The Second Master of the Red Chamber

When Tanchun and others came out of the garden, Zhen Yuhuan let go of Jia Lian and held hands with Tanchun and others, greeting each other happily like sisters.

The joyful and crisp voices of the little girls attracted Grandmother Jia's attention.

Looking at the granddaughters and daughters of relatives all gathered together, all of them were bright and beautiful with lovely looks, just like the beautiful scenery of early spring, and Grandmother Jia also found it pleasing to the eyes.

So he asked Mrs. Zhen with a smile: "What time is your boat?"

Mrs. Zhen knew that Jia's mother was asking when they would return to Nanjing, so she replied respectfully, "We have booked a boat for the morning of the day after tomorrow."

In fact, Mrs. Zhen had been eager to return home for a long time. Because the death of the crown prince due to treason was a matter of great concern, so serious that she, a woman, had no idea how to deal with it.

It was said that it was the Queen's idea to marry Zhen Yuhuan to the Prince as a concubine, but in fact the Zhen family's own planning was the main reason.

Otherwise, with so many young ladies from famous families, why did the queen choose the Zhen family far away in Nanjing?

In fact, after the abdication of the Supreme Emperor, the Zhen family gradually felt that no one was taking care of them in the court, so when they were looking for a way out for themselves, they thought of the prince.

Two years ago, Old Lady Zhen had agreed with the Queen to marry Zhen Yuhuan to the Crown Prince as a concubine, based on her feelings for him. However, Zhen Yuhuan was still too young at that time, so it was not put on the agenda for the time being.

This is also the reason why when Jia Lian arrived in Nanjing at the beginning of last year, as soon as Mrs. Zhen saw Jia Lian, she was eager to ask Zhen Yuhuan to recognize Jia Lian as her sworn brother.

She was laying the foundation for Zhen Yuhuan's future in the capital.

In other words, the Zhen family actually put their bargaining chips on the prince. Especially last winter, after the Zhen family followed the Queen's order to bring their daughter to Beijing to discuss marriage, the connection between the Zhen family and the Prince's Mansion was made public.

The Zhen family oversees the three major weaving bureaus in Jiangnan and is famously wealthy. The prince also needs a lot of money to train his team, which is the fundamental reason why the two sides can hit it off.

Originally, everything was going well. Mrs. Zhen strictly followed the instructions of Zhen Yingjia and Old Lady Zhen before she left, and established connections and interests with the Crown Prince's Mansion, imagining that she would become a royal relative in the future, and even let the future emperor have the blood of the Zhen family flowing through his body...

Who would have thought that the date and ceremony for taking the concubine had been set, but at this critical juncture, the prince fell?

This was something the Zhen family could never have imagined. When Mrs. Zhen heard the news, she was completely stunned.

Especially when she heard that countless princes and ministers were implicated in the case of the crown prince, and even several legitimate marquises died, Mrs. Zhen was very afraid that the Zhen family would follow in the same footsteps, so she wanted to flee the capital as soon as possible and go back to ask Zhen Yingjia and the old lady for advice.

Unfortunately, they could not leave before the emperor returned to Beijing.

After the emperor returned to the capital, he received protection from the queen, which made him feel a little relieved and he was not so panicked anymore.

As soon as the city gates were opened, she sent several letters home to report the great changes in the capital to the south. Calculating the time, she should receive a reply from home tomorrow.

She tentatively scheduled the trip for the day after tomorrow, thinking that if there were no special instructions from home, she would be able to set off back as soon as possible.

Grandmother Jia didn't know that Mrs. Zhen was eager to go home. She just smiled and said, "Since the ship is the day after tomorrow, I think Yuhuan will get along very well with our maids. Why not let her stay tonight and have a good reunion with our maids? It will also be a way to repay their friendship.

Tomorrow I will send someone to send her back personally."

Mrs. Zhen said, "This is too much of a bother."

"What's the point of bothering me or not? There's no need to discuss this between our two families."

On the side, Jia Lian saw Zhen Yuhuan's gaze, put down the tea bowl, stood up and said with a smile: "Our old lady is right. Even if you set up a long tent thousands of miles away, there is no feast that will not end.

After all, they had only just met each other, and now they were about to be separated by thousands of miles, so the sisters should say goodbye to each other properly.

Please rest assured, Madam, I will personally send Sister Yuhuan back before tomorrow evening."

Mrs. Zhen naturally knew that her daughter loved the Jia family very much, and she also vaguely guessed that her daughter had some special feelings for her sworn brother Jia Lian.

If it was before, she would still be a little unsure about the pros and cons. But this time, after Jia Lian became the Duke of Rong and broke the previous rumors of "falling out of favor", she was naturally happy for her daughter to maintain a close relationship with Jia Lian.

Although she didn't know whether the case of the crown prince would eventually involve the Zhen family, and how deeply the involvement would be, as the mistress of the Zhen family, she knew that it would be right to maintain a friendly relationship with Jia Lian, who could speak in front of the saint.

Anyway, my daughter’s current situation is special, and it is not convenient to bring her with me when we go to visit other relatives and friends tomorrow. She will be lonely if I leave her at home.

Since she likes her, it would be better to keep her in the Jia family. It can be regarded as a sign of love from a mother.

So after Jia Lian spoke, Mrs. Zhen also stood up and said, "My Lord, you are too polite... Since both the old lady and the Lord have spoken, it would be disrespectful if I don't agree.

But it is absolutely impossible to ask the Duke to send her back personally, it would be a disservice to her. I will send a car to pick her up tomorrow night."

Mrs. Zhen called him "Duke" all the time, which showed her great respect. Jia Lian did not say anything about the other party being an elder and there was no need to address him like that.

With his current status and position, ordinary seniority relationships no longer apply to him. Being overly polite will only make both parties embarrassed and appear hypocritical.

So she smiled, turned around and told Lady Jia that it was rare for her uncle (Wang Ziteng) to come back to Beijing, so he had to go out to entertain guests, and she would have to trouble her to receive the Zhen family.

Grandmother Jia naturally let him go.

Zhen Yuhuan was delighted when she heard her mother agreed to let her stay. Yingchun, Xichun and other sisters also happily pulled her along, ready to find a corner to have a good chat.

Only when Tanchun was pushing Zhen Yuhuan with a smile, she looked back at Jia Lian's departing back, with a trace of loss in her eyes.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Jia Lian left, Jia Baoyu came out.

When Zhen Yuhuan stood up and greeted him politely, Jia Baoyu, who had been lifeless, finally showed a slight smile on his face.

Grandmother Jia was very hospitable and insisted on inviting Mrs. Zhen to have dinner with her.

During the banquet, Zhen Yuhuan saw that Lady Jia had arranged Baochai to sit next to her, so she quietly pulled Yingchun's sleeve and pointed in that direction.

Yingchun immediately showed a joyful look and whispered something in her ear, which immediately made Zhen Yuhuan widen her beautiful eyes and stare at Baochai in a daze, forgetting to restrain herself.

Naturally, their blatant little actions could not be hidden from the people at the table.

Those who were sitting nearby, such as Xichun, Xiangyun and Xiuyan, immediately smiled knowingly and started whispering to each other.

The others who were reserved were also eating melons with meaningful expressions on their faces.

Grandmother Jia did not blame her granddaughters for laughing and joking at the table. She pretended not to see it. After picking up some food for Baochai, she turned around and asked Mrs. Zhen to start eating.

In fact, Mrs. Zhen had found this strange a long time ago.

Although she didn't come to the Jia family often, her daughter would tell her about what happened at the Jia family every day after she went back, so that she had a clear understanding of the things going on in the Jia family's inner chambers.

Apart from her grandson Jia Baoyu, the people whom Grandmother Jia loved the most were her granddaughter Daiyu, her niece Xiangyun, and at the very least, the overly lovely Baoqin.

Although Baochai behaves generously and is praised by everyone, she is not ranked in front of Grandmother Jia, whether because of blood relationship or Grandmother Jia's personal preference.

But Mrs. Zhen was, after all, the mistress of a wealthy family, and she was shrewd. Even though she was surprised by Lady Jia's arrangement, she would not rashly ask before she understood the whole story.

Looking at the expressions of the children at the banquet at this time, she immediately realized that Baochai might have become a daughter-in-law of the Jia family like Daiyu, but she didn't know whether she was promised to Jia Lian or Jia Baoyu, so she smiled knowingly.

The indescribable looks from so many sisters and elders made Baochai feel very uneasy. She could only rely on her strong self-control to prevent herself from making mistakes.

Although Daiyu beside her pretended to be indifferent and didn't look at everyone's eyes, her eyes were actually always fixed on Baochai.

Sensing Baochai's nervousness, the corners of her mouth rose quietly. She used to be like this, facing such hateful looks for a long time. Although Baochai was not the leader of the trouble, she was also a person who liked to hide in the dark corners and laugh at others.

Now let her know how powerful we are.

It was Xue Baoqin who attacked Daiyu first, and then Jia Baoyu.

It was impossible for Jia Baoyu not to feel lost as he was arranged to live so far away by his ancestor who had always loved him.

In fact, he didn't mind letting Baochai sit in his former position, and he was happy to let Daiyu sit in front of him.

What made him sad and disappointed was why someone had to be placed between him and Daiyu?

Does it mean that since Sister Lin is promised to Brother Lian, they are really not allowed to be close to each other anymore?

When Daiyu was promised to Jia Lian, he was shocked and sad, and tried his best to win her back. However, his old friend's heart had changed, and he could not change it, so he could only feel sad in vain.

Today, when he heard that Baochai might be given to Jia Lian, although he was surprised and disappointed, he was far from shouting at the top of his lungs as he did before.

Although Baochai is good and has the appearance of Yang Fei, she is also an ordinary person in the secular world. It would be fine if she is not a soulmate, but she even repeatedly persuades him to become a mediocre person who pursues fame and fortune!

Therefore, for his cousin Baochai, he only admired her beauty and respected her talent. He was willing to be closer to her, but he never thought of spending his whole life with such a woman.

In other words, he had never thought of staying with a woman for his whole life like people in the secular world. What he wanted was to see the most beautiful scenery at the best age.

Only Daiyu, the stunning girl whom he regarded as his confidante, had ever moved him.

Even though he has been heartbroken by the other party, he still longs to be close to Daiyu. Even if it does not cross the line, he is unwilling to accept the alienation imposed on them by the secular world.

"Brother Bao, I want to eat that, can you help me pick one?"

A pleasant young girl's voice came to his ears, which made Jia Baoyu lower his head. It turned out that Xue Baoqin was pointing at a pile of pickled duck apricots on his side and asking him for help in a coquettish manner.

"okay."

Jia Baoyu quickly moved the whole stack of duck apricots in front of Baoqin, and carefully picked up one and put it in Baoqin's bowl.

"Thank you, Brother Baoyu!"

Baoqin smiled sweetly at Jia Baoyu.

She knew that Jia Baoyu and Daiyu were childhood sweethearts, and she also knew that her aunt and godmother (Mrs. Wang) had intended to marry them.

Seeing that Jia Baoyu looked lost, she did so on purpose, firstly to comfort him, and secondly to divert Jia Baoyu's attention so that he would not do something inappropriate under impulse.

Looking at Baoqin with her sweet smile in front of him, and contrasting it with Daiyu who had a cold expression and never looked at him once from beginning to end, Jia Baoyu sighed deeply in his heart.

It's time to let go...

He comforted himself again in his heart.

But deep down, he knew that such consolation was futile.

If you teach that there is no hatred in your eyes, you don't believe that there is a white head in the world.

Because of this heartless person, he would always wake up from his dreams and cry alone until dawn.

Jia Baoyu didn't know how to let go, and he subconsciously looked around at all the sisters at the table, because only from these equally beautiful sisters could he find the spring of fresh air to temporarily relieve his pain.

His eyes suddenly fell on Zhen Yuhuan.

This sister, who came from the south like Lin Daiyu, is exactly the same as Lin Daiyu in both appearance and shape. Both are so graceful and clever, and out of this world.

I heard that the prince failed and died...

that's nice!

This way she won't be poisoned by the dirty worldly power.

Thinking of this, he blurted out: "Sister Yuhuan, please stay at our house and don't go back."

Jia Baoyu's sudden words brought silence to the table.

Zhen Yuhuan was feeling mixed emotions because of the matter between Baochai and Jia Lian, and looked over when she heard this.

Zhen Yuhuan had a very good impression of Jia Baoyu. After all, Jia Baoyu not only looked very similar to his elder brother, but was also generally gentle to others and took good care of her. Therefore, she did not interpret Jia Baoyu's inappropriate words with malice.

Even when looking at Jia Baoyu's sincere face, the first thing that came to my mind was: What a pity for Brother Baoyu. If Second Brother Lian had asked to stay, mother might have let me stay in the capital and not have to go back to the south.

Zhen Yuhuan did not make any malicious speculations, but that does not represent others.

Mrs. Zhen's originally gentle and warm face suddenly became wooden.

What does "stay at your home and don't go back" mean?

Although Grandmother Jia is well versed in the ways of the world, in her eyes Jia Baoyu is just a child. How could a child have any bad intentions?

Therefore, he just glanced at Jia Baoyu, and this glance could not be considered as blame.

Mrs. Wang, who was sitting at the table next to her daughter-in-law, was always observing her son's movements. Seeing him say something inappropriate again, she quickly rebuked him, "Baoyu, don't talk nonsense."

Jia Baoyu was not a fool. Seeing that everyone was looking at him, he realized his "error in words" and hurriedly explained: "What I meant was that I wanted you to stay as a guest at our house... Nanjing is too far away. With your delicate figure, why should you go and suffer the hardship of the boat trip?"

Although Jia Baoyu's explanation was childish, it did express the child's desire to keep his friends, and it also eased the awkward atmosphere.

Seeing her mother's mood calm down, Zhen Yuhuan said to Jia Baoyu apologetically: "Thank you, brother Baoyu. But no matter how far Nanjing is, it is still my home.

We have been away from home for a long time, and I miss my brothers and sisters at home. So I am so happy to go back with my mother, so how can it be considered hard work? "

After all, Zhen Yuhuan was trained by the Zhen family to be an imperial concubine and even the queen mother, so her words were formal yet polite, which made people nod secretly.

Jia Baoyu was about to say something else when his grandmother finally spoke.

An affectionate "Baoyu" stopped Jia Baoyu, and then said: "No matter how hospitable you are, why don't you let people return to their hometown?

I know you can't bear to leave your sister, so next time they come to Beijing, you can invite her to visit you."

At this time, Grandmother Jia actually regretted keeping Zhen Yuhuan.

She suspected that Jia Baoyu had taken a fancy to Zhen Yuhuan.

If it had happened before, she would certainly be happy, after all, the child Zhen Yuhuan gave birth to looked exactly like her precious granddaughter, which was really pleasing to the eye.

But right now the Zhen family is entangled in the case of the prince, especially Zhen Yuhuan, who is still engaged to the prince. How dare she let Jia Baoyu get involved with her!

She and Mrs. Wang had already discussed it and both agreed that Xue Baoqin was a good girl.

Beautiful, well-behaved and sensible.

Although my origin is low, it doesn't matter. (End of this chapter)