Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 73: Retreat
Chen Siyuan slept well all night, and when he woke up he felt relaxed and refreshed.

Hongyu fetched some water and said with a smile, "Master, you slept soundly last night and didn't even get up."

Chen Siyuan let Hongyu roll up the sleeves of his coat and couldn't help laughing, "Maybe you were a little tired yesterday." At this moment, he had forgotten that he had upset Sister Bao yesterday, but the scene of "Spring Night in Brocade Tent" kept flashing before his eyes.

He had finally broken his fast in this life, so when Chen Siyuan brushed his teeth with a boar-bristle toothbrush covered with tooth powder, he could no longer suppress the curled corners of his mouth.

Hongyu stole a glance and couldn't help but ask with a smile, "Master seems to be smiling. Has there been any good news in the past two days?"

Chen Siyuan glanced at him and said vaguely, "There seems to be some progress on the matter of the school gate supervisor."

Hongyu smiled and bowed, congratulating him, "Congratulations, Master! In two or three years, you too will be able to become an official!"

Two or three years? It was hard to say whether Chen Siyuan could survive more than twenty days. He thought to himself that he had to go see Sun Guangcheng today and then find a way out for himself and Xiangling.

Xiangling was easy to deal with. She didn't have a birth certificate, and Qianxue was about to register. She could find her three good brothers and pay them for it. Then she could hire someone to escort Xiangling to find her mother. She vaguely remembered that her grandfather, Feng Su, was a worthless person. She might take Zhen Fengshi and Xiangling with her and leave the country.

As for myself... whether I can escape depends on fate.

There is great terror in the face of life and death, but nothing can be done by humans. Chen Siyuan II simply let it go.

After breakfast that day, Chen Siyuan had just finished getting ready when Hongyu suddenly brought over a pair of Dengyun shoes. She said a little shyly, "I noticed your shoes were a little worn. I took some measurements a while ago and just managed to sew them this morning. Come and try them on to see if they fit you well."

The Dengyun shoes are made of honey and apricot colors, and the stitching looks very fine.

Chen Siyuan was slightly surprised and said, "Thank you for your trouble."

Hongyu shook her head and said, "It's just a pair of shoes, why bother with that? Besides, it's my job. Please sit down, sir."

Chen Siyuan found a chair and sat down. Hongyu squatted down and took off his shoes, then put on his new Dengyun shoes. Chen Siyuan felt strange as he let a young woman fiddle with him.

This Hongyu is bold and careful, and once she makes up her mind, she won't look back, which is naturally excellent. But Hongyu is not like Xiangling. She still has her parents in Rongguo Mansion. It is impossible to coax Hongyu to follow him and wander around the world, right?
Fighting back the warmth in her heart, Hongyu raised her face and said, "Master, try landing quickly."

"it is good."

Chen Siyuan stood up and paced a few steps. His new shoes were tight, but they fit perfectly. He smiled and said, "They fit my feet perfectly."

Hongyu smiled and said, "Just follow me."

Chen Siyuan nodded, tied the ribbon of his cloak, stood up and walked out.

Hongyu escorted her all the way to the door, and only returned after she had disappeared behind the wall, her brow furrowed as she twisted her hair. She wondered to herself, "After all this time, why is the master still so polite? What's the difference between me and Xiangling?"
Without mentioning Hongyu's confusion, Chen Siyuan went to the stable in front to get a horse and headed straight for the Zhejiang Guild Hall.

When he arrived at the place, Chen Siyuan went straight to the Tianzihao House at the back to look for Sun Guangcheng, but he saw two new door gods in front of the courtyard gate.

Chen Siyuan went forward to talk to him and told him the name of Rongguo Mansion. One of them went inside to report and then led him into the main room.

After not seeing him for some time, Sun Guangcheng looked haggard, with sunken eye sockets, as if he had aged by ten years.

"Well, my nephew is here? Please sit down."

Sun Guangcheng sent the doorman away and poured himself some tea. He glanced at Chen Siyuan and said, "I thought you had run away long ago. I didn't expect you to dare to come to see me."

Chen Siyuan lied with his eyes wide open, "Master, Liu Yan'er and I haven't received a reply to your letter for quite some time. I had no choice but to come to your house today... Who were those two people just now?"

"Guards from Prince Zhongshun's palace."

Chen Siyuan blinked, wondering why the guards had been replaced by those from Prince Zhongshun's palace. Where were Prince Beijing's men?
Sun Guangcheng smiled bitterly and said, "Junior Brother Chen is two days late, otherwise he would have seen Prince Beijing's people."

Chen Siyuan feigned panic and asked in surprise, "Uncle Master...how did you get targeted by such a powerful person?"

Sun Guangcheng kept shaking his head and said, "I've been hunting geese all my life, but now I've been pecked in the eye by a sparrow... Everyone knows the waters of the capital are deep, but who would have thought they were so bottomless!"

"Then Uncle Master is now——"

"Let's take it one step at a time." Sun Guangcheng raised his teacup and said, "Prince Beijing at least had some dignity, exchanging 10,000 silver coins every two days. After a few exchanges, he withdrew his forces. But Prince Zhongshun has no regard for dignity at all, exchanging 20,000 silver coins a day. I'm afraid I'll be out of money in three or five days."

Regardless of whether they were Prince Beijing or Prince Zhongshun, they were after money and didn't want to damage their reputation. So they bought the receipt from Sun Guangcheng at a low price, then turned around and sold it at a higher price.

But everyone in the market knew that the total amount of this dish was only three ships, with a maximum value of 90,000 taels. Those wealthy merchants outside were not fools. If there was a receipt for more than 100,000 taels, how could they not know it was a scam?

Under such circumstances, Sun Guangcheng could only buy back the shares at a high price with his own money and then sell them to the powerful at a low price.

Once the incident is revealed, the person who defrauded people of their money is Sun Guangcheng, so what does he have to do with Prince Beijing and Prince Zhongshun?

Chen Siyuan pondered for a moment, and just as he was about to speak, Sun Guangcheng said, "We'll just have to endure it for one day. If we can't endure it any longer, I'm afraid I won't be able to escape death either."

Is it impossible to escape death? Are you kidding me?
The powerful simply didn't want to dirty their hands. If a murder case arose, especially one involving tens of thousands of silver coins, public outrage would likely trigger a strict court investigation. But the Prince of Beijing and the Prince of Zhongshun weren't fools; how could they possibly dirty their hands?
I was afraid that the day Sun Guangcheng could no longer hold on would be the day the powerful would let him flee. Whether he disappeared without a trace or committed suicide along the way, he couldn't let anyone else's hands get dirty.

Chen Siyuan immediately said, "So, Uncle Master is planning to add another sea vessel?"

Sun Guangcheng glanced at him and said with a smile, "My nephew is indeed smart."

The letter said that Yan Gengyao allowed him to add an additional sea vessel, which would provide him with an additional 30,000 taels of silver, and Sun Guangcheng would be able to hold on for a little longer.

Chen Siyuan tried to probe Sun Guangcheng a few more times, but he remained impervious. Seeing he couldn't figure out his plan, Chen Siyuan said, "Since Master wants to add another boat, why don't you write me a few receipts... But I won't give you any banknotes this time."

Sun Guangcheng said nonchalantly, "It's a small matter. I'll write it to you later. I originally wanted to help my nephew make a fortune, but who knew it would end up like this. If my nephew Chen is capable, it's better for him to leave early."

Leaving early? That requires the other party to let you go!

Chen Siyuan's face was solemn. After Sun Guangcheng had indeed written the receipt, Chen Siyuan put it in his sleeve pocket, stood up and bowed goodbye. After this farewell, I am afraid we will never meet again.

Moreover, Sun Guangcheng was an old and cunning man, so how could he be willing to do things for the rich and powerful for nothing? He might have to take some money and run away. Because Chen Siyuan didn't have much time left!
Feeling anxious, Chen Siyuan left the Zhejiang Guild Hall and headed straight for the outer city to find his three good brothers. After not seeing them for a few days, the farmhouse seemed to have been renovated. Hearing the sound of horse hooves outside, Xu Dabiao went out to greet them.

The brothers were naturally very warm when they met. Chen Siyuan saw that Qian Feihu was not there, so he asked about it. Xu Dabiao said, "Fourth brother felt that he couldn't take Brother Chen's benefits for nothing. Now that he has nothing to do, he simply went to keep an eye on the fake eunuch."

At this moment, Chen Siyuan was determined to escape, so how could he care about the fake eunuch?
He didn't care at the moment and turned to ask Ma Panlong: "Brother Ma, is there any progress on my sister-in-law's registration?"

As the saying goes, when good things happen, people are in high spirits. Ma Panlong said shyly, "I've been looking around these past few days and I've found a way in Tongzhou. It's an ordinary household registration, and for forty taels of silver it can be settled."

Chen Siyuan nodded and said, "It's good that it can be settled. I just happened to have a maid, but her background was involved in a lawsuit, so she hasn't been registered yet. If Brother Ma has time, why not register the maid for me as well."

Ma Panlong frowned and said, "Lawsuit? This..."

Chen Siyuan said, "It has nothing to do with that maid. It's just that the kidnapper sold one girl twice..." Then he briefly told Xiangling's life story.

Ma Panlong relaxed his brows and said, "That's easy. I'll do it all in a few days."

"Okay," Chen Siyuan responded and took out two silver bills.

This action immediately made Ma Panlong's face darken: "Brother Chen, are you looking down on us?"

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Brother Ma, you're not guilty of what I said. We're brothers. My three elder brothers aren't well off, and as a brother with a little family wealth, what's wrong with helping out?"

"This...is inappropriate."

Xu Dabiao said indifferently: "Second brother, just accept it. We owe Brother Chen so much, we don't need this little money."

Chen Siyuan said, "Brother Ma is getting married soon. You can't expect your sister-in-law to do laundry every day after the wedding, right?"

A penny can make a hero fall. Ma Panlong and others were in dire straits at the time, and were moved by Chen Siyuan's concerns. They sighed and finally accepted the money.

He wasn't stupid, so how could he not know that Chen Siyuan was buying his life? But the other person's words sounded nice, and what he gave was... too much!

How much compensation is given for dying in battle? Are there not enough people who kill and rob others for a few taels of silver? To put it bluntly, if he had spent two hundred taels of silver, there would be plenty of young men in Ma Panlong's hometown who are good at wielding swords and clubs and would be willing to work for him!

Ma Panlong then stopped being polite and said, "Then I'll accept it. Brother Chen, if you have anything to ask for in the future, we brothers have been through thick and thin together. Frowning doesn't make you a hero!"

After the plan was finalized, Chen Siyuan sat down to rest for a while, then said he had other important matters to attend to, and stood up to say goodbye.

He returned to Rongguo Mansion around noon. This time, without waiting for Yu Si to look for him, Chen Siyuan went straight to the black oil gate.

Hearing that Chen Siyuan wanted to see the master, the servant hurried to tell him. A moment later, the servant returned and led Chen Siyuan to the outer study.

When the two men met, Chen Siyuan had just bowed when Jia She impatiently waved his hand, "We are all relatives, brother Yuan, there is no need to be polite." Then he asked earnestly, "Is the matter settled?"

Chen Siyuan stood up and said with a smile, "Uncle, I am glad that I have fulfilled my mission." After that, he took out the receipt from his sleeve pocket, stepped forward and handed it to Jia She with both hands.

Jia She took it and looked at it, and his face suddenly became interesting. He first felt relieved, then pleased, and then excited.

The demand for execution had been rising, and now even a 15% increase in the price was unstoppable. It was possible that in a few days it would exceed 20%. Thus, five thousand taels of silver could be turned over and a thousand taels could be profited for nothing. Where else in the world could one find such a good business?
With an extra thousand taels of silver, not to mention a fan, even a pretty courtesan could be bought.

Thinking of his pride, Jia She could not help but look at Chen Siyuan with increasing favor. He smiled and said, "Brother Yuan, please sit down and talk." He paused, waited for Chen Siyuan to sit down, and then ordered the servants to serve fragrant tea. Then he said, "Brother Yuan, if you don't come today, I will go look for you tomorrow. It's because your household registration is not popular. Tsk tsk, I didn't expect that the second wife could be so cruel."

The Dashun dynasty inherited the previous Ming dynasty, but with slightly different rules. For example, the imperial examination system was divided into two categories: cold and warm. Warm-class families, those with a family history of serving in government or passing the imperial examination within three generations, could directly participate in the examination. Conversely, those with cold status could not directly participate and had to find a guarantor with a successful official to participate.

Who would guarantee you for no reason? It would take some negotiation, and you would have to pay a lot of money.

Chen Siyuan inherited three thousand taels of silver from his teacher, and he had previously asked Sun Guangcheng for another thousand taels, and earlier that morning he had hidden away seven thousand taels of silver. So even though he had been spending lavishly lately, he still had ten thousand taels of silver.

Chen Siyuan was about to say that he had no shortage of money, but suddenly he thought that time was running out and he might have to run away soon, so he didn't say a word.

Then Jia She, with a deliberately flattering tone, said, "It would be easy to find someone to act as a guarantor, but it would be very inconvenient. In my opinion, I would find a family named Chen to pretend to be my guarantor."

Chen Siyuan was puzzled and said, "This...if it is discovered, it will lead to a lawsuit."

Jia She curled his lips and said indifferently: "If we really investigate the things that the people don't report and the officials don't investigate, I'm afraid half of the government offices will be empty in an instant!"

As the saying goes, there are always more solutions than problems. In addition to the restrictions on unofficial origins, the Dashun imperial examinations also had restrictions between the north and the south, so many candidates simply pretended to be from unknown origins.

Hence the bizarre incident of a candidate from Shuntian Prefecture speaking with a Min-Zhe accent. Officials, of course, investigated the matter strictly, but in reality, that was all they did. Jia She was right: if the people didn't report it, the officials wouldn't investigate. If it was a minor incident, the local officials would suppress it. But if it became a major incident, they would be dealt with severely.

Hearing Jia She's words, Chen Siyuan simply agreed: "My nephew is young, so everything will be decided by your uncle."

Jia She stroked his beard and said proudly, "Don't worry, Yuan'er. After the first month of the year, I will definitely send you to the Imperial College."

After a while, Chen Siyuan emerged from the outer study, passed through the black-oiled gate, entered the east corner gate, and then went back through the corner gate next to the stables. He hadn't walked far, and as he saw the left side of the hall, he suddenly saw Aunt Zhao leading a small maid, cursing all the way back from Mengpo Zhai.

When the two met, Chen Siyuan looked amused, while Aunt Zhao looked embarrassed.

Aunt Zhao came over with a wry smile and said, "Brother Yuan, did you just get back?"

Chen Siyuan nodded and said, "Hello, Auntie. I went to the Zhejiang Guild Hall this morning. My uncle urged me to do so, so after a few trips, I finally got the job done."

"That's it..."

Chen Siyuan took a deep breath with a hissing sound, frowned and said, "The matter that Auntie mentioned a few days ago..."

Aunt Zhao's face suddenly turned sour, and she gritted her teeth and forced a smile, "How about you, brother, please let me have a few more days?"

(End of this chapter)