The Red Chamber: Starting from Saving Xue Baochai

Chapter 139 Can't Be Worse Than That Boy

When Shen Yuan returned home from work, he came to the backyard room and saw Baochai and Qiu'er sitting and chatting, and Ying'er was also there.

"Husband." Baochai greeted Shen Yuan with a smile on her graceful face.

"Madam." Shen Yuan smiled gently and nodded.

He looked at the other two girls again, and his gaze finally fell on Qiu'er's pink neck, and he paused.

Qiu'er noticed her lover's gaze and blushed. She said softly, "This jade pendant...was given to Qiu'er by Sister Bao."

Seeing Shen Yuan's slightly startled look, Baochai said gently, "Husband, do you think this little white rabbit pendant is pretty?"

Shen Yuan said truthfully: "Well, it fits Qiu'er's temperament very well."

"As long as my husband likes it."

Shen Yuan: “…”

Why did Baochai emphasize that he liked her? It was obvious that there was something else behind her words.

However, when Shen Yuan saw the white rabbit jade pendant on Qiu'er's chest, he did have some fantasies. When a habit becomes natural, it may really become a habit.

At this moment, he was indeed looking forward to the scene of holding Qiu'er and caressing the jade pendant. The gold locket of Baochai and the gold-rimmed white jade pendant of Ying'er had different touches. If he played with them together...

Just thinking about it made him feel a little out of control, and he quickly suppressed these distracting thoughts.

Shen Yuan turned his head to look at Baochai, and saw a meaningful smile on the beautiful woman's gentle face. He suddenly felt that his wife looked particularly adorable.

He couldn't help but stretch out his hand to pinch Baochai's rosy face, and said with a smile: "Madam, you are so virtuous and generous, what else can I ask for."

"Hmm~" Baochai snorted, then gave her husband a shy look.

In front of her sister, she doted on her like this. How could she maintain her image as a sister in the future? Her husband was really...

And... couldn't the husband hear the little emotion in her words? This was to shut her up with her virtue and generosity, so that she wouldn't be so petty in the future.

After Shen Yuan kneaded his wife for a while, he got back to business: "Madam, should we go to the West Mansion?"

"Hmm~" Baochai calmed down, straightened her appearance, and said softly, "It's time to go."

Then, he said to Qiu'er, "Sister, why don't you come over too? It will be more fun to play with Sister Yun and Sister Lin."

Qiu Er smiled, shook her head, and said softly: "Sister Bao, I won't go..."

Although she had met everyone in the Jia Mansion and was familiar with Xiangyun, Daiyu and other sisters, tonight was the Rong Mansion's family dinner after all, so she decided not to join in the fun.

Baochai also understood, so she didn't say anything more. She asked Ying'er to take the gifts prepared in advance and go to Rongguo Mansion in the west with Shen Yuan.

……

Rongguo Mansion, Rongqing Hall.

On this side, Yuanchun was chatting with Lady Jia, Lady Wang and others when a maid came in to report.

"Madam, the master has returned home from the court, and my uncle and his wife have also come to the house and are coming this way together."

Grandmother Jia nodded and said to the girls sitting on the embroidered cushions below, "Yu'er, you guys go to the side room and wait. Yuanchun stays here."

"Yes, old lady."

Daiyu, Xiangyun, Yingchun, Tanchun and Xichun all responded and stood up and walked into the east room separated by a screen.

Wang Ziteng came over. These unmarried girls should indeed stay away from the crowd, but it was nothing for Yuanchun to meet her uncle.

After a while, Jia Zheng and Wang Ziteng and his wife were led by their maids and nannies into the hall of Rongqing Hall.

"Greetings, old lady." Wang Ziteng stepped forward to greet Lady Jia, but his tone was a little indifferent.

His main purpose of coming today was to see Shen Yuan. His attitude towards everyone in the Jia family did not seem warm, which was completely different from the past when Jia Daishan and Jia Daihua were alive.

After all, the times now are different from the past. Wang Ziteng holds a first-rank military position and is in charge of the Beijing camp again. He is highly trusted by the emperor. If the Jia family did not have some connections with military merits, he might not take the current Jia family seriously.

Grandmother Jia was already resentful of the past, and seeing Wang Ziteng's high attitude, she was even more displeased, but it was difficult for her to get angry, so she just nodded and said in a clear voice: "My uncle has been given an even greater position since he returned to Beijing this time."

There was some bitterness in his words, but there was nothing he could do about it. As one side gained, the other lost, and the Jia family became increasingly decadent in recent years.

Seeing this, Mrs. Zhao smiled and said, "In recent years, the old lady has become stronger and stronger, and she looks more like a centenarian."

Although they were both granted an imperial decree, the old lady in front of her was, after all, the wife of a super-rank duke. She still had a different status in Zhao's heart. She naturally did not want to see the relationship between the two families become too strained.

Seeing Zhao's kind face, Jia's mother's expression also became a little warmer. She smiled and said, "I am just wasting my remaining years. Is everything going well at my aunt's house?"

"Okay, all is well. Thank you for your concern, ma'am." Zhao said with a smile.

Seeing the atmosphere eased, Wang Xifeng on the side also breathed a sigh of relief. Although it was good to have a powerful uncle to support her, the Jia family was after all ruled by the old lady. Naturally, she did not want to see Grandmother Jia unhappy because of the Wang family.

"Today my elder sister returned home, and my uncle and his wife came to visit. It was such a joyous day. No wonder I heard the magpies chirping in the yard this morning."

"You, Feng Lazi, always love to say coaxing words." Jia Mu listened to what Feng Jie said, and the slight displeasure she had just felt disappeared. She turned to Yuanchun and said, "Meet your father and uncle and aunt."

Yuanchun was looking at Jia Zheng at this time, her red lips moved. She had not seen her biological father for many years, and now she met him at home. Her elegant and graceful face was filled with joy and sadness. Her eyes were red, and she called out with a choked voice, "Father."

As he said this, he bowed and performed a great ceremony of homage.

"Big girl." Jia Zheng supported her and called her, with a complicated expression. He looked at Yuanchun and said, "Well, I haven't seen you for a few years. You have grown so tall."

Yuanchun was born with a beautiful appearance, dignified and graceful, otherwise she would not have been allowed to enter the palace for selection.

The girl suppressed her fluctuating emotions and asked, "Is Baoyu okay?"

Jia Zheng said: "All is well. Baoyu has grown up now. He goes to school every day. When he comes back from school later, you can meet him."

Yuanchun felt relieved when she heard this. She knew the situation of her younger brother. He was spoiled by his mother and grandmother since he was a child and loved to play with his sisters all day long. Now he can go to school with peace of mind.

But she didn't know that Baoyu was also living a careless life in the private school at home, and he was just succumbing to the power of Jia Zheng's stick. With the lessons learned from the father and son of Jia Zhen, it was not easy for Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang to protect him now.

When the father and daughter met, they were filled with mixed emotions. After talking for a while, Yuanchun turned her gaze to Wang Ziteng and his wife.

The girl stepped forward and bowed, saying in a gentle voice, "Hello, uncle and aunt." Zhao helped Yuanchun up and said with a smile, "Okay, let's go home."

Wang Ziteng also nodded. He had heard about his eldest niece leaving the palace before. It was Shen Yuan who requested the permission.

The emperor's favor to Shen Yuan made him look at him with new eyes again. Perhaps he should look at the young man as an equal.

Afterwards, Mrs. Wang and Aunt Xue also came forward to meet their brother and chat with Wang Ziteng and his wife.

While they were chatting, a maid suddenly came in to report.

"Madam, Master Yuan and Miss Bao from the Shen Mansion are here."

Although Baochai has married into the Shen family, the people in the Rong family did not change their address to "Grandma Yuan" and are still used to calling her "Miss Bao".

"Hurry and get them over here."

After a while, Shen Yuan came hand in hand with Baochai, followed by Ying'er and two maids holding gifts.

The couple met the old lady and greeted everyone else one by one.

When they met Wang Ziteng, they could clearly feel that the uncle's attitude was much warmer than before. He no longer had that indifferent look and even had a slight smile on his face.

"Has Huaizhong been busy with the new army's affairs recently?"

"It's fine. Everything is going according to plan and according to the drill." Shen Yuan's tone was neither cold nor hot, with no obvious change in expression. He treated Wang Ziteng the same as everyone else.

"That's good. We can have a good chat later." After Wang Ziteng finished speaking, he turned to Baochai, and seemed to show some care for the younger generation, and said in a warm tone: "Bao girl, the last time your uncle saw you, you were still a little baby who could just walk. I didn't expect that you have already married in the blink of an eye.

On the day of your wedding, your uncle was still at the border and was unable to congratulate you. Some other day when you have time, you and Huaizhong can go to your uncle's house and he will celebrate for you alone.

You are a lucky person. Young men like Huaizhong are rare in the entire Great Zhou."

When these words were spoken, everyone in the audience was surprised.

Is the person who spoke... still the cold and aloof uncle from before? He seemed like two completely different people.

The uncle's gentle attitude towards Shen Yuan was something he had never shown before, even when he spoke to the old lady. His kind and caring attitude towards Miss Bao was in stark contrast to his previous treatment of the eldest girl.

This surprised Shen Yuan a little. Wang Ziteng's attitude today was indeed more relaxed. At least he treated Shen Yuan as an equal. He did not act like a senior official, nor did he treat Shen Yuan as an elder. This made Shen Yuan look at him with a new respect.

Grandmother Jia and Jia Zheng were also shocked. They did not expect that the increasingly arrogant head of the Wang family would treat Shen Yuan and his wife in such a manner. You know, among the four major in-law families of Jia, Wang, Shi and Xue, the Wang family has the potential to surpass the Jia family. Wang Ziteng is just one step away from being awarded a title for his merits. If he can be awarded a marquis, even if only an earl, plus the real power in his hands, he can surpass the other three families.

Mrs. Wang was a little bit unbelievable for a moment. Her long-cherished brother had returned to the capital, and she thought she had a solid backing. But now this backing was so polite to Shen Yuan. Why did the young man do that?
Sister Feng was also somewhat surprised by her uncle's attitude. When she looked at Shen Yuan again, she felt more complicated emotions in her heart.

Aunt Xue was naturally happy that her brother thought so highly of Yuan'er.

Yuanchun was not surprised at her uncle's attitude because she knew what brother Yuan was capable of and the heights he might reach in the future.

Others, such as Mrs. Xing, Li Wan, Mrs. You, Qin Keqing, as well as Daiyu, Xiangyun and the three sisters behind the screen, all had their own thoughts at this time.

After hearing what Wang Ziteng said, Baochai glanced at her husband and smiled gently, "My uncle is busy with state affairs and it's not good to divide his energy for Baochai's affairs. My husband and I will visit my uncle and aunt when we have time."

These words were just polite words. Although she agreed to visit, she did not specify the specific time. She still had to follow her husband's ideas on this matter.

Wang Ziteng nodded, then looked at Madam Zhao, then at Aunt Xue, and said nothing more.

Zhao naturally understood Wang Ziteng's meaning, and would interact more often with Aunt Xue in the future.

This simple eye contact was not concealed and was seen by many people.

Aunt Xue was naturally happy, but Mrs. Wang was very sad. She secretly made up her mind that she must let the eldest girl marry better than the precious girl. Her son-in-law must be better than Shen Yuan, at least... not worse than that young man.

Shen Yuan and Baochai continued to greet a group of relatives. When they met Yuanchun, Baochai happily stepped forward and held the elder sister's hand.

For some reason, the cousins ​​felt a sense of familiarity with each other, perhaps because they looked alike.

Shen Yuan also felt that Yuanchun was somewhat friendly, and he smiled gently at the girl as a greeting. However, there were many people around, so it was inconvenient for the two to communicate much.

Yuanchun met Shen Yuan's eyes that were as bright as spring breeze. Her graceful and elegant face was slightly startled. She did not dare to look at the young man again and turned to look back at Baochai.

After a brief exchange of greetings, Jia Zheng looked at Wang Ziteng and Shen Yuan and said, "It's still early, Uncle and Huaizhong, please follow me to the study to have some tea."

Jia Zheng could tell that Wang Ziteng and Shen Yuan probably had something to talk about, but it would be inconvenient with so many people here, and there was still some time before the dinner, so he planned to lead the two of them to the study.

Wang Ziteng and Shen Yuan looked at each other and nodded.

Seeing this, Jia's mother smiled and said, "You men just go and chat. Auntie and Bao are here. Let's have fun together."

Upon hearing this, Wang Ziteng and Shen Yuan said goodbye to Lady Jia and followed Jia Zheng out of Rongqing Hall.

After the three of them left, Jia's mother looked towards the east room and said, "Yu'er, Yun'er, you girls, come out."

As soon as he finished speaking, five beautiful girls, each with their own unique characteristics, walked out from behind the screen on the east side.

Daiyu, Xiangyun, Yingchun, Tanchun, and Xichun walked quickly to Yuanchun and Baochai, surrounded them, and happily called out, "Big sister, Bao sister."

Soon, the hall of Rongqing Hall was filled with laughter and joy, with everyone chatting at the same time, it was very lively.

On the other side, Jia Zheng led Wang Ziteng and Shen Yuan to the wing room next to Rong Xi Tang. After asking the servants to serve tea, he went to his study to give the two space to chat alone.

After Jia Zheng left, only Wang Ziteng and Shen Yuan were left in the room. What they were going to talk about next was the only important business of the day.

Wang Ziteng picked up the teacup, took a sip slowly, and said straight to the point: "Huai Zhong, what happened in the New Army Guards camp yesterday was indeed a bit too much. He deserved the punishment he received. I hope this incident will not affect the relationship between you and me, uncle and son-in-law."

Even Emperor Yuanzhen punished Wu Peng, so there could be no other explanation for this matter. It was also expected that Wang Ziteng would push all the responsibility onto Wu Peng.

Shen Yuan said calmly, "Don't worry, Marshal Wang Jie, I won't vent my anger on others over trivial matters."

Wang Ziteng was slightly stunned. The young man in front of him was unwilling to address him as uncle-in-law and showed an attitude of being impartial.

After a moment of silence, he smiled faintly and said, "Although His Majesty asked me to lead the army in this reorganization of the Beijing camp, he also has high expectations for Huaizhong. I'm sure Huaizhong can see this."

To put it bluntly, since we are not talking about relationships, let’s just talk about interests.

(End of this chapter)