Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 319 The Couplets at Luxue Pavilion, the Feast of Blood and Goat, the Dowry at Rongxi Hall, the Burial of Trouble
The charcoal inside the incense burner glows red-hot, and fragrant aromas rise from it.

The two were not in a hurry to have sex that night. Instead, they sat down together near the incense burner, and Li Wan carefully poured them a cup of tea.

Chen Siyuan drank it all in one gulp, and Li Wan said in a low voice, "Auntie was never really willing to stay in the garden. When Father was an official in the capital, he bought a two-courtyard house, which he rented out when he resigned and returned to his hometown. In September, the house was taken back, and Auntie and her two younger sisters moved in there temporarily."

That day, as soon as his aunt and two younger sisters arrived, Baoyu rushed over to keep an eye on them. Although his two younger sisters didn't say anything, his aunt nagged him for a long time that night. "She said again today that we're moving out tomorrow."

Li Shouzhong had once served as the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, with students and former officials all over the country, and he was well aware of the political climate in the capital. How could Baoyu, a mischievous devil, possibly escape Li Shouzhong's notice with his many misdeeds? It's likely that Li Wan's widowed aunt received word of this before leaving Jinling, and upon arriving in the capital and seeing that Baoyu was indeed a womanizer, she immediately wanted to move out, fearing that Baoyu would further tarnish her two daughters' reputations.

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "If Auntie doesn't want to stay, then she won't. Anyway, things aren't very peaceful in this garden right now."

Li Wan was taken aback and said, "You knew?"

Chen Siyuan looked at Li Wan in surprise and asked, "Has something happened?"

Li Wan said, "This morning, Madam called me over to talk. She said that Third Sister was too strict in managing the household, which caused complaints from everyone... Madam's words seemed to imply that she wanted me to take charge of the household."

Chen Siyuan smiled and asked, "So what do you think?"

"Me?" Li Wan smiled sarcastically and said, "Madam has no one else to rely on, so she thought of me. Before, she said that I was a widow and unemployed and it was not good for me to show my face in public. Now she wants to push me out to compete with Feng'er. I'm not stupid. I won't do such a thankless thing."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "That's exactly right."

Li Wan smiled and said, "My mother wrote to me earlier, saying that my aunt's family is poor and my two younger sisters' dowries are rather meager. So I thought I'd trouble you to set up a few shops and estates as a way for me to add to my two younger sisters' dowries."

“Okay,” Chen Siyuan agreed, “I happen to have some spare money now, and I’m planning to buy some land and shops. I’ll take care of it for you while I’m at it.”

Li Wan leaned on Chen Siyuan's shoulder and sighed softly, "Thanks to you, otherwise every day in this mansion would be torture for me."

Chen Siyuan said no more, reached out and pinched Li Wan's chin, met her peach blossom eyes, and then covered her cherry lips with his.

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

Nothing happened that night. The next morning, Xiangling, still preoccupied with the poetry gathering, tossed and turned all night and couldn't sleep. She got up as soon as it was light.

Yawning repeatedly, he helped Chen Siyuan get dressed, then lifted the curtain and glanced outside. Seeing the bright light shining through the window, he immediately frowned and said, "It's probably sunny and the sun is out."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Perhaps it's because of the heavy snowfall."

Xiangling quickly lifted the window sash to look outside. Through the glass window, she saw that the courtyard was covered in silver, and snowflakes, like cotton wool, were falling softly from the sky.

Xiangling was overjoyed and clapped her hands in praise, "What a wonderful snowfall! We can definitely hold a poetry gathering today!"

Seeing that Xiangling was so happy that she seemed more energetic, Hongyu couldn't help but tease her a bit. But Xiangling was only focused on her happiness and didn't get angry no matter what Hongyu said.

Chen Siyuan smiled and went out of the house. He didn't go far and practiced his stance training in the courtyard. After a while, Wu'er and Yunxiang got up. Wu'er went to the small kitchen to get the food box, while Yunxiang put her hands on her hips and instructed the maids and servants to sweep the snow in the courtyard.

Then Hongyu came out and hurriedly ordered a pot of hot water to be boiled. A short while later, after Chen Siyuan finished practicing, the maid brought a basin of hot water into the room for Chen Siyuan to wash up.

While Chen Siyuan was having breakfast, Xiangling was constantly fluctuating between worry and joy. Chen Siyuan couldn't stand it anymore and said, "It's just a couplet; if you have something in your heart, say it, and if you don't, don't say it. Why is it so difficult?"

Hongyu smiled and said, "Sister Xiangling is afraid of losing face."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Then I'll give you an idea. Why don't you go to Xiaoxiang Pavilion right now?"

Xiangling blinked and immediately smiled, "Alright, I'll go find Miss Lin now, and we'll have dinner at Miss Lin's place later."

Having said that, he found a gray squirrel fur coat and headed to Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

Inside the room, Hongyu and Wu'er both covered their mouths and laughed. Hongyu said, "I'm afraid that Sister Xiangling will even forget to eat because she's so busy writing poetry."

Chen Siyuan had already finished his breakfast when he suddenly remembered something and instructed Hongyu, "In a little while I will write down some spices, and you can go to the storeroom and get some more silver frost charcoal."

Hongyu immediately asked with delight, "Does Master want some roasted meat?"

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Yes, I'll go to Sister Guan's place on the back street and ask if she has any fresh beef. I'll slice it thinly, mix it with seasonings, take half to Luxue Temple to eat, and leave the other half for you."

Wu'er said happily, "Why don't I go with you, sir? First, I can carry the things, and second... so that you don't buy any more old beef that will get stuck in your teeth."

Hongyu gently shoved Wu'er and laughed, "With your physique, you can only carry a food box, how could you possibly carry anything else?"

That's what they said, but after getting ready, Wu'er followed Chen Siyuan, holding an umbrella, to the back street. Sure enough, Sister Guan had recently acquired half a cow, and Chen Siyuan cut ten catties of the finest beef, then paid Sister Guan to slice it thinly. Turning back to the thatched cottage, he found a small millstone and ground all the seasonings into powder, mixing it with rapeseed oil and adding it to the meat.

Hongyu divided the beef into two portions, one large and one small. As it was approaching Chenshi (7-9 AM), Chen Siyuan carried the mixed beef to Luxue Temple.

Stepping out of the courtyard gate, I looked around and saw nothing but green pines and bamboos in the distance, while I felt as if I were inside a glass basin.

Not far along, a sweet fragrance suddenly wafted through the air. Turning my head, I could see the red plum blossoms in the Longcui Nunnery blooming brightly over the wall.

After passing Cuiyan Bridge and Fengyao Bridge, we arrived at Luxue Temple in the blink of an eye. There were maids and old women all around, and there was also a mischievous girl like Xueyan who was urging Shishu and others to build a snowman by the path.

As Chen Siyuan carried the items inside, Tan Chun laughed and said, "Another one has arrived. Now all that's missing are Baoyu and Xiangyun."

Seeing that Chen Siyuan was carrying things in both hands, Xichun asked in surprise, "What did Brother Yuan carry? A charcoal stove?"

When Chen Siyuan saw Daiyu glancing over, he smiled and said, "It's cold now, the perfect time to nourish the body. I just happened to get a piece of beef this morning, so I prepared it myself. Everyone can cook it later and have a taste."

Daiyu covered her mouth and laughed, "Look, Yun'er and Baoyu must be out plotting with Sister Feng about that piece of venison right now."

Just then, Aunt Li came over to watch the commotion and asked Li Wan, "How come that the young man with the jade pendant and the young woman with the golden unicorn pendant, both so clean and pretty, and they seem to eat a lot, are discussing eating raw meat? They're talking back and forth about it. I just don't believe that meat can be eaten raw?"

Upon hearing this, everyone laughed and said, "Incredible! Quickly, bring them both here."

Daiyu laughed and said, "This was all caused by Yun'er. No matter how accurate my divination was..."

Li Wan led Tan Chun to fetch Xiang Yun and Bao Yu, but soon returned with Xiang Yun, Bao Yu, and Xia Jingui. Behind them, an old woman carried charcoal and other necessities.

Chen Siyuan looked up and saw that Xiangyun was pouting and looking unhappy, while Baoyu also looked embarrassed. Chen Siyuan wondered to himself, could it be that these two were fooling around and were ridiculed by Xia Jingui after they were caught?
Li Wan quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Lin Yatou was right after all; these girls are making a fuss about wanting to eat roasted meat."

Xichun smiled and said, "What a coincidence, Brother Yuan also brought some meat. I'll have to try it later."

Xiangyun blinked, instantly forgetting her earlier displeasure, and said happily, "Brother Yuan, we're thinking the same thing! What a coincidence! What kind of meat did you prepare, Brother Yuan?"

"beef."

Xiangyun smiled and squinted, "The venison that Bao Erge and I prepared, we'll take turns eating it later."

Chen Siyuan agreed, smiled, and got up to set up the charcoal stove, iron fork, and iron mesh. After a short while, he lit the charcoal stove and quietly called Daiyu and Xichun to his side.

The beef, marinated in rapeseed oil, sizzled loudly on the wire mesh. Chen Siyuan whispered to Daiyu, "This beef is tender; you can eat a little less, sister."

Tan Chun, who was originally standing around Xiang Yun, smelled the fragrance and said, "It smells so good! I can smell the fragrance all over the place. Fourth Sister, Sister Lin, let me have a taste!"

Because the beef was sliced ​​thinly, it was grilled to perfection in no time. Daiyu hadn't even eaten any herself, but she picked up a piece with her chopsticks and handed it to me, saying with a smile, "Third sister, have a taste first."

Tan Chun took a bite of the beef and smacked her lips as she chewed. Her eyes brightened with each bite, and she exclaimed with delight, "I don't know how they made it, but it tastes even better than regular beef."

Xiangyun pouted and said from the other side, "Beef can't compare to venison."

Tan Chun turned her head and laughed, "It really tastes better than venison, Yun girl, come and try it."

Xiangyun looked up and saw Xia Jingui looking at her with a strange expression. She felt a tightness in her chest and didn't want to be with Baoyu this morning. So she got up and said, "I don't believe it. Fourth Sister, let me have a taste."

Little did anyone know that Xichun was not one to give in. She had just picked up a piece with her chopsticks when she heard this, and swallowed it in one gulp. She mumbled and hesitated for a while, as if she wanted to eat the next piece.

Xiangyun was annoyed, so she turned around, found some chopsticks, and joined Daiyu and Tanchun.

Luxue Nunnery has only three rooms, which are packed with people. The fragrance has long filled the room, and even the maids and old women outside can smell it, so they all peek inside to take a look.

At this moment, Yingchun, Xing Xiuyan, and Baoqin also arrived. After asking a few questions, Xiangyun called out to Baoqin, "Silly girl, come and have a taste."

Yesterday, Baoqin went to the Xue family's old residence and heard from her brother Xue Ke that he had already discussed the matter with Aunt Xue, and that she would marry Baochai along with her when Baochai got married. Therefore, seeing Chen Siyuan now made her feel somewhat strange.

He then said, "I've already had breakfast, so I won't eat anymore."

Xiangyun laughed and said, "What do you know! 'A true scholar is naturally elegant,' you are all just pretending to be high-minded, which is the most despicable. We are eating and drinking our fill of meat and fish now, but when we come back, we will be all refined and eloquent."

Daiyu smiled and said to Baoqin, "Come and try it, it's really delicious. If I could eat more, I would definitely eat more."

Li Wan was curious about what the beef tasted like. She thought that even if it wasn't good, it was Chen Siyuan who had made it, so she said, "I think Yun is right. I don't care whether you eat it or not, but I want to try a bite."

As soon as she said that, Li Wen and Li Qi joined in the fun. Since the second young lady, Yingchun, was still unmarried, she couldn't go forward. Xing Xiuyan then comfortably stayed by Yingchun's side, smiling.

Daiyu ate a few pieces, but because she had a small appetite, she couldn't eat anymore. So she moved to another spot and called Xing Xiuyan over, while she went to keep Yingchun company. Xing Xiuyan, being very considerate, grilled a small dish and asked a maid to take it to Yingchun.

Later, the room was filled with steam, and even Li Wan's widowed aunt came to watch. Seeing this way of eating, she was naturally full of amazement.

Xiangyun had big eyes but a small stomach, so she didn't eat much and spent the rest of the time talking. Baoqin, on the other hand, ate one bite after another with her chopsticks, her face beaming with joy.

A short while later, Ping'er came with a message from Feng Jie, saying that she couldn't leave for a while and would come back later. Xiangyun immediately made room and pulled Ping'er over to eat.

After a while, Sister Feng arrived as expected. She entered and said with a smile, "I told you you were going to write poems, so I hid away. Who knew you were hiding away to eat delicious food? Oh, this roast pork smells so good, it's making my mouth water. Quickly, give me a plate."

Xichun quickly made room, and Fengjie took a bite and immediately praised it highly. She even asked Chen Siyuan for the recipe, saying that she would pickle it herself to eat someday.

Chen Siyuan skipped breakfast and ate most of the six or seven pounds of beef himself. The remaining women all ate only about two pounds in total. The rest was simply distributed among the maids and servants.

Although the charcoal stove was moved out, it was still filled with the smell of roasted meat. Daiyu teased Chen Siyuan, saying, "Today, Luxue Hermitage has been robbed and utterly ruined by you. I weep for Luxue Hermitage!"

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Poetry is too elegant, and inevitably too frivolous. I've added a touch of everyday life to this place, isn't that just right?"

Xing Xiuyan covered her mouth and laughed, "Where is the warmth of home cooking? If the charcoal stove hadn't been moved, people would have thought there was a fire."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter.

Li Wan stopped laughing and explained the rules to everyone. At this moment, the maids brought in a tea table and set out tea, fruit, and snacks. Everyone then drew lots to determine the order, and Feng Jie couldn't help but say, "Since that's the case, I'll say something first." After thinking for a while, she smiled and said, "Don't laugh at me. I only have one vulgar phrase; I don't know the rest. I think that snow always brings a north wind. Last night I heard the north wind all night, and I came up with a phrase: 'A tight north wind all night,' is that acceptable?"

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "This sentence is unpredictable. It's not only good, but it also leaves room for future generations. Sister-in-law, hurry up and write it down to continue."

Li Wan agreed and indeed copied the words onto the paper, adding two more lines.

After Li Wan came Xiang Ling, who quickly added two lines. After that, everyone else added two lines, one as the end of the first line and the other as the beginning of the second.

Since Baochai is currently in the old house for mourning, Chen Siyuan doesn't know if he has been chosen by her, and he only responds with a few words when it is his turn.

The couplet had a rhyme scheme, and at first everyone could keep up with it. But as more couplets were added, Xiangling couldn't join in, followed by Xing Xiuyan, and then Yingchun, Tanchun, and Xichun also couldn't keep up.

Seeing Baoqin, Daiyu, and Xiangyun engaged in a lively competition, Baoyu forgot about Xia Jingui beside him and stared intently at the three of them. After exchanging dozens of lines, Xiangyun was slumped over, laughing so hard she was weak. Everyone else, watching the three of them vying for the title, forgot about composing their own poems and simply laughed. Daiyu even pushed her to continue, saying, "Even you have your limits. Let me hear what else you have to say."

Xiangyun was nestled in Tanchun's arms, laughing non-stop. Tanchun pushed her away, saying, "If you're so capable, you should use up all the rhymes in 'Er Xiao' (a type of Xiao opera)."

Xiangyun chuckled and said, "I'm not writing poetry, I'm risking my life."

Seeing that she had stopped, Tan Chun chimed in with a laugh, "She hasn't stopped yet."

Unexpectedly, Chen Siyuan then added: "A pale shadow invades the secluded path, a cold light shines through the ornate chamber."

Tan Chun blinked and looked at Chen Siyuan, saying, "Brother Yuan is a bad person. I wondered why he didn't say anything just now. It turns out he was waiting here."

Xiangyun laughed so hard she almost fell over; she was already beyond help. Baoqin thought for a moment and then composed a couplet: "The crane perches quietly atop the pine tree, while the crows caw noisily in the bamboo thicket."

Daiyu glanced at Chen Siyuan and said with a smile, "Third sister, don't be anxious, let me shut him up for you." She paused, then continued, "Treading on the silver scales, adorning the jade bamboo shoots."

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Siyuan added, "The eaves hang like slender icicles, the tiles are covered with delicate jade dust."

Daiyu sniffed at Chen Siyuan and said, "Leaning against the window, I think of the traveler returning home; leaning on the railing, I recall old friends."

Chen Siyuan smiled gently and then added: "Suddenly I hear the news of spring is near, and plum blossoms break through the cold buds."

When Li Wan saw that the paper was completely filled with writing, she hurriedly called out, "Brother Yuan, Lin girl, Qin girl, please stop your magic! That's enough, that's enough! There's no more room to write!"

Upon hearing this, Daiyu smiled and rolled her eyes at Chen Siyuan. Chen Siyuan pretended to be smug and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Daiyu.

Li Wan counted the lines one by one and exclaimed in surprise, "What a pity for Yun girl, she was just one line ahead of Brother Yuan."

Xiangyun tilted her head and smiled, saying, "Who doesn't know Brother Yuan's talent? You're bullying me like this."

Just as Chen Siyuan was about to explain, Hongyu suddenly came looking for him, saying, "Master, the guards from the Prince's mansion are here again. Master, please go to the front quickly."

Chen Siyuan was puzzled, wondering what important matter the Prince of Yanping wanted to discuss with him. He then looked around and said, "We were having a good time talking, but unfortunately something came up. I must take my leave."

Everyone said it was alright, but Xiangyun urged Chen Siyuan to hurry up.

Chen Siyuan hurriedly left the Grand View Garden, and soon passed through the ceremonial gate and arrived at the back hall. He looked up and saw that it was indeed the guard from yesterday.

Upon seeing Chen Siyuan, the guard hurriedly said, "The two porcelain bottles left by Chen Xiaolian yesterday have been quite effective. The princess's cough has eased considerably. His Highness was overjoyed and sent me to ask Chen Xiaolian if there is any medicine left over."

Chen Siyuan was astonished, thinking to himself, "This houttuynia cordata extract really works? I just tinkered with this stuff and never used it on anyone before. I don't know where the Prince of Yanping got the assignment to give it to Princess Shou'an."

He immediately asked, "Haven't you tried allicin?"

The guard bowed and said, "Your Excellency, you may not know, but the princess dislikes garlic. His Highness had no choice but to use that new medicine... But rest assured, Your Excellency, someone has already tested the medicine."

Chen Siyuan then said, "I do have some spare cash on hand, please wait a moment."

Chen Siyuan immediately went to the front of the Deyi Gate to find an old woman to pass on a message. After a while, Hongyu brought over several porcelain bottles. Chen Siyuan put them away, turned back and gave them to the guard, who was about to take his leave.

Chen Siyuan suddenly called out to stop her, and couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Um...may I ask how old Princess Shou'an is?"

The guard gave Chen Siyuan a strange look and said, "The princess is only four years old. Why is the scholar asking this?"

Chen Siyuan breathed a sigh of relief and made up a story: "This medicine is three parts poison. The princess is still young. Please tell the prince that it is best not to eat too much of this."

"I see. I will certainly speak to Prince Chen in person."

The guard bowed in farewell, went out, mounted his horse, and rode away, which is not mentioned again.

Chen Siyuan thought to himself that he had been overthinking things... otherwise he would have had to rack his brains to figure out how to refuse Prince Yanping's offer. His future was bright, and he dared not get involved with the royal family through marriage, otherwise, where would his future be?
He turned back, intending to go to Luxue Nunnery again, but then he saw Grandmother Jia leading her maids and servants toward Luxue Nunnery. Chen Siyuan was too lazy to play mind games with the old lady, so he simply returned to his thatched cottage.

By the afternoon, Xiangling returned home blushing and beaming. Usually quiet and reserved, she was now a chatterbox, chattering incessantly, clearly overjoyed.

Chen Siyuan then said, "Don't be in a hurry. We take turns hosting. Our turn will come eventually."

Xiangling has a monthly allowance and doesn't usually need to spend money to have a maid bring her cosmetics from outside. She immediately laughed and said, "That's good. I'll calculate it carefully. I need to plan carefully later to avoid making a fool of myself."

As the saying goes, a happy occasion makes one feel refreshed. That night, Xiangling was quite moved and did her best to entangle herself with him, which I won't go into detail about.

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

The next day, Chen Siyuan went to the Xue family's old house early in the morning.

It was a minor sacrificial ceremony day, and Chen Siyuan remained in the front hall, where there were few guests to answer questions. Only Xue Ke was present; Jia Lian was nowhere to be seen.

Chen Siyuan thought to himself that Jia Lian had probably been instructed by the master to go and handle the matter of Shi Daizi.

Around noon, Ying'er came to the front and chirped, giving Chen Siyuan a chance to go to the back courtyard. When he arrived at the main room in the back courtyard, Aunt Xue and Baochai were talking. Upon seeing him, Baochai quickly got up and left.

She glanced at Chen Siyuan as they passed each other.

Chen Siyuan frowned slightly, and a plan was already formed in his mind.

Sure enough, after everyone had left, leaving only Aunt Xue and Chen Siyuan, Aunt Xue said, "Xue Ke has agreed. He will write the betrothal letter after the funeral, and Qin'er will marry into the family along with Baochai."

Chen Siyuan was secretly delighted, but outwardly remained calm. He simply frowned, leaned closer, and took Aunt Xue's slightly thin hand, saying, "You've suffered. What did the Jia family say?"

Aunt Xue sighed, "What else can I say? Apart from the shops in the capital, the rest were all transferred to the Rongguo Mansion."

As she spoke, she pushed the sandalwood box on the table over and said, “With Pan’er gone, there is no one left to carry on the family line. This may attract the covetous eyes of others. Consider the silver notes, house deeds, land deeds, and share deeds inside as Baochai’s dowry. Please keep them for her.”

Chen Siyuan nodded, then asked in surprise, "The Jia family... can come up with so much money?"

Aunt Xue sneered, "Where would my dear sister have any money? She only brought ten thousand taels first, saying she would give me the rest at the end of the year. I think she probably plans to sell off all her businesses to have money for me." She paused, then added, "But at least she gave me a definite answer, so she won't stand idly by when the other branches of the family come to bother us."

Seeing Chen Siyuan remain silent, Aunt Xue said, "Why don't you open that box and take a look?"

"Oh," Chen Siyuan responded, casually opened the document, and after a quick count, he saw four house deeds, seven shop deeds, two manor deeds in Haidian, fifty thousand taels of silver notes, and several shares of latex and Baicaotang.

Chen Siyuan couldn't help but gasp. All of this added up... wouldn't it be at least tens of thousands of taels of silver?
"Why are there so many?"

Aunt Xue asked in surprise, "You encouraged me to sell those unprofitable businesses before, and now look how many there are!"

"I see." Chen Siyuan then asked, "How much will Madam receive this time?"

Aunt Xue replied, "Not much. If you calculate it, she'll be lucky to earn a few thousand taels of silver." Seeing Chen Siyuan's strange expression, she added, "What's wrong? You're unhappy that I gave her less?"

"No, this... I can't explain it to you right now." Chen Siyuan didn't know what expression to make. Because of him, the Xue family had sold off their external businesses early on, and they had a lot of cash on hand. Madam Wang had come eagerly to grab the Xue family's assets, driving away her aunt by raising the price, and in the end, she only got a few thousand taels of silver. If Chen Siyuan were Madam Wang, he would probably be resentful as well.

Madam Wang was an extreme person to begin with, so it was hard to guarantee that she wouldn't harbor resentment.

On second thought, since he stayed in the Rongguo Mansion and was nominally Madam Xing's nephew, he would inevitably clash with Madam Wang sooner or later. Thinking about it that way, it didn't seem like a big deal.
So he smiled in relief, squeezed Aunt Xue's hand and said, "I'm just afraid she'll feel something's wrong later and then go back on her word."

Aunt Xue said, "My sister-in-law is so angry with her that she doesn't come anymore. She has her pride too, she would never go back on her word."

Relieved, Chen Siyuan comforted Aunt Xue for a while before heading to the side room to talk to Baochai for some time. Seeing that there was nothing else to do in the afternoon, he leisurely carried the box back to the Rongguo Mansion.

As luck would have it, due to the heavy snowfall over the past few days, the roof tiles on the side gate next to the stables had fallen off under the weight of the snow, and the foreman was now urging several craftsmen to repair them. Chen Siyuan couldn't go through that area, so he had to enter the back courtyard through the side gate on the east side.

To everyone's surprise, as soon as they entered, they saw Ping'er coming out of Qixianzhai with a frown on her face.

"Miss Ping."

Ping'er snapped out of her daze, quickly relaxed her brows, and smiled, saying, "Uncle Yuan."

After exchanging pleasantries, Chen Siyuan and the two walked together. Chen Siyuan then asked, "Miss Ping, you looked so worried just now. Is something the matter?"

Ping'er covered up, saying, "What could be wrong with me? I just forgot where I left my bracelet during the day, so I came to Qixianzhai to ask."

Chen Siyuan thought to himself, "Ping'er must have lost the shrimp-whisker bracelet, right?" He naturally couldn't be bothered with such a trivial matter. He and Ping'er arrived near the main gate of the Grand View Garden, intending to part ways, when they unexpectedly bumped into Feng Jie rushing towards them.
Before the two could even come forward to greet her, Sister Feng said, "Ping'er, come with me quickly, your second master has been beaten by the master!"

"Ah?" Ping'er was shocked.

Sister Feng glanced at Chen Siyuan and said, "I'd like to trouble you, Brother Yuan, to plead for me. The master is ruthless when he gets angry, and he might beat your second brother badly!"

Chen Siyuan couldn't refuse, so he nodded in agreement and followed Feng Jie to the east courtyard. On the way, Chen Siyuan asked, "Second Sister-in-law, why did the master beat Master Lian for no reason?"

In her haste, Sister Feng lost her composure and said, "What else could it be? It's probably because of Shi Daizi's fan. A few days ago, your second brother asked Jia Yucun for help, but the man brushed it off in front of him and then denied it afterwards. Your second brother couldn't explain it to the master, so he got a good scolding from him."

The magistrate then found someone else to handle the matter. Your second brother, upon hearing that Shi Daizi had been swindled out of his family and had hanged himself, couldn't help but go to the magistrate to report it.

"died?"

Seeing that Sister Feng was unwilling to say more, Chen Siyuan had no choice but to suppress his thoughts. He followed Sister Feng all the way to the east wing and into the outer study, where he saw that Jia Lian had been beaten and had two cuts on his face.

Madam Xing, Chen Siyuan, and Sister Feng took turns pleading for Jia Lian, but Jia She pointed at Jia Lian's nose and cursed him before turning away in a huff.

Since Jia Lian was still able to walk, Chen Siyuan didn't need to see him off; he went to the back with Madam Xing.

Once inside the main room, Madam Xing dismissed everyone, and Chen Siyuan then asked, "How did he manage to get Shi Daizi killed?"

Madam Xing said, "He not only found Zhen-ge'er and set up a gambling game, but also went to the yamen to check the official records and found that Shi-daizi owed government money. Shi-daizi was a penniless man, so how could the yamen runners let him off easily? They immediately sold their property to make up the debt, and that's how they confiscated those fans. Then Zhen-ge'er took the IOU to the yamen to file a lawsuit, and the yamen compensated him with the fans at the government price."

Chen Siyuan nodded, thinking to himself that it seemed Shi Daizi wasn't entirely wronged. In those days, which gentry didn't owe the emperor their taxes? The difference was that if you had money and power, you could collude with the government; if you had neither, you could only wait for the ruthless yamen runners to come knocking on your door and demand payment.

At this moment, Madam Xing said again, "Lian'er is also a troublemaker. I don't know where he got his kindness from. Just now he actually said to the master: 'For such a small matter, to cause someone to lose their family and business is nothing to be proud of!'"

Chen Siyuan said, "Just for that one sentence?"

“Where!” Madam Xing said in a low voice, “He told me that it turns out that the one who wanted the fan was not the Empress, but the Emperor.”

"saint?"

Madam Xing said, "It was also because someone in the palace slandered him, saying that the master had hidden countless antique fans. The emperor asked about it in front of the empress, so how could the empress pretend not to know? The master couldn't bear to part with his own fans, so he could only try to get his hands on Shi Daizi's fans."

Chen Siyuan gasped, "There's such a thing? This is bad. I have a feeling the Sage is trying to extort the Jia family?"

"Extorting the Jia family? What kind of talk is that?"

Chen Siyuan said, "Think about it, how much silver did the second master embezzle from the Ministry of Works? The newly appointed construction supervisor only checked a few years' worth of accounts, and the rest are quite chaotic. But if the Emperor could deduce from this, wouldn't he be able to figure out how much silver the Jia family embezzled? If you were the Emperor, wouldn't you be angry?"

Madam Xing blinked, then trembled violently, stammering, "This... what if the Emperor holds a grudge? Young... young master, you, you must quickly think of a way to get rid of the master!"

(End of this chapter)