Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 85 Suspicion (Subscription Request)

Chen Siyuan hummed a tune whose lyrics he had long forgotten, while letting his horse run free, strolling along until the afternoon before returning to Rongguo Mansion.

At this moment, he felt that most of the shackles on his body had been removed. When he left Rongguo Mansion one day, there was no place in the world he couldn't go. When he found Xiangling, the two of them would have tens of thousands of taels of silver to themselves. They could buy some good farmland, hire a few maids and servants, and raise a few local dogs. In a few years, they would have children and grandchildren, and they would live a carefree life.

As for what is happening in Rongguo Mansion today, just treat it as a dream.

After entering from the corner gate and returning the horses, the doorman Yu Liu and others came forward to flatter him. Chen Siyuan felt much relieved and was so happy that he rewarded them with a few more dimes, which made them so happy that their hind teeth were exposed.

He went to the back to wash and change his clothes, but he didn't know that as soon as he arrived, a servant from the Jia family came on horseback to report.

When Jia Zhen heard that Baozhu was missing, he immediately slammed the table and stood up!

He thought to himself that Baozhu knew about the scandal at Ningguo Mansion. If she escaped, who knows, the scandal would soon be exposed to the world! Although noble families are not always clean, they are particularly careful about their reputation. Jia Zhen could not help but feel annoyed. If he had known this would happen, he should have killed Baozhu as well!
A moment of kindness has led to today's disaster!

"Have you sent anyone to look for him?"

The servant trembled and said, "Master, dozens of us, including servants and relatives, have been scattered around. We have searched for dozens of miles along the official road, but there is no trace of him. As a last resort, Second Madam sent me back to inform you."

Jia Zhen suddenly stood up, paced back and forth with his hands behind his back and a frown on his face, and asked again, "Has Baozhu behaved strangely these past two days?"

The servant said, "That's not the case... but just after the hour of Mao today, Master Yuan rode back on his horse..."

Jia Zhen's eyes narrowed, and he said, "Are you saying that it was Chen Siyuan who did it?"

The servant hurriedly shook his head. "Second Madam said it was definitely not her fault. We checked the brazier in the mourning shed afterwards and it was long gone. Looking at the time, Baozhu must have escaped around the hour of Yin. Master Yuan had been staying peacefully in the side room the entire time, so it's not him who did it."

Jia Zhen stroked his beard and pondered, feeling that such a conjecture was absurd. Chen Siyuan was the nephew of Uncle She's second wife, and had no dealings with Baozhu. Even when he came to Ningguo Mansion to help, he mostly stayed in the outer courtyard, seemingly never speaking to Baozhu. How could he suddenly have the idea of ​​rescuing her?
Jia Zhen pondered for a moment and then asked, "Not close at all! Was there no other clue at the scene?"

The servant said with a bitter face, "Second Madam sent someone to Wanping to invite the chief constable, but he hadn't arrived yet when I arrived... Master, we are not chief constables or criminal lawyers, so how could we have noticed any clues?"

Jia Zhen knew the servant's words were reasonable, but he was still furious. He stepped forward and kicked the servant, making him roll on the ground. He cursed, "Useless! You can't even see a maid lost. What's the point of keeping you? Send all those old women back to the farm, and the rest will get twenty strokes of the cane! If you can't find her, you'll be in trouble!"

The servant hummed and groaned without saying a word.

Jia Zhen was anxious, but he couldn't find anyone to discuss countermeasures with. After pacing for a long time, he simply went to Rongguo Mansion. After entering the black oil gate, a servant led him directly into the outer study.

After a while, Jia She came in and asked in surprise, "Why is Brother Zhen here?"

Jia Zhen stood up and bowed, saying, "Uncle She, disaster has struck! Baozhu is gone!"

Jia She was startled and said, "How could she be dead? She was just a maid, so she died... Oh, it seems that she was adopted as a godparent before? Then she should be buried with honor."

Jia Zhen was anxious and said, "It would be better if she died, but she escaped!"

Jia She's expression suddenly became solemn. He quickly walked to the main seat and sat down. He waved his hand to indicate that Jia Zhen should sit with him. After thinking for a while, he said, "How much does Baozhu know?"

Jia Zhen recalled, "I came to the mansion four years ago, and only went to live with my daughter-in-law three years ago... My daughter-in-law values ​​Ruizhu more, and my nephew stayed because he thought she didn't know much."

Jia She frowned and said, "If that's the case, just throw it away. Why are you so anxious?"

"This..." Jia Zhen hesitated and was at a loss for words. Qin Shi was involved in a lot of things, and there were some things he hadn't even told Jia She, so how could he dare to mention it now?

This Uncle She is extremely greedy for money. If he really knew the inside story, he would probably quarrel with me.

Jia Zhen's mind raced, and suddenly he remembered Chen Siyuan. Deciding to resort to any possible means, he said, "She's a weak woman. That wall is ten feet high. How could she possibly jump over it? I think there must be an insider helping her! Uncle She, the servant said Brother Yuan left Tiekan Temple at 1:00 AM. I think it was around the same time Baozhu went missing... Who knows what Brother Yuan might know."

Although Jia She was greedy, he was not someone who could be easily fooled. He immediately became amused and pointed at Jia Zhen and said, "How dare you think of such a thing? Do you believe it yourself when I tell you so?"

Jia Zhen's face was full of hesitation. He just bowed and said, "Whatever the case, please ask Uncle She to ask Brother Yuan to come over and ask."

Jia She shook his head and then beckoned, "Someone, go check and see if Brother Yuan is back."

The servant outside replied directly, "Master, Master Yuan just returned home, returned the horses and went to the back."

Jia Zhen immediately seized upon this and asked, "Uncle She, Brother Yuan left early this morning, so how did he return just as the servant who brought the news?"

Jia She couldn't stand it any longer and said angrily, "How far is Tiekan Temple from the capital? Don't say Zhen'er doesn't know! Even if he doesn't know, he just walked past it once, don't you know? Yuan'er doesn't need to report the news, so it's normal for him to arrive at this time on horseback slowly. But your servant rode all the way back!"

Jia Zhen smiled awkwardly and said, "Uncle is right...but I was thinking that perhaps Brother Yuan left early, and there's no telling what clues he might have seen on the road."

Jia She snorted coldly and remained silent. As the saying goes, when beating a dog, one must look at its owner. Chen Siyuan had come for Lady Xing, a relative of the Rongguo Mansion's main branch. It would be strange if Jia She felt happy about Jia Zhen coming to him without any reason.

After a long moment, Jia Zhen bowed again, wanting to speak. Jia She then said, "I think it's better to forget it. Asking him in person won't hurt our relationship. I'll send your aunt to ask her later." He paused, then added, "How old is Yuan'er? He's tall, but he's frail. He couldn't even climb over the wall by himself, and you actually wrongly accuse him of helping Baozhu escape... Tsk tsk, what are you thinking?"

Seeing that Jia She no longer questioned Qin's secret, Jia Zhen immediately bowed his hands and smiled bitterly, saying, "My nephew was panicked for a moment and inevitably tried all kinds of treatments in a hurry. I beg Uncle She to forgive me."

Jia She snorted and said, "She's just a little girl. If she ran away, she ran away. Do you think she'll dare to show up again in the future? Instead of competing with that little girl, you'd better think carefully about your future livelihood. If Rong's daughter-in-law leaves, there may be chaos for a while."

"Yes, Uncle She is right." Jia Zhen nodded in agreement, sat for a while, and then stood up to say goodbye.

Watching Jia Zhen walk away, Jia She stood up and slowly shook his head. Although Jia She was greedy and licentious, at least he had not set his sights on his daughter-in-law. He only felt that the title and money were more important. With the title and money, what kind of beautiful woman could he not buy?
This Zhen-ge was so good, he had to make such a complicated matter that he had to make Qin-shi's death. Qin-shi's death would not be a big deal, but it might delay the distribution of the silver... What's the purpose?

Standing up and sighing, Jia She returned to the main room at the back. Mrs. Xing and several concubines were there, so Jia She sent the concubines away and talked to Mrs. Xing about the matter alone.

As the saying goes, "The speaker may not mean anything, but the listener may take it seriously." Mrs. Xing's heart trembled as she listened! Others were unaware of the situation, but she had actually helped the thief pass the item to Baozhu! That thief was truly capable, having quietly and unknowingly stolen Baozhu from Tiekan Temple!

Jia She finished his story as a joke, completely unaware of Mrs. Xing's panic. After he finished, he smiled and shook his head, saying, "I think Zhen'er has lost his composure. He's blaming this on Yuan'er. It's really nonsense!"

"Heh...heh, Master is right, how could that be possible?"

Jia She took a sip of his teacup and said, "I think Zhen-ge'er seems to be taking it seriously. So, when you have time, go to the back and see Yuan-ge'er. Don't mention Zhen-ge'er, but ask her about it while you're at it. Then tell me later so that I can put Zhen-ge'er's mind at ease."

Mrs. Xing breathed a sigh of relief, her expression softened, and she said, "Master has given the order. I'll be there in a moment."

"Well," Jia She continued, "Has Third Sister's dowry...been saved up enough?"

Mrs. Xing's face froze, and she said quickly, "How can that be enough? I'm afraid it's still a few hundred taels short."

Jia She was in a very good mood at the moment, having heard a joke and also because a colleague had come to visit him the previous morning, saying he had found a Song Dynasty waist fan in a shop in the outer city. The owner, seemingly unsure of the value, had only offered eighty taels. The colleague had catered to his taste and presented it to Jia Zhen, who had been playing with it for half a day, not wanting to let it go.

If Jia Zhen hadn't come to visit, he would still be playing with his waist fan!
Jia She thought, "I'll buy a few houses later, as a gift to my third sister. The population of the capital is growing, and houses are becoming more and more expensive. If I keep them and make a living every year, it will be a good income."

Mrs. Xing was stunned and wondered when Jia She became so kind.
Jia She was unable to respond and was just turning his head to look back when Madam Xing suddenly realized what was happening and quickly said with a smile, "Oh, I thank you on behalf of my third sister! When she gets married, I'll have her come home to thank you."

"Ah."

Jia She was very proud and felt that everything was going well for him. He then became lustful again. He found his maid and asked her to stew some sausage, then went to the side room to fool around.

As soon as he left, Mrs. Xing was filled with resentment: "How could such a stingy person actually pluck his feathers? What a shame!"

Those houses were probably in a remote area outside the city, and their annual income was only a few taels of silver. Compared to what the little thief gave, it was better than nothing.

Upon receiving Jia She's order, Madam Xing immediately led her maid to the rear to search for the thief. Firstly, she was worried about the thief, fearing he might be hurt or hurt, or even more so, afraid his plan would be exposed. Secondly, if the plan succeeded, she was afraid the thief would flee soon. They say a short separation is better than a new marriage. With the recent busyness with the wedding preparations, even if the two of them met, it would be very hastily. Naturally, Madam Xing was worried about him now.

Madam Xing led Miao'er and Tiao'er out of the main room. As they passed through the three-tiered ceremonial gate, she grumbled, "We're all in the same mansion, and to get to the back, we have to go around outside. It's really inconvenient."

Miao'er and Tiao'er dared not say a word. The east wing had been separated at the initiative of the eldest master, Jia She, and they usually had difficulty moving around in the back, but they couldn't make any comments.

After passing the ceremonial gate, Miao'er suddenly whispered, "Madam, I just heard a piece of news. It seems that Master Bao is in trouble again."

"Oh? What do you mean?" asked Mrs. Xing.

Miao'er said, "I heard from the old woman that Master Bao insisted on going to the Mantou Temple that day. He... he and that Zhong brother went to have some fun with the little nun. Somehow, they were caught by Second Madam and Master Yuan."

"Ah? There is such a thing?" Mrs. Xing forced herself not to laugh out loud.

Baoyu, relying on his birthright, was doted on by the old lady, who said nothing and could not touch him. Mrs. Xing thought it was because of Baoyu that the old lady had given the job of managing the household to Mrs. Wang. She coveted the power of managing the household, and was filled with jealousy, and secretly resented Baoyu as well.

When he heard that Baoyu had committed such a stupid thing that had no cause for alarm, he was secretly delighted.

Mrs. Xing said, "After all, it's someone named Qin..." She couldn't say more, so she changed the subject and asked, "Where did you hear that?"

Without waiting for Miao'er to reply, Tiao'er said with a smile, "Madam, if you don't know, why bother eavesdropping? Just find a place near the wall and put your ear out for a while, and you'll definitely hear what's going on."

Mrs. Xing snorted and said, "Just wait and see, there will be some excitement to see today."

After riding in a sedan chair, they left the black oil gate and entered from the west corner gate. Mrs. Xing, accompanied by two maids, passed through the corner gate next to the stable and walked around Mengpotai. Unexpectedly, they ran into Mrs. Wang head-on.

Mrs. Xing's eyes suddenly lit up and she hurried to meet him.

"Where are you going, sister-in-law?"

"Sister-in-law," Mrs. Wang said with a forced smile, "I'm just about to go see the old lady now that I have some free time."

Madam Xing sighed, "We sisters are called sisters-in-law. After all, it was your sister-in-law who came into the family first. When it comes to filial piety, no one in the whole family does it better than your sister-in-law."

Mrs. Wang reluctantly nodded and said, "Sister-in-law, that's enough."

Mrs. Xing smiled and said, "Not only is he filial, but he's also quite good at educating his children. That Zhu brother passed the imperial examination at the age of fourteen, but it's a pity that talent is often overlooked... And Baoyu, the next in line, I think is a good kid too. Yes, I always think Baoyu and Zhong brother are so close that they seem like the same person. They say birds of a feather flock together, and Zhong brother looks like a talented scholar, so how could Baoyu be any worse?"

Mrs. Wang's expression had changed, but she knew not to hit someone who smiled at her, so she only responded vaguely twice for a moment.

Mrs. Xing was extremely proud and said, "The master sent me to see Brother Yuan and his sister-in-law. Let's say goodbye now. I will go to the old lady later to listen to the rules."

After saying this, he left with a gust of fragrant air and walked away in a haughty manner. Madame Wang was so angry that she stood there, her lips trembling for a long time.

Mrs. Xing has always been ashamed in front of the old lady, and now she comes to mock and ridicule herself. She is simply going against the will of heaven!

Madam Wang said to the maid beside her in a bitter voice, "Have you found out where this rumor came from?"

The old woman said angrily, "Madam, you know that since the Second Mistress hasn't returned yet, this family is bound to be under some kind of supervision. The old woman has arrested several daughters-in-law, but they are biting one after another. In the end, after biting around in circles, she still can't find the source."

Mrs. Wang asked, "When did Mr. Chen come back?"

The old woman said, "I heard he only came back less than half an hour ago...it's not Master Yuan who spread the news."

(End of this chapter)