Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Rongguo Mansion, Lixiangyuan.

Early in the morning, the sky was bright, but it was still cold outside. Fortunately, the weather was clear, and the sun had not yet risen high.

The sunlight slanted down on the courtyard, bathing the houses and trees in the garden in a golden hue, casting dappled shadows.

Inside the main room, a brazier on the floor burned silver ash charcoal, its red glow warming the room.

Aunt Xue was sitting at the table, looking through the account books sent from Jinling. Baochai had checked them all, and she had made special notes to explain the reasons for any complicated or questionable parts.

When Aunt Xue read it again, she found it even clearer. She was both happy and sad. Her two children were so different, it was as if they had been born into the wrong genders.

A slightly worn red silk curtain hung in front of the door leading from the main room to the inner room, where Baochai was sitting on the kang (heated brick bed) doing needlework.

Her jet-black hair was tied up in a bun, and she wore a honey-colored cotton-padded jacket, a rose-colored vest with gold and silver thread, and a pale yellow silk embroidered cotton skirt.

She wore a peony hairpin and a pale blue palace flower at her temple, which complemented her fair skin, beautiful eyebrows and eyes, and made her look radiant and dazzling.

As the eldest daughter of the Xue family, she grew up in wealth and privilege and had a full collection of belongings.

However, now that she is at home and enjoying a leisurely life, Baochai has lost her interest in dressing up. Her clothes are all neither new nor old, and they do not look luxurious, but rather elegant and simple.

Even if she wanted to dress up for the man she wanted to please, that man was currently away on a military campaign.

Even if she is dressed exquisitely, it's like plucking a branch without flowers; she doesn't know who she's showing it to.

……

She was busy sewing when she heard footsteps coming from the main room outside.

She sounds rather energetic; she's not a maid in the house, but must be the older brother, Xue Pan.

I felt a little strange. During these days at the end of the year and the beginning of the new year, my brother was mostly out socializing with friends and rarely stayed at home.

But these past two days have been strange; they've been staying at this house all the time, which is rather novel. However, Baochai hasn't asked why.

She lifted the curtain and went out, and saw her mother still looking through the account books, while her brother Xue Pan sat beside her, looking bored.

The maid Tongxi served tea to Xue Pan. He took the teacup, took a sip, waved Tongxi away, and looked bored.

Baochai smiled and said, "After the New Year, my brother went out to meet friends every day. Today he is free and is at home with me and Mom."

Aunt Xue said, "He's not only free today, he was at home all day yesterday too. It's like the sun has risen in the west."

"You didn't pay much attention to him yesterday when you saw Cong off to the expedition. If it were like this every day, I would truly be at ease."

……

Xue Pan said with dissatisfaction, "Mom, what are you saying? I'm going out to make friends, not to commit crimes."

Why do I feel at ease staying at home? I'm not like Baoyu, who just stays cooped up at home all day.

He had already ruined his reputation long ago, and no one would pay him any attention when he went out.

He used to be a king at home, but now he's nothing but a nobody, just a nobody in the East Courtyard. He's not even as good as me now.

Aunt Xue laughed and scolded, "I just wanted you to stay home and behave yourself, but you've given me all this nonsense."

"They're completely unrelated, yet you bring up Baoyu, and somehow they're connected."

Xue Pan laughed and said, "I'm living off him now. I used to think I was useless, but ever since Baoyu was mistreated by the Imperial Clan Court..."

I realized that my son wasn't so dissolute after all; he was much more respectable than him.

Now he can't even live in the West Mansion, but I can still live peacefully, which makes me much stronger than him.

I just can't understand how Baoyu, having fallen to such a state, could still be so pretentious and think he's doing pretty well. He's truly shameless.

Yesterday I overheard the servants in the manor talking about how Baoyu spouted nonsense in Rongqing Hall, daring to say that all the scholars at the Imperial Academy were unfilial and disobedient.

Tsk tsk, he really dares to say that. Although his son is dissolute, he would never dare to humiliate a scholar.

These scholars are not to be trifled with. Don't be fooled by their current poverty; they might just pass the imperial examinations one day and then make your life miserable.

Let's not talk about the distant ones, just look at Brother Dongfu Cong. When we first arrived, he was just a scholar, not showing off at all.

In just a few years, his back has become frighteningly thick. His son wants to curry favor with scholars, but he can't find a way to do so.

Baoyu is quite a strong-willed fellow; he dares to criticize those who study as disloyal and unfilial.

I heard that my uncle was furious when he heard this, and he slapped me hard across the face, the sound of which was incredibly loud.

Baoyu is still bruised and battered; I hear his face is covered in bruises. It's a pity my son won't have the fortune to see it. What a pity, what a pity!

……

Baochai found her brother's words amusing and smiled, but she didn't dare to respond.

Baoyu made some outrageous remarks that day and even showed off in front of his uncle, resulting in him being embarrassed and humiliated on the spot.

Baochai and her sisters had already left the hall at that time, so they did not see it with their own eyes.

But Shi Xiangyun went back to eavesdrop and came back to tell everyone about it, so all the sisters knew about Baoyu's embarrassing incident.

No one took it to heart. Baoyu's absurd remarks had been made many times before, so they were no longer surprised and treated them as a joke among the women of the household.

Even Tan Chun was somewhat numb, and the sisters like Ying Chun and Dai Yu simply listened and didn't bother to say anything more.

……

Aunt Xue laughed and scolded, "You've only been staying home for two days, and you think you're something special? People will laugh their heads off."

You only cause trouble when you go out, while Baoyu causes trouble at home. The eldest doesn't criticize the second; they're both equally bad.

Xue Pan laughed and said, "You really think highly of your son. How could I be any different from Baoyu? When I drink with my friends, I just vent my anger by cursing Xiao Yao when I'm drunk."

Someone as audacious as Baoyu, who constantly berates nobles in the palace and scholars, acts as if he's the most powerful person in the world.

My close friends are all sons of noble families; they all know the ins and outs of aristocratic families.

They said that if it weren't for the great virtue accumulated by the ancestors of the Rongguo family, and the fact that Cong-ge'er is now supporting both mansions, Bao-yu would have been torn to pieces long ago.

"Mom, what you're saying is so unlucky. No matter how useless your son is, he wouldn't dare to be as good as this fool."

Last year, Aunt Xue mentioned Baoyu, saying that he was a rare child born with a jade in his mouth, the legitimate son of the Rongguo family, and her own sister's son, and that he was extremely handsome.

However, since the Xue family had been living in the Jia family's residence for a long time, they couldn't hide anything from them. Not to mention that Jia Cong had risen to prominence and completely overshadowed Bao Yu.

In just one year, Baoyu caused countless scandals, was talkative and troublesome, and was absurd and ridiculous in every way.

Most importantly, he is, after all, the grandson of a duke, born into a wealthy and powerful family, yet he has no sense of responsibility whatsoever in his actions.

Not to mention that his reputation was ruined by the Imperial Clan Court, and from then on, he would have no chance to rise in the world except to stay at home and eat idle food.

In previous years, she would have scolded and stopped her son for disliking Baoyu so much, but now she looks down on him completely.

She no longer takes her son's tone and mannerisms seriously; in fact, she finds his glibness quite reasonable.

……

Since Jinling's business partnered with Xinchunhao, and with the help of his brother Xue Yuan, the Xue family's main branch's business has become increasingly stable.

Aunt Xue is now content, and her biggest worry is her son Xue Pan. She only hopes that he will behave himself, not cause trouble, and that everything will be fine.

Although Baoyu is not a good person, he does have one advantage: he likes to stay at home most of the time, and when he gets into any ugly or strange trouble, he usually doesn't cause any real trouble.

If her own son could have the same advantage, staying home all day long, Aunt Xue would be content.

Now that he has been holed up for two days, I'm afraid he'll get bored and go out wandering around again.

So I started a conversation with him to keep him from getting bored and to keep him at home.

He laughed and said, "You often say that those sons of noble families are your close friends, but why haven't they come to see you lately?"

I heard the old lady say that after the Lantern Festival, the officials' ten-day leave ends. Does that mean they start working again?

Xue Pan knew his mother never brought up this topic, probably because she thought his friends were all good-for-nothings and wished he wouldn't see them.

But now, contrary to his usual behavior, he started chatting with her about friends, which immediately piqued her interest.

……

He laughed and said, "Mom, you don't know the situation. My friends are not ordinary people. They are all scions of famous and prominent families in the capital."

For example, there was Feng Ziying, son of the Divine Warrior General; Wei Ruolan, son of the Earl of Xiangcheng; Chen Ruichang, the second grandson of the Duke of Qi; and many others.

These are all my son's respectable friends, not just drinking buddies. They all hold official positions in the imperial court and are all very knowledgeable.

They haven't left their homes these past few days not because they're on official business, nor because they're intentionally neglecting their son, but because these noble families have encountered a major event.

Therefore, each family was cautious and instructed their sons to behave themselves, not daring to wander around recklessly, lest they get into trouble.

……

When Baochai heard that a noble family had encountered a major incident, she immediately thought of Jia Cong, thinking that Brother Cong was of noble status and was a first-class noble son of the capital.

Aside from the Mongol invasion southwards, I've never heard him mention any other major event that would prevent the sons of noble families from going out and socializing.

Aunt Xue didn't have Baochai's delicate mind, and she didn't really care about the important matters concerning noble families.

Seeing that his son was getting into the conversation, he didn't want to dampen his enthusiasm, so he naturally picked up the thread and encouraged his son to continue rambling on.

This will also let my son know that even when he is at home, there are still people to talk and laugh with, so it won't be too boring.

He laughed and said, "Your sister and I rarely leave the house, so how would we know about these important things happening outside? Tell us about them, so we can hear something interesting."

Aunt Xue was just teasing her son, but Baochai was really thinking about something and wanted to hear the truth. She looked at her brother with bright eyes, waiting for him to speak.

Seeing that his mother and sister were acting out of character and were even showing interest in his extramarital affairs, Xue Pan couldn't help but feel smug.

He saw Tongxi, the maid he had just dismissed, sitting in the corner of the main room sewing shoe soles.

He said smugly, "Tongxi, go get Grandpa another cup of tea. I need to moisten my throat so I can have a good chat with Mom and my sister." ...

When Tong Xi served tea again, Xue Pan smiled and said, "Now that the Mongol army is marching south, the imperial court has sent a large army to fight back, and even Cong-ge'er has led troops to the front."

However, there is a precedent to this story: the nine border towns have always been impregnable, holding off the Mongols for many years.

However, the Mongols were able to advance so rapidly, and there are significant reasons for this.

Aunt Xue and Baochai were both women living in secluded households, rarely venturing outside their homes. Although they knew that the Mongol army was marching south and the imperial court had already dispatched troops north, they were unaware of this.

I also know that many refugees have entered the city, and the price of grain in the capital has soared. I have also vaguely heard that the northern city has fallen, but I only know bits and pieces of information and do not know the full details.

The women in the Rongguo Mansion, especially Grandmother Jia, were only focused on enjoying themselves and living a life of luxury. Since the capital was right under the emperor's nose, she thought she was safe and sound and didn't care about these wars.

Wealthy and powerful women had no interest in matters of life and death, and since the passing of the Duke of Rongguo, Grandmother Jia had become even more indifferent to matters of war.

Because Jia Cong was away on campaign, she reduced the banquet and entertainment by fifteen percent, which was the limit of what she could do; she didn't care much about the rest.
The western mansion is now entirely populated by women; what the superiors desire, the inferiors will follow even more fervently.

Since war is considered an ominous matter, everyone was naturally uninterested and no one wanted to talk about it.

When Jia Cong was in the East Mansion, he would chat about it with his sisters, but he would never mention it to Grandmother Jia.
Because Jia Cong was away on a military expedition, Yingchun and Daiyu were hesitant to discuss anything related to the war and dared not speak of it casually.

They knew Jia Mu's temperament better and would not gossip about it. Xue Yima and Baochai mostly lived in the West Mansion, so naturally they didn't know much about it.

……

This gave Xue Pan a chance to boast, saying, "Mother and sister don't know this, but the reason why the Remnant Mongols broke through the Nine Borders was because they launched a surprise attack on the Great Zhou's military camp."

They also captured Xuanfu Town. Not only did the Mongol Tartars breach the city walls, but they also massacred the entire city's inhabitants, killing all six thousand defenders and slaughtering forty thousand civilians.

When Aunt Xue and Baochai heard that so many people had died, their faces turned pale.

Aunt Xue cursed, "These Tartars are truly despicable. They can break through the city, but why kill so many people? These wretches deserve to be cut into pieces."

Xue Pan said, "If the military depot had not been attacked, Xuanfu Town would not have fallen. The Emperor was furious when he learned of the news and ordered the Dali Temple to thoroughly investigate the leak of the military depot."

All officials whose official duties involved military supplies were questioned and investigated by the Dali Temple.

The noble scions I befriended were either from the same clan or were relatives or old friends, due to their family backgrounds.

Many people worked in government offices such as the Five Military Commissions and the Ministry of War.

Many of the people involved were summoned by the Dali Temple a few days ago, causing their families to be filled with anxiety.

I heard Feng Ziying say a few words that too many people died in Xuanfu Town, and the Emperor would not let it go so easily, otherwise, where would the dignity of the Great Zhou Dynasty be?

We must catch the person who leaked military secrets and punish them severely so that the court can save face.

Therefore, each family, fearing trouble, restrained the behavior of their disciples, encouraging them to avoid gatherings and parties, and to mind their own business.

People like Feng Ziying, Wei Ruolan, and Chen Ruichang would go home to avoid trouble after leaving their posts, leaving their sons alone.

Xue Pan grinned and said, "I used to think being an official was a good thing, but when trouble really comes, the official hat on your head becomes a burden."

It's better for us ordinary people; without official duties, we're carefree and don't have to get involved in these unfortunate things..."

Baochai felt uneasy and said, "Since everyone is avoiding trouble in this situation, brother, you should be even more careful."

Staying home these days, seeing fewer people and talking less, will keep me out of trouble.

Xue Pan laughed heartily upon hearing this, only saying that he knew what was going on...

……

Shenjing, the Dali Temple government office, the prison.

No matter which government office's torture chamber it was, the common people saw it as a gateway to hell, because any ordinary person who went in would be subjected to humiliation with a legitimate reason.

Compared to the dark and bloody torture chambers of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Court of Judicial Review, where there was no way to get out, the torture chambers of the Court of Judicial Review seemed much better.

Because the Dali Temple was the main hall of the Three Judicial Offices, representing the uprightness of the imperial court's laws, its words and actions had to take into account the dignity of officialdom, and harsh punishments were not the style of the Dali Temple.

Furthermore, all the main officials of the Dali Temple, those of the sixth rank or above, were graduates of the two imperial examinations.

Scholars are always more reserved, far superior to people like Zhou Junxing.

The practice of using torture to extract confessions during investigations and trials was seen by these officials of the Court of Judicial Review as a desperate and low-class tactic.

This kind of bureaucratic atmosphere meant that the Dali Temple had no shortage of experts in interrogation, and the word "interrogation" meant interrogation rather than torture. Yang Hongbin was one of the experts among them.

His greatest skill is to conduct preliminary investigations and gather evidence, then coerce and entice suspects to break down their defenses and extract what he needs from them.

When Yang Hongbin interrogated Zhou Suqing, he didn't use any torture, yet he managed to expose the cunning old fox to all his secrets.

All he did was uncover the other man's secrets, discovering that he had a mistress who was unknown to others, and that she had given birth to his only child...

Although the method is not honorable, it is the easiest way to penetrate human nature. It is not only very effective, but also bloodless, showing that the person cherishes their reputation.

Those around them felt that forced interrogation was much more merciful than torture.

But when a person's defenses are breached, all secrets will be revealed, and even close relatives can be betrayed.

It's not uncommon for many people who have been successfully lured into this situation to go insane after their defenses have been breached.

From this perspective, Yang Hongbin, a master of torture, actually possessed the very nature of a "cruel official."

He was simply more principled and more restrained than Zhou Junxing...

……

The Dali Temple's torture chamber is fully equipped with various instruments of torture. The chamber is cleaned daily by dedicated staff and is very tidy, making it seem unlike a typical torture chamber.

Although the Dali Temple does not advocate harsh punishments, there are always stubborn people who leave people like Yang Hongbin helpless, and occasionally they will be subjected to severe torture.

This torture chamber has been built for decades, and even though the use of severe torture is not frequent, it has accumulated over time.

Even with daily cleaning by a dedicated person, every brick, tile, and object in the room seems to exude a bloody stench, easily instilling fear in people's hearts.

Xiaoyun was just a country girl, barely of marriageable age, born into poverty and hardship, a girl who had never seen the world.

The kinder and more timid a person is, the more they will sense the eerie and terrifying aura emanating from every brick and tile of the Dali Temple, a place steeped in the heavy burden of criminal justice...

…………

This morning, Xiaoyun was about to go to the market to buy groceries when a villager came to tell her that her mother's old illness had relapsed last night.

The neighbor had already called a doctor to treat her and told her to go back and check on her as soon as possible. Xiaoyun was terrified when she heard this and could only shed tears.

She and her mother had depended on each other since she was a child. She sold herself into servitude for four years to earn money to treat her mother's illness. Her mother's condition had improved, but somehow she started acting up again.

She hurriedly went back to find Huiniang and asked her to let her go home to take care of her. Although Huiniang was promiscuous by nature and spent her days with two men, she was not a bad person at heart.

Not only did they let Xiaoyun go home to take care of her mother, but they also gave her five taels of silver for emergencies.

But Xiaoyun had only gone halfway when the villagers she was traveling with disappeared. She was coaxed and frightened by a few people and shoved into a horse-drawn carriage, which brought her to this godforsaken place.

Then she saw the government officials and told her what she had done and that she should confess honestly later, or she would face a serious lawsuit.

Xiaoyun was so scared that she trembled all over. She racked her brains but couldn't figure out what she had done wrong.

A few days ago, she went to the market to sell vegetables, and someone gave her too much change. She didn't return it. Does that count as committing a crime...?

Xiaoyun felt a deep-seated fear of the room she was in; it was so cold and unsettling that it sent shivers down her spine.

Actually, the room wasn't cold, because there was a brazier burning, with several iron skewers stuck in it, glowing red-hot from the fire.

There was also an unpleasant smell here, like the smell of pigs and sheep slaughterhouses in the market, with a chilling, nauseating stench of blood.

The room was decorated with whips and shackles hanging on the walls, and knives, axes, hooks and other frightening items on the table, making it look like a slaughterhouse and sending chills down one's spine.

Xiaoyun didn't want to stay here for a moment longer, but she had no choice because there were two yamen runners guarding the door.

……

At this moment, the iron door of the room was pushed open, and a man in his thirties entered, dressed in government attire, looking quite respectable.

With just a pair of sinister eyes, and after this person glanced at her a few times, Xiaoyun began to tremble.

The man asked, "As long as you answer my questions honestly, you can leave here safely."

If you dare to tell even one lie, you'll suffer greatly, face a major lawsuit, and might even lose your life.

Xiaoyun was so frightened that she cried and said, "Sir, the old woman Xu who bought the chicken is senile and gave me an extra coin. I shouldn't have been greedy and kept it for myself."

"Can't I just give it back to her? This is no laughing matter, please forgive me this time..."

Seeing Xiaoyun rambling on, Zhou Ping impatiently shouted, "Shut up! You can only speak when I tell you to. You still dare to talk nonsense? You'll regret it!"

Upon hearing this, Xiaoyun was very obedient and immediately shut her mouth, not daring to say another word.

Zhou Ping asked, "Does your master have two lovers? One is Chen Ruichang, the second grandson of the Duke of Qi, and the other is Duan Chunjiang, the rice shop owner?"

Although Xiaoyun was terrified, her face turned bright red when she heard Zhou Ping's question.

She said, "I'm just a young girl and I don't dare to say anything about my daughter's affairs. I don't know much about it either."

Zhou Ping frowned, seemingly helpless at Xiao Yun's lack of understanding of the situation.

He walked up to the brazier, pulled out a red-hot branding iron, and shouted, "If you dare to conceal even half a word or tell even half a lie, I'll let you taste the flavor of this branding iron!"

Xiaoyun burst into tears, saying, "Sir, I dare not lie anymore. Our young lady does have two lovers."

She was indeed being too...too lewd, but I was just a maid, and it wasn't appropriate for me to gossip about my master.

These two men often come to see girls. Every time, they start by drinking and eating, and then they go into the room and fight. I have to plug my ears to sleep..."

Veins bulged on Zhou Ping's forehead as he said with a dark face, "I'm only asking you if it's true or not. Who told you to spout this nonsense..." (End of Chapter)