The splendor of the Red Chamber, the power that reigns supreme.

Chapter 138 Baochai Asks for a Poem [Bonus Chapter at the Beginning of the Month, Please Vote!]
Baochai's steps were unsteady, and the fire in her heart made her mouth dry. She almost ran through several moon gates and headed straight for the secluded side room of the flower hall.

She stopped under the eaves, her hand gripping the cool, smooth, vermilion pillar, her chest heaving. She took a few deep breaths of the cool, floral-scented air, trying to calm herself, but her fingertips couldn't help but touch her temples and straighten her slightly disheveled skirt. Beneath her emerald green pleated skirt, her toes curled nervously in a pair of soft satin shoes.

Pushing open the door, she found the side room of the flower hall somewhat dimly lit. The person there was talking to Xue Pan and didn't notice her entering.

To be honest, ever since that night in the carriage, Xue Baochai had thoroughly crushed this nemesis who had bewitched her, stuffed him into the deepest corner of her heart, and locked him away with a heavy iron lock.

It wasn't that she was being insincere, nor that she had completely forgotten this nemesis. That agonizing longing, like a brand, was etched into her flesh and bone marrow, seeping out in the stillness of the night, burning her undergarments soaked with sweat.

However, her nature was inherently cold and calculating, honed by her merchant family background. Deep down, she harbored longing, but it was also suppressed by the rigid social norms.

Once the frenzied moths-to-a-flame retreated, what remained was the dignified, composed, and meticulous eldest daughter of the Xue family.

With that cold, fragrant rationality, she tightened herself layer by layer, pressing the thoughts of that night deep into her heart, her face still displaying the unpretentious, chaste, and elegant peony.

She saw things clearly and thought ruthlessly. If she were to never again encounter that nemesis Ximen in this life, and sever this burning, agonizing thought... Xue Baochai would completely cool the fire in her heart, accept her fate, swallow the Cold Fragrance Pill, and forge herself into a cold, merciless blade that only cared about profit and loss.

She would submit to the arrangements of Lady Wang and Aunt Xue for the "golden and jade marriage," marrying Jia Baoyu, a hollow jade beauty born from a life of luxury, a well-behaved lady from a respectable family, and a virtuous helper in managing her husband's household affairs.

But it wasn't Xue Baochai who crushed herself and disregarded everything that night.

Hearing the door open, he turned around—and there was the face that haunted her dreams, the face she had meticulously sketched in countless lonely nights!
He wore a royal blue silk robe with lotus patterns, a turban on his head, and a jade pendant with two fish on his waist. He lacked the heroic spirit of the dock and the gentle charm of the boudoir, but gained a refined and elegant demeanor.

You damned nemesis, what brings you here to see me again?
Will you take me with you?

Baochai felt all the blood rush to her head, her cheeks burning hot, even the delicate, fair skin behind her ears and neck was tinged with a captivating blush. Her almond-shaped eyes, usually calm and serene, were now astonishingly bright, watery and misty, staring intently at his face, filled with an almost overflowing ecstasy, shyness, and incredulous tenderness.

Xue Pan saw his younger sister, Xue Baochai, standing there gracefully, her fair face like a peach blossom in spring, bathed in rouge. Her almond-shaped eyes were bright and expressive, and she was slightly turned to the side.

I had never seen my sister so infatuated. It was the shy look a woman would have when she saw her beloved! Her eyes... were so sticky, like they could be drawn out of silk!
Seeing the scene before him, Xue Pan realized that the ambiguous and inexplicable tension between the two was like a strong, pungent liquor just unleashed, burning and piercing straight into his nostrils! Even if he was stupid, he wasn't stupid enough to think that the two of them were innocently discussing salt additives! They were clearly dry wood meeting a raging fire, just one spark away from igniting a blaze!
His mind raced: A perfect match? What a load of rubbish! His own mother and aunt had whispered about it countless times, trying to marry his sister off to that effeminate Jia Baoyu!

Pooh!
I despise Jia Baoyu from the bottom of my heart. When he heard me say I was going to visit a brothel, he looked at me like I was a bedbug. What a hypocrite!
He spends all his time with a few effeminate, androgynous actresses, groping and embracing Qin Zhongbai, and acting like a saint? What kind of man isn't a womanizer? What kind of fun would his sister have if she really followed that hypocrite?
This good brother Ximen in front of me... Although his family background is not as good as Jia Baoyu's, what good is family background? Those good-for-nothings who hang out with me drinking, gambling, and womanizing, aren't they all carrying the name of their ancestors?
They're all rotten to the core! They're all more beastly than me. I just went to a brothel, but that guy surnamed Gao, relying on his father being the Grand Commandant, along with those sons of princes, has taken advantage of so many respectable women and ruined so many families!
Judging from the girl's expression, she's clearly fallen for him! He may be a scoundrel himself, but his sister's happiness is far more important than any nonsense about arranged family marriages or a perfect match! As long as the girl is happy, and as long as she's not some Jia Baoyu, he, Master Xue, is willing to help her out!

Xue Pan's eyes darted around, glancing at his sister who was all smiles and had eyes full of desire, and then at the official whose gaze was practically glued to his sister. Suddenly, an idea came to him.

He forced a knowing, but actually quite sly, smile onto his rough face, chuckled twice, and then let out a loud, booming laugh:

"Oh! My sister's here too! You guys...you chat away! I...I suddenly remembered, Brother Lian invited me to his place to see his two new crickets! Yes, yes, to see the crickets! You guys talk about business first! Business is important!"

As he spoke, he exaggeratedly slapped his forehead and retreated, his movements so swift they seemed disproportionate to his muscular physique.

He retreated to the outside in a few steps, and casually closed most of the flower hall door, leaving only a narrow crack. He smiled and walked towards Jia Lian's residence. After walking several dozen steps, he suddenly felt a "thump" in his heart and slapped his thigh!
"Oh no!" It took him a moment to realize! These two were burning with passion, their feelings were overflowing, and his sister was experiencing love for the first time. And Ximen, that good brother, was a beautiful instructor... This was a man and a woman alone in a room!
As the saying goes: Sisters love handsome men, and they don't care if the hot tea gets cold when they're quenching their thirst!
What if... what if I lose control of my emotions and do something wrong? I might suddenly become an uncle, which would be a wonderful thing, but some clueless old woman or servant might stumble upon it, and if word gets out... my sister's reputation as a young lady will be completely ruined! This is the Jia family, where rules are paramount! So many eyes are on the Xue family!
Xue Pan suddenly felt a heavy responsibility on his shoulders! Although he, Uncle Xue, was a scoundrel, he was loyal, especially to his own sister! Now that he had witnessed this and intended to help her, he couldn't just walk away from it!
He suddenly straightened his back, and a rare solemnity appeared on his rough face. He looked around and, seeing that no one was around, he stood firmly at the outer doorway with his legs spread apart, like a door god.

If someone comes to visit, he should know immediately and lead them away. If he can't stop them, he should at least shout at them.

He rubbed his hands together, a mischievous and smug smile returning to his face. He smugly planned in his mind, "Hehe, once this is done, you'll be my proper brother-in-law! Then, you'll have to thank your brother-in-law properly!"

inside the hall.

Xue Baochai's full lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to call him, but her throat felt as if something burning hot was blocking it, and she could only utter a low, trembling sound: "...My...Master?"

Baochai managed to keep her voice steady, but the last syllable of her voice trembled slightly, like the ripples on a pond in spring: "I wonder... what brings you here today, sir?"

She kept her eyes downcast, her long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings, her gaze falling on the lotus pattern embroidered on her emerald green skirt, but her heart was in her throat.

Looking at her slightly lowered profile, revealing a section of her smooth, white neck, Ximen Da Guanren cleared his throat, his voice deepening:
“Miss Xue,” he leaned forward slightly, a faint masculine scent mixed with the dust of his journey wafting over, brushing against Baochai’s sensitive earlobe, “I have come here, naturally, to see you.”

Buzz————!
These words kept reverberating in Baochai's ears.

She felt a huge, indescribable ecstasy mixed with disbelief and dizziness rush to her head! Her legs went weak, and her jade feet in the soft satin shoes could no longer support her plump body. She swayed violently as if she had been electrocuted. Fortunately, she instinctively grabbed the edge of the high table next to her and barely managed to keep her balance.

Her cheeks instantly burned like embers, and even the delicate skin behind her ears and neck turned bright red, so vibrant that even makeup couldn't cover it up.

"He...he really came for me!" The thought exploded in her chaotic mind, so sweet it almost suffocated her. She was so ashamed she wanted to bury her head in her chest, yet she couldn't help but look up at him, to see if the same flame burned in his eyes.

He...he really came to see me!

So, the second thing is... is it to take me away?
The official was taken aback, thinking to himself, "Is this really something to be so surprised about? When I came to ask for your help, wasn't the first thing I would do to come to you?"

The fire in Baochai's heart seemed to have been doused with a small cup of warm water; it hissed and steamed, but the heat didn't diminish. Instead, it rose into a thicker mist, blurring her vision. She took a small step forward, and even her fragrance seemed to intensify, silently spreading towards the other side. She bit her lower lip: "Then what do you want from me?"

The official laughed and said, "Naturally, I'm here to catch up with Miss Xue. Of course, I just asked Brother Xue for help, and he said only Miss Xue can help me."

It was originally just a reunion.
It wasn't meant to take me away.
The overwhelming joy it brought was now diluted with a bit of the cold water of reality, no longer so pure and scalding, but still flowing warmly in my heart.

Her tightly clenched fingers loosened slightly, but the slight trembling in her body caused by excitement had not completely subsided. The slight disappointment in her heart was like a pebble thrown into a deep pool; although it could not create huge waves, it still rippled outwards in circles of "a touch of melancholy."

But in that instant of feeling lost, another kind of more hidden and surging fear, along with the relief that followed, quietly crept into my heart!

Beneath her momentary ecstasy lay a deep, almost suffocating fear—she was afraid!
She was afraid his next words would be, "Come with me!"
She feared that this scoundrel might actually utter such outrageous and erratic tales of elopement and debauchery in the Jia household! She dared not respond to such reckless and self-destructive fervor, and knew she could not withstand it!

Just thinking about it made her legs go weak and her whole body tremble.

I'm both afraid of agreeing and afraid of agreeing!
So it turns out she just missed me.
Although she felt a slight disappointment, it also allowed her to breathe a long, silent sigh of relief from the extremely taut string of etiquette and propriety.

Her full lips moved slightly, the trembling lessened, and instead, an indescribable tenderness appeared:
“So… Master has other matters to attend to. What business does he have with my brother? Baochai… will do her best.”

As she spoke, she unconsciously tightened the handkerchief embroidered with twin lotus flowers tied around her waist, as if it were the only thing she could grasp at that moment, a token that carried all her complicated girlish thoughts.

Ximen Da Guanren lowered his voice and said, "Miss Xue, to be honest, there really is a thorny matter at hand. I have a 'deposit slip' that can be redeemed for three thousand salt certificates in advance, but alas..."

The official looked somewhat embarrassed. "Unfortunately, my family's resources are still shallow, and I can't raise enough capital for the salt permits in time. Moreover, I've never done business in the salt trade before. This hot potato needs to be sold to a truly powerful and wealthy household to be safe. Miss Xue, do you know any connections?" When Xue Baochai heard Ximen Qing mention the "deposit slip for the advance exchange of three thousand salt permits," her heart skipped a beat, and the dignified and serene smile on her exquisitely beautiful face instantly froze!
What surprised her was not the value of the three thousand salt certificates themselves! Although the Xue family was now outwardly strong but inwardly weak, with its warehouses running out of money, even her mother, Aunt Xue, often worried about money.

Having grown up in the family of wealthy and powerful merchants, the accounts she handled and the riches she witnessed were far from ordinary. A mere salt certificate worth ten thousand taels of silver would not be enough to make this precious daughter of the Xue family lose her composure or change color.

What shocked her was the "thing" itself! It was actually Master Ximen who was able to get his hands on this thing!
These salt certificates, especially the "early redemption" certificates, couldn't be obtained simply by exchanging gold and silver. They were the lifeblood of the salt and iron monopoly! They were official permits! They were the golden keys that held the key positions of the salt administration and the salt inspectors!

Ordinary businessmen, even with mountains of gold and silver, can't even get close to this "nesting order" without strong connections and powerful backing!

What shocked her even more was that this task, this power to issue salt permits, was precisely within the jurisdiction of Lin Ruhai, the salt inspector and father of the Jia family's son-in-law and Lin Daiyu!

In an instant, several thoughts exploded in her exquisite mind like lightning:

Or perhaps this Ximen official has extraordinary connections, managing to bypass Lin Ruhai and climb up to an even more prominent figure, closer to the core of the salt administration! What kind of skill and influence would that require?
Or... this whole operation was actually approved by Lin Ruhai himself! Ximen Qing and him... there was such an unknown connection between them?
No matter which possibility it is, it is by no means trivial! Xue Baochai felt her heart tremble, as if she were getting to know the man in front of her all over again.

Her almond-shaped eyes, usually calm and deep like a still pool, couldn't help but linger a moment longer on Ximen Qing's handsome yet undeniably charming face, her gaze filled with a mixture of inquiry and astonishment.

This nemesis... is far more than just a local tyrant and wealthy landowner! The connections and influence behind him are far deeper and more powerful than she had previously imagined!
Having figured this out, Xue Baochai felt no doubts, but rather an indescribable sense of relief and respect welled up within her! This rascal was indeed no ordinary person!

He was capable and resourceful enough to tear a hole in the impenetrable salt administration and obtain this gilded "pass"... This proved his power and also proved that Xue Baochai's trust in him was not entirely misplaced!

A man capable of stirring up the salt administration has a future that is limitless!
The lingering worries in her heart caused by her family's decline were unexpectedly lessened by Ximen Qing's "generous gesture." When she looked at Ximen Qing again, her eyes, besides the remaining shyness and affection, now held a genuine respect and expectation, as if she were looking at a piece of uncarved jade that contained a precious luster within.

This nemesis is truly becoming more and more...incomprehensible to her, yet she can't let go of him. A genuine warmth and joy quietly welled up in her heart for him managing to obtain this item. If one day he could turn the world upside down, wouldn't she be...
On a whim, Xue Baochai's face showed no sign of distress; instead, a knowing smile bloomed on her lips. Her almond-shaped eyes sparkled with a playful wisdom that hinted at worldly experience, and she lightly spat:
"I thought it was some terrible, earth-shattering disaster! It turns out it's all for this business."

She glanced sideways at Ximen Qing, her charm now even more dignified yet alluring. "My lord, you've been enjoying yourself in Qinghe for so long, you probably don't know that there are hidden dragons and crouching tigers under the emperor's nose. As for those officials who hold power and can turn the world upside down, there's no need for Baochai to gossip about them."

"Even in the capital alone, among the most extremely wealthy and powerful, there are a few with connections to the highest levels of society who own villas in the capital and have deep roots in the city!"

She extended five slender, jade-like fingers, and slowly and deliberately, separated them:
"Firstly, there's the owner of 'Fenglelou,' Master Xu! His Fenglelou, good heavens! A three-story building rising from the ground, with gold leaf covering the walls, glazed tiles reflecting the sun, carved beams and painted rafters, resplendent in gold and green. Even the mansions of princes and nobles cannot match the wealth and elegance of his main building!"

"Inside, there are fine wines and delicacies, and singing and dancing performances that never stop. It's a veritable money pit! It makes a fortune every day!"

"Secondly, she is a remarkable woman—the wet nurse of the wealthy official Shi Yannian, Old Madam Shi!" Baochai's tone carried a peculiar admiration.
"This old lord's methods are truly remarkable! She specializes in buying dilapidated houses in the capital at bargain prices, then renovating them inside and out, and reselling them for several times, even ten times, the profit! This business of 'renovating old houses' has allowed her to amass mountains of gold and silver that ordinary salt merchants can only dream of!"

"Thirdly..." Baochai's voice suddenly lowered, and two faint blushes rose on her face, making her even more beautiful.
"That's the same Zhou, the official who owns no fewer than ten of the seventy-two main restaurants in Bianliang, and even the Sang family's entertainment district is under his name!"

She paused, seemingly hesitant to speak, yet also filled with a secret excitement.

"There are over fifty entertainment venues of various sizes in Bianjing City, the largest of which is this Sang Family Entertainment Venue, with no fewer than sixty brothels inside! Every day, merchants from the north and south, as well as young men seeking pleasure, flood in like a flowing river. The money really just keeps flowing in! And there's a secret story..."

Baochai lowered her voice even further: "Everyone says that the most beautiful girl in the capital, Li Shishi, has a powerful 'fake mother' behind her... who is none other than this Master Zhou!"

After speaking, her fair ears were flushed with a rosy hue, and her tongue seemed to lick her lips unintentionally, as if revealing a secret of romance, and she herself was also tainted with a touch of indescribable springtime allure.

"Fourthly, my lord, don't forget the Fang family, who grew up in the salt lakes of Jiezhou!" Baochai's lips curled into a knowing smile.
“That big boss who monopolizes the salt lakes also has a respectable mansion in the capital. The salt certificates he holds are probably in the tens of thousands! The money flowing in every day is as turbulent as the brine of the Jiezhou Salt Lake! Your three thousand certificates are probably not even worth a glance in his eyes.”

Ximen Qing's Adam's apple bobbed, and he was about to speak when Baochai's jade-like fingers shot up again:

"And then there are those 'tea merchants' in the northwest border region who are actually incredibly wealthy and influential! And the top brokers in the calligraphy, painting, and antique trade in Bianjing! Aren't all of these people rolling in money?"

"The 'tea merchants' on the border, their camel caravans carry far more than just tea bricks. Silk, ironware, warhorses... aren't they incredibly wealthy? The villas they own in the capital are even more magnificent than the mansions of ordinary officials!"

"As for the bigwigs in the calligraphy, painting and antique business, they specialize in dealing with those shady treasures, and the riches and profits they make are not something that ordinary wealthy people can covet!"

Baochai's words flowed like a string of pearls, each one striking Ximen Qing's heart:

"And the tycoon who issued 'Jiaozi' (paper money), and the Pu family, maritime merchants from Quanzhou!"

"My lord, those incredibly wealthy people in the capital you mentioned earlier, you could easily acquire them with your three thousand salt permits." She set down her teacup, her jade-like finger lightly tapping the table as if flicking away a tiny speck of dust.

"In their eyes, it's nothing more than a small appetizer after a meal, as simple as picking flowers and leaves! Let alone ten thousand taels of silver, even if a hundred thousand taels of silver were placed in front of them, it would be nothing more than ordinary 'flowing water' in the warehouse, and they wouldn't even blink an eye!"

Ximen Qing was dumbfounded, a chill running from the soles of his feet to the top of his head! He was a local tyrant in Qinghe, who thought he was incredibly wealthy and could do whatever he wanted in Qinghe County. Even in Bianjing, he still had a bit of arrogance because he could pave the way with his money.

But now, hearing Baochai list these enormous things as if they were her own treasures, she suddenly realized:

It turns out that his vast wealth is as pitiful and laughable as a beggar's few copper coins in front of this real "tycoon"!
The waters of this capital city are deep enough to drown a dragon! This "Master Ximen" who jumped out of Qinghe County is nowhere near being a "person of importance" in this place where dragons and tigers roam. At most, he's just a... a nouveau riche with a little silver in his pocket!

But the man became even more excited at this thought. This silver was rightfully mine to earn, to do my part in resisting the wolves coming from the north!

The high-ranking official said in a deep voice, "The young lady just mentioned the big boss of the Jiezhou Salt Lake. He's truly a man with connections that reach the heavens! ...I wonder if the young lady has the opportunity to introduce me to him? If I could meet him and exchange a few words with him, I would be very grateful..."

Xue Baochai gently shook her head and said softly, "My lord, haste makes waste. That big boss who monopolizes the salt ponds has eyes that are higher than the clouds. He holds salt certificates in the tens of thousands, and he has already calculated in his mind exactly where the salt routes in the world should be profitable and where they should be deficient. My lord's 'small matter' of three thousand certificates was paid in advance..."

She paused, her tone gentle yet undeniably clear-headed, "In their eyes, it's probably no different from simply moving a penny from the treasury; it's hardly worthy of their attention. To rashly request an audience would only invite contempt and be counterproductive."

The official thought this made sense, and his eagerness only intensified. He pressed on, asking, "In your opinion, young lady, where should I begin?"

Xue Baochai did not answer him, but instead raised her eyes, which were as calm as a deep pool. As her eyes darted around, a hint of charm, which was completely different from when she was talking about her great wealth, suddenly appeared. It was a charm that carried a hidden resentment and coquettishness.

Her fingertips unconsciously brushed against the delicate lotus scroll pattern on her cuff, her voice suddenly becoming soft and gentle, like a feather brushing against the heart: "My lord. That day, I gave you a poem... and you returned a ci poem to me!"

She gently bit the three characters "一阙词" with her pearly teeth, her tongue seemingly swirling between her lips and teeth before spitting them out, carrying an indescribable lingering tenderness and unfinished meaning.

She turned slightly to the side, her fingertips unconsciously twirling a corner of her handkerchief. Her voice grew softer, tinged with a coquettish nasal tone. Her eyes swept over her sideways, a mixture of reproach and delight, captivating and alluring: "Now... you've come to me again, asking all sorts of questions... shouldn't you... add another... beautiful poem to repay Baochai?"

Two more chapters tomorrow! 2 words! Please vote with your monthly tickets!!

(End of this chapter)