Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 291 Undercurrents
Chen Siyuan gave Hongyu a brief reminder, then turned and tossed it aside. He usually spent his days either reading or fiddling with that large, foul-smelling water vat.

Having received Chen Siyuan's guidance, Hongyu took it to heart. The next day, when she had some free time, she returned home and inquired about what Lin Zhixiao's wife had said.

Before she could finish speaking, Lin Zhixiao's wife said impatiently, "Just take good care of Master Yuan. Don't meddle in the accounting stuff."

Lin Zhixiao and his wife were originally servants of the Jia family, and had been serving the old lady for a long time. When they saw that the old lady had lost power last year, they hurriedly switched sides to Lady Wang.

The couple was now in a dilemma. To handle the matter impartially... that sounded nice, but wouldn't that offend Madam Wang terribly? Madam Wang only needed to instruct Zhou Rui to use some tricks in the storeroom to make a mistake in the accounts, and Lin Zhixiao would lose his job.

But Sister Feng was known for her shrewishness, and she was not someone to be trifled with. After much thought, Lin Zhixiao simply started to shirk his responsibilities these days. He would either fall down one day or catch a cold the next, leaving all the accounting work to the four accountants and keeping himself out of it.

Hongyu felt uneasy after hearing this, but she didn't know how to persuade them. She could only silently return to the thatched cottage and repeat her parents' words.

Chen Siyuan shook his head repeatedly after hearing this, thinking to himself that while impartial handling and staying out of it both seem to be about not helping each other, there is actually a huge difference! Needless to say, if Sister Feng and Madam Wang ever decide who is better in the future, the first people to be dealt with will be Lin Zhixiao and his wife.

On second thought, it wasn't a bad idea. These two had lost their jobs, so it was good to get them out of the manor to avoid them being implicated if the Jia family fell into trouble in the future.

The next day, Chen Siyuan went to the east courtyard early in the morning.

As Miao'er entered the room, she could see from afar that Fourth Brother was helping himself to his feet by a low table, muttering something under his breath. Madam Xing and Wang Shanbao's wife, who were beside him, both clasped their hands in admiration.

After Chen Siyuan stepped forward to greet him, the old woman from Wang Shanbao's family said, "Fourth Brother is strong and healthy. I think he'll be able to walk in a few days."

Chen Siyuan looked at his fourth brother with a very complicated feeling in his heart. He dared not show it at the moment and just casually agreed.

Madam Xing teased Fourth Brother for a while before ordering the wet nurse to take him away. She then instructed, "Just yesterday, the master sent a letter. I need to have a private discussion with Yuan-ge. You may all leave now."

All the maids and servants withdrew in response, and soon only the two of them remained inside.

Madam Xing noticed Chen Siyuan's subtle emotions. She looked smug and said, "Who would have thought that the baby who was like a kitten when he was born would now be walking and talking?"

"Yes." After all, this was the first child in two lifetimes, and Chen Siyuan felt a mix of emotions.

Madam Xing's eyes darted around, and she said again, "I, as the mother, am not very capable, but as the father, you must put in some effort to ensure our child's future."

Chen Siyuan gave a vague reply, then suddenly realized something was amiss and frowned at Madam Xing, saying, "You don't mean to let Fourth Brother inherit the title, do you?"

Madam Xing immediately pursed her lips and said, "If Lian'er can inherit the title, why can't my son?"

"Nonsense!"

Madam Xing became unreasonable, saying, "What nonsense is this? Even when Feng'er is keeping him in check, Lian'er hasn't stopped being mischievous. If Feng'er can't keep him in check one day, just wait and see what happens to Lian'er."
My fourth brother is at his worst... surely he can't be even worse than him?

Chen Siyuan thought to himself that if he didn't make things clear, Madam Xing might not give up on this idea. So he said, "What do you think inheriting a title is? The old Duke chose the wrong side, so the eldest master only inherited the title of First-Class General, and the next generation will only be a Third-Class General."

"So what if he's a third-class general? Isn't Zhen-ge'er from the East Mansion also a third-class general? At least he can live a life free from worries about food and clothing."

Chen Siyuan shook his head and said, "If the eldest master were well-behaved, it would be fine, but he... but he also follows Jia Zhen and has close ties with the Crown Prince. Just take the business in Ping'an Prefecture, I'm afraid the majority of it has gone to the Crown Prince. Now that the Emperor Emeritus is still alive, the current Emperor will naturally turn a blind eye. But once the Emperor Emeritus is gone, do you think the current Emperor will find a reason to punish the Ning and Rong mansions?"

Madam Xing blinked, frowned, and said, "The eldest daughter is now an empress. Shouldn't we at least show some respect for her?"

Chen Siyuan sneered, "Don't forget that there are no fathers and sons in the imperial family, let alone a concubine?"

Madam Xing disagreed, saying, "If you say that, then wouldn't my fourth brother and I be waiting to be punished along with the master in the future?"

"Hmm?" As the saying goes, the speaker may not mean anything by it, but the listener may take it to heart. Chen Siyuan immediately began to ponder.

Although Jia She was convicted in the common version of the book, his family was not implicated and Madam Xing was unharmed, who can guarantee that the common version corresponds to this world?
Furthermore, even if the common version is exactly what this world is like, because of his own actions, Jia She might commit even more heinous crimes than those in the original text. What if his family is implicated?

No matter what, Madam Xing was still his woman, and Fourth Brother was his own son. How could he stand by and watch the mother and son become slaves?

Seeing that he was deep in thought and silent for a long time, and his expression kept changing, Madam Xing was immediately alarmed and became serious, saying, "Could it be that my daughter and I will also be involved in a lawsuit?"

Chen Siyuan snapped out of his daze, stared at Madam Xing, and slowly shook his head, saying, "It's hard to say right now. Let me think it over carefully before I explain it to you."

Madam Xing shuddered at the thought of herself and her fourth son being enslaved and exiled thousands of miles away. She pleaded with him, "Little...brother, my son and I are counting on you."

A true man knows what to do and what not to do. Chen Siyuan nodded solemnly and said, "Don't worry, I will protect you and your daughter."

After comforting Madam Xing, Chen Siyuan remembered his purpose and said, "My second sister-in-law came to see me yesterday, hoping to ask for your help."

Madam Xing raised an eyebrow and said, "She's asking me for help? What a big mouth! Why would I help someone who doesn't benefit from it?"

Chen Siyuan comforted her, saying, "The second wife is ambitious. If she really takes back the management of the household, she might turn around and try to get a title for Baoyu. Helping her now is helping yourself, so why act impulsively?"

Madam Xing snorted and remained silent, so Chen Siyuan said again, "Besides, if you don't speak up, you're helping her. Given her personality, she might offer you something in return in the future."

Madam Xing then considered the matter and said, "Very well, I'm only thinking of the people around me. Otherwise, even if she knelt down and begged me to my face, I wouldn't bother to reply."

Seeing that the matter was settled, Chen Siyuan did not linger. After a brief moment of tenderness with Madam Xing, he hurriedly took his leave.

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

Several days have passed in the blink of an eye, and with the refreshing autumn breeze, it is already late July.

That day, Chen Siyuan ignored the stench and stared blankly at the piglets that Qingyu had brought.

The wound on the pig's back had already festered, and the pig looked like it was barely breathing, as if it would die at any moment.

After a moment, Chen Siyuan scratched his head and said, "Perhaps it's because the dosage was too small?"

Qingyu protested, "No, I almost poured all the filtered water into this piglet. At least this one is still breathing, but the others are all dead... It's such a pity."

Chen Siyuan looked up at the sky, then shook his head and said, "No, if it doesn't work, how did I get better?"

Xiangling, unable to bear it any longer, leaned closer and said, "Grandpa, don't forget, besides that green-haired water..."

"It's penicillin."

"Yes, yes, yes, apart from penicillin, the old man has been taking the herbal medicine prescribed by Doctor Wang."

Chen Siyuan blinked, already nine-tenths convinced, with only one stubborn streak remaining. Unfortunately, he had never studied medicine or biology in his previous life, and now he had almost completely forgotten his junior and senior high school science knowledge. He only vaguely remembered that penicillin was a biological substance and couldn't be boiled in water.

But without boiling water, how long will it take to dry a basin of water? And we also have to make sure that no other impurities are mixed in.

That would have been fine, but Chen Siyuan had repeatedly boiled a vat of penicillin to get a pinch of penicillin, barely bigger than the eye of a needle. Its purity and impurities were unknown, and it was still unclear whether it was effective or not... Tsk, this was not something he could do, so it seemed he had no choice but to give up.

Upon realizing this, Chen Siyuan immediately lost interest, waved his hand and said, "Forget it, let's bury this pig." He looked up at the water vat and added, "Let's throw the water vat away too."

Yunxiang, who had been watching the commotion from a distance while covering her mouth and nose, was overjoyed and exclaimed, "Finally, it's going to be gone! It's been stinking these past few days! Yesterday, Jia Hui even laughed at me, saying I fell into a latrine... ugh..."

Seeing Chen Siyuan glance over with an unfriendly expression, the little maid Yunxiang immediately shrank back like a quail and fell silent.

Chen Siyuan was in a bad mood and had no interest in reading. He wandered out of the courtyard in a daze and wandered around aimlessly until he arrived at Tubi Villa.

Standing on the railing, gazing into the distance, Chen Siyuan felt that everything had been going wrong lately. Leaving aside the penicillin, just the rise and fall of the Rongguo Mansion was something Chen Siyuan was confident he was now even more concerned about than Grandmother Jia… Where could he find any reason to complain?

After pondering for several days, Chen Siyuan had a slight idea. That lord Jia She had once again gone to Daming Prefecture to "slay the poor devil," practically running headlong down the path of self-destruction, unstoppable. Even if his actions in Ping'an Prefecture were covered up and ties with the Crown Prince severed, who knew if this man would commit another heinous act in the future?
If we want to eliminate future troubles, we must eradicate them completely! If Master Jia She were to suddenly die, wouldn't that solve the problem once and for all? I doubt that even if His Majesty is petty, he would bother with a dead man.
As for how to kill Jia She, that would have to wait for an opportunity... Chen Siyuan had just breathed a sigh of relief when he suddenly heard a sweet voice behind him: "Are you bored with reading?"

Chen Siyuan turned his head and saw Sister Bao walking gracefully towards him.

Chen Siyuan shook his head and laughed, "Don't mention it, my penicillin... seems to have failed."

Baochai immediately covered her mouth and laughed, saying, "Stop talking! I was going to look for you these past few days, but the thought of that stinking water vat in your courtyard makes me unable to move... Not to mention me, haven't you seen that Xichun hasn't gone to look for you these past few days?"

Not only the girls, but Chen Siyuan himself had to light incense in his room to mask the stench. All his efforts were in vain, and Chen Siyuan sighed in frustration.

Baochai then comforted her, saying, "Just focus on your studies now, and don't worry about anything else."

Chen Siyuan nodded, no longer thinking about penicillin and Jia She, and simply asked, "Where did you come from, sister?"

Baochai said, "It comes from Mother." She paused, then lowered her voice and said, "I just received the news. This time, the old lady has really gone all out."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Chen Siyuan asked hurriedly.

Baochai said in a low voice, "Qian Hua, the purchasing agent, was dismissed yesterday because of a mistake made by Feng Yatou. I don't know what Feng Yatou said, but the old lady agreed to let Zhao'er reinstate Qian Hua as the purchasing agent."

Chen Siyuan pondered, "Zhao'er is only in her early twenties, isn't she?"

"That's right? It's not over yet... The old lady also said that two of the accountants in the accounting office are too old to handle the workload, so she transferred two accountants from the estate."

Needless to say, even if the two new accountants aren't Feng Jie'er's people, they're still the old lady's people. Now that Lin Zhixiao has become a hands-off manager again, isn't he bound to clash with Madam Wang's two accountants?
Chen Siyuan immediately smiled and said, "The old lady gave her a sweet date, and now Second Sister-in-law has the confidence to fight with Madam this time."

Baochai nodded calmly, clearly appearing detached and observing from the sidelines.

Just as they were about to steal a moment of intimacy, Hongyu suddenly called out from afar.

Chen Siyuan glanced back, then turned to see Baochai covering her mouth and laughing, saying, "She probably has something to do. I'll head back first. You should go quickly."

Chen Siyuan agreed and watched Baochai gracefully depart before descending the steps. He met Hongyu at the side of the villa where he was visiting his family. Hongyu said, "Sister Ping'er came by earlier and said that everything in the workshop is ready. Second Mistress consulted a fortune teller about the auspicious date, and it turns out that tomorrow is a lucky day. Second Mistress asked if you, Master, would like to go and take a look tomorrow?"

Although the workshop's shares had been handed over to Daiyu, Chen Siyuan still wanted to offer suggestions, and since the workshop had just opened, he naturally had to go. He immediately said, "Tell my second sister-in-law for me that I'll definitely be there tomorrow." He paused, then asked, "By the way, what did Lin Daiyu say?"

Hongyu laughed and said, "I'm not a mind reader like Miss Lin, how would I know? You might as well ask Xiangling later, sir."

Chen Siyuan thought about it and agreed, so he sent Hongyu ahead to report back.

Watching Hongyu leave and seeing that her legs had improved, Chen Siyuan turned around to look, only to find that Baochai had already disappeared. He could only return to Qingtang Thatched Cottage with a sense of loss.

As luck would have it, he had just returned, and Xiangling returned to Qingtang Thatched Cottage with a smile.

Chen Siyuan couldn't help but ask, "Would you like to go see Lin Daiyu tomorrow?"

Xiangling smiled and said, "Miss Lin initially said she didn't really want to go, but she couldn't resist the persuasion of Granny Wang, Xueyan, and Zijuan, so she changed her mind... She'll be going to Rongqing Hall to talk to the old lady later."

Upon hearing this, Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "I imagine the old lady would have no reason to refuse."

A year has passed since the marriage agreement was finalized, and even if Grandmother Jia harbored immense resentment, it should have dissipated by now. Even if it wasn't for Daiyu's sake, but simply to curry favor with herself, Grandmother Jia would certainly have agreed to it.

Just as he was pondering this, a young maid named Yunxiang called out "Master" repeatedly and then rushed in.

Before Wu'er could give any instructions, Yunxiang said, "Master, Granny Xu from the back gate sent word that a friend wants to see you, and the carriage is currently parked near the back gate."

"Oh?"

Chen Siyuan dared not be negligent, assuming that a friend from the Imperial Academy had come to find him, so he quickly changed his clothes and went to the back.

As soon as he exited the back gate of the Rongguo Mansion, he saw a green carriage parked not far away. The curtain was lifted, and a man inside was fanning himself with a folding fan. Upon seeing Chen Siyuan, he hurriedly smiled and waved, saying, "Shuliang, come quickly!" Chen Siyuan was taken aback. The man was burly; who else could it be but Xue Pan? Why was Xue Pan looking for him?

Curious, Chen Siyuan smiled and stepped forward. The driver brought a footstool, and Chen Siyuan stepped onto it, lifted the curtain, and entered the carriage. He saw Xue Pan sitting casually, his upper garment half-open, revealing a small patch of chest hair. He was constantly waving a folding fan in his hand, and said with a smile, "I wanted to come and see Brother Yuan early this morning, but Mother has been watching me closely these past few days, and I only had time today."

Before Chen Siyuan could reply, he instructed the driver, "Go, go, go! If we're late, we might not see you again."

Chen Siyuan greeted him with a cupped hand, and asked with a smile, "Brother Wenlong, what brings you here to see me today..."

Xue Pan squinted and sneered, "But I have a good show to show you, Brother Yuan."

"Oh? Why didn't the treasure-hunting brothers come along?"

"Him? Forget about it," Xue Pan said angrily. "He was flirting with Jiang Yuhan, and when he got beaten by his uncle, he blamed it on me... Damn it, what did I do to deserve this? Fine, fine, I can't afford to mess with this one who was born with a jade in his mouth. I'll just avoid him from now on."

What Xue Pan was referring to was the previous incident where Baoyu was beaten, and Mingyan stirred up trouble, insisting that it was Xue Pan who spread the rumors.

Xue Pan was a man who didn't discriminate between meat and vegetables. Earlier, he had been jealous of Bao Yu because of two young girls, Xiang Lian and Yu Ai, who were in the private school. The last time, he asked Bao Yu to come out and play, but Bao Yu and Jiang Yu Han took a liking to each other, leaving him aside. After hearing what Aunt Xue said, he was naturally furious.

Therefore, he no longer had any interest in seeking out precious jade and indulging in pleasure.

Chen Siyuan laughed heartily upon hearing this, and then inquired about the situation these past few days. Xue Pan's face immediately turned miserable. Seeing that there was still no progress, Aunt Xue assumed that the two maids, He Xin and Sui Jin, were useless, and that she had found a strong and healthy girl last month.

Xue Pan took pills every day and tried his best, but nothing seemed to work. At the beginning of this month, he suddenly felt dizzy when he got up early, and Aunt Xue hurriedly called a doctor to treat him.

The doctor said that Xue Pan's kidney essence was severely depleted, which frightened Aunt Xue so much that she stopped, allowing Xue Pan to have some peace and quiet for a while.

After about twenty days, Xue Pan had a good rest and indulged in feasting every day, which helped him recover his strength.

Chen Siyuan was also puzzled. Xue Pan was supposed to be strong and healthy, so he shouldn't have any problems with having children. Why was there no sign of pregnancy?

Xue Pan, however, did not want to talk much, and instead spoke to Chen Siyuan about romance and nature.

The carriage rumbled along, heading west. Having already passed the imperial city, Chen Siyuan, unable to contain his impatience, asked, "Brother Wenlong, where are we going?"

"Outside the city... Brother Yuan, please allow me to keep you in suspense for now. I guarantee you'll see a good show when the time comes."

Chen Siyuan thought to himself, what important business could Xue the fool have? Maybe he saw something interesting somewhere and couldn't find anyone to go with, so he asked me to go see it together?

So Chen Siyuan stopped asking questions and told some interesting stories, which aroused Xue Pan's great interest in talking.

As noon approached, they left the city gate. Xue Pan sent the driver to buy some baked buns. Chen Siyuan wasn't too particular and ate two buns with relish to satisfy his hunger.

The carriage finally stopped a little past noon. Chen Siyuan glanced at it and saw that it was a temple, which surprised him greatly.

Xue Pan grabbed Chen Siyuan and pulled him away, saying, "Hurry up, hurry up, or we'll miss the show!"

A short while later, the two arrived at the mountain gate. The nun guarding the gate caught sight of Xue Pan, immediately frowned, and put her palms together, saying, "Amitabha, why are you here again, benefactor?"

Xue Pan said, "Stop talking nonsense, I'll donate a thousand catties of sesame oil!"

The nun was immediately moved and stepped aside, saying, "Excellent, excellent, please come, benefactor."

"Let's go!"

Xue Pan urged him repeatedly, so Chen Siyuan had no choice but to follow him quickly into the inner sanctuary. This Muni Temple had only three courtyards, and although it was a famous nunnery, it had never been very popular. It was only because it housed a fragmented palm-leaf scripture that it became known.

After a short while, the two entered a large hall. Xue Pan gestured for Chen Siyuan to remain silent and led him to hide behind a curtain.

After a while, Chen Siyuan's legs started to ache from standing, and he was getting impatient when he suddenly heard Xue Pan call out in a low voice, "They're here!"

Chen Siyuan forced himself to look up and saw a graceful figure move gracefully into the room. Upon closer inspection, wasn't this Miaoyu?

Chen Siyuan was suspicious. He glanced at Xue Pan and wondered if this guy had taken a fancy to Miaoyu.
But then Xue Pan lowered his voice and said, "Brother Yuan, please wait a moment. The best is yet to come."

Chen Siyuan had no choice but to patiently observe. Then he saw Miaoyu enter the room, and an old nun brought out a brocade box. Inside, there was a Buddhist scripture made of palm leaves.

Miaoyu clasped her hands together and bowed devoutly before personally grinding the ink and preparing to copy the text.

Just then, footsteps approached from outside, and suddenly a tall figure entered. He stopped at the doorway, glanced around, then coughed lightly and said, "Miss Miaoyu, I'm glad I didn't disappoint you!"

Miaoyu quickly stood up and exclaimed with delight, "You really found it?"

At this moment, the person entered the room, and Chen Siyuan finally saw clearly that it was none other than Liu Xianglian!
Then Liu Xianglian stepped forward with a smile and presented a bundle: "After asking around with many friends, I finally found this. Miss, please take a look and see if this is suitable for you?"

Miaoyu nodded in agreement, opened the bundle, and took out the strung palm-leaf papers from inside. She immediately exclaimed with delight, "These really are palm-leaf papers. It's so kind of you to find them."

Liu Xianglian looked at Miaoyu with a smile and said, "Since you have something to ask for, I will go through fire and water for you."

Miaoyu's pretty face immediately turned red, and she couldn't help but turn her head away.

After a short while, he said, "I have nothing of value on me, and I don't know how much money this item cost?"

Liu Xianglian said, "Miss, you are being too polite. Money is just an external thing... If you are going to copy the scriptures on palm leaves, you should use palm leaves. In that case, I will not bother you any longer and will take my leave."

After saying this, Liu Xianglian turned around, picked up his sword, and was about to leave. Miaoyu turned her head to look at him, bit her lip, and waited until he reached the door before saying, "Wait."

Liu Xianglian stopped and turned to look. Miaoyu then took a cup from the vicinity of the prayer mat and gracefully offered it to him, saying, "Please have a cup of tea."

Liu Xianglian smiled and said, "I was really thirsty, and you've come to my rescue, young lady."

He immediately accepted the teacup with both hands, raised his head, and drank it all in one gulp. After handing the teacup back, Miaoyu took a step back and said, "It would be too much trouble for you, young master, so I will use this cup to thank you for your hard work."

Liu Xianglian frowned deeply, and Miaoyu suddenly blushed and said, "This cup... is also something I often use for drinking tea—"

Liu Xianglian was overjoyed and carefully tucked the cup into his bosom. Just as he was about to step forward, Miaoyu took a step back. Liu Xianglian immediately stopped, cupped his hands, and said, "Alright, then I'll take my leave... See you another day."

Miaoyu then returned the greeting with her hands clasped together.

Only after watching Liu Xianglian walk away into the distance did Miaoyu smile and turn back to copy the palm-leaf scripture.

Chen Siyuan watched with lingering interest, wondering to himself how these two had gotten along so well. This Miaoyu, who prided herself on her purity, was about to fall into Liu Xianglian's trap.

Xue Pan, who was standing next to Chen Siyuan, covered his mouth to suppress a laugh and secretly tugged at Chen Siyuan's sleeve. The two of them then quietly left the main hall from the back.

Once back in the carriage, Xue Pan finally smiled and asked, "How was it? Was the show entertaining?"

Chen Siyuan asked, "Brother Wenlong, how did you know these two would meet today?"

"Ha, Liu Erlang got that palm-leaf paper from me. How do you think I knew that?"

Chen Siyuan pondered, "Could it be that Brother Wenlong's actions are for—" for Miaoyu?
To everyone's surprise, Xue Pan readily agreed, saying, "That's right, it's for that Liu Erlang."

Chen Siyuan was speechless for a while. He remembered that in the original story, this guy had drunkenly and immorally harassed Liu Xianglian, which was why he was beaten up... Well, that makes sense.
Xue Pan complained, "Brother, you don't know my suffering. I'm stuck in this old house every day, like a stud in the Imperial Stud's horse farm. I'm tired of eating all that rich food, and I need to change things up."

Looking at the simple-minded and foolish boy, Chen Siyuan couldn't help but advise, "Well... Brother Wenlong, you should—"

Before he could finish speaking, Xue Pan interrupted, "I know, I know. I've always disdained such things as bullying men and women. Hey, let me tell you the truth: do you think that Liu Erlang is a good person? His family business has long since fallen into ruin. All these years, he's been supported by the girls in the brothel and the widows outside, and that's how he's survived to this day."

I don't know why this guy set his sights on that nun. I interfered and ruined his plans; consider it an act of kindness!

Chen Siyuan questioned Xue Pan in detail, and Xue Pan talked on and on for a long time, making Chen Siyuan frown.

When Liu Xianglian's family business fell into ruin, he was left with no means of support when he was fourteen or fifteen. He was then adopted by a widow as her godson, but in reality, she kept him by her side as her male concubine.

After the affair was exposed, the widow's husband's family came to their door. Liu Xianglian, relying on his skills, climbed over the wall and escaped. The widow was then beaten to death by her husband's family.

Fearing retaliation, Liu Xianglian dared not return home for a time. By chance, he was taken in by a young lady from Jinxiang Courtyard. It was through this dissolute life among brothels that Liu Xianglian managed to survive until this day.

Chen Siyuan thought to himself, this man's behavior is exactly like that of a member of the Yan family, a professional gigolo!

The carriage rumbled along, heading back to the capital. Xue Pan was speaking animatedly when he suddenly caught sight of a horse-riding figure ahead, and his spirits immediately lifted.

"Isn't that Liu Erlang?"

Chen Siyuan then advised, "Well... Brother Wenlong, this man travels with a sword and often does chivalrous deeds. If you rashly provoke him, especially since this place is in the middle of nowhere... I'm afraid it wouldn't be wise."

Xue Pan was itching to go, rubbing the hairs on his chest. After hearing this, he nodded and said, "Alright, just bear with it for now. I'll bring some men to his door tomorrow and see what he has to say!"

Chen Siyuan thought to himself that there was no point in saying anything more now. He might as well go back and find Aunt Xue and ask her to keep a close eye on this big idiot so that he wouldn't get a beating.

The carriage curtain was lowered, and the carriage traveled all the way back to the capital. Xue Pan then invited Chen Siyuan to Jinxiang Courtyard for some fun. Chen Siyuan had no interest in visiting brothels. He immediately made an excuse that he had other matters to attend to, and was then sent back to Rongguo Mansion.

As they parted, Xue Pan solemnly instructed him, "Brother Yuan, regarding today's matter—"

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Don't worry, it will never be told to anyone."

Xue Pan then smiled and took his leave.

Chen Siyuan entered the Grand View Garden through the back gate. He had just come down from the Convex Jade Villa when Xiren hurried over from afar. She was startled when she saw Chen Siyuan, then quickly stepped forward and frowned, saying, "Master Yuan, something terrible has happened at the manor!"

"Oh?"

Xi Ren said, "They say that Daming Prefecture suddenly fell into chaos, and now the master is trapped in Daming Prefecture... his life or death is unknown. The old lady is anxious and is currently discussing matters in Rongqing Hall. Earlier, Amber came to look for Master Yuan."

Is Daming Prefecture in chaos? Just yesterday, the official gazette reported that Daming Prefecture had opened its granaries and distributed grain, effectively providing disaster relief. How come it's in chaos today?

Chen Siyuan bid farewell to Xiren and continued walking, where he indeed bumped into Yuanyang, who had come looking for him. Without another word, Chen Siyuan followed Yuanyang quickly toward Rongqing Hall.

Upon entering the room, a somber atmosphere filled the air. Grandmother Jia and Jia Zheng both frowned and sighed. Lady Wang remained silent, seemingly oblivious to her surroundings. Aunt Xue and Sister Bao were whispering to each other. Lady Xing, frantic as a headless fly, kept saying, "I think we should send someone south to gather some information. If anything happens to the master, what will I do?"

Grandmother Jia, leaning on her cane, said, "Silence! It's just trouble in Daming Prefecture. We don't even know how things are in the prefectural city yet. What are you making such a fuss about?"

At this moment, Yuanyang entered and said, "Grandma, Master Yuan has arrived."

Grandmother Jia hurriedly said, "Yuan-ge'er, come quickly! Do you know about the turmoil in Daming Prefecture?"

Chen Siyuan cupped his hands and said, "This... this junior truly does not know, how did you learn of this news?"

Then Aunt Xue said, "Yuan-ge, you don't know, but today a shopkeeper came from the south and said that the Maitreya Sect bandits have gathered and risen up. In one day, they took Hua County and gathered 20,000 to 30,000 rioters. They are heading straight for Daming Prefecture... If things don't go well, won't the master be killed by the bandits?"

You're asking for death!
The Grand Canal passes through Daming Prefecture, which is now suffering from famine. The imperial court has set up numerous granaries in the area; if it weren't for the corrupt officials and their collusion, how could a civil uprising have broken out?

(End of this chapter)