Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 298 Tail Docking
Feng Jie quietly led Ping'er inside. Inside, the master Jia She was spitting as he spoke, and Feng Jie didn't want to greet him, so she quietly went to the old lady's side.

Lady Wang was not good with words, and Jia She's few words of rebuttal left her speechless. She could only keep glancing at Jia Zheng. Unexpectedly, Jia Zheng was a pedantic and upright man, and he actually felt that what the master said made sense, so he simply remained silent.

At first, Grandmother Jia was quite distressed, but when she caught sight of Sister Feng arriving, her mind changed, and she secretly thought that this was just right. Coincidentally, Lady Wang had falsely accused Sister Feng of taking back her position as head of the household. Besides, the old lady didn't rely on such a small monthly allowance to live on. Now that she was enjoying her retirement, the matter of the household being short of money was something Lady Wang, as the head of the household, would take care of. Why should Grandmother Jia worry about it?

After listening for a while, Grandmother Jia repeatedly slammed her cane on the ground, frowned and scolded, "This disaster relief and porridge distribution was originally a good thing, but who knew that a good thing would turn into a bad thing! I am getting old now and can't control you anymore. You can discuss and make your own decisions about how this family will be in the future."

After saying this, he stood up and let his head maids Yuanyang and Hu Po help him back to his bedroom.

With the decision-maker gone, aside from the indifferent onlookers Feng Jie and Jia Zheng, Jia She felt there was no point in arguing with Lady Wang, a woman, so he simply turned and left.

Jia Zheng and Lady Wang had long maintained a distant and cold relationship. At this moment, Jia Zheng felt annoyed and simply left the mansion to find the young and sensible Fu Qiufang.

Madam Wang felt a chill in her heart. As she got up, she glanced coldly at Sister Feng and saw the uncontrollable smile on her face. She became even more annoyed. When she reached the door, she turned around and glanced at Sister Feng again before quickly returning to her own courtyard.

Putting aside others, Sister Feng led Ping'er back to her own courtyard, and couldn't help but giggle as soon as she entered.

Ping'er pursed her lips, not knowing what to say, but she was still concerned about the public funds. So she said, "Madam, please shut up. If someone hears this, it might end up in Madam's ears."

Sister Feng sat down on the kang with her feet up, and said with a sneer, "She stopped treating me as her niece a long time ago, so why should I respect her? Brother Yuan was absolutely right. Fortune and misfortune are intertwined. If I were still in charge of the household now, I don't know how much trouble I would be in."

Remembering Chen Siyuan's suggestion that she relinquish her stewardship, Fengjie found it increasingly reasonable. Moreover, thanks to Jia Zhen's connections, the military order was almost secured, and Fengjie couldn't wait to visit the workshop every day.

Furthermore, the difference between "manager" and "steward" is only one word, but the implications are vast. Sister Feng is like someone accustomed to rich, meaty meals; how could she possibly be willing to go back to a vegetarian diet?
But Feng Jie was somewhat reluctant to completely abandon her duties. After thinking it over, Feng Jie had an idea and instructed Ping'er, "What has Lai Da's wife been busy with these past few days?"

Ping'er said, "It's just managing the miscellaneous affairs of the inner quarters."

Sister Feng then said, "Go find her tomorrow and tell her I have something to say to her."

After more than a month of scheming with Madam Wang, Sister Feng had a thorough understanding of the ins and outs of the Rongguo Mansion. Although the Lai family had fallen out of favor due to the Lai Shangrong case, the steward's office was still the steward's office, and all personnel matters in the mansion had to be handled by the steward's office.

Feng Jie'er only had four households of servants, unlike Lady Wang who had deep roots and influence. Her only hope was to win over the old servants of the Jia family. At this moment, finding Lai Da's wife was just a formality; it was expected that some clever people would gravitate towards Feng Jie'er later.

Although Madam Wang has regained her position as head of the household, the management office is still in the hands of the old lady, and she can also try to secure a purchasing office. It remains to be seen who will ultimately be in charge of the household in the future!
............................................................

East Cross Courtyard.

Master Jia She returned in a huff, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the old lady had resigned, and his brother Jia Zheng was an upright man; otherwise, they would have had no way to deny the 30,000 taels deficit.

However, Jia She had other plans in mind. If the old lady was "unfair in her dealings," he would ask her why the public funds had to be used to cover Jia Zheng's deficit last time. His master had gone to great lengths to travel south for the sake of the public funds, so even if he hadn't made any great contributions, he must have put in the effort. He couldn't be made to bear the consequences alone if something went wrong.

Leaving aside how to replenish the public funds, what truly pained Jia She was that all of his own money had been poured into it.

The east wing is a separate entity, and Jia She has to pay half of its expenses himself. Now that the summer grain and even his personal savings have been lost, the New Year's tribute will not be available until at least the twelfth lunar month. How will they survive for the next few months?

As soon as they entered the main room, Madam Xing, who was afraid of being scolded, hurriedly asked, "Master, how is it?"

Jia She became even more self-righteous and said, "What else can I do? I can't possibly take on all the public affairs myself, can I?"

Madam Xing breathed a sigh of relief. She smiled and said, "It's really Feng'er's good luck. She was just taken away from managing the household by the second branch of the family, and then she escaped a disaster."

Jia She, unaware of the full story, was taken aback upon hearing this and hurriedly inquired about the details. After Madam Xing muttered something under her breath, Jia She said, "What can Feng'er do? Even without that incident, she would have to step down and give way to a more capable person by now."

Madam Xing said worriedly, "This... the master is the head of the household, so the management of the household... can't always be left to the second branch, can it?"

Jia She grunted and remained silent. At this moment, he was only glad that he wasn't in charge of the household; otherwise, he would probably have had to sell off assets to get through the crisis.

Even if they sell off their properties, it's just a temporary fix. They might be able to get by this year, but what about next year? Don't forget that the Rongguo Mansion is already struggling to make ends meet, and it's likely that things will get even more difficult in the years to come.

Jia She did not answer Madam Xing's question. He frowned for a long time before asking, "How much personal wealth do you still have?"

Madam Xing might be vague about other matters, but when it comes to money, she immediately becomes shrewd. When Jia She asked her question, she immediately sensed something was wrong and quickly protested, "What private savings? When Third Sister got married, she emptied my private savings account. Now I rely entirely on that little bit of monthly allowance."

Jia She said, "Isn't there still the Hundred Herbs Hall that has potential?"

"That's just a few taels of silver. Every month my brother comes to beg for money. It's at least a few dozen taels, sometimes over a hundred. I only have a few hundred taels of silver left for my own personal use."

Just then, an old woman outside called out, "Master, that Lord Sun is here again!"

Jia She was taken aback and asked, "What Lord Sun?" He then realized that the old woman was referring to Sun Shaozu.

Jia She was immediately in a headache. He had squeezed five thousand taels of silver out of Sun Shaozu, but he had been dragging his feet on the task and hadn't done it for Sun Shaozu. No wonder Sun Shaozu was going to come to his door to collect the money.
Where would Jia She get the ability to run errands for others? He only had the idea of ​​asking Prince Bei Jing to pull some strings in the future to at least give Sun Shaozu a job.

He immediately said in annoyance, "Just tell them I'm ill from the long journey and can't see guests today."

The old woman acknowledged and withdrew.

Jia She was deeply troubled, pinching his brow and muttering, "What are we going to do? We'll have to keep going until the end of the year." He paused, then suddenly looked at Madam Xing and said, "That's right, Yuan-ge'er has quite a bit of money on hand!"

The thief certainly had money, but it was meant for Fourth Brother, not for Jia She to use. Madam Xing immediately covered up, saying, "Where did he get the money? He finally managed to save up a little, and then Feng'er persuaded him to work in the workshop. He even gave her a reward a couple of days ago, and I had to send her fifty taels."

That's pure nonsense; how could the lord possibly believe it?
He gave Madam Xing a cold glance, and Madam Xing immediately stopped talking awkwardly.

“I know you’re protecting Yuan’er, but we really have no other choice right now. Once this is over, we can pay him back when we have the money. It’s not like we’re not going to give it to him.”

Madam Xing snorted and remained silent, thinking to herself, "Who doesn't know you're a greedy person? Once the money's in your hands, you think you can get it back? Nobody believes that!"

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

Mrs. Wang’s courtyard.

Madam Wang turned back with a stern face, and as soon as she entered, she slumped onto the kang (a heated brick bed) in great annoyance. Even a clever housewife can't cook without rice, let alone Madam Wang, who had never been a clever housewife.
That's thirty thousand taels of silver! Where would Madam Wang get that from? Unless she sells off all her dowry!

But the old lady never sold her dowry, so why would she use her own money?

After much deliberation, he still couldn't make up his mind, so he sent Yuchuan to find Xia Jingui. Before leaving, he thought about it again and ordered Yuchuan to call Baochai.

A short while later, Xia Jingui and Baochai arrived together.

Seeing that Madam Wang's brows were furrowed, he quickly stepped forward to inquire.

Madam Wang belatedly realized that summoning these two men was probably not a good idea. As the saying goes, family scandals should not be aired in public, especially since these two were juniors.
Madam Wang then asked, "When will your mother return?"

Baojie said, "Auntie, my mother is still taking care of my brother at the old house, and it's hard to say when she will return."

Madam Wang said, "I've encountered a difficult matter and am about to discuss it with your mother. When you have time, send someone to the old house to ask your mother to come back."

Baochai agreed, and seeing that there was nothing else to do, she took her leave.

Only Xia Jingui and Madam Wang remained inside. After exchanging a few casual words, Xia Jingui, with her extensive network of informants, could easily guess that something serious must have happened at Rongqing Hall.

She didn't care about the important matters of the Rongguo Mansion; she was only focused on Miaoyu right now.

So he casually said, "Madam is truly a compassionate person. If there were any nuns in the nunnery outside who dared to have an improper relationship with a man, I'm afraid the abbess would have kicked them out. But Madam not only kept her, but also sent the imperial physician to take care of her."

Madam Wang immediately had a sudden realization: if the manor has no money, Miaoyu does!

Madam Wang then said, "These past two days have been filled with one thing after another. I haven't been able to ask about Miaoyu today."

Xia Jingui smiled and said, "It's fortunate that Madam sent the imperial physician. I saw that the little maid of Longcui Nunnery was very happy, so she must be much better now."

"Completely healed?" Madam Wang was astonished, wondering if Physician Hu had failed to understand her thoughts this time.
Even if Madam Wang wanted to borrow money from the Xia family, she couldn't directly ask Xia Jingui. She was immediately puzzled, and after a few brief words, she dismissed Xia Jingui.

He then turned around and had his maid bring Zhou Rui's wife to him.

Lady Wang asked, "How come I heard that Miaoyu is now fully recovered?"

After hesitating several times, Zhou Rui's wife said, "Madam, that Miaoyu is just impossible to tame. Fortunately, you kindly sent Physician Hu to treat her, but when the medicine was delivered, Miaoyu wouldn't touch a drop. Then you sent a maid to beg Master Yuan, who found a basket of garlic and spent half a day preparing it. I don't know how, but today she's completely recovered!"

"Yuan-ge'er?" Madam Wang was immediately annoyed. However, she had no mind to deal with Chen Siyuan at the moment, and was only focused on swallowing Miaoyu's property to make up for the deficit in the public funds.

Seeing that Madam Wang remained silent, Zhou Rui's wife continued, "Madam, the servants downstairs heard that Miaoyu seems to have no intention of staying in the manor any longer. I think she will leave in a few days."

Madam Wang immediately let out a cold laugh.

Zhou Rui's wife glanced at Madam Wang's expression and then said, "It's not that I'm being nosy, but we've raised her for so long, and she's used our family's name to come and go to the palace many times. Putting aside everything else, the rewards she received all depended on the Empress's influence. We can't just let her take them out of the manor for nothing, can we?"

Lady Wang thought to herself, does Miaoyu think she's Sun Wukong? Once she's inside the Five Finger Mountain, does she expect to get out unscathed? Where in the world is there such an easy way out?
If she stayed in the manor, Madam Wang had plenty of ways to deal with her; but once she left the manor, she had even more ways to deal with her.

Since the Jia family and others were difficult to deal with, she would naturally have to use the Wang family's connections. However, as the daughter of a disgraced official, she had no relatives or friends in the capital, and she could easily crush her like an ant with a few simple tricks.

So Lady Wang said, "Alright, let's part amicably. If she wants to go, let her go. There's only one thing: once she leaves, she shouldn't use the Jia family's name anymore."

“This…” Zhou Rui’s wife was unwilling, but after glancing up, she agreed, “Yes, I will follow your instructions, Madam.”

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

A simple thatched cottage.

As soon as Xiaolabao Yunxiang came out of the main room, she was caught red-handed by Hongyu. Fortunately, she was in high spirits, so she eagerly recounted the news she had just overheard.

Xiangling stayed at the new house that day, and both Wu'er and Hongyu frowned upon hearing this. As clever as Hongyu was, she already knew all the ins and outs of this big house, and even Wu'er, who didn't care much, often heard Liu's sister-in-law's advice.

As Yunxiang hurried away, Wu'er said worriedly, "Sister, I think the master has probably lost money... Do you think he might try to take revenge on the master later?"

Hongyu said angrily, "You're the one who said that? I think you're definitely going to come after our master to scheme against us!"

Wu'er then said, "I think it would be better to persuade Master to move out of the mansion. Wouldn't that save us a lot of trouble?"

Seeing that Wu'er remained silent, Hongyu thought to herself, "Even if we're going to move out, it'll have to be something the master is willing to do." Just the three little hussies Miao'er, Tiao'er, and Siqi that Hongyu knew of were among them, and who knew how many more there were. With her master's temperament, he'd probably rather spend more money to stay in the mansion and indulge in his womanizing ways.

Besides, even disregarding all those beautiful women, the old man probably wouldn't be willing to move away just for Miss Lin's sake.

So Hongyu said, "If Master leaves, what will happen to Miss Lin?"

Wu'er, being a year younger, asked in surprise, "What does this have to do with Miss Lin? Wasn't the marriage arranged long ago? Can't she go back on her word?"

Hongyu breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help herself and whispered a reminder: "The marriage will naturally not change, but what if the person is gone?"

Wu'er was taken aback and puzzled, and Hongyu did not explain. Just as she was about to go inside to serve Chen Siyuan, she saw Baochai leading Ying'er back again.

Hongyu dared not delay and hurriedly welcomed the two inside.

Baochai then asked, "Has your master returned yet?"

Hongyu said, "I'm back now, and I'm in the study right now."

Baochai nodded in agreement, letting Hongyu lift the curtain, and then entered the room with her head slightly bowed. Chen Siyuan had already come out from the study to greet her. The two exchanged a glance, and Chen Siyuan knew that Baochai had something to say in private.

After saying a few words and dismissing everyone else, Baochai said, "My aunt just called me and urged me to have my mother come back in the next couple of days."

Chen Siyuan said, "Madam, this time you've gained nothing but trouble."

"You know the inside story?"

"What else can we do? It's just that we lost money on disaster relief. I suppose Madam is asking for advice from her concubine."

Sister Bao seemed to be deep in thought, then asked, "So, this time we suffered quite a loss?"

"More than that? This time, we probably won't be able to get by without at least twenty or thirty thousand taels of silver." Baochai secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Mother and daughter are one, and Baochai had never hidden Aunt Xue's thoughts from her. She naturally knew Aunt Xue's intentions. The last time Lady Wang borrowed money, Aunt Xue refused and instead recommended the Xia family. This time, she expected Aunt Xue would naturally refuse to lend again.

In that case, wouldn't we have to ask the Xia family for a loan?
Thinking of this, Sister Bao said, "It seems that Xia Jingui will soon become Bao Er's wife."

Chen Siyuan shook his head and said, "It's not that easy. The old debts haven't been paid off yet, so I'm afraid it's not good for Madam to borrow new ones. But this method is readily available—" As he spoke, Chen Siyuan pointed in the east and west directions.

Baochai, being precocious, pondered the matter carefully and was immediately horrified. She said, "Auntie, she..." But she couldn't finish her sentence. Just by looking at how Lady Wang had treated Daiyu before, one could tell that she was ruthless. Now that she was pushed to the limit, it wouldn't be surprising if she did something.

Baochai didn't care whether Miaoyu lived or died. She just frowned and said, "Just in case, we might have to visit Lin's Xiaoxiang Pavilion more often to avoid any unfortunate incidents."

Chen Siyuan was very pleased and nodded with a smile, saying, "I knew my sister had a kind heart."

Baochai scolded, "What does it have to do with you? I just can't ignore it because of Lin Yatou."

Chen Siyuan chuckled inwardly, thinking to himself that although Baochai was magnanimous and kind at the moment, when the two of them were vying for the position of Baochai's wife in the original story, Baochai's methods were endless, and she never cared about sisterly affection.

Seeing Baochai's charming and lovely appearance, Chen Siyuan couldn't resist his desires and began to pester her. Seeing that Chen Siyuan was becoming increasingly inappropriate, Baochai dared not linger any longer. After a few pushes and shoves, she finally left Chen Siyuan and ran away.

No matter how hard Baochai tried to cover it up, the rouge on her lips was completely gone, so how could she hide it? Not to mention Hongyu and Wu'er, even Ying'er would occasionally steal a glance at Baochai with a smile.

After having dinner that day, Chen Siyuan went to Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

Upon hearing that Grandmother Jia was unwell, Daiyu went to visit the old lady with the three sisters, leaving only Granny Wang inside.

Chen Siyuan had found an excuse to talk to Daiyu, but he was disappointed to find her gone. Since he couldn't make another trip, he carefully explained the situation to Granny Wang.

If it were Xueyan, who is a bit careless, she probably wouldn't have taken it seriously; if it were Zijuan, given her background in the Jia family, she probably wouldn't have believed it entirely either. But Granny Wang, who was Daiyu's wet nurse and had been mistreated both openly and secretly during her two visits to the Rongguo Mansion, immediately became alarmed upon hearing Chen Siyuan's words and said, "It's fortunate that you reminded me, young master, otherwise I'm afraid the young lady would still be in the dark."

She paused, then said in a low voice, "Everyone says that Madam is the most compassionate person because she is a vegetarian and chants Buddhist scriptures, but I think she is a heartless person. If you don't believe me, just look at Jin Chuan'er and Cai Xia. Even her own head maids have not been treated well, let alone our young lady?"

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "It's just to be on the safe side. It's good that you know what I'm doing."

Granny Wang nodded repeatedly and said, "Young master, don't worry. From now on, I will keep a close eye on your food and supplies, and I will definitely not let anyone harm the young lady!"

Chen Siyuan delivered the message and, without lingering, took his leave.

Granny Wang stood alone at the courtyard gate, her brow furrowed in worry. Before Madam (Jia Min) passed away, her son had died young, leaving Master with no choice but to send Miss to the capital. Madam, worried about Miss, had given her many instructions during her illness.

It was mentioned at that time that the wife's sister-in-law was petty and narrow-minded. In recent years, the wife had had many disagreements with her because of her managing the household. So, the wife instructed Wang Mama to be careful.

Granny Wang was always careful and cautious, and now that Chen Siyuan had reminded her, she dared not be negligent.

After a while, Daiyu returned with two maids. Seeing that Granny Wang looked grave, Daiyu asked in surprise, "Granny, what's wrong?"

Granny Wang glanced at Zijuan, still considering her an outsider, and immediately pulled Daiyu inside, saying, "Miss, come quickly, I have something to say to you privately."

Daiyu was puzzled but had no choice but to follow Granny Wang. The remaining two maids, Xueyan and Zijuan, exchanged glances, both confused. Zijuan, in particular, frowned deeply. She thought that Granny Wang had always treated her like an outsider, and if she wanted to become a concubine in the future, she would probably have to try to get closer to Master Yuan.

Meanwhile, Granny Wang pulled Daiyu inside and whispered something in her ear. Daiyu was clever, but too young to understand, and upon hearing this, she frowned and said, "Isn't he... making a mountain out of a molehill? My entire family fortune has been used to build the garden, and now all that's left is a room full of books. Is that all my aunt is going to scheme against?"

Granny Wang glared and said, "Miss, you mustn't be careless! Don't forget Madam's instructions."

Yes, it would be fine if it were my maternal grandmother or my two uncles. Even if they didn't care about family ties, they would at least consider my teacher. But my mother said that my aunt was narrow-minded and short-sighted. Who knows, she might have crooked thoughts for a little bit of petty gain?

Daiyu's face immediately turned cold. She turned around and sat down on the edge of the bed, her brows furrowed with worry.

Granny Wang then comforted her, saying, "Miss, just be more careful from now on. You can't eat or use things carelessly outside. It's only a couple of years. After Yuan-ge'er passes the imperial examination, whether he passes or not, the marriage will have to be arranged. Once you're away from this place of trouble, no one will scheme against you anymore."

"Hmm," Daiyu responded softly, still not very happy.

Granny Wang didn't know how to persuade her, so after saying a few words, she left. Xueyan and Zijuan went inside, knowing that Granny Wang had kept those words from them and didn't want them to know, so they didn't ask any questions.

Daiyu remained lost in thought, her heart filled with homesickness. Then she thought of her parents, and her eyes welled up with tears. If her parents were still alive, how could she have been bullied like this?
As evening approached, Baochai and Ying'er came looking for her. Xueyan was immediately relieved and led Baochai inside, saying, "Baochai, you've finally arrived. Our young lady's eyes are red again, and no matter how we try to comfort her, it doesn't help. We'll have to trouble you to persuade her a little."

Baochai's mind raced, and she stopped to ask, "Has Brother Yuan arrived this afternoon?"

Xueyan replied, "I did come once, but I didn't see you then because you were at Rongqing Hall."

Baochai immediately understood. Upon entering the room, she saw that Daiyu's eyes were indeed red, so she went up to her and teased, "Oh, it's not even your wedding day yet, why are Rong'er's eyes already red?"

Daiyu snapped out of her daze and immediately became angry: "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll definitely teach you a lesson."

Baochai covered her mouth and chuckled as she sat down to the side. After the maids had left, she said, "What's there to be sad about? He was right when he said that in this world, those who can hurt you are mostly important people. As for those who are unrelated, even if they commit the most heinous crimes, they will only incur people's hatred."

Daiyu didn't ask Baochai how she knew, assuming that Baochai and Chen Siyuan had already discussed it. She pouted and said, "That's your aunt, how can you not care?"

Baochai sneered, "So what if she's my aunt? Do you think I don't know what she's up to?"

Daiyu, being intelligent, pondered for a long time. Yes, she had previously assumed her aunt and mother had a feud, hence her hatred extended to the aunt's daughter. Now, upon closer reflection, in terms of appearance and character, she and Baochai were equally adept; in terms of family background, she was probably even superior; and in terms of wealth… after the construction of the Grand View Garden, she was no match for Baochai.

In other words, the aunt had been trying to arrange the marriage between Jin Yu, but her real aim was the Xue family's wealth.
Daiyu was very good at empathizing and putting herself in others' shoes. Seeing the slight sarcasm on Baochai's face, she immediately felt a sense of shared pity. She held Baochai's hand tightly and leaned on her shoulder, saying in a low voice, "Just now, the nanny said... that after the imperial examination, no matter what, I will have to move out."

Unlike Daiyu, Baochai was all alone, so she said, "I only hope that he will pass the imperial examination with flying colors."

Daiyu glanced at Baochai and laughed, "How can he have all the good things in the world?"

Sister Bao smiled and said, "Then let's share some of our blessings with him."

Daiyu nodded and sighed, "Three hundred and sixty days a year, the wind and frost relentlessly assail us..."

Sister Bao said, "Just bear with it, things will get better if you just bear with it."

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

Cuicui Temple.

"Cough cough..." Miaoyu frowned as she looked at the food box in front of her. The food was mushy, and she was always very particular about cleanliness, so how could she possibly eat it?
The maid Qingfan said, "Sister Liu said the food box was prepared early this morning, but Master Bao's fancy lapdog sneaked in and knocked it over before we knew it. Miss... just make do with this."

Miaoyu, feeling hungry, sneered and said, "Where's your food?"

"Mine?" Qingfan shook his head and said, "It's just two steamed buns and two kinds of vegetarian dishes. I'm afraid the young lady can't finish them."

Miaoyu said, "Just bring the steamed buns; this food is for you."

Qingfan was delighted. Although the dishes in the food box were spoiled, they tasted good and were a hundred times better than her bland and watery meals.

He readily agreed, turned around and found two steamed buns, poured some tea, and watched as Miaoyu ate the two buns with sips of tea.

Qingfan turned his head and began to eat the food box by himself. At first, there was nothing wrong, but as soon as he finished eating, he felt his stomach churning. He couldn't help but complain to Miaoyu and hurriedly went to the latrine.

Thanks to the effects of the allicin, Miaoyu was indeed much better today. Although she was still coughing, her fever had subsided. She got up and went to the food box, picking up her chopsticks and carefully examining the food. After a while, she found a piece of poria cocos that hadn't been properly cleaned.

She was skilled in spirit writing and had some medical knowledge, so she knew that one should avoid eating poria cocos and gallnut when suffering from a cold, as these two things could easily cause dehydration in those who had caught a cold.

Miaoyu gasped, her hopes vanishing instantly!
She put down her chopsticks and returned to her bed. The more Miaoyu thought about it, the more frightened she became, and she couldn't help but tremble. She was proud and aloof, but she was also a bit indecisive. She was convinced that Madam Wang was going to harm her, and no matter how hard she thought about it, she couldn't come up with a way to escape.

When Qingfan finished relieving himself and turned around, he was startled to see Miaoyu shivering. He quickly asked, "Miss, are you running a fever again? Luckily, we still have some garlic ointment. Please take some more!"

Miaoyu snapped out of her reverie. Upon hearing Qingfan mention allicin, she immediately thought of Chen Siyuan. Although she disliked him intensely, she knew that no one in the entire household was more resourceful than Chen Siyuan. She secretly thought, "If I could get some advice from Chen Siyuan, perhaps there would be a way to break this deadlock?"

However, she knew that Chen Siyuan had already disliked her the last time, and it was only out of respect for Xing Xiuyan that he led her to expose Liu Xianglian's true colors.

After much deliberation, Miaoyu, despite her pride, had to humble herself for the sake of her own life. So she instructed Qingfan, "Go and quickly find Xing Xiuyan. Whether we survive this or not depends entirely on her."

Qingfan was startled, and Miaoyu instructed him not to make a fuss, so he could only keep quiet and hurry to Zhuijin Tower to find Xing Xiuyan.

It was already night, and Miaoyu waited in fear, terrified that Madam Wang would send someone to kill her.

When she heard the door open, she was so startled that she shrank back to the headboard.

A moment later, Qingfan led Xing Xiuyan into the side room. When Miaoyu saw Xing Xiuyan, she could no longer care about anything else. She rushed off the bed, grabbed Xing Xiuyan, and cried out, "Good sister, please save my life!"

Xing Xiuyan was taken aback and asked, "What makes you say that?"

Miaoyu dared not let Qingfan overhear, so she sent him to guard the door. She then pulled Xing Xiuyan to sit on the edge of the bed before saying, "I have offended the mistress of the mansion, and I'm afraid she will take my life." Seeing that he did not believe her, she added, "Just yesterday, she sent Physician Hu over, and today she put condiments in my food. She wants me dead!"

Xing Xiuyan frowned and said, "If that's the case, why stay any longer? You might as well pack your things and find somewhere else to stay."

Miaoyu shook her head repeatedly and said, "How easy is that?" She didn't want to talk about the dirty money her family had embezzled, so she only said, "I often go to the palace and receive a lot of rewards. I want to take them out of the mansion, but I'm afraid Madam won't allow it."

Xing Xiuyan said, "Since she won't allow it, you can just leave those possessions behind."

Miaoyu was immediately speechless. Everything she ate, wore, and used was elegant and refined. Without money, was she really supposed to leave home and eat coarse food?

Xing Xiuyan wasn't stupid; she knew perfectly well that Miaoyu's request for her was a pretense, and that her real intention was to ask Chen Siyuan. She had already felt guilty for troubling her cousin twice before, so why would she bother him again now?

He immediately said, "I know what you're thinking, but even if he helps you with this, how will he face Madam later? Since you've been protected by the Jia family for over a year, it's only reasonable for you to leave those rewards to the Jia family."

Miaoyu didn't want to admit that she was reluctant to part with her wealth, so she said, "I also have many things I brought with me, and I can't leave them all behind." After a pause, Miaoyu had an idea and said, "For now, I will keep the rewards that have been bestowed upon me. But could you please keep the rest for me? After I leave the mansion, you can send someone to deliver them to me."

Xing Xiuyan stared at Miaoyu for a long time, thinking to herself that if this matter were exposed, she would probably not be able to stay in the manor anymore. She wanted to refuse, but she couldn't bear to. After thinking it over, Xing Xiuyan thought to herself that she could just go to her cousin's new house a day earlier, which would save her a lot of trouble.

So Xing Xiuyan sighed and finally nodded.

Miaoyu was overjoyed and quickly got up to rummage through her chests and cabinets, packing a small bundle for Xing Xiuyan to take back first.

Xing Xiuyan picked up her bundle and asked before leaving, "What are your plans for the future? Are you going back to Suzhou?"

Miaoyu gave a bitter laugh and shook her head repeatedly. The government was investigating her father's embezzled funds, so how could she dare to offer them up? And because of Liu Xianglian, she said, "Perhaps I should find a nunnery to spend the rest of my life in."

Xing Xiuyan sighed and said no more, only telling him to take care before taking her leave.

Leaving aside Miaoyu's relief, Xing Xiuyan carried her bundle out of Longcui Nunnery. Biting her lower lip in thought, she arrived at Qingtang Thatched Cottage.

She shared a room with the second young lady, Yingchun, at Zhuijin Tower, and all the servants she worked for were Yingchun's. How could she possibly keep it a secret that she had taken her belongings home that night?

Even someone as proud and aloof as Miaoyu was terrified into trembling like a leaf, which shows that Madam Wang was a vicious person. It would be a terrible loss to invite disaster upon oneself for such material possessions.

Seeing that the thatched cottage was brightly lit and there were no onlookers outside, Xing Xiuyan gritted her teeth, picked up her bundle, and went to knock on the door.

A moment later, the door opened, and Hongyu, surprised to see Xing Xiuyan, quickly ushered her inside.

It was just past midnight when Chen Siyuan was reading in his study. When he saw Xing Xiuyan arrive with a bundle in her hand, he was immediately puzzled.

Xing Xiuyan then said, "I've given you another troublesome task."

Chen Siyuan asked, "But Uncle went gambling again?"

Xing Xiuyan said, "What if things are alright?"

Seeing Xing Xiuyan constantly giving him meaningful glances, Chen Siyuan dismissed the maid and then listened to Xing Xiuyan explain the reason.

After listening, Chen Siyuan pondered and said, "She's trying to cut her losses and save herself."

(End of this chapter)