Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 343 Two Doves Cry, Disrupting the Spring Branches

Lady Xing, being rather dim-witted, dared not disobey Jia She at this moment, and thus nodded repeatedly in agreement. After Jia She went to rest in his concubine's room, Lady Xing immediately and secretly sent a message to Chen Siyuan.

Upon receiving the order, Tiao'er immediately hurried away, leaving Madam Xing alone in the room, pacing anxiously. After quite some time, Tiao'er finally returned slowly.

Madam Xing glanced at it and immediately scolded, "Why did you take so long? What did the young master say?"

Tiao'er quickly stepped forward and whispered in his ear, "Master Yuan said that Madam can rest assured that he will definitely not let Master benefit from this."

Madam Xing breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to herself that the thief was always cunning and sly, and since he came to stay here, he had never let the master of the house take advantage of him. She suspected that this was another of the thief's schemes.

After pondering for a moment, Madam Xing glanced sideways at Tiao'er and saw that the little vixen's face was flushed with desire. She immediately scolded her with a cold face, "You little vixen, you really have forgotten your master once you have a young master. It's just a matter of a few words, but you have to waste half an hour!"

Tiao'er quickly knelt down and begged for forgiveness, saying, "Madam, please forgive me. It's been quite a while since I've spoken to Master Yuan, so I stayed for a cup of tea."

Madam Xing examined her carefully and noticed that the rouge on Tiao'er's lips had faded considerably. She knew perfectly well that drinking tea was the same as eating rouge.

Unfortunately, it was Madam Xing who had pushed her two maids to Chen Siyuan in the first place, so now she could only be angry but couldn't vent her anger. So she frowned, waved her hand, and sent Tiao'er away.

The next day, perhaps because of the medicinal wine and pills he had taken the day before, Jia She did not wake up until late morning. After a hasty breakfast, he went to Madam Xing's room to urge her to get up.

Madam Xing sent Miao'er to find Chen Siyuan, but after a while Miao'er returned and said that Chen Siyuan had gone to the workshop outside the city with Sister Feng early in the morning to settle accounts.

Jia She became increasingly anxious and scolded Madam Xing severely until the New Year's gifts arrived from the Liaodong estate. Only then did he leave Madam Xing behind and continue on his way.

The manors in Liaodong were originally public property, and their income had been increasing since the reform, eventually stabilizing. Without the manor managers deceiving their superiors, the profits were more than 30% higher than before.

The steward, Yingchun, led people to the front to receive the New Year's gifts, categorized the various products and put them into the storeroom, then compiled them into a book and sent it to Madam Wang.

After reviewing the gift list, Madam Wang was overjoyed. Considering that Yingchun had only recently taken over the household management duties, aside from being pressured by Madam Xing to heavily rely on Wang Shanbao's wife and her two daughters-in-law, the remaining rules had only been slightly altered. Therefore, she was very satisfied with Yingchun.

So they had a very private conversation, and after Yingchun had a cup of tea, they sent Yuchuan to see her off. Once Yingchun had left Lady Wang's courtyard and arrived at the Grand View Garden, Siqi came rushing over, looking for her.

He said, “Miss, that scoundrel Li Gui is really going too far. The new rice sent from the Liaodong estate has just been stored, and this scoundrel plans to sell half of it, then use the money to buy old rice of inferior quality to make up the difference!”

The rice produced in Zhuangzi, Liaodong, is all japonica rice, which tastes a hundred times better than the indica rice produced in the south. The ancients said that one should not talk while eating or sleeping. There is a rumor that the rule of not talking while eating is because indica rice has a loose texture, and if one does not close their mouth, it is easy to spit out the rice.

Yingchun stopped and frowned. Xiuju, who was standing beside her, asked, "Using inferior rice as superior rice? How dare Li Gui? Does he intend to feed the masters stale rice?"

Siqi said, "Of course they wouldn't dare to mistreat their masters. They use new rice for their masters, but they use old rice for us."

Yingchun then said, "This is a common practice. You can just have Granny Wang keep an eye on it. Why make such a fuss?"

Siqi said angrily, "In previous years we used rice that was a year old, but I just heard from the old woman that Li Gui is planning to use rice that was two years old. My dear girl, how are we supposed to eat from now on!"

Yingchun had just taken charge of the household and was using a gentle, subtle approach, so it wasn't appropriate to immediately cause trouble. After a moment's thought, she said, "Let's put this matter aside for now. Later, you can give Sister Liu some money, and have her take good care of your meals from now on."

Siqi said anxiously, "Miss, are you going to try to smooth things over again? You were like this even before you took charge of the household. Does that mean you'll still be bullied even after you've taken charge of the household?"

Yingchun smiled and said, "If Heaven wants someone to die, it will first make them go mad. The rice and grain stored for the past two years were used to feed livestock. Li Gui made a big mistake by being clever, and when Heaven and people are angry, even Madam will not be able to protect him."

Siqi was still somewhat dissatisfied and muttered, "If it were the Third Miss, she would have already taken her sword and gone to find that scoundrel Li Gui. But when it comes to you, Miss, you have to endure it... Fine, whatever you say is fine."

Yingchun smiled, her dislike for Siqi's personality growing stronger. She glanced sideways at Xiuju beside her, thinking to herself that although Xiuju obeyed Siqi's every command, she was rather dim-witted. She would have to put more effort into her in the future and eventually find a trusted confidante to serve her.

Just as she was pondering this, Zhou Rui's wife suddenly came running from outside the Grand View Garden, calling out to Yingchun. When she got closer, she smiled and said, "Second Miss, I don't know what happened today, but several old women went to the Old Madam to beg for a favor, saying that their daughters had reached marriageable age and asked for a favor to be released from the mansion. Two maids were released from Second Miss's, Baochai's, and Lin's."

As luck would have it, the steward had already found a slave trader and bought several maids for menial tasks, and the madam sent me to ask the second young lady to assign them to various places.

Yingchun was astonished and said, "How could it be such a coincidence?"

Zhou Rui's wife didn't think much of it and said with a smile, "The end of the year is approaching, and those few are all over seventeen. Perhaps they discussed it together before going to find the old lady."

Yingchun nodded, feeling that something was amiss, but she agreed to the request outright, saying, "In that case, bring the person here."

Zhou Rui's wife agreed and turned around to call out. Then she saw an old woman leading six or seven maids into the room.

As she approached, the old woman said arrogantly, "Why aren't you greeting the Second Young Lady yet?"

The maids, all unskilled and clumsy, hurriedly paid their respects, making numerous mistakes that caused Yingchun to frown deeply.

Zhou Rui's wife coughed lightly and said, "Second Miss, you don't know, those maids left in a hurry and we couldn't find suitable people for the time being, so we just took a few from the steward's office. Second Miss, please use them for now. If they are not suitable, we can choose a few more from the servants after the New Year to replace them."

"Alright," Yingchun agreed.

She immediately dismissed the old woman and Zhou Rui's wife, and after asking them a few questions, she was astonished to find that all seven maids spoke with a Shandong accent. Yingchun wondered if some disaster had struck Shandong and these maids had fled to the capital together.

She led the group to Daiyu's Xiaoxiang Pavilion first, letting Daiyu choose. Daiyu didn't care about the two rough maids at all, she just chatted with Yingchun and had her wet nurse carefully ask and select two.

After bidding farewell to Daiyu, Yingchun went to Hengwu Garden. Baochai was having a run of bad luck; her period had just ended, and unexpectedly, she caught a chill that night and fell ill. She was usually very healthy and rarely sick. Perhaps for this reason, this illness made it extremely difficult for her to get out of bed.

When Yingchun arrived, Xiangling had already brought houttuynia cordata extract and a packet of cordyceps for Baochai to use for her health. Yingchun inquired about it and explained the reason. Baochai then let Ying'er choose two at random.

Seeing that Baochai was exhausted, Yingchun led the remaining maids back to Zhuijin Tower. According to the rules, only two of the three remaining maids should stay. However, upon arriving at Zhuijin Tower, all three maids knelt down. One of the clever maids spoke up, "Second Miss, we...we have received other instructions." As she spoke, she pulled a letter from her bosom and handed it to her.

Yingchun took the letter with a start, unfolded it, and glanced at it. Her confusion instantly turned into relief. It was because these maids were sent by the steward, bribed by Chen Siyuan. These girls had practiced martial arts and weapons since childhood, and even two or three strong men couldn't get close to them.

Recently, first, the third sister Tanchun got into trouble, and then Baoyu and Xia Jingui were caught having a daytime affair. Yingchun is intelligent and knows that these things are related to the power struggle between the first and second wives. Madam Wang's methods are becoming increasingly ruthless, and we must be wary of her resorting to desperate measures. That's why Chen Siyuan found a maid to protect the women's safety.

Yingchun was secretly delighted. These maids were available to Daiyu and Baochai, and now she had them too! Whether it was because Chen Siyuan had developed some feelings for her or to save face, she had what Baochai and Lin Daiyu had.

Thinking of this, Yingchun breathed a sigh of relief and instructed, "If that's the case, then let them all stay. Siqi, go and tell Sister Zhou that I've kept everyone, and it just so happens that Sister Xing is short of maids."

Siqi agreed and went to find Zhou Rui's wife to explain.

Xiuju led three maids away to settle things, leaving Yingchun alone in the room, overjoyed. She thought to herself: Whether it's about affection or face, Brother Yuan may have his preferences, but he's a man who knows what's important and wouldn't do something like favoring a concubine over his wife.

Even if I don't win the heart of my distant brother after I marry him, it would be perfectly fine for me to be a proper wife and first wife.

When Xiuju returned, Yingchun casually asked, "Is Brother Yuan still studying today?"

Xiuju smiled and said, "Reporting to Miss, Master Yuan and Second Mistress went to the workshop outside the city to settle accounts early this morning."

Yingchun then said, "Winter is dry and it's easy to get internal heat. Tell the kitchen to prepare an extra soup to clear heat and reduce internal heat for Brother Yuan."

"Yes, I'll go and tell them right away. I guarantee that Master Yuan will be able to have some when he comes back this afternoon." Xiu Ju was about to leave when Si Qi, who had finished her errand, came back and went upstairs to tell Ying Chun, "Miss, Xi Ren's mother has passed away. Xi Ren is talking in Madam's room right now."

Yingchun said, "It's quite pitiful that she's so ill and can't recover. Give the order to allocate some money for Xiren's funeral according to the rules. Also tell Xiren to rest at home for a few days after the funeral and not to rush back."

Siqi agreed, and then said, "I just ran into Sister Yuanyang. Amber said that it seems there is news from the south that Sister Yuanyang's mother is also seriously ill. I don't know how the two things happened at the same time."

Yingchun asked, "What did the old lady say?"

Siqi said, "Amber didn't say."

Yingchun thought for a moment and said, "Yuanyang manages the old lady's private treasury and dowry, so she can't leave her easily. She's a daughter, not a son... Filial piety is the most important virtue. You should pass on a message to Jin Wenxiang and ask him to take leave to go south to take care of his mother's illness."

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

Workshops outside the city.

Sister Feng, though not angry, exuded an imposing aura, her phoenix eyes coldly fixed on the steward below. Suddenly, she slammed her hand on the table and said, "Steward Yao, how dare you!"

Manager Yao was so frightened that he immediately knelt down, kowtowing repeatedly and pleading, "Aunt...madam, please forgive me! This old servant was momentarily blinded by phlegm and made such a grave mistake."

Chen Siyuan sneered, "A momentary lapse in judgment caused by phlegm? That doesn't seem right. I have a feeling that Manager Yao is deliberately causing trouble?"

Before the end of the year, the Ministry of War's orders were to be completed, but unexpectedly, Manager Yao allocated 30,000 pairs of shoe soles from the military procurement department and sold them to Wan Ke Lai in the Imperial Household Department.

On one side are the Beijing Garrison and the Ministry of War, and on the other side are the Imperial Household Department and Prince Yanping. Steward Yao handled this matter in a disgusting way, and it's not worth offending anyone!

Seeing that Sister Feng remained silent, Chen Siyuan turned his head and whispered, "Second sister-in-law, this person was part of your dowry. Do you think she might have already been won over by Madam?"

Sister Feng was startled! She could tolerate the discovery of cottonseed oil mixed into the crispy fried cakes, but this morning, while washing her pillow, she found a musk bead inside, which gave her a terrible headache. Now, she'd been tricked by her own maid; how could she possibly forgive this?
Sister Feng sneered, "He really has the guts of a dog! Come on, drag him away and beat him until he tells the truth!"

Manager Yao was so frightened that he kowtowed repeatedly, but no one listened to his pleas for mercy. Soon after, servants dragged him away backwards.

As soon as the man left, Sister Feng hurriedly said to Chen Siyuan, "Brother Yuan, what should we do? I've been lazy. I didn't expect that he would commit such a heinous crime in just half a month!"

Chen Siyuan said, "It's alright. I have some connections with Prince Yanping. Tomorrow I will go to the Prince's residence to talk to him and we can postpone the purchase order for a few more days."

Sister Feng said happily, "That's good." Turning her head, she instructed, "Tell the servants that there will be no holiday for the New Year, and wages will be doubled. Make sure to finish the orders from Wan Ke Lai!"

Ping'er agreed and went out of the room to relay the message.

After Ping'er left, Feng Jie said to Chen Siyuan, "Just as Brother Yuan said, my second brother and I have few children, all because someone with malicious intent has done something terrible!" She then angrily recounted the story of the cottonseed oil and musk beads.

After listening, Chen Siyuan pondered to himself, thinking that this was right. He vaguely remembered that in the original story, Feng Jie was about to have a miscarriage when the New Year came, which led to Tan Chun taking charge of the household affairs; later, You Erjie entered the Grand View Garden, but died by swallowing gold because of a miscarriage.

The amount of cottonseed oil must have been small, otherwise it would have caused Jia Lian to suffer from poisoning, inevitably leading to a lawsuit. Since the amount was small, Jia Lian could still have children.

The musk beads in the pillow were a direct result of Sister Feng's miscarriage. Tsk, what a vicious mind Madam Wang has!

Chen Siyuan feigned surprise and said, "Is that really so? I wonder what Second Sister-in-law plans to do? Why don't you go to the Old Madam and tell her about this?"

Sister Feng said, "Since that person harbors malicious intentions, if this matter is exposed, he will surely find another way to harm me. Rather than that, it is better to pretend that we do not know. As for what to do afterward... I know what I should do."

Sister Feng has always been strong-willed and never one to swallow her anger. Since Madam Wang used such despicable methods, she naturally wanted to retaliate.

Chen Siyuan didn't want to say much, so he simply said, "It's good that Second Sister-in-law has a plan."

A short while later, Ping'er returned and said to Feng Jie, "Grandma, Steward Yao keeps crying foul, saying he was confused for a moment."

Sister Feng said coldly, "Keep hitting him! If he refuses to talk, find a slave trader to sell him off. Whether he's disloyal or just confused, this kind of person can't be allowed to live!"

Ping'er agreed and then turned to give further instructions.

At this moment, the two accountants brought the ledgers inside. Sister Feng used an abacus to calculate, while Chen Siyuan simply found a pencil and checked the calculations himself. After two hours, a slight smile finally appeared on Sister Feng's face.

This latex workshop operates on a principle of small profits but quick turnover. Apart from the military orders that make up the majority, Wan Ke Lai also orders more than 30% of the total.

After some discussion, Sister Feng and Chen Siyuan decided to set aside some cash and set aside three thousand taels of silver for profit sharing.

"You've earned 1,500 taels in just a few months?" Sister Feng laughed and said, "It's all thanks to Brother Yuan who helped me make money, otherwise I wouldn't have had this good fortune today."

She used to listen to Madam Wang's instigation and lend money at exorbitant interest rates with trepidation. Following along, she only made a little over a thousand taels of profit a year. Now, she has invested her money in the workshop and made a profit of fifteen hundred taels in just a few months.

This is just the beginning. When latex products become popular next year, we can expect to earn eight or ten thousand a year!

Chen Siyuan said with a smile, "It's also thanks to Second Sister-in-law's good management that the workshop would have been taken advantage of by such a cunning servant as Steward Yao. We might have ended up losing money after a year."

Sister Feng smiled and nodded repeatedly. When she looked at Chen Siyuan, she couldn't help but admire him even more. This Brother Yuan was handsome, talented, loyal, and generous. He gave such a good workshop to Yu'er without even blinking an eye.

Although she was a bit too amorous and flirtatious, she was still a hundred times better than Jia Lian. Feng Jie figured she'd probably only receive her title of nobility after Jia Lian inherited it.

My brother Yuan will be taking the imperial examination in two years. If he passes with flying colors, his wife might even receive an imperial title before I do.

As they were talking, Ping'er turned back and brought over the food box. After having their afternoon snack together, Chen Siyuan and Feng Jie each took a carriage back to the inner city.

But the weather turned against them; a heavy snow began to fall just as they set off. The two carriages struggled against the wind and snow.

Chen Siyuan had prepared a censer inside the carriage and was dozing off when he suddenly felt the carriage stop. Before Chen Siyuan could come to his senses, the servant Qingyu shouted from outside, "Master, something terrible has happened! Second Mistress's carriage has gotten stuck in a pit!"

Chen Siyuan snapped out of his daze, wrapped his cloak tighter, jumped off the carriage, and looked ahead. He saw that Feng Jie's carriage was tilted to one side, and Ping'er was covering her forehead and shouting something.

Chen Siyuan hurried over and asked Ping'er, "Is Second Sister-in-law alright?"

Ping'er said, "Grandma kowtowed just now, and she fainted from the pain!"

Because they were traveling light, only Ping'er was by Feng Jie's side; there were no other maids or servants. Seeing Ping'er's eyes redden with anxiety, Chen Siyuan said, "Let's move Second Sister-in-law into my carriage first, and hurry back to the capital so she won't get stranded in the wilderness!"

Before Ping'er could respond, Chen Siyuan stepped onto the crooked carriage, lifted the curtain, and saw Feng Jie lying dazedly on the soft seat, with a bump the size of a pigeon egg on her forehead.

In this urgent situation, Chen Siyuan stepped forward, picked up Feng Jie'er and carried her in his arms. He then turned around, stepped off the carriage, and walked unsteadily towards his own carriage.

(End of this chapter)