Dream of the Red Chamber: Starting with a Chronicle of Tragic Love

You rascal, how dare you treat me with such disrespect!

A flash of anger crossed Wang Xifeng's eyes, and she raised her right hand... but then stopped in mid-air.

Could it be that this young man from the Jiao family is referring to his own uterine bleeding?

I've seen many doctors who have treated this condition, and they all say that it will heal itself after a period of rest.

But it's easy to relinquish the power to manage a household, but difficult to take it back.

I've worked my way up to this point thanks to the favor of the old lady and Madam Wang. If I were to take a break for a few months for no reason, wouldn't that be handing over my power to someone else?

By then, wouldn't my misappropriation of public funds for lending be exposed to the world?

We can't rest! We dare not rest! We won't rest!

With a quick glance, she patted Jiao Si's face.

"Grandma, I'm perfectly healthy, so you don't need to worry about me. Instead of wasting your time, you should worry about your own future."

Even powerful women in feudal dynasties were this stubborn?

Let me tick it off one more time.

Jiao Si pretended to breathe a sigh of relief and let out a soft sigh.

"That must be because I'm not skilled enough and misjudged her. As long as Grandma is healthy, that's all that matters."

"Judging from your expression, you bear a striking resemblance to a noblewoman I met by chance before."

"That important person was just as certain. Unfortunately, in the end... well, let's not dwell on it!"

Wang Xifeng raised an eyebrow, somewhat curious.

"Boy, don't think I don't know. For the past twenty years, you've spent your time either at the academy or at the gambling table. I wonder when you learned how to diagnose?"

"What's wrong? What illness does that noblewoman have?"

Hooked.

Jiao Si was secretly delighted, but his face remained expressionless.

"That noblewoman also came from a royal family. At that time, Master Wang from Tianqi Temple was treating her. I was watching from the side. Although I felt that she was radiant with her jewels, there was still something unusual about her."

"Though her skin was as white as snow, a layer of waxy yellow was hidden beneath; her black hair flowed freely, but the texture of her hair was quite dry; her words were forceful, but her lips were somewhat bloodless."

"The problem stems from persistent metrorrhagia and uterine bleeding, which leads to poor blood circulation and ultimately this condition."

"Later, when Master Wang was cured of his illness, it turned out to be a case of a massive collapse of blood."

Wang Xifeng's heart skipped a beat.

A sudden, severe hemorrhage is no good disease; it can be fatal.

A sallow complexion, dry and brittle hair, and bleeding lips... I seem to have some of these symptoms myself?

No, I'm only in my early twenties, there's absolutely no way I could have this disease!

It must be Jiao Si bluffing to escape his debts!

"Jiao Si, stop trying to fool your grandma!"

"Grandma knows her own body best! You half-baked fool, stop pretending!"

She spoke succinctly, but Jiao Si remained silent for a long time.

Upon closer inspection, the boy was covering his mouth with both hands, seemingly trying his best to suppress laughter.

"Yes, yes, yes!"

"If we could add the line 'Watch out, Grandma's gonna skin you alive,' it would be even more authentic!"

"At that time, that noblewoman also scolded Master Wang severely! Not only that, but after returning home, she told her husband about it as a joke."

"But do you know what happened next?"

Jiao Si chuckled a few times, and seeing that Wang Xifeng was showing signs of anger, he continued speaking.

"The master of that family already had a mistress outside, but the noblewoman, relying on her powerful family, not only controlled the household affairs but also made a fuss about taking a concubine every day. Therefore, upon hearing the news of the 'blood mountain collapse,' she secretly plotted to use this illness to free herself from this heavy shackle."

"He first caused trouble at home and created suspicions to exhaust the noblewoman's energy; later, seeing that she was emaciated and bedridden, on the verge of death, he deliberately brought his lover home and committed adultery in front of the noblewoman."

"It took only a month for her to become so angry that she fell ill and died in bed. I heard that she bled a full three liters before she died!"

Wang Xifeng's face was ashen, her eyes were vacant, and her lips trembled slightly, as if she had a fishbone stuck in her throat.

She was really about to say, "Watch out, Grandma will skin you alive," but she choked on her saliva and didn't say it.

Jiao Si saw this and chuckled inwardly.

We're still one step away from "breaking through their defenses."

Just one step away.

It's time to use that one cut!

With a long sigh, Jiao Si spoke again.

"Unfortunately, after this woman died, she left behind an orphaned girl who was neglected by everyone. Her stepmother found a pretext to marry her off to a farming family."

"The farmer was an alcoholic and violent man, often beating and scolding his wife. One day, the orphaned girl, overwhelmed with sorrow, hung herself with a three-foot-long white silk ribbon. It is said that before she breathed her last, she cried out 'Mother!'"

"No...no!"

I don't care what happens to me, but my girl must not end up like this!

With a cry of despair, Wang Xifeng collapsed to the ground.

Jiao Si was secretly observing when he suddenly felt the Love Scheme tremble slightly, as if something was about to change.

A moment later, the three characters "Wang Xifeng" appeared on a blank page of the tale of illicit love.

With a slight movement of his hand, Jiao Si produced a round object.

Become!

-----------------

At first, Wang Xifeng thought Jiao Si was trying to use this matter to settle a debt, but the more she listened, the more she realized something was amiss.

This kid is no pedantic scholar who's been soaking in books.

He's clearly a swordsman who rips out hearts with a large knife!

The noblewoman blushed, and so did I;

The noblewoman's husband was having an affair, and her own husband, Master Lian, was no better.

The noblewoman, relying on her powerful family, controlled the household affairs and forbade concubines; she did the same thing herself.

The wealthy woman had a daughter, and she herself had recently given birth to a daughter as well.

This isn't about a wealthy lady at all.

It's clearly talking about Wang Xifeng!

However, apart from her dowry maid Ping'er, only a few doctors who treated her knew about this private matter.

Moreover, according to those doctors, this was just a mild ailment that would heal itself with "a few days of rest".

How did this Jiao family boy find out?

How dare I make such a judgment?

It can't be that Ping'er had an affair with him, can it?

absurd!

Overwhelmed with fear, she lost her composure and collapsed to the ground.

It was at this moment.

Suddenly, a golden page appeared before my eyes, with several lines of small characters on it.

"The Chronicle of Tragic Love - Main Volume".

"The Heroine: Wang Xifeng"

"Too clever by half, like a silkworm spinning its own cocoon, it finds itself trapped in its own cocoon."

Where did these pages come from? And why are they still hanging in mid-air?

Wang Xifeng looked terrified, all her ruthlessness and demeanor gone, looking exactly like a frightened rabbit.

She cried out for help, but no matter how much she shouted, no one moved; all around was deathly silent.

A deep fear spread through her heart.

Suddenly, a few lines of small print appeared on the page.

Wang Xifeng was startled at first, but when she read the words in the book, her pretty face blushed slightly, her shyness revealing a hint of strangeness.

task?

Where did the task come from?

I can recognize the words on these pages myself. But seeing them all together is so embarrassing!

If I, a lady of a duke's mansion, were to do this task, wouldn't I be even more alluring than the girls on the Qinhuai River?

But if this mission is real, then the reward described above is something that could truly save your life...

After her eyes darted around a few times, Wang Xifeng knelt down and held the book pages in her hands.

A golden light flashed, and the pages of the book vanished from her hand.

Suddenly, several dogs barked outside the temple, and birds chirped in the courtyard.

Time has been restored.

The servants were taken aback.

I clearly remember that Second Madam Lian screamed and fell to the ground, but I don't know when she knelt down?

The direction he was kneeling towards was actually... Jiao Si?

Never mind, Second Madam Lian was genuinely angry just now. If our group can't handle Jiao Si, we'll be in deep trouble when we get back to the manor!

"Second Madam Lian, has this boy offended you?"

"We'll kidnap him and sell him right now!"

After saying that, the group was about to make their move.

"Wait a minute!"

Before they could take a step, they were stopped by Wang Xifeng.

She tidied her sideburns, her expression strange and thoughtful.

"Young Master Jiao, that strange gust of wind just now seemed like it was deliberately blown by someone. Don't you think so?"

Jiao Si was stunned, somewhat bewildered.

"Second Madam Lian is joking."

"The sky is clear and the air is mild today. Fengping Courtyard is located in the capital city; where is there any talk of an evil wind?"

Wang Xifeng stared intently at Jiao Fengqi, scanning him up and down as if trying to discern something, but ultimately to no avail.

The doubt in his eyes finally dissipated, and a glint of light shone through.

The distraught, terrified, and doubtful Wang Xifeng has vanished, and the familiar Second Madam Lian has returned.

"Young Master Jiao, I was indeed a bit reckless today, and I even caused your great-grandfather to get injured. We'll talk about the money you owe when you have it."

"I'll personally bring you two catties of good tea later as an apology."

"Servants, take Master Jiao to the clinic to get some medicine. He's getting old; we don't want him to develop any health problems!"

Jiao Da was stunned.

The servants were also stunned.

Grandpa Jiao?

apologize?

Is this still the same greedy and ruthless Second Madam Lian?

How come they were acting all high and mighty just a second ago, as if they wanted to crush the other person, but after hearing a story, they suddenly became as close as family?

Wang Xifeng ignored the strange looks and kept urging everyone to leave quickly.

After the person left the courtyard and walked away, Wang Xifeng blushed slightly and gently bit her cherry lips.

After a long while, as if she had made up her mind, she turned around, took out a handkerchief with mandarin ducks playing in the water, and gently wiped her anxious face.

"Young Master Jiao, it was my fault for stepping on your face today. Here, take this handkerchief from the Kingdom of Qianxiang as a token of my apology."

"But today's play reminds me of an old saying—'If the wind doesn't blow, the trees don't move; if the boat doesn't rock, the water doesn't get muddy.' Who knows, maybe after today, we'll have some other kind of connection?"

"Calm down first. I'll come see you again tomorrow when you're feeling better!"

Having said that, Wang Xifeng wiped her waist with an embroidered handkerchief and tucked it into Jiao Si's arms. She gave him a charming look, took light steps, and swayed away from the courtyard.

Jiao Si felt a familiar scent of roses wafting to his nose, mixed with a hint of the unique fragrance of a woman in early pregnancy...

She took out her embroidered handkerchief and saw several clumps of slightly white stains.

This is... um?

The Book of Love and Sorrow doesn't mention any such reward!

A fleeting, romantic thought arose in his mind, but he quickly suppressed it.

Although she didn't know why this Second Mistress Lian was suddenly seducing her like this, there was one thing she absolutely had to do: she must not fall into this gentle trap.

On a smaller scale, Jinling is more than just the thirty-six beauties in the book;

Looking at the bigger picture, the world is not limited to just Jinling.

Now that I have come to this world, I will never live a life of aimless drifting as I did in my previous life.

I want power, money, and sex.

In six months, the provincial examination will be held. Having integrated the original owner's memories, as long as I adjust my mindset and work hard, I might really have a chance to pass the examination and become a scholar.

Once you truly become a scholar, there will be so many things you can do...

Jiao Si's heart was filled with turmoil. He shook his head, tossed the pill in his hand into his mouth, and went into the inner room.