Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 149 Miaoyu Enters the Mansion
Yu Liu had never seen such a situation before. He was stunned and didn't know what to do.

At this moment, Lai Da heard the voice and came out. When he heard what Qingwen asked, his idea suddenly came to him. He had just been worrying about how to get Qingwen's indenture from the old lady. Now was the perfect time.

He sighed and said, "It's pitiful, well, don't shout anymore. I'll send someone inside to pass on the message. Let the masters decide whether to release the indenture or not."

Upon hearing this, Qingwen stopped shouting and just knelt there looking at the vermilion lacquered gate of Rongguo Mansion.

Lai Da gave an order and a servant hurried to the ceremonial gate to pass the message. The old woman who received the message hurried back to Rongqing Hall.

In Rongqing Hall.

At this time, the three sisters were studying with Li Wan, and Daiyu's chronic illness had not yet improved, so only Lady Wang, Aunt Xue, Baochai, Sister Feng and Baoyu were talking to Lady Jia.

Baoyu bent over, holding a piece of dried meat in his hand, and teased the puppy on the ground: "Bow, bow quickly!"

Strangely enough, the dog actually stood up and bowed repeatedly, making everyone in the hall laugh.

Baoyu praised: "Good dog, here's some dried meat as a reward!"

Sister Feng laughed and said, "My brother said that this dog has been trained and can bow, turn around, and roll over. It's also rare that it has such colorful clothes. It looks festive, so I just gave it to Brother Bao."

It turned out that Fengjie'er's brother Wang Ren came early in the morning and left behind a Western-style pug, which Fengjie gave to Baoyu.

Baoyu was delighted when he heard this, "Really?" He then found some dried meat and teased him, "Turn around, turn around again... Eh? It really turned around! Roll around!"

Sitting upright on the soft couch, Grandmother Jia was so amused by the adorable dog that she rolled back and forth. She laughed and said, "Don't even mention Baoyu. I'm envious just looking at him. Oh, my! I wonder where they found such a human-like pug."

Sister Feng replied, "They say it was kept on a Western ship. My brother thought it was curious, so he bought it for money."

Grandmother Jia praised: "It is rare for your brother to be so thoughtful. Why didn't he stay a little longer?"

Sister Feng laughed and said, "He has just arrived in the capital and will be visiting his uncle's house soon."

Only then did Lady Jia understand and nod. Mrs. Wang was feeling rather uncomfortable, but she smiled and said, "Baoyu, this dog is so adorable, why don't you thank Sister Feng?"

Baoyu smiled and bowed to Sister Feng: "Thank you very much, Sister Feng, this dog is really lovely."

Feng Jieer made a joke, and then Mrs. Wang said to Jia's mother, "Old lady, I think Baoyu is getting better. It's time for him to go to private school tomorrow."

Grandmother Jia said indifferently, "I heard there's a cold outside too. Baoyu has just recovered. It would be bad if he caught it again. In my opinion, it would be better for him to stay at home and study for a few more days."

Mrs. Wang smiled and said, "I was wrong. Then stay a few more days." In her heart, she couldn't help but complain. When had Baoyu ever read at home? Even if he did read, he only read miscellaneous books that were of no use to him in the imperial examinations.

While he was thinking about it, he saw Lai Wang's family hurried in and spoke a few words to the maid Yuanyang, who immediately changed her expression.

Seeing this, Jia's mother asked, "What's going on?"

Yuanyang and Lai Wangjia exchanged glances. Lai Wangjia stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Madam, it was Qingwen who was kneeling outside the door, begging for permission to release her indenture so she could return home to see her parents."

"Qingwen?" Grandmother Jia was suddenly dazed. Qingwen had been driven out of the house only a few days ago, yet now it seemed like a lifetime ago. Since she left, apart from Baoyu's occasional mentions, who would mention her anymore?

Even Lady Jia was convinced that Qingwen would die within a few days, but she didn't expect her to come to her door and kneel down to ask for her indenture.

"Qingwen?" Baoyu immediately threw the fancy-faced pug aside, was stunned for a moment, and walked away: "I'll go take a look!"

Before Mrs. Wang could say anything, Grandmother Jia hurriedly said, "Stop him! My God, Qingwen has female tuberculosis. You can't get close to her!"

Baoyu frowned and pleaded, "Madam, I won't get close to her. I'll just take a look from a distance." He paused, then said sadly, "After all, she's in my room. No matter what, I must see her."

"Nonsense!" Mrs. Wang slammed the table and scolded.

Seeing that something was amiss, Sister Feng said, "Brother Bao is concerned about Qingwen, which is a sign of friendship. I think we should find a few more maids to look after her, so that Brother Bao can have a glimpse of her from afar. But as for Qingwen, I wonder what to do with her?"

Mrs. Wang pondered for a moment and said to Lady Jia, "That child is pitiful. I think it would be better to give in to her."

Grandmother Jia sighed and nodded, saying, "She's almost dead. What's the point of keeping the indenture? Yuanyang, go get the indenture and give it to Qingwen later."

The mandarin duck responded and hurried to the western end of the room to look for it.

Baoyu clamored to see Qingwen, and Fengjie hurriedly found a few reliable maids to look after him, and then went out of the ceremonial gate in a mighty manner.

After a while, he arrived outside the Deyi Gate and was still about ten steps away from the corner gate when he was stopped by several old women.

"Master Bao, don't dare come any closer!"

Baoyu looked up and called out, "Qingwen, Qingwen!"

At that moment, another maid passed a message to Yu Liu. Yu Liu covered his mouth and nose, stopped behind the corner door and said to Qingwen, "Qingwen, Master Bao is here. Come over and talk to him."

Qingwen thought for a moment, then stood up and walked to the front of the Dejiao Gate, looking at Baoyu from a distance of thirty steps.

Baoyu shouted, "Qingwen, are you okay?"

Qingwen coughed a few times, scaring Yu Liu so much that he took two steps back. The maids also pulled Baoyu back a little.

Seeing that everyone was avoiding her like the plague, Qingwen laughed bitterly and said, "That's not good. I almost died!"

Baoyu was stunned for a moment, then shouted, "You, go find a doctor yourself, maybe there is a cure. Yes, you must be short of money." He then took off the purse at his waist and threw it over with all his strength.

Unexpectedly, he was too weak and the purse just fell in front of the corner gate.

Yu Liu hurriedly picked it up and threw it away. Qingwen looked at the purse that rolled to her feet, and her heart ached again... She had made that purse for Baoyu in the first month of the year. She had thought of giving it as a keepsake, but who knew it would be thrown back.

She picked up her purse, frowned, looked at Baoyu, and said, "Second Master Bao... have you ever thought of coming over to see me?"

Baoyu cried out, "I wanted to go, but they stopped me. They said, they said you must be dead, wuwuwu——"

Baoyu was about to say more, but Zhou Ruijia said, "Second Master, please go back quickly. Just a few words are enough. It's cold outside, and you can't stay any longer."

Baoyu was still standing with his legs crossed, about to say something, but was pushed into the ceremonial gate by a group of old women.

Qingwen saw this and sighed inwardly. Yes, Master Bao was indeed different from Master Yuan. Master Bao was still a naughty boy, while Master Yuan was already a man of integrity.

While he was pondering, a maid tossed him a ball of paper from a distance and said, "Old Madam, please be kind. Considering our past as master and servant, I will return your bond to you now that you are seriously ill. Take it and leave!"

Qingwen bent down to pick up the paper ball, unfolded it, and glanced at it. It was indeed her indenture. With mixed feelings, she bowed toward the Rongguo Mansion, gave it one more lingering glance as if bidding farewell, and then turned and walked away.

Baoyu was pushed into the ceremonial gate by a group of old women. He felt that he would never see Qingwen again in this life, and tears streamed down his face. It took a long time for everyone to comfort him before they persuaded him to return to Qixianzhai.

Qingwen, clutching the indenture, returned all the way across three alleys. Yunxiang was waiting eagerly in the courtyard. Seeing Qingwen return, she patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn't help but complain, "Where have you been? I was so scared I thought—"

She thought Qingwen had committed suicide because she was depressed.

Qingwen forced a smile and waved the indenture in her hand: "I've got it back." She turned and looked in the direction of the Rongguo Mansion, saying quietly: "From now on, I have nothing to do with the Rongguo Mansion anymore."

............................................................

Rongguo Mansion, East Wing.

Xiuju parted the curtains and entered the side room. She put down her midday snack and said proudly, "Young lady, have you heard? Qingwen came to the door early this morning, begging the old lady to release her indenture, saying that she wanted to go back to Suzhou to see her parents."

Yingchun frowned and sighed, "He's also a pitiful person."

Si Qi, however, was completely unconcerned and said, "She's always been too arrogant because of her favor. She'd always belittle any maid in this house, let alone the maids in Qixianzhai, if she didn't like them. Now that she's been kicked out, it's only fitting that she's faced this hardship."

Xiu Ju laughed and said, "Sister, you are wrong. Qingwen has contracted female tuberculosis, but she has nothing to do with other things."

Siqi sneered and said nothing. What do you mean by "female tuberculosis"? She didn't believe it. Hu Junrong was the most morally corrupt. Normally, if a maid in the mansion paid a little money, the imperial physician Hu would dare to prescribe a prescription to ask for leave. Who didn't know what kind of person he was?
This cold started with Master Bao, but Qingwen was the last to catch it. Why was Master Bao fine, while Qingwen contracted tuberculosis? Siqi didn't believe there was something fishy going on.

The second girl, Yingchun, frowned and said, "Everyone has left, so it's better to say less."

Siqi stopped talking and said, "It's just right that you're back. You can wait on the young lady for lunch while I go take some socks to grandma."

Xiu Ju agreed, and Si Qi folded up the socks she had just made, then stood up and walked out. After leaving the wing and walking along the corridor, she hadn't even reached the main hall when she saw Wang Shanbao, the housekeeper, coming out of the main room, mumbling something.

Siqi hurriedly called out: "Grandma? What are you doing——"

Housekeeper Wang Shanbao couldn't help but frown and complain, "Siqi, you don't know, that third sister of the Madam's is really difficult to deal with. This morning, she argued with me for half an hour over a red lacquer toilet!"

Wang Shanbao, the housekeeper, was always short-sighted and had hoped to take advantage of the wedding. But Third Sister Xing was a hard-nosed person, remembering everything, big or small, about the household. A few days ago, she was feeling really down and had secretly hidden a red lacquer toilet from the dowry, which she had found quite attractive. But today, Third Sister Xing started making a scene.

Wang Shanbao, unable to hold back, finally found the toilet and put the matter to rest. But who was Wang Shanbao? If he hadn't taken advantage, he had suffered a loss! So he hurried back angrily to complain.

Unexpectedly, Mrs. Xing looked listless. She only said a few vague words of persuasion and then sent him back to the Xing family to continue helping them.

Siqi couldn't stand her grandmother either. Upon hearing this, she said, "Grandma, you're confused!" Frowning, she pulled Wang Shanbao aside and whispered, "Madam, there's only one uncle and one aunt left in your family. Shouldn't you answer correctly? If you give up now, what will Madam think of you later?"

Wang Shanbao's wife said embarrassedly, "I thought so too, but I didn't expect that Third Sister was so difficult to deal with."

"Even if it's difficult, you have to answer it correctly. She'll be married in a few days, and then grandma will come back to serve the lady."

Wang Shanbao, the housekeeper, said, "Well, I'll endure it for a few more days."

Siqi breathed a sigh of relief and handed over the sewn socks. Wang Shanbao smiled and praised, "Look at the needlework, it's really a filial piety."

Siqi asked, "Grandma, what did Madam say about the second young lady's marriage?"

"This..." Wang Shanbao looked around and saw that no one was around before he whispered, "This isn't going to be easy. I think you should just give up on it."

Siqi suddenly became anxious and asked, "Why is it not easy? Could it be that the Madam looks down on our Second Young Lady?"

Housekeeper Wang Shanbao sighed, "Of course the Madam is willing, otherwise she wouldn't have adopted the second daughter... This is the fault of the eldest master." After a pause, her voice became even lower, and she continued, "The Madam said she sounded out the eldest master, and he said he would only marry the second daughter to Master Yuan if he received a betrothal gift of 10,000 taels... And the betrothal gift is not to be taken back! Tsk tsk, the eldest master is obsessed with money."

Siqi became increasingly anxious and shouted, "Ten thousand taels? Even if you sell your daughter, you can't get that much, right?"

"Who says it's not?" Wang Shanbao said, "Madam, I guess that if Master Ruoyuan receives the imperial edict someday, maybe the master will relent."

Siqi frowned and said, "What a joke! When Master Yuan receives the imperial decree someday, there will be many wealthy families offering marriages to their daughters. Why would Master Yuan ask to marry the second young lady?"

Wang Shanbao, the housekeeper, said, "That's it. Think it over for yourself. There's no need to hang yourself on Master Yuan's tree. Just marry the second young lady one day. I'll go to the Xing family first."

Wang Shanbao's hurried departure left Siqi alone with a worried look on her face.

Siqi was a stubborn person. Once she made up her mind, she would never give up, even if she hit a wall. Ever since Chen Siyuan rescued her and had her own romantic dreams, how could Siqi have room for anyone else? She was determined to match the second daughter with Master Yuan, so that she could marry into the family in the future and fulfill her wish. But even after passing the first wife's test, she was blocked by the greedy and lustful master.

Siqi stood there, gritting her teeth, wishing she could just kill Master Jia She with a single blow. After a long pause, Siqi let out a sigh of relief, realizing this approach was a dead end, and decided to think of another way.

Because it was past the afternoon that day, Siqi went to the garden at the right time, hoping to meet Chen Siyuan by chance.

It just so happened that the Imperial College had an assignment that day, and Chen Siyuan thought about it and came up with a few solutions, but none of them seemed quite right. So, after returning to his own courtyard, he changed his clothes and went for a stroll in the garden.

It was already mid-February, and the villa was already fully furnished, lacking only the finest details. Entering the garden from the back gate, Chen Siyuan climbed straight up the main hill, stopping at the villa to gaze out from above.

I was just thinking about how to solve the problem when I suddenly heard someone calling from below: "Uncle Yuan?"

Chen Siyuan came back to his senses and turned his head to look over, and saw an enchanting figure stopped in front of the five large kitchens below. After careful identification, it was Siqi.

Chen Siyuan smiled: "Miss Siqi, what are you doing——"

Siqi found an excuse and said, "They say that after the imperial concubine comes home, this garden will be given to the young ladies to live in, so I came here to inquire about it for our young lady. Where is Master Yuan?"

Chen Siyuan said, "I've been thinking hard about a problem but can't find a solution. I might as well go for a walk to change my mind."

Siqi smiled and said, "Since Master Yuan wants to wander around, why should he stay in one place?" After a pause, she boldly said, "I see the winter jasmine flowers over there are in full bloom. Why don't I accompany Master Yuan to take a look?"

Chen Siyuan took a deep breath, wondering how to solve the problem for the time being. Besides, Siqi was indeed a very special one among the women. Apart from other things, her stature alone was unmatched. So he simply walked down the stairs and said, "Okay, let's go take a look."

When Chen Siyuan got closer, Siqi followed him half a step behind. Suddenly, she felt that she was taller than Chen Siyuan, so she hunched her back for fear of offending Chen Siyuan.

Chen Siyuan noticed this and asked with a smile, "Usually you hold your head high and your chest puffed out, why are you so timid now?"

Siqi pursed her lips and said vaguely, "Maybe I'm a little tired."

Chen Siyuan pondered, "Are you afraid that I'd be upset if I looked up at you?"

"Yeah." Siqi simply agreed.

Chen Siyuan shook his head and said, "It's not like I'm not growing any taller. I'll definitely be taller than you one day."

Siqi agreed with a smile, "Yes, Master Yuan will definitely be taller than me in the future." After a pause, she couldn't help but say in distress, "I don't know how I was born. I didn't eat more or better than others when I was young, but I just kept growing. When I was only twelve or thirteen, I was half a head taller than my parents... At that time, my parents and grandmother were worried, saying that it would be difficult for me to find a husband in the future. Fortunately, my grandmother asked the first wife to send me to the second lady, so that we can stop the gossip."

"What's wrong with being tall?" Chen Siyuan glanced over and saw Siqi's impressive figure. He couldn't help but think to himself, "Look at her size... she's probably a supermodel."

Naturally, Siqi saw his condition like this, and she was very puzzled... This Mr. Yuan was indeed different from others. Not only did he not despise the fact that he was a ten-foot-tall green, he also stared at that view.

Siqi worried a lot about these two things in private. At that time, the world valued women's figures to be slim and petite, with a figure like a dove. Being too big or too small was not beautiful.

But this time, I didn't know how to attract this old man to take a peek. This is the second time!
Siqi was a brave person, so she simply stood up straight, letting Yingrou in front of her come out.

The two of them passed five kitchens and followed the path up a hillside, densely planted with flowers and trees, with winding paths. As expected, they found a sea of ​​spring forsythia flowers, and further on, a gurgling stream. The stream originated from a moon-shaped water gate in the wall, flowing from the Huifang Garden in the East Palace.

Siqi stopped and introduced, "Across the wall is Huifang Garden, and over there is Ningxixuan."

With beauty as his companion and the scenery all around him, Chen Siyuan was naturally relaxed and happy. After a while, Siqi came over and said with a smile, "Speaking of which, our girl treasures the treasure chest that Master Yuan gave her last time like nothing else. She even cleans it herself whenever she has time."

Chen Siyuan was no fool, so he didn't believe such words. He simply turned his head and whispered, "Is it Second Sister's baby... or your own baby?"

Suddenly approaching, Siqi's heart was pounding with fear. Her face flushed slightly. She twisted the handkerchief in her hands, then bravely raised her eyes to look at him, and said with a low laugh: "My dear girl, I love you too."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "I'll give you something in private later so you don't have to fight with my second sister for it."

Siqi pouted and said, "A girl is a girl, and I'm just a maid. How dare I snatch her away?"

Chen Siyuan said, "You've been a matchmaker so many times, what else are you afraid of?"

As soon as these words came out, Siqi's expression changed immediately. With a slightly embarrassed look on her face, she gritted her teeth and said, "Master Yuan, ever since that time... I, I have decided on you. If I am not destined to be with you in this life, I will simply cut off my hair and become a nun."

The girl said this solemnly. Seeing Chen Siyuan looking over, Siqi said, "If you don't believe me, I'll jump into the water right now."

Chen Siyuan reached out and grabbed her sleeve, saying, "Are you really going to jump into the water? I didn't say I don't believe you." After a pause, Chen Siyuan said in embarrassment, "But you are my second sister's maid, so this may be difficult."

Siqi said, "What's so difficult about it? If the eldest master agrees, I will marry the second young lady together. If the eldest master still refuses, in two years, when I reach the age, I will simply ask to be released and become a nun... I don't ask for any official status, I just hope that Master Yuan will come to see me when he has time."

Chen Siyuan observed her expression and saw that she spoke with such sincerity that he could not help but feel moved. Hearing voices coming from not far away, Chen Siyuan pulled Siqi over to sit on a large rock nearby.

After a brief thought, he said, "I told you last time that saving you was just a coincidence... and maybe I'm not as good as you think."

Siqi said stubbornly, "Master Yuan treated me like that... and he saved my life. I don't care whether it's good or bad. I've made up my mind and will never change my mind."

As he spoke, he pulled Chen Siyuan's hand and pressed it against his chest. After a slight touch, Chen Siyuan secretly praised it as extraordinary and couldn't help but knead it.

Siqi blinked, forcing herself not to refuse, but a blush suddenly rose on her face. Her eyes gradually became moist, her breath came short, and she closed her eyes and walked towards Chen Siyuan.

Chen Siyuan thought to himself, though Siqi had mixed reviews, she was incredibly devoted to her man. He coveted her, but it was mostly because of her rare figure. Seeing her completely devoted to him, Chen Siyuan felt a surge of satisfaction.

Knowing that if he refused at this moment, it would only hurt the girl's reputation, Chen Siyuan hooked his arm around her neck and leaned over to taste her.

Siqi was new to this method, and her teeth were broken in a moment. Then her body went limp as if like dough, and she lay directly in Chen Siyuan's arms.

After a long while, when Chen Siyuan was about to let go of Siqi, unexpectedly Siqi hooked his neck with her backhand and immediately became the host.

After another round of intimacy, the two finally separated. When Siqi had caught her breath, she smiled foolishly and said, "You tasted my rouge, and I'm going to be dependent on you from now on. You can't drive me away."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Just let it go."

At this moment, Hongyu's voice called out from a distance. Chen Siyuan couldn't stay any longer, so he gave a few words and left. Siqi stayed there for a long while before standing up. After she had tidied herself up, she felt a chill beneath her body, and her face flushed with shame.

The day passed quickly, and the next day, Chen Siyuan was on his way to the Imperial College when he instructed Qingyu to send Qingwen to stay temporarily with Zhen Fengshi outside the city.

In the remaining time, Chen Siyuan only found time to visit Qingwen once in the outer city, and he went to You Sanjie's place less often, because he had to take the quarterly exam in March, which was worth two points, so he could not be careless.

On February 16th, when Chen Siyuan returned to Rongguo Mansion, the little maid secretly gossiped that Duoguan had pretended to get married and then brought his wife into the mansion to work, probably through the Lai family.

The next day, Chen Siyuan went to the east wing to visit Madam Xing and happened to run into the Lai family on the way. The Lai family bowed and scraped, and Chen Siyuan gave him a rare smile, which made the Lai family think that the previous incident was over. In fact, Chen Siyuan had his own calculations. The Lai family was just a pile of bones in a grave, and Jia She and Madam Wang would take action. On the other hand, if the exiled Lai Shangrong remained ignorant, it would be fine. But if he really wanted to enter the officialdom, Chen Siyuan would definitely cut off his path to officialdom...

If you don't kill the snake, it will be beaten with a stick. Chen Siyuan is not that kind of pushover.

A few days later, Xing's third sister got married, and Chen Siyuan had to take a day off. He was very busy accompanying Mrs. Xing in welcoming and seeing off guests.

As the saying goes, hard work pays off. Although Minister Tao had given the topic early on, after Chen Siyuan finished it this time, Mei Hanlin only made slight changes. He also repeatedly praised Chen Siyuan for having mastered the art. Judging from the ability to solve the problem alone, he was probably only slightly inferior to Mei Chong.

Chen Siyuan was secretly delighted. By the end of the month, he had passed the exam, and the next day, the list was posted, and indeed, he had topped the list. His friends read Chen Siyuan's essay and found it original and brilliantly presented. Wang Zhongfang was even more impressed.

In March, when Tanchun gave birth, the little girl thought that Chen Siyuan would give her a tin item as usual, but Hongyu gave her three hairpins that looked like sharp blades.

The little girl was extremely puzzled and kept asking questions. Hongyu smiled and said, "My master thought that giving the same thing would be a bit unoriginal. These three knives are said to have originated in Fujian. During the Japanese invasion of the Ming Dynasty, local women, to protect their innocence, made hairpins into this shape. They usually wore them in their hair as hairpins, and when they encountered Japanese pirates, they would pull them out and use them as daggers."

Tanchun held the three hairpins in her hands and was reluctant to let go for a moment, feeling that Brother Yuan understood her thoughts best.

............................................................

It was Chen Siyuan's day off, and he returned from Little Flower Branch Lane near noon, looking rather gloomy. Entering his courtyard, he found his chattering maid, Yunxiang, missing. Hongyu and Xiangling welcomed her inside. After helping Chen Siyuan wash his hands, Xiangling said, "Master, my mother doesn't really want to stay in the capital."

"Ok?"

Xiangling frowned and said, "Firstly, the dry weather is a bit too much for my mother to bear. Secondly, she doesn't even know anyone on weekdays, so she's thinking of renting a house in Suzhou." She paused, then pursed her lips and said, "I've tried to persuade her several times, but she's become even more determined. She's insisting she'll go back to Suzhou as soon as summer comes."

Chen Siyuan could understand Zhen Fengshi's feelings. He vaguely remembered that during those years when he had achieved success and fame, he specially invited his parents to live with him. However, his parents only stayed for a year before clamoring to return home.

This is what it means to be hard to leave one's hometown.

Chen Siyuan asked, "Didn't your mother say anything else? Was she so confident in leaving you to me?"

Xiangling smiled and whispered, "Of course I said that..." Zhen Feng thought that she should at least let Xiangling marry into her family before leaving, but Xiangling herself was not in a position to say such words.

Chen Siyuan understood immediately. While he was pondering, Xiangling came closer and said, "It's enough to have a formal ceremony after the wine is served. We can discuss other matters after the young mistress arrives."

"Okay." Chen Siyuan responded gently.

He took a short nap, and then the little maid Yunxiang came running in like a gust of wind.

"Uncle, uncle, the plaques have been hung up in various places. It is said that they were all written by Master Bao."

When the couplets for the imperial villa were to be inscribed, Jia Zheng first asked Baoyu to write them, and then, with a pretense of ceremony, he approached Chen Siyuan. Chen Siyuan was not some ignorant young man, so why would he want to take the spotlight at such a time? He simply said he was too busy reviewing his lessons to write the couplets, and so the matter was dropped.

Jia Zheng expressed his regret in person, but afterwards Mrs. Wang became more and more fond of Chen Siyuan, thinking that Chen Siyuan was a sensible man.

"You ran out early in the morning to look at the plaque hanging on the forehead?"

Yunxiang shook her head. "There's more. I just saw Aunt Lin going up to greet someone. She said she had finally invited a nun who looked like a fairy after many requests. I took a look from afar and quickly replied."

Nun? Chen Siyuan thought, wouldn't that be Miaoyu? Has she entered the Grand View Garden now?
After sending away Yunxiang, Chen Siyuan was really tired yesterday. He was pestered by You Sanjie three times, so he took a nap at home after lunch.

When he woke up in the afternoon, he heard that Sanchun, Daiyu and Baochai were playing in the garden. Then he tidied himself up and walked back to the garden leisurely.

Entering through the back gate, it was already March, the weather was warm and lush, with grass growing and birds singing everywhere. A small path led directly to Hengwu Garden. Chen Siyuan started walking, and halfway through, he heard someone coming down from Dazhu Mountain.

A clear female voice could be heard saying, "Young lady, I never thought there would be such a garden in the capital. It looks a bit like something from the south of the Yangtze River."

Then a cold female voice said, "It's too artificial and lacks naturalness."

Chen Siyuan passed a flower garden and turned to see a master and a servant coming down the mountain path. The woman was wearing a three-colored paddy field jacket, a pale blue long jacket underneath, and a snow-white long skirt. She was short, with a graceful figure, picturesque eyebrows, eyes as bright as silk, and a face as beautiful as jade, but with a cold expression.

What a coincidence! She had only just arrived one day when she ran into him. Chen Siyuan knew Miaoyu's personality, so he gave her a slight nod and turned to head towards Hengwu Garden.

Miaoyu was stunned for a moment, and when she wanted to return the gift, she saw that Chen Siyuan had already walked away. At this time, Lin Zhixiao's wife came up from behind and said hurriedly, "I just gave a few instructions to the kitchen, but before I knew it, the young lady had disappeared."

Miaoyu pointed at the receding figure and asked, "Is that Mr. Lian?"

Lin Zhixiao's wife took one look and couldn't help but laugh, "Young lady, you're mistaken. This is the eldest mistress's nephew, Master Yuan, who currently lives in the backyard and studies. Master Yuan is exceptionally talented, his writing is brilliant, and he's consistently won first place in the Imperial College. That would be fine, but he's also been recognized by a distinguished figure. Who knows, he might even be accepted into the Imperial College."

Because of Hongyu, Lin Zhixiao's wife was naturally generous with her compliments. Miaoyu frowned slightly, feeling a little disappointed, and wondered what Baoyu looked like.

(End of this chapter)