Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 425 I Now Know Daylilies Can Help Me Forget My Worries

Yingchun was puzzled and asked, "Who is Aunt Zhu?"

Hongyu replied, "It is the official matchmaker, Aunt Zhu."

Yingchun understood immediately upon hearing this. Although Aunt Zhu was an official matchmaker, the second young lady had only recently married Chen Siyuan, so she certainly wasn't there to arrange marriages. People like Aunt Zhu, who were always busy going from street to street, were either arranging marriages or selling jewelry and fabrics from various shops.

This boastful talk was merely a ploy to meet the Second Miss and increase their future interactions. Yingchun initially didn't want to see her, but then changed her mind, because the Second Miss was truly unable to bear it and was eager to have Xing Xiuyan bring the handkerchief into the mansion.

Yingchun said, "Alright, then lead Aunt Zhu to the front hall, and I'll go see her."

Hongyu agreed and turned to go and prepare the food.

In a short while, Yingchun, dressed neatly, led her maids and servants to the front hall of the second courtyard.

After passing through the main hall and walking a few steps along the corridor, you soon enter the interior, where you can immediately see a woman in her early fifties waiting for you. She is adorned with flowers in her hair and dressed in gold and silver from head to toe, giving off a vulgar air.

Upon seeing Yingchun, the woman smiled broadly, rose, curtsied, and said, "Greetings to Madam."

Yingchun smiled calmly, took her seat at the head of the table first, and then said with a smile, "Aunt Zhu, there's no need for such formalities. Please take a seat."

"Yes," Aunt Zhu responded, then sat down on one side of the chair. Before Yingchun could say anything, Aunt Zhu said with a smile, "Madam, you seem to have a very fortunate life. To be honest, your master just passed the imperial examination, and some families have asked me to propose marriage. How could I be so ungrateful? I told those families that Master Chen still needs to take the palace examination, so perhaps we can wait a little longer."

Who would have thought that after the imperial examination, Master Chen would select the third-ranked scholar? Hehehe… Madam probably doesn't know, but these past few days, my doorstep has been worn down by people. I couldn't refuse, so I had to bite the bullet and inquire around, only to find out that Madam had already been betrothed to Master Chen.”

Yingchun smiled but remained silent, while Xiuju beside her was displeased and frowned, saying, "Auntie, you're making it sound like my mistress is getting the better deal. Everyone knows that my mistress and master are cousins. Master has been living in the Rongguo Mansion for several years, so it's only natural that he's related to my mistress through marriage."

Aunt Zhu slapped herself lightly and said with a forced smile, "Look at my mouth, I misspoke. What I meant was that there are countless families outside who envy you for getting such a good marriage."

Yingchun took a sip of tea and said unhurriedly, "Just now the maid said that Aunt Zhu has a business idea to tell me?"

“That’s right.” Aunt Zhu didn’t dare to beat around the bush anymore and said directly, “We are relatives, you know. I have a nephew who has lived in Pinggu for generations. His family used to be known for its farming and scholarship, and his ancestors accumulated more than a thousand acres of land. But this generation is disappointing. He not only failed to become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination), but he also failed the Xiucai (a lower-level scholar) examination repeatedly.”

Madam knows life in the countryside is tough; the regular taxes are low, but the corvée labor and miscellaneous taxes are plentiful. My nephew has come to me several times to plead on my behalf, and since I've learned of Master Chen, I've swallowed my pride and come to ask for his help… I wonder if Madam would be willing for my nephew to offer his services? I dare not say much, but there are certainly two or three thousand acres of fertile land available.”

Yingchun frowned as she listened. The differences between the north and south of the Great Shun Dynasty were vast. In wealthy areas like Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the regular tax was one-tenth, while in the wild and uncivilized northwest and southwest border regions, it dropped to one-twentieth. To balance it out, it was roughly one-fifteenth.

The regular tax isn't high, but when you factor in corvée labor, fire tax, and other similar fees, it adds up to a lot.

Why is it said that "all other professions are inferior except for studying"? It is because having official rank and title grants one two advantages: firstly, access to tax-exempt land, and secondly, exemption from corvée labor.

Not to mention the fire loss, these miscellaneous taxes also vary from place to place. In good places, they are about 20% of the regular tax, while in bad places they can be as much as half of the regular tax.

Let's just talk about corvée labor. Taking the Jiangnan region as an example, if a family owned ten mu of fertile land and was conscripted for corvée labor that year, they would have to pay an exemption fee of three taels and two mace of silver if they wanted to be exempted. And how much was the regular tax they paid? The yield of rice per mu in the Jiangnan region was only three shi, so ten mu would yield thirty shi. Now, with the tight budget of the Portuguese, the price of silver in the Da Shun region had soared, so one shi of rice cost only four mace of silver.

Thirty shi (a unit of dry measure) only cost twelve taels of silver. According to the regular tax calculation, this family's annual tax payment was only one tael and two mace—one can imagine how terrifying this corvée labor was.

Someone suggested, "Why not just accept your fate and do the forced labor?"

You think corvée labor at this time was just construction work? You're kidding! This kind of work required bringing your own provisions and bribing officials at all levels. If you displeased a minor official, they'd assign you dangerous tasks that could cost you your life. Or you might be assigned to a minor official post, even though the term was only one month, and the government would send you to escort prisoners to the Western Regions.

The Western Regions, a round trip takes almost a year, and who knows how much money is spent on it!

Therefore, the saying "a county magistrate who ruins a family, a prefect who exterminates an entire clan" is by no means a joke!
Therefore, in addition to offering tributes, the Ming Dynasty also employed other methods such as "flying wine" and "deceptive lending" to evade taxes and corvée labor. Taxes were relatively easy to deal with, but corvée labor could truly be fatal.

In this dynasty, Emperor Taizong knew that the previous Ming dynasty had died because of the inability to collect taxes, so he reduced the amount of land exempted from corvée labor for those who had achieved merit.

An official of the first rank could be exempt from taxes on 10,000 mu of land and 30 men of corvée labor; by the time one reached the eighth rank, the exemption would be 3,000 mu of land and 6 men of corvée labor.

Those who passed the imperial examinations at the provincial and county levels were only exempt from corvée labor, not from taxation. Therefore, Chen Siyuan, being cunning and seeing no advantage to be gained, did not acquire a single piece of land before passing the imperial examinations.

Chen Siyuan was a seventh-rank Hanlin Compiler. According to the imperial system, he was exempt from taxes on 3,500 mu of land and from corvée labor on nine men.

Aunt Zhu said directly that as long as Yingchun nodded, her nephew would be willing to give her three hundred taels of silver every year as a benefit.

Yingchun quickly calculated and realized that the Zhu family had given so much money because of the immunization program.

She was about to refuse, but then she remembered that Chen Siyuan was in the mansion, so she changed her mind and said, "I can't make a decision on such an important matter. I have to ask my husband first. Aunt Zhu, please sit for a moment. I will ask my husband and then report back to you."

Aunt Zhu readily agreed, and then, as if by magic, pulled a box out of her sleeve, saying, "Madam, just ask Master Chen. I also brought some palace flowers, glass hairpins and the like, for the young ladies in the manor to see. If any of them are to your liking, I will send them to your manor later."

Yingchun nodded, got up and took only Xiuju with her, and went to the back garden to find Chen Siyuan. Hongyu stayed behind and waited, while Miao'er and Tiao'er couldn't resist any longer and went forward to chatter and rummage through the small items in the box.

Leaving aside the lively scene inside, Yingchun wandered around and soon arrived at the back garden. In the distance, she saw Chen Siyuan sitting casually in the Moon Pavilion, playing a game of grass-fighting with Qingwen and Xiangling. They were shouting and laughing loudly, leaving the second young lady speechless.

He thought to himself, "He's a newly appointed scholar, and he's already in the Hanlin Academy. How can he still fool around with his pretty maid like this?"

Silently exhaling a breath of stale air, the second young lady led Xiuju forward. Inside the pavilion, Chen Siyuan caught sight of Yingchun and quickly stood up to greet her, "Second sister, you've rested enough?"

The second young lady blushed, pouted and remained silent, then stepped forward and said, "Husband, please let me speak with you for a moment."

Xiangling and Qingwen, being sensible, laughed and went off to play elsewhere, leaving the young couple alone in the pavilion to talk.

The second daughter briefly explained Aunt Zhu's intentions, saying, "It's best if my husband makes the decision on this matter."

Chen Siyuan nodded and said, "We have no connection, so I'll just decline."

Yingchun pondered for a moment and couldn't help but say, "It's bound to happen sooner or later. As the saying goes, it's not the thief you should fear, but the one who has his eye on you. My husband has refused the Zhu family this time, but who knows if the Wang or Li families will bribe a minor official to alter the records in the future, and in the end, it will be my husband's fault."

Yingchun was referring to methods such as flying and scattering, and cryptic messages.

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Our dynasty has enjoyed peace for a long time, and the powerful families in the region have deep connections. The Zhu family seemed to have good intentions, but in reality, they were just taking advantage of my lack of connections, which is why they gave me such a small amount of money to get rid of me. Moreover, the imperial court conducts inspections in the Guanzhong region every few years, so it's really not worth accepting any tribute for a little money."

However, my second sister's concern is quite valid. It's not the theft itself that's worrisome, but the thief's eye on the land. Perhaps we should choose a suitable family member and send them to the area beyond the Great Wall. They can find a government office and fence off several thousand acres, regardless of whether it's barren or fertile land. Then we can hire militia from Zhili and Shandong to expand the land beyond the Great Wall.”

The second young lady thought it over and agreed with a smile. After saying a few words, she turned around and went to tell Aunt Zhu.

A short while later, Yingchun returned to Aunt Zhu, saying that a marriage alliance had already arranged the tribute. Aunt Zhu was disappointed, but she didn't show it on her face. This was just a matter of taking it one step at a time; if it succeeded, it would be a stroke of luck, and if it didn't, she wouldn't care.

Yingchun brought up Xing Xiuyan's arrival again and gave Aunt Zhu twenty taels of silver in advance for tea expenses. Aunt Zhu was overjoyed and patted her chest to agree, saying that good news would come soon.

After lingering for a while and selling a few more seedlings and twigs of palace flowers, Aunt Zhu got up with a smile, bid farewell, and left.

It was expected that Aunt Zhu would return in a few days, as there was nothing else to do during the day.

As night fell, the second young lady was trembling with anxiety. Fortunately, Chen Siyuan said that he would go to the second courtyard in front after a while, and the second young lady immediately felt relieved.

Yingchun slept soundly that night, a rare occurrence, while Chen Siyuan went ahead to hang out with Qingwen, Xiangling, and Wu'er.

So they undressed and went to bed, where they made love, their passion even deeper than the night before. Like phoenixes tumbling over each other, or ospreys playfully frolicking, their hair like clouds on the pillow, their fragrant sweat soaking the quilt, their lovemaking lasting all night long—but I will not go into details.

The next day, Chen Siyuan thought of You Sanjie and found an excuse to go to Nengren Temple. He spent the whole day there and did not return until dusk.

That night, the second girl was ready to grit her teeth and fight back, but to her surprise, Chen Siyuan quietly held her and slept with her all night.

Now the second young lady felt somewhat resentful, fearing that Chen Siyuan would be seduced by a few vixens outside. And so, she got what she asked for; the next night, Yingchun felt weak and numb, her body trembling with desire, and she eventually fainted and remained unconscious.

This residence was originally the mansion of the Assistant General. The central courtyard is slightly more spacious than the east and west courtyards, and it has five rooms. The westernmost room is the bedroom, and the western second room contains a daybed. It is usually used for banquets and living, but at night the square table is removed so that the maids can keep watch.

That day, Xiuju was on night duty again. She saw the girl curled up on the daybed, her legs tightly intertwined. Every groan, moan, and sigh that came from inside her mouth reached Xiuju's ears like cat scratches, making Xiuju feel an unbearable itch and yearning.

Once the wind and rain had stopped, disregarding the slippery feeling, Xiuju blushed and got up, quickly carrying the warm water that had been prepared in advance, waiting for her master's summons.

Soon, a voice came from inside: "Xiuju, bring water."

Xiu Ju responded softly and carried the copper basin into the room. The room was dimly lit, and the gauze curtains on the bed were half-drawn. Xiu Ju glanced quickly and saw Chen Siyuan sitting on the edge of the bed with his upper body bare and his legs spread apart. Ying Chun was lying on her side with her hair disheveled, her back sweaty, but she didn't make a sound.

Xiu Ju dared not look any longer and hurriedly placed the basin of water on the footstool. Just as she was about to wet the cloth, Chen Siyuan snatched it away. Xiu Ju was puzzled, and Chen Siyuan said, "Second sister is tired. Prepare a bath tub for her to take a bath first thing tomorrow morning. I'll wash myself. You should rest early."

Xiuju bit her lip and murmured, her mind preoccupied with other thoughts. She was a year older than Yingchun and was now nineteen. According to the rules of the Rongguo Mansion, maids of their age were either to become concubines in the young masters' quarters or to be sent out to be married off to young men.

Xiuju is neither confused nor clever; she's been living a muddled life by the Second Miss's side until now, thinking she'd eventually be married off to a young man. But unexpectedly, her luck has turned, and she's married into the family along with the Miss.

Of the four maids who accompanied the bride, Hongyu, Miao'er, and Tiao'er came later. Xiuju thought to herself that she had followed Yingchun the earliest. Even if she didn't dare to compare herself with Hongyu or covet the status of a concubine, she could still covet the status of a maidservant.

Besides, with a man as outstanding as the master, what girl wouldn't be tempted? These past two days, the mistress has had a rare two days of rest, and the master first went to find Hongyu, Miao'er, and Tiao'er, and then went to the front to find Qingwen, Xiangling, and Wu'er.

Xiuju, being a maidservant from a wealthy family, was quite knowledgeable. Even so, she was secretly astonished, fearing that the master's constant exertion would ruin Zaozao's health.

Yesterday, she had a special chat with Wu's wife, who was in charge of things. Who knew that Wu Jun's wife would just sneer. She was familiar with Miao'er and Tiao'er and had heard some of the gossip.

Seeing Xiuju's confusion, Sister Wu enlightened her, "Master is only diligent in front of Madam. Otherwise, he's quite lazy. Don't believe me? Just look at him. Doesn't he always come out early in the morning to practice his stance training? And look at those girls, don't they always get up before the sun is high in the sky?"

Seeing that Xiu Ju was still blinking her almond-shaped eyes, not understanding, Sister Wu hesitated for a moment and finally whispered a few words in her ear. Xiu Ju's eyes widened immediately. Could it be that a woman would take the initiative in such a thing?
Knowing that she was a close confidante of the mistress, Sister Wu wanted to curry favor with her. The next day, she somehow managed to find a picture album and secretly slipped it to Xiu Ju for her to look at.

Poor Xiuju, already a young woman nearing twenty, only now has the door to a new world opened for her.

This time, when the water was delivered again that night, she saw that her wife had fainted and that her husband still seemed to have plenty of energy, so she had a thought.

Because Xiu Ju was standing at a distance, seemingly waiting to bring water, but actually seeing Chen Siyuan brush past her, she quickly reached out and snatched the handkerchief, saying, "Master, let me do it."

Chen Siyuan responded and turned away, letting Xiuju wipe him.

She re-wetted and wrung out the handkerchief. Xiu Ju looked up and saw Chen Siyuan's broad back and narrow waist half in the light and half in the shadows. Although it was dim, Xiu Ju couldn't take her eyes off him.

She gently wiped herself with the handkerchief, and perhaps because of the recent activity, the rising heat made Xiu Ju even more restless. After a while, Xiu Ju gritted her teeth, and seeing that Ying Chun had indeed completely fainted, she boldly threw down the handkerchief, stepped forward, and reached out to hug Chen Siyuan tightly.

She murmured sweetly, "Master, Master~" and pressed her pink face against Chen Siyuan's back.

"Ok?"

Chen Siyuan turned around and laughed, "What a bold girl! Aren't you afraid that Second Sister will wake up now?"

Xiuju lowered her head, her hands twisted together, unsure how to explain herself.

Chen Siyuan thought to himself, his second sister has four maids. He had already taken Hongyu and the others into his household long ago. Xiuju is the maid who has been with his second sister the longest. It would be unreasonable to show favoritism to one over the other.

More importantly, Chen Siyuan deliberately caused trouble tonight, but before he could even get his way, his second sister became useless... Now he's stuck in this awkward situation and feeling incredibly frustrated!

Seeing Xiu Ju's rosy cheeks and eager expression, Chen Siyuan couldn't care less about anything else. He raised his chin, chuckled, whispered something, and pulled Xiu Ju into the next room.

Truly: A tender branch stirs the heart, the spring breeze secretly caresses the weeping willow. She tiptoes lightly, her embroidered ribbon trailing behind her, quietly slipping into the west chamber as the night deepens.

However, Xiuju was new to human affairs and couldn't withstand criticism, so she had to learn some new skills to barely serve Chen Siyuan.

The next day, Yingchun indeed didn't get up until late morning. Hearing the commotion, she saw that it was Miao'er and Tiao'er who came to serve her. Yingchun thought that Xiuju was tired from working the night shift and had gone back to her room to rest.

But when Xiuju did not come in the afternoon, the second young lady became suspicious. She also noticed that a cushion was missing from the Luohan bed in the west side room. Her mind raced, and she knew exactly what that naughty girl had done.

An ordinary newlywed wife would probably be jealous and furious, wishing she could send Xiuju far away. But the second young lady knew her own suffering; she simply couldn't handle it at night. If it weren't for their honeymoon, she would have preferred Chen Siyuan to come every three to five days.

Besides, Xiuju had been with her the longest, so it was only right and proper to give her a place to settle down. However, the second young lady remained calm and waited until the next day when she saw Xiuju. The two of them then closed the door and had a private conversation, after which everything went back to normal.

In the following days, whenever Yingchun fell into a deep sleep, the night watch maids would take over, but I won't go into details about that now.

Now, as June drew to a close, the weather cleared and the heat outside subsided. Chen Siyuan chose a date, the 22nd, to travel by horse-drawn carriage outside Xizhimen to Tongzhou for a stroll.

The whole family was overjoyed. Fearing that they wouldn't be used to the food outside, the second daughter specially sent the cook she brought from Rongguo Mansion to prepare some local dishes.

That day, Chen Siyuan went to the You sisters' place again. The second young lady was enjoying a rare moment of leisure and was leading Yingying and Yanyan on a stroll in the back garden.

A tabby cat suddenly appeared in the garden, and Qingwen and the others exclaimed and gathered around to tease it. Yingchun and Xiuju then went up to Tingyue Tower. Upon reaching the third floor, they leaned on the railing and looked out. Not far away, the Houhai Lake shimmered, and in the distance, the imperial city stood majestic and imposing, with Wansui Mountain clearly visible.

Seeing that the second young lady was in a very good mood, Xiuju couldn't help but say, "Miss... Madam, it's not that I'm being nosy, but it's just that the master is idle all day long, only caring about... um... it's really not a good thing. I heard in the play that a virtuous wife disciplines her son in court and teaches her husband in bed. Madam should also persuade the master more."

Yingchun smiled broadly, exuding a rare air of languid leisure. She glanced sideways slightly and chuckled, "Disciplining one's son in the courtyard and instructing one's wife in bed—I wonder which play just randomly adapted that."

"But... there must be some truth to it, right?"

Yingchun said, “In an ordinary family, this would make sense, but you are not an ordinary person. Think about it, you are only seventeen years old, the third-ranked scholar in this imperial examination, and favored by the emperor... There are countless people outside who are jealous of you. If you continue to strive for advancement, wouldn't you be surrounded by enemies?”
At this juncture, it is wise to bide our time and conceal our abilities. Besides, the Chen family is small in number; expanding their lineage is also a matter of great importance.

Xiuju fell silent, pondered for a long time, and then felt that Yingchun's words made sense, so she simply said no more. But she still felt that something was not quite right... What kind of scholar-official spends all his days lounging in the inner quarters? Aren't they all worried about the affairs of the country?
A moment later, Wu Jun's wife came looking for her, saying, "Madam, Aunt Zhu has arrived."

Yingchun was preoccupied with Xing Xiuyan's marriage. Upon hearing this, she came downstairs and arrived at the front hall in no time.

Aunt Zhu smiled as usual, rose to greet Yingchun, and after a brief exchange of pleasantries, she said, "I have visited the Xing family several times. When I heard that she was to marry into the Chen family, the Xing family was naturally overjoyed. However, there is one problem: Madam Xing said that she had raised the girl to this day with great difficulty, and now that she is all alone, she is really reluctant to part with her. So, we have discussed increasing the bride price."

"Bride price?" Yingchun asked in surprise, "Was the amount specified?"

Aunt Zhu laughed and said, "Madam Xing said... Master Chen is known for his talent and is not short of money. So this time he won't ask for much, just eight hundred taels will do."

Yingchun laughed in exasperation, not because of the money, but because she felt indignant on behalf of her close friend Xing Xiuyan. Through the machinations of Xing Zhong and his wife, Xing Xiuyan, a once-proud concubine, had been reduced to a purchased concubine. Even if Xing Xiuyan was indifferent to fame and fortune, she couldn't escape the gossip of outsiders.

If it weren't for Xing Xiuyan's constant planning and encouragement, Yingchun knew she would never have had the courage to wait until things cleared up. She was grateful and hoped her good friend would get what she wanted.

Seeing Yingchun's unpleasant expression, Aunt Zhu said awkwardly, "Madam, what do you think about this matter..."

Yingchun secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said, "There's no need to rush this matter. I'll trouble Aunt Zhu to run the errand for those twenty taels. My family will be traveling far away soon, so I won't keep Aunt Zhu any longer."

After saying this, she served tea and saw the guests off. Aunt Zhu felt awkward and cursed Xing Zhong and his wife in her heart. She also secretly thought that she would find a way to please Yingchun in the future.

After the maidservant saw Aunt Zhu off, Chen Siyuan returned home.

Yingchun simply turned back to greet them at the ceremonial gate. Chen Siyuan saw Yingchun waiting there and quickly stepped forward to take her hand, saying, "There are no outsiders here, Second Sister, why go to such trouble?"

Yingchun smiled and said, "I just answered Aunt Zhu correctly. When I heard that my husband had returned, I simply came to greet him. By the way, has Lin Daiyu's betrothal been arranged today?"

With Madam Liang involved, everything will naturally be handled properly.

The matter of Daiyu's betrothal was not as trivial as Chen Siyuan described. After the betrothal gifts were delivered that day, Jia She, that scoundrel, wanted to repeat his old trick and moved Daiyu's betrothal gifts to the east wing.

Fortunately, Li Wan was watching from the side and quickly sent a maid to report the news. However, Grandmother Jia was furious and sent her head maid, Amber, to drag Jia She away and give him a good scolding. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Li Wan hurriedly moved the betrothal gifts to Grandmother Jia's private treasury, and only then did the matter end.

The second young lady then said, "Then I will diligently send the old women to tidy up the west courtyard these next few days."

"Mm," Chen Siyuan replied.

As they spoke, the young couple passed through the hallway to the main room. Chen Siyuan changed his clothes and washed his hands. After lazily taking his seat, Yingchun began to tell him about the Xing family's affairs.

Chen Siyuan frowned deeply upon hearing this and said, "It's a pity that my cousin was born with such greedy and despicable parents."

Yingchun hurriedly said, "I am also very unhappy. I sent Aunt Zhu away right in front of her. I was thinking that I would go to the Xing family in person tomorrow. I'm afraid Sister Xing doesn't know about this. Some things need to be explained to each other face to face."

Chen Siyuan thought about it and realized that he was related to Xing Zhong after all, and if he personally intervened, he might get into trouble. His second sister had always been on good terms with Xing Xiuyan, and with her intervention, she would definitely not let her cousin suffer any losses.

Since it was Chen Siyuan, he said, "Very well, then I'll trouble you, Madam."

With the matter settled, the next day Yingchun, accompanied by four servants and four maids, indeed set off for the Xing family in a grand procession.

Upon entering, ignoring Xing Zhenshi's unreasonable demands, he simply called Xing Xiuyan to discuss the matter together. Xing Xiuyan was immediately filled with shame and anger, and bluntly declared that if Xing Zhenshi demanded a bride price, she would turn around and cut off her hair to become a nun.

The second daughter, Yingchun, spoke gently and patiently, explaining the pros and cons. Xing Zhenshi had no choice but to nod and agree, even though she was extremely unwilling.

Without further ado, the second young lady immediately arranged for her to marry Xing Xiuyan on the 28th of this month, before bidding her farewell and returning home victorious.

Back at her home in Faxiangfang, she told Chen Siyuan about her trip, which made Chen Siyuan pretend to be curious and look Yingchun up and down for a while.

Yingchun thought he was intrigued again, and her face flushed red with embarrassment. She dared not look up and stammered, "You, husband... why are you looking at me like that?"

Chen Siyuan lifted Yingchun's chin and said, "Seeing Second Sister today suddenly reminded me of a line of poetry."

"Which sentence?"

"Naturally, I now know that daylilies can help one forget worries."

His words instantly delighted Yingchun! If it weren't for the maids around, she would have loved to throw herself into Chen Siyuan's arms and enjoy a passionate lovemaking session!
(End of this chapter)