Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

Grandmother Jia suggested that since Jia Cong and Baoyu were both over 15 years old, according to the old rules of the Jia family, they should have young girls serving them in their rooms.

Normally, Baoyu would be delighted with such a thing, but now he showed no joy at all.

He just felt that these days, apart from having fun playing with Baochan, there was nothing good happening.

His wife was arranging his marriage with Miss Xia, although Miss Xia was also very beautiful.

But if I marry her, I would be unfaithful to Lin Daiyu, and would be letting down two outstanding girls. It would be a great sin, and it makes me sad just thinking about it.

If the marriage is successful, how can I still maintain my dignity in front of Sister Lin? How can I still speak louder than words? It would be better to just die...

As for what Grandmother Jia said, it was not a surprise to Baoyu, because he had known that the two men had entered his room.

Xiren had no idea how many times he had teased her and she was already a little fed up with it.

As for Caixia, she had been Mrs. Wang's maid since she was a child. Baoyu had been hanging out with her since he was a child. Although he had never really had sex with her, he had played with her many times, and it was no longer new to him...

So when he heard that Lady Jia was going to take care of this matter, there was really nothing to be happy about. He just felt it was boring. When he thought about the girl that Jia Cong was going to marry, he even felt very distressed.

Baoyu had also seen Zhishao, who was by Jia Cong's side. Not only was she beautiful, she was also highly regarded in the palace. She had also practiced asceticism in a Buddhist temple for several years. What an outstanding and pure girl.

Not to mention Wu'er, even all the maids in her room combined were not as pretty and charming as her.

It is really unfair that two such proud daughters were occupied by a parasite like Jia Cong. It is such a dirty and miserable thing that he could do such a dirty and miserable thing.

When Baoyu thought of this, he felt a surge of anger in his chest. A man of integrity like him could not help but express his anger, and he wanted to vent it out immediately by going crazy.

Just when he was getting into the mood, he suddenly felt the scar on his forehead start to hurt. The dull pain instantly made him clear-headed and dispelled all thoughts.

……

Wang Xifeng saw that as soon as Jia's mother mentioned this matter, Baoyu's face did not show joy, but instead he looked dejected, and he even sighed imperceptibly.

Wang Xifeng was smart and knew Baoyu's character best. She suddenly remembered that some days ago, Baoyu often came to her yard on various pretexts in an attempt to provoke Wu'er with words.

When she thought of this, she understood why Baoyu looked like that. She felt her stomach churning and wondered why she was still suffering from morning sickness at this age.

She quickly picked up a sour plum from Feng'er's food box and put it in her mouth, which stopped her from feeling nauseous.

……

Wang Xifeng felt a little uncomfortable after hearing what Lady Jia said just now. The old lady's words were inappropriate. It seemed as if Brother Cong's taking someone into his room was just taking advantage of Baoyu's convenience.

Now that she and Jia Cong are both from the first wife's family, they naturally share the same hatred and enemies. Although she feels uncomfortable in her heart, she will not show it on her face easily.

He smiled and said, "I have already thought of what the old lady said. I have already chosen the date a few days ago. It will be on the 25th of this month."

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "Feng girl is really thoughtful. She is always concerned about her brothers' affairs. The 25th is a good day."

Wang Xifeng laughed again and said, "In order to choose this day, Ping'er and I looked through the almanac for a long time, and after much thought, we decided that this day is the most auspicious and appropriate.

Because, Brother Cong will enter the palace for the examination on the tenth of this month. I estimate that the results may have been announced on the twenty-fifth. By then, Brother Cong will have passed the examination, which is great luck!"

As soon as Wang Xifeng said this, Rongqing Hall fell into an eerie silence. Only Wang Xifeng's hearty laughter echoed in the hall...

After a moment, Jia's mother came back to her senses and smiled slightly, "This is a good day, let's choose this day."

But Lady Jia is Lady Jia after all, and Lady Wang can only be Lady Wang.

Just now, when Lady Jia mentioned that someone had entered Baoyu's room, she also took care of Jia Cong's affairs. Mrs. Wang found it very pleasing to hear. She probably thought that this was the way to handle the affairs of the Jia family.

Moreover, Wang Xifeng also followed Lady Jia's words and said that she had already chosen a day.

But Mrs. Wang never expected that Wang Xifeng would suddenly change her mind and say that this day was chosen to pray for good luck for Jia Cong and his grandchildren to pass the imperial examinations. Then what about my Baoyu?
It was originally a smooth and decent matter, but it was messed up by this little girl Feng. Mrs. Wang felt as sick as if she had eaten a fly.

The boy from the East Mansion, just taking two maids into his room, actually wanted to add the titles of being successful in the imperial examinations. Where did he get such a show?

Then when he marries a wife in the future, won't he have to be given titles of nobility and dukedom as a show? This is totally absurd!
Baoyu didn't have as many thoughts as his mother. When he heard the words "pass the imperial examinations", his face turned pale instantly. He felt so aggrieved that he almost stamped his feet and cried.

The innocent matter of the marriage proposal has also caused the stench of corruption in the officialdom. Is there still a clean place in this world...

……

Shenjing, Qingyufang, Xia Mansion.

As late spring fades away, the weather becomes warmer, and the flowers and trees are green and swaying.

On the corners of the walls and eaves, vines sometimes spread wildly, revealing a restless vitality.

At the hanging flower gate in the inner courtyard of the Xia Mansion, Baochan stood in the shadow of the eaves, talking to a woman from the outer courtyard.

The old woman was in her thirties, eloquent and talkative, with a look of longing and envy on her face.

Baochan said, "Aunt Xu, what you said is true. Did Rongguo Mansion really cause such a big commotion?"

The old woman said: "No matter how brave I am, I dare not tease the girl. The news that Weiyuan Earl Jia Cong really won the first place in the imperial examination has spread all over the Shenjing City.

That is to say, the young lady is of noble status and usually stays in the inner courtyard of the mansion, so there is no news for a while."

Baochan was somewhat shocked when she heard the news...

……

Since Baoyu's birthday banquet that day, Mrs. Wang proposed marriage to the Xia family on Baoyu's behalf, and Mrs. Xia went home to discuss the matter with her daughter.

Mrs. Xia hoped that her daughter could marry into a noble family to enhance the status of the Xia family.

But Miss Xia was deeply in love and had been blinded by lust. As the saying goes, compare the goods before throwing them away. She had seen Jia Cong and no longer liked Baoyu, so she naturally refused him outright.

Mrs. Xia patiently analyzed the pros and cons again and again, and said all the nice things she could, trying to persuade her daughter to change her mind.

Although Miss Xia was persuaded by her mother and instigated by her maid Baochan, her mind was somewhat shaken.

However, when she thought about spending her whole life with that damn Baoyu, her lustful thoughts about Jia Cong were just illusions until her death.

When she thought of this result, Miss Xia's heart felt like it was on fire and she couldn't bear to be cruel.

Unable to vent his inner desires, he became increasingly flustered and irritated by his mother's daily lobbying. He began to throw tantrums, cry, and smash things, causing great chaos in the inner house.

Seeing her daughter was so stubborn, Mrs. Xia stopped forcing her to do something extreme.

……

Because Miss Xia had made quite a fuss about refusing to marry, Mrs. Xia left her daughter aside to let her clear her mind and naturally stopped taking her out.

The Xia family is a wealthy royal family, and Miss Xia is also a legitimate daughter of the inner house. Her mother will not take her out, so she can only stay in the inner house.

As a result, Miss Xia was put under house arrest in disguise.

The results of the imperial examination were announced half a month ago. Mrs. Xia was in charge of the Xia family's royal business and was a person of daily business dealings. Naturally, she heard about this news that was shocking the whole city early on.

Although she was surprised at Jia Cong's excellence, she would not reveal a word of it at home.

Because she knew that her daughter was obsessed with Jia Cong, and now her daughter was discussing marriage with Baoyu. If she knew such news, she would definitely have other ideas and would not be willing to marry.

To prevent the news from leaking out, Mrs. Xia not only stopped taking her daughter out, but also instructed her trusted maid who did business with her and knew the news not to leak the news, otherwise she would be punished according to family rules.

Although Mrs. Xia was meticulous and on guard day and night, she could never have dreamed that her daughter's personal maid had already been slept with by her future son-in-law Baoyu, and that her lust for him was even hotter than that of her daughter.

The daughter hadn't yet developed any unfaithful thoughts, but the maid Baochan already had them and couldn't wait to leave the house.

Since Baochan was Miss Xia's personal maid, and Miss Xia could not leave the inner house, she naturally followed suit and turned a blind eye.

However, more than ten days had passed, and she estimated that the results of the imperial examination had been announced, and Jia Cong, who made the girl nervous, would most likely pass the exam.

As Miss Xia's personal maid, Baochan's understanding of Miss Xia's thoughts is no worse than that of Mrs. Xia, and even better...

She thought of her words of persuasion that day. Although the girl was still unwilling to give in, it was obvious that she had softened her mind.

Baochan's dream is to follow Miss Xia and marry into the Jia family. In the half-earthed room in the east courtyard garden of the Jia family, Baoyu's playful behavior is worth her death if she can do it again...

Therefore, when it comes to Miss Xia's marriage, she will add fuel to the fire and make suggestions even if there is no anger. There is no way that things will go peacefully.

Baochan knew clearly that the girl cared a lot about Jia Cong's success and excellence. Now that she had the honor of passing the imperial examination, she would naturally instigate some conversation in front of Miss Xia.

Miss Xia had fallen out with her mother and had been staying indoors for more than ten days. She was bored and anxious. When she thought of Jia Cong, she became angry. How could she not be interested in Baochan's seductive words?

Naturally, she asked Baochan to find someone to inquire about the matter. Although she was unruly and aggressive, she was a shrewd person.

He also specifically told Baochan to avoid his mother's trusted maids and only ask inconspicuous people in the family.

With Miss Xia's advice, Baochan searched the mansion for someone and finally found Mrs. Xu, who was in charge of buying vegetables and grain for the kitchen, because she was out and about all the time and it was easy for her to get information.

……

Mrs. Xu saw that her words seemed to scare Baochan, and she couldn't help feeling proud and started to show off even more.

He said: "Originally, people like us have no chance to witness the affairs of a wealthy family like Rongguo Mansion.

Coincidentally, my brother from my mother's side was involved in this matter. He was a vegetable vendor in the East Market and had been doing business with the Rongguo Mansion for several years.

In the past, fresh vegetables were delivered to the mansion every other day, but this time, Earl Weiyuan passed the imperial examination and a grand banquet was held in the Jia family's east and west mansions.

Oh my goodness, the entire Ningrong Street was blocked by guests who came to congratulate. It was an extremely grand scene.

The two Jia family mansions had hundreds of buffets every day, and the money was spent like water, which was very impressive.

The guests who came were all high-ranking officials, and I heard that even the royal family..."

When Mrs. Xu heard Baochan being stunned by her words, she became more and more proud and exaggerated her words.

By praising the Jia family as if they were heaven, Jia Cong seemed to be the God of Literature who had descended to earth. If she was not afraid of exaggerating, she would have even boasted so much that even the emperor came to congratulate her.

Baochan only listened for a while before she began to feel bored. She had already found out everything. Mrs. Xu was just bragging, and Baoyu had nothing to do with it, so she naturally didn't bother to listen any more.

She said impatiently, "Okay, okay, I know everything. Remember what happened today and don't tell anyone about it, otherwise you will be in trouble."

As she spoke, she took out a heavy half-dollar bill and said, "This is a reward for you to buy some wine. Remember to watch your mouth."

When Mrs. Xu saw the copper coins, she was so happy that she smiled happily. She thought that although this girl was the young lady's personal maid, her monthly salary was only one hundred coins.

She just asked me about this and gave me half a dollar. She was really generous.

Mrs. Xu complained in her heart, could it be that the little girl has reached a certain age and started to have sexual thoughts, and is even thinking about meeting Mr. Yuan from the Jia family? She is so shameless and is dreaming of having a romantic relationship.

……

Inner courtyard of Xia Mansion, Miss Xia’s boudoir.

Baochan told Miss Xia all the information she had obtained, even repeating word for word the parts that Mrs. Xu had exaggerated.

Because she knew in her heart that her daughter was domineering and stubborn, and it would be useless to talk Baoyu into a marriage between the Xia and Jia families. It would be better to focus on Jia Cong.

Only by making Jia Cong sound more proud can he win the heart of his girl.

The girl was not a fool, even though she herself was bewildered by Jia Cong.

But the girl must know in her heart that Jia Cong's position is too high, and if she and Jia Cong want to succeed, they can only hope for the next life.

Baochan has been serving Miss Xia since she was a child. She knows that she is the only child in the Xia family. She has always been able to get whatever she wants.

Therefore, the more proud Jia Cong is, the more the girl will be reluctant to leave him. This entanglement is difficult to get rid of, and sooner or later it will cause a quarrel.

Only by doing this can he seduce his daughter to marry into the Jia family, because only in this way can he and Baoyu continue to be romantic, otherwise they will become strangers in the future.

Baochan thought to herself, my girl is infatuated with Jia Cong, isn't she also infatuated with Baoyu...

Whenever she thought of this, she felt bolder and more justified, as if she had found something to rely on.

……

After Baochan finished speaking, Miss Xia's eyes lit up, her pretty face flushed, and the joy in her heart seemed to be about to explode.

He praised with a delighted look: "I have heard that he is a good student, but I didn't expect him to be this good. I have also studied for a few years and know that the imperial examination is a competition for candidates from all over the country."

He actually managed to get the first place in the exam, which means he is the best in the world. People say that he is the god of literature, but he is just like this. I knew he was outstanding, but I didn’t expect him to be so outstanding! "

Baochan felt a little uncomfortable after hearing this, but she still said, "I also heard from Mrs. Xu that many people came to congratulate us that day, and they were all high-ranking officials of the court, such as assistant ministers and ministers.

Three princes also came to congratulate. I heard that one was the emperor's brother, and the other two were princes. The Jia family in Shenjing was very respectable during those days.

Also, I heard that on the tenth day of this month, Jia Cong will enter the palace to do that, do that... By the way, it's called the palace examination, and I heard that he can take the top prize."

Miss Xia smiled brightly, becoming more charming and beautiful, and said, "Even the prince is willing to give him face. There is no more proud man in the capital than him."

Baochan saw that his girl's pretty face was blushing, her eyes were watery, her expression was gentle, and her eyebrows and eyes were affectionate. She looked like a beautiful lady who was lovable.

Baochan stared with her eyes wide open, feeling that her daughter had become a different person. The domineering and aggressive nature of the past had disappeared without a trace. It was really uncanny. She couldn't help but shiver.

Suddenly, Miss Xia's face turned cold and she said, "You just said that the Jia family has been very respectable these days, that's nonsense, it's Jia Cong who is respectable.

"Except for Jia Cong, the rest of the Jia family are either idiots or effeminate bastards. Without him, no one in the Jia family would care about them. They can forget about maintaining their dignity!"

……

Baochan was so frightened to see that his girl, who was fine just now, suddenly became upset and turned pale.

After a long while, he tentatively said, "Miss, you can't say that. I heard that Baoyu was also very busy those days..."

Miss Xia praised Jia Cong too highly just now, which seemed to irritate Baochan and made her feel a little dissatisfied.

He started talking nonsense: "He is Jia Cong's best brother, so naturally he has to help Jia Cong entertain guests, and his position will surely rise in the future.

The girl doesn’t want that marriage. Maybe she wants to curry favor with Jia Cong, but she doesn’t have the ability to marry him. Instead, she will follow Baoyu’s path. By then, it will be too late for the girl to turn back…”

After hearing this, Miss Xia was slightly stunned, her eyes seemed to be thinking about something, and the expression on her pretty face changed constantly, sometimes sad and disappointed, sometimes angry and annoyed.

She scolded Baochan, "You stupid girl, you have no vision. We were just talking about Jia Cong, but you brought up Baoyu's nonsense. It really ruined our mood!"

……

After scolding Baochan, Miss Xia sat there in a daze. Baochan's words just now were like poison that pierced her heart and made her feel heartbroken.

I had only stayed in the inner house for a few days, and then I was so far away from him. I had no idea about such a big happy event that happened to him.

If the marriage between the Xia and Jia families were to break off, his mother and that stupid Mrs. Jia would become enemies, and the only connection between the Xia and Jia families would be completely severed.

By that time, he and I would be strangers. As a rich lady who couldn't leave the house, even if she wanted to see him, she probably wouldn't be able to do so.

From then on, his high position, glory, and fame were all gone. These had nothing to do with him.

It won't be long before he doesn't even remember who he is...

When Miss Xia thought about this, she felt wronged and painful, and couldn't help but burst into tears.

However, the arrogance and stubbornness that she had since childhood and her unwillingness to admit defeat suddenly came to the fore again.

The weak and helpless mood just now slowly faded away, my heart cooled down, and gradually I became ruthless...

She wiped away her tears with her sleeve, rubbing off some of her makeup.

He took out a bag of silver from the cabinet and threw it to Baochan.

He said, "You said that Cong will take the palace examination on the tenth day of the first lunar month. Take this packet of silver and arrange the staff as soon as possible. As soon as the imperial edict of the palace examination is released, let me know the news.

With his ability, he might be able to get the first place in the imperial examination, or at least the second or third place. I want to see him in all his glory again!" (End of this chapter)