Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 339 A big loss for a small gain
Chen Siyuan walked quickly. This Yihong Courtyard had a five-room layout, with side rooms on either side of the main hall, and end rooms on either side of the side rooms. The end rooms were separated by display cabinets and curtains. Chen Siyuan took a sniff and immediately smelled a strong fragrance of acacia. He couldn't help but think to himself, "Xia Jingui is ruthless. She actually put in an entire packet of powder?"

While he was thinking, he had already arrived in front of the curtain. He slightly lifted it and peeked inside. He saw that the clothes were in disarray near the bed. He was completely unaware that Chen Siyuan had arrived with his men.

Chen Siyuan glanced at her and turned to leave, with Yingchun following behind. Chen Siyuan reached out and stopped her.

"Brother Yuan?"

Chen Siyuan frowned and said, "Second sister, you'd better not look. It's really... unbearable to look at!"

Having received Xia Jingui's instructions, Baochan naturally wanted to make the matter known to everyone. Seeing the two stop, she hurriedly came forward crying and lifted the curtain, shouting, "Miss, Bao... Ah! How could you be entangled with Second Master Bao!"

Behind them was a group of maids and servants. Siqi, who was bold and outspoken, heard Baochan say this and hurriedly lifted the curtain to go inside. When she saw the scene on the bed, she was also shocked.

Yingchun was stopped by Chen Siyuan, but since she was not far from the side room, she caught a glimpse of what was happening inside. Being a young lady from a sheltered family, she had never seen such a live sex show before. She blushed deeply and turned to leave.

As they entered the courtyard, perhaps she had been walking too fast, Yingchun tripped and fell forward with a startled cry. Chen Siyuan, who was right behind her, caught up with her in two steps and reached out to embrace her.

The second daughter, Yingchun, was of moderate build and had a plump figure. When Chen Siyuan touched her, he felt her soft, firm skin. Looking up, he saw Yingchun covering her mouth and staring intently at him.

They exchanged a brief glance, and Yingchun's face flushed even more. After a moment of awkward silence, she finally came to her senses, broke free, and curtsied to Chen Siyuan, saying, "Thank you, Brother Yuan."

Chen Siyuan coughed lightly and said, "Now that things have come to this, what does Second Sister intend to do?"

Yingchun glanced back inside, pursed her lips and pondered for a moment before saying, "So many people have seen it, there will surely be rumors going around. In that case, we might as well ask the old lady and madam to handle it."

She had only been granted the authority to manage the household, and had not yet received the nameplates, keys, or other necessary items, so it was difficult for her to handle the matter.

Chen Siyuan said, "Second sister is right." Just then, Siqi walked out with a clicking sound. Chen Siyuan waved his hand and instructed, "Go quickly and find Madam and Old Madam to handle this matter."

Siqi, who always loved a good show, happily curtsied and said, "Don't worry, Master Yuan, I'll go and invite the old lady and madam right away."

The Rongguo Mansion has always doted on Baoyu, but Siqi doesn't particularly like him. Now that she sees her young lady and Master Yuan have a possibility of getting married, she's naturally hoping that Baoyu will suffer, so that her young lady can have a bigger dowry when she gets married in the future.

Siqi walked away quickly, while Yingchun and Chen Siyuan stood in front of the courtyard gate.

Yingchun couldn't help but frown and ponder, "It's quite strange that Brother Bao and Miss Xia are acting as if no one else is around."

Chen Siyuan pondered for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "Xia Jingui knows that after the incident with Granny Hu, she may find it difficult to return to the Rongguo Mansion, so she took this risky move."

Yingchun pondered for a moment and nodded, saying, "This Miss Xia has always been ruthless, which is indeed something she would do... But reputation is of paramount importance. If she loses her reputation, how can she be a proper wife in the future?"

Chen Siyuan said with a smile, "Does Second Sister think that once this matter is over, she can become the legal wife?"

Yingchun glanced at Chen Siyuan, blinked, and then clasped her hands together, saying, "That's right. The Xia family is just a royal merchant family. With Madam's ambition and the old lady's obstruction, it will be extremely difficult for Xia Jingui to marry into the family. Rather than wasting time, it's better to settle for second best."

Chen Siyuan secretly praised Yingchun for her intelligence, saying, "Miss Xia probably also believes that Brother Bao will one day become the emperor's brother-in-law."

Yingchun frowned and shook her head, saying, "The entire family's fortunes depend on you alone, eldest sister. I'm afraid it's more of a curse than a blessing."

Chen Siyuan sighed silently. He still remembered that in the last forty chapters, the Jia family fell into ruin and was searched after Yuan Chun's death. The honor and disgrace of the whole family depended on one woman. Even Ying Chun saw through it. It was understandable that the stupid women like Lady Wang could not see through it, but how could the wise and experienced Grandmother Jia not see through it?
It must have been out of helplessness, since none of the men in the family were capable of leading the household.

In summary, Jia Cong, born out of wedlock, is insignificant; Jia Huan has been spoiled; Jia Lian is lecherous and has the typical spoiled brat habits; the head of the household, Jia She, is greedy and incompetent; and the master, Jia Zheng, is pedantic and incompetent. The second son of the second branch, Bao Yu, has been specially raised by Grandmother Jia to be used as a tool for marriage alliances. With no one else available, isn't it inevitable that they'll have to rely on Yuan Chun to gain favor?

As he thought this, Yingchun also secretly made her own plans. It is said that prosperity inevitably leads to decline, and the Rongguo Mansion is now far inferior not only to the time when the old lady was in charge, but also to ten years ago.

Yingchun had been neglected for over a decade, and even the servants in the household could bully her. Naturally, she had no attachment to the Rongguo Mansion.

As a young woman confined to the inner quarters, she would have to escape the Rongguo Mansion to avoid future troubles. And if she wanted to escape, marriage would be the best way.

She'll be seventeen next year, and she'll use the year to win Chen Siyuan's favor, setting their wedding date early. Even if Chen Siyuan fails the imperial examinations, she'll still marry him to avoid being dragged down by the Rongguo Mansion.

Thinking about this, Yingchun looked up and met Chen Siyuan's clear eyes. Her heart skipped a beat, and she pondered wildly, wondering how she could win his favor.

Leaving aside the fact that the two were silent and lost in thought, Siqi walked briskly all the way out of the Grand View Garden. After a brief pause and some deliberation, she headed towards Rongqing Hall.

By chance, Siqi encountered Yuanyang coming out of the back hall of Rongqing Hall. Her eyes lit up and she quickly stepped forward to stop them.

"Where is Sister Yuanyang going?"

Yuanyang said, "The old lady sent me to go to Second Mistress's room. No matter what..."

Before Yuanyang could finish speaking, Siqi grabbed her hand and said urgently, "Sister, don't worry about it, go and find the old lady quickly, something terrible has happened!"

Yuanyang was stunned. Before she could ask any further questions, Siqi spilled the beans, recounting everything that had happened at Yihong Courtyard.

Yuanyang was taken aback. Siqi left Yuanyang and said, "I still need to inform Madam. I'll be going now!"

After saying this, Siqi turned and headed towards Madam Wang's courtyard.

Yuanyang bit her lower lip, pondering for a moment. Just as she was about to turn around, she saw Ping'er hurrying through the side gate. The two met in front of the large, pink-painted screen wall. Ping'er glanced at Yuanyang and called out, "Where are you going?"

Yuanyang said, "Something terrible has happened! I'll go find the old lady first!"

After saying that, she stamped her foot and turned to leave. Ping'er exclaimed "Hey!" and reached out to stop her, but saw that Yuanyang had already trotted across the corridor.

Ping'er frowned slightly, thinking to herself: "Isn't this a big deal? Who would have thought that Madam would be so vicious!" She took a deep breath and stepped into Feng Jie's courtyard.

After the curtain was drawn and they entered the side room, they saw Wang Xifeng reclining on the kang (a heated brick bed), resting with her eyes closed while supporting herself on the kang table.

Ping'er stepped forward and called out softly, "Grandma."

Sister Feng opened her eyes and asked, "Have you found out?"

Ping'er said, "I went to Henian Hall, and Doctor Ding examined me several times and found... found..."

Sister Feng's heart skipped a beat, and she asked, "What have you found out?"

"We discovered that cottonseed oil was mixed into this crispy fried cake!"

"Cottonseed oil?" Sister Feng was puzzled.

Ping'er then explained, "Doctor Ding said that cottonseed oil is poisonous. Eating it will cause dizziness, nausea, and loss of appetite. If taken for a long time... it may be detrimental to male offspring."

Sister Feng immediately exploded, slamming her hand on the table and squinting her phoenix eyes, she said, "Well, I thought my luck with men wasn't good enough, but I never expected that I'd been tricked by that black-hearted bastard!" After a pause, she hurriedly asked, "Did Doctor Ding tell you how to break the curse?"

Ping'er shook her head and said, "Doctor Ding said that the poison accumulates in the internal organs. If one takes it for a long time, one can only rely on luck if one wants to have children. I also asked Doctor Ding to prescribe two prescriptions for conditioning, but Doctor Ding said... that it's only better than nothing. If Second Master wants children, he can only rely on luck."

"Luck?" Sister Feng was immediately filled with despair.

She became pregnant with Qiao Jie'er shortly after marrying Jia Lian, and then remained unconceived for five or six years. It's likely that Lady Wang secretly took action after Qiao Jie'er was born. Considering this, Jia Lian has been consuming cottonseed oil for five or six years, it's probably unlikely he'll have any more children in his life.

Thinking of this, Sister Feng's face turned frosty as she sneered, "What a clever scheme! Not content with just sending the master to the east courtyard, she wants to make the eldest son's line die out and let that precious darling inherit the title!" "Madam, be careful what you say."

"I'm careful what I say? She can do it, so I can't say anything about it?"

Sister Feng clenched her fists until they turned ashen, wishing she could tear Madam Wang apart with five horses right then and there.

Ping'er was also filled with righteous indignation. As mistress and servant, they shared both glory and loss. Since Jia Lian had injured his health, Ping'er would be unable to have children in the future. Naturally, she hated Lady Wang, who had committed the poisoning.

Ping'er said, "These crispy fried cakes were all made by Granny Sui from the main kitchen. Why don't I bring that wicked woman here right now, force her to confess to the poisoning, and then send her to the old lady? Let's see what she has to say then!"

Feng Jie had calmed down by now and shook her head, saying, "There are many people in the kitchen, and countless people belonging to Madam. Even if we make a scene in front of the old lady, what's the use? At most, she'll find a scapegoat to get away with it. In the end, she'll just lose face. What good will that do?"

Ping'er asked, "Then what does Grandma intend to do?"

"What will I do? I'll simply repay you in kind!"

Ping'er asked in astonishment, "Grandma, are you also going to poison Madam?"

"She caused me to lose my offspring, and she can forget about having any!" Sister Feng said coldly. "Does Brother Bao like shrimp ball and chicken skin soup? Send him a bowl every three days from now on."

Ping'er felt a chill in her heart. She opened her mouth to say something, but the words stuck in her throat.

Just then, an old woman rushed in shouting. Ping'er quickly got up and lifted the curtain. The old woman entered and yelled, "Madam, something terrible has happened! Second Master Bao and Miss Xia are having an affair! The old lady is furious right now!"

Sister Feng was slightly taken aback, then laughed and said, "This Xia Jingui is no easy task either... Come on, let's go take a look!"

Ping'er hurriedly helped Feng Jie get dressed, and then quickly headed towards Yi Hong Courtyard.

When the mistress and servant arrived at Yihong Courtyard, they found it filled with maids and old women. Yuanyang immediately came out to drive them away, and Amber and others were assigned to guard the area. Only then were the irrelevant people driven out.

When Sister Feng stepped forward, Yuanyang came to greet her.

Sister Feng asked, "What kind of talk is this?"

Yuanyang rolled her eyes and said, "That scoundrel is stubbornly refusing to leave, so he has to resort to underhanded tactics. The old lady is so angry that the madam can't speak. Madam, please go in and persuade her."

Feng Jie nodded, suppressing her delight, opened the door, went around the screen, and entered the room. At a glance, she saw Grandmother Jia sitting at the head of the table, looking annoyed, while Lady Wang, Chen Siyuan, and Yingchun at the foot of the table were all silent.

Sister Feng looked around and stepped forward, saying, "Grandmother, what's wrong? I just received news that something terrible has happened at the Grand View Garden..."

Grandmother Jia slammed her cane down and said, "Don't even mention it! It's a disgrace to our family!"

In the Rongguo Mansion, whenever the male master reached a certain age, Grandmother Jia would always send two capable maids to serve him, the meaning of which was self-evident.

A teenage boy is at the peak of his physical and mental vigor, and naturally craves sexual pleasure. If he cannot satisfy his needs at home, he might turn to brothels and pleasure quarters for enjoyment.
Secondly, the old lady also took this opportunity to place people in various places to firmly control the Rongguo Mansion.

Therefore, Grandmother Jia had always turned a blind eye to matters like having affairs with maids, and even intentionally condoned it. However, Xia Jingui was not a maid; although her family was not of high social standing, she was still a proper young lady. Given this incident of loss of virginity, the Rongguo Mansion naturally had to give the Xia family an explanation.

That's bad enough. Baoyu's reputation was already bad enough, and now this has happened. How will he find a suitable marriage partner in the future?

Looking angrily at Madam Wang, Grandmother Jia said, "Now that things have come to this, doesn't Madam have anything to say?"

Baoyu has been being taught by Lady Wang recently, and Xia Jingui was also brought into the family by Lady Wang, so naturally, if something happens, you should go to Lady Wang.

Madam Wang looked alarmed and said, "Grandma, this matter... the two children are still unconscious. Why don't we wait until they wake up and ask them carefully before making a decision?"

Lady Wang, who was always short-sighted, was not angry at this moment, but rather secretly pleased. She had always looked down on Xia Jingui's family background and did not want Baoyu to marry her. Now that this incident had occurred, it was just in time. Xia Jingui had lost her reputation and could not marry anyone else. She would probably have to obediently become Baoyu's concubine.

Xia Jingui is the only daughter of the Xia family, which is extremely wealthy. Her dowry will be substantial, and after Madam Xia passes away, she will inherit a large fortune. Moreover, this won't prevent Baoyu from finding another wife—isn't that a win-win situation?
Observing her expression, Grandmother Jia said in a huff, "What else is there to say? You're getting on in years. If you can't manage Baoyu, then don't bother managing him anymore. Also, the Xia family will definitely come to demand an explanation. You'll have to decide what to do yourself, Madam. I'm too old to lose face like this!"

After saying this, he helped Yuanyang up, flicked his sleeves, snorted coldly, and left.

Before Fengjie could even sit down, she hurriedly followed Grandmother Jia. Chen Siyuan and Yingchun, not wanting to linger, simply rose, bid farewell to Lady Wang, and hastily left Yihong Courtyard.

Madam Wang sat listlessly in her chair, while Xia Jingui's sobbing could be heard again from the side room.

She rose and led Tanxin inside, where they saw Xia Jingui weeping bitterly. Upon seeing Madam Wang, Xia Jingui crawled off the bed, knelt before Madam Wang, and hugged her legs, pleading, "Please, Madam, do me justice!"

Madam Wang bent down to help him up, frowning as she said, "My son, how... how did you get into this mess?"

Xia Jingui cried, "My second brother came looking for me today. We talked for a while, and then I remembered that he had given me a packet of incense powder a while ago, so I mixed it into the incense burner. The smoke smelled sweet, but after smelling it too much, I became delirious. Then... then my second brother pounced on me."

I struggled desperately, but I couldn't break free. Waaah… My reputation is ruined; I'm too ashamed to face anyone. This is it… this is it…”

As he spoke, he got up and was about to crash into the corner of the cabinet.

Madam Wang cried out in alarm, "Stop her quickly!"

Tan Xin quickly grabbed Xia Jingui, and the two of them rolled around in a ball in an instant.

Now that things had come to this point, and it suited Lady Wang's wishes perfectly, she comforted him, saying, "My son, don't worry, I will definitely give you an explanation for this matter!" After a pause, she thought to herself, "Baoyu is used to playing with rouge and powder, and he associates with many shady people outside. Maybe he was given a packet of aphrodisiac powder by a villain, who then gave it to Xia Jingui."

Then, frowning, he ordered, "Come here, pass on the order: Baoyu is to be confined to his quarters from today onwards. Without my permission, he is not to step out of Qixianzhai!"

With a sigh, Madam Wang didn't even look at the sobbing Xia Jingui, but frowned as she pondered how to answer Madam Xia in the future.

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

Meanwhile, Chen Siyuan and Yingchun left Yihong Courtyard together. When they reached Qinfang Pavilion, Yingchun sighed and said, "I'm afraid our family will be in turmoil from now on."

Xia Jingui had schemed against Baoyu, and now that the deed was done, the Jia family would surely have to give the Xia family an explanation in the future. Xia Jingui, with no official status, could still cause trouble in the Rongguo Mansion; if she gained a title, she would likely cause even more chaos!
Chen Siyuan stopped and said, "This person is mostly cunning and deceitful. As long as we are careful, he is not worth mentioning. But Second Sister, have you thought about how you will manage the household in the future?"

Yingchun smiled and said, "The highest good is like water, which benefits all things."

After a moment's thought, Chen Siyuan understood Yingchun's intentions. Unlike Tanchun, who was single-mindedly focused on changing the family's ways and thus managed the household strictly, causing complaints from everyone around her, Yingchun was merely a housekeeper. She didn't need to worry about increasing revenue or reducing expenditure; she only needed to act as a peacemaker, reconcile the conflicts between different factions, and secretly show slight favoritism. She could manage the affairs of the inner quarters without much effort.

Of course, this is only the first step; what happens next depends on how Yingchun manages her household.

Chen Siyuan cupped his hands and smiled, "The end of the year is approaching, and I'm afraid Second Sister will be busy with many affairs. Please take good care of yourself."

Yingchun curtsied and rose to meet Chen Siyuan's clear eyes, saying, "I don't care about my health right now, I only care about Brother Yuan's promise from that day."

Chen Siyuan's heart skipped a beat, and he said, "I always keep my word."

Yingchun smiled and nodded, then bid farewell to Chen Siyuan and headed towards the Zhuijin Tower.

(End of this chapter)