Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 320 Climbing into bed
Chen Siyuan frowned and shook his head repeatedly, saying, "Do you think I don't want to get rid of him? This matter... is not easy to handle."

Madam Xing said, "What's so difficult about it? We can find someone outside to stab him to death, or poison him, or even just find a Taoist priestess to curse him to death." After a pause, remembering what Chen Siyuan had said earlier, Madam Xing added, "Wait a minute, didn't you say last time that you wanted to get evidence of his crimes?"

Chen Siyuan scratched his head and said, "I just said it casually, but the more I think about it, the more inappropriate it seems. Think about it, the things the magistrate is involved in, whether it's embezzling funds from the Ministry of Works or the illegal sale of salt and iron in Ping'an Prefecture, aren't they all major cases? Let alone the magistrate, I'm afraid even Second Brother Lian will be implicated. At that time…"

What will happen then?

"I'm afraid the whole household will be implicated, and what good would that do us?"

Madam Xing blinked, then immediately trembled like a leaf and said, "Yes, if we can't do it openly, we can only do it in secret."

Before she finished speaking, Chen Siyuan added, "Don't forget that the Emperor has already taken a grudge. I'm afraid that even if I plot to kill the Master, the Emperor will not let it go. He will dig up all those old stories and you won't get away with it."

Madam Xing grew anxious, clapped her hands, and said, "This won't work, that won't work, we can't just sit here and wait to die, can we?"

Chen Siyuan pulled his hand and said, "So, we have to figure out a way to kill him, and also... let the Emperor vent his anger a little. Only in this way can we protect you and Fourth Brother."

Chen Siyuan thought to himself, "The old grievances are one thing, but what the Emperor truly resents is the Jia family's utter ignorance. They failed in their bid for the throne, and now they're trying to curry favor with the Crown Prince. This is truly intolerable!"

We must first find a way to sever the Jia family's ties with the Crown Prince's palace.

Madam Xing said with distress, "What should we do? We can't report it to the authorities, and we can't do it in secret... We can't just let him live and then let him die at the same time, can we?"

"Hmm?" Chen Siyuan seemed to understand something upon hearing this, and asked, "Does the master have any preferences in his daily diet...?"

Madam Xing said, "Everything else is fine, but I can't go a day without soup."

After pondering for a while, Chen Siyuan said quietly, "At his age, it would be good if he had a stroke."

Upon hearing this, Madam Xing immediately curled her lip and said, "Him? I think he's even stronger than the second master. It would be difficult for him to have a stroke."

Chen Siyuan then said, "This matter is not urgent. I think there will be two or three years to spare, and we can take our time to figure it out."

Just then, there was a knock at the door, and Wang Shanbao's wife said from outside, "Madam, I have something urgent!"

The two exchanged a glance. Chen Siyuan quickly returned to his seat, while Madam Xing straightened her clothes before saying, "Come in and let's talk."

The door creaked open, and Wang Shanbao's wife stormed in. She greeted them, and seeing Chen Siyuan also present, hesitated before saying, "Madam, I have an urgent matter to discuss, but I don't know—"

Madam Xing frowned and said, "Young Master is my own nephew. Just say it directly. What's there to hide?"

“Yes,” said Wang Shanbao’s wife. “Madam, that little hussy Qiutong is not very honest. Lately, she seems to be going to the Second Master’s study all the time.”

Madam Xing frowned and glanced at him, saying, "Qiutong is just a maid, why are you staring at her?" She paused, then added, "But Lian'er is the same, this time he's not stealing his wife, but the maidservant by the master's side?"

Chen Siyuan secretly considered the matter and then repeatedly winked at Madam Xing. Upon seeing this, Madam Xing said to Wang Shanbao's wife, "I understand, you may leave now."

Wang Shanbao's wife hesitated, but ultimately said nothing and left the room.

As soon as he left, Madam Xing said, "You were giving me all those meaningful glances just now, did you have an idea?"

Chen Siyuan said, "I was just worried about how to make a move, and this opportunity has come knocking on my door. As people get older, they are most afraid of getting emotional. If the master were to discover Lian Erge's affair with Qiutong... wouldn't he be so angry that he would hurt his health?"

After thinking for a moment, Madam Xing suddenly beamed and said, "That's it! Kill two birds with one stone! It would be best if the master beat Lian'er to death and then died of anger himself. In that case, wouldn't the title fall to our fourth brother?"

Seeing her beaming face, Chen Siyuan immediately regretted his actions. In his moment of joy, he had forgotten that Madam Xing was naive and lacked shrewdness. Needless to say, if he had let her handle this matter herself, she would have surely ruined herself.

So Chen Siyuan quickly stopped him, saying, "You can't handle this yourself. Let me ask you, are there any people in the inner quarters who don't get along with Qiu Tong?"

Madam Xing said, "When Qiu Tong was favored, she was always arrogant and domineering. Apart from me, I'm afraid she offended everyone in the East Wing a long time ago." After thinking for a moment, she added, "That's right. A few days ago, Qiu Tong had a quarrel with Cui Yun. I'm afraid Cui Yun hates her to death."

Chen Siyuan clasped his hands together and laughed, "Alright, when you see Qiutong again and go to Lian Erge's study, you can secretly tell Cuiyun about this. Just wait and see what happens."

Madam Xing smiled for a long time, her eyes narrowed like a fox's. Only after Chen Siyuan repeatedly reminded her did Madam Xing stop smiling.

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

After leaving the east courtyard, Chen Siyuan returned to the Rongguo Mansion. Jia Lian had just been beaten, and he had to go and see him no matter what. He went straight to Feng Jie's courtyard and saw Ping'er escorting Physician Bao, who was carrying a medicine chest, out. He went up to her and asked, "Ping'er, how is Second Brother?"

Ping'er curtsied and said, "Thank you for your concern, Master Yuan. The imperial physician said... it's not good. If it's not treated carefully, I'm afraid it will leave a scar."

"Huh?" Chen Siyuan frowned and said, "How could this be?"

Ping'er said, "Master Yuan, are you going to visit the concubine these next few days? I heard that the concubine has a kind of medicine for treating bruises that is very effective. I wonder if Master Yuan could help my second master get some?"

As they were talking, before Chen Siyuan could return, the door opened, and Feng Jie came out with a frown. Seeing Chen Siyuan, she quickly greeted him, "Brother Yuan, you've arrived?"

As they spoke, they stepped forward and exchanged greetings. Feng Jie said, "Thanks to Brother Yuan's intervention, otherwise your second brother would probably have—"

The men of the Jia family were all the same; they would beat or scold their children if they didn't do what the children wanted. This was true of Jia Zheng, Jia She, and Jia Zhen.

Chen Siyuan waved his hand and said, "It's nothing to mention. But Brother Lian is too honest. You should know that being filial is one thing, but you can't be blindly filial. You should run away from big battles and accept small ones."

Sister Feng rolled her eyes and said, "Brother Yuan probably doesn't know the Master's temper. When he really gets angry, he doesn't care about anything. Even if your second brother wanted to run away, it would be too late." She paused, then added, "Besides, your second brother has been beaten by the Master since he was a child. As soon as he sees the Master get angry, his legs start trembling. How could he possibly run away?"

After saying this, Sister Feng glanced at Ping'er, who quickly replied, "Grandma, I already said that."

Chen Siyuan then said, "It's a small matter. I'll go to the Xue family's old residence tomorrow, get the medicine for the bruises, and send a servant to deliver it to my second sister-in-law."

Sister Feng immediately smiled and said, "Then I'll leave it to you, Brother Yuan."

Chen Siyuan nodded in agreement, then cupped his hands in farewell.

Turning around and exiting through the side gate, they entered the Grand View Garden. Looking up, they saw Xia Jingui walking ahead angrily, with Baoyu following closely behind, trying to coax and persuade her. However, the more he tried to coax her, the angrier Xia Jingui became. The two of them walked and chased each other towards the Yihong Courtyard.

Chen Siyuan stopped near the verdant peaks. After the two had gone far away, he circled around the peaks, intending to return to his own courtyard, when he heard someone calling him.

Chen Siyuan turned his head and saw Zijuan coming across the Emerald Smoke Bridge. When she got closer, Zijuan curtsied and said, "It's a pity that Master Yuan didn't go today. It was quite lively just now."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said with his hands behind his back, "Let's compose a couplet again today."

Zijuan laughed and said, "The girls were arguing about composing poems, and Qin-guniang really showed off her skills by composing ten poems about the past."

"Is that so?" Chen Siyuan said, "I'll go to my sister's place when I have time, and I want to hear her tell me about what happened today."

Zijuan nodded in agreement and said with a smile, "I won't keep you any longer, Master Yuan. I need to go get the food box for the young lady now."

Chen Siyuan responded and turned to walk with Zijuan.

But just as they reached the vicinity of the sluice bridge, Zijuan suddenly stumbled and leaned against Chen Siyuan with a cry of "Ouch!"

Chen Siyuan instinctively reached out and caught Zijuan's body.

Their eyes met, and Zijuan blinked, her cheeks instantly flushing. She hurriedly stood up and said, "Grandpa Yuan, I... I accidentally missed a step."

Chen Siyuan said, "The snow has just stopped, and there's still a lot of loose snow on the ground. Slow down."

Zijuan responded and then blushed as she stepped onto the bridge.

Chen Siyuan watched her walk away before turning around, only to find Yunxiang pouting and staring blankly at Zijuan as she walked away.

Chen Siyuan frowned slightly and couldn't help but reach out and tap Yunxiang on the forehead.

Yunxiang winced in pain, clutching her forehead and asking, "Why did you hit me, sir?"

Chen Siyuan said, "Judging from your sneaky appearance, you're definitely up to no good."

Yunxiang pointed at herself and said, "I didn't have good intentions?" Then she raised her chin towards Zijuan's back and said, "She's the one who didn't have good intentions." Seeing that Chen Siyuan remained unmoved, Yunxiang said, "Sister Hongyu said before that Zijuan is a scheming person. I didn't believe it at first, but I do today."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Believe in what?"

"If she hadn't seen me, she would have been clinging to the old man and wouldn't have gotten up. But then again, the old lady gave Sister Yuanyang to Miss Lin, so I'm afraid Zijuan must be anxious right now."

Chen Siyuan ignored her and walked towards the thatched cottage with his hands behind his back. Yunxiang followed half a step behind, her cheeks puffed out, feeling very annoyed. This was because Second Mistress Wang Xifeng had just called her master to go to the east wing with her, so wouldn't all the information she had painstakingly gathered be wasted?

The girl was heartbroken to lose a string of coins for no reason.

The following day, Chen Siyuan indeed went to the Xue family's old residence again. He spoke with Aunt Xue and Sister Bao for a while, obtained a pill for treating sores from being beaten, and then returned to the Rongguo Mansion.

After giving the pills to Ping'er, he went to Daiyu's Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

Upon entering, they found Daiyu playing the zither. Hearing the music, Chen Siyuan didn't let Xueyan greet him, but instead stood behind the screen and listened for a while.

As the saying goes, the sound of the zither reflects the heart. Although Lin Daiyu's zither playing is somewhat melancholic now, it carries no trace of sorrow. Perhaps this is because things are relatively stable now, and she is in good health?
As soon as the music stopped, Chen Siyuan stepped behind the screen, and Xueyan quickly greeted him, "Miss, Master Yuan is here."

Daiyu hurriedly came out of the study to greet him, but Chen Siyuan was faster and had already stepped into the study.

Today, Daiyu wore a light blue satin long coat with a cross-collar and colorful floral patterns, paired with a white horse-face skirt embroidered with plum blossoms. Perhaps because she had just played the zither, some lingering sorrow remained on her face.

Before Daiyu could speak, Chen Siyuan said with a smile, "Sister, you are quite skilled at playing the zither. It's a pity I didn't know that before. Otherwise, if I had brought my flute today, I could have played a duet with you."

Daiyu tilted her head playfully and said, "Well, how long were you eavesdropping?"

While brewing tea, Xueyan behind her said with a smile, "Miss, you don't know, Master Yuan has been here for quite a while, and he's listened to half of your song."

Daiyu laughed and teased, "If you want to listen, just come in and listen. Why do you have to act like a thief and eavesdrop?"

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Sister, you are mistaken. I was so moved by your music that I was afraid that coming in would interrupt the music, so I stopped at the door."

Daiyu laughed and said, "Sister Bao once said that you are good at sweet-talking people, and you can only believe half of what you say."

What was meant as a teasing remark turned into a delighted response from Chen Siyuan: "Halfway through? My sister said before that not a single word I say could be trusted."

Daiyu immediately said, both amused and exasperated, "I was just casually using a different word to tease you, and you've gotten all excited about it."

Chen Siyuan said, "My sister's words were spoken casually, but they were from the heart. This shows that I have some credibility in your heart."

Daiyu glanced at him, met his clear eyes, and immediately pulled her handkerchief to cover half of her face, saying, "If you keep talking nonsense, I won't dare to keep you here."

Chen Siyuan laughed heartily before beginning to recount Baochai's situation. Daiyu listened and sighed for a long time. She had also handled her father's funeral, during which time she couldn't eat and was heartbroken, yet she still had to force herself to manage everything perfectly.

Even with the help of the Lin family relatives and Jia Lian, Daiyu was extremely haggard after her death. When Chen Siyuan first saw Daiyu, her wrists were thin and bony, making her look extremely frail.

Looking at it again now, one could see that the fair wrist adorned with the jade bracelet had regained some flesh and blood. This brought Chen Siyuan considerable comfort.

The two then talked about the poems Xue Baoqin had written the day before. Chen Siyuan tried to guess the source of each one, but when he got to the last two, he couldn't help but scratch his head and say, "I really can't figure out the source of these poems."

Daiyu laughed and said, "It would be strange if you knew that Xue Xiaomei made it up."

Chen Siyuan pondered and said, "Judging from your expression, my sister... you seem to be very pleased with Baoqin?" Daiyu frowned slightly and said with some distress, "Sister Qin is very talented and beautiful, and I am happy to associate with her. But I'm afraid that Sister Bao will complain about me again later."

That's right! Baochai is most wary of Baoqin. There's also friction between the two branches of the Xue family. It's one thing for Baoqin to be a concubine and marry into the family, but even her close friend Daiyu was taken away by Baoqin. She must be jealous.

Chen Siyuan couldn't help but laugh and ask, "So, what are your plans, little sister?"

Daiyu said, "Qin-mei is very clever. If Bao-jie comes, she definitely won't come; if she comes, Bao-jie definitely won't have time to come. Why should I worry about her?"

Chen Siyuan exclaimed, "I think my younger sister is truly intelligent."

Upon hearing this, Daiyu frowned and said, "Even an upright official finds it hard to settle family disputes. What good is my intelligence? I'm in a real dilemma now."

Yesterday, Zijuan deliberately bumped into Chen Siyuan's arms, and this morning Yuanyang came to Xiaoxiang Pavilion and talked for quite a while. Although Zijuan and Yuanyang were laughing and joking, how could Daiyu not hear the sharp wit between them?

Chen Siyuan is only this young and has a bright future ahead of him. If he's lucky, he might even pass the imperial examination with flying colors. Daiyu is the heir to the Lin family line, so logically she should have two concubines in her household.

Originally, Daiyu already had Xueyan and Zijuan in her room, and Chen Si also had Xiangling and Hongyu who were close to Daiyu. If Yuanyang came along... five people vying for the title of two concubines, wouldn't that make it difficult for an upright official to settle family disputes?

Although it wasn't explicitly stated at the moment, for the sake of the Xue family's lineage, Aunt Xue would eventually have to give in. Then, with Baochai also inheriting the Xue family line, Chen Siyuan could choose another wife, thus gaining two more titles. Chen Siyuan couldn't discuss this matter now, so he could only smile and gloss over it.

After discussing poetry with Daiyu for a while, Chen Siyuan took his leave.

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

Ten days or so passed in the blink of an eye.

That day, the master returned to the east wing in a huff. As soon as he entered the main room, he smashed the cups and saucers in anger.

Fourth Brother was already running around on the ground, and he was startled by the porcelain shard, bursting into tears. Madam Xing quickly called for the wet nurse to take him away, and suppressing her disgust, she came over and said, "Master, where did you get such a temper? Look how you've frightened Fourth Brother!"

Master Jia She gritted his teeth and said, "The second branch of the family is really going too far!"

Madam Xing asked, "What's wrong, sister-in-law?"

"What else could it be? I kindly sent three thousand taels of silver yesterday, but who knew they would return the silver notes today."

Madam Xing frowned and said, "She's trying to eat it all by herself!"

The funeral is tomorrow, and all of the Xue family's businesses have been transferred to the Rongguo Mansion. Jia She has been making a lot of noise lately, and whenever Lady Wang attends a small memorial service, Jia She always goes along. At that time, he stirred up trouble, not only getting Aunt Xue to transfer all her businesses to the Jia family, but also settling the matter of Baochai taking over the Xue family's lineage.

The master was very pleased with himself, believing that he had done a lot of work this time. He thought that if he sold the Xue family's business, he should at least get a share of the profits.

Who would have thought that after giving away three thousand taels yesterday, they would return three thousand five hundred taels today... What difference is there between this and giving money away to a beggar?
Madam Xing frowned and asked, "What exactly is your explanation, sister-in-law?"

"An explanation? She's using the public funds as an excuse, saying they're insufficient and all the proceeds should go to the public funds. Bah! She's truly shameless. Now that she's in charge of the household, what difference does it make whether the money goes to the public funds or into her own pocket?"

Madam Xing said with concern, "What should we do, sir? If the east wing doesn't bring in any income, I'm afraid we'll be facing a famine."

Jia She frowned and said, "If we hold out until the twelfth lunar month, the New Year's gifts from the Liaodong estate will arrive, and then we'll have some income."

Madam Xing rolled her eyes and said, "That would be better if that guy surnamed Sun didn't come to collect the debt."

Mentioning Sun Shaozu immediately gave Jia She a headache. Ever since he gave Sun Shaozu some money last time, Sun Shaozu had quieted down for a while, but who knew that he would come back to pester him these past few days. His words even implied that he wanted to marry Yingchun.

Jia She was so angry he almost lost his temper. What kind of person was Sun Shaozu? Back when the old Duke was still alive, the Sun family couldn't even get into the Jia family's door when they sent New Year's gifts and visiting cards! Now, where did he get the nerve to ask for Yingchun's hand in marriage?

Rubbing his temples, Jia She said, "Never mind this person, I have my own way of dealing with him." He paused, glanced at Madam Xing, opened his mouth, but then swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

This old man wasn't stupid. He tried to scheme against Chen Siyuan several times, but was always thwarted by him. He secretly suspected that Madam Xing must have been secretly tipping off Chen Siyuan.

If you want to plot against Chen Siyuan again, it's best to keep it from Madam Xing.

Having made up his mind, Jia She left after saying a few indifferent words.

The following day was the day of Xue Pan's funeral.

On this day, Chen Siyuan was busy with preparations, and Cao Shi and Baochai saw him off with tears in their eyes. There were also hired filial sons and grandsons who carried banners and broke basins. The group took the coffin to a temple outside the city for safekeeping.

On the third day, Cao set off to escort the coffin south, with Xue Ke providing the escort. This round trip would take about two months, and now it was already late October. Xue Ke then told Baoqin that they would only return before the New Year.

It was already the first day of the eleventh lunar month, and Aunt Xue and Sister Bao had not yet returned to the Rongguo Mansion. That afternoon, Chen Siyuan was studying in his study when a servant came to invite him: "Master Yuan, the master invites you to have a drink in the east courtyard."

Chen Siyuan asked in surprise, "Is there some good news?"

The old woman replied, "Master Zhen came today to discuss the centennial celebration with the master. The master was so pleased that he wanted Master Zhen to stay for the celebration."

Would Jia She be so kind? Chen Siyuan was suspicious, but he dared not delay. He went to the old woman and changed into a new coat before heading to the east courtyard.

After a short while, they passed through three layers of ceremonial gates and went straight into the main room, where they saw that the feast had already been set out, and Jia She and Jia Zhen sat down at the table.

When Jia She saw Chen Siyuan, he greeted him with a smile, "Brother Yuan, come quickly. Your elder brother Zhen is trying to come up with a humble name for his son, but he can't decide. You are the most talented in the household, so why don't you help him come up with a suggestion?"

Chen Siyuan smiled and stepped forward to greet him. After taking his seat, he said with a smile, "Common people give their children humble names in the hope that they will be easy to raise. Brother Zhen, you can choose one yourself. There's no need to make it too elegant, lest you lose the original intention."

Jia Zhen laughed and said, "Brother Yuan is right. I was being too attached to appearances. Come, come, let's drink this cup to the brim first."

Chen Siyuan smiled and raised his glass in response. For a time, the banquet was filled with clinking glasses, eating and drinking, creating a lively atmosphere. Jia Zhen, always in high spirits, drank every drop of wine offered, and drank two jugs without showing any signs of intoxication.

Just as they were enjoying their drinks, an old woman rushed in. She went inside and whispered a few words to the master, who was utterly astonished upon hearing them.

Jia Zhen then asked, "Uncle She, what happened?"

Jia She frowned and said, "I just received news that Jia Chang ran away last night."

Jia Zhen exclaimed in surprise, "Lost? How could a perfectly healthy person run away?"

Jia She shook his head without saying a word, but kept giving Jia Zhen meaningful glances.

Jia Zhen pondered for a long time, then suddenly slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed, "You scoundrel! You've even managed to fool us!"

After saying that, he stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Uncle She, Brother Yuan, please eat and drink. No matter what, Jia Chang is a member of my Jia family. We can't let him run away and get lost. I'll send someone to look for him right away."

Jia She said, "Zhen-ge'er, you can go by yourself."

Jia Zhen didn't linger any longer and turned to leave quickly. Chen Siyuan thought to himself, "Could it be that Jia Chang was pretending to be stupid? This kid is quite patient; how long has it been before he finally found an opportunity to escape?"

He secretly thought to himself that Jia She and Jia Zhen had wronged Jia Chang quite a bit. Jia Chang was an eccentric man by nature, and now that he had escaped, he would definitely seek revenge on the two of them if he got the chance in the future.

Seeing Jia She's worried expression, Chen Siyuan said, "Uncle, don't worry. It's a clear day, and I'm sure Brother Zhen will be able to find him."

Jia She composed himself and laughed, "He's just a wicked child anyway, let's not talk about him, let's drink."

Chen Siyuan finally had a chance to ask, "Oh right, I was just about to ask. Uncle, where is Aunt?"

Jia She said, "Zhen's wife sent someone to invite you. Your aunt took Fourth Brother to the East Mansion. Don't worry about her, let's eat our own food."

Chen Siyuan agreed with a smile.

After drinking a cup, Jia She asked, "Yuan-ge'er, has your aunt told you about your affair with Bao-ya?"

Chen Siyuan nodded and said, "Just as my uncle said before... but... alas, I never expected such a terrible thing to happen."

Jia She said, "The concubine had no other choice but to resort to this tactic." With a sigh, he then said, "Now that Bao'er is also the heir of the Xue family, Yuan'er, you must find another marriage in the future."

Here we go again. Is Jia She short of money again?
Chen Siyuan had secretly considered that he knew nothing about the character, appearance, or temperament of the women outside. If he married a shrew, wouldn't it cause unrest in the household? The best solution was to choose one of the women from among the women as his wife.

If you think about it carefully, the third and fourth sisters are too young to be suitable; because of her relationship with Li Wan, she can't covet Li Wen and Li Qi; Xiangyun was engaged to Chen Yejun early on, so after counting, only the second sister is left.

Chen Siyuan was naturally more than happy to marry Yingchun. As for the deep ties with the Jia family, there's a saying: "A married daughter is like water spilled from a bowl." Once Yingchun marries him, she will be considered a member of the Chen family, and the separation of the Jia and their families will not be considered part of Yingchun's lineage.

Moreover, as previously advised by King Yanping, Chen Siyuan's abilities had already been recognized by the sage, and it was feared that he would find it difficult to enter the ranks of the pure officials. Now, in this prosperous era, Chen Siyuan knew that he had neither the ability nor the means to rebel, so he could only mingle among the powerful and influential.

If he is not a man of integrity, then Chen Siyuan can only be a capable minister. In that case, a marriage alliance with the Jia family would not be out of the question.

However, Chen Siyuan really didn't want to be outmaneuvered by Jia She. This man was the type to take advantage of anyone who took advantage of him; if he got away with it once, he'd probably be thinking about getting it again right away!
Chen Siyuan immediately frowned and said, "Uncle, you don't know, there are only two years left until the imperial examination. Right now, I only want to focus on my studies. If I am fortunate enough to pass the imperial examination, it will bring honor to my family. As for the matter of marriage... perhaps we should wait until after the imperial examination?"

"Foolish!" Jia She slammed down his cup and scolded, "Yuan-ge'er, you didn't listen to a word I said last time. If you pass the imperial examination one day, there will be countless people trying to curry favor with you. Besides, young ladies are raised in seclusion, how would you know their character and appearance?"

“This…” Chen Siyuan frowned and bit his lower lip, “What my uncle said is true.”

Seeing that Chen Siyuan was on the right track, Jia She immediately smiled and said, "Now that you are in the mansion, you often meet with the sisters, and you can see their character and temperament at a glance. Why not choose one of them as a good match?"

Chen Siyuan remained silent, waiting for Jia She to finish speaking before returning, when suddenly there was an urgent knocking at the door. Then, Jia She's concubine, Cuiyun, led her maids in aggressively.

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

Earlier, when Chen Siyuan came to the east courtyard for a drink, Jia Lian's servant came to the east courtyard. He exchanged a few seemingly irrelevant words with Qiu Tong through the three layers of ceremonial gates, and then they parted ways.

Qiu Tong stayed in the side room for a while, and only went to the Rongguo Mansion when it was almost time.

Little did she know that her every move had been observed by someone with ulterior motives. As soon as she sneaked into Jia Lian's study, an old woman hurriedly found Wang Shanbao's wife and told her everything.

Wang Shanbao's wife gave the old woman a piece of silver, then turned around and instructed another old woman to quietly find the concubine Cuiyun.

Because Jia She was getting old, he spent most of his time sleeping in the front study, and would only seek out his concubines to mingle with every three to five days.

Among Jia She's concubines, Cuiyun was the eldest. Seeing that she was gradually falling out of favor, she naturally felt resentful. In addition, with Wang Shanbao's wife stirring things up from all sides these days, Cuiyun had long regarded Qiutong as a thorn in her side.

Having received the news, how could he possibly hold back? He immediately led his maidservant to the main room, ignoring the maidservants' attempts to stop him at the door, and knocked on the door, shouting, "Master, open the door quickly! Something terrible has happened!"

After a short while, Jia She roared from inside, "What kind of behavior is this, shouting and yelling? Get in here and tell me what's going on!"

Cuiyun pushed open the door and rushed to the table. She grabbed Jia She's arm and said, "Master, it's terrible! That little hussy Qiutong has gone to meet another man again!"

Chen Siyuan was stunned, thinking to himself, what a coincidence! Today, Jia She came to him to discuss marriage, and he happened to catch Jia Lian and Qiu Tong having an affair?

Jia She was so angry that his nose almost crooked. He stood up and slapped Cuiyun to the ground, cursing, "You bastard, if you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll sell you off tomorrow."

Cuiyun covered her face, feeling wronged, and said, "Master, I didn't lie. If you don't believe me, just go...go..." She gritted her teeth and said, "Go and take a look in Lian-ge'er's study, and you'll know the truth!"

Jia She had already drunk quite a bit of wine. Upon hearing this, he was first taken aback, then his blood rushed to his head. It was truly a case of one Buddha ascending to heaven and two Buddhas leaving his body!
He smashed the cup with a loud crash and yelled, "You beasts! Today I'll teach you a lesson!"

Having said that, he didn't even put on his coat, and quickly walked outside.

How could Chen Siyuan let such a golden opportunity slip by? He immediately got up and chased after him, saying, "Uncle, I'm afraid there must be some misunderstanding. Second Brother Lian has always been a steady and reliable person. No matter what, how could he have an affair with Qiu Tong?"

(End of this chapter)