Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 187: Spreading falsehoods
Wang Shanbao, the housekeeper, was pleased to see that Mrs. Xing had indeed taken a fancy to her. Wang Yunping was Wang Ziteng's daughter, a year older than Baochai. She had just turned 50 this year, making it the perfect time for marriage.

Housekeeper Wang Shanbao heard a rumor from Sister Feng that the Wang family was choosing a son-in-law for Wang Yunping, so she forced the two of them together.

He then made up a story, "Madam, you know that Brother Yuan is a very talented and beautiful man, and the daughter of the Wang family is just waiting to be married... The second wife has always had her eye on Brother Yuan, but she regrets that the third daughter is still young, so she thought of Miss Yunping."

Mrs. Xing was not a very bright person to begin with, and having just given birth, she was naturally concerned when she heard this. She thought to herself that a man like Yuan was rare in the world. His talent, character, and appearance were not to be mentioned, but what was most rare was his loyalty and righteousness.

Putting aside other things, just looking at how she has treated herself over the past year, she knows that she will not let the little one in her arms down in the future. She has seen the Wang family girl twice. She has a plain face and is only slightly pretty. How could she not be attracted to Brother Yuan?

Now that Yuan Ge'er has passed the imperial examination and is at such a young age, I'm afraid Wang Ziteng must be very proud and may even facilitate this marriage.

Thinking of this, Mrs. Xing couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. She had given birth to her son during the confinement period and was only thirty years old. She still wanted to stay with Yuan'er for a few more years. If he married a girl from the Wang family, she was afraid that they would no longer be able to communicate.

Yin couldn't help but frown and said, "How can the girl from the Wang family be worthy of Brother Yuan?"

Wang Shanbao, the housekeeper, laughed and said, "Although her appearance is a little lacking, Lord Wang is now in a high position... They say one should marry a virtuous wife and a beautiful concubine. It's possible that Yuan'er will be swayed by the second wife. Then, I'm afraid that in addition to being filial to his wife, Yuan'er will also have to be filial to the second wife."

Mrs. Xing was not willing to do so. She just frowned and shook her head, saying, "No, no, even if I marry a virtuous woman, I can't disgrace Brother Yuan." After a pause, she suddenly remembered what she had thought before and said, "I think the second young lady is a perfect match for Brother Yuan."

Wang Shanbao was overjoyed, but pretended to be hesitant: "This... Second Miss's marriage requires the eldest master's approval. Even if Madam is willing, it would be difficult for her to make the decision, right?"

To keep her lover, Madam Xing used her brain for once. She pondered and said, "No matter what the eldest master does, can he possibly win over the old lady? Well, I won't stay in confinement for two months. When I'm done with confinement, I'll go talk to the old lady."

Wang Shanbao's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly intervened, "Madam, please don't act so recklessly. The sutures haven't closed yet, so how can you expect to be out of confinement?"

Madam Xing said irritably, "Why are you so nosy? I'll ask the imperial physician to come and take a look. If it closes, I won't observe the double confinement period."

Wang Shanbao, the housekeeper, then reluctantly agreed. Inwardly, however, he felt quite pleased with himself, thinking that with just a little trick, he had gotten Madam Xing to bring up the old matter again. It seemed she was even more attentive than before. Now, at last, he could give his granddaughter an explanation.

But within a few days, Wang Shanbao's wife was in trouble. Because there is no wall that is impenetrable in this world, and she had deceived Mrs. Xing without hiding it from the maids and old women around her, so the matter spread like wildfire in a few days, and soon the whole house knew about it!
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Chen Siyuan has been busy these days, either collecting money to pay tribute to his teacher, or working with a group of scholars to rack their brains to put together a book of poetry, or taking You Erjie, You Sanjie, Qingwen and others to Xiangshan to burn incense.

In a flash, it was mid-September. When they finally managed to stay in the mansion, Lai Da and Lai Da, accompanied by the elderly Lai Ma, came to the backyard and knelt at the door to apologize.

Chen Siyuan was really disgusted!
Who was Lai Ma? If she were outside, Chen Siyuan wouldn't even glance at her. But in the Rongguo Mansion, Jia Mu had to give Lai Ma some face. If Chen Siyuan wanted to stay, how could he not give her some face?
He hurried out, sent Hongyu and Liu Wu'er to help Lai Ma to her feet, and said a few vague words, superficially letting the matter go. In reality, Chen Siyuan secretly bore a grudge, waiting for an opportunity to punish the entire Lai family.

It was late autumn, and after school that day, the girls, fearing Daiyu might catch a cold, gathered in the back building of Rongqing Hall. They were laughing and joking when a maid suddenly came in and said happily, "Miss Yun is here!"

Sanchun and Baochai were naturally happy, but Daiyu rolled her eyes secretly, thinking that someone who didn't get along with her had come.

Everyone rushed forward to greet them. Just as they passed Rongqing Hall, they saw a large red figure running in madly, shouting to itself, "Grandma, Second Sister, Third Sister, Fourth Sister, Sister Bao, Sister Lin, here I come, cluck cluck cluck—"

As they laughed and joked, the red figure approached. Yingchun jokingly said, "Yun girl is still so crazy. Looking at her like this, who would have known she was the daughter of a marquis?"

Xiangyun smiled, revealing her scalloped teeth. "Don't mention it now," she said. "At my uncle's place I have to follow the rules every day. If I don't do my best, I'll be scolded by my aunt. How can I be as free as I am at the Rongguo Mansion?"

Tanchun said angrily, "Well, it's for your own comfort. I thought Yun-chan missed us after not seeing us for a while. Tsk, now we really are being too sentimental."

Xichun also said, "Thank goodness I rushed to greet her. It turns out Sister Yun didn't even think of me."

Xiangyun quickly apologized with a smile, "I've thought about it. I've thought about it all. My dear sister, my dear sister, I was clumsy and said the wrong thing just now. I accept the punishment and only ask that you don't chase me away."

Daiyu smirked and said, "Isn't it always the Marquis's Mansion that takes you back? You're talking as if no one has ever driven you away."

Xiangyun snorted at Daiyu, but didn't care at the moment. She just laughed and went into Rongqing Hall with everyone else. When she saw Lady Jia, she called her "Grandma" all the time and was very affectionate.

Jia Mu had been feeling depressed for quite some time, but now she finally managed to smile. After a few words, she said, "I'm afraid there's no room back there. Yu'er has just moved to the back building. I think it would be better to put Yun Yatou in the green gauze cabinet first."

Xiangyun was stunned, her eyes wide open as she said, "My great-aunt wants me to live in the Green Gauze Cabinet again...Isn't she going to kick me out again this time because of Sister Du or Sister Yang?"

Grandmother Jia was immediately furious and said, "What nonsense is this child saying? I love you so much that I have never driven you away. Isn't it because your second uncle saw that you were having so much fun that he took you back to educate you?"

Xiangyun didn't care about anything else and was just happy. She smiled foolishly for a while, then hugged Lady Jia's arm and leaned beside her to act coquettishly.

Daiyu, who was sitting at the bottom, watched with a cold eye, and suddenly something dawned on her. It turned out that her grandmother's kindness to her was not without reason.

At first, it was out of pity for my mother, and then I probably wanted to match me with Baoyu. Now that I have confirmed the marriage certificate, my grandmother has started to favor Xiangyun again? Yes, thinking this way, my grandmother is probably trying to match Yun girl with Baoyu, right?
At that moment, Xiangyun was about to be placed in the green gauze cabinet, so Sanchun and Daiyu returned to the back building first. Seeing that Xiangyun and her servant were busy, Baochai asked Ying'er to help.

Without mentioning what happened in the green gauze cabinet, it is said that Sanchun and Daiyu went straight to Yingchun's room.

Sanchun and Daiyu talked for a few words and then talked about Chen Siyuan.

Yingchun sighed and said, "Brother Yuan is very talented and studious, so it's no surprise that he got admitted to the university."

Tanchun nodded and continued, "Yes, as the saying goes, one who endures hardship suffers the most—"

Before Tanchun could finish, Xiao Xichun responded reflexively, "Serve the master."

Daiyu had been silent at first when everyone mentioned Chen Siyuan. But when she heard Xichun's words, she looked up in surprise. Then she covered her mouth and laughed, "Where did Fourth Sister get those witty remarks from? Haha, they're really hilarious!"

Tanchun couldn't help but say angrily, "That's how Fang became the superior person."

Xichun shook her head repeatedly and said, "How many people can become superior people after enduring hardships? Brother Yuan once said that as long as you can endure hardships, there will be endless suffering."

As soon as these words were spoken, all the girls covered their mouths and laughed.

After the laughter subsided, Yingchun said, "Although this statement is a bit biased, it does make sense if you think about it carefully. It's like the imperial examinations. Two or three thousand scholars and students take the exam, many of whom have studied the classics for decades and endured a lot of hardships, but due to lack of talent, they still fail."

Daiyu also said, "At least the scholar has a ration of food. Although not rich, he can still eat his fill. Common people in this world, whether they are farming, raising silkworms, working as laborers, or pulling boats, get up at cockcrow and rest at sunset every day. There are many people who can barely make a living like this. But when they encounter illness or famine, they may be forced to sell their children... Isn't that endless suffering?"

After a brief silence, Yingchun smiled and said, "You are so good at making jokes about Fourth Sister. It's better for us to say less about the affairs of the court."

Tanchun then said, "Yes, where did Fourth Sister get these witty remarks?"

Xichun smiled, revealing her newly pointed front teeth, and said, "I was just imagining things."

In fact, Xichun's witty remarks were all learned from Chen Siyuan's graffiti book, but the little girl didn't want to mention it to others, and just kept it a secret between herself and Brother Yuan.

Daiyu jokingly said, "I didn't know Fourth Sister was such a joker. Come on, come on, if you have any more witty remarks, tell them on."

"Okay." Xichun agreed, rolling her eyes and said, "How about this, I say a sentence and you guess it. If you can't guess it, I'll tell you again."

Just at this moment, Baochai and Xiangyun, who had tidied herself up, also arrived. Upon hearing what was said, they burst out laughing and tried to join in.

Then all the girls took their seats, leaving Xichun standing in the middle. She paced back and forth with her hands behind her back, pretending to say, "Let's try this line, 'Knowing there's a tiger in the mountain.'"

Xiangyun casually added, "Going to the tiger mountain... Uh, it seems wrong?"

"Of course it's not right." The girls chattered and discussed it, and said several, but none of them matched.

Xichun couldn't help but feel proud. After everyone begged her, she said, "I wouldn't go to the mountain if I knew there were tigers there."

"Giggle..."

"Haha..." Xiangyun laughed so hard she collapsed. She'd fallen backwards into the chair, leaning back too far and carelessly falling to the ground. Even so, she continued to laugh heartily, her two diamond-shaped feet tapping the ground repeatedly in their bright red embroidered shoes. "No, I won't go to Mingzhi Mountain... Haha, Fourth Sister is so funny!"

Xichun felt even more proud after receiving the praise.

Then he said a few more in succession, such as "Don't listen to the advice of the elderly, your ears will be idle", "If you can't do metaphysics, drop out of school", and "Nothing is difficult in the world as long as you are willing to give up".

Not to mention Xiangyun, even the quiet Bao sister couldn't help laughing.

After hearing the words "Gold will always shine, but I am your best friend", Sister Bao suddenly stopped smiling. She had just heard Chen Siyuan mention this a few days ago.

Suddenly, it dawned on her: how could Xichun have come up with this on her own? Perhaps she had heard it from Brother Yuan?

As the saying goes, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Sister Bao was partial to Chen Siyuan at this moment, so naturally everything seemed good to her. She simply thought he was pitying the weaker one, and knew that her fourth sister, Xichun, was having a hard time in the mansion, so she often brought her by her side to cheer her up.

After the laughter and noise died down, Xiangyun talked about what had happened in the past year.

Who knew that after they had been talking for a while, Xichun's maid Ruhua came over with a frown on her face, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Xiangyun was a quick-witted person, so she glanced at it and asked curiously, "But what news did you get?"

Ruhua glanced at Yingchun and whispered, "I don't know where this rumor came from, but it's said that Madam is trying to match Master Yuan with Miss Yunping. It sounds so convincing."

When these words came out, Yingchun frowned slightly, feeling a little disappointed.
Tanchun remembered Wang Yunping's appearance and character, and felt that he was not worthy of Chen Siyuan, so she couldn't help but frown.
Xichun had forgotten what Wang Yunping looked like, but now that her elder brother Ruoyuan had married, she was worried that she would not be able to disturb him often, and she felt a little unhappy.
Daiyu felt a little uncomfortable, thinking that Wang Yunping was not a good-tempered person, and she was a little unhappy.
Baochai was bewildered, wondering if her aunt hadn't been trying to match her up with Brother Yuan before? How did they become cousins ​​now? Could it be that her mother had noticed her feelings and persuaded her aunt to cut off the source of the trouble? As she pondered this, she clutched her handkerchief tightly.
Xiangyun was the most aloof from the matter, so she had to ask, "Where did you get the letter? Yes, Brother Yuan and Sister Yunping are about the same age, so they seem to be a good match."

As soon as the words fell, Xichun frowned and said angrily, "Where is it appropriate? Sister Yun, stop talking nonsense!"

"Fourth sister!" Tanchun scolded, and hurriedly said to Xiangyun, "Fourth sister loves to play with Brother Yuan. I'm afraid she won't let him get married and move out right away."

The more Xichun thought about it, the angrier she became. She couldn't help but get angry. She just glanced at Ruhua coldly and walked away.

As soon as she left, Tanchun and Daiyu became worried and hurried after her.

In the past, Sister Bao would have said something to ease the situation, but she was lost in thought and remained silent for a moment. Seeing this, Yingchun smiled and said, "Sister Yun has just arrived, so I'm afraid she hasn't finished tidying up yet. It's almost dinner time, so why don't we go home today? We can go for a stroll in the garden tomorrow."

Xiangyun and Baochai agreed, and the three girls immediately returned to their rooms.

Xiangyun left the back building and couldn't help but curl her lips and said, "I've only seen Brother Yuan twice, but I didn't expect that in less than a year, he would have coaxed Fourth Sister into becoming so attached to him."

Cui Lu then said, "Miss, I just heard Si Qi say that this Mr. Yuan is capable and has excellent character and appearance. What's more, he has a good heart and treats the fourth young lady very well."

Xiangyun said thoughtfully, "This time we can stay for a month or two, which is just the right time to go and play with Brother Xunyuan."

Cuilu was speechless for a moment, for there were some things she couldn't say directly. Xiangyun had come to the Rongguo Mansion only because Lady Jia had repeatedly urged her to come, and the Marquis's wife had reluctantly sent her there. Cuilu was older than Xiangyun, and seeing Lady Jia's indifferent attitude towards Daiyu, she had a vague suspicion in her mind.

Then he said, "There's a big age gap between you and Master Yuan, I'm afraid you can't play together... Why don't you find Master Bao to play with?"

"Let's play, let's play," Xiangyun said casually, and went on happily. She couldn't help feeling proud. Now that Sister Lin had gone to the back, the green gauze cabinet finally belonged to her.

Without mentioning Xiangyun and her servant, let's say Yingchun had just seen everyone off. After they were seated, Xiuju suddenly arrived, making a fuss. As she approached, she lowered her voice and said, "Miss, there's more goings-on outside than just Master Yuan and Miss Wang."

"Hmm?" Xiu Ju said, "There's also talk that the eldest lady is trying to match the young lady with Master Yuan!"

"This..." Yingchun was stunned, her face flushing red with shame, unable to describe the feeling in her heart. Surprise? I guess so, but the joy was only one point, while the shock was a full nine points. And out of girlish embarrassment, she was paralyzed for a moment, speechless.

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Mrs. Wang’s courtyard.

Even Yingchun, who seemed like an unknown person, got the news. How could any movement in the mansion be hidden from Mrs. Wang?
Mrs. Wang had just heard Yuchuaner say this, and before she could think about it carefully, Fengjie came to find her.

After a while, Sister Feng came in. When she saw Li, she asked anxiously, "Madam, it's been rumored outside that you want to bring Yunping and Brother Yuan together?"

Madame Wang twirled her Buddhist beads and said, "Did Feng'er hear that, too? Yuchuan'er just mentioned that there are rumors that the East Cross Courtyard is trying to match Yingchun with Yuan'er."

Seeing her say this, Sister Feng laughed and said, "I think it's the maid who's gossiping about me. I'll definitely punish her later."

Mrs. Wang responded and nodded. But she suddenly thought to herself... Wang Yunping is one year older than Baochai, and is about the same age as Yuan'er. If these two can really get married, it would be a good thing, right?
Although it has always been a tradition to marry a man of lower status and a man of higher status, Yun Ping was only slightly pretty and had a temper as fiery as charcoal. She had been as agile as a boy since she was young. How could the nobles look down on her?

Let alone a noble family, even a well-known family would probably look down on her. Rather than looking for a poor man like that, it would be more appropriate to choose a brother Yuan who knows her background well.

Moreover, there is no smoke without fire, and everything has its reasons. Since the story of Yingchun and Yuan Ge'er was spread, it was likely true. Mrs. Wang was still thinking that Chen Siyuan would give her advice in the future so that she could seize the power of the old lady as soon as possible. How could she be willing to let him get closer to the East Cross Courtyard?
To put it bluntly, if the relationship really becomes closer, it is possible that Mrs. Xing and Jia She, the shallow-minded couple, will have to ask Yuan Ge'er for advice on how to deal with them!
Mrs. Wang knew Chen Siyuan's abilities. Before he arrived, she had simply followed her sister, Aunt Xue's advice, and concocted this "golden-jade marriage" scheme, with the intention of controlling Baoyu's marriage.

After Chen Siyuan arrived, the Liaodong farm and the government warehouses all fell into Madam Wang's hands. After a brief calculation, she realized that the only thing missing now was a comprador office and the chief steward, Lai Da.

At this moment, we should muster up the remaining courage and seize power in one go. Only in this way can we be able to attack when we advance and defend when we retreat.

Thinking this through, Mrs. Wang stopped spinning her beads and suddenly said with a smile, "I think Yunping and Yuan'er are a good match."

"Ah?" Sister Feng was shocked and said hurriedly: "Madam, I'm afraid Yuan's family background is..."

Mrs. Wang laughed and said, "Brother Yuan is so talented and young. He is a golden signboard himself. Why would he need the help of his family background?"

Feng Jieer thought about it carefully, isn't that the case?
There is no need to say much about his character and appearance, which are first-class; there is no need to say much about his talent, as you have heard that there are rumors about him circulating all over the city; and he passed the imperial examination at the age of fifteen or sixteen, so even if he was thirty years old and received the imperial examination, he would have a bright future!

Thinking about it this way, isn't Brother Yuan more than enough to match his cousin with a straight face and a flat head? No, I'm afraid she may not be able to look down on Yun Ping.

This was too offensive, so Sister Feng would not say it out loud. She said immediately, "Now that Madam has mentioned this, I think they are a good match. But Second Uncle... I don't know what's going on."

Mrs. Wang said, "It just so happens that Aunt Baoyu's birthday is in a few days. I'll just go and have a look at what's going on."

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Without mentioning the private quarrel between the aunt and niece, let us say that Sister Bao walked out of the back building of Rongqing Hall with a stern face, passed through the corridor and headed northeast to the small courtyard.

Just as I was thinking about Wang Yunping, Ying'er came over and said, "Miss, besides the cousin and Master Yuan, they're also talking about the second young lady and Master Yuan."

Sister Bao stopped and asked, "When did it spread?"

"Just in the past couple of days," Ying'er said, "it's said that the eldest lady is trying to bring the second young lady and Master Yuan together, hoping to strengthen the relationship."

Sister Bao suddenly felt distressed. If her cousin Wang Yunping was still just skeptical, then Second Miss Yingchun must have been right.

She was so anxious that she couldn't help coughing twice.

Ying'er hurriedly asked, "Miss, are you ill? Do you want to—"

"No, I just choked on the wind."

Xue Pan, who had nothing to do today, was wandering around the courtyard, and when he saw Baochai he came up to talk to her.

But Sister Bao turned cold and said only a few vague words before leaving Xue Pan and going back. Xue Pan was completely confused and thought about it for a long time but could not figure out how he had offended Bao Chai.

When Baochai entered, she saw Aunt Xue reclining on the couch, a smile on her face, embroidering a handkerchief stitch by stitch in her hands.

Sister Bao was puzzled by what she saw, and felt that her mother looked even more beautiful in the sunset.

She stepped forward and called out softly. Aunt Xue smiled and looked up at her. She casually put the handkerchief aside and moved her body to press it under her. She said calmly, "My son, I heard that Miss Yun is here?"

"Yes, it seems the old lady sent someone to pick her up. Yun girl was very depressed, so she just came to the mansion and had fun everywhere." After a pause, Sister Bao asked, "I saw that mother looked...but is there any good news?"

Good things? There are plenty.

Over the next ten days or so, Aunt Xue secretly met with Chen Siyuan several times, using the excuses of checking accounts, discussing marriages, and contacting old relatives. Since it was forbidden to be seen in public, the two could only go back privately to the small courtyard in Da Gezi Lane. No more moonlit nights under flowers, no more strolling along the paths, whispering secrets, exchanging glances, touching fingertips.

Aunt Xue originally did not care much about matters in bed, but she knew that Yuan Ge'er was very capable and could always make her feel relaxed both physically and mentally. So when he got close to her, Aunt Xue herself could not help but indulge in it.

Thinking this in her heart, she unconsciously raised the corners of her mouth and revealed a faint smile, and the madness of the day quickly flashed before her eyes.

Aunt Xue said to Baochai, "There is indeed a piece of good news...your brother's marriage has been decided."

"Is it settled?" Baochai breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank the Bodhisattva, it's finally settled."

Doctor Cao, married into the Xue family, was determined to thoroughly investigate Xue Pan. Thanks to Chen Siyuan's advice and efforts, he was able to cut off the source of the problem. Doctor Cao investigated and found only that Xue Pan had behaved like a playboy in the capital, but otherwise had no bad behavior.

Thinking of the 20,000 taels of silver, he reluctantly agreed to the marriage.

Aunt Xue smiled and said, "That's right. The betrothal proposal is scheduled for the 18th, and the wedding will probably be in October."

Baochai thought to herself, "I heard that the new sister-in-law is very virtuous. I think she will have her own restrictions, so mother can worry less." Sister Bao was thinking, now that her brother's marriage is settled, when will her relationship with Brother Yuan be settled?

Mother and daughter talked for a while about the Cao family, and then Sister Bao said, "Mother, you don't know. Ying'er just told me that there have been rumors all over the mansion lately. One is that Aunt seems to be trying to match my cousin with Brother Yuan, and another is that the First Mistress is trying to match Brother Yuan with Second Sister."

"Is there still this matter?"

Aunt Xue frowned and pondered. Wang Yunping was not a good-tempered person. Why did her sister, Madam Wang, want to bring these two together?
If Brother Yuan doesn't investigate immediately and just follows his brother Wang Ziteng's advice, he will probably be wronged in the future.

Her elder sister, Lady Wang, wanted to strengthen the relationship between the two families, but she was afraid that in the end, she would not be able to win over Yuan Ge'er, but would make him feel disgusted.

Besides, if Wang Yunping married Yuan Ge'er, what would become of her? This aunt and niece sharing the same husband... Even if she concealed it, Aunt Xue herself would still feel uncomfortable.

Aunt Xue frowned and said, "It's hard to say about the latter, but I'm afraid the former won't be true. You know Yunping's personality. Your aunt wanted to make the two of them a better match. Chunchun meant well but ended up doing something awful. I'm afraid Brother Yuan will feel resentful one day!"

Baochai immediately laughed and said, "I thought so too... I'm just afraid that my aunt might not be able to get over it."

Aunt Xue said, "I'll talk to her when I have time. I think she'll give up on it soon."

Sister Bao nodded and stammered, "Then Mother, Second Sister and Brother Yuan—"

If it were possible, Aunt Xue would have wanted to marry herself, so how could she have looked down upon Yingchun? She immediately shook her head and said, "How talented is Brother Yuan? Although the Second Miss is good-tempered, she is not worthy of Brother Yuan."

Baochai was overjoyed and could not help but smile, saying, "As the saying goes, marry a virtuous wife. I think my second sister is extremely virtuous."

Aunt Xue frowned and said, "Where is her virtue? After all, she's a lady from the mansion, but she's often bullied by the maids and servants. Even the maids and servants below her call her "Wooden Head." I don't think she deserves the word "virtuous"!"

Baochai nodded repeatedly in her heart and felt more relieved.

Then Aunt Xue said, "This is just one-sided speculation. Rumors are circulating that the first wife is interested in your aunt, but have you heard what Brother Yuan has to say? Besides, how old is he? He already has the Lin daughter as a concubine, so it's better to wait until Brother Yuan receives the imperial edict before choosing a proper wife."

Baochai was immediately displeased. Chen Siyuan had already said that she would not take the imperial examination next spring. It would take four years at the earliest for her to take the examination. By then, Baochai would be eighteen. How could she wait any longer?
But it was not easy for a girl to tell Aunt Xue about such matters, so Baochai agreed vaguely. But Aunt Xue was restless and after dinner she hurried to find Mrs. Wang.

After dinner, Sister Bao went to the garden to digest her food - she naturally thought that hearing Chen Siyuan's words would put her mind at ease.

By chance, just as Bao-jie and Ying-er had turned the sluice gate, they saw Chen Si-yuan approaching, his hands behind his back. Their eyes met, and seeing Chen Si-yuan's smile spread across his face, Bao-jie's heart warmed. She nodded from a distance, and as he drew nearer, Bao-jie suddenly paused and turned to glance at Ying-er.

Ying'er blinked and said quickly, "Miss, the begonias over there are in full bloom. I'll go and have a look." After that, she hurried to the Jade Emperor Temple.

Chen Siyuan and Baochai came together, and Baochai bowed and said, "Brother Yuan."

"Sister Bao."

Chen Siyuan smiled and extended his hand, pointing to a hillside not far away. "I think the camellia flowers are in full bloom, Sister Bao, why don't we go and take a look together?"

"Yeah." Baochai responded in a low voice.

The two of them walked half a step apart towards the hillside.

Baochai hadn't taken the Lengxiang Pills for a long time, so she was a little anxious. She smiled and said, "I've heard a lot of rumors today, all about Brother Yuan."

Chen Siyuan shook his head and said, "I've heard that too, but it's just nonsense. Sister Bao, don't worry about it."

Baochai said calmly, "I just thought it was a joke, so how could I take it to heart?"

Chen Siyuan smiled but said nothing.

Baochai took two steps and said, "Brother Yuan is out today?"

"Don't mention it anymore." Chen Siyuan frowned and smiled bitterly, "The Lai family is in trouble this time."

"what?"

Seeing that no one was around, Chen Siyuan hurriedly whispered to himself, "Get up!" Indeed, at noon that day, Chen Siyuan was taken to the Prince of Yanping's Palace by the palace guards.

This Taoist priest was asking about his livelihood, but when King Ping of Yan saw him, he asked if he had known Lai Shangrong and what grudge he had against him.

Chen Siyuan was completely bewildered, so he told him everything. When he asked about the reason, King Ping of Yan explained that the day before, the imperial inspector who was touring the city had written a report saying that many candidates stranded in the capital were spreading rumors that Chen Siyuan, the 27th candidate in the autumn examination, had bribed the examiner to pass.

The examiner was originally a lecturer at the Imperial Academy, a respectable and upright official whose livelihood depended entirely on his reputation. How could he tolerate this? He immediately removed his official hat and confessed his crime, and begged the emperor to order a thorough investigation by the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court.

Even without the need for the Ministry of Justice or the Supreme Court to intervene, the Shuntian Prefecture Governor submitted a memorial this morning, stating that he had identified the rumor as originating from Lai Shangrong, a former student. He had framed the juren Chen Siyuan because he had a personal grudge against him.

This case involves the imperial court's talent selection ceremony, so it cannot be neglected. That's why King Ping of Yan called Chen Siyuan to give him some advice in person - the meaning is that you kid should not show your weakness yourself and then put King Ping of Yan in trouble!

(End of this chapter)