The Red Mansion

Chapter 110: Wedding (Part )

Peng Jizhong walked out of Jiang's house and on his way back to Qin's house, he couldn't help but quietly open the blue satin package and take a look. He opened his eyes wide in surprise, then quickly walked into Qin's house and went straight into the west wing.

Qin Keqing was sitting opposite Ruizhu fumigating clothes when she saw Peng Jizhong coming in with a blue satin package, and they were both puzzled.

"Miss, Uncle Jiang is moving tomorrow!"

Qin Keqing and Ruizhu were both panicked when they heard this. Ruizhu asked hurriedly, "Why are we moving to such a place?"

Peng Jizhong hurriedly said, "Don't worry! Uncle Jiang's new house is only a hundred steps away. He said that he will continue to take care of us and protect the girl."

Qin Keqing and Ruizhu both breathed a sigh of relief. Ruizhu then hurriedly asked, "What are you holding in your hand?"

Peng Jizhong said, "This is a gift from Master Jiang to the young lady."

He said as he handed over the package.

Qin Keqing deliberately turned away and refused to take it.

Ruizhu rushed forward, took the package, opened it, and immediately exclaimed "Ah".

Inside the package was a crane cloak lined with white fox fur and covered with crabapple-colored feather gauze.

This crane cloak, covered in crabapple-colored feather yarn, has a crisp texture and a subtle pearlescent sheen. A subtle ice crackle pattern adds elegance. Inside, it's trimmed with white fox fur, its fur as pure as snow. When worn by a woman, it provides protection from the wind and cold while also making her look lighter and slimmer.

Qin Keqing couldn't help but reach out and gently stroke the white fox fur coat, which was as white as snow. It felt warm and smooth, and she was delighted. However, she knew it must be worth a lot of money, but she withdrew her hand and whispered, "This gift is too valuable... I can't accept it."

Ruizhu's eyes flickered, and she smiled softly, "Why do you say that, young lady? Master Jiang has been so kind to our family in the past, and we've all accepted it. How can we not accept this crane cloak now? Besides, this is clearly from the master's heart. If you refuse it, wouldn't it be disheartening?"

Peng Jizhong also echoed: "Since the master passed away, our family has relied on Uncle Jiang for care. The two families have become as close as one family. Now Uncle Jiang is giving Miss a gift. If Miss doesn't accept it, it will seem strange."

Like Ruizhu, Peng Jizhong hopes that Qin Keqing will become Jiang Nian's concubine, but for different reasons.

Qin Keqing lowered her head and said nothing, her heart in a turmoil.

She finally nodded her head and said, "Well, let's keep it."

After Peng Jizhong left, Qin Keqing sat at the desk, took out the flowery paper, picked up the pen and put it down again, repeating this several times.

Ruizhu was grinding beside her, and saw Qin Keqing's brows furrowed and relaxed from time to time. It took her half an hour to write down just a few lines.

Ruizhu leaned forward to take a look, but Qin Keqing covered the flowered paper with her hand and said, "You can't even read, so what are you looking at?"

As she spoke, Qin Keqing folded the flowered paper and handed it to Ruizhu: "Send it to Master Jiang, but don't let anyone else see it!"

Ruizhu understood and hid the flower note close to her body, saying with a smile, "Don't worry, young lady, even gods can't steal it!"

After saying that, Ruizhu hurried to the Jiang family next door.

……

……

From the window of the Jiang family's west wing, Ying'er suddenly saw Ruizhu flash into the inner courtyard. She hurriedly said to Xue Baochai, "Look, young lady! Here comes Ruizhu! Just now, housekeeper Peng returned with a large package. I wonder what good things the master gave to Miss Qin, and now Ruizhu is here again!"

Xue Baochai hesitated for a moment, then stood behind the window and looked out, but Ruizhu was no longer there.

Ying'er muttered, "That bastard has already entered the main room. He must be here to pass on some personal message on behalf of Miss Qin, or to give something to Master—"

Suddenly, Ying'er saw Xue Baochai biting her lower lip, and she quickly swallowed the words.

She knew her daughter's temper very well. If she continued talking, she was afraid that the Lengxiang Pill would be taken out again...

Ruizhu entered Jiang Nian's study and handed Qin Keqing's flowery note to Jiang Nian.

Jiang Nian unfolded the paper and took a closer look. The handwriting on the paper was elegant, with small regular script with flowers on it:
"I once gave you a mandarin duck purse, and now you repay me with a crane cloak. Our hearts are connected. When I enter your house, I hope you will cherish me like the purse always tied to my collar, and my white fur coat always protecting me from the frost and cold.

This is respectfully submitted.”

Jiang Nian's fingertips traced the flowery paper, and he thought to himself, "Qin Keqing, this girl, actually agreed to become my concubine, and wrote it as elegantly as Hong Fu's Night Run!"

In her flower note, Qin Keqing used "a purse always tied in front of my collar" to imply loyalty and "a white fur coat to protect against frost and cold" to imply protection and cherishment.

It's amazing that she has such literary talent.

Yes, Qin Keqing has sent a message on flowery paper agreeing to be my concubine!
……

……

When Empress Dowager Wu was a concubine, she lived for a long time in Yonghe Palace, one of the six eastern palaces in the inner court of the imperial palace. After she became Empress Dowager, she still lived in Yonghe Palace and was unwilling to move elsewhere.

It is already the end of the twelfth lunar month and the Chinese New Year is approaching.

That day, the sky was overcast, with leaden clouds hanging low, weighing down the glazed tiles of the imperial palace, making them lose their color.

The Empress Dowager finally let Yuanchun leave!
The Empress Dowager only let Yuanchun leave now, and this alone shows her love for Yuanchun.

Inside the Yonghe Palace, a gilded incense burner emitted agarwood incense. The Empress Dowager sat on the kang in the warm room, holding a string of Canaan incense Buddhist beads in her hand, her eyes fixed on Yuanchun who was kneeling in front of her.

Yuanchun was no longer wearing her palace attire today, only a phoenix hairpin with kingfisher feathers inlaid in her hair. Despite her lack of finery, she displayed a natural charm. She prostrated herself before the Empress Dowager, choking back tears as she said, "I have been blessed with the Empress Dowager's love and guidance for many years, but now... now I must leave her..."

Before he could finish his words, tears fell to the ground, leaving several deep marks on the ground.

The Empress Dowager paused with the Buddhist beads in her hand and sighed, "Good child, get up quickly. If you leave now, you will become a bride in just two months..."

As he said this, he stood up and stepped forward to support her. Yuanchun didn't dare to accept it, so she knelt down and took half a step to greet her.

The Empress Dowager stroked Yuanchun's shoulder and said, "Don't cry! Can't we see each other again after you leave the palace? You're not marrying someone from another province. When I summon you in the future, you have to come in and talk to me!"

Upon hearing this, Yuanchun burst into tears.

Although she had spent years in the deep palace, a place where she was forbidden to see anyone, the Empress Dowager had treated her like a granddaughter. The mink handcage she'd given her in the cold winter, the iced bayberry soup she'd been given in the hot summer, and even the kindness of the Empress Dowager sending the imperial physician when she caught a cold... every memory came flooding back to her mind.

After bidding farewell to the Empress Dowager, Yuanchun slowly left the hall with her harp.

As they reached Yonghe Gate, Baoqin suddenly called out, "Look, young lady! It's snowing!" Yuanchun looked up, seeing scattered snowflakes drifting down from the gray sky. A single ice crystal landed right between her eyebrows, sending a chill penetrating her skin, as if all the years she had spent in the inner palace had condensed into a single drop of cold dew.

Yuanchun boarded a sedan chair, followed by two large carts carrying her luggage and some dowry given to her by the Empress Dowager.

The sedan chair left the palace from the Shenwu Gate in the north. Yuanchun couldn't help but lift the curtain and look back.

The palaces gradually became blurred in the snow.

……

……

The snow was falling heavily, like twirled cotton wool, drifting down thickly, enveloping the Rongguo Mansion's red gates and dark tiles in a world of jade. The birds on the steps shrank their necks from the cold, and the copper bells on the eaves were encrusted with snow. When a breeze occasionally passed, they only made a muffled "click," not as clear and melodious as usual.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming from the east. It turned out to be Yuanchun returning in a sedan chair!
Jia Lian, accompanied by Baoyu, Lai Da, Lin Zhixiao, and other housekeepers, were waiting outside the gate. Seeing the sedan chair arrive, they hurriedly ordered the main gate to be opened to welcome her. The main gate was not opened for Yuanchun, but for the Empress Dowager, for Yuanchun had been specially sent back by the Empress Dowager.

The sedan chair entered through the main gate and traveled a distance. When it was about to turn a corner, it stopped. Three or four servants, about seventeen or eighteen years old, in well-dressed clothes came up and lifted the sedan chair again. A group of maids followed and it landed in front of the hanging flower gate of Jia's mother's courtyard. The servants left and the maids came up, lifted the curtain of the sedan chair and helped Yuanchun down.

When Yuanchun entered the hanging flower gate, she saw Jia Baoyu calling her "Big Sister." She reached out and stroked Jia Baoyu's pale face, tears suddenly flowing - when she entered the palace, the child was not even as tall as her waist, but now he had grown into a handsome young man.

When Jia Baoyu was three or four years old, Yuanchun taught him several books by hand and verbally, allowing him to recognize thousands of words. Although they were called siblings, their relationship was more like mother and son.

Accompanied by Jia Lian and Jia Baoyu, Yuanchun arrived at Rongqing Hall. As soon as she entered, Wang Xifeng's laughter filled the air: "Finally, you're here! The old ancestor has asked about this at least ten times!"

The hall was filled with female relatives, including Lady Jia, Lady Xing, Lady Wang, Aunt Zhao, Aunt Zhou, Li Wan, Wang Xifeng, Lin Daiyu, Yingchun, Tanchun, Xichun, as well as a large group of maids, wives and old women.

Even Jia Zhen's second wife, Youshi, came today specially.

It is worth mentioning that Wang Xifeng has been pregnant for more than three months. If nothing unexpected happens, she will give birth in July next year...

Yuanchun kowtowed to Lady Jia and Lady Wang first. Before she could stand up, Lady Jia embraced her in her arms. Lady Jia choked up and said, "My child, you have suffered so much!"

This one sentence made Mrs. Wang burst into tears.

Yingchun and Tanchun couldn't help crying as well.

For a moment, tears seemed to rain down in the hall, and the atmosphere was touching...

……

……

Wang Xifeng is a jealous person.

The rule of the Jia family is: when a man grows up and gets married, he must have two people serve him first.

Jia Lian originally had two, but less than half a year after Wang Xifeng married him, she found fault with them and sent them away.

When Wang Xifeng got married, she had four maids as a dowry. As a result, she married two of them off and killed one, leaving only Ping'er, her confidante.

Wang Xifeng forced Ping'er to be Jia Lian's concubine. Firstly, if Jia Lian didn't even have a concubine, it would seem that she was not virtuous; secondly, she wanted to use Ping'er to tie Jia Lian's heart so that Jia Lian would not fool around outside.

However, Ping'er has been a concubine for three years, but she has never had sex with Jia Lian. It is even difficult for her to be alone with Jia Lian. Once discovered by Wang Xifeng, both of them will be scolded by Wang Xifeng.

Although Ping'er was very depressed about this, she served Wang Xifeng loyally and only cried and made a fuss when she was pushed into a corner.

In the evening, the heavy snow stopped.

Snow accumulated on the roof of Fengjie's courtyard, and even the blue brick steps were covered in snow. Occasionally, there were footprints of maids and servants, their depths varying, like a few casual strokes added to a painting. Icicles hung from the eaves, glittering and translucent.

Jia Lian sat alone in the room, with a pot of wine in front of him. He poured himself a drink with a furrowed brow, obviously feeling depressed.

While they were drinking, they suddenly heard footsteps outside, followed by Sister Feng's familiar voice: "Oh! I'm so tired!"

Wang Xifeng entered, her golden hairpins trembling slightly in her hair, her clothes adorned with brilliant embroidery. She took off her azure silk cape with a gray squirrel pattern and handed it to Ping'er, sneering, "The eldest young lady has only returned to marry Jiang Nian. It's not like she's visiting her parents, so why all the fuss? I've been so exhausted I've been spinning like a top all day!"

Jia Lian just lowered his head and drank without answering.

Seeing this, Sister Feng raised her eyebrows and sat down opposite him. She glanced at Jia Lian with her almond-shaped eyes and said, "I've noticed that you've been very depressed recently. Today, the eldest daughter has returned and the whole family is happy, but you're still like this. What do you want?"

Jia Lian snorted, put down his wine glass heavily, and said, "What do I want? I just want Ping'er! She has been promised to me as my concubine for a long time. For years, you have tried every means to stop me. Now that you are pregnant, you still won't let me get close to her! Today I must marry her, let's see what you can do to me!"

Ping'er, who was standing by, blushed immediately after hearing this. She lowered her head and twisted her handkerchief, feeling ashamed and depressed, but dared not say a word.

Wang Xifeng immediately raised her head, a half-smile on her cheek, and stared at Jia Lian and said, "Oh, Master Lian, have you got the guts to do this today? Are you serious or are you joking?"

Jia Lian, drunk, decided to throw his weight around and sneered, "Don't try to bully me! You're still acting like it was the old days? It's been over half a year since my uncle was demoted to a general. Do you still expect him to back you up?"

The "uncle" here obviously refers to Wang Ziteng. Wang Ziteng is Wang Xifeng's uncle, but from the perspective of the Jia family, Wang Ziteng is generally called "uncle".

Upon hearing this, Wang Xifeng's eyebrows immediately arched, her almond-shaped eyes widened, and she slammed her palm on the table, making the dishes clatter. She said sternly, "What a heartless thing! I'm pregnant, and I don't know whether the baby will live or die next year, and you're thinking about Ping'er? And you dare to bring up your uncle? I tell you, I have no right to forbid this matter about Ping'er! If you have the guts, go ahead and try!"

Jia Lian was frightened by her and sobered up a lot. He immediately became listless, snorted embarrassedly, stood up and walked out.

Wang Xifeng was still not satisfied and shouted at his back, "If you dare to flirt with other women outside, watch out for your hide!"

Jia Lian left in silence. The room was extremely quiet for a moment. Only the crackling sound of sparks in the charcoal basin and the occasional flash of red light could be heard.

Ping'er stood aside, her eyes watching her nose, her nose watching her heart. The handkerchief in her hand was already wrinkled, and her heart was filled with mixed feelings.

The more Fengjie thought about it, the angrier she became. She glared at Ping'er, her eyebrows raised, and sneered, "The masters are bickering, and you, a bitch, are pretending to be deaf and dumb. Are you really enjoying yourself?"

Ping'er hurriedly said, "How can I deserve what you said, ma'am? I'm just..."

Before she could finish her words, Wang Xifeng interrupted her with a scoff. She squinted at her with her almond-shaped eyes and said, "What's that? Are you sizing me up? I don't know what you're thinking? You dress up all day long and flaunt yourself before Second Master. Are you sizing me up because I'm blind?"

Ping'er felt as if a thousand arrows were piercing her heart when she heard this. Tears streamed down her face like pearls from a broken string, but she didn't cry out loud. She only whispered, "Madam, why are you taking your anger out on me? How could I dare to betray you? If you don't believe me anymore, just say the word and I'll cut off my hair and become a nun!"

When Wang Xifeng saw Ping'er crying, she realized that she shouldn't have taken her anger out on Ping'er. Because she was angry, she didn't apologize to Ping'er, but just snorted coldly.

The north wind whimpered outside the window, as if sighing for Ping'er's grievances.

(End of this chapter)