Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

The palace city of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Fengzao Palace, and the courtyard of the female historian's residence.

Baoqin saw her daughter's eyes turn red as soon as she read the letter, and she couldn't help but ask worriedly, "Girl, what did the Third Master write in the letter?"

Yuanchun murmured, "My hometown remains the same, time flies by, Chen Qin sweeps the bed, and we are brothers."

Baoqin had served Yuanchun for many years and although she could read and write, Jia Cong's words were ambiguous and she still didn't quite understand them.

Yuanchun said: "Madam's message has just been delivered to the palace, and Brother Cong's annual gift and letter have also been brought in. I think there must be a connection between them.

It must be that Brother Cong knew what the lady was thinking and felt that it was inappropriate, so he sent a gift of books into the palace.

Brother Cong has received the emperor's grace many times. He is incomparable among the younger generations. He has become outstanding among the old heroes of the aristocratic families and is well-known to everyone.

It is difficult for a wise and intelligent person to give up. It is lonely at the top. The higher the official rank, the greater the danger.

Now that he is the head of the family, his family members are mediating for me to get a high position in the palace, which must be related to him. With his intelligence, he must have realized the seriousness of the matter.

Although Brother Cong's letter was brief and to the point, I understood what he meant. He was asking me whether I still wanted to seek wealth and honor in the palace.

If I no longer have this intention, I must cherish my youth and look forward to my return home, where he will prepare a bed and a zither for me, and we can talk about the love between sisters and brothers. "

Baoqin was very excited when she heard this and asked, "I know what the girl is thinking. She wants to go home."

Yuanchun smiled and said, “Not only do you understand my thoughts, but Brother Cong has also guessed it a long time ago.

He is a talented person in the world. Now that he has accomplished his mission, not only has he been awarded a title for his merits, but he has also inherited the hereditary title of Rong State. The coexistence of the East and West Mansions of the Jia family is enough to protect the family's wealth and stability.

He has done everything he should do, so why should I stay in this palace? I naturally hope to go home as soon as possible..."

Baoqin was excited, her eyes were red, and she seemed about to cry. She said, "It would be great to go home. As long as I can spend a few days with you, I would be willing to die."

Yuanchun laughed and said, "What a silly girl! What are you talking about? How can you say the word death? Let's go home together in the future and live together for a long time.

But now I cannot leave. I have to wait until next year, when I have been in the palace for ten years, and then according to the palace rules of the Great Zhou Dynasty, I will have the opportunity to leave."

Baoqin smiled and said, "Miss, you are right. Don't worry about it. Third Master is so capable. He will definitely find a way to take you out when the time comes."

Yuanchun also smiled when she heard this, but she quickly put away her smile and said, "This time, the eldest master passed away, the second brother Lian was convicted, and the younger brother Cong inherited the title. Although I didn't see the whole situation, I can guess the general situation.

My wife expects me to bring honor and wealth to the second wife, and I'm afraid it's hard to let go of this thought... "

Yuanchun thought for a moment, then walked gracefully to the desk, spread the text message from Jia Cong on the desk, looked at it intently for a few seconds, took out a blank piece of letter paper, picked up a pen and wrote a few lines and put it into an envelope.

She also picked out a few exquisite folding fans, perfumes, soaps and other items from Jia Cong's box of New Year gifts and packed them in exquisite packages.

He said, "Baoqin, take these things and give them to Eunuch Yuan in Qianyang Palace, and tell him that you have received Brother Cong's New Year gift and that you are expressing your gratitude by giving him this small gift. Please ask him to deliver this letter to Brother Cong outside the palace.

Since Brother Cong would ask this person to do something for him, he must have a good relationship with him. He will definitely help with this matter. Besides, it is most appropriate to let him deliver this letter... "

……

After the second day of February, there was a period of excitement in the east and west mansions of the Jia family. First, it was Aunt Xue's birthday.

They borrowed the large flower hall behind Rongqing Hall, set up several banquets, and invited Lady Jia and other female members of the Jia family to drink and listen to opera.

When Lady Jia heard that Xue Pan was looking for a marriage partner, which was the most talked-about topic among the women in the inner house, she and Aunt Xue said some happy words at the banquet.

Although the Xia mother and daughter had not replied for several days, Aunt Xue still had thoughts in her heart. After hearing what Lady Jia said, she felt proud, as if she would be able to drink tea with her daughter-in-law right away.

At the banquet, Baoyu heard that Xue Pan was going to get married, and asked a few questions out of curiosity. Tanchun casually said that the girl on the other side was a very beautiful lady.

Baoyu felt indignant when he thought that Xue Pan, a dissolute and stupid dandy, who was extremely vulgar and frivolous, was actually paired with such a beautiful woman. It was really like a beautiful jade being trapped in filth.

Thinking that if Heaven loves an outstanding daughter and gave birth to such tenderness as water, why should it mistreat and abandon her like this? I couldn't help but feel stupid again and filled with sorrow and hatred for a while.

Then I thought of that beautiful lady marrying a man like Xue Pan. When she came to her senses, she would be in so much pain and regret. I'm afraid she would give up on herself from then on, and her beautiful jade and pearls would inevitably turn into dead fish eyes.

Thinking of this, Baoyu became so absorbed in the subject that he even forgot he was still at the table and began to sigh a few times.

If Aunt Xue knew what Baoyu was thinking, she would probably vomit to death...

When Tanchun saw that Baoyu was starting to act silly again, she secretly blamed herself for being too talkative and stopped talking about it. Fortunately, she only mentioned the beautiful girl and did not say which family she was from, so Baoyu would not have to get to the bottom of it.

……

February 12th, the Flower Goddess Festival, is Lin Daiyu's birthday.

Grandmother Jia asked Wang Xifeng to prepare a banquet in the Grand Flower Hall the day before to celebrate her precious granddaughter's birthday so that she could also have a good time.

It was just daybreak when lights were on in Daiyu's courtyard in the East Palace. Daiyu got up early, took a bath, changed into new clothes, and dressed herself in front of the diamond-shaped mirror.

The candlelight flickered, and the refreshing fragrance of a girl after her bath lingered in the boudoir.

Zijuan dried Daiyu's freshly washed hair with a soft Songjiang cotton towel, and saw Daiyu's beautiful face and rosy cheeks in the diamond-shaped mirror, which was very touching.

He smiled and said, "It was the Third Master who had a way to find that doctor Zhang Youpeng and get the precious medicine Sansheng Yanghun Pills. Since the girl started taking the medicine, she has been feeling much better than before.

In the past, I slept very lightly every night. It was considered very good if I could sleep through the night 30% of the time. Now, the girl sleeps very soundly every night, and her complexion has become better and better. "

Daiyu smiled and said, "I am fine. Although I was a little weak before, I am doing fine. It was only after taking this precious medicine that I realized the miraculous medical skills of Doctor Zhang.

My father has also been healed by him, and his condition must be getting better day by day, this is the most important thing."

While Daiyu was having Zijuan comb her hair, she picked up various gifts from the dressing table and played with them.

These are birthday gifts sent by sisters such as Yingchun, Tanchun, and Baochai. Most of them are things made with needlework, which show both thoughtfulness and warmth.

Baoyu also gave a New Year gift, a few gorgeous and luxurious hairpins and jewelry, which, judging from their appearance, were most likely from Grandmother Jia's collection, and were brought out to help Baoyu show off.

There is also a jar of rose rouge cream that Baoyu had made. He said that the rouge creams sold outside were not clean, and only the ones he made himself were clean and considerate enough.

It's just that the scent of this rose rouge is too strong. Although it suits Baoyu's personality, Daiyu is not used to the smell and naturally does not use it. She just leaves it there.

Daiyu saw an ebony carved wooden box among the gifts and a smile appeared on her face. It was a birthday gift from Jia Cong.

She opened the wooden box, and inside was a pair of bracelets carved from water-type jadeite. They were light red in color, crystal clear and flawless. They felt warm and cool on the wrists, which was very rare.

Zijuan saw Daiyu putting on the bracelets on both hands, playing with them and admiring them, as if she had found a very lovely item and couldn't let them go.

He smiled and said, “I heard from Wu’er that this pair of bracelets was found by the Third Master in an old shop in the north of the city after he visited all the jewelry shops in Shenjing. It is said that they are rare items that came out of the palace of the previous dynasty.

Because the color is very rare, like the color of a newly opened hibiscus flower, it is called Hibiscus Fat Jade. "

Daiyu wore the bracelets for a while, then took them off and carefully put them back into the box.

Zijuan asked, "You are the birthday girl today. You will look so pretty wearing these bracelets. They are also a token of your love. Why did you take them off again?"

Daiyu replied, "Although this pair of bracelets is nice, they are too eye-catching. There are no bracelets like this in my grandmother's collection. If I wear them at the banquet, everyone will notice them and ask me about them."

Zijuan was quick-witted and understood the meaning of this sentence as soon as she heard it.

Zijuan said, "I heard a few days ago from the West Mansion that the Second Madam wanted to arrange a marriage for Master Bao, and she vaguely heard that she wanted to marry Miss Bao."

Daiyu said casually, "What's so strange about this? In the past two years, our family has been talking about the golden and jade matchmaking, and my second aunt has always valued Sister Bao.

But Sister Bao is a proud person, so I’m afraid she may not agree. Haven’t you seen that she no longer wears that gold locket…?”

……

At noon, Grandmother Jia held a banquet in the Grand Hall to celebrate Daiyu's birthday. Jia Cong and his sisters gathered together, and it was very lively.

Aunt Xue was also invited, but her face no longer had the joy she had last time, because nearly a month had passed since the Xia mother and daughter left, and there was still no response, which meant that the matter must have failed.

Daiyu had invited Mrs. Wang in advance, but she didn't show up. It was said that she was ill and was recuperating in the east courtyard...

……

Rongguo Mansion, East Courtyard.

Today is Daiyu's birthday banquet, so Li Wan and Tanchun both went to attend the banquet. Even Jia Lan went with his mother. The whole east courtyard seemed a little deserted.

Jia Zheng was still at the government office during the day, leaving Mrs. Wang alone in the room, feeling depressed.

Although Mrs. Wang disliked Daiyu in her heart, she never showed it on her face, because Daiyu was the old lady's precious granddaughter. In the past, if there was a birthday banquet for Daiyu, although Mrs. Wang felt uncomfortable in her heart, she would definitely attend it to save face.

Especially now that the second house has moved to the East Courtyard, things are really different now. Mrs. Wang will not miss any opportunity to show up in the West Mansion with a legitimate reason.

But she claimed to be ill and could not go out today. She was really unhappy. She would not be in a good mood if she went. Rather than letting Lady Jia become suspicious, it would be better not to go.

Ever since Jia Cong inherited the hereditary title of Rong and the second branch of the family moved into the East Courtyard, Mrs. Wang was ashamed and angry. She felt that she had lost face and become a laughing stock in front of the eight branches of the Jia family in Shenjing.

I'm afraid that the news has now spread back to my hometown in Jinling. The eldest daughter of the Wang family married into the second branch of the Jia family and became the mistress of the house. How glorious it was at that time.

But now, because she failed to inherit the title, she became the mistress of a branch of the Jia family.

How much difference is there between her and those concubines of the Jia family who live on Ningrong Street and struggle day and night for a living?

As the mistress of the house who had lived in Rong Xi Tang for fifteen years, she could not accept such a setback in any way.

Although Baoyu is still favored by the old lady and lives in the West Mansion, even Mrs. Wang has long realized that Baoyu is useless after all.

Now the only person she can count on is her eldest daughter Yuanchun, who entered the palace as a female historian because of her virtue.

……

According to news from the palace, the queen has favored her daughter Yuanchun in the palace in the past two years, and it sounds like her situation is very good.

Mrs. Wang also heard a message from her brother Wang Ziteng that the current emperor was not interested in women and the previous selections were just for show and there were only a handful of beautiful ladies filling the harem.

But from the rumors, this three-year talent show is going to be a big deal, and there are reasons for it.

The current emperor has only three sons. The first son, Prince Zhao, and the second son, Prince Ning, have both reached adulthood and been conferred titles. The third son is not yet an adult and is being raised in the palace, but he has always been weak and sickly.

Among the emperor's sons, Prince of Zhao Li Chongmao was the most talented, both civil and military, and brilliant. He was highly regarded by Emperor Jiazhao and was always regarded as the person who would succeed the imperial throne.

However, last year when Jia Cong cracked a major case of the Wei army in Jinling, Zhang Kangnian, who was strongly supported and recommended by Prince Zhao, was found to be one of the main culprits in the case, and he was also the cousin of Princess Zhao.

With the support of Prince Zhao, Zhang Kangnian served successively as the commander of Suzhou Guard, the assistant commander of Jinling Commandery, and the right vice minister of the Ministry of War in the secondary capital. Each position he held involved the core of military power in Jiangnan.

If Zhang Kangnian was not involved in the Jinling Guard case, all this would not be so conspicuous.

However, Jia Cong found out that Zhang Kangnian was the culprit in a major crime and was involved in the abuse of power and chaos by the Jiangnan Guards. His benefactor, Prince Zhao, suddenly surfaced.

Many rumors spread inside and outside the court, most of which were that King Zhao had evil intentions, was cultivating power, and was controlling the maritime affairs of the Yangtze River Delta.

Although these rumors have not been proven to be true so far, they touched the most sensitive nerves of Emperor Jiazhao.

This made him feel deeply disappointed with the prince whom he had always relied on, and this gave rise to his vigilance and suspicion.

Ever since Jia Cong solved the major case in Nanjing and returned to Beijing to report, within just a few months, many of the officials deployed and recommended by the King of Zhao's army were severely punished. The lighter ones were dismissed from office, and the heavier ones were executed.

Emperor Jiazhao, who was already over 40 years old, suddenly realized the hidden danger of not having enough offspring, and word spread in the palace that this year's selection would be a serious matter.

All the girls aged 15 and above from official families enter the palace to wait for selection. Among the female officials in the six bureaus and twenty-four departments of the palace, those who are beautiful in appearance and virtuous have the honor of being selected.

The six bureaus within the Great Zhou Palace specifically refer to the Shanggong Bureau, Shangyi Bureau, Shangfu Bureau, Shangshi Bureau, Shangqin Bureau, and Shanggong Bureau. Under the six bureaus, there are twenty-four departments.

Yuanchun was an official in Fengzao Palace, which was under the jurisdiction of the Shanggong Bureau.

Because Wang Ziteng was falsely accused of being the first in the Yongzhou Academy Examination, a rift arose between the Jia and Wang families, making it difficult for Wang Ziteng to advance in his official career, and he was trapped in the nominal post of Jiedushi of Beijing Camp.

He spends the whole day racking his brains on how to take advantage of the situation and break the current deadlock in his career.

Because the second branch of the Jia family was demoted from a legitimate wife to a concubine, and all the glory and wealth were lost to others, Mrs. Wang is also trying her best to reverse the decline.

When the two siblings heard this earth-shaking news, they were naturally overwhelmed and placed all their hopes on Yuanchun, a woman of both talent and beauty.

……

Two days ago, in accordance with past practice, Mrs. Wang had someone pass a message to Wang Xifeng, asking her to take out four thousand taels of silver from the public treasury to use for palace affairs due to Yuanchun's third year incident.

Because Mrs. Wang knew that the situation of the Jia family had changed drastically, it was no longer in accordance with the patriarchal family rules for the second branch to withdraw money from the public on its own in addition to the daily monthly allowance.

Besides, the Jia family is now different from the past with Jia Cong supporting the family business. It is unclear whether they still need Yuanchun to curry favor in the palace.

Therefore, she did not have the confidence to tell Lady Jia about this matter first, so she tried to test Wang Xifeng's attitude first.

She originally thought that Wang Xifeng would not speak rashly after hearing this, and would definitely consult with Lady Jia, because Lady Jia had always been very enthusiastic about Yuanchun's chance to gain a position in the harem.

But things turned out to be beyond her expectations. Less than half a day after Wang Xifeng received the message, she asked Ping'er to pass on the message.

It was said that the money in the Rongguo Mansion was tight and not enough to withdraw a large sum of money at one time, so the matter was put on hold for the time being, and at that time Grandmother Jia did not send anyone to pass on the message.

Mrs. Wang knew that Wang Xifeng had not informed Lady Jia about this matter at all, and it did not look like she had made the decision on her own. She knew that it must be the boy from the East Palace who was backing her up, so she refused to transfer the money with a clear conscience.

Although Mrs. Wang hated Jia Cong for using his power as the head of the family to ruin the second wife's plan, she was even more angry with Wang Xifeng.

No matter how bad she is, she is still his own niece, but now she acts without any dignity at all. She is truly extremely vicious and cruel.

Mrs. Wang thought about the different status of her aunt and niece. Wang Xifeng had become the housekeeper's sister-in-law of the main branch of the Rong family, while she had become the mistress of a concubine's house in the Jia family. She was really angry to death.

Mrs. Wang originally wanted to go to Lady Jia and make a fuss about it, but Lady Jia had been busy celebrating her precious granddaughter's birthday these past two days. If she ruined the old lady's mood, she would most likely not be in a good mood.

Moreover, Mrs. Wang was not sure whether Lady Jia would still favor the second wife. Not only had the old lady been in the inner house for her whole life, she also understood how to judge the situation better than she did.

Therefore, Mrs. Wang could only endure these two days and then find time to discuss the matter with Lady Jia.

After all, as long as Yuanchun can get a higher position in the harem, the second and first branches of the Jia family will be able to compete with each other and no longer have to rely on others in the East Courtyard. I think the old lady will be happy to see this happen...

……

Just as Mrs. Wang was worried about Yuanchun and was feeling restless, the maid Caiyun came over and said that Mrs. Xia had come to visit her with gifts.

Mrs. Wang was surprised when she heard this. If Mrs. Xia wanted to visit, she should have gone to Lixiangyuan to visit her sister. Why would she come to visit her?
Although Mrs. Wang thought so in her heart, she asked Caiyun to quickly invite the person into the inner courtyard.

Now that the second branch of the Jia family has fallen into decline and has no wealth or power in the Jia family, the Guihua and Xia families are well-known wealthy royal merchants in the capital, so Mrs. Wang is naturally willing to interact more with such a family.

After Mrs. Xia entered the inner courtyard, Mrs. Wang served her tea and exchanged some pleasantries. Only then did Mrs. Xia explain her purpose with an apologetic look.

Mrs. Wang was very surprised to hear this. Mrs. Xia said that ever since the Xue family returned, they had been interested in this marriage, but she had asked a senior monk to tell her daughter's fortune half a month ago.

The monk said that his daughter and Mr. Xue's zodiac signs were incompatible, and if they were forced to get married, disaster would befall them.

The Xia family was afraid of hurting the Xue family's sincere feelings, so they could not go to the Xue family's house to refuse, so they had to ask Mrs. Jia to convey their apology on their behalf.

Mrs. Wang didn't know whether what Mrs. Xia said about the monk was true, or just an excuse for the Xia family to look down on Xue Pan.

However, this matter has nothing to do with her, and it is her sister who should be worried. There is no need for her to create a rift with the Xia family because of this matter.

Besides, Mrs. Wang had a good impression of Miss Xia and thought that she was a first-class person. She secretly felt that Xue Pan was not worthy of her. It was common sense that their marriage did not work out...

However, since Xue Pan's marriage failed, the marriage of Baoyu and Baochai would be delayed as well. He didn't know how to resolve the situation. Although he was a little troubled, there was nothing he could do.

Besides, Mrs. Xia was very polite. She came only to convey a request, but she brought two boxes of gifts.

The boxes are filled with a wide variety of high-quality silks, ginseng and antlers from previous years, the finest ambergris spices, and so on.

Mrs. Wang was used to being a housewife, so naturally she had some knowledge and insight. If these gifts were from previous years, even though they were expensive, they were nothing in themselves.

Now that the situation has changed drastically, when I see these things again, my feelings are different from before. I can only sigh in my heart at the generosity and wealth of the Xia family.

However, she didn't know that although Mrs. Xia came to ask for help in arranging a marriage, she had other intentions. She wanted to use this matter to establish a good relationship with the Jia family, so she gave so many gifts.

Mrs. Wang said kindly, "Mrs. Xia is too polite. We must be careful when it comes to our children's marriages. Since it is a senior monk's divination, we naturally cannot disobey it, so as not to hurt our children's relationship.

My sister is from a noble family, she is kind and well-mannered, and she will definitely understand Madam Xia's painstaking efforts. I will speak for the two families, but it is not worth it."

Mrs. Wang opened up about the matter, and Mrs. Xia was a clever person, so the two of them became more and more friendly in their conversation, and the atmosphere between the host and the guest became more and more harmonious.

While the two women were serving tea and chatting, Mrs. Xia also talked about the family business, and the difficulties of being an orphan and a widow with no one to inherit the family business.

He also inadvertently mentioned some of the Xia family’s connections in the Imperial Household Department and the palace….

Mrs. Xia was just talking casually, but Mrs. Wang was listening attentively, and her eyes could not help but light up slightly. (End of this chapter)