Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 208: Incapable of doing anything else
Xiangling presented the gift and did not stay long. She immediately took her maid and left.

After the people left, Xiangyun, who had received a nice gift, said, "Brother Ai is so ignorant. Brother Yuan came thousands of miles to bring a gift, but Brother Ai just thanked me so perfunctorily."

Baoyu said lazily, "But the Four Treasures of the Study are such vulgar things, it's obvious that Brother Yuan didn't put much effort into it."

Xiangyun frowned immediately and said, "When did Hu brushes, She inkstones, and Hui ink become vulgar things? If you don't want them, just give them to me."

Hearing this, Baoyu pushed the brocade box aside and said, "If Sister Yun likes it, just take it. I don't need it."

Xiangyun had been joking, but he had actually pushed her forward. Frowning slightly, she truly disliked seeing Baoyu like this, and so she advised him, "Brother Ai, you're grown up now, but you still can't change your nature. If you don't want to study for the imperial examinations, you should at least meet up with officials and talk about the economics of government. That way, you can handle social life in the future and have a friend. You've only been messing around in our team since you were an adult!"

Baoyu stood up immediately after hearing this, bowed his hands and said coldly: "Miss, please ask the other sisters to sit in the room. I'm staying here to avoid polluting your knowledge of economics!"

After saying this, she walked away without even paying any attention to Lady Jia. Xiren and Musk Moon hurried after her in the hall. Xiangyun glared at her with wide eyes and turned to Lady Jia to complain, "Grandma, was I wrong just now?"

Ever since Xiangyun arrived, it had become common for her to be on good terms with Baoyu, and then on bad terms with him. Grandmother Jia had grown accustomed to it and didn't take it seriously at all. So she smiled and said, "Your second brother doesn't need to take the imperial examinations. He just needs to be content to be a wealthy and idle person."

There are two marquises in the Shi family. Shi Xiangyun's second uncle Shi Nai inherited the title of Xiangyun's father Shi Yu, and is now the Marquis of Baoling; the third uncle Shi Ding is an old minister in the current emperor's palace. When the current emperor ascended the throne, he rose to prominence and is now the Marquis of Zhongjing.

Xiangyun spent more time with her second uncle, but she also knew that her second and third uncles' families were all urging their children to make progress. Even her second aunt urged her sisters to do needlework every day. How could she have ever seen the Jia family be so indifferent to Baoyu?
Xiangyun frowned and was secretly worried, but seeing that Grandmother Jia didn't care at all, she had to swallow the words that were on the tip of her tongue. She just nodded ignorantly, wondering why the Jia family didn't use Baoyu to make progress.

After a while, Lady Jia went to rest at the west end of the mountain, and Xiangyun returned to the green gauze cabinet. She was a quick-witted person, so she couldn't help but ask her maid Cuilu, "Why aren't you rushing to help Ai brother get ahead? Brother Yuan is only a few years older than Ai brother, and he's already a juren."

Cui Lu smiled apologetically and said, "Young lady, you've probably asked the wrong person. How would I know what's going on in the mansion? But Master Bao might become the Emperor's uncle someday. Concubine Xian De will be visiting her parents soon. If she becomes a Noble Concubine, Master Bao won't just be living a life of luxury and leisure."

Blinking, Xiangyun finally understood: "So that's how it is." She took off the crabapple flower hairpin on her head and played with it for a moment. She frowned again and said: "This is not good."

How can it be a good thing to rely on a woman for the success or failure of a family?

Xiangyun didn't say these words out loud. Then she thought of Chen Siyuan again and urged Cuilu, "Go and find the handkerchief I embroidered earlier. I have to go back to the Marquis' Mansion tomorrow. Please deliver it to Brother Yuan for me later."

Cuilu hesitated and said, "Miss, you just want to give me a handkerchief?"

Xiangyun, however, was carefree and said with a smile, "I'm broke now, so I'm just sending you a token of my appreciation."

Cuilu agreed with a smile.

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

But Chen Siyuan returned to his own courtyard. Seeing that it was still early, he took out the original work of Liu Gongquan from the box and brought Hongyu to Li Wan's room.

Li Wan's room was located between the Furen Yude meeting hall and Fengjie's courtyard, two adjacent rooms with three rooms separated by a small alley. Not only was the room cramped, but compared to Fengjie's room next door, it was a world apart. It was no wonder that the Li family believed the Jia family mistreated Li Wan.

Chen Siyuan led Hongyu, who was holding a long brocade box, out of the side door next to the teahouse and to the back of Li Wan's room. They turned around and found a small alleyway. Li Wan's room had a small door facing west. Chen Siyuan took the brocade box, and Hongyu went forward and knocked on the door.

After a moment, someone inside asked, "Who is it?"

Hongyu said, "It's me, Hongyu from Master Yuan's household. Our master has been asked by the Li family to come and deliver something to Grandma Zhu."

There was a rustling sound as the side door opened, and a girl of about seventeen or eighteen came out. She glanced at the two men and quickly bowed, "Hello, Uncle Yuan. Please wait a moment, our grandmother is teaching Brother Lang to read."

The woman then called inside, "Biyue, tell Grandma that Master Yuan from the backyard has arrived."

There was a response from inside, and a maidservant who was about seventeen or eighteen years old came out from the south room and hurried to the north room.

Chen Siyuan thought to himself, there are two maids beside Li Wan, one is Suyun and the other is Biyue, so the one in front of him must be Suyun?
Suyun hurriedly let the two in. A moment later, Li Wan's voice came from inside: "Quickly invite Brother Yuan in."

Suyun lifted the curtain, and Chen Siyuan and Hongyu entered the north room.

Turning the screen, Chen Siyuan saw Li Wan and Jia Lan coming to greet him. He didn't dare to be negligent and quickly bowed, "Sister-in-law Zhu!"

"Brother Yuan." Li Wan bowed and quickly looked at Jia Lan, "Why don't you call for help?"

Jia Lan then bowed respectfully and said, "Nephew Jia Lan greets his uncle!"

Chen Siyuan agreed with a smile, and Li Wan said with a smile, "Brother Yuan, please sit down. Sulan, go make some tea."

After the two of them sat down, Jia Lan stood obediently beside Li Wan. Only then did Chen Siyuan have the opportunity to take a closer look at Li Wan.

She wore a round-necked satin jacket with a black collar and a crab-shell green background, featuring a goose-yellow floral pattern. She wore a white lining, and a black-edged, bean-green satin skirt with floral embroidery. Her face was pale, unadorned, and she wore only a single Bohai jade hairpin in her bun. Her eyebrows curved, and her naturally peach-shaped eyes were now devoid of any luster. Her cheeks were thin, her cheekbones slightly protruding, and she looked elegant and simple, yet exuding a heavy, lifeless air.

Chen Siyuan forced himself to suppress his frown as he spoke thoughtfully, "Sister-in-law, as you know, I traveled to Jiangnan this time and visited the Li family in Nanjing. Li Jijiu and his wife asked me to bring some local rituals for you on my return trip. Most of these items have been handed over to Second Sister-in-law, and I expect they will be delivered soon."

Li Wan smiled and said, "Thank you for troubling me, Brother Yuan. Ping'er came over just now and told me about this."

Chen Siyuan nodded and said, "There is only one item that is extremely precious, and I must hand it over to my sister-in-law personally."

As he spoke, he presented the scroll in his hand.

Li Wan thanked him and stood up to take it, but she was in no hurry to open it. Chen Siyuan said, "Sister-in-law, you should open it and take a look."

"There's no rush..." Li Wan said this, and seeing the persistence in Chen Siyuan's eyes, she responded. She untied the silk ribbon, pulled out the scroll inside, and only unfolded a corner before her face changed color: "This...this, this..."

Li Wan knew Liu Gongquan's authentic works. This was Li Shouzhong's favorite! She still remembered that one day, before he married, Li Shouzhong came home dancing with joy, then locked himself in his study for the entire day. After that, he strictly forbade outsiders from entering his study. Whenever she had time, she would seek out this piece and examine it carefully.

Before she got married, Li Wan couldn't even take a look at it, but now, for some unknown reason, her family sent this thing to her!
She hurriedly rolled up the original manuscript carefully and put it back into the scroll, then looked up at Chen Siyuan in surprise.

Chen Siyuan simply nodded and said, "Madam said to leave this thing for my sister-in-law. If there are any problems in the future, you can just exchange it for money and spend it."

Li Wan's eyes couldn't help but turn red. Such a treasure passed down from generation to generation was given to her. Her parents' deep love for her was beyond words.

According to common sense, Chen Siyuan should have said goodbye and left after delivering the gift, but he had other ideas in his mind, so he took a sip of tea but was not in a hurry to leave.

"Mother." Jia Lan was very obedient and found a handkerchief and handed it to Li Wan.

Li Wan took the handkerchief and wiped it briefly, then said with a blush, "I'm sorry to have made a fool of myself, Brother Yuan."

"It's human nature, what's so funny about it?" Chen Siyuan paused, then said, "There are some things I shouldn't say, but I've been so nervous all the way with this item, afraid something might go wrong... And if I may ask, does my sister-in-law know how much this item is worth?"

Li Wan pondered, "I suppose it could be worth a few thousand taels?"

Li Wan really didn't know! Not only her, I'm afraid even her mother didn't know!

Chen Siyuan said sternly, "Sister-in-law, please ask the attendants to leave."

Li Wan's face darkened with fright. She glanced around. Suyun, quick-witted, smiled and pulled Hongyu out, leaving only Li Wan, Jia Lan, and Chen Siyuan inside.

Chen Siyuan said, "If I remember correctly, twenty years ago the Imperial Court bought a Tang Dynasty copy of Wang Xizhi's 'Kuaixue Shiqing Tie' for five thousand taels of silver." He paused, then added, "Tang Dynasty copy of Han Gan's 'Zhao Yebai Tu' was brought into the Imperial Court seven years ago for eleven thousand eight hundred taels of silver."

Li Wan bit her lower lip, her expression changing as she said, "Then this thing—"

Chen Siyuan said in a serious tone, "This item contains over 5,000 characters, and it's an authentic work by Liu Gongquan... If it gets out, I'm afraid 50,000 taels wouldn't be enough! If it's in great condition, it would be worth 100,000 taels!"

Yanpi Liugu, and there's a saying that in troubled times there's gold, and in prosperous times there's antiques. Once this extensive authentic work of Liu Gongquan gets out, it's bound to fetch a fortune. But how could an ordinary wealthy household dare to keep such a thing privately? If the imperial court were to seize it, there's no telling how much money one could fetch.

Li Wan was not stupid. When she thought of this, her face suddenly became uglier and her body even trembled slightly.

As the saying goes, "An innocent man is guilty of possessing a treasure." For an orphan like them, a widow, to have this treasure is like a child holding gold in a busy market! If word gets out, not to mention how outsiders will worry about it, I'm afraid everyone in the Rongguo Mansion will also worry about it.

Money can move people's hearts. That's one hundred thousand taels of silver. Even if the mother is gone and the son is left, what does it matter? (Note 1)

Because of this, Li Wan couldn't help but mutter, "Mother is confused!"

No matter how dumb she was, Li Wan now understood. This thing must have been stolen by her mother. If it were her father, Li Shouzhong, he would never send such a disaster-inducing item!

For a moment, Li Wan just wanted to dig up the floor tiles and hide the thing.

Chen Siyuan knew what Li Wan was thinking. He was going to start a business selling latex next year, and the initial investment would require 100,000 silver coins. Aunt Xue had said she had some money, but women are fickle, so who knew how much she had actually prepared? Even if she gave away most of the shares, Chen Siyuan had to keep at least 20%, otherwise, wouldn't his efforts have been in vain?

It just so happened that the Li family sent this item. Since keeping it would be a disaster rather than a blessing, why not just sell it to the inner court as a favor? Maybe you can even get some extra money.

Chen Siyuan said, "This item must be well preserved. If not, it will be destroyed in an instant."

Li Wan was at a loss when she heard this. Jia Lan, standing by, frowned, seeing the fear on his mother's face, he came over and said, "Don't be afraid, mother. We still have the children."

Li Wan sighed and thought that she was afraid because of Lang'er's presence.

After thinking it over and over, he still couldn't find a solution. Suddenly, he saw that Chen Siyuan hadn't said goodbye yet and left. He was moved and pleaded, "I am so confused now. I really don't know what to do. If you have any ideas, please give me some advice."

"I dare not!" Chen Siyuan said, "May I ask, sister-in-law, do you want to keep this a secret? Only you and I... three of us know about this matter in the mansion, so I will keep it a secret. But it would be a pity if this item were buried underground and destroyed. If it were up to me, I would quietly offer it to the saint.

The emperor has vast ambitions and will certainly not treat my sister-in-law unfairly. The imperial court has its own banks and bill shops, and all the money earned will be deposited there. Although the interest will not be much, I believe it will be enough for my sister-in-law to spend.

On the other hand, I have some friendship with King Ping of Yan, so I might use this as a stepping stone for Lang Ge'er's advancement."

Li Wan was reluctant to spend any money, saving all her monthly earnings for Jia Lan's future use. But this original painting was incredibly valuable, costing at least fifty thousand, perhaps even a hundred thousand! Keeping all that money in her possession was a death warrant!

Now she didn't care about the amount of money at all, but Chen Siyuan's words "a step to advancement" moved her.

Ever since Jia Zhu passed away, Li Wan's mother-in-law, Lady Wang, treated her coldly. She felt depressed and devoted herself to educating Jia Lan. Wasn't it because she wanted Jia Lan to have some future and stand out from the crowd?
Although Lang'er was obedient, loved his mother, and worked hard every day, the imperial examinations depended on luck. If one's luck was bad, it was not uncommon to waste half a lifetime. If he could be looked after by a noble like the King of Yanping, it would be the best!

Li Wan came back to her senses and thought, "Will the prince... really agree?"

Chen Siyuan nodded and said, "Prince Ping of Yan is a man of loyalty and righteousness. If he indeed obtains this item, he will surely be grateful. If Brother Lang fails in the imperial examination in the future, he can ask Prince Ping of Yan to serve as an official in the imperial court."

Who doesn't know the Imperial Palace is a great place to visit? Li Wan couldn't help but be tempted. Clutching the hot original in her hand, she thought of Chen Siyuan's excellent reputation, his talent, and his ability to make money. Not to mention anything else, the Baicaotang alone was making a fortune. Surely he wouldn't covet this hot original?

After pondering for a long while, Li Wan finally made up her mind and nodded, saying, "In that case, I'll leave this matter to Brother Yuan. I don't ask for anything else, but I only ask that if Brother Lang falls into trouble someday, Your Highness, for the sake of this authentic work, you at least rescue him."

As he spoke, he stood up, put the scroll into the brocade box, and handed it over.

Chen Siyuan stood up and took it, nodding solemnly and saying, "I will definitely live up to my sister-in-law's trust. I will go to the Prince of Yanping's mansion tomorrow!"

Li Wan felt that the authentic Liu Gongquan calligraphy was in Chen Siyuan's hands, and her anxiety suddenly disappeared. She sighed and said, "Brother Yuan, just do your best. There's no need to be too demanding."

Chen Siyuan nodded, and without stopping, he stood up to take his leave. Li Wan escorted him out of the room. When she turned around, she saw Jia Lan, confused and hesitant to speak. She hugged him and said, "Brother Lan, I will teach you a lesson today: a man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime."

Jia Lan had just entered school, so how could he understand these principles? He simply shook his head and said, "I don't quite understand. Our family is a noble residence. Could there be some scoundrel who dares to bully us?" Li Wan couldn't help but ask meaningfully, "It's not easy for outsiders to say it, but how do you know that the people in the mansion won't be worried?"

Jia Lan pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. No wonder I heard from the nanny that Grandpa had taken over Aunt Lin's house..."

"Shut up!" Li Wan scolded, then sighed, "Just keep it to yourself. There's no need to talk about this kind of thing anymore."

Jia Lan agreed and leaned against his mother's arms, frowning and thinking.

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

Chen Siyuan left Li Wan's residence and returned to his own courtyard with Hongyu. As soon as he arrived home, Xiangling came to greet him and said, "Just now, Cuilu, Miss Yun's servant, and Xueyan, Miss Lin's servant, have both brought gifts. Xueyan brought a brocade, saying it was made by Miss Lin herself; Cuilu brought a handkerchief, also saying it was embroidered by Miss Yun herself."

Chen Siyuan was thinking about meeting Prince Ping of Yan the next day, so he nodded briefly and went inside. Xiangling, who was accompanying him, saw that he was completely unconcerned and said, "Master, you'd better take a look. I think Miss Lin's knitting is very fine."

"Oh?" Chen Siyuan came back to his senses and smiled, "Let me see it."

Xiangling then handed the necklace over with a smile.

This necklace is hung around the waist to embellish the jade pendant. Its shape is normal except that the knot is vaguely similar to the love knot.

Chen Siyuan pondered for a moment, then looked up and saw Xiangling looking at him with a smile, so he said with a smile, "It's really very good."

She immediately untied the jade pendant, placed it in the string, and hung it again around her waist, feeling a sense of relief. People are kind-hearted. Chen Siyuan was taking good care of Daiyu. If Sister Lin remained cold, I'm afraid they would become icy towards each other in the future.

This is good, a give-and-take situation. Daiyu is only twelve years old at the beginning of the new year, and it is the time when love begins to blossom. Who knows, maybe sparks will fly between the two of them?
Chen Siyuan looked at Xiangyun's handkerchief again. It was a cyan handkerchief with orchid-shaped gold threads. The stitching was a little poor, but Xiangyun was only a little old. It would probably take a month to embroider such a handkerchief.

Xiangling also mentioned that Xiangyun would be returning to the Baoling Marquis' residence to celebrate the New Year tomorrow, and Chen Siyuan nodded. After sitting for a while, seeing that it was already past 3 p.m., he said, "Don't bother with anything. I'll be heading to the new residence at Nengren Temple soon."

Hongyu and Liu Wu'er felt a little disappointed, but they also knew it was understandable. Hongyu didn't show it, and smiled, "If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have asked the maid to boil water."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said to them, "Don't worry, I'll be home tomorrow."

This remark naturally made the two women very angry, and when they glanced over, there was a hint of resentment in their eyes.

After a while, Chen Siyuan got up and left home, exiting through the back door. Since he was carrying an authentic Liu Gongquan work, he had previously instructed his servant Qingyu to borrow a carriage from the Rongguo Mansion.

At that moment, Chen Siyuan took the original painting and drove to the new residence of Nengren Temple without saying anything more.

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

Near Nengren Temple is the new house of the Chen family.

Ever since they learned that Chen Siyuan had returned, the two sisters, You Sanjie and You Erjie, hurried back home.

When he entered, he saw that Qingwen and the two maids had returned. Not only that, there was also a little burden.

Third Sister You asked curiously and found out that it was Qingwen's younger sister Luan'er.

Luan'er said goodbye to her mother and accompanied her sister Qingwen. Although the journey was tiring, she was provided with full meals and snacks every day. So she was not weak at all. In fact, she looked a little fatter than when she was in Suzhou. Her originally thin oval face had now become a small round face.

The little girl was a delicate and charming girl. Third Sister You teased her a few times and she was delighted. She gave her a generous amount of food and clothes. Lastly, she said to Qingwen, "Although Luan'er is still young, since she has taken after Brother Yuan, she must have a monthly allowance. So, let's set a two-string allowance for now and increase it when Luan'er needs it."

Qingwen thanked her gratefully, but Third Sister You, feeling proud of Qingwen, said angrily, "Every time I asked you to make clothes for me, I never thanked you, yet now you're being polite."

Qingwen laughed and said, "How can it be the same? I have to thank Third Aunt at least."

Third Sister You said angrily, "Now that you've become a sister, you've become even more eloquent. Forget it, I won't argue with you anymore. Go and take Luan'er to a safe place."

Qingwen agreed and took Luan'er to the ear room.

As soon as he left, You Erjie came over and said, "Brother Yuan is quite sensible..."

Seeing Third Sister You looking at her in surprise, Second Sister You laughed softly and said, "That Qingwen still looks like a girl."

Third Sister You immediately frowned and spat, saying, "Second sister, do you think I don't know what kind of ox gall and dog treasures you have in your heart? No matter what Brother Yuan has, he will never learn from those beastly father and son!"

Second Sister You was choked up. She was about to bring up the matter of her eldest sister indirectly, but seeing that Third Sister You was not willing to speak, she smiled and said nothing. She couldn't help but think to herself, after all, there is no cat in the world that doesn't steal fish. It would be the same if she had time to talk to Brother Yuan privately some other time.

The two sisters immediately got busy, either ordering the maid to clean the house, or making reservations for the banquet, or asking the kitchen to prepare more hot water.

After waiting for two hours, as the sky grew dark, an old man in front of him announced, "The master is here!"

The two sisters, along with Qingwen and the others, came eagerly to greet them. Both sisters were dressed carefully: the second sister in a moon-white padded jacket with a scarlet gorilla felt over it; the third sister in a scarlet jacket and skirt with a snow-white fox fur over it.

You Erjie had a smile on her face and was only moving lightly; You Sanjie walked faster and faster, and when she saw Chen Siyuan coming in, she couldn't help but look delighted. She called out "Brother Yuan" at a trot and rushed over like a young swallow flying into the forest.

Chen Siyuan smiled and reached out to embrace her, then he heard a sound and took half a step back. Third Sister You was already pressed against his chest with red eyes.

Chen Siyuan reached out and pinched the third sister's cheek, smiling and said, "Why are you crying? I'm back."

The third sister's heart and eyes were filled with Chen Siyuan at this moment, so how could she care about anyone else? She just pouted and said coquettishly, "But I just miss Brother Yuan. Ever since Brother Yuan left, I have been worried about him. I am worried that Brother Yuan is not eating well, sleeping well, and that he has met a bad person."

Chen Siyuan laughed heartily and said, "Everything went smoothly both ways. Thank you for your concern, sister. I'll give you some nice things later."

Third Sister You hugged Chen Siyuan's arm and said, "It's just some cloth and spices, what's so special about them? If I were to say so, I would rather give them up and just ask Brother Yuan to stay by my side."

You Erjie, who was standing by, felt a pang of anger, but now she also stepped forward, bowed, and called out softly, "Brother Yuan." The moment she raised her eyes, she was full of charm, indescribably charming.

Chen Siyuan nodded slightly, then embraced the two sisters and entered the main room. Qingwen had already brought half a cart of gifts when she returned, so Chen Siyuan would not treat Third and Second Sister You badly. Following Lady Xing's example, he gave each sister four bolts of brocade, a set of head ornaments, and rouge, powder, and other girlish necessities.

The third sister said she didn't care, which showed that everything was carefully selected, and she was naturally happy; there was no need to mention the second sister You, who, after a quick calculation, realized that all these things together would probably cost more than two hundred taels of silver, and her smile suddenly became more charming, and she kept looking at Chen Siyuan.

When the meal was served, Qingwen returned and went to the second room to take care of Luan'er. Chunxi and Xiazhu were waiting on her, and Chen Siyuan and the two sisters began to eat and drink.

During the meal, they mentioned the situation in Jiangnan, and Jia Yucun agreed to a brief explanation. Third Sister You, knowing that her family background was not comparable to Daiyu's, assumed Chen Siyuan was seeking backing and support, so she took it lightly.

After the banquet was over, the two sisters helped Chen Siyuan take a good bath, and then they went to the private room to make love, with blushing and shyness, and her delicate face full of spring. The romantic and charming scene inside is needless to say.

After several spring breezes and three changes of handkerchiefs, the three of them finally stopped to rest.

You Erjie was still catching her breath on the side, and You Sanjie climbed over and leaned into Chen Siyuan's arms and said, "I always feel that there is something different about Brother Yuan."

Chen Siyuan laughed heartily and said, "Sister, haven't you heard that things are different now?"

It was not the first time that the three of them had slept together on the same bed. Most of the time, Chen Siyuan was tired, so the two sisters took turns sitting in the lotus position. But today, Chen Siyuan had so much energy that he didn't stop at all.

Third Sister You's beautiful eyes flashed, then she frowned and said, "Could it be..."

"No!" Chen Siyuan said, "It just so happened that I ran into a capable Taoist priest in Suzhou during this trip. After much persuasion, I finally learned some standing meditation. After practicing for over a month, my strength is indeed much stronger than usual."

Third Sister You giggled and said, "Just take it as it is." But she obviously didn't believe it in her heart.

Chen Siyuan was acting aggressive and trying to start another fight. Seeing the situation was getting worse, the third sister begged for mercy. After the second sister You calmed down, the third sister You frowned and said, "There is something I need Brother Yuan's advice on."

As she spoke, Third Sister You bit her lower lip, with a few strands of hair playfully draped in front of her. She frowned and bit her lower lip again, as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself.

As the matter involved her own mother, You Sanjie was too embarrassed to speak up. After hesitating for several times, You Erjie finally spoke out.

Chen Siyuan was so shocked and horrified that he was completely numb!

My goodness, Old Lady You is really playing tricks on people. First she picked a son-in-law on the list, then she even got that Jia Rong involved. That would have been fine, but now she is pregnant with a pearl, and no one knows whether it is Jia Zhen's or Jia Rong's child!
After You Erjie finished speaking, You Sanjie began to sob and sob, saying, "I know it's not easy for her to raise us sisters, but she can do such a stupid thing. I, I really can't face anyone... Woo woo, I'm afraid Brother Yuan will look down on me in the future!"

Chen Siyuan hurriedly coaxed and persuaded, using his utmost tenderness, until Third Sister You finally calmed down. After the three of them calmed down, Chen Siyuan frowned and thought carefully. After asking Guo Fang about the situation, he thought, "I'm afraid Dr. Guo doesn't want to lose face, otherwise he would have sent Anren back in a sedan chair long ago."

Third Sister You nodded quickly and said, "Exactly, that's what I thought that day."

Chen Siyuan said, "Since he doesn't want to antagonize me, I'm sure he has some ulterior motive... You sisters shouldn't intervene in this matter. I'll go find Dr. Guo someday and have a discussion to see what he's up to."

Third Sister You always appeared to be a bit of a brat in public, but in reality, she admired and relied on Chen Siyuan. Hearing him say this, Third Sister's heart suddenly relaxed, and she leaned against his chest and said, "We sisters are now helpless, and we can only rely on Brother Yuan."

Since it was already late at night, Chen Siyuan put the two sisters to bed, and he himself tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep for a while. After returning, one thing after another, everything was waiting for him to take care of.

After a quick calculation, I have to go to the Wang Mansion tomorrow, and then go to the Xue family's old house if I have time in the afternoon. As soon as I get back, I may have to take some time to get together with Aunt Xue, and I also need to comfort Sister Bao.

Chen Siyuan felt that he was overwhelmed, but he never got tired of it.

Silent all night.

The next day, when Chen Siyuan was having breakfast early in the morning, he placed the original work of Liu Gongquan by his side.

You Erjie looked puzzled and couldn't help asking, "Is this a calligraphy or painting? I saw you put it under your pillow yesterday, and now you keep it in your hand while eating. It must be very valuable."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "It's more than just precious gold. It's not an exaggeration to call it a national treasure."

You Erjie was about to ask further, but Sanjie, knowing the seriousness of the matter, scolded her, "Brother Yuan is teasing you. I think this item is a gift that Brother Yuan brought from Jiangnan to give to the prince."

You Erjie was skeptical, but did not ask any more questions. After breakfast, Chen Siyuan took his servant Qingyu and rode in a carriage to the Prince of Yanping's mansion.

Walking through the streets and alleys, he could hear firecrackers exploding from time to time and saw crowds of people in the market. Chen Siyuan sighed inwardly, thinking that the New Year was approaching and the festive atmosphere was getting stronger and stronger.

Without further ado, they arrived at the palace two quarters later, where the servant Qingyu delivered the visiting card. Chen Siyuan arrived at the gate shortly after, and a guard said, "The prince hasn't returned yet. Chen Xiaolian might as well go home and wait..."

Before he could finish, Chen Siyuan bowed and said, "Please come to see me, Master. I have something urgent to do and cannot wait."

The guard knew that Chen Siyuan had won the favor of his own prince, so he asked him to wait for a while and turned around to tell someone to report to the inner court.

After a while, the guards got a reply and invited Chen Siyuan in. After Chen Siyuan passed the corner gate, he saw Ding Daolong coming hurriedly.

Ding Daolong bowed from a distance, smiling broadly, and said, "Chen Xiaolian has returned from Jiangnan? The prince was still talking about him yesterday."

Chen Siyuan hurriedly returned the greeting, holding the brocade box and saying solemnly, "Master Dianshan, please excuse me for a moment!"

(End of this chapter)