Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 95: Dark Night Fragrance
Strangely enough, the northwest wind was howling that day, and suddenly dark clouds gathered around noon. The northwest wind stopped, and heavy snow began to fall from the sky.

Chen Siyuan rushed back and forth, either to a playful servant in front who had fallen off his horse, or to a woman's carriage behind him that had gotten stuck in a pothole and needed to be pulled out—a whole host of other trivial matters. Chen Siyuan was already starving, his face reddened by the cold wind, but he patiently kept rushing back and forth.

In the carriage, Mrs. Xing would occasionally lift the curtain to take a look, but because Jia She was there, her concerned words remained in her heart.

Around midday, the servant in front returned on horseback, saying there was a post station just ahead. Chen Siyuan calculated the time and turned back. When he reached Jia She's carriage, he whispered, "Uncle, there's a post station ahead. Would you like to rest there, uncle and aunt? The horses also need some rest, water, and feed."

Jia She inside seemed to have just woken up, and after a while he replied, "Well, let's take a rest."

Chen Siyuan took the order and ordered his men to lead the way to the post station. This was a government post station. Chen Siyuan approached the clerk inside and offered him a few dimes. The clerk immediately ordered a fire to be lit and water to be boiled. He also brought in ready-made horse feed and warm water, and instructed the Jia family's servants to drive the carriage into the post station.

Three carriages entered the palace one after another, and the eldest master Jia She, Madam Xing, and all the maids and old women got out. Chen Siyuan stepped forward and led everyone to the clean rooms inside to rest.

Chen Siyuan asked again, "Uncle, would you like to have dinner here?"

Before Jia She could say anything, Madam Xing said, "The food outside is not clean. We have prepared some food for the journey. I think we should borrow the kitchen to heat it up."

Jia She nodded, and when he saw Chen Siyuan turning around to give instructions, Jia She said, "Brother Yuan, take a break. The subordinates will take care of this matter."

"Yes." Chen Siyuan accepted the order and followed Jia She into the guesthouse of the post station.

Miao'er and Tiao'er helped Mrs. Xing to change her clothes. Jia She sat down with his horse and sword, and waved his hand to let Chen Siyuan sit beside him.

With a little luck, Jia She looked at Chen Siyuan and said, "Brother Yuan, you have had a hard time on this journey."

"Don't dare."

Jia She said, "Brother Yuan is filial and has a strong character. I'm afraid he will achieve something in the future." He gave a look, and the two servants around him hurriedly retreated and stood guard at the door.

Then Jia She took out a stack of documents from his sleeve, threw them on the table and said, "Take a look at them for yourself."

Chen Siyuan responded, picked it up and examined it for a few seconds, then said happily, "Uncle, is the registration done?"

Jia She curled his lips and said complacently: "Do I need to take action for such a small matter? Just give a few instructions to the subordinates, and there are plenty of people who want to curry favor with you!" After a pause, he continued: "Chengezhuang is also under the jurisdiction of Shuntian Prefecture, but it is located in a remote area with inconvenient transportation. No one will easily go to investigate your background.

Well, Brother Yuan speaks well in the official language of the capital. Let's go to Chengezhuang a few times in the future to make ourselves familiar with the people there, and this matter can be covered up."

"Yes." Chen Siyuan was very happy.

This was a false identity, and from then on, Chen Siyuan had no official relationship with his original identity. Even if he passed the imperial examination in the future, the person who announced the good news would not travel thousands of miles to Yangzhou.

Seeing that Chen Siyuan was quiet, Jia She continued, "Since you have already separated from the family, just open another volume of the genealogy in private. Your father is also a fool. After all, you are the eldest son, but you were forced by a stepmother to separate the family and set up a new one. Tsk tsk..."

At this time, there was not only the saying of "a man should obey his son after his husband's death", but also "filial piety is above all else". Otherwise, why was Jia She, the heir to the title of Rongguo Mansion, driven to the East Wing by Jia's grandmother?
Perhaps Jia She felt the same way when he said that just now?

While Chen Siyuan was still pondering, Jia She said, "Your second brother wrote to me a while ago, saying that he would probably be able to bring Daiyu back by the winter month... What do you think, brother Yuan?"

Thoughts? Chen Siyuan didn't dare to have any thoughts. To put it bluntly, if Jia She and the Jia family were on the same page, then even if the marriage certificate was real, it would be fake; conversely, there would be reasons to believe it was fake!

Is Jia She on the same page with the Jia family?

How could it be possible? Grandmother Jia was partial. The eldest son was sent to the east wing, while Jia Zheng lived in the east main courtyard. Regardless of the old lady's intentions, at least she showed to outsiders that she was dissatisfied with her eldest son and intended to pass the family business to her second son.

During the time that Chen Siyuan had been at Rongguo Mansion, he had listened to the gossip of the little maid Yunxiang every day, and Hongyu had mentioned it unintentionally, and he had gotten a general idea of ​​the situation at Rongguo Mansion.

It's fair to say Grandmother Jia was quite resourceful. She banished Jia She to the East Wing and, ostensibly, promoted Lady Wang to head the household, but in reality, the real manager was Wang Xifeng, and the Jia family's elders were still responsible for important matters. Of Lady Wang's eight chambermaids, only Zhou Rui's family had minor duties, while the rest, like Li Gui and Zhao Yihua, were still serving Baoyu as servants despite their advanced age.

Why did Grandmother Jia treat the servants so leniently? The root of the problem lies here!

She was old and shrewd, so how could she not know that the Lai family and others were clinging to the Rongguo Mansion like vines, absorbing nutrients and growing stronger? If she really calculated it, the elderly in the family would be left without a place, and the vacant position would be filled by Mrs. Wang's companion. If Mrs. Wang really took charge of the family, how could the old lady have any say?

Now, look what happens. Mrs. Wang is in charge of the household in public, but she still follows Lady Jia's orders. What do you think Mrs. Wang is thinking?

I'm afraid that not only the first wife, but also the second wife is full of complaints.

Moreover, when Jia Lian brought Daiyu back from Yangzhou, he must have brought Lin Ruhai's property, at least hundreds of thousands of silver coins. How could Jia She not be tempted?
At this moment, Chen Siyuan knew full well that what he thought was unimportant; what mattered was what Jia She thought. To put it bluntly, he was just a small fry at the moment, and only by relying on this cheap "uncle" could he covet the Immortal Crimson Pearl Herb.

Because Chen Siyuan bowed and said solemnly: "I told my uncle last time that my nephew has no intention. Everything is up to my uncle."

Jia She was satisfied, tapping his nails on the table as he said slowly, "Marriage is a serious matter, decided by the parents' orders and the matchmaker's words. Although due to some strange coincidences, it took Yuan'er half a year to receive this letter, I believe that such a matter must be fought for."

"Yes, my uncle said to fight, so I will fight for it."

Seeing Chen Siyuan being so understanding, Jia She couldn't help but feel more satisfied. He thought to himself that if he could really help Yuan Ge'er get married in the future, it wouldn't be too much to receive hundreds of thousands of silver, right?
The two of them got along better and better. They rested for half an hour before setting off again.

Because of the heavy snow outside, the journey was much slower.

After the afternoon sun, the group went to a village called "Nanzhuang" to rest. A few days in advance, the servants had negotiated with a wealthy family to vacate a two-story house for Jia She and his group to rest.

Chen Siyuan was considered the master after all, and was assigned to the main room in the front. His thighs had been rubbed red from riding all day, so he took off his pants and found a towel to rub them while grimacing.

After a while, another maid brought in some food. Although it was just ordinary food, it contained a lot of game. Chen Siyuan took a quick bite and then turned his attention to the main room in the back.

I couldn't help but wonder in my heart, should Mrs. Xing take action today, or wait until she returns?
While he was thinking, there was a knock on the door. Chen Siyuan went to open the door and saw Miao'er standing there.

"Miao'er?"

Miao'er smiled and said, "Madam saw that my brother had worked hard all day, so she sent me to tell him to let him rest early."

What you mean is, we won’t take action tonight?
Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Thank you, auntie, for me..." Seeing that Miao'er had no intention of leaving, Chen Siyuan simply stepped aside and said, "It's cold outside, Miao'er, you should come in and talk."

"okay."

Miao'er slipped into the room and took a quick look at the furnishings inside. Seeing Chen Siyuan walking awkwardly, Miao'er asked, "Brother, have your thighs been rubbed from riding for so long?" Chen Siyuan smiled bitterly and said, "Don't even mention it. My legs are red from the rubbing. If I ride for another day tomorrow, I'm afraid they'll be peeling."

Miao'er frowned and said, "We can't take this lightly. Brother, please take off your pants quickly. I'll get some hot water for you to apply."

After saying that, he turned around and went to find hot water without caring whether Chen Siyuan agreed or not.

Chen Siyuan was stunned for a moment, then he saw Miao'er bring hot water, pour it into the wooden basin to test the temperature, and then wet the handkerchief. Looking up, he saw that he was still in a daze. Miao'er suddenly chuckled: "Brother, you must be embarrassed. We maids have seen everything. Brother, take off your pants quickly."

Chen Siyuan remembered what Madam Xing had said, and with a determined heart, he climbed onto the kang and took off his trousers. The outer layer was a pair of leggings with laces, the inner layer was a pair of cotton trousers, and then the undergarment.

After the middle garment was taken off, Miao'er suppressed her shyness and looked over, only to see that Chen Siyuan was wearing a pair of calf pants.

Miao'er lost her shyness and couldn't help but laugh, "I thought you were just like the other boys in the mansion, a playboy."

Although the word "wanku" has become a metaphor at this time, it actually still has a real object. "Wan" refers to luxury, while "ku" refers to a type of clothing, which is probably two crotchless trouser legs, tied with a silk ribbon at the thigh root, and the top is completely bare... That's why Xiren knew what Baoyu was like after just one touch.

As they spoke, Miao'er held the warm handkerchief up and down, and indeed leaned over to apply a warm compress to Chen Siyuan. The little hand was slightly cool, the handkerchief was damp and warm, and his nose was filled with the faint fragrance of powder, and Chen Siyuan couldn't help but have a slight reaction.

Miao'er didn't notice it at first, but when she saw the bulge in the calf's trousers, she immediately looked at Chen Siyuan with a smile: "Brother, what are you thinking about?"

Don’t you know what you are thinking about?

Chen Siyuan had Madam Xing's permission, so why would he hesitate? He immediately reached out and grabbed Miao'er, bringing her into his arms amidst her exclamations.

Miao'er was startled, and when she met Chen Siyuan's passionate gaze, her body suddenly went limp, and she could only murmur, "Brother... um——"

Chen Siyuan satisfied his appetite and let go of Miao'er after a long while.

Miao'er saw some rouge on Chen Siyuan's lips and immediately smiled and said, "Brother, does rouge taste good?"

Chen Siyuan said, "I forgot to taste it just now. I'll try again."

Miao'er was naturally willing in her heart, but she finally stepped aside and said with a smile, "Leave it for you to taste later. Madam is still waiting, and I don't want to be late."

After saying that, she left behind a gust of fragrant wind, covered her mouth with a smile, and pushed the door open as she walked out.

Chen Siyuan glanced down and couldn't help but feel resentful in his heart. He was afraid that he would have to endure the whole night.

The night passed without a word, and the next day the sky cleared up. Chen Siyuan sent a few servants to tread out the official road. After breakfast, they set off in a mighty procession towards Miaofeng Mountain.

In his previous life, Chen Siyuan naturally disdained gods and Buddhas, but when he was reincarnated here, he was afraid that there were gods above his head, so he also burned incense in front of the gods and Buddhas in a proper manner.

When the abbots and temple keepers of several places learned that a distinguished person was coming to burn incense, they all tried their best to please him. Mrs. Xing not only received the magic tools and talismans, but also got a clump of purple bamboo from the temple. It was heard that this thing was the most effective. The previous time, Ma Shang asked for the purple bamboo and took it back. Within a month, his two concubines became pregnant.

Jia She, in a rare display of generosity, donated five hundred catties of incense oil to various places. Mrs. Xing secretly sneered. A catty of incense oil was only a penny worth of silver these days, so how much would five hundred catties cost? She simply donated another five hundred catties to the Niangniang temple herself.

After mid-afternoon, when everything was done, the group headed back down the mountain. At the end of the afternoon, they rested at Nanzhuang. If nothing unexpected happened, they would set off the next morning and return to the capital by the afternoon.

As they walked toward the wealthy mansion, Chen Siyuan, taking advantage of Jia She's presence, glanced at Madam Xing. Madam Xing bit her lower lip, her face still hesitant, and only after meeting Chen Siyuan's gaze did she secretly nod.

Chen Siyuan couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Mrs. Xing had barely made up her mind at the moment, but she didn't know if something unexpected would happen again in the future.

Miao'er came again that day, and Chen Siyuan really tasted the rouge and waited a full cup of tea before letting Miao'er go. But the timing was wrong, otherwise, even if Chen Siyuan wanted Miao'er, she would have been willing.

At nightfall, Chen Siyuan went to the front and found the servant. He said, "It's a cold night, and everyone must have been tired from the journey. I'll give each room a jar of wine to warm you up. Don't drink too much, or you'll be late for tomorrow's journey."

All the servants were delighted, their voices of thanks and compliments overflowing. Chen Siyuan carried another jar to the back, and when no one was looking, he secretly added some seasonings to it. Then, when he returned to the side room, he gave the jar of wine to the four accompanying maids.

The four maids thanked him profusely.

Chen Siyuan took another look at the main house in the backyard, then quickly returned to the main house in the front. Everything was settled, and now it was all up to Mrs. Xing.

Near midnight, Chen Siyuan jumped out of his kang. Hearing the complete silence outside, he wrapped himself in his cloak and went outside. In the front wing, a group of servants were staggering with drunkenness; in the back wing, four maids were snoring loudly.

Chen Siyuan saw the dim light in the main room in the backyard and quietly approached. He knocked softly on the door and a moment later heard Madam Xing's trembling voice, "Who is it?"

"I!"

With a creak, the door opened a crack. When Mrs. Xing saw that it was indeed Chen Siyuan, she called him in quickly.

Chen Siyuan slipped inside and suddenly smelled a strong fragrance. He quickly took a pill of antidote and said to Madam Xing, "Why don't you go out and get some fresh air?"

Madam Xing shivered and said, "Ah? We need to ventilate the room? I, I'm afraid they'll wake up soon, so I haven't dared."

Chen Siyuan quickly walked to the window and opened a crack. He turned around to look and saw Miao'er and Tiao'er lying on the kang in the west room, while Jia She was lying on the floor in the east room.

Mrs. Xing followed in and said, "I tried to drag him, but he was too heavy, so I couldn't move him."

"Let him lie down first—" As he spoke, Chen Siyuan turned to look at Madam Xing and whispered, "Did Yudie miss me?"

Madam Xing nodded at first, then she bumped into his arms and sobbed in fear, "I, I've given you everything now, you can't ignore me in the future."

Chen Siyuan immediately offered some gentle words of comfort. His first sexual experience in this life was with Madam Xing, and given all that had happened since, to say he was deeply in love with her was a lie, and to say he had no feelings for her was also untrue.

After a while, sensing that Madam Xing had relaxed slightly, Chen Siyuan didn't waste any time, reaching out and picking her up by the knees, and walked straight to the kang. He said, "Let's get down to business. Today, I'm going to fulfill Yudie's wish."

Mrs. Xing was still worried, saying, "Will he wake up halfway? I still have the medicine that Ma Dao Po gave me. Should I give him some more... Ouch, be gentle... Ugh—"

There was a rustling sound in the east room, and in an instant only the sound of low breathing remained.

(End of this chapter)