Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 304 Appreciating Osmanthus and Praising Chrysanthemums: A Mountain and a Stream at
Seeing Baochai's smug little face, Chen Siyuan thought to himself that the feud between Baochai and Fengjie was probably irreconcilable.

There is a saying that dragons have nine kinds of offspring, each different from the other, and there is also a saying that the same rice feeds a hundred different kinds of people. Some people are born to dislike each other, and Chen Siyuan is not the kind of person who likes to meddle in other people's business, so he naturally doesn't care.

After talking for a while, Sister Bao got up to say goodbye.

Chen Siyuan tugged at her soft hand and said, "You just said you'd be leaving in a little while?"

Baochai said helplessly, "I would like to stay longer... but Yun'er is with me right now."

Chen Siyuan asked in surprise, "Xiangyun is here?"

"Yesterday, when the literary society was established, Baoyu hurriedly sent a message to the Marquis of Baoling's residence. When Yun'er received the message, she was so anxious that she quickly sent someone to reply. Baoyu then pestered the old lady for half a day. This afternoon, the old lady sent someone to bring Yun'er back."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "I see."

Baochai then said, "I see that the old lady has no intention of keeping Yun'er in the Bisha Pavilion any longer, so I invited her to stay at my Hengwu Garden for a while."

Chen Siyuan smiled and nodded, then a thought struck him. Ah, so this was in line with the crab feast?

In the original text, Baochai gave Xiangyun some advice, which was well-intentioned, but things didn't go as planned and instead made Grandmother Jia even more disgusted with her.

Just as Chen Siyuan was about to ask, before he could even speak, Baochai said with a smile, "Yun'er is a lively girl; she was just saying she'd host a dinner party tomorrow."

No doubt about it, it's a crab feast.

Chen Siyuan then asked, "How does Xiangyun plan to host the dinner?"

Baochai suddenly choked, glanced at the door first, and then turned to Chen Siyuan and said, "Auntie just came to see me. She said that she and the old lady have been having some disagreements lately and she was thinking of trying to ease the tension. It just so happens that Xiangyun is going to host a dinner, but she doesn't have much money. I think it would be better if I came up with an idea so that she can host the dinner with dignity and also help Auntie and the old lady to ease the tension."

That's it!

Chen Siyuan thought to himself, ever since the Dragon Boat Festival, from Baoyu's marriage to the management of the household, it seemed on the surface that Fengjie and Lady Wang were fighting, but in reality, it was Lady Wang who was fighting with the old lady. Now that Lady Wang has regained control of the household, she mistakenly believes that Fengjie has given up and is therefore trying to reconcile with the old lady?

According to the original text, Lady Wang and Grandmother Jia are currently locked in a fierce battle over Baoyu's marriage... so shouldn't they try to ease the tension?
After pondering for a moment, Chen Siyuan asked, "What idea does my sister have in mind?"

Sister Bao smiled and said, "The venue is set up at Lotus Fragrance Pavilion. The place is small, so we need to set up several tables. In that case, Aunt will sit at the same table as the old lady. Aunt will take care of the rest." She paused and then added, "Now that the Mid-Autumn Festival has just passed, the autumn crabs are plump and delicious. We can buy a few baskets of plump crabs, a few jars of good wine, and four or five kinds of fruits and snacks. It will be both presentable and convenient."

Chen Siyuan laughed heartily, then shook his head repeatedly.

Baochai was puzzled and said, "What's wrong? Why are you shaking your head?"

Chen Siyuan then said, "If it were for other people, my sister's plan would naturally be correct... But don't forget that the old lady is getting on in years, and crabs are considered to be cold in nature... You know that the old lady is a glutton. If she eats a few too many and gets an upset stomach, wouldn't she be blamed?"

Baochai was taken aback, then suddenly realized, "Oh, right, I had completely forgotten about that."

Chen Siyuan smiled without saying a word, thinking to himself that ever since Baochai entered the Rongguo Mansion, Grandmother Jia had repeatedly made veiled accusations against her. Perhaps Baochai was deliberately trying to trick the old lady this time.

Then Baochai raised her eyes and said, "Then I'll discuss it with Yun'er later?" Before Chen Siyuan could reply, Baochai lowered her head and said, "Since we're hosting a banquet, it wouldn't be good for Yun'er to complain about me later. In that case, let's buy fewer crabs and prepare a few tables of fine food and drink. It won't cost more than a few dozen taels of silver."

Chen Siyuan asked with a smile, "Why has my sister changed her mind again?"

Baochai said, "Firstly, Yun'er is hosting, and secondly, it's because Aunt asked for our help, so we should make it as respectable as possible."

Chen Siyuan smiled and agreed. Baochai didn't linger any longer and hurriedly returned to Hengwu Garden.

At this moment, Xiangyun was chatting with her maid Cuilu about the arrangements for hosting a dinner party when she saw Baochai return. Xiangyun hurriedly went to ask Baochai for advice.

Baochai first asked Xiangyun what she was thinking, and Xiangyun then mentioned a few things. Lady Baoling was a frugal woman, and Xiangyun, living in the Marquis's mansion, had no worries about food or clothing. At her age, she was at the age where she was most playful, and she had spent all her savings, leaving her with very little.

Sister Bao then said, “Since we’re starting a club, we have to be the hosts. Even though it’s just a hobby, we have to consider all the consequences. We need to make sure we get the best deal ourselves, and we don’t offend anyone, so that everyone can have fun. You can’t make decisions at home, and with only a few strings of cash a month, you won’t even have enough for your travel expenses.”

Now you're doing this trivial thing again, and your aunt heard about it and is complaining even more. Besides, even if you take out all of it, it's not enough to host this meal. Are you going to ask for more for the family? Or are you going to ask here for more?"

Upon hearing this, Xiangyun hesitated, momentarily at a loss for what to do.

Sister Bao smiled and said, "Now that you've come here, how can I stand idly by? Tomorrow, we'll buy a basket of fat crabs and prepare a few tables of fine food. I'll cover all the expenses for you, little sister."

Xiangyun quickly said, "How can we let Sister Bao waste her money?"

Baochai's state of mind at this moment was already different from that in the original text. Having long since given up on the idea of ​​a marriage between the old lady and her husband, she didn't try to hide it. After dismissing a few maids, she said to Xiangyun, "Sister Yun, you don't know, but because of the Dragon Boat Festival, the old lady and Aunt are a bit estranged now. Just now, Aunt asked me to find an opportunity to ease the tension, and since you're going to host a dinner, I thought it would be a win-win situation."

Xiangyun asked in surprise, "Is that so?"

Sister Bao didn't want to go into details, so she just said, "The elders' affairs are their own business. We younger ones should just enjoy the flowers and wine. After the banquet, it won't be too late for us sisters to hold our own club."

Xiangyun, being a straightforward person, smiled and said upon hearing Baochai's words, "That's fine too. We'll invite the old lady and madam. It would be best if they could reconcile, but if not, we've done our part. We'll have our own celebration later."

Baochai smiled and agreed, and was about to speak when Xiangyun said, "But it's not appropriate for Baochai to pay for the entire banquet."

Baochai said, "I was originally planning to use Yunmei to my advantage, so if I were to refuse her completely, would I still be human?"

Xiangyun smiled and refused. After the two argued for a while, Xiangyun finally took out ten taels of silver, and Baochai would make up the rest.

After this, Xiangyun realized that Baochai was indeed a good person, and she grew even closer to her; Baochai also felt that Xiangyun was frank and romantic, and she liked her personality very much.

The two then came up with a topic, one for you and one for me, and they didn't go to sleep until the third watch of the night.

The next day, Chen Siyuan also received an invitation.

Chen Siyuan clearly understood that in the original text, Sister Feng made a mistake and secretly moved closer to Lady Wang. With his help, even if Grandmother Jia was unwilling, she would at least be able to reconcile with Lady Wang.

What's the situation now? Sister Feng has simply resigned from her job as housekeeper under the pretense of illness, and it's assumed she won't be attending the banquet. It'll just be Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang... But Lady Wang isn't exactly eloquent, and the old lady might just be subtly sarcastic.

It would be nice to gather with Jinchai, but with all the hardships and dangers... one wrong move and you could easily get into trouble. Why bother going to the front yourself?
Chen Siyuan then said to Cuilu, "Please tell Sister Yun that I really have something to do today, so I won't be able to go."

Cuilu took it as an attempt to avoid suspicion and readily agreed with a smile.

Having declined the banquet invitation, Chen Siyuan naturally felt it inappropriate to stay at the mansion, so he left before dawn, intending to go to his new residence.

No sooner had they emerged from the side gate than they saw a tall figure riding a horse approaching from afar.

Chen Siyuan was in a daze for a moment before he remembered that this person was Sun Shaozu.

He pretended not to see it, mounted his horse, and headed towards his new house.

Leaving aside Chen Siyuan's situation for now, let's talk about Sun Shaozu. He went straight to the gate of the Black Oil Gate, quickly dismounted, and sent his servants and the gatekeeper to answer questions.

Yu Liu, the gatekeeper, talked for a long time, his face contorted with disbelief, until he finally received two taels of silver and beamed with joy. He then told Sun Shaozu to wait a moment before sending someone inside to inform the gatekeeper.

After a while, the man returned and whispered a few words to Yu Liu. Yu Liu was slightly surprised, and then came down to say to Sun Shaozu, "Commander Sun, it's not a good day. Master Zhen from the East Mansion just invited my master to the mansion to discuss matters... How about Commander Sun come another day?"

Sun Shaozu's smile remained unchanged as he said, "Of course, I'll come again tomorrow."

Sun Shaozu turned and left, with his servant leading the horse behind him. Once they were out of Ningrong Street, Sun Shaozu cursed, "That old scoundrel is going too far! He's embezzled my five thousand taels of silver and doesn't intend to pay it back!"

The servant boy said with a long face, "Sir, why don't we go back to our hometown?"

"Go back my ass!" Sun Shaozu glanced back at the black-lacquered gate and sneered, "Do you think I'm easy to bully? That Jia fellow has the most pride. I'll give him a good talking-to later and see how that old bastard behaves!"

Having said that, he mounted his horse and galloped away.

Watching him ride away into the distance, Yu Liu then spoke to his servant, who in turn went inside to report. After a while, an old woman passed through the three ceremonial gates and relayed the message to Jia She in the side courtyard.

"I know." Jia She frowned and impatiently dismissed the old woman. Qiu Tong, dressed only in a small outfit, got up and massaged him, saying, "Master... that man surnamed Sun comes looking for you every few days. It's not good to keep hiding like this."

"What do you know?" Jia She glanced coldly at Qiu Tong, all traces of his previous tenderness gone. His mood had completely soured, so he simply threw on his clothes and headed outside.

After a short while, he turned out of the side courtyard, hesitated for a moment, and then moved into the main house.

Inside the main room, Fourth Brother was already able to walk, and Madam Xing was teasing him with a rattle drum. Upon seeing Master Jia She enter, Madam Xing's smile froze for a moment, then she relaxed and said, "Master, look, Fourth Brother can run and jump almost every day. In the future, he might just be a mischievous little monkey."

When Jia She caught sight of Fourth Brother, his brows relaxed slightly, and he coughed once, saying, "Let the wet nurse take care of him. I have something to say to you."

Madam Xing was displeased, but she had no choice but to obey and let the nanny take the fourth son away. Once only the two of them were left inside, Jia She leaned back in his chair, frowned, and sighed, saying, "Sun Shaozu came again just now."

Madam Xing responded and said, "Didn't you just receive four thousand taels, sir? Why not give two thousand taels to that Mr. Sun first, so he won't bother you all the time? He's really annoying."

Jia She sneered, "You make it sound so easy. If I gave him two thousand taels, I'd be left starving."

Madam Xing picked up her teacup, took a sip, and said, "How about... we talk to the Prince and see if he can get him a sinecure?"

“If it were that easy, I would have gone to find the Prince long ago.” Jia She said with a sigh, “Ever since the Iron Net Mountain incident last year, the Emperor has become increasingly suspicious of us noble families. Now the Five Armies are in name only, and all our orders are subject to the Ministry of War.”

Previously, one could try to get through to Vice Minister Zhao, but now that he's been dismissed and is under investigation, even a guerrilla general from Yunnan or Guizhou would need at least seven or eight thousand taels of silver.

Madam Xing said bluntly, "This won't work, that won't work, I'm at my wit's end. Why don't you talk to the old lady, sir?"

Jia She immediately curled his lip and said, "Can the old lady still make decisions now?"

Having lost 30,000 taels of silver, the Rongguo Mansion now relies entirely on Lady Wang for support, and even with his thick skin, Jia She dares not go to Grandmother Jia again.

Seeing Jia She looking at her, Madam Xing was startled and quickly said, "Master knows that I only receive a few months' salary. Even though Yuan-ge is filial, Baicaotang only sends a little over a hundred taels of silver a month. With the food and drink of everyone upstairs and the horses downstairs, I still don't have enough to live on."

Jia She said, "You don't have it, but Yuan-ge'er does."

Madam Xing brought up the old matter again, and was about to speak when Jia She waved his hand to stop her: "I know you side with Yuan-ge'er, but aren't I in trouble now? Just borrow five thousand taels of silver, and I'll pay him back next year."

Madam Xing hummed silently without saying a word. Jia She knew that he would have to resort to drastic measures, so he said, "If Yuan-ge'er doesn't lend it, I have no choice but to marry Er-ya-tou to that Sun guy."

Madam Xing couldn't help but raise her eyes and frown, saying, "Sir, I'm afraid this isn't quite right. That burly man surnamed Sun is hardly a suitable match for you."

Now, Madam Xing doesn't believe everything others say, but she always has to believe Chen Siyuan to some extent. Last time Yingchun helped her out, and Madam Xing, remembering that Yingchun is now under her care, couldn't let her be left without a place to live.

Jia She said, "You know it's inappropriate? I'll put it this way: if Yuan-ge'er is willing to help, I'll betroth Er-ya to him later."

Madam Xing was taken aback, then laughed and said, "Master is joking again. Everyone knows that Yuan-ge'er and Bao-ya'er are already together. Isn't it too late to say this now?"

To everyone's surprise, Jia She chuckled and said, "The man is not married and the woman is not married, how is it too late?"

"This—" Madam Xing was momentarily confused.

Jia She then said, "Alright, just invite Yuan-ge over later, and I'll have a way to persuade him."

Madam Xing was skeptical, and couldn't help but think to herself, if Yingchun really did marry Chen Siyuan, then wouldn't she be able to go and find Yuan-ge'er whenever she wanted in the future?

So he smiled and said, "If it really works out, that would be wonderful. I think the Second Miss is absolutely willing, but... what about Yuan-ge'er's thoughts—"

Jia She smiled without speaking, clearly confident of his plan. Madam Xing grew increasingly suspicious, pressing him for answers, but Jia She remained tight-lipped and refused to reveal anything.

On this day, Chen Siyuan arrived at his new house, where he was greeted by Sister You Er, Sister You San, and Qingwen. After chatting for a while, they saw Qingwen quietly finding the mischievous Luan'er and scolding her.

When Chen Siyuan arrived at the back building, he glanced at his daughter again. The wet nurse said that although the child was born more than a month premature, she was very strong, no less so than those born at full term. Sister You San was particularly fond of this child and even gave her a nickname, Liang Jie'er.

When they went outside to talk, Sister You said, "Brother, did you see that? Liang'er's eyebrows and eyes are exactly the same as yours."

Chen Siyuan couldn't help but wonder, "That's strange. How come you can all distinguish the eyebrows and eyes, but to me it just looks like a wrinkled mess?"

As soon as she finished speaking, it naturally caused Sister You San, Sister You Er, and a group of maids to burst into laughter. Sister You San spoke of a principle that was about substance, not appearance, but Chen Siyuan couldn't understand it even when he tried to follow the logic, so he could only shake his head and give up.

After You Erjie went to Ningguo Mansion, Chen Siyuan said to You Sanjie, "Why does Qingwen seem a little unhappy?"

"Her?" Sister You lowered her voice and said, "Yesterday, her cousin came looking for her, saying that the couple had lost their jobs at the Rongguo Mansion. The two of them hadn't saved any money and were struggling to make ends meet, so they had to come and ask Qingwen for help."

Chen Siyuan had never heard of such a thing, but he secretly thought that it was probably because of the power struggle between Madam Wang and Sister Feng.
Yes, that girl already had a bad reputation, and her relationship with Jia Lian was ambiguous. Now that Sister Feng has been instructed by the old lady to take control of the household affairs, wouldn't she find a reason to kick these two out?

Chen Siyuan then asked, "Qingwen must be angry."

Unexpectedly, Sister You said, "When I received the news, I was going to go to the front to support her, but she just stood in front of the door and looked at the two of them without saying a word. The couple chattered for a long time, but seeing that Qingwen didn't say a word, they were very embarrassed and left."

Chen Siyuan sneered, "When Qingwen was in trouble, her cousin didn't even go to see her. He just urged her to move out as soon as possible so that he could make room for her to get married."

Sister You frowned immediately and said, "What a heartless and ungrateful person! How dare she come to Qingwen's door to beg for help? She's too soft-hearted. If it were me, I would have chased her away with a stick long ago!"

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "So you know Qingwen is soft-hearted, sister? She really is all bark and no bite—" He paused, then added, "—No, that doesn't quite do it. If she gets into a fight, all she knows is to raise her voice, and I'm afraid she can't win an argument."

Sister You covered her mouth and laughed, saying, "I think Qingwen has some ideas. Brother, you should go and say a few words of advice."

Chen Siyuan readily agreed, and after talking with Sister You for a while, he went forward.

As soon as they reached the front from the passageway, they saw Luan'er skipping and hopping towards them. She was immediately taken aback when she saw Chen Siyuan. Perhaps it was because of the daily instruction from Granny Qu and Qingwen that Luan'er now knew some manners, so she gave a perfunctory curtsy and said, "Master."

Chen Siyuan smiled and stepped forward to pat Luan'er's head, asking, "Where's your sister?"

Luan'er said, "They're still in the garden."

Chen Siyuan dismissed Luan'er and stepped into the side garden. Following the winding path, he saw Qingwen sitting alone in the pavilion in the distance.

Chen Siyuan walked with his hands behind his back and arrived in a short while. Seeing that Qingwen was still lost in thought, he asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Qingwen exclaimed in surprise, looked up and saw that it was Chen Siyuan who had come, and quickly curtsied: "Master!"

The servants around knew that Qingwen was a concubine's head maid, so they naturally wouldn't disturb her. Since it was Chen Siyuan, he pulled her hand and helped her sit down, saying gently, "Still grieving?"

Qingwen shook her head and said resentfully, "I was about to die back then, and he didn't even come to take care of me. He even urged me to move out... It's better to be rid of such a relative."

Furthermore, since her trip to Jiangnan, during which she met her mother and took her younger sister under her wing, Qingwen had no regrets and naturally had no desire to pay attention to Duoguan and Duoguniang.

Chen Siyuan said, "Third Sister said you haven't been able to eat these past two days. Is it really not because of those two people?"

Qingwen shook her head repeatedly and said, "I just pretend there's no such relative, so I won't take it to heart." After a pause, before Chen Siyuan could ask, she said, "Yes... I am missing my mother. Last night, Luan'er kept calling for her."

Chen Siyuan felt a pang of pity and gently rubbed Qingwen's small hand, saying, "If you really want to, I'll send someone..."

Qingwen quickly shook her head and said, "It's just a thought. What good would it do to actually go?"

Their mother had already remarried and had another son. It was feared that if the sisters went there, they would only cause people to dislike them.

He added, "Although I am still worried, I know that my mother is doing well. I will just think about it from now on, sir, there is no need to persuade me."

Seeing that she indeed thought so, Chen Siyuan stopped trying to persuade her and instead talked about interesting things for a long time until Qingwen smiled before stopping.

As night fell, Chen Siyuan spent time with his second and third daughters, but because he missed Baochai, he got up and returned to the Rongguo Mansion.

When he returned to the thatched cottage, he saw that Xiangling had already returned, so he went to ask her about it.

Unfortunately, Xiangling was a bit simple-minded; she only praised the chrysanthemum poems written by the girls, completely unaware of the heated debates taking place at the banquet.

Chen Siyuan was eager to find Sister Bao, but then he remembered that Xiangyun was also in Hengwu Garden, so he suppressed his thoughts.

Nothing happened that night, but the next morning, as expected, Sister Bao arrived with a livid face.

After the two dismissed the servants, Baochai sneered, "It's truly a waste of effort to flirt with a blind man!"

Chen Siyuan asked with a smile about what happened yesterday. Baochai angrily recounted the story, explaining that it was because Fengjie hadn't come, and Aunt Xue was also absent from her own old house. Only Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang were present at the table, and the two of them indeed had a falling out.

After saying a few sarcastic remarks, Grandmother Jia stopped there, but then said that crabs are considered "cold" in traditional Chinese medicine, and claimed that she had an upset stomach. She returned to Rongqing Hall before the banquet was even halfway over.

Chen Siyuan then advised, "Sister, you already knew this in your heart, so why be angry?"

Baochai frowned and said, "If it weren't for Aunt's request, I wouldn't have done this thankless task. Last night I had a good argument with Yun'er, and luckily Yun'er isn't too shrewd, otherwise I don't know how angry she would have been with me afterwards."

Seeing this, Chen Siyuan simply pulled Baochai into his arms and comforted her gently. What Baochai didn't say was that during the banquet, Grandmother Jia praised Baoqin highly, saying she was a rare talent, and Baoyu, who couldn't tell the difference between right and wrong, chimed in with a lot of agreement.

Baochai no longer thinks about that damned "golden and jade marriage," but the gap between the Xue family's first and second branches has already grown, so how could she let Baoqin outshine her for no reason?
However, when the poems were judged later, Lin Daiyu once again won first place, while Baochai was only ranked second, alongside Baoqin. This might have been acceptable for others, but how could Baochai tolerate being ranked second only to Baoqin?
Chen Siyuan was adept at reading people's expressions. Seeing that Baochai hadn't calmed down after a long time of persuasion, he knew that Baoqin must be involved.

Such matters are difficult to persuade, so he pretended not to know and took advantage of the fact that no one was around to be intimate with Sister Bao, without mentioning it further.

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

Near Nōnin-ji Temple.

The broker forced a smile and said, "Miss, I've never seen anyone as difficult to please as you. You thought the two courtyards in the front were too expensive; now this small courtyard is only thirty taels a year, but you think it's too small... Tsk, I've been walking around all afternoon, and I've worn my shoes down to the bone. Maybe you should find someone else?"

Qingfan frowned and said, "I wasn't wrong. This house is extremely dilapidated. How could it be worth thirty taels a year?"

The broker cupped his hands and said, "Land in the inner city is incredibly valuable, so it's bound to cost thirty taels. If you still think it's too expensive, why don't you try looking in the outer city?"

Just as Qingfan was about to say something else, Miaoyu behind him said, "Let's do it here."

Qingfan swallowed back all the words he had to say, and angrily glanced back at Miaoyu before arguing with the broker.

After a while, the rent was finally settled. It would be paid every six months, with a deposit of five taels of silver.

The broker breathed a sigh of relief, immediately found the contract, signed and sealed it, and quickly left with twenty taels of silver.

Seeing that Qingfan, who was in charge of the money, was not happy, Han Mama advised, "If you ask me, it would be better to choose the inner city, so that the young lady won't have to hire carriages to travel back and forth in the future."

Qing Fan thought about it and realized it made sense. Those wealthy and powerful families now live in the inner city. If they lived in the outer city, wouldn't they have to hire carriages and horses?
Another old woman hurriedly tidied up the bedroom, and Miaoyu went inside and didn't come out again. Bihen followed and tidied up the room. Qingfan then consulted with Granny Han and said, "I'm afraid we still need to hire a cook. Otherwise, if we buy food from the restaurant every day, the remaining twenty-odd taels of silver probably won't last more than a few days."

Granny Han sighed, glanced inside, and said, "Never mind, it's still early. I'll go to the market and see if I can find a cook."

After Granny Han left, Qingfan and the others spent half a day tidying up and finally got everything done. Granny Han then brought back a cook in her early forties and had her try making dinner.

When dinner was brought inside, Miaoyu only picked up one bite before frowning.

Granny Han and Qingfan exchanged a glance and then said, "Miss... is this not quite to your liking? This cook costs two taels of silver a month. Any more expensive... I'm afraid we can't afford her."

Miaoyu's brows relaxed, she nodded, and said softly, "It's alright."

After saying that, she picked up another piece of food and began to eat it in silence. Granny Han and Qingfan breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that they had hired the right cook this time.

Little did they know that as soon as the two went out to eat, Miaoyu covered her mouth and began to gag.

She has always been particular about the finest food and the most delicate preparations, and her daily diet consists mainly of light and simple dishes. How could she possibly be used to the food prepared by a cook from the north?

Having suffered repeated setbacks in the past two days, Miaoyu knew that she didn't have enough money, so she forced herself to swallow the food.

That day, nothing else was said. The next morning, Miaoyu could only eat half a bowl of porridge before she could no longer eat.

After the meal was cleared away, Miaoyu said, "Now that we've moved out, we can't just sit around and do nothing. Fortunately, I still have some connections with powerful families. I heard a while ago that the Dowager Lady of the Duke of Li's mansion is ill. Ziqingfan and I will go to the Duke of Li's mansion later."

The two nannies breathed a sigh of relief, and Qingfan smiled.

As expected, the master and servant headed towards the Duke of Li's residence around 7:00 AM. Granny Han and another nanny chattered for a long time, speculating about the rewards they would receive.

Before noon, Miaoyu and her maid returned to the small courtyard. Seeing Miaoyu enter the bedroom with a livid face and not come out, Granny Han was very surprised.

When Qingfan came out, he quickly pulled her to a corner and asked, "What's wrong, young lady?"

Qingfan bit her lower lip, her face also looking grim, and said in a low voice, "That Madam of the Rongguo Mansion is so heartless!"

However, when the master and servant arrived at the Duke of Liguo's mansion, they had only just announced their names when they were chased out by the gatekeeper, who said that it was not appropriate to entertain such a shameless 'licentious nun' as Miaoyu.

Upon hearing this, Miaoyu's face turned ashen, and she staggered, only managing to avoid falling thanks to Qingfan's support.

After much persuasion from Qingfan, the master and servant went to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion again, only to find that they encountered the same thing again!
Even the most foolish person would know now that Lady Wang had deliberately ruined Miaoyu's reputation in an attempt to drive her out of the capital!
Granny Han gasped in shock and said, "This... what a vicious heart! They're making it impossible for us to stay in the capital!"

It's more than just that they can't stay any longer. Their valuables have been stolen twice, and now the group only has a little over twenty taels of silver left, not even enough to cover their travel expenses to return to Suzhou.

Qingfan quickly said, "Granny, please be quiet. The young lady cried on the way back. If she hears this, she will probably start crying again."

Just as Granny Han sighed and was about to say something else, she suddenly heard a series of knocks on the door.

The two women looked at each other in surprise. Granny Han hurried to the door and asked, "Who is it?"

"Open the door, is Master Miaoyu inside?"

Granny Han asked, "May I ask who our distinguished guest is?"

Then a voice came from outside: "I've met your young lady twice before. I am Jia Chang from the Jia family."

Granny Han became increasingly uneasy and said, "I wonder what business Master Jia has with my young lady?"

After a moment of silence outside, Jia Chang said, "Grandmother Jia has been having a bad year, perhaps because she has offended Tai Sui. She has been plagued by misfortune all year. I have long known that Master Miaoyu has the ability to use spirit writing, so I have specially invited her this time. I am willing to offer fifty taels of silver as a token."

Granny Han was immediately tempted. She exchanged a glance with Qingfan before saying, "Please wait a moment, Third Master Jia. I'll go ask my young lady."

At this moment, Qing Fan had already run into the room. Seeing Miao Yu lying on the bed, he couldn't help but say with delight, "Miss, a Master Jia has come to ask you to have your fortune told. He said he's willing to give you fifty taels of silver as a gift."

Miaoyu opened her mouth, then swallowed back the words that were about to come out. She couldn't help but smile bitterly to herself. Truly, even a hero can be brought down by a single penny. When had she, Miaoyu, ever had to bow down for five pecks of rice?

(End of this chapter)