The Red Mansion

Chapter 152 An Accidental Encounter with the Most Beautiful Woman in the Dream of the Red Chamber
Previously, Jiang Nian went to Laizhou, Shandong as an imperial envoy to handle Zhou Sankui's affairs, accompanied only by Meng Xiong, Chang Ye, Qi Jianyu, and Dai Shijiao.

This time, Jiang Nian, as an imperial envoy, went to the south to investigate and suppress the Luo sect. Accompanied by He Yun, Ren Pijiang, Qi Jianyu, Dai Shijiao, and Zou Jianyuan, he was also accompanied by ten elite officers and soldiers from the Imperial Guard. The Imperial Guard was under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Bodyguard and, like the Imperial Bodyguard, was the emperor's personal guard.

Emperor Taishun also sent two ships for Jiang Nian and her entourage to use.

The two ships set off from Luhe Post Station in Tongzhou on August 16th, and sailed south along the Grand Canal.

Upon entering the Jiangnan region, the scenery on both banks is quite different from that of the north. Golden waves of rice ripple across the fields, maple forests are ablaze with red, distant mountains are shrouded in mist, and nearby waters are shrouded in haze. Occasionally, the evening songs of fishermen and the sound of shepherd's flutes add to the charm of Jiangnan.

It was already early September when the two ships entered the territory of Yangzhou Prefecture.

That evening, the setting sun shone on the canal, making the water surface shimmer with golden waves, as if a layer of broken gold had been laid out.

The two boats anchored at a river station, where the group rested temporarily.

Having already arrived in Jiangnan, to avoid alerting the enemy, Jiang Nian and her group acted discreetly, and therefore did not stay at the official post station, but instead chose an inn.

The inn's name is both practical and evocative: "Night Mooring Inn".

The Night Moor Inn is built by the water, with carved eaves and painted beams, making it quite elegant.

Jiang Nian checked into a superior room on the second floor. Pushing open the carved wooden window, she could see the entire canal scenery, where the water and sky blended into one.

After Jiang Nian settled in briefly, He Yun called him downstairs for dinner. Just as he stepped out the door, he heard a soft creak from the door next door, followed by light footsteps.

Jiang Nian stopped and looked over, only to see a young boy and girl walking out of the room, followed by servants.

The girl had almond-shaped eyes and peach-blossom cheeks, eyebrows like crescent moons, and lips like rouge. Although she wore a simple and elegant dress, it could not hide her natural charm.

The young man was also quite dashing.

Jiang Nian's gaze narrowed slightly. With his exceptional memory, he immediately recalled that he had seen the boy and girl before.

Last spring, before he went to the capital, Xue Baochai came to apologize to him. At that time, she was accompanied by a father and son from the Xue family, namely Xue Jin and Xue Ke. The young man who appeared before him now was none other than Xue Ke.

The girl was Xue Baoqin, Xue Ke's younger sister.

It was still last spring when Jiang Nian was boating on the Qinhuai River in Jiangning. His boat passed by the Xue family's pleasure boat. At that time, he was standing on the deck and saw two young girls sitting in the window of the Xue family's pleasure boat opposite. One was Xue Baochai and the other was Xue Baoqin.

Tonight, I unexpectedly ran into the Xue siblings at the riverside inn in Yangzhou Prefecture!

Just as Jiang Nian was about to call out to Xue Ke, she suddenly saw Xue Baoqin look up at her.

When their eyes met, Xue Baoqin was taken aback, thinking to herself, "This young man looks familiar, he seems to resemble my cousin-in-law whom I met on the Qinhuai River last year." However, more than a year had passed, and although the man before her still had a similar appearance, he seemed to have gained a more heroic air than before, so she was not sure.

When Xue Ke noticed his sister's unusual expression, he followed her gaze and saw Jiang Nian. He was also taken aback and thought that the valiant young man in front of him looked like Jiang Nian, but he wasn't sure.

More than a year later, Jiang Nian's appearance, figure and temperament have changed somewhat.

As Xue Ke and Xue Baoqin hesitated, they suddenly heard Jiang Nian speak up: "Is it Xue Ke?"

The call startled Xue Ke awake, and he hurriedly bowed, saying, "Indeed. You are my brother-in-law..." But he realized his mistake and, remembering that his cousin Xue Baochai was merely the man's concubine, quickly changed his words, "Are you Lord Jiang?"

Jiang Nian nodded slightly and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Xue Ke respectfully replied, "My father and I, along with my siblings, are on business in the north and are resting here today. My father is currently in his room. Please wait a moment, Lord Jiang, while I go in to inform him." With that, he turned and quickly went inside.

Taking the opportunity, Xue Baoqin bowed to Jiang Nianying and said, "Greetings to my brother-in-law."

She was young, and had a cheerful and lively personality. In her heart, Jiang Nian was her brother-in-law.

Jiang Nian carefully examined Xue Baoqin and inwardly admired her.

In his previous life, many people had a distorted perception of Xue Baoqin's beauty due to the influence of TV dramas.

In fact, according to the original novel, the most beautiful woman in the Dream of the Red Chamber is either Xue Baoqin or Qin Keqing, with Xue Baoqin being more likely. Upon seeing Xue Baoqin, Grandmother Jia immediately wanted to arrange a marriage for Jia Baoyu, praising her as even more beautiful than the beauties in Qiu Shizhou's painting "Snowy Beauty." Tan Chun even bluntly stated, "In my opinion, even her sister and all these other women are inferior to her."

Xue Baoqin, who was standing in front of Jiang Nian at this moment, was truly a natural beauty. If she were two or three years older, her beauty would be no less than that of Qin Keqing and Jing Qing.

Xue Jin was drinking alone in her room when her son rushed in and asked, "What's the matter that you're in such a hurry?"

Xue Ke said in a low voice, "Father, I met Lord Jiang in the outer corridor."

Xue Jin didn't react for a moment, and asked, raising his wine cup, "Which Lord Jiang?"

Xue Ke said, "It's...it's my cousin's husband."

"Oh!"

Upon hearing this, Xue Jin was greatly alarmed, nearly dropping the wine cup in his hand. He hurriedly got up, straightened his clothes, and walked towards the door.

Upon reaching the corridor, Xue Jin saw Jiang Nian standing with his hands behind his back, followed by He Yun. Xue Jin quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Xue Jin greets Guard Jiang!"

Jiang Nian nodded slightly and carefully examined Xue Jin. Xue Jin was dressed in an indigo robe with a dark blue mandarin jacket over it, and thick-soled cloth shoes. Although dressed as a merchant, he was quite neat. However, just as Jiang Nian had seen him last year, Xue Jin, though only in his thirties and should have been in his prime, was physically weak, with a gaunt face, sunken eyes, and prominent cheekbones, appearing sickly.

Seeing Jiang Nian's piercing gaze, Xue Jin quickly put on a smile and said, "I never expected to meet Guard Jiang at this water inn. It's truly my great fortune. May I ask what brings you here?"

Jiang Nian did not answer, but simply said, "Let's go inside and talk in detail."

Xue Jin realized his rudeness and slapped his forehead repeatedly, saying, "I was confused. Please come in." He then stepped aside to make way for him.

Jiang Nian and He Yun entered the room one after the other, with Xue Jin following behind.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Xue Ke followed him inside.

Xue Baoqin hesitated for a moment, but unable to suppress her curiosity, she took light steps and followed them inside.

Upon entering the house, Jiang Nian saw several dishes laid out on a mahogany round table: steamed shad, salted duck breast, water shield soup, a pot of wine, and a wine cup with half a cup of amber-colored wine remaining.

It turned out that Xue Jin was having dinner with his children. Since Xue Jin wanted to have a drink, Xue Ke and Xue Baoqin finished their meal first and were about to return to their rooms when they ran into Jiang Nian in the corridor.

Xue Jin earnestly invited, "If Guard Jiang doesn't mind, would you do me the honor of having a few drinks?"

Jiang Nian waved her hand and said, "Let's skip the wine. I'll just have some dinner here."

Upon hearing this, Xue Jin was overjoyed and hurriedly instructed a servant, "Quickly, tell the kitchen to add a few more of their signature dishes!" Just as the servant was about to leave, Jiang Nian said, "No need to add any more dishes, this is enough."

Jiang Nian then instructed He Yun, "Go down and have a meal with Ren Pijiang and the others. I'll eat here."

He Yun accepted the order and withdrew.

Jiang Nian sat down at the table without hesitation, and only then did Xue Jin dare to sit down after her.

Jiang Nian said, "You continue to drink your wine; I'll have tea instead."

Xue Jin hurriedly instructed Xue Ke to set out the table for Jiang Nian—there were already clean tableware in the room. He then called to Baoqin, "Qin girl, quickly pour tea for Guard Jiang."

Xue Baoqin moved gracefully, took a teacup that was the color of a sky after rain, and poured tea with her slender hands. The tea was clear and green, with a fragrant aroma; it was the finest tea that Xue Jin had brought himself.

Once the bowls, chopsticks, and teacups were all prepared, Xue Jin held up the wine cup with both hands and said, "Guard Jiang, please."

Jiang Nian nodded slightly and took a sip of tea, while Xue Jin tilted his head back and drank the wine in his cup.

Xue Jin asked cautiously again, "Why is Guard Jiang here?"

Jiang Nian looked around and said, "Have all the servants leave. Your son and daughter may stay here."

Xue Jin understood and quickly waved to dismiss the servants, leaving only Jiang Nian, Xue Jin, Xue Ke, and Xue Baoqin in the room.

Jiang Nian then slowly said, "This time I am here as an imperial envoy to carry out my duties in Jiangning."

All three members of the Xue family knew that Jiang Nian had once gone to Shandong as an imperial envoy.

Even so, all three of them were surprised to hear Jiang Nian's words.

Xue Jin's expression immediately became even more respectful, Xue Ke's eyes widened, and Xue Baoqin's lips parted slightly, her bright eyes shining like morning stars.

What an honor it is to be appointed as an imperial envoy! Jiang Nian is so young, yet she is able to shoulder such an important responsibility!
Xue Jin couldn't help but sigh, "Your Excellency is truly a young and outstanding man, and is deeply favored by the Emperor. I had heard before that you had previously gone to Shandong as an imperial envoy to reorganize the salt administration, and now you have received another imperial decree."

Jiang Nian suddenly said, "I'm a little hungry. Please help yourself. I'll have some food first."

Xue Jin hurriedly asked Xue Baoqin to serve rice to Jiang Nian, and then put down his wine cup and ordered Xue Ke to add more rice.

Xue Baoqin gently rolled up her green sleeves, picked up the bowl in front of Jiang Nian, and used her slender hands to serve Jiang Nian half a bowl of rice, which smelled delicious.

While serving the rice, Xue Jin tentatively asked Jiang Nian, "I wonder what brings the Imperial Envoy to Jiangning this time? Is it related to Wang Long and Tan Fengchi?"

Aunt Xue and Xue Jin both knew that the three thousand taels of gold belonging to the Xue family were seized by Lai Shangrong, Wang Long, and Tan Fengchi. They also knew that Jiang Nian had severely punished the Lai family and repaid Xue Baochai with three thousand taels of gold.

Moreover, Aunt Xue and Xue Jin, who were in Jiangning, naturally knew that Wang Long and Tan Fengchi had colluded with the Luo sect to resist and kill government soldiers.

Jiang Nian nodded slightly: "It is indeed related to this matter." Then, changing the subject, she asked, "But what brings your family here?"

Xue Jin's face immediately turned embarrassed, and the chopsticks in her hand stopped in mid-air.

Jiang Nian was very perceptive and immediately noticed the abnormality. She said seriously, "Speak freely."

Xue Jin hesitated for a long time before finally sighing, "To tell you the truth, recently Master Wang Ziteng of the Wang family sent someone to Jiangning to tell you that Pan Ge'er's mother needs to send 100,000 taels of silver, saying... saying that it's for 'making arrangements' in the capital so that he can be transferred back to the capital for a position." As she spoke, she glanced at Jiang Nian's expression and then mumbled, "But Pan Ge'er's family is not as well off as before, and besides..."

At this point, Xue Jin suddenly fell silent, looking troubled.

Seeing this, Jiang Nian put down her bowl and chopsticks and said sternly, "Tell me the truth about whatever you have to hide!"

Xue Jin was startled when he saw Jiang Nian suddenly turn serious.

Jiang Nian's gaze was sharp as she solemnly said, "This imperial envoy is of great importance to the Wang family. I am speaking to you now as an imperial envoy. You may continue to sit, but you must tell the truth. It will only benefit your Xue family. You must not conceal a single word!"

Upon seeing this, Xue Ke and Xue Baoqin, who were standing to the side, both felt a chill run down their spines. Xue Baoqin unconsciously clenched her handkerchief, while Xue Ke dared not even breathe loudly.

The house was silent for a moment.

Xue Jin had long harbored resentment towards Wang Ziteng, and seeing Jiang Nian's attitude, she steeled herself and revealed the truth: "Reporting to Your Excellency, Wang Ziteng has repeatedly demanded money from Pan Ge'er's mother, and each time the amount was substantial. This time, he went even further, demanding 100,000 taels of silver, saying he needed it to bribe officials in the capital so he could be transferred back to the capital. He also promised that once he was transferred back, he would definitely find a way to help the Xue family regain their status as imperial merchants."

At this point, Xue Jin couldn't help but become indignant: "But how can Pan Ge'er's family withstand such turmoil in their current state? In my opinion, Wang Ziteng is clearly afraid of being implicated in Wang Long's case and is in a hurry to bribe officials to protect himself. As for the claim that he helped the Xue family regain their status as imperial merchants, it's just a deceptive pretext. Wang Long of the Wang family plotted to seize three thousand taels of gold from Pan Ge'er's mother, and Wang Ziteng still acts like this."

The facts were roughly as Xue Jin had described. After learning about Wang Long's case, Wang Ziteng was afraid of being implicated. He had been wanting to return to the capital to take up a post, and his only son was ill in the capital and could not be cured. He was really anxious, but he was reluctant to spend his own family property to bribe officials. So he sent someone to ask Aunt Xue for 100,000 taels of silver.

Xue Jin became increasingly agitated as he spoke, a flush rising on his gaunt face: "After much discussion, Pan Ge'er's mother and I decided to send two thousand taels of gold. She even wrote a letter specifically stating that this was the last time, and that no more gold would be given in the future. Because the three thousand taels of gold that were previously given to Baochai were robbed, Pan Ge'er's mother was worried, so she specifically ordered me to personally escort these two thousand taels of gold and the letter."

After Xue Jin finished speaking, Jiang Nian asked, "Since you're here to handle this matter, why did you bring your children along?"

Xue Jin said, "Let's take this opportunity to let them travel and broaden their horizons."

Jiang Nian nodded.

He knew that Xue Jin loved to travel and also liked to travel with his wife and children.

The original text states: Xue Baoqin had seen a lot of the world since she was a child. She traveled all over the country with her parents. Her father was a pleasure-seeker. Because he had business in various places, he would take his family and travel around one province for a year, and then travel to another province for half a year the following year. So he had traveled through five or six parts of the country.

Jiang Nian stared at Xue Jin and said in a deep voice, "You don't need to send these two thousand taels of gold."

Xue Jin looked troubled: "This... I don't want to send it either, but if you don't even give me these two thousand taels of gold, given Wang Ziteng's temperament..."

Jiang Nian interrupted, "Wang Ziteng is already in prison! Do you want to send him there?"

Xue Jin was taken aback: "Is this really true?"

Jiang Nian said solemnly, "His Majesty appointed me as Imperial Envoy to investigate the truth about the Wang family's collusion with the Luo Cult. Before leaving the capital, I had already imprisoned all the male members of the Wang family in Beijing. I even interrogated Madam Wang and Wang Xifeng of the Rongguo Mansion in a quiet room within the mansion. Wang Xi, Wang Zisheng, Wang Ren, and others are still imprisoned. As for Wang Ziteng..."

At this point, Jiang Nian paused meaningfully: "His Majesty has issued a decree to arrest him, and he is most likely still in prison at the moment."

These words left the three members of the Xue family speechless with shock.

A gust of wind suddenly rose outside the window, slapping against the window frame and making a rustling sound, adding to the somber atmosphere.

(End of this chapter)