Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Earl's Mansion, Jia Cong Courtyard.

It was just when the moon was almost at its zenith and the night was as cool as water. Qingwen pulled Yinglian aside to eavesdrop on what was happening in a corner. The two were whispering about what they were going to do in the bedroom.

Unexpectedly, Jia Cong, who was sharp-eyed and sharp-eared, noticed it and laughed, pushed the window and shouted.

The question "Who wants to sleep with me?" made Yinglian, who had started the conversation, very embarrassed. Her face turned red, and she screamed, then turned around and ran away.

Qingwen embarrassed herself in front of Jia Cong, her pretty face flushed, and she ran away after Yinglian, and the corridor returned to peace.

Jia Cong closed the window again and looked at Ping'er, whose face was flushed and who was laughing.

He smiled and said, "It must be Qingwen who instigated it. She has become more intelligent this year and is very curious."

When Ping'er thought of Qingwen asking about sleeping with him, her heart started beating fast and her pretty face flushed. In the quiet room late at night, there was an indescribable sense of ambiguity and beauty in the air.

But because of this funny episode, the awkwardness of the two people sleeping in the same room for the first time seemed to be gradually faded...

Jia Cong said, "Wu'er is worried that you are not familiar with your bed, so I changed the bedside bed into a new one so that Sister Ping'er can sleep more peacefully."

After hearing this, Ping'er let go of her last bit of panic and tension, and felt a little relieved, but also a little inexplicably lost, but she didn't dare to think too much about it.

Jia Cong walked to the clothes rack and began to take off his outer clothes, preparing to go to bed.

This was originally done by the night maid, but since it was Ping'er's first time to spend the night with him, she was probably unfamiliar with many things, so she simply did it herself.

Ping'er saw Jia Cong raise his arm and use his other hand to unbutton his ribs, and his movements were a little inconvenient.

She bit her soft lips, plucked up the courage to walk behind Jia Cong, and said, "Third Master, I'll help you."

Jia Cong saw Ping'er reaching under his armpits, unbuttoning his clothes deftly, and helping him take off his outer garment.

She took his pajamas from the hanger and handed them to Jia Cong with a red face. She turned her back hesitantly and heard a rustling sound. Her heart began to beat wildly again.

After Jia Cong changed into his pajamas, Ping'er helped him make his bed, patted the soft gauze pillow, and spread out the brocade quilt.

The unfamiliarity of the initial arrival and the trying heartbeat gradually melted away into thin air amidst the strange intimacy of every move.

It was not until Jia Cong got on the bed that Ping'er helped him lower the bed curtains before she went to the dressing table to take off her hairpins and jewelry.

She then undid the bun on her head and lightly combed her hair before she mustered up the courage to undress and unbutton her belt.

Through the semi-transparent soft smoke silk bed curtains, Jia Cong saw Ping'er take off her goose yellow chrysanthemum patterned satin front collar and her light blue pleated skirt...

In the flickering candlelight, she was seen wearing a soft chiffon silk dress, which made her figure more graceful, with a slender waist, and beautiful breasts, which were extremely attractive.

In the bedroom with flickering candlelight, she is charming and graceful, full of life, like an overflowing wine jar, intoxicating and intoxicating, drunk before even drinking.

He recalled the time when Ping'er came to give him a gift and they collided seductively as they hurried out, and the soft and elastic tentacles.

And Ping'er's shy and pitiful expression made me feel strange...

Then she walked to the dressing table with small steps and blew out the candle. The room became dark, leaving only the bright moonlight shining through the window frame.

Ping'er passed by his tent and turned to take a look inside.

Through the soft gauze bed curtains and the moonlight shining through the window lattice, Jia Cong vaguely saw Ping'er's fair cheeks, reflecting her delicate blush.

He watched Ping'er walk to the side couch, unfold the brocade quilt and lie down. Only then did Jia Cong turn around, smile slightly and close his eyes.

Ping'er lay on the couch, tossing and turning several times, thinking that what her grandmother said was absolutely true, the Third Master was indeed like that, and her whole body couldn't help but feel hot.

But I felt more at peace and happy in my heart, and I was looking forward to the future with joy. The new bedding beneath me was soft and comfortable, and I fell into a sweet sleep in a short while.

……

In the early morning, the light outside the window was dim. Ping'er got up from the couch and put on her clothes quietly.

Jia Cong has always been self-disciplined and diligent, and everyone in the East and West Palaces knows it. Whether he was studying for exams in the past or serving as an official in court now, he gets up very early every day.

Ping'er paid attention to everything he did, so she naturally knew everything. When she saw that the bed curtains were lowered safely, she smiled knowingly.

She didn't dare light a candle for fear of waking Jia Cong from his sweet dream. She sat quietly in front of the dressing table, using the dim light from the window to comb her hair, tie it into a bun, and dress herself up.

Just then, Jia Cong heard the bed curtains fluttering, revealing his body. Ping'er hurried forward to hang up the bed curtains. Jia Cong smiled and said, "Sister Ping'er, did you sleep well last night?"

Ping Er smiled and said, "He fell asleep soon after he fell asleep. He slept as soundly as my grandmother did in the courtyard. He woke up just after dawn."

It seemed as if the two of them had only been in the same room for one night, and the unfamiliarity that had always been between them had mostly disappeared, giving rise to a natural closeness.

Ping'er had just helped Jia Cong put on his clothes when there were two knocks on the door. Wu'er came in with a copper basin of hot water, and then Zhishao came in to help Jia Cong comb his hair.

They all knew that it was Ping'er's first night watch and she would probably feel a little unfamiliar and inconvenient, so they came early to help.

There were occasional laughs in the room, exuding a warm homely atmosphere.

Ping'er has been Wang Xifeng's personal maid since she was a child, so she is naturally a clever and dexterous person.

But there are huge differences between serving Wang Xifeng and serving Jia Cong between men and women. With the demonstration by Zhishao and Wu'er, everyone naturally understood it at a glance.

……

After a few people finished washing and dressing, they had just entered the main room to have breakfast when Juan'er came in to report that the maid from the Second Madam's room came over to deliver a message.

Ping Er hurried out after hearing this. After a while, she came back and said, "Wu Er and I came back early yesterday, but we didn't know that Master Bao was causing trouble again."

Jia Cong frowned slightly and asked, "Why is he making trouble for no reason?"

Ping'er recounted in detail how Baoyu had trespassed into Rongqing Hall yesterday, and how the maid had come to pass on the message that Baoyu had destroyed the antiques in the room.

After a brief thought, Jia Cong knew why Wang Xifeng sent someone to pass the message so early. She had calculated that he had not yet left the house to attend court.

She sent a maid to pass the message to Ping'er, but she actually wanted to pass the message to herself.

If the message is not delivered now, I will not know until I return home in the evening. A lot of things can happen in one day.

Although Baoyu is the legitimate son of a concubine's family, it is not a trivial matter to take action against him because of the relationship between Lady Jia and Jia Zheng, and Wang Xifeng must let herself know.

This is her way of being a worldly-wise housekeeper, so as to avoid any subsequent disturbances in the family and give herself a heads-up as the head of the family.

……

Jia Cong's face was gloomy, and he said, "The master, considering the etiquette of the family, insisted on moving to the East Courtyard. Logically, Baoyu should be at the master's knees to show filial piety.

He has been staying in the West Mansion. I am concerned about the old lady's face. My sisters have moved into the East Mansion, so I am not afraid of outsiders gossiping about the inner courtyard.

I didn't want to waste my energy arguing over such a trivial matter, so I let him wander around the West Palace.

But he is the same age as me, and not only does he do nothing, his actions are becoming more and more absurd.

These antique items are not only valuable, but also not just useless things. They are the property accumulated by two generations of dukes through hard work and battles.

Randomly and without reason destroying ancestral heirlooms is not just breaking a few things, but an act of great filial piety.

If the Jia family was not a lenient family that never treated servants harshly, the second sister-in-law's treatment would have been lenient.

This matter must be announced to everyone in the mansion. If anyone damages the ancestral property without reason in the future, they must be severely punished!

Ping'er, tell my words to my second sister-in-law. If anyone is dissatisfied with my second sister-in-law's treatment, just report back with my words."

Ping Er smiled and said, "Third Master is the master of rules. With Third Master's words, this matter is fair and square, and no one dares to disobey."

Jia Cong sighed, "It's not easy for the master either. He only wants his son to become a successful person, but he can't achieve his goal.

I don't want the master to be embarrassed by this. Baoyu will be married at the end of the year anyway, and it won't take long before the West Mansion will have some peace and quiet."

Ping'er and Wu'er both realized that Master Bao's repeated absurd behavior had already angered Master San, but he had been reluctant to lose his temper out of consideration for Master San's face.

……

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

Baoyu smashed the family heirlooms and Wang Xifeng fined the maidservant several months' salary as punishment. This matter soon became known to everyone in the West Mansion.

When Jia's mother heard the wind, she felt extremely uncomfortable and sat in the hall with a worried look on her face. After a while, she saw Yuanyang coming in from outside the hall.

He asked, "Yuanyang, have you found out everything?"

Yuanyang said, "I have found out everything. Master Bao smashed six antiques in the room yesterday. They were all top-quality items.

These items were brought to the Second Master's room by the Second Wife when she was in charge, and some were also given to the Second Master by the Old Lady for him to play with.

One of them was something that the second master asked the old lady for two years ago, a pair of pink agate plates with the patterns of fortune, wealth and longevity. What a pity.

I heard from the old lady that this was a birthday gift given to her by the Duke. "

Grandmother Jia had lived a life of wealth and luxury, and had seen countless fine things. Even if a few of them were broken, she wouldn't feel too bad.

Only after hearing Yuanyang's words, his face turned a little ugly, and he said: "This Baoyu is a little impetuous. He can be angry if he wants. Why does he have to pick out precious things to smash? Once these things are gone, you can never find another one..."

Yuanyang continued, "Mrs. Lin went to an antique shop outside to ask about the market price, and these six old items are worth at least 3,600 taels.

If they were stored for a longer time, like the pair of agate plates owned by the old lady, they would be more valuable.

The Second Mistress was really furious about this matter because Xiren said that they smashed these things because they made Master Bao angry.

He confiscated four months' wages from all the maids in Master Bao's room. Qiu Wen was not convinced and said a few more words.

Second Madam had Qiu Wen dragged out and beaten with the stick 20 times. She couldn't even walk, and was carried back to Second Master's courtyard."

……

After hearing this, Jia's mother's face changed and she complained, "It's no good just because the things are smashed. Why did they make such a big fuss? I'm afraid there will be trouble in the future.

A family must live in harmony. Baoyu is also a worry. If this continues, I am afraid he will not stay in the West Palace for long."

Yuanyang thought for a moment and said, "The Third Master already knew about this this morning, and he even sent a message to the Second Madam."

Grandmother Jia was a little worried and asked hurriedly, "What did Congge say?"

Now that Jia Cong has inherited both the East and West Mansions, although Lady Jia is the grandmother and relies on her filial piety and seniority, she has become more cautious in her actions.

Although she dotes on Baoyu privately, the clan law is ruthless and Baoyu is ultimately a concubine's son.

As the ancestor of the Rongguo Mansion, Jia's grandmother has different levels of closeness to Jia Cong and Baoyu according to family etiquette and blood ethics.

Even if Lady Jia was unwilling to accept it in her heart, she could not change this patriarchal principle.

If Jia Cong wants to punish Baoyu according to family rules for damaging the ancestral property, Grandmother Jia will also be very troubled.

When Jia Zheng taught Baoyu a lesson and beat him, Grandmother Jia could scold and curse him without any scruples, but she could not do so to Jia Cong.

Not only because Jia Cong inherited the family business by imperial order, but also because the power of the emperor is greater than family etiquette, Grandmother Jia has no control over Jia Cong.

Moreover, Jia Cong's intelligence far surpasses Jia Zheng's, he is cunning, resourceful and eloquent, so if Jia Cong punishes Baoyu, he must have a legitimate reason.

Even if Lady Jia cursed and tried to stop him, she would eventually be embarrassed and humiliated by Jia Cong's sharp tongue.

Aren’t there enough things like this happening in recent years? Grandmother Jia has long been frightened and is naturally very concerned about Jia Cong's attitude.

Yuanyang said: "The Third Master said that the antiques that the Second Master Bao destroyed were the family property that the predecessors fought for with blood and swords. It is a great disrespect to destroy them for no reason.

He also said that the punishment for the Second Mistress was too light. If the Jia family had not always been lenient towards their servants, she should have been punished more severely.

The Third Master also asked the Second Mistress to pass on a message that anyone in the mansion who dares to damage the ancestral property will be severely punished.

When Grandmother Jia heard this, her expression changed slightly. She didn't expect that Jia Cong cared so much about this matter and even thought that Wang Xifeng's punishment was too light.

If the punishment is more severe, it won't just be confiscating the maid's monthly salary, but also punishing my Baoyu according to the family rules...

……

Yuanyang saw that Jia's mother looked unhappy and said, "Old lady, it is not my place to say anything about this matter, but I think what the Third Master said is reasonable.

The Third Master loved the treasures left by his ancestors, and there was nothing wrong with the way the Second Master handled it.

Besides, the ones being punished were maids like Xiren, so it didn't embarrass Master Bao too much. The Second Mistress also took the old lady into consideration and gave Master Bao some face.

It would be fine if this matter just passed. The old lady can teach the second master more in private so that he won’t make mistakes again in the future.”

After listening to Yuanyang's explanation, Jia's mother's expression relaxed and she said, "What you said does make sense, after all, it was Baoyu who acted rashly.

I heard that Brother Cong's farm in Liaodong only had an annual income of 5,000 taels. He was naturally unwilling to waste more than 3,000 taels in one go.

Although Feng girl is very powerful, she still showed some mercy to Baoyu. It's just that Xiren and other maids have suffered some injustice. I will not treat them unfairly in the future.

Don't mention this matter again, just let it go smoothly. Go and call Baoyu over tomorrow and I'll talk to him. Don't be so confused anymore."

Yuanyang said, "The old lady sees this matter clearly, and her heart is as clear as a mirror. But the second wife of the East Courtyard knows about it, so she will probably think too much."

After hearing what Yuanyang said, Jia Mu knew what she meant and sighed, "You think about it carefully."

I also have a headache in my heart. Since the second daughter-in-law came to the East Courtyard, she has become less and less clear-headed. She likes to get stuck in a rut, only cares about the big picture and not the small details, and is blindly trying to be strong.

If she knew about this, she would only feel that the second house had lost face, and then she would come to her to complain, which would only make the matter worse.

Cong Ge'er and Feng Yatou are both troublemakers. We have finally suppressed our anger and are just fooling around with each other. Don't let them provoke us again.

If the first and second wives really start to fight, what will happen to my Baoyu?
When Grandmother Jia thought of this, she suddenly felt a headache and said, "Yuanyang, I'm a little tired. Help me to lie down in the inner room..."

……

Rongguo Mansion, Baoyu Courtyard.

Yesterday, something big happened in Baoyu's room, and it spread all over the West Mansion in no time.

After sunset that day, the news reached the East Courtyard. When Mrs. Wang learned that Baoyu had suffered such humiliation, she was furious.

But it was already night, so she could not go into the West Mansion to argue. She could only stay up all night and wait until dawn to argue.

However, he did not expect that Wang Xifeng's methods were so drastic and the news spread so widely that Jia Zheng's trusted servant got the news and came to inform his master.

Jia Zheng was shocked and angry and asked Mrs. Wang about it. Mrs. Wang did not mention her son's mistake, but only said that Wang Xifeng was too arrogant and actually emptied Baoyu's room, which was unruly and improper.

As the saying goes, no one knows a son better than his father. Jia Zheng is not like Lady Wang who dotes on her son blindly. Moreover, Baoyu's behavior has always disappointed him.

The messenger only said that Baoyu had caused all this trouble by smashing antiques, but he couldn't clearly say what antiques were damaged or how much they were worth.

Jia Zheng knew that Wang Xifeng had been the housekeeper for many years. Although her actions were somewhat cruel, they would not be unreasonable in the family.

He was sure that Baoyu must have made a big mistake, otherwise Wang Xifeng would not have disregarded the old lady's face and taken such a drastic action.

However, he had to go to the yamen early the next morning and had no time to deal with this rebellious son, so he just asked Baoyu to return to the east courtyard and wait for him to come back home after leaving the yamen to deal with him.

When Mrs. Wang saw that her master did not stand up for his son, but was so aggressive that he wanted to hold Baoyu accountable, she felt even more aggrieved and frightened.

As soon as Jia Zheng went to the yamen, she hurried out of the east courtyard and entered the west corner gate of the west mansion.

……

She went to Baoyu's room as soon as possible, but she was embarrassed to put out the box of cheap goods that Wang Xifeng had given her.

Mrs. Wang saw that Baoyu's room was empty, as if it had just been robbed.

Even the hanging bottles embedded in the wall were picked off, leaving ugly grooves, which made him so angry that he trembled all over.

Of the antiques and ornaments in Baoyu's room, Grandmother Jia only gave him a few as rewards.

Most of the items were high-quality antiques that Mrs. Wang, as the mistress of the house, selected from the warehouse using her power and placed in her son's room.

These things were all precious items. Mrs. Wang and Jia Zheng moved to the East Courtyard, but because Baoyu still lived in the West Palace, these rare antiques were not moved.

Mrs. Wang was extremely angry and annoyed. If she had known that Wang Xifeng would take advantage of the situation to rob her today, she should have moved to the East Courtyard. As the property was quite a lot.

She pointed at Xiren and cursed, "Are you all dead? There are so many of you guarding Baoyu, but you still let people act so presumptuously in his room. What use are you!"

Xiren knelt down and complained, saying, "Yesterday, Lin Zhixiao's wife received an order from the Second Mistress and brought six maids to do the work, looking very aggressive.

We also stepped forward to stop them, but we couldn't stop them. Lin Zhixiao's family was probably hoping that we would cause trouble.

We are just servants and dare not be too presumptuous. If there is really a scuffle, we will have a falling out with the Second Madam.

Our lives are not important, but if something serious happens, the Second Master will not be able to stay in the West Mansion."

When Mrs. Wang heard this, she felt a chill in her heart. She had never expected Wang Xifeng to be so vicious that she brought so many people to search the house.

What Xiren said was not without reason. If these maids had insisted on resisting at that time, the situation would have gotten out of control.

Although the second branch has moved to the East Courtyard, it has not separated from the Rongguo Mansion and still eats the food provided by the Rongguo Mansion on a daily basis.

The indentures of Xiren and other maids are still held by the mansion owner, and they all belong to the private property of the mansion.

If they dared to openly disobey Wang Xifeng, the mistress of the West Mansion, they would violate the taboos of the wealthy family's rules, and even the old lady would not be able to protect them.

As Wang Xifeng was known for her cruelty, the leaders among these seven maids, such as Xiren and Sheyue, would most likely be beaten to death according to the family rules.

If things get to this point, the first and second wives will completely fall out.

Even the old lady had concerns and it was not easy to focus on supporting the second wife.

Mrs. Wang felt depressed and helpless, and thought that Xiren's decision to retreat from the limelight actually made sense.

But even so, the eldest wife acted so arrogantly and domineeringly. Seeing her son being humiliated like this, Mrs. Wang was determined not to swallow this anger... (End of this chapter)