Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 48: Instigation (Please read, collect and recommend)
Mrs. Xing's personality was, to put it bluntly, a double-edged sword. Chen Siyuan II, as a man, naturally understood it perfectly.

Chen Siyuan didn't even glance at the banknotes on the table. He just drank his tea with his head down and a frown on his face.

After a long while, Madam Xing said, "Brother, please say something."

Chen Siyuan said, "A ship full of cloth and silk, apart from the ballast, would be worth twenty or thirty thousand silver coins. Mr. Xu asked for twenty thousand, and Auntie asked for two thousand. I'm afraid that even if I ask Master Sun for help, I won't have the nerve to do so."

Mrs. Xing was anxious and said, "Why do you care whether Mr. Xu lives or dies? He is my nephew. How can I let an outsider take advantage of him?"

"This... has Aunt made up her mind? You can't regret it once you hand over this banknote."

Mrs. Xing hesitated, but seeing Chen Siyuan's indifferent expression, she became even more resolute. She gritted her teeth and said, "Leave it to my brother."

Chen Siyuan sighed and said reluctantly, "If you don't give it to me, then give it to Master Sun. He will have to give my aunt a certificate."

As he spoke, Chen Siyuan slowly picked up the banknote, folded it neatly, and put it in his sleeve pocket. Madam Xing stared at the banknote until Chen Siyuan put it in his pocket, then reluctantly looked away.

Then he said a little uncomfortably: "Brother, can you really earn a thousand taels in half a year?"

Chen Siyuan said, "If everything goes well, there will always be a thousand taels. But sailing on the sea is always risky...why don't you take it back, aunt?"

Mrs. Xing quickly waved her hands, "Forget it, forget it. Whether she lives or dies depends on this one." With a sigh, Mrs. Xing frowned and said, "Your Third Aunt isn't young anymore. If she doesn't get married soon, she'll become an old maid. Yes, I've prepared everything. When will you be free, brother?"

Chen Siyuan said, "I'll go find Master Sun early tomorrow morning to settle my aunt's affairs. I also need to go to Ningguo Mansion in the afternoon... How about I go find my aunt the day after tomorrow?"

"Okay, okay," Mrs. Xing said repeatedly, then frowned again. "There's just one thing. When you see your uncle next time, don't mess around with him." She paused, and seeing Chen Siyuan's confusion, she sighed, "Just forget what I said. I'm afraid you two, nephew and uncle, won't get along."

After sitting for a while, Mrs. Xing got up and left.

After seeing Madam Xing off, Chen Siyuan collapsed on the bed. Hongyu prepared another bowl of honey water to relieve him. Chen Siyuan drank a few sips and suddenly noticed that Hongyu's eyes were bloodshot. He said, "Didn't you sleep well last night?"

Hongyu smiled and shook her head.

Chen Siyuan said, "I've already told you there aren't that many rules here. Just go to sleep peacefully today. I'll call you if anything happens."

Hongyu said, "Master, please be kind, but I can't break the rules. The maids in the room all come here this way, so you don't have to worry too much."

"Oh." Chen Siyuan responded and said nothing more.

Hongyu helped her with the honey water and turned around with a slight pout. She was puzzled and wondered when she could be like Xiangling.
Towards evening, Chen Siyuan sobered up and went to the side room to check on Xiangling. Xiangling was slumped on the kang, unable to get up, her face pale. She simply said everything was fine and not to worry.

Chen Siyuan said a few words of concern, then turned around and saw the little maid Yunxiang pouting and holding a brush to write big characters.

Seeing him looking at her, Yunxiang said aggrievedly: "Master, why don't you just hit me with a stick? This big character is really hard to write."

Chen Siyuan laughed heartily and said, "That's why I asked you to write it. Write well, and who knows, you might be well-educated and well-mannered someday."

Yunxiang pouted and said, "I'm just a third-class maid. What's the point of being well-educated and well-mannered? I'll have to marry a boy in a few years."

Chen Siyuan was not sure what to say, so Hongyu immediately scolded him, "You're being rude! How can you say such things in front of me? If you do that again, I'll slap you on the hand!"

Yunxiang was so frightened that she shuddered and stopped talking immediately.

That night, Hongyu rested in the warm room as usual. The next morning, Chen Siyuan left early. He first went to the outer city, found Xu Dabiao and Qian Feihu to accompany him, and then went to the Zhejiang Guild Hall. There, he exchanged the banknotes and received a handwritten receipt from Sun Guangcheng. Chen Siyuan briefly recounted the events of Ningguo Mansion that night, and then, without further delay, headed straight back from the guild hall.

Not far along, I heard a cough from the roadside. Turning my head, I saw a man standing by the roadside with a stick.

Chen Siyuan was secretly delighted. Seeing him give him a look, he turned his horse and followed. Soon they arrived at a secluded alley. Chen Siyuan dismounted and approached, asking, "Master Sun, do you have any instructions?"

Hu Mang said in a deep voice, "No... I wanted to ask, has Yan'er sent any news?"

Chen Siyuan's mind raced. He had only known these three men for two months, and since they were all scammers, Chen Siyuan naturally didn't trust them. Now, judging by Hu Mang's expression, was this man truly interested in Liu Yan'er?
He had an idea that this would be a way to stir up trouble.

After looking at Hu Mang thoughtfully for a while, Chen Siyuan said, "Sister Yan said the other day that she was worried that you two would not only take the money, but also sell us out later."

Hu Mang pondered for a moment and said, "Tell her to be at ease. It's hard to say anything else. I've been keeping an eye on Elder Sun."

Chen Siyuan asked, "I haven't seen Brother Hu for a while. Could it be that Brother Hu is busy with other things?"

Hu Mang said coldly, "I'm just an errand boy. If you want to ask anything, just ask Elder Sun."

"Oh." Chen Siyuan said, "Sister Yan is now the concubine of the Xue family. She wears gold and silver, eats delicious food, and has maids to wait on her everywhere. Tsk tsk... If you ask me, it's better to stay like this. It's better than going through the ups and downs outside."

Hu Mang's face darkened immediately, and he said, "Do you think I can't hear the provocation?"

Chen Siyuan said, "I'm just telling the truth. If Brother Hu doesn't like to hear it, I won't say it anymore."

Hu Mang seemed to have lost his defense and gritted his teeth, "Just take care of yourself."

After saying this, he lowered his hat and walked out.

Chen Siyuan led the horse to the other side. When he reached the entrance of the alley, he saw Qian Feihu nodded at him. Chen Siyuan knew that Xu Dabiao had followed.

Chen Siyuan felt relieved, and without speaking to Qian Feihu, he mounted his horse and rode off. He thought to himself, Liu Yan'er had entered the Rongguo Mansion, and now she was constrained and unable to move; while Old Sun seemed to be in a critical position, he was actually exposed, and it was difficult for him to handle those secret matters on his own.

Because Hu Mang's whereabouts are extremely crucial, there is also the fourth person behind him. This person is hiding secretly, and careful investigation is required to uncover his whereabouts.

Thinking about returning to Rongguo Mansion, Chen Siyuan turned around and went to Ningguo Mansion.

The gatekeeper of Ningguo Mansion had already known Chen Siyuan and had witnessed what Chen Siyuan did that day. He welcomed him in respectfully, and then the steward came to greet him.

Chen Siyuan then asked the manager, "What about the outer study?"

The manager said, "What else can we do? It's still sealed. We asked a sorcerer to perform a ritual, and it was noisy for two days, but it was quiet yesterday."

"Oh, what about Qiang'er and Rong'er?"

The steward looked around and whispered, "Master Rong is easy to deal with, but he just won't come forward. Second Master Qiang, on the other hand, has been ill since that night and is still recuperating at home."

　Fortunately I didn’t sleep. I actually forgot to update on schedule. Sorry, sorry.

　　I'm looking for follow-up reading, collection, and recommendation votes on Tuesday. It's related to the recommendation, so please help~
　　

(End of this chapter)