Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 83: Thief (Subscribe)

Sister Feng made up her mind, then frowned again for a moment. Baoyu, relying on the old lady's doting, had always been a 'devil in the world'. He had insisted on following her before, and now that she had gone against his wishes, wouldn't he make a scene?

Chen Siyuan observed her expression and whispered, "Second sister-in-law, I'll just say that Madam doesn't allow Baoyu to stay at Mantou Temple."

Feng Jieer immediately relaxed her brows and said soothingly, "It's a pity that Brother Yuan is going to take the imperial examinations tomorrow. Otherwise, I would have liked to have him be the head steward. He's so thorough and considerate, even Lai Da can't compare to him." Then she covered her mouth and said, "Oh no! It seems like I'm insulting Brother Yuan by saying that."

Chen Siyuan laughed heartily and waved his hand, saying, "Second sister-in-law has always been sincere. How could a brother like me be so petty?"

Feng Jieer nodded and turned to say, "Ping'er..." Feng Jieer called Ping'er over and whispered a few words in her ear, which made Ping'er dumbfounded.

After explaining it, Sister Feng said, "Have you taken note? Go with Brother Yuan later and explain it in detail to Madam."

"Yes."

When the group returned to the front, Sister Feng looked around the quiet room and frowned again.

Chen Siyuan said, "This scene reminds me of the two characters 'Chong Er' written beside the gate of Mount Tai."

"Chong Er?" Wang Xifeng didn't know the allusion.

Chen Siyuan then explained. It would have been fine if he hadn't explained it, but Wang Xifeng felt even more annoyed after hearing it. What about Zhineng, Qin Zhong, and Baoyu... could this Mantou Temple still be a peaceful place?

It was not so that Fengjie had been very busy these days and could not sleep well at night. In addition, her illness had lasted for seven or eight days and had not yet ended. Fengjie really wanted to return to Tiekan Temple to rest immediately.

A moment later, Baoyu and Qin Zhong came in together. Baoyu, feeling that he had done nothing wrong, only raised his head and frowned; Qin Zhong, who was standing beside him, lowered his head and did not dare to look up at anyone for a moment.

Chen Siyuan said, "Madam is worried about Brother Bao, and she also thinks that Second Sister-in-law has been too busy these days, so she sent me to invite Brother Bao to return to Tiekan Temple to rest."

"But……"

Baoyu had barely opened his mouth when Chen Siyuan said sternly, "I'm also following Madam's orders. If you have anything to say, please speak to Madam. It's getting late, I think we should leave now." He stood up and took two steps, then glanced at Qin Zhong and said, "You go back too!"

Chen Siyuan was a handsome man, and even now, when he feigned anger, he looked truly righteous. With just a sidelong glance, Qin Zhong was so intimidated that he dared not meet his gaze and only lowered his head in muffled response.

Baoyu looked at Fengjie again, but Fengjie was feeling disgusted, so how could she pay any attention to him?

Baoyu was thinking at this moment that he himself had nothing to do, but if Zhong Ge'er's affairs were to spread out, it would be difficult for them to have any contact in the future.

At that moment, a carriage was parked outside. Ping'er led Baoyu and Qin Zhong into the carriage. Chen Siyuan mounted the horse and led the group straight to Tiekan Temple.

Soon they arrived at Tiekan Temple. Chen Siyuan brought people to Lady Wang's room and only told the maid to "bring the person back", and Ping'er would take care of the rest.

At that moment, Chen Siyuan was waiting outside and had to send Ping'er back after a while.

But in Lady Wang's room, the maid was helping her take off the silver ornaments on her head when suddenly a maid came to report that Chen Siyuan had brought Baoyu back.

Mrs. Wang was extremely puzzled. Baoyu had been noisily following Sister Feng during the day, and at night he had been clamoring to go to Shuiyue Temple with her. Why was he back now?

She came out of the bedroom and saw Ping'er leading Baoyu in. Ping'er came forward to greet him, said "Excuse me", and whispered a few words to him, which made Mrs. Wang stunned!
Baoyu...actually did such a foolish thing?
Ping'er stepped back and said, "Our grandmother has ordered that this matter not be spread outside. From now on, Madam will have to make the decision herself."

Madam Wang's chest heaved with rage. She caught a glimpse of Qin Zhong loitering outside and, suppressing her anger, said, "My room is so cramped, I'm afraid it's hard to keep more people here. Someone, take Zhong to Rong and Qiang's rooms."

A maid agreed and came out to lead Qin Zhong to find Jia Qiang and Jia Rong.

Ping Erh had given her instructions and bowed before leaving. Bao Yu then stepped forward and said, "This time it's Jing Qing—"

Mrs. Wang suddenly slammed the table and said, "You bastard, how dare you mention him!"

"Mrs--"

Mrs. Wang was so angry that she burst into tears. "I've known for a long time that you were a bad child and the source of all evil, but I kept spoiling you because you were over forty years old and your only child. And you were also the one the old lady doted on. I figured you were still young and had a good nature, so it wouldn't be too late to discipline you when you grew up. But you... who could have known you would turn out like this!"

Baoyu was anxious and stepped forward to explain, "Mother, you misunderstood. It was all Qin Zhong and Zhineng'er. I saw Qin Zhong sneaking out quietly and thought there must be something fishy, ​​so I followed him in. Who knew that after I scared those two, my second sister-in-law brought people to look for him!"

Mrs. Wang always knew that the mistake was of great importance, and Fengjie would never ask someone to send Baoyu back overnight. Since Ping'er was so sure and it was in front of everyone, how could she have been wrong?
Mrs. Wang shook her head and said, "I just want to ask you one thing. You, you must have known about this for a long time!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Baoyu was stunned and speechless.

This matter... he had known about it for a long time. Two years ago, while sleeping in Qin Keqing's room, he had a dream that made him lose consciousness. When he turned around, he was touched by Xiren, and he took advantage of the situation to complete the good thing with Xiren.

Baoyu was raised in the inner courtyard of a deep house and never told lies. Now that Mrs. Wang asked him this, how could he dare to answer?

If she really goes back, I'm afraid Xiren will be kicked out of the house right away!

Seeing this, Mrs. Wang was well aware of Baoyu's whereabouts. She slammed the table and cried bitterly, "In the past, the master wanted to discipline you, and I stopped him. Now it seems I was wrong. Come, quickly call the master. I can't control this evil child who is the source of trouble!"

Baoyu was so frightened that he fell to his knees. He crawled a few steps on his knees, hugged Lady Wang's legs, and cried, "Mother, please forgive me this time. Don't tell Master. If Master finds out, I won't be alive anymore!"

Baoyu burst into tears and swore that he would never do it again. Mrs. Wang just sobbed and cried, and never mentioned looking for Jia Zheng again.

Let’s not talk about what the mother and son were thinking.

But Chen Siyuan, after sending Ping'er back to the Mantou Temple, rode back, eager to find Madam Xing. However, it was already late at night, and he was afraid it would be inconvenient for them to meet.

Just when I was at a loss, Miao'er suddenly came.

Because so many of the Jia family's relatives had come, Chen Siyuan was only allocated one side room. Hearing a knock at the door, Chen Siyuan opened it and invited Miao'er in. Miao'er bowed and said, "Master, our wife asked me to tell you that everything is fine and you don't have to worry."

What I mean is, that thing and words were handed over to Baozhu?
Chen Siyuan felt relieved and said with a smile, "Thank you, Miss Miao, for telling me." He then asked, "Aunt, will you be back tomorrow?"

Miao'er said, "Of course. But someone has to stay here too, probably Second Madam. Oh, maybe Master Yuan will stay too." Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "I'll probably stay one more day. My best friend is getting married the day after tomorrow, and I don't want to miss it."

Miao'er raised her eyes and stared at Chen Siyuan. For some reason, she suddenly lowered her head in shame. Chen Siyuan didn't care to guess what the maid was thinking at this moment. He just said, "It's late. Miss Miao'er, go and answer the question."

"Well," Miao'er bowed and said hesitantly, "From now on, just call me Miao'er." Then she shook her hair, raised her hand to cover her face and walked away shyly.

Chen Siyuan closed the door casually, turned around and sat at the head of the bed, thinking to himself: Baozhu is not a fool, I think everything will go smoothly, right?
In the mourning hall.

The Jia family's relatives all went to settle down, only Baozhu and a few maids stayed to keep vigil.

According to the rules, Baozhu had to observe the ritual for three days. By this time, Baozhu had made up her mind: no matter what, she would tell Jia Zhen tomorrow that she would stay in Tiekan Temple to watch over her "adoptive mother."

But before that, the eldest lady of the West Mansion came for no apparent reason, secretly stuffed something in her mouth, and said some inexplicable words.

Baozhu tucked the item into her waist so she wouldn't reveal it. Seeing the maids around her nodding sleepily, she quietly turned around and slowly took the item out of her waist.

The object was wrapped in oil paper. When it was unfolded, it contained some white-brown powder and two pills wrapped in silk cloth. Baozhu held her breath as instructed, quickly rewrapped the object, and tucked it back into her waist.

I wondered to myself, is this thing really useful? Will someone really be there to pick me up? Will I be dead or alive if I get out?
Suddenly he clenched his fists, thinking that staying in Tiekan Temple would only delay time. The other party had put so much effort into it, even inviting the wife of the Western Mansion to speak for them, so why not give it a try?
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The next morning, Jia's mother, Wang Fu-ren, and their companions returned, Bao-yu naturally accompanying them. Qin Zhong, however, stayed behind… After all, they were siblings, so someone from the Qin family had to stay behind to oversee the ceremony.

It turned out to be exactly as Miao'er said. Sister Feng stayed to take charge, and since the houses in Tiekan Temple were vacant, she hurriedly moved back from Mantou Temple.

That day, Chen Siyuan was busy in the morning, but at noon, seeing a break, he pretended to take a walk and left Tiekan Temple. He walked a short distance before slipping into the woods behind.

Chen Siyuan paced around, looking for any traces of the enemy. Suddenly, he heard the branches shaking above his head. Looking up, he saw Ma Panlong and Xu Dabiao jumping down from the tree.

Chen Siyuan stepped forward and greeted him: "Greetings, brothers. Last night, brothers—"

Ma Panlong waved his hand and said, "We are in the military, and sleeping in the open is normal. Brother Yuan, have you found that person?"

Chen Siyuan nodded, squatted down, picked up a branch, and began to draw on the ground. Then he pointed and said, "The funeral hall is here. She is resting in the northwest corner. My two brothers will meet her here."

Ma Panlong said, "The wall is ten feet high. Luckily we have prepared some flying claws, but women are weak, so we might need Da Biao to climb over and help."

Chen Siyuan said, "My two brothers, please meet the guests and follow the plan." He paused and added, "Tomorrow I will attend the wedding on behalf of my fifth brother."

Xu Dabiao curled his lips and said, "Can this job still be done for me? I'll have to come back and make up for it."

After the three of them had finalized their plan, Ma Panlong and Xu Dabiao disappeared, while Chen Siyuan strolled out of the woods and returned to Tiekan Temple. That afternoon, Chen Siyuan found a free moment to visit Wang Xifeng.

When they met, he bowed and said, "First, I have to say hello to my second sister-in-law. My good friend's wedding is the day after tomorrow, so I came to tell you that I'm afraid I have to return to the capital early tomorrow morning."

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "It's all happening at the same time, Brother Yuan, it's hard for you to bring it up now. It was actually me who asked for your help, Brother Yuan, so don't bring up such annoying things in the future. When your second brother comes back, we'll have a banquet together to thank Brother Yuan properly."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Then wait for my second sister-in-law to treat us to a drink."

The message was delivered, and Chen Siyuan lingered for a moment before saying goodbye and leaving.

That night, everything was peaceful, so Chen Siyuan returned to his side room to rest. Worried that he would not sleep well and miss the appointment again, he found a maid and paid her three taels of silver, asking her to come and fetch him at dawn the next morning.

The old woman happily agreed, and Chen Siyuan closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief. All the calculations, nothing could compare to fate. What would happen tonight? We'll have to wait and see.

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mourning hall.

Baozhu knelt before the brazier, occasionally throwing handfuls of paper money in. Since most of the Jia family had gone home, the mourning hall was unattended, and the remaining servants inevitably slacked off.

Baoyu had already told Jia Zhen about this early this morning. Jia Zhen tried to comfort her with a few words, but seeing that Baozhu insisted on staying, he had no choice but to agree to her wish and had to leave a few maids to look after her.

As the night deepened, Baozhu grew increasingly anxious. Around noon, she rustled to her feet. Her legs were numb from kneeling for so long.

After stretching a little, she knelt down again. A maid heard the noise and saw that Baozhu had only stretched her muscles a little, so she closed her eyes and continued to doze.

Baozhu quietly took the object from her waist, first put the black pill under the tip of her tongue, and then threw the whole bag of white-brown powder into the brazier.

A strange fragrance spread from the brazier. Baozhu quickly held her breath, her heart pounding, but she didn't dare to move.

Fortunately, the strange fragrance dissipated quickly as it arrived. Baozhu couldn't hold her breath any longer, so she opened her mouth and took a few sips. Seeing that she hadn't been bewitched, she gradually felt relieved.

A moment later, snoring suddenly broke out from the mourning hall. Baozhu called out tentatively, "Madame Liu? Madame Zheng?"

All she heard in response was a burst of snoring. Baozhu didn't dare linger any longer. She stood up, picked up a woman's coat, wrapped it around her, and hurried out of the mourning hall. She quietly walked around the hall in the darkness and soon reached the northwest corner.

It was pitch black. Baozhu looked around but saw no trace of anyone. Suddenly, she remembered what Mrs. Xing had told her and coughed lightly a few times.

There was a bird's chirping outside, and Baozhu coughed twice. Then, with a snap, something hooked onto the wall, and in the blink of an eye, a human figure and a large bird seemed to float down from the wall.

Baozhu took two steps back in shock. The man covered his face and asked in a low voice, "Miss Baozhu?"

Baozhu nodded quickly and said, "Yes, it's me."

"Hurry up!" the man cried out, and the flying claw on the wall landed in the courtyard. Baozhu then pulled the rope, and the man pushed and carried Baozhu, finally sending her up. Then they climbed over the wall together and disappeared into the night in the blink of an eye.

(End of this chapter)