The Splendor of the Red Chamber

On the other side, in the side hall.

Wang Xifeng was already seething with anger after Jia Lian repeatedly warned her not to interfere, and when she heard that Jia Baoyu was going to study at the Sheng family, her jealousy finally burst forth.

One moment he's being sarcastic, saying that Jia Lian loves his wife so much that he even takes care of his father-in-law and uncle, truly a thoughtful and good son-in-law;

A moment later, he asked if the Sheng family had any other daughters to send off. Was this to send Baoyu to school, or was Jia Lian trying to act as a matchmaker?

The area outside the door was full of stewards and servants, so Jia Lian couldn't afford to argue with them.

Thankfully, it gets dark early in winter.

As night fell, Master Lian dragged Sister Feng back to the Wutong Garden, where he mashed the fiery Feng into a paste, and only then did the clouds disperse.

The next morning, Jia Lian was practicing his martial arts in the courtyard when Lin Daiyu asked Xueyan to come and inform her sisters of their decision.

Jia Lian was overjoyed to hear this. He was looking forward to using his grandmother to suppress his father, so he was happy to make a good impression on the old lady.

So he said, "Go back and tell Sister Lin that since it's about entertaining the parents in colorful clothes, I'll put on a show too. Once the sisters have set a date, don't forget to let me know."

After Xueyan left.

When Jia Lian returned to the room, he saw Ping'er carrying a washbasin out of the bedroom. He stopped her, hugged her, and rubbed her, saying, "Good Ping'er, go to Zhiwei Pavilion for me and give this longevity lock to Rong's wife."

As he spoke, he handed her a silver longevity lock along with a gold hairpin.

Ping'er whispered and spat, "Second Master is always making things difficult for people. If Grandma finds out, she'll scold me again."

"This isn't making things difficult for you; it's clearly treating you like a close confidant," Jia Lian said, moving his hand to her lower abdomen and gently stroking it. "Once you get pregnant, I'll elevate you to the position of concubine."

Ping'er showed no joy on her face and shook her head, saying, "How dare I beat Grandma to it? If Second Master really cares for me, then don't put me in a difficult position from now on."

Despite saying that, she still put the longevity lock away.

Just then, Siqi rushed in through the curtain. Seeing the master and servant embracing, she gasped and quickly retreated.

Ping'er broke free from Jia Lian's embrace and asked in a raised voice, "What's the matter that you're in such a hurry?"

Siqi replied from outside, "A message came from outside the second gate that an old gentleman named Shan Ziye has come to visit with several of his disciples—Second Master had instructed them to report this to us beforehand."

This mountain dweller arrived quickly.

Jia Lian lifted the curtain and went outside. He saw Siqi hiding under the eaves and smiled at her.

To everyone's surprise, Siqi took a half-step back with a wary expression, as if she was afraid of being entangled by the Second Master.

This piqued the curiosity of Master Lian.

After receiving blessings from his ancestors, achieving military glory, and being granted an official position by the emperor, his popularity in the mansion soared to new heights, with countless young maids secretly casting their glances at him.

It's rare to see someone like Siqi, who serves by your side, not only doesn't think about taking advantage of your proximity but also appears wary and resistant.

Jia Lian then took a closer look and found that the girl was beautiful and charming. Her tall and robust figure was not popular in this era, but in Jia Lian's eyes, she had the charm of a Western woman from Eastern Europe, and he thought that it would be quite interesting to play with her.

The second master couldn't help but feel greedy. But then he thought that Wang Xifeng had promised to ask for Xiangling. If he took Siqi now, Xiangling's matter would most likely fall through.

Although Siqi has a touch of wildness, how can she compare to Xiangling's charm?

So he composed himself and went directly to the front yard to receive Shan Ziye.

Siqi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but then the thought of retreating arose in her mind. Originally, she thought it was a good thing to be able to come to Sister Feng's side, but if she were to be taken by the Second Master...

Wouldn't that be letting down my cousin Pan You'an?

At this moment, Ping'er straightened her clothes, carried out water and splashed it by the flower bed. She saw Siqi standing under the corridor, biting her lip, frowning and pondering. She couldn't help but find it amusing.

He used to put his arm around her and ask, "What are you daydreaming about? You're not... well, perhaps you're trying to emulate someone virtuous? Hehehe~"

Ping'er struggled to think of a word with a double entendre, and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"What nonsense are you talking about, sister?"

Siqi quickly corrected herself, "I was thinking I should go back to serve the Second Miss, lest her money be swindled away again."

Ping'er was very surprised to hear this. She originally thought that Siqi was envious of her being close to the Second Master, but who knew that the other party had the idea of ​​avoiding her.

After thinking for a moment, she said seriously, "It's a good thing that you still care about your former master. I'll talk to Grandma about it for you later and see what she thinks."

The two chatted for a few more minutes. Ping'er instructed Siqi to stay inside and guard the room before taking the longevity lock to Zhiwei Pavilion.

The straightforward Ruizhu was wiping the table in the east wing's living room when she saw Ping'er enter. She pouted, her words laced with sarcasm, "Sister Ping'er, you're such a busy person, how come you have time to come to our desolate place?"

Unaware of the power struggle between Wang Xifeng and Qin Keqing, she assumed that Wang Xifeng had distanced herself from her mistress because she was down on her luck, and thus felt quite resentful and contemptuous.

Ping'er didn't want to have much contact with Qin Keqing and her servants in the first place, so seeing this, she took out the longevity lock and went along with it, saying, "Second Master asked me to deliver something."

Ruizhu took it and looked at it, then asked suspiciously, "Just this one?"

She didn't know about the other things, but she had personally seen the gifts Jia Lian gave to Jia Lan; there were at least seven or eight items in total.

Ping'er replied perfunctorily, "Perhaps they're afraid that Tang-ge'er is too young and can't handle him."

With that, he said goodbye and left.

Ruizhu spat inwardly at Ping'er's retreating figure before turning around and taking the longevity lock into the inner room.

Qin Keqing, who was originally filled with sorrow, was overjoyed when she saw the longevity lock.

She hurriedly told Ruizhu to call Baozhu over.

She was clearly the one involved, but Grandma was in a hurry to talk to Baozhu about it.

Ruizhu was resentful, but being a loyal maid, she went to replace Baozhu.

Baozhu was overjoyed when she saw the longevity lock.

The master and servant discussed it and concluded that the longevity lock was most likely a signal, indicating that Jia Lian would come to meet them that evening.

"Amitabha."

Baozhu immediately clasped her hands together and bowed, letting out a sigh of relief, "Now we don't have to fight with Second Madam anymore."

"Hmph~ Do you think I'm afraid of her?!"

Qin Keqing was very stubborn, but the thought of Wang Xifeng made her chest ache.

Baozhu suddenly remembered something and said nervously, "Grandma, Ping'er came and didn't see you. That's so rude. Do you think she already knows...?"

"So what if I know?"

Qin Keqing, however, disagreed: "Even that fiery Feng has to put up with it, how could Ping'er dare to cause trouble? She's just like a mute eating dumplings—she knows what she's doing."

As she spoke, she had Baozhu rummage through the chests and cabinets to find a mourning handkerchief—Jia Rong had only been dead for a year, and Qin Keqing was still in mourning, so this mourning handkerchief was naturally a common item in the household.

Then Baozhu was asked to switch night shifts with Ruizhu, and Tangge'er's wet nurse was given a half-day off, told to go home to visit her family in the afternoon, and leave Tangge'er in her room.

The wet nurse didn't think much of it and happily thanked Qin Keqing.

But Ruizhu harbored resentment and unconsciously became suspicious.

Why did Baozhu suddenly want to switch shifts with me for no reason?

Moreover, Baozhu and her grandmother had been in low spirits lately, but now they couldn't hide their joy...

It couldn't be because Second Master Lian gave Tang-ge a longevity lock, could it?

If that's the case, then something's even more wrong!

Ruizhu was just straightforward and strong-willed, but she wasn't stupid. The more she thought about it, the more suspicious she felt.

So he secretly made up his mind to get up in the middle of the night and investigate quietly.