Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 23: Idle Man
(Note: This chapter is Sun and Chen's conjecture. Storytelling is interesting when you unravel the mystery. I told it directly and frankly, and then the protagonist inexplicably became rich, which is not very interesting to everyone. However, this industry is becoming more and more impetuous, so I can only write this line of notes. There are also conjectures later, but as long as it is not said by the parties involved, it is not considered the truth.)
After Sun Guangcheng finished speaking, Chen Siyuan couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

According to him, this position of Yingshanlang is the best and most lucrative position in the world!

Chen Siyuan's maids were: Hongyu was clever and sensible, Xiangling was clueless, and only the young maid Yunxiang, half understanding, enjoyed gossiping. Yesterday, Chen Siyuan had listened to her gossip quite a bit when he had a chance. Yunxiang spoke of the Qin family with disdain, saying that it was only because of Qin's efforts to persuade others that Qin Zhong was able to enter the Jia family's private school.

Even the tuition money that Qin Ye had scraped together to send to Jia Dairu was so the Qin family could be described as being in dire straits.

The question is, is it possible? According to Ming Dynasty regulations, the regular salary for a fifth-rank doctor was only eighty taels, but with the three festivals and two birthdays, plus the ice and charcoal gifts, he would have at least two thousand taels a year. Scrambling to scrape together a mere twenty-four taels of silver for a gift? Why would he go to such lengths?
It seems that Qin Ye is just pretending to be poor.

Why pretend to be poor? Because Qin Ye has no background.

So the question is, how could an old man with no background be able to control the Construction Department for more than ten years?

Wanting to clarify this, Chen Siyuan asked, "Master, are you saying that this person has someone backing him?"

Sun Guangcheng laughed and said, "Since the Ming Dynasty, the Ministry of Construction has always been controlled by the powerful. Since Qin Ye can sit comfortably in the position of Ministry of Construction, I think he has submitted a letter of surrender."

If that were the case, the bulk of the money Qin Ye secretly embezzled would have been distributed among the powerful, leaving only a small portion. Even so, he was still very nervous and had to ensure that no mistakes were made in the projects.

Thinking back, how could this lucrative position of Yingshanlang fall on Qin Ye for no reason?
Yes, it is possible that when Qin Ye adopted a boy and a girl from Yangshengtang, he had the intention of using them to connect with the powerful. He didn't keep the boy, but only the girl.

They all knew the 'Four Irons', and all the dignitaries first became 'comrades in the same boat', put aside their grudges, and then helped Qin Ye climb up to the lucrative position of Yingshanlang.

This made sense, but Chen Siyuan was still puzzled, so he asked, "Uncle Master, I still don't understand. How did Qin, with her status, marry into the Ningguo Mansion?"

Sun Guangcheng narrowed his eyes and smiled, "My nephew still has little experience..."

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "I'm just a rookie. How can I compare to my uncle's knowledge? Could this be Jia Zhen's idea?"

"Jia Zhen? He's not qualified." Sun Guangcheng exhaled smoke and said, "Don't forget that in this world there are concubines and mistresses."

What is a concubine? A concubine is a woman who is kept outside the family. Even if she gives birth to a child, the child will take the surname of the wife. To put it bluntly, she is a concubine kept outside the family. However, due to various reasons, it is not easy to bring her into the family.
What is a foreign woman? She is just a plaything. Men don't care whether she has had an affair with someone else, let alone whether the child she gave birth to is their own. They are greedy for momentary pleasure, pull up their pants, and then throw her aside.

Sun Guangcheng said, "Since ancient times, there has been nothing new under the sun. In the past, high-ranking officials would marry their concubines to other men and often visit them to show their favor. Isn't this a rare occurrence?"

Chen Siyuan suddenly realized, isn't that right? He vaguely remembered a father introducing his son to his own son in his past life...

So, Qin Ye used Qin Keqing to curry favor with the powerful and secure a position with a certain nobleman, finally achieving his goal of securing the most prestigious position in the land. Seeing that Qin Keqing was growing old and no longer suitable to remain in the Qin household, that nobleman, along with Jia Zhen... or perhaps Jia She? In short, after discussing it with several members of the Jia family, they agreed to marry Qin Keqing off to Jia Rong. After that, how could Jia Rong not feel uncomfortable? Well, so what? Jia Zhen had the final say in the Ningguo Mansion, and there was no doubt a huge sum of money involved, so what did it matter if a child felt uncomfortable?
Marry her and raise her for a few years, and when Qin Keqing is no longer useful, she will simply "die suddenly". Jia Rong is in the prime of his life, with both family background and money. What kind of girl can't he marry?
No wonder Hongyu once said Qin Keqing was "overthinking." No matter how broad-minded she was, she would still overthink things in her position. When the powerful families behind the scenes got their share of the profits, it was naturally good for everyone; but if anything went wrong with the project, the Qin father and daughter were the ones to be thrown out!
Recalling that his great-great-grandson Jia Qiang had previously moved out of the Ningguo Mansion for no apparent reason, Qin Keqing had fallen ill. Chen Siyuan had gone to see Madam Xing that day but was denied a visit. Passing by a private alley, he heard from someone inside that Qin Keqing had improved. Then, the next day, she died...

Is it possible to say that there are no secrets in this?
Then, thinking back to the way Jia Zhen had mourned his parents last night, it didn't seem fake... Perhaps Jia Zhen had been having an affair with Qin Keqing before she married into the Ningguo Mansion... perhaps they even developed some feelings for her. Based on this inference, it was definitely not Jia Zhen who did this.

Since Jia Zhen had no motive, Jia Rong naturally would not risk offending Jia Zhen by doing this.

Moreover, Jia Zhen has the final say in Ningguo Mansion. It is possible that Jia Zhen admitted to the matter and dared not make it public. Could it be that nobleman who did it?
Why did they start? Did something go wrong with the project, or did Qin Ye embezzle the money and not share the profits?
Forget it, there is no point in thinking too much. I can't even afford to offend Jia Zhen, so how dare I offend the nobleman behind this?
Chen Siyuan immediately collected his thoughts and said, "Thank you, uncle, for clearing up my confusion. It's getting late, so I'll go back first. When I have time in the next two days, I will present this item to Jia She."

Sun Guangcheng said, "Alright. You don't have to come here to look for me from now on. I'll have Hu Mang leave a mark on the back street of Ningrong every three days. You can come here the next day when you see the mark."

Chen Siyuan agreed, stood up but did not leave.

Sun Guangcheng blinked and asked, "Anything else?"

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "To be honest, the servants of the Jia family all looked down upon me as a wealthy man. They only thought I was a poor beggar, because I had to take care of everything and pay all the expenses. Well... Sister Yan was taken in by the Xue family, and my nephew's two hundred taels of dowry were taken away. Uncle, look..."

Hu Mang on the side couldn't help but ask, "It's only been a few days, and the five hundred taels of silver are gone?"

"Tsk," Chen Siyuan said solemnly, "Sister Yan took two hundred taels and had to take care of the bathroom, kitchen, and storeroom. She was new that day and didn't know the rules, so she gave her charcoal for the storeroom, which is so choking when you light it! I managed to sleep through the whole night!"
Besides, I didn't spend this money myself, and it's for something big. When the business is done, I can earn back ten, a hundred, or even a thousand taels."

Hu Mang was about to say more, but Sun Guangcheng put down his pipe and said with a smile, "Very good, very good. I'll give you a thousand taels of silver...but it's better for my nephew to save some money."

When Chen Siyuan got the banknote, he was overjoyed and kept saying "that's a great savings".

He flattered Sun Guangcheng a few more times before leisurely taking his leave.

As soon as he left, Hu Mang came over and said, "Old Sun, I'm afraid that Chen might have some treacherous intentions. We must be on guard."

Sun Guangcheng snorted twice and said nothing more, but instead ordered: "You go now and check on Qin Ye, the Architect."

Although Hu Mang responded, his face was full of confusion.

Sun Guangcheng said calmly, "Just treat it as a spare piece. Who knows, sometimes this spare piece can become a brilliant move!"

(End of this chapter)