Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Rongguo Mansion, East Courtyard, Back Garden.

Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Xia were strolling in the garden. There were no maids or old women following them. They were talking and enjoying the pleasant spring scenery in the garden.

Mrs. Wang tactfully told Mrs. Xia what she had been thinking about for a long time.

The meaning of the words was nothing more than that the Jia and Xia families were good friends, and that the children of both families were of growing age and had equal talents and looks, so they were worthy of being a match.

After hearing what Mrs. Wang said, Mrs. Xia thought about all her planning and scheming, which were so tortuous.

Finally, her efforts were not in vain. Mrs. Xia let Mrs. Wang fall into her trap and said the words she had been waiting for for a long time. She was filled with pride of having masterminded the plan.

She felt that this noble family of dukes was only the result of the great abilities of their ancestors, and the descendants were nothing special.

Although Mrs. Xia felt a little arrogant in her heart, she did not show it on her face and still looked warm and friendly.

Holding Madam Wang's hand, he said, "The Jia family is a noble family, a family of dukes, and everyone in and outside the capital knows about it.

Baoyu is a handsome boy with elegant character, a rare figure among the children of aristocratic families, and I like him very much.

My daughter is lucky to have won the favor of Mrs. Jia. I would naturally be happy and willing if they could get married.

However, my father passed away early, leaving us, an orphan and a widow, to depend on each other. This daughter is the most precious treasure in my heart and my only support in my life.

Although it is the parents' order and the matchmaker's words, it is a major matter after all, marriage, and my daughter must know about it. I will talk to Jin Gui about this when I go back this time.

Which girl would not be impressed by Baoyu's character and appearance?

As long as my daughter agrees, this matter will be a natural thing. I will reply to Mrs. Jia as soon as possible, and then this happy event will be organized."

When Mrs. Wang heard what Mrs. Xia said, she saw that she was praising Baoyu for his outstanding character and appearance, and saying that he was a first-class figure among the young men of noble families.

These words really touched Mrs. Wang's heart, making her feel very comfortable and satisfied. She knew that Mrs. Xia was very willing to this marriage.

As for the words about discussing this with her daughter first, it was just a superficial courtesy and Mrs. Wang did not take it to heart.

These are nothing but social conventions. When it comes to marriage, as soon as the man opens his mouth, the woman's family will agree readily, which is somewhat ungentlemanly. It is more polite to proceed step by step.

Besides, her mother agrees with this marriage, so how could Miss Xia, as her daughter, say no?
Miss Xia has also met Baoyu several times. With Baoyu's character and appearance, and his noble family background, Miss Xia must be willing to marry him.

……

Mrs. Wang smiled and said, "Mrs. Xia, what you said makes sense. A daughter is the apple of a mother's eye.

Our families are both well-informed and well-groomed. We cannot follow the example of those small families who blindly marry each other off. Only when both parties are willing can our children live in harmony in the future."

The two were talking and getting along very well. Mrs. Xia saw that the time had come and asked to take her leave and return home to discuss the marriage with the girl.

Just as they were about to return to the main hall of the inner courtyard, they suddenly heard someone screaming. It sounded like a woman's voice, but it was hard to hear clearly from a distance.

Mrs. Xia asked, "Mrs. Jia, did you hear any noise just now? It sounded like the voices of the women in the mansion."

Mrs. Wang had vaguely heard it just now, but the garden behind the east courtyard was quite large, planted with green trees and flowers, and the stone paths were winding and deep, so even if there was any movement, it would be difficult to hear clearly.

So he said casually: "Mrs. Xia, you don't know that we moved into the East Courtyard not long ago. The old lady was worried that I didn't have enough people, so she assigned some new young maids.

These little maids haven’t been properly trained yet, and it’s common for them to get startled when a cup falls or they slip. ”

Mrs. Xia was also the mistress of a wealthy family. She knew that what Mrs. Wang said was commonplace, so she didn't take it to heart. The two of them walked back to the main hall of the inner courtyard.

……

East courtyard, Mengpo Zhai study.

Although Baoyu was bleeding and looked miserable, he was very dissatisfied when he heard that Jia Cong was instigating the master to arrange a marriage between him and Miss Xia at this critical juncture.

He knew that Cong had never been close to him and always seemed indifferent to him.

Although Baoyu admired Jia Cong's appearance and demeanor, he was very disappointed with his pedantic study and his obsession with official career, and he looked down on him.

They are of similar age, and now that he is in trouble, he is taking advantage of his misfortune and wants to control his marriage. How can this be allowed? He will never allow it.

When Baoyu thought of this, he became even more angry. He seemed to have forgotten his own embarrassment and said generously, "Master, my son has someone he loves, and he absolutely does not want to marry Miss Xia!"

Jia Cong felt uncomfortable after hearing this. This was what the teacher said in the legend, that Baoyu had anti-feudal qualities...

Baoyu said this in high spirits, with a feeling of grief, indignation and innocence brewing in his heart. He felt that his spirits were rising and his blood was boiling.

Then Jia Zheng shouted: "You little bastard, you have no right to talk. Put on your pants first. What a disgrace! If you dare to talk nonsense again, I will beat you to death!"

Baoyu's expression was originally solemn and he looked unyielding. Even the embroidered silk handkerchief on his head that Baochan had used to bandage his wound no longer looked so funny.

But a scolding from Jia Zheng brought him back to his original form. He quickly fastened his belt with a red face, and huddled aside, not daring to utter a word again.

……

Jia Cong glanced at Baoyu and said to Jia Zheng, "Master, Baoyu's marriage should be arranged as soon as possible. This is of course a very important matter.

Also, Baoyu is injured now, so he has to conceal it so that what happened today won’t be revealed.

If the old lady saw Baoyu in this state, she would feel sad and cause trouble, which would lead to further trouble.

Master, you might as well say that Baoyu entertained guests in the outer courtyard today and drank a few more glasses of wine. Now he has returned to his room to rest. Master can send the old lady back home first.

If the old lady asks, she can say that after the banquet today, Baoyu knew that he was old enough to dance with the elephant, so he listened to the master's instructions.

For the time being, I will stay in the East Courtyard and study with the master, so that I can go to school in the future.

When Baoyu's head wound gets better, even if the old lady asks him to return to the West Mansion to meet her, by that time the incident has passed, she can say that it was an accidental injury and cover it up.

This way, the master and Baoyu can save face."

Jia Zheng had always been obsessed with the imperial examinations, and just now he wanted to beat and kill his son for not being brave enough, but when he heard Jia Cong talking about the imperial examinations, he suddenly became excited.

He said to Baoyu fiercely, "You have always neglected your studies, you beast. You have already missed the county examination this year. You should wait until next year. If you don't study hard, I will never let you off easily!"

Baoyu saw that Jia Cong was so vicious that he not only instigated the master to arrange a marriage for him, but also used treacherous tricks and lies to prevent him from seeing the old lady. Who would save him then?
He also instigated the master to make him study, which aroused the master's worries and made him take the county examination next year!

How could Jia Cong, such a handsome man, suddenly become so vicious that he wanted to persecute himself...

……

Baoyu attended the clan school for seven or eight years, and even the Four Books could be memorized as if they had been chewed by a dog. He used sarcastic remarks about parasites every day to cover up his laziness in study.

He knew his own weight, how could he end up like this...

I didn't expect that I only played with the maid today, and that was not a big deal. Not only did the master beat me up on the head, but I was also forced to get engaged, and even forced to study and take the damn county exam next year.

Baoyu felt extremely wronged when he thought about this. He felt that God was so unfair to treat him so harshly. He might as well have been killed by the master with an inkstone just now...

Jia Zheng was about to leave the study with Jia Cong, and turned back to Baoyu and said sternly: "You are not allowed to leave the study even a step. If you dare to step out of the door without my order, no one will come to save you even if you are beaten to death!"

Baoyu shuddered when he heard this, lowered his head and dared not say a word.

Jia Zheng asked someone to call a trusted servant from the outer courtyard and asked him to guard the door of the study and not allow Baoyu to take a step out.

……

Then he and Jia Cong returned to the main hall of the inner courtyard. As they reached the entrance of the hall, they saw Mrs. Wang escorting the mother and daughter of the Xia family out. It seemed that they were going to see the guests out.

Miss Xia saw Jia Zheng and Jia Cong coming from afar. Her bright watery eyes shone on Jia Cong, and she was reluctant to look away.

Jia Cong's attention was on the little maid beside her. She saw that Baochan's clothes and hair were neat and tidy, and there was nothing unusual about her, except that there was still a little blush on her face.

He looked at the expressions of Mrs. Xia and Miss Xia again, and at this moment they did not seem to notice any flaws.

Jia Zheng was also concerned about what Jia Cong was concerned about at this time. He saw that the maid who was fooling around with Baoyu was doing fine and nothing had happened, so he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Jia Zheng only hoped that the Xia family mother and daughter would leave the East Road Courtyard as soon as possible. As long as they left the Jia family, even if they found out that their maid had a problem, it would be easier to deal with the trouble...

The Xia family girl watched Jia Cong enter the main hall from afar, her eyes full of reluctance to leave. She didn't know when she would see Jia Cong again...

……

Jia Zheng entered the main hall of the inner courtyard. At this time, Marquis Li of Zhongjing and Marquis Xu of Chengyang had also returned to their homes.

Jia Zheng repeated to Lady Jia the excuse that Jia Cong had just made in a friendly manner.

When Grandmother Jia heard that Baoyu had drunk too much and was resting in his room in the courtyard, she thought that was fine, as he could go back to the West Mansion tomorrow. But when she heard that Baoyu was going to stay in the East Courtyard to study, she felt a little uncomfortable.

She said to Jia Zheng: "Baoyu has just turned fifteen, and today he has been busy entertaining so many guests. He should take a good rest for a few days.

If you force him to study like this and he gets hurt from overwork, I won’t tolerate it.”

After hearing what his mother said, Jia Zheng felt extremely sad and angry. He thought, "I have committed such a sin by giving birth to such an evil son."

This beast will eventually become exhausted. He abused the maid in my study, but he was full of energy...

Although he was angry in his heart, he had to put on a forced smile to Lady Jia, and even gritted his teeth and lied: "Don't worry, old lady, your son didn't force Baoyu to study.

He is now fifteen years old. After the banquet today, my father and I talked in the study. He probably felt that he was not young anymore, but had not achieved anything, so he was willing to study.

My son has been helping him sort out his homework these days, and when this busy period is over, he will be allowed to return to the West Mansion to serve the old lady."

When Grandmother Jia heard her son say that Baoyu took the initiative to study, she was skeptical and always felt that her son was talking nonsense.
However, it has always been natural for a father to teach his son. Even though Lady Jia was a grandmother, she could not stop it too much and should at least give her son some dignity.

The old lady thought to herself, since he wanted to study, he could just study for a few days first. At worst, she could send someone to look after him every day. After three or four days, when her son had satisfied his craving, she could take Baoyu back to the West Mansion.

After nagging for a few more words, Grandmother Jia got up and went back to the West Mansion. Jia Zheng respectfully escorted the old lady to the west corner gate of Rongguo Mansion.

Jia Cong also sent Yingchun and other sisters back to the East Palace. He knew that after Lady Jia left, Jia Zheng would definitely talk to Lady Wang about what happened today, and there would be another commotion.

It would be best for him to leave early and try not to get involved...

……

East courtyard, Mengpo Zhai study.

Jia Zheng hurriedly sent Lady Jia back to the West Mansion, and then hurried back to the study.

He saw that the servant was still guarding the door and nothing unusual happened, so he breathed a sigh of relief and asked someone to ask his wife to come to the study to talk immediately.

When Wang Fu entered the study, he was frightened to death when he saw Baoyu with his clothes in disarray and his head bleeding.

She went forward, hugged her son and started crying, asking what had happened and whether the injury was serious.

She was about to ask the maid to call a doctor, but Jia Zheng stopped her sternly and said angrily: "Ask this beast what vile things he did in my study today!"

After hearing Jia Zheng's harsh and painful narration, Mrs. Wang's face turned red and white.

She also blamed her son for being so disappointing. She was discussing marriage with the Xia family, but he was so impatient that he even hooked up with Miss Xia's maid first.

What's so fun about a little girl? Baoyu is too ignorant of the seriousness of the matter. He even messed around in the master's study. No wonder the master is angry.

However, when Mrs. Wang saw the blood on Baoyu's face, her heart still ached.

She complained, "Master, Baoyu is your own son. Even if he is ignorant, you should teach him well. Why did you use such a heavy hand? He must have done something wrong. What can we do now?"

Jia Zheng said angrily, "Look at what he has done. If Cong hadn't stopped me, I would have killed this beast today to prevent him from bringing disgrace upon the Jia family."

When Mrs. Wang heard Jia Zheng's cruel words, she was so frightened that her legs went weak and she couldn't help but protect Baoyu.

She began to feel suspicious again. How could this matter be related to Cong? Why would he be so kind as to save Baoyu's life?

Jia Zheng said: "The maid who fooled around with Baoyu today has been told the pros and cons by Cong-ge'er. She will never dare to tell anyone about this matter. I think she can keep it secret for a while.

But Mrs. Xia is the sole proprietor of the family business and is not an ordinary woman. What if she discovers the maid's flaws and finds out the whole story?

She was a widow, and was worried that Baoyu would let out the secret and her family's reputation would be tarnished, so she made trouble in advance to clear herself from the matter, saying that the Jia family held a banquet and Baoyu defiled the female guests after drinking.

By that time, the reputation of our Jia family will be ruined, and you and I will no longer be able to live as human beings!"

……

After listening to Jia Zheng's loud rebuke, Mrs. Wang felt a chill in her back.

What her master said was absolutely right. If Mrs. Xia knew that she had discussed the marriage between the two families with her in person today, but Baoyu had defiled her daughter's personal maid behind her back, she would be furious.

This is not a marriage, it is clearly an enmity. Mrs. Xia will definitely avoid this marriage as much as possible, so how could she agree to it?

Moreover, as the master said, Mrs. Xia is worried about the reputation of the widow's family, so she might take the initiative to expose the matter to everyone and then beat the maid to death to clear her family's name.

By that time, my Baoyu's reputation would be ruined. Not to mention marrying a woman from an official family, I'm afraid it would be impossible for him to marry a decent woman from the Heike clan...

Jia Zheng said, "I don't know if the little girl can hide it from Mrs. Xia and Miss Xia. The only solution now is to arrange the marriage between Baoyu and Miss Xia as soon as possible to avoid this disaster.

The maid who was hanging out with Baoyu today was Miss Xia's personal maid. As long as the marriage between the two families is completed, she will follow Miss Xia to marry into the Jia family, and this disaster will be averted.

Thanks to the presence of Congge today, he was quick-witted and intelligent, so he was able to control the situation and prevent it from getting out of hand.

The idea of ​​arranging the marriage between the two families as soon as possible was thought up by Cong Ge'er.

I have just thought about it and there is no better way than this. I have met Miss Xia twice. Her character and appearance are first-rate, and she is a good match for Baoyu.

This matter should be dealt with as soon as possible. Madam, you should spend some time thinking about it these days and talk to Mrs. Xia in a nice way so that the marriage between the two families can be settled as soon as possible. Only then can you rest assured.

To prevent the little maid from revealing her flaws, which would be difficult to deal with then..."

……

After listening to what Jia Zheng said, Mrs. Wang knew that every word he said was reasonable, but she felt extremely uncomfortable in her heart. She had originally liked Miss Xia and hoped that Baoyu would marry her.

When this matter came to an end, although it was going according to one's own wishes, one did not expect such a sudden change. A good marriage turned out to be so dangerous and strange, which made people feel very uncomfortable.

Also, this idea was proposed by Cong'er. He followed the master today and learned the whole story. He was so kind and even helped Baoyu cover up the plan. I really don't know what his intentions were.

However, Mrs. Wang was narrow-minded. Although she had some doubts about Jia Cong's involvement in this matter, she could not find any fault.

Moreover, the method suggested by my master is the only solution at the moment. This marriage must be settled as soon as possible. If something goes wrong and the family scandal is exposed, my Baoyu will be completely ruined...

……

Shenjing, Qingyufang, Xia Mansion.

Mrs. Xia returned very satisfied. On the way, she noticed that her maid Baochan looked a little strange, but there was nothing wrong with her, so she didn't take it too seriously.

This happened because Baochan had been reminded by Jia Cong before leaving Mengpo Zhai, so she found a place and carefully tidied her clothes and hair without leaving any flaws.

It was also because Mrs. Wang finally took the initiative to propose marriage today, fulfilling Mrs. Xia's long-term plan, and she was excited and proud.

As the saying goes, people feel refreshed when good things happen to them. Even though Mrs. Xia was smart and capable, her focus was on her daughter's marriage at the moment, so naturally she had no time to think about this little girl.

Otherwise, if Mrs. Xia really noticed what happened today, she would know that Baoyu was so immoral.

Even if she envied the Jia family's status as a duke, she would not push her daughter into the fire pit.

This is probably what it means that even the wisest man can make mistakes. Mrs. Xia is an extremely powerful person, but she could never have dreamed that such a sudden change would happen behind the scenes.

I carefully selected a marriage for my daughter, and I thought it was a smart move that would go smoothly, but the inconspicuous little maid at home secretly broke the loophole...

……

When Mrs. Xia returned home, she followed her daughter into her daughter's boudoir. She was in high spirits and told her daughter everything about Mrs. Wang's proposal of marriage today.

He said, "My dear daughter, now it can be said that God has fulfilled our wish. The Jia family of Rongguo is a noble family with a long history of merit and status. It is a very honorable thing for his second wife to take the initiative to propose marriage.

The second branch of the Jia family, although not the eldest branch that inherited the title, is also the legitimate son and grandson of Madam Jia, and a legitimate descendant of the Rong state.

As long as you marry Baoyu, your future offspring, your mother's grandson, will be of the legitimate bloodline of the Duke.

Plus, with the huge wealth of our Xia family, even if he stays in the Jia family in the future, he can still be a superior person, what a good thing..."

When Miss Xia heard that the Jia family proposed marriage, she was not happy at all. Instead, she felt as uncomfortable as if being pricked by a needle.

She had dreamed of the day when the Jia family would come to propose marriage, but what she longed for was that Baoyu?
Miss Xia thought about the moment she left the East Courtyard and saw Jia Cong approaching from afar. He was so handsome and graceful that whenever she saw him, she couldn't bear to take her eyes off him.

But the one who proposed marriage was not him, but Mrs. Jia, who made her bored and was so stupid that she wanted to eat dirt!

Miss Xia looked unwilling and said, "Mother, I have heard from outsiders that Duke Rong was a great general who was famous all over the world and a first-class hero.

The only descendant of the Jia family is Jia Cong, who is the same age as Baoyu, but was awarded a title for his military achievements. People like him can be considered to be the true descendants of the Duke of Rong.

Baoyu, that effeminate weakling, what kind of prince is he? My daughter would rather die than marry such a jerk!" (End of this chapter)