Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 366 One Cannot Give Away One's Whole Heart
Was Zhao Guoji murdered?
Chen Siyuan was stunned! Since entering the Rongguo Mansion, he had never met this person before, and naturally had never cared about the life or death of such a nobody.

I'd only vaguely heard that Zhao Guoji was Aunt Zhao's brother, and thus, in a way, a maidservant to Lady Wang. He'd never had any real work, just serving as Jia Huan's attendant, running errands for him. Who would go to such lengths to harm such an insignificant figure?
Upon further thought, Chen Siyuan remembered Madam Wang. Madam Wang was all talk and no action, extremely narrow-minded; perhaps she was seeking revenge for the day Baoyu was poisoned?

Although Granny Ma could often enter the inner quarters of the mansion, she couldn't always go looking for Aunt Zhao. It's possible that Zhao Guoji was the one who made the connection, which led Granny Ma to poison Baoyu and Fengjie.
Coming to his senses, Chen Siyuan looked around and quickly pulled Xiao Xichun aside, asking, "Where did you hear that?"

Xi Chun pouted, somewhat unconvinced, and said, "Couldn't I have figured it out myself?"

Chen Siyuan smiled but did not answer. Xichun was immediately dejected and muttered, "I just overheard something from my third sister. She was furious and said that Li Gui has been keeping an eye on Zhao Guoji's family. Yesterday, she even had a maid keep an eye on my third sister."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "My fourth sister told me what she wants me to do? Is it to investigate a case?"

Xi Chun pouted and whispered, "I don't know who Zhao Guoji is, but I feel sorry for Third Sister... Brother Yuan, please keep an eye on her when you have time. I've noticed that Third Sister seems preoccupied these past few days, and with the maids watching her constantly, I'm just afraid, just afraid..."

Is Xichun afraid that Lady Wang will harm Tanchun?
Chen Siyuan smiled and reached out to rub Xichun's little head, saying, "She's a little devil, but don't worry, Madam would never harm Third Sister."

She was just a concubine's daughter, and had been reassigned to the job of managing the household. Madam Wang had plenty of ways to control Tan Chun, so she would never secretly harm Tan Chun.

Xi Chun trusted Chen Siyuan the most, and upon hearing this, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Since Brother Yuan has said so, I'm relieved. But—"

Chen Siyuan, understanding the implied meaning, quickly said, "I'll change my clothes and go see my third sister."

Xichun immediately smiled and nodded repeatedly, saying, "That's good. I suppose Brother Yuan has persuaded you, and Third Sister will surely be alright." After saying that, she took a step back and smiled as she curtsied to Chen Siyuan, saying, "I haven't congratulated Brother Yuan yet. I wish Brother Yuan and Second Sister a harmonious and long-lasting marriage."

Chen Siyuan laughed heartily, then patted Xichun's head and said, "Thank you for your kind words... By the way, how is your second sister?"

Xichun covered her head and complained, "I just finished making my double buns, and Brother Yuan messed them up again... Brother Yuan can go and see for himself how Second Sister is doing. I shouldn't say anything."

After saying that, he turned and walked away angrily. After taking two steps, he stopped and turned to Chen Siyuan hesitantly, saying, "I have drawn a rough sketch of the garden, but it looks really stiff. When will you have time, Brother Yuan, come to Lotus Fragrance Pavilion and give me some pointers?"

"Huh?" Chen Siyuan pointed to his own nose and said, "I'm only half-skilled in painting. Does Fourth Sister need my guidance?"

Xi Chun, however, said confidently, "Although you don't understand painting, you have a lot of novel ideas. Perhaps you can say something useful?"

Chen Siyuan was both amused and exasperated, and could only nod in agreement.

Perhaps because of Chen Siyuan's frequent concern, Xichun had become even more cheerful than before, now behaving like a little girl. Seeing that he nodded in agreement, she immediately beamed with joy, laughing and skipping away.

Chen Siyuan paused briefly and saw Caiping and Ruhua chasing after Xichun from the vicinity of Xiaocui Hall in a panic. They only slowed down when they saw that Xichun was unharmed. When they got closer, they scolded Xichun again, but Xichun didn't care at all and just smiled and laughed.

Chen Siyuan smiled and watched him walk away before turning and heading towards the thatched cottage.

It was lunchtime, and as soon as Chen Siyuan entered, Hongyu and Xiangling greeted him. One dampened a handkerchief to wipe his face, while the other removed his cloak.

In February in the capital, the spring chill lingers, and the ground is covered in sand and dust. Ordinary people would wash themselves thoroughly after a day's travel, let alone a prominent family like the Rongguo Mansion.

Chen Siyuan quickly washed up, changed his clothes, and had dinner. He wanted to go see Yingchun and Tanchun, but Hongyu told him that the girls had all gone to Rongqing Hall to please Grandmother Jia.

He figured that the girls probably wouldn't return until after dinner, and by then it would be dark, so how could he possibly go and visit them?

Hongyu glanced at him and noticed his slight frown. She wondered, "Is Master thinking of the Second Miss?"

Chen Siyuan came to his senses and nodded, saying, "I wonder how Second Sister is doing."

As Xiangling tidied up the lunchbox, she said, "I went to Zhuijin Tower with Miss Lin this morning and saw that the Second Miss is much better. She just had a nightmare yesterday and was a bit tired. I heard she also slept a long sleep during the day."

Hongyu's eyes darted around, and she immediately smiled and said, "What a coincidence! Xiuju asked me to make a knot for her. Should I take it to her later?"

Chen Siyuan understood the implied meaning and nodded with a smile, saying, "Alright."

Hongyu smiled and agreed, secretly thinking to herself, "Now it's good, besides Miss Lin's place, the Second Miss's place is also a good place." Xiuju was a yes-man, always listening to Siqi, who was too domineering. The Second Miss was reserved and, although she hadn't said anything yet, she was probably not happy about it.

Wasn't this the perfect moment for her to move closer?

While he was pondering, another old woman came looking for him, saying that the master had invited him.

Chen Siyuan quickly realized that Jia She was urging him to send over the remaining half of the prescription. So Chen Siyuan tidied himself up, put on a cloak, and headed towards the east courtyard.

Leaving aside Chen Siyuan for the moment, after Hongyu finished tidying up, she went to the west wing to do some needlework and finished embroidering the undergarment with mandarin ducks playing in the water. Only then did she send her little maid Yunxiang out to gather information.

After a while, Yunxiang came back and said, "The old lady is considerate of the second young lady, and has asked her to go back and rest now."

Hongyu was delighted and praised Yunxiang a couple of times before dismissing Yunxiang, who looked as if she had seen a ghost. She hid her undergarments, wrapped the tassel in a handkerchief, told Xiangling and Wu'er, and then got up to go to Zhuijin Tower.

The chill of early spring was no joke; as soon as Hongyu stepped outside, she felt a gust of cold wind on her face, thankfully she hadn't changed into a light jacket. But her heart was burning with warmth, and she couldn't help but smile as she moved toward the Zhuijin Tower.

When they arrived at the place, they saw the second young lady's wet nurse coming down from Zhuijin Tower, chattering away, and holding a bergamot for smelling.

Hongyu looked down on Wang Mama's uncouth behavior, but she didn't show it on her face. She just greeted her with a smile before passing by and following the little maid up to Zhuijin Tower.

Yingchun was in a daze and seemed to lack energy, so she was taking a nap on the bed.

When Xiuju saw Hongyu arrive, she quickly greeted her and then asked, "Are you here to see me, or to see my young lady?"

Hongyu smiled and handed over the knotted cord wrapped in a cloth, saying, "Here, the knotted cord you wanted. Make it yourself next time. My eyes are getting tired from making these knotted cords."

Xiuju was overjoyed and tugged at Hongyu's sleeve, smiling apologetically, "You know I'm clumsy, I just can't seem to get this plum blossom knot right. Dear sister, how about I treat you to some wine sometime?"

Hongyu pointed at Xiuju with her finger and asked in a low voice with a smile, "How is the Second Miss?"

Xiuju wasn't stupid; she knew perfectly well that Hongyu had come on behalf of Chen Siyuan to see her young lady. She covered her mouth, smiled, and glanced inside, saying, "Sister, you can see for yourself. I shouldn't make things up."

Just then, Siqi came around the screen, glanced at Hongyu, and said, "The young lady wants you to come over and talk to her."

Siqi remained unfriendly, because Hongyu had gained an early advantage by serving Chen Siyuan and was now in charge of all the affairs of Qingtang Thatched Cottage. Everyone knew that Chen Siyuan trusted her implicitly; she would be more than just a concubine; she would certainly be offered a mistress position. Siqi, however, had been serving the Second Miss from the beginning, and although she had submitted herself to Chen Siyuan, she had missed a golden opportunity. Being petty and narrow-minded, she naturally wouldn't give Hongyu a kind look.
Hongyu, however, seemed not to have noticed, and smiled and nodded to Siqi before walking around the screen to the bed.

The second young lady had already gotten up, looking slightly haggard. Just as she was about to step down to greet him, Hongyu quickly stepped forward and curtsied, saying, "Second young lady, please rest and make sure you recover well. If I work any more because of you, my master will definitely punish me later."

Yingchun laughed and said, "I'm fully recovered now, why would I need to be so careful?"

Hongyu said with a stern face, "You can never be too careful. The other day, when the second young lady fell ill, my master rushed to Baiyun Temple and went through a lot of trouble to finally invite Master Zhang. Afterwards, my master complained that Master Zhang was too pretentious. It was only because the young lady's illness was so urgent that my master would have definitely had a good talk with Master Zhang."

So, the eldest master went out to run errands during the day, and as soon as he returned, he didn't even bother to eat. He immediately asked me how the second young lady was doing. Hearing that the second young lady had gone to the old lady's place, and that the eldest master had come to summon her, the eldest master went to the east courtyard.

Even so, the old man was still a little worried and urged me to come and see the girl before he left.

Hongyu was eloquent, and after hearing her words, Yingchun felt very comforted. So she quickly asked Xiuju to bring over a boudoir and invited Hongyu to sit down before asking, "Brother Yuan, what have you been busy with all day?"

Hongyu pondered for a moment, thinking that since Chen Siyuan hadn't hidden anything, there seemed to be no need to hide it from Yingchun either? So she smiled and said, "Once the various government offices have been established, you'll have to visit the Prince. Even if there's nothing to do, it's still beneficial to be in the Prince's presence and receive his orders, isn't it?"

Unlike Baochai, Yingchun never coveted her husband's future, nor did she ever consider using marriage to protect her family. Therefore, she frowned and said, "Brother Yuan will be taking the imperial examinations next year. Instead of going to the Prince's mansion, you should focus your efforts on the imperial examinations." She paused, then remembered that although she and Chen Siyuan had known each other for a long time, their relationship was based on mutual benefit and their feelings were shallow. She realized her words had been somewhat too forward. She quickly smiled and said, "However, Brother Yuan has always been sensible. Perhaps you have other plans?"

Hongyu smiled and said, "I have no way of knowing what's going on outside."

Yingchun smiled and nodded, not asking any further questions. Hongyu chatted with her for a while, and then, taking advantage of Siqi coming downstairs, she quietly slipped the undergarment to Yingchun, saying that her handiwork was crude and that Yingchun shouldn't find it offensive.

Yingchun was naturally perceptive, and she immediately knew that Hongyu was deliberately trying to befriend her. So she kept her for a cup of tea before sending Xiuju away.

After Xiuju led Hongyu away, Yingchun immediately called Siqi over. Siqi, still resentful, said to Yingchun, "Miss, don't let Hongyu fool you. Look at Qingtang and Maoshe, Xiangling is so beautiful, yet she's been bullied by Hongyu and doesn't care about anything. She must be a scheming person."

Yingchun, however, disagreed, saying, "The master has summoned Brother Yuan over. Go to the east courtyard and find out what's going on... Don't let the master make things difficult for Brother Yuan."

Siqi immediately said, "Miss has just received Madam's favor, I'm afraid the master is deliberately making things difficult for her, and there's nothing Miss can do about it. Besides, Master Yuan is so capable, why should Miss need to worry about him?"

Yingchun remained silent, staring intently at Siqi. Siqi felt uneasy under her gaze and reluctantly said, "Fine, then I'll go take a look."

Yingchun mechanically agreed, watching Siqi walk away quickly. Although she was increasingly dissatisfied with Siqi, she knew that Siqi was only using Lady Wang's influence now, and that it would be a long and arduous road for her to do as she pleased. Touching the undergarment under the quilt, Yingchun examined it carefully and saw that it was embroidered with mandarin ducks playing in the water. How could she not know Hongyu's thoughts?
Then Yingchun remembered that Hongyu's father was Lin Zhixiao, and she thought that she could use Hongyu to do some favors in the future.

Siqi was gone for quite a while, and only returned hastily near dusk.

As soon as she entered, she had Xiuju guard the stairwell, and hurriedly came over and said, "Miss, I asked Yu Liusao and heard that it seems that the master got a prescription from Master Yuan, and that's why the master agreed to the relationship between you and Master Yuan."

"A prescription?" Yingchun was taken aback and asked, "What prescription?"

Siqi shook her head and frowned, saying, "I don't know what the prescription is, but it must be extremely important."

Yingchun, remembering her father's greedy and unscrupulous nature, assumed that Chen Siyuan had suffered a great loss this time, and couldn't help but feel depressed.

Siqi then urged from the side, "Miss, Master Yuan has gone to great lengths for you... You should go and thank Master Yuan when you have time."

Yingchun gave a vague reply, pondered for a moment, and then asked, "Has the summer clothing fabric we ordered from Suzhou arrived?"

Siqi thought for a moment and nodded, "It should be put into storage."

The Rongguo Mansion has strict rules, and it has always been customary to make summer clothes in spring and winter clothes in autumn. Now that spring has arrived, some of the maids who are not afraid of the cold have already put on their lined clothes, but the mansion is rushing to make summer clothes.

Yingchun then said, "Just now, Madam said that my illness has caused many affairs in the mansion to be delayed. Now that I am well, I should pick up the job of steward again. It just so happens that we need to make summer clothes. Tomorrow, go to the back and ask for a seamstress to come with me to visit each room."

Ordinary maids and servants in the mansion would naturally go to the sewing room to have their clothes measured and made. But for respectable maids like those in Rongqing Hall, the sewing masters would come to their homes to take their measurements.

Siqi's mind raced and she laughed, "That's a good idea. I'll ask Yunxiang to let her know tomorrow morning, and I guarantee you'll run into Master Yuan."

Yingchun smiled and nodded, feeling a deep sense of guilt, fearing that her family background would further burden Chen Siyuan.

Chen Siyuan was completely unaware of this matter. At this moment, he had already bid farewell to Jia She and arrived at Madam Xing's room.

Fourth Brother became increasingly lively, seemingly a chatterbox, chattering on and on. Often, when Chen Siyuan teased him, the little guy could recount everything he had eaten the previous morning.

After the fourth brother finally fell asleep, Madam Xing hurriedly ordered the wet nurse to take him away and dismissed the maids and servants. Then, rubbing her temples, she complained to Chen Siyuan, "I don't know who he learned it from, but his mouth never stops from morning till night."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Being eloquent is a good thing. It's better than a child who can't utter a word for a long time."

Although Madam Xing was having a headache from her fourth son's nagging, she was quite pleased to hear this. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at Chen Siyuan and mutter, "Don't you even know who gave birth to him?" After a pause, remembering the Xing family's affairs, she said to Chen Siyuan, "Don't worry about Second Sister's affairs. Third Sister will handle this matter."

Chen Siyuan hurriedly asked, "How was it handled?"

Madam Xing said, "The Fang family has some relatives and friends by marriage. They found a way to contact the county magistrate. The Guo family knew they were in the wrong and dared not go to court. They had no choice but to write a divorce agreement and let Second Sister go home."

Chen Siyuan frowned and said, "I've been thinking about it. Why didn't you tell me about it?"

Madam Xing laughed, "Third Sister has Fang Lin wrapped around her little finger. Whatever she says, my third brother-in-law dares not disobey. Fang Lin took several days off and spent five days getting it done." She then chuckled and said, "You don't know, I heard that on the day of the wedding, Guo Shilin regretted it again, slapped his cousin, and knelt down begging Second Sister not to go. Seeing that Second Sister was about to soften again, Dequan kicked her in the chest, pulled her onto the carriage, and Fang Lin had the yamen runners stop them, which prevented any trouble."

Chen Siyuan squinted and pondered, "I'm afraid that Guo won't let this go so easily."

Madam Xing said angrily, "Don't even mention it. Dequan told me that after the inventory that day, Second Sister's dowry only had some worthless items left, and all the money in the chest had been used up. If it weren't for Fang Lin's intervention, the Guo family would still be pretending to be weak. It's fortunate that Fang Lin asked the county magistrate to intervene, and Guo Shilin didn't dare to offend the county magistrate, so he borrowed money from all sides to make up for Third Sister's dowry."

Chen Siyuan said with a smile, "It's also because Second Sister is too soft-hearted and has been bullied by her husband's family for a long time. If it were Third Sister, she would probably have fallen out with the Guo family long ago."

Madam Xing curled her lip, clearly looking down on Xing Erjie's temperament. Then, thinking of her troublesome younger brother, she sighed, "Let him go back to his hometown if he wants, but at least keep an eye on Dequan. I'm taking care of the children now, and I really don't have the mind to look after Dequan."

He paused, then raised his eyebrows and said, "Don't get your hopes up, Guo. This time we didn't get to use Lian'er's invitation. We'll definitely strip Guo Shilin of his official rank later!"

(End of this chapter)