Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 422

A mere contract could be used to offset the Lin family's assets of over ten thousand taels of silver. How could Chen Siyuan not know the Rongguo Mansion's cunning scheme?
It's likely that everyone from Grandmother Jia to Sister Feng was convinced that with Yuan Chun inside and the Wang family outside, the Jia family wouldn't immediately fall into ruin, and could at least survive until Bao Yu's generation. Little did they know that Yuan Chun had already foretold her fate: Prince Teng would be discarded like a dog after the rabbit is killed, and the Jia family had no one to hold the reins. As a result, all the beauties scattered, leaving behind a desolate and utterly empty place.

Chen Siyuan pondered to himself, wondering if the Emperor's dislike for Jia She would lessen after his death... Regardless, if the Jia family was safe, it would be enough to preserve Chen Siyuan's friendship with the beauties in the garden; if the situation was beyond his control, given Chen Siyuan's current abilities, protecting a few women would be quite normal.

As for this document, it seems like a pie in the sky now, but who knows if it will come true in the future?
Smiling, he accepted the contract, intending to hand it over to Lin Daiyu for safekeeping once she married into the family. Chen Siyuan strolled to the side garden to find Qingwen and the others to talk to, only to bump into Luan'er running out of the moon gate, wailing loudly.

Chen Siyuan had been working tirelessly all night, so his reaction was inevitably a bit slow. He was hit in the lower abdomen by Luan'er. He frowned and gasped for breath, only to see Luan'er stumble back two steps, where she was caught by Qingwen who had caught up with her.

As Luan'er grew older, she knew that Chen Siyuan was the most easy to talk to, so she disregarded the fact that this man always took her sister away at night and immediately begged for mercy, "Master, save me!"

Qingwen was furious. She grabbed Luan'er by the neck and scolded her, "You just keep begging. I want to see who dares to say a good word for you today!"

Chen Siyuan chuckled and said, "What's wrong now?"

Qingwen, her face frosty, said, "This girl is getting more and more outrageous. I don't know where she found a big toad, stuffed pepper into its mouth, tied its mouth shut, and threw it into Granny Qu's room. Granny Qu was so frightened that she couldn't sleep well for two or three days!"

"Huh?" Chen Siyuan couldn't help but burst into laughter. He knew this dirty trick inside and out. This move would make the giant toad cough like a human at night, which was absolutely terrifying! Granny Qu was getting old and increasingly believed in gods and ghosts. Wouldn't she be scared half to death if she heard someone coughing at night?
"They deserve a beating!"

As soon as Chen Siyuan finished speaking, Qingwen reached out and slapped Luan'er's little bottom hard a few times, making Luan'er cry and howl, but not a single tear was shed.

Taking advantage of Qingwen's momentary lapse in attention, Luan'er shrank back and ran away, shouting as she ran, "Sister and Master are both bad people!"

Qingwen was about to give chase again, but Chen Siyuan stopped her. Qingwen gritted her teeth and said, "She's getting more and more unruly. What will become of her in the future?"

Chen Siyuan pondered, "The new house in Faxiangfang has more than a dozen maids. I'll hire a tutor to teach them properly."

Qingwen sighed, but she was not optimistic. Just as she was about to say something, Yunxiang came quickly and said, "Master, Manager Zhang from the workshop outside the city sent someone to say that the workshop's accounts have not been checked for more than two months, and asked when you will have time to check them."

The workshop outside the city? Oh, it's the latex workshop that Lin Daiyu and Feng Jie jointly ran. Chen Siyuan thought about it and realized it made sense. Feng Jie was six months pregnant and dared not move around freely; Daiyu was still unmarried and couldn't leave home either. Wouldn't this cause delays in the accounting?
After a moment's thought, Chen Siyuan said, "Report it back for me. Tell them I'll go there when I have some free time in the next few days."

Yunxiang agreed with a stiff face, then turned and walked away quickly.

Qingwen found it amusing and whispered to Chen Siyuan, "Master, have you noticed that Yunxiang seems to have been impersonating someone else all along?"

Chen Siyuan pondered for a moment, then tentatively asked, "You mean your second sister-in-law?"

Qingwen clasped her hands together and laughed, "Isn't that right? If you don't believe me, sir, just keep an eye on her and see if Yunxiang usually looks at people with a sidelong glance and always snorts coldly before she speaks."

Chen Siyuan thought for a moment and then laughed. Yunxiang was, after all, younger than him, and even with her seniority, the maids and old women probably still regarded her as a naive young girl. So this girl simply put on airs and tried to intimidate people by imitating the most formidable girl in the Grand View Garden, Sister Feng. Little did she know that this attempt to imitate a tiger had backfired, and instead of increasing her prestige, it only created more laughable situations.

Then Xiangling and Wu'er came looking for him, followed by You Erjie and You Sanjie. Chen Siyuan chatted and laughed with the beauties as they strolled through the garden, some adorning themselves with flowers, others playing chess or cards. That night, he sought out You Erjie and You Sanjie alone for a tender and intimate moment.

Yu Sanjie didn't think anything of it and just tried her best to pester him; Yu Erjie tried to test him several times, but Chen Siyuan always brushed it off with a casual remark and didn't take it seriously.

On May 16th, Sister You Er sought out Sister You San early in the morning and said, "Now that Master has moved away, the house is empty. I think we should move there and stay for a few days?"

Third Sister You sneered and remained silent. She thought to herself, "How can a perfectly good house be left unoccupied by the illegitimate son before the main wife has even moved in? Even if the Second Miss is easy to talk to, I'm afraid Chen Siyuan won't agree."

Sister You was rebuffed and felt embarrassed, so she had no choice but to suppress her thoughts for the time being.

Outside, maids bustled about, carrying out more than a dozen trunks in succession. Qingwen, Xiangling, Wu'er, and others slung their personal belongings into small bundles, and six carriages were parked outside the gate.

Third Sister You, Second Sister You, and Siqi all came to the ceremonial gate to see him off. One looked tender and affectionate, while another was filled with sorrow, their reluctance to part evident. Miaoyu didn't come to see him off, but Chen Siyuan didn't mind. This woman was always two-faced; in public, she always maintained a detached and aloof demeanor, but behind his back, the more Chen Siyuan tormented her, the happier she seemed—it was truly strange.

Chen Siyuan then took one hand and touched the other's face, smiling as he said goodbye, "It's just moving over. I'll tidy up tomorrow and come back the day after. Why are you acting like such little girls?"

Upon hearing this, the You sisters and Siqi turned their anger into joy, and then urged Chen Siyuan to get into the carriage.

Without further ado, we soon arrived at the new residence in Faxiangfang, where the steward and all the servants were already waiting to greet us at the ceremonial gate.

The mansion, with its three courtyards, four entrances, and a rear garden, now houses only a dozen or so maids and servants. Outside the second gate, there are another dozen or so servants, grooms, and guards. Compared to the extravagance of the Rongguo Mansion, it is worlds apart.

Chen Siyuan and his entourage disembarked from their carriage at the ceremonial gate, where they were greeted by a multitude of servants. Qingwen glanced at them and was quite surprised. After entering the ceremonial gate with Xiangling, she said to Xiangling, "How strange! I thought only the servants born into the Rongguo Mansion were so strict, but I didn't expect that these hired servants from outside would be just as disciplined."

Xiangling smiled and said, "Most of these hired servants are also servants born into the household in various mansions."

The capital city was teeming with powerful and influential figures. Not to mention the Four Kings and Eight Dukes, there were also many members of the Li family clan. With the population increasing over the years, those who pleased their masters naturally got jobs; those who displeased their masters could only find odd jobs outside to make a living.

Therefore, when I heard that a government office had been established here, every day my family would have a broker leading a maid to ask for jobs, and stewards from various government offices would bring letters of recommendation from their masters to apply for jobs.

Chen Siyuan and You Sanjie carefully selected honest and dutiful servants and maids, and also chose a steward from the princess's mansion, instructing him to temporarily manage the mansion.

As for the selection of the steward, the three women will make their own selection after they marry into the family.

This house has three sections and four courtyards, with the third courtyard reserved for the wives of the various households. With the wedding date approaching, Chen Siyuan couldn't easily move into the third courtyard. Therefore, he simply chose to temporarily reside in the main house of the second courtyard in the middle section. After some discussion, Qingwen, Xiangling, and Wu'er decided to live separately in three side rooms of the second courtyard to avoid incurring Yingchun's displeasure.

After settling in a bit, Xiangling, Qingwen, and the others chattered excitedly as they strolled hand in hand into the back garden. Chen Siyuan was exceptionally relaxed, sleeping soundly for two nights in a row. On the third day, he felt refreshed and had finally recovered.

Remembering that the workshop's accounts had not yet been sorted out, he drove out of the city early that morning.

To their surprise, when they arrived at the workshop, they saw a blue horse-drawn carriage parked inside, and the driver was a familiar face.

Chen Siyuan was very surprised and went up to ask. The driver smiled and said, "Master Yuan, I was instructed by the Second Mistress to bring Miss Yuanyang here to settle the accounts."

"Have the mandarin ducks arrived?"

The driver replied, "Yes, I arrived only half an hour earlier than Master Yuan."

Chen Siyuan smiled and bid farewell to the coachman, then met with the manager who came to greet him, and strode quickly to the accounting office. He lifted the bamboo curtain and immediately saw Yuanyang sitting properly behind the table, using an abacus in one hand and a hairpin pen in the other to write and calculate.

Hearing the commotion, Yuanyang looked up blankly and saw that it was Chen Siyuan. She was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly stood up with a smile: "Uncle Yuan!"

Chen Siyuan smiled and nodded, then strolled closer, glanced at the table, and said, "Why were you sent here?"

Yuanyang said, "Second Madam is not in a position to do manual labor, and Miss is not in a position to go out. After all, we can only send me to do the accounting."

As they spoke, they hurriedly brought a chair for Chen Siyuan. Chen Siyuan lifted his robe and sat down, smiling as he said, "In that case, let's settle the accounts as soon as possible so we can go back earlier."

"Mmm." Yuanyang responded sweetly, and after sitting down, she glanced at Chen Siyuan beside her before smiling and starting to work on the abacus again.

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Rongguo Mansion.

The heat was unbearable, and Sister Feng was afraid of chilling her unborn child, but she couldn't use ice, so she had two maids take turns fanning her. Just as she was feeling drowsy and sleepy, Feng'er came and said, "Grandma, the Second Miss is here."

Feng Jie forced herself to cheer up and said with a smile, "Second Sister, you're not busy embroidering your wedding dress, what brings you here now?"

As they were talking, Yingchun led Xiuju inside. Fengjie's words naturally reached her ears, and Yingchun smiled and said, "I was just about to ask Sister Feng for a pattern, because I just can't seem to embroider my shoes properly."

Sister Feng smiled and invited her to sit down at the kang table, saying with a smile, "A proper young lady only needs to know some needlework. These days, who embroiders their own wedding dress? Look, wedding shops are opening one after another. Poor families can't bear to let their daughters work, so they simply spend the money to buy a set. We, a high-class family, have our own needleworkers at home. Just tell them what style they can't embroider?"

Yingchun smiled and said, "I can't really help with the quilts, mattresses, and wedding dress, but I'll always embroider small items like shoe uppers and handkerchiefs."

Sister Feng chuckled and said, "Just do a couple of embroiderings to look like it's nothing, aren't you afraid of hurting your eyes?"

Despite saying that, Sister Feng still instructed Feng'er to fetch the shoe uppers and gave Yingchun a few pointers.

The two sisters-in-law were chatting animatedly when someone else arrived. Feng'er lifted the beaded curtain and said, "The First Madam is here!"

Upon hearing this, the two sisters-in-law quickly got up. The second young lady came out to greet them, while Sister Feng, who was not good at working, also slipped on her shoes and put them on the ground.

After a short while, the second young lady welcomed Madam Xing inside. As soon as Madam Xing entered, she smiled and said, "My child, so you're with Feng'er. This saves me a lot of trouble."

After exchanging greetings, Sister Feng hurriedly invited Madam Xing to sit down. Madam Xing then proceeded to ask Sister Feng a long, drawn-out question, mainly about any dietary restrictions or inconveniences she might be experiencing.

Sister Feng answered each question in turn, and said with a smile, "Madam, please rest assured. The old lady is worried that there might be something wrong with my pregnancy, so she specially hired two experienced caregivers to take care of me."

Madam Xing smiled and nodded, then turned to Yingchun and said, "You haven't finished your job yet."

Yingchun pursed her lips and did not answer. Madam Xing frowned and said to Fengjie, "The second branch of the family is too demanding. The young lady is about to get married, and they still treat her like a beast of burden. Where in the world is there any reason for this?"

Sister Feng smiled and said, "I heard that Madam has not been feeling well lately. Perhaps that's why you've been delayed?"

Madam Xing gave a cold laugh and said nothing. She simply grabbed Yingchun and left, saying, "Come on, I'll take you to talk to the second branch of the family."

Yingchun reluctantly followed Madam Xing to Madam Wang's courtyard. Fengjie got up and saw them off for a couple of steps. Seeing the two leave the courtyard, she immediately snorted and sneered.

Her good aunt is fine for making decisions on the big picture, but if she were to manage every little detail of the household affairs, the house would probably be in chaos in no time. She had previously complained that the third daughter, Tan Chun, was not obedient, and had gone to great lengths to invite the second daughter to manage the household. Now that the second daughter is gone, let's see what kind of person her good aunt can choose.

After thinking it over for a while, Sister Feng called over her maid Feng'er and whispered a few words to her. Feng'er then went to Lady Wang's courtyard to keep watch.

After quite some time, Feng'er came back excitedly and found Feng Jie'er, saying, "Grandma, the First Madam and the Second Miss went to the Madam's courtyard for a cup of tea and then returned. I saw that the First Madam was very arrogant, so I guess she must have handed over the errand."

A short while later, Tanxin went to the back to fetch the eldest mistress. "It's been two cups of tea already, and the eldest mistress still hasn't come out."

Feng Jie nodded slightly, dismissed Feng'er, and then covered her mouth and chuckled. Years ago, she had used the excuse that Li Wan was a widow and unemployed, and shouldn't show her face in public, which was why the household management duties had been handed over to Feng Jie. Now that the second young lady was about to get married, and had a falling out with the third young lady, Madam Wang had no choice but to swallow her pride and painstakingly invite Li Wan out again.

There's really nothing to say about her.

Just as Sister Feng was mocking her, Li Wan frowned and came out of Madam Wang's courtyard.

Lady Wang pleaded with Li Wan in every way possible, but seeing that Li Wan was clearly reluctant, she insisted on giving her the key to the token. Li Wan appeared worried, but inwardly she was overjoyed.

She was not a young lady like the Second Miss who was still unmarried. This time, in addition to managing the household affairs, she also had to take charge of the estates and shops outside.

As a result, she naturally had to show her face in public. Li Wan had previously thought that she would never see Chen Siyuan again, but unexpectedly, this perfect excuse was delivered to her doorstep.

Having this job, I don't need to be there all the time; sneaking off for a secret rendezvous every now and then is always fine.

Seeing that Li Wan remained silent, Su Yun and Bi Yue were completely unaware of her secret joy. They assumed that Li Wan was in a difficult position, so they kept quiet and followed Li Wan as she made her way to the Grand View Garden.

But as soon as they turned onto the alley, they bumped into Yuanyang, who was turning back from outside. From afar, they could see her light steps and smiling face, and they caught a glimpse of Li Wan hurriedly curtsying.

Li Wan then asked, "You seem so happy, is there something good happening?"

Feeling guilty, Yuanyang didn't dare to meet Li Wan's gaze. She simply smiled and said, "After checking the accounts, our young lady will receive quite a bit of silver in just these two months. If I report this to her, she might even increase my monthly allowance. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

In fact, Yuanyang was in the same car with Chen Siyuan on the way back. Although they only talked for a while, Chen Siyuan pulled her hand and stuffed a string of colorful glass beads into her hand when they parted. Yuanyang was naturally overjoyed.

Suyun and Biyue were both astonished and hurriedly asked Daiyu how much silver she would receive. But Yuanyang only said "quite a lot" and refused to give a specific amount.

Li Wan praised it twice, then suddenly noticed the colorful glass bracelet on Yuanyang's hand and asked with a smile, "Where did you buy this? It looks really lovely."

Yuanyang panicked and quickly lied, "Yes, it was a gift from Miss." Her heart pounded, and she was filled with regret, fearing that Li Wan would ask Daiyu.

Li Wan asked casually, and then she and Yuanyang entered the garden together. After crossing the Cuiyan Bridge, they parted ways.

Yuanyang entered Xiaoxiang Pavilion and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Upon entering, she saw Daiyu had just gotten up from her nap and immediately rushed over with a smile, saying, "Miss, Miss, Master Yuan also went today."

Daiyu's heart skipped a beat. She glanced at Yuanyang and then noticed the colorful glass bracelet on her fair wrist. She said with a smile, "Did you get a reward? Don't hide it. It's so bright and dazzling. If you really wanted to hide it, you should have put it in your purse."

Yuanyang blushed and couldn't speak for a moment. Seeing this, Daiyu giggled and covered her mouth to laugh.

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

Time flies, and May passed quickly; it was already the fifth day of the sixth lunar month. During this time, Madam Xing did manage to come over under the pretext of measuring the house, but unfortunately, there were servants watching inside and out, so Madam Xing had no time to sneak a bite to eat and had to return home disappointed.

With the wedding approaching, many relatives and friends came to help out. His mentor, Liao Shiwei, sent a nephew, and Prince Yanping dispatched about ten servants. His classmates and fellow students also came in droves. His uncle, Xing Dequan, arrived uninvited… well, this fellow was probably just there to cause trouble; he spent his days drinking and playing around, never doing anything serious.

Because there weren't enough cooks in the house, not only were cooks from You Sanjie's household transferred, but several other cooks were also hired as helpers. The banquet lasted from morning till night. Although Chen Siyuan was exhausted from dealing with everything, he was fortunate to have his experienced classmate Wei Zhaogao to look after him, so any mistakes or omissions could be made up for immediately.

On the other hand, the situation at Rongguo Mansion was quite different.

On this day, Li Wan hurriedly came to Rongqing Hall, dismissed the servants, and solemnly said to Grandmother Jia, "Grandmother, the betrothal gifts sent by Brother Yuan... seem to have been tampered with."

Grandmother Jia was taken aback and hurriedly asked, "How was it moved?"

Li Wan pursed her lips and said, "This... I can't say for sure either. This was just calculated. Please take a look, Grandmother."

After saying this, he handed over a form. Grandmother Jia took it, put on her reading glasses, and upon looking at it, she was so angry that she felt as if she had ascended to heaven and her mind had left her body!
The finest kingfisher feather headdresses were replaced with silver-gilt ones; the best brocades were replaced with ordinary Japanese satin; all the various gemstones were gone, replaced only with a box of South Sea pearls the size of soybeans. Except for the clothes Yingchun would wear after her marriage, everything else had been completely untouched!
A rough calculation revealed that most of it had been misappropriated! It goes without saying that such a foolish act must have been done by the magistrate!

Seeing that Grandmother Jia had put down the list, Li Wan tentatively asked, "Grandmother, what do you think should be done about this?"

Grandmother Jia said angrily, "What can I do? My private treasury is almost empty. He's willing to lose face and make a fool of himself, so why should I be reluctant? Just take it away like this, and let the outsiders say what they will!"

Li Wan agreed and turned to leave, but was stopped by Grandmother Jia, who asked, "Was it originally planned to carry the dowry away tomorrow?"

"Yes."

Grandmother Jia frowned and said, "Fine, send someone to tell Yuan-ge'er that the dowry will be carried along on the wedding day instead."

Li Wan obediently agreed, then turned around and found a suitable servant to instruct. Thinking to herself that it wouldn't be good to keep this matter from Yingchun, she moved towards Zhuijin Tower.

After a short while, they arrived inside. The second young lady greeted them shyly, asking with a smile, "What brings you here, sister-in-law?"

Li Wan frowned, sat down on the bed with her legs turned to the side, and said in a low voice, "Second sister, there is something you need to know." She then explained the matter.

Upon hearing this, Yingchun's eyes immediately reddened, and she covered her face, sobbing uncontrollably.

Since giving birth to her, her biological father, Jia She, has never cared for her. She endured more than ten years of fear, pretending to be obedient and simple-minded, and finally managed to secure a good marriage after much hardship. Who knew that her own father would pull such a stunt at the last minute!
With her wedding date fast approaching, how will her brother Yuan view her in the future?

Thinking of this, Yingchun began to sob even more.

Li Wan tried to persuade her for a long time without success, so she could only sigh and take her leave for the time being. Soon after, Xiu Ju and Hong Yu came over to persuade her. Xiu Ju was only concerned with venting her anger, and if it weren't for the difference between mistress and servant, she might have pointed at Jia She's nose and cursed him. Hong Yu, on the other hand, was more sensible. She stopped Xiu Ju and sent her to guard the door, while she then began to talk to Ying Chun.

"If you ask me, young lady, there's no need for this. Don't you know what kind of person the master is? To put it bluntly, even if he caught a toad, he'd still squeeze out a couple of ounces of oil. It's only natural that the master would embezzle the betrothal gifts once they're in his hands."

She paused, then added, "Besides, Master Yuan is aware of this matter, yet he didn't utter a single word when the betrothal gifts were moved to the east wing. What kind of logic is that, Miss?"

Yingchun stopped sobbing, raised her head and said, "You mean... Brother Yuan had foreseen this?"

Hongyu smiled and nodded, then tugged at Yingchun's arm and said, "Miss, it was Master Yuan who personally proposed to you in front of the old lady. What Master Yuan liked about you was your personality, nothing else. To put it bluntly, don't be fooled by the size and wealth of the Rongguo Mansion; when it comes to the amount of money on hand, I'm afraid it might not even be as much as Master Yuan."

So what if they embezzled it, or even withheld it? Would Master Yuan treat the girl differently?

Yingchun pondered it carefully and found that Hongyu's words made more and more sense.

Seeing the second young lady deep in thought, Hongyu thought there was a chance, and persuaded her again: "If you don't believe me, I'll secretly go out of the manor later and bring back a message from Master Yuan. Then you'll believe me?"

Yingchun said in a hoarse voice, "That's not necessary... I just think about what he did, it really makes me feel cold and disgusted."

Hongyu smiled but remained silent. Later that afternoon, when she had some free time, she secretly sought out her parents and sent a letter to the Chen family. The next morning, Lin Zhixiao's wife brought Chen Siyuan's reply.

Hongyu hid the letter in her bosom and secretly gave it to the second young lady. Yingchun nervously opened the letter and read it, only to see a single line of writing: "It's not that there are no external things in front of you, but that you don't care about things and are indifferent."

This is a Tang poem, which Chen Siyuan borrowed to express his feelings. After reading it, Yingchun felt reassured and settled down to await her marriage.

Before they knew it, it was the eighth day of the month. The Rongguo Mansion was brightly decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and the whole household was filled with joy. Ninety-six loads of betrothal gifts were piled up outside the ceremonial gate, ready to be carried by the wedding procession to the Chen family.

At the beginning of the hour of You (the wedding night), as the auspicious time approached, Chen Siyuan was seen riding a tall, fine horse, wearing a black gauze hat, black court boots, and a bright red official's collar. Imperial red lanterns lined the road, palace flowers and drums filled the streets, and the procession, with its music and fanfare, made its way to the Rongguo Mansion.

Yu Si, the gatekeeper, rushed inside to report the good news, and Jia Lian, Jia Cong, Jia Huan, Bao Yu, and others quickly blocked the door.

After a short while, Chen Siyuan arrived at the mansion, dismounted, recited two poems urging him to get married, and scattered a basket of wedding money. Wei Zhaogao and the others shouted, and the crowd pushed open the gate of the Jia family and rushed in.

Before long, they arrived at Rongxi Hall. Jia She and Madam Xing sat upright in the hall. The matchmaker led out the second young lady, who was dressed in gold and jade. The second young lady tearfully bid farewell to the hall and was then carried out of the house by Jia Lian.

After arriving at the ceremonial gate and boarding the sedan chair, the group made a roundabout way back to Faxiangfang with music playing.

They arrived at their destination in no time, crossed the fire basin and saddle, entered the central hall to worship at the ancestral temple of Heaven and Earth, and after the ceremony, they were escorted back to their bridal chamber.

The second daughter, Yingchun, must sit on the bed, but Chen Siyuan must go out to greet the guests.

Yingchun felt as if she were in a dream, and she still couldn't believe it—she had actually married Chen Siyuan!
The Chen family was small, and there were no matriarchs to cause trouble. Outside, there was a bustling noise, but it was Qingwen, Xiangling, and a few others who came to make fun of them.

Hongyu answered her questions, then turned and went into the room. She leaned closer to Yingchun and said, "Would you like some snacks to tide you over, Miss? It's going to be quite a commotion up ahead."

Yingchun responded in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, untied her purse, took out a pastry from inside, ate it in small bites, and didn't even dare to drink tea before sitting upright on the bed again.

As they walked until the beginning of Hai hour, Yingchun was feeling her back ache from sitting so long when she suddenly heard her maid Xiuju shout, "The young master is here!"

Yingchun perked up and hurriedly sat up straight.

A moment later, the door opened, and Chen Siyuan was indeed helped inside by two old women. Outside, his classmates and fellow students were still joking around, and someone laughed loudly, "You're all bad seeds! You knew Shuliang couldn't drink, but you still forced him to drink a lot. Now you probably won't be able to consummate the marriage."

Someone else chuckled and said, "It's all Wen Yu's doing. When Shu Liang sobers up, he can just go find Wen Yu. What does it have to do with us? Let's stop here and go ahead to greet our guests."

Hongyu and Xiuju helped Chen Siyuan to his seat. Xiuju asked with concern, "How did you get so drunk?"

Hongyu knew that her master was always cunning and sly. Seeing that Chen Siyuan's eyes were closed but his eyes were darting around, she chuckled and said, "Master is probably just pretending."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Siyuan opened his eyes with a smile, reached out and poked Hongyu's nose, saying, "I knew I couldn't hide it from you."

Xiuju was also delighted and busied herself helping Chen Siyuan wash his hands, then handed him the scale beam wrapped in red silk.

Chen Siyuan strolled closer to the bed, lifted the veil with a scale rod, and saw: pearls gathered on the side, jade pendants jingling, eyebrows furrowed like spring mountains, eyes clear as autumn water, two dimples on her pink cheeks. She hurriedly met Chen Siyuan's gaze, then quickly lowered her head, her hands clasped in a half-smile.

At this moment, Hongyu handed over another ladle and urged, "Miss, sir, please drink the nuptial wine quickly."

The two agreed, and Chen Siyuan took the cup and drank half of it first, while Yingchun drank the other half in one gulp.

Xiuju busied herself preparing food and drink for the two of them, but Chen Siyuan said, "Second sister is dressed in her finest attire; I'm afraid she'll feel too hot. Why don't you change first?"

Xiuju smiled and said, "The young master is just being kind to the young lady."

The second young lady lowered her head shyly, her face flushed, and dared not look at Chen Siyuan. After a short while, Hongyu and Xiuju helped the two of them remove their outer garments, leaving them only in their undergarments, and they sat down behind the table.

After a brief meal, the second young lady, though somewhat hungry, could not eat anything. Soon after, she instructed Hongyu to clear the table.

After a short while, Hongyu and Xiuju withdrew, the door was closed tightly, and there was an ice basin inside to cool off.

Only then did the second young lady stammer, "Husband...husband, please rest."

Unexpectedly, a snicker broke out beside her, teasing, "Second Sister was so bold before, why are you so timid now? Do you think I'd eat people?"

Yingchun pouted, about to speak. But Chen Siyuan lifted her chin, turned her head, their eyes met briefly, and then he kissed her cherry lips.

After a moment, their lips parted, and seeing Chen Siyuan's wicked smile, Yingchun said defiantly, "If I don't use some tricks, who knows what will happen in the future. You, you shouldn't underestimate me like this."

Chen Siyuan said gently, "My second sister is so passionate and decisive, how could I possibly look down on her?"

He then embraced her shoulder, kissed her cherry lips, and the two cuddled tenderly before collapsing onto the bed.

After a moment, the second girl struggled frantically, crying, "Candle, candle..."

Chen Siyuan replied, "A moment of spring night is worth a thousand pieces of gold, so Second Sister, please don't worry about the candles."

With a rustling sound, the gauze curtains were lowered.

(End of this chapter)