Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 380 Gratitude
Qingwen lay sprawled on the pillow, her hair disheveled, her face flushed crimson, her complexion like a peach blossom, her lips parted slightly, and she murmured breathlessly.

It was almost summer, and the sky outside was just beginning to lighten; it was probably still late in the early morning hours.

Chen Siyuan's hair was disheveled, and he had haphazardly draped an undergarment over his shoulders. Seeing that Qingwen was beyond help, he got up, found a handkerchief, wet it, and wiped her down. He had been up all night, and assuming that Xiangling, Wu'er, and the others were still tired, Chen Siyuan hadn't called for water.

Unexpectedly, Qingwen also forced herself to get up and said timidly, "Master, I can do it myself."

Chen Siyuan laughed, unconcerned, "You're always the one serving me, today it's my turn to serve you."

Qingwen pursed her lips and remained silent. She never considered herself an ordinary maid. When Chen Siyuan said this, she gazed at him tenderly and wiped him down.

Unexpectedly, the handkerchief became extremely cold after it got wet, and Chen Siyuan wiped it very carefully, which made Qingwen feel quite itchy. After a while, she couldn't help but giggle.

After wiping her down, Chen Siyuan casually tossed aside the handkerchief and simply pulled Qingwen, who was only wearing a bodice, into his arms, whispering with a smile, "Aren't you scared anymore? Then let's sleep a little longer."

Qingwen nodded silently, moved her little head a few times, pressed her cheek tightly against Chen Siyuan's chest, and then closed her eyes and dozed off peacefully.

Last night was fraught with danger. Qingwen grabbed a pot lid to protect Chen Siyuan, but due to her lack of strength, she couldn't help at all. After Chen Siyuan returned to the thatched cottage, she had a nightmare as soon as she fell asleep. She woke up with a start and hugged Chen Siyuan, crying, afraid that she would hear bad news when she woke up.

Completely dispelling his drowsiness, Chen Siyuan began to engage in intimate acts with Qingwen. Previously, because Qingwen was young, Chen Siyuan had only used erotic techniques with her. Now that Qingwen was sixteen, although her figure remained the same, Chen Siyuan no longer felt awkward, so last night he took the opportunity to break through that barrier.

With his beloved in his arms, Chen Siyuan pondered aimlessly for a while. When he heard Qingwen's breathing become even, he couldn't resist the drowsiness and fell asleep again.

She slept until the sun was high in the sky. Hearing the commotion in the room, Wu'er and Xiangling came in to serve her. Seeing Qingwen's frail and weak appearance, and how she had to furrow her brows to take even two steps, not to mention the experienced Xiangling, even Wu'er could guess what was going on.

So Liu Wu'er had a gloomy face all morning. She thought to herself that she and Chen Siyuan were naturally in love, but the problem was that she was physically weak. Out of pity, Master Yuan had never taken real action and always had to use some other means.

She's reached a certain age now, and naturally she's been thinking about getting together with Master Yuan for a long time... but how could a young woman like her bring such a thing up her mind?
If it were someone else, they could have sought advice from someone else. But Liu Wu'er was an introverted person who liked to keep everything bottled up inside, so she seemed rather melancholy.

Normally, Chen Siyuan would have noticed that something was wrong with Liu Wu'er long ago. According to his nature, after comforting her in every way, he would have tried to find out Wu'er's feelings. However, such a big thing happened last night, not to mention the aftermath, he just had to go and comfort Aunt Xue and Baochai.

After washing up and hastily eating a bite of breakfast, Chen Siyuan hurriedly headed towards Hengwu Garden.

Leaving aside Chen Siyuan for the moment, let's talk about Madam You, who was frightened and is still lying in Xiaoxiang Pavilion. Today, only the second young lady Yingchun and the eldest mistress Li Wan are in Furen Yude Hall.

At this moment, a group of stewardesses and old women stood with their heads bowed in front of the hall. Yingchun first called over the martial maids and old women who had accompanied Chen Siyuan to guard the Grand View Garden the previous night. Meixiang, who had shot and killed the thief with an arrow, received a reward of twenty taels of silver and was promoted to second-class maid. The remaining maids and old women received rewards according to their contributions. After instructing them on the matter of reporting the news to Cixi County, Yingchun dismissed the stewardesses.

Unexpectedly, Wang Shanbao's wife stepped forward and said, "Miss, such a big thing happened last night. Not to mention Ningguo Mansion, our mansion was also in chaos. Although the thieves did not break in, it is hard to guarantee that some petty scoundrels among the servants may have taken the opportunity to steal the master's belongings and sell them."

Yingchun's face was as gentle as ever, but upon hearing this, she said with concern, "What Granny Wang said makes sense. If we follow Granny Wang's advice, I don't know what to do?"

Wang Shanbao's wife, who loved to show off, immediately said smugly, "In my opinion, we should take this opportunity to search everywhere. Those who have stolen the master's belongings, as well as those who are filthy, regardless of whether they committed the crime yesterday, should all be sent out of the manor to avoid ruining the reputation of the manor!"

Yingchun looked troubled and asked Li Wan, "What do you think, sister-in-law?"

Li Wan, unaware of the details, said, "I don't think it's appropriate. Last night's events have caused quite a stir, and we should reassure the servants. Even if we do conduct a search, we should wait until the old lady and madam return."

Wang Shanbao's wife hurriedly said, "Madam, you are mistaken. If we wait a few days, those scoundrels will probably have already disposed of the items, and we won't be able to catch them in the act."

Li Wan thought about it and agreed, so she declined, saying, "That makes sense. Let Second Sister make the decision."

Yingchun pretended to be troubled again, frequently glancing at Hongyu. In the past, when Siqi was around, it was Siqi who would step forward and help the Second Miss make decisions. Now that Siqi was gone, this task fell to Hongyu.

Hongyu was about to say something when a commotion suddenly arose outside. Soon after, a stewardess stepped forward and reported, "Second Miss, Yuchuan from Madam's Courtyard has come to say that the jade ruyi bestowed by Her Majesty has gone missing."

Wang Shanbao's wife became even more smug and shouted, "Look, look! What did I tell you? Girl, at a time like this, you absolutely cannot be soft-hearted!"

Yingchun glanced at Hongyu again, and seeing her nod cryptically, she bit her lower lip and said, "In that case, let's leave this matter to Granny Wang."

Wang Shanbao's wife grew even more smug, patting her chest and saying, "Just you wait and see, young lady! This old servant will turn the place upside down, inside and out, and make sure those scoundrels have nowhere to hide!"

The matter was settled. Wang Shanbao's wife, using the tiger's skin as a banner, immediately ordered all doors to be locked, and all masters to conduct their own inspections. Servants were not allowed to move around freely and could only come out after the search was completed.

As the saying goes, those who live near mountains live off the mountains, and those who live near water live off the water. Which of the officials in charge doesn't rush to take advantage of their positions and extort money? Upon hearing that a search was to be conducted everywhere, everyone in the household was alarmed, and for a time, everyone felt insecure.

Fortunately, the one leading the search was Wang Shanbao's family. If anything was found out, they could just bribe them to get by.

Wang, Yingchun's wet nurse, was the same person. When Wang Shanbao's wife found three of Yingchun's belongings, the wet nurse claimed that she had borrowed Yingchun's jewelry, and then slipped Wang Shanbao's wife a few taels of silver to cover up the matter.

As the saying goes, good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels fast. This action naturally caught the attention of those who were interested, and they all breathed a sigh of relief. When Wang Shanbao's wife came to search their house, they had no choice but to offer her bribes first and then flatter her, which successfully covered up the incident.

This was all bark and no bite, but around noon, Wang Shanbao's wife ordered several rough old women to drag Li Gui to the Furen Yude Hall.

As Wang Shanbao's wife walked, she proclaimed, holding up her jade ruyi: "I told you there were scoundrels, what did I say? If I hadn't searched so thoroughly, I'm afraid I would have been fooled by this black-hearted scoundrel!"

Li Gui's mouth was stuffed with a hemp seed, leaving him speechless. He knew perfectly well that he had fallen into someone else's trap.

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

Hengwu Garden.

Chen Siyuan sat on the brocade stool, while Aunt Xue looked listless, her eyes red and swollen. She lay slumped on the bed, completely exhausted. Judging from her condition, it was clear that she hadn't slept well all night.

Baochai's eyes were also red; she had only managed to endure this long because of her young age.

The two tried to persuade her for a long time, but Aunt Xue didn't respond. Chen Siyuan felt sorry for Baochai, so he took the opportunity to say, "It's always a good thing that the villain has been caught. Wenlong will soon get his revenge. Aunt Xue was just having a momentary lapse of judgment. I think you don't need to stay here. Have some water and rice first, rest for a while, and then you can come and take over for me."

Baochai was indeed exhausted and had no idea that her mother and Chen Siyuan had anything going on. So she let Ying'er help her to the east side room to eat and rest.

Only two maids, Tongxi and Tonggui, remained inside. These two were very perceptive and knew that Chen Siyuan and Aunt Xue had something to say to each other, so they simply stood guard at the door of the east side room.

As soon as the person left, Chen Siyuan couldn't help but whisper, "Even if you don't think about yourself, you should at least think about the child in your womb."

Aunt Xue, who had been lost in thought, blinked and instantly regained some of her composure. She propped herself up and said, "I," her voice hoarse, she cleared her throat before lowering her voice, "I had already come to terms with it before you came." As she spoke, she glanced discreetly at the east wing and said, "If I didn't put on this act, how could I have fooled Baochai?"

Chen Siyuan was dumbfounded. So Aunt Xue was just putting on an act? Aunt Xue continued, "It's not that I can't eat, it's just that I dare not eat."

Why dare she not eat it? It's because she's afraid it will trigger morning sickness. Last night, Aunt Xue, seeing that she had Liu Xianglian under her control, was so agitated that she dry-heaved for a long time. At that time, she could excuse it as being angry, but if she dry-heaved again now, how could Baochai, with her intelligence, not become suspicious?
Chen Siyuan breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this and said, "Then I'm relieved."

Come to think of it, once Xue Pan left, Aunt Xue felt hopeless and naturally became like withered wood and dead ashes. Now it's different; she's pregnant and might give birth to a boy someday... As the saying goes, a mother's resolve is strong, and Aunt Xue is even planning to set off in April to secretly give birth in Jiangnan. Even her sorrow for spring and autumn will only pass in an instant.

Aunt Xue reached out and grabbed Chen Siyuan's wrist, saying with some gratitude, "Thanks to you, if we had relied on the yamen, we might have caught that scoundrel surnamed Liu someday. But... you must not put yourself in danger again next time."

Capturing Liu Xianglian was an unexpected delight, but Chen Siyuan couldn't say it like that. So he smiled and said, "We've been connected for a while, and I know you've been thinking about him. Since you knew Liu Xianglian was among the attackers, you were willing to risk your life to capture this scoundrel. Thank goodness, you actually managed to capture him!"

Aunt Xue's almond-shaped eyes welled up with tears, and she gripped Chen Siyuan's wrist tightly with her right hand. If this weren't Hengwu Garden, and if she weren't pregnant, she probably would have thrown herself into Chen Siyuan's arms right away.

Seeing that things were not going well, Chen Siyuan hurriedly discussed with Aunt Xue about leaving Hengwu Garden.

After whispering among themselves, they heard a commotion in the hall. Chen Siyuan then bid farewell to Aunt Xue and went to find Baochai, saying, "Auntie is heartbroken and has developed a desire to become a Buddhist nun. I tried to persuade her for a long time, but she insisted on returning to the Longcui Nunnery."

Baochai frowned deeply, but had no other choice at the moment. She said, "It is fine for Mother to go to Longcui Nunnery, but she must not abstain from food and water. If this continues, her body may not be able to withstand it."

Chen Siyuan's expression was solemn as he nodded and said, "Don't worry, sister. Auntie said that she wants to see the head of the man surnamed Liu fall before she can comfort Wenlong's spirit in heaven."

Baochai sighed, not bothering to hide it from Ying'er beside her, and reached out to squeeze Chen Siyuan's hand, her almond-shaped eyes filled with gratitude. In Baochai's heart, although Chen Siyuan had some affection for her brother, he wouldn't risk his life like this. She figured it was because of her; last night, Chen Siyuan had led his men in pursuit, and although he hadn't been injured, it was only by luck. If those thieves didn't believe Sheng's lies and turned against him…

Let alone risking her life, even a minor bump or bruise would cause Baochai great distress.

Sister Bao was filled with emotion, and seeing Chen Siyuan's nonchalant and smiling face, she scolded him, "You, you need to be more careful in the future. Luckily, those thieves were fooled, otherwise, who knows how things would have turned out."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "I am very reliable in my actions, so you can rest assured, sister."

Knowing that it was too late to say anything now, Sister Bao hesitated for a while before leaning over and lowering her voice to say, "Yun just sent Cuilu over, saying that she wants to stay at Qin's place for a few more days."

Chen Siyuan understood the unspoken meaning and, seeing Baochai's face flushed, immediately made a promise to her: "Then I will come to find you tonight."

Baochai responded in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz. When she heard the commotion in the west wing, she quickly stepped back to separate herself from Chen Siyuan, and then covered herself by smoothing the strands of hair hanging down her temples.

Aunt Xue had stayed up all night and hadn't eaten or drunk anything. Now she was dressed properly and, with the help of Tongxi and Tonggui, she came out of the house. She casually said a few words to Baochai before heading back to Longcui Nunnery.

Just then, a commotion came from outside. Ying'er went out to see what was going on and came back saying, "Madam, Miss, Master Yuan, they say that Granny Wang from the east wing took Master Bao's servant Li Gui and has already gone to the Furen Yude Hall."

Baochai asked in surprise, "Do you know why?"

Ying'er replied, "It seems that Madam's belongings were found in Li Gui's room."

Baochai responded and then forgot about it—she and Chen Siyuan were engaged, and she had no interest in the messy affairs of the Rongguo Mansion after that.

Worried about Aunt Xue, she and Chen Siyuan escorted her to Longcui Nunnery. Upon arrival, she personally ordered some porridge and dishes from the small kitchen to suit Aunt Xue's taste. Seeing that Aunt Xue had eaten half a bowl of the porridge, she was slightly relieved and returned to Hengwu Garden.

Qiu Shuang Zhai.

Perhaps because she was frightened, Xichun finally fell asleep at night, but then had another nightmare and didn't fall asleep until dawn. The third young lady, Tanchun, didn't wake up until almost noon.

Xi Chun, who had been having a nightmare, woke up early and chattered incessantly with several maids, showing no trace of lingering fear on her face.

When Tan Chun woke up groggily, she couldn't help but tease her fourth sister. Xi Chun smiled and said a few soft words, and Tan Chun chuckled and let the matter drop.

Shishu and Caiping hurriedly brought breakfast and lunch. The two sisters sat together, and perhaps because they were very hungry, they both ate a few more bites.

After finishing their meal and having tea, the conversation inevitably turned to the events of the previous night. Shi Shu, Cui Mo, and the others had risen earlier than their master, and with rumors circulating in the mansion, they recounted the most important points.

"I heard that those thieves chased after Madam Zhen. Luckily, Master Yuan led his men to block the East Corner Gate, otherwise not only Ningguo Mansion, but also our Rongguo Mansion would have suffered."

"More than a dozen people died or were injured in Ningguo Prefecture. Early this morning, Lai Sheng sent his servants to find out what happened to Madam Zhen. Madam Zhen was probably frightened and only told Lai Sheng to handle the situation. I heard that more than a dozen corpses were carried out, all covered with white cloth."

"Huh? There are only a dozen or so dead or injured, but how come there are already a dozen or so corpses?"

"Have you forgotten those thieves who died?"

"oh oh……"

"And another thing, Liu Xianglian, who killed Master Pan, was actually captured by Master Yuan! I heard he was carried out early this morning, and on the way, the yamen runners from Shuntian Prefecture got into a fight with the soldiers from the city patrol, apparently over who got to the credit..."

"...The concubine is not doing well either; I just saw her return to Longcui Nunnery."

Tan Chun then said, "She is an elder, so let's go and visit her later." She then said to Cui Mo, "There are still two ounces of top-quality bird's nest in the house. I heard that the aunt has not had a good appetite lately. Let's pack it up and send it over later. It's a token of our appreciation."

Xichun pouted and said, "Third Sister gave me blood bird's nest, but I don't know what to give her in return."

Tan Chun laughed and said, "Then let's consider it as us sisters sending them together."

Xichun responded sullenly, disliking Aunt Xue and having only a superficial relationship with Sister Bao.

Tan Chun looked back and said gratefully, "Thanks to Brother Yuan... If I had known it would end in disaster, I should have followed Brother Yuan to kill the thieves last night. Maybe we could have caught two more thieves."

Shi Shu and Cui Mo both covered their mouths and laughed.

Just then, a commotion came from outside. Shishu lifted the curtain and went out. She returned a moment later, excitedly saying, "Miss, Wang Shanbao's wife arrested Li Gui. She said she found the jade ruyi from Madam's room under Li Gui's bed. Second Miss took charge and had Li Gui beaten thirty times on the spot. He's already been thrown out of the mansion!"

"what?"

Tan Chun suddenly stood up, and as her mind raced, she realized there was more to the story than met the eye—Li Gui was Bao Er Ge's wet nurse, so why would he covet the jade ruyi in Madam's room?

Regardless of the details, Second Sister has certainly avenged Tan Chun this time!
When the carriage went out of control on the way back from Nengren Temple that day, Chen Siyuan investigated but did not tell Tan Chun openly. However, Tan Chun was clever and managed to find some clues from the slightest hints. Tan Chun could not touch the masterminds behind it all, Madam Wang and Xia Jingui, but she did remember Li Gui, who had done the dirty work.

(P.S.: I was supposed to finish writing, but I had to go out urgently, so that's all for today.)
(End of this chapter)