Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 453 Clouds Disperse, Golden Osmanthus Blossoms Over Gaotang, Thunderclap Destroys Fu Di in the Officialdom

Xia Jingui was overjoyed to have been assigned the job of housekeeper. However, having just married into the family, she couldn't be too arrogant at the moment. Although she acted like a proper young mistress, she was cautious and careful in her actions, not daring to make a single mistake.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. With the help of several servants from Madam Wang's household, Xia Jingui became increasingly adept at managing the household, and her behavior inevitably became somewhat eccentric.

That day, Baochan was ordered to open the storeroom. Seeing countless fine items inside, she secretly took a set of Longquan celadon cups and saucers. This item was a gift from the Emperor; no matter how wealthy the Xia family was, they had never seen anything like it.
Seeing the teacup melt into ice upon contact with water and then freeze again upon drying, Xia Jingui marveled at it. Turning to Baochan, she said, "Mother always said that the Rongguo Mansion was wealthy. I lived there for a few months, but I thought it was just extravagant spending and that the interior was just an empty shell. Who knew that the mansion was hiding countless treasures? Just one of them could probably support an ordinary family for a lifetime!"

Baochan laughed and said, "Now that the young mistress is in charge, aren't all these things available for her to use?"

Xia Jingui smiled smugly, but then suddenly remembered Baoyu, and immediately asked with a stern face, "Where did Second Master go again?"

Baochan frowned and said, "He said he went to the garden to relax, but who doesn't know he must have gone to see that vixen Yun'er again?" She paused, then added, "Madam, you shouldn't let Second Master Bao act so recklessly."

Xia Jingui remained noncommittal, saying, "The eldest branch's grandmother is a jealous woman; she's even more anxious about this than I am. Why should I bother with her?"

Baochan immediately said, "Madam, you must be careful. That Second Mistress Lian is not someone to be trifled with. The Master is getting worse every day, and who knows when he will pass away. Once Second Mistress Lian has finished handling the funeral arrangements, who knows what will happen to the steward's job?"

Xia Jingui snorted and said, "This matter is for Madam and Grandma to handle in court. We just need to mind our own business."

After chatting for a while, seeing that dinner was approaching, the two of them got up and headed towards Madam Wang's courtyard. As luck would have it, just as they arrived near the left side gate of Madam Wang's courtyard, they saw Feng Jie leading Ping'er towards this side.

Xia Jingui blinked, then quickly stepped forward with a forced smile to answer. Feng Jie forced a smile and replied with a few words, then hurriedly parted ways with her and headed towards her own courtyard.

Once they reached the left side of the large, whitewashed screen wall and saw that no one was around, the maidservant said to Sister Feng, "Grandma, the new Second Mistress Bao is quite pleased with herself lately. I heard that she even got humiliated by Wang Shanbao's wife yesterday."

Sister Feng sneered, "Her thoughts are pretty obvious. No matter what she and Madam are up to, as long as the Old Madam is alive, none of those thoughts matter."

Ping'er frowned, puzzled.

Sister Feng then said, "Don't forget your noble title."

Ping'er suddenly realized. That's right, now that the master is gone, it's time for Second Master Lian to inherit the title. We can't let the unrelated Second Madam Bao manage the household, can we?
Let alone Xia Jingui, it's questionable whether Madam Wang will even be able to continue managing the household by then!
The reason why Madam Wang was put in charge of the household in the first place was because the old lady did not like the eldest master. Now that the eldest master is about to pass away, we can't let the second branch of the family take over the household, can we?

The two women, mistress and servant, entered the room. Feng Jie immediately unbuttoned her clothes, grabbed a round fan, and fanned herself incessantly. She frowned and said, "It's only the middle of March, why is it so hot? If it continues to be this hot, I'm afraid the fifth seven-day period will be too long. It would be good if we could even finish the third seven-day period."

The master is deteriorating day by day, and now he is in a coma all day long, only occasionally waking up for an hour at most. After several imperial physicians consulted on the case, they concluded that the master would not live more than half a month, and the Jia family is already making preparations for his funeral.

Ping'er remained noncommittal, then brought over a cup of warm tea and whispered, "Madam, should we inform the Second Miss about her?"

Sister Feng raised her eyebrows and said, "Yingchun is almost full-term, what's the use of informing her? Oh right, he...did he come yesterday?"

Ping'er quickly nodded and said, "I heard from the servants in the east wing that Master Yuan came by yesterday afternoon. He stayed for a short while and then hurriedly returned home."

Sister Feng snorted twice, her heart filled with mixed feelings. Her life had been smooth sailing; she was strong-willed and rarely encountered anything that displeased her. But this Chen Siyuan was utterly unyielding. Not only did he have a child with her, but he also completely forgot about it afterward, spending his days in tender affections with Yingchun, Baochai, and Daiyu… Whenever she thought of this, Sister Feng would be furious.

Ping'er, observing the situation, immediately dared not utter a sound. She was about to go to the east room to check on the two children when Feng'er suddenly lifted the curtain and entered, whispering something to Ping'er, which made Ping'er frown deeply.

Just then, Sister Feng came to her senses and asked in a cold voice, "What is it?"

Ping'er turned back and whispered in her ear, "Grandma, Master Bao has gone into Pear Fragrance Courtyard again."

To everyone's surprise, Sister Feng was not angry at all. Instead, she chuckled and said, "He deserves to be a cuckold! He married a prostitute and expects me to stay by her side?" She paused, snorted, and ordered, "Don't worry about it. Let's pretend we don't know anything. Xia Jingui is arrogant and will make a scene sooner or later. We'll just enjoy the show."

Ping'er nodded in agreement, but in her heart she was worried that her mistress no longer had any affection for the Second Master.

After a while, Feng'er brought over a food box. The two of them, mistress and servant, ate a mouthful in one go. Ping'er went to look after the two children, and Feng Jie'er leaned back on the kang to rest.

Who knew that just as night fell, the sound of the gong suddenly rang out. Feng Jie woke up in a daze, and Ping'er quickly entered and said, "Madam, the gong is ringing. I'm afraid something bad has happened to the master."

Sister Feng took a deep breath, a glimmer of hope on her face, and said, "Help me get dressed... I've already done all thirty-six bows, now all that's left is this final tremor."

Ping'er hurriedly helped Feng Jie get dressed, then picked up a lantern and headed towards the east courtyard.

Rongqing Hall.

Grandmother Jia, being old, went to bed early, but she couldn't sleep soundly. The sound of the gong startled her awake. Light footsteps approached from outside, and then a servant whispered, "The eldest master has passed away."

After discussing it for a while, Jade and the parrot said, "The old lady has just gone to bed. I think we should talk about it tomorrow morning."

The old woman hesitated for a moment, then the parrot said, "A parent outliving their child will surely cause the old lady a lot of worry and anxiety. Rather than that, it would be better to let her get some more sleep."

The old woman then replied, "In that case, I'll head back to the east wing first."

After the old woman left, Emerald and Parrot glanced inside and saw that Grandmother Jia was lying on her side without moving, so they tiptoed away.

Grandmother Jia, who was hiding in the shadows, suddenly sighed. It was truly a bitter pill to swallow for an old woman to bury her young son.

Although that unfilial son was a menace, at least because of his past misdeeds, Grandmother Jia was able to hand over the management of the household to the second branch of the family. Now that the unfilial son is gone, it's Lian'er's turn to inherit the title, and Feng'er is a fiery-tempered girl. If the responsibility of managing the household isn't returned, I'm afraid the Rongguo Mansion will fall apart!

If they don't give the house to the eldest daughter, Jia Lian and Feng Jie will be unhappy; but if they do give it to the eldest daughter, how can they win over the second daughter? You must know that the Rongguo Mansion only maintains its dignity because the eldest daughter of the second daughter is taking care of things in the palace.

For a moment, Grandmother Jia felt caught in a dilemma, and afterwards she cursed Jia She for leaving behind such a huge problem on his deathbed!
Grand View Garden.

Madam You led her maid through the side gate and immediately spotted the thatched cottage where Chen Siyuan had once lived. Her heart skipped a beat, but Madam You quickly composed herself and hurried forward in a circle.

To their surprise, upon arriving at Qinfang Pavilion, they bumped into Li Wan and Tan Chun, who were also heading forward.

The two sides collided, and regardless of their thoughts, they all sighed with regret. After exchanging a few polite words, Madam You turned and glanced around carefully, only to find that Xichun was nowhere to be seen, and her heart sank. She thought to herself, no wonder Jia Zhen said that Xichun was cold-hearted; she was nowhere to be seen when Jia Jing passed away, and now she was nowhere to be seen when Jia She died.

Jia Zhen has been trying to win over Ru Hua, hoping to win over his own sister, but now that Xi Chun is acting this way, it seems all his efforts will be in vain.

Collecting their thoughts, the group left the Rongguo Mansion and soon turned into the black lacquered gate.

Now the east courtyard is brightly lit. Servants have already replaced the lanterns in front of the door with white lanterns, and other servants have found white banners to set up a mourning shed.

Lady You went first, but Jia Zhen arrived earlier. Jia Lian was greeting Jia Zhen and heading inside when Jia Zhen noticed something amiss. He immediately stopped the servants, saying, "Nonsense! Uncle She is the head of the Rongguo Mansion; how can he set up a mourning hall in the east wing?"

The servants were at a loss and hurriedly looked at Jia Lian.

Jia Lian was at a loss for what to do, so he could only whisper, "Brother Zhen, the old lady is still here... isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

Jia Zhen was taken aback and said, "No matter how virtuous and respected the old lady is, she is not the head of Rongguo Mansion. How can Brother Lian be so confused?" As soon as he said this, seeing that Jia Lian was still hesitating, Jia Zhen couldn't help but sigh and said, "Brother Lian is so hesitant. How can he inherit Rongguo Mansion in the future?"

Only after saying this did Jia Lian grit his teeth and make up his mind. He turned around and ordered, "Stop everything! Move the mourning tent and all other items to Rongxi Hall!"

The servants responded immediately and hurriedly carried the bamboo poles, funeral banners, and other items to Rongxi Hall.

Jia Lian and Jia Zhen passed through the three ceremonial gates and entered the main room. They only glanced at Jia She briefly and saw Madam Xing lying on the bedside, wailing incessantly. Neither of them cared about Madam Xing's feigned affection.

As the saying goes, "Even filial sons can grow weary of caring for a chronically ill parent." If this is true even for fathers and sons, it is even more true for spouses who have married later in life. On the contrary, Jia She's concubines, filled with anxiety and fear, all wept bitterly.

Jia Zhen urged him a few more times, and Jia Lian hurriedly ordered the servants to move Jia She's body to Rongxi Hall. Then, the main gate was opened, and the Jia family members were welcomed inside to view the body. The busy night was well spent.

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

The study in the back garden of the Chen family.

After Chen Siyuan finished his practice, Miao'er served him a copper basin to wash and comb his hair, Tiao'er presented him with a celadon cup to brush his teeth, and Xiuju shyly dressed him. Chen Siyuan kissed one and touched the other, enjoying the bliss of having two women on his left and right.

After parting ways with the three women and moving forward, the scene before him was still that of the night before, filled with the fragrance of powder and the tender touch of jade against his skin, a scene of passionate lovemaking that was both intoxicating and numbing. This made Chen Siyuan even more smug, and he couldn't help but hum a tune from his past life.

Just as we turned to the central courtyard, Yunxiang hurried over.

Approaching, he curtsied and said, "Master, the Rongguo Mansion sent word that the eldest master passed away yesterday at 7 PM." Chen Siyuan was not surprised at all. Upon hearing this, he only sighed sadly and said, "Father-in-law... what a pity."

Yunxiang, not understanding the situation, took it as sarcasm and said, "Madam is now in her advanced months, so I'm afraid it's not good for her to do strenuous work."

Chen Siyuan said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

After bidding farewell to Hongyu, Chen Siyuan solemnly entered the main room. Yingchun was already up and was sitting on the bed talking to Hongyu.

Upon seeing Chen Siyuan arrive, Hongyu quickly stepped aside and went outside to prepare clean water.

Chen Siyuan sat close to the head of the bed, took his second sister's hand, and asked, "How were you yesterday?"

The second daughter said with a playful smile, "Everything else is fine, but this child is quite restless. He kicked me countless times last night, waking me up twice."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Once you've completed your confinement next month, Second Sister will be free."

"I hope so." Although Ding Daojian was certain that this child was a boy, how could one be sure about the sex of a baby? If it was a girl, Yingchun couldn't very well stop the other concubines from having children. If she gave birth to an illegitimate son in the future, the Zhonglu Courtyard would be in a lot of trouble.

Chen Siyuan hesitated for a moment before saying, "My father-in-law left yesterday at the hour of Xu (7-9 PM)."

Yingchun was taken aback for a moment before frowning and nodding slightly. The second young lady had few family ties in her life; her birth mother had passed away early, and her birth father ignored her. Upon hearing of Jia She's death, Yingchun felt a slight sinking feeling in her heart, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what she was thinking.

Seeing this, Chen Siyuan said, "Second sister is now in her late pregnancy and it is not good for her to work. Lin sister and I will take care of the funeral arrangements. Second sister does not need to worry about it."

Yingchun was worried about the child in her womb, so she didn't try to be brave. When Hongyu, Xiuju, and others arrived, Chen Siyuan, fearing that Yingchun might be suspicious, instructed his concubines to spend more time with her.

Hongyu, Xiuju, and the others all agreed, and Chen Siyuan then said goodbye and went to the west courtyard to find Daiyu.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, the parrot in the birdcage under the eaves spotted them and immediately squawked twice, "The son-in-law is a bad guy, quack, the son-in-law is a bad guy!"

Chen Siyuan stared at the parrot for a long time. When he saw Xueyan covering her mouth and laughing as she came to greet him, Chen Siyuan pointed and said, "Why is this feathered beast back again?"

Xueyan said, "At least it's a living creature. When Madam heard that the parrot had stopped eating and drinking after being moved to another place, she finally took pity on it. She gave the order yesterday to hang it under the eaves during the day and move it to the front at night."

Chen Siyuan remained noncommittal, then leaned closer to the parrot with a menacing expression, threatening, "If you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll pluck your feathers and boil them into soup!"

The parrot squawked incoherently and flapped its wings so hard that it lost two feathers.

Chen Siyuan figured the parrot was scared, so he snorted and went into the main room with his hands behind his back.

Inside, Daiyu was straightening her clothes and came out to greet him. When she saw Chen Siyuan, she scolded him, "My husband is getting younger and younger. Now you can even argue with a hairy beast."

Chen Siyuan said, "Madam, you don't know, that hairy beast is extremely intelligent. I think it has the intelligence of a seven-year-old child. If it is not properly disciplined, it will definitely take advantage of you in the future."

Daiyu was both amused and exasperated. She rolled her eyes at him before pulling him to sit down. Then she said, "According to the news from the front, the master passed away last night?"

Chen Siyuan nodded silently and said, "Second sister is in her late pregnancy and it's not good for her to work. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to make a few more trips."

Daiyu said solemnly, "This is only right. If it weren't for my uncle's help back then, who would have known that we would be where we are today? It is only right and proper that I should offer a proper sacrifice."

Tsk, Chen Siyuan frowned immediately, feeling even more guilty towards Jia She. He had lost his wife, raised his child, and even his daughter-in-law and daughter, not to mention facilitating his own relationship with Lin Daiyu. What was wrong with such a good person taking a little money? Chen Siyuan shouldn't have agreed to Madam Xing's request in the first place.

A moment of regret passed quickly, and Chen Siyuan discussed things with Daiyu for a while longer. After breakfast, he went to the Hanlin Academy.

As expected, a servant from the Rongguo Mansion delivered a notice of death on the morning of the following day, setting the date for the funeral in three days.

Fortunately, Jia She had been bedridden for half a year, and the Rongguo Mansion was well-prepared. Jia Zhen personally contacted monks and Taoists, settling on a five-seven ratio, and then asked various noble families to purchase ice—summer was just half a month away, and without ice, the master would probably stink within two days!

That afternoon, Chen Siyuan returned home early and then went to the Rongguo Mansion with Daiyu.

Chen Siyuan talked with Jia Zheng, Jia Lian, and Jia Zhen for a long time, while Daiyu went to the back to see Madam Xing, Feng Jie, and others, and then went to Rongqing Hall.

The two were juniors, and although they came to help out, the Rongguo Mansion was well-organized and didn't need their help at all.

On the way back, Daiyu said to Chen Siyuan, "Grandmother looks old with just a young boy, and she often seems lost in thought. I'm afraid that's not good for her."

Chen Siyuan said, "The old lady is the pillar of stability. If anything happens to her... I'm afraid the Rongguo Mansion will be in trouble."

Daiyu sighed, "Who says otherwise? That's why Madam, my sister-in-law, and even Master often stay by Madam's side, for fear that she might be too preoccupied and something unexpected might happen to her." She paused, then added, "That new sister-in-law said that it's not good for an elderly person to bury their child, so she wants Madam to send Madam to the estate to avoid the situation."

Chen Siyuan pondered for a moment and said, "It would be good to avoid it, so as not to worry the old lady. Besides, I heard a senior in the Hanlin Academy say today that I'm afraid a severe drought is already in the works this year."

Daiyu exclaimed in surprise, "Last year the weather was fine, how come there's such a severe drought this year?"

"Who can say for sure about the timing of events?" Chen Siyuan thought to himself, wondering if it was due to the repeated Little Ice Ages. "It is said that the Emperor has issued an edict to the Imperial Household Department, ordering it to purchase rice from Annam in response to the drought in the north."

Daiyu frowned and said with concern, "The people are suffering."

As she spoke, Daiyu leaned her head on Chen Siyuan's shoulder. After a moment, she suddenly jumped up and said, "That's it! Doesn't Luo Siliang know that damn method of digging deep wells?"

Chen Siyuan smiled and tapped Daiyu's delicate nose, saying, "His skills have all been learned by the Imperial Household Department. Don't worry, the court has its own plans."

Daiyu smiled and nodded. She returned home shortly after, and as soon as she got off the carriage at the Yi Gate, Baochai and Ying'er came looking for her.

Chen Siyuan and Daiyu were quite surprised, and Baochai said, "Just now, someone from the inner palace came and specifically asked Luo Siliang to go to Daming Prefecture to teach the art of deep wells. I knew that we couldn't delay, so I sent Luo Siliang off first."

Chen Siyuan laughed heartily, put his arm around Baochai's shoulder and said, "My dear wife, there is nothing wrong with what you did. From now on, we will handle such matters in the same way."

Baochai smiled with relief, saying, "It was a case of acting first and reporting later. If the Imperial Household Department hadn't been so eager, I wouldn't have dared to make such a decision."

The three of them entered the central courtyard and briefly explained the situation of the Rongguo Mansion. Upon hearing that Jia She's mourning tent was set up in front of Rongxi Hall, Yingchun finally relaxed her brows and said, "Grandmother was not confused this time after all."

Daiyu hesitated for a moment, then sighed and said, "I heard it was Brother Zhen who insisted. If Brother Zhen hadn't spoken up, I'm afraid the funeral would have been held in the east wing."

After these words were spoken, Yingchun and Baochai were both speechless. The group looked at each other and felt that Grandmother Jia was probably getting senile. After all, Jia She was the head of the Rongguo Mansion. How could there be any reason to hold a funeral in the east wing?

Leaving aside the Chen family members, let's turn to the Rongguo Mansion.

Jia Zheng was exhausted after answering questions all day. As night fell, he bid farewell to Jia Zhen, Jia Lian, and the Jia family relatives, and walked back with his hands behind his back.

They intended to visit Rongqing Hall, but were stopped by Fu Qiufang's maid as soon as they arrived at the hanging flower gate.

The young maidservant stepped forward and curtsied, saying urgently, "Master, please go and see the concubine! She's sobbing uncontrollably and is threatening to kill herself."

Jia Zheng's expression suddenly changed, and he said, "Why did this commotion suddenly start? Did Madam do something again?"

The little maid had no idea; she just kept shaking her head.

Helpless, Jia Zheng could only flick his sleeves and hurry towards the Grand View Garden. He entered Yihong Courtyard in no time and saw Fu Qiufang hanging a handkerchief in the hall, being pulled back by several old women, but Fu Qiufang was determined to die.

Jia Zheng strode in, stamped his foot, and shouted, "What are you doing now? If you have any grievances, just tell me. Why are you trying to kill yourself?"

Fu Qiufang sobbed uncontrollably, threw down her handkerchief and threw herself into Jia Zheng's arms, crying out, "Master, you must do me justice! Just now, my brother's attendant came to report that my brother was impeached by the censor, which angered the Emperor. Now, the Emperor has sent spies to arrest my brother and bring him to the capital to await punishment!"

"Huh?" Jia Zheng was taken aback.

Seeing that he didn't believe her, Fu Qiufang quickly found the letter and handed it to Jia Zheng. Jia Zheng should have just kept quiet; after reading it, he was instantly enraged! Ye Chengzong, who impeached Fu Shi, was a member of the Wang family. Even the most pedantic Jia Zheng knew that Lady Wang must have been involved in this matter!

After calming Fu Qiufang down in every way, he turned around and headed aggressively towards Madam Wang's courtyard.

(End of this chapter)