Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 374 Drawing fire from the bottom of the cauldron
Chen Siyuan thought about it and realized it made sense. If Aunt Xue wasn't afraid, why should he be? Besides, all the servants' indentures in the Xue family's old house were in Aunt Xue's hands. Anyone who dared to gossip could be immediately sold off by human traffickers.

It's hard to say about the servants in the outer courtyard, but those in the inner courtyard are definitely Aunt Xue's personal maids, who rely entirely on Aunt Xue for their livelihood, so they would never dare to gossip.

Chen Siyuan sat down next to Aunt Xue and patted her back, saying, "Are you still experiencing morning sickness these past few days?"

Aunt Xue said, "It's much better than before, but I can't stand the smell of oil, salt, or meat. Also, I get full after eating only half a bowl of food, and then my stomach gets bloated."

Chen Siyuan gently touched her soft hand and noticed that she had lost some weight. He couldn't help but frown and say, "You've gotten thinner. It's not good if you can't eat. I brought a pound of bird's nest this time. You should eat more to nourish yourself."

Aunt Xue felt slightly relieved, knowing that the bird's nest wasn't cheap, so she said, "I don't lack these things, why are you wasting money like this?" After a pause, Aunt Xue frowned and said, "Even though Baochai often sends people to inquire, I can't just not go to the Rongguo Mansion all the time—"

After a moment's thought, Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "What's so difficult about that? You can simply say you dreamed of Wenlong, and then use that as an excuse to go to the temple for a water and land ritual. If you drag it out for a month or so, your morning sickness should improve a bit."

Aunt Xue scolded, "Do I need to tell you? That's exactly what I instructed you to do yesterday." She then inquired in detail about Baochai's recent situation. After hearing that she was doing well, she was slightly relieved and suddenly began to stare at Chen Siyuan.

"I heard you've proposed to the second daughter, Yingchun?"

Chen Siyuan feigned a sigh and said, "If it weren't for Wenlong's affair, I originally intended to marry Baochai, as you know. But now, by chance, for the sake of your family's lineage, I have no choice but to marry Baochai as a secondary wife. The position of principal wife is vacant. If we delay any longer, I'm afraid that after I pass away, I don't know how others will try to match us up."

Second Sister is at least well-known, with a gentle and compliant nature, and she's also familiar with Baochai, so they always get along peacefully. If it were someone else whose background is unknown, someone with a slightly skewed personality, I'm afraid trouble would arise in the future.

Aunt Xue coldly reprimanded, "I don't care who you marry, but you must not treat Baochai poorly in the future."

Chen Siyuan smiled ingratiatingly and put his arm around Aunt Xue's shoulder, saying, "Do you even need to say that? Just for you, how could I neglect Baochai?"

Aunt Xue responded with some skepticism, and before she knew it, she was holding her lower abdomen and showing concern for the baby in her womb.

That's just how people are; no matter how awkward the relationship, they'll get used to it over time. At first, Aunt Xue strongly opposed Chen Siyuan and Baochai becoming a couple, but she was later persuaded by Baochai. She was still quite uncomfortable with it and avoided seeing Chen Siyuan for a while.

Now that Baochai's marriage to Chen Siyuan has been arranged and she is pregnant, she has no other thoughts but to keep the child safe and raise it well.

Chen Siyuan chatted with Aunt Xue for a while, and then Aunt Xue said, "Yes, I received a letter from Cao a couple of days ago, saying that she will be setting off to return to the capital at the end of the month."

"Oh?" Chen Siyuan asked, "Did the Cao family encounter any difficulties in Nanjing?"

Aunt Xue couldn't help but smile smugly and said, "The imperial merchant's mission has been transferred to Xue Ke. If the other branches of the Xue family want to make trouble, they should go after the second branch. Cao Shi is just a junior and can't make decisions, so why would they bother with her?" She paused, then added with a teasing smile, "The messenger said that the second branch is so annoyed by the noise that my sister-in-law actually fell ill and took more than half a month to recover. Otherwise, Xue Ke and Cao Shi would have set off after the first month of the lunar calendar."

Chen Siyuan smiled without saying a word. As the saying goes, one should not advise others to be kind if one has not experienced their suffering. Chen Siyuan did not know the past between the first and second branches of the Xue family, so he could not comment on whether Aunt Xue's actions were too petty.

Chen Siyuan suddenly remembered the job assigned by the Imperial Household Department. Those large timbers would cost at least 30,000 taels of silver. He wondered if Aunt Xue and Xue Ke had mentioned it.

Thinking of this, Chen Siyuan asked the question. Aunt Xue rolled her eyes at him and said, "Xue Ke isn't stupid. Even if I don't say it, would the doctors in the Imperial Household Department not mention it? But Xue Ke is quite capable. I don't know how he talked to the Imperial Household Department, but the timber was changed to be transported from outside the pass and taken by sea directly to Tianjin. If you calculate it, at least half the money was saved."

As Aunt Xue spoke of this matter, her expression grew increasingly solemn, clearly showing her great fear of Xue Ke. Chen Siyuan then comforted her, saying, "Everyone has their own destiny. Since Xue Ke has the ability to make money, let him do as he pleases."

Aunt Xue sighed as she thought of Xue Pan's violent death, then placed her hand on her lower abdomen, hoping that she was carrying a boy.

Chen Siyuan briefly mentioned Jia Rong's return before getting to the main topic, saying, "After winter comes and Baochai takes off her mourning clothes, it's time to put her marriage on the agenda. I'll ask a matchmaker to come and propose marriage, and we'll choose a date to hold the wedding next year."

Chen Siyuan will turn seventeen after May, and his second daughter Yingchun is already eighteen. They should be of marriageable age now.

Aunt Xue nodded and said, "Even if you don't say it, I will bring it up after the mourning period."

Judging by the time, by the end of the year, she would have already given birth to her child, and would then be free to arrange Baochai's wedding.

She had thought it through clearly: if the baby was a boy, she would keep some of the family fortune; if it was a girl, she would keep 20,000 taels as a dowry, and use the rest as Baochai's dowry—after all, Baochai was a secondary heir, and the child she gave birth to would be surnamed Xue, so it wouldn't benefit outsiders.

Aunt Xue whispered a few words to Chen Siyuan, who readily agreed, though he never expected to get promoted or make a fortune through women.

After a couple of echoes, Chen Siyuan said, "You know my current situation. I'm responsible for the inheritance of three families. Besides Daiyu, who is still young, my second sister and Baochai will be marrying into the family next year. I've been thinking that I should get a house. Luckily, I found one a few days ago. It's a three-section, four-courtyard house with a garden at the back. It's located in the northeast of Faxiangfang, very close to Shichahai and Houhai. It was originally the residence of the Assistant General of the State."

Aunt Xue, understanding the implied meaning, asked, "Is it because you don't have enough money?"

Chen Siyuan, slightly flustered, said, "Yes, the master insists on 37,000 taels. I've calculated it myself; the house needs repairs, the lintel needs rebuilding, and the back garden needs tidying up. It won't be less than 10,000 taels. Next year, we'll be arranging at least two more weddings, and I've recently been busy with two other businesses—"

Before he could finish speaking, Aunt Xue said, "Since you're in charge of my family's money, it means I trust you. If you're short of funds, just use what you have temporarily." She paused, then raised an eyebrow and asked, "Those two businesses... could my family have a stake in them?"

Chen Siyuan quickly explained, "One is a joint venture with Prince Yanping, and the other is spearheaded by the Imperial Household Department. Your family now has over 100,000 taels of silver, enough for several generations of your descendants. If you insist on further, I'm afraid it will only bring misfortune rather than fortune."

Aunt Xue sighed and said, "That's true. During the ritual in the first month of the lunar year, the abbot said that a person's fortune is determined by heaven, and if you try to force it, you will lose it... Do you think Pan'er wouldn't have died if I had handed over the imperial merchant duties to the second branch of the family earlier?"

Pregnant women are naturally perceptive, and when Chen Siyuan saw that Aunt Xue was tearful again, he quickly comforted her. Only when he mentioned the child in her womb did Aunt Xue manage to wipe away her tears and suppress her grief.

Chen Siyuan secretly felt fortunate that Aunt Xue now had a child; otherwise, he feared she would be spending her days in tears.

Around noon, Aunt Xue invited Chen Siyuan to stay for lunch, and Chen Siyuan ate with her. During the meal, Chen Siyuan looked around and saw that Tongxi and Tonggui were completely oblivious to what Aunt Xue was doing, even when she tried to serve him food.

Chen Siyuan thought to himself that Aunt Xue must have threatened them beforehand and promised them benefits, which is why Tongxi and Tonggui ignored her.

Around noon, Chen Siyuan bid farewell to Aunt Xue and rode straight to the Prince Yanping's residence in the inner city.

Upon arrival, the servant Qingyu took the reins and tied up the horse. The guards of the Prince's Mansion were already familiar with Chen Siyuan. They greeted him with smiles and then led him to wait in the side hall.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Ding Daolong came over with a whisk in hand and a smile.

Chen Siyuan got up and greeted Ding Daolong, who then said with a smile, "How have you been, Chen Xiaolian? We found a craftsman to make the ingredients for the prescription you gave us last time, and we also sent villagers to collect several cartloads of houttuynia cordata. We did manage to make some medicinal soup, but unfortunately, this stuff can only be kept for three days. After three days, it loses its effectiveness."

Chen Siyuan hurriedly said, "If you want it to last a long time, it must be sealed."

Ding Daolong reached out and led the way, laughing as he walked, "So that's how it is. I had expected it to be the same, so I ordered someone to seal it with clay in a pottery jar, but it only lasted for about seven days. I wonder what advice you have for me, Scholar Xiaolian?"

Chen Siyuan said, "I'm afraid even mud seals can let in air. I think we need to use glass jars and seal them with latex stoppers so that they can be preserved for a long time."

Ding Daolong immediately laughed and said, "Then let's try again later. If it can be preserved for three months, this product can be sold all over the country; if it can be preserved for more than half a year, it can even sell well in the Western Regions and Southeast Asia; but if the preservation time is too short, I'm afraid we will have to open medicine workshops everywhere."

Chen Siyuan pondered, "I'll make some glass bottles and latex stoppers later. We'll have to test them to see how long they can be preserved."

Ding Daolong nodded in agreement, then said in a low voice, "The prince is in the back garden right now, and it will take more than an incense stick to burn for him to walk there. Xiaolian is busy studying to prepare for next year's examination. I think it would be better to take this opportunity to finalize the partnership."

Chen Siyuan, being very tactful, cupped his hands and said with a smile, "What talk of partnership? I only got the formula by chance, and I should thank Your Highness and Eunuch Ding for their help."

Ding Daolong immediately chuckled in a low voice, "In that case, we won't play games with you anymore. The prince will take 60% of the shares, and you will take 20%. I've calculated that the workshop won't cost much money. It just so happens that the prince has an estate, and the mountains to the north are rich in houttuynia cordata, so let's just set up the workshop there."

Firstly, the matter was to be carried out in secrecy. Everyone in the village had signed a death contract and would never dare to divulge the secret; secondly, it would also avoid arousing the jealousy of those with ulterior motives.

As for the money for setting up the workshop, the scholar-official doesn't need to contribute; it can be deducted directly from his share of the profits.

The Prince of Yanping received 60%, and he himself received 20%, without having to pay anything, which was fair. Chen Siyuan wasn't foolish enough to ask Ding Daolong where the remaining 20% ​​had gone, so he just smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "Then I'll have to trouble Eunuch Ding from now on."

"Of course, of course. After you have reported back to the Prince, we will sign the contract. If you are not at ease, just send the accountant to check the accounts tomorrow."

Chen Siyuan laughed heartily and said in a deliberately generous manner, "I made this product only to benefit the world, and I never thought about making a lot of money. By the way, I recently had some free time to browse through medical books and I vaguely found out that there is something whose effects are comparable to quinine. I will try it when I have time. If it works, it may be able to add a good medicine to the workshop to make money."

Despite the anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects of houttuynia cordata extract, which would be considered a miracle drug these days, its reputation is not as great as that of quinine!

This is because quinine was brought from the Americas by the Westerners, and the Great Shun Dynasty did not produce it. The Westerners were also extremely cunning, and they refused to transplant the quinine tree even if it meant death, which made quinine more expensive than gold, with a small bottle costing more than a hundred taels of silver.

Upon hearing that Chen Siyuan could create a miraculous medicine comparable to quinine, Ding Daolong immediately raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but become even more enthusiastic, saying, "Is that really so? Oh dear, Chen Xiaolian might as well put his books aside for now. The southwest is unstable right now, and war may break out at any moment."

The southwestern borderlands are plagued by miasma and disease. When the Beijing garrison marched there, they immediately suffered from acclimatization problems, succumbing to dysentery, diarrhea, and malaria. Even the strongest warriors would lose ninety percent of their strength. Unfortunately, our dynasty doesn't produce quinine! If the scholar-official truly manages to create this miraculous medicine, let alone becoming a mere Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), even being granted a noble title would be a piece of cake!

A title? Chen Siyuan didn't care. In the early days of a dynasty, titles were precious, but in the middle and later periods, civil officials would govern the military. How could a mere figurehead duke compare to a second-class junior official?

Chen Siyuan waved his hand modestly, saying it was too early to speak. Ding Daolong pressed him a few more times, and seeing that Chen Siyuan still wouldn't give a guarantee, he finally suppressed his eagerness. The spring sunshine was perfect that day, and the garden was tinged with green. Chen Siyuan followed Ding Daolong through a bamboo grove and arrived at a boudoir.

As soon as he entered, Chen Siyuan smelled the familiar aroma of roasted meat. Looking up, he saw Prince Yanping happily coaxing Princess Shou'an to roast venison on an iron grate.

Shou'an awkwardly picked up his chopsticks and ate until his face was covered in smears, while urging, "Father, hurry up."

Ding Daolong reported this, and only then did Prince Yanping raise his eyes to glance at Chen Siyuan, before sneering, "You, Chen Shuliang, I said three days, but you only arrived after eight. What? Your method didn't work?"

Chen Siyuan said solemnly, "If I don't get to the bottom of this, how dare I offer advice to Your Highness?"

As he spoke, he pulled a stack of papers from his sleeve, which Ding Daolong took and then handed to Prince Yanping. Prince Yanping took them and began to scan them; the first few pages were sketches, followed by written descriptions.

King Yanping stared intently at the text, then returned to the sketch. After a while, he put down the paper, frowned in thought, and finally said, "As far as I know, the British used iron sheets to cover wooden rails for coal mining a few years ago. However, iron-sheeted wooden rails are not durable and need to be replaced after only two years."

"Is your method based on the practices of the Western barbarians?"

Chen Siyuan was greatly surprised and quickly bowed, saying, "Your Highness has keen insight; that is indeed the case."

Prince Yanping secretly calculated that the price of a pound of iron had dropped from four cents of silver to two and a half cents. According to Chen Siyuan's plan, the iron material alone would cost 65,000 taels of silver. This did not include the other materials and manpower. It was estimated that the repair would cost at least 110,000 to 120,000 taels of silver.

The imperial treasury is now empty; it will probably take a lot of effort to squeeze out some silver.

Chen Siyuan, observing the Prince of Yanping's expression, knew that the Prince was troubled by the lack of money, and quickly offered a suggestion: "Your Highness need not worry about money. Tongzhou is more than forty li from the capital, and the cost of transporting goods by carriage is comparable to the cost of a boat from Tianjin to Tongzhou. Once the railway is built, the cost will be 20% to 30% cheaper than ordinary carriage fares, and people will flock to use it."

Since the prince controls the inner court, why not use this prospect to lure wealthy merchants in the capital to invest? Or simply issue bonds, agreeing on an annual interest rate, with principal and interest repaid together after several years. As long as the annual interest rate exceeds five percent, the wealthy will surely pour in real money.

King Yanping pondered, "This railway is faster than the official road. It can transport grain and fodder on ordinary days, and soldiers and military supplies in times of war. It should not be controlled by merchants. The Imperial Treasury should issue the bonds." He paused, then added, "With this railway, this year's iron ore supply is secured. But what about next year?"

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "Since railways are so useful, the more the better. I've heard that the price of coal transported from Xishan to the capital has at least doubled. If there were convenient railway transportation, I expect the price of coal could drop by several percent. This would be a great thing for the country and the people!"

Only then did Prince Yanping reveal a smile, rising excitedly to say, "Excellent! There's too much iron, so let's build more railway tracks! First, build one from Tongzhou to the capital, then from the capital to Xishan, and one day we can simply build one directly from Tongzhou to Tianjin. In this way, grain can be transported from Tianjin in winter, and the capital will no longer have to worry about famine... Hahaha, Chen Shuliang, you've indeed come up with a great idea!"

Chen Siyuan quickly smiled and said modestly, "It was just a chance discovery, and it was nothing more than picking up scraps from others. Even if I couldn't come up with this plan, Your Highness is knowledgeable and I'm sure you'll remember it someday."

Prince Yanping laughed and scolded, "Stop flattering me! What's meant to be yours will be yours. I'll report to the Emperor, and you'll get your share of the benefits in the future." He paused, then added, "By the way, when will your marriage to the second daughter of the Jia family be settled? Do you need a matchmaker to propose? If you haven't found a matchmaker, I'll have my concubine propose for you."

Chen Siyuan thought to himself: Why didn't you say so earlier! If I had known that Prince Yanping was so easy to talk to, why would I have bothered to bring out that damned Four Continents Chronicle and had no choice but to become the disciple of that troublesome Liao Shiwei?
Thinking this to himself, Chen Siyuan dared not trouble two masters at once, and quickly bowed and declined, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, Your Highness, but I have already made arrangements with my master and have asked his wife to come and act as matchmaker."

King Yanping suddenly smiled knowingly and said sarcastically, "So, you've become an apprentice... Haha, well, you'd better watch yourself."

Chen Siyuan's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. He felt that Yan Pingwang's words had another meaning behind them. He wondered to himself, "Could it be that my cheap teacher has gotten into trouble again recently?"

Before he could ask any more questions, King Yanping had already served tea and seen the guest out.

Chen Siyuan was completely baffled and had no choice but to leave the Xuan Hall with Ding Daolong. Not long after, they arrived at a side hall, where a eunuch brought over a transcribed contract. Chen Siyuan and Ding Daolong signed and sealed the contract. Before parting, another eunuch came up and presented them with a sandalwood box.

Ding Daolong smiled and said, "Your Excellency has relieved the Prince of his worries today. This is a reward from the Prince. If your name is on the imperial list in the future, you must not forget the Prince's support."

Chen Siyuan readily agreed, wondering what was inside the box. After saying goodbye to Ding Daolong and leaving the Prince's Mansion by a street, he finally had a moment to open the box. Inside, he found it filled with South Sea pearls, each one the size of a little fingernail, in silver, pink, gold, and rose colors. It must have been a gift from the Emperor.

Chen Siyuan chuckled inwardly. Judging from the situation just now, Prince Yanping would definitely not allow the railway tracks to fall into private hands, so he hadn't mentioned the matter of taking a stake. But at least the prince not only gave him a reward, but he would also mention it to the emperor later.

With the Emperor's power growing daily, it wouldn't be bad to have Jian in the Emperor's heart. As a capable official in one region, he could do his job conscientiously and wouldn't get involved in court intrigues, which suited Chen Siyuan's wishes quite well.

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

Meanwhile, Chen Siyuan leisurely returned to the Rongguo Mansion. Upon entering the Qingtang Thatched Cottage, Hongyu greeted him, helping him change his clothes while mentioning that Xing Xiuyan had come by earlier that afternoon. Finding him absent, she drank a cup of tea, chatted for a while, and then took her leave.

It is also said that the maid Yunxiang spent half a day in Huifang Garden, but after inquiring around, she could not find out what Jia Rong had done wrong. She only said that Jia Rong's fever subsided around 3 PM after taking houttuynia cordata extract.

Chen Siyuan didn't have a good impression of Jia Rong, and he wouldn't have given the medicine if it weren't for Sister Feng asking for it.

After washing her hands, Wu'er heard that Chen Siyuan had not yet eaten dinner, so she hurriedly went to the small kitchen to get the food box.

Hongyu poured some Lu'an tea, and Chen Siyuan was sipping the fragrant tea when he heard a commotion in the courtyard. Hongyu went around the screen to see what was going on, and then led Siqi, whose face was gloomy, inside.

At this moment, Siqi's face was as cold as ice, and her eyes were red, indicating that she had just been crying. As soon as she entered, Siqi said in a pitiful voice, "Master Yuan, I have something urgent that I want to talk to you about in private."

Hongyu frowned immediately, turned to look at Chen Siyuan, and saw him give her a look before reluctantly leaving.

Although she knew that Siqi had feelings for her master, Siqi was now the second young lady's personal maid, so why would she come to him on her own?

Hongyu thought to herself, but still curtsied and walked around the screen.

As soon as the man left, Siqi rushed over and knelt down, begging for help: "Master Yuan, save me! That man surnamed Sun somehow persuaded the master and the madam to agree to marry me to him as a concubine, as long as my family agrees. My father was drugged by Steward Lai and signed the contract in a daze, taking two hundred taels of betrothal money. When he sobered up, he wanted to return it, but the man surnamed Sun refused, saying he wanted to take me into his family."

What audacity! Sun Shaozu is courting death!

Siqi cried out again, "Mother begged the First Madam, who sent a servant to sound her out. That man surnamed Sun wouldn't listen to either soft or hard tactics. He only said that if I didn't agree to be his concubine, he would return double the dowry, or he would go to Shuntian Prefecture to sue my father. Now the First Madam has no other choice. Master Yuan, please, please save me."

Chen Siyuan breathed a sigh of relief, reached out and wiped away the tears on Siqi's face, and said with a smile, "I think there's no way to change things now. Since he's short of money, then we'll just give him the money." As he spoke, he took out a stack of silver notes from his sleeve, counted out two hundred taels, and handed them to Siqi, saying, "Take this back and have your father bring the betrothal letter back."

Siqi was deeply moved and, clutching the silver note, said, "I'm just afraid that the scoundrel surnamed Sun won't give up. If one plan fails, he'll come up with another."

Chen Siyuan sneered, "Don't worry, I have my own way of dealing with Sun Shaozu."

Just kidding, his new teacher is the Vice Minister of Revenue! He could just send a message to the Ministry of War and get Sun Shaozu, who's waiting for a vacancy, a remote post. That'll make sure the guy has no complaints.

Siqi felt a little relieved and said, "The day before yesterday, Miss was trying to persuade me to find an excuse to leave the manor. Now it seems that it was a good thing. Master, I'm afraid I should leave the manor first."

Chen Siyuan asked, "Did your second sister tell you this?"

Siqi shook her head and said, "It was Grandma who said it. That man surnamed Sun promised the master something, and that's why he agreed. Now that my family is returning double the betrothal money, we're bound to offend the master. If I stay by the second young lady's side, the master will inevitably become disgusted with me. Our family has to make a living in the mansion, and we can't let my situation drag the whole family down."

Chen Siyuan thought for a moment and said, "Alright, then you can find an excuse to leave the mansion first, and I'll find a place to settle you later."

Siqi readily agreed, then hesitantly inquired when Chen Siyuan would be free, as the two hadn't been intimate since the New Year. Chen Siyuan smiled and made a lighthearted remark, only to say there would be plenty of time in the future, before dismissing Siqi.

After Siqi left, Hongyu and Wu'er, who was carrying a food box, went inside. The food box was spread out, and Chen Siyuan handed a box full of South Sea pearls to Hongyu for safekeeping. Just as they were about to have some food, Yuanyang came to the door, saying that the old lady had invited Chen Siyuan to Rongqing Hall for a chat.

Chen Siyuan was very surprised. He didn't even bother to eat. He got up and followed Yuanyang out of the Qingtang thatched hut.

Once they reached the passageway, Yuanyang whispered a reminder: "Master Yuan, a visiting card was just delivered from the Liao family, saying that Lady Hou will be visiting the day after tomorrow. The old lady heard that Master Yuan has become a disciple of Liao, so she asked you to go and inquire about it."

“I see,” Chen Siyuan said with a smile, looking at Yuanyang. “Thank you for your guidance, Sister Yuanyang.”

Yuanyang blushed and turned her head away, whispering, "Uncle Yuan... there's no need to be so polite."

She was betrothed to Daiyu by the old lady, and in the future she would inevitably marry into the family with Daiyu, so she would naturally become close to Chen Siyuan.

The two left the Grand View Garden together, when suddenly they heard the sound of string and wind instruments coming from Madam Wang's courtyard. Chen Siyuan couldn't help but stop and ask in surprise, "Madam, have you invited an opera troupe?"

Yuanyang smiled and said, "The day before yesterday, Madam led Baoyu to pay a visit to Madam Zhen. Madam Zhen also brought the third daughter of the Zhen family. The two families are old relatives. On that day, it was agreed that Madam would host a banquet for Madam Zhen and the third daughter of the Zhen family later."

The old lady had also gone to join in the fun, but was too tired to go, so she returned to Rongqing Hall.

Chen Siyuan frowned slightly, but nodded without saying anything. Just as he was about to head east, Baoyu suddenly darted out from the east corner gate, his face flushed and excited, and called out from afar, "Have you seen Qin'er? Qiongzhang has recovered now and is making a fuss about finding Qin'er to play drinking games!"

Chen Siyuan glanced back at him, wondering to himself, "Who is Qiongzhang?"
(End of this chapter)