Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Rongguo Mansion, Baoyu Courtyard.

Baoyu and Bihen in the room separated as if they had touched burning charcoal when they heard Xiren's words. Baoyu was so frightened that his face turned pale. His wife hated him the most for fooling around with a maid.

Last time, he just flirted with Jin Chuan, and his wife chased Jin Chuan out, almost causing a death. What should he do now?

Thinking of this, Baoyu really envied Jia Cong. He lived alone in the East Palace, and he had so many first-class pretty maids around him. He could do whatever he wanted, and no one could control him...

Bihen was a woman, but she was not as useless as Baoyu. Although she was also frightened and her face turned pale, she was actually calmer than him.
She reacted very quickly, not caring that her hair was disheveled and her collar was open. She pulled off the towel from her waist, dipped it in the tea in the cup, and used it to wipe the rouge off Baoyu's face.

He complained in a low voice: "Second Master is always making trouble, and he chose such a critical moment. If Madam finds out, I will be dead..."

Fortunately, the rouge on Baoyu's face was still wet and was easily wiped off with tea. Bihen was skillful and cleaned Baoyu's face in just a few strokes.

Then he said, "Good Second Master, when the Madam comes later, you must not let anything slip."

Hearing footsteps approaching at the door, she ignored her disheveled clothes, walked around the bookshelf in the room, and slipped into the backyard through the back door of the inner room.

Just as Bi Hen stepped out of the room, the front door was pushed open and Xiren followed behind Mrs. Wang and they both walked in.

When Mrs. Wang saw the books on the table, she couldn't help but smile. The depression she had just felt in Rongqing Hall suddenly dissipated a lot.

He smiled and said, "My son, it's amazing that you are now so motivated and willing to study hard. Just work hard and earn my respect in the future."

But when she saw Baoyu's face, Mrs. Wang frowned again and said, "It's good that you are willing to study hard, but you can't be so sloppy. How can you get tea all over your face?"

When Baoyu heard what Mrs. Wang said about his face, he was frightened, fearing that the green mark had not been cleaned up, so he hurriedly wiped it with his hand, and his hands were stained with tea.

It turned out that Bihen had just wiped the rouge off Baoyu's face, and was afraid that she would be exposed if she didn't wipe it clean, so she soaked the towel with tea. Although the rouge was wiped off, Baoyu's face was covered with tea.

Mrs. Wang said, "Xiren, although Baoyu needs to be quiet when he studies, it is not good to leave him alone in the room. At least we should arrange for a little maid to watch over him and serve him tea and water."

After hearing this, Xiren quickly agreed, but she felt strange because she had just arranged for a little maid to follow, but later someone came out and said that Bihen was guarding inside.

Now the room is empty, there is no trace of Bihen.

Xiren was just feeling puzzled when she suddenly saw a silver hairpin with peach blossom pattern and kingfisher feathers on the floor next to the desk. Xiren recognized it as Bihen's.

The silver hairpin is something that is worn on the bun. It is usually inserted very deep and will not fall off unless the bun is messy.

Xiren looked at the tea stains on Baoyu's face and the lingering blush. She and Baoyu had had sex many times before and knew all the traces of their love affairs. It was no wonder she guessed what had happened.

It must be Bihen's slut. He was doing good things in there with the Second Master just now. He was so slutty that even his hair was messed up, and he left evidence on the ground.

……

Although Mrs. Wang was an experienced person, she was not as meticulous as Xiren, a personal maid, and did not notice anything wrong with Baoyu.

Mrs. Wang gave Baoyu a few more instructions, then asked him to continue reading, and left the study with Xiren.

When they reached the gate of the courtyard, he told Xiren: "Baoyu has reached the age of dancing elephants. Last year, because of Cong'er's succession to the title, there was a lot of trouble, which caused Baoyu to be criticized.

Now you must serve carefully and not let him make any more mistakes. Saving him is also saving me, and I will naturally not treat you unfairly in the future."

Xiren said quickly, "Don't worry, Madam. I will serve you carefully. Now that the second young lady is in charge of the East Palace, the other young ladies spend more time there.

The people of the West Palace come and go easily, and there are fewer disputes. We serve carefully, and Master Bao will be safe."

Mrs. Wang thought it made sense. She heard that Baochai often went to the East Palace to talk to the sisters. It was because she went in and out of the East Palace so often that she was seduced by that boy and her reputation was tarnished for nothing.

My Baoyu is in the West Mansion. A man of such integrity cannot be as dissolute as that little beast. He must protect his good reputation. It would be ok if he failed in studies, but what matters is that he maintains his moral character.

Mrs. Wang asked again, "Now that Baoyu has turned fifteen, you will naturally feel relieved to have two people in the room. Among the maids around Baoyu, do you think there are any who are particularly clever and obedient?"

When Xiren heard this, she was delighted. This was a promise from Mrs. Wang that after Master Bao’s fifteenth birthday, she would be a fair and upright girl and would be the Master’s concubine in the future.

As for the second candidate for Baoyu's room, Xiren had weighed it many times in her mind, and she wanted to find someone who could help her and not hinder her.

Originally, Musk Moon had a straightforward personality and was not competitive, making her a very suitable candidate. However, Musk Moon was actually shrewd and capable by nature, and no one knew what would happen when she got to the top.

A cunning and vicious person like Qiu Wen must not be allowed to get involved with Master Bao.

Xiren originally favored Bihen. Although she had some little thoughts, she was timid. She was not as aggressive as Qiu Wen, nor as smart and powerful as She Yue. She was even a little stupid.

Such a person is just right to control and will not harm Xiren. As for the time when she took a bath with Master Bao that year, it was probably because Master Bao got angry and it was not a big deal in the mansion.

But today, when she saw the silver hairpin on the ground and the marks on Baoyu's body, Xiren felt a little disgusted with Bihen and blamed herself for being blind.

This little bitch must have been thinking about the time when Second Master would be fifteen years old. In order to win the title of girl, she seduced Second Master Bao in broad daylight. It's really hard to judge a person by his appearance.

Xiren said, "The maids in the Second Master's room are all as stupid as I am. There is no one who stands out. It's hard to say.

Madam, you have a wide range of knowledge and a sharp eye. Only the person chosen by you is truly reliable. I have no right to speak for you." Mrs. Wang was very pleased to hear Xiren's words and smiled.

He said, "After all, you are gentle and generous, and you know the importance of everything. I will discuss this matter with the master later. I will rest assured if you just take good care of Baoyu and his family."

……

Rongguo Mansion, Fengjie's Courtyard.

After Jia Cong's persuasion, Aunt Xue's matter was settled. Wang Xifeng chatted with Lady Jia for a while, then felt sore and tired, so she asked Ping'er to help her back to the yard.

Having walked a long way, Wang Xifeng returned to the inner room and leaned on the warm kang, resting for a while before her sore waist recovered.

She said to Ping'er who was busy beside her, "Just now when you were in Rongqing Hall, I mentioned that Brother Cong had released someone in his room. Did you see the old lady's expression?"

Ping Er thought for a moment and said, "Grandma is talking about mandarin ducks."

Wang Xifeng said, "Last year, when the eldest master wanted to marry Yuanyang, there was a big fuss. Everyone could see that Yuanyang had feelings for Brother Cong, but for the sake of the old lady's face, no one said anything.

I didn't expect that the old lady had already known the situation clearly, and had placed some idle pieces in her mind, waiting for Brother Cong to turn fifteen. The old lady's thoughts are deep enough."

Ping Er suddenly said gloomily, "Yuan Yang is the old lady's most trusted person. Will she really be good to the Third Master?"

Ping'er's current thought is that Yuanyang is Grandmother Jia's most beloved maid, and if Grandmother Jia really gave her to Jia Cong, it was just to make her an eye and ear, and it was not necessarily that she treated Jia Cong sincerely.

Wang Xifeng laughed and scolded, "I think you are out of your mind. Someone comes to snatch your food, but you don't take precautions. Instead, you worry about whether she is sincere.

She is sincere to my third brother, so how can she be good to you? Fortunately, she gave you to my third brother. If she gave you to someone else who has no conscience, I think you would be eaten up without leaving anything behind. "

Ping'er's pretty face turned red. "Look at what grandma said. If the old lady really gave the girl to the Third Master, the elder's gift cannot be refused. The Third Master can't refuse it. If he is not sincere, it will cause trouble."

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "You don't have to worry about that. Third brother is very good at training women. Look at the maids in his room. They are all very harmonious on weekdays and none of them are fighting for favor or making trouble.

Firstly, they have very different personalities, and secondly, they probably know that the third brother is very capable and will not tolerate any injustice, so none of them dare to cause trouble.

So no matter who enters my third brother’s room, no trouble can be caused. You will be safe when you enter in the future.

If it were Baoyu's room, it would be a completely different story. There was no Buddha in his room, but Sun Wukong was everywhere.

Except for Sheyue who is not competitive, all the other maids, including Xiren, are not easy to deal with. They will definitely open water and land ceremonies in the future, which will be very lively and exciting."

……

Wang Xifeng asked again, "Why is Wu'er not here? Where is he busy again?"

Ping Erh said, "Just now I accompanied Grandma to Rongqing Hall, and Wu Erh asked Lin Zhixiao's wife to take her to check the accounts of the inner courtyard. According to the time, they should have finished checking, and they should have returned to the East Palace now.

She asked me to help her find some top-quality lamb liver and venison, which I will deliver to her later."

Wang Xifeng said with a smile: "Wu Er is also stubborn and works wholeheartedly for Third Brother. No wonder Third Brother dotes on her so much.

Logically speaking, since you have entered a man's room, I should teach you how to win his favor, so that you won't be left with nothing and lose face for me.

But it's different with my third brother. He is too shrewd and powerful. He can't tolerate any injustice. If you act strong in front of him, he will most likely be annoyed.

If you are modest and gentle, he will surely love you more."

Ping'er blushed and said unconsciously, "What grandma said is true..."

Wang Xifeng suppressed her laughter and said, "Silly girl, I will teach you a trick. Now that you and Wu Er are both in charge of the household, you have a close relationship, which means you are close to Wu Er.

You should get along better with this girl, so that you won't be alone in your third brother's room anymore, as you will have someone to help each other.

But I am worried that with the old lady's incident, no one can do anything to Zhishao, and I am afraid that Wu'er will be taken advantage of by others."

The master and servant chatted about some other gossip. Feng'er came in from outside and said that the top-quality mutton liver and venison that Sister Ping'er wanted had been obtained and was being moved to the yard and cooled with ice.

Since these things were asked by Wu'er to be prepared by Ping'er, Ping'er asked the maid to carry the things and go with her to the East Palace to find Wu'er.

Wang Xifeng saw Ping'er walking out of the yard through the window, smiled slightly, and gently touched her bulging belly, with some kindness in her eyes.

In terms of selfish thoughts, Wang Xifeng's most trusted maid is Ping'er. She does not want Yuanyang to enter Jia Cong's room because Yuanyang is Lady Jia's confidant and will definitely be biased towards Lady Jia.

If there is another person like this, whispering in Jia Cong's ear, it might lead Jia Cong astray, which would not be a good thing for Wang Xifeng.

Now Jia Lian has been exiled to Liaodong for fifteen years and has not returned for such a long time. During this long period of time, Wang Xifeng and her children have been relying on Jia Cong as a big tree to provide them with shelter from the wind and shade.

She even sent away a confidant like Ping'er, but having invested so much money, she naturally didn't want any more complications, so she had to be meticulous in everything and take precautions against any problems.

She had just mentioned something to Ping'er, but she hadn't said it explicitly. However, given the girl's soft and infatuated nature towards Cong Lao San, Wang Xifeng could probably guess what she would say... (End of this chapter)