Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 328 A New Sound from the Loom Breaks Through the Haze

Did you hurt your eyes?

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "I've always been careful with my reading, how could it possibly hurt my eyes?"

Xichun said, "Even if it doesn't hurt the eyes, it's hard to avoid being physically active... Oh, Brother Yuan, would you please go?"

As Xichun spoke, she kept shaking Chen Siyuan's arm, pouting and frowning with a pleading look on her face.

Chen Siyuan was amused by Xichun's appearance and felt that he had the upper hand. He said, "Alright, alright, since Fourth Sister wants me to go with her, then I will go with her."

Xiao Xichun immediately smiled, skipped over to Baoqin's side, and tugged at her hand, saying, "See, I told you, asking once will definitely work."

Baoqin covered her mouth and laughed, "Yes, yes, everyone knows that brother loves fourth sister the most."

The two little girls sat down, and Hongyu smiled as she served them fragrant tea. Xichun, swinging her little legs, started chattering again. They chose Nengren Temple because it was close by, and they had heard that its incense was very effective recently. Apparently, a new nun had arrived, and her divination using spirit writing was extremely accurate.

A nun? Does that mean Miaoyu?
Since being taken in by Chen Siyuan as a concubine, Miaoyu had nothing else to do. Because Nengren Temple was nearby, she would often go there to practice.

Chen Siyuan suddenly felt a headache coming on, thinking that it would be best to keep Miaoyu occupied in the future to prevent others from noticing anything amiss.

Xichun still clung to Chen Siyuan, but Ruhua said, "Miss, have you forgotten? Madam You sent someone to say that she's coming to see you later."

Xichun blinked, then pouted and said, "I almost forgot. I wonder what she's up to this time." She then stood up and said, "Alright, I'll head back now. Sister Qin, would you like to come along?"

Baoqin smiled brightly and said, "I have nothing else to do anyway, so I might as well take this opportunity to chat with my brother for a while."

Xichun nodded in agreement and immediately got up to take her leave.

After seeing Xichun off, only Chen Siyuan and Baoqin remained. Chen Siyuan had lived two lives. Previously, he had been greedy and had seduced and flirted with many women. Now that he had both Bao and Dai and had taken in many women, he would naturally not have such thoughts again.

Baoqin was still young and intended to travel far away. Although he cherished her beauty and charm, he couldn't force her to stay by his side. So he stood up and said, "I still need to study. Sister Qin, why don't you—"

Before he could finish speaking, Baoqin said, "I've heard that you have a lot of books, brother. I'll just take a look around and won't disturb you."

Seeing that she was looking at him expectantly, Chen Siyuan said, "Alright, then Sister Qin, please do as you please."

Having said that, she got up and went into the study, where she sat down and picked up a book. Baoqin was indeed very casual, moving slowly with her hands in her pockets, looking around here and there. After a while, she reached the bookshelf, randomly picked up a book, flipped through it haphazardly, and then stole a glance at Chen Siyuan.

A young girl's heart is always filled with poetry. Baoqin could sense that Chen Siyuan was a bit cold today, but she didn't care. In fact, she wished he would be even colder, so that she could fly away in the future.

Baoqin thought to herself that although Chen Siyuan had a reputation for being a playboy, he treated the girls around him very well. Whether it was her cousin Baochai or that Miss Lin, he would send someone to deliver all kinds of things for the four seasons as soon as he found out what they lacked.

Since Chen Siyuan had an affair with his cousin Baochai, he must have been fond of her quiet and virtuous nature. So, he decided to do the opposite.

While she was thinking, she went to Chen Siyuan's side, reached out her small hands and gently placed them on his shoulders, slowly kneading them.

Chen Siyuan frowned slightly, and as he turned his head, he saw that bright little face was very close, with a pair of watery almond eyes. Chen Siyuan's heart skipped a beat, and he said, "Sister Qin, what is this—"

"Brother, you must be tired from reading. Shall I give you a shoulder massage?"

Chen Siyuan sighed and turned his head away from her. Unexpectedly, Baoqin rested her chin on his shoulder and whispered in his ear, "Brother, if you don't want to massage my shoulders, how about I massage my legs? Could it be that you don't like me?"

This little devil! Is she deliberately trying to act seductive and annoy me? But what man doesn't like a seductive woman? Those who criticize her are the ones who use seductive tricks on others, but which man dislikes a woman who uses seductive tricks only on him?
What was that saying again? Understand King Zhou, become King Zhou, surpass King Zhou!
Since Baoqin dared to act like a seductive vixen, Chen Siyuan would play along.

Suddenly twisting his body, Baoqin's chin lost its footing, and she cried out in surprise, falling forward. Chen Siyuan caught her in his arms. Seeing her clutching her heart with her hands, her face full of fear, Chen Siyuan solemnly lifted her chin, leaned closer, and whispered, "Where did you learn these vixen tricks?"

Baoqin blinked, her face flushing red with embarrassment, but she forced herself to remain calm and said, "How could it be a vixen's trick? I'm just trying to get along with you, brother, and I'll naturally try my best to please you."

"Trying to please me, huh?" Chen Siyuan released Baoqin, pointed to his own thigh, and said, "Then you can pat my thigh if you want."

After saying that, he picked up the book again.

"Oh," Baoqin responded. Seeing that Chen Siyuan wasn't looking at her, she was immediately delighted. So she squatted down and started massaging his legs intermittently.

Chen Siyuan ignored Baoqin and focused on his studies. For a moment, the study was quiet except for the sound of turning pages. Baoqin, being young, ran out of energy after a while.

Seeing that the tapping was getting slower and slower, Chen Siyuan said, "Switch to your left leg and put some more force into it."

Baoqin was secretly annoyed, thinking to herself, "Are they treating me like a maid?"
To everyone's surprise, Chen Siyuan suddenly looked down at her and said, "What's wrong, little sister? You don't want to be with me anymore?"

Baoqin blinked, a smile appearing on her face, and said, "I'm just out of strength."

"You're out of strength, aren't you? Why don't you go back first, Sister Qin?"

"Oh no, I've only been here a short while! I was hoping to spend more time with you, brother." With that, she lay down on Chen Siyuan's lap, tilting her little face up and saying, "Brother, just keep reading, I'll just lie here for a little while."

Chen Siyuan breathed a sigh of relief and continued reading. Before long, he faintly heard soft snoring. Looking down, he saw that Baoqin had fallen asleep with her little face turned to the side.

Chen Siyuan frowned slightly. It was the twelfth lunar month, and the ground was cold, yet Qin'er had fallen asleep. Wouldn't she catch a chill if this went on for too long?
He moved slowly, bent down, picked up Baoqin, and held her in his arms. Looking at her tightly closed eyelids, he knew she could only be quiet when she was asleep. He thought to himself, "Qin is a little younger than Tanchun. Her father is dead and her mother is ill. She is willing to become a concubine for the sake of her family's future. Although she shows scheming and calculation in every way, all she wants is a carefree life. She is truly pitiful."

He moved into the bedroom, placed Baoqin in the warm chamber, covered her with a quilt, and then quietly left.

Just then, Xiangling entered and saw Chen Siyuan tiptoeing in. She asked in surprise, "Where is Miss Qin?"

Chen Siyuan put his index finger to his lips and said, "Don't disturb her, this girl is asleep."

Xiangling leaned over and said with a smile, "It's quite interesting. Miss Qin has several faces. When Miss Bao comes, she becomes sarcastic and strange, but when Master comes, she speaks softly and sweetly. Yet, she is usually a cheerful and bright person."

Chen Siyuan turned his head and glanced into the bedroom, saying, "She's got a lot on her mind." He paused, then added, "She doesn't want to be a concubine; she only wants to travel the world. Sigh, I'll just destroy the betrothal letter when she's a little older."

Xiangling covered her mouth and laughed, "Master really spoils Miss Qin."

"She's not much older than my fourth sister, what else can we do but spoil her?"

After saying this, Chen Siyuan went into his study to read, and Xiangling followed him in, adding fragrance to his ink.

Unbeknownst to them, Baoqin, who was in the warm pavilion, suddenly opened her eyes, secretly glanced into the study, and then frowned thoughtfully, seemingly lost in thought.

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

outer city.

A carriage stopped at the entrance of the alley. The driver reined in the horse and turned to the passenger, saying, "Miss, the alley ahead is too narrow for the carriage to pass through."

"Okay, okay, this is really troublesome."

As soon as the words were spoken, the curtain was lifted, and first Hu Mama and her maid Baochan got off the carriage, and then Xia Jingui came down.

Granny Hu pointed to a house in the alley and said, "Miss, Zhang Jinge lives here."

Xia Jingui nodded and led the people to the door. Granny Hu stepped forward and knocked. After a moment, someone inside asked a question, and the door opened a crack, revealing a young maid's face: "Who are you looking for?" Xia Jingui stepped forward and smiled, saying, "Is Sister Zhang here? I've come to see her."

The maidservant examined her carefully and immediately frowned, saying, "So it's Miss Xia. Our young lady is quite unwell. Miss Xia, please come another day."

She was about to close the door when Granny Hu reached out and braced herself against it, frowning as she scolded, "You're just a maid; do you think you can make decisions for the young lady?"

The maid said, "Before our young lady was married, Miss Xia often bullied her. Now that our young lady is in trouble, who doesn't know that Miss Xia is here to provoke us?"

Baochan stepped forward and said, "If you keep spouting nonsense, I'll tear your mouth off!"

Xia Jingui raised her hand to stop her, and said with a smile, "These are all things from the past, it's kind of you that Sister Zhang remembers them all this time. Go and inform them that I've come here for Sister Zhang's important life event."

The maid hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded in agreement. She closed the door before going inside to announce her arrival. A short while later, the door opened, and the maid pouted and reached out her hand in invitation: "Our young lady invites Miss Xia."

Xia Jingui smiled wryly, raised her head, and led the maid inside. This place couldn't even be considered a courtyard; there were only side rooms and wing rooms on one side, but none on the other. Perhaps it was separated and considered a separate household.

Upon entering, the house, though consisting of three rooms, was extremely shabby. Zhang Jingge, her pretty face tense, coldly looked over and said, "Xia Jingui, what exactly do you want?"

Xia Jingui smiled and curtsied, then stepped forward and took Zhang Jinge's hand, saying, "Sister Zhang, we've had our share of disagreements, but they're all just squabbles over pride. Now that I've heard you're in trouble, I can't bear it, so I've come to tell you something."

Zhang Jingge sneered and brushed Xia Jingui's hand away, saying, "I didn't know you would be so kind?"

Xia Jingui smiled, found a chair and sat down, crossing her legs as she said, "Whether he's kind or not, you can listen to it for yourself. Has Jia Lian agreed to take you into his household someday?"

Zhang Jingge immediately frowned. That day, she had been drugged by Aunt Zheng and had consummated her relationship with Jia Lian on the spot. Afterwards, in shame and anger, Zhang Jingge kicked Jia Lian off the bed and then tried to kill herself by smashing her head against a wall.

In his panic, Jia Lian was hit in the crotch by Zhang Jinge, causing him excruciating pain. This alerted Aunt Zheng and Jia Heng outside, who rushed inside and stopped Zhang Jinge, thus averting a disaster.

Even so, Zhang Jingge still caused a huge scene, Zheng Yiniang was slapped, and Jia Heng was scratched all over his face. Jia Lian felt he was in the wrong, apologized profusely, and then pointed to the sky and said that he would bring Zhang Jingge into the mansion soon, which finally calmed her down.

Looking back today, Zhang Jinge still feels it is a great disgrace and naturally does not want others to mention it.

Seeing Zhang Jingge's frosty expression, Xia Jingui smiled and said, "The Rongguo Mansion is certainly a good place. Jia Lian will inherit the title in the future, so it wouldn't be a disgrace for you to be a concubine. However, Second Mistress Lian is jealous and domineering. If you enter the Rongguo Mansion, she might harm you."

Jia Lian had also mentioned this matter, saying that he would first settle Zhang Jingge in the outer residence. Zhang Jingge, however, was of a fiery temperament and would never agree to be someone's mistress. She bluntly stated that if she was not brought into the mansion, she would surely smash her head against the gate of the Rongguo Mansion one day.

Jia Lian was intimidated, and at that moment he naturally did whatever Zhang Jinge said.

Xia Jingui continued, "However, Second Madam Lian only has one daughter and has not given birth to a son yet. She is also narrow-minded. If you marry into the family, as long as you can protect yourself and give birth to a son or daughter, you might just anger Second Madam Lian to death. Then you will be the future mistress of the Rongguo Mansion."

"That's all?"

Xia Jingui quickly said, "Don't worry. When I learned about this, I thought of my past friendship with Sister Zhang, so I couldn't just sit idly by. A few days ago, I asked Madam to put in a good word for me with the old lady."

As people get older, they cherish having many children and grandchildren. Now that the old lady has relented, I will definitely help my sister enter the Rongguo Mansion in a few days.”

Zhang Jingge pondered, "Unsolicited kindness is always suspicious. Tell me, what do you want to use me for?"

Xia Jingui covered her mouth and laughed, "You're a woman who's remarried, and your dowry isn't much money. What could I possibly need from you? Don't worry, sister, this time I'm really just being kind."

As he spoke, he stood up and said, "The second wife in the mansion is a kind-hearted woman, and I can speak with her to some extent. If you ever encounter any difficulties in the future, please feel free to come and find me. I apologize for disturbing you today, but I will not stay any longer. Farewell."

Having said that, he got up and led Granny Hu and Baochan away.

As soon as the person left, the maid returned after closing the door. She pouted and said to Zhang Jingge, "Miss, that man surnamed Xia said that Rongguo Mansion seems to be extremely dangerous. Do you really want to go into that dangerous place?"

Zhang Jingge sighed, "I've lost even my innocence, what more could I ask for? I only hope that Jia Lian isn't a heartless and cold-blooded person."

"How will Second Madam Lian deal with this?"

"It's just a matter of dealing with whatever comes my way. If she's kind to me, I'll be content to be her concubine; but if she tries to undermine me, I'm not one to be easily fooled. The outcome is still uncertain!"

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

Rongguo Mansion.

Meanwhile, Chen Siyuan was strolling through the Grand View Garden when he caught a glimpse of Lady Wang and Aunt Xue strolling together. Some time later, Aunt Xue came looking for him.

Seeing that her expression was strange, Chen Siyuan chatted for a while and then sent Hongyu and the others away.

As soon as the person left, Aunt Xue said anxiously, "It's settled today. On the eighteenth of the twelfth lunar month, even the old lady will go to Nengren Temple to offer incense."

"The old lady is going too?" Chen Siyuan asked in surprise, "Did something happen?"

Aunt Xue said, "The Empress has miscarried."

"Oh? When did Your Highness become pregnant?"

Aunt Xue said, "It's been more than two months. The young master knows that the palace is a place where no one can have a child. When a concubine gets pregnant, she usually hides it for the first three months. The Empress is the same; she doesn't dare to make a fuss. A few days ago, the master found a secret recipe that can produce a boy and secretly sent it to the palace."

Who knew that the secret recipe would have been better left uneaten, as it caused her severe abdominal pain, leading to a miscarriage. It is said that the Emperor was furious, and if it weren't for the Empress's remaining dignity and the Dowager Consort's intercession, the Empress might have lost even her title.

Chen Siyuan thought to himself, no wonder Madam Xing had been whispering in his ear for days, but the master Jia She hadn't come looking for him. It turned out he was tied up with this matter.

Seeing that she seemed to be deep in thought, Aunt Xue lowered her voice and said, "Last night, the old lady gave the master a good scolding. The master pointed to the sky and swore an oath that the secret recipe was definitely not poison. The old lady did not believe it, so the master even found a woman who was six months pregnant and made her drink the secret recipe on the spot, and she did not bleed."

My sister was convinced that someone had poisoned the medicine, causing the Empress to have a premature birth.

Chen Siyuan said, "Within the palace, murder can happen without bloodshed; it's full of treacherous tricks. We must be on guard."

"Who says otherwise? Luckily, Baochai's father said before he died that he would never let Baochai enter the palace, otherwise... I would be terrified right now."

Aunt Xue said she wouldn't linger, and after having a cup of tea, she took her leave.

Chen Siyuan paced back and forth in his study, pondering Yuan Chun's miscarriage. Currently, the position of Empress in the capital is vacant, with Consort Wu managing the six palaces and Yuan Chun assisting. It seems as if there are only two favored concubines in the palace, but in reality, Yuan Chun is likely a figurehead favored by the Emperor to appease the four princes and eight dukes.

This miscarriage might have been caused by the other concubines, or... perhaps even by the emperor himself.

Her purpose was to warn the Jia family to cease their improper dealings with the Crown Prince. Unfortunately, Yuan-chun wasn't very clever and failed to warn the Jia family. Or perhaps she did warn them, but the Jia family ignored her?
In any case, the entire Jia family is incredibly stupid.

While he was pondering, another old woman delivered a letter, which read: "Prince Yanping invites Chen Siyuan to the Prince's residence for a chat."

Chen Siyuan assumed it was about the wheel hubs, so he quickly finished making arrangements, boarded a carriage, and headed to the Prince of Yanping's residence.

Ding Daolong did not come to fetch him that day; instead, a young eunuch came to guide him. Chen Siyuan passed through the palace gates and after a long while, entered a study in the back garden of the Prince's mansion.

After a short wait, Prince Yanping entered. Chen Siyuan rose to greet him, and Prince Yanping scratched his head and said, "Chen Shuliang, you've always been full of cunning ideas. Do you have a way to kill Jia Zhen and Jia She?"

"Huh?" Chen Siyuan was immediately taken aback upon hearing the sound!
(End of this chapter)