Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 65: Delivering a Message (Seeking Follow-up Recommendation Tickets)
The wine pot fell over, and the maid holding Xia Li outside heard the noise and asked about it. Mrs. Xing then called Miao'er and Tiao'er in to clean up the mess.

Madam Xing and Chen Siyuan moved aside and sat down to drink tea, and the banquet was over.

Chen Siyuan looked normal as he talked about what had happened in the past few days, but Mrs. Xing seemed a little absent-minded.

The eldest master Jia She was already in poor health, but he kept taking maids into his room. He was a person who easily got bored with the old and loved the new, so in this year, he was only able to stay in Lady Xing's room for two nights at most.

Mrs. Xing had been a celibate for a long time, so how could she have been so close to a man? Although it was an unintentional mistake just now, this chest, this right hand… Mrs. Xing didn't dare to think about it anymore. She couldn't help but spit at herself, thinking that she had drunk too much today and had a hysterical reaction.

After about a cup of tea, Chen Siyuan stood up and said goodbye.

Mrs. Xing said, "It's getting late, so Brother Yuan should go back first. Tiao'er, carry the lantern and see him off for me."

Chen Siyuan bowed and said, "Then Auntie, please go to bed early."

After saying this, he turned and strode away. Mrs. Xing sat down again, sipping her tea while Miao'er and the others cleaned up the table. Then the servant came back and said they had sent Chen Siyuan back.

Miao'er then asked if she wanted to fetch water for washing, and Madam Xing nodded in agreement. The maids busied themselves helping Madam Xing remove her makeup and wash. After she finished, Madam Xing, now drunk, leaned on her forehead and fell asleep. She drifted off, drowsy, and fell asleep without realizing it.

That night, she had another series of enchanting dreams. The figure in her dreams was unclear, yet she possessed a mastery of all kinds of martial arts. Mrs. Xing was overwhelmed and lost countless times. She was bewildered, wanting only to see the figure's face clearly. Only when she got closer did she see clearly that the figure was Chen Siyuan!
Mrs. Xing was startled and woke up immediately. When she opened her eyes, she saw that everything was pitch black, with only a faint light coming from the incense burner.

The night watchman heard the noise and quickly stood up, lit a candle, and asked, "Madam, do you want to change your clothes?"

Mrs. Xing felt the urgency of going to the bathroom and her mouth was dry, so she said in a hoarse voice, "Go get me a cup of tea first."

The officer agreed and returned to pour a cup of warm tea. Mrs. Xing drank it all in one gulp, her thirst quenched. Suddenly, she felt a cool, slippery sensation beneath her body.

Mrs. Xing was a little flustered, then she ordered, "This smoker is too hot, it's making me sweat. Go find some small clothes, and I'll go change myself."

Tiao'er, not suspecting anything, responded and went to look in the boxes. Madam Xing slipped on her slippers and hurried behind the screen to change her clothes. She glanced at her lower body in the candlelight and her face flushed with shame.

I couldn't help but spit inwardly. He's crazy! That's my own nephew, how could he have such thoughts in his dreams? Maybe he's in a nightmare. I must find that Taoist Ma to help him out someday!
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Regardless of what Mrs. Xing was thinking, Chen Siyuan had a good dream that night.

The next morning, Ping'er brought Xixue's indenture, saying that Sister Feng had wanted to come on her own, but was unable to do so. She also asked Chen Siyuan to visit Ningguo Mansion if he had time in the next two days.

After following Qin Xian's wife on the trip, Chen Siyuan first took out Jia She's five thousand taels of silver notes from the outer study, and then received the two thousand taels that Wang Shanbao's wife secretly stuffed into his pocket at the third-floor ceremonial gate.

When Chen Siyuan asked about Madam Xing, Wang Shanbao, the housekeeper, just said that Madam Xing was hungover and still lying on the bed.

Chen Siyuan carefully put away the banknotes and the indenture, and did not rush to look for Sun Guangcheng. Instead, he went to Ningguo Mansion.

First there was Sun Guangcheng's speculation, then there was Mrs. Xing's explanation. Chen Siyuan felt that both had some truth in them, and for a moment he couldn't tell which was true and which was false. Qin Zhong, Jia Qiang, and Jia Rong were difficult to investigate, so Baozhu was the best breakthrough point.

Because he had come to the East Palace this time, he was looking for an opportunity to pass on a message to Baozhu. That day at the Ningguo Mansion was as usual. Chen Siyuan met Feng Jieer, chatted a few words, and then went to the front to take charge. Half a day passed without incident, and Chen Siyuan gradually became anxious. But that afternoon, a servant suddenly came to him, saying, "Master Yuan, the Second Mistress would like you to go to the back."

"what happened?"

The servant said, "For some reason, the Quanzhen Taoist priest and the monk who was performing the ritual had a disagreement. The master and the eldest master are still entertaining guests, so Second Madam, please ask the eldest master to come over."

Chen Siyuan suddenly perked up, stood up and shouted, "Nonsense! I'll go take a look!"

He then led the group from the main hall to the archery path, striding along at great speed until they reached the corner gate near the Ascension Pavilion. Once inside, they could see several monks and Taoists shoving each other from a distance. If only a few servants had stopped them, a fight would have broken out.

Chen Siyuan stepped forward and shouted, "Stop it! How can you be so noisy? This is Ningguo Mansion, not your temple. If anyone makes trouble again, I will beat them out with sticks!"

Chen Siyuan's voice was so powerful that several monks and Taoists were immediately frightened into silence. One monk saluted and said, "Amitabha, this young man doesn't know—"

Chen Siyuan snorted coldly, "I don't want to hear it, so don't tell me. If you have any grudges, go and resolve them somewhere. If you dare to make trouble in the mansion again, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

The monk's face froze, and he couldn't vent his anger. He could only glare fiercely at a few of the idiots, and then reluctantly stepped aside.

The Quanzhen Taoists seemed to have taken advantage, and immediately exchanged glances with each other, their faces full of pride. Chen Siyuan pondered and said to the manager, "Maybe the mourning hall has been disturbed. I'll go take a look."

The steward, unsuspecting, led Chen Siyuan into the mourning shed. Inside lay Qin's coffin, paper money burning in a brazier, and a woman in mourning knelt in response—she must have been Baozhu.

Chen Siyuan thought about it and said to the manager, "Brother Zhen, have you decided to keep the body at Tiekan Temple?"

The steward replied, "Yes, the master has decided it this morning."

Chen Siyuan nodded. Seeing Baozhu looking up at him, he squinted his eyes and said, "Tiekan Temple is good. It's better than other places."

Retracting his gaze, Chen Siyuan turned and walked away. He thought to himself that it was impossible to find an opportunity to have a secret conversation with Baozhu, so he could only hint at it like this, but he didn't know if Baozhu understood.

But Baozhu was startled by Chen Siyuan's gaze and hurriedly lowered her head. Only after Chen Siyuan turned and left did she hurriedly return the greeting. Then something strange began to creep in.

She knew that if she stayed in Ningguo Mansion any longer, her life would be in danger. She had been thinking about how to save her life these days, and she had certainly considered staying in Tiekan Temple to keep vigil for the young lady.

But this method can only solve the urgent problem temporarily. If I don't find an opportunity to escape in the future, I am afraid I will not be able to escape the murderer's clutches. Now I think carefully about what that person said... It seems to have a hidden meaning?
Baozhu pondered for a while, then suddenly asked the maid beside her, "Who was that person who just came?"

The maid replied, "My lady, he is the nephew of the eldest lady of the West Mansion, Master Yuan."

Baozhu nodded in agreement and thought to herself: What does this person mean by saying this?

(End of this chapter)