Red Mansion Huacai

Chapter 345 Punishment
Grand View Garden, Yihong Courtyard.

Sister Feng was getting older and was now resting on the couch. When Ping Er was asked, she said that Jia Lian was there just now, but now he was gone.

Sister Feng just held her belly and said angrily: "Let him be. I'm afraid your Second Master won't stop until he gets sick."

Ping'er stammered and said nothing. Just at this moment, the maid who was in charge of the garden came hurriedly from Wang's house and said in a panic, "Second Madam, just now Master Bao jumped over the wall to the Bo's Mansion, and there was a commotion in Huifang Garden for a while!"

"Ah?" Feng Jieer screamed and tried to get up, but she got up too quickly and suddenly stretched her lower back and felt a pain.

Ping Er hurriedly helped Feng Jieer and said, "Madam, please slow down." Then she looked at Lai Wang's wife and said, "How did Master Bao jump over the wall? When did he get into the garden?"

Lai Wangjia smiled bitterly and said, "No one knows when Second Master Bao entered the garden. He wanted to enter earlier but was stopped by the old woman guarding the gate. Who knew that Second Master Bao entered the garden from somewhere and climbed over the wall. Now he was caught by the people in the Bo's Mansion, and they sent someone to pass on the message, asking Second Madam to see what happens."

Feng Jieer immediately frowned and muttered, "This Baoyu is becoming more and more troublesome."

Ping'er was a thoughtful person who thought more about it. She whispered, "Grandma, it's almost night time, and Master Bao is breaking into someone else's house now... It will be embarrassing if this gets out."

Lai Wang's family also said, "Mrs. Fei from the East Corner Gate said that Master Bao was yelling and shouting just now, and he kept asking to see Madam Bo."

Feng Jieer was immediately annoyed: "What were you doing earlier? Sister Lin is already married, what's the point of him looking for her now?"

Ping Er thought that Feng Jieer was not in a good condition to work, so she said, "Madam, why don't I go for a walk?"

Sister Feng shook her head and said, "Sister Lin will surely be angry. I'm afraid it won't work if you go alone... Go to Qiu Shuang Zhai and ask the third young lady to go with you. Bring Baoyu back and ask the third young lady to tell Sister Lin she's angry." After a pause, when Ping Er was about to agree, Sister Feng said, "The old lady is about to go to bed now, so don't disturb her. We'll talk about it tomorrow morning."

Seeing that Sister Feng had no more instructions, Ping Er finally agreed. She hurried out of Yihong Courtyard and went to Qiu Shuang Zhai to find the third girl Tanchun. When she told her about Baoyu climbing over the wall and breaking into the Bo's house, Tanchun became very angry.

"What is Second Brother Bao trying to do? It's bad enough that he leaked our sisters' poems before, but now he's even climbing over the wall and barging in!"

Ping Erh whispered Sister Feng's instructions. Tan Chun thought for a moment, angrily, and then nodded: "This is the only solution for now. I'll express my anger first and then send an apology gift later."

The two of them said nothing more, and led a few stout women and maids to Huifang Garden. When they entered Huifang Garden, they were greeted by Hongyu who had heard the news.

A stranger trespassed into the back garden without permission. Not to mention Daiyu, even Hongyu was not in a good mood at this moment. She just said with a stern face: "Master Bao is now locked up in the woodshed. Please trouble Miss San and Sister Ping'er to take him back."

Tanchun and Ping'er looked at each other, Ping'er led the maid to the woodshed, and Tanchun came over and smiled apologetically, "Is Sister Lin angry?"

Hongyu knew that this matter had nothing to do with Tanchun. She sighed and whispered, "What do you think, Third Miss? Not to mention my wife, even I am annoyed right now."

Tanchun then said, "Second brother Bao was lost in discipline in his early years. Don't worry, Miss Hongyu, there won't be a next time." Tanchun thought to herself that if what Lady Jia said in the afternoon was still angry words, she would probably make up her mind after hearing about this matter, and might even send someone to send Baoyu to Jiangnan tomorrow.

Then he asked, "Where is Sister Lin? I'll go and talk to her first."

Hongyu led Tanchun to the main house in the east courtyard in front. When they entered, they saw Daiyu stroking her forehead and frowning. Tanchun came in and greeted her, then hurried over to express her displeasure, saying, "The old ancestor was angry before, saying that Madam couldn't discipline him, so he will send Brother Bao to Jiangnan tomorrow to let the master discipline him."

Daiyu was very clear about gratitude and resentment. Although she was annoyed by Baoyu's unreasonableness, she did not involve Tanchun. She said, "He is grown up now. What rules and principles does he not understand? He was cynical before. I thought he was pure at heart, but now it seems that I was wrong. He only thinks about himself and never considers others. He was like this when he was young, and he is still like this now."

Tanchun smiled bitterly and said, "What can we do? It's not the first day that Sister Lin has known about Second Brother Bao's situation."

Daiyu couldn't help but complain again: "He acts on impulse. Although he may not have any bad intentions, he always does evil things. If he is not severely punished this time, I am afraid it will be even more difficult to control him in the future!"

"There won't be a next time." Tanchun promised.

Daiyu looked at Tanchun, who was younger than herself, and could not help pulling Tanchun's hand and said, "Forget it. I'll go talk to my grandmother about these complaints someday. Why bother with you? It's getting late, Third Sister, go back and put things away."

Only then did Tanchun stand up and say goodbye.

Ping'er had already taken Baoyu back, so Tanchun led two maids and carried lanterns back to the Grand View Garden. Unexpectedly, just as she returned to Qiu Shuang Zhai, Aunt Zhao came looking for her.

Tanchun had a headache for a while, and she endured the discomfort and asked, "Aunt, why did you come to see me again so late at night?"

Aunt Zhao frowned and said, "You crawled out of my intestines, so why can't I come and see you?"

Tanchun sat down by herself, picked up the teacup and took two sips, then glanced at Aunt Zhao and said, "It's late. I've been tired all day and I'm just about to get some rest. Aunt, if you have anything to say, you'd better say it as soon as possible."

Aunt Zhao couldn't hold back any longer, so she drove away the maidservant in Qiu Shuang Zhai and came over to whisper, "I just heard... Baoyu climbed over the wall into Hui Fang Garden? Could he be going to look for Miss Lin?"

Tanchun raised her eyebrows and said, "Shut up, Aunt! Sister Lin is now a superior baron's wife, and it is not for Aunt to comment casually. If these words really spread out and really anger Fourth Brother Jian, I am afraid that even the old lady will not be able to protect you."

Aunt Zhao immediately looked embarrassed and muttered, "I was just asking, I didn't spread the word..." After a pause, she continued, "The Madam is now confined in the courtyard, and the old lady doesn't like Baoyu now... Is what the old lady said in the afternoon true?"

Tanchun was too lazy to argue with Aunt Zhao, and said, "What if it's approved? What if it's not approved? Aunt Zhao, do you think I can make the decision on this matter? Not to mention me, I'm afraid Sister Feng can't make the decision either. Everything depends on the old ancestor."

Aunt Zhao thought about it and said, "That's right... I was just thinking, it would be great if it is true."

Tanchun knew what Aunt Zhao was thinking, and couldn't help but sneer, "Aunt, do you think that after Brother Bao is gone, the old lady will look up to Huan? Just based on his useless appearance, the old lady doesn't like him! Besides, Aunt, don't forget that there is still Brother Lan, he is the legitimate great-grandson!"

Aunt Zhao was disappointed and frowned, "When will this day end?"

Tanchun could not help but persuade her, "If you really want the old lady to look up to Huan'er in the future, you might as well urge Huan'er to study hard. If he achieves fame in the future, the whole family will naturally look up to you and Huan'er."

Aunt Zhao immediately refuted: "Fame? Do people like us need fame? How much salary does a seventh-rank county magistrate get in a year?"

Tanchun said, "If you want to be respected, you must first be self-reliant. Whether it's supporting your family or studying for a good degree, you must have a foundation for survival. Otherwise, you will be like a leech that only knows how to suck blood. Who would really respect you?"

There was no point in talking to someone who didn't agree with her. Aunt Zhao felt that what Tanchun said was too biased, so she argued with her for a few words, then turned around and left in a huff.

Because of Baoyu's incident, Sister Feng did not go to bed until nightfall. When the watch was about to start, the maid came to report that Master Jian had returned the horses and was returning home with a dozen guards.

Feng Jieer didn't know what Li Weijian had done. She only discussed the gift list with Ping'er and planned to send Tanchun again tomorrow to offer apology so as to at least expose the stupid thing Baoyu had done.

However, Li Weijian returned home feeling refreshed. Just after passing through the ceremonial gate, he ran into Hongyu who seemed to be hesitant to speak.

Li Weijian observed his expression and asked hurriedly, "What happened?"

"Fourth Master, something happened just now." Hongyu muttered, briefly describing how Baoyu had just barged into Huifang Garden, and then said angrily, "Thanks to Madam Xu, who was in charge of the cleaning, for her quick response and Xiuying being nearby, we didn't let Second Master Bao make a scene."

Li Weijian asked about the situation in detail, and Hongyu quickly said, "Don't worry, Fourth Master. Madam has just given an order, but if anyone talks too much, just beat them out of the house with sticks!"

Since it was about his reputation, Li Weijian felt relieved and nodded, "I know. Sister, you are angry right now, right?"

"Isn't it? Fourth Master, go and persuade them."

Li Weijian went straight to the east courtyard and entered the main room, where he saw Baoqin persuading Daiyu. Seeing Li Weijian coming, Baoqin stood up and greeted him, but she knew it would be bad for her to be there, so she hurriedly took her leave.

Li Weijian washed his hands, went to the couch, took Daiyu's hand, and said gently: "Sister, don't worry too much... Only Baoyu can do such a thing."

Daiyu smiled bitterly and said, "If it was two or three years ago, it would be fine. At that time, we were all young and just thought it was childish. But now is different from the past, and he seems to be the same as he was a few years ago."

Li Weijian laughed and said, "After this incident, I'm afraid the old lady will never dare to indulge Baoyu again. His personality reminds me of the village guard."

"Village guard?"

Li Weijian said, "Everyone else is growing up, but he is still a child. Who knows, decades later when we are in our seventies or eighties, he will still be this naughty boy. It will be rare to meet him then."

Daiyu was annoyed for a while, but now she has come to her senses. My cousin has been like this since he was a child, what else can I do? Suddenly I remembered that Li Weijian was going to smash the Wenmo Bookstore, so I asked, "Did Fourth Brother really smash the bookstore?" Li Weijian smiled and said, "A man of honor can't take back his words, so of course he smashed it."

"So the bookstore is just going to watch Fourth Brother destroy it?"

Li Weijian said, "Except for the two lackeys of the Zhongshun Palace, who else dares to stop us?" He paused and said, "Who knows, in a few days, my first-class earl will be demoted to a second-class earl."

Daiyu said, "Fourth brother is a big man now, so it might be a good thing if his title is lowered."

Seeing that Li Weijian had a plan in mind, Daiyu stopped asking about the outside affairs and turned to talk about the previous arrangement. When he heard that several maids were arranged to patrol back and forth every day, Li Weijian immediately became distressed. He would always take one day every ten days to visit his second sister Yingchun in the Grand View Garden. Now that there are more people patrolling in Huifang Garden, it will be inconvenient in the future.

But it is not easy to tell Daiyu about this matter, Li Weijian thought to himself, and decided to think of other ways later.

The next day, the young couple got up early in the morning and had just finished breakfast. Li Weijian was about to go to the government office when Tanchun, Xichun, Ping'er and Yuanyang came together.

Qianxue led the other girls in, and when they saw Daiyu and Li Weijian, Tanchun said, "Brother Jian, Sister Lin, I am here to complain again."

Before Li Weijian could speak, Daiyu said angrily, "Didn't we talk about this yesterday? Why are you here again? Do you really think I'm petty?"

Yuanyang exchanged glances with Li Weijian, suppressed her shyness, and said, "Madam, you don't know. The old lady learned about this this morning and was so angry that she smashed the cup. She quickly sent a maid to take care of Master Bao and said that she would send him to Jiangnan on a chosen day.

The old lady felt sorry for Madam, so she asked the second wife to select some gifts to apologize. "It's all Rongguo Mansion's fault. There won't be a next time. Madam, don't be estranged from the old lady in the future."

Daiyu said, "The old lady is my grandmother, so we can never be strangers to each other."

Ping Erh smiled and said, "Madam, you may take a look at the apology. I'm sure you will like it."

The apology gift sent by Rongguo Mansion this time was indeed thoughtful, including eight pieces of Shu brocade, eight pieces of soft smoke silk, a Xuande furnace, and a set of emerald jewelry.

The first two are fine, but the Xuande stove and the jewelry that are obviously from the early Ming Dynasty are definitely not something that a nouveau riche like Li Weijian could keep. Although Daiyu has been living a life of luxury since she was a child, she is not as extravagant as the Rongguo Mansion. The Shu brocade, soft smoke silk and Xuande stove are fine, but the emerald jewelry is what Daiyu really likes.

At this time, Tanchun added: "It is also because of the national mourning and family mourning, otherwise our grandmother would have arranged a banquet to apologize for the crime."

Daiyu was angry, but seeing Rongguofu's sincerity, she glanced at Li Weijian and asked. Li Weijian smiled and said, "It's just a small misunderstanding, it's over. I dare not refuse the elder's gift, but it's not good to take advantage of the old lady. Sister?"

Li Weijian looked at Daiyu, and Daiyu thought for a moment and said, "We just bought some surplus tributes a few days ago. Please pick a few and take them back with you, Third Sister."

Tanchun wanted to decline, but Daiyu refused and told Zijuan to get it. Soon, she brought back dendrobium, eight delicacies, cordyceps and Jinhua ham.

The eight delicacies and ham were not rare, but the dendrobium and cordyceps were in great demand. Tanchun's housekeeper knew the accounts and made a rough calculation. The return gift was not much different from the apology.

At that moment, she could not refuse, so she had to order the maid to take it back to Rongguo Mansion. Everyone went to Rongqing Hall to report, and after Jia Mu asked carefully, Tanchun said: "With the old lady here, Sister Lin will not break up with our family even if she is angry."

Grandmother Jia sighed and lamented repeatedly.

Ping Er smiled and said, "Look at this return gift, old lady. It's not much different from an apology. It shows that the wife of the Bo family is now very considerate."

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "Yu'er has lived in our house since she was a child, and she has never had a say in anything, but I knew she was a successful person. Now that she has become the head of the family, isn't that all that matters?"

Yuanyang also said, "I never thought that the wife of the Bofu would be so thoughtful. I have just taken a closer look and everyone is impressed. The old lady can rest assured in the future."

Grandmother Jia smiled and said, "Yu'er is much younger than her. Now that she has just married, it is Jian'er who respects her, so the servants dare not get angry. I was thinking of sending a few good maids to help Yu'er, but now that I hear what you say, there is no need to be too anxious."

The atmosphere in Rongqing Hall became more relaxed, and no one mentioned Baoyu in a rude way. After talking for a long while, Jia's mother finally said, "Third girl, I will order all the servants around Baoyu to be beaten with twenty boards later. Those who instigated Baoyu to skip school and make trouble will be expelled from the mansion immediately; the maids in Baoyu's room will all be fined and have two months' salary confiscated!"

Tanchun agreed solemnly, knowing that the old lady had reached the end of her patience with Baoyu.

............................................................

There were three types of court meetings in the Dashun period. One was the grand court meeting, which was held no more than three times a year; one was the regular court meeting, which was held on the fifth day of every month; and the other was the imperial court meeting, which was also called the imperial court meeting because it was held in the Huangji Hall.

On that day, Emperor Zhenghe was holding court in the Imperial Palace, discussing the resignation of the governor of Guangxi. The Minister of Personnel recommended several people, but none of them suited the emperor's wishes, so the matter was postponed for further discussion. After that, another minister reported on the implementation of the new policy in various places. The new and old parties criticized each other for a while, but were forcibly suppressed by Emperor Zhenghe.

Suddenly, an imperial censor came forward and said, "I, Zhou Yixiong of the Censorate, impeach Jingling Earl Li Weijian for committing a crime in the street. He smashed the Wenmo Bookstore in the east of the city last night and injured two managers!"

Emperor Zhenghe on the throne blinked, and it took him a long time to realize that he was talking about Li Fusheng... Then he thought, although Li Weijian is young, he has learned to be as slick as Yan Xiyao and never causes trouble. Why would he smash someone else's bookstore?
After a brief thought, Emperor Zhenghe said, "Let the Censorate investigate this matter in detail and make a decision after the investigation is completed and the report is submitted."

Dai Quan, holding a Buddhist whisk in his hand, asked again whether there was any memorial to be submitted. Seeing that no more ministers came out, Emperor Zhenghe stood up puzzled and went to the Qianqing Palace at the back.

When they arrived at the West Warm Pavilion, Emperor Zhenghe immediately called Dai Quan over and ordered, "Go to the Ministry of Punishment and investigate. Find out why Li Weijian destroyed the bookstore."

Dai Quan took the order and left. After half an hour, he hurried back. When the Saint came up to him, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He suppressed his weird expression and said, "Your Majesty, I have found out. Wenmo Bookstore is the property of the Prince of Zhongshun. I heard that the Prince got some poems from the boudoirs of the Rongguo Mansion from somewhere. Among them were several poems from the boudoir of the Lady of Jingling. The Prince deliberately teased the Rongguo Mansion and spread the word that he intended to print them... Lord Li was furious and immediately led his family guards to smash Wenmo Bookstore overnight."

Emperor Zhenghe thought about it and thought, no wonder Li Weijian was so angry, it turned out that he had offended his wife. The saint remembered clearly that in order to marry the girl of the Lin family, Li Weijian had been lingering in Jiangnan for a long time under the pretext of going to the south for work. Not only did he ask for Lin Ruhai's will, but he also hurriedly married the girl into the family last month before she reached the age of marriage.

It seems that Li Weijian is very proud of the girl from the Lin family. It is no wonder that Li Weijian got angry when the Prince Zhongshun dared to provoke the girl from the Lin family.

This is the matter...it seems like both parties are wrong.

He also thought that when Li Fusheng entered the palace to make a report yesterday, he was quite reluctant to accept the task. Could it be that he was looking for an excuse to get himself out this time?

Thinking of this, Emperor Zhenghe suddenly became angry and frowned, saying: "Zhongshun Prince has a bad moral character, so he should be punished to reflect on his mistakes for half a year; Jingling Earl Li Weijian knew the law but broke it, so he should be fined three years' salary!"

Dai Quan hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, you just ordered the Censorate to investigate..."

Emperor Zhenghe said, "If we don't punish him before the Censorate turns a minor matter into a major one, do we really want to put Li Weijian aside?"

The saint is now angry and wants to quit? No way! After all, Li Weijian is not short of money, so he can just fine him and let him continue to do his job.

At this moment, Li Weijian had just arrived at the government office and called Xue Ke to ask about the chemical plant. Li Weijian could not leave Beijing for a while, so the matter of setting up the chemical plant could only be handed over to Xue Ke.

Xue Ke knew that Li Weijian was most concerned about the chemical plant, so he gave him some test data. After he finished reading out the answer, Li Weijian asked in surprise, "Has Wendou been to my old house recently?"

Xue Ke hesitated and said, "My Lord, you don't know that your old house is next to the Xue family's main house. I really don't want to be involved with the Xue family's main house anymore, so I haven't been there recently."

Since being tricked, Xue Ke has been avoiding Xia Jingui. On one side is his unmarried brother-in-law, and on the other is his newly married sister-in-law. If something really went wrong, who would believe that it was the sister-in-law who took the initiative?

I thought Li Weijian would scold me, but he nodded and said, "That's fine. We are afraid of accidents in sulfuric acid production. We can find a craftsman to do the work, and you just need to take the responsibility." He paused and said, "The emperor intends to tour the north and has given me more tasks. It may be difficult to travel to Leting. Wendou must go to Leting to set up a factory in the future."

Xue Ke hurriedly bowed and said, "I will do my best in this matter."

Li Weijian was still worried and warned: "Other things are fine, but safety comes first. When recruiting craftsmen, you might as well set the compensation higher just in case."

You must be kidding. If sulfuric acid is produced at this time, even if there is no accident, the sporadic leakage of toxic gas can kill people. Li Weijian still has some conscience, so he simply set the compensation higher to avoid trouble later.

The two discussed the matter, but Xue Ke did not leave. He thought, "Since Lord Bo has been promoted to assistant minister, I am afraid he will have to accompany the emperor to Yuchun Garden tomorrow."

Li Weijian blinked and said in annoyance, "Yes, I almost forgot about it."

The Imperial Spring Garden was in Haidian, and the emperor would always go to the Imperial Spring Garden to escape the heat in midsummer. If Li Weijian was just a doctor in the Military Academy, he could stay in the capital and handle the affairs of the imperial court. But now he was an assistant minister, so he had to go to the Imperial Spring Garden with the emperor.

This Yuchun Garden was built with rows of houses for court officials to live in. If only Li Weijian lived there, it would be fine, but wouldn't Daiyu and others be there? It's impossible to ride a horse back and forth for dozens of miles every day, right?
Li Weijian immediately called Ding Rusong over and ordered him, "Go to Haidian and look for any gardens for sale. They should be within five miles of Yuchun Garden."

(End of this chapter)