Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Jinling, Dazaimen, Xinchunhao Jiangnan Head Office.

A ragged beggar delivered a letter to the Xinchunhao Jinling headquarters.

Baozhu, who received the letter, asked the beggar who asked him to deliver the letter. The beggar said that a man paid him two taels of silver and asked him to deliver the letter to his store. The man was wearing a felt hat and his face could not be seen clearly.

When Qu Hongxiu received the letter, opened it and read the contents, he was shocked.

Qin Keqing, who was standing by, saw Qu Hongxiu's ugly face, took the letter and was also shocked.

He asked, "Sister Xiu, stealing military firearms and suspected of privately manufacturing muskets is a serious crime tantamount to treason. He is Brother Cong's biological father. If something happens to him, will Brother Cong be implicated?"

Qu Hongxiu replied: "This letter was delivered by a beggar, who deliberately concealed his face because he didn't want people to recognize him.

However, the matter described in the letter involves too many things, so it is better to believe it than not. Moreover, the letter stated that it was the Jinling Jinyiwei who discovered the disaster.

The person who delivered the letter was most likely familiar with the ways of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He delivered such urgent news and probably had no ill intention towards Brother Cong.

Logically speaking, Brother Cong has now established his own residence and has been granted a title, which is equivalent to separating from the Rongguo Mansion and setting up his own household. He is also highly regarded by the current emperor.

Even if Jia She is convicted, the implications for Brother Cong will not be so serious that they cannot be dealt with. However, this matter is very serious, and Brother Cong must be informed as soon as possible so that he can take precautions in advance."

Qu Hongxiu re-transcribed the letter and gave it to Baozhu, asking her to go to the Feiyu letter station set up in Semicolon.

Less than half an hour later, in the backyard of the Jinling Xinchunhao branch, a bird soared into the sky, circled in the air for half a circle, and then flapped its wings to the north.

……

Jude Square, Earl's Palace.

Just after noon, the usually peaceful Earl's Mansion suddenly became noisy and restless.

The small door between the east and west mansions usually had few people passing by except Jia Cong and his sisters, but today it was crowded with people.

There were sounds of people kicking and wailing in Daiyu's yard. It was a completely different scene from the usual quiet and peaceful one.

In the hall outside the main house, Grandmother Jia was sitting there, looking angry and sad. Standing behind her were Lady Wang, Wang Xifeng, Yingchun, Tanchun and others.

Yuanyang and Amber went into the inner room to serve Daiyu.

Zijuan and Xueyan knelt in front of Lady Jia, with their heads lowered and said nothing.

Grandmother Jia said sternly: "I always say this, asking you to serve me well, but you just won't listen. Now that something big has happened, I want to see what you can do.

If anything happens to my Yu'er, you will all die!

Zijuan, tell me, what happened? Why did Yu'er become like this? "

Although Zijuan was a little frightened when she saw that Lady Jia was furious, her mind was still clear, and she said, "Today, Xiuju received the Second Young Lady's order to go over and ask the young lady to come and talk.

But the girl had just taken a nap and needed to wash up, so she asked Xiu Ju to go back first and she would come later.

I helped the girl to wash and dress, but because I was delayed by something at hand, I did not go out with her, so the girl went out alone.

Originally, I wanted to finish the things at hand and then go to the second girl to serve her, but after a while, the girl came back alone.

Her face turned pale and she looked dazed and stupid. She came back and lay on the bed crying. No matter how we asked and tried to persuade her, she ignored us.

Then he suddenly fainted and lost consciousness, so we went to call the second girl over."

Grandmother Jia asked, "Did Yu'er say anything after coming back?"

Zijuan lowered her head and replied, "The girl didn't say anything when she came back."

Xueyan, who was kneeling beside her, was confused as to why Sister Zijuan lied to the old lady.

The girl came back in a daze, and lay on the bed crying, muttering the Third Master's name clearly. She heard it clearly. How could Sister Zijuan say that the girl didn't say anything?
However, Xueyan and Zijuan have served Daiyu together for many years, and they have already developed a tacit understanding with each other. She knew that Sister Zijuan must have her reasons for saying so, so she naturally would not reveal it.

After all, Xueyan is still young and doesn't know many important matters in the two governments.

Unlike Zijuan, who had never been with Lady Jia, she knew very well that the old lady had been thinking for many years about marrying her daughter and Master Bao, but they were both still young, so the plan had never been revealed.

If the old lady knew that the girl had Third Master Cong in her heart, I'm afraid she wouldn't even be able to enter the East Palace in the future.

Therefore, Zijuan would never dare to say that when the girl was in trouble, she was still muttering the name of the Third Master...

Grandmother Jia asked, "Second girl, did Yu'er hear any bad words when she went to your place?"

Yingchun actually had some guesses, but she was not sure, so she said, "I asked Xiuju to invite Sister Lin, but she never came and never entered my courtyard.

Later, only Sister Ping'er came over and brought a message from the old lady, saying that Sister Lin and Sister Three should be moved to the West Mansion first, and there was nothing else to do."

Tanchun, who was standing by, was shrewd and had already figured out why Daiyu was like this.

The Shiqiao plum blossom sachet on the third brother's body and their daily expressions and behaviors could be hidden from the old lady and the wife, but not from the sisters who were close to him.

But Sister Lin never entered Second Sister’s yard, so how could she know what Ping’er said?

……

After a lot of questioning, Jia's mother could not find out the cause of Daiyu's accident, so she frowned and asked, "Why is Cong'er nowhere to be seen? Yu'er lives in his house, and he, as a brother, did not take good care of her.

Something happened to Yu'er, why didn't he even show up? "

Yingchun said quickly: "Brother Cong went to the government office early this morning. I heard that he went to the firearms workshop in the north of the city. He hasn't come back yet, so he doesn't know about Sister Lin.

That place is outside the city's north suburbs, some distance from your residence. I have sent people to look for it, and it will take some time for Brother Cong to return."

After a while, a doctor came out from the inner hall. It was Zhang Youshi who had treated Lady Jia last time.

Because Daiyu came back at noon, she suddenly looked dazed and grief-stricken, and then fainted. When the news reached the West Mansion, Jia's grandmother panicked, thinking of the last time she was seriously ill, it was Zhang Youshi who brought her back to life.

He hurriedly asked Jia Lian to invite someone. Fortunately, Zhang Youshi was visiting Feng Ziying's house, and he arrived in time to treat Daiyu.

When Jia's mother saw Zhang Youshi coming out, she asked anxiously, "Mr. Zhang, is my granddaughter's illness serious?"

Zhang Youshi said: "The young lady did not have any major disease in her body, but it seems that she was suddenly disturbed by external evil, which caused the blood to rush back, acute pain, and confusion, which caused her to faint.

I have just given the young lady two injections and she has woken up. However, she was over-exerted and fell asleep again. She is in serious condition now. Let her rest well and replenish her energy.

Wait for me to prescribe a few prescriptions. You should be able to feel better after taking them for a few days. However, you must not be attacked by external evils or be disturbed or stimulated by worldly affairs, otherwise the symptoms will be aggravated and become a serious problem."

When Grandmother Jia heard that he was no longer seriously injured, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Wang Xifeng watched for a long time and found that no one could explain why Daiyu was like this. She also heard the doctor say that Daiyu was suddenly attacked by an external evil and fell unconscious.

She was a superstitious person, so she said, "Old lady, it's not yet late autumn, and the flowers and trees in the garden are lush and green. Sister Lin didn't bump into something in the garden.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have gotten sick for no reason. I can find a skilled mage to chant sutras, or I can look through the Jade Box Records. If there are any seasonal flower gods to worship, I can also help Lin Daiyu calm down. "

Grandmother Jia said, "In that case, why not just move Yu'er back to the West Mansion? I'm old now, and it would be more convenient for her to be kept in check by my longevity. I think we should move her there today."

Yingchun suddenly said, "Madam, Miss Lin has just woken up from acupuncture and is still in bed. If she is moved back to the West Mansion now, she might get caught in the wind and it would be inappropriate."

Yingchun didn't believe what Wang Xifeng said. She thought that Daiyu had run into something unclean in the garden. How could it be so weird in broad daylight?

The only thing Yingchun could think of was that Daiyu must have somehow known Ping'er's message, which made her feel depressed and hurt.

Although the sisters usually did not break any window paper, Yingchun's heart was focused on Jia Cong, so she naturally realized that the relationship between her brother and Daiyu was no longer an ordinary sibling.

Now Sister Lin is suffering from a strange illness, and Brother Cong's marriage is also hanging in the balance. We can't let Sister Lin move back to the West Mansion before things are clear, otherwise Brother Cong will definitely be anxious when he comes back.

That's why Yingchun tried to keep Daiyu.

……

Tanchun also said, "Madam, what Second Sister said makes sense. Sister Lin shouldn't be moved while she's ill. Sister Feng said she might have bumped into something, so she should find a monk to chant some sutras to calm her down. That's a good idea."

I heard from my third brother that Miss Zhishao's master, Master Xiushan, is the abbess of Gusu Panxiang Temple and a highly accomplished nun. It would be most appropriate to ask her to chant sutras for Sister Lin.

With the help of the enlightened monks and nuns, Sister Lin can rest and recuperate in the East Palace first, and then move back to the West Palace when she is well again. This is the most appropriate way.”

In fact, Tanchun had the same idea as Yingchun. She felt that Daiyu should be kept in the East Palace first, so she followed Yingchun's words and brought out Master Xiushan to speak.

Grandmother Jia has always valued Tanchun's intelligence and ability, and when she heard what she said was meticulous and reasonable, she was moved.

He asked, "Second girl, is that Master Xiushan really an accomplished person?"

Yingchun replied, "She is indeed a Taoist nun. When Zhishao drowned, everyone thought she had died, but she was saved by Master Xiushan.

Brother Cong also said that this teacher not only has profound knowledge of Buddhism, but is also proficient in innate numbers. He highly respects her. Brother Cong is so knowledgeable, his vision must be right. "

After listening to her two granddaughters, Grandmother Jia said, "In that case, we'll do as you wish. Second girl, you can take good care of your sister and nothing will happen to her.

Tomorrow I will send someone to invite that nun to chant sutras for Yu'er and ask her to get rid of this illness. That way I can rest assured. Your brother may be getting married soon, so nothing can happen at this time."

When Yingchun heard Lady Jia's last words, her heart trembled. She wondered if Sister Lin was still in a coma, or if she would feel uncomfortable after hearing the old lady's words.

Grandmother Jia went to the room to see Daiyu again. Although she was still pale, she was asleep. She felt relieved and gave her a few more instructions.

After all, Grandmother Jia was old, and after all the trouble she could no longer bear it, so she let Yuanyang support her and go back to the West Mansion.

Yingchun left her maid Xiu Ju behind to take care of her, and went to Jia Cong's courtyard to find Zhishao, asking her to invite Master Xiushan to come back to the mansion.

...When Jia Cong came out of the firearms workshop, he did not meet the servant sent by Yingchun to report the news. When he returned to the Earl's Mansion, it was already sunset.

As soon as I returned to my yard, I saw Yingchun and Zhishao talking.

When Yingchun saw Jia Cong, she couldn't help but feel relieved and said, "Brother Cong, you are back. Something big happened at home. Sister Lin suddenly got seriously ill. I sent someone to look for you, but there was no news."

Jia Cong was shocked when he heard this, and hurriedly asked the reason. Without even having time to change his clothes, he went to visit Daiyu in the yard.

When they arrived at Daiyu's courtyard, Zijuan's eyes moistened when she saw him and she said, "Third Master, you are back!"

Jia Cong walked quickly into the inner room and saw Daiyu still in a coma. Her face was as pale as snow and she looked extremely weak and delicate. He felt a pang of pain in his heart.

He left the inner room and asked, "Zijuan, what happened? Why did Sister Lin suddenly fall ill?"

Zijuan told the whole story, and Jia Cong heard that Daiyu called his name before she fainted.

Just now Yingchun mentioned that Ping'er brought a message. Since the palace's arranged marriage was a sign, Jia's mother asked Daiyu and Tanchun to move back to the West Mansion to avoid it.

Jia Cong guessed the reason why Daiyu suddenly fell ill. Although he didn't know how Daiyu knew the content of Ping'er's message, he knew that such a thing would be revealed sooner or later.

I just heard that the Zhen family came to pay their respects to the old lady. As soon as I arrived in Shenjing, Zhen Fangqing came right after me, and even went to the palace to accompany the old concubine. No wonder Lady Jia felt that the marriage was imminent.

Jia Cong sat in the outer room for a while, then went into the inner room to see Daiyu. He ran back and forth several times, and after an hour, Daiyu was still soundly asleep.

Jia Cong felt relieved to see that although Daiyu's face was still pale, her breathing was steady in her sleep.

During this time, Grandmother Jia called Yuanyang to come and check on Daiyu twice. Seeing that Daiyu was temporarily safe, she also told Zijuan and others to keep watch over her and not let anything go wrong again.

Jia Cong had been guarding Daiyu's outer room. Soon the moon was high in the sky. Yingchun sent someone to bring some food, but Jia Cong just ate a few bites at random.

Zijuan said, "Third Master, the doctor said that the girl was confused by anger. Although she woke up after acupuncture, her mental exhaustion was so great that she fell into a coma. She will be fine after she has rested.

It's not a good idea for the Third Master to just sit here all the time. Besides, the old lady will definitely send the old nanny to check on him at night, and it would cause gossip if she sees him.

Why don't you go back and rest first? I'll call you when the girl wakes up."

Jia Cong thought about it and it made sense. Although Daiyu had not yet reached the age of marriage, she was still a girl in the boudoir after all. As her cousin, it would be inappropriate for him to stay in her boudoir in the middle of the night if he was seen by others.

At this time, Zhishao and Wu'er came to visit Daiyu. Jia Cong asked Wu'er to stay in Daiyu's room to help, and he took Zhishao back to the yard to rest.

The two men left Daiyu's yard and walked in the garden. The moon was shining brightly, the flowers and trees were swaying, and everything was silent, as if there was a sense of chilliness and coldness.

……

Jia Cong thought of two things that had happened recently: Jia She was involved in the smuggling of muskets, and the old empress dowager in the palace was planning a marriage. These two things were beyond his control.

He had some alternative ways to deal with the first matter, but when it came to the marriage arranged by the noble in the palace, he was completely helpless. He was not so naive as to think he could stop everything.

Once the palace really came down with an imperial decree granting marriage, his only way to refuse would probably be to ridiculously disobey the order.

By that time, even Emperor Jia Zhao, who opposed the marriage between Jia Zhen and his two families, would not stand on his side.

Jia Cong was lost in thought along the way. He returned to his yard, washed up hastily, and then lay down, tossing and turning for a long time, and fell into a half-asleep sleep.

An unknown amount of time had passed, but when Jia Cong woke up again, it was still pitch black outside the window. He looked at the clepsydra in the room and saw that it was almost three quarters past three in the morning, so he got up and got dressed.

Zhishao, who was lying on the bed beside her, was awakened and stood up and asked, "Third Master, it's not even dawn yet, why are you getting up?"

Jia Cong said, "Sister Lin has been in a coma for a long time. I am worried and want to go and see if she has woken up."

Zhishao got up to help him dress and wash, and was pushed by Jia Cong to sleep on the couch. When he left the courtyard, a cool breeze was blowing, and it was already chilly in the early morning of early autumn.

……

When they arrived at the gate of Daiyu's courtyard, they just knocked twice, and then Wu'er came to open the door.

Wu Er said happily, "Third Master, you came at a coincidence. Miss Lin just woke up not long ago. The old nanny from the West Mansion came twice at night, but she didn't see Miss Lin wake up."

Jia Cong was delighted when he heard this, and he walked quickly into the inner hall, gently lifted the curtain, and entered Daiyu's bedroom. He saw the flickering candlelight, the bed curtains drooping, and a faint fragrance.

Zijuan was holding a teacup, as if she wanted to persuade Daiyu to drink some water. Daiyu leaned on the pillow, looking weak, with her eyebrows slightly furrowed, and shook her head to refuse.

When Zijuan saw Jia Cong coming in, she said happily, "Third Master is here, please take a seat, I'll go get some tea."

When Daiyu saw Jia Cong, her eyes reddened and she turned away, refusing to pay attention to him.

Jia Cong sat down beside the bed, and Daiyu angrily moved a little further away from him.

Jia Cong asked, "Is my sister feeling better?"

Daiyu's shoulders shrugged slightly, and she said in a tearful voice, "What are you doing here again? Get out!"

Jia Cong said, "If I do something wrong, you can beat me or scold me, but don't keep it in your heart, or it will hurt your body."

Daiyu gritted her teeth and said, "You are saying these things again. You are always good at flattering people. I will never believe you again.

When the sun rises, I will move back to the West Mansion, so as not to offend the Third Master and hinder your good marriage!"

Jia Cong smiled bitterly and said, "Sister, what are you talking about? I don't have any good marriage prospects, so how can you stop me?"

Daiyu couldn't help sobbing and said, "You are so abominable. You still want to deceive me now. You went to the palace to see the old Concubine Zhen and found such a good marriage, but you didn't say a word when you came home."

Daiyu turned around to look at him. Jia Cong saw that her face was pale, tears were streaming down her cheeks, and her bright eyes and brows were filled with sadness and anger, which made him feel heartbroken.

Daiyu was angry and said sadly, "Are you afraid that I would be happy for you if I knew it? You are such a heartless person. I have known you for nothing."

……

Jia Cong sighed, "I didn't talk about this when I got home because I felt there was nothing to say. I don't care about the marriage at all. I have no interest in Miss Zhen San and have never thought of marrying her."

Daiyu was slightly stunned when she heard this, and looked at him with tears in her eyes. Jia Cong said, "Sister, I told you the truth, not a single word of falsehood. You have wronged me."

As Jia Cong spoke, he gently held Daiyu's small hand. Daiyu's body trembled, and for a moment she didn't know whether she should struggle or not.

After just a moment, she shook off his hand, tearfully angrily saying, “You don’t like the arranged marriage, you have no interest in her, but she came to you to give you gifts.

People from both houses say that you are about to get married, and even the old lady has prepared something for you, and you still want to lie to me."

Jia Cong looked calm and said, "Sister, I won't hide it from you. I can control many things by my own means, and in the end, I can always do what I want.

The only thing is that I have no influence over the marriage arranged by the palace... "

After hearing what Jia Cong said, Daiyu's body trembled slightly and her tears flowed more and more.

Jia Cong said: "Even if this is the case, no matter what time it is, I will not abandon my sister. Even if the imperial edict of marriage is really issued, I will find a way to deal with it and will not let my sister feel sad and wronged."

Daiyu was slightly shocked when she heard this. She stared at Jia Cong blankly, tears still on her face. She murmured, "You really won't abandon me. Are you trying to coax me with words again..."

"I don't believe you. You are always trying to provoke others. Today it's a real girl, and tomorrow it's a fake girl. You bully me everywhere..."

Jia Cong felt sad and emotional after hearing what she said, and couldn't help but hug her in his arms.

Although they had always been close to each other, they had never been so ambiguous and intimate.

Daiyu seemed frightened and was afraid to move. After a while she used her hand to push him away. However, after a serious illness, she had no strength to push him away.

"Third brother, you are so annoying. You are getting older every year. You are not a child anymore. Who would want to talk to you..."

Zijuan and Wu'er were both guarding in the outer room, not daring to go in, but they could vaguely hear people talking inside.

When Zijuan heard her girl say that she was annoying and asked who would pull a tug-of-war with her, she rushed into the inner room to save her like a conditioned reflex.

But Wu Er pulled her back with a red face and said, "Zi Juan, are you stupid? Didn't you hear Miss Lin called you Third Master at first, but now it's Third Brother? What are you doing in there?"

Zijuan thought about it for a moment and understood what Wu'er meant, and her face turned red.

Wu Er smiled and pulled Zi Juan and Xue Yan out of the house, closing the door behind them and saying, "Our Third Master loves your daughter the most, how could he bully her?"

Zijuan spat, "Look at what you said, as if you have been bullied by your Third Master before and know the details."

Wu'er was so embarrassed by Zijuan's teasing that her face turned red. She was so angry that she chased after her and wanted to hit her. The two of them chased each other in the front yard like passing butterflies, and their clear and pleasant laughter rang out in the dark sky.

……

In the bedroom, Daiyu struggled a few times, but found it was of no use. Her stiff body slowly softened, and she leaned in Jia Cong's arms, letting him hold her in his arms without saying a word.

Jia Cong discovered that Daiyu's originally cold body gradually became soft and gentle, and the refreshing girl's body fragrance slowly surrounded him.

He couldn't help but kiss Daiyu on the forehead. She seemed to be frightened and trembled in his arms. Jia Cong didn't dare to act any more rudely.

The hug and cuddling at this moment seemed to be better than countless things in the world. All the sadness, loss, anger, and dodging became insignificant.

In the dim candlelight in the room, Daiyu's voice was dense and infatuated: "Third brother, the imperial edict from the palace is hard to disobey. If this is your fate, I will not blame you anymore.

Just remember what you said, no matter what happens, you can't abandon me..."

Wu'er, Zijuan and Xueyan sat on the steps outside the house for a long time. When the sky started to lighten, they heard Jia Cong's voice coming from the inner room.

"Zijuan, Sister Lin hasn't eaten all night, she must be hungry. Go make her a bowl of porridge..."

When Zijuan heard this, she and Wu'er looked at each other and smiled, their faces full of joy, thinking that the Third Master was really capable and could get the girl to eat without much effort. (End of this chapter)