The Splendor of the Red Chamber

The next morning.

In the west wing of Zhiwei Pavilion, Qin Keqing was sitting on the headboard, half asleep, when she suddenly heard a knocking sound.

She opened her eyes with a start, put on a smile, slipped on her embroidered shoes, and prepared to open the window.

When they got out of bed, they realized it was the sound of knocking on the door, and it was already broad daylight outside.

What happened?

Why didn't Uncle Lian come last night?!

The first thought that popped into Qin Keqing's mind was that Jia Lian had been caught while scaling walls and rooftops.

But then I thought it was impossible, because Jia Lian was scaling walls and roofs just to get into Zhiwei Pavilion. If we had really caught him, the courtyard would have been in chaos yesterday.

So why didn't he come?

Qin Keqing opened the door, puzzled, and saw Baozhu outside looking anxious. She whispered, "Grandma, why didn't you come yesterday?"

Clearly, this girl had also been waiting all night.

Qin Keqing shook her head indifferently and said, "Yesterday was the seventh day after Jia Rong's death. Perhaps something happened that held him back."

Baozhu didn't believe this, after all, there was no need for Jia Lian, her cousin, to observe the seventh-day mourning period.

So he asked, "Should I go out and scout around?"

"Don't!"

Qin Keqing remained calm: "We're too busy trying to sever ties with Uncle Lian to risk giving him something to talk about."

Although Baozhu would definitely try to find out indirectly, the matter of an "unborn child" was already sensitive, and Qin Keqing didn't want to take any extra risks.

The master and servants were discussing it.

Suddenly, a maid from the courtyard came in to report: "Sister Baozhu, Second Mistress Lian sent someone to say that she will be visiting your grandmother soon."

Is that spicy phoenix coming?

Qin Keqing's heart jumped. Ever since she signed the guarantee for her son that day, Wang Xifeng had never shown her face again. This sudden visit must be related to Jia Lian's skipping work last night.

This led her to even more imaginings.

After waiting anxiously for half an hour, Feng Lazi finally arrived at the door, looking radiant. After this period of repeated trials, she had gradually adapted to Jia Lian's transformation, but she still couldn't bear the continuous hardship.

Upon arriving at Zhiwei Pavilion, Sister Feng first went to the main room to have tea.

After all, Li Wan was the rightful mistress of this courtyard, and in terms of status and seniority, she was higher than Qin Keqing.

Meanwhile, Wang Xifeng sat down in Li Wan's room, looked Li Wan up and down, and teased, "What's wrong with you lately? You looked better than usual a couple of days ago, but lately you've been getting worse every day."

It's all your fault!

Li Wan thought to herself, but sighed and said, "Sigh, I don't know what's wrong, I haven't been sleeping well lately. Maybe I'm being haunted by something."

After the first two quiet leaks, her complexion did indeed improve considerably.

But I couldn't stop having those ridiculous dreams lately, which made it hard to sleep and depleted my kidney energy, so my complexion naturally turned bad again.

When Wang Xifeng heard Li Wan say that she had been bewitched by something recently, she immediately thought of her own Lian'er and quickly shut Li Wan up, saying, "Are you implying that Rong'er's wife? How dare you say such things? Be careful, Madam will slap you!"

Li Wan already felt sorry for Qin Keqing, so she didn't even think about it that way.

Hearing what Fengjie said, she realized something was wrong and quickly said, "That's not what I meant at all! Besides, it's just the two of us in the room. If word gets out, it'll be you who told on me! If Madam punishes me then, I'll come and tear your mouth apart!"

As Li Wan spoke, she began to make exaggerated gestures and gestures.

As Wang Xifeng got up to dodge, she chuckled and said, "I was just trying to give you a friendly reminder, why are you turning around and accusing me like Pigsy?"

"Pah! I wonder who's the second oldest in the family!"

"Isn't your second son the Bao brother? Oh, oh, so that's how you see him."

"you!"

"Hehe, never mind, I'm going to visit the sick first. Wait for me to come back and we'll go to the West Mansion together."

After exchanging a few playful words with Li Wan, Wang Xifeng gained the upper hand and then turned to Qin Keqing.

Compared to her previous jealousy and sarcastic remarks, she entered the room with a smile this time.

The laughter made Qin Keqing feel increasingly guilty and breathless, fearing that it was another piece of bad news that would strike her like a thunderbolt from the sky.

"Your second uncle is escorting Lin Daiyu south the day after tomorrow, and tonight he's also thanking the family friends who helped with the funeral arrangements, so he probably won't have time to come these next few days."

As she spoke, Sister Feng crossed her legs and said with her nostrils flared, "He originally said that he had already done what he was supposed to do, and there was no need to notify you specifically. You would know naturally once the news spread."

But I thought I should still come and inform you, and also discuss how to handle the situation regarding the posthumous child after your uncle passes away.

Although Wang Xifeng still hates Qin Keqing for having an affair with Jia Lian, she is much calmer now than she was at the beginning.

Firstly, Jia Lian is indeed someone who can never be satisfied, so it's better to use his energy on Qin Keqing than to let him use it elsewhere.

Anyway, with the moral boundaries in place, even if Qin Keqing really got pregnant, it wouldn't affect her status at home at all.

Secondly, Jia Lian could abandon Qin Keqing so easily, yet he constantly professed his love for her, which fully satisfied Feng Jie's sense of superiority.

Especially the latter.

Even at the end of the 20th century, Chinese people still found it difficult to express their love verbally. Men like Jia Lian, who constantly talked about "loving their wives," were extremely rare in ancient times.

Wang Xifeng was so flattered that she was overjoyed, and Qin Keqing seemed like a scab to her now. She was still annoyed, but she didn't take her too seriously.

Qin Keqing had no idea about the intricacies of the matter.

Upon hearing that Jia Lian would soon be heading south, she felt a mix of panic and despair. She secretly resented herself for having tried so hard to please him, only to have this scoundrel leave without even a word!

In fact, Jia Lian was fooled by her scheme.

Since then, I've always felt that Qin Keqing is a deep and scheming person. The more tricks she plays, the more I feel that she's willing to do anything to achieve her goals.

Unwittingly, they became less caring and more wary.

But let's leave that aside.

Qin Keqing suppressed her panic and said cautiously, "Now that Uncle Lian is gone, I'm counting on you, Aunt. So naturally, I'll do whatever you tell me to do."

"Heh~ You're still so good at playing the innocent."

Wang Xifeng sneered and said, "Since that's the case, then let me tell you my idea. My plan is that, regardless of whether you are pregnant or not, when the month comes, I will go to the Madam and the Old Madam to find out the truth."

Tell them that Rong-ge'er asked me to help bring you to this mansion to recuperate in order to protect you from being harmed by Zhen-da-gege.

Who knew that Rong-ge'er would lose his life because of this? Fortunately, Heaven took pity on you, and you became pregnant with Rong-ge'er's posthumous child after you consummated your marriage before you parted.

Even if the old lady and the madam don't pity you, they won't just sit idly by and watch such a disgraceful thing happen in the clan. Nine times out of ten, they will take in this posthumous child and let you give birth in the Rongguo Mansion.

Is that alright?

Qin Keqing felt as if she had been granted a pardon after hearing this. It was even better than she had originally expected, because she never thought that Wang Xifeng, who was most prone to jealousy, would cooperate with her plan so much.

She immediately rose and bowed gracefully, saying happily, "Thank you so much, Auntie. If my son ever has the opportunity to take over the Ningguo Mansion, he will certainly follow your lead without question!"

"Hehe~"

Wang Xifeng chuckled and stood up: "No matter what you really think, I'll just take it as true. Anyway, our Second Master is now determined to make progress and has received blessings from our ancestors. In the future, he will definitely be the one to call the shots in the Rong and Ning mansions."

Whether it's you or Brother Zhen, even if you're unwilling, it won't affect the overall situation!

With that, he strode away.

After seeing Sister Feng off, Qin Keqing's smile vanished instantly, and she subconsciously gritted her teeth.

Although Wang Xifeng's words were arrogant, they were not untrue. Jia Zhen in the East Mansion and Jia She in the West Mansion were both incompetent rulers.

Although the second master, Jia Zheng, was a relative of the imperial family, Yuan Chun was not favored in the palace, and he himself was only a minor official of the fifth rank, who had not made any progress in more than ten years.

In the future, the one who will be in charge of the Rong and Ning mansions will inevitably be Jia Lian, who is blessed by his ancestors and is also very shrewd and resourceful.

Qin Keqing saw this point, which is why she flattered Jia Lian in an attempt to win his favor.

who knows……

In what way can I possibly be inferior to this fiery Phoenix?!

Qin Keqing pondered for a long time with a sense of resentment, and felt that the problem might lie in the power of her maternal family.

Since Jia Lian wanted to develop his career in the military, Grand Commandant Wang was his biggest helper, so he would definitely have to coax Wang Xifeng.

The Qin family is no match for them at all.

If the Qin family had even 30% of the power of Grand Commandant Wang, she wouldn't need to be Tang Xuanzang anymore; she could just go back to her parents' home and wait to remarry.

Since this weakness cannot be completely overcome, it can only be compensated for in other ways. But besides using one's looks to please others, what else can one offer?