Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

Early in the morning, Grandmother Jia received several ladies and young ladies from noble families. They chatted about daily life and she enjoyed listening to their praise and flattery.

She asked Mrs. Wang to see the guests off for her. She was just about to go to the back hall to rest for a while, as she might have more guests coming soon, so she wanted to be in good spirits to attend them.

At this time, the grandmother came in and said, "Madam, the mistress of the Xue family sent a message that the second master of the Xue family took his children and sailed north to Beijing to report to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for an account check.

Because I came to visit Mrs. Xue, I didn’t want to be impolite, so I specially asked to see the old lady. "

Grandmother Jia was also a little surprised to hear this. Aunt Xue had been staying in the Jia mansion for most of the time and often chatted with Grandmother Jia, so Grandmother Jia knew a lot about the Xue family.

Xue Baochai's father was the eldest son of the Xue family. He inherited the family business left by Xue Baochai's great-grandfather, Xue Gong, the Ziwei Sheren.

Master Xue worked in the Guangchusi of the Imperial Household Department, engaged in various comprador affairs for the royal family. He was a long-established royal merchant.

The second master of the Xue family was named Yuan. He was originally just an ordinary member of the Xue family, managing the family business under his elder brother.

When Emperor Jiazhao ascended the throne, Xue Yuan followed his brother to the capital to do work. For unknown reasons, he was unexpectedly valued by the Langzhong of the Guangchu Division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The doctor also recommended Xue Yuan to the then Minister of the Imperial Household Department. After that, Xue Yuan unexpectedly got a nominal position in the Imperial Household Department. This was also a special favor.

From then on, Xue Yuan accepted the assignment from the palace and was responsible for traveling to southern Xinjiang and overseas for the royal family in search of rare treasures.

Ever since Xue Yuan's extraordinary rise to wealth, his old friends in Jinling all say that the Xue family is a single branch that has produced two flowers from the same stem.

Unlike his elder brother who is deep and introverted, Xue Yuan has a broad mind and is thoughtful. He likes to travel around the world.

Since he took on the job at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he has been traveling around doing business with his children and family, often spending a year in one province and half a year in another. He has visited five or six out of ten places in the world and has gained extremely broad knowledge.

Although the Xue family's ancestral business is still in the hands of the first wife after Xue Baochai's father passed away, the second master of the Xue family has his own foundation and holds a very important position in the Xue family.

Grandmother Jia naturally knew that this Mr. Xue was of some importance, and since he came to visit, she naturally had to meet him.

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "I have heard that he has traveled far and wide, and it is rare for him to come to the capital. They are all our relatives, so there is no need to avoid the inside and outside. Please ask the concubine to come with us."

The old woman hurried out to deliver the message, and Jia's mother dismissed Li Wan, Yuanyang and other women from the inner chamber, leaving only a few experienced old women to serve.

After a while, footsteps were heard outside the hall, and Aunt Xue came in with a smile on her face, followed by a man in his early forties.

The man was wearing a blue silk robe with a round collar and floral patterns. He had a slender figure, handsome features, and a neatly trimmed short beard. Although his face was slightly dark and he looked tired, his eyes were bright and he looked energetic.

Aunt Xue smiled and said, "Madam, this is my second brother. He happened to be in the capital on business these days and came to see you."

Xue Yuan stepped forward and bowed, smiling and said, "My name is Yuan, and I have heard that Madam Rongguo is an old and blessed elder. It is worth the trip to meet her today."

Grandmother Jia was very pleased to hear Xue Yuan's subtle flattery. She said with a smile, "I've heard that the Second Master has been traveling all over the country and has a wide range of knowledge. Today I see that he is indeed a good person."

Grandmother Jia asked again, "I heard from my aunt and wife earlier that the second master has a pair of children, both of whom are very outstanding. I just heard that they were also going to the capital with the second master. Why didn't you bring them along for a visit?"

Xue Yuan smiled and said, "Thank you for asking, old lady. The two siblings did come with me, but my little daughter Baoqin was raised in the Southern Province since she was a child, and the places she has been traveling with me over the years have been warm and moist.

So when I first came to the capital, I was not used to the extremely cold weather here. I caught a cold yesterday and still have a fever. I brought him to see the old lady, fearing that I might pass on the disease.

When he came out, he asked his brother to take care of him in the other garden, so he couldn't come. He will definitely have to pay a visit to the old lady in the future."

Grandmother Jia said, "I am also a high-ranking official in the south. When I first came to the capital, I couldn't stand the cold here. It's normal to feel uncomfortable occasionally. Just take good care of yourself for a few days and you'll be fine."

He then said, "Today a male guest is visiting, but my son Zheng is on duty at the yamen, so he can't meet me for the time being. Cong is in mourning and has nothing to do at home, so I asked him to come over to pay his respects to the relatives and elders."

Grandmother Jia wanted Baoyu to come and pay her a visit, but when Jia Cong inherited the title, the imperial edict disparaged Baoyu badly. Grandmother Jia no longer had the confidence to praise him as before, and she would not easily let Baoyu come out to meet guests.

Xue Yuan smiled and said, "On my way to the capital, I heard rumors that the young Earl of Jia's Weiyuan was a brilliant young man, very outstanding, and was highly regarded by the current emperor, and was awarded the honor of two titles.

Now his reputation has spread all over the country, and it is a rare pleasure to be able to see him today. It is a pity that my two children cannot be allowed to meet him, otherwise I would let him meet his siblings, and then Earl Weiyuan would be able to guide and take care of him in the future."

Grandmother Jia was pleased to hear Xue Yuan's tactful and sweet flattery, but she still felt a little regretful. She thought that if these words were said to Baoyu, she would be even happier.

He smiled and said, "In terms of seniority, he is just your junior, so you can't call him Weiyuan Bo. When he comes over, just call him Brother Cong."

As Grandmother Jia said this, she asked the maid beside her to go to the East Palace to invite Jia Cong to meet the guest.

……

Rongguo Mansion, Baoyu Courtyard.

When Mrs. Wang saw that Xiren and Sheyue spoke the same words, both reporting good news and not bad news, and Qiu Wen seemed to be hesitant to speak, she knew there was something fishy going on.

She was afraid that Xiren and Sheyue were present, so Qiu Wen became more cautious in her words.

Only then did he send Xiren, Sheyue, Bihen and the other three away, leaving only Qiu Wen in the room.

Mrs. Wang turned the rosary in her hand and asked, "If you have anything to say, just speak it out boldly now. Don't hide anything."

Qiu Wen said carefully, "Madam, I shouldn't say such small words in front of you, but Madam trusts me and asks me to serve Master Bao, so I can't watch Master Bao being fooled and suffer."

When Mrs. Wang heard that her Baoyu had been fooled, her eyes suddenly widened and she asked in a stern voice, "Who is so bold as to fool my Baoyu?"

Qiu Wen said, "They are not outsiders, but people in the Second Master's courtyard. Some people take the monthly allowance from the Second Master's courtyard, but they are half-hearted, eating from the inside, and doing the work of other masters."

At that time, Mrs. Wang lost her title of the second wife and was not only squeezed out of Rongxi Hall, but also had to move to the East Courtyard. She was extremely ashamed, angry and sensitive at that time, and she felt that everyone around her wanted to harm her.

Now, hearing Qiu Wen say that someone dared to treat her Baoyu like this, the dark cloud in her heart was immediately aroused, just like a spark sprinkled on boiling oil, and she was suddenly filled with anger and could not be contained.

She slammed the table and said angrily, "Who is that little whore in the yard who dared to do such an outrageous thing? Tell me who it is!"

Qiu Wen felt very angry when she thought about how Xiao Hong was very eloquent and how she often contradicted herself, leaving her speechless.

When she saw that just a few words from her had made Mrs. Wang furious, she felt secretly proud of herself and thought to herself, "Xiaohong, you bitch, I wonder how long you can be so proud of yourself. This time even your parents can't save you."

Now that Xiren and Sheyue are not around, Qiu Wen has even less scruples.

They exaggerated the story about Xiaohong being lazy all day, flirting with Master Cong, and running errands for Master Lian to please her.

When Mrs. Wang heard that Xiao Hong was serving in Baoyu's room, she was actually half-hearted and ran errands for Jia Cong and Wang Xifeng. She dared to be such a traitor.

She felt that Jia Cong had taken away the title of the second wife, and had also used Wang Xifeng to take away her housekeeper rights. At the moment, she hated these two people the most.

But Xiaohong in Baoyu's room chose to flirt with these two people, which was a slap in her own face.

I had just moved out of Rong Xi Tang, and these servants were already taking advantage of the situation and no longer taking me seriously!

Mrs. Wang suddenly thought of the good-looking face of Lin Zhixiao's wife at the gate of Rong Xi Tang just now. As the manager of the inner courtyard, she actually listened to the orders of a young maidservant beside Jia Cong.

She just saw that the boy had gained power now, so she didn't care about her old face anymore and even tried to fawn on him. It was really disgusting.

My mother and my daughter are both the same lowly creatures!

Mrs. Wang thought of all the troubles related to this, and her face turned pale with anger. She shouted, "Call Xiaohong here immediately!"

……

Qiu Wen pushed the door open and walked out of the room, seeing Xiren and Sheyue standing in the corridor. She guessed that they must have heard most of what Lady Wang had said just now.

But Qiu Wen didn't care. She knew that Xiren and Sheyue were on her top in everything and she was worried about how she would get out of this situation.

Now, with the help of the Madam, I can get rid of Xiaohong and let them know that I am not someone who is easy to get along with. In the future, no one will bother me in Baoyu's room.

After a while, Qiu Wen came over with Xiaohong, who looked pale.

Just now, Qiu Wen came to the backyard to find her, with a smug and gloating look on her face, saying that the lady wanted to see her immediately.

Xiaohong knew very well that it must be Qiu Wen who was spreading rumors in front of the lady, and she was afraid that she was in big trouble.

Mrs. Wang saw that although Xiaohong's face was pale, her lips were tightly pursed, revealing a shrewdness and stubbornness rarely seen in girls of the same age.

Mrs. Wang has always disliked this kind of clever women because she thinks such women are born restless.

Her sister-in-law was so smart and shrewd that she felt ashamed when she first entered the Jia family and suffered a lot. The same was true for her daughter!
Seeing Xiao Hong's aura now, Mrs. Wang felt even more disgusted and said, "At the beginning, your parents came to me and begged you to serve in Baoyu's room.

I took you in for the sake of my reputation over several lifetimes, but I didn't expect that this is how you would repay me by not doing your job carefully in Baoyu's room.

You are actually flirting with other women outside and doing shameless things, ruining my Baoyu's reputation. How can I tolerate you!"

Although Xiaohong was a thoughtful person, she was only a teenager after all. She had never seen a big scene, and was immediately frightened by Mrs. Wang's harshness and irritability. She said palely, "Madam, don't listen to other people's nonsense. I didn't do anything to flirt with other people, and I would never do anything shameless.

A few days ago, the Third Master and the Second Mistress were doing some work in the garden. Since they didn't have a maid with them, they asked me to pass on the message. There was nothing else to do."

When Mrs. Wang saw that Xiaohong refused to admit her guilt and even talked back to her, she became furious when she heard the words "Third Master" and "Second Madam" and laughed instead of getting angry.

He gritted his teeth and said, "This mansion is in such a mess now, there is no hierarchy anymore.

Look at yourself and see who you are. You dare to talk nonsense in front of me. From today on, you are not allowed to stay in Baoyu Courtyard. I will drive you out immediately and ask your parents to take you away!"

Xiao Hong couldn't help crying and said, "Madam, I didn't do anything wrong. Why are you kicking me out? How can I explain myself clearly in the future?"

Madam Wang said angrily, "You don't even know what you have done. If it weren't for Lin Zhixiao's reputation, I would have sent you to the outer courtyard as a servant.

Get out of here now, or I won't have to watch you being so frivolous and wild any longer. Qiu Wen, take her to pack her things, and watch her so she doesn't do anything untoward!"

Qiu Wen ignored Xiao Hong's sobbing and dragged her out, muttering, "You are no longer a member of this courtyard. If you want to cry, go somewhere else. Don't make yourself uncomfortable here!"

……

After Madam Wang finished taking care of Xiaohong, she saw Caiyun come in and said, "Madam, there's news from Rongqing Hall that the concubine brought the second master of the Xue family to visit the old lady."

When Mrs. Wang heard this, her heart was slightly moved. She had heard that the second master of the Xue family had a background and was responsible for searching for overseas antiques and rare treasures for the palace. It was said that he had a strong background in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

She also heard that Master Xue II had a daughter, who was said to be very beautiful, like a fairy.

The last time Mrs. Wang and Aunt Xue mentioned Baoyu's marriage, her sister's words clearly showed an attempt to shirk responsibility.

This made Mrs. Wang very unhappy. She thought her sister was probably concerned about Baoyu's current reputation.

But Mrs. Wang was reluctant to reveal the matter. Firstly, it was out of consideration for the sisterhood, and secondly, as long as the matter was not revealed, it would give Baoyu more hope for marriage.

But even so, when it comes to Baoyu's marriage, Mrs. Wang no longer sticks to her own way and has long had other ideas.

Mrs. Wang kept a liking for all the noble ladies who came to visit the old lady these days and brought their young ladies with them.

Since she knew that the second master of the Xue family had such an outstanding daughter, she would naturally pay attention to her, not to mention that the two families were real relatives.

Mrs. Wang hurriedly left Baoyu's courtyard with Caiyun. Before leaving, she instructed Xiren to send Xiaohong away as soon as possible.

After Mrs. Wang left, Musk Moon saw Qiu Wen still pushing Xiao Hong, and she couldn't bear it anymore, so she went up and pulled Xiao Hong over.

He frowned and said to Qiu Wen, "Everyone has been kicked out, what else can we do? Let's just part ways in peace. Why bother to show off? Just do some good deeds."

Qiu Wen knew that Sheyue was the best at talking and she would never be able to win an argument with her no matter what.

Besides, Musk Moon had more face in front of Master Bao than himself, so it was even more inappropriate for him to touch the stone, so he had to walk away in disappointment.

When Xiren saw Qiu Wen walking away, she stepped forward and said to Xiaohong, "You don't have to be sad. You are different from others. Your parents have positions in the mansion. Even if you go out, it's good for you to stay at home."

Musk Moon also advised, "That's right, you just stayed at home and didn't kill anyone, no one can do anything to you."

Xiren went into the room and took out a new set of clothes that had never been worn, stuffed them into Xiaohong's pocket, and said, "We have come to an agreement on this matter. Now that you are leaving, I will give you these clothes to wear for fun if you don't mind.

I will help you smooth things over with your mother, and let Musk Moon help you clean up, otherwise when your wife comes back later, she will see something bad happening again."

In Xiaohong's room, Sheyue helped Xiaohong pack her things. She saw Xiaohong still crying and sighed, "What's the point of crying? I told you a long time ago that you should not consider the limelight when doing things.

Xiren is right, you are already a good person, and you can go home and live in peace. If someone else were you, you would be sent to the outer courtyard to be paired with a boy."

Xiao Hong said with a bitter face: "Sister Sheyue, I was kicked out for no reason. How can I explain to my parents when I go back? They have been so proud in the mansion for half their lives.

My father will definitely beat me to death if I go back... "

Musk Moon said, "Just hit him as many times as you want. He is your biological father, how can he beat you to death? This is better than leaving you in the yard and being beaten by others!"

Seeing Xiao Hong still crying, She Yue knew that she couldn't swallow this anger, so she turned her eyes and said, "You used to be a smart person, how come you are so confused now?

How could you forget why you suffered so much? If you want your father to stop beating you and want to turn things around, there is actually a way. In this world, everyone has their own way to untie the bell. "

After Musk Moon finished speaking, she saw Xiao Hong was still in a daze, so she smiled and stretched out three fingers to her, and then extended two more fingers.

Xiaohong understood it all at once.

Musk Moon said: "You have been wronged because of this. Those two masters are not easy to deal with. One of them is soft-hearted..."

……

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

When Jia Cong received the message from the West Mansion, he was a little surprised. Of course he knew that the second master of the Xue family was not only because he had raised a daughter with a great reputation.

I also heard that Mr. Xue was a well-traveled man, doing business in remote areas such as South Guangdong, Southeast Asia, and the West Sea all year round. It sounded very unusual...

In today's world, transportation and communication are far less developed than in later generations. That is why later generations jokingly say that transportation is slow and the journey is long, so there is only enough time to love one person in a lifetime.

Even though merchants are different from ordinary people and need to travel around to do business, they will try their best to avoid trading routes that are too far.

This is not only a matter of people's energy and time, but also a matter of the costs and benefits of doing business.

However, this Mr. Xue Er traveled around the southern coastal areas all year round, and there were even legends that he crossed the sea to do business.

Xue Baoqin once said that she traveled to Zhenzhen Country with her father and met a talented foreign woman with blonde hair and blue eyes...

According to common sense in today's world, if Mr. Xue did not have strong financial resources and power, he would not be able to be a traveling merchant in such a distant border.

However, Jia Cong knew that the Xue family's ancestral business was inherited by the eldest son of the Xue family, that is, Xue Baochai's father. As the second son, Master Xue would not get much wealth according to common sense.

Therefore, Jia Cong was still quite curious about this person...

When he entered Rongqing Hall, he saw a middle-aged man with outstanding appearance sitting on the right. He thought that he was the father of Xue Ke and Xue Baoqin.

When the other party saw him come in, he looked at him intently with his bright eyes, and there seemed to be a strange gleam in his eyes.

When Aunt Xue saw Jia Cong, she smiled and introduced him to Xue Yuan.

Xue Yuan stood up and said with a smile, "I have heard of the Marquis Weiyuan of the Jia family for a long time. He is a beautiful and elegant lady with unparalleled talent. Seeing him today, I can see that his reputation is well-deserved. The old lady is really blessed!"

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Master Xue, you are too polite. Elders are respected. I am a junior, so it is not appropriate to call me Earl Weiyuan. Just call me Brother Cong."

Xue Yuanji is a person who has traveled all over the world, so he is naturally knowledgeable, has a dignified manner, and is eloquent, which means he is good at chatting.

Jia Cong was a man of quick wit and knowledge that could not be measured by common sense. The two of them were just chatting with each other, and they actually got along very well.

Aunt Xue had always admired her second uncle's broad knowledge. She was secretly surprised to see that Jia Cong, at such a young age, could talk about everything under the sun and was not inferior to her uncle in knowledge and eloquence.

She was worried that the two of them were chatting too enthusiastically and thus neglecting Lady Jia, so she chatted with her about daily life. The atmosphere in Rongqing Hall became unusually warm and harmonious.

Xue Yuan was just chatting casually with Jia Cong at first, and when he heard him ask about things in southern Xinjiang, he picked up some strange things and said them casually.

However, he did not expect that Jia Cong would follow his topic and talk about the customs and habits of the various countries in Southeast Asia. He actually knew a lot about them, and some of the things he had heard were the first time for him.

Xue Yuan was surprised and asked, "At this age, could it be that Cong has already traveled to many distant foreign countries?"

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Second Master, please forgive me for laughing. Cong grew up in the capital and has only been to Liaodong and Jiangnan a few times. How could I have been lucky enough to visit such a different place."

Xue Yuanqi said: "If you have never been there, but you know everything about the remote border, it is really amazing."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Although I have never been there, I once met a foreign missionary when I was young. I read a lot of translated books and travel notes from him, so I know a little bit about it."

Xue Yuan smiled and said, "No wonder people say that a scholar knows everything about the world without leaving home. Cong has passed the imperial examination twice, and his poetry is famous throughout the south of the Yangtze River. He is a rare talent, and his ability to study is amazing."

At this time, Mrs. Wang was entering Rongqing Hall. She was not a widow like Li Wan, nor was she a weak girl in the boudoir. Naturally, there was no need to be too shy and she planned to have a word with this old relative of the Xue family.

One is the etiquette between old relatives, and the other is that she has her own calculations.

As soon as he entered the hall, he saw Jia Cong talking to Master Xue II. His old relative was talking enthusiastically about him: he had passed the imperial examination twice, was famous throughout the south of the Yangtze River, and was a rare talent.

Mrs. Wang's appetite suddenly turned to bitterness. She felt very upset. Why is there such a boy everywhere? (End of this chapter)