The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 888 Tan Chun's Principles

Jia Baoyu fainted several times while the medicine was being applied.

When he woke up, he saw that his maids, including Xiren and Sheyue, were all by his side, and each of them had tears in their eyes. He actually felt that being beaten was not a bad thing.

He looked around and asked, "Who has come to see me?"

"The old lady, the madam, Master Lian, and the young ladies have all come to see Master Lian."

"Has Lin Daiyu come?"

The maids exchanged glances and finally said, "Miss Lin did not come."

Jia Baoyu then felt a sense of loss.

The maids were at a loss for words. Even in his current state, Master Bao was still thinking about Miss Lin.

Xi Ren said, "After this beating, you should put your mind to it and not do those things again."

Xi Ren naturally knew why Jia Baoyu had been beaten.

He not only learned about his flirting with Jin Chuan from his cousin, but also about Qi Guan.

After all, it was she who helped keep Qi Guan's red handkerchief.

Although Jia Baoyu indeed lacked masculinity and responsibility, and could not be compared with Jia Lian.

However, he was always gentle with these maids.

Therefore, even though he kicked her today, Xiren did not hold a grudge against him.

However, the guilt I felt about the betrayal lessened somewhat.

Jia Baoyu had no idea that even his most trusted maid had become disloyal to him.

He was even moved by these words and laughed, "Don't say such things again. I would be willing to die for these people, let alone just get a beating."

Xi Ren didn't know what to say.

With a sigh, he went out to report the situation to Grandmother Jia.

After she left, Jia Baoyu pressed Musk Moon for an answer: "How is Sister Jin Chuan?"

He actually regretted deserting at the last minute.

He vaguely heard Jin Chuan jumping into the well while he was being beaten, which made him even more worried.

He was too embarrassed to ask this in front of Xiren, because he knew that Xiren must have found out from her cousin that he was the one who harmed Jin Chuan.

Musk Moon said, "Second Master, don't worry, Sister Jin Chuan is fine."

She was rescued.

Now, the lady has shown mercy and sent her and her sister to Hengwu Garden to serve Miss Bao.

"Serving Sister Bao?"

"Ah."

Jia Baoyu remained silent for a long time, then sighed, "That's good. Sister Bao is magnanimous, so I can rest assured."

Soon after, Grandmother Jia and others came in upon hearing the news. They inquired about his well-being and asked him what was wrong. Taking advantage of the situation, Jia Baoyu suggested that he return to Yihong Courtyard to recuperate.

Although Grandmother Jia was reluctant, she couldn't dissuade Jia Baoyu. She also felt that the environment of Yihong Courtyard was good, and the servants were all there, which would indeed be beneficial for Jia Baoyu's recovery, so she agreed.

……

In the evening, after practicing martial arts, Jia Lian returned to the garden and immediately went to Qiushuangzhai to see Tan Chun.

Upon meeting, Jia Lian immediately asked, "Have you gone to see Huan'er?"

"Ah."

Jia Lian's eyes held a hint of apology: "That kid didn't receive a good upbringing, so he was born with some crooked and wicked tendencies."

They are still young, and there is still a chance to discipline them.

If we all ignore him, who knows what the future will hold?

So don't blame me. These forty strokes are meant to teach him a lesson.

Tan Chun shook her head and smiled, "Second brother, there's no need to explain. How could I not understand this principle?"

I also have to thank my second brother. If it weren't for you, who in the family would care whether he was good or bad?

I've already checked it out.

The master has already forbidden his concubine from taking care of the baby.

He personally selected two mature and prudent old women and four servants to discipline him.

I believe that with Master's painstaking efforts, Huan'er will surely be able to reform herself in the future.

Jia Lian nodded, and seeing that Tan Chun looked like she had just returned, he asked with a smile, "Did you help your sister-in-law manage the household all day today?"

"Ah."

"How does it feel?"

"It feels... a bit difficult. There are so many things to consider. I really admire Sister Feng. She has managed to arrange all the big and small things in the family so well all these years on her own."

Seeing that there were no maids in the room, Tan Chun boldly moved closer to Jia Lian, her tone unconsciously carrying a hint of coquetry.

Jia Lian then took her delicate little hand and stroked it while comforting her, "It's like this when you first start doing these things. Once you get the hang of it, it won't feel so difficult."

"Hmm~"

Tan Chun gave a soft "hmm".

She noticed that Jia Lian was leading her forward, as if he wanted to hug her.

She quickly signaled her refusal and gestured to the maid who was still standing at the door.

Seeing that Jia Lian listened to her advice and stopped, she smiled and said, "You ran too fast this afternoon, we didn't even have time to ask you anything."

We're not surprised you want to take Jin Chuan and Yu Chuan, after all, they are the best maids born to the Madam.

But why did you give them to Sister Bao?

"Aren't you afraid that Sister Lin will be jealous if she finds out?" Jia Lian laughed and said, "Why would she be jealous?"

She had more than a dozen maids of various ranks in her room.

Baochai only has three maids, and even if you include Jin Chuan and Yu Chuan, that's only five, less than half the number in Xiaoxiang Pavilion. What right does she have to be jealous?

Tan Chun laughed and said, "You only say such tough things to our faces."

How dare you say that in front of Sister Lin?

Jia Lian smiled but remained silent.

Tan Chun covered her face and smiled, then suddenly said quietly, "Sister Lin has many maids in her room, but I... Second Sister doesn't have many maids either. Why don't you ever think about Second Sister?"

Jia Lian looked at Tan Chun with a smile.

Tan Chun was so embarrassed by his stare that she rolled her eyes at him before Jia Lian finally laughed and said, "I had forgotten."

If I had known you also liked pretty maids, I should have asked Madam to give you one.

But there's nothing we can do right now. It's already been given to your older sister Bao; we can't very well ask for it back, can we?

Tan Chun was a little embarrassed.

But then Jia Lian suddenly sat up, moved closer to her and whispered, "But you don't need to worry, I've already found you a perfect one."

"Who is it?" Tan Chun asked curiously.

She had two head maids and two junior maids by her side, a total of four.

Of course, this refers to those who directly obey her orders and are responsible for taking care of her daily needs.

Inside Qiushuangzhai, there were also some old women and maids who swept and guarded the courtyard gate; these were assigned by the government.

Jia Lian smiled mysteriously and whispered a name in her ear.

Tan Chun exclaimed in surprise, "Xi Ren? How could that be? She is the most trusted person by Brother Bao's side. How could I possibly compete with Brother Bao for her?"

Jia Lian smiled and said, "What if she herself is willing to be with you?"

"How could that be... The old lady would never agree to that."

"That's not necessarily the case."

Tan Chun initially thought it was a pipe dream, but seeing Jia Lian's confidence, she suddenly began to believe it to some extent.

She asked suspiciously, "You...you wouldn't..."

Tan Chun's face turned red before she could finish a sentence.

She was thinking about Jia Lian stealing Ying'er that night.

If he dared to lay a hand on the maidservants around Sister Bao, then it's not impossible that he might do the same to Brother Bao.

Otherwise, why would he instruct me to snatch Bao-gege's Xi-ren out of the blue?

"Could it be something?" Jia Lian asked with a smile.

"Humph……"

If what she said before was just a guess, judging from Jia Lian's expression now, Tan Chun knows that he has probably guessed it correctly.

She scolded, "You've gone too far."

It wasn't enough that you stole Sister Lin; now you're even trying to take Xiren away.

"You...you should find someone else. I won't bully Brother Bao with you."

For some reason, Jia Lian felt unusually relaxed in front of Tan Chun, as if he wasn't afraid at all that she would know his secret.

This is quite similar to how he faced Princess Zhaoyang.

Take Xiren for example.

He never told anyone about this, not even Qingwen, who only vaguely guessed it.

But when facing Tan Chun, he readily admitted it.

Seeing that Tan Chun was uncooperative, Jia Lian disregarded her and pulled her in front of him, laughing:
"What you're saying doesn't make sense. How could your sister Lin tell me to take his? It was clearly him who tried to take mine, and he didn't succeed."

As for Xiren... how can something that is mutually in love be called robbery?

Don't you know that Baoyu went crazy again today and even hit Xiren?

So, this is why I'm asking you to save her from her suffering.

If you disagree, I'll spank you.

Tan Chun's face immediately turned bright red.

She was worried that the maid at the door would notice something amiss, and she was also embarrassed by Jia Lian's words.

However, she did believe Jia Lian's words.

I thought Xiren was absolutely loyal to Bao-gege, but I never expected that she would secretly get together with Lian-er-gege.

Indeed, Sister Xiren is known for being loyal to whoever she's loyal to.

When I was with the old lady, she liked me very much.

Later, he was assigned to Xiangyun and remained loyal to her.

It was probably given to Brother Bao now, and that's probably the reason.