Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 353 A Flower in Full Bloom, Graceful and Charming

She wore a long, lined jacket with a light gold satin collar and cuffs trimmed with rose-red silk, over which she wore a white jacket with a cross-collar, and a white cotton skirt. A simple silver hairpin adorned her hair, and pink white flowers were pinned to her temples. As always, Xiren looked delicate and charming today.

Chen Siyuan extended his hand in invitation, saying, "Let's sit down and talk."

Xiren pursed her lips and said, "Master Yuan, I—"

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "There are no outsiders here, so who are we setting these rules for?"

After saying that, she reached out and pulled Xiren to sit down next to Chen Siyuan. Seeing that the teacup in front of Chen Siyuan was empty, Xiren picked up the teapot and poured tea. She said, "This morning, an old woman came to the Marquis of Baoling's residence. I don't know what she said to the old lady, but the old lady got very angry and immediately sent Second Master Lian to the Marquis of Baoling's residence to pick up Miss Yun."

Chen Siyuan wondered to himself, "Could it be that Xiangyun and Chen Yejun haven't reached an agreement?" To be honest, Chen Yejun was quite unreasonable. For the sake of a courtesan, he had to come all the way to humiliate Xiangyun during the New Year. Xiangyun was, after all, the eldest daughter of a marquis's family; how dare the Chen family, a destitute household, humiliate her?
If Madam Chen were a reasonable person, she would have surely sent the entertainer away afterward and then brought her son to complain. However, given that she could anger Grandmother Jia to this extent, things certainly wouldn't have ended like this.

Come to think of it, if Mrs. Chen were a reasonable person, how could she have allowed Chen Yejun to bring a courtesan into the family? And why didn't she try to hide it and even told Xiangyun about it to her face?
However, this matter is irrelevant to Chen Siyuan for the time being. He is more curious about what foolish thing the Chen family has done this time... No rush, wait until after the fifteenth, Sister Bao will definitely find out the truth. Then Chen Siyuan can just ask Sister Bao.

Chen Siyuan snapped out of his reverie, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and asked, "What about the other matter?"

Xiren frowned slightly and said somewhat anxiously, "It was early this morning when the Xia family sent an old woman to deliver an invitation to Madam. Madam's expression changed immediately upon receiving the invitation. A short while later, she sent Yuchuan to invite Master Bao over. I was outside at the time and only vaguely heard Madam giving him a good scolding, while Master Bao knelt on the ground and kept begging for forgiveness."

"Oh, what then?"

"Then, the lady hurriedly got ready and led the people to the Xia family by car."

Chen Siyuan thought to himself, Xia Jingui had been back at the Xia family for more than half a month, and Baoyu had not secretly gone out to meet her. What could the two of them possibly do during the New Year?

Chen Siyuan frowned in confusion, and Xiren, standing beside him, cautiously asked, "Master Yuan... do you think that Miss Xia... could she be pregnant?"

"Huh?" Chen Siyuan looked at Xiren in surprise.

Xiren then said, "Madam prepared many gifts before her departure, including many nourishing items that are good for the pregnancy."

Chen Siyuan gasped, then laughed and said, "This is interesting."

How old is Xia Jingui? She seems to be a year younger than Baoyu. Baoyu is only fourteen at the moment... Xia Jingui and Daiyu are both in their prime, and for her to be pregnant at this age is probably not a good thing.

Giving birth would harm my health, but if I don't have a child... I'm afraid Mrs. Xia will definitely not agree.

No wonder Lady Wang was so angry. After this incident, Baoyu's reputation will be even worse, and he won't be able to find a good match then.
On the bright side, however, it meant that Lady Wang would no longer dare to indulge Baoyu, and that Baoyu would no longer flirt with Sister Bao and Sister Lin.

At this moment, Xiren asked, "Master Yuan, what you said last time... still stands?"

After a moment's thought, Chen Siyuan remembered his promise to take Xiren as his concubine in the future. He reached out and lifted Xiren's chin, saying, "Don't worry, if Xia Jingui can't tolerate you in the future, I will find a way to bring you out and settle you in another place."

Xi Ren was adept at manipulating people's hearts. She knew that Chen Siyuan was only willing to help her now because she still had some influence. So she pressed her head against Chen Siyuan's chest and said sweetly, "If that's what you say, sir, I'll believe you. I just hope that you'll remember what you said today, and that you won't forget me in the future."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "That depends on whether you behave or not."

Xiren raised her head and met his gaze briefly, secretly recalling the picture she had peeked at Baoyu's hidden treasure that morning. She bit her lower lip, and her body gradually slid down...

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

After finishing his tea, Chen Siyuan leisurely returned to his new residence.

Upon arriving at the main room of the new house, they found neither You Erjie nor You Sanjie in sight, only Qingwen embroidering a screen. Because Chen Siyuan had slowed his pace and Qingwen was so engrossed in her embroidery, she did not notice Chen Siyuan approaching.

Chen Siyuan stopped behind Qingwen, carefully examining her for a long while, and couldn't help but admire her inwardly. Qingwen was indeed a clever and intelligent girl; her top-notch needlework skills alone were unmatched in the world.

Each panel of the four-panel screen was a separate piece, depicting plum blossoms, orchids, chrysanthemums, and bamboo, with blank spaces for inscriptions. After embroidering a few stitches, Qingwen took a step back and bumped into Chen Siyuan, causing her to gasp in surprise.

Seeing that he was unsteady, Chen Siyuan quickly reached out and pulled him into his arms.

Qingwen looked up and saw it was Chen Siyuan, then said reproachfully, "Master~"

Chen Siyuan pulled her into a tight embrace, inhaling the fragrance from Qingwen's hair, and exclaimed, "Truly a woman of exceptional talent and intelligence. Your embroidery skills are probably no less than Huiwen's. However, this craft is too demanding, so you should only embroider it when you have time, lest you ruin your eyesight."

Qingwen quickly looked around and, seeing that no one was around, smiled and snuggled into Chen Siyuan's arms, pouting coquettishly saying, "Master only stayed at home a little longer during the New Year holidays. He's usually at the Rongguo Mansion, so I don't need to serve him. I have nothing to do at home, so I can only embroider some things to pass the time."

"Don't worry, Luan'er will come and bother me tonight; it won't hurt my eyes."

Chen Siyuan then asked, "Why is there no inscription on this screen?"

Qingwen said, "I only know a few characters, and my handwriting is terrible. I can't even compose poems. I'll have to trouble you, sir, to write the inscription on this screen."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "The poem is fine, but the handwriting is another story... My handwriting is only passable, not good."

Qingwen said, "I think your handwriting is excellent, sir. Besides, this screen is for display in the room and not for giving away, so why can't you inscribe it?"

Chen Siyuan, having discerned Qingwen's thoughts, agreed, "Alright, I'll think about it and write a few lines later."

Qingwen squinted, nestled in his arms, and nodded in agreement. She faintly caught a whiff of magnolia blossoms, and felt a surge of displeasure. She wondered to herself, "Could it be that my master has offended some young lady, and now she's being visited during the New Year?"
Before he could think it over, Chen Siyuan asked, "Where are Second Sister and Third Sister?"

Qingwen said, "Madam You has arrived, and the two concubines are keeping her company in the back building right now."

Without being asked, it was obvious that Madam You had come to see her own daughter. Chen Siyuan frowned slightly, not wanting to get too involved with the Ningguo Mansion. Firstly, Jia Zhen was used to being domineering, and Madam You was just a figurehead with few capable people around her. If they got too involved, they might be exposed. Secondly, Chen Siyuan had been intentionally avoiding Madam You for the past few months, and the two of them had gradually grown distant.

Qingwen then asked, "Sir, aren't you going to go and take a look?"

"Never mind." Chen Siyuan reached out and scooped Qingwen into his arms, causing the little girl to gasp in surprise and say coquettishly, "Master, it's still daytime."

Chen Siyuan carried her to the seat and teased, "I just wanted to hold you for a while, what are you thinking?"

Qingwen scolded him playfully, and after a while she finally calmed down in Chen Siyuan's arms. Then she suddenly murmured, "When does Master plan to take me as his concubine?"

Chen Siyuan blinked and said, "Didn't you already accept it?" Qingwen's monthly allowance is now comparable to that of a concubine in the Rongguo Mansion. It's only because she doesn't want anyone to serve her that she's refused to have maids. Besides, Qingwen and Chen Siyuan have long been intimate, and with Granny Qu's deliberate promotion, the servants always address her respectfully as "Miss Qingwen" when they meet.

Chen Siyuan pondered for a moment and then asked, "Did Granny Qu say something again?"

Qingwen bit her lower lip and looked up at Chen Siyuan, saying, "How did you know, sir?"

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Among all the servants in the household, only Granny Qu likes to meddle in these kinds of things... So, what did you say this time?"

Qingwen pouted and said, "Well... he didn't say anything. He just talked about some things... saying that some things need to be settled as soon as possible, so that the master won't forget about me again in the future."

Chen Siyuan pinched Qingwen's chin and teased her for a while until she was breathing heavily before releasing her and scolding her, "How old are you? Stop thinking about such nonsense. You know how I've treated you, why listen to Granny Qu's instigation?"

Qingwen smiled and nodded, saying, "Alright, I'll listen to you, Master."

As she spoke, she snuggled into Chen Siyuan's arms again, but unexpectedly noticed two strands of hair on his clothes. Qingwen was puzzled; she had helped Chen Siyuan dress this morning, and his clothes were newly changed. Where did these strands of hair come from?
Just as she was pondering this, a maidservant outside announced, "Second Madam and Third Madam are here." Qingwen quickly left Chen Siyuan and jumped down, then stood respectfully to the side. Chen Siyuan looked up and saw Second Madam You and Third Madam You, enveloped in a fragrant breeze, turn past the screen and arrive in a moment.

Second Sister You bowed respectfully, but Third Sister You was less formal. She stepped forward and sat down next to Chen Siyuan, pulling his hand and saying, "Eldest Sister is here. Why don't you go and see her, brother?"

Chen Siyuan said, "It's better to avoid trouble."

Hearing this, Third Sister You was overjoyed. She glanced triumphantly at Second Sister You and said with a smile, "Eldest Sister just said that His Majesty has opened Anlan Garden and will be holding a lantern festival for five days. Brother, when shall we go and take a look?"

Chen Siyuan had already made up his mind and said, "Starting on the thirteenth of the first lunar month, I expect the first day will be crowded with people, there won't be many lanterns, and there won't be any fireworks... Why don't we go on the sixteenth?"

Sister You asked, "Why not the fifteenth?"

"The Rongguo Mansion is holding a reunion banquet on the 15th. I promised my aunt that I couldn't be absent."

As they were talking, Xiangling, Hongyu, Wu'er and others came over, chattering away. They had been playing dominoes until late last night and were only getting up now.

Upon entering and hearing that they would be going to the lantern festival on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, the women were overjoyed and began to chatter incessantly.

One person is clamoring to set off fireworks, another is clamoring to make their own lantern, and yet another is struggling to decide what to wear that day.

Chen Siyuan leaned back in his chair, watching with a smile. He didn't need to go into details about their intimate and playful interactions over the past few days.

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

Before they knew it, it was the fourteenth day of the first lunar month. Chen Siyuan led Hongyu, Xiangling, and Wu'er back to the Rongguo Mansion. Just as they settled in, a little maid named Yunxiang came to report: "Master, Master, the concubine has returned from offering incense."

Thinking of Aunt Xue's grief over losing her son, Chen Siyuan felt a pang of heartache. He figured Aunt Xue had just returned and would need to visit everyone before staying at the small courtyard in the northeast, so Chen Siyuan didn't rush to see her.

Hongyu and the others swept and cleaned the study first, and Chen Siyuan then sat down and began to read. But just as he entered, Xiao Xichun and Baoqin came in laughing and playing.

Chen Siyuan put down his book to greet them. After the two young ladies exchanged greetings, Xichun said with a smile, "Brother Yuan, we'll have to trouble you to look after us today."

Chen Siyuan asked in surprise, "What makes you say that?"

Xi Chun covered her mouth and laughed, "Look, Brother Yuan is still trying to hide it, but little did he know that the Ancestor saw through his scheme at a glance."

Baoqin also laughed and said, "This morning, Sister Feng told the old lady that she was going to take Sister Lin to the workshop to check it out, and that she might be back a little late. The old lady said that it would be better to ask the sisters who wanted to go to the lantern festival, and if anyone was going, they could go together. She even said that her brother would escort them all the way."

Chen Siyuan was both amused and exasperated. He had originally planned to sneak out to the lantern festival with Lin Daiyu, but things had turned out this way.

Since things had come to this, Chen Siyuan could only smile and agree. Xichun and Baoqin didn't bother them any longer, and after exchanging a few words, they chattered away and left.

Chen Siyuan couldn't sit still, and after a while he went to Xiaoxiang Pavilion to look for it.

Upon entering, one sees Sister Bao and Sister Lin playing chess.

Upon seeing Chen Siyuan, Baochai teased, "Little sister, look! Someone miscalculated and is now here to confront you."

Chen Siyuan, thick-skinned, didn't care at the moment. He stepped forward, gave a perfunctory greeting, and sat down opposite the two women. He then said, "What did you and my sister-in-law say? How come we have two more burdens?"

Daiyu was also annoyed at this moment, so she said, "I only mentioned that I was going to the workshop... but Sister Feng is so clever. As soon as I finished speaking, she covered her mouth and laughed, which made people uneasy. After I told my grandmother, Sister Feng asked around and then said that she wanted to take Xi'er and Qin'er with her."

Baochai laughed and said, "Even Fengya couldn't be fooled, let alone the old lady? I'm afraid the old lady also thought of this, which is why she brought two more."

Living together in the Grand View Garden, it didn't matter how much they privately exchanged things; after all, they were confined within the garden, and the gossip wouldn't spread. But it was different outside. If someone with ulterior motives discovered it, it could ruin Daiyu's reputation.

Chen Siyuan and Daiyu exchanged a glance, both inwardly criticizing Grandmother Jia for making such a fuss, but they couldn't say anything to her face.

Chen Siyuan then said, "The old lady meant well."

Before she finished speaking, Zijuan entered with a smile and said, "Just now, Cuilu rushed to the front to find Second Mistress, saying that Miss Yun has changed her mind and wants to go with her today."

Baochai said, "Yun'er has been too worried these past few days. A stroll might help relieve some of her worries."

Chen Siyuan hesitated slightly, but finally asked, "What exactly is the story behind Xiangyun's matter?"

Upon hearing this, not only Daiyu, but even the usually quiet Baochai frowned deeply.

Daiyu sneered and said, "Everyone says that if there is a stepmother, there will be a stepfather. I think this uncle and aunt are the same."

Baochai sighed, "Yun'er's third uncle is still a good man, but unfortunately, Lady Baolinghou won't listen to anything she says and only believes the nonsense of the Xiangcheng Earl's Mansion."

After a pause, Sister Bao began to explain the reason.

That day, Xiangyun was taken back to the Marquis of Baoling's residence early in the morning, and the Marquis of Zhongjing and his family came to visit. After listening carefully to Xiangyun's explanation, the Marquis of Zhongjing was furious and wanted to cancel the marriage on the spot, saying that Chen Yejun was a muddle-headed fool.

However, Lady Baoling hesitated and refused to break off the engagement. In the afternoon, Lady Xiangcheng led Chen Yejun to apologize. She pretended to slap Chen Yejun a few times, and said that she had already sent the woman from the entertainment industry to a country estate. She assured him that Xiangyun would not be an eyesore after she married into the family, and promised that she would entrust all the affairs of the household to Xiangyun after she married into the family.

Upon hearing this, Lady Baoling immediately smoothed things over, saying that Chen Yejun was still young and would inevitably make mistakes. Now that he had realized his error and corrected it, it would be better to proceed with the marriage. Otherwise, having only been engaged for a little over half a year and then wanting to break off the engagement would damage the reputation of both families.

Marquis Zhongjing was so angry he nearly fell over, but he couldn't reason with the women in the inner quarters, so he could only turn and leave. Xiangyun was unwilling, but she couldn't resist the coercion and enticement of Lady Baoling, and had no choice but to agree with tears in her eyes.

After Baochai finished speaking, Chen Siyuan said, "The lady of the Xiangcheng Marquis's mansion is quite reasonable."

To everyone's surprise, Sister Bao immediately scoffed and said, "It's all just a bunch of nonsense! They said they would send that musician to the manor, but when the old lady sent someone to secretly inquire at the Marquis of Xiangcheng's residence, they found out that the musician is still living there safely and is now three months pregnant!"

"Once Yun'er marries into the family, she'll have a three- or four-year-old son born out of wedlock, and she still won't get her husband's favor. How will she manage in the future?"

As a woman herself, Daiyu naturally felt pity for Xiangyun's plight, so she frowned slightly and sighed, "What a pity for Yun'er."

Chen Siyuan asked in bewilderment, "Xiangyun is still young. She was trying to avoid... well, now that she's escaped, why is Lady Baoling so determined to marry Xiangyun off to that damned Chen Yejun?"

Daiyu gave a cold laugh and remained silent, while Baochai hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself. Chen Siyuan glanced at her and knew that Baochai had something she couldn't say outright.

So he stopped talking about it and just chatted with Sister Bao and Sister Lin about some interesting things. After about two cups of tea's time, Sister Bao got up to take her leave. Chen Siyuan gave Daiyu a few instructions and then left with Sister Bao.

After leaving Xiaoxiang Pavilion, Chen Siyuan asked, "Does my sister know something?"

Bao Jian paused and nodded, saying, "You probably don't know, but although Yun's maternal family never received titles for military merit, they were quite prominent during the reign of the late Emperor. Yun's mother came from the Dingyuan General's mansion. I vaguely remember my mother mentioning that when her mother got married, her red bridal procession stretched for miles..."

Chen Siyuan was stunned and said, "You mean that the Lady of Baoling Marquis and the Earl of Xiangcheng are colluding to plot against Yun'er's dowry?"

(End of this chapter)