Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 437 The dazzling red coral sows seeds of discord, while the pink wedding dress adds to the chaos and disrupts the auspicious occasion.
The discord between the eldest and second branches of the Xue family was mediated by Chen Siyuan. Naturally, this mediation stemmed from one party's helplessness and the other's dissatisfaction.

Now that Xue Ke has latched onto Chen Siyuan's coattails, he has secured a good position in the inner court and is making a fortune. He can be considered the head of the household now, so naturally he hates the domineering eldest son's wife to the core.

However, Xue Ke was a smart man. He didn't say anything unnecessary on the surface, only that he felt sorry for Baoqin and wanted to save more dowry for her.

Chen Siyuan had nothing to say. Besides, now that the main branch of the family had dwindled in numbers, with only Aunt Xue and her daughter Baochai managing things, and with him looking after them, Xue Ke would at most cause Aunt Xue some trouble, but would certainly not take further advantage of her misfortune. Since that was the case, Chen Siyuan decided to let it go.

After having two cups of tea, Xue Ke didn't linger and immediately got up to take his leave. Chen Siyuan sent the steward to see him off, then got up and turned back to the back, pondering the situation.

Unexpectedly, Daiyu from the West Courtyard was also in Yingchun's room. When the two women saw Chen Siyuan, Yingchun said with some worry, "Master, how much dowry did Xue Ke send? I heard from the old woman that the red coral alone is probably worth around three thousand taels of silver!"

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "There are quite a few."

Seeing that Chen Siyuan was unwilling to say more, Yingchun and Daiyu stopped asking and chatted about trivial matters for a while.

The second daughter, with the air of a principal wife, frowned slightly, looking somewhat worried, as if afraid that this matter would disrupt the peace of the household. In reality, she was secretly delighted.

Why the secret joy? Because everyone in the household knew that Baochai and the master had a secret affair! Any normal woman would be wary that once Baochai married into the family, Chen Siyuan would become indifferent to her. Yingchun was probably even more so!
After suffering for more than a decade, she finally married a perfect husband and lived happily for two months. How could Yingchun be willing to let Baochai take Chen Siyuan away as soon as she entered the family?
Baoqin sent such a large dowry, clearly intending to compete with Baochai. As a result, the sisters will become estranged, and Baochai's own East Courtyard will probably be turned upside down. She probably won't have the mind to use the methods she used in the Rongguo Mansion for a while.

Yingchun didn't ask Chen Siyuan to favor her alone; she only hoped that during the ten days of the month when it was the turn of the Central Road Courtyard, Chen Siyuan would spend some time on her.

Lin Daiyu had a different thought. Baochai was indeed her close friend, but Baoqin had repeatedly shown her goodwill, and at one point even subtly hinted at wanting to visit Daiyu's western courtyard. As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face, so Daiyu naturally couldn't bring herself to offend Baoqin.

Furthermore, if Aunt Xue hadn't forced Baoqin to accompany her in her dowry, none of this would have happened. Ultimately, it was Aunt Xue who committed the wrong first, and Daiyu was caught in a dilemma, unable to help her family or uphold justice.

After some deliberation, she realized that it was a family matter for the Xue family, and it was really inappropriate for her to get involved. So she decided to observe from the sidelines. Of course, if Baochai were to fall into trouble, Daiyu would certainly not stand idly by.

The three masters in the household never mentioned it, and the concubines and others either spoke cautiously, secretly chuckled, or felt anxious for Baochai, but they also followed the example of the three masters and said nothing.

The servants, however, had fewer scruples. As large sums of money were moved into the back storeroom, some who didn't know better praised the East Courtyard Madam's generosity. Little did they know that it wasn't the East Courtyard Madam's money, but rather her sister's...

The group of people were either dumbfounded or marveling at the situation, but they all knew that things would probably not be peaceful in Donglu Courtyard from now on. Even a fool could tell that the two sisters in Donglu Courtyard were plotting against each other.

The maids and servants assigned to the East Wing were even more worried, fearing they would get involved and bring trouble upon themselves. The reasons were varied and numerous.

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

The Xue family's old residence in the outer city.

It was the sixth day of the month. With the wedding date approaching, the Xue family was busy with preparations, and every now and then, old women would hurry to the back to inform Aunt Xue.

After the old woman hurriedly arrived at the main hall and spoke, Aunt Xue immediately became angry and said, "We only hired them temporarily, and the price was agreed upon beforehand. How can there be a reason to raise the price at the last minute? Go and find another one. I don't believe we can't find a servant to carry the dowry!"

Madam Cao suggested from the side, "Madam, why don't we ask the Wang or Jia families to borrow some servants? We won't work for them for nothing; we can just give them extra money as a reward."

Ever since returning from Grandmother Jia's birthday banquet, Aunt Xue had been in a bad mood. She shook her head coldly and said, "Our Xue family is handling a wedding; how could we trouble the Wang and Jia families?" She then scolded the old woman, "Why aren't you going yet?"

The old woman readily agreed and hurriedly turned around to hire help.

As soon as he left, Aunt Xue picked up her teacup, frowned, and said, "He can't even handle such a small matter. He's really useless!"

Both Cao Shi and Baochai kept their mouths shut and didn't dare to provoke Aunt Xue. Cao Shi thought that Aunt Xue was reluctant to let Baochai go because of her upcoming marriage, which was why she was in a bad mood; Baochai, on the other hand, felt very strange.

That day, Aunt Xue returned and gave Yingchun a long lecture. She said Yingchun had gotten a good deal, and now that she was pregnant, she didn't even respect her anymore; she also said that Yingchun was destined for misfortune, how could she bear such a heavy blessing? Finally, she cursed Xue Pan, that good-for-nothing, saying that if it weren't for Xue Pan bringing trouble upon himself, how could he have died such a tragic death? If he hadn't died, Baochai wouldn't have had to become that widow who had to take over the family line.

Baochai, already feeling a pang of sadness, also had tears welling up in her eyes upon hearing this. However, she remained clear-headed, knowing that there was no turning back now, and that it was better to plan for the future than to complain. So, after comforting Aunt Xue, she put the matter aside.

But the very next day, Aunt Xue changed again!
Then they say that Yingchun is gentle and kind-hearted, and that Baochai must befriend her after she marries into the family. They say that the Xue family has fallen to such a state because of Xue Pan, that heartless son, and that Baochai should be a good wife and mother, and preferably give birth to a son soon to continue the Xue family line.

Baochai thought that Aunt Xue had come to her senses, so she readily agreed and left.

But things have changed again today!
I went to see Baochai early this morning, and she said that Yingchun was a very scheming person... Otherwise, why would she be the one to pick the peaches without making a sound? She also said that Yingchun was good at playing chess, and there had been rumors about it for several years. Perhaps Yingchun was behind this situation.

Baochai was both astonished and somewhat amused. She suddenly remembered that Lady Wang had been somewhat capricious and fickle in the past, and she'd overheard the old women gossiping that women often experience a change in temperament around the age of forty. Thinking of Aunt Xue's age, she assumed her own mother was around that age too. She was completely unaware that it was seeing Chen Siyuan at the birthday banquet that had stirred Aunt Xue's heart again!
After a short while, all the old women who had been in charge of the matter withdrew, leaving only three people inside. Baochai thought for a moment, then got up and poured tea for Aunt Xue, saying, "Mother, you've worked hard these days. After I get married, it would be better to leave the business outside to you, sister-in-law. You're busy with the business and taking care of Baoyan now, which is really tiring."

Cao remained unmoved upon hearing this, but Aunt Xue glanced at her and frowned, saying, "My son, it's kind of you to think of me. But things outside are complicated, and your sister-in-law is still young, so I'm really worried about her. How about this, I'll take care of your sister-in-law for a year, and we'll talk about it after she's gotten the hang of things."

Baochai thought about it and agreed with a smile.

Just then, Ying'er, with a tense face and furrowed brows, strode over. Upon seeing Sister Bao, she hurriedly nodded repeatedly, clutching her handkerchief.

Baochai saw this and calmly poured tea for Cao Shi again before angrily saying goodbye and quietly going to the side room.

Ying'er walked over in a few steps and whispered, "Miss, this is incredible! I heard that the second branch of the family sent out sixty-four loads of dowry yesterday. The first load of red coral alone is worth several thousand taels of silver!"

Baochai frowned inwardly upon hearing this.

Ying'er added fuel to the fire, saying, "That's not all. The remaining treasures are also quite substantial. The dowry alone is five thousand taels of silver, and I heard that if you put them all together, it will amount to twenty thousand taels of silver! What is the second wife doing? She's just a concubine who's part of the dowry, yet she's parading around like this. Isn't that making the first wife lose face?"

Baochai pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "No matter how much she makes a fuss, she's still a concubine. Let's leave it at that." After a pause, thinking it was better to avoid trouble, she quickly instructed, "This matter must not be told to Mother."

"But young lady..."

Baochai glanced at her sideways, and Ying'er pouted, swallowing back the rest of her words.

The mistress and servant went to the hall, where Ying'er served them listlessly. Despite her distress, she couldn't stop the gossip. Before long, a maidservant rushed in looking for Aunt Xue and finally told her what had happened.

Aunt Xue was furious when she heard this, slamming her hand on the table and exclaiming, "What are Xue Ke and Baoqin doing? This is outrageous! This is truly outrageous!"

Baochai sighed and quickly got up with Cao Shi to persuade her.

To everyone's surprise, the more Aunt Xue tried to persuade them, the more agitated they became. She scolded Xue Ke and Baoqin for a long time, saying, "My son, that girl Baoqin is clearly heartless. If it weren't for you, how could her brother have gotten on the good side of Yuan-ge? Without Yuan-ge's help, how could he have gotten such a good job? Now that she's gotten angry, she's forgotten all her roots!"

These words left Baochai and Cao Shi speechless. Baochai couldn't bring herself to criticize Aunt Xue, but Cao Shi thought to herself: If you hadn't forced Baoqin to become a concubine, why would she hate you so much?
Aunt Xue gave her a good scolding, but then she realized she couldn't do anything about the second wife's family. In her anger, she couldn't help but urge Baochai to give Baoqin a good talking-to later.

Baochai readily agreed, but in her heart she harbored many resentments towards the second wife.

After thinking it over, she suddenly understood. So when the mother and daughter lay in bed together that night, Baochai said, "Qin'er is only a few years old. It's too early... My husband is a man of his mind. I'm afraid he won't take her as a concubine for another two or three years. Mother really doesn't need to worry too much."

Aunt Xue blinked, pondering for a moment, and increasingly felt that Baochai's words made sense. As the saying goes, "A quarrel at the head of the bed is resolved at the foot of the bed." Why can they resolve it? Isn't it just a matter of what happens in bed?
Qin is so young, she can't handle human affairs, and she's not susceptible to pillow talk.
After understanding this, Aunt Xue breathed a sigh of relief, but then felt a pang of regret, saying, "If I had known the second branch of the family would be so troublesome, and that Yuan-ge'er would achieve the third-highest rank in the imperial examinations, I, I..."

Baochai thought to herself, "Isn't that right? So what if the second branch of the family got a job as a royal merchant? Without a top scholar like Chen Siyuan, who has close ties to the inner court, to protect them, their abilities are limited. Thinking about it this way, maybe what Mother did earlier actually helped the second branch of the family."

Baochai would never voice such resentment; instead, she gently comforted Aunt Xue, rambling on and on until nearly midnight before the mother and daughter finally went to sleep. The remaining days passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was the tenth day.

Early that morning, after Baochai had taken a bath and eaten breakfast, a servant came to clean her face and comb her hair.

The cotton rope twisted around the fine hairs on her face, making Baochai's pretty face even more radiant, drawing unanimous praise from the relatives and friends attending the ceremony. Her bangs were combed back and parted to the left and right. Since it was still early, she had only put on her hair in a bun, and had not yet put on any hairpins or other ornaments.

At noon, Sister Bao had a few snacks and then stopped talking—to avoid needing to relieve herself while riding in the sedan chair.

As the auspicious hour approached, the fortune teller came to urge her on. Baochai put on her pearl hairpin, and her bun became a phoenix crown. Ying'er and others then helped her change into her wedding robes, and she was soon urged by her relatives to return to her boudoir.

With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching and the days growing shorter, the Chen family's wedding procession arrived near the Xue family's old residence, accompanied by music and fanfare, as it was only past mid-morning.

Hearing the commotion, Ying'er quickly covered Baochai's head with a bright red veil. Baochai sat nervously on her bed.

A moment later, the old woman shouted, "The groom has passed through the ceremonial gate!"

Ying'er quickly came over to help, saying, "Miss, please get up. We can't miss the auspicious time."

Baochai blushed and agreed, then followed Ying'er and Madam Quanfu ahead.

Upon arriving at the hall, Baochai wept and bid farewell to Aunt Xue. She was then carried out of the ceremonial gate by Xue Ke and taken directly to the bridal sedan chair. Everyone stared at the bridal sedan chair, but no one noticed that after carrying Baochai, Xue Ke carried Baoqin, dressed in pink, through a side gate and took her to a small sedan chair carried by four people at the back.

Soon after, the wedding procession set off, accompanied by music and revelry. The procession, carrying betrothal gifts and dowry, totaled ninety-six loads. The grand procession stretched for more than two streets.

It really is:

A ten-mile-long procession of red bridal procession gleamed in the sunlight, their phoenix coronet and embroidered robes fluttering lightly as they moved.

The phoenix hairpin adds to the festive atmosphere, and the brocade robes display their beauty.

Drums and music resound to welcome the beautiful lady, and relatives and friends gather to celebrate the auspicious occasion.

A lifetime of love and devotion is hard to end; we vow to grow old together and never break our promise.

As dusk approached, the group returned to the Chen family's eastern courtyard. Baochai stepped over the brazier and saddle, bowed three times to heaven and earth, and was then escorted by the blessed man to the bridal chamber to sit on the bed.

Chen Siyuan went ahead to greet his relatives and friends. Perhaps out of jealousy that Chen Siyuan, this scoundrel, had both wealth and women, and knowing that he was good at feigning drunkenness, even the best man rebelled this time, managing to force Chen Siyuan to drink half a jar of Daughter's Red wine.

At this moment, Princess Rongchang, the ice lady, had already left the bridal chamber with a group of ladies and wives. So Wenxing served Baochai inside, leaving Ying'er alone in the outer room to keep an eye on things.

Suddenly, Ying'er called out softly from outside, "The young master is here!"

Wenxing was so frightened that she hurriedly put the veil back on Baochai's head.

A moment later, the door creaked open, and two maids helped the staggering Chen Siyuan inside.

Wei Zhaogao stopped outside the bridal chamber and said with a grin, "Shuliang is probably really drunk this time."

Xu Xueqin clapped his hands and laughed, saying, "We've married three beautiful women in one season. The first two times, we brothers did a lot of drinking to save them. This last time, it's time to let Shuliang suffer a bit."

Jiang Yuanqian couldn't help but laugh and said, "Let's go quickly, lest our younger siblings come out and blame us."

After saying this, the three friends turned and laughed as they left.

Meanwhile, Ying'er and Wenxing saw Chen Siyuan slumped in his chair and smelled the pungent smell of alcohol as they got closer. Ying'er was immediately annoyed: "How could he have drunk so much alcohol? Wenxing, go to the back and ask them to bring you a bowl of hangover soup."

Wen Xing had just agreed when she saw Chen Siyuan snort and sit up straight, pinching his brow.

Ying'er was overjoyed and said, "Young master, are you pretending to be drunk?"

"Pretending?" Chen Siyuan said with lingering fear, "I pretended to be drunk and still got half a jar of liquor poured into my mouth. If I hadn't pretended, I'm afraid I would have drunk the other half too." As he spoke, he grabbed the warm tea soup on the table and drank it all in one gulp. Then he sprang up, grabbed the red silk-wrapped support pole, went to the bedside, and lifted the veil.

But behold: Her distant eyebrows, like the crescent moon at dawn, are both alluring and charming, a star shining brightly in black and white. Her almond-shaped eyes are bright and clear, her eyebrows delicately curved like willow leaves. Her small, cylindrical eyes, like hanging gall bladders, are perfectly framed by her small, angular, vermilion-painted cherries.

The flickering red candles and shimmering pearls accentuated the beauty of the young lady!
Chen Siyuan was slightly taken aback, but when he saw Baochai smiling with a mix of anger and joy, he also smiled.

"Is my sister tired? Jiang Yuanqian and the others were jealous of my wealth and beauty, and they turned against me in the second half. Otherwise, I would have come to see my sister long ago."

Sister Bao said with concern, "The smell of alcohol is overwhelming; you must have drunk quite a bit. Wenxing, quickly go and get some sobering soup."

Wenxing then agreed, turned around, and pushed open the door to leave.

Baochai got up to help Chen Siyuan. Chen Siyuan raised his hand to stroke Baochai's face, but Ying'er coughed from behind and said, "Miss, young master, let's drink the nuptial wine first."

Chen Siyuan paused his raised hand, then smiled and said, "Alright."

He took the wine, drank half a ladleful, and then handed it to Baochai. After Baochai finished the rest of the wine, Chen Siyuan said, "Let's help your young lady change her clothes first."

Baochai laughed and said, "It's not that tiring."

Chen Siyuan said, "This phoenix crown alone must be incredibly heavy. Just looking at it makes my neck ache. How can you not be tired? Go and change it quickly."

Her husband was gentle and considerate, and Baochai felt warm inside. Ying'er then came over to help Baochai remove her makeup. Chen Siyuan was about to sit down and observe when there was a knock on the door.

The three people inside, master and servant, were all very surprised. Ying'er then asked, "Who?"

Outside the door, a maid named Xiaoluo said, "Have the master and the old lady drunk the nuptial wine? Our aunt is still waiting for the master to lift the veil."

Upon hearing this, Ying'er immediately became angry and was about to reprimand her when Baochai pulled her back.

Chen Siyuan scratched his head, completely forgetting about Baoqin for a moment. He chuckled awkwardly and said to Baoqin, "Should I go over there? I'll come back as soon as the veil is lifted."

Baochai smiled gently and said, "Husband, go and come back quickly."

Chen Siyuan agreed, then got up and left, turning back every few steps.

As soon as the man left, the smile on Baochai's face vanished. Ying'er complained, "Today is Miss's big day, and the second branch of the family dared to knock on the door of the bridal chamber! It's truly outrageous!"

Baochai said coldly, "Whether it's right or wrong, Qin'er is at least in the right. Let's forgive her this time; she'll get her due in the future!"

(End of this chapter)