Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 855: Baoyu Hidden Fragrance in His Arms

But in Tiekan Temple,

Wang Xifeng agreed with Abbot Jingxu and asked her to send someone to the mansion to ask for the news three days later. She accepted the silver first. As the time came,

Then he arose and left the house,

She asked many people to hold incense and offer it to the old master. She then left the male relatives here to arrange the funeral affairs, and sent away all the old women and wives. She also asked Lady Jia and the two ladies to sit in the carriage and rest.

Jia Baoyu, along with Zhineng and Zhishan, went into the house together and had some tea. Baoyu was in a bad mood and didn't talk much. Although he was happy to see his old friends, he couldn't cheer up. At some point, while chatting, the three of them hugged each other, and their hands somehow reached into the monks' robes. After a while, murmurings could be heard in the house, which reminded Baoyu of the bathing scene that night. He didn't know how, and it was like a dragon and two phoenixes, and the yin and yang were reversed. He felt refreshed and his demeanor was long.

An unknown amount of time had passed. The three of them were exhausted and rested in the meditation room. When everyone outside had packed up and were about to return home, they found that Baoyu was missing. The second wife was anxious and sent people to ask around. Grandmother Jia also asked Wang Xifeng to lead people to look for him personally.
"Feng girl, go see where Baoyu is playing and call him back."

"Oh, don't worry, old lady. Where could Baoyu go? He was just curious and forgot the time while playing in the temple. I will go find him right away."

While Wang Xifeng was comforting him, she was also puzzled that he had disappeared in the blink of an eye. She got off the carriage and sent someone to look for him in the temple. Seeing that it was getting late, she thought it was her own negligence. She was so busy chatting with Abbot Jingxu that she forgot the time.
"Ping'er, go call those people who followed you and go look for Baoyu to see where he has gone."

"Yes, grandma."

Ping Er also felt something was strange. She seemed to remember that Master Bao was with the younger generation of the clan, so she sent someone to look for them. After a while, Jia Qing and the others were found. When they saw that it was the Second Mistress who was looking for them, they felt uneasy.
Jia Fang was a little scared, not knowing why, and asked in a low voice;

"Brother Qing, what does grandma want us to do?"

"What else can we do? We should be looking for Master Bao. When we left just now, we didn't seem to see Master Bao come out."

Jia Qing looked around, as if asking something. The others shook their heads quickly. They really hadn't. They had just visited the temple and it was very boring, so they just came out together. They didn't see Master Bao.
In this way, several people came over and saluted together.
"I've met Second Grandma."

Seeing how respectful they were, Wang Xifeng also had some satisfaction in her eyes. After this period of management, even the younger generation was now respectful.
"Well, weren't you with Baoyu? Why were there only you guys after you came out? Where did Baoyu go?"

Listening to Second Grandma's questioning, Jia Qing and the others were speechless. Uncle Bao was missing, what did it have to do with them? Moreover, they didn't know where he had gone.

Seeing that the others were silent, Jia Qin stood up and replied;

"To answer grandma, we followed Master Bao to the temple before, but we felt bored after a while. Master Bao followed Master Zhishan and Master Zhineng to the backyard. We saw them and thought it was not appropriate to follow them, so we returned."

Wang Xifeng felt a little suspicious. They went in together, leaving Baoyu alone to go into the backyard. Shuiyue Temple was not a remote or dangerous place. She had just come out from there. She hadn't seen Baoyu for a long time, which made her feel uneasy. After all, Baoyu usually loved to wander around, and he was so quiet today that she felt a little uneasy.

"Okay, the rest of you follow me. Ping'er, tell the maids and servants to come back with us and search inside Shuiyue Temple again."

"Yes, Second Grandma."

Everyone agreed and responded. After a while, many servants gathered around. Wang Xifeng did not stay any longer and hurried to Shuiyue Temple with her people.

along the way,

Wang Xifeng felt it was odd, and wondered in her heart, why was Baoyu staying there for no reason?

The temple was not far away. After walking a few steps, they saw Shuiyue Temple. Wang Xifeng called everyone and walked inside. There was no one in the courtyard. It was strange that there were many nuns in Shuiyue Temple, most of whom rested during the day. How could they sleep at night?

Regardless of these,
He hurriedly led his men and began to search around the room where the guest had just been received.
Just as they entered the backyard, there was a slight noise coming from a Zen room. Wang Xifeng heard it clearly. She raised her hand and asked the people around to stop. She took Ping'er and went over alone. Through the crack in the door, she vaguely heard some conversation.
Baoyu was inside the room, talking vaguely;
"Master Smart, I have been thinking about you for a long time. Every time I see you, it seems as if my heart is not my own, but follows you back."

Zhineng'er lowered his hands slightly, his face slightly red, and said angrily;

"Second Master, you are speaking from the heart. Don't try to fool a monk like me. Zhishan and I, the pure land of Buddhism, cannot stand such a joke from Second Master."

Jia Baoyu was happy and it was such a pleasant moment that he could not admit it. He nodded in panic and hugged Zhineng even tighter, feeling the wonderful feeling and squeezing out a white arc.

"How could I lie to you? I swear to God, if I tell you a lie, call me..."

These nonsense words are spoken without any consideration,

Zhineng quickly reached out to cover his mouth and said in a hurry;
"Pfft. Don't say that. Just trust me, Second Master. But Second Master, you know that for a Buddhist like me, it is not appropriate to behave like this."

Baoyu didn't care. The changes in the two houses were huge. No one questioned him about anything he did.

"What status is nothing but etiquette in the mud,"

Zhishan, who was beside her, was moved, but there was some disappointment in her eyes. How could she not know what kind of place Shuiyue Temple was? Even the master went there to receive customers and enjoy the pleasure of love. It was not a good place.
"It's easy for Second Master to say, but we are Buddhists after all, so what can we do?"

The vague meaning was that he wanted to make an explanation, but Baoyu didn't hear it. He turned over and hugged Zhishan.

"It's okay. The book says that there is always a way out when you reach the mountain. There will always be a way to protect you. I won't tolerate any injustice."

He spoke like a nobleman from some wealthy family.

But Wang Xifeng, who was standing outside the door, was shocked and angry when she heard this. Her blood boiled. She thought that the Second Wife was still waiting for news outside. She hated such things that violated etiquette the most. What's more, it was Baoyu who did such a stupid thing in the quiet place of Buddhism. Moreover, it seemed that they had eaten meat.

How to explain to the wife and the ancestors? Thinking of the maid in Meng Mansion, who is still waiting to discuss marriage with Baoyu, if this gets out, the reputation of Jia Mansion will be ruined.
He was also extremely angry at Zhineng and Zhishan. They thought that the little nuns, instead of practicing in Shuiyue Temple, had seduced Jia Baoyu and done such an ugly thing. They had no sense of shame at all.

He suppressed his anger, turned around immediately, looked at the people in the yard, and scolded;

"Everyone go wait outside."

"Yes, Second Grandma,"

Although many servants were curious, no one dared to disobey the Second Madam's authority. In an instant, everyone left the yard, and even Jia Qing and others were not allowed to enter.
Wang Xifeng was about to raise her foot and kick the door open, but Ping'er, who was behind her, was quick-witted and quickly grabbed her.

"Grandma, you can't do that. If you go in now, what if you see something?"

Ping Er reminded her that it was a shameful thing after all, especially since she didn't know what was going on in the house. As a sister-in-law, she couldn't "catch her uncle in an adultery", right?
Wang Xifeng understood Ping'er's meaning instantly. However, she would not be able to explain to the Second Wife's temper. If she made another fuss, the Old Lady would blame her. She had worked hard to build up the Jia Mansion to where it is today over the years. If she was blamed because of Baoyu's matter, all her efforts would be wasted.

Then he cursed;
"If it is really the child of the Jia family, it is a virtue. This matter needs to be kept secret."

He had no choice but to withdraw his foot, raise his hand and knock on the door, not caring what the people inside thought, and shouted;

"Baoyu, it's time to go back home. Madam is still waiting in the carriage." Just this shout scared Baoyu out of his wits. He quickly threw off the quilt and got up, putting on his clothes in a hurry. The two young masters were so scared that their faces turned pale and they didn't know what to do. They thought that Master Bao would say something, but Jia Baoyu was only concerned with putting on his clothes.

After a while,
Fortunately, the people outside did not come in. Zhishan covered herself with the quilt and asked;
"Second Master, what should we do?"

"Uh, here, you guys put on your clothes and stay in the house. I'll follow you back."

After speaking these trembling words, Jia Baoyu no longer looked like a noble young man. He hastily tied his belt, put on his shoes, and hurriedly opened the door and left the room.
As soon as I opened the door, I saw my second sister-in-law and Ping'er standing outside the house, at a loss, dumbfounded.

Wang Xifeng, who was outside the door, took the opportunity to look inside the room. She saw Zhineng and Zhishan, who were almost curled up in their quilts. Seeing Baoyu's messy clothes, she suppressed her anger and said:

"You two should stop talking nonsense outside. If there is any rumor, I will make you suffer."

Just to warn them not to bite randomly, and then looking at Baoyu's expression, he ordered:
"Ping'er, help Baoyu pack his clothes. The old lady and the second lady are waiting outside."

After giving the order, she turned around and left without looking back, leaving Jia Baoyu following slowly behind her. When she returned to the carriage, he didn't know how his second sister-in-law would deal with this matter!

But until they got on the carriage and returned to the capital, the Second Mistress did not mention the matter again, and Jia Baoyu finally felt relieved.
In the capital,

Ever since the affairs of the Jia family's east and west mansions were settled, and the commotion in the two princesses' mansions had calmed down.

After a long period of clamor, the sky above the capital city was once again filled with noise.

At this time, Zhang Jinyu was drunk, and he didn't know whether it was the effect of the medicine or the alcohol.

After entering the east room, he felt a little confused. Ning Bian saw this and quickly asked the maid to go find the lady.

After a while,
Upon hearing the news, Qin Keqing came in with Baozhu and her maid. Seeing this, Ning Bian quickly retreated.

As soon as I entered the house,

She could smell the alcohol coming from the Marquis, Baozhu pouted and asked the maid to put down the basin.
"Miss, my son-in-law is drunk somewhere."

"You're the only one who talks too much. Bring me the towel."

Qin Keqing reached out and touched Baozhu's forehead, then took the towel soaked in warm water and walked to the window. She was wearing a moon-white silk dress with exquisite cloud patterns embroidered with silver thread on the hem. As she moved, it looked like ripples on water.
She was also wearing a gauze top, the gauze was as light as smoke, the color of the long skirt showed through, it had a hazy beauty, it was indescribably precious.

Sitting at the head of the bed, he carefully wiped Zhang Jinyu's face and asked;

"I don't know where you went to drink. It's rare to see you like this. I was thinking of having a drink with you at your mansion."

I don't know whether it was a complaint or a joke, after wiping it clean, he threw the towel to Baozhu and wanted to take off the marquis's coat.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Jinyu opened his eyes, wondering what kind of wine this was. He was confused, sober, and angry. He saw Keqing beside him. Her hair was scattered on her shoulders because she was busy and had not been taken care of. She just used a wooden hairpin to tie it up. A few strands of hair fell beside her fair neck. He became even more angry.

"Thank you for your concern, Madam. I drank a few more glasses of wine and I am a little confused. It just so happens that there are some things I need to talk to you about."

Thinking of tomorrow,
The two noble ladies in the palace wanted to go to Yanchun Tower for a stroll, so they couldn't help but slap themselves in the face. Why were they so talkative? To put it nicely, it was a poetry gathering, but to put it bluntly, it was a "show-off" gathering. Each of them wrote a poem and took turns to compete with each other. It was quite conspicuous to show off in front of the two princesses and everyone else.
Especially the princes of the vassal states, the nobles of various prefectures, and the students of the academy, if things go wrong, the top three in the provincial examination will also be dragged into it. At that time, no one knows what kind of trouble someone will cause. Even if nothing happens,
A few princes of the inner vassal states and two princesses, can let them live in peace, even dogs don't believe it. Zhang Jinyu slandered a few words in his heart, and unconsciously looked at Qin Keqing. This body is getting more and more plump.
Qin Keqing smiled slightly. Although she had not been out, she had heard about many interesting things in the city. Baozhu was a girl who was not very good at talking. Although she did not know the specific things, it was interesting to listen to her gossip.

However, at the Jia family, Feng Yatou was nowhere to be seen.

"My dear, you are joking. What do you need to discuss? Is it about the Rongguo Mansion? They have been busy these days and Miss Feng has not been seen. I did not bother her. I did not go to see Miss Lin either."

Seeing that my husband was acting mysterious, I felt a little amused. It was just a matter between those people. What was there to hide?
Zhang Jinyu was also stunned. It was getting dark outside. Lanterns were already lit and hung under the eaves. The dim candlelight shone through the carved windows, illuminating the huanghuali tables and chairs inside the house. Combined with the famous calligraphy and paintings on the wall, the house had a rather elegant atmosphere.

"Madam, you are overthinking. It's not about this matter, but there is a poetry gathering in Yanchun Tower tomorrow. The Empress in the palace and His Majesty are preparing to go on a tour incognito and want to go to Yanchun Tower to watch it. They want the Empress to go with them, and they want Madam to change her clothes and disguise herself so that she can accompany them and talk."

Zhang Jinyu didn't intend to hide it. He had taken Qin Keqing to the brothel more than once. As the saying goes, the first time is strange, the second time is familiar, so it was an easy arrangement.

Before she could figure out the rest, she saw Qin Keqing blushing and replying;
"My dear, you are joking. How can a lady from the palace go to a place like that?"

"Who said it wasn't? This is not in the palace, how can you dare to say anything?"

Seeing Qin Keqing's expression of not believing it at all, Zhang Jinyu also blamed himself. He told her about the incident in the Yangxin Palace, which made Qin Keqing open her mouth slightly. It was actually her husband who caused this matter.

"My dear, you are so talkative. You can say anything else but these ridiculous things. Yanchunlou, you can also think of it. The queen really said it, and the emperor agreed."

In fact, deep down, Qin Keqing was still a little doubtful. How could she agree to such a hasty thing?

Zhang Jinyu was no longer drunk at this time, so he stood up and spoke in a serious manner;
"Madam, this is true. The poetry gathering held in Yanchun Tower was organized by the eldest princess. The princes of the capital have already entered the capital, along with the children of the noble families in the six major academies. How could it be possible that there would not be some noise? I think the emperor also has some thoughts on this."

As for watching the Oiran election, don't say that Zhang Jinyu has a high vision. Even if it is His Majesty, there are all kinds of beauties in the palace. Even the Queen is still graceful, not to mention that Concubine Zhou and Concubine Wu. There are many,

Asking me to investigate for clues of Enke's fraud is just a rumor, so I just need to listen to it. Even if there is any, it has disappeared long ago.
"In that case, I will go with you tomorrow. I miss you a little bit."

Qin Keqing nodded. She hadn't been to the palace to see the empress for some time. Although she had been there before, she always felt that the harem was a bit gloomy, so she didn't go unless she was summoned.

"Well, bring more guards tomorrow, and let Yue Shu and the others accompany you. Be careful,"

Seeing Qin Keqing agreed, Zhang Jinyu didn't say anything else. In his heart, he was still thinking about what kind of poetry meeting tomorrow would be and what he needed to pay attention to. Eunuch Dai Quan should have people from the Northern Pacification Office follow him. In fact, the capital is not afraid of things that happen in the open, but is afraid that someone will do something in secret, such as poison or place a hidden weapon. That would be troublesome.

Another reminder;
"You must be careful tomorrow. Test your food, drinks and other necessities for poison before using them."

Qin Keqing was somewhat stunned and asked stupidly;

"My dear, how do you test for poison? I don't know how to do that."

How could she know these underworld tricks? But since her husband could remind her of them, her beautiful eyes moved with a hint of ecstasy, and she became interested instead.
Seeing Qin Keqing like this, wearing a pure white robe, as the saying goes, white hides a hundred ugliness, not to mention her stunning family, when Qin Keqing asked questions, he stretched out his hand and grabbed Qin Keqing's jade arm, pulled it in, and lay down in it, with a cry of ecstasy,
Baozhu, who was tidying up the room outside, heard the noise. She blushed and lowered the curtain outside, telling the maid to leave immediately.

After he got outside and closed the door, he stood there with a red face, still thinking that the young lady had been adjusting her body for so long, and it should be about time this time.
"You guys, stay here. I'll go to the kitchen and ask them to make some ginseng soup for the Marquis and his wife."

"Yes, Miss Bao!"

(End of this chapter)