Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 169 Miraculous
The bright moon and the pearly stars make it a beautiful night on earth.

Jia Lian was completely oblivious to the fact that Lai Wang was following him. When he reached the fourth house in Caosui Lane, he reached out to knock on the door, but it was ajar, and inside was a hush.

Jia Lian's cheeks throbbed, and he wondered to himself, could that bitch have gotten away? If so, the thousand-odd taels of silver would be fine; it was just enough for Second Master Lian to spend over six months, but the Jade of Inner Peace was a real problem. If this got to the old lady, I'd be damned if not dead!

Jia Lian was getting more and more annoyed. Seeing a small light in the main room, he strode in quickly. But just as he entered the room, he bumped into someone.

The man was dressed in the short coat of an ordinary commoner. His face was dark and pockmarked. Jia Lian looked him over and asked in astonishment, "Who are you?"

The man was also extremely surprised and quickly took off the small bag he was carrying. When Jia Lian looked carefully, he found that the eyes were extremely familiar.

Jia Lian's mind raced, and suddenly he realized, "Okay, you still dare to run? Bitch!"

Jia Lian, enraged, raised his hand and slapped him. The disguised Liu Yan'er was unable to dodge and was struck on the cheek. She fell to the ground with a cry of "ouch." Her right hand, still reaching into her bundle, quickly found something and held it in her mouth.

Jia Lian stepped forward, grabbed Liu Yan'er by the collar, and raised his hand to slap her again, but Liu Yan'er suddenly turned her head, puffed out her cheeks and blew hard into the bamboo tube in her mouth.

But then he heard a "puff" sound, and a cloud of gray smoke flew onto Jia Lian's face. Jia Lian screamed and sneezed several times. He felt an extremely itchy sensation, and immediately let go of Liu Yan'er and scratched his face with both hands.

Liu Yan'er stepped back, kicked Jia Lian down, and stood up, still not satisfied. She kicked Jia Lian to the ground again, then said coldly: "I'm not a delicate girl like your Jia family. I have plenty of ways to deal with you! After all, our relationship was just a fleeting one, why are you trying to get back together?"

Jia Lian was so itchy that he rolled back and forth, and could only yell and curse: "Bitch, bitch! Return the spiritual jade to me!"

Liu Yan'er laughed playfully, took out the spiritual jade hanging from her neck, measured it, and said, "This treasure is indeed precious. I'm not afraid to tell you the truth. If you bring me five thousand taels of silver, I'll return this broken stone to you in its original state. Otherwise, I'll find a place to smash it!"

As she spoke, she stepped on Jia Lian's chest and leaned over, saying with a smile, "Second Master, don't worry. I estimate that it will take a few days to prepare the five thousand taels of silver. A letter will be sent to your house in a few days. Hehehe..."

After laughing, Liu Yan'er picked up her bag, stood up, and walked out. In the kitchen next to the east end room, two maids and a woman were lying on the ground, unconscious. This was because Liu Yan'er had secretly mixed a drug into the dry firewood.

Jia Lian, who was in the main room, scrambled to his feet, found a teapot, opened the lid, and poured the tea all over his face. The itching subsided slightly, but his face felt like it was being pricked by needles and burned with pain. Tears welled up in his eyes, and everything he saw was blurry.

Jia Lian was filled with rage, and in a rage he fumbled for a pair of scissors from the table and stumbled out to chase after her. However, his vision was blurry, and he tripped over the threshold, falling flat on his face, unable to get up for a long time.

At this time, Liu Yan'er pushed open the door and was already in the alley. Who would have thought that there were about ten people around, four or five lanterns lighting up the place as bright as day, and seven or eight whistle sticks surrounded Liu Yan'er.

Liu Yan'er's expression suddenly changed. She first caught a glimpse of Feng Jie'er's furious face, and then she caught a glimpse of Chen Siyuan who was looking at her with amusement.

Liu Yan'er's heart skipped a beat, thinking that this was the end of the matter and there was no way to escape. Thinking about it, she stared at Chen Siyuan and said, "Brother, I got it. Let's go!"

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Okay, give me the things first, and I will send you away."

All the servants of the Jia family acted according to Sister Feng'er's expression. After hearing the two people's answers, they all looked at Sister Feng.

Sister Feng said coldly, "What have you done to the Second Master? And where is the Spirit Jade?"

Liu Yan'er pulled the magical jade off her neck and said with a smile, "So Second Madam came here for this thing. I have to be careful, lest I get frightened and accidentally drop the magical jade." As she spoke, she had already raised the magical jade high up.

Although Feng Jieer hated Jia Lian, she was afraid that Jia Lian would be harmed by Liu Yan'er after seeing what she had done. She immediately ordered Lai Wang, "Go in and see the Second Master!"

Lai Wang responded in a muffled voice and waved his hand. The Jia family servants used a whistle stick to force Liu Yan'er to open the main gate, and Lai Wang hurried in.

Liu Yan'er moved cautiously, thinking of a way to escape, and said to Feng Jie'er, "Second Madam, don't worry. We are husband and wife after all. How could I possibly take Second Master's life?"

Before Fengjie could say anything, Ping'er, who had chased after her a moment earlier, spat, "Bah! Shameless vixen! Our grandmother is a person who can't tolerate any grain of sand in her eyes. How can we allow you to gossip here? Return the spiritual jade quickly, or I will make sure you die without a complete corpse!"

Liu Yan'er laughed and said, "My life is worthless. I'm dead, so why would I care if I leave my body intact? Now that things have come to this, is there any chance I can escape alive? But there's one thing. If Second Madam will give me a moment to talk and explain the whole story, I'll return the magical jade. How do you think that is?"

Feng Jieer was afraid that Liu Yan'er had other plans, and she thought to herself, if there were other thieves colluding with her, wouldn't that ruin everything? While she was still thinking, Chen Siyuan said with a smile, "Second sister-in-law, just listen to her nonsense. I want to see what she has to say."

Liu Yan'er asked in surprise, "Huh? Brother, aren't you afraid that I'll ruin your plans?"

Chen Siyuan smiled, his heart growing more reassured. How easy would it be for Liu Yan'er to drag him into this? Besides, the Jia family's various masters were now benefiting from his favors. How much money had he made in the two previous battles? He had also made a name for himself in the Imperial College, and he had powerful figures protecting him. Even if Liu Yan'er told the truth, everyone would think it was a last-ditch accusation.

He could think of this, so naturally Liu Yan'er had thought of this too. Seeing his calm demeanor, she sighed and said, "Brother, you're so calculating. It was clearly a dead end, but you managed to save it."

Chen Siyuan said, "I'm doing something honorable, so why should I be afraid of rumors? If you have something to say, the right thing to do is to return the Jade immediately."

At this time, Lai Wang's voice came from the courtyard, saying, "Second Madam, the Second Master has a burn on his face, but the rest of him is fine!"

Liu Yan'er said, "My medicinal smoke was mixed with lime, and that fool insisted on pouring tea on it. Didn't he burn his face?" After a pause, Liu Yan'er continued, "Originally, I wanted to stay quietly as a concubine of the Xue family, but the Xue family wanted to marry into the Xia family, and Xia Jingui is very temperamental. Once she got married, she would definitely not tolerate me. The other day, I was feeling depressed in the garden, and Second Master Lian came to visit... Second Master Lian said that Second Wife was a yaksha, always wanting to be coaxed, and wouldn't even change positions in bed... Hehehe, seeing Second Master's sincerity and generosity, I gave myself to him."

After hearing these words, Feng Jieer was so angry that her face turned pale. She clenched her fists secretly, wishing she could bite her teeth to pieces.

Chen Siyuan said from the side: "This person has bad intentions, and what he said may not be true. Second sister-in-law, don't worry about it."

Sister Feng took a deep breath and sneered, "What else?"

"And what else? Of course, the Second Master had tasted the sweetness and wanted to get me out of the mansion, hiding me away in his golden house from now on. Hehehe..." Liu Yan'er laughed sweetly and continued, "I was just about to follow the Second Master out of the mansion, but who would have thought I'd run into Aunt Zhao. She said the most valuable treasure in the mansion was hanging around Second Master Bao's neck. Isn't it a coincidence that I ran into Second Master Bao and got this spiritual jade."

Feng Jieer deeply disliked Aunt Zhao, for although she was born a servant, she always acted like an elder in front of Feng Jieer. As a daughter of the Wang family, Feng Jieer, with her inherent pride, would never look down on Aunt Zhao. With a little provocation from Lady Wang, the two of them immediately became enemies.

Hearing this, Sister Feng said, "Oh, there's also the matter of Aunt Zhao here. Ping'er, please write it down."

"It's not over yet," Liu Yan'er looked at Chen Siyuan and said, "The guy next to Second Madam is not a legitimate master. To tell you the truth, this guy is just impersonating the identity of a member of the Chen family. In fact, he has nothing to do with the Chen family at all! I followed him to the Jia family because I was going after the Jia family's wealth!"

Feng Jieer was still puzzled by the previous words, but when she heard the last sentence, she immediately curled her lips. She thought to herself that Liu Yan'er's slander was really too much. If the Ruoyuan brothers came to the Jia family for their wealth, why would they help them make money again and again?
Apart from other things, just from the genuine and counterfeit sea trade, Sister Feng had made a lot of money in the two transactions combined. If Jia Lian hadn't cut off her pill business, she would have made even more in the future.

Liu Yan'er was talking as she slowly moved her feet. Suddenly, her left wrist shook and a gold bracelet fell to the ground.

A clang sounded, causing the two Jia family servants holding whistles to look down. Liu Yan'er knew that they were surrounded on three sides and the only way out was to go back. She suddenly threw the spiritual jade in her hand: "Look at the treasure!"

This action naturally caused everyone to stretch their necks to watch, and Liu Yan'er took the opportunity to turn around and sneak into the courtyard.

Before Sister Feng could give any instructions, Chen Siyuan had already rushed after him like an arrow from a bow. Ping'er said, "Grandma, go catch the thief, and I'll go find the Jade!"

"Okay!" Sister Feng waved her hand and said, "Two of you go follow Ping'er, and the rest will follow me to catch the thief!"

The Jia family's servants shouted and clamored as they squeezed into the courtyard.

But Chen Siyuan took a few big steps into the yard, and suddenly felt something was wrong. He quickly crouched down, and then a black object hit the door with a gust of wind.

Then Liu Yan'er hurried to the side room next to the main house, and Jia Lian came out of the main house humming, supported by Lai Wang.

Chen Siyuan saw clearly that Jia Lian was holding a pair of gleaming scissors in his hand. Suddenly, an idea struck Chen Siyuan. He caught up with Liu Yan'er in two steps and kicked her in the back, shouting, "Second Brother Lian, be careful!"

Jia Lian's face was sprayed with lime and drugs. When Lai Wang washed it with vegetable oil, his face was covered with blisters and his eyes were swollen like rotten peaches.

He hated Liu Yan'er to the core. Hearing Chen Siyuan's shouting and seeing a blurry figure rushing towards him, Jia Lian panicked and waved the scissors in his right hand.

Unexpectedly, the scissors were just a little bit strong, and they hit Liu Yan'er's neck right on the side. When the scissors fell, blood gushed out immediately, turning Jia Lian into a bloody man in an instant.

Liu Yan'er clutched her neck in vain, her lips moving but unable to utter a word, perhaps because of a tracheal injury. At this moment, the Jia family's servants rushed in. Seeing what was happening inside, Sister Feng frowned deeply. She looked up and saw the scissors that had fallen at Jia Lian's feet. She was at a loss for words.

Chen Siyuan stared at Liu Yan'er intently. When he saw her neck twist and she fell silent, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He raised his head and frowned as he said to Jia Lian, "Second Master, you've got her. Why kill her now?"

Jia Lian was trembling all over, a mixture of fear from having killed someone and the joy of having killed his enemy. He could only shout and curse: "You black-hearted bitch, how dare you plot against your second master? Tomorrow I will throw you into the mass grave to feed the dogs...hiss——"

Chen Siyuan turned around and said to Sister Feng: "Second sister-in-law, this matter——"

Feng Jieer said indifferently, "It's just the death of a thief, not worth mentioning. The master's disciple is the magistrate in Shuntian Prefecture. I will send a letter to him tomorrow to ask him to settle the case."

After giving Jia Lian, whose face was covered in blood blisters, another look, Sister Feng ordered two people to stay behind to take care of Liu Yan'er, and sent the rest of the group to look for the magical jade.

The courtyard was filled with the stench of blood, so Sister Feng simply fled out of the courtyard. As soon as they emerged, they saw Ping'er approaching with a lantern and a grave expression.

Feng Jieer's heart skipped a beat. The friendship between the master and servant was extraordinary. Feng Jieer knew that Ping'er had such an expression, and it must be that there was something that she couldn't say to outsiders.

He dismissed the servants and dragged Ping'er to a corner and asked, "Have you found the Jade of Inner Power?"

"I did find it, but..." Ping'er spread out the handkerchief in her hand, revealing a jade pendant that was broken into pieces!

Sister Feng took a quick look and immediately gasped, saying angrily, "Bitch...what should I do now?"

But at some point Chen Siyuan quietly approached, glanced at the handkerchief, and whispered to Sister Feng, "Second sister-in-law, this matter must be kept secret from the old lady for the time being."

Sister Feng said, "If you can hide it for a while, can you hide it forever?"

Chen Siyuan whispered, "Since it's a spiritual jade, it must have some magical properties... Even though it's in pieces right now, maybe it can be restored to its original state after some time of nurturing."

Miraculous? Back to normal? What a joke! Feng Jieer was about to say something when she suddenly saw Chen Siyuan blink.

Sister Feng, a clever and thoughtful woman, immediately understood Chen Siyuan's intentions. In one word: deception. She couldn't hide it from Lady Wang, but she had to keep it from the old lady.

Because of this magical jade, the old lady always regarded it as her lifeblood. If the magical jade was damaged, the old lady would inevitably cause trouble in her anxiety. If something went wrong and made the old lady sick, it would be a disaster.

Sister Feng smiled and said, "Brother Yuan is right. If that's the case, we shouldn't publicize this matter, lest it spread rumors and attract other thieves to covet it."

"Second sister-in-law is right."

Sister Feng nodded, then said thoughtfully, "Ping'er, you stay and look after the Second Master." This whole thing is Jia Lian's fault. If he hadn't been so obsessed with sex, how could he have gotten into this mess? Since Sister Feng didn't want to bother with Jia Lian at the moment, she simply pushed the responsibility onto Ping'er. "Wrap up that bitch's body and leave it for the Shuntian Prefecture to send the head constable to examine it tomorrow."

After Ping'er nodded in agreement, Sister Feng said, "Brother Yuan, why don't you go with me to find the Madam and talk to her?"

Feng Jieer knew that Lady Wang had a bad temper, and before she married, her temper was even more aggressive than her own. It was because of the years of being tortured by Lady Jia in the Jia family that she cultivated her character, practiced vegetarianism, and chanted Buddhist scriptures every day. If the magical jade was broken, Lady Wang would immediately explode, so she had to bring someone else with her, so that she would be more cautious.

Chen Siyuan was thinking the same thing, so he bowed and said, "Okay, then the second sister-in-law will go first."

Let's not talk about the various matters Ping'er stayed behind to deal with. Instead, Chen Siyuan and Feng Jieer hurried all the way and soon entered the Rongguo Mansion through the back door. Then they walked through the garden and found Mrs. Wang's courtyard.

Mrs. Wang hadn't yet gone to bed. Jia Zheng had just returned and sat briefly in the main room before leaving for Aunt Zhao's courtyard. From beginning to end, Mrs. Wang never mentioned the theft of the Jade Jade... perhaps because the matter was still too difficult to determine, and because the two of them had long held a cold relationship, there were some things Mrs. Wang was unwilling to discuss with Jia Zheng.

Jin Chuan'er entered the room and said, "Madam, the second mistress and Master Yuan are here together." "Oh? Please come in." Mrs. Wang had sent people to look for Sister Feng and Jia Lian before, but they came back empty-handed. Mrs. Wang had something to say now.

Jin Chuan'er agreed and led the two of them inside.

As soon as the two of them exchanged greetings, Madam Wang asked anxiously, "Brother Feng, have you found Liu Yan'er? Have you retrieved the Spirit Jade? Don't play it safe. The maids below have already told us that it was Lian'er who led that vixen out of the Rongguo Mansion through the east corner gate!"

Feng Jieer's heart skipped a beat, thinking that the truth must come out sooner or later. She had thought that it could be covered up temporarily, but who knew that the lady would find out about it in just a short while?
Sister Feng hurriedly said, "Madam, this is indeed the Second Master's fault, but the Second Master was also deceived by that vixen..." She then picked and chose, avoiding the important issues, and briefly explained the cause of the matter.

After she finished speaking, Sister Feng hurriedly said, "If Madam doesn't believe me, just ask Brother Yuan. He was present the entire time."

Chen Siyuan bowed and said, "Madam, Second Sister-in-law's words were not false. Second Brother Lian has been humiliated, and Liu Yan'er has been brought to justice."

Upon hearing this, Madam Wang said, "Amitabha, it's all right if we capture the person, but where is the spiritual jade?"

"This..." Wang Xifeng bit her lower lip and pulled out a wrapped handkerchief from her bosom. She unfolded a corner, and Mrs. Wang took one look and immediately pretended to stagger.

Sister Feng hurried forward to support her, and Chen Siyuan said, "Madam, there's no need to be so. This spiritual jade has its own magical properties. Who knows, it might be restored to its original state after some time."

Mrs. Wang relaxed a little and said to Feng Jieer, "I can still keep the matter of the Spiritual Jade a secret, but I'm afraid the matter of Liu Yan'er has already reached the old lady's ears. Feng Jieer should think about how to explain it to the old lady."

Feng Jieer said aggrievedly, "What can my niece do to explain? I will just go with him to the old lady tomorrow to apologize. Whether he punishes me or not is entirely up to her."

Mrs. Wang shook her head and sighed, "Forget it. You're already in your twenties. I won't say much. You can go back first."

Feng Jieer breathed a sigh of relief, bowed politely to Lady Wang, stood up, hesitated to speak, glanced at Chen Siyuan, and then left.

Only Madam Wang and Chen Siyuan were left inside. Madam Wang said anxiously, "Brother Yuan—"

"Don't worry, ma'am. I'll have a reply within two days."

Madam Wang nodded and said, "Okay, I'll leave this matter entirely up to you, my brother."

Chen Siyuan nodded in agreement, and then Mrs. Wang sent Jin Chuan'er back with a lantern.

After a long struggle, Chen Siyuan finally returned, much to the dismay of Hongyu, Xiangling, and Liu Wu'er. However, since this matter couldn't be made public, Chen Siyuan simply said that Liu Yan'er had been stabbed to death by Jia Lian with a pair of scissors, and said nothing more.

As luck would have it, Hongyu and Xiangling were both nearing their periods that day, feeling extremely uncomfortable. After helping Chen Siyuan wash up, the two women left Liu Wu'er to keep watch and went to the west wing together.

It is already the end of June, the heat is gradually fading, and it is slightly chilly in the mornings and evenings.

Perhaps Liu Wu'er had been too cool during the day, so she would cough occasionally at night.

After the two of them got on the bed and covered themselves with the quilt, Chen Siyuan naturally took Liu Wu'er in his arms. Hearing her cough, he frowned and said, "You are indeed a little weak. You can't stand the slightest bit of cold."

Liu Wuer said angrily, "I'm angry with myself too. I can't stand the cold, and I can't stand the heat. It's a little better in spring and autumn, but as soon as the weather changes, I'll have a cough."

Chen Siyuan asked, "Has your mother ever taken you to see a royal physician?"

Liu Wu'er shook her head and said, "I've seen it a few times, and they all said it was too weak."

There were some things Liu Wu'er couldn't bring herself to say. Doctor Wang had once diagnosed her and said that her weakness required Poria cocos cream mixed with milk to cure it. But Poria cocos cream was expensive, so how could Liu Wu'er afford it?
Her uncle was the doorman in front, and whenever he got something, he would give some to Liu Wuer to eat.

Chen Siyuan said, "Poria cocos cream is hard to come by, but I do have something that's just as good as it. I'll bring you a pack in a few days."

Liu Wu'er was well-educated and sensible, and he immediately asked, "Master, are you going to bring back Cordyceps?"

Chen Siyuan was surprised and asked, "You know this now?"

Liu Wu'er snuggled into Chen Siyuan's arms and chuckled softly, "Last month, Master was browsing medical books and kept noticing the entries about Cordyceps, so I wrote them down."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Yes, it's Cordyceps. Tomorrow... well, just in the next few days."

"Yes." Liu Wu'er agreed, feeling warm inside. She had secretly thought that the Cordyceps was meant to be given to Miss Lin, but she was afraid that the master would not remember that she, a servant girl, had the same weak illness as Miss Lin. Unexpectedly, the master actually remembered.

Liu Wu'er knew that she could not compare to Miss Lin, but she was satisfied that the master could remember her occasionally.

She turned over, raised her little face and pecked Chen Siyuan on the chin, then shyly shrank into his arms.

Chen Siyuan let out a "tsk" sound, reached out and lifted her delicate head, lowered his head and pressed it against her. When Liu Wu'er was out of breath, Chen Siyuan smiled and let her go.

"Go to sleep."

"Yeah." Liu Wu'er responded, then muttered softly, "Master, can I put on rouge next time?"

Chen Siyuan responded vaguely, and Liu Wuer put her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, feeling extremely at peace.

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

The next day, Chen Siyuan went to the Imperial Household Department at noon and showed the shape of the Spiritual Jade to the clerk. The clerk frowned and said, "This jade is probably Dushan jade, which is easy to find. However, the writing inside it will probably take more than a month to carve it out."

Chen Siyuan was puzzled and asked the clerk, "Can you really do it?"

The clerk said proudly, "We have gathered the most skilled craftsmen in the world at the Imperial Household Department. It's just that the writing on the jade is internal. What's so difficult about that? Just use sheep's blood to outline it, bury it deep underground for 21 days, and it will be done. The difficult part is to prevent the writing from spreading..."

Chen Siyuan was in a daze, thinking to himself, I'm afraid that the spiritual jade was made in this way?

Whatever it was, true or false, it didn't matter. It didn't concern him much. After a brief thought, Chen Siyuan asked for the price and said directly, "That's reasonable. So, I'll order three."

The clerk was so happy that his teeth popped out. A piece of jade only cost a few coins, yet he had offered a whopping three hundred taels. Who knew this man would actually order three?

After paying the deposit and agreeing on a date for picking up the item, Chen Siyuan returned to the Imperial College. He was delighted on the way, wondering what Lin Daiyu and Baochai would think of them when he presented them with an identical Jade.

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

It is said that the matter of Liu Yan'er that day indeed reached the ears of Lady Jia.

Grandmother Jia was filled with wonder and immediately thought of finding an opportunity to embarrass Chen Siyuan. But before long, Lady Wang, Aunt Xue, and Sister Feng arrived at Rongqing Hall.

After entering, Sister Feng knelt directly in front of Lady Jia.

Grandmother Jia was surprised and asked, "What is Feng'er doing?"

Then Sister Feng, with red eyes, sobbed, "Madam, I really have no face to see anyone!"

She burst into tears and told the story of Liu Yan'er and Jia Lian. Grandmother Jia's face darkened immediately after hearing this! She had thought that Liu Yan'er was Chen Siyuan's maid before, and that if she were to be linked to him, Chen Siyuan would definitely be blamed. Who could have known that it was Jia Lian, that unremarkable fellow, who had done such a foolish thing?

What should Lady Jia say about this?
He was just angrily saying, "Where's Lian'er? Why isn't he here? Feng'er, hurry up and get up! You're not wrong, the fault lies with Lian'er!"

Mrs. Wang said, "Madam, Lian'er was injured on the face by Liu Yan'er, and now her face is covered with blisters. The imperial physician said that she cannot be exposed to the wind at this time, and she must stay in her room to recuperate for two months."

Jia's mother, leaning on her dragon-headed cane, sighed, "Isn't it all her own fault? She's young and greedy, like a cat. All the men have gone through this, and I won't say anything about him. But you can't have all the good, bad, good things around you, can you?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she turned around and saw Aunt Xue with a sullen face and no words. Grandmother Jia said, "Please forgive me, Auntie. It's all Lian'er's fault. Don't worry, I'll call him over later and apologize to you. When he gets better, I'll make sure his father disciplines him properly!"

Aunt Xue forced a smile and replied, "Since the old lady has said so, I have nothing else to say."

Aunt Xue didn't care about Liu Yan'er's life or death. She just wanted to cover up the matter and have nothing to do with the Xue family. Now Aunt Xue was obsessed with the marriage with the Cao family. She asked people for help for two days in a row, but she couldn't find a way.

Jia's mother was mortified and said, "Forget it, let it be. When Pan'er comes back tomorrow, let Lian'er have a feast and tell him off. After all, it was Lian'er who made the mistake, and Pan'er can do whatever he wants. Even if he is beaten to death, he deserves it."

Aunt Xue said hurriedly, "That's too much, old lady."

Grandmother Jia waved her hand, feeling exhausted. Suddenly, she remembered what Yuanyang had said earlier and asked, "Yes, I heard that Baoyu's magic jade was lost. Was it stolen by Liu Yan'er?"

Mrs. Wang smiled hastily and said, "I sent people with lanterns to look for it last night, and finally found it among the straw. Baoyu is younger than me, so it's possible he was careless. I was afraid he might get lost again, so I kept it in my room for now."

Grandmother Jia did not suspect anything and said, "That's good."

He then patiently chatted with Aunt Xue for a while, and when noon was almost past, he watched everyone leave.

Who would have thought that just as the old lady had passed this hurdle, she received news from the east wing that Mrs. Xing was unable to visit due to her advanced period, and the eldest master came in a rage, holding a stick.

They found Jia Lian's study and kicked the door open to get in. They immediately beat Jia Lian severely, saying that he had brought disgrace to the Jia family.

It would have been fine if these words came from Jia Zheng, but they came from Jia She, so Feng Jieer and others who came rushing over were left speechless.

Fortunately, Jia Zheng was just returning from court, and after much persuasion, he finally persuaded Jia She to go back. But poor Master Lian, his face had just been medicated when sores appeared on his body. He lay groaning on the bed, unable to get up.

Feng Jieer and Ping Er felt mixed emotions, feeling relieved but also heartbroken. They couldn't tell others about the feeling.

After all, they were husband and wife, so Feng Jieer sent Ping'er to invite Doctor Wang to treat the patient.

When Chen Siyuan returned that day, the little maid Yunxiang, who had been eating melons all day, came over and chattered incessantly, exaggerating what had happened in the mansion for a long time.

Chen Siyuan felt strange because Yunxiang never said what happened to Liu Yaner's body.

So he asked, "What happened to Liu Yan'er?"

Yunxiang blinked and then said, "Yes, an official from Shuntian Prefecture came this morning, wrapped the body in a mat, and took it to the charity cemetery on a cart."

Chen Siyuan stood there, pondering for a long time before finally sighing in relief. While he had some plans, they were largely due to Liu Yan'er's own actions. If he, Chen Siyuan, hadn't maneuvered to reach his current position, he would have been doomed to failure one day, just like Liu Yan'er.
After sighing in his heart, Chen Siyuan collected his thoughts and changed his clothes before heading towards Lady Wang's courtyard.

Caixia led him to the room. After Madam Wang sent the servants away, Chen Siyuan bowed and said, "I'm glad I have fulfilled my mission. I will be back to normal in just twenty-one days."

Mrs. Wang breathed a sigh of relief and, smiling, invited Chen Siyuan to sit down. "Brother Yuan is the most capable man. I won't hide it from you. I've been terrified all day, fearing that the Spiritual Jade might not recover."

(End of this chapter)