Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

After hearing what Wang Xifeng said, Jia's mother felt happy and excited. She asked Yuanyang to bring the almanac and discussed with Aunt Xue which day would be suitable.

Mrs. Wang felt extremely disgusted when she saw this. The boy from the East Mansion was a pervert. He brought all the decent maids from the two mansions into his room.

Feng girl is so shameless now. In order to please that boy, she even gave her personal maid since childhood to that boy to abuse.

There is a man like my Baoyu. The women who come into his room are all maids in his own room. He never messes with women from other places.

Although there was the incident with Miss Xia’s personal maid before, it must have been that little bitch who seduced Baoyu, otherwise how could my Baoyu be so stupid.

When Miss Xia marries into the family, that little girl will definitely be brought as a dowry. By then, she must be well disciplined to prevent any more trouble from happening in Baoyu's room.

Mrs. Wang was thinking and despising her in her heart, but she didn't know that her son Baoyu was filled with anger and resentment after hearing what Wang Xifeng said.

Baoyu was originally the phoenix of Rongguo Mansion. Ever since he landed on the ground, he had the omen of being born with jade in his mouth. Grandmother Jia doted on him infinitely and everyone in the two mansions cherished him.

He has always been living at the top of the world. He has had everything he wants since he was a child. Only others are jealous of him, and he never envies others.

It is precisely because of this that he is so bored in daily life that he likes to chatter. In addition, he is lazy and casual in nature. He does nothing on weekdays but feels sad about the passing of time and slanders studying for the imperial examinations.

Therefore, Baoyu appears to be indifferent to material desires and rarely has any secretive thoughts. Compared with Mrs. Wang's viciousness, he seems much more noble.

Even though the second branch lost the qualification to inherit the title and moved to the East Courtyard, it completely became a side branch.

Because of Grandmother Jia's favor, he still lived in Rongguo Mansion as usual, and his rich and luxurious life remained almost unchanged.

Even though Wang Xifeng laid off many maids and servants, he only complained secretly, as if he had forgotten all about it and had a clean heart.

It was just that it did not really touch his pain point, because those servants and maids who were laid off were just a gimmick during his time of wealth and power, and he simply could not use them in his daily life.

Even though Jia Cong had many pretty maids around him, they originally belonged to Jia Cong.

Baoyu was jealous and dissatisfied, and because it was justified, he would just slander her in private to vent his anger.

However, things in the world may change, but human hearts remain unchanged.

Baoyu indulged in debauchery in Jia Zheng's study, but then something unexpected happened and he became a man with a different appearance and unable to sleep in bed. He had to share the bed with a beautiful girl, which brought shame to the people under the willow tree.

This extremely embarrassing sexual illness for men has a great impact on their hearts and finally breaks his ignorant mentality of always boasting about his excellence in front of women.

How is it possible that her character towards Baoyu has not been distorted or changed to this day?

At that time, Zhishao and the other five girls were all beautiful and outstanding. They entered Jia Cong's room and became his favorites.

But they were Jia Cong's maids since childhood, and Baoyu was jealous and envious, but he could do nothing about it.

But Ping'er was different. She had been going in and out of Wang Xifeng's courtyard since she was a child, and was used to seeing the pretty and dignified personal maids around her.

Although he was afraid of Wang Xifeng's fierceness, he never dared to have the intention of possessing her, but he was probably already hiding some covetous thoughts in his heart.

Now even such an outstanding daughter has become Jia Cong's thing.

The long-standing jealousy towards Jia Cong's good fortune suddenly burst out and distorted into deep hatred.

In his opinion, Ping'er was different from Zhishao and Wu'er. She was not originally Jia Cong's maid.

Why can't I have it, but it has to be taken away by Jia Cong?

……

Baoyu's heart was filled with jealousy and resentment, and he felt an unprecedented sense of unwillingness in his chest. According to his inner desire, he wanted to speak out to stop it.

At least he was not completely blinded by greed, and felt that it seemed unreasonable to stop this matter.

When the words came to his lips, he suddenly had a quick wit and changed the topic, saying, "Sister Feng, Jia Cong already has Zhishao and Wu'er in his room.

As for sisters Qingwen, Yinglian and others, I heard that Lingguan has come and his place already has quite a lot of people.

Sister Feng is anxious to let Sister Ping'er go, and Jia Cong probably won't be able to take care of her. I'm afraid Sister Ping'er will be wronged."

When Baoyu said this, everyone present was a little surprised. No one expected that Baoyu, who usually didn't mind other people's business, would suddenly speak at this time.

Moreover, his words just now actually hinted at opposing Ping'er's marriage to Jia Cong. Everyone felt it was strange. Was it his turn to speak on this matter?

Aunt Xue glanced at Baoyu, and couldn't help but have a strange look in her eyes. If Congge had a woman in his room, that was the eldest wife's family affair. Was there any need for the second wife to gossip about it?
Baoyu is really spoiled by his sister. He is such a grown man, but he says such inappropriate and unreasonable words and doesn't even mind being treated as an ass by outsiders.

She thought of how she had listened to Lady Wang's advice and rushed to bring up the topic of a perfect match.

Fortunately, I stopped in time and did not make this fake thing come true.

If my daughter was really promised to Baoyu, she would have to spend her whole life with such an ignorant man, and she would have been looked down upon and ridiculed by everyone in the Jia family.

Although Wang Xifeng was shrewd and smooth, and used to speaking eloquently in front of others, after hearing Baoyu's words, she felt humiliated, and her phoenix eyes revealed anger.

Baoyu's words sounded polite, but his meaning was quite impolite. He was bluntly saying that she didn't know how to handle things, didn't care about her own maid, and was eager to give her away!

Wang Xifeng has always been a strong-willed person, and now she is the housekeeper of the West Mansion.

Baoyu's words had dampened her prestige, and the news spread, so the servants in the two mansions all laughed at her.

Who will obey her in the future, and how can she still be the housekeeper of the West Mansion!

After hearing what Baoyu said, Jia's mother couldn't help but frown slightly, and she also blamed Baoyu for his rash words.

Feng wanted to give her maid away, and she was willing to do it. No one else needed to pay attention to her, and she didn't say anything.

Besides, this matter had already been talked about in October last year and had spread throughout the two mansions. There was no need for Baoyu to say anything more now.

When Mrs. Wang saw Baoyu suddenly speak, and said some unpleasant words, she felt a little headache. Could it be that her son was possessed by a demon again?

Baoyu is going to get married at the end of the year, and he is also thinking of getting money from the West Palace to hold the wedding. Why should he offend Feng girl at this time?

But since Baoyu had already said it, he couldn't take it back. Mrs. Wang didn't want her son to lose face, so she naturally had to speak up to smooth things over.

Smiling, he said, "Baoyu is still young, so he must not understand much about the affairs of women in the inner house, but what he said is somewhat perverse.

Cong'er is the same age as Baoyu, and he is only fifteen years old. He each has two women in his room, which is enough in my opinion.

You are still young and have many things to do. If the curtains are too heavy, it will be a bit shabby and it will sound inappropriate to outsiders."

Mrs. Wang chose her words carefully, and she felt that her words were well-reasoned and took the overall situation into consideration, showing the demeanor of a great lady.

He can also help Baoyu make up for it in time and save his face.

……

After hearing what Mrs. Wang said, Wang Xifeng couldn't help but smile.

She said, "Second Madam, what you said is inappropriate. Brother Cong is the head of the Lord's family, and Baoyu is only the second son. How can the two of them be compared?"

When Lady Jia and Aunt Xue heard this, their expressions changed slightly.

Although Wang Xifeng spoke politely and smiled, the meaning of her words was not polite at all, as if they were stabbing straight into people's hearts.

Mrs. Wang heard the sarcasm in Wang Xifeng's words and couldn't help but show anger on her face.

Even if Jia Cong inherited the title, it was just because he had more luck.

My Baoyu is the legitimate son of the Jia family. He was born with a jade in his mouth and is an outstanding person.

His mother was the eldest daughter of the Wang family in Jinling, and his father, like Cong'er, was also an official appointed by the imperial court.

Among the eight branches of the Jia family in Shenjing, none of them has such a noble birth as Baoyu. How can I not be compared with Jia Cong?

If the master had not been kind and could not bear to see him suffer in Dongluyuan, and had not taken care of him since he was a child, he would not have the glory he has today.

I'm afraid he has been tortured to death by the master long ago, and his bones must have turned into dust by now. Why would he raise a tiger to cause trouble now and steal all of Baoyu's things?

This Feng girl is such an ungrateful thing. She has forgotten who brought her into the Jia family. Now she speaks without any respect for superiors.

Mrs. Wang was so angry at Wang Xifeng's words that she was shaking. Her mind was a little confused for a moment, and she was about to retort to Wang Xifeng.

But before she could think of the topic, Wang Xifeng continued, "Baoyu said he was worried that Brother Cong would ignore Ping'er, but that's not true.

Everyone in the mansion knows that Brother Cong is the one who cares most about girls and would never treat my Ping'er badly.

Besides, Ping'er is not going to be the wife, she is just serving Brother Cong, there is no need to be so particular. "

Baoyu was heartbroken when he heard this. Sister Feng actually treated Ping'er so badly and didn't take her seriously at all.

She was sent to serve Jia Cong for nothing. There were already many maids serving Jia Cong. She was just sent to him to be abused. This was totally unreasonable.

……

Wang Xifeng glanced at Baoyu, who had a sad face, and felt more disgusted and contemptuous, and her heart became even more vicious.

She continued, "The Second Madam said that young men should do serious work and should not indulge themselves too much in sex. This is true.

It can be seen that the second master is a wise man and he must have taught Baoyu in this way at ordinary times.

But these words should be said to Baoyu, but are not appropriate for Brother Cong.

Brother Yin Cong had been granted a title, passed the imperial examination, and became a Hanlin scholar. He had achieved all the achievements that an ordinary man would make in his lifetime.

The big and important things he did were what ordinary people could not accomplish in several lifetimes. What else did he need to be busy with now? The most important thing was the prosperity of his bloodline.

The second wife also knew that the Cong brothers had two titles and two family businesses to inherit. He would have many descendants in the future, but other people were much more important.

Having a few more women in his room is a very serious matter. Not to mention Ping'er, there will definitely be many more in the future.

However, the Second Wife was also a knowledgeable person. It was a very wise and sensible idea to arrange only two women in Baoyu's room.

This will prevent Baoyu from being too obsessed with sex, and allow him to focus on studying and further his studies, so that he can be granted a title and become an official like his brothers Cong in the future."

……

Wang Xifeng was eloquent and spoke a lot without allowing Mrs. Wang to argue. But her mouth was filled with sarcasm and was full of bitterness.

Even the last sentence about being granted a title and becoming an official always makes people feel that it is deliberately drawn out, revealing a shameful sarcasm.

Mrs. Wang's face turned red and white. She could have acted like a senior and scolded Wang Xifeng, but she couldn't find any fault with her words.

Because what she said about Jia Cong's good points, as well as the advice not to indulge in sex and to concentrate on studying, were all upright words.

It was difficult for Mrs. Wang to refute at all. If she dared to say that these reasons were wrong, and the news got out, she would be labeled as a foolish woman.

But even so, Mrs. Wang was so angry that her face turned pale. She really didn't expect that Wang Xifeng would be so mean.

Is there any word in this world that is more vicious than talking about studying, going to school, and becoming a noble official in front of Baoyu?

……

Seeing her daughter-in-law being mocked by her granddaughter-in-law until she was furious, Grandmother Jia felt that it was really unbecoming and was extremely annoying.

She was somewhat resentful of Mrs. Wang. Baoyu was still young and didn't understand the ways of the world, so it was fine that she said something nosy.

I have been the mistress of the household for more than ten years, how come I have become so ignorant of the seriousness of the matter?

If Congge takes a woman into his daughter's room, that is the eldest wife's family affair.

This had nothing to do with the second wife, but she didn't stop Baoyu from speaking, and even interrupted him to make irresponsible remarks.

She was in the eldest wife's territory, and wanted to embarrass Feng girl. How could they be polite to each other? She was a good elder and chose to embarrass herself.

She made a fuss out of a child's silly words. Why did she do that? Today was supposed to be a good day, but she wouldn't let people just have some peace and happiness.

Aunt Xue saw that her sister was becoming more and more absurd, and she thought there was no need for her to say anything when the eldest wife of the East Palace was looking for a woman. In the end, she was scolded by her niece on the spot.

According to Aunt Xue's usual good-natured behavior, she would probably come out to smooth things over, say some nice words, and liven up the atmosphere again.

But when she saw Wang Xifeng's tit-for-tat attitude, she gave up the idea, so as to avoid people thinking that they were in the same clique.

It would be a complete loss of face if people thought I was as foolish as my sister.

If Cong Ge'er heard this, she would be afraid that even Cong Ge'er would be offended, and her daughter would also be embarrassed.

……

Seeing that the atmosphere in the hall was a little tense, Jia's grandmother had to come out to mediate, otherwise if they continued to talk like this, everyone would lose face.

The old lady took the almanac, flipped through a few pages, and said, "Auntie, I think August 17 is a good day, just right for doing business."

Aunt Xue replied with a smile on her face: "The old lady is right. I also noticed that this day is a good day for moving, getting married, and having children.

It is a very auspicious day to let Ping'er marry into the family. Who knows, the old lady may want to celebrate the full moon again at this time next year."

Baoyu had just heard Wang Xifeng's nonsense about studying, getting a title and becoming an official, and he was already shaking with anger, filled with disdain and indignation.

I just feel that the Rongguo Mansion is becoming more and more of a mess. All the people inside and outside the mansion have been tainted and corrupted by Jia Cong, the parasite, as if it has seeped into their bones.

Everyone wants to be granted titles and become an official. They are so vulgar and hopeless that no one has any clean feelings anymore. It is really sad and lamentable.

I had good intentions and wanted to save Ping'er from the pit of monastic rules and etiquette, but they didn't take it seriously at all. It was really too much.

Moreover, Aunt Xue is becoming more and more absurd now. She keeps talking about having children, as if she is deliberately making fun of herself...

In his heart, Baoyu howled and roared towards the sky, but outwardly his brows were frowned and he dared not utter another word.

Afraid of provoking Wang Xifeng again, he said in front of everyone that men should study hard and strive to be strong, and should not be on the same level as her...

Then Wang Xifeng laughed and said, "Since the old lady has set the date, it will be in about ten days. I asked Ping'er to pack her things early to avoid a fuss when the time comes.

I will pass the message to my second sister later. Now that she is the head of the East Mansion, she will be needed to help sort out this matter."

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "I think Ping'er is a lucky girl. I will definitely reward her and let her go with dignity."

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "The old lady is really caring. This really gives me and Ping'er face. I will thank the old ancestor on Ping'er's behalf."

After hearing this, Baoyu felt dizzy. He finally mustered up the courage to save Ping'er.

I didn't expect these people to not take it seriously at all and trample on my sincerity. They were so impatient that they wanted to send Sister Ping'er into the fire pit.

It is really incomprehensible, horrible, and heartbreaking...

……

Rongguo Mansion, Fengjie's Courtyard.

The afternoon sun is shining brightly. There are green sycamore trees under the south wall, lush potted plants at the foot of the west window, and bright flowers with dazzling fragrance.

There were a dazzling array of gifts in the main room. These were not full-month gifts from the guests, but return gifts from Wang Xifeng to the guests.

As the gifts from each guest vary in importance, the return gifts will naturally be different to avoid being impolite.

These return gifts were also delivered to each household within three days after the banquet.

Having just returned from the banquet in the Grand Hall, Feng'er and Wang Xifeng went to Rongqing Hall, while Wu'er went out to take care of chores in the mansion.

Ping'er was the only one left in the room, looking at the gift lists from each family, distributing and sorting the return gifts from each family, sorting them into separate piles, and carefully affixing signatures to them.

Ping'er was Wang Xifeng's personal maid, and she helped her with housework on a daily basis. Her clothes were more exquisite than those of ordinary maids.

She wore a light blue cross-collared long vest with embroidery and a collar on the upper body, an ivory-colored thin silk jacket underneath, a frost-colored long skirt on the lower body, and a light blue sweat towel tied around her slender waist.

She has black hair that is dyed in ink and tied into a delicate bun on top of her head. Her pretty face is as fair as snow and her eyes are as clear as water, with a look that is full of concentration and delicacy.

After she had sorted out most of the return gifts, she looked up at the sky outside.

She picked out two folding fans, a piece of Suzhou embroidery silk, and a hibiscus mat from the gifts, and tied them carefully with red silk to add a touch of festive atmosphere.

She left the main house again and entered the wing where she lived. She took out a pair of embroidered brocade clothes with dark patterns from her suitcase, and a smile appeared on her face.

Then she carried the pile of return gifts and the newly made brocade clothes, walked out of the courtyard and headed towards the East Palace.

……

Along the way, Ping'er could only smell the fragrance of trees and grass, and felt very relaxed.

Ever since her eldest sister's full moon was approaching, she had always felt an inexplicable sweetness in her heart, a longing that she was too shy to express in words.

When Wang Xifeng and Lady Jia had made it clear that they wanted to promise her to Jia Cong as his concubine, although she was surprised, she naturally wished for it.

She was originally Wang Xifeng's maid who came with her as a dowry, and her fate in life was completely out of her control. Whenever she thought about it, she was always worried and afraid.

She never dreamed that there would be a day when she could be married to a person like the Third Master.

She was just a humble little girl, without much knowledge or ideas.

But the Third Master is handsome, well-educated, and capable of both literature and martial arts. How can he not be admired by others?

Maybe she had this thought before, but she just buried it in her heart, and maybe she never dared to mention it to anyone in her life.

But God was kind to her after all, until Wang Xifeng promised her to Jia Cong. The admiration she had buried for a long time began to grow uncontrollably...

In the past, Jia Cong still lived in Qingzhizhai, Xifu. She was always very polite whenever she saw him, but there was still a distance between them.

Since she had decided on her life, every time she saw him, they spoke in a friendly manner and treated each other with courtesy.

Everything seems to be no different from before, but there is an indescribable intimacy in my heart.

As time goes by and I wake up in my midnight dreams, this strange feeling gradually settles into an unforgettable concern and yearning.

It is engraved in my heart and is hard to erase, making me happy to accept it.

Grandma had said many times that once the baby in her belly was safely born, she would send her to the East Palace to marry the Third Master.

Although she was too embarrassed to ask more questions about this matter, she knew in her heart that the day that made her heart beat fast and look forward to it would most likely come after her eldest sister's full moon.

When she entered the East Palace again these days, she felt a strange sense of belonging, because she would belong here in the future.

Ping'er passed through the small door of the corridor connecting the two mansions, walked through the back garden of the East Manor, and entered Jia Cong's courtyard.

As soon as he entered the yard, he saw Yinglian coming out of the yard and asked with a smile: "Sister Yinglian, is the Third Master in the house?"

Yinglian smiled and said, "Sister Ping'er, you came at the right time. The Third Master was just about to go out. If you had come a little later, you would have missed him. He is now in the house."

……

Jia Cong returned from the Grand Flower Hall of the West Palace. As it was just past noon, he was preparing to go back to the firearms workshop outside the city.

Now it is mid-August, and Emperor Jiazhao has issued an edict to complete the construction of 500 breech-loading rifles before the end of the year.

At present, the construction quantity has not yet reached half, so Jia Cong naturally dare not slack off in the slightest, and keeps a close eye on the construction progress in various parts of the workshop every day.

Since the beginning of August, Emperor Jiazhao issued another oral order, asking him to select elite troops from the Shenji Camp to be responsible for the training and practice of breech-loading rifles.

The emperor seemed to be impatient to see the breech-loading rifle put to practical use...

Yesterday he completed the screening of the first batch of firearms soldiers. When he set out for Liaodong, Jiang Xiaoliu and Yu Xiuzhu, who had been under his command, were among those selected.

We are currently busy expanding the barracks in the workshop. The elite soldiers of the Shenji Battalion who are selected, once they enter the workshop, are not allowed to leave before the end of the year.

There have been a lot of practical matters in the past few days, which required him to coordinate and busy himself. Just now, Yinglian helped him change clothes, and he was preparing to go out.

Because I was walking in a hurry, I bumped into someone at the door. My hands fell into the softness, which was fragrant and elastic, and my heart couldn't help but be slightly moved.

All I heard was a pleasant cry, and then a bunch of things fell to the ground in a mess.

The man was knocked down and was hugged by Jia Cong... (End of this chapter)