Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 101: Confrontation with Rong Xi Tang

In a moment, the radiant Mrs. Xing, with her jewelry jingling, led Miao'er, Tiao'er and Wang Shanbao's wife into the outer study.

Today is the 21st. According to the date, my period should have come a long time ago, but it has not come in the past few days. Instead, my appetite has increased a lot.

Mrs. Xing often heard the maids talk about it, so she knew that this abnormality was probably due to the child. Because she was in a very good mood, her complexion was even better than usual.

Mrs. Xing smiled and greeted Jia She. She caught sight of Jia Lian standing up to greet her. Her heart skipped a beat. She forced herself not to change color and nodded, "Lian'er is back? Have you met the old lady?"

"Replying to Mother, I have seen them all."

Mrs. Xing nodded again, and when she came to Jia She, she asked, "Master, why did you send me here—"

Jia She coughed lightly and whispered, "It's about that Yuan brother thing... My family is about to build a villa for the visit of my parents, so this matter can't be delayed any longer."

Mrs. Xing couldn't help but glance at Jia Lian again, and she agreed repeatedly, saying, "Whatever the master says is what we will do. Should I send someone to inform Brother Yuan? The child fell into the water a few days ago and caught a cold. He is still sick now."

Jia She didn't care whether Chen Siyuan lived or died. He just said, "Why do I need you? I'd have sent someone to tell him long ago." Then he stood up and said, "There's no time to lose. Let's go to Rong Xi Tang now."

Jia She and Madam Xing led the way, with Jia Lian trailing behind them. Together, they left the outer study. Madam Xing couldn't help but glance at Jia Lian again, a look that made her feel uneasy. She couldn't help but wonder, could it be that the matter of the lost marriage certificate... couldn't be covered up?
Not to mention how nervous Mr. Lian was, the three of them walked from the east courtyard to the mansion, passing through the ceremonial gate, the south hall, the inner ceremonial gate, the inner screen gate, and along the winding corridor to the Rongxi Hall.

Jia Zheng, Lady Wang, and Sister Feng had already arrived, and Jia She and Lady Xing had to come forward to exchange a few words. After waiting for half a cup of tea, a sedan chair stopped in front of the inner ceremonial gate, and the head maids Yuanyang and Hupo helped Lady Jia into Rongxi Hall.

Everyone stood up to greet her and respectfully escorted Lady Jia to her seat.

Yuanyang helped Lady Jia sit down gently, and leaned on her dragon-headed cane. Lady Jia smiled and said, "I called you here today because I have two matters to discuss, but it's hard to spread the news, so I called you to Rongxi Hall. The first one is about the imperial concubine's visit to her parents—"

As he spoke, he looked at Jia Zheng and asked, "Master, how is your discussion with Dongfu Zhen'er going?"

Jia Zheng stood up and said, "Mother, Zhen'er's idea is to merge the private lanes of the two mansions into one, ceding some land from Huifang Garden and demolishing the East Courtyard. I think that should be enough to build a villa for the imperial visit." He glanced at Jia She and said, "My eldest brother also said that the East Cross Courtyard is our old garden, and its bamboo trees, rocks, pavilions, railings, and other things can all be moved here. So, we can find someone knowledgeable to plan it out, allocate funds, and start construction."

Grandmother Jia smiled and said "good" repeatedly, saying, "The Emperor has issued an edict allowing the Imperial Concubine to visit her parents. This is a great joyous event. We cannot afford to be frugal at this moment. We must use all our family wealth and build a magnificent house."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and Sister Feng chimed in with a few witty remarks. Only Lady Wang, though smiling, kept twirling her Buddhist beads.

Spend all the family money? How could there be enough money in the treasury to build a garden? Master Jia Zheng was in the Ministry of Works and Construction, and he was well versed in construction costs. Even if he was frugal, he couldn't build a villa for the imperial visit without 200,000 or 300,000 silver coins.

There are only a few hundred thousand silver coins in the public treasury, how can it be enough?
The old lady spoke nicely, but she didn't mention her own private affairs at all. You know, that's the big deal!

After everyone had discussed it, Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "The second matter is Yu'er's marriage. Lian'er, tell me again what Ruhai said before he died."

Jia Lian stood up and agreed, then spoke nervously, "Uncle Lin was quite hesitant before his death, but he finally relented and allowed Sister Lin to perform the ceremony of marrying into the family line. Any future male offspring will be the eldest son to inherit the Lin family's main branch. He also invited Jia Yucun to be a witness, and any future marriage will require his approval."

Grandmother Jia nodded and said, "Did you hear clearly, Madam?"

Mrs. Wang smiled stiffly and nodded, "I heard it clearly."

Grandmother Jia said, "I think it's a good thing. Yu'er will be married to the emperor, and Baoyu can marry again in the future. If there are no other concerns, I think we should just settle this matter. When the two younger ones are old enough--"

"Mother!" At this moment, Jia She suddenly stood up, moved to the middle, and said with a folded hand, "I'm afraid this matter cannot be decided just yet."

When Lady Jia saw that it was Jia She who was speaking, she immediately frowned and asked, "Master, do you have any other explanation?"

Jia She looked at Jia Lian and said, "Lian'er, so you didn't get the marriage certificate from Ru Hai when you returned this time?"

Jia Lian gritted his teeth and bowed, "Yes."

Jia She turned to look at his mother and said, "Mother, Lian'er hasn't got her marriage certificate...but someone got Daiyu's marriage certificate long ago."

"what?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Rong Xi Tang exploded.

Grandmother Jia was naturally surprised, and Jia Zheng also looked stunned. Mrs. Wang disliked Daiyu and looked at Jia She for a moment, and the beads in her hand that were turning rapidly stopped.

After a moment of surprise, Grandmother Jia frowned deeply and scolded, "Master, are you teasing me again? Yu'er's marriage has been discussed through letters for a year. How could someone else have obtained Yu'er's marriage certificate?"

"Mother, please wait a moment!" Jia She instructed, then turned and walked to the front of Rongxi Hall. He pointed at a maid and gave her a few instructions. Then he turned around and walked back and said, "Mother, please let me know. Xing has a nephew named Chen Siyuan. He came to live with his relatives in September. Because he happened to have something to do in the East Palace the next day, I haven't seen him since then.

Who would have thought that a few days ago, when I saw him, he actually brought me a letter written by Ru Hai himself, which expressed his intention to match Daiyu with Yuan Ge'er..."

Jia's mother was furious. She slammed her cane and cursed, "Nonsense! I'm not dead yet. I'm not blind or deaf. And you're trying to fool me now. I really want to blind your heart!"

Jia She said calmly, "I know mother is angry with me for being useless, but how could I lie about such a thing? Yuan'er is at home, and the letter is with him. I've sent someone to call him. Whether it's true or not, we'll know when Yuan'er comes and sees it!"

Grandmother Jia gritted her teeth and said, "Okay, okay, I want to see what tricks you can come up with!"

For a moment the old lady turned her head away, her chest heaving with anger. Yuanyang and Amber hurried forward to calm her down. She poured another cup of warm tea, but Grandmother Jia said, "Don't drink it. You're already full of anger!"

Grandmother Jia tilted her head and said nothing. Jia She bowed and simply went back to sit down.

Jia Zheng found an opportunity to put his hands together and asked in a low voice, "Brother, what on earth is going on?"

Jia She turned sideways and whispered to him.

Meanwhile, Madam Xing clutched her handkerchief tightly, secretly worried about Chen Siyuan. Jia Lian was even more perplexed, and quickly turned to look at Sister Feng, only to see her equally bewildered face, shaking her head at him. Jia Lian scratched his head, wondering, "How could Uncle Lin marry his daughter off twice? This doesn't make sense!"
A cup of tea had passed while they were talking when the maid outside called back, "Master, Master Yuan has arrived."

"Call Brother Yuan in!"

The door opened, and a figure walked around the screen, holding his head high and coming to the front. He bowed to everyone and said, "Junior Chen Siyuan, greeting the old lady, the eldest master, the eldest mistress, the master, the mistress, the second brother Lian, and the second sister-in-law."

Grandmother Jia was now fuming with anger, and said with a sullen face, "Don't rush into any random marriages. Let me ask you, do you really have Yu'er's marriage certificate with you?"

Chen Siyuan said in a deep voice: "This letter was sent home at the beginning of the year. It does have the intention of forming a marriage alliance, but I can't say whether it is a marriage certificate."

She immediately pulled the letter out of her sleeve and held it to her chest with both hands. Without any instructions from Lady Jia, the head maid Yuanyang came over in small steps, took the letter and returned to hand it to Lady Jia.

Angrily, Jia's mother pulled out the letter and glanced at it briefly. Her face suddenly looked as if she had just opened a dyeing workshop. Blue, white, red, green, and purple changed back and forth like a revolving lantern.

Suddenly, he gritted his teeth and looked at Chen Siyuan, saying word by word: "Fake!"

Jia She saw this and stood up and said, "Wait a minute! This letter is written by Ru Hai himself, and there is a private seal below. I'm afraid it won't count if mother has read it alone. Why not let my second brother and sister-in-law take a look too!"

Jia's mother was about to tear up the letter, but Yuanyang intervened. At first, Jia's mother was puzzled, but after glancing at Yuanyang, she suddenly realized... If she tore it up, she would be even more confused.

At that moment, he could only patiently throw the letter away: "Well, Master, take a look to see if it is true or not."

The letter fell to the ground, and Amber hurriedly picked it up and handed it to Jia Zheng.

Jia Zheng, a man of upright character, changed his expression after only a few glances. Sun Guangcheng's imitation was so lifelike, and with the original private seal, Jia Zheng could not tell it was a fake even after repeated examinations.

After Jia Zheng put down the letter, he was in a dilemma. Grandmother Jia obviously did not want to admit that the letter was real, and his eldest brother was also very excited and convinced that the letter was real. He had always disliked Baoyu, so who Baoyu married was of no concern to him.

Jia She asked, "Second brother, is this letter real or fake?"

"This..." Jia Zheng examined it for a few moments, then quickly handed it to Mrs. Wang and said, "Madam, take a look at it too."

Mrs. Wang took it, scanned it several times, and immediately felt relieved. This matter concerned Baoyu's marriage, and she had also read Lin Ruhai's letter. The handwriting and private seal on this letter were exactly the same as those on the previous letter. How could it be fake?
No matter how noble Daiyu was, her son Baoyu could never be married into the family. Moreover, Daiyu was frail and looked like she would not be a good childbearer.

Besides, this marriage was the old lady's idea. Look at the maids in Qixianzhai, they were all arranged by the old lady, she didn't even employ a single person herself.

It would be fine if this concubine was arranged by the old lady, but marriage is a matter of parents' decision, so how could she listen to the old lady?
If she really obeyed the old lady in everything, then Baoyu would really be the old lady's grandson, but whether he was her own son would be another matter of fact!
But Jia Zheng hadn't yet confirmed whether it was true or not, so Mrs. Wang couldn't say it was dead. She just said, "This... I can't see it clearly. How about my sister-in-law take a look?"

Mrs. Xing took the letter but did not unfold it. She said, "I have read this marriage certificate several times. There is Ru Hai's letter in the master's study. The master compared the handwriting repeatedly that day. It couldn't be more authentic." As she spoke, she looked at Jia Zheng and said, "If the master still has doubts, why not find Ru Hai's letter and compare it with it?"

Mrs. Wang, who rarely agreed with what Mrs. Xing said, immediately chimed in, "Since my sister-in-law says so, I suppose it's true." Then she looked at Jia Zheng and asked, "What does the master say?"

Someone had spoken, and Jia Zheng finally breathed a sigh of relief. He stroked his beard and said, "Mother, in my opinion, this letter is probably true."

"You——" Grandmother Jia was so angry that she couldn't speak.

Jia She didn't care what his mother thought. He clasped his hands and laughed, saying, "That's why the second matter is inappropriate. If it weren't for Yuan'er's stepmother withholding this letter and delaying it for a full six months, I'm afraid Daiyu and Yuan'er would have been engaged long ago."

Seeing that Lady Jia was so angry that she fell backward, Jia Zheng hurriedly whispered, "Brother, stop talking."

Jia She frowned and lectured him, "How can we treat marriage as a joke? What kind of family are we? How could we possibly do something like stealing a bride? Besides, we are only Daiyu's maternal family. How can we have any say in her marriage? If I don't stop them today, and this gets out in the future, I'm afraid it will be our Jia family's fault!"

While the two were talking, the letter was first passed to Feng Jieer. After reading it, Feng Jieer hurriedly handed it to Jia Lian who was looking at it eagerly.

Chen Siyuan was feeling uneasy and could not help but steal glances at Jia Lian. Not only him, but even Madam Xing was looking at Jia Lian now.

Jia Lian spread out the letter, glanced at it a few times and frowned. After reading it once, his face changed drastically!
same!
The texture of this letter and most of its contents, except for a few words, are exactly the same as the marriage certificate that he had lost!
Jia Lian's anger surged up his spine, and he said suddenly, "Where did you get this letter?"

Mrs. Xing was startled by Jia Lian's scolding and could not help but hold the handkerchief even tighter.

Although Chen Siyuan was nervous, he maintained his composure. He bowed and said, "Brother Lian, this letter arrived at our home at the beginning of the year. Unfortunately, my stepmother was so cruel that she hid it and never told me about it. It was only after I separated from my family and something tragic happened at home that an old servant brought this letter to me."

What a lie! How could this be such a coincidence? Jia Lian's mind raced. He did know there was a substance called orpiment, specifically used to conceal handwriting. However, the letter looked neat, with not a trace of orpiment visible. Furthermore, the handwriting on the "altered" part was identical to that of Aunt Lin's father.

Seeing that Chen Siyuan was calm and composed, without any sign of panic, Jia Lian couldn't help but become suspicious... Could it be that Uncle Lin had written a letter first that day, and the one he wrote to himself later was just a copy?

impossible!
Uncle Lin was a third-place scholar in the imperial examination, and he didn't ask a clerk to write for him, so how could he write an identical letter?
Jia Lian secretly clenched his fists, thinking of a solution. The matter of the lost marriage certificate had been covered up before, so it was difficult to bring it up again now... Eh? Could this be the one he lost during his night on the pleasure boat?
Jia Lian glared at Chen Siyuan, then thought to himself, if it was indeed the lost letter, then this one must have been forged and rewritten! But how could he expose it?

After thinking for a long while, Jia Lian's expression changed. Suddenly, he bowed to Jia's mother and said, "Old lady, nowadays, each of us has our own reasons. It's hard to tell the truth from the falsehood at this moment—"

Jia She was displeased and scolded him, "Stop talking nonsense! Your second uncle said it was true, how could it be false?"

Grandmother Jia perked up and scolded, "Master, please let Lian'er finish speaking!"

Jia She paused in dismay, and Jia Lian said, "The best thing to do now is to invite Sister Lin. I'm afraid no one is more familiar with Uncle Lin's writing and handwriting than Sister Lin."

Grandmother Jia was immediately delighted and said, "Okay, okay, Yuanyang, quickly send someone to call Yu'er!"

　To facilitate statistics and settlement, future updates will be placed after 0:20... I almost forgot, and I suffered a loss in the last book.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)