The Second Master of the Red Chamber

Chapter 891 Peace Negotiation
When Musk Moon limped back to the Grand View Garden, the doctor had already been seen off by the old women.

Feeling a little guilty, Musk Moon glanced at the main room and then prepared to go to the small kitchen to get some water to wash up.

Unexpectedly, a maidservant came to report: "Sister Musk Moon, Sister Xi Ren said to go see her when you come back."

Musk Moon's heart skipped a beat. After the maid left, she wiped her mouth again with her sleeve before heading to the night watch room in the main house.

As expected, Xiren was still awake, sitting on the edge of the bed, holding needle and thread and embroidery hoop, lost in thought.

"Xiren, you were looking for me?"

Xi Ren snapped out of her reverie, looked at Mushe who was clearly not very confident as she walked in, and nodded, saying, "You're back."

"Well... Second Madam Lian asked me some questions about Second Master Bao, so I came back a little late."

Musk Moon tried to justify her late return.

Xi Ren had no reason to comment on her; she simply stared at her intently.

"Xiren...why are you looking at me like that..."

Xi Ren sighed, "Did he do anything to you?"

"Who is Sister Xiren talking about...?"

Musk Moon blushed without realizing it.

Seeing that Xiren continued to scrutinize her, Musk Moon knew that the clever Xiren had already guessed what was going on.

She immediately knelt down: "Sister Xiren, please believe me, I didn't seduce Master Lian..."

Upon hearing this, Xiren bent down and helped her up: "Alright, why are you making a vow to me?"

Xi Renxin said, "How could I not know what kind of person Master Lian is?"

If he doesn't like you, seducing him won't work.

In other words, if he takes a liking to you, you can't escape him no matter what.

So he lowered his voice and asked Musk Moon, whose face was flushed with shame, "You're too bold. It's only a few steps. Aren't you afraid of being discovered by Second Madam Lian's people?"

Musk Moon said, "I didn't think that much about it at the time."

But in her heart she thought, under the imposing gaze of Second Master Lian, how could she possibly have time to think about these things?

Xiren seemed to understand this principle as well. She sighed and said, "We have known each other for a while, and you have called me 'sister,' so I will say something."

Let me ask you, what are you really thinking?

"Young Master Bao and Young Master Lian, which one do you prefer?"

"I...I don't know..."

Musk Moon stammered.

But what I was thinking was...

It doesn't matter which one I like.

Everyone knows that Lian Er Ye is better.

Not only were they of noble lineage and of high status, but they were also both heroic and handsome.

The key point is that, in retrospect, his gentleness towards the maids surpasses even that of Master Bao.

Today, Master Bao not only almost killed Jin Chuan, but also hit Xi Ren. It seems that when he's unhappy, he's the type to take it out on his maids.

However, such a thing had never been heard of in Master Lian's house.

I've never heard of Master Lian scolding or beating the maids; on the contrary, I've heard that he often disciplines Madam Lian and likes to spank her.

I really want to see what it looks like when Second Madam Lian gets a spanking...

That being said, although Master Lian is good, he is still like a star in the sky, something to be admired but never attained.

She was, after all, Bao Er Ye's maid, and had even given her virginity to him long ago.

The reason why Master Lian was so disrespectful to her just now was probably just a passing fancy.

She understood that.

She admitted that she was not as beautiful as Qingwen and Xiangling, nor as high-ranking as maids like Xiren and Jinchuan.

Therefore, they dare not attempt to climb the social ladder.

Of course, if Jia Lian really liked her and was still willing to take her in after knowing that she had lost her virginity to Jia Baoyu, she might actually consider it.

Unfortunately, Master Guanlian did not have that intention.

He didn't even care to actually touch her body; he simply taught her some things that Master Bao didn't know before letting her go.

She grumbled inwardly, then suddenly said to Xiren, "Sister Xiren, you were spitting blood, but why did you spit it all over Master Lian's clothes?"

Xiren's face immediately turned unnatural, and she cursed, "You heartless bastard, what do you mean by 'spitting blood'? Aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning for saying that?"

Musk Moon laughed, "Why are you in such a hurry? I know, you guys..."

Musk Moon laughed cheekily.

Xi Ren immediately retorted, "You brat, what nonsense are you spouting?"

"Why are you so nervous? I haven't said anything yet."

If you act like this now, wouldn't you be mortified if I had to tell you?

As the two highest-ranking maids in Jia Baoyu's household, Xiren and Sheyue, one the mistress and the other the assistant, practically controlled all the affairs around Jia Baoyu.

Therefore, the two have an emotional foundation.

Not to mention, it was entirely thanks to Xiren that Musk Moon was able to get into Jia Baoyu's bed.

The two needed each other, which is why they have always had a close relationship.

If Musk Moon didn't understand why Xi Ren stayed by Jia Baoyu's side and was willing to give her all the opportunities, then...

Is he really so aloof that he refuses to cross the line until he receives official recognition?
But after tonight, she finally figured everything out.

It turns out that Xiren was actually in Cao Cao's camp but her heart was with Han!

She also loved Lian Er Ye, so she remained chaste for him.

No wonder Second Master Lian came to see her after she was beaten today.

No wonder she vomited blood all over Master Lian!

She must have revealed the details of her relationship with Master Bao.

Although Xiren had promised her that she wouldn't reveal this matter, for some reason, even though Xiren had clearly broken her promise, she didn't hate her at all.

She even teased, "I used to be wary of you, afraid you were plotting against me. Now that I know you were thinking this way, I'm completely relieved."

From now on, I'll only need to worry about those two little hooves, Qiuwen and Bihen.

Hearing Musk Moon say this, Xi Ren stared at her blankly.

I originally thought that Musk Moon would lose herself after offering herself to the tiger tonight, so I deliberately waited for her in order to give her some pointers.

Unexpectedly, Musk Moon was so clear-headed and knew her place so well.

So he stopped denying it and sighed softly, "You're luckier than me."

As long as you keep supporting Master Bao, you'll eventually have a good outcome.

As for me…

Thinking about her remaining life shrouded in mist and that faint hope, Xiren could no longer speak.

Instead, Musk Moon sat down next to her and comforted her.

……

The farces of Jin Chuan jumping into the well, Jia Baoyu being beaten, and Xi Ren vomiting blood in the middle of the night and calling for a doctor, had become common knowledge in both households after a day and a night of fermentation.

Each party and individual has their own judgment, and it is not convenient to elaborate.

It was said that this day was a court assembly, and also the day when the court formally summoned the Jurchen envoys.

Whether the imperial court and the Jurchens will continue fighting or cease hostilities and negotiate peace depends on today's court assembly.

“The Jurchen envoy from Xuanjian Prefecture has come to pay his respects.”

As the eunuch's loud shout subsided, a robust middle-aged man with two tail wings on his head and dressed in various animal furs, half naked and half covered, strode into the hall with steady but heavy steps.

Seeing the massive size of the opponent, even most of the military officers and generals on the right couldn't help but feel pressured.

The civil officials, however, scoffed at it.

They truly are barbarians who eat raw meat and drink blood.

He was supposed to be an envoy to the Emperor of the Celestial Empire, yet he came dressed like this.

This is truly an insult to civility.

The Jurchen envoy seemed to disregard the entire court, strode confidently to the front hall, bowed to Emperor Ningkang above, and then rattled off a string of words that no one could understand.

Emperor Ningkang frowned upon hearing this and turned his head to look at the Ministry of Rites.

However, before the officials arranged by the court could translate, another thin, middle-aged scholar following behind the envoy spoke up:

"Your Majesty the Emperor of the Great Wei Dynasty, I am Murhaji, the son of the great leader of the Wanyan tribe of the Jurchen people and one of the tribe's greatest generals."

I am here today on behalf of all the Jurchen tribes to express our goodwill to the esteemed Emperor of the Great Wei Dynasty.

We hope that we and the Great Wei Kingdom can turn swords into plowshares and end this war.

Although the translator was still quite respectful.

However, the arrogance on the burly man's face made one suspect that the scholar, who clearly looked Han Chinese, had embellished the translation.

Many people who were already dissatisfied with the Jurchens seized the opportunity to launch an attack:
"What a joke! You invaded my Liaodong for no reason, killed my people, and seized my cities."

"Now, with just a word, they can stop fighting if they want to? There's no such easy way in this world."

"Exactly! You barbarians dare not kneel before the Emperor of the Celestial Dynasty; you shall be punished with court flogging."

The civil and military officials talked incessantly, criticizing the Jurchens from various aspects such as etiquette, morality, and diplomatic rules.

The burly man seemed to understand some Chinese. He looked around at the officials of Wei, and although he didn't speak, the mocking expression on his face was incredibly lifelike.

Although Emperor Ningkang was somewhat displeased, for the sake of the overall situation, he coughed, raised his hand to suppress the murmurs, and then said to the burly man:
“It’s not impossible for you Jurchens to seek peace. As long as all of you Jurchens withdraw from my Liaodong border, return the looted property and people, and swear never to invade my Great Wei border again, this agreement can be made.”

The scholar whispered a few words in the big man's ear, and the big man chuckled and said to Emperor Ningkang in broken Chinese, "Your Majesty the Emperor of Great Wei, you know this is impossible."

If you've ever been to the grasslands, you'll know that once a wolf has eaten something, it can't vomit it up.

After listening patiently, Emperor Ningkang's already displeased expression turned completely dark.

The Han people seemed to find it difficult to speak Chinese, so they simply switched back to Jurchen.

The scribe said, “General Murhazi said that it is impossible to return your land and property, which are spoils of war that our warriors won with their lives.”

However, we can return your Han prisoners to you.

The condition is that, from now on, Liaocheng will be the boundary.

All the land east and north of Liaocheng shall belong to the various Jurchen tribes.

From this day forward, we will take Liaocheng as the boundary, each managing our own territory and never invading each other.

As a gesture of good faith, we are willing to send all the officials from the cities we have captured into the pass.

These words caused an uproar among the civil and military officials.

"wishful thinking!"

"Daydreaming!"

If we follow the Jurchen envoy's line of reasoning, using Liaocheng as the boundary would be tantamount to ceding most of Liaodong to the Jurchens.

Shame, shame and humiliation.

Shi Ding had been waiting for an opportunity, and when he saw that the time was ripe, he immediately jumped out, pointed at the big man, and cursed, "Where did this fat pig come from, always dreaming big dreams!"
I see that you Jurchens have no sincerity in negotiating peace with us.

"In that case, you Jurchens, go back to where you came from, wash your necks clean, and await the conquest of my imperial army!"

While the Han man might not be able to hear Shi Ding's other words clearly, he certainly heard the words "Jiannu" very clearly.

Because Shi Ding was afraid he wouldn't hear it clearly, he deliberately used emphasis.

He knew that this was an insult and derogatory term used by the Wei people to refer to the Jurchen people.

He was immediately enraged.

You should know that when he came, he still remembered his father's instructions to show some respect to the Emperor of Great Wei.

It is unbelievable that this seemingly high-ranking minister would utter such insulting words at such a formal diplomatic occasion.

The already hot-tempered man could no longer hold back and roared, "Damn Wei dog, you're asking for it..."

As he spoke, he charged toward Shi Ding.

Shi Ding was no fool. Judging by his size, he knew he was unlikely to get away with it, so when he sensed the danger, he quickly slipped into the group of civil officials.

(End of this chapter)