Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 401 The Night Account of Greed and Anger
Because of the constant flow of people, Chen Siyuan and Madam Xing couldn't speak freely. They exchanged glances, and then Chen Siyuan followed Madam Xing inside.

At that moment, Yan Hong and the other concubines were wailing around the master, Jia She. Upon seeing this, Madam Xing immediately scolded, "What are you all doing surrounding him? The master is not dead yet. Be careful that you don't suffocate him!"

Yan Hong and the others dared not utter a sound, only sobbing as they retreated to the side. Chen Siyuan stepped forward and looked closely, only to see that Jia She's face was ruddy, yet he was unconscious.

Chen Siyuan was unsure whether Jia She had lost his temper or suffered a stroke.

Just then, Yu Si shouted from outside, "Make way, make way! The imperial physician is here!"

Chen Siyuan stepped aside and turned to see Physician Wang and others hurrying over. Physician Wang, being the leader, took the lead, bowed slightly, and quickly lowered himself to examine Jia She's pulse.

After Physician Wang examined the patient, he immediately frowned. Physician Bao, who was standing nearby, was about to examine the patient when Madam Xing quickly stopped him, saying, "Physician Wang, please give me a definite answer about what illness has struck the master."

"This... the master is probably suffering from a stroke due to extreme anger."

Physician Bao, who was standing nearby, also examined the pulse and couldn't help but stroke his beard and nod, saying, "Indeed, it is a stroke."

Seeing the undisguised joy in Madam Xing's eyes, Chen Siyuan quickly coughed and said, "Please, Physician Wang, use some methods to make sure my uncle wakes up first."

Physician Wang agreed, discussed the matter with Bao and Hu, and drafted a prescription. Physician Wang then found a needle kit and inserted silver needles into various parts of the master's body.

After a while, the old man groaned and suddenly opened his eyes.

Everyone inside, whether genuinely or feigning joy, was overjoyed. Madam Xing even rushed over and asked with concern, "How is Master?"

Jia She sobbed for a long time without uttering a coherent sentence. Then Physician Wang said, "It is indeed a stroke. This condition requires slow and careful recuperation. It may take more than a month to see any improvement." After a pause, he added, "This illness came on very dangerously. Your Excellency must take good care of yourself and avoid extreme joy or sorrow."

Madam Xing agreed to everything and hurriedly ordered someone to brew the medicine. Chen Siyuan found Yu Si and ordered him to find a bench so that the master could be carried back to the backyard.

After the three imperial physicians arrived, Madam Xing was in a dilemma. She said, "I still have my fourth son in my room. You all know that he is at a very mischievous age, but my husband wants to rest. What should we do?"

The concubines, unaware of Madam Xing's intentions, were eager to curry favor and gain benefits. They chattered and made a fuss. Madam Xing, thinking that Yan Hong was the most thoughtful, ordered that the master be carried to Yan Hong's room first.

Upon receiving the news, the second daughter Yingchun, Wang Xifeng, Ping'er, Yuanyang, and others arrived in droves. The group first settled Jia She in Yan Hong's room, and then went to Madam Xing's main room to talk.

When Fengjie and the others inquired about the reason, Madam Xing, too lazy to cover for Jia She, immediately grabbed her handkerchief and rubbed her eyes until they were red, yet not a single tear came out. She spoke in a mournful, affected tone, "Isn't it all because of that damned houttuynia cordata? You all know that Prince Zhongshun also bought into this business; he's so wealthy and powerful, he's filled the capital in no time. Master has no way to continue, so he has to sell it off."

Just then, a merchant from Jiangnan wanted to buy it, and the merchant offered a hefty profit of three and a half qian of silver per bottle, allowing the merchant to postpone payment. At first, it was only postponed for half a month, but gradually it became a month, and some time ago it was postponed for two months.

The person in charge felt something was amiss and informed the master yesterday. This morning, the master went to the Zhejiang Guild Hall to find that merchant and demand an explanation.

Sister Feng, suddenly struck by a sudden inspiration, exclaimed in astonishment, "Could it be that the merchant is a swindler?"

Ping'er nodded and said, "Promising people benefits and delaying payment—such behavior is definitely that of a swindler!"

The second daughter, Yingchun, nodded repeatedly.

To everyone's surprise, Madam Xing sighed and said with a sob in her voice, "If it were just a swindler, that would be one thing, but that person turned around and accused us, saying that the houttuynia cordata would lose its effectiveness after a month. He also said that all the previous medicinal wine was sold to the Fujian Navy. He claimed that someone had died because of it, and now that the Navy is questioning us, the merchant can't stand it anymore and is going to the Shuntian Prefecture to file a complaint against you, sir."

As soon as Madam Xing finished speaking, Feng Jie, Ying Chun, and the others looked at each other in bewilderment.

Chen Siyuan couldn't help but say, "I wrote the prescription. If it's carefully preserved, it should still be effective even after one or two years. How could it have caused someone's death?"

Madam Xing choked for a moment, then whispered, "Master felt it was a waste to use a pot, so he decided to add some water."

Chen Siyuan stared in disbelief, thinking to himself, "Good heavens! Adding water to the pot—forget about the houttuynia cordata being preserved; the wine itself will probably grow mold and turn into vinegar if left out for too long. Jia She has truly courted disaster!"
Feng Jie sighed for a long time, barely managing to suppress a laugh—she despised her own parents-in-law the most, and wished they would both suffer a terrible fate. Then she thought of the conflict between the first and second wives, and realized that if Jia She and Madam Xing were gone, the second wife would have no more constraints. So the little bit of joy she felt vanished in an instant, and her expression became somewhat listless as she sighed.

Ping'er couldn't get involved; she just kept her nose to her nose and her mouth to her heart.

The second daughter, Yingchun, secretly twisted her handkerchief and pursed her lips. She was afraid that Jia She's illness would not be cured and that he would die, which would delay the marriage.
Chen Siyuan shook his head repeatedly, unsure of what to say.

Yuanyang, who was standing to the side, said, "The old lady is still waiting for news. First Madam, Second Madam, and Master Yuan, please discuss it. I will go and inform the old lady first."

Madam Xing nodded, and Yuanyang curtsied and took her leave.

Sister Feng pondered, "I'll go to the East Mansion. Since it involves officials, it's best if Brother Zhen makes the appearance."

So he led Ping'er straight to Ningguo Mansion.

The remaining three people remained silent. Just as Madam Xing was about to say something, a servant woman rushed in and said, "It's terrible! The Chief Secretary of the Prince Zhongshun's Mansion has come to see the Master!"

Madam Xing frowned and asked, "Why has the Chief Secretary of the Prince of Zhongshun come?"

Chen Siyuan and Yingchun both shook their heads, not knowing.

Yingchun pondered and said, "My second brother has gone on a long journey, so I'm afraid I'll have to trouble Brother Yuan to answer his questions."

“No problem,” Chen Siyuan readily agreed.

He got up, bid farewell to Madam Xing and Yingchun, and strode forward.

Before long, they entered the Rongguo Mansion through the side gate, and after passing through the ceremonial gate to the south-facing hall, they saw Chief Secretary Qin of the Prince Zhongshun's Mansion leisurely sipping fragrant tea.

Chen Siyuan stepped forward to greet him, and the chief clerk smiled and said, "This humble official has been entrusted by my prince to come and discuss a business deal with General Jia."

Chen Siyuan frowned and said, "My uncle is unwell and cannot receive guests at the moment. I wonder what kind of business it is?"

Chief Secretary Qin laughed and said, "I heard that General Jia's medicine workshop and several distilleries are not doing well. It just so happens that my prince is about to purchase some properties. General Jia, why don't you just sell those businesses to my prince? Wouldn't that be convenient for both of us?"

This person has come here deliberately to annoy people!
Chen Siyuan had no reason to offend Prince Zhongshun for Jia She's sake, so he said solemnly, "I already know the purpose of your visit, Chief Secretary. I will tell my uncle about it later, and he will send someone to reply."

"Of course, of course. Hahaha... I should thank Chen Xiaolian for this. My lord said that Chen Xiaolian should visit the Prince's residence whenever he has free time."

Chen Siyuan vaguely covered it up, and after drinking a cup of tea, he saw Chief Secretary Qin off.

Watching Chief Clerk Qin depart by carriage, Chen Siyuan couldn't help but sneer repeatedly. Jia She had just suffered a great loss, and now Prince Zhongshun was eagerly rushing to take over. Fine, take those distilleries if you want; I'll rip you off!

He was thinking that this matter needed to be expedited, and was about to go to the east courtyard to find Madam Xing to discuss it when Yu Liu chased after him and said, "Master Yuan, Miss Yuanyang is waiting for you at the side gate."

Chen Siyuan nodded in agreement, thinking to himself that it must be because Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang were concerned about why Chief Secretary Qin had come. He then turned around and entered through the side gate next to the ceremonial gate, where he indeed saw Yuanyang guarding the gate.

Chen Siyuan briefly explained Qin Changshi's purpose before bidding farewell to Yuanyang and hurrying towards the east courtyard.

Before long, they entered the three-tiered ceremonial gate and followed Miao'er into the main room. However, they couldn't see their second sister, Yingchun, and only Madam Xing herself was sitting with her feet up, sipping fragrant tea.

After Miao'er left, Chen Siyuan couldn't help but say, "You should at least cover it up a bit. What if someone sees this?"

Madam Xing said smugly, "Can't I have some fun behind closed doors? Fine, fine, I'll cover it up in public, so don't worry about it."

Chen Siyuan was too lazy to say more. He took the tea poured by Madam Xing and hurriedly asked, "Where is Second Sister?"

Madam Xing said, "She went to Yan Hong's room to pay her respects. I think Er Ya is afraid that the master's illness will not get better, so she eagerly went over to check on him." After a pause, she asked, "What is the Chief Secretary of the Prince of Zhongshun doing here?"

After explaining briefly, Chen Siyuan asked, "Do you know exactly how much money the master lost this time?"

Madam Xing said nonchalantly, "He only has so much money anyway. If he loses it all, how could it affect me?"

Chen Siyuan clicked his tongue, knowing that Madam Xing was foolish, but he didn't expect her to be this foolish. After a few moments of thought, he realized she was still his woman, and suppressed his displeasure, offering her advice: "How can it not be your business? Even now, neither the Old Madam nor the Madam have come to see you, which shows they don't want to get involved. If the Master has only lost money, that's fine, but what if there are still debts outside? Who do you think should pay for that?"

Madam Xing blinked, then became nervous and slammed her hand on the table, saying, "Come here, call Yu Fu to the outer study and tell him I have something to ask him."

The girl outside responded crisply and hurried to the front to look for the person.

Madam Xing turned to Chen Siyuan and said, "Yu Fu has always helped the master manage the business. If there's anything, just ask him."

Chen Siyuan nodded, and the two of them got up and went to the outer study together. After a while, they arrived at the outer study and saw a steward of about thirty years old waiting in the outer study with a furrowed brow.

Madam Xing took her seat at the head of the table, with Chen Siyuan sitting beside her. The two then began to ask each other questions.

Yu Fu dared not conceal the truth and replied in detail, "Madam, when Master bought the distillery, he was short of money. Later, he needed to purchase more materials, so... so..."

"So what?"

Yu Fu lowered his head and said, "I borrowed three thousand taels from the money shop, saying that I would definitely pay it back on the fifteenth of next month."

The two exchanged a glance, and Madam Xing gasped. Chen Siyuan then asked, "Take a look and see how much money the medicine workshop and the distilleries would be worth if they were sold?"

Yu Fu, however, seemed to understand the situation perfectly, saying, "If we're not in a hurry, we can always get five thousand taels... If we're in a rush, we can always sell it for three thousand taels."

Madam Xing breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank goodness, at least we can pay off the debts after selling the distillery and workshop."

Chen Siyuan frowned and said, "Don't forget we still have a lawsuit to fight."

Madam Xing immediately looked distressed, gritted her teeth and decided to throw caution to the wind, saying, "The trouble caused by the eldest master, the old lady and madam can't just stand by and do nothing, can they?" Chen Siyuan shook his head and remained silent in front of Yu Fu, thinking to himself that the Rongguo Mansion was already in dire need of funds, not to mention that Madam Wang had no interest in it, even if she did... she probably wouldn't be able to help much.

As for the lawsuit, we still need to hear what Jia Zhen has to say. The two of them sent Yu Fu away and were about to return to the main house to discuss the matter when You Shi arrived in a hurry with Yin Die and others.

Seeing that he couldn't stay any longer, Chen Siyuan simply took his leave.

When Chen Siyuan returned to the Rongguo Mansion, he happened to run into Madam Wang, who was leading Baoyu towards the east courtyard. Chen Siyuan and Madam Wang had long lost their previous tacit understanding, so after exchanging only a few pleasantries, Chen Siyuan bid farewell to Madam Wang.

After a hectic day, it wasn't until nightfall that Ping'er came to the thatched cottage to deliver a message. She said that Jia Zhen had immediately gone to the Zhejiang Guild Hall to confront the merchant, only to discover that the merchant's backer was none other than Prince Zhongshun. The man offered to settle the matter by paying five thousand taels of silver.

Jia Zhen dared not act on his own initiative, so he informed the old lady and sent a message to the east courtyard. He has now returned to Ningguo Mansion.

Chen Siyuan secretly calculated that Jia She had lost everything this time, and would even have to pay out another five thousand taels of silver. The master was known for his greed and despicable behavior, and it was no wonder he was so furious after losing so much money.

Nothing happened that day. The next day, Madam Xing went to Rongqing Hall to plead and beg, but neither Grandmother Jia nor Madam Wang paid any attention to her.

Left with no other choice, Madam Xing immediately sent Miao'er to invite Chen Siyuan over to discuss the matter as soon as she returned to the east courtyard.

After some discussion, Chen Siyuan bluntly said, "In my opinion, those distilleries and workshops should be sold off as soon as possible... Otherwise, once my vegetarian houttuynia cordata starts selling, I'm afraid these two won't fetch a good price."

Madam Xing nodded in agreement, then asked with a troubled expression, "Now that we have hope for the loan, what about the five thousand taels of compensation?"

Chen Siyuan said, "I heard that Sister-in-law Zhen came by this morning? I wonder what message she brought?"

Madam Xing snorted coldly, "What could he possibly say? Zhen'er's words implied that it wasn't worth begging Prince Bei Jing to uphold justice for five thousand taels, meaning that the master should just accept his bad luck." After a pause, Madam Xing said sadly, "I would like to accept it, but I only have a few taels of silver. How could I possibly afford to pay five thousand taels?"

After thinking it over, Chen Siyuan offered a suggestion: "Doesn't the master have some fan paintings hidden away? Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. I think we should take some out and sell them to get through this crisis first."

Madam Xing said with difficulty, "With his illness, I'm afraid he'll become even more unpredictable. If I sell the fan, won't it implicate me in the future?"

Chen Siyuan sneered, "He can't move half of his body right now, and he can't speak either. What are you afraid of?"

Madam Xing blinked, then suddenly became excited, clasping her hands together and saying, "That's it! What if I get so angry again that I lose my temper—"

Startled, Chen Siyuan quickly stepped forward and covered Madam Xing's mouth, saying, "Just sell them in private, but you must never let the master know."

To everyone's surprise, Madam Xing rolled her eyes and said sourly, "That saves me the trouble, it won't interfere with your good time with the second young lady!"

Chen Siyuan was exhausted. He suppressed his anger and comforted Madam Xing, which finally calmed her down.

Madam Xing directly entrusted the sale of the estate and the distillery to Yu Fu, but the fan paintings were difficult to handle. I was going to trouble Chen Siyuan, but then Jia Lian returned from Ping'an Prefecture that afternoon, saving Chen Siyuan the trouble.

In just a few days, the Rongguo Mansion returned to peace.

Chen Siyuan, Yingchun, Jia Lian, and Fengjie went to the east courtyard every day to attend to Jia She's illness. Seeing that Jia She was gradually getting better, the girls naturally had different thoughts.

Chen Siyuan and Yingchun breathed a sigh of relief; however, what Fengjie and Jia Lian were thinking remained unknown.

Yu Fu was the first to handle the external affairs. Several estates, including those for burning pots and making medicine, were sold to the Prince Zhongshun's Mansion for 4,200 taels of silver.

Immediately, Jia Lian searched around and secretly sold more than twenty fan paintings, raising over four thousand taels of silver. Combining the two, he finally managed to settle the affairs outside.

However, Madam Xing turned to Chen Siyuan and muttered to herself, "Lian'er must have done something wicked. More than twenty fans, let alone five thousand taels, could have easily cost six thousand taels, but he only sold them for a little over four thousand taels!"

Chen Siyuan said dismissively, "Then why don't you confront Jia Lian?"

Madam Xing frowned and said, "How can I, a woman confined to the inner quarters, confront him? I'm afraid that before I can even open my mouth, he'll have a thousand and one arguments ready for me. What about the urgency to sell, the inability to get a good price? Aren't those excuses readily available?"

Chen Siyuan smiled but said nothing.

After hesitating for a moment, Madam Xing continued, "Besides, he just presented me with a set of white jade jewelry the other day, which looks worth at least two or three hundred taels."

Chen Siyuan laughed for a while before saying, "You came to see me today just to talk about this?"

Madam Xing looked around before lowering her voice and saying, "Isn't he sick? I'm thinking of going to Fragrant Hills to offer incense in a couple of days and then finding a Taoist priest to hold a ritual to pray for blessings and ward off disaster."

Chen Siyuan instantly understood Madam Xing's thoughts; she had been thinking the same thing. Ever since the birth of her fourth son, Madam Xing had been busy taking care of the child, and the two of them would only meet seven or eight times a year. Now that Jia She had suffered a stroke, she had a perfect excuse to spend a few days with him.

Chen Siyuan smiled and agreed, waiting for Madam Xing to set a date.

After bidding farewell to Madam Xing, Chen Siyuan went to see Jia She again. Seeing that although Jia She's mouth and eyes were crooked and half his body was numb, he could still walk slowly with assistance, Chen Siyuan felt somewhat relieved. He figured the master would live for many more years, and wouldn't delay his marriage to his second sister.

Upon returning to the Rongguo Mansion, Chen Siyuan had just entered through the side gate when he saw Ping'er and Yuanyang coming through the passageway.

The two were whispering to each other when they saw Chen Siyuan and quickly curtsied. Ping'er blushed and said, "Grandma told me to go and fetch the banquet, so I'll take my leave now."

Seeing her leave quickly, Yuanyang hurriedly reminded her, "You must be careful. Now that you're pregnant, you can't act the same way as before."

Ping'er paused, turned back and gave him a reproachful look, then slowed her pace and headed towards the main kitchen.

Only Yuanyang and Chen Siyuan remained in the hallway. Yuanyang, unaware of the reason, smiled and approached, saying, "Master Yuan, you probably don't know yet, do you? Just now, Physician Wang examined Ping'er and found out she is two months pregnant. Second Master Lian and Second Madam are overjoyed and have quickly sent someone to order a feast."

The task was originally assigned to Feng'er, but Ping'er couldn't bear to leave and ended up taking it herself.

Chen Siyuan felt awkward and didn't know how to respond, so he just said, "That's a good thing." Then he changed the subject and said, "Now that you've been relieved of your duties, you seem to have a lot more free time than before?"

Yuanyang said, "I switched jobs with Amber and now I only take care of the old lady's headdresses and jewelry, so I have a lot of free time."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Since you have some free time, you might as well visit Xiaoxiang Pavilion more often."

Yuanyang blushed and lowered her head in agreement, saying, "No need for Master Yuan's instructions, I will go every other day."

Chen Siyuan looked at the blush on the girl's face and suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "The freckles on your face seem to have faded again?"

Yuanyang touched her cheek in surprise and laughed, "Really? I asked the old lady for some rose saltpeter before, but it was completely useless. Later, Miss Lin gave me some advice and I applied some tinea versicolor ointment. This time it worked, and it has been effective in just half a month."

Chen Siyuan was slightly tempted. He lacked nothing now, and was surrounded by beautiful women. Moreover, most of his heart belonged to Baochai, Lin Daiyu, and Xing Xiuyan, so he naturally had less sincerity towards other women.

This is true lacking, but not lacking in methods. Chen Siyuan was still thinking of having Yuanyang help Daiyu in the future, so he quietly grabbed Yuanyang's soft hand, leaned closer and smiled, "I wondered why Sister Yuanyang's fragrance had changed. It turns out she used a tinea versicolor cream. Let me smell it carefully and see what kind of fragrance it is."

Yuanyang was too shy to raise her head. When she could feel Chen Siyuan's breath on her pink face, she let out a soft moan and went limp.

Suddenly, the chattering of several old women came from behind. Startled, Yuanyang quickly stepped back, tidied her disheveled hair, and murmured, "Master Yuan... I... I'll go first."

After saying that, he left in a panic, head down.

Chen Siyuan smiled and then strolled towards the Grand View Garden with his hands behind his back. Upon entering the garden, he suddenly thought of Ping'er again and couldn't help but wonder, now that Fengjie is pregnant, could it be that the two of them are about to bewitch Jia Lian again?

With a wry smile, Chen Siyuan had already strolled past Qinfang Pavilion. But as soon as he turned onto the passageway, he heard a greeting from behind.

Chen Siyuan stopped to look around and saw Baoqin coming quickly to find him. After a while, she came closer and said, "My brother just came back from out of town. He said he would come tomorrow morning." After saying that, she stared at Chen Siyuan with her bright almond-shaped eyes.

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Don't worry, it's a good thing." He paused, then briefly explained the matter of expanding the capital city to the north.

Baoqin was overjoyed upon hearing this, her eyes crinkling with delight as she clasped her hands together and exclaimed, "So this is such a wonderful thing!"

This was not the place to talk. Baoqin's eyes were full of admiration. She thanked him solemnly and then skipped away.

Leaving aside Chen Siyuan's return to Qingtang Thatched Cottage, Ping'er ordered a feast and then gracefully returned to Feng Jie's courtyard.

As the saying goes, money gives heroes courage. Jia Lian went to Ping'an Prefecture and sold a lot of fans on behalf of Madam Xing. Little by little, he saved up more than a thousand taels of silver for his own private savings.

Since Zhang Jinge and Ping'er were both pregnant, they were in high spirits and sat cross-legged on the kang (heated brick bed), pointing to the sky and gesturing to the ground as they talked to Feng Jie about many things outside.

Sister Feng was extremely impatient, but she could only force herself to listen to his rambling. After half an hour, the dishes were served in a continuous stream, and Sister Feng finally perked up.

She forced a smile, personally poured wine for Jia Lian, and said, "Second Master, you've worked hard these past few days. This cup is to toast you."

Jia Lian smiled and agreed, but then paused abruptly as he picked up his wine cup. His face stiffened, and he said, "How about we don't drink today? I don't know why, but I always get drunk every time I drink in my room."

Feng Jie's heart skipped a beat. She thought to herself, "If you don't drink this wine, how will I save face for the child in my womb?" While Feng Jie was still pondering her words, Ping'er laughed and said, "Second Master, you yourself have a poor alcohol tolerance, so why are you complaining about the place? Could it be that the feng shui of this room is wrong?"

Jia Lian laughed heartily, raised an eyebrow, and said, "I can't hold my liquor? Today I'll show you, you little hussy, just how much I can drink." With that, he raised his cup and drank it all in one gulp.

Sister Feng immediately praised, "Second Master is so generous." After saying that, she hurriedly poured him more wine.

With the gentle coaxing of Feng Jie and Ping'er, Jia Lian, feeling lightheaded, unknowingly drank two cups of spiked wine. After a few dishes, Jia Lian indeed became dizzy.

Feng Jie hurriedly called for someone to help him onto the kang (a heated brick bed). After the maid left, Feng Jie gritted her teeth at the drunken Jia Lian, wishing he would suffer a stroke like the master!

(End of this chapter)