The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 413 Moving to the Capital
After walking out of the gate of Xue Mansion, Zhou Hua's face instantly darkened. A confidant who came with him couldn't help but ask: "Brother Zhou, the Xue family is nothing special. Now that old man Wang Ziteng has resigned and is staying at home, why are you still afraid of him?"

Zhou Hua curled his lips and said, "Why should I be afraid of that hairy Prince Teng? Even Prince Yi Zhong has fallen, so what is Prince Teng? If I were afraid of him, I wouldn't have dealt with Xue Pan in the first place."

"Then why did Brother Zhou retreat just now?"

Zhou Hua said coldly: "What do you know? You can choose not to give face to Wang Ziteng, but you still have to give face to Jia Huan. Xue Baochai and Jia Huan seem to have an unusual relationship. Maybe they are secretly having an affair."

The confidant said depressedly, "I just don't understand. Jia Huan is just a bastard of Rongguo Mansion. Even if he passed the imperial examination, he has no power now. Why is the governor so afraid of that kid? Not only did he release Xue Pan, he also returned the 80,000 taels of silver to the Xue family. It made our brothers work in vain and get nothing in the end."

Zhou Hua was also very depressed about this matter. He snorted, "Don't mention it. It's not like I didn't get anything. I still have to personally lead people to return the silver to the Xue family and apologize shamelessly. There's nothing I can do. Jia Huan has a close relationship with Boss Yi. Moreover, Jia Huan is indeed very promising. He has passed the imperial examination at this age. If things go well, he may even be appointed as a prime minister in the future. It's normal for Boss Yi to win him over."

"But this time, Boss Yi wants to take advantage of the opportunity to take down Wang Ziteng. Is he just going to let Wang Ren get away?"

Zhou Hua sneered, "If the monk can escape, can the temple also escape? We will catch that guy sooner or later. Besides, the Wang family's ancestral tomb is there. The evidence is irrefutable. This time, Wang Ziteng will be skinned alive if he doesn't die. So even if Wang Ren cannot be caught for the time being, it's no big deal. There's no need to offend Jia Huan for this."

…………

The ice cellar was really cold. After Wang Ren came out, he was still shivering from the cold. He drank a cup of hot wine and slowly recovered. He asked with a look of having survived a disaster, "Aunt, did the Jinyiwei escape?"

Aunt Xue nodded and said, "They all left, and the leader was still that damned Zhou Hua. It's a good thing that Bao refused sternly, otherwise they would have searched the house. If they had found you, I don't know what to do."

Hearing the name Zhou Hua, Xue Pan gritted his teeth and asked in confusion, "How strange! The other party is so easy to talk to this time? Is there a trick?"

Wang Ren became nervous again when he heard this, and said in fear: "Those Jinyiwei are probably still lying in ambush outside. As soon as I leave the house, I will be killed by them. Aunt, you have to find a way to save your nephew."

Xue Pan gloated: "It's all your own fault, you deserve it!"

At this time, Wang Ren didn't care about bickering with Xue Pan anymore, and begged, "Aunt, you must help me. You know how cruel the Jinyiwei are. Once I fall into their hands, I will be skinned alive if I don't die. I don't want to become like my cousin Pan."

Xue Pan said angrily, "You are talking about something else, right?"

Aunt Xue said in embarrassment: "Ren'er, I have no power or influence, how can I help you?"

"Aunt, you just need to find a way to help me leave Jinling. When I return to the capital, my second uncle will protect me."

Xue Pan curled his lips and said, "My second uncle has resigned from his post and can barely protect himself, so how can he protect you?"

Wang Ren said disdainfully, "You know nothing. Although my second uncle is idle at home, he is still alive and well. Who dares to look down on him? Besides, the connections that my uncle has built up over the years are still there. There is also the retired emperor above him. At the very least, there is the Jia family and the Concubine Jia."

Xue Pan remained silent upon hearing this, as if it was indeed the case. The four families of Jia, Shi, Wang and Xue were intermarried and supported each other. They had deep roots and lush leaves, and they could not be overthrown just like that.

"My child, what do you think?" Aunt Xue took Baochai's hand and asked for her opinion.

Xue Baochai pondered and said, "It's not difficult to arrange for Cousin Ren to leave Jinling, but now the situation is tense. Why don't you stay in the mansion for a few days? When everything is ready, we will send you out of the city. Since the Jinyiwei came once, they should not come again. Cousin Ren can stay here with peace of mind."

Wang Ren was overjoyed and said, "Everyone says that Sister Baochai is smart and generous, and she handles things steadily and thoughtfully. Now I have seen it. Whoever marries you in the future will be very blessed."

Xue Baochai was a little shy, and Aunt Xue hurriedly said, "Brother Ren, go back to your room and rest first. We have been busy for most of the night and everyone must be tired."

Wang Ren was very worried and exhausted today, so he took his leave and went back to his room to sleep.

"This unlucky guy almost got me into trouble today." Xue Pan yawned and said, "Mother, I'm going back to sleep too. I'm so sleepy!"

After Xue Pan left, Aunt Xue hurriedly took Baochai's hand and whispered, "Bao girl, do you have any good ideas?"

Xue Baochai said worriedly: "There is a way, but the monk can escape but the temple cannot. Even if Master Ren escapes back to the capital, he will not be able to escape in the end. My uncle is now in a dangerous vortex, and someone has caught him. I'm afraid..."

Aunt Xue said bleakly, "If that's the case, the Wang family is finished. Well, forget it. We can't help with the affairs of the court. We can only think of a way to send Ren away. That's the best we can do. Bao girl, mother has an immature idea. Do you think this is feasible?" Xue Baochai said hurriedly, "You tell me, mother."

Aunt Xue sighed and said, "Business is getting harder and harder these days. Unfortunately, your brother is not very motivated and can't help. And you are getting older day by day. You can't stay with mother forever and never get married..."

Xue Baochai's face flushed slightly, and she said angrily, "Mother is confused again. We are just discussing how to help Master Ren escape, why are you talking about your daughter again?"

Aunt Xue shook her head and said, "Don't interrupt me. Just listen to me first. I have my reasons. I am just making long-term plans."

Xue Baochai fell silent when she heard this, only to hear Aunt Xue continue, "If your second uncle falls this time, the Wang family will definitely be finished, and we will also lose a supporter. The only ones left to rely on are the Jia family and your aunt.

So, I think we should just close all the businesses in the south and move our family to the capital, and focus on the business in the north. First, we don’t have to worry about both sides. Second, we can rely on the Jia family, so we don’t have to worry about being bullied by others. Third... by being with the sisters of the Jia family, you, Bao girl, will have a companion. "

Xue Baochai was slightly shocked and thought, if she moved to the capital, wouldn't she be able to see him again...

For a moment, Xue Baochai's heart couldn't help but beat anxiously, with mixed feelings of worry and joy.

Aunt Xue secretly glanced at her daughter's reaction and added, "Besides, there are many famous doctors in the capital. If your brother's illness can be cured by a famous doctor, mother will be able to die with peace of mind."

Xue Baochai hurriedly said, "Mother, please don't say such unlucky words. Brother's illness can definitely be cured."

Aunt Xue smiled and said, "So you agree?"

Xue Baochai lowered her head and said, "As long as mother and brother have made the decision, I naturally have no objection."

Aunt Xue hugged Baochai and said, "My child, you have been well-behaved and obedient since you were a child, and you have never disobeyed your mother. So I know you will definitely not object."

Xue Baochai smiled and said, "If for no other reason than to cure my brother's illness, I would not object. Moreover, this is a good way to kill two birds with one stone."

"By the way, your sister Qin is betrothed to the son of the Mei Hanlin family. After the three years of mourning, you still have to send her to Beijing to get married. Now you might as well take her and your brother Ke to settle down in Beijing together, so that you don't have to run back and forth and be unable to take care of everything!"

Xue Baochai nodded and said, "Mother is very thoughtful. Sister Qin often says that she has been to most places in the country, but she has never been to the capital of our Great Jin. Now it just happens that her wish has come true. I will tell her tomorrow. I guarantee that she will be very happy."

Aunt Xue said, "That's even better. Let's get everything ready tomorrow and have Ren Ge disguise himself and join our team to go to the capital together. This way, he can avoid the eyes and ears of the Jinyiwei."

Xue Baochai smiled and said, "Mother is truly a female Zhuge Liang, but our family's property in the south cannot be established overnight. It will take at least several months to complete it."

"That's easy. Let your brother Tad stay and deal with it before going to Beijing. You are capable of handling this matter. By the way, I heard that Huan'er sold all the properties under the name of the Lin family and bought farms in Suzhou with the cash. In the future, Yu'er will have no worries about food and clothing just by collecting rent.

"I think this is a good idea. We just need to rent the land to tenants to cultivate it, and collect the rent when the harvest comes. It's not like doing business, which involves many troubles. We just need to arrange a reliable farm owner to be responsible for collecting the rent. Otherwise, we can use the money we earn from the business in the south to buy farms and collect rent. Do you think this is feasible?"

Xue Baochai groaned and said, "It is feasible, but we won't make much money just by collecting rent from the land."

Aunt Xue smiled and said, "It's useless to have so much money. It's enough to cover the family's expenses. Besides, don't we have business in the north?"

Xue Baochai said lightly, "In that case, then it's all up to you, mother. However, for such an important matter, mother should discuss it with brother."

Aunt Xue said with a laugh, "Your brother is eager to close all his businesses so that he can enjoy a leisurely life. And you can see that he doesn't even dare to go out on the street now, for fear that his former friends will laugh at him. It would be better for him to change his environment."

Xue Baochai nodded when she heard this: "It's not a good idea for my brother to stay at home all day. I'm really worried that he might get sick. It would be good to change his environment."

So, the mother and daughter formally agreed to close all the businesses in Jinling and move the family to Beijing.

PS: Well, Bao-jie and Qin-jie are also going to Beijing, and the colorful life in the Grand View Garden is about to begin. This is also the most exciting part of the original Dream of Red Mansions. The beautiful Twelve Beauties of Jinling gather together to form a poetry club to chant crabapple, chrysanthemum and crab poems, pick red plums at Longcui Temple, Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden, Daiyu burying flowers, Xiangyun sleeping drunk on a flower pillow and other classic scenes will be presented one by one. The author's writing skills are limited, so I can only say that I will try my best to write out some flavor.

(End of this chapter)