Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 384: Sleeping drunkenly while watching the house
It was said to be the day after tomorrow, but in reality, it wasn't until the second day of the fourth lunar month that Grandmother Jia and her entourage returned.

Chen Siyuan was reading behind closed doors when his maid, Yunxiang, mentioned that they had set off with great fanfare, but returned with little fanfare.

Not only Grandmother Jia, but also Madam Xing, the eldest master, Jia Lian, and Sister Feng all returned. They entered the Rongguo Mansion at noon, and before 11 PM, everyone had gathered in Rongqing Hall. They also summoned Jia Zhen and Madam You. Behind closed doors, no one knew what they were talking about. Yunxiang only said that she vaguely heard Second Master Lian screaming repeatedly, and Second Madam Lian's eyes were swollen from crying.

Chen Siyuan felt strange. Logically speaking, the maid of the young princess of Bei Jing should not have made the Jia family so alarmed. Not to mention that the two families were already on good terms, just considering the relationship between Bao Yu, Jia Lian and the Prince of Bei Jing, such a matter would only be resolved by turning a big problem into a small one and a small problem into nothing. It would not have made the Jia family panic.

As evening approached and the sky grew longer, Chen Siyuan could no longer contain his curiosity and went to the east courtyard to see Madam Xing, also to find out what was going on.

To his surprise, he was turned away this time. The doorman, Yu Si, said that the master and mistress had been traveling a long way and were now resting, and that Chen Siyuan should come early the next day.

Chen Siyuan returned dejectedly. The next morning, he intended to go to the east courtyard to search again, but after breakfast, he heard the sound of jade chimes being struck coming from the Jade Emperor Temple.

After a winter of silence, Li Wan, being a widow, dared not say much to Chen Siyuan whenever she saw him, fearing that others would discover her secret. Now that summer had arrived, Li Wan could no longer restrain herself, so she returned to the Jade Emperor Temple to resume her old ways.

The sound of the jade chimes made Chen Siyuan's mind wander. He then made an excuse to stroll in the garden, quietly sneaked to the base of the Jade Emperor Temple wall, and took advantage of the fact that no one was around to climb trees and scale the wall, and easily made his way into the alchemy room.

Inside the alchemy room, Li Wan, dressed in a light blue vest with lotus-root-colored floral embroidery and a white collar, over which was a black jacket with a white square collar and a side-fastening, and a black skirt with a white trim, sat cross-legged before the statue. Perhaps hearing the soft footsteps behind her, the sound of the jade chimes rang out somewhat erratically. Her hair was adorned with pearl hairpins and orchid ornaments.

Chen Siyuan moved behind Li Wan, and Li Wan turned around to look at him. Her face showed undisguised hope, as if she had a thousand words to say, but she only said "Brother Yuan".

Chen Siyuan was no longer the naive man he once was, and he was not in a hurry. He simply took Li Wan's hand and said, "Lanqiao has finally arrived. If you hadn't come, I would have gone to look for you tonight."

The sound of "Lan Tiao" made Li Wan's heart soften, and when Chen Siyuan approached, she let out a soft moan and leaned into his arms.

Lonely in her secluded chamber, and with the freezing weather, the two had been separated for nearly half a year. Li Wan would often dream of her intimate moments with Chen Siyuan in the dead of night. Fortunately, Li Wan concealed it carefully, otherwise, she would have been exposed long ago.

The two, having barely parted ways, were immediately inseparable. As the saying goes, when love is at its peak, it's hard to restrain oneself; in no time, they were entwined in each other. (This part was deleted due to censorship.)
After two springs, seeing that Chen Siyuan still refused to give up, Li Wan could not bear it any longer and hurriedly begged for mercy.

Chen Siyuan teased her a little, and when he saw that Li Wan could not bear it any longer, he stopped and embraced her for a while before getting up to help her put on her clothes.

Li Wan's face was still flushed, and when she glanced at him, her eyes were filled with unfathomable emotions.

Suddenly, Li Wan sighed and said, "After next year's imperial examination... I'm afraid you'll have to move out."

Li Wan was gentle by nature, and her words were full of self-pity. Chen Siyuan felt sorry for her and put his arm around her, saying, "You are reluctant to part with me, but how could I be reluctant to part with you? If you follow my advice, your money will just sit in your chest and never come to fruition. Why not take it out and use it to buy some property for Lan'er? That way, you will have a reason to go out and make your way in the world."

Li Wan bit her lip and said hesitantly, "How can I, a widow, show my face in public?"

Chen Siyuan sneered, "Have you not heard that there are countless women in Jiangnan who dress provocatively, ride horses, and frequent brothels? Besides, we all know the current state of the Rongguo Mansion, and I'm afraid the old lady is well aware of it as well. Jia Lian and Baoyu are unreliable, and it's possible that the Jia family will have to rely on Lan-ge'er to uphold the family's reputation in the future."

Li Wan was immediately tempted, but dared not make up her mind, and said only, "Then... let me think about it some more."

Chen Siyuan was somewhat discouraged and was about to try to persuade him again when Li Wan brought up Jia Lian, saying, "Yesterday, some words were circulating in Rongqing Hall. Do you know what happened?"

Chen Siyuan didn't mince words and said, "I've vaguely heard that Second Brother Lian seems to be having an affair with a maidservant of the young concubine of the Prince of Bei Jing's mansion?"

To everyone's surprise, Li Wan stared in astonishment and said, "How come I heard that Jia Lian and the young concubine were caught having a secret rendezvous?"

"what?"

Chen Siyuan was stunned, feeling a chill run down his spine! He thought to himself, "Good heavens! I thought Jia Lian was just a lecherous fool, but I never imagined he would be this audacious!"

However, there are truths and falsehoods to this matter, and it is unknown whether Yu Chuan'er is right or Li Wan is right after hearing it.

Li Wan said, "No matter what, I'm afraid we've offended Prince Bei Jing this time... Yesterday, the master lost his temper, and if it weren't for the old lady stopping him, he would have beaten Lian-ge to death on the spot!"

Let alone Jia She's violent temper, even Chen Siyuan would probably have beaten Jia Lian to death.

The Jia family is gradually declining, and the four kings and eight dukes are now relying on the hereditary Prince Bei Jing to maintain their prestige. Offending Prince Bei Jing now would be like digging their own grave.
The two argued for a while but couldn't figure it out. Li Wan could only sigh, "I don't know where he got the guts!"

Chen Siyuan's heart skipped a beat, and he said, "Do you still remember Qi Guan... who is Jiang Yuhan?" Before Li Wan could speak, he frowned and continued, "Baoyu and Jiang Yuhan are guests of Prince Bei Jing, and Jia Lian also frequently visits Prince Bei Jing's residence. There have been rumors that Prince Bei Jing has homosexual tendencies. Jia Lian is also known for seducing women, so it's hard to say..."

Perhaps it was because the young concubine had accumulated deep resentment that she had strayed outside the palace walls.

Li Wan shook her head and remained silent, unaware of the details. The two talked for a while longer, and just as Li Wan was about to bring up Jia Lan's matter, Su Yun suddenly spoke from outside, startling Li Wan so much that she quickly pushed Chen Siyuan away and urged him to find a place to hide.

Chen Siyuan dared not delay. He quickly tied his clothes, found a side room, climbed over the wall, and hid under the shade of a tree for a while. When no one was around, he returned to the thatched cottage.

To everyone's surprise, as soon as they entered, they saw Madam Xing chatting and laughing with Qingwen.

Wu'er brought a teacup from the east wing to greet him, saying, "It just so happens that Master has returned. Madam just arrived, and Qingwen just sent Yunxiang to find Master."

Chen Siyuan gave a vague reply and hurriedly strode into the hall.

After not seeing her for several days, Madam Xing had lost some weight, but her brows couldn't hide her excitement.

Excited? Chen Siyuan pondered for a moment and understood Madam Xing's thoughts—Jia Lian had made such a huge mess, and perhaps one day the fourth son would inherit the title; she was naturally overjoyed.

Chen Siyuan stepped forward to greet them, and after they were seated, Madam Xing smiled and dismissed all the maids. As soon as they left, Madam Xing turned to Chen Siyuan and said, "You don't know, you quietly sent Hongyu to Yingchun's place, and those two little rascals, Miao'er and Tiao'er, cried for me for quite a while!"

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "There are four maids who will accompany you in your dowry. Last time, Second Sister didn't want the little actress either, so those two were reserved for them... Why are they crying?"

Madam Xing rolled her eyes at her and said, "You make it sound nice, but if you want a dowry, you'll have to wait another year. I think those two little hussies can't wait any longer."

Chen Siyuan chuckled twice but didn't respond. Sure enough, Madam Xing turned around and got to the heart of the matter. She glanced outside first, then leaned forward and lowered her voice, saying, "Lian'er is in trouble...did you know?"

Chen Siyuan calmly picked up his teacup and casually said, "It was just flirting with a maid, what's the big deal?" After saying that, he took a big sip of tea.

Madam Xing chuckled and said, "What maid? That's just a cover-up. In reality, Lian'er is having an affair with the Dowager Consort!"

puff--

Half a cup of tea was sprayed onto the ground. Chen Siyuan stared in disbelief and said, "What did you say? The Dowager Consort? Isn't it the Young Consort?"

Madam Xing blinked, looking suspicious. "Who told you it was the young concubine? Everyone knows what Prince Bei Jing likes. That young concubine is practically a widow now, she can't even see Prince Bei Jing a few times a year. I heard... the last time Prince Bei Jing got drunk, he even pushed a guest to become the young concubine's lover."

The young concubine, with her fiery temper, sensed something was amiss and threw a tantrum, thoroughly humiliating Prince Bei Jing before finally calming down.

She paused, then sneered, "You think the Prince of Bei Jing would care about the young concubine after all this? If it weren't for the Dowager Consort, the Prince of Bei Jing wouldn't be so angry that his face turned liver-colored."

After a long while, seeing that Chen Siyuan had not yet recovered from his shock, Madam Xing couldn't help but shove him and said, "Hey, what's wrong with you? Let me ask you, do you think Fourth Brother can—"

Chen Siyuan hurriedly said, "Stop! With disaster looming, don't even think about inheriting the title. The Jia family is now in decline and relies entirely on the protection of Prince Bei Jing. If you really offend Prince Bei Jing, you might get into trouble in the future."

Madam Xing initially didn't believe it, but after Chen Siyuan thoroughly analyzed the political situation, she began to believe it to some extent. She couldn't help but panic and said, "What should we do? Fourth Brother can't even speak properly. Maybe... maybe we should remove Lian'er from the family genealogy immediately?"

Chen Siyuan curled his lip and said, "It's too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost. We'll just have to see how the Jia family quells the anger of Prince Bei Jing this time."

Madam Xing lost all her joy and frowned in melancholy. She wanted to ask Chen Siyuan for advice, but she knew that Chen Siyuan was powerless to help with such matters. So she could only sit for a while and leave with a heavy heart.

In the afternoon, Xiangyun and Baoqin came over, followed by Tanchun and Xichun, all of whom seemed to be trying to find out more. However, such a scandalous matter was not something that could be made public, so Chen Siyuan simply used the previous excuse to cover it up, sighed a bit, and then let the matter drop.

When Baochai came again, Chen Siyuan could no longer hide it and secretly told Baochai in private. This immediately left Baochai speechless, saying that Jia Lian was really "bold and reckless".

After mentioning this, Baochai added that she had just made an appointment with Daiyu to go and "settle accounts" together on the sixth day of the month.

The accounting was just an excuse. Baochai and Daiyu took the opportunity to go and see the new house that Chen Siyuan had bought, and then discuss choosing a house to move into in the future.

Two days passed in a flash, and the fifth day arrived in the blink of an eye.

Early that morning, You Sanjie's maid, Dongmei, came to report that You Sanjie had already hired craftsmen and asked Chen Siyuan when he would be free to meet with them so as to finalize the project for the following day.

Chen Siyuan planned to meet the craftsman in the afternoon, but just as he was about to ride back to his new residence at Nengren Temple after lunch, he saw Baoyu leading his servant in a carriage, looking very happy.

Looking back, near the left side of the ceremonial gate, Lady Wang was still leaning against the gate to see him off, her brows furrowed and her face full of sorrow.

Chen Siyuan wasn't in a hurry to leave. After Madam Wang entered through the side gate, he looked for Yu Liusao to ask, "Where is Baoyu going?"

Yu Liu smiled and said, "They said that the Prince of Beijing invited Master Bao to stay at the Prince's residence for a while."

Prince Bei Jing...invited Bao Yu to stay for a while...is this the karma Jia Lian created that Bao Yu has to pay for?

Chen Siyuan remained outwardly stiff, inwardly feeling annoyed and at a loss for words. But then he thought, Baoyu's cheerful demeanor wasn't feigned; perhaps the Second Master Bao was actually enjoying himself.

You are not a fish...

Chen Siyuan shuddered and felt nauseous. He quickly said goodbye to Yu Liu, took his horse, and left the Rongguo Mansion.

Upon arriving at the new residence, they transferred to a carriage with Sister You and headed towards Faxiangfang. The former residence of the Assistant General had already been vacated, and the plaque had been removed long ago. Chen Siyuan led Sister You inside, met the head craftsman who was waiting there, and then spent the afternoon carefully touring the three-section, four-courtyard house.

After inspection, it was determined that three main gates needed to be replaced—Chen Siyuan was merely a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations, and it was inappropriate to have a grand and imposing gate. Furthermore, the three-section, four-courtyard house belonged to three different families, so it was only right that three main gates needed to be repaired.

In addition, six beams need to be replaced, countless bricks and tiles need to be replaced, and countless other tasks such as clearing the back garden and transplanting flowers and trees need to be carried out.

Due to a shortage of manpower, the craftsman offered five months' wages, including both labor and materials, and the price was not low. With her silver tongue, Sister You managed to bargain the price down to 9,600 taels.

Judging from the craftsman's beaming face after signing the contract, it was clear that the price was too high; the craftsman had probably made a fortune. As she left the General's Mansion, Sister You looked back repeatedly, her eyes filled with reluctance. Chen Siyuan, knowing her feelings, tried to persuade her to move in someday, but Sister You smiled and shook her head, refusing.

Chen Siyuan sighed and didn't try to persuade him any further. On the way back, he showed them great tenderness. If the journey hadn't been so short, the two of them probably would have made love on the train.

When he returned to his thatched cottage, Sister Bao came looking for him again.

After dismissing the maid, Baochai said with some difficulty, "If I had known I couldn't hide it, I might as well have invited Lin Daiyu to go and look at the house a few days ago while the old lady was away."

Chen Siyuan asked in surprise, "The old lady is stopping Lin Daiyu from going?"

Baochai shook her head and said, "No, that's not true... But the old lady is very thoughtful. After receiving the news, she had Fengya lead the way—saying that it would be a good opportunity for Fengya to relax."

She was sitting sideways in Chen Siyuan's arms. Although Chen Siyuan did not see the smile on Baochai's face, he could hear a hint of joy in her tone.

While secretly pleased, Chen Siyuan couldn't help but think to himself, "That's right, Baochai and Fengjie have always been at odds, and now that Jia Lian has gotten into this mess, Baochai is naturally feeling a bit smug."

Chen Siyuan then said, "We're going to look at the house anyway. Second sister-in-law is always sensible and understanding. Besides, the weather is getting warmer now, and the latex business will be busy again. Sister will have plenty of time to take care of the accounts."

Baochai smiled and said, "I was hoping you could talk to Lin Daiyu more in private, but I'm afraid that won't be possible now."

Chen Siyuan was not about to be fooled.

These past few days, while Xiangyun was staying at Baoqin's place, Chen Siyuan often secretly went to Hengwu Garden at night. Moreover, the two had a very close relationship, and Chen Siyuan had also figured out Baochai's thoughts quite well.

Baochai secretly regarded Daiyu as a close friend, but as the saying goes: "I fear my brother will suffer, but I also fear my brother will drive a Land Rover."

That's exactly how Baochai feels! If Chen Siyuan doesn't go to Xiaoxiang Pavilion for a long time, Baochai will give him a few words of advice; but if Chen Siyuan goes there frequently, Baochai will probably feel jealous.

So Chen Siyuan said, "Lin Daiyu hasn't quite figured things out yet, there's no rush."

While feeling pleased, Sister Bao put on a stern face and said, "Why aren't you in a hurry? You'll be moving out of the mansion after the competition next year, and you'll have to give Sister Lin an explanation then."

The more Baochai acted this way, the less Chen Siyuan dared to speak up. He tried to cover it up and glossed over the matter, which made Baochai feel quite indignant on Daiyu's behalf.

The next day, Chen Siyuan thought that since Feng Jie was also going, he might as well take Qingwen, Xiangling, and Wu'er with him and ride away in a carriage.

Chen Siyuan rode ahead in his carriage, and waited at the alley entrance after crossing two streets. It took about the time it takes to drink two cups of tea before Baochai and Daiyu's carriages caught up.

So the servant Qingyu made some arrangements and then led the way in the carriage toward Faxiangfang.

They arrived at the place at 1:45 AM. The main gate of the General of the State's Mansion, whose plaque had been removed, was wide open, and three horse-drawn carriages leaped in.

When the carriage stopped in front of the gate, everyone got out.

Since craftsmen had already begun dismantling and rebuilding inside, Baochai and Daiyu wore veils to cover their faces. Now that they were married, there was no need for such things; they only used waist fans to shield themselves from the sun.

After everyone had met, Chen Siyuan glanced at Feng Jie and noticed that Wang Xifeng looked haggard. Although she had many maids and servants with her, Ping'er was missing.

Chen Siyuan quickly realized that Jia Lian, who had caused the trouble, was still imprisoned in the ancestral hall and needed Ping'er's care, which was why he hadn't accompanied them.

Wang Xifeng, being astute as she was, forced a smile after exchanging pleasantries and said, "I was just joining in the fun. I'll just have some tea in the south hall. Brother Yuan, why don't you take Bao'er and Lin'er for a stroll?"

Daiyu said nothing, and Chen Siyuan was about to agree when Baochai said, "That won't do. Daiyu and I are a year apart, and I really don't know the inside story of this house. Perhaps we'll need Sister Feng to enlighten us."

Feng Jie knew that Baochai was trying to sow discord—was she to be allowed to accompany her? She was currently arguing fiercely with Jia Lian; could she possibly have witnessed Baochai and Chen Siyuan exchanging flirtatious glances the whole way?

Sister Feng then said with a half-smile, "How would I know anything about the house? Besides, the sun is scorching today, I need to have some tea to calm down. You should go and take a look first."

Daiyu noticed the awkwardness between the two and quickly pulled Baochai aside, saying with a smile, "If Sister Bao isn't going, then I can choose first."

Baochai immediately smiled and said, "Alright, alright, whatever you say. If you say the east road, then it's the east road; if you say the west road, then it's the west road."

Chen Siyuan then led Feng Jie into the South Hall, and turned back to lead Baochai and Daiyu to the East Courtyard.

The residence of the Assistant General was built in an extremely orderly manner, facing south, with three sections and four courtyards. Taking the central courtyard as an example, there was a front hall, a reception hall after passing through the ceremonial gate, the main hall of the master family behind, and finally the back rooms.

The east and west sections are similar to the central section, but the difference is that the main house in the east section has a roof that is connected, with three rooms in the front and three in the back, totaling six rooms; the main house in the west section is ordinary, but the rear building has three stories, which can be considered a boudoir.

Chen Siyuan led Baochai and Daiyu on a quick tour, after which the two women whispered amongst themselves, before turning back to Baochai who said, "Since Lin Daiyu has taken a liking to the west courtyard, then I'll choose the east courtyard."

Chen Siyuan thought to himself that the West Courtyard was indeed more secluded, and there was a flower hall in front of the embroidered building, which was obviously more to Daiyu's liking; the main building of the East Courtyard was spacious, so it was not surprising that it caught Baochai's eye.

Chen Siyuan smiled and agreed. He then asked the two women about their intentions for the renovation. The two women chattered on and on, and Chen Siyuan wrote them down. He then consulted with a craftsman and finalized the renovation arrangements.

Seeing that it was still early, the three of them strolled into the back garden. Before long, they saw Wang Xifeng standing alone by the water in the distance. A gentle breeze blew, and the sleeves of her clothes fluttered, making her appear even more lonely.

Seeing this, Baochai sighed, and Daiyu couldn't help but say, "Poor Fengjie."

Chen Siyuan knew that saying anything would be inappropriate, so he simply kept quiet.

After their sighs, the two women looked at Chen Siyuan. Baochai's gaze sharpened for a moment before returning to normal, while Daiyu simply covered her mouth and laughed.

Both women thought to themselves that although Chen Siyuan was a bit of a womanizer, at least he hadn't done anything reckless or caused any trouble. Compared to Jia Lian, he was quite decent.

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

Two days later, news arrived early in the morning that Cao had arrived in Tongzhou by official boat. Chen Siyuan, having informed Baochai, went ahead to Tongzhou to meet her.

The following afternoon, they escorted Cao back to the Xue family's old residence, where Baochai was already waiting. The two sisters-in-law reunited and inevitably had a long and heartfelt conversation.

Seeing that Aunt Xue was not there, Madam Cao hurriedly asked why. When she heard from Sister Bao that Aunt Xue had set off south for Jinling, she became very suspicious.

Baochai quickly and quietly told Cao Shi about Liu Xianglian's execution, which dispelled Cao Shi's doubts.

Chen Siyuan did not want to stay long, so he took his leave first. Baochai, thinking that Cao Shi was alone, stayed at the old house for a few more days.

Seven days later, Baochai returned to the Rongguo Mansion and then sought out Chen Siyuan to say: "My aunt fell ill immediately upon hearing that the Imperial Household Department had ordered the transportation of large timbers. Ke'er consulted with his second uncle's relatives and friends, and considering that the compensation would be too much, somehow managed to get through to the Deputy Prime Minister of the Imperial Household Department and changed the method of logging the large timbers from outside the Great Wall."

In this way, not only will they not lose money, but they can actually earn a thousand or eight hundred taels of silver. My sister-in-law said that Tadpole was scheduled to set off for the area beyond the Great Wall at the end of last month; I wonder if he's arrived there yet.

Chen Siyuan, observing Baochai's expression, saw that there was nothing unusual about her and couldn't help but tease her, "Aren't you afraid that the second branch of the family will overstep the first branch, little sister?"

Baochai rolled her eyes at him and said, "No matter how capable Xue Ke is, he is not a proper Jinshi. So what if he is capable? As long as you pass the imperial examination one day, the second branch of the family will never be able to surpass the first branch in this lifetime."

Chen Siyuan couldn't help but burst into laughter. The Xue family mother and daughter, Aunt Xue and Baochai, were both indecisive, unlike Baochai who was much more insightful.

After that day, things remained uneventful for more than ten days. The feud between the Jia family and the Prince of Beijing's mansion seemed to have been resolved, but Baoyu still hadn't returned.
The master was busy with his business dealing in houttuynia cordata extract, spending two out of three days a year at the estate. This worried Madam Xing greatly—she feared that if the master drank less of the medicinal wine, it would interfere with her plans.

Jia Lian was kept locked up in the ancestral hall of the East Mansion. Apart from Ping'er visiting him every day, not only Feng Jie, but even Zhang Jinge never went to the mansion to see him.

Before they knew it, it was the 24th. This day should have been Baoyu's birthday, but Baoyu was still at the Prince of Beijing's residence and had not returned. So everyone seemed to have forgotten about it, and no one mentioned it!
Those who vaguely knew the inside story, such as Yingchun, Baochai, and Xing Xiuyan, naturally kept silent. But the younger ones had no choice but to search around for information.

So early that morning, Xiangyun came to find Chen Siyuan. This girl was straightforward, and after some hesitation and changing the subject, she finally asked, "Brother Yuan, do you know if Master Bao is still celebrating his birthday?"

Chen Siyuan, not wanting to reveal the truth, smiled and said, "The Dowager Empress has just been moved into the underground palace, and the imperial edict is still ringing in our ears. Not to mention that Brother Bao is currently a guest in the Prince's mansion, even if he stayed at home, it would not be appropriate to hold a lavish banquet."

Xiangyun, unsuspecting, pouted and said, "I thought we could have some fun. Even if we can't have a banquet, it would be great to have some fun in private."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Although Brother Bao is not here, Baoqin, Sister Xing, and Miss Ping'er are all here."

Xiangyun, puzzled, blinked and asked, "What do you mean by that, Brother Yuan?"

Chen Siyuan then laughed and said, "You didn't know? Today is also the birthday of one of those three girls!"

Then Xiangyun suddenly stood up with a cry of "Oh dear!" and exclaimed, "That Qin girl, she managed to fool me too! This time I'll definitely teach her a lesson!"

After saying that, he got up and ran outside, but after a while he turned back and looked at Chen Siyuan with a smile, saying, "Brother Yuan, since we've caught up, why don't we join in the fun?"

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Go to the small kitchen and tell them my name. No matter how many tables you set up, I'll settle the bill later. As for other things, I'm not really comfortable with that."

Xiangyun pondered for a while before understanding his meaning. Now that Chen Siyuan was getting old and had already made a betrothal, it was no longer appropriate for him to mingle with the other sisters.

However, it was good to have received money, so Xiangyun bid farewell to Chen Siyuan and went off making a ruckus.

After a while, Xiangling came back and said that the girls had dragged Ping'er, Xing Xiuyan, and Baoqin to Hongxiangpu to set up a wine shop, and they had also sent a maid to invite Xiangling, Qingwen, and others to join in the fun.

Since there was a rare moment of joy in the manor, Chen Siyuan simply sent several maids away while he stayed in his study to study.

After Chen Siyuan had read until his head was spinning, he got up and strolled into the garden. Who knew that after coming down from the Convex Jade Villa and passing through the stone cave, he saw Xiangyun lying on a stone bench in a secluded spot among the rocks, fast asleep. She was covered in fallen peony petals, her head, face, and clothes were all stained with their red fragrance. Her fan was on the ground, half-buried by fallen flowers. A swarm of bees and butterflies buzzed around her, and she was using a handkerchief to wrap a bundle of peony petals as a pillow.

Listen carefully, and it seems that Xiangyun is still muttering something.

(End of this chapter)