Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Rongguo Mansion, Baoyu Courtyard.

Under the silver needle of Zhang Youshi, Baoyu suddenly woke up, scaring everyone in the room.

Both Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang's faces were filled with surprise and relief. Maids such as Xiren and Sheyue were all relieved, as if they had escaped a disaster from the brink of death.

Everyone in the room had different expressions, and some looked at Baoyu with strange eyes...

At this time, Jia Cong and Zijuan just entered the room. He saw the whole scene and a sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Zhang Youshi smiled and calmly put the silver needles into the medicine box. Doctor Hu, who was taking medicine for three days, looked embarrassed and at a loss...

Jia Cong smiled and stepped forward and said, "Mr. Zhang has superb medical skills and acupuncture skills. The effects are immediate. I admire you, I admire you!"

Zhang Youshi smiled and said, “There are countless diseases in the world. All you need to do is observe, listen, ask and palpate, and prescribe the right medicine. This is just a small trick, and I really don’t deserve the excessive praise from Lord Weiyuan.

"My brother, your illness is only a minor one, not a serious one. I will prescribe two doses of calming medicine for you. After you take it for two days, you will be completely cured."

Zhang Youshi's implication was nonchalant, as if no medicine was needed and Baoyu was fine, and that prescribing a few doses of medicine was just a way of saving face.

Jia Cong said to Lin Zhixiao's wife at the door, "Auntie Lin, take Mr. Zhang to the side hall for tea and prescription. I will give you double the medical fee as a reward."

Zhang Youshi said modestly, "Lord Weiyuan is too polite. A doctor is like a parent. My brother's illness is minor and it is not a difficult or complicated disease that requires special acupuncture. I am not worthy of the double medical fee."

Jia Cong smiled and said, "Mr. Zhang is too modest. As the saying goes, a strange disease must be treated with a strange method. Who knows, there may be something in the future that will require Mr. Zhang to show his magical powers."

At this moment, Baoyu suddenly woke up, and everyone in the room gathered in front of the bed, surrounding it so tightly that no one could get through.

Therefore, many people did not pay attention to the conversation between Jia Cong and Zhang Youshi.

However, Wang Xifeng was too fat to join in the fun, so she remained seated, with Ping'er and Feng'er guarding her side.

Naturally, they all heard what Jia Cong said. Ping'er's pretty face turned red at Jia Cong's half-hearted tone, but she really shouldn't laugh, so she had to lower her head even more.

Wang Xifeng saw that Jia Cong was not visiting Baoyu seriously, but was chatting nonsense with the doctor who was pricking people with needles. It was obvious that she was very disdainful of Baoyu's strange illness.

When Wang Xifeng heard him solemnly instructing Zhang Youshi to use his magic needle skills again if he had any problems in the future, she felt like laughing a little but she forced herself to restrain herself, and the corners of her delicate mouth kept twitching.

Suddenly, she frowned slightly and put her hand on her bulging belly. She had just suppressed her laughter and disturbed the fetus. She took a few deep breaths to relieve herself...

……

Baoyu suddenly woke up. Xiren saw the glaring pinhole on the base of his left hand, which was still oozing blood. It seemed filled with strange irony, and she couldn't help feeling strange.

She quickly took a red brocade pillow, leaned it against Baoyu's back, and helped him sit up.

Both Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang were delighted. They stood around the bed, asking about his health and showing endless love and care.

Baoyu saw that there were many people standing by the bed, with caring looks in everyone's eyes. He felt happy and warm in his heart, and the pain from the needle poking his palm faded a lot.

He looked around the crowd but didn't see the beautiful figure he loved to see the most, and felt aggrieved.

Seeing the loving eyes of Lady Jia and Lady Wang, she became even more furious and cried out, "This is terrible! The Lin family wants to take Miss Lin back to Suzhou, and they want to take me with them!"

Perhaps it was because Baoyu had been lying still for a long time while holding his breath, and his strength was a little weak, so the strange cry was a little distorted, and it sounded like a black crow's roar.

Because Grandmother Jia was old, she was frightened by Baoyu's sudden strange cry.

Mrs. Wang was much calmer and tried to comfort him with soft words, but Baoyu became more and more abnormal and crazy, and kept shouting over and over again that Sister Lin could not return to the south.

Grandmother Jia comforted him, "Don't talk nonsense about that. Baoyu, just rest assured. Your sister Lin will not return to Suzhou. I will definitely not allow it. Just be at ease."

Baoyu just heard Jia Cong calling her Aunt Lin, and he immediately cried out, "Oh my, this is terrible! The Lin family is here to pick her up. We must not let them take her away!"

Grandmother Jia coaxed, "Where did the Lin family come from? They are three thousand miles away. They can't come over for ten days or half a month. If they come, I won't let them take them away."

Baoyu became more and more involved and said, "Except for Sister Lin, no one else can be named Lin!"

Grandmother Jia said quickly: "No one with the surname Lin is coming. All those with the surname Lin are kicked out."

Then he said to the others, "Send Lin Zhixiao's wife away as well. Tell her not to enter the garden anymore."

At this time, everyone wanted to laugh, but they were too embarrassed to laugh out loud.

Baoyu was completely immersed in it. He saw a golden Western self-propelled boat on the shelf of the museum. He pointed at it and shouted, "Isn't that the boat to pick up Sister Lin? It's docked over there."

Grandmother Jia hurriedly ordered someone to take it down. Baoyu stretched out his hand to tuck it into the quilt, grinning foolishly, "But I can't go!"

……

At this moment, no one else in the room dared to laugh, except Jia Cong, who had a smile on his face. He watched with great interest. This scene seemed familiar, even a famous scene.

He had never dreamed that the drama he thought was full of affection would turn out to be so ridiculous when he was actually in it, like a play performed by a group of third-rate actors.

Zijuan, who was beside him, bit her pink lips tightly and tried hard to hold back her smile. Seeing Jia Cong's unbridled smile, she felt that something was wrong and pulled his sleeves a few times as a reminder.

At this moment, Baoyu happened to see Zijuan standing next to Jia Cong through the gap in the crowd. She was pretty and graceful, and his eyes couldn't help but light up.

He was surprisingly full of energy and suddenly jumped off the bed, which scared Xiren who was beside him.

He rushed towards Zijuan swiftly and shouted in a sharp voice: "Zijuan, you are here too, is it Sister Lin who came to see me too? Where is she?"

When Zijuan saw him suddenly rushing towards her, waving his hands as if he wanted to grab her, she screamed in fear and immediately hid behind Jia Cong, grabbing his clothes and not daring to let go.

Jia Cong turned slightly and stood in front of Zijuan, looking at Baoyu with a calm and cold gaze, and did not speak for a while.

When Baoyu met Jia Cong's calm gaze, he felt a little guilty and his momentum suddenly weakened, but when he thought of the old lady and the lady being there, his courage suddenly returned.

He continued to speak crazily and said, "Zijuan, you know my feelings for my sister best, you must not leave, if you leave I will go back to the south with Sister Lin..."

Jia Cong was originally in the mood to watch a play, but after hearing Baoyu's ridiculous words, he was no longer in the mood to do so. He became angry and was about to speak.

But someone at the door shouted angrily: "You shameless beast, what are you doing for no reason?"

The scolding was fierce and violent, without any mercy at all, which was extremely out of tune with the originally doting and soft atmosphere in the room.

It's like someone kicked over a pot of hot soup and then maliciously poured a pot of ice water on it. It makes people feel so disgusted that they want to grit their teeth, and they feel a chill in their hearts for no reason.

Baoyu was so frightened that his whole body was shaking. The madness and wildness on his face disappeared in an instant, along with his infatuated demeanor. He felt his legs go weak and he was about to collapse to the ground, but he didn't even dare to fart.

Jia Cong looked back and saw Jia Zheng walking into the room with a stern expression and eyes wide open, staring at Baoyu with obvious anger.

……

Although Wang Xifeng sent a message to the East Courtyard early, Jia Zheng was in the yamen during the day, so naturally he could not get any news. Mrs. Wang thought that something had happened to Baoyu, so she asked the servant to go to the Ministry of Works to report the news.

Although Jia Zheng was angry at his son for not living up to his expectations, he was also frightened when he heard that his son had suddenly fallen ill and his life or death was unknown. He asked for leave from his superior and hurried home.

As soon as he entered the inner courtyard, he met Lin Zhixiao's wife who was seeing Zhang Youshi off, so he asked about Baoyu's illness.

Lin Zhixiao's wife still resents Mrs. Wang for humiliating her daughter. Now that the second branch has moved to the east courtyard, there is still Tai Sui left in the west mansion, and she has to serve him carefully on a daily basis, which makes her feel a little annoyed.

Not only had she heard Xiren's account of the incident, but she had also seen with her own eyes how effective Zhang Youshi's silver needle skills were.

She is an old resident of Rongguo Mansion, so how could she not know what was going on?

After hearing Jia Zheng ask about Baoyu, he naturally did not hide anything and told Jia Zheng everything in detail.

As the saying goes, no one knows a son better than his father. Jia Zheng knew the whole story and knew what was going on. Baoyu had experienced this kind of thing countless times since he was a child.

Thinking that his son has reached the age of dancing elephants this year, and others have already made great achievements, but he is still so disappointing, hanging around in the inner house all day, playing tricks that make people laugh.

Jia Zheng could not help but feel disappointed and intermittently furious. He wished he could rush into the inner courtyard and kill this rebellious son on the spot, and thus uphold the family tradition of the second branch.

……

When Jia Cong saw Jia Zheng coming, he knew that this farce would come to an abrupt end.

She said, "Baoyu, Sister Lin is not feeling well and needs to recuperate in the East Palace. She will not come to see you, so I sent Zijuan to follow the etiquette.

Zijuan, Baoyu is well now, and Sister Lin cannot do without your care every day, so go back and take good care of her, and don't waste time here."

After hearing this, Zijuan felt as if she had been pardoned. Her face was filled with joy. She looked at Jia Cong with admiration in her bright and beautiful eyes. She bowed slightly and left in a hurry.

Baoyu was unwilling to see this and blurted out, "Zijuan..."

Zijuan was so frightened when she heard this that she didn't even dare to turn her head back. She quickened her pace and left the room.

Baoyu was thinking of Daiyu and was getting a little carried away, so he subconsciously wanted to chase after her.

Then Jia Zheng shouted, "How dare you do such a thing!"

Baoyu screamed in fear, ran to the bed quickly, threw himself into Grandmother Jia's arms, and shouted, "Grandfather, save me."

Jia Cong saw that Baoyu was intimidated by Jia Zheng's power and was as agile as himself when he moved around. There was no sign of illness at all... Wang Xifeng found Baoyu's appearance more and more annoying. Besides, when Jia Zheng entered the inner courtyard, ordinary women had to avoid him.

It was not appropriate for her to stay as she was dragging her body, so she asked Ping'er and Feng'er to help her leave. The other women in the room also took the opportunity to follow Wang Xifeng and leave.

The room was crowded with people just now, but now they have quickly dispersed like the tide, becoming deserted and empty.

Apart from Jia Zheng and Jia Cong, there were only Jia Mu, Lady Wang, Xiren and other maids in the room.

……

Seeing Jia Zheng being so violent towards Baoyu, Jia's mother was dissatisfied and said, "Baoyu is your own son, why do you have to be so cruel as soon as you come back, beating or scolding him?

As a result, whenever he sees you, he avoids you like a cat or a mouse, and is so frightened that his body becomes so weak that he gets sick easily. How can you, as a father, be so cruel!"

Jia Zheng's face was filled with indignation. He said, "Madam, if he had done a little better, why would your son be so angry? I heard about it as soon as I got home.

Miss Lin only gave him a few words of advice about studying and going to school, and they were all very reasonable and good words, so it didn't matter if he didn't listen.

But he just chose to act like a spoiled brat and act stupid to please others. No one else can tell from his behavior. He is really shameless and ugly. How could Miss Lin be interested in a man like him?

"Little girl Lin is originally from Gusu, and her father is still alive. Even if she returns to her hometown, it is only natural. It is not the right of this beast to say anything about her, and it is not shameful at all!"

Jia Zheng's words were like sharp knives, each one piercing Baoyu's secrets in his heart and tearing his skin and bones apart. His face turned red and white, and he just wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

When Baoyu heard the last sentence: How could Lin girl fall in love with a man like him, he felt even more ashamed and angry. His head was spinning and although he was crying out in his heart, he dared not utter a single word.

He was just about to roll his eyes as usual, and faint and go crazy again, so that he could vent and show off, but suddenly he remembered that Jia Zheng was present, and it would inevitably be like he was flirting with a blind man.

He rolled his eyes halfway, then rolled them back, lowered his head, and shrugged his shoulders a little, not daring to act rashly...

Jia Zheng said: "Madam, I have always liked Lin's appearance and character. She is as outstanding as my sister was.

The lady also mentioned that she wanted to arrange a marriage for the two of them, and her son was naturally very willing to do so. However, the Lin family in Suzhou was a family of scholars and officials, and his brother-in-law was a world-renowned scholar.

My son has always felt that Baoyu is not a good match for me. He originally wanted to wait until his brother-in-law had taken care of the Lianghuai salt affairs before writing to him to discuss the matter. It will see if Baoyu is so lucky. "

Jia Zheng glanced at Mrs. Wang and continued, “I didn’t expect that you would act so hastily and talk to the old lady about this matter first, which spread the news and made this evil creature indulge in his wishful thinking.

A young man from a noble family, who does not know how to respect himself, is lazy and shameless and cannot listen to the advice of others, and actually acts like a scoundrel without knowing the consequences.

There is nothing that can be kept secret between the two governments. How can he still have the face to live up to his reputation if his words and deeds get out?

Besides, my brother-in-law is a man of both literary and martial talent, and Baoyu is definitely not capable of that. I no longer have the face to propose marriage to my brother-in-law, so let’s just leave it at that!”

Although Jia Zheng's words sounded discouraged, they were not spoken in an angry tone. His tone was deep and came from the bottom of his heart. Although Jia's mother was unhappy to hear them, she could not find any fault with them and could only listen to his nagging.

Although Mrs. Wang was dissatisfied with the master's scolding and belittling of his son, since the old lady didn't say anything, as a daughter-in-law, she didn't dare to say a word even if she was resentful.

……

After hearing what his father said, Baoyu, who was standing by, was no longer willing to make the decision for himself and Lin Daiyu. He felt hopeless and his whole body was shaking like a sieve.

He was doted on by Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang since he was young, and was the treasure of the east and west mansions of the Jia family. He always got what he wanted, and if he couldn't get what he wanted, he would just smash a piece of jade to be satisfied.

But he didn't expect that a lie in the inner courtyard would ruin his reputation and get him beaten up. The worst thing was that the master no longer allowed him to wear the jade and put it away.

This made Baoyu lose his biggest support for throwing a tantrum, and completely destroyed the jade-throwing skill he had practiced since childhood.

He had been obsessed with Daiyu's beauty and grace since he was a child. He thought that the most outstanding girl in the world should be with him for life, so that he would live up to his narcissism and never give up...

But he didn't expect that Daiyu actually valued studying and taking exams, which was very different from his lazy nature. If Baoyu worked hard because of this, perhaps he would have some opportunities.

Unfortunately, he had been accustomed to acting like a spoiled brat since he was a child, so he could not bear any hardship. He wanted to win the heart of Lin Daiyu by fainting and making a big fuss.

But I didn't expect that the damn quack doctor would be so cruel that he would stick such a thick needle into his body and ruin his own plans.

In the end, even my master was mad at me and was unwilling to make a decision for me and Lin Daiyu. What should I do? What should I do...

……

Without mentioning Baoyu's foolish thoughts, Jia Zheng continued, "Madam, after seeing what happened today, it is clear that Lin and Baoyu are not on good terms, so it is impossible for this to be a happy omen.

Since my brother-in-law is a man of both literary and military talent, we know that he has already made up his mind and will never agree to this matter. I advise the old lady to let go of this idea from now on.

The old lady doted on my sister the most in her life. Girl Lin is the only blood left by my sister. The old lady also hopes that this girl can marry a talented man of her dreams in the future and have someone to rely on for the rest of her life.

If my brother-in-law comes to take Lin back to the south in the future, even if the old lady is reluctant, she must not stop him, so as not to ruin the relationship between the Jia and Lin families. If my sister knew about it, she would also be worried. "

After hearing what her son said, Jia's mother was naturally upset and dissatisfied, but she had to admit that what her son said made some sense.

He said, "All these things have happened out of nowhere. Even if Lin girl is not successful, Baoyu is already fifteen years old and it is time for him to get married. As a father, you should also make plans for him."

At this time, Jia Cong, who was standing aside, heard what Jia's mother said, and realized that she had already backed off from the relationship between Baoyu and Daiyu that she had been looking forward to for many years.

Jia Cong had spent a lot of effort to break up the bad relationship between Yingchun and Sun Shaozu. Now that Baoyu didn't have to bother him, he was naturally relieved and felt quite refreshed...

……

At this time, Grandmother Jia had already given up most of her hopes for Daiyu to marry Baoyu. She couldn't help but feel distressed when she thought that her precious granddaughter would one day return to Gusu and she would never see her again.

Inadvertently, she saw Jia Cong who was still in the room. Thinking of what her brother-in-law said about talented men in both civil and military affairs, this Cong brother was an excellent candidate...

But when he thought about it carefully, he felt that this matter was inappropriate. Now that Cong Ge'er had two titles and was highly regarded by the two supreme rulers in the palace, he would most likely not be able to escape the matter of an arranged marriage in the future.

His hereditary title will definitely be taken away by a marriage arranged by the palace, and the hereditary title of Rong State will be left, which requires careful planning.

Now that the Jia family has lost the title of Duke and their original Ningguo foundation, if they want to maintain the family's wealth and prosperity, marriage is the most appropriate way.

Even if she let go of her grudges, she would marry her beloved granddaughter to him.

However, the Lin family's ancestral assets were far away in the south of the Yangtze River, which was beyond the reach of the Jia family, so it was difficult for them to gain benefits from it to support their family business.

But if he still follows the original plan, betroth his niece Xiangyun to Jia Cong as his second wife, and let Xiangyun's descendants inherit the hereditary title of Rong State.

But you can get greater family convenience from it...

The Baolinghou Shi family and the Rongguo Jia family both have their roots in the capital. The two families have joined forces through marriage, and their power is so strong that they are far superior to the Lin family in every way. Besides, the Shi family is Jia Mu's legitimate family...

Although compared to Shi Xiangyun, Grandmother Jia loves her granddaughter Lin Daiyu more.

But as the wife of the Jia family, considering the continuation of her family's wealth and power, she would choose Shi Xiangyun without hesitation.

Grandmother Jia thought about the reasoning behind this. Although she felt sad that Lin Daiyu would eventually return to the south, she could only do this after weighing the pros and cons...

……

Grandmother Jia's mind was in turmoil, and she made up her mind in an instant. Then, seeing Baoyu, who was distraught beside her, she felt distressed again.

After listening to his grandmother's words about Baoyu's marriage, Jia Zheng thought for a moment, then said with a wry smile, "What the old lady said is quite reasonable, but Baoyu's nonsense in the inner chamber has already ruined his reputation.

It is definitely impossible to find a marriage for him in the capital among noble and official families. According to my son's thoughts, it is better to do things in a practical way.

I'm afraid Baoyu is not good enough for the imperial examinations. He is not like Cong, who can achieve great success outside. It is better for him to keep a low profile in everything and avoid unexpected risks in the future.

It would be safer to find him a girl with some family background, she doesn't have to be from a wealthy family, as long as she is a dignified, kind-hearted and well-educated girl.

In the capital, there is more room for selection of such women. It is good to choose a reliable marriage for him. As long as he can settle down and live a stable life in the future, that's enough."

……

Baoyu is feeling extremely sad about the breakup of his marriage with Daiyu. He wishes he could die immediately and is feeling sorrowful and depressed.

But he heard the old lady and the mistress talking excitedly about finding women for him to marry all over the capital. It seemed like they were selling people. Such a vulgar thing was actually going to happen to him.

Matchmaking and blind marriages were things that an innocent man like him despised the most. Now he could not escape his fate and fell into filth, and he wanted to cry but had no tears.

Maids such as Xiren and Sheyue looked at Baoyu, who looked angry and mad, with a distorted face and a dull look, as if he was about to have another attack. They were all filled with lingering fear.

Sheyue even thought about whether the divine doctor Zhang had left the house just now. Should she ask him to come back to prepare for the attack? In case the second master got sick, she could give him another injection to cure the problem...

……

After hearing this, Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang felt a little sad. In their hearts, Baoyu was still Bao Tianwang and Bao Fenghuang.

It was really hard for them to accept that the legitimate son of the Rongguo Mansion could not even marry into an official family and could only marry a girl from an ordinary family.

But they also knew that what Jia Zheng said made sense, as this was Baoyu's current situation.

Mrs. Wang glanced at Jia Cong standing aside, and hatred grew in her heart. If it weren't for this little beast who had played with Baochai, that would have been the most suitable marriage for Baoyu.

Now I have to spend more time and effort to find a good match for my Baoyu... (End of this chapter)