Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 93 Another incident occurred
Chen Siyuan blinked. "What good news is there?" He was secretly delighted, but his face remained silent.

Mrs. Xing thought he was just worried, so she whispered to him, "They say aristocratic families have strict rules, but in reality, they're just that simple. Look at the Second House. The maids there often share rouge with Baoyu. I heard there's even a maid who's had a crush on Huan'er. And look at the East House. I wonder how many of Youshi's maids have been harmed by Rong'er."

I'm letting you do what you want, what are you afraid of?"

Chen Siyuan said, "If we rely on our outward relationship... I'm afraid that if I try to get in touch with him, I'll probably anger the Master, right?"

At this time, you will be guilty of "molesting the maidservant". To put it bluntly, the maidservants around the mistress are all available resources of the male master. If they are given to you as a reward, it will be fine; if they are not rewarded, and you secretly take advantage of them yourself, it will be a serious crime!

But this matter is not easy to explain. Although there is a crime of "molesting a mother's maid", there is also a saying that "punishment does not apply to officials, and etiquette does not extend to common people." Reputation and integrity are the exclusive domain of young ladies, and ordinary maids do not care about this.

That is why in the original text Hongyu falls in love with Jia Yun, Jinchuan hooks up with Baoyu, and Mingyan hangs out with the maids in the East Palace.

Madam Xing couldn't help but curl her lips upon hearing this. "He? He certainly has the intention, but he needs to be able to do it. He's already busy dealing with those seductresses, so how can he have time to think about Miao'er and Tiao'er?" After a pause, she added, "I've already tested it before. You only need to promise a concubine without a title. I'm afraid these two will come to you sooner or later."

It’s hard to say about Tiaoer, Miaoer...hiss, were you planning to treat yourself to rouge last time?
Chen Siyuan was distracted, but he finally frowned and nodded, saying, "Since you said so, I will do it reluctantly-"

Madam Xing sneered and said, "Asking you to cheat seems like putting things in your way. If that's the case, then just pretend I never told you anything."

Chen Siyuan pulled her hand and said, "It won't be good for your reputation if it gets out. If I didn't want to be with you for a long time, do you think I would agree to it?"

Mrs. Xing hummed twice and said nothing, and no one knew what she was thinking.

Chen Siyuan leaned closer and said, "Yudie, I'm going to Miaofeng Mountain to burn incense in a few days. Have you arranged everything?"

Madam Xing said, "I've already made all the arrangements. That old woman from Wang Shanbao's household shamelessly insisted on coming along, but I sent her away with a few words. The other maids will stay outside, with only Miao'er and Tiao'er staying close to me. I'll drug her at night, so you can come secretly then."

Chen Siyuan inquired carefully, pondered it, and saw that there was indeed nothing wrong, so he felt relieved. He looked up at Madam Xing and thought to himself that this woman was rarely so careful. It seemed that she had racked her brains for the sake of her child.

After a while, Chen Siyuan said goodbye and left.

As soon as he walked out of the black oil gate, he ran into Xue Pan who was passing by on horseback.

Did Xue Pan still seem irritated with him? Chen Siyuan bowed and passed by, but unexpectedly, Xue Pan, upon catching sight of Chen Siyuan, acted as if he had seen a relative. He called out, "Brother Yuan," and dismounted with a flick of his leg. He said warmly, "Ah, it's been a few days since I last saw you, Brother Yuan. I miss you so much... Well, I'll have a feast tomorrow and treat you, Brother Yuan, once again."

What is going on?

Chen Siyuan knew that this man was a reckless person and was sure that he must be stubborn. He was glaring at him when he saw him a few days ago, so why did he change his temper now?

He was just thinking about how to respond when Xue Pan came forward and whispered, "Thank goodness Yan'er told me, otherwise I wouldn't have known about Brother Yuan's painstaking efforts."

"what?"

Xue Pan, acting like a familiar figure, punched Chen Siyuan and said sullenly, "Still hiding it from me? Yan'er did tell me. Fortunately, Brother Yuan returned the five thousand taels of silver, otherwise it would have been all for nothing."

"Oh...oh, about this matter." Chen Siyuan responded vaguely, but he didn't know what kind of magic potion Liu Yan'er had given Xue Pan.

Xue Pan continued, "Look at those who were cheated. Most of them are wealthy merchants and rich families. The former noble families not only did not lose money, but made a small profit. Hey, our Xue family is just an imperial merchant. Although we have countless relatives and old friends, we can't guarantee that we will be looked down upon by that Sun family. If the receipt is delayed for a few days, won't it be wasted?

Besides, I was thinking of investing my money and waiting for the next year to reap the rewards. I really owe Brother Yuan a lot of trouble!"

That makes sense! Not bad, not bad, Liu Yan'er is quite useful.

Chen Siyuan sighed and said, "I'm so grateful that Brother Xue can understand my painstaking efforts. Although his actions were not obvious at that time, I still had doubts... That's why -"

"Needless to say, Brother Yuan is my friend!" After a pause, he continued, "You blamed me for being immoral after drinking... But there's no friendship without fighting. Let's put this matter behind us and wait and see. Yes, in a few days I will take Brother Yuan to see the scenery of the capital. The Jinxiang Courtyard is full of wonders, hahahaha——"

After laughing, he suddenly felt something was wrong and frowned, saying, "No, let's talk about it next year. Qiang'er is gone, and we have to wait for the wedding before we can go to Jinxiangyuan to play."

It was inconvenient for the two of them to stand in front of the black oil gate, so they entered the Rongguo Mansion together through the east corner gate. After Xue Pan changed horses, the two of them went one in and the other out. Chen Siyuan then remembered that Xue Pan was not good at navigating the inner courtyard, so he had no choice but to follow him all the way to the back door through the smuggling alley.

On the way, Xue Pan sighed repeatedly, saying, "We were drinking and playing together the day before yesterday, but who would have thought that he would be gone at night."

Chen Siyuan pondered and asked, "How did he die?"

Xue Pan said, "The coroner from the government office examined him and said that he was first poisoned by charcoal, and then the brazier caught fire, which burned Qiang'er and the others to charcoal.

"Brother Zhen took a look and then sent Brother Rong to handle the funeral. He figured the Ning Mansion would be empty after the grand ceremony, so this time the body would only stay for seven days before being buried in the ancestral tomb. Today, they're also discussing adopting a child from another branch to inherit Brother Rong's family lineage. Oh, what a mess!"

Chen Siyuan remained silent, feeling neither sad nor happy. He thought that since that nobleman had done it, he might have bribed the Shuntian Prefecture coroner, who would have discovered that the charcoal poisoning had preceded the fire.

At this time, Xue Pan said again: "It's strange to say, it can be said that this is a bad year. Brother Yuan, guess where I went just now?"

"Brother Wenlong, since you asked that, how can I know where Brother Wenlong went?"

Xue Pan said, "When Rong's daughter-in-law led the wedding ceremony last time, Feng Ziying and Wei Ruolan were among the guests. Do you remember them, Brother Yuan?"

Chen Siyuan was certainly aware of these two people, but he blurted out, "I seem to have some impression of them. Brother Wenlong, are you saying that you just went to look for these two people?"

"Where?" Xue Pan frowned and said, "It's been a bad year. I just got the news this morning. Guess what? Feng Ziying and Wei Ruolan went hunting on Tiewang Mountain. Somehow they startled their horses and they fell off the cliff."

"what?"

"Oh, you didn't see it. It was so tragic. When the bodies were brought back, they couldn't even be recognized as human. Wei Ruolan's lower half was gone, and Feng Ziying was even missing half of his head."

There are many wild animals in the mountains. If someone falls to his death, wouldn't he be torn to pieces by the wild animals if he is too late to find them? The question is, is this a coincidence?

I’m afraid not!

If I remember correctly, there was no mention of what happened to these two people until the first eighty chapters of Dream of the Red Chamber. How come they died now?

Chen Siyuan's brows furrowed immediately! First it was Jia Qiang, then Feng Ziying and Wei Ruolan. Could it be that Jia Qiang got the news from Qin's mouth, went to find Feng Ziying and Wei Ruolan, and then did something so big?

The more I think about it, the more likely it is.

Although Jia Qiang was the great-great-grandson of the Ningguo Mansion, he was neither capable nor snobbish. Feng Ziying was the son of the old general Feng Tang, and Wei Ruolan was also a prince. Feng Ziying had a wide circle of friends, surrounded by the likes of the common people.

If these two people were together and had information about Jia Qiang, they would most likely have robbed the property!
Chen Siyuan couldn't help but wonder, who was that noble? Killing Jia Qiang would be fine, but he also killed Feng Ziying and Wei Ruolan. Such a reckless act, could it be the Prince of Beijing or the Prince of Zhongshun? Although he knew he shouldn't dwell on it, Chen Siyuan couldn't help but wonder.

Xue Pan, who was standing by, kept chattering about the two of them, and in a blink of an eye, he entered the Rongguo Mansion through the small door between Lixiang Courtyard and Chen Siyuan's courtyard.

After bidding farewell to Xue Pan, Chen Siyuan returned home with a heavy heart. He retreated to his study, pondered for a long time, and finally sighed. He was now just a small-time figure, his status even inferior to Jia Qiang's, so he could only go with the flow, ignorantly.

That’s all, it’s useless to think too much.

It was late at night when Hongyu went to the East Courtyard to get the lunch box. At this time, the little maid Yunxiang came in stealthily.

He poked half of his head out from behind the screen and took a look. Chen Siyuan saw it and burst out laughing.

Pointing at Yunxiang, he asked, "What are you trying to do?"

The little maidservant Yunxiang walked up to Chen Siyuan with a wry smile, bowed politely, and said, "Congratulations, Master."

"Where does your joy come from? How come I don't know?" Chen Siyuan threw down the book and asked with a smile.

Yunxiang's eyes darted around as she said, "That good thing was kept secret by Hongyu, so naturally Master doesn't know about it." After a pause, she took another step forward and whispered, "Just now, when I went to deliver the dirty clothes, Sister Liu blocked me. She said she wanted to find a job for her sister Wu'er.

Coincidentally, Sister Xiangling, who was with the master, went to look for her relatives, so Sister Liu wanted to send Sister Wu'er over. She had even gone to Hongyu's mother to tell her before, but then there was no further news. Oh, there's no need to guess, it must have been Hongyu who kept it a secret!

Liu Wu'er? Chen Siyuan thought about it for a while and seemed to remember the name, but he couldn't remember the situation.

Yunxiang said with a small mouth, "Master, you don't know, Sister Wu'er has a beautiful complexion, but she's a little frail. In the past few years, she's been ill every autumn and winter, and it's only in the past two years that she's gotten better." After a pause, she continued, "In terms of beauty, even Sister Xiren, who is by Master Bao's side, can't compare to her."

After she said that, Chen Siyuan recalled a little bit. It seemed that Liu Wu'er was wronged once and then fell seriously ill. She had no memory of what happened after that.

Chen Siyuan came back to his senses and suddenly said with a stern face, "Nonsense! Do you think I'm that kind of licentious?"

"Huh?" Yunxiang blinked and complained, "I didn't say anything. This color is good, at least it looks good."

At that moment, the door opened and Hongyu came in carrying a food box. After just a glance, the maid Yunxiang was immediately silenced and hurriedly said to Chen Siyuan, "Then... Master, I'll be back first!"

After saying that, he ran off, but Hongyu grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and scolded him, "What are you talking about in front of me again?"

"No, nothing." He glanced at Chen Siyuan pitifully while speaking.

Chen Siyuan said, "It is said that Sister Liu came to her for help."

Hongyu was startled and became more and more annoyed, but she let go and let Yunxiang run away.

When she turned around, Hongyu became a little anxious, clutching her clothes with both hands, not knowing how to start the conversation.

He walked up to Chen Siyuan and whispered, "Master, I—"

"Well, it's better if you don't say anything about this."

Hongyu was stunned again.

Then Chen Siyuan said, "I am now a guest at the Rongguo Mansion. How dare I ask for a maid? Let's not talk about this matter."

Hongyu immediately felt relieved and said with a smile, "Master, please don't blame me for acting on my own."

Chen Siyuan smiled and shook his head, then got up to have some late breakfast.

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

East Cross Courtyard.

Jia She returned in a daze, thinking that an old friend had invited him to drink.

Mrs. Xing was becoming increasingly displeased with the old man, but she still patiently instructed Miao'er and Tiao'er to fetch some water and brew some strong tea to serve him.

Jia She rambled on for a while, then finally pulled out a stack of deeds from his sleeve pocket and said proudly, "Take a look at this. I'll use this property as a dowry for my third sister someday."

Mrs. Xing took it and took a look around. She saw that it was just a three-sided courtyard with only nine rooms including the side rooms. When she looked at the location - Shanguo Hall, she almost got angry!

The Outer City was fine, as it was right next to the city wall. There was a saying about the houses there that whenever a war broke out, these houses were the first to be demolished.

The average price of a house in the outer city is about thirty taels. It’s a great honor to be able to sell a house here for twenty taels!
How can he compare to that little thief? After returning the two thousand taels of principal and including the profit, Mrs. Xing gave three thousand taels to Third Sister Xing, and she still had one thousand five hundred taels left for herself!
She was full of contempt in her heart, but Mrs. Xing pinched her nose and flattered him, "Oh, Master, you are indeed a man of your word. I will thank you on behalf of my third sister. When she has time to come home, I will let her express her gratitude herself."

Jia She waved his hand casually and said, "Third sister is not young anymore. It is proper for her to marry off quickly. But it is not good to be like Fu Shi's younger sister. She still hasn't found a husband."

Mrs. Xing smiled but didn't answer. Jia She suddenly tilted his head and said, "You don't know, the last time Fu Shi met with Brother Yuan, he was very curious about him. But when he heard that Brother Yuan had no official title to his name, he immediately turned to ask about Baoyu."

"Baoyu?" Mrs. Xing asked, "Isn't Fu Shi's sister much older than Baoyu?"

Jia She held up his thumb and index finger. "That's an eight-year difference. Not to mention Baoyu, he's five years older than Yuan'er. Tsk, tsk, I wonder what that professor is thinking."

Upon hearing this, Madam Xing gritted her teeth and fell silent. What's wrong with being eight years old? She and the little thief were fifteen years apart, and they were still in perfect harmony...

Jia She then said, "Yes, in a few days you will go to Miaofeng Mountain to pray for a child?"

"Yes, didn't the master agree to this?"

Jia She, however, picked up his teacup and said nonchalantly, "Very well, I'll see. If I have time, I'll go with you."

"Ah?" Mrs. Xing was shocked. She thought to herself, if you go, then it will really turn a good thing into a bad thing. Thinking quickly, Mrs. Xing smiled and said, "It's such a small matter, the master doesn't need to go in person... Brother Yuan is running around, he will be back in a few days."

Jia She shook his head and said, "No, I must go there myself." After a pause, he said to Madam Xing, "You don't know, that old fellow Ma Shang went to ask for it once, and a month later he got two concubines!"

(End of this chapter)