Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 587: Bewitching and Involved

Rongguo Mansion, East Courtyard.

In the main hall, Madam Wang was chatting with Mrs. Xia, while Miss Xia was just listening quietly. Occasionally, she would pick up the teacup and take a sip of the fragrant tea with an elegant posture, showing the demeanor of a lady from a noble family.

Last year, the East Courtyard was rebuilt. In order to make it more convenient for Jia Zheng to live there, Jia Cong occupied more space in the East Courtyard, making the back garden of the East Courtyard more spacious than before.

It is now March, and the newly planted orchids and flowers in the newly renovated garden are all in bloom, creating a very eye-catching sight. Many of them are precious flowers donated by the Xia family.

Mrs. Wang invited Mrs. Xia to come over under the pretext of enjoying the spring flowers.

More than ten days have passed since Mrs. Chen brought good news from the Xia family. Regarding Yuanchun's affairs, the Xia family did send news, saying that the selection went smoothly.

However, as it approached the end of March, Mrs. Wang heard news from outside that many of the daughters of officials who had failed in the selection had left the palace and returned to their hometowns.

However, the news about Yuanchun's selection had not been finalized, which made Mrs. Wang somewhat uneasy.

On this day he invited Mrs. Xia to come over to enjoy the spring flowers, but it was just an excuse for them to visit each other. The real intention was that they discussed Yuanchun's selection in person.

Just now, they had been enjoying the scenery in the back garden for a long time while the sun was shining. Now they returned to the main hall to serve tea and chat. After a few polite words, Mrs. Wang got to the point.

Mrs. Xia smiled warmly and said, "The matter of your eldest daughter has been going smoothly all along. My cousin has already recommended the eldest daughter, and she has passed the initial screening.

Originally, all the girls who had passed the preliminary selection in the palace had their portraits drawn for presentation to the emperor, but something happened recently in the nine frontiers and it was said that the emperor was worried about state affairs, so the selection was put on hold.

As the saying goes, slow work produces fine work, and good things also take time. Mrs. Jia, don't worry, just wait patiently for a while."

Miss Xia, who was standing by, felt amused when she heard her mother talking nonsense. She couldn't help shaking the tea bowl in her hand, but luckily she didn't spill the tea.

Seeing that Mrs. Wang only looked a little disappointed and didn't seem to have any doubts, she couldn't help but despise her in her heart.

This stupid woman is only fit to be played by your mother. Her wicked old eunuch is now busy sweeping the floor in the palace. How can he help your daughter become a concubine?

……

In fact, although Mrs. Wang is a noble lady in the inner house and rarely shows up in public, and is not as knowledgeable as Mrs. Xia, she is not really a stupid person.

The reason why she believed in Mrs. Xia's words and deeds so firmly was naturally her reasons.

Because the Guihua Xia family is a famous imperial merchant, they are well-known among officials and merchants in Shenjing. As the person at the helm of the Xia family, Mrs. Xia's words are quite credible.

Moreover, at the beginning of this matter, Mrs. Xia also really wanted to make this happen. Her purpose was to enable the Xia family to establish friendship with the Jia family. She was even enthusiastic about helping Mrs. Wang raise money.

Moreover, the Xia family's relative, Xia Shouzhong, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, had also been making a big fuss in the palace to build relationships, causing quite a stir. It is estimated that even Yuanchun could have heard of it.

But later on, Xia Shouzhong had some bad luck and fell into trouble with Yuan Jing, the eunuch on duty in Qianyang Palace, and things could not continue.

If the first 70% of the lies in this world are true and the remaining 30% are lies, it is very easy to convince people. Even if you tell so many lies, you may even start to believe them yourself.

In addition, Mrs. Xia is an extremely powerful person. She is meticulous, speaks eloquently, and is extremely deceptive. As long as she makes up a few lies, she can make things seem half true and half false, as if everything is confusing.

Although Mrs. Wang was somewhat cunning, her desire for power and wealth and her overly passionate desire naturally blinded her eyes and caused her to fall into the strange information barrier.

……

Moreover, what Mrs. Xia said about the unrest in the nine borders and the emperor's concern for state affairs causing the selection to be delayed was not her fabrication but true.

Since September and October last year, when the former Datong commander Sun Zhanying surrendered to the enemy, the three border checkpoints of Datong, Xuanfu and Jizhen have been frequently harassed by Mongolian cavalry.

Moreover, every time the Mongolian cavalry went looting, they were often able to avoid the important targets and evade the elite cavalry scouts and border patrols of the border army, allowing the Mongolians to succeed many times.

In some border raids, the number of Mongolian cavalry even exceeded a thousand, coming and going like the wind, with their uniforms and flags in disarray, and it was impossible to determine which of the remnant Mongolian tribes was responsible.

Several border generals believed that it was the Tuman tribe's Anta Khan who was behind this. However, when the Great Zhou sent envoys to negotiate, Anta Khan refused to admit it, and the matter came to a stalemate...

Because of the sudden rise of war clouds at the border, the scale of transportation and storage of war supplies such as grain, rice, clothing and armor was increased.

Many imperial merchants registered with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Revenue received imperial edicts to assist the government in transporting war supplies. The Guihua Xia family was one of them, so naturally they knew the news.

……

Here, Mrs. Xia's words of persuasion had already calmed Mrs. Wang down. The conversation between the host and the guest became more and more heated. At that moment, they saw the maid Caiyun entering the main hall.

Mrs. Wang saw Caiyun come in alone, and did not see Baoyu. She was surprised and asked, "I asked you to ask Baoyu to come to meet the guests, why did you come back alone?"

Caiyun glanced at Mrs. Xia and hesitated in her words.

Caiyun is Mrs. Wang's trusted maid. She has watched Baoyu grow up since he was a child and knows his character best. She can tell the inner meaning of Xiren's excuses after observing her words and expressions.

She was familiar with all the maids in Baoyu's room, but there were many fewer people in the yard today. How could she not feel strange?

In addition, the fact that Baoyu's maids and servants were dismissed had caused quite a stir in the Rongguo Mansion. Caiyun simply left the yard and asked someone about the matter, and she found out what had happened.

But if Master Bao was humiliated, it would mean that her wife would lose face, so Caiyun didn't dare to speak out in front of outsiders.

When Mrs. Wang saw Caiyun's expression, as a maid who had followed her for so many years, she probably guessed that something had happened to Baoyu, but Caiyun didn't want to tell others about it.

But at that moment she and Mrs. Xia were having a hot affair, and she had something important she wanted to ask someone to do. It was embarrassing for Caiyun to avoid the question even after she had asked it.

She said, "Mrs. Xia is not an outsider. Baoyu is under the watchful eyes of the old lady in the West Mansion. What can go wrong? Don't hesitate. Just speak up."

Caiyun knew what Mrs. Wang meant when she heard what she said. If the Second Master really had done something scandalous, she naturally couldn't tell anyone about it. But today's incident actually had nothing to do with the Second Master...

She said, “I just went to the West Mansion to invite the Second Master over, but Xiren said that the Second Master was not feeling well and was resting in his room, so it was not convenient for him to come and see guests.

After hearing this, I became suspicious, so I walked around the West Palace and found out what happened.

Yesterday, two of the Second Master's servants had a fight over gambling in the outer courtyard, violating the house rules. This angered the Second Mistress, who beat them with a stick and then tied them up and locked them up in the woodshed.

Moreover, these days there has been a rumor circulating from the West Mansion that Master Cong is the head of both the East and West Mansions and an official appointed by the imperial court, but he only has four or five maids around him.

However, Second Master Bao employed fourteen maids, which was too much for Third Master and not in accordance with family etiquette.

The Second Mistress took advantage of the fact that the Second Master's servant had committed a crime and proposed to the Old Lady to lay off the maids around the Second Master. Since this was in line with the previous family rules, the Old Lady could not say much.

When I went there today, I happened to encounter this incident. Eight of the fourteen maids in the second master's room were laid off, leaving only six, and the number of servants was also reduced from ten to one.

The Second Master was upset because he lost his maid, so he fell down in anger, but it's probably not a big deal, he'll be fine once he calms down."

……

Miss Xia, who was standing by, was also amazed after hearing what Caiyun said.

Guihua's Xia family is considered to be extremely wealthy, and she is the only child in the Xia family, so she receives the best treatment.

But she was just a personal maid, two maids who did the rough work, and an old woman who ran errands. She was better off than the average daughter of an official.

I didn't expect that the Jia family, such a wealthy and powerful family, would be so extravagant. That effeminate Baoyu was so stupid as to have fourteen maids.

This little pervert looks like a coward. Can he really do this?

It has to be said that Jia Cong is much more reliable. Such an outstanding young man, with such a grand and respectable appearance, only has four or five maids, and it is estimated that half of them are low-ranking servants who are not presentable.

When Miss Xia thought of Jia Cong's handsome and majestic appearance, she felt very happy. He was a real gentleman, not like Baoyu who was so vulgar. She really had good taste.

After hearing this humiliating story, Mrs. Wang was so angry that she was shaking all over. If she hadn't been concerned about the presence of the Xia family's mother and daughter, she would have probably started cursing.

Even so, she couldn't help but get angry: "Feng girl is really unreasonable, Baoyu has been spending like this since he was a child, it's not just today.

Even if they want to lay off one or two, it would be fine, but how can they lay off so many at once? It's really bullying Baoyu because he is an honest child. There are only these few maids left, and there are not enough people to serve them."

Conggeer only uses four or five maids, that's his own wish. If he wants to add maids, who in the family can stop him? How can he be compared with Baoyu..."

Finally, she realized that the mother and daughter of the Xia family were present, and considering the Jia family's face, she did not say anything else unpleasant.

However, Mrs. Xia did not take her words seriously, thinking they were just the jealous words of a woman.

After hearing this, Miss Xia frowned slightly and was very dissatisfied. She thought that Jia Baoyu was a sissy and useless thing, and Jia Cong could not even be compared with him.

Could it be that Mrs. Jia was raised in the dirt? Not only is she blind, but she is also extremely stupid. She always speaks the opposite way. She is just like a person who was born by a mother but not taught by a father!

……

Mrs. Wang finally suppressed her anger and glanced at Mrs. Xia who was sitting there. She felt a little regretful that she had let Caiyun speak on the spot, so she tried to find words to save her face in front of Mrs. Xia.

He said, "Excuse me, Madam Xia. Every family has its own problems. Don't think that the Jia family is a wealthy and powerful family and that they are so respectable and glorious in the eyes of outsiders.

In fact, the troubles at home are no less than those in small families.

Take my nephew Cong for example. Although he is quite capable and has a good reputation outside, he can be absurd at times.

Although he only employed four or five maids, they were all the prettiest in the East and West Mansions. Mrs. Xia just had never seen one. They were prettier than the girls from other families.

Baoyu had more maids, but they were all rough and clumsy servants, and could not be compared with the ones around him.

Moreover, this was not all, because he was an official, he often went out on business. Every time he came back, he would bring back beautiful women, whether they were nuns or actors, it didn't matter, this was a rare thing that had never been heard of before.

The old lady in the family is a kind person. She thinks everything her grandson does is good and lets him do whatever he wants.

So how can the origins of those maids around him be compared with those stupid servants around Baoyu? This is why I was a little angry.

However, there are not many brothers from noble families who are as honest as Baoyu.

Most of them are like Congge, who is more handsome and behaves more prudently when young. In fact, it is not a big problem. People in the world have been like this since childhood, so it is not surprising. "

Mrs. Xia paid no attention to these words and just echoed them, but she would never follow Mrs. Wang's lead and say a bad word about Jia Cong.

She knew clearly in her heart that although these words from Mrs. Wang seemed like casual chat, they were actually full of resentment and slander, and were nothing but the open and covert struggles in the mansion.

She would naturally not be so foolish as to fall into such a trap. Whether Jia Cong was a gentleman or a pervert, what did it have to do with her?

In fact, out of the long-term plan of building good relations between the Xia and Jia families, Mrs. Xia would even flatter the young head of the family as long as she had the chance.

But Miss Xia, who was standing by, was not as calm as Mrs. Xia after hearing what Mr. Wang said. She almost got so angry that her mouth twisted.

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

Originally, when I heard that Jia Cong, a man of such high rank, had only four or five maids, I truly thought he was a serious man. It was a sign of my foresight that I was still obsessed with him.

But she didn't expect that all men in the world are perverts. Jia Cong is even more extravagant than Baoyu. He not only chooses the prettiest maids in the mansion to enjoy.

He also hooks up with nuns and actors from outside, bringing them both sweet and smelly ones into his house. He is going against the will of heaven and is truly shameless!
Miss Xia no longer had the mood to drink tea gracefully. She lowered her head so that no one could see her expression. The handkerchief in her hand was twisted into a ball, and her white and slender fingers were all tied up and turned red...

Could it be that his maids, nuns and actors are really so pretty? Could it be that they are even more proud of themselves than me, the boy with shallow eye sockets!
……

Mrs. Xia remained calm in the face of Mrs. Wang's resentful words.

He smiled and said, "No matter how big a family is, there will always be things that are difficult to settle. It is common for servants to increase or decrease in a family. Even if there is something wrong, Mrs. Jia doesn't need to be too angry.

Although I have only been to the West Mansion twice, I have witnessed with my own eyes how much Madam Jia dotes on Baoyu, even though due to family rules and etiquette, there were no maids around Baoyu.

Given the love that the lady had for Baoyu, there was no reason why he would be short of people to serve him.

Since it's not possible to do it openly, can't the old lady use it secretly on him, who is her closest friend? Such things are common in big houses. It's just that the old lady favors her children and grandchildren.

Therefore, Mrs. Jia doesn't need to mind this matter. If the mistress over there wants to lay off the maids, let her do it. This will also give Baoyu less things to talk about.

This will allow Baoyu to live smoothly in the West Mansion and occupy a prominent position in it, which is the most important thing. "

After hearing what Mrs. Xia said, Mrs. Wang felt cheerful immediately. Mrs. Xia's words really hit the spot for her.

He smiled and said, "Mrs. Xia is right. Things in this mansion can sometimes be explained clearly."

Mrs. Xia continued, "I heard that the head lady of the West House is the eldest daughter-in-law of the first house, and is the eldest sister-in-law of Earl Weiyuan. Is she pregnant now?"

When Mrs. Wang heard this, her face became a little stiff. Originally, Wang Xifeng was her niece, and she had put a lot of thought into Wang Xifeng's marriage into the Jia family.

But they didn't expect that now, with the passage of time, the inheritance of the Rong Kingdom has caused the first and second branches of the Jia family to be like water and fire. The two aunts and nephews who were originally close are almost enemies...

If Wang Xifeng gave birth to a boy this time, although he would not be as good as Jia Cong's future direct descendant, he would still be the eldest grandson of the eldest son in the Rongguo Mansion, and his status would surpass that of Baoyu.

Mrs. Wang smiled faintly and said, "She is now five months pregnant. Except for my Lan'er, the Rongguo Mansion has not had a son in its generation."

Mrs. Xia smiled and said, "The older generation values ​​having many children and grandchildren the most. If the grandmother in charge of the West Mansion gave birth to a son, I don't know how much the lady would spoil him."

……

When Mrs. Wang heard what Mrs. Xia said, her heart began to beat fast.

She is a person with many children and grandchildren, so she naturally knows that the love of parents and elders for their children and grandchildren is always limited.

If one end takes some, the other end will be short of some, otherwise how can there be bias?

At that time, Mrs. Wang’s favorite was not the second son, but the eldest son Jia Zhu.

Jia Zhu was sensible and studious when he was young. He passed the imperial examination and became a scholar at the age of fifteen. He was the person in the Jia family who had the greatest hope of passing the imperial examination since Jia Jing.

At that time, everyone in the family treated Jia Zhu like a treasure and regarded him as the hope of the Jia family. They doted on him even more than Baoyu.

However, no one expected that Jia Zhu died early at the age of twenty because he was obsessed with studying for the imperial examinations and wasted too much time.

Mrs. Wang was so heartbroken that she transferred all her love and hopes to her second son Baoyu. This unusual doting after great sorrow was even exclusive.

As a result, Jia Lan, the eldest son and grandson of the second wife, received far less attention and love from Mrs. Wang than the second son Baoyu.

If Wang Xifeng really gave birth to the great-grandson of the eldest house, and the second house's status had been lost, although it could guarantee a long life, would the old lady's scale in her heart be skewed?

Even though the old lady did not dote on this great-grandson from the eldest house as much as she did on Baoyu, she must have valued him very much and even loved him very much. This was also the standard and rule of the older generation.

If one side takes up some, the other side will be lacking some. How much of the old lady's love for Baoyu will be taken away?

Moreover, this is just one incident. Jia Cong is now the legitimate descendant of the Lord of Rongguo Mansion. If he has children in the future, their status will be much more noble than that of Wang Xifeng's son.

By that time, I don’t know where my Baoyu will be ranked. Even if the old lady favors Baoyu, she will not be able to say a word.

This time the old lady had to watch helplessly as Baoyu's maids and servants were dismissed blatantly by the granddaughter-in-law of the eldest wife. Isn't this a sign of the future rift in the family?

Mrs. Wang thought about this and couldn't help but feel deeply worried and alert...

……

Mrs. Xia, who was standing by, had her eyes flashing. Without making any expression, she carefully examined Mrs. Wang, as if she could see through her heart!
She smiled and said, “In ancient times, mothers were honored by their sons, from the rich to the poor.

Although the mistress of the West Mansion is pregnant, she may not give birth to a son. It may be a girl, it is still unknown.

In my opinion, Baoyu is now fifteen years old and has reached the age to get married and start a family, but Mrs. Jia has never thought about Baoyu finding a marriage partner.

It would also be good for Baoyu to have children sooner. As long as fate allows, it would be very convenient for him to have children in one year.

If Baoyu has a son, given how much Madam Dowager dotes on Baoyu, I'm afraid she will love him too, and the son may be honored because of his father."

Mrs. Xia's meaningful words were full of strange temptations, like the ravings of a nightmare, and her words were so eloquent that they could confuse the listeners and make the viewers dizzy...

……

Mrs. Wang's originally worried and confused mood seemed to be cleared up in just an instant by Mrs. Xia's words, and she saw the light of day!
She suddenly realized that she was only worried that Baoyu would have a bad reputation and would have difficulty finding a decent wife, so she had always wanted to find a marriage for him long ago.

During the past six months, both Miss Bao and Miss Lin have really put a lot of thought into their plans.

But I never thought of this: a son is honored by his father, and a father is honored by his son. This is a unique way to win favor!
If Feng gave birth to a girl, she would probably never be able to give birth to a son in her lifetime, because Jia Lian was exiled for fifteen years before returning.

The little pervert in the East Palace has to observe mourning for three years, so he can't marry a legitimate wife at all.

Even if the maidservant who entered his room gave birth to a child in the past few years, he was just born out of wedlock, so the old lady would not take it seriously.

But if Baoyu could catch up and give birth to a legitimate son or grandson, given the old lady's love for Baoyu, how could she not love and cherish him even more...

Mrs. Wang understood all this immediately, and her eyes were full of admiration when she looked at Mrs. Jia.

Although Mrs. Xia was just a woman, her wisdom and strategy were truly extraordinary. Mrs. Wang thought that she was lucky to have made friends with such a person...

However, although she felt that Mrs. Xia's words made sense, she could not cook without rice.

Originally, he valued his niece Baochai, but she was toyed with by the boy from the East Palace. That Mr. Lin was so arrogant and hateful, and the matter with Miss Lin was over.

Baoyu wants to get married and have children, but there is no suitable person for him at the moment...

……

At this moment, Mrs. Xia picked up the tea bowl and took a sip of the fragrant tea, and seemed to glance at her daughter unintentionally.

Mrs. Wang turned her head as if possessed by a ghost, and her eyes couldn't help but light up.

At this time, Miss Xia was sitting aside, and the sunlight outside the window of the main room happened to shine on her, making her skin look as smooth as jade, her eyes like autumn pools, her lips like rouge, and her whole body glowing with a strange radiance.

There is something even more rare. Miss Xia has a slender and graceful figure, with curvy and well-proportioned breasts. Compared with Bao and Lin, she is more like a woman who is easy to bear children...

Mrs. Wang was moved. She had been searching for such a beautiful and proud girl in vain. She had never thought of her...

At this moment, Mrs. Xia glanced over and saw Mrs. Wang staring at her daughter in a trance.

And his silly daughter was frowning slightly at this time. He didn't know what she was thinking in her mind. The trace of sadness in her brows made her even more graceful and charming.

Mrs. Xia raised the corner of her mouth slightly, held the tea bowl in her hand, took a sip, and felt the fragrance of tea permeating her body. She felt very comfortable and a smug smile appeared on her face.

But this smile was indescribably sinister and weird, like a weasel that had stolen a chicken...

(End of this chapter)