Red Mansion Huacai

Chapter 354 Drawing fire from the bottom of the cauldron
In the carriage, Li Weijian couldn't help but frown after hearing what Ping'er said, "Ordinarily, this matter should be kept secret, how did the second sister-in-law know about it?"

Ping Erh said, "What else can I do? There are people gossiping at the second gate. Even if I don't say anything, Madam will know about it later."

Li Weijian thought to himself that after the Jia family was rectified, the people were much stronger than before, and they would not gossip like this at the second gate. Now thinking about it, why did all these things seem to be intentional?

Who was the driving force behind this? First, let's rule out Jia Lian. This young man was used to flattering people. Although he asked the servants who served You Erjie to call her "Second Madam", he had no intention of taking You Erjie back to Rongguo Mansion.

Without Jia Lian, it is easy to infer who gave birth to the child. Don't forget that Youshi now lives in the small courtyard where Fengjie used to live. It is possible that this is a collaboration between inside and outside. You Erjie is determined to get into the Grand View Garden, and wants to outlive Fengjie and become the second wife. Youshi is living under someone else's roof, so she is naturally happy to see this happen.

The second sister became the second wife, and she, the eldest wife from another mansion, also felt confident in the Rongguo Mansion.

After careful consideration, Li Weijian said, "Don't worry about what my second sister-in-law told me. She's angry now. I'll go and persuade her later."

Ping Er agreed and said, "Other things are fine, but Madam is already in her advanced stage of pregnancy, and it would be bad if she got upset again."

Li Weijian looked at Ping'er and saw that she was indeed frowning with concern, so he said, "Miss Ping is thinking of having the best of both worlds."

Ping Er was slightly startled, then said in shock, "What are you talking about, Fourth Master Jian?"

Li Weijian smiled and said, "I was not wrong. Miss Ping has always been kind. She wanted to maintain the master-servant relationship with her second sister-in-law, but she also didn't want to harm You Erjie... Am I right?"

Ping'er lowered her head and bit her lip, saying, "No matter what, You Erjie is also a girl from a good family. No matter how many mistakes she made, they are all Erye's fault. You can't really let Madam harm her."

Li Weijian sighed, thinking that Ping'er was good, but she was a bit too kind. So he thought, "Have you ever thought that most of the people in Rongguo Mansion have been replaced by the second sister-in-law? How come such words are still heard from the second gate?"

"Ah?" Ping'er was kindhearted but also intelligent. She bit her lower lip and frowned as she pondered for a moment. Suddenly, she raised her eyes and said in realization, "Master Jian is saying... someone deliberately spread this story?"

Li Weijian smiled and said, "If the sisters of the You family had intended to conceal the truth, how could they have let this matter spread? I think that the second sister You clearly wanted to take over the Rongguo Mansion. This is called "people do not hurt the tiger's heart, but the tiger has the intention to hurt people". No matter how kind Miss Ping is, she must distinguish right from wrong. Think about it again, why did this matter spread when the second brother Lian was out?"

"This……"

What else can be done? Wang Xifeng has a small temper, and now that she is pregnant, if she can kill two people in anger, wouldn't that be exactly what the sisters of You want? By then, if the cuckoo takes over the magpie's nest and there is a boy or a girl left, maybe she can get an imperial decree in a few years.

Ping'er's face suddenly changed: "I never thought they would have such vicious thoughts!" She gritted her teeth, and the guilt in her heart immediately disappeared. Ping'er said anxiously: "Then Fourth Master Jian must persuade Madam, otherwise something bad will happen to her--"

Li Weijian nodded and said, "The only solution now is to remove the firewood from under the cauldron."

"Pull the fire under the cauldron?"

Li Weijian said, "I have a garden in Xiangshan. Instead of letting my second sister-in-law sulk at home, it is better to move her to the garden to wait for the birth. The excuse is ready. The heat at home is unbearable and not conducive to childbirth. I will persuade my second sister-in-law. Miss Ping, why don't you talk to the old lady when you have time?"

"Okay." Ping'er nodded in agreement.

The two looked at each other, and the matter was settled. The carriage was cramped, and the two were already very close to each other. In addition, it was extremely hot and stuffy, so the carriage was filled with the smell of Ping'er's powder. Li Weijian couldn't help but sniff it and asked tentatively, "Olay?"

Ping'er immediately lowered her head and blushed, whispering, "It's hot, and it's hard to take care of your hair, so I used hair oil."

Ten slender white fingers twisted the handkerchief, her heart was beating fast, and Ping'er became more and more uneasy. Li Weijian was somewhat tempted, but knew that this was not the right time, so he stood up and said, "Then Miss Ping, why don't you wait a little longer? I have to wait a while before I can leave the court."

Ping Er hurriedly said, "Master Jian, please go as soon as possible. I, I will wait here."

Li Weijian said no more, nodded slightly, lifted the curtain and got off the carriage. Ping'er sat alone in the carriage, lifted the curtain and watched Li Weijian go away, and only lowered the curtain when his figure disappeared.

The beating of her heart calmed down a little, but Ping'er began to think wildly. It is said that a girl's feelings are always poetic. Ping'er and Fengjie'er are about the same age, only about twenty-two or twenty-three. When she was sixteen or seventeen, she entered the Rongguo Mansion with Fengjie'er, and only became a maid when Fengjie was pregnant with her eldest daughter.

Ask yourself, does Ping'er have feelings for Jia Lian? Maybe she does, but it is not as good as the relationship between her and Feng Jie, which is not like sisters but better than sisters. So whenever something happens, Ping'er always thinks of Feng Jie first.

But when facing Li Weijian, Ping'er had another thought in mind. It goes without saying how outstanding the Fourth Master Jian was. Since Sister Feng had revealed his secrets, Ping'er's heartstrings had also been disturbed.

Everyone knew that Mr. Lian was a man who loved the new and disliked the old, and was not a good match. If Feng Jieer had not caused trouble, Ping'er would have been happy to live a muddled life. But she had to cause trouble, and Ping'er could not help but have other thoughts in her mind.

Thinking of Li Weijian's intimidating look just now, Ping'er felt a little secretly happy. She was just a maid, but even a figure like the Fourth Master Jian had to look at her differently.

As I was thinking randomly, cicadas were chirping outside and in the scorching heat, only a light breeze blew from time to time.

At about 3 p.m., a carriage stopped at the entrance of the alley. Ding Rusong came over to inform them, and the driver said to Ping'er, "Auntie Ping, Master Li wants us to follow."

"Follow me." Ping'er said.

The coachman shouted twice, and the carriage rumbled forward, out of the alley, and followed behind the carriage of the Bo's Mansion, all the way to the Rongguo Mansion.

It took about two quarters of an hour to get from East City to West City and they arrived at Ningrong Street. The two carriages split into two. Ping'er naturally went back to Rongguo Mansion first, while Li Weijian went back to his own home.

But Li Weijian got off the car near the left side of the Yimen Gate and strode into the inner room. A moment later, Hongyu and Baoqin came hurriedly to meet him.

The two girls exchanged greetings in surprise, and Baoqin asked, "Why is Fourth Brother back? Are you not going to Haidian today?"

Li Weijian nodded and said with a smile, "I am a little worried about leaving you guys alone at home. My sister said yesterday that we might as well go to Haidian to escape the summer heat. It's better than being bored at home."

Hongyu smiled and said, "Then you might as well let Miss Qin go. There are so many things going on at home, I can't leave for a moment."

As they were talking, Fu Qiufang quickly chased after them from behind. When he got close, he bowed and said with a smile, "Master, why didn't you send someone to tell us you were coming back?"

Li Weijian looked back and saw that Fu Qiufang had become much plumper after the confinement period. Because of what Li Weijian had said before, he had been feeding Fu Qiufang himself during the confinement period, and only after the confinement period was he determined to hand her over to the wet nurse.

Li Weijian smiled and asked, "How is the elder sister?"

Fu Qiufang immediately frowned and said, "They say children cannot stand the wind, but it's not good to keep them stuffy all the time. My eldest sister cried for a long time yesterday, and I looked carefully and found that she had prickly heat."

Li Weijian frowned and said, "In fact, it's better not to listen to some old sayings. They really don't make sense."

Fu Qiufang responded with a smile but said nothing else.

The woman had her own ideas in mind, and she would not listen even if Li Weijian told her. So Li Weijian said nothing more, and just said, "I'll go see my elder sister later."

As they were talking, everyone entered the main room of the east courtyard. Baoqin asked the maid to fetch some fresh water, and Hongyu found some dry clothes for Li Weijian.

After changing his clothes, Li Weijian said, "I have sent someone to Haidian to inform them that I will not leave today. Oh, I will go to Rongguo Mansion first, and we can talk about it when I come back."

Baoqin asked in surprise, "Fourth brother, has something happened in Rongguo Mansion again?"

Li Weijian said: "You must have heard the rumors outside."

Fu Qiufang said, "Is it about Master Lian? Although Master Lian was wrong, it was not because Second Madam was too powerful. Master Lian would not have acted like this."

Baoqin said, "If the second sister-in-law could change her temper, she would have done it long ago. Just wait and see, there will be some fun in the future."

Hongyu and Fengjie had a good personal relationship, so she frowned and said, "This matter has to come up. I don't think the You family has any good intentions."

Li Weijian said nothing. He stood up and walked to the door before he remembered that it was not appropriate to go to Yihong Courtyard alone. He paused for a moment and pointed to Hongyu, saying, "Hongyu, come with me."

Hongyu agreed, and Baoqin immediately pouted and said, "Why didn't Fourth Brother call me?"

Li Weijian said, "Miss Ping asked me to come to your house to comfort Sister Feng, it's not appropriate for you to go."

Baoqin was puzzled. In terms of personal relationship, Fu Qiufang and Feng Jieer were better, so why did she choose Hongyu instead of Fu Qiufang? Baoqin was smart. Although she was puzzled, she did not ask.

Li Weijian and Hongyu passed through Huifang Garden and entered the Grand View Garden from the East Corner Gate. When they passed the Jade Emperor Temple, Hongyu whispered, "Fourth Master, you don't have to be sneaky in the future. I have already told everyone in Huifang Garden."

Li Weijian was immediately delighted, and couldn't help but scratch Hongyu's palm: "Luckily you are here." Then he sighed: "My second sister and I met by chance, and now I can't just let go, otherwise I will really hurt her."

Hongyu said, "Everyone knows that the Fourth Master is a loyal person. Even the Madam knows this to some extent, but didn't she go to the Fourth Master to complain afterwards?"

Li Weijian grinned. Daiyu didn't say anything, but she couldn't help but stop.

After a while, they crossed the Baishi Bridge and saw Yihong Courtyard. When they entered the courtyard, they heard Sister Feng angrily saying, "It's just a small matter, how come you can't find it? You can't find someone with a name and surname! You can't even handle such a small matter!"

Li Weijian and Hongyu exchanged a glance, and Hongyu called out, "Is Aunt Ping here? I'm here to play with you."

The scolding voice of Sister Feng inside was choked, and in the next moment Ping'er, with red eyes, lifted the curtain and came out. She caught a glimpse of Li Weijian and Hongyu, then her face lit up with joy, and turned around and said inside, "Madam, Fourth Master Jian and Miss Hongyu are here." There was no response from inside, and Ping'er opened the curtain and invited Li Weijian and Hongyu in.

After passing the porch and turning to the main hall, he saw Sister Feng leaning on the soft couch in the west room, her face pale and cold. When she saw Li Weijian, she rolled her eyes at him.

Li Weijian said awkwardly, "Why is Second Sister-in-law so angry for no reason? Did someone provoke Second Sister-in-law?"

Wang Xifeng snorted coldly and simply turned her head away.

Ping'er waved to the maids, and they hurriedly retreated. Ping'er pulled Hongyu and said, "I feel something is wrong with the new silk cord. Hongyu, come and help me take a look."

"Okay."

Hongyu agreed and went to the western corner with Ping'er.

Only Li Weijian and the angry Wang Xifeng were left inside. Li Weijian turned his head to look around, and saw that the window screen blocked the view from the outside, so he moved over and sat next to Sister Feng, whispering, "Where does such magnanimity come from?"

Feng Jieer suddenly turned her head and squinted, saying in a cold voice: "I'm afraid you knew about this a long time ago? Not only did you not help me, but you also hid it from me together with that bastard!"

Li Weijian swore, "I swear to God, if I wasn't afraid that you might get pregnant, would I have kept it a secret? Do you know that the Yu family is still trying to match me up with Third Sister Yu?"

"Ah? There is such a thing?"

Li Weijian immediately told what happened that day.

After hearing that Li Weijian had denigrated Third Sister You and that Third Sister You almost committed suicide by jumping into a well, Sister Feng immediately said with satisfaction, "You lowly slut, it would be better if you died!"

Seeing Li Weijian's sincere face, knowing that he was not lying, Feng Jieer's anger was slightly relieved. She frowned and sighed, "It's just him. All the dirty and smelly things gather around him!"

Li Weijian lowered his voice and said, "The You family is planning something. Otherwise, why did they take advantage of the time when Second Brother Lian was out to make this happen? If Feng'er doesn't believe it, just send someone to investigate. This matter must have been spread by collusion between the inside and outside."

Sister Feng rolled her eyes at him and said, "I'm not stupid. I don't think I know what Sister You is thinking. She is really calculating. She knows that she is not worthy of being seen in public, so she just plans to let her two sisters marry into the family. Oh, what a fool's dream!"

Li Weijian shook his head and said, "There is no way to stop this. Even if you bring it to the old lady, I'm afraid you won't be in the right."

"I——" Feng Jieer suddenly became angry.

Li Weijian said hurriedly, "I know you can't swallow this anger, but you can't fall for someone else's scheme in your anger. You have to give birth to the baby smoothly before worrying about other things."

As he spoke, Li Weijian reached out and held Feng Jieer's shoulders, and with his other hand he held Feng Jieer's cold hand. Feng Jieer struggled twice, but when she saw that she couldn't get free, she let Li Weijian hold her.

Li Weijian advised again: "It is said that a gentleman's revenge is never too late. Besides... do you really have any friendship with Jia Lian? It's just that you can't swallow this humiliation. If You Erjie behaves honestly, you will be happy and at ease after you marry her."

Feng Jieer felt itchy in her heart when Li Weijian caressed her. She gritted her teeth and spat, saying, "Bah! Now I can finally fulfill your wish!"

Li Weijian said with a smile: "Don't you know what I'm thinking? If you ask me, just let the Second Wife do it. If you follow me, I guarantee you'll be more prosperous than before."

Feng Jieer was a little confused, but she said, "Why? I won't let you!"

Taking three steps forward and two steps back, Li Weijian said, "No matter what you plan, the child is the most important. Listen to me, go to my Xiangshan Garden to give birth and raise the baby for the time being, so as to avoid being schemed against by others. As for what you want to do in the future, I don't care."

Feng Jieer slapped the salty pig's hand away, glared at Li Weijian unhappily, thought for a while, and then nodded and said, "Okay, but how do I tell the old lady? I'm going to the garden, and at home-"

"Isn't Third Sister well taken care of by the housekeeper? Including the confinement period, it will only be about three or four months. I will then invite two competent imperial doctors. You can't let your health be damaged because of the child."

Feng Jieer was comforted by Wen Yan and finally said in relief: "Okay, I will go find the old lady later."

"You are not good at working, so I think I should go."

After a brief and tender moment, Li Weijian hurriedly stood up and took Hongyu and Ping'er to Rongqing Hall.

At this time, in Rongqing Hall, Youshi was still clutching her handkerchief and sobbing. Grandmother Jia was so angry that she kept leaning on her cane and saying, "Evil girl, evil girl! In the midst of national mourning and family mourning, how could Lian'er be so ignorant of her limits?"

Mrs. Xing advised, "Old lady, if you ask me, this matter... it's not Lian'er's fault. Feng girl is too bullying. This man can't eat at home, so he has to go out to find food. It's also fortunate that it's my second sister. If she had bad behavior and was after money, we might have been forced to pay a large sum of money."

Grandmother Jia frowned and was speechless, and the head maid Yuanyang hurried over to help her calm down.

You Shi cried, "It's all my sister's fault. The old lady knows that my second sister is not scheming. It was only after Qiang'er's instigation and Lian'er's sweet words that she agreed without thinking."

Before Grandmother Jia could say anything, the old lady saw what happened in Ningguo Mansion that day and she was not blind, so how could she not know who the You sisters were?
After just a brief reflection, Jia Mu immediately heard the hidden threat in Youshi's words. Now that the matter has spread widely, I'm afraid that sooner or later, the outside world will know about it. He secretly married a concubine during the national mourning period, and it's possible that she is pregnant. Does Jia Lian still want his title?
Mrs. Xing advised again, "Madam, this matter should be covered up. Otherwise, it will be a disgrace to our Jia family. To put it bluntly, if it really comes to the attention of the emperor, it will not only be a matter of embarrassment."

Hearing this, Grandmother Jia sighed and said, "You don't have to defend Lian'er. It's that bastard's fault! Well, now that things have come to this, I will talk to Feng girl in person. We can't let Second Sister live outside and cause gossip."

As soon as she finished speaking, Youshi hurriedly stood up, knelt down and kowtowed to Lady Jia. After she stood up, she secretly exchanged a glance with Madam Xing, and both of them were secretly delighted.

Just at this moment, the head maid Amber came in and reported: "Madam, the fourth master Jian is here."

"Oh? Please."

You stood up and hurriedly exchanged a glance with Mrs. Xing. Both women were worried. Although they didn't know that Feng Jieer and Li Weijian had a secret affair, on the surface, they were close. With Li Weijian's sudden arrival, things might change!

While he was thinking, Li Weijian had already led Hongyu and Ping'er into the room.

Li Weijian looked up at Madam Xing and Youshi, his face expressionless, and he bowed to Grandmother Jia with a worried look on his face, saying, "Madam, I am here to bother you again."

"Very good," Jia's mother's expression suddenly changed, and she forced a smile and said, "How has Yu'er been these days?"

"It's all good. Haidian is not like the capital, so it's always a little cooler. It's also close to various lakes. I took Yu'er fishing yesterday."

Grandmother Jia smiled sincerely and said, "Yu'er looks very obedient, but I know her as an old woman. She is actually the most unruly person!"

After chatting for a while, Li Weijian looked at Mrs. You and Mrs. Xing and couldn't help but asked in surprise, "Why is Sister Zhen crying? What injustice has she suffered?"

"This..." Yushi looked at Lady Jia and was speechless.

Grandmother Jia knew that she couldn't hide it from Li Weijian, so she sighed and said, "Why else? It's because of that bastard Lian Er that he tricked the girl into becoming his mistress. You see, at this time of national mourning and family mourning, such a thing happened. Now that we may have a child, what will outsiders think if it gets out?"

Li Weijian blinked and said, "What a coincidence, I am here today for this matter as well."

"Oh?" Grandmother Jia was surprised and said, "Brother Jian, you..."

Li Weijian said hurriedly, "Just now when I was passing by the mansion, I met Miss Ping on the way. I heard from her that something is wrong with my second sister-in-law. I heard that she was very angry and she might have had a miscarriage."

Grandmother Jia was suddenly in a panic and shouted, "How is Feng'er? Have you asked the imperial physician to check him out?" After saying that, she glared at Youshi again and the words of criticism came to her lips, but she never said them out loud.

Ping Erh hurried forward and said, "Our grandmother was just very angry, but everything else is fine. It's just that people outside are saying nonsense like new Second Madam and old Second Madam, which is really outrageous."

Grandmother Jia first breathed a sigh of relief and said, "We still can't be careless. Yuanyang, go and ask the imperial physician to check on Feng'er."

Yuanyang agreed and quickly sent someone to call the imperial physician.

Grandmother Jia was very clear-headed, but she usually pretended to be confused. How could she not know that Youshi was playing tricks on her? So she said, "Feng Ge'er is too strong-willed. How can she stay by her own side to protect her husband? She just took in a concubine, and those who don't know about it gossiped about her. She should just beat him with a stick. Can she make herself angry?"

Li Weijian said, "Who says it's not true? The old lady also knows what kind of personality the second sister-in-law has. I think... why not remove the firewood from the bottom of the pot."

"What do you mean?"

"My Yu Garden in Xiangshan is empty now. It's very hot now, so it's a good opportunity to let my second sister-in-law go there to escape the heat. Firstly, she won't get angry, and secondly, after a while, her anger may subside."

Grandmother Jia immediately pondered over it. Then Mrs. You and Mrs. Xing, who were below, had an idea. If they moved Sister Feng out of the way, wouldn't the second sister be able to come in?

Mrs. You was not in a position to speak up about this matter, so she winked at Mrs. Xing repeatedly. Mrs. Xing coughed and said, "Madam, Jian'er's idea is good. This temper is only temporary. No matter how hard you try, you will get over it over time. Besides, the capital is really hot and humid, and this year is a leap year. It may be hot for more than a month. It would be a good idea to let Feng go to Xiangshan to escape the heat."

Grandmother Jia hesitated and asked, "Will it be too much trouble?"

Li Weijian smiled and said, "I have left one family to clean the garden, and my second sister-in-law can just bring some more people over there when the time comes."

(End of this chapter)