Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 186 Almost Got Bad
But Lai Da came out of the east wing with his head hung low, feeling angry and sad.

What was infuriating was that the Lai family had been slaves for several lifetimes, and finally had the grace to raise a scholar, but who knew he was not worthy of being on the stage. If he was just evil, it would be nothing, but who among the high-ranking officials in the court didn't speak of benevolence and morality, but in private was full of filth?

But Lai Shangrong couldn't even tell the difference between a frown and a frown! It would have been fine if he'd suffered a loss from that Chen once or twice. A smarter person would have known to give him some distance for now, waiting for his own strength to take revenge. But Lai Shangrong had provoked him for the third time!
Lai Da was extremely disappointed with his son. He had once thought that even if his son's path to officialdom was cut off, he would at least donate money to become an official and secure a better future for him. But how could he dare to do that now? If such a person were to enter the officialdom one day, he would probably be sold out and have to pay the price.
What he felt most distressed about was the three thousand taels of silver he had just promised to the master... Three thousand taels! Adding up all the money he had embezzled from the garden, half of it was gone. Now the master was being strict, and whether in Liaodong or the capital, all the village heads had been replaced, implementing that ridiculous public cent system. From now on, Lai Da would be missing out on a thousand or two thousand silver coins in tribute every year.

As one thing grows, the other shrinks. I'm afraid the days ahead will become even more difficult!
Lai Da frowned and entered Rongguo Mansion. When he reached the ceremonial gate, he ordered the maid to find Lai Da's family. A moment later, Lai Da's family came forward and saw Lai Da's expression. She was immediately surprised and asked, "Master, what happened?"

Lai Da suppressed his anger and said, "What's the matter? It's your good son's fault!"

"Brother Rong? What happened to him?"

Lai Da snorted coldly and briefly repeated the words of the scolding from the eldest master Jia She just now, which shocked Lai Da and made him not know what to do.

"Why, how did we offend Chen again? He was just a student before, so we couldn't afford to offend him. But now he's passed the imperial examination and is about to get married. How dare we offend him? What does the master say, head of the family?"

"What can I say?" Lai Da said dejectedly, "Pay me compensation, three thousand taels!"

When Lai Dajia heard this, his face twitched with pain and he was speechless for a while.

Lai Da said, "There's nothing to worry about in the mansion. Come home with me now. That beast is becoming more and more immoral. If I don't teach him a lesson, I'm afraid that the family fortune accumulated by several lifetimes of slavery will be ruined by him!"

Lai Dajia reluctantly agreed and immediately followed Lai Da back.

On the way, the one who made the mistake said, "My mother-in-law was talking about how well-maintained the garden in the mansion was a while ago, and she wanted to build a small garden for us too..."

"Repair, repair, repair! Where can we find the money to repair the garden now?" Lai Da became more and more angry as he thought about it. He said hatefully, "That little bastard has been spoiled since he was a child. I'm afraid he has long forgotten to be respectful. This time, he must be taught a lesson!"

Lai Shangrong had been raised by Nanny Lai since childhood. Nanny Lai was busy with the inner court affairs of the Rongguo Mansion, so she rarely had time to discipline him. She loved her son dearly, but couldn't put the blame on her mother-in-law, so she frowned and said, "A good boy has been corrupted by those vixen!"

The couple returned home, and Lai Da came in and shouted, "Where's that little bastard?"

The two maids saw that his expression was not right and immediately said tremblingly: "Brother, you should drink some wine before returning to your room."

Lai Da said nothing and quickly went to Lai Shangrong's room. Lai Dajia saw that the situation was not right and hurriedly whispered to the maid, "Go and invite the old lady!"

The old woman didn't bother to agree, turned around and ran to the back.

Nanny Lai is old and has served several generations of the Jia family. Now she only visits Rongqing Hall every few days, and spends the rest of her life enjoying herself at home.

On this day, Nanny Lai was leading the maids and old women to the side room to see the red-crowned crane that had just given birth. When the red-crowned crane saw Nanny Lai, she felt so aggrieved that she burst into tears.

She came to Lai's house with Qingwen. Qingwen was lucky and was sent to Rongguo Mansion. She stayed in Lai's house for a few years and was finally coaxed into marrying Lai Shangrong.

Who knew that Rong Ge'er was a man who easily got bored with the old and loved the new. After just a few months of success, he forgot about her and started to have sex with the vixen in the room again.

During the first month of the lunar year, Rong'er offended a distant relative of the Rongguo Mansion, and the master took her to make amends. Unable to speak out, Red Ibis endured the situation silently. Unexpectedly, she was soon given to the Xue family by the man, and then discovered to be pregnant. After much commotion, Red Ibis was finally taken back to the Lai family by the Lai family.

Lai Da felt humiliated and wanted to kill the crested ibis. However, Lai Mama, seeing that it was pregnant with the Lai family's blood, saved it.

In the following six months, Red Ibis only saw Rong Ge'er two or three times, and even then, his face was full of disgust, and he never mentioned the appointment that day.

When the red-crowned crane gave birth, they only secretly hired a midwife and had a few maids from the Lai family take care of her. From the old lady to the wife to Rong Ge'er, no one came to show concern.

It was only after seeing that she had given birth to a boy that Nanny Lai became concerned again.

Nanny Lai sat down on the bedside, tugged on Red Ibis's hand, and sighed, "You've been wronged... I know it's all Rong'er's fault, so you can't be blamed. Don't worry, when Rong'er gets married in the future, in two years, I'll make sure you become his concubine."

"Old lady..." The red-crowned crane burst into tears.

Nanny Lai smiled and said, "You are still in confinement, so you must not cry, or you will hurt your body again after the confinement period."

Just as she was about to say a few words of comfort, a maid suddenly came in and said, "Madam, it's bad! The master and the mistress came back together, and the master is now looking for Rong'er with a stick in his hand!"

"Ah?" Nanny Lai's face paled with fear. She stood up and went out to look for him, saying, "Oh my god! What kind of epilepsy is he having?"

The old woman just shook her head and said she didn't know, then she helped Lai Ma to go forward to look for it.

Just as they reached the front, they heard screams. Lai Shangrong wailed, "I was wrong. I will never... ah! Never again!"

Nanny Lai was so frightened that her blood boiled and she took two quick steps. Fortunately, the maids and old women supported her, otherwise she would have almost fallen.

When he got to the room, he saw Lai Shangrong lying on a long bench with his skin torn and flesh exposed. Lai Dazhi begged for mercy, but Lai Dazhi pushed him away and raised his stick to hit him again!
Nanny Lai was so angry that she was shaking all over: "Stop! What are you doing!"

Lai Da was completely exhausted by this point, so he leaned on his stick and said, "Mother, please mind your own business. If I don't give this little beast a good lesson today, I'm afraid he'll become even more ignorant of his own limitations in the future!"

Lai Ma Ma stepped forward, grabbed the stick, and refused to let go, shouting, "Even if you want to hit me, at least have a reason, right? You're hitting me without any reason, how can that be justified?"

"Reason?" Lai Da laughed bitterly, pointing at Lai Shangrong and saying, "This little bastard nearly destroyed our Lai family. May I ask, mother, if this is reasonable?"

"What the hell is going on?"

Lai Da turned his head away and just gasped for breath, and Lai Dajie frowned and told the story in a low voice.

After hearing this, Nanny Lai felt her world spinning. She felt the same way as Lai Da: It's not the bad intentions that matter, it's the stupid ones that matter! She'd already suffered at the hands of Chen, and now he was about to give birth again. She didn't know how to hold back, but was determined to go after him, only to be caught red-handed.

Isn't this stupid?
Lai Shangrong regained his breath at this moment and could not help but beg: "Grandfather, save me, save me——"

Nanny Lai is old after all, and she raised Lai Shangrong since he was a child. Their relationship is closer than that of her own son, so she still can't bear it.

They hurriedly pushed Lai Da out and ordered the maids and the old woman to find a doctor to apply medicine to Lai Shangrong. Lai Shangrong naturally did not mention it. When the three Lai family members went to the main room, Lai Da was speechless as if he had lost his parents. The Lai family members then told them about the blackmail by the eldest master Jia She.

At the end, she cried, "This is another three thousand taels, and it's just from the eldest master. I don't know how Chen will be so angry."

Nanny Lai was filled with sorrow, thinking to herself that Chen had passed the imperial examination, and since he was only fifteen or sixteen years old, he might even be on the imperial examination list. If the Lai family didn't keep this a secret, and he got angry someday, the officials below, eager to curry favor with him, would rush to exterminate the Lai family without them having to do anything themselves.
Lai Ma was at a loss for a moment, so Lai Da said, "The county magistrate should take charge now. Let's answer the master correctly first and then talk about other things."

Mrs. Lai glanced at Nanny Lai, and seeing she remained silent, she wiped her tears and went to look for the banknotes. After counting the three thousand taels of silver, the couple, feeling heartbroken, went to the east wing of Rongguo Mansion to present their filial tribute.

The eldest master, Jia She, was very satisfied with the filial gift. Finally, he did not forget to say, "Brother Yuan is my nephew. I will say a few words and there will be no trouble... But you must also make Brother Yuan calm down."

Lai Da agreed without hesitation, his heart bitterly pondering: "That Chen man has plenty of money, and now he's passed the imperial examination. Last time, he sent the crested ibis and nearly caused a disaster. How can he make him calm down?" Lai Da hesitated in confusion for a moment, not saying anything more.

But on the other side.

In the Chen family's new house in front of Nengren Temple, before the banquet started, Chen Siyuan called Hongyu, Xiangling, Liu Wuer, Yunxiang and others together. For a while, they were having a great time toasting each other, drinking and listening to opera.

As dusk approached, they played flower games with the others. The atmosphere became increasingly lively, with the players going back and forth. Whenever someone said something clever, everyone cheered. If someone was at a loss for words, there would be a burst of laughter. Those who were fined didn't get angry, but drank the wine in one gulp. For a moment, the aroma of wine and laughter intertwined.

As dusk fell, Chen Siyuan finally returned with Xiangling, Hongyu, and the others. Yunxiang, the maid, chattered and fluttered along the way, but when they returned to the small courtyard behind the Rongguo Mansion, a maid came and said, "Master, the fourth young lady came in the afternoon, but she left when she saw you weren't there. Then the eldest master sent Miss Miao'er to say that the matter had been decided by you."

Does this mean that the eldest master Jia She extorted a huge sum of money from Lai Da?
Chen Siyuan narrowed his eyes and smiled as he agreed. For a moment, he suddenly stopped taking the Lai family seriously. Lai Shangrong had been repeatedly humiliated by him. If the Lai family still wanted him to pursue a career in government, Chen Siyuan would crush him like an ant.

If he had not pursued a career in politics, Lai Shangrong would have been nothing more than a parasite who lived a life of idleness and waiting to die, and Chen Siyuan would have naturally disdained him.

Now that Lady Wang has taken control of the Liaodong farm, the warehouse, and the accounting office, Jia She must have been on guard. Dealing with the Lai family will surely be extremely difficult. Furthermore, if Lady Wang were to seize all power, it would be a bad thing for her. It would be better to maintain the balance we have now.

Having made up his mind and thinking about the appointment he had to keep tomorrow, Chen Siyuan washed up early and fell into a deep sleep with Xiangling and Hongyu in his arms.

The next morning, after Chen Siyuan had breakfast, he went for a stroll in the garden to digest his food. Unexpectedly, just as he arrived at Ao Jingxi Pavilion, Siqi came looking for him.

"Brother Yuan~" Siqi walked closer, bit her lower lip and called out softly, with unspeakable sorrow in her eyes.

Chen Siyuan turned his head and took a look, then suddenly realized, yes, because of the autumn examination, he had missed Siqi several times recently, and I'm afraid this girl has been feeling resentful for a long time.

He glanced around and saw that no one was around. He quickly tugged at Siqi's hand and whispered, "Are you waiting for me?"

Siqi pouted and said, "I come to the garden whenever I have time, hoping to run into you... I'm afraid you've completely forgotten me."

"Of course not," Chen Siyuan explained with a smile, "You know I've been busy lately, and I've been having endless banquets lately. It's only because the Rongguo Mansion is so prestigious, otherwise someone would have sent an invitation long ago." He paused, then said, "Are you free tomorrow?"

Siqi said in distress, "Brother, why didn't you tell me earlier? I only have today to rest. If I have time again, it will probably be next month."

Chen Siyuan blinked and thought to himself that he might take Qingwen and Xiangling to Jiangnan next month without saying anything, so how could he have time to comfort Siqi?

Moreover, Siqi has a very biased personality. Right now, her mind and eyes are all on herself. If she feels disappointed and thinks that she is no longer wanted by herself, she might do something extreme.

Chen Siyuan thought for a moment, thinking that Aunt Xue wouldn't be here until the afternoon, so it was still early...

He then gave Siqi the key to Da Gezi Lane with a flick of his hand and whispered, "It's the fourth house from the east of Da Gezi Lane. Go quickly, I'll be there soon."

Siqi breathed a sigh of relief and was about to say something when she heard the sound of a maid talking and laughing approaching. She quickly tucked the key into her handkerchief and whispered, "I'll go first... Brother, come quickly too."

Chen Siyuan thought to himself, this secretive behavior is inconvenient. If Siqi had also gone to the new house, there would be no trouble today. He also thought that Siqi was just a virgin and would probably not be able to withstand the beating. He figured that two sessions in one day would be nothing.

Siqi left quickly. Chen Siyuan lingered for a while, then hurried back to the courtyard to change his clothes. He then borrowed a horse from the front and headed straight for Dagezi Lane.

But things didn't go as planned. As soon as he arrived near the Imperial College, he was spotted by fellow examinees, who immediately engaged him in a long conversation. One reason was to gather with fellow examinees, and the other was that he wanted to publish a collection of poetry. Chen Siyuan's talent was well-known, and all the new examinees were eager to take advantage of him; publishing a collection of poetry would also earn him some money.

Chen Siyuan suppressed his impatience and answered them one by one. When he finally managed to get away, it was almost the end of the hour.

Chen Siyuan found a foot shop at the alley entrance to store his horse. He strode into the alley and arrived at the door in a moment. He looked up and saw that the door was already locked, knowing that Siqi had arrived. He immediately pushed the door open and entered. Without waiting for Siqi to come to greet him, he rushed into the main room.

When he entered, he saw Siqi's eyes were red, as if she had just been crying. Chen Siyuan hurriedly asked, "Why are you crying?"

Siqi felt very aggrieved and threw herself into his arms and cried loudly, "I, I don't want to be a brother anymore, wuwuwu——"

Chen Siyuan was anxious and said with a mixture of laughter and tears, "Don't mention it anymore. I ran into some classmates on the way and they talked to me for a full hour. I really have no idea what to do!"

The more anxious he became, the clearer his thoughts became. He knew forcing the bull's head would be counterproductive. This wasn't like those crappy development games from his previous life, where a female character's favorability rating couldn't be lowered once it went up. Siqi was a living person. If he gave a perfunctory response, not to mention Siqi's already suspicious nature, even if it was just a normal thing, it would still feel wrong.

Chen Siyuan patiently hugged Siqi and talked to her for a long time. After calming her down, he pretended to be anxious and couldn't help but touch her all over.

Siqi's heart was relieved, and she couldn't help but feel emotional. Seeing his expression, she chuckled and said, "Brother, you are so anxious, but are Xiangling and Hongyu not fed enough? Or are the two outside not fed enough?"

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "How can they compare? You know I'm attracted to your size."

Siqi felt a little more relieved and said with a puzzled smile, "It's strange, everyone in this mansion calls me Yizhangqing in private, and they really dislike it, but only my brother likes me this way."

Chen Siyuan said, "Those servile people know they can't subdue you, so they will naturally keep their distance."

Siqi couldn't help but become excited, and couldn't help but glare at him, "Then... I want to see how you can subdue me."

When the spring breeze blew for a few seconds, the two of them hugged and talked. Siqi just talked about the second girl's situation. She was thinking of bringing Chen Siyuan and Yingchun together. But at this moment, there was a noise outside.

Siqi was so frightened that she quickly wrapped herself tightly in the quilt and asked in shock, "How could there be someone here?"

Chen Siyuan was annoyed. How could he not know that it was Aunt Xue who came? If she saw him, it would be a disaster.

She suddenly stood up and hurriedly put her clothes on, urging, "Sister, put on your clothes quickly...it's too late!"

Chen Siyuan pulled Siqi off the bed and looked around. There happened to be an old Wanli cabinet in the room that had not been moved to the new house. It was originally placed in the kitchen to store dishes and chopsticks. Because the partition was broken when it was moved, it was temporarily moved to the main room. There was just enough space inside for a person to hide.

So Chen Siyuan opened the cabinet door and pushed Siqi inside. Siqi said in panic, "Brother, who is this?"

Aunt Xue was bolting the gate to the courtyard at that moment, so Chen Siyuan had no time to explain. He just asked, "Sister, can you trust me? We can talk about other things later. Sister, please hide now and don't reveal your whereabouts."

Siqi was so frightened that she sullenly agreed, quickly gathering her clothes and retreating into the closet. She was tall and large, so being forced into the closet made it impossible for her to move. Furthermore, her bulky figure left the closet door slightly ajar.

On this side, Chen Siyuan quickly dressed himself, folded the bedding on the bed in a hurry, and then pretended to be sleepy and went out to greet them.

Aunt Xue bolted the door and returned to the main room, feeling both hopeful and anxious. She had been intimate with Chen Siyuan twice, the previous time even dragging them into the garden... Now that things had come to this, Aunt Xue cast aside all her reserve and concerns. Her only concern was that if this matter became public, neither she nor Siyuan would be able to live a normal life.

Because yesterday afternoon Aunt Xue told Bao-jie about going to the shop alone to check the accounts, and after arriving at the shop, she stayed there all morning, then made an excuse that she was going to her handkerchief friend's house for tea, and then hurried to Dagezi Lane.

Seeing that the door was not locked, Aunt Xue thought that Chen Siyuan had just come in a while ago and did not think much about it.

As they arrived at the main door, Chen Siyuan came to greet them. Aunt Xue glanced at him, a smile on her face as she asked in a low voice, "Brother, how late did you come?"

Chen Siyuan feigned annoyance and said, "I came here at 9:00 AM. I got so tired from waiting that I fell asleep for a while. I only woke up when I heard the door open."

Aunt Xue walked inside with him and said, "No wonder your hair is disheveled and your eyes are bleary-eyed... I just spent some time checking the accounts. I should have come earlier."

"It's not too late."

As they were talking, the two of them entered. Chen Siyuan glanced at the Wanli cabinet and saw that it was not open. He breathed a sigh of relief. He then led Aunt Xue to sit down with him, and the two of them gathered together to talk.

Because the two of them were close together and whispering, their voices fell into Siqi's ears in the cabinet, and she could only hear them vaguely. Siqi could only vaguely see half of the woman's body through the gap, and her voice sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn't remember who it was for a moment.

After a long while, there was a rustling outside, the gap between them barely visible, evidently a moment of intimacy. Siqi bit her lip, secretly annoyed. But she was also afraid of ruining Chen Siyuan's plans, so she bit her lip and held back. She secretly made up her mind: today, she must see who this woman was!
Suddenly, Siqi bravely pushed the cabinet door slightly, and took a peek, and saw a white jade-like calf kicking out, with flat shoes like red water caltrops hanging on the feet, sometimes kicking out, and sometimes supporting the edge of the bed.

There was a humming sound, obviously the lips and tongue were intertwined.

Siqi was just about to see it clearly, but the two of them rolled onto the bed. Because the cabinet door blocked her view, Siqi could no longer see clearly. She could only vaguely see the red waves rolling under the gauze curtain. There was no sound, but Siqi blushed.

After a while, the two of them suddenly sat hugging each other. At this moment, a corner of the gauze curtain was lifted by the wind, and Siqi's eyes widened in shock!
Then I saw two white arms tightly hugging the boy, her pink neck held high, her legs raised, her brows furrowed and eyes closed, her red lips slightly parted, and she was indescribably charming and lovely in every movement and stillness... Who else could it be but the concubine!

This... this, this, this... how did my brother get involved with the concubine?
............................................................

At the end of the afternoon, Chen Siyuan sent Aunt Xue away and finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that he must not take any more risks. He had arrived a little late, and Aunt Xue a little early, so they had bumped into each other. Fortunately, Siqi always obeyed him, otherwise how could this have been so easily exposed?
Sighing, he went inside and saw Siqi, with disheveled clothes, sitting on the bed with one leg up, looking at him with a strange expression.

"Brother, what are you—"

Siqi hesitated to speak, her meaning obvious. How old was Chen Siyuan just now? To put it bluntly, Aunt Xue was old enough to be his mother!
Chen Siyuan couldn't honestly admit that he was lusting after women. He just frowned, sat down, and sighed, "What else could it be? Last time, the concubine got hold of me in the maritime trade incident, and now I've borrowed money from the concubine to run Baicaotang. I got drunk at the time, and who could have imagined I'd end up like this?"

Siqi immediately thought... Yes, the concubine must have got the upper hand over the young man, and took advantage of the fact that his business was not doing well to come and pressure him, thus forcing the young man to submit.

Then he thought about how Chen Siyuan's parents had died early, and he was living in Rongguo Mansion with only Madam Xing to take care of him. The eldest master had always been a money-grubber who would not do anything without profit. For this young man to be in his current situation, wasn't his life more miserable than those of the playboys?
After thinking about it, Siqi couldn't help but pull Chen Siyuan's hands, a look of pity on her face, and said: "It's hard for you, brother. From now on-"

Chen Siyuan sighed again and didn't respond.

Siqi bit her lower lip and thought for a while, then said, "It doesn't matter. My concubine is so old. Maybe after a few years of patience, she won't come to look for me anymore."

Was he hoping Aunt Xue would stop having her period soon? Chen Siyuan was at a loss for words, but he said, "We had originally agreed to meet today, but I saw you were feeling uneasy, so I thought of rescheduling the time. Who knew we'd bump into each other anyway?"

Siqi hugged Chen Siyuan in her arms and said, "Brother, please stop talking. I know you feel wronged, but I hate that I'm just a maid and can't really help you."

She was tall and at this moment, almost the same height as Chen Siyuan. Chen Siyuan leaned on her shoulders, and because of his slightly thin figure, he looked like a little bird.

Chen Siyuan felt strange and quickly sat up. He turned his head and glanced at Siqi, who was still frowning at him, not knowing what she was thinking about.

He didn't know that Siqi was secretly making up her mind, thinking that if she could facilitate the marriage between the second lady and Chen Siyuan, the concubine would definitely give up. Moreover, although she was just a maid, she could ride a donkey and check the account books in the future, and who knows, she might get the opportunity to harm the Xue family!

The two of them had different thoughts and were slightly affectionate with each other, so they separated and returned to Rongguo Mansion.

Let's not talk about Chen Siyuan, but Siqi hired a donkey cart and headed straight back to the Rongguo Mansion. Once inside the back building of Rongqing Hall, while Xiuju went to get her lunch box, she frowned and said to Yingchun, "Miss, brother...it wasn't easy for Master Yuan to get to where he is today."

Yingchun was playing chess. Upon hearing this, she picked up the chess pieces and looked up in surprise, asking, "Why do you say that?"

Siqi couldn't say it directly, so she just said, "Young lady, think about it. Your mother passed away early, and because of your vicious stepmother, you've been unloved since childhood. You've come a long way to live with your relatives, and you've been nearly killed several times in the past year. Is it easy for Master Yuan to be where he is today?"

"Brother Yuan, it's certainly not easy," Yingchun replied, sighing inwardly. She thought to herself that she and Chen Siyuan were quite similar, except for their temperament. That's why she was still so cautious, while Brother Yuan had already broken free from his shackles and was creating a new world.

Yingchun admired Chen Siyuan very much, but she only regretted that she was too weak, otherwise why would she become such a fool now?
Seeing her lost in thought, Siqi thought Yingchun had fallen in love with him, so she tried to entice her: "Young lady, that Mr. Yuan is a man of extraordinary beauty and every talent. It would be hard to find such a good husband even with a lantern. If you don't put some thought into it, I'm afraid you will never have such a good opportunity again."

"You're talking nonsense again!" Yingchun scolded him, but it couldn't help but arouse his thoughts.

By the following year, she would be sixteen. Ordinary girls would have been married by this age. The Jia family, deeply concerned about their daughter, could not keep her for more than two years; it was time to arrange a marriage.

And because Siqi often gossiped in her ear, the second young lady couldn't help but look at Chen Siyuan differently. She suddenly thought to herself that if she really wanted to get married, instead of looking for a blind marriage with someone of equal status, she might as well marry Brother Yuan.

Thinking of this, Yingchun blushed unconsciously.

The color on his face caught Siqi's eye, and she felt secretly pleased. She thought to herself, with both sides getting together like this, she didn't believe her daughter wouldn't be tempted.

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

The next day, after serving Yingchun breakfast, Siqi went to the east wing to visit her grandmother Wang Shanbao, the housekeeper, when she had time.

Wang Shanbao, the housekeeper, had been embarrassed by the cold that had fallen on Madam Xing and the fourth brother. However, she was shameless to begin with, and when Madam Xing and the fourth brother recovered, she shamelessly entered the room again.

Mrs. Xing did not blame him because she thought he was loyal.

Siqi walked all the way into the three-tiered ceremonial gate, found Wang Shanbao's corner, and said to him, "Grandma, has the eldest lady mentioned anything about our daughter and Master Yuan?"

Wang Shanbao, the housekeeper, said, "Madam has been so busy taking care of my son, and because he can't bathe during the confinement period, she often loses her temper. How can she care about anything else?"

Siqi frowned and said, "Grandma, you might as well mention it to Madam from time to time... Our girl is old enough to get married. If you delay any longer, I'm afraid I'll have to marry off the boy!"

Housekeeper Wang Shanbao pondered, "Who knows what Madam has in mind? She adopted the second daughter, thinking she was going to arrange a marriage for her. And now she has the fourth son, and I think Madam's thoughts are completely on him. Well, I'll bring it up with Madam later."

Siqi was delighted to receive the approval. She coaxed Wang Shanbao, the housekeeper, for a while and then returned to Rongguo Mansion leisurely.

When Wang Shanbao entered the main room, she looked up and saw Madam Xing holding her fourth son and teasing him. After pondering for a moment, Wang Shanbao came over and praised him, saying, "Look at the fourth son's eyes and eyebrows. He looks just like you, Madam. He will definitely be a handsome young man when he grows up."

Mrs. Xing was in a very good mood at the moment, so she smiled and said, "They say sons take after their mothers; it's true. I only hope that my brother will grow up quickly, have a promising future, and find a suitable marriage partner. Then I will be satisfied with my life."

Wang Shanbao, the housekeeper, said, "With the Madam and Master protecting him, how could his future and marriage be bad? But, Madam, the Second Miss will be sixteen next year. Isn't it time for her to discuss marriage? Didn't Madam think that Brother Yuan and the Second Miss would be a good match some time ago?"

"Yes." Mrs. Xing's heart was completely occupied with her son, so how could she care about Yingchun at this moment? Therefore, she only responded vaguely.

Wang Shanbao's wife's thoughts stirred, and she couldn't help but say, "Madam, you need to be more thoughtful. I vaguely heard the maids gossiping that the second wife seems to be planning to marry Miss Yunping from the Wang family to Brother Yuan."

"Huh?" He made something up out of nothing, shocking Madam Xing immediately. "When did that happen?"

　The previous chapter was updated for reaching 1000 monthly votes. It's the middle of the month, does everyone have monthly votes again? I'm asking for a few monthly votes, thank you very much!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)