Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 335 Wildfire Blocks the Gate

Sister Feng's children's courtyard.

boom!
Jia Lian fell off the kang (heated brick bed), instantly enraged and pointing at Feng Jie, saying, "You—"

On the kang (heated brick bed), Feng Jie was dressed in her undergarments, her delicate toenails adorned with henna, making her slender feet appear even whiter and more tender. It was these very feet that had just kicked Jia Lian off the bed.

Feng Jie'er's face turned frosty, her expression a half-smile, and she said coldly, "Second Master, what a clever trick you've played! What? You're only newlyweds, and you've already abandoned Sister Zhang to come looking for this old hag?"

Jia Lian's expression changed, knowing that he was in the wrong from the beginning, and that the old lady's treatment was already biased towards him. If he made a fuss again, he was afraid that he would not get any better treatment.

The livid look on Jia Lian's face faded, and he got up, dusting off the dust clinging to his clothes. He forced a smile and said, "I told you before, I was caught off guard and fell into her trap. If she hadn't threatened to kill herself, why would I have resorted to such a desperate measure?"

"Oh, so you're threatening to kill yourself? I'm afraid you're going to beat the drum to appeal to the emperor and sue this scoundrel of yours, aren't you? Do you think I don't know how much you and Jia Heng have in your belly? Let me tell you the truth, this matter is not over. Not only you, but Jia Heng will also have to wait and see!"

Jia Lian thought to himself that he was afraid he wouldn't be able to coax Feng Jie in three to five days, so he cupped his hands in farewell and said, "Alright, since you're still upset, I'll be going now."

Having said that, she turned and shrugged off, quickly leaving. As soon as she was gone, Feng Jie picked up the pillow and threw it on the ground. Just then, Ping'er brought in the foot-washing water, glanced at Feng Jie'er's face, first put down the foot-washing water, then picked up the pillow and patted it twice.

Ping'er came over and advised, "Why is Grandma doing this? It's understandable to feel upset about this, but you can vent your anger a little. If you make things awkward with Second Master, wouldn't that benefit the new Aunt Zhang? No matter what, Grandma should give birth to a boy first. It's not good to let Aunt Zhang get the first one."

Feng Jie glanced sideways, snorted coldly, and remained silent. She understood the logic, of course, but even the greatest logic couldn't suppress the resentment and shame in her heart. She was by nature strong-willed; Jia Lian was capable of even secretly marrying her, so how could Feng Jie possibly have the mind to feign politeness with him?
So he said, "I am the wife and she is the concubine. So what if she steals the child from the master? She can just raise it in my room. It will save me a lot of trouble."

Ping'er said, "Although they are all Second Master's children, how can the children born by others compare to those born by oneself? Madam, please don't say such hurtful things."

The more Feng Jie thought about it, the more frustrated she became. She said, "I'm too lazy to argue with you. Just help me wash my feet."

Ping'er obediently agreed and dared not say another word.

After serving Sister Feng, Ping'er took the foot basin to pour water. Just as she turned around, an old woman came over and said, "Miss, Second Master went to the back courtyard just now. I don't know why, but he only stayed for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before that new Aunt Zhang sent him away."

Ping'er was quite surprised. She glanced at the old woman, nodded slightly, and walked past her. When she went back inside, she saw that Feng Jie was already lying down, so she came over and told her what had happened.

Upon hearing this, Sister Feng pondered for a while, then suddenly laughed and said, "This concubine Zhang is quite docile. Your second master suffered a setback with me, and fearing trouble, she simply stopped serving him? Hehehe, that's interesting." She paused, then added, "Where has your second master gone now?"

Ping'er shook her head and said, "I didn't ask, but I guess she went to the study in the front."

Feng Jie sneered, covered herself with the quilt, and lay down with a sigh of relief. Ping'er carefully tucked the quilt in for her, but because she was worried about Jia Lian, she turned and left the room, heading towards the study in the front.

To their surprise, they found no one there. They asked the gatekeeper to inquire, and Xing'er said, "Second Master came back in a huff, sat for a while and then said he felt stifled. Now he's gone for a stroll in the garden."

Ping'er immediately covered her mouth and laughed. Lian Er Ye had suffered repeated setbacks that day, and she figured he must be furious by now. Without lingering, she returned to Feng Jie's courtyard, and that was another story.

Now, Jia Lian had strolled around halfway through the Grand View Garden when he suddenly felt a biting cold wind, which instantly swept away any pent-up frustration in his heart. He was about to shiver and return to his study when, after only a few steps, two old women carrying lanterns approached him.

One of them said, "That Qiao family's daughter-in-law is complaining of stomach pain again. I bet she's gone to that side room to wait for me again."

Another person said, "It's fortunate that it's in the outer courtyard. Right now, the Third Miss is at odds with Wu Xingdeng. If they had been caught red-handed, who knows what kind of trouble it would have caused."

The old woman said, "The man surnamed Wu has sided with the madam, and besides, the third young lady no longer manages the household, so he naturally acts more and more recklessly."

"Qiao Da is really a coward. For a comprador job, he actually gave his daughter-in-law to Wu Laogou. Bah!"

"Quiet down! Wu Xing is in power now, and even his wife doesn't dare to interfere. Why should we gossip? Let's go, let's go for a walk and have some hot tea."

As they spoke, the two old women carried lanterns away into the distance, and Jia Lian, who was hiding behind a tree, immediately felt a surge of anger. Qiao Dajia's daughter-in-law was quite beautiful, and ever since Bao Er's wife and Duo Guniang were driven out of the mansion, Jia Lian had set his sights on this woman.

If it weren't for the affair of secretly marrying Zhang Jinge, Jia Lian could have easily gotten Qiao Da to send his daughter-in-law to bed with just a few words. Who knew that this delay would allow Wu Xing to take her away!

How could Jia Lian, already feeling resentful, tolerate a mere servant daring to steal the wife his master had chosen? He vaguely recalled the servant mentioning that Wu Xingdeng had been secretly meeting with the wife in the outer courtyard. Jia Lian clenched his fists and thought to himself, even if he didn't succeed, he couldn't let Wu Xingdeng get away with it.

He immediately turned and headed towards the west corner gate of the Grand View Garden, heading straight for that secluded side room.

No sooner had they stepped out of the west gate than they bumped into a cleaning woman hurrying by. The woman wasn't carrying a lantern, and with the darkness and slippery road, the two couldn't avoid each other and collided.

The old woman opened her mouth to curse, but Jia Lian cursed first: "Where did this filthy old woman come from? Can't you watch where you're going?"

The old woman blinked, then immediately realized that the person in front of her was Second Master Lian. She was so frightened that she scrambled to her feet and bowed repeatedly. Jia Lian flicked his sleeves, snorted coldly, and continued walking forward.

The old woman watched Jia Lian leave before hurrying south. She hadn't gone far when she saw Wu Xingdeng leading a servant on an inspection tour.

Wu Xingdeng originally didn't want to pay any attention to the old woman, but the old woman changed her mind and said ingratiatingly, "Manager Wu, please wait a moment, let's talk in private."

Wu Xingdeng stopped and glanced over in surprise. The old woman said hurriedly, "This is really important. I just hope that Steward Wu will remember how good I am and give me an easier job in the future."

Wu Xingdeng pondered for a moment, then sent two servants to wait aside. He and the old woman went to the corner of the wall, where the old woman told him that Jia Lian had just gone to the north to look for something.

Wu Xingdeng stroked his beard and pondered. It turned out that Second Master Lian had been quite interested in Lady Qiao for some time, but had recently been busy secretly marrying Concubine Zhang, and had temporarily put it aside. If Second Master Lian were to catch him having slept with Lady Qiao… he feared he wouldn't fare well.

He then smiled and said in a low voice, "That's right, I'll remember your kindness, and I'll definitely find you a good job in the future."

The old woman bowed and thanked her profusely.

Little did they know that Wu Xingdeng was a narrow-minded man who hated nothing more than having someone hold a handle against him. He had already decided that he would find a pretext to send this rough old woman to the estate one day.

Smiling, Wu Xingdeng bid farewell to the rough-looking old woman and said to the two servants, "Alright, it's chilly at night, I don't think we need to patrol ahead anymore. Let's go back now. There's some wine warmed up in the room, let's all have a cup to warm ourselves up."

The two servants responded in unison and followed Wu Xingdeng in a roundabout way, heading towards the outside of the ceremonial gate.

Meanwhile, Jia Lian sneaked to the secluded side room, hid in a corner and waited for a long time, but no one appeared. He waited and waited, but Wu Xingdeng did not appear. He was puzzled and went to the door. Just as he was wondering if he had come to the wrong place, he heard a soft moaning sound from inside.

Jia Lian wondered to himself, "Could it be that I'm too late, and these two have already been entangled together?"
His eyes darted around, and he pulled a dagger from his boot to unscrew the door, but when he slid the dagger from bottom to top, he found nothing there.

The door bolt wasn't fastened? These two are really bold!
Jia Lian pushed open the door and entered, then turned and closed it behind him before tiptoeing inside. He went straight to the bed, and by the light of the charcoal fire in the nearby incense burner, he saw a white, limp figure writhing on the bed, humming softly. Jia Lian leaned closer to examine it, and vaguely sensed that the person on the bed didn't seem to be Qiao Dajia's.

As he was pondering this, he suddenly felt a surge of heat within him. Jia Lian was by nature a libertine; how could he possibly wrong himself? He immediately thought to himself, no matter whose wife she was, how could he not take advantage of this readily available opportunity? So he loosened his belt, took off his clothes, chuckled, and pounced onto the bed.

The gauze curtains on the bed swayed, and wisps of smoke rose from the incense burner. As the two were lost in their passion, they were unaware that the door to the outside room had already been firmly shut.

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

Hengwu Garden.

Wearing a cloak and a Guanyin-style hood, Ying'er rushed inside, not even having time to take off her coat, and went straight to the bedroom. At that moment, Sister Bao was already lying down, wearing only her undergarments.

Hearing footsteps, Baochai quickly got up. Ying'er rushed over, her face pale, and said, "Miss, something's wrong! It's not Wu Xingdeng who's here today, it's Second Master Lian!"

"Second Brother Lian?" Baochai was immediately taken aback and asked, "How did this happen?"

Ying'er shook her head repeatedly, saying, "I waited outside that room, but Wu Xingdeng didn't show up. Instead, Second Master Lian sneaked in and is now fooling around with that Granny Hu!" Baochai frowned in thought, and Ying'er said, "How about we just let it go this time?"

Baochai came to her senses and said, "No, we've already alerted the enemy. If we let Granny Hu go, where will we find another opportunity next time? Just do as the plan says!"

Ying'er nodded quickly, got up and ran outside again.

After this incident, how could Baochai possibly sleep? It's just a pity that Ying'er is the only one she can rely on, otherwise she could send someone to Qingtang Maoshe.

Taking a deep breath, Baochai pondered carefully. Her plan was to kill two birds with one stone: eliminate Granny Hu and drag Wu Xing into the mess. But fate had other plans; instead, it was Jia Lian who arrived.

That's all. Chen Siyuan is only focused on getting rid of Granny Hu. As for Wu Xingdeng... there will be plenty of opportunities to scheme against him later.

Baochai crossed her arms over her shoulders, feeling a chill, and then found some clothes to put on.

After waiting for a while, they suddenly heard a commotion outside, and then Ying'er rushed in, saying, "Miss, there's a fire!"

Baochai remained silent, only staring intently at Ying'er. Ying'er lowered her voice and said, "I climbed over the wall to get back; I guarantee no one saw me."

Baochai secretly breathed a sigh of relief and ordered, "Burn your cloak and Guanyin-style bodice!"

"Yes."

Ying'er responded and turned to burn the clothes. Baochai, wearing the clothes, frowned and pondered, thinking to herself that the simpler the plan, the better; if it became too complicated, it would only create more variables.

The western wing outside the window was bathed in a crimson glow, and the distant sounds of clamor and noise could be heard in great waves. After Ying'er had dressed, Baochai and her maid lay down, paying no heed to the wind and rain outside.

In the study of Qingtang Maoshe, Chen Siyuan absentmindedly flipped through the books.

First, they heard faint noises, then a young maid named Yunxiang shouted, "Master, Master, something terrible has happened! There's a fire in the outer courtyard on the west side!"

Chen Siyuan slammed the book onto the table, breathed a sigh of relief, and stood up, saying, "The weather is dry, and if a fire breaks out now, it could cause a major disaster. Hongyu, quickly get me dressed; I need to go check on things!"

Hongyu hurriedly ran over to help Chen Siyuan get dressed, while Xiangling and Wu'er advised, "The fire in the outer courtyard won't reach the garden. Judging from the fierce fire, sir, you'd better not go."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Now that the master is not in the manor and Brother Lian is ahead, if I don't go, wouldn't it be like asking Brother Bao to go and put out the fire?"

Having said that, he tightened his cloak, strode out of the thatched hut, and headed towards the water source.

Qiu Shuang Zhai.

Shi Shu tied Tan Chun's cloak around her neck, frowning as she said, "Why did the water get out of control? Miss is still sick and has been relieved of her duties as steward. Why would you want to wade into troubled waters like this?"

Tan Chun replied, "This Rongguo Mansion is my home. If the fire breaks out in my house, who will care if I don't take care of it?"

Zhuijinlou.

Dressed impeccably, Yingchun descended the steps, instructing as she went, "Siqi, Xiuju, you two don't need to worry about putting out the fire. Just keep an eye on things to prevent any petty thieves from succeeding. Also, tell the old women guarding the gates that no one is allowed to enter the Grand View Garden except those who are allowed to leave!"

Siqi and Xiuju, who were behind, looked at each other in surprise. Yingchun, who was in front, stopped and glared at them with a cold face. The two of them were startled and quickly agreed.

Yingchun turned and continued walking, then instructed, "Find an old woman to go ahead and inform Sister Feng to guard all the gates, and especially not to disturb the old lady."

Xiuju, with her sharp eyes, spotted an old woman rushing over in a panic. She quickly grabbed her and gave her a detailed explanation.

By the time Xiuju caught up with Yingchun and Siqi, the three of them had already arrived near Daoxiang Village. At this moment, the gate of Daoxiang Village opened, and Li Wan led Biyue out in a panic. Upon seeing Yingchun, she asked, "Second daughter, where did the fire start?"

Yingchun said, "Sister-in-law, go and rest. Just keep an eye on the door. I'll take care of the rest."

After saying this, he nodded and jumped onto the ice. The ice was covered with snow, and the three of them staggered as they climbed onto the west bank and exited through the west corner gate.

Li Wan and Bi Yue watched Ying Chun leave, and then saw off Tan Chun and her maid who arrived later. Only then did Bi Yue say, "Grandma, why does Second Miss seem like a completely different person?"

After a moment's thought, Li Wan sighed, "Second girl is going to risk her life."

Biyue was puzzled. It was just a fire; why was she so desperate? Little did she know that Li Wan was thinking that Yingchun had concealed her talents for many years, always presenting herself as gentle and mild-mannered. Now that she was no longer holding back, what could she possibly want? It must be the position of the principal wife that Baochai had just resented.

Yingchun's appearance wasn't particularly outstanding among her sisters, and her family background... not to mention her stepmother, Madam Xing, her father, Jia She, was no easy task. Chen Siyuan was renowned for his talent and had a bright future, so if he were to choose a wife, he would have to consider the support he received.

A girl like the second daughter is not only no help, but a burden. That's why Yingchun has to work so hard and desperately show off her abilities in order to cover up the shortcomings of her maternal family.

Li Wan sighed inwardly, wondering if Er Yatou could win the favor of her beloved even if she tried her best.

Sister Feng's children's courtyard.

Feng Jie and Ping'er had already gotten up. At this moment, they didn't bother to wash up. Feng Jie, with her hair disheveled and wearing a Guanyin-style hood, went out to check.

The maid Feng'er said, "Now that it's not Grandma's turn to manage the household, why should Grandma go to put out the fire?"

Ping'er scolded, "This Rongguo Mansion is your home, Madam. If your own home is on fire, how can you care who is in charge or managing the household? You should take good care of Qiao'er and not let her wander off."

At this moment, the old woman knocked on the door and soon entered the main room. She met Feng Jie and said, "Second Madam, the Second Miss sent me to tell you to guard the front gate and prevent petty people from causing trouble, especially to prevent the Old Madam from disturbing her peace."

"I understand," Sister Feng dismissed the old woman and walked quickly outside with Ping'er, whispering, "Strange, why has Second Sister changed her temperament?"

After leaving the courtyard, Sister Feng gave instructions to the various stewards and then hurriedly led the people to the fire scene at the back.

Before long, they arrived at the place and saw Yingchun and Tanchun shouting orders, while Chen Siyuan led people to carry water to put out the fire.

Sister Feng came over to take a look, and then Tan Chun said, "Sister Feng, it's fortunate that only the firewood pile in the courtyard caught fire, and only one unoccupied side room burned down. The rest of the place is fine."

Buckets of water were poured onto the side room, and thick smoke immediately billowed up. Just as Sister Feng was about to reply, she suddenly heard knocking and cries for help coming from the side room next door.

Tan Chun immediately frowned and asked, "Why is there someone in the room?"

Sister Feng ordered, "Come on, hurry up and save them! Be careful they don't choke to death!"

Immediately, a servant shouted in response and kicked the door open. Soon, two white figures stumbled out.

The head maid immediately shouted, "Good! I was wondering why there was a fire here. It must have been these two scoundrels who were having an affair and knocked over the candlestick! Second Mistress, quickly tie up these two good-for-nothings and have them flogged and sold off tomorrow!"

Another servant stepped forward and kicked Jia Lian to the ground. Just as he was about to start cursing, he froze when he saw that the person was Jia Lian. He exclaimed in surprise, "It's... Second Master?"

Jia Lian clutched his stomach and coughed repeatedly. When he looked up, he saw Chen Siyuan, Tan Chun, Ying Chun, Ping'er, and Feng Jie, who was both embarrassed and angry, all looking over at him.

Sister Feng was so angry she felt like she was about to ascend to heaven and her mind was about to explode. Trembling, she pointed at Granny Hu and said, "Bring her here. I want to see which vixen dares to seduce the master!"

(End of this chapter)