Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Rongguo Mansion, Fengjie's Courtyard.

The morning is sunny and the air is clear and pure.

Wu'er was checking the accounts in her room. Wang Xifeng had some personal matters to discuss with Ping'er since it was her first day in the room, so the two of them strolled on the corridor.

The seven or eight pots of roses under the west window are blooming exceptionally luxuriantly, yellow, red, and white, vying with each other in beauty and looking gorgeous.

Wang Xifeng, who never touched water before, was holding a small teapot in her hand and pouring water into the rose pot.

That day, the roses under the west window suddenly bloomed brilliantly and beautifully, which was a very good omen. Wang Xifeng also gave birth to a daughter through normal delivery.

The old woman who manages the household affairs said that these roses are auspicious objects, which will bless the eldest sister to be born safely and will also ensure safety in the future.

From then on, these roses became important things in Feng Ji's courtyard. Wang Xifeng ordered the flower maid in the garden to come and take care of them every other day.

Whenever she had free time, she would come over to pull the flowers, weed and water them, which added a lot of fun.

While Wang Xifeng was fiddling with the flowers and plants, she was chatting with Ping'er, and naturally she couldn't bring up the incident of Ping'er entering her room last night.

She teased Ping'er for a few words and said with a smile: "I was right. Third brother first raised you well and then thought about loving you. Scholars love to be particular.

You just serve him wholeheartedly, and are afraid that you won't be able to do what you want one day. But I have to remind you that Brother Cong is different from others.

He was a rare person among the children of aristocratic families who had two titles. The palace had originally allowed him to inherit the title of Rongguo, and the imperial edict clearly stated this.

The title of Weiyuan must be inherited by the eldest legitimate son, while the title of Rongguo can be inherited by both legitimate and illegitimate sons.

Although this makes the old lady extremely uncomfortable, it is a good thing for you girls.

If you win the favor of your third brother earlier and raise a boy in the future, you may be able to reap this great benefit and maybe even get an imperial decree in the future.

This is a long-term plan, so don't be careless. If Third Brother loves you, you should stick to me as much as possible, so that I can be proud of it when things are successful in the future."

Wang Xifeng knew very well that her husband Jia Lian had been sent into exile, and not only had he no hope of inheriting a title, he couldn't even buy an official position by paying money.

If her trusted maid could win the favor of the third brother Cong and give birth to a child, Wang Xifeng would just fulfill her wish.

If this is true, she will have more support in the Jia family, and even her eldest sister will have more support in the future. She always guides Ping'er about the affairs of the bedroom out of this intention.

……

Ping'er's pretty face flushed, and she said, "Madam, please don't say such things, it makes me feel embarrassed. You should think about what happened in Baoyu's room and how to deal with it later.

When Wu'er and I entered the West Mansion this morning, we heard people say that the Second Madam had entered the West Corner Gate early in the morning and went straight to Baoyu's courtyard.

The news of yesterday's incident must have spread to the East Courtyard. How could the Second Madam sit still? She must have come to the West Courtyard early in the morning to argue."

Wang Xifeng reached out and fiddled with a rose-red rose, smiling slightly, her charm and beauty seemed to be three points more beautiful than the rose in her hand.

He smiled and said, “Brother Cong has spoken, and I feel more confident. This matter is already very clear, so there is no need to think too much about it.

The way we dealt with Baoyu was in accordance with family rules and was approved by brothers Cong. Even the old lady could not find fault with it.

Even at this hour, the Second Wife didn't come over to argue. I guess if we put on a show, she would know it would be useless to look for me.

He would definitely go and talk to the old lady, relying on the fact that the old lady dotes on Baoyu in order to stir up trouble.

If she can really build bridges and stir up trouble, I will be even happier.

If the old lady takes sides, it will be easier to deal with the matter if it gets out. There is no shortage of gossip in the capital, and the words of scholars are as powerful as a thousand words.

The tactics used by Grandpa Dairu a few generations ago and Grandpa Huang two generations later are exactly the same tactics used by the second branch of the family.

But the old lady is not a confused person. What we can think of, our ancestors must have thought of. We can only wait and see.

Wu'er is checking the account books, let's go take a look too. Among the assets of the West Mansion, there are some houses, fields and corners that are not in good condition, so that we can have an idea of ​​what to do in the future."

Ping'er naturally understood what Wang Xifeng meant when she heard what she said. Her beautiful eyes were slightly startled. The Second Mistress had already dug a trap, waiting for the Second Mistress to jump into it...

……

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

Mrs. Wang complained a lot in Baoyu's courtyard, but she knew very well that Wang Xifeng had a cruel temper and would not stop easily since she had already behaved like this.

Arguing with her would be of no use and would only bring shame to the elder.

Only by talking to the old lady about this matter and suppressing the pressure can Baoyu regain his dignity and let the first wife know that the second wife cannot bully him at will.

Mrs. Wang thought that since only one night had passed, the old lady might not know the details.

Or maybe the servants in the West Mansion were afraid of Wang Xifeng and dared not mention the matter to the old lady, so they kept it secret. This was a common practice in a large mansion.

As long as I explain the reason to the old lady, she will definitely not agree...

When Mrs. Wang entered Rongqing Hall, she found that Lady Jia was not there, so she asked a little maid to go to the back hall to pass on the message.

But she waited for a long time and did not see Lady Jia enter the hall. Only the maid Yuanyang came out from the inner hall.

She was wearing a green cross-collar vest with scattered flowers, a moon-white round-necked jacket, an ivory long skirt, and a pine green embroidered sweat towel. She was pretty and graceful, with a charming figure.

Mrs. Wang asked, "Yuanyang, why don't you see the old lady? I have something important to discuss with her."

Yuanyang's bright eyes flickered slightly, and she said, "The old lady is not feeling well. She just came into the room and was lying on her side. She is not seeing guests today, so she is asleep now."

……

Mrs. Wang's face froze, and she asked, "Madam, do you know what happened in Baoyu's room yesterday?"

Yuanyang said: "The old lady already knew it today. Because Xiren and other maids did not serve well, Master Bao got angry and smashed many valuable antiques.

The Second Mistress fined Xiren and other maids four months' salary. The old lady said that the Second Mistress had enforced the family rules and handled the matter properly, and also saved face for Master Bao, which was very good.

Although Master Bao acts a little rashly, once the old lady feels better, she will call him over to give her some advice.

The old lady said that the matter was over and no one should mention it in the future, so as to avoid rifts among the family members and ruin the principle of "harmony in the family brings prosperity".

If the second wife tells the old lady about this, I'm worried that it will make the old lady angry.

If you want to talk about other things, please let me know, and I will tell the old lady when she wakes up."

When Mrs. Wang heard this, her heart trembled and her face turned ugly. She was also an experienced woman in the inner house, so she could understand the meaning of Yuanyang's words.

Whether the old lady was really unwell or not is not the point for now, but she didn’t want to care about Baoyu’s matter at all.

That's why Yuanyang replied in that way, telling the old lady clearly not to mention this matter again, otherwise it would make her angry.

The old lady is trying to shut herself up, calm down the situation and smooth things over.

How could the old lady forget that she loved Baoyu the most in her life? Now she doesn't care at all and lets Baoyu be bullied. Does the West Mansion really have no reason?
……

But even though Mrs. Wang was dissatisfied, she did not dare to show it in front of Yuanyang, because the old lady trusted this girl more than she trusted herself...

If I show any dissatisfaction, this girl will start to talk back to the old lady, and I'm afraid that there will be a rift between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

If Mrs. Wang wants the second branch to gain power, her only support is Lady Jia, and she dare not let her feel unhappy.

Mrs. Wang forced a smile and said, "It's not worth bothering you, old lady, to worry about the affairs in Baoyu's room.

But the master knew what had happened and wanted Baoyu to go back to the East Courtyard for questioning.

I was worried that the master had a quick temper and would beat or scold Baoyu. I was very concerned and wanted to ask the old lady to mediate.

Just tell the old lady this, and I will come to pay my respects to her tomorrow."

Yuanyang said calmly, "I have taken note of what the Second Madam said. I will tell the old lady when she wakes up."

Mrs. Wang left in a somewhat unhappy mood, and Yuanyang quickly walked into the bedroom in the inner hall.

……

In the bedroom at the backyard of Rongqing Hall, Jia's mother was leaning on a recliner with her eyes closed, resting, while Yuanyang whispered to her what Mrs. Wang had said.

After hearing what Yuanyang said, Jia's mother opened her old eyes and sighed, "She is also too stubborn. She takes everything to heart and doesn't want to suffer any loss.

If we let her do whatever she wants, this matter will be out of control. Before I die, the first and second wives will be at loggerheads.

Congge is the head of the family now. According to the clan rules and common sense, if the two branches are not on good terms, they will have to separate and set up their own households, and even I can't stop it.

In that situation, my Baoyu would not only lose face, but it would also be difficult for him to live a peaceful life.

Yuanyang, you arrange a maid to guard the east courtyard. When the second master leaves the yamen, tell him that Baoyu has done something wrong and I have already taught him a lesson.

Tell the Second Master to take care of himself and not to be angry about this matter anymore. Baoyu will not go back for the next few days..."

……

Rongguo Mansion, Fengjie's Courtyard.

Wang Xifeng and Ping'er surrounded Wu'er, who was proofreading the lists in two account books.

She said, "Second Madam, when the Third Master inherited the title of Rongguo, because it was a downgrade, the West Mansion lost 500 dan of title property. It was converted into high-quality farmland and taken back by the court. The remaining title property was re-counted and registered by the court. The one in my hand is the title property list issued by the Ministry of Clan Affairs.

I heard from the Third Master that all the titles and properties on the list were granted by the Emperor and must be passed down through the direct line of the Lord. They must not be divided or passed down to collateral descendants. Anyone who violates this rule will be extremely disrespectful.

The first and second masters of the previous generation, because of the old grandfather's dying will, the imperial court allowed the two branches to remain unchanged, with the first branch inheriting the title and the second branch inheriting the property.

But when it came to the Third Master's generation, the Emperor decreed that the Third Master would inherit the title and property, and that the title and property of the Western Mansion had to be passed down to only one of his descendants.

If the family is divided by the Zi-character or Yu-character generation, only the Jia family's own properties can be divided.

I checked the clan records and the public account books. Over the past ten years, the Jia family has spent a lot of money, and the public account has not had much surplus every year.

Therefore, in the past ten years or so, I have not owned any decent property of my own, and the remaining properties I have now were mostly purchased by my grandfather.

Over the past decade or so, there have been several times when the descendants of the previous generation have divided up the family, and the rich part has been taken away, leaving only the poor parts."

……

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "I guess so. Now that we have seen the truth, the Second Madam has been the housekeeper for many years, so she must also know it clearly.

The old lady has been a duke's wife all her life, and she has seen a lot, and her mind is like a mirror. This way I know where the crux of the matter will be in the future."

Wu'er and Ping'er looked at each other. They were both smart people and understood what Wang Xifeng meant.

No matter whether it is the old lady or the second wife, the thing they least want to touch is the second branch separating from the Rongguo Mansion and setting up their own household.

This is because once the second branch separates and sets up its own household, it will be impossible for them to get any decent property from the Rongguo Mansion.

The old lady doted on Master Bao all her life. After the second wife separated, Master Bao no longer had the wealthy life he has today.

The second wife has been the mistress of Rongguo Mansion for more than ten years. She has very high standards, is domineering and powerful, and cannot tolerate the embarrassment of dividing the family.

From this perspective, the messy accounts of Rongguo’s first and second wives may not be sorted out for three to five years...

……

At this time, the maid Feng'er entered the room and said, "I got the order from the Second Madam to go to Rongqing Hall.

I happened to meet the old lady's maid, a silly girl, and after chatting with her for a few words, I got the topic out of her.

The silly girl said that the second wife had just come to Rongqing Hall, looking very angry, and originally wanted to see the old lady.

But Sister Yuanyang said that the old lady was not feeling well and would not see any guests today, so she sent the second wife back."

Wang Xifeng laughed and said, “I was saying that although the old lady is old, she is not confused at all. Even if the second wife wants to make a scene, she will be suppressed.

After all, the older you are, the wiser you are. Now that things are like this, even if I have some ideas, I can't use them.

It doesn't matter what happens. This matter won't cause any more trouble. We should just continue to live our life as usual.

Fortunately, this time the warning was enough, and maids like Xiren learned their lesson. If Baoyu does anything naughty again, they will try their best to stop him.

The old lady knew that our housekeeper was very strict, so she gave Baoyu more instructions and restrictions.

Doing things in a big mansion is like cutting meat with a blunt knife. There are too many things involved, so it is impossible to cut it off all at once.

Now I can only wait and wait for Baoyu to get married, so that I can have some peace and quiet.

The old lady said last time that by the end of autumn this year, the Jia and Xia families would set a date for the wedding.

Baoyu is still somewhat lucky, as the girl from the Xia family is a good person and looks like a capable girl."

Wang Xifeng was chatting casually, but she was a thoughtful person. She suddenly remembered that the last time Miss Xia came to the East Courtyard, it must be Baoyu's birthday party with the elephant dance.

There was a strange burning look in Miss Xia's eyes when she looked at Cong Lao San, which left a deep impression on her...

When Wang Xifeng thought of this, she couldn't help but look at Wu'er and Ping'er. She felt that her idea was a bit absurd and shook her head in self-mockery.

……

Wu Er said, "Second Madam, there was little rain in the spring and summer this year, and many places suffered from drought. The harvests of several farms in the West Palace were much worse than in previous years.

In the past two months, the price of rice has been rising. Although the increase is not much, it cannot be stopped.

Aunt Lin said that Manager Lin often went out and knew some of the business goings-on.

It is said that now that autumn has arrived, the imperial court is busy reorganizing the winter garrisons in the nine border areas.

Many troops were mobilized to the nine borders, and large quantities of food, fodder, and winter clothing were also transported northward, so the price of rice outside rose.

A few days ago, I asked the third master about these trivial matters. He said that in the past year or so, the remnant Mongolian cavalry in the Mobei grasslands have been rampant and often looted the border before winter.

Once wars break out, the prices of rice, grain and cloth will continue to rise in the market. By the end of the year and deep winter, the prices will reach the highest level.

Yesterday, the second young lady asked the housekeeper to buy several carts of rice for the people of the East Palace to use during the winter.

We have two storehouses in the outer courtyard of the West Palace, both of which are empty now. We should also store some rice grains, otherwise the price will rise at the end of the year and it will cost a lot of money. "

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "Since Brother Cong said so, it must be correct. You can make the decision on this matter."

……

When the sun set, Jia Cong returned home from office. When he passed the west corner gate of the mansion, he saw two carriages parked in front of the gate and many servants carrying bags of rice back and forth.

When he returned to his yard, he saw many boxes in the main room, two of which were rare items from overseas.

Maids such as Qingwen and Yinglian were very curious about the foreign things and were playing with them.

When Zhishao saw Jia Cong enter the room, she smiled and said, "Third Master is back. These are sent by Miss Qu from Jinling, along with a few letters."

Jia Cong took the letters and opened them. In addition to the letters from Qu Hongxiu and Qin Keqing, there was another letter written by Wang Dequan who had disappeared for a long time.

His eyes couldn't help but narrow slightly. Wang Dequan went out to sea with the Zhen family fleet in May and there has been no news since then.

Although outsiders said that the Zhen family fleet capsized in a hurricane in the open sea, Jia Cong knew that it was Zhen Fangqing who hid the fleet, which was why Wang Dequan's whereabouts were unknown.

Although he knew that Wang Dequan must be safe and sound, he had been worried as he had not heard from him for several months. Now that he received his letter, he felt relieved.

Wang Dequan described in the letter that after leaving Nanjing port in May and entering the open sea for one day, the bow of the ship detected the wind signs at sea and changed direction.

After a day of sailing on the sea, the fleet stopped at an unknown island.

The island is surrounded by dense reefs, complex hydrology and hazy sea fog. If you are not careful, the ship may be destroyed and people may die. It is extremely dangerous.

But the pilot was very familiar with the waterway and led the fleet through the reefs and took shelter on the island to avoid the hurricane.

There is a dock on the island. Looking from the boat, you can see that the island has complex terrain, undulating mountains, rushing waterfalls and lush forests.

However, except for a few people who disembarked to carry cargo, most people in the fleet were restricted to stay on the ship to avoid the wind, and Wang Dequan did not disembark.

After the fleet anchored for four days, the hurricane at sea subsided and the fleet left the port again, sailing far away for business along the established route.

The fleet returned in July and approached the coastal territory of Da Zhou. It suddenly changed its route and stopped at a remote port in Funing County, Fujian.

Wang Dequan followed the Zhen family fleet and stayed in Funing County for half a month before the Zhen family arranged a carriage to send him back to Jinling.

As for the whereabouts of the Zhen family fleet, Wang Dequan had no idea.

……

Jia Cong closed the letter, thought for a moment, and roughly deduced what had happened.

The Zhen family fleet went out to sea in May and did encounter a hurricane at sea, but there was an island with dangerous waters that served as a safe haven for the fleet.

The merchant fleet returned and never entered the waters of Jinling again. Instead, they docked in Funing County and stayed there for half a month, apparently waiting for news.

Jia Cong believed that this was all arranged in advance by Zhen Fangqing, waiting for the court to issue an imperial edict. Once the results of the treatment of the Zhen family were announced, the news would definitely be passed on to Funing County.

The Zhen family fleet thus determined its final destination, and only then did they release Wang Dequan to return to Nanjing. Everything went perfectly.

Jia Cong was lost in thought. The waters there were dangerous, the location was hidden, and there was a huge island with a dock. It must be Zhen Fangqing's hiding place.

If this is the truth, the Jinling Zhen family's background is far deeper than Jia Cong imagined.

Although Zhen Fangqing is extremely intelligent and is not inferior to men, she is just a young woman after all.

Her age and experience would limit her cognition and foresight, and she seems unable to come up with such a profound way of retreat.

It is hard to believe that such a young woman would plan so far ahead and build an island to hide in a remote place far out to sea.

Moreover, transforming an uninhabited island into a harbor for berthing large fleets is not something that can be done overnight.

The fact that the Zhen family fleet could pass through this island with dangerous waterways so smoothly must be the result of years of sailing experience.

The president of Jinling Tirenyuan, Zhen Yingjia, seems to hold a high official position, but it seems that he is just a front for the Zhen family.

This person's act of sending silver to Beijing and hiding it was obviously careless and short-sighted. He doesn't look like a person who can make a decision thousands of miles away or has deep scheming.

Jia Cong vaguely concluded that the Zhen family must have some secrets behind Zhen Fangqing and Zhen Yingjia that are unknown to the world... (End of this chapter)