Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Rongguo Mansion, Lixiangyuan.

As Aunt Xue was talking to Baochai, she saw the head maid bring out a box of palace flowers, which were colorful and exquisitely made.

He asked, "These silk flowers are quite unique. Where did they come from?"

The stewardess said, "As instructed by the madam, the shopkeeper paid a tribute to the old acquaintances of the Imperial Household Department on the first day of the twelfth lunar month yesterday."

The other party returned six bolts of tribute silk, a set of official kiln tea set, and a box of palace flowers.

These flowers were made using a fresh method from the palace. There were twenty-two flowers made of gauze, and the craftsmanship was superb. They looked just like the real thing.

Nowadays, all the empresses and concubines in the palace wear this kind of thing. I have already put the tribute satin and tea sets into my inventory. It would be a pity to leave this box of white palace flowers unused.

I thought both the young lady and the wife could wear it, so I brought it to show the wife.

Aunt Xue took the box, looked through the palace flowers inside, and said with a smile, "These are good things, all of them are the latest styles."

"I'm too old to wear this; it's best to give it to the girls in the family."

Aunt Xue stretched out her fingers and counted, saying, "There are quite a few Jia family girls in the East Mansion, and now there are also Miss Lin, Miss Shi, and Miss Xing."

People also entered Cong-ge'er's and Bao-yu's rooms; quite a few people were involved, and this box of palace flowers probably wouldn't be enough to give away.

Baochai dismissed the head maid and said, "Mother, don't worry. I usually only wear gold and jade jewelry, not these flowers and powders."

I'll give up my share of the allowance to give away. Since it's for a young lady in your household to wear, I'll handle the distribution so that my mother doesn't have to worry about it.

Although three people entered Brother Bao's room, I wasn't familiar with Caiyun and Caixia. They were originally my aunt's maids, and having seen the world, they didn't care for such things.

However, Xiren, who was by Baoyu's side, not only came from the old lady's side, but was also a very considerate person in her daily life.

Yesterday, I went to the East Mansion for a snow-viewing banquet. I heard from my sisters that Baoyu was outside Rongqing Hall and was making sarcastic remarks about the Cong brothers. Coincidentally, the two sisters overheard this.

This wasn't the first time Baoyu had done something so absurd; he always kept it to himself in the past, but yesterday he just happened to run into a knife's edge.

The second sister is extremely protective of Cong and his brothers; I fear that the siblings will grow increasingly distant in the future.

……

Aunt Xue sighed, "This Baoyu is not young anymore, but he can't see the situation in the family at all."

With his current rank, he still lives a comfortable life in the West Mansion, and Cong-ge'er hasn't said a word of complaint.

This is out of consideration for the old lady and your relationship with your uncle. Baoyu should be more discerning and respectful.

If the second wife becomes weak, the first wife can still hold on. He doesn't care about the consequences and instead provokes Cong-ge'er. How can he be in the right?

My sister has become increasingly muddle-headed over the past year; her former shrewdness and competence have vanished, and she no longer carefully guides her son.

Baochai said, "It's not that Aunt is not shrewd, she just has a mental illness. It's useless anyway, and we outsiders can't control her, so we should just ignore her."

I've heard from the sisters that Xiren is a good person. Yesterday, when Baoyu said some unreasonable things, Xiren was there to persuade him. She's a reasonable person.

Two palace flowers were given to Xiren, which was considered to save face for her aunt and to comply with the etiquette in Baoyu's room.

I divided the rest into two boxes. I sent one box to Sister Feng, which included four sticks for Ping'er and Wu'er. I sent the rest to the East Mansion to distribute among the sisters.

Aunt Xue understood the meaning behind her daughter's words. Last time, her sister had falsely accused her daughter of having an impure relationship with Jia Cong, which had caused resentment in her daughter's heart.

In addition, Baoyu has always been fond of making provocative remarks and has repeatedly disrespected Cong-ge'er, which has further alienated the daughter from her cousin.

Therefore, she only used Xiren to fulfill the etiquette of the second wife, and even avoided Caiyun and Yunxia, ​​who came from her sister's side.

However, this was exactly what Aunt Xue wanted. Now, she wanted to rely on Jia Cong for her family's business.

Baoyu was talking badly about people behind their backs, and Jia Cong and his sister happened to catch it. They had been supporting Baoyu in the mansion for nothing, but instead, he was being slandered by his words. How could they not be angry?

These two cousins ​​have probably already fallen out, and at this critical juncture, Aunt Xue doesn't want to get too close to Baoyu.

So as not to give the impression that the Xue family were all fools, and to avoid making Jia Cong feel uncomfortable.

The way her daughter sent the gifts was quite methodical and impeccable, and since it kept a distance from the second wife's family, Aunt Xue thought it was very good.

……

Rongguo Mansion, Baoyu Courtyard.

The courtyard was quiet and deserted. Caiyun went to Caixia's room to talk, Bihen was tidying up clothes in the outer room, and Xiren was sitting on the bed doing needlework.

Baoyu was lying on the bed flipping through books. It was impossible for him to be reading the Four Books and Five Classics; it was just a collection of unofficial histories and a bizarre book for amusement.

He only flipped through a few pages before tossing the book aside, pulling the blanket over his head to sleep. He tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep, and Xiren, watching from the side, sighed.

Yesterday, Baoyu made a careless remark outside Rongqing Hall, and was utterly embarrassed inside. After returning home, he hid in his room to avoid the shame.

Coincidentally, I overheard the maids gossiping in the courtyard, saying that a grand banquet was held at the Dengxian Pavilion in the East Mansion yesterday, and not only were all the young ladies of the family present.

The Second Mistress of the West Mansion was also invited to the banquet, and even the old lady's maids, such as Yuanyang, Hupo, and Feicui, were seated at the table.

This truly made the many maids in the West Mansion extremely envious. They heard that these people were drinking and enjoying the snow, having a very lively time, and only dispersed after half a day of carefree living...

Upon hearing this, Baoyu felt as if his heart was being torn apart. He felt that Jia Cong was so hateful, as he was constantly bewitching and seducing the outstanding daughters of the two mansions.

They were also succumbed to the stench of corruption and greed, unable to extricate themselves, thus wasting the precious talents of these women.

To be left all alone as a ghost is truly despicable, making one want to beat one's chest and stamp one's feet, wishing one could kill oneself.

Baoyu was in unbearable pain. He looked out the window at the moon and grieved for a long time, but he was still unable to extricate himself from the grief. After nightfall, he tossed and turned and could not fall asleep.

He despised officialdom and wealth, and was unwilling to spend his time studying poetry and books. Unable to entangle himself with his sisters at home, he used this opportunity to while away the time.

Therefore, having nothing to do all day long is truly irritating. I used to enjoy reading erotic novels, but now even that interest has faded...

He could only read some unofficial histories and miscellaneous books, but after reading a few pages, his head became dizzy and he felt annoyed. There was nothing in this world, at any time, that could bear the weight of someone as innocent as him.

Suddenly, a voice came from the courtyard, crisp and sweet, calling out, "Is Sister Xiren home?"

Baoyu pays the most attention to the maids in other people's families. He knows everything about any maid who has any merit.

Upon hearing the melodious voice, he immediately recognized it as Tongxi, Aunt Xue's maid.

Although this girl has a pretty face, she is not particularly outstanding and is inferior to Jin Chuan, Ying'er and others. However, her voice is exceptionally beautiful.

Baoyu jumped out of bed, finally finding some amusement, and laughed, "This is my aunt's daughter, Tongxi, who is quite clever."

She came to see Sister Xiren not on her aunt's orders, but most likely on Sister Bao's orders.

Baoyu's sad and bored mood seemed to vanish instantly. He was overjoyed to find that his sister Bao still thought of him.

……

Seeing Baoyu suddenly become energetic, Xiren smiled wryly to herself, quickly stood up and went out, saying with a smile, "So it's Sister Tongxi, come in and sit down quickly."

Tongxi held a brocade box in his hand and said with a smile, "My family has received some top-quality gauze palace flowers, and the young lady asked me to give two to Sister Xiren."

Xiren took the brocade box from Tongxi and saw two exquisite palace flowers inside.

He laughed and said, "What a new style of palace flower! Go back and thank your young lady for thinking of me after such a good thing."

Bihen, who was standing nearby, also came forward to watch the excitement. When she saw the exquisite palace flowers, she felt a little envious, and then a sour feeling rose in her heart.

When Baochai sent things to the Second Master's room, she only sent them to Xiren. Did she not care about anyone else?

It's all because Xiren entered the Second Master's household and carries the title of a prospective concubine. How could I be worse than Xiren?

She had given herself to Master Bao, but unfortunately, she was unlucky and couldn't get a proper title. Now she was inferior to others in everything.

Her anger surged, and she blurted out, "Sister Tongxi, these palace flowers are so beautiful, yet your young lady only gave them to Sister Xiren."

Xiren was also a shrewd person, and immediately understood the implication in Bihen's words, her brows furrowing slightly.

Tongxi was only thirteen or fourteen years old and didn't have much cunning. She listened to Bihen's polite and casual question.

He smiled and said, "We've given gifts to Second Madam, the girls of the East Mansion, and the older sisters in Third Master's room."

Bihen asked again, "The sisters in Third Master's room, aren't they Wu'er, Ping'er, and that rarely seen Zhishao? Have they all received palace flowers?"

Tongxi was slightly taken aback by Bihen's strange question. Although she was young and inexperienced, she was not stupid and immediately realized that something was wrong.

He said, "I'm not quite sure what the young lady sent. I only sent flowers to Sister Xiren. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll head back now."

……

Xiren escorted Tongxi to the door and noticed that the little maid was in a hurry, so she naturally knew why.

She had just returned to the room when she heard Bihen's crisp voice say, "Sister Xiren, you heard it too, this little maid has let it slip. It's only right that Miss Bao's palace flowers are given to Second Mistress and the young ladies to wear, and no one else should gossip about it."

But Zhi Shao, Ping'er, and Wu'er in Third Master's room were all given gifts, so why was only you given a gift in Second Master's room?

Are Caiyun and Caixia in Second Master's room not as good as Wu'er and Ping'er in Third Master's room?

This is clearly a sign of disrespect towards our Second Master. They're just using leftovers from other people's gifts to fool my sister and treat him like a cheap imitation.

Upon hearing this, Baoyu felt as if he had been pricked by a needle. He had thought that Sister Bao would think of him, but it turned out that this was not the case at all.

Seeing Baoyu's unpleasant expression, Xiren felt disgusted by Bihen's stirring up trouble and said, "You should shut your mouth. You're always stirring up trouble in front of the Second Master."

It's Bao-guniang's own stuff; she can give it away however she wants. Is it not allowed to follow your wishes?

If this gets out, you'll offend even your relatives.

You're just a maid, no one bothers to talk to you. They'll just laugh at the Second Master's lack of manners and decorum. If the Madam finds out, you'll be in big trouble.

I know what you're thinking. You're not feeling sorry for Caiyun and Yunxia; you just feel that I shouldn't be the only one who got it. Isn't that what you're really thinking?

Bihen blushed deeply when Xiren exposed her thoughts, and she was speechless for a moment.

Xiren said, "Don't you know what time it is now? The main branch of the family is in charge of the West Mansion. You insist on making things difficult for the Second Master. Aren't you just bringing trouble upon him?"

I now only come and go in the courtyard and don't usually go out, so I don't need to carry such beautiful palace flowers.

I'll just give it to someone else later, and I'll at least gain a favor. Otherwise, everyone will feel awkward if someone gets it while others don't.

The more Xiren talked, the angrier she became. All the smart and reliable people in the courtyard had been squeezed out. First there was Xiaohong, and then Mushe left.

Unfortunately, troublemakers like Qiuwen and Bihen can stay peacefully by their side, causing trouble for the Second Master every day. How can they expect to have a good life?

Xiren had always been kind to everyone and only wanted to leave a good reputation, which is why Bihen spoke without restraint.

Bihen never expected that Xiren could speak so aggressively, tearing off her own face in one fell swoop, leaving her feeling burning with embarrassment.

Xiren walked out the door, called over the maid Chunyan, and said, "Take this brocade box of palace flowers and go to the East Mansion now."

If the old woman guarding the gate stops you, just say you're looking for Miss Musk Moon, and when you see her, tell her you're giving her this palace flower.

I don't need it since I'm always in the yard, unlike her who's always running around and can use it as an outfit.

……

Rongguo Mansion, Wang Xifeng's Courtyard.

Following behind Baochai was Jinchuan, who was carrying a brocade box. They walked around the pink-painted screen wall covered with withered vines and entered the courtyard where the snow had not yet melted.

Seeing a maid sitting in the sheltered spot by the main entrance, she called out to Baochai and Jinchuan as they approached, "Miss Bao is here."

As she spoke, she lifted the scarlet felt curtain, and Baochai entered the room with Jinchuan. She saw Wang Xifeng sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) under the south window in the inner room.

Leaning against a brocade backrest, with his right hand resting on a large red floral pillow, he was talking to Wu'er and Ping'er about household chores.

Baochai smiled and said, "I've come at just the right time; all three of you are here."

Wang Xifeng smiled and said, "How come Sister Baochai has time to come over? Feng'er, go and serve Miss Baochai some hot tea."

Baochai smiled and said, "We received a box of palace flowers for your use at home, which were just sitting there doing nothing. So I sent them to you for your daily use. The style and colors are quite nice."

I still have some left; I'll give them to my second sister and Lin sister later.

Wang Xifeng picked up a pink palace flower from the brocade box and admired it in her hand.

He laughed and said, "As expected of something used in the palace, it is so exquisitely made. It looks like something that has just been picked, but it never withers all year round."

Wang Xifeng bowed slightly and placed the palace flower in her hand into Ping'er's hair.

Ping'er was already beautiful and graceful, one of the top maids in the two mansions. With the pink palace flowers as a backdrop, she became even more vibrant and charming.

Wang Xifeng laughed and said, "It is indeed a good thing, and the style is also fashionable. Wearing it makes you look completely different."

It would be perfect if you gave it to Ping'er and Wu'er; they are both at the prime of their youth, and this is exactly how they should be dressed up.

It's a pity that your second brother Lian was exiled to Liaodong. Apart from wearing everyday jewelry, I rarely wear these bright flowers anymore. It's a waste that you gave them to me.

"As I see it, you should give two to Ping'er and two to Wu'er, and keep the remaining two for yourself."

Baochai naturally understood what Fengjie meant. With Jia Lian exiled to a great distance, Wang Xifeng was practically a widow guarding the door, so it was inappropriate for her to wear heavy makeup, which was also a common practice for women in a family.

She laughed and said, "Sister Feng, you know that I usually only wear jewelry and not these flowers and powders."

Wang Xifeng laughed and said, "What you said is a bit inappropriate. If the old lady heard it, she would definitely nag you."

You are at the prime of your life, and with such a beautiful appearance, you should wear more flowers to bring good fortune and avoid being too plain.

Don't spend all your time with your sisters and neglect your appearance and grooming.

I've been there, and while my words may be blunt, the truth is valid. Even if women dress up for their lovers, men still enjoy seeing women looking beautiful and radiant.

Wu'er and Ping'er couldn't help but laugh when they heard Wang Xifeng's blunt words.

Baochai's pretty face flushed pink from Wang Xifeng's teasing, and she couldn't help but think of Jia Cong...

Wang Xifeng picked out a rose-red palace flower from the box and placed it in Baochai's hair. The red flower and black hair complemented each other, instantly adding to the beauty and elegance of the hair.

Ping'er and Wu'er both praised how good she looked, and Wang Xifeng laughed and said, "Am I right? You should dress like this at your age."

……

Baochai took Jinchuan back to Pear Fragrance Courtyard, retrieved the remaining box of palace flowers, and the two headed towards the East Mansion.

They had just reached the small gate between the two mansions when a pretty little maid came out. She gave Baochai a slight curtsy and then skipped away.

Baochai recognized Chunyan as Baoyu's maid, and couldn't help but feel a little strange. Baoyu was never allowed to enter the East Mansion, so his maids would naturally not come to visit him.

Baochai pondered for a moment how Chunyan could have come from the East Mansion, but couldn't figure it out, so she stopped thinking about it.

Upon entering the small gate of the East Mansion, Baochai saw that the snow in the inner courtyard had not yet melted, and the scenery was still very pleasing to the eye, which made her feel more relaxed and happy.

After crossing a stone bridge, she stood at the bridgehead and looked at her reflection in the water. She saw the clear, cold water below the bridge, with a few pieces of ice floating on the surface.

Reflected in the clear water, the palace flowers in her hair were delicate and red, exuding a graceful charm that made her face even more radiant.

A smile appeared on Baochai's face. Sister Feng was right after all; the palace flowers did look quite nice on her...

After Baochai entered the East Mansion, she went to Daiyu's courtyard first, but did not meet anyone. Her maid Xueyan said that the young lady had gone to the Second Miss's courtyard.

When they arrived at Yingchun Courtyard, they lifted the red brocade curtain with floral patterns at the entrance of the main room and found the room bustling with activity.

A chessboard sits on a round marble table in the center, where Shi Xiangyun and Xing Xiuyan are playing chess, while Tan Chun sits beside them watching. The chess pieces make a crisp sound as they are placed on the table.

The kang (heated brick bed) under the south window was covered with a bright red felt, and the east wall was decorated with a brocade backrest and pillows, and a light pink satin cushion.

Yingchun and Daiyu sat facing each other on the warm kang (a heated brick bed), drinking hot tea and chatting.

Baochai laughed and said, "It's still more lively here at Second Sister's place. All the sisters are together, which saves me from having to run around everywhere."

……

She took the box from Jin Chuan, placed it on the kang table, and opened it. The box was filled with a dazzling array of palace flowers, which came into view.

Yingchun smiled and said, "What exquisite palace flowers! I've never seen them before. Where did they come from?"

Baochai explained the origin of the palace flowers and said with a smile, "I have already sent some to Sister Feng, and Ping'er and Wu'er have also received some. These are for the sisters to enjoy."

Yingchun picked a flower and put it in her hair, which made her look quite beautiful. Xiangyun and Xiuyan, who were playing chess, couldn't sit still and came over to watch the fun.

Yingchun said, "The palace flowers used in the palace are different from those that are usually bought outside. They are made so exquisitely and delicately."

The sisters laughed and joked, choosing their favorite flowers to adorn their hair. Baochai even picked one to wear by Daiyu's temple.

For a moment, her hair was adorned with bright flowers, her beautiful face shone with spring, and her laughter filled the air, creating a scene of charming and lovely women.

Yingchun picked out two palace flowers and said to her maid Xiuju, "These two palace flowers are for Sister Zhishao. She's probably in the small courtyard on the south slope at this hour."

Baochai chuckled to herself upon hearing this. Her second sister was truly protective of her brother Cong. Knowing that Wu'er and Ping'er had both been accepted, she still made sure to look after Zhi Shao, afraid that she might be left behind.

Not long after Xiuju left, Mushe entered the main room and said with a smile, "It's so lively today. All the young ladies are here. It's really a complete gathering."

The sisters turned around and saw that Musk Moon was wearing a light green jacket with a trimmed collar, a white embroidered cotton skirt, and a dark green, scented handkerchief tied around her slender waist. She looked neat and capable.

Her face was pretty and delicate, radiant with health, and she smiled sweetly, her hair adorned with exquisite yellow palace flowers… (End of Chapter)