Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 313 Daiyu's Thoughts

The horse-drawn carriage rumbled along.

The carriage was cramped, and fearing that Daiyu might catch a cold, a censer was placed inside. On top of it was a sachet, and under the heat of the charcoal fire, the carriage was filled with the fragrance of styrax.

Daiyu's petite figure swayed, and her arm would inadvertently brush against Chen Siyuan beside her. Perhaps it was because the charcoal fire was too hot, but Daiyu's face was flushed, and her body leaned awkwardly to one side. The next moment, the carriage jolted, and she cried out and bumped into Chen Siyuan.

Chen Siyuan, who was speaking, clicked his tongue, reached out and lifted Daiyu's shoulders to straighten her body, saying, "Why are you leaning to one side like that?"

Daiyu scolded playfully, "Wasn't it you who squeezed me?"

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "The benches on both sides are too narrow. Would you please have my sister sit down?"

Daiyu snorted and refused to go, instead sitting up straight with half of her body pressed against Chen Siyuan.

Even so, Daiyu couldn't help but feel embarrassed, so she made conversation by asking, "What did you say to Sister Feng yesterday?"

Chen Siyuan said, "Of course I told the truth. My second sister-in-law was kind enough to agree to it."

Daiyu frowned slightly and said, "Sister Feng is really... she kept it from me completely."

Chen Siyuan chuckled and said, "If I don't hide it from my sister, what surprise will there be?"

As he spoke, he lifted the carriage curtain to look outside. Wind and snow poured in through the window, and Chen Siyuan quickly covered himself, saying, "We're almost there."

Daiyu briefly considered the direction and travel time, and said, "Could it be that we've arrived at the outer city?"

Chen Siyuan said, "The inner city is mostly frequented by high-ranking officials and nobles, and the teahouses there are not very interesting. The teahouses in the outer city are much more interesting."

As they were talking, the carriage stopped, and the servant Qingyu came from outside to report: "Master, Miss Lin, we have arrived at Deqing Tower."

Chen Siyuan lifted the curtain and jumped down from the carriage first, then reached out to help Daiyu. Daiyu had already put on her Guanyin apron herself, and hesitated slightly upon seeing this, but finally took Chen Siyuan's hand and got out of the carriage.

Once she had stopped, Daiyu looked up and saw a three-story teahouse in front of her, which was bustling with activity.

A servant named Qingyu stepped forward to answer their question. As soon as the two approached, a waiter led them to a private room on the second floor.

A moment later, the two entered a private room separated by a screen, where they could see the stage diagonally below. Chen Siyuan ordered a pot of "daughter's tea" and four kinds of fruit and pastries. Seeing Daiyu looking around curiously, he smiled and asked, "How is it?"

Daiyu said, "So this is a teahouse. I've only heard people mention it before, but this is my first time here." As she spoke, she pointed to a little girl below with a rope around her neck and a tray strapped to her chest and asked, "What does she do?"

Chen Siyuan said, "They sell all kinds of snacks. Most of these vendors are from the surrounding area. If you want to try something else, just ask the vendor."

Daiyu nodded, and just then she saw a group of guests call out to the little girl, pay her some copper coins, and the little girl gave her a package of food wrapped in oil paper.

Before long, the storyteller walked onto the stage, fanning himself with a folding fan. He struck the gavel and began to speak. Today's story is about a talented scholar and a beautiful woman. It tells of a scholar who studied diligently for years and was fortunate enough to receive financial assistance from a courtesan. After overcoming many hardships, he passed the imperial examination with flying colors and eventually became lovers with the courtesan.

The speaker spoke vividly, and the audience listened intently, frequently expressing their admiration.

Chen Siyuan turned his head to look at Daiyu and saw her resting her chin on her hand, gazing intently. A tassel from a gold hairpin hanging down by her temple trembled slightly.

As soon as the gentleman finished speaking, Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "I thought my sister didn't like such a cliché story."

Daiyu picked up her teacup, took a sip of tea, and then said with a soft smile, "The story is old-fashioned, but after you told it to me, it has a unique flavor."

Chen Siyuan had an idea and said, "I do have a story that doesn't follow the usual clichés."

"Oh?" Daiyu turned her head to look at her.

Chen Siyuan cleared his throat and began to recount: "It is said that Zhang Sheng was poor and ran out of money on his way to the capital for the imperial examination. He was helped by a beautiful courtesan and rested in her boudoir for three days. When they parted, they shed tears and the courtesan gave Zhang Sheng fifty taels of silver."

Daiyu frowned and said, "Isn't this exactly the same as what you said, sir? And then what?"

"Then, Zhang Sheng bid farewell to the beauty and arrived at the Tears-Shedding Pavilion. The pageboy sighed and said, 'Young master, you've spent three days in one city. Even if you fail this time, you can still acquire a large estate back home.'"

Daiyu blinked and immediately said with disgust, "How many heartless and ungrateful people there are!"

"The story isn't over yet," Chen Siyuan said slowly, taking a sip of tea before speaking in a low voice, "Now, the beautiful woman, accompanied by her maid, returned from the Tears-Swept Pavilion. The maid sighed, 'Miss, you've been sponsoring more than ten scholars this month. If this continues, your family's savings will be depleted.'"

To everyone's surprise, the beautiful woman said, "There are so many heartless and ungrateful people in this world. I have helped more than ten people, but if even one of them has a conscience, then I will have recouped my investment."

Daiyu's eyes, which seemed to be about to cry, suddenly turned to Chen Siyuan with anger. She reached out to grab the longevity fruit, intending to throw it at Chen Siyuan, but Chen Siyuan snatched the fruit plate away first. Daiyu didn't want to use the leftover tea to splash it, so she gritted her teeth, took out her embroidered shoe, and stepped on Chen Siyuan's instep.

Unexpectedly, Chen Siyuan dodged the attack and then caught her with his feet. Daiyu was furious and tried to kick, but Chen Siyuan caught her again with a swift move.

Daiyu was pulled backward and stumbled. She hurriedly steadied herself and said urgently, "You, you let go quickly."

Chen Siyuan said, "I was just telling a story, but my sister insisted on stepping on people randomly."

Daiyu, both amused and exasperated, said, "Who told you to use my words to make fun of me?"

"Have you not heard that a gentleman uses words, not fists? Why don't you use my words to make up stories about me, sister?"

Daiyu spat, "Your face is thicker than a city wall. I'm afraid if I go too far with your story, you'll just become smug."

Chen Siyuan laughed heartily, then released Daiyu and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to her, saying, "My sister knows me so well; she is truly my soulmate."

Daiyu gasped and quickly steadied herself, turning her head to look down. She saw many tea drinkers looking up at the private rooms upstairs. Daiyu quickly shrank back and gritted her teeth at Chen Siyuan before finally calming down.

After a while, Daiyu stole a glance at Chen Siyuan and saw that he was once again as gentle and refined as jade, slowly and methodically eating tea and snacks, and praising the teacher with his hands clasped together when he mentioned something interesting.

Daiyu felt a strange unease. Although she could be sharp-tongued and witty at times, she was usually well-mannered and knowledgeable. For some reason, she always became aggressive and unruly when she was with Chen Siyuan.

She looked at Chen Siyuan again, only to find her eyes meeting his. Startled, Daiyu turned her head away, only to see Chen Siyuan point and say mischievously, "Oh, I caught you! So you've been spying on me all this time, little sister!"

"Pah! I was just thinking of giving you a good scolding later!"

"How can it be good?"

"As good as you want it to be!"

The two stared at each other like fighting cocks, with Daiyu enduring the stinging in her eyes and refusing to back down an inch. Then Chen Siyuan hesitated, then said timidly, "Sister, you wouldn't return Yuanyang, would you? I don't really care about the loss, but Yuanyang won't survive."

"Huh?" Daiyu was both amused and exasperated, truly wondering how Chen Siyuan had brought up Yuanyang.

On second thought, isn't that right? Apart from using the mandarin ducks to control Chen Siyuan, I really can't do anything about him.

Daiyu knew that Chen Siyuan was deliberately teasing her, and she couldn't help but admire his unconventional thinking. She also thought to herself, only someone with such a free-flowing mind could produce such brilliant and ingenious poems.
At this moment, Chen Siyuan came over again with a shameless grin to coax and persuade Daiyu. Daiyu giggled and played along with him. One moment she ordered Chen Siyuan to peel the longevity fruit, the next she sent Chen Siyuan down to buy donkey rolls, and then she asked Chen Siyuan to pour tea.

The storyteller downstairs had already begun recounting the tale of the scholar and the fox spirit. Although Daiyu listened attentively, most of her attention was focused on Chen Siyuan. Perhaps she now thought that Chen Siyuan beside her was far more interesting than the strange tales the storyteller was telling.

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

Rongguo Mansion, East Wing.

Yu Si stood respectfully in front of the hall, while Master Jia She paced back and forth with his hands behind his back and a furrowed brow. After a moment, Jia She stopped and said, "You lost two hundred taels of silver in just one night?"

Yu Si replied, "Reporting to Master, it's more than that. Afterwards, Third Master went to Jinxiang Courtyard again. I heard, I heard... he was looking for Miss Yun'er from Jinxiang Courtyard."

In a place like Jinxiang Courtyard, where money is spent, an ordinary girl would charge ten or twenty taels of silver for a tea party. Even if Jia Chang were to take advantage of the young actresses in Lixiang Courtyard, how much silver could he possibly earn?
He even claimed that the fire started because he dug something out of his house, which was truly a blatant attempt to cover up the truth. It seems that Yuan-ge'er was right; Jia Chang must have stolen Miaoyu's valuables. Jia She didn't expect to have tens of thousands of taels of silver; a few thousand taels would be enough to solve his immediate problem.

But how can I take back the wealth now that it's in Jia Chang's hands?

He was acquainted with Qiu Liang of the Five Cities Military Command, but such matters were not suitable to be discussed with officials. Firstly, family scandals should not be aired in public, and secondly... if things went wrong, he would end up with nothing and the government would benefit for nothing.

Jia She secretly pondered that this matter should probably be resolved privately within the clan. Jia Jing had taken refuge in a Taoist temple outside the city, but the Ningguo Mansion was the main branch, and Jia Zhen usually presided over the sacrificial rites. Such matters needed to be discussed with Jia Zhen first.

Having made up his mind, Jia She ordered, "This is outrageous! Go and invite Zhen-ge'er from the East Mansion. Tell him I need to discuss something with him!"

Yu Si dared not delay, and after responding, he quickly turned and left.

After quite a while, Jia Zhen hurried in. After greeting everyone inside and taking a seat, he sipped some tea and said with a smile, "Uncle She, what brings you here? I was just teasing Weng-ge'er."

"Wengge'er?" Jia She was puzzled. After asking which character it was, he frowned and said, "The child is not even a month old. Why is Zhen'er already given a formal name?"

Jia Zhen said indifferently, "The saying that a great name can shorten one's lifespan is just a vulgar and ignorant belief. I don't believe in that."

Jia She didn't dwell on the matter, but said with a stern face, "I've come to see you today because there's something important. Does Zhen-ge know that a nun has left my household?"

Jia Zhen pondered for a moment before saying, "I overheard something. I heard she's having an affair?" Jia Zhen had just heard that Jia She had forced Yuanyang into marriage, only to be humiliated. Then, Jia She held a banquet to take a concubine, and when Jia Zhen saw that the courtesan was plain-looking, he was speechless.

His mind raced, and he suddenly realized what was going on, laughing, "Could it be that Uncle intends to take Miaoyu into his room?"

Jia She blinked, immediately filled with regret. If he had known earlier that Miaoyu possessed wealth, why didn't he take her into his household? Wouldn't that have been a win-win situation? Now it was too late. The wealth had been stolen by Jia Chang, and Miaoyu was already entangled with Chen Siyuan. As a respected master, Jia She could only sigh in despair.

Jia She waved his hand and said, "Let's get down to business. Don't make things up, Zhen-ge'er." He paused for a moment before continuing, "You don't know, but Miaoyu, using the Empress's name, frequently enters and exits the palace and has many dealings with powerful families everywhere. When she visits, the gifts that come from her household are naturally from her own household. But who knew that Miaoyu would secretly hide the return gifts she received?"

Before leaving the manor, Miaoyu pretended to hand over some valuables to your second aunt, but secretly she had already hidden most of them outside!

Jia Zhen was taken aback and frowned, saying, "There's such a thing?"

Jia She fabricated a story: "I believe it must have been Chang-ge who helped her send the valuables away. As soon as Miao-yu left the manor, Chang-ge seized the opportunity to embezzle the valuables. Zhen-ge, you be the judge. The valuables in my manor have changed hands and ended up in Chang-ge's hands. Now he's roaming around freely with the valuables. Is there any justice in this world?"

Jia Zhen's eyes darted around, and he couldn't help but ask hesitantly, "Really? Uncle She, could you be mistaken?"

Jia She retorted angrily, "If Zhen-ge doesn't believe me, go and inquire. That Chang-ge frequents brothels and gambling dens, and has lost over a thousand taels of silver in just a few days. You know what kind of situation his family is in. If he hadn't stolen from my mansion, how could he be so extravagant?"

“This…” Jia Zhen hesitated and remained silent.

Knowing that his good nephew wouldn't act without seeing the benefits, Jia She asked, "What's troubling you, Zhen-ge'er?"

Jia Zhen said, "Everything else is fine, but the Duke of Xiuguo's mansion will be celebrating its birthday at the end of the month, and I don't know what gift to give him."

Jia She glanced at him, then gritted his teeth and said, “What’s so difficult about that? Hou Xiaokang is a big fan of Wen Zhengming’s fans. I happen to have a fan with the theme of ‘Autumn Breeze and Delight’ on gold paper. Zhen’er can just take it and give it to him as a congratulatory gift.”

Jia Zhen immediately stood up with delight and clasped his hands in thanks: "Oh, thank you, Uncle She." He then stood up and said solemnly, "I will take care of Jia Chang, that traitorous scoundrel, for you, Uncle. Just wait for good news!"

After the uncle and nephew discussed it again, Jia Zhen left happily. Jia She saw Jia Zhen off, then turned around and immediately looked ashamed, hoping that there would be more money, otherwise he would lose money this time.
At noon that day, Jia Chang was fast asleep in his home on the back street. Suddenly, servants from the Ningguo Mansion burst in, seized Jia Chang, tied him up, gagged him with hemp seeds, and took him back to the Ningguo Mansion.

Upon entering, they were immediately escorted to the ancestral hall. Jia Chang looked up and saw Jia Zhen sitting upright above, with Jia She beside him at the lower end. After removing the hemp seed from his mouth, he immediately shouted, "Why are you arresting me?"

Jia Zhen sneered and said to Jia She, "Uncle, just watch, this scoundrel is about to die and he still doesn't know it."

Jia She said with a gloomy face, "We have no choice but to fight."

Just as Jia Zhen was about to order the beating, Jia Chang shouted, "Even if I die, I should die knowing why! How can you just come and beat someone without asking any questions?"

Jia Zhen then said, "Very well, let me ask you, where are all those valuables hidden?" "What valuables?"

Jia She said, "Of course it's because you helped Miaoyu transport the goods out of the mansion and then secretly embezzled them!"

Jia Chang was startled, and cold sweat immediately broke out on his back. He stammered and couldn't say a word for a moment, but Jia Zhen had no patience to wait for his excuses. With a slight wave of his hand, two vicious servants grabbed Jia Chang and started beating him.

After being beaten more than a dozen times, Jia Chang cried and screamed, unable to bear it any longer, and finally revealed the location where the valuables were hidden.

Jia Zhen was overjoyed and immediately sent Lai Sheng to fetch it.

Master Jia She first breathed a sigh of relief, but then realized something was amiss and quickly sent his servant to accompany him.

But they were too late. By the time the servant chased after them, Lai Sheng and the others had already returned with their small bundles.

Upon entering, Lai Sheng opened the bundle in front of everyone, revealing only a small, multicolored covered bell from the Chenghua kiln and a green jade cup inside.

Jia She quickly estimated the loss and immediately became enraged, stamping his foot and saying, "Twenty or thirty thousand taels of valuables have been lost from the mansion, how could it be just these two items? This thief is not honest, beat him!"

Just as Jia Chang was about to speak in his defense, Jia Zhen suddenly gave a wink to the servants carrying the cane. The servants understood and struck Jia Chang on the cheek with a cane. Jia Chang immediately spat out blood and lost consciousness.

Jia Zhen feigned surprise, then angrily stepped forward and kicked the servant, cursing, "You bastard, why did you slap him in the face when you were supposed to be giving him a beating? Now he can't even speak!"

The servant begged for mercy repeatedly: "Master, spare my life! I made a mistake."

Upon seeing this, Jia She knew perfectly well that he had fallen into Jia Zhen's trap. He feared that Lai Sheng had already hidden most of the items in the bundle.

Seeing that Jia Chang was barely breathing, Jia She gritted his teeth and had no choice but to swallow his anger. He roughly estimated that after deducting the promised fan, he would only have about three thousand taels of silver left. Wait a minute, Jia Zhen still wants the fan? Good heavens!
He said in a sarcastic tone, "Brother Zhen, you have some good skills. As your uncle, I admire you."

Jia Zhen pretended to be stupid and stepped forward, saying, "It's all the fault of the servants who don't know their place. Uncle She, don't worry, Chang'er will stay in my mansion. Once he can speak, I will definitely find out the rest of the valuables."

Jia She snorted coldly, picked up his bundle, and got up to leave. Jia Zhen smiled and saw him off at the ancestral hall. When he turned back, Lai Sheng whispered something in his ear.

Jia Zhen couldn't help but stroke his beard and laugh heartily. A servant then came and asked, "Master, what should be done with Chang'er?"

Jia Zhen glanced at Jia Chang lying on the ground and ordered, "He is still a member of the Jia family. Go find a doctor to treat him. If he doesn't die, then go to Jinling to guard the ancestral home."

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Baoyantang Perfume Shop.

Chen Siyuan sat comfortably in a chair, while Zijuan and Xueyan helped Daiyu scan the dazzling array of rouge and face powder on the shelves. The maids inside introduced each item and then let Daiyu try them.

Daiyu was in her prime, and Xueyan and Zijuan were not much older either. The three of them chattered away, making quite a lively scene.

The goods here were indeed complete: rouge, face powder, lip rouge, face powder, pearl powder, sachets, fragrant powder, snail ink, eyebrow ink, stone ink, various kinds of face powder, bath powder, hair oil, rose nitrate, various kinds of nail polish, various kinds of floral hair ornaments, and various kinds of floral dew. It truly had everything.

Two cups of tea's time passed before the master and servant returned, and the maid came carrying a huge bundle.

Chen Siyuan was taken aback and asked, "Why do you need to buy so much?"

Daiyu hummed but didn't say anything. Zijuan then said, "Master Yuan doesn't know, most of these are for the young ladies. Our young ladies thought it wouldn't be good for them to go back empty-handed after coming out."

Daiyu greeted, "Manager, let's settle the accounts."

The innkeeper came over solicitously, rounded down the amount, and the total came to over sixty taels of silver. Daiyu sent Xueyan to settle the account, and the group didn't rush to get into the carriage. They waited until Fengjie's carriage arrived before getting in together and heading back to Rongguo Mansion.

Inside the carriage, Daiyu belatedly realized, "Why are you still in the carriage? What will people say if they see you?"

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "I'll get off when we get to the back street."

Daiyu was finally relieved. Unable to bear the jostling, she shoved Chen Siyuan hard, but Chen Siyuan, like a roly-poly toy, bumped into Daiyu after hitting the carriage. Daiyu, annoyed, bumped into him again.

The two jostled and bumped against each other, and soon the carriage hit a pothole. Chen Siyuan clutched his head and cried out, which immediately made Daiyu giggle. Seeing that he was really in pain, she asked with concern, "Let me see where you bumped."

Chen Siyuan then lowered his head to let her see. Daiyu reached out and touched it, and sure enough, she felt a bag. She then covered her mouth and laughed, saying, "Serves you right for being dishonest, now you're getting your comeuppance, aren't you?"

As soon as she finished speaking, her clear eyes met hers. The previous languor and playfulness were gone, replaced by a deep look. Daiyu's heart skipped a beat. She was stunned for a moment before hurriedly turning her head away.

The car was completely silent, with only the sound of wind and snow outside. Just as Chen Siyuan was about to break the idyllic silence by saying something, Qingyu suddenly called out from outside, "Sir, we're about to pass the back street."

Chen Siyuan was taken aback, turned to look at Daiyu, and said with some reluctance, "Then I'll go first."

"Mm," Daiyu responded softly, then quickly added, "Slow down, be careful not to bump your head again."

Chen Siyuan smiled in return, lifted the curtain, and jumped down from the carriage. He then had his two maids, Zijuan and Xueyan, come up in. Perhaps tired from their sightseeing, the two maids immediately became sleepy upon boarding. Daiyu was also somewhat fatigued at this moment, yet still full of energy, and couldn't fall asleep for a while.

The carriage started moving again, and Daiyu smiled as she recalled everything that had happened that day. She thought to herself, Chen Siyuan is usually gentle and mild-mannered, but he always becomes as lazy and mischievous as a child when he's around me.

Strangely enough, it was precisely that carefree laziness and mischievousness that aroused a strange sense of closeness in Daiyu. After some random thoughts, Daiyu felt that spending her life with such a person might actually be quite interesting?

Thinking of this, Daiyu blushed and secretly spat. Then, remembering how she had covered her head and gasped for breath just now, she couldn't help but burst out laughing.

The carriage entered the Rongguo Mansion in the blink of an eye. Daiyu quickly suppressed her smile and helped her maid down from the carriage.

Then Feng Jie approached with a teasing smile, winked at Daiyu, and said, "Lin girl, you must thank me later."

Daiyu asked, "How would you like me to thank you, Sister Feng?"

Sister Feng laughed and said, "You must invite me to have a cup of wine at the wedding, right?"

"Tch, how can you play such a trick on me? If you keep talking nonsense, I'm not going to talk to you anymore."

Fengjie giggled for a while, then quickly pulled Daiyu aside to ask about the day's events. Daiyu only said that she had listened to a storyteller at the teahouse and then went to the cosmetics shop to do some shopping, nothing else. Fengjie, of course, wouldn't believe her, and couldn't help but tease her again.

She teased Daiyu until she became coquettish and refused to give in, and only then did Fengjie stop.

The two parted ways at the entrance of the Grand View Garden, and Daiyu hurriedly led her maid into the garden. Daiyu then said, "How much money did you spend today? Write it down in the accounts later."

Zijuan asked in surprise, "That's strange. Why does Master Yuan want the young lady to spend her own money?"

Xueyan smiled and said, "Master Yuan said he wants the young lady to experience the joy of spending money."

Daiyu covered her mouth and laughed, "Where did this twisted logic come from? But now that he says it, thinking back on it, it did feel quite refreshing."

Seeing that no one was around, Xueyan leaned closer and said, "Miss, Master Yuan was afraid that you didn't bring enough money, so he secretly slipped you another thousand taels of silver notes."

Daiyu frowned and stopped, saying, "He sent a thousand taels last time, how could I possibly spend it all?"

Xueyan added, "Master Yuan knew that the young lady did not like it, so he said in advance that this money was a loan to the young lady. It is not too late to return it to Master Yuan after the workshop's profits are distributed at the end of the year."

Daiyu then relaxed her delicate brows, shook her head with a smile, and said, "He's just too cunning."

Perhaps because she was in a very good mood, when she returned to Xiaoxiang Pavilion, Daiyu began to hum a little tune that she had heard in Yangzhou when she was a child.

Seeing their young mistress humming absentmindedly, her hand supporting her chin, Zijuan and Xueyan couldn't help but exchange a smile. They both thought to themselves that this was the first time they'd seen her so happy since she'd returned from the south.

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

Meanwhile, Chen Siyuan hummed a strange tune as he leisurely returned to Qingtang Thatched Cottage. To his surprise, as soon as he entered, Hongyu came out to greet him, saying, "Master, Mr. Shan has been looking for you twice, and he's still waiting for you up ahead."

"Oh?"

Chen Siyuan raised an eyebrow, wondering if Shan Pinren's eagerness to find him meant that there might be a turning point in the matter concerning the Shan family's daughter.

They dared not delay and hurriedly set off to search ahead.

After briefly listening outside the ceremonial gate, Chen Siyuan learned that Shan Pinren was currently having tea in the back hall. Chen Siyuan hurriedly entered the back hall, and Shan Pinren, upon seeing Chen Siyuan, quickly stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Master Yuan, why are you so late?"

Chen Siyuan stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said with a smile, "I was preoccupied with official business today, which is why I was delayed... Could it be that you have found a turning point in your life, sir?"

Shan Pinren smiled smugly, pulled Chen Siyuan to sit down, and lowered his voice to say, "Uncle Yuan, you don't know, I've really racked my brains over this matter."

Since Shan Pinren wanted to boast about his achievements, he went to great lengths to explain. So he said that in order to make this matter happen, Shan Pinren had actually sent his own daughter to his cousin's house to keep the second daughter of the Shan family company. After much encouragement, he finally persuaded the second daughter of the Shan family to go to Nengren Temple to offer incense in a couple of days.

Chen Siyuan was immediately intrigued and said with a smile, "Very well, whether it works out or not, these two should at least meet. Without further ado, I'll go and inform Brother Mei right away."

“No rush,” Shan Pinren frowned. “There’s only one problem: my sister-in-law might also be going. If we run into her—”

Chen Siyuan chuckled and said, "Isn't it a good thing that we've stumbled upon it?"

"Huh?" Shan Pinren thought for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said, "Haha, it really is a good thing."

Chen Siyuan added, "Don't worry, sir, I will definitely reward you handsomely after the matter is settled."

Shan Pinren stroked his beard and smiled, repeatedly saying, "You're too kind."

Just as the two were about to part ways, they suddenly heard wailing and arguing outside. Chen Siyuan and Shan Pinren looked at each other in surprise and got up to go out and see what was going on. They saw Lai Dazheng trying to persuade an old woman and a couple in their thirties sitting on the ground wailing and arguing outside the side gate.

After listening carefully, I learned that Jia Chang had been taken away by Jia Zhen in the afternoon. Just now, his mother, brother and sister-in-law went to Ningguo Mansion to look for him and found out that Jia Chang had been beaten silly!
When the family pressed for an explanation, Jia Zhen only said that Jia She had reported Jia Chang for stealing valuables from the Rongguo Mansion.

Amid the commotion, servants from the east courtyard surrounded the old woman, shouting and shoving her. In her haste, the old woman bumped her head on the stone steps in front of the door, and blood began to flow immediately.

Chen Siyuan inwardly gasped, thinking to himself how vicious Jia Zhen was. It was one thing for him to be cruel to his servants, but to be so cruel to the Jia family's own children!
Such matters were best left unattended, so Chen Siyuan bid farewell to Shan Pinren, retrieved his horse from the stable, and headed to Mei Hanlin's residence. At dusk, he met with Mei Chong and spoke with him, to which Mei Chong, of course, was overjoyed and eager to get involved. Upon returning to the Rongguo Mansion, Hongyu, Wu'er, and the others were discussing what had just transpired.

Hongyu said, "Master didn't see it, but Changge'er's mother was covered in blood and was sitting in Rongqing Hall crying and wailing, constantly shouting that she was going to report it to the authorities."

The old lady flew into a rage and summoned both Master Zhen and the eldest master. They both claimed it was a slip of the hand by the servants on the battlefield. Master Zhen then offered a thousand taels of silver for medicine. Chang'er's mother still wanted to cause trouble, but the eldest master and Master Zhen questioned her, threatening to report her to the authorities if she continued. After some persuasion from Chang'er's brother and sister-in-law, his mother finally dared not cause any more trouble.

Chen Siyuan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and frowned as he asked, "How is Jia Chang?"

Wu'er said, "Yunxiang took a look at him back then and said that his mouth and eyes were crooked and he couldn't speak anymore, as if he had really gone stupid."

"Hmm," Chen Siyuan responded, seemingly lost in thought.

He hadn't forgotten that he was going to deal with Master Jia She, but most of Jia She's secret affairs were handled by Jia Lian, and Chen Siyuan couldn't possibly pry Jia Lian open his mouth to find out.

Now it's good. If Jia Chang is really stupid, that's fine. But if he's pretending to be stupid... Jia Chang will definitely hate Jia Zhen and Jia She to death later. They might be able to find out something from him.

Just as he was pondering this, the curtain was lifted, and Xiangling appeared smiling as she turned around the screen. Seeing Chen Siyuan return, Xiangling first greeted him, then called to Hongyu and Wu'er, saying, "Miss Lin went to the workshops outside the city today, and on her way back, she happened to pass by a perfume shop. She found some very appealing items and bought quite a few. I arrived just in time; Miss Lin was having Zijuan deliver them to various places, and when she saw me, she picked out a few things and gave them to me. Come and take a look; they are all truly fine items."

Upon hearing this, Hongyu and Wu'er immediately rushed over to pick and choose, praising Daiyu for her thoughtfulness. After they had each chosen something they liked, Yunxiang from outside announced, "Master, Miss Bao has arrived."

Chen Siyuan scratched his head inwardly, thinking to himself that getting past Baochai would be quite difficult.

(End of this chapter)