The Red Mansion

Chapter 129 Na Baochai

Outside the east wing, several people were gathered, including Qingwen, Jinchuan, Yuchuan, Qier, Qin'er, and others.

Qingwen was whispering to Jin Chuan, "I wonder if Master will come to take a look..."

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly saw a figure moving under the eaves. Qingwen turned around and was startled—it was Jiang Nian walking slowly towards her.

Qingwen was stunned. Jin Chuan quickly pulled Yu Chuan aside. Qi'er and Qin'er, the two maids, shrank back like quails. Everyone looked at each other, unsure whether they should inform Yuan Chun.

Jiang Nian stepped into the east wing room and was greeted by a room full of beautiful flowers.

Yuan Chun hurriedly got up from the couch, her skirt swaying slightly like rippling blue waves, and said with a smile, "Master has arrived?"

Xue Baochai and Qin Keqing rose almost simultaneously to perform the curtsy, one's hairpin swaying gently, the other's jade hairpin dangling lightly. When they looked up, their gazes both swept over Jiang Nian's face before quickly lowering again.

The three beauties stood side by side.

Baoqin, Ying'er, Ruizhu, Fengshi, and Xiangling surrounded the three bright moons like stars around the moon.

The room fell into complete silence.

A bubbling sound came from the spout of the teapot in Baoqin's hand, which seemed particularly loud in the silence.

Ying'er and Ruizhu took the opportunity to glare at each other before quickly looking away.

Jiang Nian looked Qin Keqing up and down, then looked Xue Baochai up and down, and sighed inwardly, "Indeed, three beauties vying for attention." Then she smiled at Yuan Chun and said, "I know Miss Qin. Since she is here as a guest today, I've come to say hello."

Yuan Chun smiled and said, "Please sit down, sir."

Jiang Nian shook her head and said, "Just a brief meeting is enough. You all go and talk, and make sure to entertain Miss Qin well." Her voice was three times clearer than usual.

After saying that, he turned and left, as if he had stirred up a gust of wind.

The footsteps faded away.

The three people inside the room were still staring blankly at the doorway.

The three of them couldn't help but think to themselves, "It wasn't a waste of time to dress up today; he really did come and see the three of us sharing a room!"

Everyone couldn't help but wonder: "Who does he think is more beautiful?"

……

……

Qin Keqing stayed at the Jiang family's house for a quarter of an hour before leaving.

After returning to the Qin family from the Jiang family, Ruizhu hurriedly closed the door as soon as she stepped into the west wing.

Qin Keqing sat in front of the dressing table, staring blankly at herself in the mirror, lost in thought. The mirror reflected her radiant face, which was still beautiful even without heavy makeup.

Ruizhu brewed some fragrant tea and handed it over, saying involuntarily, "Master Jiang's wife looks quite similar to that Miss Xue. Although they are both beautiful, neither of them can match Miss Xue's natural charm! Just now, when Master came in, he clearly looked at Miss Xue for a longer time than he did at the other two!"

These words pleased Qin Keqing, and the corners of her lips couldn't help but turn up slightly. She said, "That lady is elegant and noble, and Miss Xue is dignified and reserved. They are both good."

Ruizhu added, "What a pity. If you weren't still in mourning, and if you were dressed up beautifully, you would have outshone the other two. But you are naturally beautiful; even a straw hairpin would look good on you."

Upon hearing this, Qin Keqing put down her teacup. A few tea leaves floated on the surface of the water, swaying gently as she put the cup down, just like the ripples on her heart at that moment.

She stared blankly at herself in the mirror, thinking to herself, "In terms of background, his wife is far superior to me, and even that Miss Xue is better than me. Fortunately, in terms of beauty, neither of them can compare to me."

It is:

Upon returning home, she gazed intently at herself in the mirror, secretly comparing her beauty to see who was more captivating.

It's not that my daughter is too calculating; it's just that love is the most captivating thing in her heart.

Ruizhu added, "When the young lady marries into the family, her status will naturally not surpass that lady's, but she should at least be one level higher than that Miss Xue."

Qin Keqing remained silent, but in her heart she agreed with Ruizhu's statement.

……

……

It's already the sixth day of the fifth lunar month, just after the Dragon Boat Festival.

Jiang Nian has been back in Beijing from Laizhou for twenty days, and he hasn't been on duty during those twenty days.

Strangely enough, Emperor Taishun appointed him as a Yunqiwei (a military rank) and gave him the position of Imperial Guard, but exempted him from his duties.

Perhaps Emperor Taishun intended to send imperial envoys directly to him again, but it is unknown when the next imperial envoy will be sent to him.
The sixth day of the fifth lunar month was the day Jiang Nian took Xue Baochai as his concubine.

The Jiang family's new residence was decorated, though not as grand as when they welcomed Yuan Chun, it was still filled with joy. Red silk was wrapped around the pillars, swaying slightly in the summer breeze, much like the red handkerchief that Xue Baochai was twisting shyly today.

To prevent Xue Baochai from feeling too wronged, Jiang Nian originally planned to hold a banquet at home with two tables to invite some guests, in a proper and respectable manner. However, some people, upon learning that he was taking a concubine that day, took the initiative to come, so two more tables were added, two for male guests and two for female guests.

As night fell, the Jiang residence returned to tranquility after the guests had left.

Inside the west wing, red candles burned brightly, illuminating the entire room.

Double happiness paper-cuts are pasted on the window frame, glowing red in the light and trembling slightly in the wind.

Xue Baochai sat gracefully before the carved dressing table. In the glass mirror, her face was rosy and her features exquisite. Her face, which had been surgically altered, was as smooth and lustrous as fresh snow after a rain, as pure and clear as a jade pot. Her neatly trimmed sideburns added to her charm, and her hairless neck shone with a lustrous sheen.

The ritual of "face cleansing" is an ancient custom. When a woman gets married, she undergoes a face-cleansing ceremony: shaving off the fine hairs on her face and neck, trimming her hair, and changing her hairstyle. This is a once-in-a-lifetime ceremony; after the ceremony, her skin becomes radiant and her face becomes even more beautiful, marking her departure from the inner chambers and her entry into the ranks of women.

At this moment, Xue Baochai looked at her somewhat unfamiliar self in the mirror and couldn't help but recall her past with Jiang Nian. She remembered their first meeting on the Qinhuai River in Jiangning, her apology to Jiang Nian at the Jiang family home in Jiangning, Jiang Nian's chance encounter with and rescue of the Xue family on the Grand Canal, and the various scenes of her staying at the Jiang family home for more than a year...

Lost in thought, Xue Baochai asked Ying'er to bring two sheets of stationery, each with a poem about willow catkins. Her fingertips traced the familiar handwriting on the two sheets, and she especially liked the first one:
Spring dances before the Jade Hall, the east wind swirls evenly. Bees and butterflies swarm in a chaotic flurry. How often do they follow the flowing water? Why must they be consigned to the dust? Thousands of threads remain unchanged, letting them gather and disperse as they please. Youthful beauty, do not laugh at my lack of roots. With the help of a favorable wind, I am sent soaring to the heavens.

Just then, the beaded curtain rustled, and Jiang Nian's tall figure walked in, her face slightly flushed. She had drunk some wine with the guests, but not much.

Xue Baochai hurriedly rose from the embroidered stool, her silk skirt swaying gently and carrying a fragrant breeze. Just as she was about to curtsy, Jiang Nian held her wrist, the warmth of his palm making her cheeks blush slightly.

"You may all leave."

Jiang Nian said to Xiangling and Ying'er.

Xiangling and Ying'er exchanged a smile, then quietly slipped out, making sure to close the door tightly behind them.

On the carved dressing table, two pieces of stationery gleamed softly in the candlelight—Xue Baochai had deliberately left them untouched, wanting him to relive the two pieces of stationery that held special meaning for the two of them on this special day.

Jiang Nian walked to the carved dressing table, picked up two sheets of floral stationery and began to read them. Her fingertips traced the ink marks of the two poems about willow catkins, and the scene of writing these two poems back then seemed like yesterday.

"These two poems about willow catkins that I gave you..." Jiang Nian gazed at Xue Baochai, her voice lower and hoarse than usual, yet exceptionally clear in the quiet night, "It's kind of you that you still kept them." Xue Baochai lowered her head, the pearl pendant by her ear swaying gently, casting dappled light on her cheek: "How could I not keep them?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly felt a coolness in her hair. In the glass mirror, she saw Jiang Nian's slender fingers inserting a jade hairpin with twin lotus blossoms into her hair. The hairpin was flawless, except for two crimson coral beads embedded in the center of the flower, which resembled the lotus seeds of a twin lotus.

Xue Baochai looked up and met Jiang Nian's smiling eyes.

"It's for you!" Jiang Nian said with a smile.

A breeze drifted in through the window, causing the red candle on the table to flicker. The candle wax slowly slid down, accumulating into tiny coral-like patterns on the candlestick.

Jiang Nian then took out a piece of stationery from her person and said with a smile, "I have specially prepared another piece of stationery for you. On it is the third poem I wrote for you, 'Linjiangxian: Willow Catkins'."

Xue Baochai was overjoyed, her eyes glistening with tears. She quickly took the letter, slowly unfolded it, and revealed the familiar handwriting:
"Our first encounter on the Qinhuai River, a breeze caressing my hair, sparks a destiny. My heart, like a still lake, ripples gently. Our love has never changed. We will stay together until our hair turns white. My tender feelings will never be regretted, let the sun and moon rise and fall. We will brew wine together in our youth, making it truly mellow. We will weave brocade side by side, sharing the misty river from dawn till dusk."

This is the third poem he has given her, "Linjiangxian: Willow Catkins".

This time, he used the imagery of willow catkins to express his love affair with her and to highlight the theme of staying together.

"The first encounter on the Qinhuai River" was when he and she first met.

"Yanjin" refers to both the mundane world and the ferry crossing. He and she first met on the Qinhuai River and later became a couple on the Grand Canal.

It is:

Three pieces of floral stationery carry deep affection; the misty rain of the Qinhuai River nourishes this life.

I do not wish for willow catkins to dance in the wind, but only for our tender love to transform into brocade ropes.

Xue Baochai silently read the third poem, "Linjiangxian: Willow Catkins," three times. Unable to contain herself any longer, she threw herself into Jiang Nian's arms, saying, "Master, this poem..." She pressed the flowered paper tightly to her heart, "I... I love it so much." Her voice was already choked with emotion.

Jiang Nian stroked her cloud-like black hair, smelling the jasmine fragrance in it, and said softly, "Today we have set up four tables of banquet, the proper and respectable ones, plus a pair of lotus hairpins made of mutton fat jade, and this third set of flower stationery, the third poem 'Linjiangxian: Willow Catkins'. Do you still feel wronged?"

Xue Baochai raised her blushing face, her eyes sparkling, bit her lip, and said in a sweet voice, "With your kind intentions, I... am not wronged!"

The red candles burned brightly, and the twin lotus patterns embroidered in gold thread on the red silk curtains shimmered faintly in the candlelight.

The bright red brocade quilt is adorned with clusters of double happiness symbols, and beneath it lies a snow-white handkerchief, waiting for fallen petals to stain it.

Jiang Nian led Xue Baochai to sit on the edge of the bed, pulled the beauty into his arms, and smelled the delicate fragrance emanating from her. The coolness of the Cold Fragrance Pill from the past seemed to have transformed into a warm and cozy fragrance tonight.

As he bent down to remove the jade hairpin from her hair, the fragrance became even stronger—it turned out that the back of her ears had been carefully scented with the finest perfume.

"You smell so good today, the fragrance is much stronger than usual."

His fingertips brushed against her blushing earlobe.

Xue Baochai turned her head away shyly, revealing a patch of snow-white skin on her neck: "After all, today is a joyous occasion. Ying'er said I should smell more fragrance." Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, but it made Jiang Nian chuckle.

He had noticed that she was different today: her eyebrows were drawn a little thicker, her lipstick was brighter than usual, and even her nails were stained with a light balsam juice.

The candle flame outside the tent popped open with a "crack," startling Xue Baochai. Taking advantage of the moment, Jiang Nian removed the last gold hairpin from her hair, and her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, brushing against the sleeves of their overlapping clothes.

Xue Baochai held a red handkerchief in her palm, crumpling it into tiny wrinkles.

"Don't be afraid." Jiang Nian held her slightly cool hand, brought it to her nose and sniffed it, and found that her fingertips still had the scent of ink on them - left over from when she was reading the flower stationery.

Xue Baochai's ear tips turned even redder.

He then pulled her into the tent.

The red candles shine brightly as she loosens her silk robe; the beauty's warm fragrance permeates the embroidered curtains.

The candle flame popped with a loud "crack," but it couldn't drown out the rustling of fabric inside the tent. Suddenly, a low murmur came from inside: "Master, put out the lamp."

……

……

The next morning, as dawn broke, Xue Baochai was already up, applying her makeup in front of the mirror. Ying'er styled her hair into an elegant double-heart bun, adorned with a plain silver hairpin inlaid with pearls, and she changed into a silk skirt embroidered with plum blossoms—neither impolite nor overshadowing the mistress of the house.

Immediately, Xue Baochai went to the east side room of the main house, where she saw Yuan Chun sitting on a sandalwood couch, wearing a double-breasted shirt with peony patterns and a red gold and kingfisher feather phoenix hairpin in her hair. Her whole demeanor was more dignified than usual.

Xue Baochai curtsied and stepped forward, bowing gracefully: "Greetings to Grandmother."

From now on, she will treat Yuan Chun as her mistress, even though she is a concubine.

Yuan Chun tapped her fingertips lightly three times on the armrest before speaking, "Get up."

After Xue Baochai got up, Ying'er brought over a cup of tea, which Xue Baochai accepted with both hands and respectfully offered to Yuan Chun.

After chatting for a while, Yuan Chun ordered Bao Qin to hand over two packages and said to Xue Baochai, "These are two sets of new clothes and headdresses for your makeup."

Xue Baochai quickly bowed and thanked her.

Yuan Chun suddenly ordered Bao Qin to summon the little maid Xing'er.

The couple Dong Liang and Yao had a son named Dong Feng and a daughter named Dong Xing'er, who was a maid in the Jiang family.

Xue Baochai was taken aback for a moment, then guessed that Yuan Chun meant to let Xing'er serve her.

Soon, Xing'er arrived at the east side room. She wasn't particularly pretty; her almond-shaped eyes were wide open with a hint of timidity, her peach-blossom cheeks were slightly puffed out with innocence, and two dark blue braids hung down beside her ears.

"Greetings to Grandma!"

Xing'er's voice was timid.

Sure enough, Yuan Chun pointed at Xing'er and said to Xue Baochai, "From now on, Xing'er will be at your service. Now that you are a concubine, Ying'er alone is not enough. You should add another maid."

Aunt Zhao in the Rongguo Mansion has two maids.

Yuan Chun's actions were a gesture of goodwill towards Xue Baochai.

"Thank you, Grandma. It's kind of you to think of this."

Xue Baochai was moved and gave a deep bow. Actually, she didn't really want to accept Xing'er as a maid; firstly, she felt Ying'er was enough, and secondly, she didn't like Xing'er. But since Yuan Chun had given Xing'er to her out of kindness, she naturally couldn't refuse.

Yuan Chun smiled at Xue Baochai and said, "Although you are now a concubine and need to follow more rules, I still prefer to address you as sisters. In the future, you can still call me 'elder sister' and I will still call you 'younger sister'. How about that? I think the master will also like us addressing each other like this."

Compared to calling Yuan Chun "Grandma", Xue Baochai would certainly prefer to call her "Sister". However, she remained calm and composed, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Grandma, but according to etiquette, I should still call you 'Grandma'."

(End of this chapter)