Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 403 A Dressing Box Full of Plumes

Chen Siyuan and Yingchun stared at each other for a while as if they were looking at each other's faces. Qingwen, Xiangling, and Hongyu exchanged glances and, seeing that their clothes were disheveled, hurriedly went inside to get dressed.

Chen Siyuan and Yingchun had met before, and after taking their seats, they exchanged pleasantries while several maids were still present. After a while, the maids folded the bedding, dressed themselves neatly, and then, laughing, pushed Xiuju along as they headed to the side room, leaving Chen Siyuan and Yingchun alone to talk.

Now that no one else was around, Yingchun felt embarrassed and dared not look Chen Siyuan in the eye. She then started to chat: "Lin Zhixiao has counted that there are a total of eight young servants who are over twenty-five years old outside, waiting for the master to assign them maids. Madam is currently ill, and the old lady is unwilling to get involved, so this task has fallen to me."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "I do have a maid here who is over twenty years old, but I told you a few days ago that she was already engaged."

"Mmm." Yingchun responded, and as she picked up her cup, she glanced at Chen Siyuan. Seeing his gaze fixed intently on her, she couldn't help but blush again.

No sooner had she put down her cup than a large hand seized her delicate hand and fondled it for a while. Ignoring Yingchun's shyness, Chen Siyuan continued, "I've been wanting to visit Second Sister for the past few days, but the old women and maids at Zhuijin Tower are constantly coming and going. I know Second Sister is a bit naive, so I had to hold back. But it just so happens that Second Sister is here today, and I'm about to take my things back with me."

Yingchun said in a voice barely above a whisper, "You should keep more things for yourself, it's not good to give them all to us."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Why do we have to be so clear about it?" Before Yingchun could reply, he continued, "That thing is rare, after all, it was brought from the Western barbarians thousands of miles away. We tried to sell it as sapphires, but before we could even open a shop, we were exposed. We had no choice but to sell it at a loss. I happened to see it and bought a box of it. Second Sister, take some back with you. Whether you set it in hairpins, rings, or make earrings, it will be very nice."

The second daughter, Yingchun, was intrigued and laughed, "If it can imitate sapphire, its color must look exactly the same as sapphire?"

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "It's hard to say. There are dark colors, but most of them are azure blue."

As she spoke, she let go of Yingchun, got up and went to the bedroom. She returned shortly afterward with a purse. When she sat down, she naturally took the second young lady's hand again and handed her the purse, saying, "Here, second sister, take a look for yourself."

The second girl blushed and agreed. With just one hand, she untied her purse, rummaged through it slightly, and then pinched out a small, azure gem the size of a fingernail.

Yingchun blinked, overjoyed, and said, "This color is quite rare, could it be tourmaline?"

Chen Siyuan shook his head and said, "Those Westerners call it 'Laoshizi Pato Stone,' but I heard that we in Da Shun call it 'Blue Yellow Jade.' There were Japanese merchants selling this before, but the color wasn't very good, so it didn't spread."

Perhaps due to nervousness, the second young lady's palms were sweaty. Yingchun was always teased by Chen Siyuan, and although she was initially uncomfortable, she had now gotten used to it.

Yingchun put the patto stone back into her purse and said thoughtfully, "Lin Daiyu's illness has become quite sudden this time..."

Chen Siyuan immediately frowned and said, "Judging from the symptoms, it is just a common cold, but it has dragged on for seven or eight days without getting better. I think that it may be because I took too good care of myself before and did not get sick for a year or two. This time, I caught a cold and it is so severe."

Yingchun asked in surprise, "Is there such a saying?" The second young lady thought about it carefully and it seemed to make sense.

But that wasn't what she wanted to say. Before Chen Siyuan could speak, she lowered her voice and said, "Yesterday, Physician Wang happened to have something to do at home and took leave; Physician Bao went to the East Mansion to treat Wengge'er, so Madam sent Physician Hu to examine Lin Meimei."

"Oh?" Chen Siyuan's expression changed drastically.

Yingchun pondered for a moment and said, "It just so happened that Yuanyang was there at that time. Doctor Hu wrote a prescription, and Xueyan was in a hurry to get the medicine, but Yuanyang stopped her. Yuanyang took the prescription and wanted to find someone to discuss it, and she ran into me... I saw that the prescription was really a dangerous one, so... Later, Yuanyang went to find the old lady, and the old lady got angry and said that she would have Doctor Wang examine Lin Daiyu again the next day."

Chen Siyuan's worst fears have come true. He wondered what Madam Wang was thinking, that she had to make a move against Daiyu at this particular time.

Chen Siyuan pondered for a long time, but still couldn't figure out what Madam Wang was thinking. He was too lazy to guess the thoughts of such a foolish woman in the inner quarters, and he made up his mind that Lin Daiyu could not stay in the Jia family no matter what.

Seeing Chen Siyuan's face turn ashen and look extremely unpleasant, Yingchun quickly comforted him, "You don't need to worry too much. Maybe the imperial physicians just couldn't find a suitable one, so they sent Physician Hu to take a look. The old lady was furious at the time, and Madam kept complaining, saying that Physician Wang couldn't cure her, so she thought that changing to another imperial physician might be able to cure Lin Daiyu."

Chen Siyuan sneered and said solemnly, "Thank you very much, Second Sister."

Yingchun shook her head and said, "What are you talking about? You're so close to Lin Daiyu, does that mean I'm distant from her?" She paused, then frowned and said, "I just hope that Madam was only momentarily careless, if not..."

If Daiyu hadn't actually met with an accident, wouldn't Jia Yucun have hated the Jia family to death? He now holds a high position of power and influence; he might very well fill a vacancy in the Grand Secretariat. Even as a Grand Secretary ranked last, he's not someone the Jia family can afford to offend.

Fearing that Chen Siyuan might misunderstand, Yingchun quickly changed the subject, saying, "There's something else... Brother Yuan, do you know... Xia Jingui gave birth to a girl?"

It's been almost three months, and Chen Siyuan had already heard about it from Xiren. He nodded and said, "I have heard about it. What? Has the Xia family said something again?"

Yingchun whispered, "The day before yesterday, Madam Xia came by and kept urging Xia Jingui to marry into the family as soon as possible. Madam couldn't make up her mind, so she had to ask the old lady, but the old lady rejected the idea with a single sentence—if Xia Jingui marries into the family, how will Baoyu choose a wife in the future?"
After much deliberation, the wife realized that Bao-jung wouldn't be young anymore after the New Year, so she began arranging for him to meet a suitable girl.

Chen Siyuan sneered. With Baoyu's reputation now, what good family girl would be willing to marry him?

Yingchun couldn't stay long. After a while, seeing that it was getting late, she got up to take her leave. Chen Siyuan escorted her out of the courtyard, and on his way back, he planned to go and take a look at Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

At this moment, the door to the side room opened, and Hongyu ran out as if she had gone mad, followed by a huffing Qingwen.

"You little hussy, you'll be lucky if you don't come back, otherwise I would definitely give you a good scolding!"

Xiangling also chased after them, tugging at Qingwen twice, and the two of them, along with Wu'er, returned to the main room. Upon entering, they saw Chen Siyuan's furrowed brows. Xiangling tugged at Qingwen again, and Qingwen finally breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that this was not the time to complain.

After drinking a cup of tea, Chen Siyuan instructed his maid to help him change his clothes. Wu'er helped him change and carefully wrapped a silver fox fur coat around his neck before watching him stride away.

As soon as he left, Qingwen sat down on the bed with her legs turned to the side, and said angrily, "Sister Xiangling can stand it, but I can't. No matter what, I will find the master to settle things with when I have time."

Chen Siyuan was delighted to sleep with Hongyu, but usually they took turns, one after another. However, yesterday Chen Siyuan had been drinking, and Hongyu had a day off, so once his mood was set in motion, he couldn't control himself.

During the night, Qingwen was completely lost in the moment. When she woke up, she felt ashamed and began to entangle herself with Hongyu.

Xiangling thought for a moment, then sat down next to Qingwen and said, "You are still a child at heart, far less clear-headed than Hongyu."

Qingwen was taken aback and said, "Why are you suddenly saying I have a childish temper?"

Xiangling then said, "The pleasures of the bedroom and the love between men and women are commonplace. You think I'm being absurd, but in reality, those nobles are far more absurd than I am!"

Xiangling paused, then muttered in a low voice for a while, mentioning things like "beauty bowl," "beauty paper," and "leather cup," which startled Qingwen, making her blush even more.

After Qingwen had digested the new words, Xiangling said, "You will be a concubine in the future, not the mistress, so why are you so reluctant to lose face?"

One sentence left Qingwen stunned. The saying goes, "Marry a virtuous wife, take a beautiful concubine." Concubines are meant to please men with their looks, so they should do whatever it takes to please their master.

Xiangling's words made perfect sense, but Qingwen was still reluctant to accept them.

Xiangling knew that Qingwen was proud and arrogant, so she poked her forehead with her finger and said with a smile, "You should think about it carefully. Even someone as capable as Hongyu knows her own status, but you have always acted like a young lady. It's fine when you are young and still beautiful, but when your beauty fades, even if the master is kind, he will inevitably feel disgusted."

After Xiangling finished speaking, she went outside to gather the teacups. Qingwen sat blankly on the bed with her head tilted to the side, pondering for a long time. Suddenly, she frowned, spat, and muttered, "Tch! I don't want to be that kind of seductive, bewitching concubine!"

She was skilled in needlework, and could sell a single kang screen for eight hundred taels of silver. Moreover, she and the master were deeply in love. How could she be compared to ordinary concubines?

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

Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

Granny Wang came out to empty the dregs of the medicine, but before she could, she saw Chen Siyuan walking in quickly. Granny Wang was an old woman from the Lin family, with no relatives or friends in the Rongguo Mansion. She had been ostracized for many years, so she was bound to panic in times of trouble. Upon seeing Chen Siyuan, she couldn't help but tear up and stepped forward, sobbing, "Brother Yuan!"

Chen Siyuan quickly reassured her, "Don't panic, Granny. How is Lin Daiyu now?"

Granny Wang sniffed and said, "We just used the medicine, but it's not getting better. Right now, Miss Bao is talking to her."

Chen Siyuan didn't say much, only saying, "I'll take care of everything, so please don't worry, Granny."

Granny Wang nodded repeatedly and said, "Young master, go and take a look. I'll go and get rid of the medicine dregs first."

Chen Siyuan agreed and headed towards the main room. Zijuan had already spotted him and opened the door and lifted the curtain from afar, announcing inside, "Master Yuan has arrived."

As Chen Siyuan entered, he merely nodded to Zijuan before walking past her and quickly entering the bedroom. At that moment, Baochai was sitting on the edge of the bed, while Daiyu was leaning against it, the two girls chatting intimately.

Upon seeing Chen Siyuan rushing over, Baochai smiled and said, "Look, he comes as soon as you're in trouble. What are you worried about?"

At this moment, Daiyu was sickly and looked extremely haggard. Only when she looked at Chen Siyuan did her eyes, which seemed to be weeping, regain a little light.

Xueyan, with remarkable foresight, brought over an embroidered stool. Chen Siyuan lifted his robe and sat down, smiling as he asked, "How are you feeling today, sister?"

Daiyu pouted and said, "I have such a sickly body. I thought I was cured, but who knew that this illness would not get better."

Baochai immediately retorted, "Pah, pah, pah! Where are you not better? First of all, your fever hasn't stopped these past few days, and your cough has lessened." Chen Siyuan also chuckled and teased her a couple of times, then hesitated for a moment before about to speak, when he saw Baochai suddenly wink at him. Knowing that Baochai was always considerate and wouldn't do anything pointless, Chen Siyuan had no choice but to suppress his anger and chat with Daiyu for a while about novel and interesting things.

After a long while, perhaps the medicine was taking effect, Daiyu covered her mouth and yawned. Baochai took the opportunity to get up and said, "Rong'er is sleepy. You should go to sleep first. I will come back when you wake up."

Daiyu hummed and hawed in agreement, and only after a long, coquettish tug at Daiyu's sleeve did she finally give up.

After Baochai left, Chen Siyuan didn't want to linger, so he also got up to take his leave. After the two left Xiaoxiang Pavilion, without Chen Siyuan asking, Baochai said, "Let's not mention that matter again. You know that Lin Daiyu is a sensitive person. She hasn't been able to eat or sleep these past two days, and she's cried herself to sleep under the covers countless times."

Chen Siyuan frowned and said, "What's wrong with you all, Madam? What's the matter with this all of a sudden?"

Sister Bao hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "It was Brother Bao who caused this trouble!"

The two walked slowly side by side, and Baochai told her story in a gentle and detailed manner, but Chen Siyuan frowned deeply as he listened.

Because of Madam Xia's pressure to get married, Madam Wang decided to find a suitable match for Baoyu. Tanxin, Madam Wang's head maid, teased Baoyu a few times. Unexpectedly, Baoyu became preoccupied and sat blankly in his study, his eyes vacant, and he did not respond to anyone who called him.

Seeing this, Xiren was about to go find Lady Wang, but Mushe and the others, fearing punishment from Lady Wang, stopped Xiren on one hand and tried different ways to call for Baoyu on the other.

One said the Wang family had sent many gifts; another said Miss Xia had arrived; yet another said the master had returned… Baoyu blinked, still unmoved; until one of the maids mentioned Miss Lin, Baoyu suddenly snapped out of his daze and rushed to the Grand View Garden as if he had gone mad.

If it weren't for Xiren and Sheyue's desperate attempts to stop him, Baoyu would probably have barged into Xiaoxiang Pavilion again.

Such a matter could not be kept from Lady Wang. To her face, Lady Wang only scolded Baoyu a few times and said nothing else. Unexpectedly, Lady Wang sent Physician Hu to examine Daiyu.

Chen Siyuan was amused and said, "Baoyu had his own thoughts, what does it have to do with Lin Daiyu?"

Baochai sighed, feeling a lingering fear in her heart.

Fortunately, she fought desperately that day and managed to reject that damned "golden and jade marriage." Otherwise, if she had married someone like Baoyu, and if anything went wrong with him, Lady Wang would probably have torn her apart!
Who could compare to the man I've chosen? He's diligent, ambitious, handsome, and capable, and I'll cherish and care for him. Even if he's a bit lustful, he's still far better than that immature, irresponsible boy, Baoyu!
These thoughts flashed through Baochai's mind for only a moment before she whispered, "Master is away serving as an official, and Madam has the support of the Empress and the Wang family. Now even the Old Madam can't control her. I think it's not good for Lin Daiyu to stay in the Jia family any longer."

Chen Siyuan nodded and said, "That's what I was thinking too. I happen to be going to Xinglong Street tomorrow, so I might as well find the Grand Marshal and discuss it with him."

He was nothing but a swindler who lived for today and had no tomorrow. He was willing to give up anything to marry Daiyu. Now that the marriage is irreversible, it would be fine if the Jia family treated Daiyu well, but Lady Wang has come up with such a wicked idea. Chen Siyuan isn't made of clay; how could he let this go?

Baochai had always trusted Chen Siyuan, and seeing that although he didn't look well, he seemed confident, so she didn't ask any further questions. The two of them wandered around until they reached the back of Hengwu Garden, where Baochai stopped and asked, "Oh, right, Brother Bao, you've become a father, did you know about that?"

Chen Siyuan nodded with a smile, but felt rather strange... because he had just received a letter from Jinling a few days ago, saying that Aunt Xue had also given birth to a daughter, one after the other, just like Xia Jingui.

Although Aunt Xue was pleased in the letter, she also expressed a lot of resentment. Women could not inherit the family line, and in the future, they would have to rely on Baochai to give birth to a boy to inherit the Xue family's main branch.

Putting that aside, in front of Baochai, the thought of that child calling him "father" and asking Baochai to call him "sister" made Chen Siyuan feel uneasy.

Luckily, he was thick-skinned and didn't reveal his true intentions. Little did he know, Baochai also noticed his strange expression, but assumed he was secretly criticizing Baoyu, so she didn't investigate further.

After bidding farewell to Baochai, Chen Siyuan shook his head, putting aside his troubled thoughts. His immediate priority was to see Jia Yucun the next day. He quickly turned back, found Qingwen, and counted the gifts he had brought, without going into further detail.

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

Furen Yude Hall.

After finishing her duties, Yingchun leaned on the table, resting her chin on her hand, lost in thought. The first month of the lunar calendar was approaching, followed by the grand examination in March and the examination for probationary officials in April. Regardless of the outcome of the grand examination, once the mourning period for the Dowager Empress was over, her marriage to Chen Siyuan would need to be discussed further.

Some time ago, the old lady had spread the word that she had secretly chosen auspicious dates, and that the 8th, 16th, and 28th of June were all good days.

With the wedding date fast approaching, and it being the one she had been eagerly anticipating, and having just been teased by Chen Siyuan, Yingchun was now lost in thought during her free time.

Xiu Ju, who was in the hall, saw this and quickly turned to look at Hong Yu, gesturing with her lips. Hong Yu covered her mouth and laughed with her. Before the laughter had faded, Feng'er suddenly entered with a smile.

Upon entering the hall, he curtsied and said, "Second Miss, our mistress said that if you have time, please come to my room. She has something to discuss with you."

Yingchun already knew that her dowry was arranged by Sister Feng, and seeing Feng'er's teasing expression, her pretty face immediately flushed red. She responded softly, got up, and led two maids, swaying shyly towards Sister Feng's courtyard.

Upon entering the room, they saw Sister Feng sitting on the headboard, while Ping'er, with her protruding belly, sat on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed). The two, mistress and servant, were calculating accounts.

Upon seeing Yingchun, Fengjie greeted her with a smile, "Second Sister, come quickly. I'm not feeling well right now, so I won't stand on ceremony with you. Feng'er, brew a cup of Lu'an tea."

Yingchun responded gently, sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and glanced at the kang table. Sure enough, there was a dowry list on it, and her face turned even redder.

Sister Feng laughed and teased, "Look at you, already embarrassed now. You'll probably be even more ashamed to face people after you get married."

"Sister Feng!" Yingchun scolded playfully, but then didn't know what else to say.

Feng Jie and Ping'er laughed for a while, then Feng Jie suddenly cried out and clutched her lower abdomen, startling Ying Chun, whose face immediately changed color.

Sister Feng cried out a few times, then waved her hand and said, "The little thing kicked me, it's alright."

After Yingchun breathed a sigh of relief, Fengjie said with a smile, "Second sister, you know that the old lady entrusted me with the preparation of your dowry. Second sister, you are now in charge of the household, so you must know the situation at home. The old lady gave 10,000 taels of her own money to prepare the dowry for you. I put in a lot of effort, and with the additions from the East Mansion, my sister-in-law, the eldest wife, and the madam, the total dowry is 108 loads."

Grandma Shan looked at it and said it was unfair to her second sister.

Yingchun smiled and shook her head, saying, "How could I be wronged? I heard that even the Wang family's daughter only had ninety-six loads of dowry. In fact, I have a bit more than the Wang family's daughter."

Sister Feng smiled but said nothing.

At this time, when a daughter was married, the dowry was often counted in loads. Ordinary people would have eight or sixteen loads, mostly containing chests, quilts, clothes, and other items; middle-class families would usually have thirty-two loads; as for wealthy families, it was hard to say.

Once, a salt merchant from Yangzhou married off his daughter. The total number of loads was more than 300, and the silver in the dowry alone amounted to 80,000 taels.

The Jia family is now just an empty shell. If it weren't for the old lady's personal donation, she probably wouldn't have been able to scrape together this dowry of ten thousand taels.

Therefore, although the Wang family only had ninety-six loads, their actual value was probably several times that of Yingchun's dowry.

Feng Jie didn't want to say much, so she quickly found the dowry list and told Ying Chun about it.

The first category was jewelry; Grandmother Jia had borrowed one hundred taels of gold, saying she would find a silversmith to make some new designs. The second category was fabrics: eight bolts each of various types of satin, including colored satin, floral satin, Japanese satin, Sichuan brocade, Huzhou silk, Hangzhou silk, soft gauze, pomegranate silk, and cicada-wing gauze. There were also six sets of crimson satin quilts with dragon and phoenix motifs symbolizing prosperity and generations to come. Numerous fox, rat, and sable furs were also included. Countless lined garments, undershirts, shoes, and socks of various colors were also present.
The third category is home furnishings, all made of rosewood, and this category alone accounts for more than sixty loads.

The fourth category is antiques and calligraphy and paintings. Yingchun took a look and saw that most of them were works by famous artists of the current and previous dynasties, which were quite presentable.

Finally, there were daily necessities, farmland, and shops, including countless small buckets, "descendant buckets," rouge, and hair oil, as well as two estates and four shops. The treasury held two thousand taels of silver.

Sister Feng pointed out, "The First Madam gifted us a manor of over 300 mu, as well as eight shops in the outer city."

The second young lady was overjoyed and thanked Sister Feng repeatedly. After the two sisters-in-law chatted for a while, the second young lady happily took her leave.

As soon as she left, Ping'er held her lower abdomen and asked, "Madam has changed her ways. The shop is one thing, but this estate alone is worth a lot of money."

Sister Feng scoffed and said, "What do you know? That estate is in Daxing, and it does indeed cover more than 300 acres, but it's all sandy land. In a good year, you can grow a crop of watermelons, but in a bad year, you can't grow anything. Back then, the Xing family was afraid of being poor, so they specially arranged this estate for the eldest madam."

Ping'er clicked her tongue in amazement. In the vicinity of the capital, an acre of irrigated land usually costs eight taels of silver, and dry land costs five taels. As for mudflats and sandy land, even two taels of silver would be too much. The First Madam is really being generous without spending any money.

Feng Jie glanced out the glass window and, seeing that Ying Chun had disappeared, turned to Ping'er and said, "Continue."

Ping'er said, "The maid downstairs said she saw Master Yuan rushing to Xiaoxiang Pavilion, and then walking with Miss Bao to Hengwu Garden before returning to Qingtang Thatched Cottage."

Sister Feng sneered, "Brother Yuan is not a man of good temper. You just wait and see, Madam has probably kicked a hornet's nest this time!"

After discovering she was pregnant, Sister Feng could no longer pester Chen Siyuan. Initially, she had ulterior motives, but after the pregnancy, she couldn't let go of the feelings. So, once the three months were over, she would often seek out Chen Siyuan and say jealous things.

Knowing that she was pregnant, Chen Siyuan felt he couldn't afford to offend her, so he either avoided her or ignored her, but he always delivered the cordyceps on time every month. Recently, Feng Jie'er's mood had improved, and with Madam Wang acting foolishly, Feng Jie'er naturally hoped that Chen Siyuan would teach Madam Wang a lesson.

(End of this chapter)