Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 334 Icy Blade Stains Cold Collar

Hengwu Garden.

Baochai lay on the bed, a handkerchief covering her fair wrist. Doctor Wang said "Excuse me" before taking her pulse with three fingers.

The gauze curtain of the embroidered bed had already been drawn, and the image of Sister Bao was vaguely visible inside. Outside, Aunt Xue frowned anxiously, yet dared not make a sound to disturb her.

Seeing that Physician Wang's brows were sometimes furrowed and sometimes relaxed, Aunt Xue was immediately worried.

After a long while, Physician Wang withdrew his hand, stroked his beard, and frowned, saying, "Madam, Miss Xue has always been physically robust, but this is because she was born with a heat syndrome, which needs to be suppressed with cooling substances. I heard that Miss Xue has been taking Cold Fragrance Pills. May I have a look at the Cold Fragrance Pills?"

"Alright, Ying'er, go and fetch the Cold Fragrance Pills quickly."

Ying'er agreed and quickly left the house. A moment later, she returned with a box, opened it to reveal the Cold Fragrance Pills inside.

Physician Wang took a pill, sniffed it, and immediately frowned deeply.

Aunt Xue hurriedly asked, "Doctor Wang, is this medicine inappropriate?"

Physician Wang said, "This pill can indeed suppress the fever, but its effects are too strong. Long-term use may cause uterine coldness and harm fertility. Fortunately, Miss Xue is physically strong. Although she is affected now, she will recover after a period of recuperation. However, this medicine should never be taken again unless absolutely necessary."

Aunt Xue was immediately stunned. Back then, for the sake of the "golden and jade" marriage, she had made the Cold Fragrance Pill sound like it was the only one of its kind in the world, but in reality, it was just something she had obtained from a doctor in Jinling, and it didn't even have that kind of potent medicinal ingredient. She never imagined that this thing would affect Baochai's childbirth!

Aunt Xue immediately became angry and said, "Get rid of all this stuff right now!"

Ying'er readily agreed and hurriedly went out to handle the situation.

Aunt Xue pleaded again, "Doctor Wang, my daughter has a fever..."

"It's alright, I'll prescribe two doses of herbal medicine. Miss Xue should recover after taking them for two days."

Aunt Xue breathed a sigh of relief and quickly pulled Physician Wang out of the room. Once inside, she asked in a low voice, "Physician Wang said earlier that it might be detrimental to having children, but I wonder... how long it will take to recover?"

Physician Wang said, "This... I really can't say. Miss Xue is currently suffering from both external cold and internal heat, so it may be difficult for her to give birth. I will prescribe some warming and nourishing formulas later, and with three to five years of recuperation, she should be able to recover."

Aunt Xue was finally relieved. She generously rewarded Physician Wang, sent Tongxi to see him off, and returned to her bedroom. Seeing the gauze curtain lifted, she saw Baochai already sitting upright at the head of the bed. Aunt Xue quickly sat down and put her arm around Baochai's shoulder, saying, "My child, it's all my fault."

Baochai said, "It's also my fault for trusting that quack doctor. It's also because I haven't been sick for the past two years that I didn't realize it."

Aunt Xue said, "Don't worry, Physician Wang just said that with three to five years of recuperation, he should be able to recover... Even if he doesn't recover, I have a way."

No one knows a mother better than her daughter. Baochai frowned and asked, "Mother, are you referring to Baoqin?" After a pause, seeing that Aunt Xue remained silent, Baochai asked in surprise, "Could it be... that Mother had already planned this?"

Aunt Xue was speechless for a moment, then retorted, "How would I have known before? I only had this idea after hearing what Physician Wang said. My child, please don't take it to heart."

“Hmm,” Baochai replied, but she was filled with doubt in her heart.

After a short while, she said again, "Mother, it seems that quack doctor... was it Aunt who specially wrote a letter to recommend him?"

Aunt Xue was filled with hatred, but her face remained calm. She said, "Your aunt is always scheming. Don't worry, my child, I will settle this score with her sooner or later!"

Baochai responded softly, then rested her head on Aunt Xue's shoulder, feeling deeply melancholy.

The mother and daughter chatted for a while longer before Aunt Xue turned back to the front.

As soon as the person left, Sister Bao looked for Ying'er and asked, "Did you find out the details?"

Ying'er said, "Miss, I've heard all this carefully. The day after tomorrow, Granny Hu has invited a few of the women in charge to play dominoes. I've found a maid, and she'll definitely make Granny Hu shine!"

Baochai nodded and then asked, "Have you chosen anyone else?"

Ying'er whispered, "It's all chosen. The day after tomorrow is Wu Xingdeng's turn to inspect the outer courtyard."

Baochai nodded again, thinking to herself, "That Wu Xingdeng is also a lecherous devil. He always takes advantage of the opportunity to inspect the outer courtyard to have secret meetings with the maids in the mansion. When the time comes, I just need to switch the girls halfway through, and I'll kill two birds with one stone, leaving Lady Wang speechless and unable to say a word."

Ying'er hesitated for a moment, then said, "Miss... do you think that if we handle this matter, it might offend Master Yuan?"

Baochai suddenly smiled and said, "Why do you say that?"

Ying'er said, "Since ancient times, men have disliked women with such deep scheming minds, but I'm afraid—"

Baochai smiled and said, "You're talking about those incompetent commoners who only know how to show off in the inner quarters. If he were capable and had a broad vision, he would be eager for me to help him rise to the top. So what if I'm cunning? As long as I don't harm anyone, I won't incur his dislike."

Ying'er nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Just then, an old woman outside said, "Miss, Master Yuan has come to see you."

Baochai was taken aback, and a blush immediately rose on her face. She urged, "Quickly, help me with my makeup." She then instructed the person outside, "Let him wait in the hall for a while. I will come out in a little while."

The old woman outside responded, and Baochai hurriedly got off the bed, letting Ying'er do her hair and makeup.

Baochai sat upright in front of the dressing table, reached out and touched her cheek, frowned and said, "Your face is a little pale, please apply more makeup for me."

Ying'er responded and hurriedly found some cosmetics to help her dress up. Baochai had just applied a thin layer of powder to her face when she heard the curtain being lifted. She looked up and saw Chen Siyuan walking in.

Baochai immediately raised her sleeve to cover herself, saying, "I haven't finished dressing up yet, so I don't look very good."

Chen Siyuan reached out and pressed down her sleeve, meeting Baochai's almond-shaped eyes, and said, "Sister Bao, is this... a woman dressing up for the one she loves?"

Baochai said shyly, "You're good at flirting, so you'd better go out and wait."

Unexpectedly, Chen Siyuan not only didn't leave, but instead took the powder brush from Ying'er's hand, leaned over and whispered, "How about I try to do your makeup?"

Ying'er, who was standing to the side, covered her mouth and laughed, saying as she walked out, "I'm going to make tea for Master Yuan."

The curtain swayed, and only the two people remained inside.

Chen Siyuan straightened Baochai's posture and bent down to carefully apply makeup to her. He applied a thin layer of powder to her face, dotted her lips with rouge, lightly applied blush to her cheeks, and then drew a small peony between her eyebrows with a touch of rouge.

When she was getting ready, Baochai was initially shy and didn't dare to look up; but after a while, she couldn't help but raise her bright almond-shaped eyes and carefully look at the handsome face in front of her.

As she watched, Baochai felt increasingly conflicted. To be favored by a good man was wonderful; but alas, fate had other plans, and such a calamity had befallen her family. Now, even if she felt resentful, there was nothing she could do.

With a sigh of relief, Sister Bao thought to herself, "Well, since my family background is so humble and I can't offer him much help in the future, it's better to let him find another good wife."

After a full two cups of tea's time, Chen Siyuan straightened up and said with a smile, "Bao-meimei, take a look and see how my makeup looks."

Baochai snapped out of her daze, quickly nodded, and then turned to look at the person in the mirror. She saw a woman as beautiful as a blooming peony, especially with a peony rouge mark between her eyebrows, which made her appear particularly elegant and noble.

Baochai, who was well-read, smiled and said, "Where did you learn this makeup style? It does look a bit like something from the Tang Dynasty."

Chen Siyuan said, "It's just something I came up with by myself. Do you think it looks alright, little sister?"

Bao Jie nodded, then threw herself into Chen Siyuan's arms and said, "Thank goodness you're here."

Chen Siyuan reached out and patted his back, saying, "I heard this morning that you had a relapse last night. Are you feeling better now?"

"These are all old ailments, but they don't bother me much anymore."

"I'll take my sister to Henian Hall later and have Doctor Ding examine her."

Baochai smiled and agreed. After a brief moment of tenderness, Baochai explained the arrangements for the matter entrusted to her by Chen Siyuan.

Chen Siyuan then said, "Sister's arrangements are extremely appropriate, a perfect example of killing two birds with one stone."

Baochai bit her lower lip and said, "Isn't that a bit too vicious?"

Chen Siyuan said, "Great things are not bound by trifles. If they hadn't tried to harm our third sister, why would we have done such a vicious thing? This is called an eye for an eye."

Baochai wholeheartedly agreed, nodded, and then asked, "How was Third Sister's day?"

Chen Siyuan frowned and said, "That Physician Hu came again this morning and prescribed a prescription. Lin Meimei took one look and said it didn't make sense. It's good that Third Sister didn't take it; if she did, she'd probably get very sick."

Baochai frowned and said, "Auntie's actions are becoming more and more unscrupulous."

Chen Siyuan said, "When I came back that day, I thought the old lady would give my wife a good scolding, but she hasn't done so yet. I don't know what the old lady is up to."

Baochai moved aside, stood up and said, "I know a little about it. It is said that the old lady has not been in good health lately. She can't eat or sleep well. I'm afraid she is willing but unable to."

Baochai didn't mince words, pulling Chen Siyuan to sit on the embroidered bed, and said, "However, the old lady did give the indentures of several stewards to Feng'er."

Chen Siyuan thought to himself, "This is a warning. But the old lady is probably trying to get something for nothing, like trying to find a sword by marking the boat." Madam Wang had been suppressing her temper before, but now, instigated by Xia Jingui, she's becoming increasingly eccentric. How could she possibly tolerate this any longer?
With the year-end approaching, I fear that the eldest and second wives will be locked in a fierce battle next year.

After a brief moment of tenderness, Baochai found herself unable to contain her emotions. Fortunately, she still retained a sliver of clarity in her mind and managed to push Chen Siyuan away.

As Chen Siyuan was reminiscing about leaving Hengwu Garden, he unexpectedly bumped into Baoqin, who was carrying Xiaoluo.

Qin Yatou, with bright eyebrows and white teeth, quickly walked a few steps upon seeing Chen Siyuan, picked up her basket, curtsied, and looked up at him, saying, "Brother, have you come to see sister? I really dislike how deep the affection between brother and sister is. I wonder if brother will come to see me when I am sick in the future."

Chen Siyuan gritted his teeth, reached out and lightly flicked Baoqin's forehead, scolding, "Where did you learn those frivolous words? You'd better stop now."

Baoqin covered her forehead and pouted, saying, "What are you saying, brother? I don't understand. What is this 'tea talk'?"

"It's just weird and sarcastic."

Baoqin said, "The betrothal letter has been issued, and I will spend my life with my brother in the future. I am just feeling a little jealous now, so how can it be considered being sarcastic?"

Chen Siyuan leaned down slightly and said with a stern face, "You're so young and you're already learning bad habits. If you keep talking like that, I won't talk to you anymore."

Baoqin blinked, her face fell, and she frowned, saying, "So you don't like this kind of thing, brother. I'll think about it and make sure I can please you."

After saying this, she curtsied again and said, "Brother, you go first. I'll go see my sister too."

Standing still, Chen Siyuan turned around and watched as Baoqin led Xiaoluo into Hengwu Garden. He shook his head in distress, wondering what kind of trouble Baoqin would cause in the future.

But thinking about it carefully, this girl Qin's mischievous antics are actually quite cute. Indeed, who says men don't like teasing and banter? It's just that they dislike the girl's teasing and banter with others.

They walked on, and soon arrived near Qiushuangzhai. Just as they were about to head to Xiaoxiang Pavilion across the street, they suddenly heard someone calling out from the side. Turning around, they saw the Third Miss Tanchun and the Fourth Miss Xichun walking out of Qiushuangzhai together.

Chen Siyuan stopped and waited, and soon the group arrived. Upon closer inspection, Tan Chun's face showed signs of illness, clearly due to excessive worry and anxiety.

After the three exchanged greetings, Chen Siyuan said, "Third sister, you haven't fully recovered yet, and it's freezing cold. Where are you headed?"

Tan Chun said, "Thank you for your concern, Brother Yuan. I'm much better now. I'm going to Madam's room to resign from my job as a steward."

Xiao Xichun chimed in, "All that hard work and no reward. If you ask me, I should have quit this damn housekeeper job long ago."

Chen Siyuan, who was already aware of Yingchun's plan, said, "Alright, sister, go quickly, lest things get complicated."

Tan Chun sneered and said, "Yes, isn't it true that things can go wrong if we wait too long?"

Now they've only found a quack doctor to harm people; who knows, one day he might even smear their food. No matter how much you guard against it, it's hard to guard against a traitor within your own family. Even with Madam Wang's scheming, there will always be a time when things don't go as planned. Since Second Sister is interested in taking over the household management, perhaps she should relinquish it herself.

It was cold outside, so the three of them didn't talk much. Chen Siyuan accompanied his two younger sisters for a while before returning to the thatched cottage.

After Xichun and Tanchun parted ways with Chen Siyuan, Tanchun wore a thoughtful expression. At first, she was only thinking about how to survive in this mansion, but then she recalled the events of that day. In her moment of crisis, someone had risked their life to save her. Tanchun was no wooden statue; how could she not be moved?
Although she was young, she was intelligent and straightforward. She vaguely sensed that she had developed feelings for him, but she also knew that there was a significant age gap between them and that it was probably impossible for them to be together. This made her feel very melancholy.

"Third sister, third sister?"

"Hmm?" Tan Chun came to her senses and looked up to see that they had arrived at the side gate of Madam Wang's courtyard. She said, "Yes, good sister, let's go in."

The two stepped inside and met Madam Wang. Tan Chun suppressed her disgust and said that she was unwell and no longer suitable to manage the household, asking Madam Wang to find someone more capable.

Madam Wang feigned concern and tried to persuade him to stay, but then sighed and said, "Very well, you are still young, and it's not good for you to overwork yourself. Look at you, you've fallen ill from exhaustion lately. I'll agree to this matter then, and we'll choose someone else to manage the household affairs in the future."

Tan Chun thanked him, drank a cup of tea, and then took her leave.

As soon as Tan Chun and Xi Chun left, Xia Jingui came out from behind the screen, smiled and curtsied, saying, "Congratulations, Madam, on achieving your wish."

Madam Wang smiled and said, "Tan'er is very clever. I sent Physician Hu over today, and she roughly knows what I'm thinking."

Xia Jingui smiled and said, "Madam's arrangement still reveals your intentions. Why don't you do as I say and tamper with the food?"

The Wang family was considered a prominent and wealthy household, so Madam Wang immediately shook her head and said, "No, this precedent must not be set. If it is, everyone in the household will live in fear, and I'm afraid we will never have a peaceful life again."

Xia Jingui rolled her eyes inwardly and said, "It's because Madam is so compassionate. I'll have to learn a lot from Madam in the future."

Madam Wang smiled and agreed, then said, "Now that Tan Chun has been relieved of her duties, you and Madam Li will take care of things for the next two days. I will talk to Ying Chun about it in a few days."

"Yes," Xia Jingui replied with a smile.

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

Two days passed in a flash.

That night, Xia Jingui and Baoyu were intimate several times. It wasn't until Musk Moon urged them that Baoyu wiped the rouge off his lips and said, "Then I'll come to see my sister again tomorrow."

Xia Jingui acted coquettishly, which prompted Baoyu to coax her quite a bit before they finally parted ways.

Xia Jingui sent Baochan with a lantern to deliver it. As soon as the person left, Hu Mama came over and said, "Miss, you can tease her a little, but it's not good to lose your chastity before marriage."

Xia Jingui said, "I'm not stupid. Without a title or status, how could I let him succeed? As for Baochan... if he really can't resist, I'll let Baochan go and keep him company."

Granny Hu laughed and said, "Miss, you've got a good plan. In this way, Baochan will become a concubine as soon as she arrives, and she'll definitely outshine that little hussy Xiren." She paused, then added, "It's late and the dew is heavy, so I'll be going now. Miss, please get some rest."

"Wait a moment, Granny," Xia Jingui turned around, found the box, grabbed a handful of silver coins and stuffed them into Granny Hu's hands, saying, "This bet can't always be won or lost. Granny, please lend a hand today and let those servants get some benefits too."

"I'll listen to the girl."

Granny Hu found a cloak, tied it on, picked up a lantern, and left Yihong Courtyard. She walked around the Grand View Garden, exited through the west corner gate, and soon arrived at a secluded wing room.

She knocked on the door, and someone inside asked a question. Granny Hu answered a few times, and the door opened a crack, revealing a light inside. She then quickly slipped inside.

A dozen or so maids and old women had already gathered inside, and when they saw Granny Hu, they gave her a good scolding for being late. Granny Hu apologized to everyone, and hurriedly found dominoes and dice. Soon, low shouts arose, and wine and meat were served.

Granny Hu deliberately let the game go, and the gamblers indeed benefited, all beaming with joy. Then a stewardess from the outer courtyard handed over a cup of tea, saying, "You're having a bad day, so I won't urge you to drink. Have a cup of tea to quench your thirst."

Granny Hu accepted the tea with a smile, and perhaps because she was really thirsty from the fire, she finished the cup of tea in a few gulps. After making a ruckus for a while, Granny Hu suddenly felt dizzy. The old woman who had served her the tea earlier quickly came over to help her, saying, "Look at her, Granny Hu is so dizzy from losing. You all continue playing, I'll help Granny Hu back first."

(End of this chapter)