The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 694 Ahmahei Escaped
Fine wine naturally deserves a luminous cup to complement it perfectly. Hami is a place that produces abundant grapes and has never lacked wine. As for luminous cups, they originally came from the Western Regions. Hami is located at the throat of the Western Regions on the Silk Road, so it obviously has no shortage of such things. There are quite a few in the Hami Royal Palace.

At this moment, Ying'er poured the rose-colored wine into a luminous cup made of Hetian white jade and presented it to Jia Huan with a smile, saying, "Third Master, please try this wine. It was specially sent by Princess Ayina tonight. It seems to be more mellow and fragrant than what is sold in the market, but it is a bit strong."

Jia Huan thanked her and accepted the wine. He took a small sip and then drank it all in one gulp. He immediately felt a warm current flow through his body and exclaimed softly, "This wine is indeed wine, but the taste seems a bit strange. I would like to trouble Sister Ying'er to pour me another cup to try."

Ying'er smiled and poured Jia Huan another cup. Xue Baochai quickly reminded him, "A little wine is fine, but too much wine is bad for your health. Third Master just had a social engagement outside, so it's best not to drink too much. Ying'er, please pour a little less."

Upon hearing this, Ying'er was about to pour half of the wine in her cup, but Lin Daiyu quickly stopped her, saying, "I also want to have some. Give me half so it won't go to waste." With that, she took the wine cup.

Zijuan said with some concern, "Miss, you are weak. It's late and cold now, so it's best not to drink. You might get chest pain. If you really want to drink, you should warm it up first."

"No need for such trouble. I am no longer as frail as before." Lin Daiyu took a few sips, and under the influence of the wine, her cheeks flushed and her eyes sparkled, making her breathtakingly beautiful.

"This wine is really strong; it makes you feel warm all over. Would you like to try some, Sister Bao?" Lin Daiyu asked.
Baochai shook her head and smiled, "I heard from Ayina that this wine was made with Tian Shan snow lotus. Snow lotus grows in extremely cold places, but it is a very yang substance. You, Pin'er, have a weak constitution and are cold-natured, so you should drink more of it. I am naturally hot-natured and cannot tolerate this wine."

Upon hearing this, Lin Daiyu indeed took a few more sips, and handed the remaining half cup to Jia Huan. The latter took the cup, swirled it, and laughed, "So there's such a saying. Sister Bao, you know so much. Then I'm a man, belonging to Yang, so shouldn't I be even less able to drink this wine?"

Baochai shook her head and smiled, "It's not that you can't drink it, but this wine is very nourishing for men. It's best for older men to drink it. Young people have plenty of blood and energy, so it's really not advisable for them to drink too much, otherwise it's easy to..."

Baochai's face flushed slightly as she spoke, and she fell silent. Xueyan, however, remained silent and pressed her for an answer: "How easy is it?"

Baochai could only vaguely reply, "I easily get nosebleeds, feel restless and have difficulty falling asleep."

Jia Huan broke out in a cold sweat; it turned out this stuff also had aphrodisiac effects. A hint of shyness flashed in Lin Daiyu's eyes; she clearly understood Baochai's unspoken meaning.

Whether it was psychological or not, after Jia Huan finished the remaining half glass of wine, he felt a warm sensation in his lower abdomen, which startled him. Could it be that that little vixen Ayina had put some kind of potent drug in the wine? He quickly sat up straight to avoid making a fool of himself.

Lin Daiyu noticed Jia Huan's unusual behavior and asked in a low voice, "Huan-di, what's wrong?"

Xue Baochai looked over in confusion, and Jia Huan quickly reached out and took a piece of melon, smiling as he asked, "Sister Lin, would you like some melon?"

Lin Daiyu shook her head and said, "It's too sweet, I don't like it."

After eating two pieces of cantaloupe, the bloating and burning sensation in his lower abdomen gradually subsided, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed that the wine was indeed as it was, and he hadn't tampered with it.

As night deepened and the moon moved westward, the temperature dropped further. But the moonlight was so beautiful that none of the women felt sleepy. They took out their cloaks, put them on, and continued to admire the moon and chat. They talked about the Mid-Autumn Festival they used to celebrate in the Grand View Garden, and their homesickness intensified.

Time flies, and another autumn has passed in the blink of an eye. Before I knew it, I had been away from Beijing for more than half a year!

Jia Huan had been busy all day and had drunk a bit too much at the party. Now, listening to the women chatting about everyday things, he felt sleepy. His eyelids felt heavy, so he yawned, turned to his side and rested his head on Lin Daiyu's jade-like legs. He naturally inhaled the fragrance emanating from Daiyu and murmured as if in a dream, "Good sister, you all chat, I'll take a nap first!"

Lin Daiyu felt a little shy, but she couldn't bear to push him away. She let him sleep with his head on her jade-like legs and instructed Xueyan to bring a thin quilt to cover him.

Xue Baochai reached out and touched the thin quilt, and said softly, "This quilt is probably a bit too thin. Ying'er, go and get my wool blanket."

Ying'er, as instructed, brought a wool blanket to cover Jia Huan, while Baochai took the thin quilt and placed it on her knees. Then, she gently lifted Jia Huan's legs and placed them on her lap to make him more comfortable. Soon, the latter began to snore softly. Presumably afraid of waking Jia Huan, Baochai, Daiyu, and the other maids all lowered their voices, talking quietly. Accompanied by Jia Huan's soft snoring, there was an indescribable feeling of warmth.

Xiangling whispered, "The lotus flowers we usually see all bloom in summer and wither away as soon as autumn arrives. But the Tianshan snow lotus grows in the snow and ice, which is really magical. It's a pity that the snow lotus sold in the market is all dried, so you can't tell what it originally looked like. Have you ever seen it, girl?"

Xue Baochai shook her head and said, "No, not at all. But according to the pharmacopoeia, this substance is only produced in the Tianshan Mountains, with the best quality coming from the summit, but that is unavailable. The quality from the waist is second best. It is very hot in nature and can nourish yin and yang, treating all cold-related ailments and yang deficiency in the elderly..."

Xue Baochai paused here, and all the women looked at her curiously. Xueyan laughed and said, "Miss Bao is keeping us in suspense again. What are you waiting for? Please continue!"

Xue Baochai blushed slightly, glanced at Jia Huan, and saw that the latter was snoring softly and had obviously fallen asleep, before continuing, "For old men who have lost their virility, soaking them in wine and drinking it can enable even eighty-year-old men to have children."

The women were stunned for a moment, then their pretty faces flushed red. Xueyan exclaimed in surprise, "Is it really that amazing?"

Ying'er spat and laughed, "What a shameless little hussy! You always ask questions you shouldn't."

Xueyan stuck out her tongue, then playfully pointed at Jia Huan and said, "Third Master should really have more to drink, Ping'er and Mandarin..."

"Tear her mouth apart!" Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai whispered almost in unison.

Xueyan quickly covered her mouth, looking aggrieved, and said, "This servant dares not say anything more, please forgive me, ladies."

Just then, Jia Huan turned over, and all the women instinctively held their breath. Fortunately, Jia Huan only turned over and continued to snore softly, without waking up.

Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai exchanged a glance, both relieved but their pretty faces flushed slightly. Clearly, both women knew that Grandmother Jia was eager to have a great-grandson. When Jia Huan was appointed Military Commissioner of Ningyuan, Grandmother Jia, worried about the dangers of war, specially sent Qingwen to serve him, hoping he would have an heir. However, not only had Mandarin's belly remained empty, but Qingwen's was also unsuccessful. Furthermore, Ping'er, who had long been Jia Huan's concubine, had also failed to conceive over the years, inevitably leading people to suspect that Jia Huan might have some health problems.

This topic was somewhat embarrassing to discuss, and it concerned a man's dignity, so Daiyu and Baochai were worried that Jia Huan would feel embarrassed if he heard it. At the same time, the two women were also genuinely concerned about whether Jia Huan's health was truly in trouble.

"Sister Bao, I quite like this snow lotus wine. Let's ask Ayina for a few more jars tomorrow." Lin Daiyu felt her ears getting hot as she spoke.

Xue Baochai blushed and said, "Alright, Daiyu, you're not well, you should drink more."

The two women were burying their heads in the sand when a palace maid rushed in and said, "Your Highness, something terrible has happened! Duan Zhongshi wants Lord Jia to go there immediately."

Lin Daiyu frowned and asked, "What happened?"

"According to Xiao Dezi, who relayed the message, it seems that Amahei escaped," the palace maid replied.

Lin Daiyu and Xue Baochai's expressions changed slightly, and they hurriedly woke Jia Huan, saying, "Huan-di, something bad has happened! Ah Mahei has escaped! Eunuch Duan wants you to go there right away."

Jia Huan was jolted awake, instantly losing all sleepiness. He stood up and hurried away, but Lin Daiyu quickly called out to him, "Brother Huan, wait a moment. It's the middle of the night. Put your cloak on."

Lin Daiyu tied a cloak around Jia Huan's neck and reminded him to be careful. Jia Huan gave Daiyu and Baochai a light hug before hurriedly leaving the palace and heading towards the place where Amahei was imprisoned.

(End of this chapter)