Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 314 Leng Erlang Slays the Foolish Soul with His Sword
She wore a light gold and peach-red floral-patterned jacket, underneath which was a vermilion square-necked, stand-up collar jacket with a side opening, and a peach-red horse-face skirt. Her face wore a fake smile, giving her a charming appearance that was captivating even to the most heartless.

Chen Siyuan was already very familiar with Baochai, so he knew that whenever she showed such a smile, it meant she was feeling awkward inside. Why was she awkward? It must be because Daiyu had let slip that Baochai was feeling jealous.

Thinking this, Chen Siyuan's smile widened. He stepped forward and grabbed Baochai's hand without a second thought, saying, "Sister, you're here? Sit down quickly. Hongyu has just brewed some tea for you."

Hongyu agreed and quickly brought over a cup of daughter's tea.

Baochai slowly sat down, quietly breaking free from Chen Siyuan, and said reproachfully, "Everyone's watching, be more careful."

Chen Siyuan's lecherous eyes roamed over Baochai, making her feel weak all over. Before Baochai could speak, Chen Siyuan said, "There's finally good news from the Shan family."

"Oh?" Baochai's interest was piqued, and she hurriedly asked after the maids had left.

Chen Siyuan then explained Shan Pinren's arrangements, and finally said, "Whether we stumble upon it or not, this marriage has taken a turn for the better. I expect that once this matter is revealed, even if Mei Hanlin is old-fashioned, he will have to accept it reluctantly."

Baojie breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "I'll talk to my mother about it later; she's still waiting for news."

Chen Siyuan frowned slightly and said, "If the concubine stays in the mansion, what will happen to the old house? Your sister-in-law might not be able to control Wenlong."

Baochai also said with worry, "How could I not know? But I've talked to Mother about it twice. First, Xue Ke keeps urging for money all day long, which annoys Mother. Second, it's not good for Brother to be so repressed for too long. You know what kind of person he is. When he really loses his temper, even Mother can't control him."

Rather than that, it would be better to let my brother go out for a walk occasionally to clear his head. Mother has carefully instructed the servants to ensure that no more incidents from Jinling are brought up.

Since Baochai had already said that, Chen Siyuan naturally couldn't say anything more. He took a sip of tea, then suddenly grinned and said, "Sister, do you know that I took Daiyu to the perfume shop today?"

Baochai immediately became charming even in her coldness, and said with a fake smile, "Oh? I was wondering where Lin Daiyu got the courage to wander around by herself. It turns out you led her there."

Chen Siyuan sighed, "Isn't it all because of those rouge and face powders? You know, the ones that the compradors buy are never good enough. Lin Daiyu inevitably had to ask someone to buy them for her. It just so happened that the shop she usually bought from went out of business, and she didn't know what kind of rouge and face powder she liked. After thinking about it, I decided to take her shopping on her way back."

Seeing that she was indeed just going through the motions, and that her smile had become much more natural, Baochai couldn't help but advise, "With the marriage certificate in hand, the marriage is settled. Lin Daiyu must be bored staying cooped up in the mansion. You should take her out for a walk when you have time. Otherwise... if you keep coming here to me and don't take care of her, I'm afraid people will start gossiping."

"We'll see," Chen Siyuan mumbled, then gently stroked her soft hand and whispered, "Winter is approaching, how about I take my sister ice skating at the goldfish pond when it gets a bit colder?"

Baojie retorted, "I can't ice skate... and in this freezing weather, falling on the ice would hurt like hell."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "There are also ice sleds and sleds, there's plenty to do."

Baochai was immediately intrigued, so she smiled and said, "Then we'll see when the time comes?"

Chen Siyuan nodded in agreement. Baochai's jealousy gradually subsided, and unable to resist Chen Siyuan's persistent pestering, she moved gracefully and sat in his lap. After a brief moment of intimacy, Baochai began to recount what had just happened.

Sister Bao, still shaken, said, "When Miaoyu left the manor, she gave Auntie some things, but unexpectedly, she was targeted by Jia Chang as soon as she left. It's truly—"

Baochai was at a loss for words, only thinking that the Jia family was indeed ruthless, not even sparing their own children for wealth.

She was naturally terrified. Luckily, she had broken free from that damned marriage early on, otherwise... just look at Miaoyu and Jia Chang, and you'll know that the Xue family would have been completely devoured by the Jia family!

Chen Siyuan didn't know how to comfort her, so he tried his best to soothe her until her neck turned red before he finally let her go.

Seeing that it was getting late, Sister Bao hurriedly took her leave and left, and that was the end of the day.

The next day, after having breakfast, Chen Siyuan went to his study to read. However, around 7:30 a.m., Madam Xing came to the door.

After the two entered and exchanged some casual words, Madam Xing dismissed everyone else.

Once only the two of them remained inside, Madam Xing said, "That Zhen-ge'er is truly a despicable son; no wonder the master is cursing in the street."

Chen Siyuan hurriedly asked, "What do you mean?"

Madam Xing frowned and said, "I don't know where he heard it from, but he heard that Jia Chang stole some valuable items from that fake nun. The master didn't want to deal with the officials, so he asked Zhen-ge'er to settle the matter. The two of them opened the ancestral hall, brought Jia Chang in, and interrogated him for a while. You know what kind of person Jia Chang is; after being beaten more than ten times, he told her everything."

Jia Zhen ordered Lai Sheng to fetch the valuables, but the master was slow to react, only remembering to send a servant after everyone had left. Sure enough, Lai Sheng returned with two items, which, when calculated, were worth just over four thousand taels of silver!

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "The East Mansion must have already emptied its coffers for the Qin family's funeral. Now that we have the opportunity, we must try to make up for it."

Madam Xing leaned back in her chair, crossed her legs, and frowned, saying, "My master is in a terrible mood. He's been cursing me since last night until this morning. I don't want to go back and get scolded, so I thought I'd come here to avoid him." She paused, then added, "Yes, this morning that man surnamed Sun came to our door again, demanding repayment. My master had no choice but to use that green jade cup as collateral for two thousand taels of silver."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "That green jade cup is worth two thousand taels of silver? You really know how to do business, sir."

Madam Xing took a deep breath and looked at Chen Siyuan, asking, "When did you make your move against him?"

"What's the rush?" Chen Siyuan said, "I need to gather evidence before I can take action."

Unexpectedly, Madam Xing frowned and shook her head, saying, "This is bad. I've thought about it. If he's convicted, wouldn't Fourth Brother lose his title? Rather than that, we should find a way to kill him!"

Seeing Madam Xing's vicious appearance, Chen Siyuan broke out in a cold sweat and immediately advised, "You're being foolish. Even if the master is gone, it will be Second Brother Lian who inherits the title. What does it have to do with Fourth Brother?"

Madam Xing replied, "If the master can kill him, why can't Lian'er?"

"Shut up!" Chen Siyuan was annoyed and frowned as he reprimanded, "If this kind of thing gets discovered, it will be a huge legal scandal. At that time, not to mention me, even you... can you withstand the questioning by the Shuntian Prefecture government or endure the torture by Sanmu?"

Madam Xing then shrank back and said awkwardly, "I... I was just really annoyed, so I just said it offhand."

Yes, Madam Xing harbored malicious intentions because she disliked Jia She. However, he was all talk and no action, so he was not a threat.

Seeing that Chen Siyuan was not happy, Madam Xing quickly told him a few funny stories about Fourth Brother. After Chen Siyuan's brows relaxed, she instructed him, "Don't come to the east courtyard these two days, lest you bring bad luck."

Chen Siyuan readily agreed. After drinking two cups of tea, Madam Xing reluctantly got up and said, "Alright, I shouldn't stay here any longer. I'll just go to the East Mansion to see Madam You."

Chen Siyuan had just seen Madam Xing off when a little maid named Yunxiang came running back, breathless, saying, "Master, Master, something terrible has happened! Ha...ha...Third Miss is angry, and she's taking Wu Xingdeng's wife to Rongqing Hall right now!"

Chen Siyuan asked in surprise, "Why is Third Sister angry?"

Yunxiang finally caught her breath and quickly said, "I heard that last time the Third Miss caught Wu Xingdeng's family gambling, but the Madam only fined them two months' salary. The next day, she was still doing errands in the garden and finding fault with the Third Miss at every turn, so the Third Miss got angry."

Upon hearing this, Chen Siyuan couldn't help but smile, secretly thinking to himself that Tan Chun was different from the one in the original book. Firstly, she realized that her background could not be changed because of a single sentence from Madam Wang, and secondly, she had received much guidance from him. He was afraid that Madam Wang had shot herself in the foot this time.

It's a pity he couldn't go to Rongqing Hall, otherwise he could have seen Tan Chun's dashing figure.

Just as he was pondering this, he saw Wu'er and Hao Hongyu run out, apologize to each other, and go home.

Chen Siyuan was taken aback. At this moment, Xiangling came over and said, "Master, you don't know, Ying'er doesn't run a big business anymore. There are only four big bosses in the garden. One is Wu'er's aunt, one is Aunt Lin's two aunts' in-laws, one is the second young lady's wet nurse, and then there is Granny Hu who serves Miss Xia. There are quite a few other small bosses, but none of them are very influential."

Chen Siyuan frowned immediately. Xiangling, who knew Chen Siyuan's likes and dislikes, quickly said, "Don't worry, sir, there's no gambling in our room. Yunxiang, on the other hand, loves to watch the excitement, but she always gets so frustrated that she doesn't dare to join in."

Chen Siyuan then smiled and said, "That girl Yunxiang still has time to watch others gamble. She must be too idle. Starting tomorrow, she will write two more large characters every day."

Xiangling covered her mouth and laughed, saying, "Master, you can tell Yunxiang yourself later. I don't want to be the bad guy."

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

Rongqing Hall.

At this moment, Grandmother Jia was talking with Lady Wang and Aunt Xue when a head maid, Yuanyang, entered solemnly and whispered in Grandmother Jia's ear, "Grandmother, the Third Miss has brought Wu Xingdeng's wife to the back."

Grandmother Jia immediately stopped smiling and frowned, asking, "What has Wu Xingdeng's family done wrong?"

Although Yuanyang spoke softly, it still reached the ears of Madam Wang, who was standing nearby. Madam Wang paused in her beaded prayer beads, secretly displeased, but said with a smile, "I don't know what happened today, but the other day, Wu Xingdeng's wife was wronged by a maid, and I scolded her and cut off her rice rations for two months."

Grandmother Jia gave a vague reply without asking any further questions. Grandmother Jia was an old and shrewd woman. Although she didn't know every little detail of the affairs in the mansion, she was very clear about who worked for whom.

The Wu Xingdeng couple were originally servants of the Jia family. Seeing that Lady Wang had gained power, they secretly pledged their allegiance to her. Otherwise, how could Wu Xingdeng have been able to manage the purchasing office so peacefully?
While pondering, she heard a jumble of footsteps, and soon saw Tan Chun, dressed in a bright red scarlet felt, turn around the screen first, followed by two maids, and then two old women escorting Wu Xingdeng's family.

Tan Chun stepped forward to greet her, but Grandmother Jia waved her hand and said, "Tan Chun, what's all this fuss about?"

Tan Chun didn't even glance at Madam Wang, and said, "Reporting to Madam, Wu Xingdeng's family was caught gambling the other day. But after you punished him, he didn't repent and has been negligent and perfunctory in his work these past two days."

My wife is in poor health, which is why she entrusted me with managing the household. But with such a wicked servant around, I'm afraid I can't possibly keep this household in check.

As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Xingdeng's wife hurriedly protested, "Grandma, this is a huge injustice! I just didn't sleep well last night, so I was a little slow in thinking when the young lady asked me questions today. Who knew that the third young lady would accuse me of being negligent and perfunctory?"

Tan Chun turned around and glared at him coldly, saying, "You are also an elder in the family, responsible for handling old matters. Do you know the rules and regulations of the household? Do you need to consult the records and accounts? Since you know nothing, wouldn't it be more useful for me to send my maid to check the records than for you?"

Madam Wang coughed and began, "If I were to say..."

"Wait!" Before Lady Wang could say anything, Grandmother Jia interrupted with a frown, "Tan'er said that the other day, Wu Xingdeng's family was arrested for gambling?"

Tan Chun replied, “Yes. If it were up to my granddaughter, gambling is akin to theft, and adultery is akin to murder! Wu Xingdeng’s family gathered more than ten people to gamble, and the day I caught them, the winnings and losses amounted to seventy strings of cash. How much silver do the servants in the mansion earn each month? She has done a good job as the ringleader and should be expelled from the mansion as a warning to others. Madam is merciful and, considering that she is an elder in the family and it was her first offense, she has only exempted her from two months’ salary.”

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia glanced at Madam Wang and immediately reprimanded her, "Madam, you seem to have made a mistake! How do you know the implications of this?"

You think gambling is a regular thing, only afraid of causing trouble. Little do you know that if you gamble at night, you can't avoid drinking; and if you drink, you're bound to leave doors unlocked at will. Or you might go shopping, looking for Zhang or Li, and in the quiet of the night, when few people are around, you're more likely to hide thieves, invite adultery, or commit theft—what kind of things wouldn't you do!
Moreover, the young ladies in the garden are accompanied by maids and wives, a mixed bag of wise and foolish women. Theft is a minor matter, but if they were involved in other things, even slightly, the consequences would be far more serious. This matter cannot be lightly forgiven!

After saying this, Grandmother Jia looked at Wu Xingdeng's wife, who was kneeling on the ground, and said sternly, "How could you not have slept well? I asked you about the old customs of the mansion earlier, and you answered them perfectly. How come you don't remember them when Tan'er asks you? I think you are obviously bullying Tan'er because she is young!"

These words startled Wu Xingdeng's family so much that they kowtowed repeatedly.

Grandmother Jia then looked at Aunt Xue and asked, "What did Aunt Xue say?"

Aunt Xue thought to herself, "This has nothing to do with me. What can I say?" She had no choice but to play the peacemaker and said, "Grandma, this is a family matter. How can I, an outsider, interfere? It is true that gambling should be punished. If everyone imitates this, wouldn't it cause chaos?" She paused, glanced at Madam Wang, and added, "However, this is her first offense, so she should be treated leniently."

Grandmother Jia said, "This kind of unruly servant should not be treated lightly. The Grand View Garden is a place where young ladies gather. With these kinds of troublemakers setting up their own establishments, how can things possibly be any better?"

Madam Wang sighed inwardly, knowing that she could no longer protect Wu Xingdeng's family. She smiled and said, "It's fortunate that the old lady pointed this out, otherwise I wouldn't have known the danger involved." Turning to Wu Xingdeng's family, she said, "Since that's the case, you should go home first."

"Madam, I—"

When Madam Wang glared at him, Wu Xingdeng's wife immediately swallowed her words.

Two old women immediately pushed and shoved him out of Rongqing Hall.

At this moment, Tan Chun curtsied to everyone and said, "I am young and stubborn, and I only judge things by right and wrong. This time, I disturbed the peace of the Old Madam and Madam, which was really wrong of me. If Madam thinks I am meddling, she should find someone more capable..."

Even if Madam Wang wanted to remove Tan Chun from her position as housekeeper, she wouldn't do it now. She could only swallow her anger and resentment, interrupting Tan Chun before she could finish speaking, "Tan Chun, what are you saying? I'm happy that you manage the household so diligently. But as the old saying goes, governing a large country is like cooking a small fish; the same applies to managing this household. We can't be too hasty." Tan Chun smiled and said, "I don't know how to manage the household either; I just follow the rules Madam has given me. If I'm right, I'll be rewarded; if I'm wrong, I'll be punished."

Upon hearing this, Grandmother Jia immediately clasped her hands together and laughed, "Good, good, good! This is the kind of girl my Jia family should have." She then turned to Aunt Xue and said, "Auntie, you don't know, but Tan'er looks a bit like Daiyu's mother before she got married. What a coincidence, both of them are the third daughters."

"Is that so?"

Aunt Xue smiled and agreed, but after a quick glance, she saw that Madam Wang's face was deathly pale, clearly very angry. Aunt Xue secretly rejoiced, thinking to herself that her good sister had indeed shot herself in the foot this time.

Tan Chun stayed in the hall for a while and then, because she still had other matters to attend to, she took her leave with her maids and servants.

Lady Wang felt bored and was in a hurry to go back to discuss countermeasures with Xia Jingui. After Tan Chun left, she and Aunt Xue also bid farewell and left.

The situation inside Rongqing Hall could not be kept secret. With the help of someone who wanted to spread the word, the whole household knew about it by the afternoon.

The servants in the mansion were all terrified, thinking that just as one powerful figure had left, another had arrived. Everyone in the Grand View Garden was extra careful, and dared not drink or gamble at night anymore.

When this matter reached Sister Feng's ears, it naturally amused her greatly. The Wu Xingdeng couple had been two-faced, secretly siding with Madam Wang, which Sister Feng deeply resented. Moreover, this incident had also caused Madam Wang to lose face—wasn't this a double blessing?

Fengjie then smiled and said to Ping'er, "Although Tan'er is a young lady, she is very shrewd and only cautious in her speech. She is also more literate than me, making her even more capable. Just you wait and see, Madam can tolerate her for now, but once Tan'er accomplishes something big, Madam will definitely not be able to tolerate it!"

When this news reached the garden, everyone reacted in various ways. Daiyu, Xiangyun, and Xichun clasped their hands in praise, all saying that the Third Miss Tanchun was a woman who was just as capable as any man; Baochai frowned in displeasure, feeling that Tanchun was too sharp; the Second Miss, though silent, sighed for a while, feeling that Tanchun was too strong and easily broken.

Xing Xiuyan, however, did not care at all. To her, this place was just a temporary residence. She only thought about Chen Siyuan and didn't care about anything else.

Xiao Laba Yunxiang also vividly recounted the matter to Chen Siyuan, and Chen Siyuan, along with Xiangling, Hongyu, and others, all praised Tanchun highly.

Knowing that Tan Chun wouldn't suffer any losses in the short term, Chen Siyuan felt relieved and pretended to go to the new residence, but actually went straight to the north of Nengren Temple.

Chen Siyuan waited a day, and his servant Qingyu replied that Jia Chang had indeed been beaten senseless and was now rambling incoherently and drooling. Such a joyous occasion naturally required him to talk to Miaoyu about it.

A short while later, Chen Siyuan arrived alone on horseback at Miaoyu's place. He tied up his horse and knocked on the door, but the new cook opened it. He learned that Granny Han had gone to the market to buy groceries, and Qingfan was currently serving Miaoyu her bath.

Chen Siyuan had no intention of trying to appease Miaoyu's stubborn nature; in his heart, she was nothing more than a plaything. And if she was just a plaything, why would he care about Miaoyu's thoughts?

He strode in, causing a gasp from the bedroom. A maid named Qingfan came out to see what was happening and, seeing it was Chen Siyuan, breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Miss, it's Master Yuan."

Miaoyu said in a trembling voice, "You, you wait a moment."

Chen Siyuan was unwilling to wait and stepped inside. He saw Miaoyu hurriedly emerge from the bath tub, with a half-wet undergarment draped beside her, revealing half of her fragrant shoulder and a pair of fair and slender legs beneath it.

Her wet hair clung to her pale cheeks, her eyelashes, glistening with water droplets, trembled incessantly, a blush rose on her fair face, and she bit her lower lip, staring at Chen Siyuan in fear.

Chen Siyuan's heart was stirred with lust, and he secretly admired what a beautiful picture of Xi Shi emerging from her bath!

He smiled and stepped forward, then paused slightly and instructed Qingfan, "You're not needed here anymore, go and have some fun."

"This..." Qingfan glanced at Miaoyu, and seeing that she didn't say anything, he silently agreed and hurriedly retreated, covering his face.

Without saying a word, Chen Siyuan stepped forward, picked up Miaoyu horizontally, and carried her straight to the bed.

For reasons unknown, Miaoyu initially resisted slightly, but after being thrown onto the bed, her eyes suddenly showed a hint of eagerness.

The two, deeply in love, indulged in passionate lovemaking, their love shaking the very foundations of their chamber. In an instant, their fragrant sweat soaked through the bed, leaving a trail of dewy perfume—but I will not go into details…

After the spring breeze had passed and the wind and rain had ceased, Miaoyu lay limp and flushed on the bed. Chen Siyuan slowly put on his undergarments before saying to her, "Oh, right, I almost forgot to tell you, Jia Chang has been beaten into a fool."

Miaoyu was taken aback, then quickly got up and asked, "Did you...have anyone seen you?"

Chen Siyuan sneered, "Why would I need to take action against these people? It's just a matter of using a little trick; someone else will carry it out for me."

Seeing his puzzled expression, Chen Siyuan then briefly explained the reason.

Upon hearing this, Miaoyu breathed a long sigh of relief. Although she didn't say anything to vent her anger, she forced herself to sit up and help Chen Siyuan get dressed.

Afterwards, she dressed herself properly and instructed Qingfan to boil water, then carefully served Chen Siyuan tea.

Chen Siyuan felt inexplicably strange. After thinking it over, he realized that what the writer Zhang said was true. Indeed, only women truly understand women.

However, Miaoyu was somewhat different from You Erjie. You Erjie only liked things to enhance the mood and was happy to do whatever Chen Siyuan wanted to her. Miaoyu, on the other hand, was more introverted and only did she agree with whatever Chen Siyuan said when the passion was at its peak.

As evening approached, Miaoyu instructed the cook to prepare a feast. After they had eaten, she asked in a low voice, "It's getting windy outside, perhaps you shouldn't travel tonight."

Chen Siyuan was slightly tempted, and immediately lifted Miaoyu's chin and laughed, "You don't want me to leave?"

Seeing that Miaoyu was ignoring him with her lowered eyelids, he laughed and said, "It's a pity that it can't be done today. We agreed to go see Third Sister. Let's talk about it another day."

Miaoyu felt slightly disappointed but dared not say anything. After the meal, she obediently saw Chen Siyuan out of the courtyard before returning to the main room.

That night, Chen Siyuan arrived at his new house and inevitably had some fun with Sister You Er and Sister You San, until he finally went to sleep at 9 PM.

He had thought that he had nothing else to do the next day and could relax for a while. But before dawn, Chunxi rushed upstairs to Chen Siyuan on the bed and said, "Master, Qingyu has something urgent to discuss with you."

Chen Siyuan woke up groggily and asked, "Did you say anything?"

Chunxi glanced at the situation on the bed, lowered her head and blushed, saying, "He didn't say, but judging from his anxious look, it must be extremely important."

The second young lady inside complained, "It's probably something that happened to the Rongguo Mansion. In my opinion, now that Master has achieved official rank, he doesn't need to stay in the Rongguo Mansion any longer."

Sister You smiled and said, "Miss Lin and Miss Xue are both at the manor, how could I bear to part with them, brother?"

Chen Siyuan chuckled awkwardly, not wanting to agree. He let the two sisters help him get dressed before going downstairs and heading forward.

Upon reaching the front gate, they indeed saw the servant Qingyu wandering around at the side gate.

Seeing Chen Siyuan step forward, Qingyu hurriedly bowed and said, "Master, something terrible has happened! Master Xue... has been murdered!"

"Hmm..." Chen Siyuan hadn't quite come to his senses when a gust of cold wind blew, jolting him fully awake. He frowned and asked sharply, "What did you say? Say it again!"

Qingyu said, "Early this morning, the steward came to the Xue family's old residence to report that the eldest son of the Xue family was killed last night!"

"Hiss—" Chen Siyuan gasped. Xue Pan was dead? How did he die? When pressed for further details, Qing Yu knew nothing.

He said, "Master, please go back quickly. Miss Bao is very anxious. She has cried so much that her eyes are swollen and she is insisting on going back to the old house with the concubine."

"Let's go quickly!"

Chen Siyuan walked briskly with his head held high, quickly took a horse, and spurred it straight towards the Rongguo Mansion.

Without further ado, in the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, the master and servant arrived at the back gate of the Rongguo Mansion. Chen Siyuan tossed the horse to Qingyu and quickly entered the mansion through the back gate.

Entering the Grand View Garden, Chen Siyuan turned and headed towards Hengwu Garden. However, he found it empty; the old woman left behind only said that Baochai had returned to the Xue family's old residence with Aunt Xue a short while ago. Lady Wang, fearing that the mother and daughter wouldn't be able to handle things, sent Jia Lian along instead.

After asking the question, Chen Siyuan turned and walked away, striding across the Bee Waist Bridge. As he passed the Xiaoxiang Pavilion, Xueyan, who was standing in front of the gate, called out, "Master Yuan!"

Chen Siyuan paused for a moment to ponder, then headed straight for Xiaoxiang Pavilion. Upon approaching, Chen Siyuan asked, "Does your young lady know what has happened to the Xue family?"

Just then, Daiyu came out from inside and, hearing the commotion, quickly went forward to explain.

Yesterday afternoon, Xue Pan had another argument with Cao Shi. In his anger, the simple-minded Xue Pan went to Jinxiang Courtyard to play around again. Cao Shi was afraid that something might happen to him, so she quickly sent four burly servants to accompany him.

Since Aunt Xue had long established the rule that even if one went out to play, one should not stay out all night, Cao Shi assumed that this was the same as before and guessed that Xue Pan should return around 7 PM.

However, they waited until 9 PM without seeing Xue Pan. Concerned, Madam Cao quickly sent people to search for him. Unfortunately, the city gates connecting the inner and outer cities were already closed, making it difficult for the servants to find him.

As dawn broke and the city gates opened, a minor official from the city patrol came to the door, saying that Xue Pan had been beheaded and that two of his four servants were dead and two were injured. He added that if the night patrol soldiers hadn't scared away the villains, the two servants might not have survived either!

Chen Siyuan gasped in shock and quickly asked, "Do you know who did it?"

Daiyu said, "I just heard Auntie mention that she would give up everything to buy Liu Erlang's life."

"Liu Xianglian?"

Yes, if Xue Pan hadn't interfered, Liu Xianglian might have seduced Miaoyu and gained both her and his wealth—wouldn't that be wonderful? Not to mention Liu Xianglian, even I would probably hate Xue Pan to the bone if it were me!
Knowing that Daiyu's knowledge was limited, Chen Siyuan sighed and said, "Wenlong is really... never mind. Aunt and Baochai are probably in a state of confusion right now. I may have to go to the Xue family's old residence."

Daiyu quickly stopped him, frowning as she instructed, "That man used to come and go from house to house. When the old lady heard the news, she was terrified and strictly ordered Baoyu not to go out and fool around anymore. Nobody knows if that Liu Erlang will cause trouble again. Aunt is also going to the Xue family's old house soon. Why don't you wait a little longer?"

Yes, if Xue Pan reveals his identity before he dies, Liu Xianglian might also try to kill him.

Chen Siyuan bowed respectfully and said, "Thank you for your guidance, sister. I understand now."

After bidding farewell to Daiyu, Chen Siyuan casually stopped an old woman, paid her some money, and asked her to send his servant Qingyu to his new residence to fetch two guards. He then hurried off to Lady Wang's courtyard.

With such a major incident, not only would women of the Wang family like Madam Wang and Sister Feng have to visit the Xue family, but even the master of the East Wing would have to make a trip to see them.

The mansion was in complete chaos. Chen Siyuan only exchanged a few words with Madam Wang before heading to wait outside the ceremonial gate.

When it was past mid-morning, everyone had gathered, and six or seven carriages lined up in a row, exiting through a side gate and heading straight for the Xue family's old residence.

Chen Siyuan was anxious, but continued riding. Who knew the weather had changed today; a cold wind was blowing, and a snowstorm was brewing.

In the carriage next to them, Ping'er mentioned it to Feng Jie'er, and Feng Jie'er then lifted the curtain and said, "Brother Yuan, it's cold outside, why don't you squeeze into my carriage?"

Chen Siyuan did not agree, but instead cupped his hands and said, "Okay, thank you, Second Sister-in-law."

He dismounted, jumped onto the carriage, and hurriedly crawled into Sister Feng's carriage.

Inside, there was a censer for warmth, making it exceptionally cozy. As soon as Chen Siyuan sat down, Ping'er handed him some warm tea. Chen Siyuan held it in his hands, and Feng Jie said, "Brother Yuan, you probably don't know, but Liu Xianglian not only stabbed Xue Pan to death in the back with a sword, but also turned around and cut off his head, hanging it above the memorial archway… Heavens, what kind of hatred is this!"

(End of this chapter)