rather than letting them wreak havoc in the local area, it would be better to keep them within reach to prevent local instability.

Therefore, "our Great Qing" actually opened up a way for people to donate money to become officials. Instead of collapsing, the country became more stable.

After a moment of clarity, Chen Siyuan solemnly bowed to Prince Yanping and said, "Your Highness, your opinion is profound. I admire it." After a pause, he added, "I will ponder it for a few days and come back to see Your Highness when I have come up with an idea."

King Ping of Yan immediately became interested and said, "Since you say so, I guess you must have a plan in mind." As he spoke, he stretched out his hand towards the maid, who hurriedly handed him a business card.

King Ping of Yan casually threw it over and said, "If you want to make a good living in the future, just bring your name card and come to see me at the palace."

　Note 1: Pawning, pawning, and leasing are different forms. Leasing is just a simple lease; pawning rarely lasts more than six months; pawning is a more complicated term, meaning you pay a certain amount of money and get the right to use the item for a certain number of years.

　　There's a saying that goes, "One pawn lasts a thousand years." Pawning was an important means for aristocratic families to avoid risks and pass down their wealth. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, many aristocratic families used this method to pass down their land and property.

　　There will be a very detailed explanation of the dictionary later.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)