Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 152 Looking for Death
Sister Feng hurried out of Rongqing Hall, walked around the back and through the hall, and then came to the large painted screen wall. She found a housemaid who was sweeping the floor and asked, "Is the Second Master back?"

The old woman bowed and said, "Replying to Second Madam, the Second Master just returned. He has been waiting for the First Master to summon him, and he has instructed the maid to fetch water for his bath..."

Without waiting for him to finish, Sister Feng walked around the large painted screen wall and entered her own courtyard.

Entering the main room, they heard Jia Lian teasing Qiaojie from the west side room. Pulling aside the curtains, they saw Jia Lian dipping chopsticks in wine and letting the five-year-old Qiaojie sip it.

Before Fengjie could stop, Qiaojie had already taken a sip. Then, her brows furrowed, and she cried out, "It's spicy! Daddy lied!"

Jia Lian was so happy that he rolled over with joy. Feng Jieer quickly hugged Qiao Jieer in her arms and frowned, scolding her, "You are so grown up, how can you be such a father?"

Jia Lian smiled without saying anything. Sister Feng coaxed Qiaojie and fed her a bowl of milk before handing her over to the little maid Feng'er.

Ping'er also understood what was going on, and immediately sent all the maids and old women away, leaving the couple alone to talk in private.

After they had gone, Sister Feng came to sit down at the head of the kang. Seeing Jia Lian tilting his head back and gulping down a glass of wine, Sister Feng quickly filled it for him and said, "Are you tired this time?"

Jia Lian snorted, "It's over three thousand miles round trip, what do you think?"

Sister Feng frowned and said, "Why didn't you tell me before you got involved in this?"

Jia Lian tossed a longevity fruit into his mouth, squinted his eyes, and smiled bitterly, "I don't know what it was about. The eldest master only gave me two letters, asking me to go to Jinmen to pick up Yun'er. When I got there, I found out they were going to intercept the brothers Wu Jinzhong and Wu Jinxiao. Yun'er had been shot in the back, so it was difficult for him to ride away. In the end, I had to go to Jinzhou and intercept the two Wu brothers."

After a pause and another drink, Jia Lian wiped his mouth and said, "This isn't over yet. Afterwards, Yun'er caught up with us, and we went to the village outside the pass and asked for help from the local inspector. Only then did we capture the rest of the Wu family."

Sister Feng felt a little distressed and said, "I know you've been exhausted, but this matter... is not easy to talk about right now."

Feng Jieer was thinking clearly in her heart that with the old lady looking after them, no matter whether it was the first or second wife, they would not dare to make too much trouble and they had to maintain superficial peace. If one day the old lady really gave up, it was possible that the first and second wives would be in chaos!
The eldest wife held the title in name only, so it was natural that she should have the lion's share of the family fortune. But the second wife's aunt, with her backing from the Wang family, was no easy target. Not to mention that the eldest daughter had just been selected for the Fengzao Palace and would be returning home soon to visit her parents.

Feng Jieer used to be able to please both sides, but now she is in a dilemma. In fact, she is the daughter-in-law of the first wife and a relative of the second wife, so it is not appropriate for her to help either side.

She was in deep thought, and Jia Lian noticed it, and couldn't help but laugh: "It's going to rain, my mother is going to get married, and as for me, we're lucky enough to be able to take care of ourselves. What the elders do is their business, and what does it have to do with us?"

Feng Jieer scoffed, "You say that easily. You haven't been caught in the middle, so you naturally don't know the difficulties involved. Now it seems that we can't offend either side... Otherwise, we might not even have a chance at a title in the future."

"Title?" Jia Lian was stunned.

Feng Jieer curled her lips and said, "Don't forget that the eldest wife is pregnant now. If it's a girl, it's fine. At most, she can give a dowry... But if it's a boy, oh, there will be things to talk about in the future!"

Jia Lian was lost in thought, holding his wine cup. Just as he was about to put it down, a maid came in from outside and said, "Second Master, the eldest master wants to speak to you."

Jia Lian simply put down his wine glass and stood up. Immediately, the head maid Amber came over and said, "Second Master, the old lady wants you to come over and question her."

"This..." Jia Lian was at a loss for words and didn't know where to go.

Feng Jieer said, "You go to the master's side, and I will answer the old lady's."

The couple got up and left without saying anything more.

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

Next to Fengjie's courtyard, across from Li Wan's room, are three small rooms where the three sisters are taught.

That day, Daiyu had recovered and joined the three sisters in needlework. When school was over, the four girls emerged from the porch and were about to go play with Grandmother Jia when they saw Baoyu approaching quickly, his brow furrowed.

After they had exchanged greetings, Baoyu asked, "Where are you going?"

Yingchun smiled and said, "Brother Bao, since you're asking this, you should go to the old ancestor's place to talk every day. Now, of course, you should go to Rongqing Hall."

After the words fell, Baoyu shook his head and waved his hands, saying, "No, no, the old ancestor is very angry at the moment, I think you should not go."

Tanchun was surprised and asked, "Why is the old ancestor so angry?"

"Isn't it because of the Wu brothers?" Baoyu immediately told everything he had heard from Jin Chuan'er.

When they heard that the Wu family had embezzled hundreds of thousands of silver coins for decades, Sanchun and Daiyu looked at each other in surprise.

Baoyu said, "The old man is calling Brother Lian to question him right now. I think we should hide for a while."

Sanchun and Daiyu nodded, discussed it for a while, and then went to the garden.

In the first month of spring, when the weather was warm and flowers were in bloom, the garden was filled with birdsong and fragrance, a scene of prosperity and prosperity. After a brief discussion, the few of them headed for the pavilion in the southwest corner. Unexpectedly, when they approached, they saw Baochai feeding the fish there.

So everyone gathered together and started playing in the pavilion.

After a while, Tanchun brought up the matter of the Wu family again, and little Xichun couldn't help but say, "Wu Jinzhong gave me a gift the other day. He looked so kind, but who knew he was such a bad person in private!"

Tanchun laughed and said, "Fourth sister, you don't know. Generally speaking, people who are virtuous and care about reputation tend to follow those who observe vegetarianism and chant Buddhist scriptures. But those who observe vegetarianism and chant Buddhist scriptures are not necessarily good people."

As soon as she said this, Yingchun sensed something was wrong. She glanced sideways and saw Baochai frowning slightly. "Among the vegetarians and Buddhists in this household, there happened to be a Lady Wang. If this got to Lady Wang's ears, it would be bad news."

Since it was Yingchun, she said, "Third sister, you're being long-winded. It's just that you can paint the skin of a tiger but not its bones, and you can only know a person's face but not his heart. The Wu brothers were very obedient decades ago, but when they arrived at the village outside the Great Wall, they took orders as soon as they had power. Haven't they forgotten their master?"

Everyone sighed and tried to cover up Tanchun's slip of the tongue.

Seeing Daiyu remained silent, Baoyu could not help asking, "Sister, why aren't you talking?"

Daiyu rolled her eyes at him and said, "How can I possibly talk to you about your family affairs?" After a pause, she continued, "But... although I don't take care of things, I often do some calculations for you when I have some free time. You're spending more than you're bringing in. If you don't save money now, you'll be in trouble later."

Upon hearing this, Tanchun nodded repeatedly: "Sister Lin, what you said makes sense. As the saying goes, we should live within our means. Our expenses are really too high right now."

Yingchun said, "What can we do? We can't be frugal when Big Sister comes home."

Baoyu smiled and said, "If you ask me, you are really worrying about nothing. If you run out of money in the future, the people down below will naturally be frugal... Besides, no matter how frugal they are, how can they save as much as us?"

Baochai was about to refute him, but she opened her mouth and held back. She knew that if she spoke, Baoyu would not be able to understand her, so a thousand words would be better than silence.

Seeing Sanchun teasing Baoyu, Baochai suddenly said, "Now that the Wu brothers have been detained, what will happen to the manor outside the pass?"

Baoyu had certainly heard all this, but since it involved Chen Siyuan, he said vaguely, "I don't know either. Why don't you go and find out for yourselves later?"

Unexpectedly, Siqi happened to come over at this moment. She quietly entered the room and heard what Baoyu said. She immediately laughed and said, "What a coincidence! I just overheard it. It seems that Master Yuan has come up with a plan. Now that the farms outside the pass have calmed down, maybe the tribute at the end of the year will be higher than in previous years."

Tanchun was immediately delighted and said, "Really? I wonder what Brother Yuan has come up with?"

Siqi secretly felt lucky that she had listened to her grandmother's detailed explanation just now, otherwise she would not have been able to explain it clearly now. She smiled and explained the work point system one by one.

After Siqi finished speaking, the naive Xichun still couldn't tell good from bad, but Tanchun had already clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Excellent! A great work point system! Wouldn't this save the village head from exploitation?"

Daiyu secretly admired him in her heart, but since the matter involved Chen Siyuan, she couldn't say it out loud.

Baochai had different thoughts. While admiring Chen Siyuan's ingenious design, she thought that the Xue family also had some farmland, so why not try to implement the work-point system as well.

Yingchun, hearing what Tanchun had said, smiled and nodded, saying, "This is a clever idea. As the saying goes, running water never stagnates, and a door hinge never rots. If we don't want someone to take control of the village and deceive his superiors and subordinates, we should change the head of the village every few years. But the one sent by the government has no knowledge of farming, and has ruined things. That's why the Wu family has been in control of the village for decades.

Later, the work point system was implemented, and supervisors were checking accounts everywhere. If the village head didn't do his job well, I'm afraid the farmers would quit without waiting for us to say anything."

Baoyu couldn't bear to hear Chen Siyuan's name the most. He listened in silence for a long while, but he couldn't stand it any longer. He simply left without saying a word.

Tanchun caught sight of Baoyu leaving and hurriedly called out, "Where are you going, Brother Bao?"

Baoyu just raised his hand without saying a word.

Baochai took a look and couldn't help laughing, saying, "Third sister, you still dare to ask such a question? Don't you know that Brother Bao hates to hear Brother Yuan's name the most these days?"

Tanchun blinked and couldn't help looking at Daiyu. Daiyu immediately said with shame and anger, "You are so good, Tan girl. What does he want to do to me? Why did you come to see me again?"

Tanchun covered her mouth and jokingly said, "Sister Rong'er, I will never dare to do that again, hahahaha——"

But in the previous chapter, Chen Siyuan had chosen the name Rong for Daiyu. As soon as Tanchun said it, how could Daiyu hold back? Embarrassed and angry, she stood up and went to catch Tanchun.

Tanchun giggled and begged for mercy, her body circling around like a butterfly. Although she was younger, she was much stronger than Daiyu. Daiyu tried to pounce on her for a long time but it was in vain. In the end, she could only call Tanchun "Qiong'er" breathlessly.

Baochai sat quietly by the side, watching the two of them playfully, her little finger quietly writing the character "Luo" on her palm. Perhaps because she knew everyone else's characters, but her own was unknown, Baochai felt a little relieved... Or was it because that was a secret between her and Chen Siyuan?

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

But after finishing his studies that day, Chen Siyuan was in no hurry to leave the Imperial College. He waited until all his friends had gathered, then he bowed and said, "I'll be having a banquet downstairs in a few days to get married. I invite you all to come and join me in the fun."

Wang Zhongfang and the others teased and joked a lot, saying that they would definitely be there when the time came.

Chen Siyuan smiled at everyone around him, and after seeing off his friends, he finally left the Imperial College. The servant Qing Yu came forward to greet him, but before Chen Siyuan could even get close to the carriage, a familiar figure bowed from afar, "Master Chen, my prince invites you."

Chen Siyuan turned his head and saw that it was indeed the guard.

The guard couldn't help but laugh and said, "Please come in, Master Chen. Fortunately, the palace is nearby."

Chen Siyuan glanced over and saw that the Prince of Yanping's Palace was right across from the Imperial College. Wasn't it right before his eyes? He didn't need to take a carriage and walked with the guards into the palace. Then, a young eunuch invited him to wait in a side hall. After a full cup of tea, the Prince of Yanping finally arrived, yawning.

Once inside, Chen Siyuan hurriedly greeted him. King Ping of Yan waved his hand casually, then pointed at Chen Siyuan and said, "I thought you were studying hard, so I haven't sent anyone to look for you these days... You're so forgetful that you didn't even come to the palace when it was right before your eyes!"

Chen Siyuan said: "Well, the prince is busy with many things--"

"speak English!"

"I was busy and forgot."

Prince Ping of Yan blinked, chuckled, and said, "You're telling the truth." After a pause, he continued, "Six hundred miles, express delivery. Yesterday, I received news that the fleet has returned to Songjiang. The goods on board will be sold soon, and will be converted into silver by July at the latest. Your plan can now be implemented."

Chen Siyuan hurriedly bowed and congratulated.

King Ping of Yan, however, was unconcerned. He said, "I have been busy all day on this matter. I had intended to return to you in a few days, but who knew you would stir up trouble again?"

"Ah?" Chen Siyuan raised his eyes and glanced at King Ping of Yan. Not only on his face but also in his heart he was extremely puzzled.

"Playing dumb?" King Ping of Yan leaned forward and asked, "Let me ask you, what's the deal with the work point system? Why didn't you tell me about such a good thing?"

"what?"

This time Chen Siyuan was even more shocked.

Prince Ping of Yan sighed and said, "If it weren't for the report from the Ministry of Punishment this morning regarding matters outside the Great Wall, I wouldn't have known you had plans for the Imperial Farm."

Chen Siyuan blinked, then suddenly realized. Because of Emperor Taizong Li Guo, most of the estates of the Dashun nobles, and even the royal family, were located outside the Great Wall. The Jia family suffered from the distance from their estates, and I'm afraid the royal family was even more so.

Since the Dashun swept across the world, the royal family requisitioned more than 2 million mu of farmland within the Great Wall and 1.965 million mu of farmland outside the Great Wall. Since then, there have been slight increases and decreases, but this scale has been maintained.

At this time, the Imperial Household had 523 village heads, 4 rice village heads, 6 bean and grain village heads, 219 village heads outside the Great Wall, and 136 village heads in places like Rehe. This didn't even include the various ranches, mines, and hunting grounds. If all were counted, the total number of village heads would probably be close to a thousand!

What are the Jia family's farms? The real problem is the imperial farm!

Deception and deception were common, and officials oppressing the people occasionally revolted. Worse still, during Taishang's reign, some farmers in the capital, unable to bear the exploitation of their superiors, simply rose up in rebellion. Coincidentally, a severe drought had struck the capital that year, and thousands of people gathered at once, frightening Taishang to the point of nearly forcing him to flee in the west.

Thinking of this, Chen Siyuan quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, this proposal is a spur-of-the-moment idea. I've never implemented it before, so I don't know if it's good or bad. I'm thinking of implementing it at the Jia family first, and then reporting it to Your Highness after I've seen the results."

Prince Ping of Yan smiled and pointed at Chen Siyuan, saying, "You're full of nonsense! Your shameless spirit deserves to be in the officialdom. Well, later, formulate this proposal into a proposal and submit it to me as soon as possible. If I have the time, you will definitely benefit from it later." Chen Siyuan suddenly had an idea and hurriedly said, "Speaking of which, I do have a matter for your decision, Your Highness."

"Oh? Tell me."

Chen Siyuan said: "I happened to get a concubine, and wanted to take her into my family..."

"Bah!" Prince Ping of Yan immediately scolded with a smile, "Have you thought it through and are no longer thinking about the girl from the Jia family?"

Chen Siyuan smiled awkwardly and said nothing.

"Go on."

"Yes... I was going to take her into my family, but who knew she had an arranged marriage? Although there was no marriage certificate, tokens were exchanged years ago. Now that the family has fallen on hard times, my concubine wants to end the matter."

After hearing this, King Ping of Yan was surprised and asked, "That's it?"

"To be honest, Your Highness, the man is from the Zhang family, and he was originally the head of the Huangzhuang."

King Ping of Yan was filled with complaints, but he didn't know where to begin. He knew in his heart that Chen Siyuan was pretending to be lustful and giving him something to use against him.

Oh, you really underestimate me. King Ping of Yan only considers his ability when hiring people. Why should he learn from his elder brother and use the mentality of an emperor?
Impatiently, he drove her away, "Get lost! Write a petition first!"

Chen Siyuan agreed respectfully and then turned around and left the side hall.

As soon as he left, King Ping of Yan called over the eunuchs and ordered them to "Go and investigate that damn Zhang family and have them return the token."

The eunuch did not respond immediately and went to take care of it.

As soon as Chen Siyuan left Prince Yanping's mansion and boarded his carriage, he immediately broke out in a cold sweat. He thought to himself that the Dashun Dynasty was indeed a descendant of the previous Ming Dynasty, but it was more advanced than the previous Ming Dynasty.

The former Ming Dynasty had set up guards, and the Dashun Dynasty learned from this and simply placed the Ministry of Punishment under the Imperial Household. If there was any evidence, it would be handed over to the censor for impeachment, thus avoiding the fear of court officials.

Just looking at this incident, the work point system was just being implemented in the farm outside the Great Wall, but it reached the ears of King Ping of Yan within a dozen days... I don't know whether the guards from the Ministry of Punishment were targeting the Jia family or themselves.

On second thought, it was most likely the Jia family, right? Chen Siyuan was just a small fry now, and the key evidence was in the hands of Prince Yanping, so why would he need a guard to keep an eye on him?

After calming down, Chen Siyuan laughed at himself, thinking that he hadn't visited Third Sister You for a few days. Then he gave an order and ordered the carriage to go to Ningrong Back Street.

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

It was a very busy day for Jia Rong. The Wu brothers had two branches: Wu Jinzhong's branch was to be dealt with by the Rongguo Mansion, while Wu Jinxiao's branch was to be dealt with by the Ningguo Mansion.

The indentures of Wu Jinxiao and his family were all in Ningguo Mansion. Jia Zhen was a violent man, so when he came back from Rongguo Mansion, he personally picked up a whip and beat Wu Jinxiao and the others all over the head.

After the beating, he still felt unsatisfied and ordered his servants to beat him with sticks. The poor Wu family, who were arrogant and domineering in their farm outside the pass, had always been flattered by the farmers below. How could they have ever suffered such a beating?

After thirty blows, each of them was covered in blood and skin.

Jia Zhen wished the entire Wu family dead and immediately ordered them all locked up in the woodshed. Jia Rong personally took care of the situation and, seeing how pretty Wu Jinxiao's grandson's wife was, he naturally treated her with affection. Then, pulling up his trousers, he turned away, disowning her, and left her to die in the woodshed.

Feeling quite pleased with himself, he suddenly remembered You Erjie's request. Calculating the time, he realized that three full days had passed, so it was time to send her a letter.

Because it was Jia Rong, he brought a servant with him and walked leisurely towards Xiaohuazhi Lane.

When they arrived at the place, a servant came forward and knocked on the door. After a while, the door was pushed open. The old woman saw that it was Jia Rong who came in, and hurried inside to report.

You Erjie had been thinking about this matter these days, and when she heard the voice, she hurried out to greet him.

When the two met, Jia Rong smiled and held up his folding fan, then bowed and said, "How is Second Aunt?"

You Erjie forced a smile and said, "Rong boy, did you get the token back?"

Jia Rong's face was solemn, and he sighed, "Second Auntie doesn't know... I'm afraid this matter will be difficult."

"what?"

Jia Rong stood at the door, looked around, and said, "Second Aunt, do you want to talk here?"

You Erjie reacted quickly and welcomed Jia Rong in. She was about to invite him into the wing room, but unexpectedly, Jia Rong went straight to the main room.

Third Sister You was embroidering a handkerchief at that moment. Seeing Jia Rong come in, she sneered, "Oh, Rong, you are so filial! You actually come to see me today."

Jia Rong stepped forward with a playful smile and greeted him, saying, "To be honest, Third Aunt, I haven't seen you for a few days and I've missed you so much that I just want to see your beautiful face."

"Bah!" Third Sister You cursed, "Don't bother talking to me. I saw you eating the noodles in clear water. What kind of cunning scheme do you have? Do you think I don't know? If you know what's good for you and get out of here right now, I'll pretend I didn't see you, you rotten garlic. But if you still dare to be so greedy and tease me, I won't be able to do anything unless I take out your cow gall and dog treasure!"

As he spoke, he suddenly stood up and picked up the scissors on the table.

Jia Rong was startled. Seeing Third Sister You's eyes wide open with anger, he immediately swallowed his saliva, smiled awkwardly, and slapped himself: "Don't be angry, Third Sister, it's all my fault for being so mean. I won't dare to do it again. But today I have an important matter to discuss with Second Sister-in-law——"

You Erjie rushed in at this moment and hurried forward to stand between the two of them. She glared at Jia Rong and then forcibly pulled You Sanjie into the west wing.

You Erjie pleaded in a low voice, "My dear sister, I asked Rong to bring back the token... You don't know what he's like? He's always been a smooth talker, and you can't tell what he's like. Sister, please be patient. Wait until I get the token back, and then we'll ignore him."

Third Sister You squinted her eyes and said, "You believe him? Don't you know what kind of tricks he has?"

You Erjie smiled bitterly and said, "What can I do? Mom doesn't care, and I don't know anyone else, so I can only ask Rong boy for help."

Third Sister You opened her mouth, wanting to say that she might as well ask Brother Yuan for help... But then she changed her mind, Second Sister was trying to snatch the man from her, so how could she let her man take care of this matter?
Third Sister You snorted coldly and said, "Second sister, just watch for yourself. Don't let that boy Rong fool you into losing your footing."

After saying that, You Sanjie turned around, gave Jia Rong a cold look, and went straight to the side room.

You Erjie bit her lower lip and thought for a while, then turned around to argue with Jia Rong.

Who would have thought that as soon as Third Sister You left, Jia Rong immediately lost all his scruples, and looked her up and down with his thieving eyes. He would sometimes cry out "I'm thirsty," and sometimes say he hadn't eaten yet.

You Erjie endured it patiently, sent the maid to serve tea and snacks, and asked the old woman to prepare a banquet.

After more than half an hour, the wine and food were ready. Jia Rong took a quick glance and curled his lips, laughing, "Is this all Second Aunt eats every day? Tsk tsk... If I say, Second Aunt, why don't you come around the mansion more often? Even if my father forgets, can I still do without Second Aunt's kindness?"

You Erjie frowned and said, "You're getting more and more outrageous. If you continue like this, I'll call Sanjie to come and talk to you!"

Jia Rong laughed heartily and said, "It was only a joke. Why is Second Aunt so anxious? Indeed, I was quite busy in fulfilling your last request."

Jia Rong took a sip of wine and a bite of food, and told the story of retrieving the token in a twists and turns. Whenever he came to a critical point, he would persuade You Erjie to have a drink.

Before they knew it, the feast had dragged on into the night. Half the pot of wine had gone into You Erjie's stomach, and her face flushed instantly, as radiant as a peach blossom, which made Jia Rong's eyes burn with passion.

Seeing You Erjie resting one hand on her cheek and the other on the table, Jia Rong immediately became greedy and said with a smile, "Zhang Hua is easy to deal with. He can be sent away with just a small amount of silver. I'm afraid the fifty taels from Second Auntie are not enough. I can add some more privately."

As he was about to touch You Erjie's hand, Jia Rong said again, "It's hard to get rid of Zhang Hua's father. He might even make trouble at the government office..."

You Erjie was feeling groggy at the moment, when she suddenly felt Jia Rong grabbing her hand. Startled, she leaned back and tried to pull her hand away, but Jia Rong held it tightly.

"You, what are you doing?"

Jia Rong said jokingly, "How could Second Aunt have such beautiful hands? They look so delicate..."

You Erjie stood up and said, "I'll call someone!"

Jia Rong was about to say something when he heard a light cough. He turned around and saw Chen Siyuan standing in front of the door with a smile on his face, accompanied by You Sanjie.

You Erjie quickly withdrew her hand and hid aside. Jia Rong blinked and said with a wry smile, "Uncle Yuan is here? What a coincidence. How about... have some wine and food together?"

Chen Siyuan was naturally furious. He had always considered You Erjie his own, so how could he let anyone else get their hands on her? He had originally been wary of Jia Zhen, but Jia Zhen hadn't even come to visit, and instead, this ungrateful Jia Rong showed up to tease him... Oh, I'm afraid this guy doesn't know how to write the word "death"!

"Okay."

Chen Siyuan smiled and agreed. He walked forward, lifted his robe, and sat down next to Jia Rong. He asked, "Rong'er, were you reading my second sister's palm just now? When did you learn this skill? Why don't you read mine too?"

Jia Rong smiled awkwardly and didn't dare to respond.

You Erjie was now mostly sober and hurried to You Sanjie's side, looking aggrieved. You Sanjie glared at her, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Jia Rong said, "Ha, ha, ha, Uncle Yuan is joking. Come, come, let your nephew toast Uncle Yuan."

As he spoke, he stood up and poured wine for Chen Siyuan, then drank it all in one gulp. Unexpectedly, Chen Siyuan lifted the glass and watched him drink it, then put it down and shook his head, saying, "No, no, no, everyone knows Rong'er has a huge capacity for alcohol. I'm afraid I'll get drunk after two or three glasses, but Rong'er can drink a thousand without getting drunk. How about... Rong'er drink three glasses first, and I'll have one to go with you?"

Jia Rong's expression changed. He knew that if he didn't agree today, he would have a hard time leaving the place. So he smiled and agreed, "No problem. Since Uncle Yuan said so, then I will risk my life to accompany you."

He drank two more cups in a row.

Unexpectedly, Chen Siyuan gave her a look, and Third Sister You obediently stepped forward to pour wine for the two of them. Chen Siyuan said with a smile, "Brother Rong, you must toast me three cups... If it weren't for me, would Ningguo Mansion have gotten all those treasures for nothing?"

Jia Rong couldn't refute this, so he nodded and said, "That makes sense. Then... then I'll toast Uncle Yuan three more cups."

After three more cups of wine, Jia Rong had already drunk half a pot of wine. His stomach suddenly started churning, but he managed to hold it in and not vomit.

Chen Siyuan observed his expression and saw that he was stammering, knowing that his time had come. After a long chat, Jia Rong began to stagger and leave. Chen Siyuan feigned intoxication and stood up, saying, "You and I are so on good terms, it's a good opportunity for me to go back... Then, let's go together!"

Jia Rong was getting drunk and hurriedly called for a servant to help him up. However, Chen Siyuan slapped the servant away and said with a smile, "I'm not drunk at all. I'll just support Rong'er!"

The boy was only twelve or thirteen years old and was not as strong as Chen Siyuan, so he had to follow behind.

Chen Siyuan pulled Jia Rong out of the main room, turned around and winked at You Sanjie, and when they reached the courtyard gate, he suddenly stumbled and threw Jia Rong out with one arm. Jia Rong staggered a few steps and hit the door with a bang.

"Ah--" Jia Rong screamed, and immediately covered his mouth and nose and wailed.

The servant hurried forward, but Chen Siyuan stumbled to his feet and kicked the servant away: "Who asked you to come here, you ungrateful person?"

He leaned over and said with a smile, "It was a slip of the tongue. Rong'er, are you okay? Your uncle apologizes to you—Ouch!"

He bowed and then leaned forward, his knee hitting Jia Rong right in the crotch.

Jia Rong screamed again and rolled back and forth, covering his crotch.

Behind him, Third Sister You's beautiful eyes glared, and she felt like she had let out a breath of anger. Second Sister You, who was standing by, thought a little more and hurriedly stumbled forward to stop him: "Brother Yuan, please don't do that again..."

Chen Siyuan glanced at You Erjie, reached out and pushed her away, then turned to look at Jia Rong and said, "I'm afraid I've drunk too much. Let the servant help Rong'er."

Jia Rong had been beaten by Jia Zhen once before, but who else had dared to touch him? He was now mostly sober, and in a rage, he pointed at Chen Siyuan and cursed, "Mr. Chen, do you think I don't know what you're thinking... Hiss—just wait, this isn't over yet!"

Chen Siyuan put away his smile, kicked Jia Rong to the ground, and sneered, "Not yet? Of course it's not yet. Come on, come on, I want to ask if Brother Zhen taught you to flirt with his own concubine!"

As he spoke, he started to walk away. Jia Rong was stunned for a moment, and felt a chill running straight to the top of his head!
If it weren't for Chen Siyuan's scheme, how could the Ningguo Mansion have acquired such a large sum of money out of thin air? And speaking of ethics, You Erjie was his aunt, and flirting with her was a grave sin! Jia Zhen didn't like him to begin with, and if this got to Jia Zhen's ears, how could it possibly go well? His father might even beat him half to death out of courtesy!

Jia Rong struggled to his feet, but after taking two steps, he gasped and became unable to move. He slapped the servant and cursed, "You bastard! Hurry up and bring Uncle Chen Yuan back!"

　I accidentally discovered that a live streamer had taken a liking to my previous book and did the dubbing. If you're interested, go to Himalaya and search for "Red Mansions Splendor". It has been updated to 65 episodes and is free for ten days.

　　Also, I have updated the chapter in advance. Would you like to use the monthly tickets you have?
　　
　
(End of this chapter)