Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 297 Misfortune and fortune have no gate; people invite them themselves.

Early in the morning.

The old woman knocked on the door of the side room, and Qingfan, still half asleep, welcomed her inside. The old woman then asked, "How is the young lady?"

Qingfan said, "The fever has subsided, and he's not coughing much now that he's asleep. Grandpa Yuan's prescription really worked."

The old woman breathed a sigh of relief. All the servants depended on Miaoyu for their livelihood, and naturally they didn't want anything to happen to her.

Qingfan fetched water and helped Miaoyu wipe herself down before going to the small kitchen to get a food box. Miaoyu's cold had mostly subsided, but now she felt utterly despondent, and her usually aloof gaze had dimmed.

After a quick breakfast, the old woman and Qingfan exchanged a glance. The old woman then comforted her, saying, "Miss, please forgive my bluntness... As the saying goes, time will tell. If it weren't for the good relationship you formed with Miss Xing that day, I'm afraid this whole ordeal would have happened to you—"

That old man Yuan is not a good-tempered man, and he has never had any dealings with Miaoyu. If it weren't for Xing Xiuyan, he wouldn't have been so willing to send the prescription over so readily.
Qingfan also said, "Miss Xing is fine, but you'll have to thank Master Yuan later."

Miaoyu was annoyed. Although she knew she was wrong, she was unwilling to admit it, so she simply turned her body away and remained silent.

The old woman added, "After such an incident, I'm afraid the Rongguo Mansion will not be able to stay."

The prospective wife of Bao Er was having an ambiguous relationship with a man outside, which almost led to a death. Even with her good temper, Madam Wang probably couldn't tolerate it.

Miaoyu finally reacted and said, "How could I not know? It's just that it's easy to get into the Rongguo Mansion, but difficult to get out."

Miaoyu's ability to move freely in and out of the palace was naturally due to the influence of the Rongguo Mansion. She had spent most of her ill-gotten gains on palace goods; how could Lady Wang possibly stand by and watch her disappear?
The old woman and Qingfan were both indecisive, and upon hearing this, they looked at each other speechlessly, both frowning deeply. Miaoyu, however, had her own thoughts, secretly pondering that she must find a way to escape.

............................................................

The next day, Chen Siyuan was still reading in his thatched cottage. As for the matter of Miaoyu from the previous day, he had long since put it aside.

Unexpectedly, Qingfan came looking for me again around noon.

Hongyu ushered him inside, and Qingfan expressed his gratitude at length, leaving behind a hundred taels of silver.

After he took his leave, Chen Siyuan realized that this was the money he had advanced for Miaoyu last time.

Just as she was pondering this, Sister Bao led Ying'er inside.

Chen Siyuan casually handed the silver notes to Hongyu's subordinate and stepped forward with a smile, "Sister, you've arrived?"

Baochai smiled and nodded, but after sitting down, she asked suspiciously, "Just now I seemed to see... something like a maidservant from Master Miaoyu's side come by?"

Chen Siyuan only had Yunxiang, a gossip, by his side. Was she as effective as half of Ying'er? Ying'er's methods were superb. She set up a gambling game to win over the servants of Rongguo Mansion. How could she hide the big and small matters from Baochai?

Chen Siyuan had no intention of hiding anything, and upon hearing this, he immediately became interested and said with a smile, "Even if you hadn't asked, I would have told you. Do you know that I went out for a while a few days ago?"

He then recounted the story of Miaoyu and Liu Xianglian. While listening, Baochai kept an eye on Chen Siyuan and saw that he was indeed just telling the story for fun and had no intention of coveting Miaoyu. She was immediately relieved.

After Chen Siyuan finished speaking, Baochai said, "She is someone who is detached from worldly affairs, how could she know the wickedness of people's hearts?"

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "To be honest... Miaoyu was originally intended for Brother Bao. I don't believe that after this incident, Madam can still tolerate her."

Baochai said in a low voice, "Firstly, there's no room for her... Secondly, I'm afraid it won't be easy for her to leave."

Seeing that Chen Siyuan was somewhat puzzled, Baochai said, "My family stayed in the manor and even lent Auntie 30,000 taels of silver. We've been covering for her for two years for nothing. Does she expect to leave the manor unscathed without paying some money?"

Chen Siyuan was slightly taken aback, but upon reflection, he found it quite reasonable. In the original text, Daiyu's entire fortune was used to support the Rongguo Mansion, yet in the end, she still ended up with a "jade belt hanging in the forest." If Lady Wang was so ruthless towards her niece, how could she possibly let Miaoyu off the hook?
Seeing that he didn't speak, Baochai thought he didn't quite believe her, so she whispered again, "When she came back yesterday, Auntie had Zhou Rui's wife take Doctor Hu away."

How cruel!
Chen Siyuan thought for a moment, then he realized that if he had given Madam Wang the prescription for garlic... wouldn't that have ruined Madam Wang's plans?
Seeing that she was frowning, Baochai pressed her for an explanation. Chen Siyuan then told her the story, which made Baochai frown for quite a while.

He said, "Ever since Aunt became close to Xia Jingui, her heart has become increasingly ruthless. Your actions now, though unintentional, have only displeased her, and it will be difficult to stand in her way in the future."

Just then, Yunxiang and Ying'er entered from outside, chattering, "Oh no! A mother and son have come to the door and are kneeling there begging Second Madam for mercy."

Chen Siyuan and Baochai exchanged a glance, both guessing that this was the work of Lady Wang. Baochai was somewhat gloating, but Chen Siyuan thought to himself, "Laiwang has only been transferred to manage the monks and Taoists for a short time, and I'm afraid that Fengjie hasn't completely severed ties with Ni Er yet."

Madam Wang is in a hurry; in order to take charge of the household, she no longer cares about the reputation of the Rongguo Mansion.

Baochai wanted to go to Rongqing Hall to see the excitement, so she got up to say goodbye and leave. Chen Siyuan saw Baochai off, and when he turned around, he saw Hongyu whispering with Wu'er. When Wu'er saw Chen Siyuan, she asked, "Master, Sister Hongyu said that Madam is going to take charge of the household again this time."

Chen Siyuan pondered, "It's pretty much the same... However, every cloud has a silver lining. It might not be a good thing for my wife to take charge of the household again."

Wu'er was puzzled and about to ask further, but Chen Siyuan moved back to his study. He thought to himself, "This Wang family girl is indeed an expert in internal power struggles but an amateur in external ones. But the old lady isn't stupid; how could she let Madam Wang really succeed?"
Leaving that aside for now, let's talk about how Baochai made her way to Rongqing Hall. At this time, apart from Daiyu and Li Wan, the three sisters, Madam Xing, and Madam Wang were all there.

After exchanging greetings, Baochai quietly stopped behind Madam Wang. Then, Zhou Rui's wife hurriedly entered and explained the situation outside.

Grandmother Jia, being an old and shrewd woman, immediately glanced at Lady Wang upon hearing this. Lady Wang, however, kept her mouth shut and her mind at ease, only continuing to twirl her Buddhist prayer beads.

Grandmother Jia then asked, "Has Feng gone to deal with it?"

Zhou Rui's wife said, "Ping'er led the mother and son to the gatehouse for questioning, but we didn't see the Second Mistress."

Just as Lady Wang was about to speak, Grandmother Jia said, "Then let's wait for Feng'er to arrive before we talk about it."

Upon hearing this, Madam Wang had no choice but to stop talking. Madam Xing was slow to react; she watched Madam Wang and Grandmother Jia for a while before realizing that these two were having a power struggle again. She didn't care about managing the household affairs and just watched the show with amusement.

A moment later, Sister Feng led Ping'er inside in a hurry. After exchanging greetings, Grandmother Jia said, "Sister Feng, what brings trouble to our door?"

Feng Jie is not like Madam Xing; she knows perfectly well that this was Madam Wang's doing.
She was now secretly filled with resentment, regretting that she should have listened to Chen Siyuan's advice sooner. If she had severed ties with Ni Er earlier, would she have suffered this misfortune today?

Sister Feng gritted her teeth, but since the old lady had asked, she couldn't very well cover it up. Even if she tried to hide it herself, someone would eventually tell the truth.

So Sister Feng said, "It's all because my granddaughter-in-law is not careful. In the past two years, seeing that the family's finances are not doing well, I have been thinking about making money from money. So I found Ni Er to lend out money. The annual interest is only a few hundred taels, but most of it has been used to supplement the family's income."

Ping'er interjected, "Grandma, Madam, Madam, our grandmother simply lent money to Ni Er with a monthly interest rate of three percent, which could be withdrawn at any time. As for Ni Er lending it out again, that has nothing to do with our grandmother."

Madam Wang glanced coldly at the mistress and servant and said, "Feng girl, let's put aside your lending business. What exactly are that mother and son doing here?"

Sister Feng really couldn't continue, so Ping'er said, "It was also Ni Er who did this evil deed!"

Ping'er briefly explained that the Zhang family was originally well-off, with the couple making a living by selling breakfast. However, misfortune struck. In April, the Zhang man suddenly contracted lung abscess. After more than a month of seeking medical treatment, their family's wealth was running out. In desperation, Zhang had no choice but to borrow five taels of silver from Ni Er.

In June, the man of the Zhang family finally passed away. Zhang's wife spent all her family's wealth, sold the house outside the city, and after burying her husband, she went to Ni Er to repay the debt. Who knew that in just two months, the debt had ballooned to seven taels of silver.

Unable to repay her debts, Zhang had no choice but to rent a house and return to her old trade with her children. She managed to repay a little over one tael of silver each month, but by this month she had accumulated a debt of eight taels of silver.

Seeing that Zhang was unable to repay the debt, Ni Er led some thugs to her door to threaten her, implying that Zhang's eldest daughter was quite beautiful and could be used to pay off the debt. When Zhang refused, Ni Er bribed the thugs to cause trouble every day.

The breakfast stall's customers were mostly ordinary people from the surrounding area, but some ruffians caused trouble every day, and within two days, no one patronized it anymore. Zhang was desperate and had no choice but to let Ni Er take her eldest daughter away.

She thought her daughter had only been sold into servitude to a wealthy family, and she had originally planned to save up money to redeem her. But then, she received news the other day that her daughter had died just two days after entering the Xiangyang Marquis's residence!
Having nowhere to turn for help, Zhang was beaten out of the Xiangyang Marquis's mansion. After receiving some advice from someone, she came to the Rongguo Mansion to seek help.

As soon as Ping'er finished speaking, Madam Wang immediately glanced coldly at Feng Jie and said, "Amitabha, she is truly pitiful."

Grandmother Jia looked at Sister Feng, who was bowing her head and remaining silent, and was speechless for a long time.

At this moment, Madam Xing, for reasons unknown, said, "In that case, Feng'er has also suffered an undeserved calamity. Old Madam, tell me, this silver was given to Ni Er, and the people were killed by the Marquis of Xiangyang's mansion. What does this have to do with Feng'er?"

Grandmother Jia gave Madam Xing a rather strange look, and couldn't help but nod and say, "That's not wrong."

On the other side, Madam Wang said, "But it has ruined our family's reputation." After a pause, Madam Wang said coldly, "I don't know why Zhang didn't go to Ni Er or the Marquis of Xiangyang's mansion, but instead came to our family. I think it's because Feng'er was careless that Ni Er used our family's name to swindle and deceive people."

Zhou Rui's wife chimed in, "Madam is right. This is just Zhang Shi. There are countless other aggrieved people to come."

Lady Wang continued, "Ruining one's reputation is a minor matter; if it offends the Emperor and makes Your Majesty dislike her... who knows what to do then?"

Grandmother Jia remained silent, deep in thought. How could she not know that Lady Wang was using Yuan Chun to suppress her? But as the saying goes, fortunes change every thirty years. Ever since the position of military governor of the capital was given to Prince Teng, Prince Teng immediately rose to prominence, and now he might very well become a prime minister.

Among the Jia family's sons, the eldest master was merely a first-class general with a sinecure in the Fifth Army Department, Jia Zhen was even a rank lower than Jia She, and the master Jia Zheng had wasted many years of his life, only now being transferred to the position of educational commissioner thanks to Yuan Chun's influence.

In the past, the Jia family was the head of the four major families, but now the Jia family has to rely on Prince Teng for protection.

With Yuan-chun involved and Prince Teng involved, even if Grandmother Jia was biased, she had to handle the matter impartially. Otherwise, if Lady Wang turned hostile, the Rongguo Mansion might immediately fall apart!
Grandmother Jia sighed and glanced at Feng Jie, saying, "I originally thought Feng Jie was a sensible girl, but I didn't expect that she was too young and acted without caution. I'll waive your salary for half a year. From now on, you can still manage the household affairs, but you should leave the management of the household to Madam."

Knowing she couldn't avoid it, Sister Feng reluctantly agreed. Lady Wang was secretly pleased, but declined a few times. After Grandmother Jia patiently comforted her, she smiled and said, "Since you say so, Grandmother, then I will temporarily take charge of the household. However, you know I'm not feeling well, and I'm afraid I won't have time to discipline Lan-ge. I think it's best to let Lan-ge return to Li-shi's room to be raised."

Madam Xing, who was listening nearby, was extremely anxious and tried to interject several times, but Yingchun behind her kept blocking her way, which kept her from speaking.

After Grandmother Jia finalized the matter, she excused herself by saying she was tired and sent everyone away. Madam Xing waited for Yingchun for a while, then frowned and said to her, "Why did you stop me just now? If I had spoken up, the job of managing the household might have fallen into my hands."

Yingchun was both amused and exasperated. She said softly, "Mother, why make things difficult for yourself? Madam has the Empress Dowager and Lord Wang backing her up; naturally, the Old Madam wouldn't dare disobey her. If it were you, Mother, I'm afraid—"

Madam Xing believed most of it, but felt even more aggrieved. She snorted coldly at Yingchun and turned back to the east wing.

Watching Madam Xing leave quickly, Siqi didn't know what to say. Xiuju, who was standing to the side, said, "Miss, you know what kind of person the First Madam is. Why bother trying to please her?"

Yingchun smiled and shook her head, saying, "Mother may not understand now, but someone will explain it to her later, and she will remember my goodness then."

Before Xiuju could understand what Yingchun was talking about, Siqi laughed and said, "That's right, the First Madam will definitely go to Master Yuan for advice later! Master Yuan is always very insightful, how could he not know the young lady's good intentions?"

Yingchun smiled without saying a word.

Siqi opened her mouth as if to speak but then stopped, thinking to herself, "It's a pity that my young lady was a step too late... But it's hard to say. Everyone says that fortune and misfortune are intertwined. Just look at how successful the Second Mistress has been these days. Who would have thought that she would be tricked by Madam Wang and lose her job as the head of the household today?"
On the other side, Tan Chun and Xi Chun followed Feng Jie to the large, pink-painted screen wall. The two women offered a few words of comfort, but Feng Jie simply said, "Third Sister, Fourth Sister, there's no need to persuade me. Ever since I took over this household, I've been working day and night, exhausted to the point of exhaustion. Now that I'm free from all this trouble, I might as well feel more at ease."

Xichun said, "Sister Feng is right to think that way."

After they parted ways, Xichun and Tanchun entered the Grand View Garden. Seeing that her third sister looked worried, Xichun said, "Why does your third sister look even more distressed than your sister Feng?"

Tan Chun shook her head and said with a sigh, "Why does it have to come to this, like the snipe and the clam fighting, or brothers turning against each other?"

Xichun then asked, "Third Sister, can you persuade Madam, or can you persuade the Old Madam?"

Tan Chun smiled bitterly and shook her head, sighing, "A large family like ours can't be destroyed overnight if attacked from the outside. It's like the ancient saying, 'Even a centipede with a hundred legs doesn't fall down easily.' We must first destroy ourselves from within before we can be utterly defeated!" She paused, then looked at Xi Chun and said, "Isn't this exactly what we're doing now?" Xi Chun coldly replied, "Even a thousand-mile-long pavilion must come to an end. Third Sister, haven't you heard that a virtuous person's influence lasts five generations? Our family has been wealthy for generations, but we're neither Zhang nor Kong; how can we expect to remain wealthy forever?"

Tan Chun disagreed, saying, "Apart from the Zhang and Kong families, the five surnames and seven prominent families of the Tang Dynasty were also great clans that had lasted for hundreds of years. If the people in the clan worked together, how could the family business not prosper? I only regret that I was born a girl. If I had been born a boy, I would have studied literature and martial arts and would have been able to revitalize the family business."

Xichun smiled and said, "Third sister is just as forthright as any man. I don't ask for anything else, I just hope that if the great building collapses one day, it won't fall on my head."

Sister Feng's children's courtyard.

After saying goodbye to her two sisters-in-law, Feng Jie turned around and her face fell. She went inside, leaned against the kang (a heated brick bed), and stared blankly into space for a long time without saying a word.

Ping'er served fragrant tea, pursed her lips, and advised, "Grandma, have some tea to cool down. After all, you're still young. Sooner or later, the job of managing the household will be yours, right?"

"what do you know?"

Feng Jie was a strong-willed person. Once she had power in her hands, she started to give orders. Before she could even get used to managing the household, Madam Wang took it away from her. How could she be willing to accept that?
She knew that she was at a disadvantage, and that Lady Wang had Yuan Chun and Wang Ziteng as her backers. Even if the old lady cared about herself, she couldn't just leave it unattended.

But who knows the grievances of Sister Feng? It was Lady Wang who instructed and instructed her to lend money. Although Sister Feng also invested money, she only earned a few hundred taels of silver in the past two years.

Unfortunately, Madam Wang had only given verbal instructions before. If not for that, how could Sister Feng, who had obtained real evidence, have swallowed her anger?

Feeling down, Sister Feng found fault with everything. With her phoenix eyes narrowed, she asked, "Where's your second master?"

Ping'er said, "We're going to appease Zhang Shi with Lai Da'an."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jia Lian lifted the curtain and entered.

Sister Feng hurriedly asked, "How is it?"

Jia Lian nodded and lay back on the kang, saying, "I've sent her away. I gave her fifty taels of silver. Tsk, it's truly a case of sitting at home and trouble falling from the sky. The evil deeds that Ni Er and the Marquis of Xiangyang committed, they still want our family to pay for them."

Sister Feng said aggrievedly, "The old lady just said that from now on, Madam will still be in charge of the household."

Jia Lian was taken aback, then laughed and said, "Isn't it the same as before? If you ask me, this is for the best. Now our family relies entirely on the Empress to maintain appearances, so it's only natural for the Madam to manage the household."

Sister Feng immediately became furious, kicked Jia Lian to the ground, and cursed, "You heartless bastard! Someone has bullied me, and you're still siding with outsiders!"

Jia Lian said, "I just wanted to say a few words of comfort. Why are you taking your anger out on me instead of your wife?"

Ping'er quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "Second Master, please don't hold it against Madam. Madam is very angry right now."

Jia Lian was no longer the same as he had been two years ago. He immediately said, "Fine, fine, if I can't afford to offend them, I can at least avoid them. I'll go to the study in the front first."

Watching Jia Lian leave, Feng Jie scolded, "Look at him, what can we rely on him for at home?"

Ping'er said, "Second Master has always been like this; it's not like it's the first time Grandma has known."

Just as Sister Feng was about to say something, a little maid named Feng'er came from outside and said, "Grandma, Master Yuan is here."

Sister Feng was taken aback, and quickly got up to greet him. When they arrived in the main room, they indeed saw Chen Siyuan smiling as he came looking for them.

Sister Feng greeted him and quickly invited Chen Siyuan to sit down.

After Ping'er served fragrant tea, Chen Siyuan said, "I heard that my second sister-in-law has been wronged, so I came to see her."

Feng Jie said gratefully, "Thank you for thinking of me, Brother Yuan." She then said to Ping'er, "Look at you, Brother Yuan is a hundred times better than your second master."

Ping'er didn't know how to respond, so Chen Siyuan chuckled to cover it up and said, "I came here to comfort my second sister-in-law... Haven't you heard the saying that fortune and misfortune are intertwined?"

"I've heard a little about it... but what's the current interpretation?"

Chen Siyuan said meaningfully, "Second sister-in-law, have you forgotten the master?"

"he?"

Chen Siyuan looked around and lowered his voice, saying, "The servant was vague last time, he didn't say a word about the public funds... Second sister-in-law, what do you think will happen to the public funds, given your husband's personality?"

After a moment's thought, Sister Feng's eyes lit up.

Yes, the master is notoriously greedy and despicable. Last time, when they were dealing in latex, everyone lost a lot of money, but the master not only didn't lose, he actually made a lot of money.

If this misappropriation of public funds for disaster relief is profitable, it will be fine, as it will at least bring some income to the public fund; but if it results in a loss, given the master's temperament, how could he allow himself to suffer a loss?
Sister Feng was immediately delighted, thinking to herself, "Isn't my aunt planning to take over the household again? In a few days, she'll suddenly find herself in a deficit of tens of thousands of taels. Let's see how she handles it!"
Seeing that Sister Feng understood and smiled more, Chen Siyuan said, "I think the whole thing just now was probably planned by Miss Xia. I heard that Miss Xia will be returning home soon. Second sister-in-law, why don't you say you're not feeling well and decline the job of steward as well?"

That's right! Madam Wang has never managed the household; even when she was in charge, she was a hands-off manager. This large family has over a thousand members, both inside and outside the household, and countless daily chores. Even Feng Jie struggles to manage them, let alone Madam Wang, who has never done so before.

If Sister Feng refuses to take on the job of steward, Lady Wang might be in a bind!
Then Sister Feng burst into laughter and said, "Thanks to Brother Yuan's guidance, otherwise I would still be angry right now."

"Hey? Second sister-in-law, don't forget, we are the real relatives. We're family, so we don't need to be formal."

That's right. According to Madam Xing, Chen Siyuan is Jia Lian's cousin. Chen Siyuan and the second branch of the family are actually distant relatives with little to no connection.

Sister Feng was in a great mood. She kept Chen Siyuan for a cup of tea and talked about business for a while before smilingly getting up to see him off.

............................................................

Meanwhile, Chen Siyuan, on his way back to Qingtang Thatched Cottage, had a plan forming in his mind. The eldest master was not dead, and to protect Madam Xing and Fourth Brother, Chen Siyuan had to eliminate the root of the trouble.

Even if the tumor needs to be removed, there's no reason to let Madam Wang benefit unjustly. And Madam Xing is foolish; wouldn't she end up helping Feng Jie fight against Madam Wang?

As for whether eliminating Jia She would implicate Jia Lian... Chen Siyuan only cared about his own woman and children; he didn't have much contact with Jia Lian, so he couldn't worry about that.

Just as he was pondering this, Miao'er came looking for him and said as soon as he entered, "Young master, the master has returned to the manor!"

"Oh?" Chen Siyuan thought to himself, what a coincidence. He had just spoken to Feng Jie about it, and now the master was back? After a brief calculation, he figured Jia She was going to take a sea voyage through Jiangnan back to the capital, so he should be back by now.
Chen Siyuan dared not delay, and quickly changed his clothes before heading towards the east courtyard. But as soon as he reached the black-lacquered gate, he saw Jia Lian emerge awkwardly.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Jia Lian quickly left.

Chen Siyuan looked at Jia Lian with great surprise. After entering the room, Miao'er said, "The master is not in a good mood. Young master, you must be careful later."

Chen Siyuan thought to himself, "This must be a loss of money... but I don't know if it's a real loss or a fake one."

The civil unrest in Daming Prefecture that blocked the canal has not yet subsided, and it's likely that the silver used by Jia She to hoard grain has benefited the heretics of the Maitreya sect.

Chen Siyuan entered the main room with his nose down and mouth down, and sure enough, he saw Jia She with a dark face. Chen Siyuan stepped forward to greet him, and Jia She hesitated several times, wanting to say something but then stopped, because he was thinking about going to Rongqing Hall to pay his respects, so he didn't say much.

After the master Jia She left, Madam Xing kept Chen Siyuan behind to talk.

After Madam Xing dismissed the servants, Chen Siyuan asked, "Did the master lose money?"

Madam Xing frowned immediately and said, "That's right! Don't say that number!"

Upon seeing Madam Xing hold up three fingers, Chen Siyuan gasped in shock. If he remembered correctly, the master had embezzled public funds to travel south that day, hoping to make a small profit, but who knew he would lose even his principal!
Chen Siyuan said, "We've lost way too much!"

Madam Xing sighed, "He was too greedy. Back then, rice in Daming Prefecture was selling for five taels of silver per bushel, but he insisted on hoarding it. Who knew that the rebels would come in just two days? His grain storage was outside the city, so he couldn't possibly keep it. He had no choice but to pack his valuables and go to Jinling overnight." She paused, then said angrily, "What good is it if he comes back? It would be better if he didn't come back and sent the silver back!"

Chen Siyuan said quietly, "The money is fine... but I'm afraid the master will get into trouble with the law again this time."

Madam Xing was startled and quickly pressed for answers.

Chen Siyuan then said, "Yesterday's official gazette reported that some merchants were hoarding and speculating, and blocking the canal to prevent rice from Huguang from entering Daming Prefecture, which caused the price of rice to soar, giving the Maitreya sect sorcerers an opportunity. An imperial censor submitted a memorial requesting the court to investigate the case thoroughly... It's really true that they didn't make any money, but instead got themselves into a lot of trouble."

Upon hearing this, Madam Xing panicked and grabbed Chen Siyuan, saying, "What, what should we do? If he continues to cause trouble like this, not only will my daughter and I be at risk, but the entire Rongguo Mansion will be ruined!"

This time, Chen Siyuan didn't give a definitive answer. He simply said, "Don't worry, I already have a plan. No matter what, I will protect you and your daughter."

Madam Xing readily agreed, but having run out of options, she placed all her hopes on Chen Siyuan.

Turning the conversation back to Yingchun's advice, Chen Siyuan said, "You know your second sister is right, and you've adopted her, so why give her the cold shoulder?"

Madam Xing looked embarrassed and said, "I was originally thinking of bringing you two together, but now that's not the case..."

Chen Siyuan then said, "Second sister is skilled in chess and has a clear mind. You should pay more attention to her when you have time, and you might be able to help her."

Madam Xing gave a vague reply, it was unclear whether she had actually heard him.

Chen Siyuan did not linger, and after bidding farewell to Madam Xing, he returned to his thatched cottage.

Meanwhile, Master Jia She changed his clothes and came to Rongqing Hall with a frown on his face.

Upon entering, Jia She saw Jia Zheng and Lady Wang were both there. He forced himself to greet them, and then Grandmother Jia urged, "Master, what exactly is the situation in Daming Prefecture?"

Jia She said, "It's really a long story."

Despite his evasive manner, Jia She eventually recounted the situation in Daming Prefecture. Upon hearing this, not only Grandmother Jia, but also Lady Wang and Jia Zheng frowned deeply.

Grandmother Jia still refused to believe it and pressed on, "The public funds... are all gone?"

Jia She cupped his hands and said, "It's all the fault of the Maitreya Sect bandits. My son stored grain in the manor outside the city, but who knew the bandits were so powerful that they attacked the city in just two days before I could move it. The manor only had about thirty guards, how could they possibly stand against tens of thousands of rioters? It was only because my son was quick-witted that we weren't trapped inside the city."

Grandmother Jia remained silent for a long while, staring at Jia She without saying a word. At this moment, the old lady and Madam Xing shared the same thought: they wished Jia She would die at the hands of the thief and return the thirty thousand taels of public silver!
Because of Jia She's criminal record, Grandmother Jia asked suspiciously, "Tell the truth, is it really gone?"

Jia She blinked, then immediately protested, "I'm telling you right now, if I utter even a single lie, may I be struck by lightning the moment I step out the door!"

Grandmother Jia felt a chill in her heart and said, "Why do you need to make oaths and vows? Just tell the truth."

Jia Zheng couldn't say anything, but Lady Wang was filled with remorse! She had just schemed against Feng Jie, but who knew that Jia She would create a deficit of 30,000 taels of silver in the blink of an eye!
If she had known this would happen, why would she have been in such a hurry to take over the job of managing the household?
If it were up to Madam Wang, she naturally wouldn't want to get involved, so she said, "But I wonder how Uncle plans to cover this deficit of 30,000 taels?"

Jia She immediately became angry and said to Madam Wang, "What are you saying, sister-in-law? Everyone agreed to go south to Daming Prefecture for disaster relief. How can you blame me for the losses now? There's no such logic in the world!"

(End of this chapter)