Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 289 Kill three birds with one stone

into the night.

Baochai led Ying'er back to Hengwu Garden. When they returned to the main room, Ying'er noticed that Baochai's face was turning red and white in turns, and she was very puzzled.

He wondered to himself, "My young lady just met with Master Yuan, why does she seem so preoccupied with something right now?"
He immediately asked, "Miss, did Master Yuan... say something?"

"Hmm?" Baochai came back to her senses and said calmly, "It's nothing, it's just that I gave the business that I was doing with Feng to Lin."

Ying'er frowned immediately and said, "What kind of talk is this? Master Yuan gave it to Miss Lin, how can he shortchange her? In fact, Miss Lin is the one who rightfully belongs to him... um..."

Baochai scolded, "Shut up! That latex workshop only makes a pittance. I've never gotten along with Fengya, so why should I go and make trouble for her? It's better to give it to Linya, so she won't just be stuck with those few boxes of books."

Ying'er thought to herself, "I'm hoping that Master Yuan can find a suitable job for you someday."

Baochai smiled without saying a word. Although Aunt Xue hadn't said it outright, she was now acting in accordance with Chen Siyuan's plan. Since she was hoping that Chen Siyuan would protect the Xue family in the future, how could her own dowry be meager? She didn't dare to hope for the lion's share, but she would still have a dowry of thirty to fifty thousand taels of silver.

With this money, Sister Bao only needs to buy properties and shops around, and she can live a comfortable life every year. Isn't that much better than that miserable life?
Sister Bao instructed, "Go and fetch some water; I'm feeling sleepy right now."

Ying'er agreed and turned to go out to fetch water.

Baochai couldn't help but touch her face, a blush rising to her cheeks again. It was Daiyu's idea to manage that business, so there was nothing to complain about.

What's truly embarrassing is that Baochai did allow Chen Siyuan to take advantage of her a little... or perhaps not a little?
Baochai glanced down at herself, her face growing even redder, wondering why he was so greedy… perhaps it was because of her mother's early death? His words were truly enticing, and she was soon, somewhat bewildered, coaxed into doing something…

Baochai felt increasingly embarrassed, and fearing that Ying'er would notice, she endured the discomfort of her undergarments and patiently searched for books to read.

A short while later, Ying'er brought water and helped Baochai wash up. While Ying'er was getting water, Baochai quickly slipped into bed. She changed into a new undergarment, and as for her original one, she crumpled it up and tossed it in a corner, thinking that even if Ying'er found it early the next morning, she wouldn't notice anything amiss.

Just as she was pondering this, Ying'er returned, and Baochai simply pretended to sleep.

"Miss...Miss?" Ying'er called twice, but when Baochai didn't respond, she assumed that Baochai had fallen asleep. She was about to blow out the lamp and go to rest herself when she picked up the candlestick and happened to see the undergarments in the corner.

Ying'er muttered, "How did it end up here?"

Baochai sensed something was wrong, but dared not move, so she simply turned away from looking. Ying'er picked up her undergarment and was about to tidy it up when she suddenly stopped. She lowered her head slightly to sniff it, then glanced at Baochai with a strange expression.

Ying'er was not young, so how could she not know what was on the clothes? She covered her mouth and chuckled, then took the clothes and went out.

Baochai, lying on the bed, was so ashamed that she couldn't bear to see anyone. She simply covered her head and rolled around in agony... After a while, Baochai opened her eyes, gritting her teeth in her heart. She thought to herself that she should never let Chen Siyuan take advantage of her again, otherwise she would be laughed at to death by Ying'er.
That night, Baochai tossed and turned, unable to sleep, but I won't go into details.

A few days passed quickly, and early one morning, Chen Siyuan and Xiangling went to the new house again.

Xiangling went to the side garden to see her mother, Zhen Fengshi. Chen Siyuan and Qingwen exchanged a few words before heading to the back building.

Upon entering the third sister's room, one could see the second and third sisters talking, while a wet nurse in her early twenties was nursing a child.

The wet nurse caught a glimpse of Chen Siyuan and blushed immediately, quickly turning away.

Chen Siyuan also stopped in front of the door, but his second and third daughters didn't care at all.

Sister You greeted Chen Siyuan, and after they sat down, she said, "Thank God, at least Ah Chou has come back to life."

Sister You Erjie, standing to the side, also sighed and said, "Last night, she cried so hard that she stopped breathing. My third sister and I thought she was going to die, but the wet nurse patted her and she came back to life."

Chen Siyuan asked, "Could it be that she choked on the milk?"

Sister You nodded and said, "That's right. It's all thanks to Granny Qu for pointing it out, otherwise Ah Chou wouldn't be alive."

Sister You sighed, "There's nothing we can do. We were in a hurry to find a wet nurse, and this one just happens to be her first child and hasn't breastfed much before."

Chen Siyuan smiled and nodded, then asked, "Why do you call him Ah Chou?"

Sister You frowned and said, "Wrinkled up, isn't that Ugly Ah?"

Normally, a full-term baby doesn't fully develop until after a month. But a premature baby like Ah Chou will probably have to wait a little longer.

When asked about the past few days, Second Sister You hesitated, then quickly glanced at Third Sister, who only said she was fine. Chen Siyuan knew there was more to it than met the eye, but since Third Sister didn't want to talk about it, he would ask someone else.

She then comforted the two sisters, especially the third sister. With Old Mother You gone, the third sister's plan to have a child would have to be put on hold for the time being, at least until the year of mourning was over; moreover, it created another feud.

How could Chen Siyuan stand by and watch his third sister go after Jia Qin on her own? That day, he took on the matter precisely to deal with this scoundrel.

Chen Siyuan has already found his good brother a few days ago, and he expects to receive a reply soon.

Chen Siyuan sat in the back building for a while, had lunch, and then went to the front to look for Qingwen.

When asked about the events of the past two days, Qingwen lowered her voice and said, "Master, you don't know, but two old women came to the Ningguo Mansion yesterday... Third Madam got angry and picked up her sword to kill people, which scared the two old women away."

Chen Siyuan squinted and nodded, thinking to himself that the old woman must have been sent by Jia Zhen.

Now that the Ningguo Mansion is in danger of dying out, Jia Zhen himself cannot have a son, and Jia Rong is useless. He finally got a child who is either a son or a grandson. Even if it is an illegitimate child, how could Jia Zhen not cherish it?

However, Jia Zhen was so desperate that he would try anything, and he didn't send any servants from his own home.

After secretly despising him, Chen Siyuan looked back at Zhen Fengshi.

As expected, upon meeting, Zhen Fengshi immediately began clamoring to return to Suzhou. Xiangling pleaded with her, and Zhen Fengshi finally relented, saying she would return after the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Remembering his promise to Aunt Xue, Chen Siyuan instructed Xiangling to stay with Zhen Fengshi for two more days, and then rode his horse leisurely towards Da Gezi Alley.

But after walking just one street, a whistle suddenly came from the alley entrance. Turning around, I saw it was my good brother, Xu Dabiao.

Chen Siyuan dismounted and led his horse forward, saying, "Brother, what brings you here?"

Xu Dabiao, his face flushed with alcohol, said, "I was drinking with Constable Liu just now and was about to go home to rest when I saw Young Master Chen." He paused, then added, "Yes, the matter you entrusted to me, Young Master, has now been completed."

"Oh?"

Xu Dabiao reached into his pocket and pulled out a few crumpled pieces of paper. Chen Siyuan took them and glanced at them briefly, then frowned inwardly.

Ever since Jia Qin got the job of managing the monks and Taoists, he not only embezzled their monthly allowances and lined his own pockets, but also associated with scoundrels. Every day, he would gamble and drink heavily at his home and force women into prostitution. The Shuiyue Nunnery, which was only half-closed before, has now become a veritable den of iniquity!

Among the nuns, those who refused to comply were inevitably subjected to a brutal beating. Even worse, these people secretly kidnapped girls from good families, shaved their heads, and made them nuns for the pleasure of visiting pilgrims.

If it were just the former, it wouldn't be so bad. Few of the nuns in Shuiyue Nunnery were clean; it was all a matter of mutual consent, and Chen Siyuan wouldn't bother with it. But the latter—abducting people and forcing women into prostitution—was something even Chen Siyuan couldn't stand.

No matter what, Jia Qin was a member of the Jia family, and his mother always traveled by sedan chair. How did he end up in such a state?
After reading it, Chen Siyuan put away the paper and cupped his hands, saying, "Thank you, brother. This is of great use to me. I won't say anything more, but I will definitely treat you to a good drink another day."

"This—" Xu Dabiao scratched his head and stammered, "—If I may ask, is Young Master Chen planning to deal with those bandits?"

Chen Siyuan pondered for a moment and asked, "What does my brother have to say?"

"Well... I just blurted this out to Constable Liu. I didn't expect that when Constable Liu heard the names of those bandits, he immediately slammed his fist on the table and said that two of them had murder charges against them, and he was now worried about how to arrest them."

Chen Siyuan quickly realized Xu Dabiao's intention. He suspected that this good brother had known all along that one of the thieves had a murder charge against him and was trying to curry favor with that Constable Liu, which was why he had deliberately let slip the information.

At this moment, Chen Siyuan only wanted to deal with Jia Qin, so as to give Third Sister an explanation. He didn't care about any bandits. He said, "This matter is fine, but please ask Constable Liu to wait a few more days. We must wait until Jia Qin is gone before we can make a move."

Xu Dabiao was overjoyed and said with a smile, "Of course, Officer Liu was just sending someone to keep a close watch. Without the Jia family's permission, how could Officer Liu dare to break into the temple and arrest someone?"

Chen Siyuan laughed heartily, not caring what kind of deal Xu Dabiao and Constable Liu had made, thanked Xu Dabiao, and rode his horse towards Da Gezi Alley.

After a short while, they arrived at Da Gezi Alley. Chen Siyuan and Aunt Xue had not met for more than ten days. This time, their love was like a thunderbolt, and the tender moments between them need not be described.

When the wind and rain subsided, Chen Siyuan lay on the bed with his eyes half-closed, letting Aunt Xue gently massage his back.

Suddenly, Aunt Xue sighed and said, "My sister has asked me for advice twice, but what can I do? If she hadn't said the wrong thing that day, would the old lady have given the job of managing the household to Feng'er under some pretext?"

Chen Siyuan chuckled and said, "What? Is Madam giving you a hard time?"

Aunt Xue frowned and stopped, saying, "They're not as close as before. Yesterday, she even called the Xia family's daughter over alone, and I don't know what they talked about."

Chen Siyuan gestured for him to get down, then turned over and sat up, saying, "What? Want to get close to your wife again?"

Aunt Xue said with a bitter face, "You still don't know when you'll pass the imperial examination, so now we have to rely on my older sister."

Chen Siyuan's eyes darted around, and an idea immediately came to him. He bent down, pulled his clothes up from the ground, rummaged around for a moment, and found the few pieces of paper in his sleeve. He handed them to Aunt Xue and said, "Take a look?"

Aunt Xue asked in surprise, "I don't know many characters, why are you showing me this?" Even though she said that, she still took it.

There were no obscure characters in it, but after reading it, Aunt Xue's face immediately turned pale and she exclaimed, "This Jia Qin is truly audacious!" After a pause, she asked in confusion, "What is the meaning of showing me the Jia family's affairs?"

Chen Siyuan said in a low voice, "You probably don't know, but Jia Qin got that job by begging his second sister-in-law. If you hand this to Madam, do you think she'll become closer to your sister again?"

Aunt Xue blinked, then burst into laughter, before frowning and saying, "Wait... what are your plans for preparing this?"

Chen Siyuan rested his arm on his hand and said leisurely, "Your dear sister has been looking at me with displeasure lately, and I was going to use this to ease the tension... Since you can use it, I'll naturally let you have it."

Aunt Xue, unsuspecting, immediately folded the note and smiled, saying, "You do have a conscience."

Chen Siyuan closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, secretly pleased with himself. Wasn't this killing two birds with one stone? However, this time he only lost Jia Qin's job. Chen Siyuan always did things either not at all or went all out. Why would he leave an enemy for himself for nothing?
Now he secretly began to plot against it, thinking he would have to find another way to kill this scoundrel.

At this moment, Aunt Xue sighed again, "My sister, I really don't know what to say... My family borrowed tens of thousands of taels of silver, but she didn't seem to appreciate it at all; the Xia family only borrowed ten thousand taels, and look at her, she's practically treating Xia Jingui like her own daughter!"

Chen Siyuan opened his eyes and glanced sideways, thinking, how can they be the same? No matter what, they are still sisters. Even if Madam Wang is scheming to take over the Xue family's business, she has to keep it a secret. As for Xia Jingui, she doesn't treat people well, so how could they fall into her trap?
But he couldn't say it like that, so he laughed and said, "The saying 'familiarity breeds contempt' is exactly like that."

Aunt Xue nodded repeatedly. The two exchanged a few tender moments. Aunt Xue, thinking of reconciling with Madam Wang, bid farewell to Chen Siyuan and headed to the Rongguo Mansion near Shenshi (3-5 PM).

Chen Siyuan dozed off for a while, and it was half an hour later before he leisurely returned to the Rongguo Mansion.

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Rongguo Mansion.

That day, Xia Jingui came to Madam Wang's room again. The two talked for a while, and Madam Wang trusted Xia Jingui even more, so she said some intimate words to her.

Xia Jingui listened patiently, and when she heard Madam Wang secretly criticizing Chen Siyuan, she immediately laughed and said, "Why should Madam bother with that Master Yuan? In the end, he's just a distant relative from the East Wing. Even if he has ideas, he can't get involved himself. Just look at what the First Madam and the First Master have done. If the East Wing has any ideas, I'm afraid they won't be able to get past the Old Madam."

Madam Wang thought about it and realized it made sense. She immediately smiled and said, "Yes, I was just overthinking it."

Xia Jingui added, "Furthermore, that man surnamed Chen is currently busy with other matters, so he probably doesn't have time to get involved in the affairs of the household."

"How so?" Madam Wang asked.

Xia Jingui laughed and said, "The old woman by my side overheard that Second Sister-in-law was looking for that man surnamed Chen to set up a latex workshop. But as soon as the contract was signed, that man surnamed Chen gave the contract to Xiaoxiang Pavilion. I'm afraid this matter is still being kept from Sister Bao. If Sister Bao finds out, Madam, how do you think that man surnamed Chen will handle it?"

Madam Wang said, "Bao'er is always quiet and gentle, and she is very generous..."

"Heh..." Xia Jingui covered her mouth and laughed, "Madam is probably fooled by her. She's magnanimous? I've known her since I was a child. She always tries to be the first to others in everything. When has she ever been magnanimous?" Madam Wang was skeptical. Xia Jingui continued, "However, I'm afraid that once word gets out about what Chen did, he'll gain a good reputation."

Indeed! The Jia family misappropriated the Lin family's property, while Chen Siyuan tried every means to add to Daiyu's family fortune. The difference between the two is obvious.

Lady Wang felt no remorse, believing that the misappropriation of Daiyu's property was at the behest of the old lady, and had nothing to do with her. Afterwards, the eldest master, that good-for-nothing, moved all the leftovers to the east wing, and his eating manners were truly unsightly.

Madam Wang thought again, if the master finds out about this, wouldn't he be in a very awkward position?
Thinking of this, Madam Wang's expression softened, and she finally smiled, saying, "Let's not worry about that for now... Oh, right, about the loan..."

Xia Jingui said solemnly, "The old lady is a kind-hearted person who practices vegetarianism and chants Buddhist scriptures. How could she allow anyone in the mansion to lend money? If you get solid evidence later, it would be best if you could force someone to commit murder. Then you can put it in front of the old lady and see what she has to say."

Madam Wang was somewhat reluctant, saying, "But lending money... is still a way to make a living."

Xia Jingui made up a story: "How much money is that in a year? If you trust me, Madam, just give the money to my mother to manage. Ten thousand taels of silver can yield at least three thousand taels a year. Isn't that a hundred times better than lending money?"

"As expected?" Madam Wang was delighted, yet hesitant. This was because she had instructed Feng Jie to lend money on that matter; if she were to truly pursue the matter, wouldn't she herself be implicated?

Just as she was pondering this, Yu Chuan'er suddenly came from outside and said, "Madam, the concubine has arrived."

Madam Wang quickly said, "Good girl, we can discuss this matter later."

Xia Jingui, being very tactful, rose and curtsied, saying, "Then, Madam, I'll head back now."

"Go, go, Yuchuan, see them off for me."

Yu Chuan'er agreed and led Xia Jingui out. A moment later, Tan Xin brought Aunt Xue in.

Madam Wang stood up and said calmly, "Why are you back today?"

Aunt Xue said, "If I stay at the old house and argue with Pan'er every day, I really don't know how I'll get by if I don't come back to cultivate my mind and character."

She's more than just cultivating her mind and character; right now, she's completely at peace, both physically and mentally.

Madam Wang glanced coldly at Aunt Xue, whose face was rosy and fair. Aunt Xue immediately coughed and was speechless.

Some things are better left unsaid, so Aunt Xue chatted about trivial matters for a while before taking a note from her sleeve and pushing it in front of Madam Wang.

"What is this?" Madam Wang asked in surprise as she picked it up.

Aunt Xue frowned and said, "Sister, you know that Pan'er has always hung out with those scoundrels. He is honest and has indeed made two friends. One of them heard that Shuntian Prefecture had its eye on Shuiyue Nunnery, so he got in touch with the head constable and revealed the inside story to Pan'er."

Pan'er was extremely anxious and gave me this note, urging me to come back early this morning to tell my sister.

Shuiyuean?
Madam Wang frowned in confusion. She was not very literate, but fortunately the words on the note were straightforward. After reading it, Madam Wang couldn't help but gasp.

He thought to himself, "That Jia Qin is really audacious and reckless!"
Then she was puzzled again. What did Aunt Xue mean by sending this item?
Just then, Aunt Xue said, "Pan'er mentioned that Jia Qin, who is now in charge of the monks and Taoists, seems to have gotten his current job through Feng'er's connections?"

Madam Wang suddenly realized, and while she was secretly delighted, she said angrily, "How dare you! Someone, quickly go and fetch the master! We must not let this scoundrel ruin the Jia family's reputation!"

Aunt Xue then said, "If you ask me, it's because Feng'er can't distinguish between good and bad people. Even if there's no one else available, how can we let someone like Jia Qin, who has a bad reputation, manage things?"

"Indeed!" Madam Wang added, "I was so busy earlier, I knew things weren't quite right, and I was just about to take a look when—"

Aunt Xue laughed and said, "It's clear that Feng'er is still too young and lacks thoroughness."

Madam Wang nodded repeatedly, pondering to herself whether she could win back Feng's job this time.

After a short while, Jia Zheng entered, surprised.

Without wasting any words, Madam Wang handed the note directly to Jia Zheng, saying, "Master, look! Jia Qin has done something really serious. Luckily, my sister noticed it, otherwise we would probably still be in the dark!"

Jia Zheng took the paper, sat down, glanced at it briefly, and immediately flew into a rage!
"You scoundrel! Recruiting bandits and forcing innocent women into prostitution, you'll likely end up in a murder case. How could my Jia family tolerate such degenerates?"

Madam Wang added fuel to the fire, saying, "I heard that this matter has even alarmed the Shuntian Prefecture."

Jia Zheng was immediately horrified!

He had just been promoted to educational commissioner, turning from a corrupt official to a more upright one. He was supposed to go south to gain experience and then be given another post after returning to the capital, but who knew this would happen.

Although Jia Zheng was only the second son, once this matter was exposed, there would inevitably be censors who would criticize him for not managing his household properly, and he might lose his job as the educational commissioner!

He had already promised Fu Qiufang that he would bring her along on this trip south, and now he was truly consumed by anger and anxiety!
"Good, good, good! Come on, let's invite Brother Zhen to the outer study for a chat!"

Lady Wang, puzzled, said, "Master, how can we trouble Zhen-ge'er with matters of the Rongguo Mansion?"

Jia Zheng glanced at him sideways and said coldly, "What do you know? This matter concerns the reputation of the Jia family and cannot be taken lightly!"

He immediately took the note and left.

Only Lady Wang and Aunt Xue remained inside, staring at each other blankly. Lady Wang had originally intended to go to Rongqing Hall to reprimand Feng Jie for her poor judgment in choosing people, but unexpectedly, Master Jia Zheng bypassed the old lady and went straight to find Jia Zhen.

After the two sisters discussed it for a while, neither of them knew what Jia Zheng was trying to do. Just as they were about to leave, a servant came to deliver a message: "Madam, Aunt, the master asks you two to go to Rongqing Hall quickly. He said that he will go to see the old lady with Master Zhen in a while."

Madam Wang and Aunt Xue agreed and hurried to Rongqing Hall.

When they arrived at Rongqing Hall, they found that Jia Zheng and Jia Zhen had already arrived.

After Lady Wang and Aunt Xue sat down, Jia Zheng grabbed a piece of paper and berated Jia Qin mercilessly.

At first, Grandmother Jia didn't take it seriously, only saying that she had taken away Jia Qin's job and ordered him to go home and reflect on his actions.

To everyone's surprise, Jia Zheng said, "Mother is confused. This business has already been targeted by the government. Who knows when they will break up the temple and arrest people? If that happens, the censors and officials will impeach us. Not to mention my elder brother... even I'm afraid I won't have a good time either."

"Ah?" Grandmother Jia exclaimed in panic, "Then what should we do?"

Jia Zheng glanced at Jia Zhen and said, "After discussing this with Zhen-ge'er, I will inform Brother Jing and have Jia Qin removed from the family register. We will then immediately hand him over to the authorities. The authorities will decide how to handle the matter!"

Grandmother Jia was startled and quickly said, "Master, why is it like this?"

Jia Zheng said solemnly, "If this is not the case, I'm afraid not only our Jia family, but also Your Highness will be attacked."

Grandmother Jia hurriedly nodded and said, "Alright, if that's the case, then you can't blame us for being heartless."

Having received confirmation, Jia Zheng immediately cupped his hands and said, "Then I will send someone to bring Jia Qin here right away!"

After saying this, he and Jia Zhen got up and took their leave.

At first, Madam Wang was confused by what she heard, but when she heard that it might implicate Yuan Chun, she realized what was going on. While feeling relieved, she naturally accepted Aunt Xue's favor.

She exchanged a glance with Aunt Xue, and seeing that Sister Feng remained silent with her head bowed, she said, "Who assigned Jia Qin this task? I don't remember."

Upon hearing this, Sister Feng gritted her teeth and was speechless for a moment.

How could the affairs of the household escape the watchful eyes of Grandmother Jia? Upon hearing this, she was startled and couldn't help but steal a glance at Wang Xifeng before vaguely saying, "We can talk about such matters later. The most urgent thing is to hand Jia Qin over to the authorities."

Madam Wang frowned slightly. How could she be willing to let this matter slide like this? She immediately gave Aunt Xue a look, and Aunt Xue said, "Old Madam, if I were to speak, this matter cannot be left unresolved. This is only Jia Qin; who knows if there are others around who are using the Jia family's name to bully men and women?"

Seeing that she couldn't cover it up any longer, Grandmother Jia was at a loss. Seeing that she couldn't avoid it, Sister Feng gritted her teeth, stepped forward, and said, "It's all my fault. When Sister Zhou came to me that day, she said that Brother Qin was almost eighteen and didn't have a proper job. That's why I ordered him to take care of the monks and Taoists."

Madam Wang immediately said, "Jia Qin is an idle and good-for-nothing. How dare you agree to such a thing so casually? Besides, even if you do agree, why don't you keep an eye on him afterwards?"

Sister Feng protested, "Jia Qin was in charge of the monks and Taoists, and Madam had agreed to it back then... Besides, even if I wanted to take care of them, there were so many things to do in the inner quarters, how could I possibly take care of the outside world?"

Aunt Xue shook her head and said, "It's still not thorough enough..."

Sister Feng bit her lower lip and remained silent, as did Grandmother Jia. The intentions of Lady Wang and Aunt Xue were self-evident; they were there to discuss the matter of taking over the household management.

Grandmother Jia had finally entrusted the management of the household affairs to Sister Feng, so how could she give up halfway?

He quickly changed his mind and put on a stern face, saying, "Feng girl, no matter what you say, you can't escape blame. Considering this is your first offense, I'll waive your salary for three months. If there's a next time, you can forget about managing the household. You'll have to take care of the affairs of the inner quarters first."

Lady Wang, who was below, was immediately dumbfounded. Who would have thought that the old lady would raise it high and then lower it gently? Just as she was about to say something, Grandmother Jia said, "This is a misfortune for our family. I have a terrible headache right now. You don't need to stay any longer, you can all leave!"

After saying this, he helped the head maid Amber up, sighed, and turned back to the side room.

Madam Wang abruptly stood up, about to speak, when Aunt Xue grabbed her arm and gave her several meaningful glances. Madam Wang knew it wasn't the right time to cause trouble, especially since the old lady had left a loophole, saying that if Feng'er did it again, she would be dismissed from her post…

It just so happens that she knows about Sister Feng's money lending business.

Madam Wang knew that Sister Feng was no threat; the real challenge was dealing with the old lady behind her. So she took a deep breath, nodded to Aunt Xue, and then smiled at Sister Feng, saying, "Sister Feng, you must be more careful from now on."

Sister Feng was naturally furious, and replied in a low voice, "Madam is right. I'll learn from this experience and never trust people blindly again."

Madam Wang nodded and left with Aunt Xue. Watching her two aunts' retreating figures, Sister Feng was so angry her chest heaved.

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Meanwhile, Chen Siyuan had already returned to his thatched cottage in Qingtang. Now, he had been summoned by Xiao Xichun and was currently admiring the fish at Aojingxi Pavilion.

Xia Jingui had overheard that he had transferred the workshop to Daiyu, and the three sisters of the Chun family were also aware of it.

Tan Chun teased Daiyu about this, making Daiyu blush with embarrassment. Daiyu quickly found an excuse to escape back to Xiaoxiang Pavilion. Turning around, Tan Chun praised, "Only Brother Yuan could do something like this."

Chen Siyuan waved his hand to cover up, saying, "Firstly, I really don't have the ability to do so, and my third sister knows that I want to study; secondly, I do like that book, 'Jiataipudenglu'."

Tan Chun, Ying Chun, and Xi Chun exchanged glances and covered their mouths to laugh, but they were all unwilling to believe it.

Although the Jiataipu Lamp Record is a Song Dynasty edition, it is not a famous rare copy. It might be worth a few hundred taels of silver outside, but Chen Siyuan of the workshop still has to invest a lot of money in it. Who can he hide these words from?

Just as the second young lady was about to start talking about something else, Yunxiang suddenly came running over, shouting all the way.

Once inside, they didn't hide from anyone and shouted, "Master, master, this is terrible! The master has brought a lot of servants out of the house, saying he's going to arrest Jia Qin and hold him accountable!"

Chen Siyuan was astonished. After thinking it over carefully, he suddenly realized: That's it! Jia Zheng had just been promoted to the position of educational commissioner. With Jia Qin causing such a mess, wouldn't he lose his hard-earned title of "pure official"? Jia Zheng had always considered himself a member of the pure officialdom and secretly hated that he was part of the corrupt officialdom. Given his personality, he would fight to the death with anyone who tried to ruin his chance to become a pure official.

After careful questioning, it turned out that Yunxiang didn't know much. She only told us the details of the situation at the beginning, but she knew nothing about Rongqing Hall.

The master and servant exchanged questions and answers, which made Sanchun frown deeply.

Yingchun said, "It's too early to say. Let's wait until Second Uncle comes back before we go and investigate."

Tan Chun first nodded, then frowned and shook her head repeatedly.

On the contrary, Xiao Xichun had previously been on good terms with Zhineng'er and could talk to the nuns who came and went, so she knew some of the inside story. So she sneered, "I knew Jia Qin would turn such a nice nunnery into a mess. Just wait and see, since Second Uncle is angry, this matter will not be let off lightly!"

Chen Siyuan, who had been silently pondering to the side, was now secretly overjoyed. He had thought it would kill two birds with one stone, but he hadn't expected Jia Zheng to have an unexpected surprise. This time it wasn't just killing two birds with one stone, but killing three!

(End of this chapter)