Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Rongguo Mansion, Baoyu Courtyard.

In the morning, Mrs. Wang came to ask about what happened yesterday. She mentioned that Jia Zheng asked him to go back to the East Courtyard for questioning, and Baoyu was scared out of his wits.

Later, the maid Feicui came to tell her that the old lady had sent a maid to the East Courtyard to talk to the master about the matter and asked Baoyu to stay put and not cause any more trouble.

Baoyu heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this, and his previous fear was swept away.

When his mind relaxes, he will give rise to many boring and lustful thoughts, and he cannot even turn away, as he is always concerned about his daughter's family.

Thinking that I haven't seen Baochai for a long time, now that some time has passed, Aunt Xue's talk about giving birth should be almost forgotten.

So he prepared to go to Lixiang Courtyard to talk to Baochai, and even changed into that bright red round-necked robe with golden lotus pattern, thinking that Sister Baochai would definitely like it.

Now, for some unknown reason, Baoyu likes this bright red dress more and more...

He didn't expect that as soon as he went out, he met Yuchuan who was delivering a message to Jia Zheng, and his mood suddenly fell from joy to depression.

I just feel that the way of heaven is cruel. I was born with a jade in my mouth, and I am pure and outstanding. However, God cannot bear to see the world being perfect, so he always sends down setbacks and hardships.

Every time when I am in a good mood, I always cause some upsetting trouble, which ruins all my happiness. It's really hateful.

……

Yuchuan ignored Baoyu's depressed look and said, "Master has sent a message. Second Master, please go back to your room and listen, so as not to be impolite."

Baoyu had no choice but to return to the main room. Xiren saw that Baoyu had just gone out and not only did he suddenly come back, but he also brought Yuchuan into the room. She hurried over to see what was going on.

Yuchuan opened the small package in her hand, and inside was a book with a blue cover and the words "Book of Filial Piety" written on it.

He said, "The master asked you to copy the Filial Piety Classic ten times. You must finish it within ten days and go to the East Courtyard for the master to check after ten days.

The master also instructed that the second master should copy the Book of Filial Piety carefully and reverently, and think carefully about what filial piety is, so as to avoid doing anything that violates filial piety.

If the handwriting of the Book of Filial Piety copied by Erye is illegible, or words or sentences are missing, it may be copied by someone else.

If the master finds any traces, he will punish you by copying it ten more times, and it will take ten days to finish. Please be careful, second master."

Although Yuchuan didn't talk much, she was articulate and clear, and had a good memory. She repeated every word Jia Zheng told her without missing a word.

Even the last sentence, "Second Master, please be careful," was stern, and even the tone of Jia Zheng's voice was imitated perfectly.

Although Yuchuan is usually taciturn, she is very smart. No wonder Jia Zheng assigns her to do all the tasks such as delivering messages and running errands.

……

When Xiren heard that this was copying books, she didn't take it seriously at first. She thought it was just homework assigned by the master, a common occurrence in recent years.

Although the Second Master grumbled to himself every time, he did not dare to disobey the instructions in the slightest and just finished copying them anyway.

But when she saw Yuchuan taking the book out of the package, she was shocked. Although Xiren was illiterate, she knew that such a thick book must have a lot of words on it.

It takes ten days to copy ten times, and Erye has to copy once a day, so he has to copy books day and night...

After hearing what Yuchuan said and looking at the thick book of Filial Piety, Baoyu's face turned pale and he felt that it would be better for him to be beaten to death by his master.

Xiren just felt that the book was quite thick and there must be a lot of words on it.

Baoyu had read the Book of Filial Piety for a few days in a private school at home and knew that the book had eighteen chapters. Although he had not counted them carefully, there were still more than a thousand words.

You have to copy it all in one day, without missing any words or sentences, and your handwriting must be neat and straight. Otherwise, you might become crippled and not be able to finish it.

When he was a child, he was punished by his father to copy books, but it was never as severe as this time. He never expected that the master would be so angry and resentful about him destroying the antiques.

……

In the past, when encountering such a situation, Baoyu would beg Tanchun to write for him and help him copy some parts.

Because Tanchun is good at calligraphy, she can imitate his handwriting, and even the master cannot find the flaws.

But now that all the sisters have gone to the East Palace, Baoyu can no longer enjoy this convenience.

Moreover, ever since my wife beat my third sister, my sister, who used to be quite close to me, has suddenly become much more distant...

Now the master even thought of such a thing and asked Yuchuan to pass on the message. It must be that the old lady's attempt to stop him was counterproductive and the master would not let him go easily.

I heard that Jia Cong was so obsessed with reading and writing that he even taught the maids around him how to write and read. He was truly a corrupt official. I would never do such a thing.

So since my maidservants cannot read or write, even if I find someone to write for me, it is impossible now.

……

Baoyu asked with a sad face, "Yuchuan, it is too late to copy the Filial Piety Classic ten times in ten days. Please go back and ask the master for mercy.

Please give me some extra time. If it's fifteen days, I can work harder, but at most I can save my life."

Yuchuan frowned and said, "Second Master, please don't embarrass me. I am just a little girl, how dare I speak in front of the master.

If you want to ask for mercy, you should go and ask the master yourself. I dare not interfere. Do you want to save your life?"

Baoyu was speechless when he heard these words. He was like a cat avoiding a mouse in front of his master and would never dare to seek death. Besides, even if he begged, the master would never pay any attention to him.

Even if he asked the old lady for help, it would be useless. As long as the old lady was not beaten or scolded by the master, she would not care about anything else.

Some even think that copying books is not a big deal, and copying more books can help you learn more...

Baoyu was devastated by grief. His master was pushing him to a dead end. What had he done wrong to deserve such bullying from God?

……

Now he would rather go to the East Courtyard to be questioned by Jia Zheng, and at most be beaten. It is better to suffer a short pain than a long one, and he doesn't have to be tortured for ten days like he is now.

Even if I worked hard to copy the Filial Piety Sutra ten times in ten days, the master would still say that my handwriting was not neat if he was still angry.

I will have to copy it ten more times, and I don’t know when it will end…

Baoyu has always loved only idle books such as erotic novels, flowery poems, and miscellaneous studies. He has a deep hatred for the Thirteen Confucian Classics such as the Book of Filial Piety.

When I think about having to copy these parasites' writings for more than ten days, I wonder how my innocence will be trampled upon.

Thinking of this, he was filled with infinite grief and anger, wishing he could die immediately...

……

Yuchuan was shocked to hear that she had conveyed the master's words and that Baoyu's face turned pale, his eyes were dull, and he looked like he was going crazy.

She thought of the last time Xiren passed a message to Miss Lin, and Master Bao acted like a madman after hearing it, causing a huge uproar in the West Mansion.

If she was found to be in trouble now, how could the madam let her go? Yuchuan began to feel afraid.

Her voice trembled slightly, and the mischief she had felt when she delivered the message just now had long since disappeared.

He said, "Sister Xiren, I have passed on the master's message. The mistress is still waiting for me to serve her. I will go back now. Sister, please serve the Second Master well."

As soon as she finished speaking, she twisted her slender waist, turned around and left. As soon as she walked out of the main room and into the yard, she started to jog.

A pair of embroidered shoes made the bluestone slabs tap with a sound, and then the person disappeared in a flash, as if there was a thief chasing him.

In the main hall, Baoyu looked at the Book of Filial Piety, which should have been killed, and cried at his desk with a sorrowful expression. Anyone who heard it felt sad and cried.

……

Rongguo Mansion, Lixiangyuan.

After Jia Cong and Yingchun had dinner, Aunt Xue had someone serve them some light tea. After they chatted for a while, the two of them said goodbye.

At this time, a bright moon was hanging high in the sky, against the dark blue sky, as bright as a silver basin and radiant with light.

The wind in the courtyard was as cool as water. Yingchun and Aunt Xue were chatting in the back, while Baochai was walking in the front with Jia Cong.

A gentle breeze blew by, and Jia Cong smelled a cool, sweet fragrance, which was different from the usual scents he smelled, and had a strange warmth and softness.

I couldn't help but ask, "What kind of sachet is Sister Bao wearing, or is she burning some incense? The smell is quite pleasant."

Baochai blushed slightly when she heard this and said, "I never burn incense because the smoke is choking, and I don't like wearing perfume bags.

I think it was the taste of the Lengxiang Pills I had just taken in the afternoon. This pill was improved by Doctor Zhang and its efficacy is much stronger than before.

Since taking the new pills, I have not been sick again. I would like to thank Brother Cong very much.

The new pills also have a different scent than the old pills. The smell will only dissipate the next day after taking the medicine. Brother Cong has never encountered this before, so it smells strange. "

Jia Cong suddenly realized how could he have forgotten this, but since it involved the fragrance of a girl, this topic was not suitable to be discussed for long.

He stopped talking, and the two of them fell silent for a while, with the atmosphere slightly awkward and ambiguous.

The skirt swayed and the sleeves fluttered in the night breeze. The strange and intoxicating fragrance seemed to linger around her for a long time.

……

Jia Cong bid farewell to Aunt Xue and her daughter, walked through the corridor between the two mansions, and sent Yingchun back to the courtyard before returning to his own courtyard alone.

I gently pushed open the gate of the courtyard. It was quiet all around. The lights were still on in the rooms on both sides. I guess the maids in the courtyard had gone to bed, but some people were still awake.

Jia Cong walked lightly into the main room, where the lights were flickering brightly. He saw Yinglian wearing a pink silk dress, leaning on the dressing table and taking a nap.

The soft candlelight illuminated her little face, making it look pink and shiny. Her long eyelashes cast a shadow under the light, and the rouge mole between her eyebrows was bright red and eye-catching. As the number of people in the courtyard increased, Jia Cong was too lazy to remember which maid was on duty every night. He stepped forward and pinched the soft and smooth earlobe.

Yinglian woke up with a start, rubbed her eyes, and said with a smile: "The Third Master is back. Lingguan went to the kitchen tonight and made the dishes that the Third Master likes.

We were waiting for you to come back for dinner, but when it was dark the little maid came to tell us that the Third Master and the Second Miss were having dinner at the concubine's house.

We had no choice but to eat our meal and then sit around for a while. When we saw you hadn't come back yet, we all went our separate ways."

As Yinglian spoke, she covered her mouth with her hand and yawned, looking sleepy and tired.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "You are so sleepy, go to the couch and sleep."

When Yinglian heard him say that he was sleeping on the couch, her pretty face flushed, and she remembered the conversation between herself and Qingwen about sleeping with him at his window yesterday.

Not only was it heard by the Third Master, but he also called it out. It was really embarrassing...

Jia Cong saw that Yinglian's face turned red immediately as if it was set on fire when he said something casually, and she looked shy and cute.

His heart moved slightly, and the scene outside the window last night emerged in his mind. He thought that it was the word "sleep" that caused it, and he felt a little funny.

……

Yinglian secretly glanced at Jia Cong, and seeing that he looked normal, she heaved a sigh of relief. It turned out that the Third Master had just said it casually, and she was just overthinking it.

Suddenly, I felt a little worried, thinking about what I said last night, that sleeping with someone means being a lover, and the Third Master must have really heard it.

When he saw me again today, he didn't care at all. He must have thought I was a girl, not like Sister Zhishao and Ping'er.

She felt discouraged when she thought about this. She looked down at herself and felt a little unconvinced. She was younger than them, but in no way was she any worse...

Jia Cong asked, "Yinglian, do you have any hangover soup? I drank a few glasses of wine at my aunt's place. I'll sleep better after sobering up."

Yinglian put aside her wild thoughts and replied hastily, "Yes, yes, Sister Wu'er knows that you will have dinner at the concubine's house, so you must have wine.

I have prepared a hangover soup in advance and put it on the stove outside to warm it up. I will go get it for you when the Third Master comes back."

Jia Cong saw her wearing slippers and nimbly walking out of the inner room, bringing a bowl of hot hangover soup.

After Jia Cong drank the hot soup, she helped him clean his mouth and face, and helped him take off his outer clothes and change into bedtime underwear.

Jia Cong glanced at her and couldn't help laughing: "Yinglian, why are you shy for no reason? Look at your red face."

She covered her face with her hands and found that it was indeed a little hot. She said guiltily, "Third Master, you are talking nonsense. How could I be shy?"

Jia Cong smiled and said, "You stay in the study room with books every day. Reading is good, but I have read all the books there.

But I didn't know that the book says that sleeping with someone is a lover. Bring it to me tomorrow so I can have a broader view."

Yinglian was embarrassed: "Third Master, you are so bad. I knew you had been holding it in there, just waiting to make fun of me."

The firelight in the room flickered, figures were running, mixed with Jia Cong's laughter, and Yinglian's coquettish voice as she chased after him...

……

The next morning, before dawn, Wu'er brought a copper basin of hot water at the usual time, and saw that the candle in the room was not lit.

She remembered that today was Jia Cong's fifth day off, so he would probably sleep in and get up late.

When he came back a few minutes later, the light was on in the room, so Wu'er knocked on the door and went in.

Yinglian was seen helping Jia Cong to dress, her pretty face flushed, quite charming and seemingly shy.

Wu'er felt a little puzzled, wondering what was so mysterious about this little girl. However, Yinglian was the one who followed him around the most on a daily basis, so Jia Cong was naturally closer to her.

Presumably there was some laughter and noise in the two people's room in the morning, and Wu'er would not ask too much. After the two of them helped Jia Cong to wash and dress, they went to the main room for breakfast.

Everyone gathered together to eat breakfast, and Ping'er and Wu'er talked about trivial matters in the West Mansion.

Since the beginning of autumn, the price of grain has risen in the market. The West Palace has stockpiled several carts of grain in the past few days, and will purchase some more in the next two days to avoid spending too much money after winter.

Recently, a new grain store opened in the west of the city. The owner of the store was an old friend of Xue Pan, so he allowed him to buy some shares.

When Xue Pan heard that the West Palace was purchasing grain, he asked his maid to recommend it to Fengjie. The West Palace then purchased all its grain from there, at a price that was 10% lower than the market price.

Jia Cong didn't care about what he heard. With Wang Xifeng's cleverness and Wu'er and Ping'er's meticulousness, there was nothing to say about the matter of clearing the money and grain.

The Xue family is an imperial merchant family and a wealthy family in Jinling. The eldest branch of the Xue family moved to the capital, and many of the Xue family's businesses and financial flows also moved there.

After the fall, rice became increasingly scarce, and the Xue family invested money in the grain shop to make a profit, which was also a common practice for merchants to make a living.

Although Xue Pan is somewhat lawless and behaves in an arrogant and domineering manner, he at least knows some ways of making a living compared to Baoyu, who does nothing and spends all day talking nonsense in the inner chamber.

……

After breakfast, Xiu Ju received Yingchun's instructions and came to invite Jia Cong and the sisters to go to the West Mansion and enter Rongqing Hall to pay their respects to the old lady.

Jia Cong usually attended the morning court and the government office, and was unable to visit his grandmother every morning and evening. The only times he could greet his grandmother in the morning were on her days off, which were only a few days in a month.

Although he and Lady Jia are now in harmony on the surface, in fact, the two of them are not close at heart. This is the result of years of development and cannot be overturned or changed by a single moment or situation.

But even so, Jia Cong still performed all the necessary filial piety and etiquette.

Since he passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi, he has become more and more of a big attraction. If rumors spread about him being disrespectful to filial piety and etiquette, as a Hanlin scholar, he would be losing the big picture for the small.

Jia Cong and his sisters went to pay their respects to Lady Jia, sat for a while in Rongqing Hall, and then went to Wang Xifeng's courtyard with his sisters.

Ever since Wang Xifeng gave birth to her eldest sister, her courtyard has become more popular. Sisters such as Yingchun and Daiyu come to visit whenever they have nothing to do.

Since Wang Xifeng became a mother, she has left most of the trivial household chores to Wu'er and Ping'er, and she has devoted all her energy to raising her eldest daughter, because her daughters are her support for the rest of her life.

Grandmother Jia also came to visit from time to time, and sent her maid who was in charge of affairs to visit and help every day.

Therefore, after the eldest sister was one month old, she grew quite strong. Yingchun, Daiyu and other sisters came over and held her in their arms and amused themselves with laughter.

Although Xichun was young, she was very jealous and was so anxious that she circled around her sisters, wanting to get a hug too.

But it was really inappropriate for a child to hug another child, and no one dared to touch this little girl.

When Jia Cong saw that the eldest sister was cute, with wrists as white and tender as lotus roots, and wearing the gold bracelet he had given her, he couldn't help but laugh and tease her.

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "The gold bracelet that Brother Cong gave me is a bit too heavy, and it feels a bit heavy when the little girl wears it.

I only wear it occasionally for special occasions, and when my eldest sister turns one, it will be just right for me to wear it everyday."

As the two were talking, Musk Moon came over to collect Baoyu's monthly allowance of paper and pen, along with an advance copy of next month's allowance.

When Wang Xifeng asked the reason, Musk Moon just said that the master had assigned a lot of homework to the second master, and a lot of paper and ink would be consumed in the next two months.

After Sheyue took the things back, Wang Xifeng smiled at Jia Cong and said, "Master is very methodical. He arranged the homework at the right time. The West Mansion can have some peace and quiet for a few days."

……

Rongguo Mansion, East Courtyard.

In the main hall of the inner courtyard, Mrs. Wang took the hot tea brought by Yuchuan, took a sip, and her face was still gloomy.

That day, she went to Rongqing Hall to ask for an audience with the old lady, but was turned down. She then came back knowing what had happened in Baoyu's room, and she could only let it go and swallow her anger.

But now the situation is stronger than people, even though she is full of resentment, she can do nothing about it.

He asked, "Why is there no Caixia so early in the morning?"

Yuchuan said, "The West Palace bought several cartloads of rice today, and dozens of bags were distributed to the East Courtyard this morning, including ten bags of fine rice and twenty bags of coarse rice.

It is enough for us to use until winter. We will distribute it once more before the end of the year. This winter will be over. Caixia will go and assign people to store the rice in the inner courtyard storehouse. "

Madam Wang frowned and asked, "Why did the West Mansion purchase so much rice for no reason?"

Yuchuan said, "Yesterday I went to the West Mansion to pass on a message for the master, and heard from the people in the mansion that the price of rice outside has been rising, and the price will be even higher at the end of the year.

It just so happened that Master Xue had invested in a rice shop, so he could buy high-quality rice at a more reasonable price than on the market, so Xifu Gongzhong made a large purchase. "

After hearing this, Mrs. Wang felt a little upset.

Yuchuan said that she heard it from people in the West Palace, and naturally she heard it from her sister Jinchuan, otherwise how would she know about Xue Pan's affairs.

But Mrs. Wang was too lazy to care about this matter. After all, Yuchuan and Jinchuan were sisters. When Yuchuan went to the West Palace, it was impossible for her not to talk to her sister.

What made her angry was that her sister was now ungrateful and devoted herself to seeking favors for the West Mansion, all for the sake of Congge's face.

The younger sister was probably wishful thinking. She thought her daughter Baochai was an outstanding person and had been seduced and toyed with by that boy, so she actually wanted to become the head lady of the East Palace.

She was just daydreaming. That kid from the East Palace had two titles and was also a Hanlin scholar.

A man like him who is keen on official career and hypocritically respectable will have to marry a lady from a rich and noble family in the future to feel that they are a good match. How could he be interested in the Xue family, a royal merchant family?

With Bao's status, she is only fit to be his mistress, but that kid already has enough concubines in his room. Let's see how the Xue family will lose face in the future.

I gave face to my sister's family in the beginning, but unfortunately they didn't know how to cherish it and shamelessly hooked up with that boy. They deserve retribution in the future and I will just have to wait and see the joke.

Mrs. Wang put down her tea bowl and said, "It's just a matter of a few dozen bags of rice, but Caixia is so slow in doing things and she hasn't come back yet.

Yuchuan, let's go to the storehouse and take a look. The West Palace is a bit hasty in its work, and I don't know what the quality of the rice distributed is like..." (End of this chapter)