Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 394 Secretly Teaching the King to Wither His Marrow

Sister Feng trembled and her tongue went cold, like a small boat adrift on the waves. After a while, she calmed down and then embraced Chen Siyuan, savoring the lingering aftertaste.

The sound of light footsteps gradually faded as the child called out softly, "Grandma... has brought water."

Sister Feng lazily opened her phoenix eyes and hurriedly asked, "How is Sister Qiao?"

Ping'er replied, "She's playing around with Fourth Miss right now. I went to call her, but Qiao'er doesn't want to come back yet. She says she's learning to paint with Fourth Miss."

Feng Jie responded with a "yes," and then reluctantly let go of Chen Siyuan. Ping'er lowered her head, brought over a basin of water, wet a handkerchief, and helped Chen Siyuan wash up. She then carefully tidied his clothes.

After a while, Ping'er finished serving the two of them and hurriedly took the basin of water and left. Chen Siyuan slipped on his shoes and suddenly gasped. He turned his head and saw Feng Jie'er bite his shoulder hard.

"Hiss... Is it someone born in the Year of the Dog?"

Sister Feng angrily released her mouth, frowning and saying with embarrassment, "Let me ask you, what did you call me just now?"

Chen Siyuan said calmly, "Feng'er..."

What she calls him doesn't matter; what matters is that every time he calls out, he bites her ear, which is exactly what Sister Feng can't stand.

Chen Siyuan got excited when this was mentioned, and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and laugh, "Hey? You were shaking just now—"

Before he could finish speaking, Sister Feng kicked him. But Chen Siyuan had anticipated this. Not only did he catch Ling's foot, but he also scratched the sole of her foot before she landed lightly on the ground.

"You—" Sister Feng was so embarrassed and angry that she couldn't speak. For some reason, when she heard those repeated calls of "Feng'er" in the midst of their passionate love, Sister Feng couldn't help but tremble and feel cold, becoming even more defeated than before.

She's always been a competitive and ambitious person. Even though she's been with Chen Siyuan, she still hopes he'll submit to her charms. But every time they meet, she ends up losing out. Perhaps it's because she drank a few too many cups of wine earlier, but now that Feng Jie's temper is flaring up, how can she possibly hold back?

He immediately grabbed a pillow and started throwing it, stubbornly cursing, "You filthy, rotten-hearted thing, get out of here!"

Chen Siyuan dodged aside, muttering, "Use and throw away... What's the difference between that and scolding the cook after you've eaten your fill? Don't forget you're not pregnant yet, who knows, you might need me again in a few days."

"Get lost! I'd rather go to the Central Plains than beg you!"

Chen Siyuan chuckled, knowing that Feng Jie was embarrassed, so he moved closer. Feng Jie reached out to grab him, but he grabbed her wrist and then leaned down to make a few light, flirtatious gestures before whispering in her ear, "That's enough, stop being so stubborn. We'll meet again in a few days when we have time."

Having said that, he let go of Feng Jie, shook his robes, and walked out. As he passed the warm pavilion, he faintly heard soft snoring coming from inside. Chen Siyuan paused slightly and glanced inside, then sighed and hurried away.

As soon as Chen Siyuan left, Ping'er tiptoed inside. She approached the kang (heated brick bed) and whispered, "Feng Jie'er," which snapped Feng Jie'er out of her reverie.

"Grandma, you and Grandpa Yuan—"

"Don't mention that heartless bastard!" Sister Feng interrupted, slowly exhaling a breath. She glanced into the warm pavilion before saying, "You should tidy yourself up and smooth things over first."

Ping'er obediently complied, turned around and went into the warm chamber. She first stripped Jia Lian of his clothes, and then quietly took off her own clothes. Afterwards, she felt that it was not quite right, so she quickly got up, found half a cup of tea and poured it on the mattress, and then closed her eyes with Jia Lian in her arms, her mind in turmoil.

Sister Feng snorted coldly and simply got up and went to Sister Qiao's room in the east wing.

After another two cups of tea, amidst the commotion, the wet nurse and Feng'er escorted Qiao'er back. Qiao'er was about to say something when Feng'er stopped her.

The wet nurse glanced into the west wing and immediately understood the situation inside. She exchanged a look with Feng'er. Qiao'er, being young and confused, couldn't help but ask, "Mother, where are Aunt Ping and Father?"

Feng Jie put her arm around Qiao Jie and said with a smile, "Your father and Aunt Ping have gone to bed. My child, you are getting old now and it's time for you to move to a side room. Would you like to go to the east wing or the west wing?"

Qiaojie pouted and protested, "Mother already dislikes me? I'll be good from now on and won't upset you."

The wet nurse standing nearby said, "Miss, what are you saying? You're getting older. How can you stay by your parents' side all the time? Wouldn't people laugh at you if word got out?"

Qiao Jie'er's eyes darted around, and she immediately said, "In that case, I won't go to the side room... Mother, why don't you let me live in the garden too?"

"Move into the garden?" The Yihong Courtyard is still vacant, so it would be normal for Qiao Jie to move in. But Feng Jie was reluctant, so she said, "You're still young, let's talk about it in two years."

Qiao Jie pouted unhappily and tugged at Feng Jie'er's sleeve, acting coquettishly for a while, but we won't go into details.

Meanwhile, Chen Siyuan strolled leisurely into the Grand View Garden, turning back towards the thatched cottage while pondering to himself. How could Chen Siyuan not know what Feng Jie was thinking? But this whole affair was Feng Jie's own doing, and she was even trying to manipulate him… Tsk, is it that Baochai isn't appealing anymore, or Lin Daiyu isn't pretty enough?

Even if Sister Feng is a goddess or fairy, how can she compare to Sister Bao or Sister Lin? Oh, right, there's also Sister Yingchun.

Chen Siyuan understood perfectly. If Feng Jie wanted to have private dealings, he would naturally be happy to go along with it; but if Feng Jie wanted to rely on someone else, then he was out of luck. Chen Siyuan was already quite busy with Daiyu and Baochai by his side, and had countless concubines, so where would he find the time to appease Feng Jie?
I just hope that Sister Feng will figure out the details soon, so that the two of them won't have any conflicts in the future.

Thinking this over, they soon arrived at the thatched cottage. Xiangling, Qingwen, and Wu'er came to greet them. One brought a hangover soup, another helped them undress, and the third told them about the funny things that had just happened.

Xiangling hung up her clothes and suddenly noticed a strand of dark hair tangled around them… She had just changed into these clothes for the afternoon banquet, so where did this hair come from? If it were Qingwen, she would probably be furious for a while. But Xiangling was a woman of few desires; Chen Siyuan treated her very well, and she had no interest in vying for his favor. So she carefully removed the hair and secretly tossed it outside.

On the other side, Qingwen said in embarrassment and anger, "I think Ying'er is up to no good. How can someone play cards three times in a row? And yet she's smiling and talking about reason!"

Chen Siyuan asked with delight, "What's the reasoning behind that?"

Qingwen frowned and said, "Saying that I'm a rich man now and don't care about these few pennies? Listen to this, sir, what kind of logic is that?"

Chen Siyuan laughed heartily and put his arm around Qingwen to comfort her, saying, "You know how strict Baochai is. Ying'er only gets a few months' allowance a month, yet she still wants to buy rouge and powder, and flowers to wear. You're just too serious. Just consider it a small amount of money to make yourself happy."

Qingwen thought about it and realized it made sense. She couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh, "What are you saying, sir? Do you think Ying'er is some random cat or dog?" Then she couldn't stop giggling.

After drinking a bowl of hangover soup, Chen Siyuan remained calm and composed, then went back to his study to continue his studies. His health had improved considerably; he could easily handle not only one woman like Feng Jie, but even after dealing with both mistress and servant for several days in a row, he still had time to look after his maids.

Just as he was about to pick up the book, Wu'er suddenly came in and whispered, "Master, Miao'er came by a little later. I bumped into her outside and heard that you went to the Second Mistress's for a banquet. That's when Miao'er returned to the east wing."

Chen Siyuan asked, "Did your aunt have something to tell you?"

Wu'er shook her head and said, "Sister Miao'er didn't say anything, she only said that Master should go to the east courtyard when he has time."

"Understood." Chen Siyuan secretly pondered. Jia She's houttuynia cordata extract had already been mass-produced, but he wondered how the sales were going... Since Madam Xing had come looking for him, there must be something fishy going on. He would probably have to make a trip to the east courtyard tomorrow when he had some free time.

That night, Chen Siyuan had plenty of energy to spend time with Qingwen, but Fengjie was kept awake by Jia Lian's snoring. Helpless, she went to find Qiaojie in the middle of the night, and the mother and daughter finally fell asleep.

Nothing was said that night, and dawn broke in the blink of an eye.

Jia Lian groaned as he got up, feeling a splitting headache.

Looking up, he saw himself in the warm pavilion, with Ping'er beside him wearing only a small undergarment. Jia Lian blinked and thought for a long time, but he couldn't recall the situation from yesterday.

"Second Master is awake?"

"My head is throbbing, cough... Go and bring me a cup of tea."

Ping'er obediently complied, rustling as she put on her gauze robe. As she stood up, she frowned slightly and groaned, giving Jia Lian a reproachful look.

Jia Lian chuckled and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Ping'er said reproachfully, "Given my condition... has Second Master forgotten?"

After saying that, she rustled to the ground and brought over a cup of warm tea. Jia Lian gulped it down, wiped his mouth, and frowned, saying, "It's strange, I only remember drinking with Brother Yuan, and I can't remember anything after that."

Ping'er was uneasy, but her expression remained normal. Following her agreement with Feng Jie, she said, "Second Master said he was going to keep Master Yuan company, but you got drunk first. It was only because of Madam that you drank two cups with Master Yuan. When Master Yuan saw that Second Master couldn't get up, he hurriedly took his leave."

She paused, then continued, "Afterwards, Second Master started causing trouble for Grandma again. Grandma got angry, and as a result, Second Master came to humiliate me again."

"Is that so?" Jia Lian moved his body slightly. Perhaps because he had been lying on the ground for a long time yesterday, he felt soreness in his waist and legs, which was very much like excessive sexual activity. He simply said that he had blacked out after drinking.

So he coaxed and persuaded Ping'er for a long time, and only after Feng Jie snorted and went inside did he awkwardly let go of her hand.

Ping'er was gentle by nature, and even when she feigned a few coquettish words, she was still uneasy. But Feng Jie was different. While others were righteous and assertive, Feng Jie was assertive even when she was not, because she was used to being superior and assertive in front of Jia Lian.

So Sister Feng sat down on the kang (heated brick bed) with her legs turned to the side and began to tease, "Second Master is really quite capable. He only invited Brother Yuan for a drink, and before Brother Yuan had even done anything, Second Master himself had already gotten drunk. It's a good thing Brother Yuan left first, otherwise, if he had seen Second Master's ugly drunken state, I wonder what he would have thought of him."

With his usual authority still intact, Jia Lian became increasingly uncomfortable. He laughed and made a few excuses, then simply stood up and said, "Oh dear, I completely forgot. We agreed yesterday to have breakfast at Zhang's room, but... I'll take my leave now."

After saying this, she hastily wrapped her clothes around herself and hurriedly went to the backyard. Feng Jie snorted coldly. Ping'er watched Jia Lian leave before respectfully bowing to Feng Jie and saying, "Thank you, Madam."

Sister Feng sighed and said, "You're lucky. At least when something happens to you, I can take responsibility. But when it comes to my own problems, I don't know who to rely on."

Ping'er didn't dare to respond, but she knew perfectly well that Feng Jie was muttering something about Chen Siyuan. Thinking this, Ping'er unconsciously touched her lower abdomen and couldn't help but feel increasingly strange: This child is supposed to be Master Yuan's, but it's going to be raised under Master Lian's name. How am I supposed to face these two people in the future?

The master and servant had different thoughts at the moment, but let's leave that aside for now.

Meanwhile, Chen Siyuan, whom Sister Feng and her servant had been worrying about, had already had breakfast. Qingwen had nourished herself last night, and her face was even more radiant.

As she grew older, her features became more refined, and she, already a beauty in the making, blossomed into an even more charming young woman. It was only her short stature that prevented her from bearing a striking resemblance to Daiyu.

At that moment, Qingwen brought over a cup of strong tea, blushing as she served it, and said to herself, "Master, you're drinking strong tea so early in the morning. Be careful not to oversleep during the night."

Chen Siyuan snorted and said, "Don't you know why I left?"

Qingwen blushed instantly, and seeing Wu'er and Xiangling covering their mouths and laughing, she stomped her foot angrily and said, "Master is talking nonsense again, I'm not talking to you anymore!"

After saying that, he turned and left, then whispered to Xiangling and Wu'er, glancing at Chen Siyuan every now and then before whispering to them again.

Chen Siyuan remained calm and composed. Yesterday, he had engaged in two intense battles, both of which were quite ineffective, inevitably expending considerable energy. Naturally, he was somewhat exhausted at the moment. After drinking a strong cup of tea to slightly refresh himself, he then headed towards his study.

Just as he got up, a commotion arose outside, and then the little maid Yunxiang rushed in with a letter: "Master, Master, the Prince of Yanping's mansion has sent an invitation, inviting you to come to the mansion for a chat in three days."

Chen Siyuan took the letter and glanced at it. It contained only polite and ordinary words, likely written by a guest of the Prince's residence. He pondered for a moment, "The railway tracks have been completed for some time now. Could it be that the Imperial Household Department has finally made a move?"
Having lived two lives, Chen Siyuan was accustomed to the efficiency of his previous life and was extremely unaccustomed to the slowness of this world. Unfortunately, this world was just a makeshift operation, and in fact, the efficiency of the Great Shun Dynasty was quite high—at least no other major power had ever been as efficient as the Great Shun Dynasty.

After muttering to himself about reading inside for a while, and having breakfast, Chen Siyuan leisurely headed towards the east courtyard.

Before long, they entered the black gate and chatted briefly with Yu Si. They learned that the master had gone to the estate early in the morning, presumably busy with the matter of the herbal dish.

Chen Siyuan then passed through the outer study and waited for a while in front of the third-floor ceremonial gate before being led by Miao'er to the main room.

What I was about to witness was another scene of maternal love and filial piety, with the mother doting on her son. But today was different. Madam Xing was enjoying her tea and snacks peacefully, but there was no sign of her fourth son.

After Madam Xing dismissed the maid, Chen Siyuan asked, "Where is Fourth Brother?"

Madam Xing said with no small amount of pride, "Amber came early this morning and said that the old lady wanted to have the wet nurse take Fourth Brother over to have some fun." After a pause, Madam Xing pursed her lips and thought to herself, "I don't know what the old lady is thinking. She doesn't like me, but now she's talking about Fourth Brother again."

"Grandparents love their grandchildren more... No matter what, Fourth Brother is still my grandson."

"Tch~" Madam Xing rolled her eyes at him, thinking to herself, "Don't you even know whose child this is?"
Chen Siyuan chuckled and then asked, "What did you want to see me about yesterday?"

Madam Xing said, "Yesterday he was furious, saying that the old lady had allocated the money for Yingchun's dowry, but then handed it over to Fengjie to buy."

"Huh?" Chen Siyuan chuckled inwardly. "Didn't the master go and have a chat with the old lady?"

Madam Xing said disdainfully, "He only dares to bully his own family. How could he dare to speak ill of the old lady to her face?" She paused, then added, "Afterwards, he even told me that he would find Sister Feng and Lian'er to give them a good talking-to."

Seeing Madam Xing's eager expression, Chen Siyuan quickly said, "Don't get involved in this. Second sister-in-law isn't doing so well these days."

"I've noticed that she looks rosy and healthy these past few days. What could be wrong with her?"

Chen Siyuan choked, then frowned and clicked his tongue before recounting the discord between Madam Wang and Sister Feng.

Upon hearing that the maids had all been bribed by the second branch of the family, Madam Xing was initially overjoyed, but then her face fell with worry. She said, "This is terrible. Will the Rongguo Mansion fall into the hands of the second branch of the family in the future? No, I'll have to talk to them about this later."

Chen Siyuan clicked his tongue again and said in a low voice, "It's only because you can't see it that anyone with eyes can't see it. Everyone knows that the Ning and Rong mansions are just empty shells now, relying entirely on the eldest daughter of the second branch to maintain appearances. Otherwise, who would take them seriously?"

Madam Xing blinked, her heart heavy. She knew about what Sister Feng had been involved in, and naturally knew that the Rongguo Mansion was long gone. The eldest master held the title of First-Class General, while the second master was merely a fifth-rank educational official, a far cry from what he had been a decade or so ago.

Looking at the Ningguo Mansion, it currently only holds the title of a third-class general, which can be passed down for one generation. However, if the descendants are useless in the future, the title may be lost.

So when Chen Siyuan had a spare moment, he told Madam Xing that the Jia family was currently enjoying great prosperity and success, but he was afraid that if any mishap occurred, they would be doomed.

Madam Xing was worried for a long time, and temporarily put aside the matter of the title, and said instead, "Is your medicinal wine really effective? He was angry yesterday and drank three cups in a row, but it didn't work."

Perhaps the old man is in good health?

Chen Siyuan himself didn't believe this. Everyone knew that the master had long been ruined by wine and women. If it were just given by Prince Yanping, that would be one thing, but Chen Siyuan later had Ding Daojian verify it, and the powder was indeed a poison that could cause strokes.

He then said, "I've already told you not to be in such a hurry. Do you really want to postpone my marriage to the second young lady for another three years?"

Madam Xing was speechless and could only try to coax Chen Siyuan in return. As she did so, Madam Xing gradually became more unruly. Even Chen Siyuan, whose heart was as still as water, was aroused and immediately laughed, saying, "Aren't you afraid someone will overhear us?"

Madam Xing became even more unrestrained, her eyes filled with seductive allure as she said, "So be it, you two little hussies wouldn't dare tell anyone."

Chen Siyuan dared not, and quickly said, "It's not very pleasant to make a fuss here. You should go to the garden when you have time, and then we can have a proper private meeting."

He immediately captured Yingrou, kissed her, and made a series of suggestive advances until Madam Xing could no longer bear it. Only then did Chen Siyuan laugh and get up to leave.

Madam Xing was probably thinking too much about it, and she cursed under her breath. That day, she went to the Jade Emperor Temple to find an opportunity to meet with Chen Siyuan. It was a chaotic scene, like a storm sweeping away fallen leaves and rain pounding on banana leaves.

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

A few days passed in the blink of an eye.

These past few days, Chen Siyuan has either been engrossed in his studies or gone to the garden to chat with his sisters. Li Wan, perhaps out of fear, hasn't come to the Jade Emperor Temple at all. Even more strangely, Feng Jie, for reasons unknown, hasn't come to see Chen Siyuan either.

Chen Siyuan thought to himself, "Perhaps Sister Feng is waiting for news? If her period doesn't come next time, it's better if we don't meet. If her period comes... well, I'm afraid there'll be more to talk about."

On this day, which was a day of rest, Chen Siyuan tidied himself up at dawn, leisurely left the thatched cottage, went ahead to borrow a carriage, and headed to the Prince of Yanping's mansion.

Upon arrival, Chen Siyuan, familiar with the place, chatted idly with the guards at the gate. After waiting for a while, Ding Daolong came to greet him with a smile.

Chen Siyuan stepped forward to greet him, and Eunuch Ding actually came over to help him up, laughing, "No need for formalities, Scholar. The other day, His Highness said that it was thanks to your idea that His Highness was able to make a great impression on His Majesty! Ah? Hahahaha..."

Chen Siyuan quickly offered a few words of modesty before following the enthusiastic Ding Daolong to the side hall.

Back when the struggle for the throne took place, Prince Yanping was just a young boy who hadn't yet grown up. He neither caused any trouble nor helped anyone. It was all thanks to the current emperor's hard work that he was able to obtain the throne.

The two were born of the same mother and were naturally close, but in the eyes of the current emperor, Prince Yanping was more like a somewhat unreliable younger brother. It was only when Prince Yanping grew older and passed the age of thirty that the emperor entrusted the management of the inner palace to him.

No one could have imagined that Prince Yanping, relying on Chen Siyuan's terrible ideas, would achieve one great feat after another. Putting aside other matters, just take the railway issue as an example. After the Emperor personally inspected it, the Imperial Household Department immediately set off to contact wealthy and powerful people in the capital.

In those days, Portuguese galleons dared not sail to Luzon, fearing plunder by the Shun navy. The capsized ships disrupted trade, directly leading to a halt in the import of silver from the Americas. Furthermore, Japan also prohibited the outflow of gold and silver, so the Shun dynasty was nominally experiencing a currency shortage.

But what was the reality? Because the Great Shun Dynasty prohibited land annexation, nobles, wealthy merchants, and salt merchants all buried their money when they made it.

A particularly famous example is the Shanxi merchants who cast silver into giant winter melons, each weighing over 200 jin (approximately 100 kg), making them impossible to steal.

Therefore, the actual situation in the Great Shun Dynasty was that while there was a shortage of currency, large amounts of gold and silver were buried in the ground and not traded. It was one thing for high-ranking officials and nobles, but why would merchants also bury silver?
This is because there are limits to the expansion of trade these days. Da Shun is vast and communication is inconvenient, so the expansion of trade will reach its limit to a certain extent. Beyond that, the marginal effect will come into play: more input and less output.

Although the merchants of Da Shun didn't know the term, they understood the principle. With no other investment opportunities, they had no choice but to bury their hard-earned silver for future generations.

At this time, the Imperial Household Department suddenly issued bonds, promising an annual interest rate of five percent and a five-year repayment period. Prince Yanping, emboldened by his boldness, first issued bonds for the railway from the capital to Tongzhou. Later, he found that the place was packed with customers, so he hurriedly issued bonds for the railway from the capital to Xishan.

How much silver did these two items cost in total? A few days ago, Prince Yanping got very drunk, and after calculating the amount, he found that he had collected more than 1.5 million taels of silver!

King Yanping was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat and went to the palace to apologize the very next morning. It was only thanks to the Emperor's intervention that the King Yanping was spared; otherwise, the dignified King Yanping might have had to resort to setting up camp.

After listening to Ding Daolong's sighs and proud words, Chen Siyuan slapped his thigh and said, "Why is Your Highness so conservative? If it were up to me, I would accept any money I could get and continue building the railway. Traveling from Tongzhou to Tianjin is inconvenient in winter, so why not just build a Beijing-Tianjin railway?"

Ding Daolong blinked, both amused and exasperated, and said, "Please don't joke, Xiaolian... This has kept my lord up at night. If he were to accept it all, I'm afraid he wouldn't even be able to eat properly!"

(End of this chapter)